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ruh--roh-raggy · 9 months

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Home Sweet Home (William Afton x Wife! Reader) - Part 6

Hello hello! Part 6 of Home Sweet Home and we get to hear about Will and reader's engagement!!! Super fluffy, super sweet, thank you to @yellowbunnydreams for letting me be insane and for bouncing ideas around with me, you're the best.

WARNINGS: Talk of feeling worthless, 99% fluff

You can find my Masterlist here!

Word Count: 2,089

Part 5 - Part 7 (TBA)

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William held your hand as he drove, his thumb languidly running over your knuckles as a soft tune crackled from the radio. The two of you had almost entirely finished unpacking, your week off together slowly winding down with every discarded cardboard box. You both decided that you were due for a much needed break, neither of you stopping to do so much as take a breather the past couple days. “I'm telling you, I wouldn't risk it. Henry might shoot you if he sees you trying to slip back into parts and services.” You chuckle, giving your husband's hand a soft squeeze.

“Well, unfortunately for him, I need my tools. That leaky sink isn't going to fix itself and I don't have the right size wrench at the house to do it.” He laughs as you pull into the lot. The bright sign of Freddy Fazbear’s Pizzeria welcoming you as the lone beacon in the night. William hops out of the car, walking around to your side in order to open the door for you. He wraps an arm around your shoulders as you stand, pulling you into his side and placing a kiss to the top of your head. This place had become a second home to the both of you, it having played a backdrop for some of the most pivotal moments of your and your husband's relationship, the old building held a very special place in your heart. You're greeted with the familiar sound of arcade machines pinging and the excited screams of children as they race around, fists clamped tightly around their winnings of bright orange tickets.

“Well, howdy you two! Isn't this a nice surprise!” Henry approaches you, arms already open for a hug as he greets you jovially.

“I still owe my girl that pizza.” William chuckles, clapping Henry on the back as he pulls him into a tight hug. Henry turns to you, laughing slightly as he asks.

“Well what toppings would you like on that little lady? I'll gladly pop back into the kitchen and put in a special order just for you.” you can't help but roll her eyes at the sound of his customer service tone breaking through.

“Just pepperoni Henry, thank you.” She smiles.

“We’re just going to pop back to parts and services, I have to fix some stuff at the house.” Will gently takes you by the wrist, tugging you towards the back of the restaurant before Henry has a chance to protest.

“The two of you haven't even been in that house a week and you managed to break something?” He asks with a laugh. “What? Get a little too frisky in the shower and rip the faucet off the wall?” You can't help but giggle at the sight of your husband's cheeks darkening.

“Leaky tap in the kitchen.” You decide to explain the situation before Henry has a chance to tease Will even more. “I promise I won't let him start working.”

“You have ten minutes.” He jokes, waving a finger at both of you before heading towards the kitchen. You smile as a kid rushes past you towards the stage show that was just beginning to start.

“You know, even after all this time I still love watching them perform.” You muse with a small laugh. Your hand slides into William’s, the two of you exchanging a smile as you head towards parts and services. The two of you slipped from the chaos of the pizzeria into the nearly silent hallway, William had always liked to be kept as far away from the main room as possible, he would always argue that it lowered the chance of a kid finding their way down to his workshop and getting hurt, but you knew it was just because he liked the quiet. He pulls his ring of keys from his pocket, unlocking the door without much thought as the two of you head inside. William lets out a sigh of relief as he kicks the door shut.

“Silence at last, I don't know how he stands being out there all day.” He chuckles, sliding an arm around your waist and pulling you to him. “It feels like it's been years since we were in here together.” You roll your eyes, sliding your hands over his chest as you turn yourself to face him.

“I'm sorry, years? I think I remember you having me bent over that work bench a couple weeks ago.” You smirk, making your husband chuckle before he captures your lips in a heated kiss. You let out a soft hum as you melt into him, his beard scratchy against your soft skin as you held each other tightly. He pulls back from you, swiping his thumb over your bottom lip. His hands drop to your hips, lifting you up onto one of the counters that lined the walls with ease. You look around the room with a fond expression, a nostalgic look your husband didn't miss.

“Lots of memories in this room, huh rabbit?” Your eyes snap to your husband, a soft smile on his face as he studies you.

“I guess you could say that.” You giggle, fidgeting with a ratchet you had found by your side. Your smile widens as you watch your wedding ring glint in the golden afternoon light. “Do you remember when we got engaged?” You ask quietly.

“How could I forget?” He chuckles, straightening up and walking over to you. “It was the day the most beautiful woman in the world agreed to be my wife, of course I remember.”

You slammed through the door of parts and services, making William jump and the machine part he had situated in his lap clatter to the floor. “Bunny?” His confused and concerned tone reached your ears and the sound alone was enough to make you break down in tears. The moment he realized the state you were in, William was up out of his chair and rushing to your side. “Honey, what's wrong? Are you hurt?” He wraps his strong arms around you, pulling you into his chest. He shushes you quietly, waiting for your hiccuping and sniffling to quiet down before asking you again. “Baby, what happened? Talk to me.”

“I just… It’s stupid Will, I don't really want to talk about it.” He shakes his head, rubbing his hands up and down your arms to try and keep you calm.

“It's not stupid bunny. If it matters enough to you that it makes you cry it matters to me.” He reminds you in a calm tone. “Tell me what's the matter, baby.” You take a few deep breaths, wiping at your face roughly with your hands.

“I ran into some girls I went to high school with and it just reminded me how far behind all of them I am.” You couldn't meet his eyes. At this point you didn't even know why William still wanted to be with you. He was smart, successful, ungodly handsome. You were just you. Still working the same job at the pizzeria, you weren't married, didn't have any kids, didn't have any accomplishments to show for yourself. “They've all got these big important jobs and drive fancy cars and they have these amazing wonderful lives with their husbands and I… I’m nothing.” Will stood there, staring at you with a slack jawed expression.

Were you being serious? William noticed the way tears pricked at your eyes, the way you crossed your arms over your chest as you leaned against the workbench, your lip trembling in frustration as your gaze looked anywhere but at him. He lets out a huff, his eyes darting around his workshop. He grabbed the mechanism he had been working on, wrapping one of the protruding wires around his hand, tugging it free with a loud snap. He pushes tools around the crowded space, letting out a satisfied noise when he finds the wire strippers he was searching for. He clips them on about halfway down the wire, shucking off the bright red insulated coating with ease to reveal the shining copper underneath. He takes the end of it, twisting the strands together tightly before taking a pair of cutters and snipping off the cable. He takes a ring terminal and crimps it on one side of the cord, on the other end he crimps on a connector, slipping it through the terminals loop before placing a bright yellow plastic cap on it. He carefully forms it into a neater circle before taking long, fast strides in your direction. He grabs your hand in his, sliding the makeshift ring into place on your finger.

“I promise you, tomorrow morning I’m going to go buy you the real thing. But, for right now,” He holds your hands tightly in his, silver eyes locking onto yours as Will poured his heart out to you. “I am in love with you, I have been since the beginning. There isn't a morning that I wake up, or a time where I go to sleep where I don't think about just how goddamn lucky that I am to have you. You are the air in my lungs, the reason my heart keeps beating, bunny you are my entire world. I'm sorry that it took you bursting in here almost in tears for me to finally say all of this but if I'm being entirely honest I was terrified to admit just how deeply in love with you I am. Out of everyone you could have had you somehow chose me and for the life of me I still can't understand why. How could an angel like you ever love someone like me? It doesn't matter where you think you compare to any of those women because I know that you are the most incredible, talented, smartest, most loving woman I have ever met, I could never love someone more than how much I love you.” You felt hot tears streaming down your cheeks, your hands trembling in Will’s strong grip.

“Will you be my wife?”

“Yes.” Your voice comes out barely above a whisper, still not fully believing what you were hearing. You slowly begin to nod your head, slowly shaking it faster as you repeat your answer with growing excitement. “Of course I'll marry you, I love you so much.” You let out a sniffly laugh as you pull him into a passionate kiss.

You twist your wedding ring around your finger, your eyes drifting up to your husband as he steps in front of you. He holds out a recreation of your stand-in engagement ring, a small bashful smile lacing his lips. “And after all this time you're still mine.” He remarks quietly.

“I'd marry you all over again if I could.” You pull your bottom lip between your teeth. His hands slide over your hips, hiking you to the edge of the workbench you had situated yourself on. His eyes scan over your face hungrily, his steely gray eyes darkening as a smirk spreads across his features. He guides your legs around his waist, letting out a groan before his lips crash against yours. He wraps a hand loosely around your throat, angling your jaw to deepen the kiss. You let out a soft gasp as he nips at your bottom lip, allowing him to effortlessly slip his tongue into your mouth. He lets out a soft, satisfied hum against your lips.

The door bursts open behind you, “Oh, for Christ’s sake! Lock the door you animals!” Henry exclaims as he slaps a hand over his eyes. William chuckles as he pulls away from you, leaving you utterly breathless.

“Relax, we’re both fully clothed.” He groans, making you giggle. Henry holds a pizza box in his hand.

“Go home and enjoy this, I don't want to see either of you back in this building until Monday.” He waves a finger at them, you couldn't help but laugh at the fact he still chastised both of you like children. Will motions for you to follow, figuring since he had what he needed you could head out. Henry walks the two of you out to your car, pulling you into a tight hug before you slip into the passenger seat, the pizza tucked safely onto your lap. Will stood outside the car talking to Henry too quietly for you to hear, but from the giddy expression on your husband’s best friend's face you knew they were up to something.

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Tag list: @yellowbunnydreams @zoey5252 @redflowery @loudchaosking @weirdoartist21 @residentevilbeast @lokanda @emmbny @yukkkiki @dij-ology

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allastoredeer · 2 months

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The Hierarchal Power Structure in Pentagram City + Royal Family Character Analysis (Hellaverse World-Building)

I did some character analysis, lore, and world-building last night for Pentagram City and the hierarchical systems, and @tomboy014, I saw your reply, and I am here to deliver the deets.

First and foremost, disclaimer: this is world-building/character analysis/lore that I came up with. Some of it is based on canon, but a lot of it is built off my personal fanon. None of it can actually be considered canon, but feel free to incorporate anything here into your fanon or fics or whatever you want. And feel free to not take any of it seriously and ignore it if it doesn't work for you.

This post is going to be broken up into separate parts that delve into different subjects, like the city districts, the Overlords and what they give to the city, hierarchal systems, politics, and soul-contracts.

To get things started, I'm diving into the hierarchical systems of power in the Pride Ring and how involved or uninvolved they are in, most of the character analysis is on the Royal Family (Lucifer, Lilith, and Charlie) and their relationship to the Pride Ring.

So, we know that the Sinners are contained to the Pride Ring and that however powerful the Overlords are and how much influence they have in the Ring, they are still outranked by the Goetia and the Royal Family.

So, diving into that, let's start with the big boss of Hell himself:

Lucifer

Lucifer is the top dog. He's the most powerful being in Hell. What he says goes.

But he doesn't often involve himself with Pentagram City or the Sinners. He's gone out, made appearances, settled disputes that made their way up to him, and is the one who typically deals with Heaven and their input.

Unlike Sinners, he actually gets along well with the Hellborn. He has powerful Hellborn friends, like the Eldritch family - Charlie previously dated Seviathan Von Eldritch (their son) and we see a picture of Frederick Von Eldritch (the dad) with Lucifer in Lucifer's workshop in "Dad Beat Dad:

So, he has good relationships with other people. He has friends. He gets along well with the other Deadly Sins and the Goetia. He has absolutely no problems with them.

He also doesn't mind dealing with issues that pop up in other Rings, but given that those Rings are managed by the other Sins, it's rare that he has to get involved. Usually, the only times he would, is if the Sins themselves were having a dispute with each other, and it got big enough to warrant it coming to him. He's the big boss of Hell, afterall. He gets the final say.

What he does distance himself from is the Sinners.

When it comes to Heaven, Lucifer has an inferiority complex.

He's been in Heaven, with the seraphims, archangels, and angels for most of his existence. He grew up believing what they believe. He was considered a trouble-maker for his grandiose ideas, but he was still one of them.

But after giving Eve the fruit of knowledge, giving free-will to mankind and breaking the careful order Heaven maintained, the beings that he's been with his entire existence turned on him. Rejected him. Cast him out and punish him for his mistake by seeing nothing but the terrible and wicked caused by his actions.

He feels ashamed and humiliated. Belittled and looked down on. If everyone you've ever known, everyone you've ever been close to, tells you you're done a terrible thing, what other choice do you have then to believe them?

He's still prideful, but that pride is what causes him to have such great shame. He was so certain of his decision. So certain that giving Eve the apple was the right move, only to be torn down so thoroughly and cast out of his home.

But with the Sinners he has a superiority complex.

The Sinners are a constant reminder of his mistake. When he sees them, all he feels is shame, anger, humiliation, and disgust, but he still thinks he's better than them. He thinks all the Hellborn are better than them. He's still got a sliver of that high-and-mighty angel inside him that looks down on the Sinners.

Heaven deemed them bad enough to be sent to Hell, afterall. And even though he'd been cut off from Heaven, even though he was cast out, Heaven's definition of "good" and "bad" is still rooted in his brain. They would know, right? Heaven is pure, and righteous, and good. He was once pure, and righteous, and good. Their logic and reasoning made sense to him, and a part of it still does.

So, he goes out of his way to avoid interacting with the Sinners. Given that he's only ever seen the worst in humanity, he considers them the lowest of the low and doesn't bother trying to learn more about them - he stopped trying to see the good in them after the first few hundred years.

To him, all Sinners are horrible. Heartless. Monstrous. Cruel. They tear things down instead of build things up. They're everything wrong with humanity. He doesn't hold a high opinion of them, nor has he for a very, very, very long time.

Given that he represents "pride," most would assume that he manages the Pride Ring, but it's actually Lilith who runs the Ring and everyone in it. Lucifer is more than happy to let Lilith take the reins when it comes to the Sinners, and almost never takes the opportunity to get more involved when one comes up.

Lilith

Lilith holds a higher opinion of the Sinners than Lucifer does.

She used to be human, afterall. She was the first woman. One of three people that marked the beginning of mankind. Technically, one could argue that she was the first human to commit a sin as she had not only rejected Adam but she was on board with Lucifer sharing the fruit of knowledge with Eve. She was punished for their "reckless act" just the same as Lucifer and cast into Hell.

But where Lucifer feels disgust and shame, Lilith feels a sense of freedom. She's no longer bound to Heaven and their rules. Rules that she struggled with and had to break free of. Rules that also dubbed her a "wicked person" for breaking them.

She feels connected to the Sinners. She feels a kinship with them. She has more empathy for their situations and actions. She understands their misery and anger. She loves learning about them and their stories - some Sinners, of course, are absolutely deplorable human beings. But there are some who lived in difficult situations, made mistakes, developed bad habits, were forced into tight corners, had no other options, or were just in the wrong place at the wrong time. She feels righteous anger at Heaven and its strict system that separates the "good" from the "bad."

Lilith has been involved with the growth of Pentagram City since the beginning, and once Overlords became a thing, she worked side-by-side with them to keep the Ring functioning as best as a society can function in Hell.

She was a lot more involved in the beginning of Hell. However, the more the city grew the more it was able to stand on its own two legs. She had more time to step away and be with Lucifer, Charlie later on, and the other Rings. She still often holds her concerts to inspire and uplift demonkind, but she doesn't have to help run the city so much.

Overtime, she became more of an occasional guiding hand or a final vote. The Overlords had a hold of most situations and solved it amongst their own territories or with the other Overlords.

Charlie

While born in Hell, Charlie was actually very sheltered growing up. She was allowed to go to the other Rings, and often went on trips with Lucifer and Lilith to visit the other Sins, but despite living in the Pride Ring, she wasn't allowed to really explore it for a lot of her life growing up.

Lilith wanted to bring young Charlie with her on her trips into the city, to meet the Overlords, see her subjects, and familiarize herself with all the districts, but Lucifer was a little bit more, ehhhh...hesitant, you could say. And protective. Very protective.

He didn't like the idea of his little girl rubbing elbows with the scum of humankind. Of her seeing the violence and cruelty they so often displayed. She became a bright, burning light in his life, giving him new drive, something to love and take care of. It brought him out of his depression for a time, especially when Charlie lived in the palace, but he still had moments when he fell back into it. When he had hard days. When he sunk back into dark thoughts and internalized shame.

During these dark periods of time, Lucifer locked himself in his workroom. He didn't have the energy, the mental capacity, to be there for Charlie, and he didn't want to bring any of the dark and negative thoughts & emotions on to Charlie - the light in his life. His pride and joy.

Distancing himself from her during this spirals is how he "protected" her. He convinced himself that it was for her own good not to see him like this. That he needed to keep this side of him locked away and out of sight for her benefit, not realizing just how much Charlie needed him.

During these spirals, Lucifer turned to creation. He made things. Things for Charlie. Things for Lilith. Random knick-knacks. Whatever object, animal, or concept that crossed his mind. More often than not, though, his creations had holy undertones. Angelic designs. Some piece of Heaven squirreled inside.

Charlie loved watching her dad create things, and eventually, Lucifer started telling her stories about Heaven. What it was like up there. How beautiful it was. The archangels and the seraphims who made galaxies and expanded the universe. Who kept evil at bay.

Charlie soaked in these stories and developed a fascination for Heaven.

Lilith didn't approve. She had complicated feelings about Heaven, but for the most part, she had a negative opinion of it. Of the angels, the seraphims, their order, and rules, and expectations. She doesn't see it with the same rose-tinted glasses that Lucifer does. She doesn't have the millennia of memories and experiences that Lucifer has.

She doesn't like Lucifer filling Charlie's head with these grandiose and beautiful depictions of Heaven. She doesn't like Charlie's growing fascination with Heaven. She doesn't like the look of awe and wonder in Charlie's eyes. She doesn't like Lucifer painting Heaven in this perfect light when they had both been hurt so badly by them. She's been with Lucifer since the beginning, has seen him through every up and down, spiral, and depressive episode, and she doesn't understand how he could still hold such a high opinion of them after everything they did. Everything they've put her through. Everything they put him through.

She's okay with Lucifer spending time with Charlie and creating things with her, but she does interrupt and make an excuse to take Charlie with her when Lucifer starts talking about Heaven, or creating Heavenly things, like the bird-angel-creature from "Dad Beat Dad"

She doesn't want Charlie getting the wrong idea about them.

Lucifer's leniency towards Heaven & contempt for Sinner and Lilith's animosity towards Heaven & compassion for Sinners starts butting heads more and more as Charlie grows up. It leads to arguments, and then fights, and eventually, their divorce.

Charlie grew up torn between her father's dreams and stories, and her mothers compassion for Sinners and desire to help them. Both facets have been instilled in her. They're both driving motivators for her and what she wants to do with her life.

But seeing the separation between her parents was hard and it hurt. No matter what she did, she couldn't help their marriage or their family. So, she turned to helping others. The Sinners, specifically. Of redeeming them so they may see the beautiful, wondrous place her father told her about.

Lucifer still didn't approve, of course, which devastated Charlie. She wanted his support. Needed it. But he couldn't look past his contempt for Sinners, and it became the leading factor that led to their estrangement in the years that followed, with Charlie feeling unsupported and neglected, and Lucifer wanting to reconnect with her so badly but not knowing how to bridge the gap.

Lilith needed distance from Lucifer. She still loved him. She did. But she's also been with him since before Hell was created. They've been at each other's sides since they first met in the Garden of Eden.

And Lucifer's depressive episodes were hard on her too. She did everything she could to support him. To help him. To be there for him. But over time, the mental and emotional load began weighing on her. It started affecting her mentally and emotionally too. It's hard to be the one constantly holding up the other. She felt like she could never break. Never stumble. She had to be steadfast. She had to be strong. A pillar for her family and her kingdom. To raise Charlie, oversee the city, and support Lucifer all at once, and she was exhausted.

And with her and Lucifer butting heads more and more, she couldn't keep doing it. She left the Pride Ring, visited the other Rings, took some time for herself and something something, stuff happens, she ends up in Heaven (my reasoning for this changes based on what fic I'm writing or concept I'm thinking about, so I don't have a concrete answer to give).

She did leave Charlie on her own, too, though.

Charlie had to build her plan for redemption, start her hotel, and deal with demonkind all on her own, without the support of either of her parents, without their help navigating the city and dealing with Sinners, which leaves her fumbling, unsure how to act around them, and a bit naive to their situation. When she met Vaggie, she got the love and support for her dreams, for herself, that she craved. That she needed. That's been missing for so many years.

Charlie still loves both of her parents deeply, but she has complicated feelings about them that she buries deep, deep, deep down inside her. She's got mommy and daddy issues.

Goetia

The Goetia are the third most powerful beings in Hell (after the Sins and the Royal Family). They outrank the Overlords easily.

Goetia families live in every ring. They can move between Rings, go where they want, and have their own sway and political power in Hell. A Goetia that we know, for sure, lives in the Pride Ring is Stolas, as implied by the sky where his house/estate is located:

But, generally, the Goetia don't get that involved in Pentagram City, its politics, or the Overlords, unless it affects them directly. They work with the Overlords, meet with them to discuss matters that involve them both, but over all, they leave Pentagram City, the Overlords, and the Sinners all to their own devices. They don't care enough to get involved, and, technically, the Pride Ring is the Sinner's ring - as they are restricted to it - and they don't want to have to maintain a society or system for them.

The Goetia have an indifferent opinion of the Sinners. Where Imps and Hellhounds are the lower class, and generally looked down on, especially by the Goetia, the Sinners are kind of just...there.

They may look down on them a little, and not take the Overlords too seriously, as they see them as nothing but a handful of Sinners with a smidgeon of power - how cute ^.^ They think they can actually do shit! - that doesn't hold a candle to a Goetia's power.

They do tend to underestimate the Overlord's power and can be condescending towards them, but in the end, if an Overlord were to try and go toe-to-toe with a Goetia, they would get their ass beat.

So, the Goetia's attitude towards Pentagram City, the Overlords, and the Sinners is generally indifferent. They simply don't care enough to get involved. The Sinners are none of their concern and they don't want to make them their concern. They only ever interact/deal with the Overlords, and even then, it's sparingly.

The Goetia keep to themselves. The Overlords and Sinners keep to themselves. Both are fine with this. (The Overlords would not be happy if the Goetia decided they wanted more control of city and inserted themselves into the politics and hierarchy).

Overlords

Like how Lucifer is the top dog in all of Hell, the Overlords are the top dogs in Pentagram City (not including the Goetia, who keep to themselves and don't get involved in Sinner business).

The city is run by the Overlords. They each have their own districts, their own imports and exports, and a trade that benefits the city in some way, shape, or form. A lot of their trades can be dependent, or involved, with other Overlord's and their trades, which is an incentive for them to keep the peace and work together.

They meet up fairly often to discuss the happenings in the cities, situations/events that have an impact on all of them (like the Exterminations), problems that arises that they need to groupthink for solutions, and any matter or subject that an Overlord wants to bring up with the other's.

The relationship between the Overlords can vary. Some can be friends, some can just be allies, some can have friction, and some can be flat out rivals. No matter what the relationship is, it's crucial that the order between them be maintained.

Overlords, generally, try not to attack or openly antagonize each other. They don't typically want to start fights, as that is just as much a risk to them as it is to the one they want to fight. And if a fight does break out, either 1) the Overlord will be defeated with the possibility of losing souls - or killed, depending on if their attacker has an angelic weapon, or 2) the defeated Overlord will be embarrassed and angry, and the friction will only get worse and cause more detriment to the group as a whole.

Nobody wants Overlords fighting, especially the Overlords. They're the most powerful Sinners, but even that power has risks. It takes a while to build up, but it can be snatched away so quickly, and few of them want to take that chance. The best option is to get along as best they can when they're in the same room, and keep to themselves and their districts when they separate.

The Overlords are essentially a counsel. They're all considered equals of each other. There is no head of the Overlords. No one who presides over them, except Lilith. They all stand on equal footing and treat each other as such (at least outwardly). They work together to keep the city running, as their empires, power, and trades are dependent on the city. It's in all their best interests to keep it functioning as much as a society can function in Hell. (It helps that they are the ones controlling the system, and thus, they benefit from having a say in what goes on in the city).

If an Overlord were to be "toppled" or killed, it would actually rock the balance that's been established in the city. Suddenly, there will be thousands of Sinners with broken contracts who now own their souls, entire territories that can be seized, a trade/resource that is either up for grabs or gone entirely, and overall chaos and confusion. Greedy Overlords might make a power grab for more territory and souls, which becomes a threat to the other Overlords and their status. More fights break out. More damage and destruction. More friction.

It's bad for everyone. So they try to keep the peace among each other as much as possible.

Crime-Families

Crime-families fall under the Overlords in this hierarchy of power. These crime-families don't have to be "families," they can be gangs, factions, syndicates, or organizations.

Some of them may be owned by an Overlord, fall into the jurisdiction of an Overlord, or are entirely independent with their souls intact. No matter what the relationship is, crime-families do tend to work directly with Overlords.

They specialize in smuggling, trafficking, and recruiting. Unless owned, they typically don't work with just one Overlord, but do business with all of them. They can be paid under-the-table by a specific Overlord to be notified when they have a “fresh supply," or if they found something/someone that could benefit that Overlord, but generally, they keep the entire pool open and neutral, as there's more money to be made that way and there's safety in being a resource for all Overlords, not just one. That way, if they were threatened, it would come to the attention of all the Overlords, as they are a valuable resource and anyone threatening that makes themselves a target.

Owned Sinners

Owned-Sinners are Sinners who have sold their soul. The system for owning and selling souls is a complex one, with pros and cons. There's a reason so many sinners end up selling their souls, despite how serious and significant it is to do so.

And that's because so often the benefits outweigh the risks.

There are many reasons why a Sinner will sell their soul, like fame, money, opportunity, security, safety, housing, jobs, desires, needs, etc... and whoever owns their soul, that person is now responsible for it and them.

Some Sinners will sell their soul as a way to get a well-paying job from an Overlord, or to fall under their protection so they're safe from outside threats, or to pay off loans they can't pay back, or to wipe clean their slate if they get themselves in too much trouble. When an Overlord owns your soul, you have the opportunity to relocate to that Overlord's district as further means of security and opportunity.

Furthermore, most people who sell their souls just...continue living their own lives. Overlords own thousands upon thousands of souls. There's no way they can keep track of every single one of them, or have hyper-specific deals with each one. Most sinners can sell their soul and continue living their afterlife with whatever benefits they sold it for. Easy peasy.

There are, of course, cons too.

Like, the fact that you are owned by someone. You're bound by the contract you signed. You're bound to the person who now owns your soul. The deal you made may have specific requirements that you have to follow, and not doing so can result in very, very bad consequences.

It opens situations for abuse and being taken-advantage of. Even if you change your mind afterward, you can't break the deal. Unless you convince the owner of your soul to dissolve it, they don't hold up their end of the bargain, or you can't find a loophole/backdoor, you're trapped in the contract and there is nothing you can do about it.

Non-Owned Sinners

Non-Owned Sinners fall under Owned-Sinners in this power-structure because they don't have the opportunities or security that comes with being tied to an Overlord.

Overlords can offer protection, housing, well-paying jobs, opportunities, money, debt-relief, a myriad of things. Whereas Non-Owned Sinners are all on their own. They're "free targets." There won't be any repercussions to killing them, hurting them, taking all their shit, trafficking them, literally doing anything to them.

Non-Owned Sinners have the independence and freedom of owning their souls, but they're essentially fishes in a shark tank. They're vulnerable. They're out in the open. They're more likely to live in squalor. Bad things are more likely to happen to them.

Living in Hell, where death, destruction, misery, and torment are the norm, most Sinners will end up selling their souls. And if they don't at first, they usually do eventually when life gets too hard, they get themselves into too much trouble, they fall for a recruiters trap, or they're desperate.

Imps

Imps are below Non-Owned Sinners. The Pride Ring is the most diverse Ring in all of Hell, so there are a lot of Hellborn who live there. Imps are still one of the lowest classes, but there are actually a lot of opportunities for them there.

Sinners don't see Imps the same way other Hellborn do. They weren't born there and they are restricted to the Pride Ring, so they don't see how other Rings treat Imps.

Imps aren't treated as badly in the Pride Ring, especially in Imp City (which is an entire district in Pentagram City that's in a neutral zone, and thus, under the jurisdiction of no Overlord) and is dominantly populated by other Imps.

Though they still are very much treated as a lower class, it's not as terrible as it can be in other Rings. The diversity of so many sinners and Hellborn make it a little easier. They have job opportunities within the city. They can work for Overlords without having to sell their soul, as Overlords can't own the souls of Hellborn, just other Sinners.

Hellhounds

Hellhounds are at the bottom of the list, as they are canonically the lowest social class in Hell. Most of the jobs they get fall under the category of security, manual labor, sex work, or working with crime-families.

Like Imps, it's a little better in the Pride Ring, given its diversity and the Sinners not having a full scope of just how much lower of a class Imps and Hellhounds are supposed to be. It's not perfect by any means, and the system is still rigged against them, but there's more job opportunities and ways to make a life for themselves.

That's that for the hierarchical system in the Pride Ring, from the highest class to the lowest class. The most powerful to the least powerful.

TLDR: Lucifer is the most powerful but he doesn't want to get involved with Sinners, Lilith helped the city grow until it could stand on its own, Charlie wants to help but struggles due to family issues and being sheltered most of her life, the Goetia don't care enough to get involved with the Sinners, the Overlords are a counsel of equals, Crime families work for the Overlords, Owned-Sinners have more opportunity, Non-Owned Sinners have less opportunity, Imps and Hellhounds have always been considered a lower class, but it's not as bad for them in the Pride Ring.

Up Next: A Deep Dive into the Overlords and their Districts (this is where the real world-building begins)

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spiderdaddy420 · 3 months

Text

The Favorite Uncle...

Usually my brother is home when I come to town for work, but his job sent him out of town for a few weeks this time. When I gave him a call to let him know I'd be around, he asked me if I could maybe take his oldest kid out while I was in town. Her and her mom haven't been getting along at all lately, and he was sure they could both use a break. Of course I told him no problem. His kids were good, fun kids, and my niece is very cute. I'd definitely have a fun time spending the day with her.

I spoke to Sara a couple days before I got to town, and asked her if she'd like to hang out with her uncle, perhaps we'll go see a movie, or even hit the Build-a-Bear workshop nearby. She seemed super happy to hear that idea, and even asked if she could dress like a little kid when we went. "ha, sure kiddo, why not?" I said, liking the idea. And having no idea what I was getting into.

It turns out my little niece had become quite the little heartbreaker in the year or so since my last visit. And I was shocked when she pranced out of her front door towards my car. Skipping down the sidewalk, she wore teeny tiny little shorts, and an adorable little blue crop top with cherries on the front. With her blond hair in a loose ponytail bouncing behind her and her big round glasses, I thought for the first time that she looked absolutely delicious.

As Sara plopped down in the passenger seat next to me, she leaned over and gave me a big kiss on the cheek, pressing her little b-cups against my arm. Yikes, she wasn't even wearing a bra! Definitely not going to be easy to keep my composure.

"Hi Uncle J, thanks for taking me out today! Are we starting with building a teddy bear?" she giggled, looking adorable as hell.

"Ha, sure sweetie, we certainly can! Do you know what you wanna make yet?" I asked, prying my eyes off of her young, smooth, bare legs.

"I dunno yet, maybe you can help me pick?" she replied.

As I drove the half hour or so to Build-a-Bear, we had a fun, light chat. She's really looking forward to her second year of high school in a few weeks. I kept trying not to, but my eyes kept wandering across her tiny white thighs. She kept crossing and uncrossing them, and I couldn't help but wonder if it was intentional. And then there were several times she rested her knee on my hand holding the shifter. Is she trying to tease me?

As we parked, Sara could barely contain her excitement. Last time she was here, I took her for her 12th birthday. She made an adorable floppy giraffe. She was so happy that she could make it play the Toys-R-Us theme song when she squeezed his belly! She told me she still snuggles with him every night, and he needed a new friend.

As we're waiting in line, she was SO bouncy and giggly! Grabbing my arm, giving me hugs, saying "thank you thank you thank you!" over and over. Jesus, kiddo, you have no idea what you're doing to me. 'Course, I didn't say that, but when we got close to the front of the line, she held my arm, twirled around, and ended up wrapped in my arm, her back pressed firm against me, I have a feeling she felt my cock grow against the small of her back. I'm guessing she did, because she held my arm tight, and didn't move an inch til we were next in line. I'm definitely glad I was holding a bag from the bookstore we passed by, because my tent was fully pitched.

Bouncing around and smiling as delightfully as ever, she chose to make a big stuffed Stitch, from one of her favorite movies. She had him stuffed big and full, and we added a bubblegum scent, and a little audio clip of his laugh from the movies, and she kept giving big warm hugs, thanking me so so much. I swear, she knows exactly what she's doing.

As the clerk rung us up and I paid, she gave me yet another possibly too long hug, pressing her firm little tits against my arm. "Glad you're happy, kiddo!" I said, giving her a little wink.

Of course we didn't need a bag for her Stitch, she wasn't going to be letting him go any time soon.

As we reached the car, she asked if we're going to head to the movies now, and I told her I just need to stop at my hotel for a few minutes, then we'll head out. "why don't you open your phone up and see what's playing nearby?" I suggested. "okie dokie uncle J!", as she pulled her phone from her tiny little purse. Holding it between her legs, which of course I couldn't look away from, and a pic of her with her eyes crossed, and tongue hanging out, was her phone's wallpaper. As she saw me look, she giggled adorably "heheh, oops, I was just being silly the other day".

"Ha, it's a super cute pic sweetie, send me a copy" I said, half jokingly.

By the time we got back to the hotel I was staying at, I could barely look at the road. Sara kept touching her thighs, then touching my hand, then crossing her pretty little legs.... I was about to burst.

As walked the hallway to my room, she had Stitch held tight in one arm, the other holding my hand. Practically skipping down the hall, and I kept noticing her perky little tits poking and bouncing under her little blue top.

Walking into my room, I locked the door behind me and asked if Sara wanted a snack while we're here. Handing her a candy bar and a Pepsi from the mini fridge, she leaned forward and showed me how low her tiny top was cut. Catching my gaze, she quickly covered herself up, blushing. "Sorry uncle J", practically red as an apple. "Hehe, it's ok kiddo, you're adorable".

"And...um.... I'm sorry if I got a little excited at the store earlier. I don't know what got into me" she said, staring directly down at her feet.

Kneeling down in front of her, I gently lifted her chin to look me in the eyes, and I told her it's ok, I got pretty excited too. She replied "I know uncle J, that's kinda why I kept doing it. I'm so sorry, that was wrong of me".

"So, you knew what you were doing, kiddo?" I asked, still holding her delicate chin.

"Y....ye....yeah, I did", and a tear or two started to stream down her soft pink cheek. "You're just always super nice to me, and take such good care of me when you visit, and I wanted to thank you..." Rambling now, she continued "thank you and make sure you knew how important it is to me, and you're a really handsome guy, to be honest, and nobody is ever that sweet to me.... I just want you to keep visiting and taking care of me, I wanna make you happy...I just...! Ugh, I'm so sorry..."

My pulse instantly quickened. And my cock grew hard again. "really, little Sara?" I asked, as my eyes narrowed, and I looked into her watery eyes.

"Yea-"

Like a snake attacking it's dinner, my hand went dropped down and my large strong fingers wrapped around Sara's tiny neck. Lifting her to her feet that way, both of her hands grabbed my forearm, but she didn't actually resist. I leaned close and began kissing her soft young lips, pressing my tongue into her warm, Pepsi flavored mouth. After a moment, I leaned back up, eyes locked with hers, not releasing my grip. My poor little niece looked so frightened, and so excited, and so delicate....

"I'm going to enjoy taking care of you, sweetie" as I turned, still grasping her neck, and pressed her against the wall. "You just stay right here, and look me in the eyes, sweetie."

One hand still holding her neck, her fingers still clutching my arm, tho her nails are no longer digging in, my other hand slid down below the edge of her crop top, pulling up and revealing what she's been teasing me with all day. Her adorable little b-cup looked tiny when my hand wrapped around it, and Sara let out a short gasp as I pinched her little nipple and firmly rolled it in my fingers.

"Unc-...uncle J....what're you-... What're we-.... What's happening...?" She whimpered, as she kept taking short gasps for air.

"Hush sweetie, you're making me very happy" I replied, leaning in to press my tongue in her mouth again, she moaned directly into my mouth as I pinched again, and began kissing me back as I released her now stinging little nipple.

We kissed for several moments like that. One hand around her neck, firmly, and the other cupping and kneading one of her tits, then the other.

"Am....am I being a, uh... Am I being a good girl, uncle J?" She whimpered, as she began to squirm from her tiny little hips down.

Glaring at her like a perfectly cooked piece of meat, I said "yes, princess. I'm very happy right now".

She leaned forward, head tilted up, eager for another kiss from her uncle. I obliged, and felt her tongue playing with mine, eagerly. My hand slid down from her breasts at that, down to her tiny little jean shorts. As I began unbuttoning her jeans, and sliding the zipper down, her grip tightened on my forearm again. "N-...no....plea-...." But her plea for me to stop trailed off, as my big hand slid inside the elastic band of her tiny yellow panties. She was practically bare down there, maybe hasn't even grown enough to shave her first time. An inch or so lower, I discovered she was also soaking wet.

A moment later, Sara's knees went weak, and she almost entirely released her grip, as my middle finger pressed between, and past, her young, wet lips. She gasped again, and retightened her grip as my whole finger invaded her. Her knees remained jelly, and I'm basically holding her up by her neck at this point. I think my finger may have been the largest thing she's had inside of her, because holy shit was she tight.

"Fu-...fuuuuuck, uncle J..." she moaned, as my finger slid slowly in and out of her virgin little pussy. "You...you can't..." but no other fight.

Making sure my palm rubbed against her little clit, I quickened the pace of my hand, and she began getting squirmier and squirmer in my hands. Desperately leaning forward to try to steal another kiss.

Fast and deep, I finger fucked my niece against the wall. Her legs began to shake, and her breath intensified. She was about to cum on my hand, and she had no idea what was about to happen. Her eyes rolled back, and her arms flopped down to her sides. She kept trying to reach up and grab her own tits, but was too flustered and confused to get it right.

"Shi-...I can.....I can't....we can't..."

"Shhhhhh, no more talking princess. Let uncle J take care of you" I said, my hand moving at a furious pace now. I could feel her entire body clench in an instant, including her already tight little cunt, as she came all over my hand. I kept my pace for a few more moments, til Sara was on the verge of passing out, before slowly removing my fingers from inside her still shivering body. Leaning forward, I kissed her open, drooling mouth, as she struggled to focus on kissing me back.

"Now it's my turn, kiddo" I said, leading her, hand around her neck, back to the bed where I released my grip finally, before twisting her around and bending her over the tall king size bed. Tugging Sara's loosened shorts down, along with her panties, she got a bit of energy back and tried telling me stop, halfheartedly. With one hand on the small of her back, I use the other to undo my jeans and drop them to my ankles.

"Wait, wait.... Uncle J... I'm not ready for-"

I cut her off, shoving her face down into the thick soft blanket.

"Shhhh, you're perfectly ready, princess." I reply, and take a small step forward, til my hard cock is resting on her tiny, firm little cantaloupe of an ass cheek. Sara tries flailing a little, reaching behind her, so I grab hold of each of her wrists, then clamp them together behind her back with one of my much larger, stronger hands. My other hand leads the head of my cock, now damp with precum, against her still soaking wet little pussy lips. I slowly, gently press just the head of my cock into her. She's tight as a vise grip, so it took a moment for me to break thru. Sara squealed at that, and stopped wriggling her hips against me. Teasingly, I slowly slide the head of my cock in, then out, of her incredibly tight hole, several times. Once I felt she was ready, I pushed my entire length into her in one firm, slow push. Sara let out the most beautiful sound, and she felt her uncle entirely fill and stretch her young, tiny insides. Still gripping her wrists tight, I held myself inside of her just like that, and moaned to her "mmmm, this is just what you wanted, isn't it little girl? Why you were teasing me and rubbing against my cock all fucking day. To feel me make you a woman?"

"Uh...y....yuh... Yuh huh... Uncle J, you're hurting me a little.... Please st-....please....please don't stop uncle J....please...." my niece whimpered, and began grinding herself against me.

"That's my good little kiddo" I said, slowly sliding myself out of, then back inside, her tiny, tight, young little cunt. Within moments, I began to speed up. Full long strokes inside of her, making her hurt in a wonderful way she'd never imagined. Still grasping her wrists tight with one hand, my other on her small little hip, as I begin thrust hard and deep inside of her young little pussy. "Ahhh!" She cried, several times, as I thrusted myself inside of her, trying to bruise her insides. Exactly what a little cockteaser like her deserves. Several fast, long, hard strokes, and the poor little girl began to cry. For some reason, her tears turned me.on even more, and I was fucking her little virgin cunt as hard as I could. For several minutes, til sweat was dripping down my temples, I abused her tiny little hole like a cheap whore. Finally, I released her wrists from my grasp, and saw how bright red they were. Probably going to bruise. Sara didn't even move her hands when I let go. She was cumming over and over from the pounding her uncle was giving her, and didn't want to move an inch for fear of losing the sensations of the moment. As her sobs continued, she instinctively slid her hand to her face, and placed her thumb in her mouth. Fuck, I couldn't handle any more. Another few deep thrusts into her, and I grabbed her hips extra tight, and shoved and help myself fully inside of her, as my cock absolutely exploded. I could feel my cum stretch her insides even more, and Sara groaned a deep, gutteral moan and she came a final time, gripping my shaft and squeezing out every single drop of my cum, 7 inches deep inside her tiny little frame. She was so confused and flustered she wasn't sure if I was unloading myself directly into her chest, it felt so deep. Lifting her slightly, I guided her to laying flat on her tummy, as I kept myself inside of her. I laid on top of her like that for a couple minutes, til I was sure every drop was drained from my balls. Every time my cock would twitch inside of her sore, wet, exhausted pussy, her entire body shivered.

Reluctantly, I slid myself out of my niece's cum filled pussy, leaned close and whispered into her ear "you're a very good girl, Sara, and you make me as happy as I make you".

She was still crying lightly, but managed to whisper out "thank you uncle J, that's all I want".

Her mom ended up texting me a short while later, saying her and Sara's little brother were stuck at her aunt's house, and the weather was getting bad there. Would I mind keeping an eye on Sara til they made it back tomorrow? Sure, no worries Elaine, I told her. Sara just passed out on the couch watching movies anyway, so I doubt she'll mind.

I filled her young little pussy twice more that night. And introduced her to swallowing my cock and cum as well. She's a fast learner.

The next day, after lunch, I dropped her off at her mom and dad's, sore, and still dripping my cum. The clever little girl told her mom the couch wasn't comfy at all, that's why she was sore.

Her mom didn't notice the bruises on her wrists, nor the redness around her tiny little neck. I did. And got hard yet again, just thinking about it. Still do!

Two days later, after I had left town to head back home, I get a message from Sara. "Thank you for taking care of me uncle J, can't wait to see you again!" along with the picture of her tongue out from her phone's wallpaper.

#mine #story time

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nihilnovisubsole · 5 months

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Because of your latest post: not sure if you’ve answered this before, but how does someone even entertain the idea of writing for the game dev industry? Did you start out on indie games or just write before and show them your work? Since it’s such a subjective field etc

if i have, it bears repeating! here's a rough timeline of what i did. never discount the value of luck and the kindness of friends

2016: i was doing a random freelance transcription job when i saw @theivorytowercrumbles post about writing for voltage. they reblogged the studio's open casting call for new writers. since it was so lenient - no experience, fanfic samples allowed - i applied. they hired me for their new project, but let me go after a trial period, citing that the tone of my writing was a bad fit for that game. i foundered for a while after that. i don't take rejection well. i started dangerous crowns to try to make money from writing some other way.

2017: one of voltage's producers reached out to me and said they'd started another project that i was a good fit for. she felt letting me go was a mistake and wanted to snap me back up. i said yes, i mean, are you kidding? so i started on reiner's route.

2018-2019: i kept at it. i took on diego's route. it occurred to me that i wasn't making very much money, but i liked my coworkers, and i was building my portfolio, so who cared? i also finished dangerous crowns, and a handful of people bought it, but certainly not enough to support myself or anything.

early 2020: between the pay and creative differences with voltage's team, it started to sink in that i needed to find other work. i applied to the few open game writer jobs i could find, but with only mobile romance in my portfolio, i got nowhere. i threw in dangerous crowns samples. i tried to network on twitter. i still never made it to the interview phase. i foundered for a while again.

late 2020: the voltage writers went on strike. i gave a statement to a journalist that one of obsidian's narrative designers noticed. we became acquaintances over it. another old friend of mine threw me a life raft in the form of a different contract, better paying, on a non-romance indie game. i took it gladly. i added a twine game to my portfolio, too. i kept applying. i got a few interviews, but something still didn't click.

2021: i finally accepted that i needed formal help. i did a portfolio workshop. i got resume coaching. the coach passed my name to a writer on the company of heroes team. they liked me! they also paid me more money than i'd ever seen in my life. at the same time, obsidian advertised a narrative job opening. i applied on a lark and let my ND pal know i was doing so. why not, right? college-new-vegas-fan me would want me to. they rejected me, but not before i passed their writing test and two interviews. i had nothing to lose at that point, so i told my ND pal that i was bummed. she gave me a golden piece of advice: "you came really close. try again."

2022: obsidian had another narrative opening. i threw myself at it. i was now going to annoy them into hiring me. since i was a known quantity from applying six months before, they had no qualms about interviewing me again. this time, it worked out, and i've been there ever since.

what's the common denominator here? i met people who thought i was all right and gave me a hand up when i needed it. the standard advice is to work with a community of your peers instead of trying to get your heroes to senpai-notice you. it's not that they don't care - they just have their own thing going on, and your peers could be the heroes of tomorrow if the right project comes along. i also found the portfolio was the end-all-be-all when it came to job hunting. i went through a grieving process with that! i'm not afraid to admit it. i wish studios had held my degree or dangerous crowns in higher regard, but i just had to make games in a wider variety of genres, and that was that.

one caveat: narrative is a really saturated field right now. a lot of people want to write, and there aren't many openings. it's not uncommon for big studios to get hundreds of applicants. larian probably got over a thousand for the job they posted recently. i feel awful saying that, because i don't want to discourage you, but i'd feel worse if i didn't let you know what you were getting into. if it's something you want, you should try! keep an open mind about the random projects you may find. you never know where they'll take you.

#asks #anon #workjob

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rootsofdread · 1 year

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Wowowo I'm on a roll, anyway this time is reader who steals metal scraps from different realms (maps) and builds small statues or machines with it, and maybe gifts them to that person? Platonically to Amanda (building buddies (⁠･⁠ω⁠･⁠)⁠つ⁠⊂⁠(⁠･⁠ω⁠･⁠)) and romantically to Leon, Ghostface, Jake and Trickster

Leon S. Kennedy:

Leon is not much of a creator himself, so he really loves sitting and watching you work with your fresh haul from Autohaven. It's amazing to watch someone as talented as you work, honestly. Sometimes he’ll sit with you to make his flashbangs, if he has the materials himself, because he thinks it’s a sweet thing to do with you.

He's delighted every time he receives something from you, turning it all over in his hands and pressing buttons to see what happens. He always asks what it does, how long it took to make. He's so curious.

You two have fun using them as a distraction for killers, tossing them out away from both of you so it can make noise and draw their attention. You two have completed several generators and escaped this way (much to the killers' dismay).

He enjoys helping you organize your blueprints and parts, he knows it can be frustrating when everything's a mess, and he just likes to help you.

Jake Park:

Jake has a more professional appreciation for your creations, since living in the wild, he's had to make some of his own contraptions. Having that talent in the realm is almost a necessary one.

He loves learning more mechanical things from you, either by asking you about it or teaching himself by watching you work and by inspecting your machines. He enjoys teaching you more "practical" things, like tripwires and traps.

He adores receiving your creations as gifts. It makes him feel very special you're so willing to part with something that took so long to make to give it to him. He finds a use for everything.

He will frequently collect pieces of scrap he finds on his own when he's away from you, so he can give you something in return. He'd feel guilty if he didn't, plus, he just enjoys showing you that he loves you.

Amanda Young / The Pig:

Amanda loves having someone to work with again. She really misses the other Jigsaw Apprentices sometimes, and appreciates having another person who enjoys taking things that aren't theirs and using them to make something new.

She particularly loves sitting down in her workshop with you, both of you working on something different but still spending time together. She does get a little suspicious when you refuse to let her see what you're working on, but she understands wanting privacy.

She almost forgets about your refusal to show her until you come up to her with your hands behind your back a couple days later. She's suspicious.

…Until you present her with a small hand-made version of her reverse bear traps, that even functions, too. She's absolutely delighted, and hangs it on her hook immediately. She loves every little gift you give her.

Danny Johnson / The Ghostface:

Danny particularly loves seeing your blueprints and idea sketches. There's just something he loves about seeing others' journals and plans, it almost feels intimate.

He's always looming over your shoulder while you're either looking for parts or working. He doesn't mean to put pressure on you, he's just interested. He loves seeing someone in their element.

He always acts surprised when you give him your little creations as gifts, even though he literally watched you make it start to finish. He still appreciates them, and always asks when you'll make another for him.

Like Leon, he enjoys using them as a distraction for survivors so he can stalk them and get to them easier. He thinks it's pretty funny using them this way.

Ji-Woon Hak / The Trickster:

Another creator? Even if it's not in the same way, Ji-Woon is swooning. He loves being around his fellow creatives, he feels at home and seen by them.

He's always hovering around you asking about your projects: how they're going, if you need more supplies, if you need ideas. He has a lot of ideas. For…Contraptions. It's probably better that you tell him no thank you.

He always offers to paint them for you. Even though his forte is singing, he does enjoy a bit of painting. He always hopes you'll say yes.

When you let him keep it or give him a new one as a gift, he's utterly delighted. He can't contain his giggles. He keeps every single one, proudly displayed.

#inbox #leon s kennedy #jake park #amanda young #danny johnson #ji woon hak #gender neutral reader #dbd imagines #dbd x reader #dbd x you #leon s kennedy x reader #jake park x reader #amanda young x reader #the pig x reader #danny johnson x reader #ghostface x reader #ji woon hak x reader #the trickster x reader

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alyona11 · 1 year

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Hi! So I am very new to Hadestown and I am watching the bootleg. I really love the dynamic between Hades and Persephone, but there is one thing that kind of rub me in not so good way, is Hey Little Song Bird implied that Hades and Eurydice slept together? I am seeing a lot of interpretation and it genuinely confused the hell out of me asdfghk

Hi! Well, tbf it's a tricky question, but the short answer is that Hadestown suggests that something might have happened behind closed doors. The rest is up to audience and actor's interpretation.

For example, Anaïs Mitchell often mentions in Working On a Song that in early workshops she often went with the idea that Hades cheats and pretty regularly even though these affairs mean nothing to him since the only person he loves is Persephone. It even had a cut song:

In her early drafts/productions of Hadestown you can often get the vibe that from her point of view it doesn't matter as much because they are eternal beings and love each other since the world began so does it even matter for them?

However, by NYTW this story line was cut apart from Persephone's line in How Long:

"I don't mind if you look at other girls, now and then"

"The girl means nothing to me"

"I know"

Plus the staging in NYTW Papers and Hades' protective peacock behavior with Eurydice around Orpheus in the scene also gives you a thought that they might have had an affair? Plus some bits like the fact that she has a line in Why We Build a Wall and her words "But don't you see? That's different with me!" - "Different than who? They thought they were different too!" Could also be interpreted as Hades suggesting some special conditions by granting her a role of a romantic interest. Whether the interest is real or not and did he use it or not is again up to your interpretation of NYTW Hades. He is more of a morally dubious guy (as all ht Hades are) so it's more up to you to either believe he would have cheated to put Persephone in her place or would just use showing off Eurydice as a brutal way to get Persephone's interest.

As for Broadway, I think it's still suggested and you can find profs in the lyrics but I think that they are what they are - suggestive and leave you to interprete it whichever way you feel comfortable. I think the biggest suggestion remains in Flowers with the line:

'I trembled when he laid me out

"You won’t feel a thing," he said, "when you go down"'

Which kinda can have a death meaning and sex meaning, tbf someone could have written a good article on how those topics are connected in Hadestown. So here, again chose one of the two or both.

But again, Broadway also changed the lyrics in How Long and the whole staging in Papers so it's less suggestive.

My personal opinion based on Broadway production is that it all depends on how the actor plays it and whether you believe this particular Hades is the type to sleep with Eurydice to get Persephone's attention and prove he is still attractive or he is more of a person who doesn't care about having the affair and his only goal is to get Persephone to react somehow by composing such a messed up hurtful plan. Personally, I prefer the second option maybe because I'm a pussy or maybe because I see Hades (whom I mostly base on Patrick Page ht Broadway previews) like a person who is desperate to get Persephone's attention in such a radical way like a cat pushing objects from your table to see your reaction. He wants to be stopped, he wants any reaction from Persephone. He even touches her by the shoulder before going into the office like "Look!! Look! I'm absolutely totally leaving! To cheat! See! Hey come on! I'll even take off my tie to show that I'm serious! Don't you wanna stop me???". Seems kinda way too extra to me. Like he could have just gotten to the office after parading a pretty girl in front of her and it would be understood that it's for an affair. But he takes so much time to make sure she understands that he can find himself someone when all he wants is for her to come back to him with open arms. I'm not sure he has the guts to actually damage his relationship to an irreversible degree (considering Broadway Hades is never stated as a cheater before the Eurydice sub-plot). Like it's one thing to take a mortal before her time and parade her in front of your wife (because what is a mortal life after all?) as a "replacement" and it's the other way to actually cheat on her and deal with the fact that she might never forgive him again if it is a deal-breaker for her considering they seem to be true to each other for all these years.

One interesting thing to note here as well is how Hades actors play the reaction to Persephone's line in How Long:

"He has the kind if love that you and I once had"

Because his instant reaction is "OH SHIT once had?? Does she think I don't love her still?? OH SHIT I BROUGHT THE GIRL THIS IS WHY SHE MIGHT THINK THAT", so he answers to that:

"The girl means nothing to me!"

Depending on the actor and she show the line sounds either scared, confused, angry, undignified etc. So it's once again up to you to interprete why he reacts this way: is he angry because she suggested he would actually cheated on her? Is he angry because she called him out on that affair? Is he confused and scared because she thinks he doesn't love her anymore because of his foolish decision to tease her in such a cruel way?

That's up to you.

P.S. I think one of the most interesting studies of the subject and Hades' character that I've read in a fic for that matter was the Songbird chapter of Winters Nigh and Summers O're. You can check it out, but I will warn you that it's probably one of the heaviest chapters of that fic in the emotional sense and it has explicit parts (don't worry, nothing bad happens to Eurydice. Well...apart from dying, I guess), so check out the warnings if you decide to read it.

#me being me #hadestown #hades #eurydice #persephone #hadestown analysis #i guess #i honestly wanted to reply shortly but then got interested in thinking about the subject and wrote a huge ass post #sorry anon hope you'll enjoy it tho #i do think Songbird chapter is like the most painful ht fic I've read ngl #traumatic but so so good

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inkabelledesigns · 2 months

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I built a shelf?!

Hi, I'm Kat Alyst, your resident fae that has never felt like she should be trusted with power tools, and GUESS WHAT I USED TODAY! So here is my tale of how this came to be:

My grandparents are both incredibly handy people. They've both taken on so many projects to build furniture for as long as I can remember. This summer, Grandpa's big project was building a new dresser for their bedroom, and it is an impressive feat! It's almost done and looking fantastic! But along the way, some mistakes were made, and he ended up with some drawer fronts that didn't quite fit. So instead of getting rid of them, I asked if we could upcycle them into something new. My brother in law has been helping out a lot this summer, he's so eager to learn how to do stuff like this, and Grandpa took both of us into the workshop for this project. The three of us together built this shelf!

I was so nervous. I may customize dolls regularly and work with some scary/dangerous materials, but this is a whole other league from what I do. But with some guidance and teamwork, it turned out great! For anyone curious, this is made of pine, so it's very hard and easy to break your tools on. We only lost one drill bit in the process! I also got to use an orbital sander for the first time! I hate sanding dolls, but this was a lot of fun, and the result is so nice and smooth. I drilled holes, I measured, and I feel more confident than ever about it. It gives me some hope that when I'm ready to do my heavy doll mods that require cutting into plastic, I can handle it better.

But now for the test: can my dolls fit here? I didn't pack any of my customs with me to see how they fit, and suspect it'll be a little tight given the shelves are 11 and 5/8 inches tall. But I'm okay with that, this still works. Not to mention I can put them on the top. I did have Drac here though, since I need a mannequin for a sewing project, so I have a better idea of what I'm looking at than having no doll. I'm still deciding how the display will work, but my thought for now is to have this on top of my desk against the wall. That way, I can display my dolls in it and keep a few materials stored. I could potentially include some plushies here too, and figures, I've got some of those now. X'''D I've got some puck lights and fairy lights I can use to brighten it up too. I don't know what color to paint it yet. My space is a light pink, I could do more pink, or white, or blue, or maybe mint green. I know I want to keep it light, but I'm undecided. Maybe I'll abandon all of that and make it neon pink, who knows? XD My mom suggested I should take my bedspread and match it to that. My grandma thinks it should be striped. We'll see what happens!

I've wanted to have a shelf for my dolls for a long time now, and to say I have one that was built with love like this? That means everything. I forget if I've shared it here, but my current display spot features a lamp made by my great grandfather, and it's so special to me to have my art alongside his. Now I get to say that about another piece, and that means so much. I'll try to remember to update you when I know where it's going. This is so exciting, oh I'm so looking forward to this!

#doll shelf #shelf #family #long post #longpost #furniture building

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a-shrieking-cloud-of-bats · 1 month

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DF Posting: KingChannels - Year One

So I've started playing dwarf fortress again with the goal of finally finishing one of my personal fort goals which is of course a huge library filled with books. A library (and surrounding fort) named KingChannels, because I forgot to change it to something more apt before I started. The library isn't actually created yet, though, so we'll be talking about different things this year.

KingChannels honestly pretty miserable dining room, complete with giant statue of a cat right behind the mug storage. This is a pretty short term improvement goal once I get that wall and other defenses up, as a dining hall is used by nearly every dwarf in the fort, and a nice dining hall makes anyone using it happy. It's a very good source of Good Vibes for the entire fort. Also pictured: Some bedrooms and offices to the left there.

The first year was mostly spent building a huge wall around where I wanted my dwarves to be. I have never been good at dealing with sieges and while goblins aren't nearby I still don't want to deal with them at all, preferably, and if I do have to deal with them I want to have a good setup that minimizes the loss of life. I don't have steel materials on site and steel is expensive to buy from traders, meaning I don't have a clear advantage over any invading goblin forces, as they will typically be wearing iron/bronze, and maybe some copper which I might be able to beat handily at least. At least I finally got my two initial military dwarves to actually wear their metal high boots.

KingChannels farm. I'm going to need a Lot more seeds to fill these things out, but we're going to need a lot of pig tails to create paper sheets for books, and we're also going to need a lot of plump helmets to, well, eat. My fort design is very "turtle-ey", so a good internal food source is essential. I wouldn't be surprised if I expanded these later. Workshops on the left are for processing plants, and there in the bottom left is one of the aforementioned military dwarves, Zon Olinmegid, who is rushing off to put the finishing touches on that wall I was talking about.

And a little more on Zon for those that like reading about Dwarf Personalities.

I also spent some time building future guild halls and a temple to keep people happy, as many dwarves will be unhappy if they are unable to pray to their gods. A single, unaligned temple will resolve that. As things expand I can see about more temples for specific gods, depending on demographics and space required. Guild halls are there for when we get more dwarves and a certain profession wants a guild hall to have nice discussions about their craft. That'll also prevent some hissy fits down the line. That said they're all unfurnished as of now so they're not exactly great to look at. Soon. So far the first year was spent setting up a wall and some almost entirely unfurnished (future) guild halls and a temple. Not much to look at, for now. What there Is to look at, is future fortification designs for the One Entrance To The Fort. The idea is to combine the Trade Depot, the one thing that both Needs To Be Inside The Fort, and also Needs Something From Outside The Fort to function, with the Barracks, where my soldiers will be, giving them quick access.

A rough plan for the ground floor of the Trade Depot/Barracks combo. Also see, a portion of The Wall, forming the southernmost wall of this structure.

As seen, the main chamber is the trade depot chamber, where the trade depot will be. The wagon comes up the slope, right into the (yet to be constructed) depot. Traders congregate here, in the middle of that large room. Below, is the barracks, where if anything goes horribly wrong and enemies have somehow gotten far enough into the defensive layer to be able to run into the fort proper, along with gotten past the caravan's guards, the fort's military dwarves will enter the central chamber and start beating up goblins. The hallways on the left are both a place for crossbow dwarves to shoot into the main chamber, as well as a staircase up to the second floor where they can shoot from the (not pictured) second floor balcony. Now that I'm thinking about it the second floor balcony might be overkill. Regardless, left and right hallways are Murder Hallways with Murder Holes for crossbow wielding dwarves, and maybe access to more Murder Avenues for crossbow dwarves eventually. The downward staircases go to...

The Defensive Layer, and one way into or out of the fort. (and stockpile for trade goods. I'll move that and make more room for eventual traps.) The drawbridge in the south is raised, preventing access from anything that can't break down buildings, which is... surprisingly few.

the second floor. Built into the side of an ocean facing hill, it functions as the basement and approach for trade caravans. The drawbridge prevents entry from Most Things while raised, and the side chambers are only accessible from the down staircases above. The eventual plan is to create a snaking three wide pathway through this basement so the caravan can get in, and I can line the side chambers with ballista in the event of a siege slipping through. Ballista will instantly kill anything they hit, including your fellow dwarves, if those goofy little bastards are dumb enough to get in front of them (they Very Much are), so once the trade goods stockpile is moved this will also be very abandoned, perfect for siege engine operator training (IE, the dwarves that will be operating the ballista), though I will probably be doing most of it above ground via catapults, launching rocks at nothing in particular.

Other then this, the trade agreement this year was for Rings and Rings Alone, so we have dwarves hammering away at that, and probably making us a lot of money out of otherwise mundane stone. Honestly probably too many rings. Probably like, economy defining amounts of rings. We'll see.

Aban omrovod, a linchpin of our economy, currently doing what he does best, which is, of course, making rings. He's a legendary (the highest skill value, IIRC they got rid of Legendary +#) stonecrafter which is Always good to have around. He'll probably be a significant moving force in the fort's exports regardless of what the mountain home wants, just because crafts are quick and easy money, and higher quality is a higher value multiplier. Stone being common also helps. Also he fulfilled a dream, good for him, that'll make him less likely to freak out over time. Really an A+ dwarf all in all.

Additionally a surprisingly small amount of dwarves arrived this year. Only about 5, and one wave was entirely missing. I think the civilization I selected was healthy, but... if there aren't any dwarves to send this fort could get off to a slow start. Probably fine though. I feel like they've changed how migration works since I last played, and IIRC the caravan has to actually get back to the mountain home before your fort's value is updated (and as such your migration value is updated).

My goals for the following year are finishing up the defenses and starting the ground floor of the library outdoors. I suspect it'll be a while before the basement is in Real Working Order because siege engines are a pain to get running and battle ready, but I'll be getting the structure set up at the very least. I'll also obviously need more military dwarves, which I'll be pulling mostly from migrant waves. We currently have Two, and now that I'm thinking about it I didn't pull any from the two migrant waves I did get. Ideally I have 10 at least, and another 10 for a crossbow squad would obviously be very useful as well.

Until Next Year. Our fortunes rise and fall together.

#dwarf fortress #KingChannels #we'll see if I can keep this up but I'm Optimistic #I've not been able to plug back into DF for a long time now but I'm liking the defensive thing I get to set up here #the outpost liason says 'Our Fortunes Rise And Fall Together' By The Way #That's Why I Signed Off With It He Shows Up Once A Year Get It #Bats Writes

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xbraveheartx · 1 year

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WARNING !! Contains spoilers for Lies of P! If you haven't beaten the game, be warned! This is just a first draft !! I might change it... I might not. I'm just testing the waters and seeing how far I'll get. I think I'll just post the prologue for now and then proceed solo in google docs after. But I wanted to see how people are feeling about the idea ♡ I'll upload the rest most likely on AO3 A "I don't care what canon gave us, I'm bringing Romeo back" fic that'll end up in a romance between our favorite real boy and his bestie ♡ It takes place post-canon!

Prologue

The sun had barely risen when they set off on their mission, a gentle shower coating the city of Krat in sleek rain that took little time to drench every stone and tile. Only once they had reached their destination did the skies suddenly open, a hint of blue smiling down on the otherwise desolate buildings. One couldn’t avoid puddles under such conditions, but there wasn’t any true concern to be had over them.

There were far greater things to worry over. He only hoped they were still there.

“Jeepers. It sure is creepy being back here again.” Gemini chirped, effectively breaking the silence that blanketed Krat Central Station. “Now that the monsters aren’t as much of a problem, everything just feels kinda…” He trailed off, causing the boy’s head to turn just slightly in an effort to toss back a glance in the lamp’s direction. “... Spooky? Haunted is the word, maybe? Almost like something is hiding just around the corner, ready to just– Jump out at you!”

“You’re being dramatic.” Slender digits rose to tuck a long, grey lock behind an ear, palm rubbing a stray droplet of water from a freckled cheek.

“And you’re being careless, pal!” Gemini countered, ignoring the eye roll given in retaliation. “I’m just saying, even if we can’t see the monsters all around like we used to, I’m sure there’s bound to be some still lurking around! Just be more careful, okay, Carlo?”

There was a pause in his steps, the echo of the last dying out shortly after as nothing but the dripping of water and creaking of pipes met their ears.

Carlo… it was still strange, hearing that name, and while he felt it was just right, it felt strange in the same breath. It was familiar yet foreign; He was still learning.

He felt his heart beat.

“Did I say something wrong?” Came Gemini’s chirps once more, the sound coming off as one of concern. Carlo shook his head, lashes fluttering rapidly as he came back to himself whilst lips tugged into a slight smile.

“No, no. Sorry, just… Thinking.” It wasn’t necessarily a lie. Gemini seemed to accept the excuse regardless, trilling gently in a way that Carlo could just picture a real cricket practically vibrating with eagerness.

“Then what are we waiting for? Let’s go! Er– b-but! … Y’know!... Carefully.” The guide seemed to beam, and Carlo couldn’t help but beam right back, hopeful that their journey would be fruitful in the end.

There, in the dimly lit station, was their target. Track C, train number three– The Blue Fairy. It was funny, looking back on it now, but there was no stopping to admire any form of happenstance. The train itself had been subjected to all manner of bile and questionable fluids, but otherwise, remained intact. The boy hesitated just before entering, hand rising to touch the door frame as he stood at the entrance and listened. When nothing but silence rose to greet him, he pressed onward, stepping over forgotten luggages and shattered glass.

“You really think something like this’ll work?” Gemini spoke again, chirps blending with the crunching of a wineglass underfoot.

There was no immediate response, not until they had made it to the back of the train where a familiar chair sat in the middle of the aisle. He stepped around it, choosing instead, to make his way into the hidden workshop behind.

“I don’t know.” Carlo confessed, fingers trailing across abandoned notes and papers left atop a messy desk. Blueprints were among the litter, notes bookmarking heavily written pages of journals, their fine leather covers worn and frayed. He gathered it all, leaving nothing he deemed important behind. One of many discarded suitcases was chosen among the piles, and with its original contents discarded, was used to house the very legacy his father had left behind. “But I have to try.”

Venigni thumbed through the blueprints, eyes roaming through Geppetto's old notes that had been laid out before him. It was a daunting task, to say the least, and they both knew it.

"This is... beyond my field of expertise."

The moment of silence to follow after felt far too long, seconds seemingly to stretch into hours that didn't exist. Finally, the boy's lips parted, voice heavy with newly gained emotion that unashamedly manifested as a beg.

"I believe you can do it." Came the quiet encouragement, brows drawing together to further accentuate his plea. "Please?" Yet another pause followed after whilst muted blues fell for but a moment, until finally, they resettled on Venigni. "For... a friend?"

The sigh of defeat to follow the request said enough.

"I shall do what I can, but I make no promises, compagno!" As if a switch was flipped, suddenly a black gloved hand rose with a snap. “Pulcinella! Some fresh parchment, if you would! I must get started immediately! And you!” Once more did the man’s head snap in Carlo’s direction, a finger dramatically being pointed all the while. “You still carry the most important component, do you not? All that’s left is the body– Go and bring it back here. I will give it my all, for I am the Incredible Lorenzini Venigni, and I will settle for no less than my one-hundred percent!... But again, no promises.”

The emotion to grip at his heart was almost overwhelming, the heavy THUD THUD of the organ pounding against his chest in a mixture of anticipation, joy, and above all else, hope.

“I’ll be back.” He announced with a nod, though he made no move to leave just yet. Instead, he gave the man a smile, brighter than any he had expressed in the past. “Thank you, Venigni. I appreciate your help.” The words were met with a nod and something akin to that of a mutter and a hum. Already was the other absorbed by the notes before him, ink meeting paper in rapid scribbles from the very moment Pulcinella had provided the writing tools.

“Let’s go get your pal… pal!” Gemini chimed in, spurring the boy into motion with a nod. “Leave the technical stuff to the professionals! Rosa Isabella Street awaits!” A trip that would surely be a bit more eventful than their visit to the train station, knowing full well that the puppets would still be prowling around their fallen king’s domain. Please let this work… The silent prayer was sent skyward.

#Lies of P #Lies of P fic #Lies of P Spoilers #I won't ramble in tags much but-- I'm excited to get working on this. I just wanted to get my initial idea/thoughts out #So I'll probably build onto this. Change some stuff around. Add stuff. Etc etc... but for now. Baby's first draft ♡#WHAT DO I TAG FOR THE SHIP?????#Promeo #????#Carmeo #????????????? WE NEED AN OFFICIAL SHIP TAG!!! Fandom friends please help a brother out #We need to come to an agreement on a ship tag so I can effectively flood it (lovingly) with art and writings

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male-meat-suit · 2 years

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CRIMINAL MIND + ANGEL BODY = PERFECT COMBINATION 2

The man in front of me was wearing an orange jumpsuit that I knew was from the local prison, and tattoos peeked from the sleeves of his clothes, also from his neck. He looked like he was about 55 years old, but with a strong build, and he was completely bald. He approached me curiously and started talking: "Look what we have here, so this is one of those famous bodysuits I've heard about. I also know that they really are real people, so I guess you're listening now." boy. Well, I really have nothing against you, so don't worry, I won't hurt you, nor will I let others do it to you. However, I need to hide for a while, and no one would believe that a good boy like you , was really the most dangerous inmate in jail. Wow, you're sweating, so if you hear me. Hahaha, don't worry so much, you and I are going to have fun. The other guy came out of you with clothes on but I want the experience complete". He then undressed in front of me and entered my back. Now my body had a new driver, and this time it was going to wreak havoc. Then, the criminal, whose name I still didn't know, undressed on my body, and began to pose in front of the mirror, showing off his new body. He then dressed in my sports clothes and we left the institute. We went to an old warehouse on the outskirts of the city, it had gotten late and it was night. I enter the place and I could see that there was a metal door with a combination, immediately he began to speak with my voice: "Well boy, here we are, welcome to my workshop. I know it is not very clean, but I have been in prison for many years. Come on, I can see your nervousness, as I already told you, I'm not going to hurt you, after all you're helping me a lot. Now, let's make some changes. Do you mind if I smoke? I haven't smoked for a long time. Mmmhhh, chg chg, wow, I don't think you've ever smoked before, well it doesn't matter, now I do. Mmmh, much better, I missed the taste of tobacco. Well, you'll see Tom, now I have access to your memories, so don't worry Because of your studies, during the day I'll be Tom, nobody will know the difference, but in the afternoon, I'm afraid you and I are going to have to work. I'm going to go after the bastards who ratted me out to the police, and now I have a perfect weapon, you. No one is going to expect that this is your good boy, he is a contract killer. I don't want you to get nervous, I won't and to kill anyone, I don't do that anymore, but I'm going to give them a good beating. But that will be later. Now the truth is I want to enjoy a bit of my freedom, you know a bit of sex, drugs and that. Luckily it looks like my clothes might fit you, and my old harley is downstairs. Well boy let's go for a ride around town, we're in for a great night

Today I have published two of the 10 parts that this story is going to have. I would like you to send me ideas of what you want to happen in the story, or if you have any input

#male possession #smoke #criminal #biker #male body suit

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thedo0zyslider · 3 months

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I Love You (I'm Not Supposed Too) - Chapter Ten: Wither Rose - 10k Words

Fwhip sends Jimmy out to the fields like he said he would, and also gives the cod a deeper look at his home life then he ever would have hoped too.

A03 Link

Fwhip does as he says he would a few days later, and sends Jimmy out to the fields. As soon as breakfast ends he’s being led out of the dinning hall, and practically forced outside. The half dragon says he’ll show him where the fields are, introduce him to the farmers, and then he’ll be done with the cod until the evening. He’s very excited at the prospect of a fish free workshop, it seems. Jimmy lets himself be dragged along, probably responding to everything Fwhip says with something sarcastic. Though he is grateful to get out of the manor for once, instead of sitting inside all day bored out of his mind.

He does, in fact, end up spending most if not all of his day out in the farms, and nearly every day after that as well. The cod enjoys his time greatly, since farming was something he never really got to do before. Because the Ocean Empire was, well, in the ocean , there wasn’t a lot to plant. The Cod Empire had fields of wheat and the occasional patch of carrots that needed harvesting, Jimmy didn’t have much experience in the way of farming beforehand.

The farmers were generally quite nice to him, once they accepted he wasn’t a permanent stay, and learned he would be going home within the month. They paired him with one of the more experienced farmers, understandably wanting him to be supervised while he learned the ropes. Jimmy also didn’t want to destroy any crops, considering this was one of the village's main food sources. Plus it’d get him kicked out of the farms forever probably, which would be super lame .

He spends a good chuck on the first day there, from about mid-morning till dusk he is in the fields. And it’s rewarding work, he has to admit. Even if the cod doesn't really do much, it’s still nice. The Prince will have to start helping around the Codlands farms, even though they say such a job isn’t fit for a royal like him. Which they have, multiple times before, despite his insistence. He had a government to build instead, or whatever. Though next time he will just insist harder, and say that the Cod Council and his mother can wait.

Around mid-afternoon, while he is helping another farmer checkup on some of the newer potatoes, Jimmy catches sight of another fishfolk a few feet away; he stiffens almost on instinct. It seems, that before sending him out there, Fwhip had failed to mention one farmer being a salmonfolk. And now he was stuck in the same work environment as one for another few hours. And he probably would be coming down here again, unless the manor got less boring, lest he want to go in the village for entertainment and see even more of them…

Well, this was certainly gonna suck big time.

The older merfolk glares at him from across the field, tail flicking in displeasure. Jimmy looks back for a few seconds, before abruptly turning his back on them. He’s not going to be intimidated by a bloody salmon , not in a million years. Besides, the farmer next to him was saying something, and he had to pay attention to them and the potatoes now. The salmon says nothing behind him, doesn’t even let out a snarl. But the air in the field is tense regardless, in a way all the other farmers definitely know. But all Jimmy can do is act like the tension isn’t there, and keep tending to the growing potatoes.

The salmonfolk ignores him, and Jimmy ignore them right in return. It is a mutual ignorance, for they both know even throwing an insult will be a bad idea on the farm. That can be saved for outside of work, if they ever see each other outside of it. Which, based on Jimmy’s limited village access, means they most likely will not. They will most likely be moved to different tasks on the fields as well, at least until the cod leaves. Though he;s sure the salmon will complain to everyone they know about the Cod Prince that dared show up at their work. It’s what he would do if the roles were reserved, after all. No one would ever, ever hear the end of it from him, if he was stuck in such a horrible situation.

The salmon’s name is Sage, he learns from his potato farmer, and they’ve been on the farm for almost a decade. And they’re the only farmer to notably avoid him whenever he comes around, even though some do so in more discreet ways regardless. Which is fine by Jimmy, because he wants nothing to do with the other merfolk as well. Which is why they are ignoring each other. And he thinks everyone here is aware enough of the…. tensions between the cod and salmonfolk to not make any comment on it; leaving the issue to fade into the background over the coming weeks.

And just because one issue fades into the background, doesn't mean the universe has to throw another one at him! Unless the gods just like seeing him suffer, which would be a theory with a lot of evidence, unfortunately. (Why can’t he just have fun farming! Why does there have to be problems! Why does this trip suck so bad!)

On day three of farming work, Jimmy reasons he needs to take his binder off. Something that’s unusual for him, because he’d rather die than go without it most days. But it simply wasn’t possible to wear one when doing farm work, especially with his asthma. He’d done labor, granted not very intense labor, while binding at the Cod Empire, and had just been a little sore at worst. But this time was much different. Both days prior he’d felt chest tightness, and his ribs had ached something fierce after he took the binder off. The only problem is, he didn’t really bring a bra with him, because he hadn’t expected to be doing any physical labor.

Great, now he’s gotta ask Gem. or something. He doesn’t know. Asking Gem really the only option he has, even if asking to borrow a bra might be a little weird of a question. He thinks people do that. Bra sharing is like, one of those things you vaguely hear about happening, but never really see it in real life. And usually those things are real, but there’s an off chance this one isn’t and he’s about to look weird and ruin his friendship with Gem or something.

But he doesn’t have any other options right now, Jimmy reminds himself. And so, that night after he comes back from the fields (in that hour before Fwhip leaves his workshop and before dinner usually begins,) he makes himself go find Gem and ask. He knows she’s here today, thankfully, the wizard taking a day off from her magic studies. A rare occurrence, Fwhip noted, and she liked spending those days holed up in her room with a book. So that was where Jimmy went, his walk towards it uncertain the whole way.

“Hey Gem?” Jimmy asks, peeking through the bedroom’s slightly open doorway when he reaches it. He hopes entering like this is okay, and that he didn’t need to knock on the door first or something. Even if it was already ajar when he got here, meaning that, logically, she probably wouldn’t mind a visitor. Jimmy still worried over being a nuisance regardless.

“Oh, Jimmy!” Gem jumps a little, startled by his unexpected appearance. It seems she’d been buried in a book, one with a blue cover resting on her lap. The young wizard is in a more casual outfit today, wearing a shorter skirt than normal and a loose fitting green shirt to match, while her hat rests on a nearby chair. Jimmy wishes he could feel that comfortable in his own clothes. “What is it?”

“Okay so, kinda weird question here,” He starts, immediately getting the urge to fidget in a million different ways. But he doesn’t, not really, other than an anxious leg bounce. Gem’s expression changes to one of curiosity, and she sets her book down on the best next to her. Hopefully this goes better than the scenario in his mind is. “But I’ve been helping out on the farms, and wearing a binder kinda hurts and it’s messing with my asthma…”

“..I kindaaaa wasn’t expecting to not bind so I didn’t bring any bras with me, so, can I, um, borrow one of yours, if that’s okay?” He finishes, and can tell exactly what awkward smile is on his face right now. Jimmy feels that mortifying kind of embarrassment starting to creep up on him, and wants to sink into the floor for a thousand years and die . That would be so much better than standing here right now, anything would.

Gem’s face seems to soften, and she hops off her bed rather quickly. All to the cod’s great and long lasting surprise. “That’s more than okay!” She smoothes her skirt down as she stands, and marks the page in her book before placing it to the side. The young wizard is totally unaware to the cod’s utter astonishment behind her, at least for now,

“You mean that wasn’t a weird question? Like not at all?” Jimmy blinks, more than a little befuddled by her easy answer. He had expected her to have a worse reaction. He had expected her to call him a weirdo, tell him to get out of her room, something like that. Not in a million years did he think she’d actually lend him a hand here.

Gem shrugged, walking across the room and to where her dresser sat. “Unexpected, but not weird.” She began looking for something to give him, opening a drawer, and Jimmy figured now was as good a time as any to admire the decorations on her wall. If only to make himself feel less awkward, because frankly Gem didn’t seem to give a single fuck about any of this. A trait he admired greatly. (And also the hand painted constellations and symbols on the wall were cute, even if he knew what none of them meant.) “It’s really not the weirdest thing as long as they’re washed. I know girls at the Cliff’s private schools do it all the time.”

“Oh, I didn’t know that.” The cod hums, startled by the new information. Wow, okay then. So this was actually a decently normal thing people did, good to know. He wishes he’d known that beforehand somehow, if only to save himself some of the awkwardness and nervousness he felt. But it was too late now, and at least he’d found out eventually.

“Yeah. My friends from there share strapless ones for more formal parties and stuff like that.” Gem says, closing the drawer she was looking through. At least that’s what Jimmy thinks she’s doing, since he’s still staring at the ceiling. He was surprised he actually recognized a few of the constellations she’d painted, and was pretty proud of himself for it.

“That makes sense.” Jimmy nods, remembering how certain dress times tend to show a lot of the shoulder area. It was one of the reasons he used to hate them so much, it made him feel way too exposed. And, ya know, never having a good bra for it. When he did wear bras, that was. But he hadn’t needed to deal with all that for a few years now, and never planned on dealing with it ever again. Not if the cod could help it….

While he’s not paying attention, far too lost in his own nervous thoughts, Gem hands him a white sports bra; and all Jimmy does is just stare at it for a good second. He doesn’t know what he was expecting, really, and why he stares like an idiot. It wasn’t like he could borrow a traditional one, with cup sizes being a problem and all that. Sports bras were a pretty good substitute for binders anyways, and he was sure Gem had either known that beforehand, or gone out of her way to research trans issues after he came out to her. The latter probably happened regardless of what she knew or not, actually.

“I picked a white one so it wouldn't attract any heat!” Gem says as he takes the bra from her hands. There’s a smile on her face, a wide one in fact. She seems so genuinely happy to help him out, it loops back around to making Jimmy feel extra bad for his anxiety. It’s not the wizard’s fault of course, but the cod can’t help feeling the way he does.

“Oh, good idea!” Jimmy says, doing his best to return her smile. He doesn’t want the young wizard thinking he’s ungrateful for this, because he’s certainly not! The cod feels like he’s indebted to her, really. She totally didn’t hae to help him with this, but she did anyway! Hell, Gem could’ve called him weird and shooed him away, and he would’ve been perfectly fine! A little panicked about what to do tomorrow, because he’d said he would show up the next morning, but overall he’d have been fine!

“What’re you doing in the farms anyways?” Gem asks, watching as Jimmy clutches the item in his hands; still looking at it like an idiot. Though she doesn’t watch him for long, seeming more eager to get back to her book. It must be a really good one, by the way she’ll distractedly glance towards where it’s laying. And it also gives Jimmy an easy excuse to leave this conversation, and go curl up in his own from embarrassment.

“Fwhip was being boring , and I wanted to do something with my hands.” He explains, feeling his tail flick behind him with lingering annoyance. Her brother was a real pain in the arse when he wanted to be, and he had been the day he had sent the cod out to the fields.

“Ah, that makes sense. He never leaves that dumb workshop.” Gem nods, already walking over to where her book is. Fwhip had said she liked to spend her days off by herself, and the wizard was making that pretty clear by her movements. Thankfully Jimmy hadn’t planned on staying for a chat, and wanted to do the opposite.

“Tell me about it.” The cod snorts, taking a few steps back towards the door. He isn’t as nervous as he was when he first walked in, but part of him was still begging to leave and go scream into a pillow. It was his brain's number one priority at the moment, really. “Thank you for letting me borrow this.”

“No problem!” Gem waves to him as he walks out the door, that smile on her face again. Again, Jimmy can’t help but return the beaming look he gets back in full. He’d still feel bad if he doesn’t, and worry about not doing so, even if they are just saying goodbye to each other. Curse him and his dumb anxiety or whatever. “Bye Jim!” “Heh, bye!” He calls, deciding to leave the door just ws he found it. Slightly ajar, so anyone could walk in if they needed anything; just like he had done. Then Jimmy basically books it down the fall and into his own room, shutting the door behind him so quickly it almost slams. He needs to like, lay down for a minute, because he’s still embarrassed over that for some reason. Even though Gem had been perfectly happy to help, he’s still embarrassed!

So Jimmy sets the sports bra down on his own dresser, and then flops face first onto his bed for a few hours. He needs to rest for all the day's work, and recover from what he just experienced. And also mentally prepare himself for the next day, because it’ll be his first time not binding in like….two years at least. And he’ll be doing it in public…

Yeah, he’s definitely gonna need some extra energy to deal with all of that tomorrow.

_____________________________

Jimmy gets to the farms the next day, and immediately feels himself being stared at. At first, he thinks nothing of it. The farmhands could’ve thought he was a cis guy, and then he just shows up with tits one day. He wouldn't blame them for doing a double take or two at first, honestly. But these stares are clearly not from that, they are clearly akin to the nasty ones he receives at home. He’s experienced enough transphobia to clock it by now, even when people think they’re being subtle. (They’re never actually being subtle, by the way.)

He ignores them the best he can, and keeps himself busy and entertained. The older farmers are still friendly with him, for the most part, probably having more things to worry about than a temporary worker's appearance. Winter was in a few months, and they needed a harvest before that. If any of them notice him spending far too long feeding the livestock, where no other farmhands are, then none of them say a thing.

The farmer giving him the nastiest looks is an elf boy, who doesn’t seem to be much older than Lizzie. He’d only recently learned of the Grimlands small population of elves, most likely due to the Crystal Cliffs’ influence. But he can’t really tell where this elf might be from, especially since Jimmy isn’t the most knowledgeable on the differences between types of elves. But this one wasn’t from Rivendell, his ears were noticeably less pointy, and the northern elves were simply not built for more humid environments. Which rolled out the Cliffs as well, even if that part of the mountain range was much warmer than Rivendell’s.

He was a bit younger when his kingdom's disagreement with elves had been occurring, but he can see why it happened now. The boy was already glaring at him before he stopped binding, and it seems being a codfolk and trans was somehow worse than just being a codfolk. And, when they ended up working close together that day, he seemed very eager to make his dislike known to the whole field. Unless someone somehow hadn’t caught on already.

“So, ocean boy.” The elf is standing next to him all of a sudden, looking the cod up and down. It’s not a nice look, not by a long shot. Jimmy does his best not to seem unsettled by this, and isn’t sure how well it works. His tail often does things without him telling it too, and he prays it hasn’t moved an inch. “What’s up with….all of that?”

“What do you…mean?” The cod asks, keeping everything about him as neutral as possible. He keeps his face still as he can get it, and stops any movements his fins might make. Jimmy also fights the urge to fidget. He knows the elf probably wants him to be nervous, to be scared. He will not let him see that, won’t let him have that victory.

“Ya know the….appearance change?” The other boy flicks his gaze over him again, and Jimmy feels himself stiffen even more. (It lingers on his chest for just a moment too long. Jimmy wants to snap at him for staring.) He didn’t think he could be intimidated by someone almost a foot shorter than him, but it's currently happening. (You also think a random, normal elf wouldn’t mess with literal ocean royalty who has the height advantage on him, but there’s a first time for everything.) “You one of… them people? ”

“Why’s it matter?” Jimmy mutters, narrowing his eyes. Yep, it’s going that way. It almost always goes that way when he meets new people, sadly, and Jimmy has come to accept it and expect it at this point. It’s why he knows to stay so calm. He’s done this song and dance a million times before, and will do it a million times after. They don’t get to win anymore, most of the time nowadays. He will not let them win.

“It doesn’t really, I was just asking!” The elf says, sounding strangely defensive all of a sudden. They always get defensive, like they would never think that way about people, even when it was so clear that they did. (Because they believe they are good people, and good people cannot hate others like the way they hate his people, unless his people are the bad ones. Unlike them, the good people.) Bigots were weird like that, Jimm finds, or at least this kind was. “So, why the appearance change?”

Jimmy decides to politely skirt around the “ one of them people ” comment from a moment ago, even though he really shouldn’t, and goes with the only answer that won’t out him immediately. (Which is hard to do when you were obviously wearing a chest binder the day before, but whatever.) And it’s the truth too, making this, like, the only time he hasn’t lied to avoid being ousted. “The other outfit was triggering my asthma.”

“Why was your chest so restricted then? Anyone who has breathing problems isn’t allowed to endanger themselves like that, the head farmers won’t have it.” The elf replies, his arms now crossed. Jimmy does not know what to say to that. The elf is gonna get his answer one way or another, because there is only one answer to that question. The blonde has a feeling any lie about self consciousness he can make up will be dismissed, because of how masculine the rest of him has started to look. There is no way out of this.

“I-” The cod starts to respond, not even sure what he’s going to say when he opens his mouth, before another one of the farmers cuts him off. Either his guardian angel has come to his rescue or another person has come to drag him down with the elf boy, and the cod is going to find out which one that is uncomfortably soon.

An older voice comes from their right, one belonging to one of the farm’s managers, if Jimmy remembers correctly. For a brief moment, the cod feels his stomach drop. He’s sure this is about to get worse, and now there will be two people targeting him. But thankfully, that turns out not to be the case this time. “Artemus, what’s going on here?”

“Mris, Tamara, hi-!” As he greets the older woman, the elf, Artemus, becomes noticeably panicked. Like he knows he’s been caught red handed. It seems that the cod has gotten a guardian angel after all, in the form of a very cranky and upset looking old woman. “We were just, er, talking! Yeah, talking!”

“Right, fishboy?” He asks, turning to Jimmy. He glares at him, a look that tells him to go along with the plan, or else. The elf is glaring at him, sending an unspoken threat his way, and the cod can’t help the fear that surges through him. He knows he can’t go along with this, can’t lie and say they were “ just talking ” when they obviously were not “ just talking .” He can’t do that again, knows he can’t keep letting people get away with treating him like this.

So, fighting back to the fear in his bones and the lump forming in his throat, Jimmy does not play along with the elf’s game. Not anymore. The downright murderous glare he gets for it will haunt his dreams. “...No.”

The look in his eyes is what makes Mrs. Tamara snap, it seems, and she focuses all her anger on the troublesome elf in front of her. Jimmy is barely spared a second glance as she yells, thankfully. He's not the best with people yelling at him, thank you Ocean Queen. “Leave the Prince alone and get back to work! We have a fall harvest to prepare for!”

“Yes ma'am! Sorry!” Artemus says, and is shuffling away from them before Jimmy even knows it. He leaves like a naughty child that’s just been caught misbehaving, and slinks back into the fields without another word. Or without another nasty glance back, much to the cod’s surprise. Horrible people usually do that to him when they walk away, as if they’re trying to get the last lick in. Even if they’ve already won the fight.

“I’m terribly sorry about him.” Mrs. Tamara says, placing a comforting hand on Jimmy’s shoulder. He does his best not to go rigid again, still pretty on edge from Artemus, as he now knows that's what the elves name is. “He’s always been…..like that about other people, no matter how many times the Count and Countess reprimand him for it.”

‘It’s…fine.” The cod mumbles, hugging his arms to his chest again. He hadn't paid much attention to it before, how it felt like to not wear a binder. But since Artemus’ comments, he had become acutely aware of it; and would be for the rest of the day. Dumbass transphobes always having to ruin everything…“Why haven’t they fired him yet?”

“He’s too good of a farmhand to lose, sadly.” Mrs. Tamara sighs, shaking her head sadly. It seems she might want the elf fried as well, secretly at least. And Jimmy doesn’t blame her, if he’s gonna act like that during the workday. If you wanna keep your job, at least wait until you’re off the clock to harass your co-workers or something. “I do try to keep him in check though.”

“Well, thank you for checking on me.” Jimmy says, shifting away from her a bit. She takes her hand off the cod’s shoulder once she notices, probably sensing his uncomfortableness. Jimmy pointedly ignores the look of pure pity that follows it, and ignores the resentment he’s already feeling because of it. He hates when people pity him like that..

“No problem.” Mrs. Tamara starts to move away as well, somewhat in the direction she came from. She can’t just sit there and comfort the cod all day, after all, she has a farm to help run. Jimmy doesn’t want her to stand here and keep pitying him anyways, so the farm’s manager leaving is quite fine with him. “You can head over towards the livestock if you want, it’s almost time to feed them again.”

“Right. Thanks.” He mutters back, and is left alone with his farm work again. The cod doesn't get much done afterwards, not much at all. Instead, he heads out early, saying he feels sick. No one questions it, and he's sure a bunch of the farmhands are more than happy to have him gone for the rest of the day too. And for the next few days as well, because he doesn’t have the energy to come back for at least a week. (Artemus does end up getting yelled at for costing them a worker, so that’s something at least.)

(And when the cod does show up to work again, not just hangout with a certain half dragon, he’s back in his binder and has his inhaler in his pocket. He uses it a lot more than he should, but it’s fine, because at least that way he’s not getting stared at and asked uncomfortable questions. At least this way he feels safe.)

_____________________________

The next time he goes out to the farms, Jimmy manages to get Fwhip into the sun for once. It’s truly a groundbreaking achievement. Gem would be so proud and impressed if he was here, even if he did just nag and complain every second that he wasn’t inside. Really, you’d think he was a vampire, with how much he feared the sun hurting him or something.

He doesn’t actually do much work, with Fwhip there, because the farm managers will not let the future Count do work. Mrs. Tamara agrees it is good for the half dragon to finally see the sun, but sends the two boys off. She tells them to have a wonderful day on the outskirts of the area, not working. (Plus, Jimmy’s short absence will relieve some tension in the workers, he knows, even though that part goes unsaid. If it was even what Mrs. Tamara was implying at all.

At least he doesn’t have to see Artemus or Sage again.)

They end up a little ways away from the fields, far enough for no one to overhear anything they say. Far enough for them to just be themselves, no marriage attached. And they are themselves as they walk through an open area, the ground caked in podzol and dirt. The heads on spikes are back, decorating the pathway and its surrounding land; still giving Jimmy the creeps. But he ignores the lifeless eyes staring back at him the best he can, and focuses on whatever the half dragon is complaining about beside him.

Well, he halfway focuses, more interested in watching the nature around them as they walk. The plants get more strange to him the further inland the cod goes, and he is currently very inland right now. He’s sure he’ll get used to all the new flora eventually, in a few years at least, but for now most if not all of it still mesmerizes him so much.

Speaking of new flora, Jimmy has seen a few flowers dotted around as they walk. Not many, probably due to the amount of podzol and strange lack of grass in this part of the empire, but a few are still flourishing nearby. And one catches his eyes as they walk past, one that’s nothing like he’s ever heard of or read about in all his stolen nature books. So out of curiosity, the cod stops their walk to investigate it, and Fwhip only realizes a moment later. After he’s already walked a few feet away and no one's been absentmindedly humming at all his ramblings. The cod barely pays him any mind as he sheepishly trots back, far too transfixed by the unknown flower before him.

"What is that?" Jimmy asks, crouching down next to the flower. He’s never seen, or heard of, anything like it before. Sure, he’d known flowers could appear to be black in nature, actually being some dark hue or violet or red. But this one seemed to actually be black and gray, no tint of any other color being visible in the sunlight. It was beautiful and also the most unnatural part of nature the cod had ever seen before; if that made any sense.

"A wither rose." Fwhip says, crouching down next to him in the grass. Though Jimmy doesn’t notice this detail, he is actually not as close as the cod thinks he is. He keeps a firm distance away from the flower, and makes sure any of his limb

“Is it a native plant?” The cod asks, inspecting the flower closer. He’d managed to talk flowers and stuff with Katherine, once they’d added each other on their communicators, and she’d hadn’t mentioned this one. Meaning, unless she had forgotten, it was one of the rare flower breeds the Overgrown’s magic couldn’t grow. And Katherine knew a lot of flowers too, like, a lot a lot . Jimmy didn’t even know that many subspecies of plant could exist on land before that day. It was seriously up in the thousands and then some..

“Yep, it only grows here.” The half dragon says, his voice strangely cautious. The cod, in a moment of pure (and unknowing) stupidity on his part, ignores that caution and reaches a hand towards the flower. He’s curious to know what it feels like, if it feels different from other flowers (the rather unique name being what makes him think that,) and maybe take one back home to show Lizzie. Or Joel, he would like that; he loves plants and all that stuff. But thanks to the ginger beside him, the cod does not get that far in his silly little idea.

"Ah!" Fwhip exclaims, grabbing the cod’s arm and tugging it back in a panic. Jimmy almost lets out a yelp from how hard he’s grabbed, sharp claws starting to dig into his shirt and scales as they pull him back. "Don't touch it! You'll start withering away!"

"I'll what!? " Jimmy exclaims, quickly jerking the rest of his body away from the flower. He practically scrambles away from the thing, limbs flailing as he puts as much distance between him and the plant as possible. The half dragon moves back with him, though in a much less panicked and more elegant way than the cod does.

Fwhip gives him a weird look, like everyone in the world knows about this one thing but him. Which was also entirely possible, considering the cod had to steal books from his family’s own library for anything resembling an education. ( Did everyone else know this but him? Was he just being a stupid idiot again..?) "Have you ever heard of that before? Or seen it?"

"No! There's not many flowers in the ocean! Or things that wither you away, whatever that means!" Jimmy snaps, his gaze flicking between the half dragon and the apparently dangerous plant just mere inches away from him. And the thing was out in the open too! Where anyone could just walk by and touch it! That was bloody dangerous, apparently!

"Right, I forgot you lived in water." Fwhip sighed, momentarily pinching the bridge of his nose. As if he was dealing with someone incompetent. Jimmy tried his best not to make a face at that. "Well, withering is when someone starts to get hurt by an unknown force, and parts of them start to kinda decay while living. The effect is triggered by the flower and also some magic thingy. Usually they'll need instant medical attention. Eventually, if the effect is bad enough, you just turn into like, black dust and die. Or it will stop on it’s own, if you’re lucky"

Jimmy gaped at him, absolutely opened mouthed and bewildered for a few minutes, before his brain could even try and form a response. "And the flower does that!?" He exclaimed, his voice unknowingly getting higher. He knew some plants were carnivorous, but not to anything bigger than a mouse, if that! The cod was having a hard time believing that such a small, beautiful looking flower could kill a full grown person in just a matter of hours, like Fwhip had made it out to be. There was only one way to find out though, and he wasn’t going to try his luck. (Even if there was a chance he was being pranked right now, though Jimmy didn’t think that was the case for once. The half dragon’s genuine concern at the start said otherwise)

"Well touching one can't necessarily kill you , but it would leave you bedridden for a few days at best." Fwhip explains, sounding like that’s any better than the damned plant just one- shotting somebody right away. It isn’t, by the way, because what the fuck . Why can a flower just do that, what the hell . Why is that normal in this weird, fucked up little empire where they have mob heads on spikes. Why is the Grimlands just like this?

"And you keep such a dangerous thing in the open?" The cod exclaims, now almost yelling. Fwhip silences him with a pretty hard smack of the tail, getting an equally harsh glare back in response. If Jimmy was standing, he would’ve hit him back, right in the shins.

"The first thing Grimlands children are taught is to not touch the flower. Most people are smart enough to not get near one! It’s a cultural decoration!" The half dragon hisses, grabbing Jimmy and moving him to his feet. The blonde makes a sound at that, something like a swear or two in codlish, and stumbles to regain his balance once he’s upright again. He hadn’t wanted to be helped up just yet, and would’ve preferred to be asked instead of being manhandled , thank you very much.

"Well I'm not from here." The cod huffs, glaring at the other. He quickly dusts himself off, feeling like dirt and podzol are all over him from his time on the ground. The half dragon just watches him do so with a roll of his eyes, not even offering to help in any way. Not that the blonde would want him too, but it would be nice ! Especially after startling him so hard in the first place, with all that creepy flower knowledge!

Fwhip turns away without him, and starts to head in the direction of the manor. The half dragon has clearly had enough of the field and unexpected near death experiences for the day. And they didn’t even do any kinda labor like the cod had planned to do, just walked around a bit like losers did. "And I would like you a lot more if you were."

"And you would be a lot more pleasant if you had fins and a tail." Jimmy says, and wastes no time following behind the future Count, his original purpose for being out here now long forgotten, even if he will be a bit sour about it later. Arguing with Fwhip for the millionth time suddenly seems far more important than any farm work or stroll they’d be dissuaded from.

" Blegh . No thank you. I prefer not being all slimy and gross." Fwhip says, probably scrunching up his face as he speaks, for extra insult. Not probably, actually, the cod knows he;s doing that. Even if he can’t see the half dragons face right now. He just does that when he’s disgusted by anything, which happens a lot when he’s with the Ocean Prince.

"I am not slimy and gross! You know that! You've touched me before!" Jimmy protests, and quickens his pace, until the both of them are walking side by side again. They are heading back the way they came, past the farms and towards the manor. Which means they’re gonna have to pass all those creepy heads on spikes again, something the cod is not looking forward to. He really, really hates those things.

"Yeah, the human parts." Fwhip snorts back, and Jimmy gawks at that. He’s pretty sure the ginger has touched his fishy parts before, and that he’s lying. He’s lying straight to his face, that’s what he’s doin’! The bastard! The absolute sausage he is! He’s just making up things to complain about at this point, really.

"My fins aren't slimy!" He says, the noise almost coming out in a whine. Which he is fairly certain of, because he’s a codfolk and not some dumb dragon thing like Fwhip is. Merfolk in general aren’t even slimy, because they’re part fish. And for the most part, fish have scales and skin and fins, and are not covered in slime!

"Well you wouldn't know that, because you're used to having them." The half dragon reasons back, and Jimmy hates that he makes a good point there. But still, he’s not slimy! That’s not a thing his species is! Maybe like, the salmonfolk are slimy and that’s why Fwhip thinks that, because the codfolk and merfolk are definitely not! He would know!

"Well at least I don't breathe fire or whatever." Jimmy retorts, nudging the other with his shoulder. Before dignifying that with a response, the half dragon nudges him back even harder. It almost sends the cod stumbling to the ground, and he’s lucky it didn’t. Jimmy would’ve been livid if he had to clean even more dirt and grime off him.

"I don't breathe fire! I'm not a full dragon hybrid!" Fwhip exclaims, sounding offended by the comparison. Which is the worst comparison to sound offended by, in Jimmy opinion. He just made his species sound way less cooler than another one, and he’s getting all offended by it. The future Count was a strange guy indeed.

"That's like the one cool thing about dragons and you can't do it!?" The cod exclaims, giving Fwhip an unimpressed look. He also ignores the urge to shove the half dragon back, and do so with enough force to send him toppling over. Mainly because he knows the ginger would just take him down with the ship, and he kinda wants to avoid staining these clothes with even more dirt. He’s been doing way too much of that back in the Codlands.

"We can fly!" Is Fwhip’s lame response, and all he has to say for the impressiveness of half dragons. He’s getting proper embarrassed about it too, his whole face starting to turn red with the emotion. Finally, a win for the poor codboy in this conversation. It had taken long enough and way too many comments about slime for it to happen.

"Some fish can fly! Birds can fly!” Jimmy says, gesturing with his hands to emphasize the words. “ Insects can fly, dude!” A lot of things could fly, but those are the main ones, sans the fish part. Or, well, the only ones the cod can remember right now. He’s pretty sure there's a bunch of animals he’s forgetting. But, anyways, being able to fly is not as special as Fwhip thinks it is. Especially considering elytra exists, and those things allow even normal people to fly. When he points this out a second later, the half dragon just groans, and looks for something else about codfolk to make fun of. And Jimmy fires back the best he can, prolonging their dumb argument for the whole walk past the farms and all the way back into town.

They end up bickering the whole way back to the manor, the argument getting arguably more and more stupid as it goes. Anyone who overheard them would think the two Princes were crazy. And they would be right, they were both crazy. Just in different ways, and Fwhip was crazier than Jimmy! That was for certain! And the half dragon would tell him just the opposite, and they would bicker about that too, all the way until they reached the manor’s front door.

The cod barely noticed, but Fwhip got quieter and quieter the closer they got to the house. His responses became less witty, his volume lowered until Jimmy was the only one being loud anymore. And, yeah, Jimmy lowered his voice once he realized, but the blonde didn’t think anything of it. He figured Fwhip was probably just being weird or something, because the half dragon was always being weird in some way. In fact, he kept going along with the conversation as normal. Right until they went to enter the building now in front of them, that is.

As soon as the front door is pushed open, Fwhip’s whole demeanor drastically changes. And it’s not a very subtle change, either. His whole body goes rigid, and his movements get noticeably more coordinated. Like he’s trying to make less and less noise with every movement. Jimmy knows that look, and knows that feeling, way more than he is comfortable admitting too. Something has to be wrong in the manor.

He starts to speak, but is quickly cut off by a very aggressive half dragon, whose tail has now started to lash in what looks to be fear. (Which is totally not making an anxious knot form in Jimmy’s stomach, nooo , not at all. This isn’t a nerve wracking situation in the slightest! He thought not at all sarcastically.) “Fwhip, what’s-”

“Shut up!” Fwhip hisses, whipping his head around to face the cod. His eyes are blown out, wide like a cornered prey animal. Jimmy knows that look well, for it’s one he’s probably worn too many times to count. But his brain is still lagging a bit behind, caught off guard by the sudden shift in the ginger’s attitude, and does not shut up like he knows he desperately needs to do right now. Jimmy will only feel mildly guilty about it later.

“Why-”

“Shut up! Be quiet!” The half dragon throws a hand over Jimmy’s mouth, shutting the cod up pretty effectively. You can’t really protest when there’s a hand halfway shoved in your mouth, after all. Which is kinda gross, by the way. “Just….follow me and don’t say anything, okay?”

Jimmy nods after a moment, and Fwhip stops covering his mouth. Any disgust he might’ve normally shown over the action is eerily missing, and only makes the bad feeling in the blonde’s gut worse. The half dragon moves to hold his hand instead, to better drag the cod through the house, and he ignores how tight the hold is. Jimmy, stone silent and more than a little terrified, lets himself be dragged through the manor’s foyer, totally unprepared for what he catches a glimpse of next.

They have to walk by the kitchen to get to either of their rooms. And the dining hall, and basically every main area in the house. Fwhip just hopes when they do, Jimmy doesn't see whatever bottles might be lying out in the open. His hope doesn’t do much, in the grand scheme of things. Jimmy catches sight of a few, and has to rip his gaze away quickly. He’s being dragged away before he can even fully register what he just saw, and is left reeling in his mind as they move further down the hallway.

(He has never noticed the vases of wither roses decorating the kitchen and dining areas until today. Jimmy sees them clear as day now, and wonders what a plant of decay could possibly mean in a home like this. Because that has to mean something. )

They get to Fwhip’s bedroom before any of the other rooms, the half dragon seemingly beelining for it as if on instinct. Jimmy has no choice but to follow him as he’s dragged across the hallway, and finds himself being shoved into the room before he even knows whats happening. The half dragon stumbles in behind him, and gently shuts the door. The cod gets the feeling he normally would’ve slammed it, if now was not the worst possible time for that.

The two of them stand there in silence for a moment, before the blonde decides to bite the bullet and say what they’re both thinking. “Is your dad….?” Jimmy trails off, but the question lingers heavily in the air. They both know what he’s asking, for the answer is rather obvious. Finishing it would add nothing to the situation but put more tension and weight out into the air.

“Yep.” Fwhips responds, popping the p . He sounds despondent, like this is a normal occurrence. He looks despondent too, his blue eyes glazed over and unfocused. The cod can’t help the way worry twists at his heart like a knife, and doesn’t even feel anything complicated when he realizes that he’s worrying for Fwhip . This was much more important than their dumb rivalry or whatever they had going on right now.

“Does he hurt you?” The cod asks, glancing at the door only a few feet behind him. While Fwhip answers, and also musters the energy to do so, Jimmy goes and locks it. The door being simply shut doesn’t make him feel safe enough. This way, no one can barge in unexpectedly. At least for now. He makes a mental note to unlock it later before he inevitably sits down, considering they’ll probably be in here for a while.

“Emotionally.” Is all the half dragon responds with, moving even further into his bedroom while Jimmy’s back is turned. His wings are held close to his body, and his tail has started to curl in on itself. A sign of how upset he truly was, if the ginger’s tone of voice didn’t display that perfectly enough. The body language is just the cherry on top of this sad , sad sundae, really.

“Okay.” Jimmy frowns, watching the other. He seems a little lost in his own bedroom, like his mind is still trying to figure out what to do. The half dragon glances around for a moment, his gaze lingering unusually long on the cod, before his brain decides what to do. Which is to collapse, apparently. And honestly? Same.

Fwhip says nothing else, and just sinks to the floor. He doesn’t even try to go for a bed or chair or anything, just lets himself go slack and slide down the wall. He buries his head in his knees, and Jimmy genuinely thinks the half dragon is going to have a breakdown for a moment. But he doesn’t. Instead, he just makes a pained, muffled cry that honestly hurts the cod’s soul to listen too. It’s what makes him realize that he can’t just sit there and watch, he has to do something. He had to be comforting, just like Fwhip was to him all those weeks ago. And, thankfully, he knows a thing about dealing with a shitty home life.

But before he can do that, Jimmy remembers the other twin who might be in this house, and feels a sudden wave of concern hit him. “Where's Gem?” He asks, not bothering to hide any of the worry in his tone. She’s dealt with this whole… situation a lot more than the cod has, definitely; but that doesn't mean she’s completely safe right now. Things can still get bad for her despite any prior experiences….

“Her room or out on the town.” Fwhip says, and shrugs as if he doesn’t care where his sister is right now. Which isn’t true, he absolutely cares a lot more than he’s letting on. He wouldn’t have dragged Jimmy in here so fast if he really didn’t. “I haven't known her exact visiting times since the fight.”

“Okay..” The blonde says, and finds himself just standing there for a moment afterwards. He doesn’t want to upset Fwhip even more with whatever he does next, since he’s probably pretty upset right now. So he waits, until Fwhip lifts his head up again and begins to stare blankly at the wall. That is when Jimmy decides it’s a good time to start on the whole comfort thing he’d planned on, since the ginger is no longer making any upset noises.

Jimmy sits next to the half dragon, and quickly makes himself comfortable. Fwhip raises an eyebrow, cautious, and the cod rolls his eyes. He has to communicate all his intentions verbally, it seems. (Even though they never sat next to each other like this unless they were trauma-talking, but whatever.) “I trauma dumped on you, so now it's your turn. If you want to, of course” He says, giving the other a slight nudge with his arms. The half dragon blinked owlishly at him a few times, and took a minute to gather his thoughts and old memories together.

Fwhip starts by clearing his throat, his words coming out a little shaky. He isn’t really sure why he’s going along with this, but supposes it’s fair. He’d lent a shoulder for Jimmy to cry on, and the cod seemed determined to do the same in return. “My parents had a….very bad divorce a few years back. Before we met you.”

Jimmy nods, an invitation to keep speaking. A sign that he’s listening. Fwhip takes another breath, and continues on with the rather horrible story he’s laying out. “It was um, it was bad. Like, so bad I considered running away, but I didn’t.” He knows he sounds a little….stiff as he talks, but can’t really help it. The half dragon doesn’t like thinking about that time in his life much, and detaching himself for a few moments is a good way to get through it. His other option, and his least favorite one, is to have a bit of a breakdown.

“My parents weren’t the best before the divorce, and they got worse after it. Mom got more…distant and pushy, and Dad well….dad started drinking a lot more.” Fwhip keeps talking, and Jimmy just listens in a sort of horrified silence. This was all way, way worse than he had thought. Holy moly. He knew this family had some issues , but didn’t know how deep they ran. Until right now, that is. “They don’t really talk to me much….only sometimes. Mom talks to Gem though, but it’s mostly about her studies and how she needs to work harder or whatever.”

(Maybe if I wasn't such a failure, they’d still be married. Is the thought that runs through Fwhip’s head as he tells everything to Jimmy, just like it does whenever he thinks about all this. It makes his stomach turn in upset knots every time, but he just can’t help but wonder. )

(Logically, he knows the thought is really stupid. His parents had problems before him and Gem, all his extended family had told him as much when they’d last seen them years ago. But still, Fwhip’s traitorous mind couldn’t help but wonder what if… )

They fall into silence once the half dragon trails off. Fwhip has nothing more he wants to tell, and knows he wouldn’t be able to say most of it even if he wanted to. The cod, however, has things to say. He just needs to turn all the words and thoughts over in his head a bit more, so he doesn’t misspeak. That whole process takes a lot longer than expected, leaving the two in relative silence, with only the creaking of the house to accompany them. Until the blonde finally speaks his mind that is. It is the only thing he can think to say.

“I see her in Gem.” Jimmy admits quietly, fiddling with his father's pendant again. It brings him a lot more comfort that it probably should, considering he never met the man. He doesn’t fiddle with the rings from him as much, simply because their presence on his hand is enough to bring him comfort. Necklaces are also a good fidget toy in general, he’s found, especially when they mean something to you.

“Who?” Fwhip asks, lowering his tone to match the blonde’s. He looks suddenly concerned, worried even. And the cod can’t really blame him, that was a pretty ominous thing to say about his sister. But he fears the actual explanation will not give the half dragon any comfort, and will probably just upset him more. Like it upsets Jimmy.

“Lizzie. And I see bits of my mom in yours.” Jimmy holds the pendant in his hand, grip tightening around it tighter with every word he speaks. He feels that anger and frustration bubbling up again, but shoves it down for now. He can get it out of his system later, when he’s alone in his room and isn't having another weirdly heartfelt moment with Fwhip; of all people. “It’s been pissing me off so much.”

Fwhip says nothing for a long minute, and then moves his gaze towards the wall. He keeps it there for a good while. “You get why I was so grumpy at the castle?” He asks, his voice and overall posture now very tense. The cod feels kinda bad for upsetting the half dragon like this, but he felt like he couldn’t keep that to himself any longer. It felt like the information would’ve left him one way or another, and at least this way was better than it leaving him during a breakdown or something.

“Yeah.” Jimmy mumbles, and stops holding onto his father’s pendant for dear life. When he lets go, his palm has turned red, and an oval shape is pressed into the area. He stares at the mark for a moment, before hugging his arms closer to his chest. That one action that brings him comfort so often, just like the pendant normally does. It only helps a little today. They also don't say anything for a minute after that, both of them needing a moment after all of that .

Fwhip hums softly, leaving his head against the wall and staring up at his bedroom’s ceiling. (He seems to be over his funk from a few minutes ago, which is good. That’s good; Jimmy didn’t upset him too bad...He really hoped he hadn’t.) “What’s it like…without a dad?” He asks, tentative and his tone still quiet. There’s clearly some kind of curiosity hidden under there too, the innocent kind. The cod has gotten to the point where he can tell that sort of thing.

“I don’t know.” Jimmy mutters, half of it coming out as a laugh. It’s not a funny question, not really, but he laughs anyway. He thinks it because of how unanswerable and unexpected the question is. He’s laughing because Fwhip just asked him to describe something he’s never had, and has only been able to mourn the absence of. “What’s it like having one?”

“That was probably a bad question..” The half dragon sounds sheepish now, embarrassed by his little question. Jimmy just laughs again, and assures him that it's fine. Then, he goes silent, and the half dragon goes silent with him a few seconds later. Lateral, he does need some quiet to think about his answer. It’s a very hard answer to give, and requires the cod to rattle his brain around a bit. Fwhip seems willing to wait a while why Jimmy thinks, shifting until he’s in a more comfortable position. He will not have to wait long at all.

“It’s like….well, it’s like…” The cod turns the words over in his head for a few moments more, really looking for an explanation that makes sense to someone who isn’t him or Lizzie. It’s a lot harder than he thought, and he already knew it would be a little bit of a challenge in the first place. “Like I’m missing something. I don’t know what, but I know I’m probably missing something. Maybe like, fatherly love or something sappy like that.”

“And you only have one parent, you know? Other people have helped raise me n’ stuff, but I really only have one parent who really cared for me. At the end of the day, I just have mum.” He continues on, a small frown starting to stress across his face. Jimmy didn’t like that he just had his mother, he didn’t like it for a lot of reasons. But it’s something he has learned to live with. “It’s not like that for everyone without a dad I don’t think, just me…”

“Was your mom….better once?” Fwhip asks, sounding nervous to do so. He’s glancing over at Jimmy now, slightly curious. The cod notices, and tries not to feel self conscious (or blush red) under his gaze. Which is a little hard when he’s obviously being studied, but whatever. It’s fine, he has a pretty hard question to answer anyways….

“When me and Lizzie were younger, yeah.” It’s Jimmy’s turn to stare at the wall a bit, his voice starting to sound distant. But not too distant, he’s still close enough to reign back in if needed. “I kinda miss it.” His mother is always quite the hard subject, so it’s no surprise when he doesn’t add anything else afterwards. The half dragon decides to move the conversation away from all that, for both their sakes.

“...Having a dad is like….well, I don’t know what it’s like. I guess it’s like having both parents.” Fwhip starts answering Jimmy’s earlier question, of wondering what having a dad is like, without any prompting. It feels like the least he can do in return. “Dad’s kinda like me, when he’s around, so it's kinda like having a mentor and a dad wrapped all into one. And when he does something wrong it…it stings . Same with mom.”

“This question probably would’ve been better suited for, like, Joey or Scott or something.” Fwhip says, his explanation clearly failing him. Which makes sense. Jimmy doesn't think there’s really a good, universal way to explain what having a parent (or lack therefore) is like. And by the sounds of it, the half dragon has also kinda forgotten which of their peers also have fathers. If Jimmy’s memory serves him right, he forgot to add Joel and Kattherine to that list as well. And Pearl, he thinks Pearl has a dad also.

“Heh, yeah.” Jimmy says, finally looking over at the other. He gives the other boy a friendly nudge as he speaks, tail flicking happily across the floor next to them. The half dragon’s own tail even starts to mirror his, and starts moving as well. Not that either of them notice it, though. “We can be lacking in the dad department together, though.”

Fwhip smiles at him, a real one, and lets a giggle slip past his lips. “Yeah, we can be.” Jimmy returns the smile, and this feels like the first good moment they’ve had together during the whole week of the trip so far. For a moment, he wonders if there will be any more moments like this. A part of him, one normally shoved very deep down, kinda wants there to be. But Jimmy doesn’t want to think about that, so he shoves it down again, and resigns himself to lounging in comfortable silence with Fwhip. This is the only good moment they’ve had so far, it would be such a shame to waste it. Especially when you are praying and praying over and over again in your head that one never ever happens ever again.

Shyly, a wing is wrapped around Jimmy’s shoulder, drawing the cod closer to its owner. Fwhip didn’t say anything, and he didn’t need to. They both clearly needed something like this after today, one more than the other. And Jimmy didn’t say anything either, even when he leaned into the contact; only doing so after a moment’s hesitation. He liked being held, more than he would ever admit, even if the person currently holding him is Fwhip .

The two of them stay like that for a good while, until they are sure the coast is clear, and it is no longer dangerous to walk around the manor. He doesn’t even care when Gem is the one to open the door, walking on them partially cuddling. She’s there to tell them dinner is ready, and also that she needs help with something. Fwhip says they’ll be there in a minute, and ignores how she looks at them; her brother’s wing wrapped around the cod and Jimmy almost laying his head on Fwhip’s shoulder.

This isn’t going to help the crush allegations in the slightest. It’s only going to make them worse, probably. (And Jimmy can’t really blame her. If he saw Lizzie getting all comfortable with someone, his big sister would never hear the end of it. It was simply his duty as a sibling, to make fun of whatever crush his sister might have, just as it is Gem’s.) But Jimmy can’t be bothered to care anymore, everyone thinking they’re in love just makes this whole thing easier, and neither of them really needed anything else weighing down on their shoulders.

It would please their parents, at the very least, and that was more than enough. Pleasing them like that would have to do, even if it took pretending to do so. (It’s not like Jimmy didn’t pretend all the time already, and this was nothing different. So yeah, he’ll play along, just to make his life and Fwhip’s less of a living hell. It was the least that could be done, after all.)

Fwhip gets up from the floor a few minutes later, and reaches down to help the cod up. Jimmy takes his hand, and knows he’s ready to get the rest of this day over with, and spend the rest of his trip out in the fields; alone with no one but the crops. And the twins, if they want to drop by. That would be nice. That would be really, really nice.

When he goes into his room that night, after hauling himself in the library post-dinner for some much needed thinking time, there is a vase of wither rose sitting on the nightstand. They were never there before. They are clearly for him to keep, and maybe even take home when he leaves. They look beautifully deadly under the moonlight streaming in from the window.

Jimmy just stares at Fwhip’s gift for a second, before moving it to the slightly open window seal. He thinks the plant will like the moonlight and nighttime breeze, much like their gifter seems too. The cod will have to ask how to care for them in the morning, probably from one of the farmhands, but now it is time for bed. He’s ready to finally get this day over with, and start all over again in the morning. But with a few new flowers by his side instead...

#jimmy solidarity #ron.fic #fwhimmy #ily (im not supossed too)#empiresshipping #geminitay #fwhip #tw transphobia #AGAIN. IM SORRY #tw alchoholism #tw child abuse #(referenced)

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