#like he isnt going to actively hunt them down without like

[myrfing]

i think the biggest msq disconnect between how my wol would act and what the game portrays is that er. like it’s believeable that he’d behave for the sake of the scions & sultana & raubahn’s wishes but he would otherwise gank any other syndicate member on sight. including godbert. he would kill that man. like as in the moment the scions formally disbanded it would have absolutely been like game now that his actions arent tied to an organization with friends in it

[lucifermeo]

since i caught up on the canon content ive been catching up on skk fics as well and i kept getting distracted by how mori is ALWAYS so ooc in them its so?????

i do understand despite dark era & fifteen & stormbringer we still have a sizeable knowledge gap about what happened between mori, chuuya (15-22), and dazai (14-18) but theres no way you can convince me he beat dazai up or experimented(???????) on him. or that chuuya is somehow unaware of mori's "dark" mafia business (news flash: all mafia business is "dark") or mori actively harming him for no reason like theres just no way.

first of all theres literally no reason why he would touch dazai physically. mori's logic isnt always perfect because utilitarianism itself isnt perfect but he does things for a reason and what purpose would hurting dazai even serve?? mori wants dazai as his right-hand man (and arguably, eventual successor) so the thing about his manipulation was always to make dazai think theyre partners-in-crime. and dazai did, because up until mimic thats exactly what they were: they scheme and plot and reign over other people's lives, together. tbh i dont think current dazai even thinks mori "led him down a dark path" or its child abuse or whatever moral reasons, he's still mad and bitter as hell about mori simply because he feels betrayed by the man. they were supposed to be in this together, y'know?

and then theres chuuya. morally upright, kind and just and caring, chuuya. lol. dont get me wrong mori definitely doesn't tell him every single morbid details about his scheme of the day (chuuya's morals are not quite dazai's), but theres just no way chuuya gets to executive position without having his hands/knowledge in every pie of the mafia business. plus, chuuya's a very important asset to the mafia, too important for mori to discard/hamper/harm unless theres an extremely good tradeoff. i think a lot of fanon underestimated chuuya's contribution to the mafia tbh, hes not merely valued for his combat power (though he has a significant amount of it) thats akutagawa's position as head of the combat forces. chuuya was recruited at 15 and immediately trained not to fight but to manage mafia's assets and business partners (under kouyou's tutelege), and his first significant position, after only a year of joining, was handling the mafia's entire jewellery trade. even people he hung around (the flags) were among mafia's leadership ranks and candidates for executives, and then theres the fact he was dazai's partner and expected to keep up to him. hardly any of which had to do with fighting on the front lines, in contrast to akutagawa whose only value-add to the mafia, even after six years, was rashoumon. in my opinion these positions showed mori actually regards chuuya very highly (and ironically values his capabilities way more than fandom on average) so then again if there ever was a situation mori wanted to harm chuuya the payoff better be huge for it to be worth it in his eyes.

tangentially related: not excusing organised crimes or the mafia elsewhere, but in-universe the port mafia under mori has been implied to be "cleaner" than under the old boss's reign multiple times, so tbh i dont think their illicit businesses would ever be enough to cross chuuya's - extremely sketchy - moral lines. at 15 he was fighting turf wars with the pm and didnt hesitate to go the extra mile 3000m above ground just to personally hunt down an enemy, and at 16 he ran the illegal jewellery business for money laundering and his only worry was not catching up to dazai's achievements (read: crime list). we do know for sure the pm doesnt dabble in the drug trade at all (dazai outright said any member touching drugs are to be disposed of and implied he had killed subordinates before for being unclean in dark era). human trafficking & prostitution is 50/50? they do make a nasty habit of employing underaged kids and especially those with abilities but then so does the ada and the government/military (yosano? tachihara? anyone) so maybe minor labour laws in bsd-verse are just that bad. other than that just i just dont see chuuya having a problem with other mafia stuff like weapons trafficking (pretty sure the sheep did this too), arson, extortion, bribery, fraud, counterfeiting (his bestie was pianoman lol), gambling, theft, murder (again lol). i had to pull that list of mafia-related crimes off wiki lol

anyway i guess people want a villain for skk and mori's sure no good guy but theres no need to make him so ooc guys. to be frank once you make mori ooc skk themselves become ooc as well because now dazai and chuuya are ""absolved"" of their mafia crimes but look like total weak-willed idiots who do whatever the big bad mori tells them to. and wheres the appeal in those characters?

[ersatz-colubridae-888]

SCUG OC BLAST 2 GO *magic blast sfx*

the cartographer - an elder slugcat skilled in drawing maps, the explorer's mother. they used to have an alliance with the scavengers, bringing them their work in exchange for useful items. after they started looking after their pup, the scavengers attacked both of them, breaking their agreement. the cartographer went into battle with the scavengers and didn't return, but the majority of their maps were left to the explorer, or salvaged by them.

the miros-cat - an amalgamation of a slugcat and a miros bird made by an unknown creator. they're larger than a regular slugcat, being a little less than twice as big with a miros bird head. they cannot fit into the smaller shelters well, some being inaccessible because of their size. they lived in outer expanse, being captured shortly after wandering into deeper parts of subterrean. miros-cat was given the mark of communication before meeting five pebbles, although its poorly made, glitchy and not always reliable.

when starving, their head is too heavy for them, it sways around and is hard to control, weighing them down a significant amount. they don't want to harm creatures, but their beak is a very powerful weapon. managing to hit hard and break all sorts of things, sometimes even used to hang off edges.

other miros birds don't attack them immediately unless they get too close or stay for too long. their family is scared of them, their own sibling wants them killed on sight. scavengers are very afraid of the miros-cat, letting them pass through tolls without payment unless they attack, where they attempt to fight back. weaker lizards don't hunt them unless provoked, the strong attack with hesitance. looks to the moon refuses to talk to them unless they bring her a pearl, she will hesitantly read it to them. if they manage to bring enough pearls, she starts talking more about their origin and how the iterators found out about them. five pebbles is afraid, but doesnt actively show it. he almost kills miros-cat when they come in, hesitating at the last second. he also doesn't kill them if they don't get out when he tells them to, only harming them if they attack.

miros-cat drowns in despair, dreaming about more hopeful times, while trying their best to move on, not knowing how to. they wish that one day they'll get closure, that one day they'll rest happy.

"a horrible experiment. hunted by some, friend to none. feared by all."

this turned out long again um hopefully thwre isnt many errors i am sick 👎👎👎literally i have a cold 👎👎👎hope u like my creatures cookie smiles

I LOVE YOUR CREATURES SO MUCH... WAAAHHH MIROS CAT... I LOVE YOU SO MUCJ gives that little thing a hug and a sandwich

[igniteourminds]

Alright, ima say it, yall need to cut Hunter some slack as well

Listen, listen, I understand Crosshair's POV, being left behind, hurt and betrayed, and for him it seems they never even spared him a thought, and that's an absolute horrible feeling and everything he told hunter is absolutely necessary and he should say it! That's exactly how he felt and lived things, but remember he speaks FROM HIS POV

Thing is, I only see people undertsanding and defending Crosshair's side, and I always see this, and in most things, people always ignore the leader's side SO HERE I GO

Let's hop to Hunter's POV, literally everything he knows of Cross is that he's trying to kill them. That the Empire wants to take Omega, and get rid of the rest of the batch. And yes, he did risk everything to go back for her, but this was when his whole squad was together, and the whole context of the galaxy's situation hadn't sinked in, they didn't even know. But THEN one of his brothers completely turned on them, and actively tried to kill them. And so they are forced to leave (or they'd quite literally die). So now imagine Hunter when

1.-He has ALSO been betrayed by a brother (he doesnt know of the chips yet) and he just saw him try to KILL THEM (that leaves a scar i mean come on)

2.- On future missions, this same person that's hunting them KNOWS how they plan, move, act and even THINK. And on every encounter all they see is that he wants them dead, NOT ONLY THAT but it's not just Crosshair who's there every time, BUT A BUNCH OF OTHER SOLDIERS AND SHIPS AND PEOPLE TRYING TO KILL THEM TOO NO QUESTIONS ASKED AND WHO DON'T LEAVE THE SNIPER MAN'S SIDE FOR A MOMENT

3.- His squad is broken now! Everything he knew were his brothers, his team and how to move with them, and now that's been completely broken, which comes with the next one

3.1.- He has no superiors, his orders and decisions are HIS and ONLY HIS and literally EVERYONE is counting on him to make the right choice, every time, and keeping them all safe, alive and well, and LITERALLY ANY CONSEQUENCE IS ON HIM. Even if it's a team effort or something, if anything happens its on HIM. AND THAT'S REALLY FREAKIN EXHAUSTING AND A SHIT TON OF PRESSURE ON SOMEONE and many say like "uh sure, no ones blaming only him, they are a team blah blah" but take a look at literally EVERY piece of media reactions, or history even and ALL the responsibility ALWAYS comes down on the leaders

3.2.- HAVE YOU SEEN ALL THE RESENTMENT HE HAS FOR LEAVING CROSS?? He carries all the guilt with him! And even all across the fandom it's all about HUNTERS FAULT ON EVERYTHING! So imagine the weight of knowing your brothers do what you say and it's still all on you!

4.-So NOW he has to make sure they leave safely, and thing number one someone NEEDS to survive?? THATS RIGHT: FOOD AND SUSTENANCE, AND HOW DO WE GET THAT? MONEY YES so that's why they need a JOB

5.- They go out to find out that the galaxy is all incredibly messed up, that everyone's being controlled, that they as clones and as soldiers have LITERALLY LOST THEIR PURPOSE. Everything they've fought for is GONE. AND SO they try to find WHO THEY ARE, sometimes on jobs, and sometimes doing the morally right thing because ITS ALL A MESS RN AND THEY ARE TRYING TO UNDERSTAND WHERE THEY ARE AND THEIR ROLE THAT HAS BEEN BLASTED OUT OF THEM. THERES NOTHING LEFT THEY STAND FOR? SO WHO ARE THEY??

6.- He has 4 other people to take care now! And to look out for them ALL THE TIME! So while YES he left Crosshair behind, he has to try to juggle all and find a way to survive without leaving behind the ones he's with RN! And he has to, not choose or decide but BEGIN TO FIGURE OUT what's best for them! He has no context or experience or base as to what to do or what they need! Leave with Rex? Join another cause? Drift even farther apart from the possibility of saving Crosshair? Are they soldiers? Of what?

6.1.- He has to figure things out DAY BY DAY, because at any moment the Empire or Bounty Hunters or ANYONE COMES FOR THEIR NECK! SO PLANNING IS A BIT TOUGH IN THAT CASE! SPECIALLY WHEN RESCUING SOMEONE WHOS AFTER YOU

7.-As far as he's concerned Cross is "safe" with the Empire and HUNTER'S REMAINING SQUAD ISNT SO HE HAS TO KEEP FOCUS, also as far as he knows Crosshair doesn't WANT or NEED, or even CARES for them, so chances of taking him back willingly are SO SLIM, EVEN MORE WHEN HUNTER DOESNT KNOW WHERE CROSS IS HALF THE TIME, IF CROSS ISNT TRYING TO KILL THEM, FORCE KNOWS WHERE HE IS THE REST OF THE TIME, so sure try to go save him???

8.- He's now taking care of a child as well I mean please

So imagine juggling all this at the same time, fully knowing they should not leave anyone behind, but still seeing ALL OF THIS and knowing whatever happens is on YOU, without even understanding WHO YOU ARE???

And I know there are a lot who'll still say "well he should find a way" or whatever, and that's what always happens with leaders, but really, decision making related to you and four other people's LIVES, and all that responsability and inner conflict isnt goddamn easy

And again, I'm NOT saying Crosshair's POV is 100% WRONG, that's how he felt and lived it and IT REALLY HURTS

Just... cut Hunter some slack man, leading isn't easy, and far less in a situation like that

Anyway, thanks for coming to my TED talk

[nightingaelic]

Craig, Veronica, and Cass learn about Arcade and his father being in the Enclave and constantly running from the BoS and NCR? (IMO, Gannon isnt guilty of anything. He was a child when the Enclave was being hunted down. He actively tries to make the wasteland better!)

The only thing Arcade is guilty of is occasionally annoying Julie Farkas and missing his therapy sessions with Doctor Usanagi, cHaNgE mY mInD

Arcade sighed and tilted his glass of wine around in the afternoon sunlight. "My late father was... an officer in a group called the Enclave, a remnant of America's pre-war government. Memories being short around here, not a whole lot of people remember them, but they did bad things."

"Like what?" the courier asked, accepting the shot of tequila they had ordered from the securitron currently bartending at the Lucky 38 cocktail lounge. They ignored the little tray of salt alongside the drink and downed the liquor straight.

Arcade shrugged. "Terrorized communities, kidnapped people. Eventually, someone stopped them. I was born a few years later at a military base on the coast, a place called Navarro."

The courier slammed their shot glass down on the bar and froze. Arcade tensed too, wondering if his confession had touched a nerve, but was both relieved and terrified when they directed their surprise at someone behind him. "How long have you been standing there?"

Craig Boone: "Long enough."

It was the last voice Arcade wanted to hear, and he slowly spun on his stool to face the former NCR sniper standing by the lounge's entrance. Boone's face was as unreadable as ever beneath his beret and sunglasses, but Arcade could tell his guard was up by his stance: One hand open-palmed, ready to retrieve the rifle on his back, and the other curled into a fist.

Before Arcade could say anything, the courier stood up. Clearly, they sensed some kind of damage had been done. "Easy, Boone. Come over here. Let's talk."

Boone looked like he would rather jump out one of the Lucky 38's windows, but he stiffly approached the bar as requested. "So talk."

The courier's eyes briefly swept the room, searching for the words. "Do you remember what you told me, when I first met you? I walked into Cliff's shop to sell a bunch of Legion armor from that group that tried to get the drop on me outside of town, and you snuck up behind me with your tough guy shtick because you thought I might be a deserter trying to sell my own armor and cover my tracks?"

"If you're an enemy of the NCR, you're an enemy of mine," Boone replied darkly.

"Right." The courier put their hand on Arcade's shoulder. "Let's not repeat that incident, okay?"

Arcade didn't think it was a strong enough statement to convince the 1st Recon graduate, but it did seem to resonate with Boone. Slowly, the sharpshooter's fist uncurled. "Okay."

This appeared to satisfy the courier, who sat back down and signaled the securitron to fetch another tequila. Arcade looked nervously between them and Boone, who didn't seem to be going anywhere. "Should I... should we hold off for today, or..."

"Oh, sorry." The courier made a face. "He's waiting for you to continue, if you don't mind. He decided to throw punches first in Novac and ask questions later, so I kicked his ass and made him promise that if he was going to travel with me, he needed to hear people out before he judged them."

Arcade's gaze immediately swung back to Boone, who nodded so solemnly that he had to choke back a laugh. "O-okay then. Thanks. Uh, let's... keep going."

Veronica Santangelo: "Sorry, I, uh..." Arcade turned to find Veronica swaying back and forth between the conversation she'd accidentally walked in on and the exit, her face cycling through shades of pink. Eventually her curiosity won out and she dashed over to the bar, taking the stool on the other side of him. "Navarro? The NCR crushed it in 2248, or was it 2249... did you have to escape, or did you get out before they came after you?"

"We went south before it was sacked," Arcade answered, bewildered. "My mother and I left with a group of my father's old unit when most of the remaining forces fled east with the remaining leadersh- Veronica, what are you doing here?"

"Well, I originally came up here to tell Six that the King is looking for them," Veronica admitted. "Something about bodyguards and a guy named Warren? Harris? Anyway, it can wait, this is much more interesting. Did you hide in NCR territory, or did you just try to stay out of everyone's way?"

"Veronica," the courier pressed, leaning around Arcade to look at the Scribe. "This is supposed to be a private conversation?"

"Six, do you have any idea how rare it is to find former Enclave members?" Veronica protested. "They're like one-headed brahmin nowadays, on account of the..."

She trailed off in realization, so Arcade finished the thought for her. "On account of the NCR and the Brotherhood of Steel killing them off wherever they could find them."

"Mmm, there is that." Veronica squirmed in her seat. "And technically speaking, I would be obligated to report any known Enclave survivors to my superiors with the intention of having them executed or at least run out of town, but... how old would you say you were, when you left Navarro?"

"Around three."

Veronica beamed. "Well then I can't really call you an Enclave member anyway, since I don't think they were inducting kids into their ranks. Even after we got a hold of them."

"Uh-huh." Arcade studied her for a beat before turning back to the courier. "She's not going to go away, is she?"

"Probably not," the courier replied. "Even if I kick her out, she'll just keep bugging you until you tell her."

"Great." Arcade took a sip of his wine and pointed a finger at Veronica. "Not a word to anyone, okay?"

Veronica mimed locking her lips and throwing away the key. "You got it."

Rose of Sharon Cassidy: "Don't mind me, just trying to re-stock my first aid kit." Cass sauntered over to the bar like she hadn't just stumbled upon Arcade spilling his deepest, darkest secret, and slapped the counter to get the securitron's attention. "Found myself running a little low on my last outing to Red Lucy's in Westside, and I figured House had some of the good stuff hidden away for just such an occasion."

"We were up here for some privacy," the courier said testily, eyes flicking between Cass and Arcade.

"In a goddamn bar?" Cass whistled. "Sorry, must've missed the sign on the door. Or were you being serious, when you said we weren't allowed up here without an escort? Better remind Raul, he was up here yesterday to take in the view. And Veronica, she was making friends with the robots last week. In fact, let's have a staff meeting, it's been a spell since we got everybody together in one place. You can tell your sob story to a larger audience, Arcade."

"You're an asshole, Cass," Arcade said affectionately. "This wasn't supposed to be a performance."

"Oh no." Cass feigned embarrassment. "And here I am, barging in on you like a deathclaw in a doctor's office. The Enclave? Thought you were all extinct by now. Wait 'til Boone finds out."

"He won't find out," the courier warned her in a low voice. "Unless Arcade wants him to. Understand?"

"No argument here." Cass took the other seat next to Arcade and propped her boots up on the bar. "But I wanna hear this too. I don't have strong feelings about those Navarro folks either way, but it sounds like a thrilling tale. Might even take my mind off my own troubles."

The courier looked like they were ready to physically toss her out of the cocktail lounge, but Arcade stopped them. "She's fine. Annoying, but fine. Get your drinks, Cass, and I'll give you the full-length version."

Cass grinned. "That's what I'm talking about. Three bottles of whiskey and one glass, please. And none of that radioactive shit, I'm talking whiskey. Not Dixon Whiskey- whiskey."

[dellinah]

LONG ASS RANT ABOUT THYLACINES

I'm still not coping well so i made some shitty memes about my constant hyperfixation

Well I have been fascinated with these animals since I was a literal 8 year old bc of a book my mom gave me about animals (they're all drawn as opposed to pictures too it's pretty cool i used to trace over them all the time)

They're cool marsupials that went extint in 1936

I am a dumbass with one braincell so for some reason it didn't sink in that when the text said 'disappeared 70 years ago' it meant DISAPEARED FOR REAL. I also was too dumb to realize it was under the 'extinct' chapter

Anyway. These animals are fascinating to me and I have been obsessed with everything related to them ever since. I love how close they look to dogs and wolves despite not being related bc evolution works that well, i love their cute little faces, I love how they managed to survive way longer than they were meant to (more on that bellow), how they move, their lower ankles that look like someone fucked up a dog drawing, everything about it

And I absolutely HATE what they have become a symbol of

I would like to think human activity alone isnt enough to actually drive animals to extinction. That, while it helps, it merely speeds up the pace of an inevitable fate. But that's not true. There have been countless animals that died out bc of humans, and that would have been just fine without us around - be it by hunting, destroying habitats, introducing new species or bringing disease

Thylacines were hunted with no mercy bc they were thought to kill farm animals. People offered money for each one that was shot. Animals that humans introduced to their habitat infected them with disease and made food less avaiable. And just a few decades later, they were gone, forever

And if that wasn't bad enough, the last one we have record of died bc of NEGLET. In a zoo, he was left out in the cold night and didn't make it. They probably threw the body away with no care, thinking they could just get another one to use as exibition, and then realized too late it was the last

ON TOP OF THAT, rules to protect them were set in place about 50 days before the last one died. 50 DAYS!! Talk about too little too late. Maybe if they had done it earlier, things would have been different, but no. They didn't care until they realized hey we havent seen one in forever, fuck

ON TOP OF ON TOP OF THAT, the picture that was used to get farmers to kill them of a thylacine with a chicken in its mouth was most likely faked using a mounted one. It was fucking propaganda?? To??? Kill animals?? Man, what the FUCK. Maybe kill the ones around your property (still wrong but fine) but why lie to people to make them go out of their way to kill animals in the wild??

Everything about thylacines' extintion just highlights the worst parts of the human nature. How careless we are to everything but ourselves. How if it doesn't make us money, we don't care. How we care too little too late. How we can destroy something so easily. And how we don't care about lying about something to get what we want, no matter how bad the consequences might be to someone else

I honestly think the fascination people have with finding these animals in recent years is due to guilt, at least some of it. Yes it's a cool animal, but most important of all it makes us feel bad. So finding a new one maybe would make it ok. We can still save it. We're not that bad.

But that ever happening is unlikely

Thylacines lived short lives (up to 6 years in the wild, 9 in zoos) so to have them survive would require large populations constantly breeding. So to think we wouldnt have found a bone, a dead body, or run over one in over 70 years (also everyone has a phone now, why cant there ever be GOOD pictures taken of these sightings?) just seems like the kind of thing that can't happen

Not only that, but before human intervention they already suffered from low genetic diversity due to its population getting smaller over centuries due to disease and few individuals. It's sad to think that they were always doomed to fail, but it's likely the path they were going towards

So it just makes it way less likely that they would have survived in the wild. They were already failing to reproduce and survive with the individuals they had - imagine after we kill 99% of them. Even if some did make it past the year we recorded, it probs died out shortly after

BUT they could still be alive today, or at least gotten a few more decades. Some people think they did. And maybe we could have helped them if they made it to today with the technology we have

But we'll never know

There's a bunch of footage (with some newly discovered one) of the last one, and while that is cool, it just makes me sad :( to see it pacing around its small cage, with nothing to do, no other one to keep it company (they were often depicted in pairs, idk if they were social animals but it seems like it), not knowing it would never again have another one like it. There's also footage of someone rattling its cage?? Probs to get it worked up to make it walk around or react or something. DONT DO THAT

It's just a sad footage overall, and becomes painful to watch once you know everything else. A sad pacing stressed animal, that would die alone in the cold and go down in history as the last one ever. All while being oblivious to everything we have done to its kind, bc it was just a scared animal

Some people think they survived into the 90's, a lot of people claim to have seen one since 1936 (with no proof) and february 2021 one expert said they had proof they saw one and that it was a baby. It has been debunked by another expert, i have yet to see the pics, but until we have DEFINITE proof, i'll keep on believing they're gone

But it's nice to hope every once in a while. Every sighting makes me a bit happy. This is a big world, with so much of it unexplored, and animals though extinct have showed up again or even been cloned recently. So who knows!

It has been pretty shitty to live through a major historical event that is bad. For a moment I hoped I'd witness one that was actually a positive one

And honestly, if they are still out there, maybe a small population that learned to hide very well, I hope they keep hidden. I'd love to see them, but maybe they're better on their own

We've seen what happens when they're not

[no-worshiped-roads]

Alright next part of mutant au

Zuke has finally arrived to eve’s district and boy does the conversation go south fast

Eve is just... so angry

She makes it clear she thinks zuke abandoned her and zuke has no idea what shes talking about

Most of this fight is dodging and talking/arguing

Thing is zuke and eve had been running away ftom horrible humans that kept them prisoner, at one point they wind up seperated

While running zuke fell down a cliff and the humans presumed him dead, he survived obviously but eve was recaptured while he was out

Some mutants from vinyl city found him and brought him back to be healed

By the time he woke again 3 days had passed and he had no idea where he was

He also found the humans were long gone with nadia from his rescuers

It took another week to heal and he’s got back problems from it

At some point, about 2 weeks later tatiana rescues nadia from the humans

She had been outside of the city making sure they were far away cause they had been close to discovering them when she found them with nadia

After rescuing her and taking her back to the city she gave her time to heal

It took nadia a long time to trust anyone again because to her, it seemed zuke abandoned her and saved himself

Especially when years passed before they had contact again (nadia learned he was in the city but zuke didnt know till after mays kidnapping given that she went by eve)

Zuke actually has to start fighting back which doesnt help especially with a particularly hard blow is landed on her head

It isnt till after eve retreats into her own dimension that theyre able to talk things out, somewhat. Eve at least understands he didn’t abandon her but she seemed really disoriented

Zuke asked her where may was and she seemed to be even more confused when he heard may shout

He left her dimension in a hurry to try and find may, since she was defeated, her other dimensions should have disappeared and dumped their contents back into reality

Unfortunately by the time he gets to where he heard may theres nothing. Just some scorch marks leading out the door

Kliff calls and tells him he needs to go and face the head of nsr, tatiana, in order to get may back and stop all of this

It later occurs to zuke as hes heading to face tatiana that kliff called him and knew what happened

Without zuke telling him

Tatiana

During the talk with eve tatiana had shown up. It didnt take her long to track down where may was held. After a bit of a scuffle, cause may did not go down without a fight, she was able to winnand knock may unconcious.

Thing is while may is strong she has poor control. And tatiana is stronger. I mean fire and time powers so. Yeah.

May wakes up in a chair at nsr tower on the upper floor. Before her with their back turned is tatiana.

“Awake i see.”

May finds she cant move desite not being tied down or anything.

“Dont bother. I used my time abilities to freeze your body in place. You will wait here for our meeting.”

“M-meeting?” May cant help but to feel nervous.

“You dont think i run this on my own do you? I have an individual at my side that needs to meet our newest members of nsr. And help to prepare them.”

“Im not gonna to join nsr! Zuke will bust me out of here and-“

“I plan on him coming. He’s a perfect addition as well. Since you two seem to make a good team, i’ll likely put him in your district.”

“Why are you doing this?”

“To protect others.”

“No? Why are forcing them into this, taking them away if they dont want to? Why-“

“Enough. Your friend has arrived.”

Zuke manages to get up to the tower, finding that these fights are a lot harder without may. He sees may in the chair and goes to rescue her only to be stopped by tatiana. The two fight eachother, with zuke barely being able to avoid losing. Zuke gets knocked down but before tatiana can freeze him too may attacks from behind.

Zuke managed to fight her long enough that she was letting her power on may slip till may could move again. The two fight her side by side till they win. With a very disoriented tatiana on tge fround they realized that all the artists seemed confused and lost after their defeat. As they wonder that out loud, a voice interrupts them.

Kliff

Kliff shows up at the end of the fight congratulating them for helping form a new nsr. And joining it as their newest members.

Theyre understandbly confused when this happens, but dumbfounded when kliff reveals who they really are

Theyre the real head as nsr as they revealed, and kliff has been controlling everyone by force

kliff is a psychic genius, but his powers arent strong enough to control so many prople, much less ones as strong as the nsr artists

So he made chips that went in heads to amplify their powers, mainly his mind control powers, and when he hot a hold of sayus team he was able to make them upgrade the chips, but had no need to use em yet

However the chips had been wearing off, and he no way to get the update into them cause they had weakened do much he was shut out unless the artists were severly weakened

Kliff tricked b2j into fighting nsr to weaken them so the chips could be reprogrammed to be stronger, while simultaneously getting the two out of hiding so they can be controlled as well

Zuke is still confused but mayday stiffens remembering the injury she woke up to in eve’s realm

“Seems one off you figured it out”

“Wh-may?”

Mayday

He activate the chips and while its a bit useless on tatiana given how weak she is, it works well on mayday

Zuke is frozen st first seeing mayday gets into a fighting stance at him and is blown off his feet when she attacks

Zuke mainly dodges and tries to talk to her as she attacks mercilessly

Zuke is reluctant having to fight her but when nothing he says snaps her out of it, he realizes he has no choice

The fight isnt easy as mays powers out match his easy in power

However he has one advantage over her

Control

May is strong, but has poor control over her powers

So he uses that against her to make her powers backfire on her till he manages to win

She collapses to the ground and doesnt move and this freaks zuke out till he finds her pulse

Kliff part 2

Now zuke is beyond pissed, with may out cold by his feet

“What the hell is wrong with you?!”

Kliff (k): see you will be a perfect canidate. Tatiana was right, you two make a good team.

“Why are you even doing this?!”

K: “why? WHY?! HUMANS! THAT’S WHY!”

K: humans are vile disgusting creatures that hunt torture and kill us for sport or entertainment or some bullshit holier than thou attitude, pretending they were some kind of savior for humanity!

K: I am going to build up the strongest mutants and unify them, to protect the weaker who cant fight back. And any human that dares to stumble across here? The artists will KILL them.

“Wtf kind of logic is that?! Youve taken away their will and are trying to make them into killing machines!”

K: hah. It doesnt matter if you understand, you just need to obey.

“You know for someone who hates humans so much, you sure sound like some ive met before.”

This pisses kliff off and the fight starts though its not much of one

Like i said kliff is a weak pyschic relies on controlling stronger mutants in order to get what he wants

So he’s easily beaten

So Kliff activates something on the satellite, it was meant to send out a beam over the city to control everyone all at once

But it wasnt ready and kliff causes it to short circuit and fall

Zuke panics cause hes the only one at ready to stop it but then tatiana and may start coming around, cause when the satellite went out of commission so did the signal that Kliff was using to amplify his powers and control over them

It mostly happens like it does with thr original game in stopping the satellite including kliff getting smacked, but with more confusion because Tatiana doesn’t really know who they are since she’s been under control for so long

They stop the satelite and kliff keeps trying to fix it so he can regain control before eventually slinking off

The end kind of has them all talking and figuring out what’s happened and where to go from there

They keep nsr around but allow others being controlled to go free once their chips are removed and actually make it a place of protection, rather than the oppresive fear it had been before

And there is a lot of aftermath stories if you all have questions about them

[possessionisamyth]

i know the ending had to be rushed because instead of the usual 13 episode seasons AS decided to drop genndy to 10, BUT i started thinking about the daughters of aku and boy do i have some things to say writing wise, and no this isnt about “realism” but just how to make their presence as a unit more impactful or how to make ashi’s character development better as a temp antagonist to jack, spoilers below if you havent finished watching samurai jack

Option 1: Have the daughters of Aku be raised by Aku.

Some people have already suggested this as a cute AU, but to be honest that would strengthen the daughters bond with Aku more than just having hearsay through their mother. And since Aku does have emotions, isn’t afraid to spread propaganda onto children (the fairytale episode), and is building a kingdom that encompasses the universe, that would’ve been a great alternate to Jack’s stance, where instead of fighting just some assassin troupe he’s technically fighting an assassin troupe of princesses when he was once a prince whose own kingdom was destroyed by their father.

The bonds between the sisters would be tighter in that they respected their father both out of fear and the time they spent with him because he would’ve told them all the lies they needed to hear for them to trust him, he would’ve taken moderately good care of them(basic provisions), and he would definitely let them wreak havoc where ever they wanted without suffering consequences as long as they didn’t fuck up his own shit. “Mindless drone sisters except for one” doesn’t stick for long when it comes to guilt about murdering them, but “rebel girl gang who trusts their father and has many reasons to think you’re genuinely the bad guy” definitely would.

To not just have Ashi yelling at Jack, but all of the sisters shit talking him out of vitriol. Throwing his guilt back into his face. “If you’re so great, why couldn’t you save them? If you’re so good, why did you kill them?” Have Jack have to deal with his guilt inside and outside from a group of women who were indoctrinated to believe everything their father said just like Jack was and then really make him question what’s the difference between him and them? His father could’ve done all the same things telling him what’s evil and what isn’t. Yes, he still knows Aku is evil, but this train of thought would be humanizing them even further to the brink where Jack isn’t sure he can kill any of them. Cause it was “easier” when he could believe they didn’t have any emotions except for one (Ashi) but much more impossible when he has to accept that they all do. “They’re just robots.” No, they’re not. They’re just like you, Jack.

Option 2: Some sisters don’t die.

Make the killing blows accidents. Going with their canon way of being raised, have Jack still understand that they’re people, and make the killing blows reactionary instead of functionary. He doesn’t want to kill them, but he’s so used to fighting, he’s so used to defending himself that the weapons he grabs and the attacks he does manage to hit the vitals of a few of the sisters while the rest he leaves mortally wounded or physically incapable of fighting. If they’re really raised as machines to kill him, this would leave them useless to complete the task.

Then have Jack, as he’s leaving the scene of carnage have to witness the sisters who can move crawling towards their fallen sisters, trying to hold back bleeding wounds, scraping through the reddening snow in an attempt to show compassion for the one’s whose lives are fading away.

And then have Jack make a choice. He could leave them there. Some of them might make it, but probably not. Even if they all did, they wouldn’t be able to chase him any more. The wounds he inflicted on them would prevent them from fighting as they used to unless they got a fuck ton of physical therapy and/or robotic prosthesis. Or, he could do the same as he did with Ashi in canon and take the survivors. Teach them about the world. About Aku’s lies. About what he’s really fighting for, and let them make the choice on their own. Because they never had a choice before, but now they do, and let it be overwhelming and confusing. Let them make mistakes, but let them learn from it. They don’t all have to make the right choice at the end, but they shouldn’t have to die for it. Show the conflict and correction from sisters who did make the right choice and let them be.

Option 3: None of the sisters die by Jack’s hand.

Same as option two, but Jack doesn’t kill any of them. He saves the ones who need immediate medical attention, teaches them, and lets those sisters go back to the ones he only inhibited. The saved sisters try to pass the rhetoric they learned only to be deemed weak and now they all have to fight each other. It can be to the death. The evil sisters who refused to change or learn would die, Ashi wouldn’t be by herself. They’d all have to come to terms with what they’ve done as some either go to fight Aku with Jack and Ashi, while the others leave so they can stew in their guilt of killing their sisters.

Option 4: Get his ass!!!!!

Have Ashi actively resent Jack for killing all her sisters. No, I don’t care what half-assed explanation Ashi gave to her mother, you don’t get raised with 6 other people and some of them NOT form of bond between each other when you’re all working towards the same goal.  Especially when they had to function as a unit! Her mother wasn’t Aku, she didn’t see everything they did as soon as it was bedtime for 20 something years.

I want this to be a chip on her shoulder, I don’t want her shifting the blame of everything onto her mother. Yes, Jack was going to kill everyone and only Ashi survived, but why didn’t he do the killing blow for her? Why didn’t he try harder to save any of the other sisters? Why did he go for the kill shot every time instead of just mortally wounding them to prevent them from fighting if he knew they were humans and not robots? Isn’t he supposed to protect people? Isn’t he supposed to save people? Like yes, still have her learn the world is a wonderful place and Aku is making it worse, and still have her go to fight Aku for the sisters she’d lost, but don’t have her fall in love with the man who killed the only family she’d ever known before being thrusted into an unknown world and then have a sexual awakening on top of that??????? WHAT???????

Would've been better having Ashi see things and think of memories of her sisters that connected her with them through said images or objects, and then going through the process of mourning for each one before the confrontation with her mother.

Option 5: Have Ashi fall in love with Jack first. (Best One for Romance)

Can we say scouting missions? The daughters of aku were displayed as being curious through scenes when they observe unusual behaviors to the new environments they’re scouring through. Have them hunt Jack without the efficiency of the imakandi, and learn about the world on their own. Ashi is the leader so she’s responsible for finding Jack first, but that leaves the other six to sharpen weapons, get supplies,etc. They do need to eat and sleep as they’re still human. Then they have to interact with people, and animals, and nature and learn on their own. Have them hear stories about how great Aku is, and how awful Aku is from a variety of the people they have to meet from these supply runs or leads towards Jack that turn out to be false.

Make them argue with each other about what’s true and what isn’t from what they’ve heard of Aku. Show a struggle of acceptance when the strangers they talk to present proof of how “Great” or “Awful” Aku has been. Let them make the decision on what being human actually means WHILE Ashi is scouting and watching Jack do all these good things for innocent people, and then have her come back to settle any confusion ready to say their mother is wrong only to be interrupted by their mother telling them Jack’s location before Ashi can get the words out.

Even sweeter if you have Jack notice when he’s alone versus when he’s “alone” (ashi is watching), and he talks to her. It starts with things like “if your intent is to kill me, I ask you to reconsider” then changes to “if you’re hungry, i’m leaving the excess here, help yourself” until its “your killing intent has long since vanished, do you wish to speak to me finally?” because Jack is already used to randos turning into traveling companions (blue totoro, da samurai, scotsman, ikra) he can accept the stalking to an extent as long as it doesn't escalate negatively.

After their mother’s message, the sisters find Jack, but they struggle to fight him not out of lack of skill, but because they know so much about the world now, and they’re not sure what to believe anymore. Let Jack see their hesitation and capitalize on it with his words, until Ashi puts her foot down by taking Jack’s side. Since she’s the leader, and with all they know now, they choose to follow Ashi’s word. They then proceed to travel together and tease tf out of Ashi about her feelings for the samurai.

Final thoughts:

Any of these options excluding 4 since it’s more canon streamlined, could be much more easily done by having the first half of the series being about the sisters development flanking Jack’s turmoil plot, and the second half being about the daughters making mistakes and learning from them as they build towards the final fight which becomes much more badass in that Jack’s friends are fighting anywhere from 2-7 daughters of aku in that cool evil form with all the evil robots.

The relationship of the daughters of aku was more of a pacing issue than a writing issue, but I think if they focused more on the fact of we’re going to watch a family die over a lie instead of “they’re all mindless and only ashi has emotions” their deaths would’ve hurt A Lot more. Ashi’s development would’ve been more meaningful, and Jack’s guilt would’ve been much heavier. However someone wanted their hashed in romance so I guess this would’ve stuck a sword in their well-made plans.

Not to mention the idea that the daughters were the only people Jack killed over the span of 50 years makes it ring more out as shock value killing. As if there wouldn’t be non-robotic aliens or non-robotic humans or non-robotic human-alien hybrids who wouldn’t 100% follow Aku of their own violation? Nah, we’ve seen them, and we can see what privilege does to people. Plus if they had privileges that would be taken away by Aku’s downfall...well...I don’t think Aku was the only one asking for Jack’s head on a platter.

[currentfandomkick]

Bio! Dad Strange part 8

This is just a bunch of random things that amuse me from this au, i will try to keep them in a coherent order but no gaurantees.

Everyone in Marinette’s friend group (Max, Kim, Alix, Nino, Sabrina and (somehow) Chloe) has at least one color unique to them, some with a secondary or pattern, to show that they are psuedo-family.

Chloe mentioned the idea after listening to Adrikins go on about anime magic girls and go off on Sailor Moon for too many days.

The group starts it as a joke—if you dont wear your color, you are mad at someone in the group enough to disown them. Wearing someone else’s color meant you saw them as really close compred to the others. Wearing all of the colors meant you felt very loved by the group and are proud damnit!

Chloe picked yellow, and added stripes as her pattern just incase they added another yellow later.

Sabrina demanded purple and argyle patterns as hers. Why? “Purple is mystery i will solve them all!”

Max picked green and decided collared shirts were his domain. Sabrina and him foght over this sometimes, as ‘no we both like this, Not eachother.’

Kim called Red and yellow, since he likes chlow he called her color as his secondary.

Sabrina picked up on the meaning and so did Nino. It didnt register for Marinette, Nino and Max.

Chloe claims this is why she wanted a pattern too.

Alix demands black as her color, despite Max’s protests that no, black is not a color. Alix says she’s all the colors as black, and picked stripes as her pattern like Chloe. Alix has her stripes as knit fingerless gloves, while Chloe wears hers as a shirt.

Nino call blue, and specified his hat as proof of friendship. When he is mad at them he doesnt wear it and everyone assumes a war is going on between him and someone. He forgot it one day and everyone was worried.

Marinette kicks kim and says she wanted Red. In the end she agree to either red or oink—depending on whatever rules her parents made about her wearing any color too much. She picked her signiture flower design as her pattern.

Why is this important?

Becuase now whenever any of them dont wear one if these colors or patterns visibly, it means someone did something and the school intervenes.

So the day Marinette came in early with a too big faded red hoodie and Kim was late without his red on, there was Tension.

He chases Marinette to get his hoodie back. She refuses, dodging and weaving until he ends up in the art class and Oh.

Marinette chucks a better red hoodie sweatshirt at him while saying “this should stop the shippers!”

No one but Chloe and Sabrina knew what that meant. Both were embarassed. They mentioend people thought Kim was crushing on her since his hoodie was getting pinker, and she did wear a lot of faded reds and pinks.

It did not stop the shippers. Only made them swap from romantic ship to ‘oh god these are destructive sibling cinnamon rolls’.

Becuase kim almost crying while tackling Marinette in a hug, in public, while Marinette goes off on him having bà’s hearing and squirming to escape and start another game of chase?

Intense ‘dorky brother loves his new sister who wants to play not be mushy in public’ energy that no one was stopping.

—

For those wondering, yes these kids have group sleepovers—boy’s night, girl’s night and ‘everyone night’ usually at Marinette or Chloe’s for the everyones. Yes, these are weekly.

—

Chat noir keeps trying to claim Marinette’s room as his part of the miraculous team’s base.

In this au both he and Ladybug have chosen weilders for various miraculous. They are partners but do lead two teams—Marinette’s focused on support, civlians, and strategy and his focused on combating akumas.

Due to this, Ladybug has a team she oversees, and Chat has a team he oversees.

Fu uses this to decide which would make the better gaurdian, as he trains them both here.

Marinette regrets being the only weilder Tikki approves of weilding her due to how the Cure works is people died. Marinette has to relive their death and decide if they should come back or not (was it too truamatic to go on after living it herself? Did they want to live? Questions like that are hers to answer). She is happy to share her job as Ladybug with other ladybug weilders, but is the only one who can cast the cure if there’s death involved.

Adrien is known to not be a perfect fit for the Black Cat, and he agrees that if a better cat comes along, he will give up his role as Chat Noir but not as a member of the team. Fu admits to him he’s a peacock more than cat early on, and while adrien loves plagg—that’s his cat-god-dad—he knows as a guardian trainee he has to do what’s best for the kwami and Paris. He agrees to training potential cats as Aspik until they can find, reclaim and fix the peacock.

Identities of Ladybug and Chat Noir are kept from each other to prevent them being an easy target for the Hawkmoth in this au. Others can know, but unless they weild a miraculous its dangerous given Nooroo’s weilder is their foe. Also name drops can be a thing and its bad all over.

Marinette is insistent on the secret identities being kept as she doesnt want to compromise her identity as a civilian that is not a meta when Ladybug is a known meta. The Miraculous she’s iffy on, and Tikki admits thst if they werent facing Nooroo, it was normal for all weilders to know eachother’s identites for covers and alibis and such.

Chat is upset about this until she mentions how metas are treated and her being out as a meta as ladybug but not as a civilian and why. Then he’s pissed at the govenrment and starts helping out at protests and crashes anti-meta rallies in Paris on Ladybug’s behalf, and points out that if it wasnt for a tiny meta none of them would be alive after syrenx, so shut up. He accepts her stance and only asks if he can tell her his identity when hawkmoth is done for.

Marinette agrees to post-hawkmoth reveal between them. Their teams hate that only the bugs and cats cant know each other’s identities as bugs and cats. Miraculouses are swapped like candy here, so you may know one hero is also another hero but not civlilin id or vice-versa

Yeah, writer salt here rather than character salt. Especially to how the characters were treated.

—

On Marinette’s powers, she does have them escalate as she grows and doesnt use her treatments. She takes her meds to prevent this as she’s already scared if her abilities when she leaves them unchecked for too long.

Her treatment is mircodosing kryptonite to keep the kryptonian part from taking over completely. She has all the abilities only when she’s more kryptonian than human cells at the time. Kryptonian cells multiply faster which is why she heals faster.

Max is the only one that she knows knows about her powers in Paris.

Sabine is implied to have an inkling but she ignores her own inkling often. Marinette thinks her mom is pretending she doesnt have powers.

Tom does notice but has no idea how to help, so he’s a cheerleader dad and helps her hide damage sometimes. They have a pact that they dont talk about the time she flipped him, and he fixes whatever she broke, no questions asked.

—

Side thing but when the miraculous come into play, warning that i will use character non-hero name for what they’re thinking and saying, while their hero-name is for what they are phsycially doing, as some will change mid-fight.

—

Hey i know this wasnt the expected update, but its more idk how to do Jason as Red Hood finding Marinette again.

First option is he was hunting strange, saw a picture of her on his desk and she calls strange asking about jow she should keep hiding since the restrictions just got worse on metas and she’s scared and ‘are you sure i cant just stay in Gotham? I...i dont feel safe here anymore’ and then Jason going on a Quest to find her in Paris, weird-happy reunion, and he goes back to Paris to live with Strange and work on things as Red Hood where Marinette can’t—mainly ground work. She helps him coordiante with the batfam via Tim, and handles gang attack coordination between Gotham Police, Batfam, Jason and RKC. Zsasz calls Jason his apprentice and trains him on hitman etiquette, guns, and yes, his signature form of ‘conditonal promises’. He was given League of Assassin Training, just cant recall it actively (talia gets memory magic becuase i said so. Blocked it until it would be safe for Jason to process here). He does not go to school, he just tracks down who he wants and ensures they cant hurt people. Is a bit obsessed with this when Marinette and Rose dont stop him by force.

Second Option is they both are targetting the same gang and their bust night is the same. Marinette helps him out in her Harley knock-off outfit (new and improved) while she evacuates the girls making the drugs, and Jason is just hunting dealers to find the drug den, finds a small girl dangling a major drug dealer, while Rose is there with the others tied up in plants. He gets caught by Rose, who recognizes his mark. He doesnt remember much about who he was as Robin, mostly as Red hoodie and is so confused. Marinette claims him as her brother and from there Rose takes on a new brother, dumps him on Strange as ‘i am many things, but i dont think i can handle memory loss and whatever happened to him. You do, so fix it.’ Strange winds up adopting him and Tom and Sabine encouraging him to add them as legal gaurdians. Here Jason is listed then on as Tod J. Smith—he cant remember his name in the right order so that’s what he got. His red hood outfit is revamped by Marinette, who coordinates his attacks on gangs with Batman’s, Gotham Police’s, and the RKC’s attempts at gang busts to maximize gang minimization. Somehow Joker starts helping J as a fellow J-J in Marinette’s life, with Zsasz claiming Jason as his apprentice. He does remember the League Training, but isnt sure if he was Robin and if he could be again if he was given that he was a their and kills the worst of the worst (mostly) of his own volition. Here is does go to school in Gotham.

In both Gina kidnaps him for chrismas with the family like she does with Strange. In Both he’s a teen still (hasnt aged since the Pit) and it takes Marinette and Tikki working together so he can later on (maybe? Idk on that point)

Comment which option you like better, becuase i cant choose.

And yes, rogues will be involved again soon.

@ilovefluffbutsmutisalsogreat @dast218 @weird-pale-blonde-person @mystery-5-5

[taehyungsgrowl]

SFW Alphabet for Nate

I think I did it wrong last time bc I was waiting for people to send me letters when I was just supposed to go down the list. But I’m a dummy so disregard half of what I say.

i hope you guys like them and thank you virgo anon for the input w these 🥺i love our baby 🥺

Here we go:

A- Activity (What is their favorite activity to do with you.)

-- i think he likes doing new things w you. and i know that sounds cliche BUT hear me out. duncan is a bit of a home body 🥺loves to be curled up w reader sharing kissies and cuddling. nate enjoys that too but i think trying new adventures w you is his favorite. i can see him being the type to like hiking dates!! (also lets not forget the tik tok videos you guys make together )

B- Beginnings (How do they act in the beginning of a relationship)

-- considering the beginning did start off as something kinda casual between him and reader, he kept it as such. but he’s such a natural charmer that even when he’s not trying, he just comes across as super sweet. they’d finish hooking up and he’d offer her to stay over or get them food (not bc he felt like he needed to but it’s just the kinda guy he is) i think he probably let his goofy side out right at the beginning as well. its what helped y/n open up to him and feel at ease w him 🥺

C- Communication (Are they good communicators? How do they normally talk about their problems or solve issues)

-- big sigh. nate? was the KING of communication!! hell! he was able to talk to duncan (who ISNT the best at communicating) when they weren’t even friends and helped him talk to dumb!reader. plus he’d always been open about his feelings. told y/n right away when he knew he was in love. (i only say he WAS bc he should have told y/n he was struggling before he ended up in the hospital 🥺)

D- Drunk (What are they like when they’re drunk)

-- koala bear cuddly drunk!! not just between him and reader! but he will love on anyone! (omg.. you know dunc was a little 😳when drunk!bro!nate started hugging him... hiding his face in duncs neck... telling he smells good... telling him how much he loves him... bros 👯‍♂️)

E- Emergency (How are they in emergency situations? You get hurt, they get hurt, someone is dying etc..)

— oh god. nate is the type to keep cool and collected in an emergency - even if he were the one having an emergency 🥺 like if reader would’ve been w him during his car accident, she would have been worried sick over him and he’d just be like, “hey, look at me. i’m okay, yeah? a lot stronger than i look, babe.” even if it hurt like hell because he doesn’t wanna worry her. if you were in an emergency or got hurt, he’d go into sexy doctor mode. “tell me where it hurts.” squeezing your hand to reassure you, “i got you.” also kissies where it hurts 🥺 and he’s such a good listener too wow we have no choice but to simp.

F- Free Spot (I’ll give you any headcanon I come up with)

-- i’m just gonna share one head canon that virgo anon tossed at me that really made me 🥺 baby nate 🥺 and how when he was younger he was always a nice boy 🥺 but wasnt the popular or “hot” one until he grew into himself in college 🥺 when he got maxie and it helped him manage his stress enough to be able to make connections 🥺y’all when she said that it made me heart 🥺 my sweet boy

G- Gifts (What kind of gifts do they give? What kind of gifts do they get?)

-- i think his gifts are rarely “over the top” but !! they’re simple and personalized!!! like a lil necklace w his initials / name 🥺or maybe he has someone make a picture of you two into an animation? like have someone draw you guys (do u know what im talking about?) as far as gifts for him, he enjoys like “interactive gifts” like sending him on a lil scavenger hunt (nate loves setting them up for you too 🥺) but if you set one up for HIM? god! he’d love you!

H- Hugs (How do they show affection/cuddle)

-- nate loves! loves! to give forehead kissies (not just because he’s tall fjhsjh) and being hugged (or picked up) in his strong arms!! loves it!! he loves being the big spoon 🥺i love him. 

I- Irritation (What is something that irritates them? How do they show their irritation?)

-- that reader continues to choose duncan over him fkjsvsfkv he wears his heart on his sleeve so i think when nate is upset or irritated... you know. 

J- Jackpot (How would they spend their winnings if they won the lottery?)

-- does nate have more $ than the shepherds? debatable. but he isn’t as... flashy w his money as duncan is. he’s a little more down to earth if that makes sense. BUT thats besides the point. he’d probably donate a lot to a charity of his choice than take you on a little get away. maybe a cross country road trip 🥺 or off to an island getaway. he’s flexible. 

K- Kryptonite (What is their ultimate weakness?)

-- virgo anon made me 🥺when we were talking about this bc nate would do anything for the people he loves and 🥺that gets him hurt. especially when he feels like those people dont love him in the way he does them 🥺

L- Laughter (What makes them laugh?)

-- clown!! nate is the guy that always keeps you laughing 🥺and most times he cant even contain his own laughter omg i will cry im in love with one man

M- Morning ( How do they wake up in the morning? Are they a morning person or a morning grouch?)

-- he’s a morning person 🥺 likes to start off his morning with a run and protein shake SMH fitness KING. 

N- Needy (When do they feel particularly needy? How do they show it?)

-- he’s so used to being the one who’s needed 🥺 it takes him a while to be comfy being vulnerable and needy. idk if there’s anything in particular that sets him off to be like this - but i’d like to think it happens at random. like youre on the couch and he just nuzzles his face on your tummy for you to pet his hair. he demonstrates it by wanting to be close to you 🥺

O- Oasis (Where is their happy place? Where would they go if they didn’t have anything holding them back?)

-- i think he’d be the kinda guy that enjoys the sun (not just bc he looks hot, shirtless on a beach) but yes. somewhere nice and sunny where he could have maxie w him 🥺if he could stay on the beach where he started falling for dumb!reader (with her) for ever he would 🥺

P- Pain (How do they handle pain? How do they handle when you are in pain?)

-- emotional or physical? jfgksjdgsdk but no i think if he’s well regulated, he can handle pain well - it’s when he’s not that it’s a problem (w emotional pain) he stops taking care of himself the way he should and really spirals into his head a lot you know 🥺i think he can handle others being in pain better than himself bc he loves a lot and its easier to focus his attention on trying to fix things for them (like we said his biggest weakness is doing too much for those he loves)

Q- Quote (What’s a quote that fits them and your relationship)

-- “loving is easy” fjskfsf not to be too corny but 🥺being w nate was easy... always on the same page.. and made her feel good. 🥺

R- Reunion (How do they celebrate seeing you after a long time of being apart)

-- lots!!! of kissies!! picking you up!! holding you close!!! physical touch is pretty high on his love language list i think 🥺(i think quality time or acts of service might be his top two though) 

S- Stress (What stresses them out? How do deal with stress and how do they relieve it?)

-- i generally think duncan is more of a control freak than nate, but i do think to some extent, they’re similar that when things feel out of their control, it really stresses them out. i think it manifests at different times. i think for duncan its more trivial things whereas w nate, if he feels like he could be doing something to “fix” something and he cant do anything it freaks him out. hes a healer, you know. i think working out is a big stress reliever for him 🥺my strong baby!! that and goofing off w reader 🥺

T- Terror (What are they afraid of?)

-- this kinda ties into his weakness (and could be amplified by his younger years) but he’s afraid of not really being enough for those he loves. especially if he was teased as a kid 🥺maybe thats why in a lot of his nightmares the theme of abandonment appears a lot 🥺i made myself SAD 🥺

U- Unique (What is a quirk that is unique to them?)

-- i asked virgo anon for help on this one 🥺and i love her so much 🥺 nate tugs on his hair when he’s nervous 🥺 he gets a lil annoyed after he buzzes it off and doesnt have much to pull on 🥺he likes to hold hands when spooning. loves to sing along to disney movies (but lets be honest, he’s the real prince KING)

V- Violence (Do they fight a lot? Are they a good fighter? What is their fighting style?)

-- well... idk if it’s fair to say he fights a lot because he tries not to resort to that - especially grad school nate. mostly because he knows he’s good at fighting. omfg... boxer!nate.... may have all my rights. and he doesn’t really wanna hurt anyone. BUT if needed!!! he will throw down. (ex. when dunc wouldnt let y/n leave the house. and then attacked him!! nate had to stand his ground 😌

W- Wow (What do you do that really surprises them? What do you do that they really like?)

-- idk i think nate was probably really surprised when reader gave him that second chance at friendship in the bathroom 🥺didnt think she would. on a lighter note, surprising him w fresh cooked meals always make him 🥺because... he’s trying but hasnt mastered the cooking thing yet.

X- (Explicit headcanon. For all you degenerates)

-- he’s uhh packing 😳and it hits all the right spots, you know 😳omfg and lets not forget the dickscussion we had about his head game being stronger than duncans 😌

Y- Yucky (Is there something that grosses them out so badly that they can’t deal with it?)

-- i wasnt sure what really grossed out medical professionals (if anything djsfs) but we kinda head canon for him to be into family / pediatric medicine so anything w LOTS of blood loss probably freaks him out 

Z- ZZZ’s (What are their sleeping habits? Both with and without you)

-- my baby. nate has really bad night terrors especially on bad(tm) days. it usually helps to have someone w him to be able to keep him calm when he wakes up 🥺if its not y/n you can bet maxie will be there for tons of kissies. he’s a sleep talker 🥺and when sleeping w you he loves being big spoon 🥺and when he’s alone, he kinda sleeps curled up and w a lot of pillows. comfort KING

[whosaskinguniverse]

GUYS LISTEN

This is probably the most crackhead theory you will hear about the show and I'm probably wrong but hear me out. Cause nobody talks about this and/or I havent fount it.

We know of three characters with silver eyes in RWBY. Ruby, Summer, and Maria we also know that this is an extremely rare trait since Salem has been hunting down and killed the silver eyed warriors. Probably because they can at least kill the Grimm infected part of her. We've seen it work on Cinder so it could also work on Salem.

But Salem wants Ruby brought to her ALIVE. So maybe she wants ruby to join her. Either that or she wants to personally kill her. Because a silver eyed warrior cant be a problem if they're on your side. And if she says no Salem can kill her anyway. HOWEVER there are four characters with distinct Silver/grey eyes. This is my theory.

Mercury is also one of these warriors.

Before people start raising hell and poking holes in just listen.

Mercury has grey/silver eyes and you can say "well it matches his hair" and that's true but if these silver eyed people are extremely rare why would RT give him silver eyes? Why not give him blue eyes? Or red? Or yellow? These eye colors arnt rare as we've seen in the show several people all have the same color eyes but only FOUR have silver and grey eyes.

Mercury is on Salem's side yes but he isnt really fighting for anything. He has no family or friends really so he has nothing he'd really want to protect. It makes sense he'd never really activate his own eyes without that. It also makes sense that Salem wouldnt tell him about it either because what if he ever did leave?

That's why I think if Mercury and Emerald get a redemption arc it's because someone makes him feel like he has a family he wants to protect. Whether it be Emerald, Ruby, Weiss, Jaune, whoever. Hes going to use his eyes to protect them.

Anyway thanks for coming to my crackhead RWBY theories class. If it turns out to be true I told y'all if it doesnt then like there goes my clown self but anyway.

Mercury is a silver eyed warrior and I will die with this headcanon wrong or not.

[heathertalks]

Audience Analysis Blog #6: Interpreting and Decoding Mass Media Texts

Over the past few blogs, I have talked about how our roles as audience members go from individuals who simply view selected content to ratings contributors to being active users of media. There is another I would add to the list in the form of interpreters and decoders. Now, I bet you are all wondering what does figuring out codes have anything to do with how we view content. For one thing, it is related to our opinions as we use them to make our interpretations of what content that people view. We wonder about audiences’ acknowledgements in media content. If there are similarities, what are the patterns of audiences when it comes to reactions. What I am going to talk about is audience interpretations in media as several terms would be explained such as semiotics, signs, ideology and encoding / decoding.

To start off, let us define semiotics as it is “the systematic study of signs and their significance in society.” (Sullivan, pp 168) Understanding semiotics helps us learn about interpretation in the process of communicating ideas. Ferdinand de Saussure, a French linguist, was a prominent figure in semiotics as he developed an interest in language’s building blocks and meaning. He explained the concepts of signs as a key to communication among people. No matter what the text is like, whether it is words, images or acts, signs are essential in communication between at least two people. Signs come in different forms such as simple or straightforward, like this blog for instance, or complex, like the code or programming / web design language to create the blog. Signs can be demonstrated as things that they are not. They play a role as markers that have important information about a referred object or experience. Signs consist of two elements: the signifier, the sign’s form and the signified, the signifier’s representation.

Ideology is a concept that I would like to talk a little bit about as it shares a connection with mass media. When people think of ideology, they would think of it as a set of beliefs and opinions that are shared on the basis of social and / or political views. Scholars would study ideology in figuring out how meaning and power intersect and attempt to understand the meaning of people’s ways. In the 1930s, the Frankfurt School, a research group that consisted of German scholars, was formed to examine the media’s role from the view of Marxism. They pointed out that the media was responsible in convincing citizens into accepting the economic status quo. (Sullivan, 170) They coined the term ‘culture industry’ as it is defined as the development of dominant ideologies. One example of ideology is news sites. Within the past four years, there have been debates on whether the news is trying to push a certain agenda, for example, liberal vs conservative. There are news sites out there that try to balance sides, giving them equal coverage however, there are some that focus on one particular political side. For example, the left would have NPR and Mother Jones while the right would have Fox News and Breitbart.

The next thing is the discussion of encoding and decoding messages. In an essay, Stuart Hall, discusses the encoding and decoding processes in a communication exchange. The processes are seen as moments in how intervention of a text’s meaning was conveyed, resulting in power relations. Encoding the message is the first determining moment as the message is created by someone such as a journalist, a podcaster, or in this case, a blogger. The content’s creator is responsible for putting out a text that audiences would understand. In a case, such as television news, a ‘story’ is formed through an event before it can go through the process of being a communicative event. This results in language systems, professional codes of production and conventions of message production working together. (Sullivan, 172) When the news is broadcast, standard practices occur in determining what events would be considered news, along with how to present them to audiences.

In decoding, audience members utilize cognitive and associative resources in deconstructing a message while at the same time, be acknowledged of structures with the likes of language and conventions in culture. (Sullivan, 172) For the audience to be affected by a text or message, they need to decode it. In other words, after receiving an encoded message, the audience offer their own unique interpretations from their contexts.

One key aspect in communication and our media experiences is intertextuality. In this concept, we take experiences and what we know about media texts and utilize them in our viewing of our film and television programs. We connect texts such as films, TV shows, video games, books and connect them with other media. Sullivan states that “we create meanings out of our media universe by relating specific messages to others that we have seen or heard.” (193) Intertextuality is everywhere in today’s media, for example, when I am on Facebook, I would spot pictures of movies that would offer their own spin on what is going on in the world. There are several examples of intertextuality in today’s TV shows and movies as The CW have several TV shows that are based on comic books, such as The Flash and Riverdale, along with popular fictional character like Nancy Drew. In terms of movies, during the summer, blockbusters would be shown as some would be based on comic books, reboots of series, etc.

At this point, you are probably thinking ‘those terms are nice but why are they related to mass media and our role as an audience?’ The answer be sound complex without these terms, but they are worth learning about. Everyday, we consume a good amount of content and media. Some of us would start our day watching the news and / or sports. During the day, we would go on social media, listen to music or even stream our favourite TV shows. What we do not realize is the number of texts and messages that we are exposed to. When we see headlines in the news or sports, we become enticed to click on the links to help decode the messages and understand what is going on. However, not all links to news sites are reliable. Some sites try to frame certain stories in an effort for audiences to click and offer their own spin on the story. One site that I visit often is Palmer Report, a blog that focuses on political stories and how they decode what the media is showing. One thing that the site would explain is how the media would insist that Trump’s fanbase was everything. They wanted the base front and center so people would tune in to get a rise. Palmer explained why the base is irrelevant to his re-election chances. Why am I talking about this? Because I wanted to give out an example of how news sites would encode messages to present to the mass audience while an alternative news site like Palmer Report helps the same audience decode the message. One example of Palmer Report decoding a message is the rumor of Trump possibly running in 2024. https://www.palmerreport.com/analysis/no-donald-trump-isnt-running-in-2024/34369/ Originally, one of Trump’s former campaign members Steve Bannon suggested that he could run in 2024, causing the media to go into a frenzy.

Another example of how we use signs and attempt to decode messages is how we figure out certain things in the form of guessing. We all play games in which we try to guess something on the basis of clues. The clues are considered signs and we use the signifiers and the signified to determine what the clues mean as well as attempt to decode the message or guess what that thing is that we are trying to identify. Although I do not watch the show, I would like to use the reality series, The Masked Singer, as an example as it relates to this. In the program, a celebrity puts on an outrageous costume and sings, all while a group of panelists try to determine who that person is. There is a clue video to help the panelists guess who is really behind the mask. What I am going to show is a sample of the show from the first season with the performances, clues and reveal. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f7r3seBU9VE The reason for me showing this is to demonstrate how different people (the panelists) offer their own interpretations (or decoding) into who could be the performer with the clues (or signs) that are provided.

One other thing that would be worth talking about is the Showtime television series, Dexter. In case you have never heard of the series, it is a crime drama that ran from 2006 to 2013 and starred Michael C. Hall as the title character, a forensic technician for the Miami police department who specializes in blood strain analysis. He leads a double life as a vigilante serial killer who hunts down other serial killers. The show gained notoriety for its controversial ending. How it connects with the blog’s topic is how audiences examine the text and offers their own take on the show and its premise. Dexter uses the Code of Harry to see criminals who managed to slip through the cracks of the legal system. If they meet the code, then they will be punished. (Granelli, pp 5056) Critics have often questioned the moral complexity of the show and the effect it has on an audience. Granelli explained that the show causes the audience to “question concepts inherent to the genre.” (5057) Psychologists have examined the way audiences have interpreted texts, especially media that demonstrates morally reprehensible actions. Shows like Dexter, who tend to play the anti-hero are nothing new as works such as Breaking Bad / Better Call Saul and Sons of Anarchy have demonstrated codes that break morally of everyday citizens. I always felt that these shows are popular because the main characters break away from the ideologies and codes of morality and do what they can to obtain their own personal goals. In a study by Granelli, participants believe that Dexter Morgan is one of four things: 1) A justified vigilante in an ‘eye for an eye’ justice 2) Psychological puzzle that demonstrates human complexity. You do not always know who people really are 3) Gratuitous murder as it glorifies murder and 4) Deviant escapism as people consider it to be stirring, emotional and entertaining. I added this in the blog because of how media, one that depicts over-the-top violence, creates different reactions for viewers and allows them to offer unique opinions on certain codes and moralities. The last two things on the list, gratuitous murder and deviant escapism, shows people’s general opinions on some cable programs that have a certain amount of violence and explains that programs on certain networks are not for everyone while at the same time, these same programs are for people who do not like the restrictions of broadcast television in terms of content.

While this blog is a little long, I wanted to explain general terms that help in examining messages from the media and decoding them. Several examples were used to help explain interpreting and decoding signs, messages and texts better for audiences. In addition, many texts or messages can have several meanings, or be polysemic. Our roles as audience members help us understand certain messages and convey with our peers into figuring out what some texts really mean. We consume texts to become entertained and we do not realize that we do more than just watching our favourite content. Overtime, we view texts to understand their meanings and why we continue to watch.

Sources:

1) Sullivan, J.L. (2020). Media Audiences: Effects, Users, Institutions and Power. 2nd Ed. 163-205.

2) Granelli, S., & Zenor, J. (2016) Decoding “The Code”: Reception Theory and Moral Judgment of Dexter. International Journal of Communication. 10. 5056-5078.

[sirwolficus]

How dare you state you have a Sam and Max game idea and not share it? Please what is it? im very curious 👀

well buckle in fellas because its a long ride! i’ll put everything under the cut but heres a tl;dr picture before we get into it

well the picture says a lot; a common sam and max adventure in which they ensue a villain with a very powerful arsenal and not everything is fully explained or is even addressed within the plot.

its not 100% thought out, as most of my ideas are. but basically it starts out with mister commissioner giving our favourite two detectives a new mission; some woman has been kidnapped by an uber-crazy mother fucker and its the type of case that’s perfect for the boys!

and with every sam and max game, there is a bosco (well, there was one in hit the road and OBVIOUSLY one in the telltale games. i love that guy!) there is also an npc ally that’s sort of a mix between momma bosco from the telltale games and the geek from the show. no name yet but a sketch. actually, here’s a sketch below;

on the left, bosco; an absolute nutcase that hides his identity so that no one can tie his various illegal activities back to him.

middle is the smarty-pants; undertiminable age and gender. super smart and hasnt slept in many, many days. are those eyelashes or eyebags? no one will know!

and on the right, the originally kidnapped woman– which brings me to continue…

after some whacky hijinks of finding clues and talking to other people, you eventually track her down: tied up against a wall in a cell, with her own psychic power being drained from her as max and sam do who fucking knows what! once freed, it’s revealed she is a part of a long-lost civilization that has been in hiding for decades. they are the gatekeepers of the universe; in charge of keeping everything in line and in order. everything about them is very much kept under wraps– the knowledge that a small group of people are basically in control of all of space can very much bring alot of unwanted attention to them.

while trying to get her out to the safety of sewer tunnels that reek of shit, the main villainess of the game is shown. she’s the one who’s kidnapped the woman, and apparently doesn’t go down easy. she manages to slip away at the last moment, much to the anger of the kidnapped woman. apparently, they’ve tangled before– not face to face. with her pulling the strings in the shadows while growing despise for our two favourite freelance detectives.

however, the case isn’t solved. their perp is still on the loose, and sam and max aren’t basic bitches, yall! with the help of a new ally, they hit the road (reference intended)! smart fucker ally does some shit and gets them a new lead, with psychic now-not-kidnapped woman giving them tips and tricks.

everything seems to be going well until they actually seem to get to the height of the case; the confrontation. the villainess is a stone cold fucking bitch. sam and max enter the confrontation scene, ally(ies? undecided) waiting in hiding for if backup is needed. they come up on the other hostages and when sam goes to rescue, whoops, its actually a trap. he gets shocked (same voltage as a shock collar i’d think?) and whoops! dead hostages. yikes. 

“the only one i need is her!” villainess shouts while entrapping ally lady who has psychic powers because im a bitch.

she monologues to the two fucking furries about how much she fucking hates them. like a little bitch. GOD i want to marry her.

now, there is one fact about the freelance police i love: they are always together. villains never try to separate them, it’s always sam & max, never just sam. or max. and i love that. we’ve all seen what happens when they do get separated as well. sam turns edgy and desperate. max tears apart time and space just to get to his partner.

but what if a villain tried actually tried to separate them? to really try and make them suffer the one way they know how– creating their worst nightmare in real life.

so, our unnamed villainess because im on the creative thin line right now, uses our psychic ally to tear apart a hole in the fabric of reality and creates chaos throughout all of existence. and, well… you can see what happens.

enter our two main alternate detectives.

throughout the hub-bub of reality being torn apart, our four detectives are mixed up;

our max is stuck with another sam, and our sam is stuck with another max. throughout trying to track down our villain.

you get to jump through different worlds as comedy ensues. you can play as either sam OR max– thats right you can play as the fucking lagomorph psycho.

there are two different roads you can take to track down our villainess, with sam going down the much more clue-filled path where you have to be clever. max, however, goes down the violently-interrogating-everyone path. unsurprising.

sam and max both meet our villainess at around the same time. now since it’s dimension hopping, there’s… obviously gonna be more than one villain. now we’ve already established she isn’t above murdering people.

sam is a calm person. at this point in the game he’s pretty much figured out this max is not his max. he’ll come in and try to arrest her, and by arrest i mean letting max decimate her before turning her in and surprisingly not getting arrested for police brutality. basically the same thing happens with our max as well but much more violently. and, well…

she points the gun at sam. she threatens to kill him in a gruesome fashion. she hates him more than she does max.

here is a picture of what i think their office would look like to break up the chunks of text. this isnt a fucking fanfic. actually it sort of is but fuck it

for our sam, other max is extra.. protective. and trigger happy. so he tries to jump her. and, well, she isn’t dumb. max kind of.. gets shot in the face. yeah. im an angsty angsty motherfucker.

for our max, is almost the same. max gets ready to jump at her, and as she moves to shoot max and max moves to try and rip off as many of her limbs at once, sam moves to cover his little buddy. and, uh, well im predictable.

so… watching their best buddy (or atleast another version of them) getting murdered right in front of your face without being able to do anything about it? that shit messes you up.

villainess would probably make a quip about the situation before disappearing, throwing our sam and max to rot in a timeless void of a pocket dimension. enter cutscene.

now, throwback..! remember new bosco and the smart ass person? smart ass is a smart ass for a reason. bosco is fucking insane and surprisingly his theory on space physics rings true.

they open up a hole for sam and max to jump back in through. they are still separated at this point. now max is trying to track down villainess and try and restore all of space. oh! i should have mentioned. the rupture in dimensional travel and space is kind of destroying everything. anyway, max is now tearing through space in a fucked desoto trying to find the villainess and definitely trying to murder her. sam, being all of max’s moral compass and control, is now (in his mind) dead and he needs revenge. now while sam is tracking him (trying to find his own max! d’aw) they’re doing more bad than good to the fragile lifeforce of space. psychic ally astral projects and tells them both that they’re fuckin up and making a mistake. max tries to shoot her. sam pleas. shes strugglin to even speak with them but she’ll do her best.

badabing badaboom, max drives through a wall and finds villainess’ headquarters. sam quickly catches up and is like !!!! little buddy!!!! boom boom fight or whatever the fuck. heartfelt reunion! people are saved. but how will they fixed the fractured existence of the universe? bang scavenger hunt (im not sorry i fucking love searching for shit in games i dont know why) so that allies can make cool thing and fix universe.

boom. everything fixed. villain is like dead probably. thats my game idea i hope its not dumb

lemme know what yall think. i cant think of any cool name other than “Sam & Max; Freelance Police (The FanGame)”

i desperately want new sam and max content in this day and age.

[saturnmyg]

Lichterloh  | Kim Taehyung

Synopsis ⤑ you’ve heard endless stories about small towns. That the folks living there loves to gossip all day, that theres always that one kid dreaming of making in in the big city. And of course the tales about supernatural beings lurking in the woods. After moving into town your’e surprised that you landed in a place that seems to be brimming with those beings and how the town just accepts them. Yet somehow just shortly after you’ve settled down you find yourself pulled into a scavenger hunt on the lookout for a glowing head that belongs to the Dullahan named taehyung.’‘

➵ paring: Dullahan Taehyung  x Human reader

➵ A/n: happy halloween peeps!! 

 this is a part of the halloween collaboration!

| 12.9k words | Horror au |  gore | Major character death | action | small town horror au

| warnings: description of ungodly beings/ body horror

masterlist 

⤑ ⤑ ⤑ ⤑

''Ah, that belongs into the living room'' you tell the movers and they nod at you.

You've lived your whole entire life in a high rise city, where theres constantly something going on. With the years passing by, the stress of trying to function in a system that forced you to think about your value as a human being, based on how productive were /how much money you can made, caught up to you.

So when you found about the small town named Silverdell you instantly packed your stuff and got ready to leave. Of course your mother opposed, saying that moving so far away from the family, to a small town that barely made it on the map was just dangerous. Nothing could change your mind so you proceeded with the moving, but you had to promise her to call her at least four times a week.

The weird thing though was that at first, you couldn't find the town. For some reason no matter who you asked for directions, they'd tell you that they never heard of that place and that you should ask someone else. Finally after driving for a few days through the midwest you finally arrived in silverdell, only to find the truck that had your belongings already standing in front of your house.

''You know'' you turn around to face the man thats standing next to you smoking a cigaret ‘’I’ve been wondering how that truck arrived here before me, considering that i couldn’t find this town’’

The man, who goes by the name of sam, chuckles. He’s a man of average height with a full beard and wild hair that lowkey reminds you of a pirate. ‘’that happens to every newcomer’’ he takes a long drag  of the cigaret ‘’you wont find silverdell until the town accepts you’’

You furrow your brow ‘’accept? as in the town council accepting you?’’

Sam shakes his head ‘’Silverdell has a mind on its own, no one can know about it or leave and come as they want without its approval’’

‘’so you have to send a letter to let them know you're leaving for a certain amounts of days?’’

‘’Nope'' Sam answers '' it will know’’

With furrowed brows you look away. His answer is confusing, sure he earlier said that silverdell has its own mind but its not like its actually alive, or even sentient. Your'e sure the reason why you couldn't find the town was because you're bad with directions.

‘’Oh please that one belongs into the kitchen, careful it has kitchen utensils inside.’’ You say to a young mover.

The blasting of the siren is so loud you jump out of your skin. Panicking you turn around to look up at the sky, where the sun is hanging low in the horizon and the blue hue has turned red.

‘’Whats going on?’’ you turn to sam with wide eyes.

Sam on the other hand, his expression is still the same, almost as if he knew that would happen and was counting down the seconds. He presses the cigarette against the fence to put it out ‘’The headless rider is about to come out’’

Slightly annoyed you look at the burnt mark of your wood fence before turning back to sam ‘’he what?’’

‘’No time to talk, first let’s get into the house’’ he ushers you towards the house where you see that all the other movers are already inside, peaking their head out of the door waiting for you two to enter.

''Wait whats going on, and why are you all in my house?'' you ask bewildered and shut the door behind you. Walking into the living room you see various movers sitting on the unfurnished floor while unpacking  your boxes.  

Embarrassed you walk up to them. ''please you don’t have to do that i can do that on my own’’ you scratch your cheek

‘’Don worry’’  one of the boys answers. ‘’Until the night rider is gone we have nothing to do anyways , might as well help you unpack’’

‘’Who’s the night rider?’’ you ask

Sam whose standing by the windows, closes the curtains and turns around to face the you all with a grim expression on. ‘’The headless rider is a being you shouldn't talk or think about’’

The boy whose the closest to you, and spoke up earlier, rolls his eyes ‘’there he goes again’’ and turns around to look at you again ‘’ theres a tale amongst the elder that the headless rider is a being that eat’s human souls and sometimes their body too but there hasn’t been such an incident in over two hundred ears’’ he explains and stretches his hand towards you ‘’anyways i’m jun, don’t worry about sam he's an old grim man who thinks death is lurking on every corner of this town’’

Jun looks around your age. He has dark honey colored skin with almost waist long black hair. The sleeves of his shirt are rolled up, showing an intricate tattoo on the right arm.

‘’I’m Y/n’’ you take his hand into yours and shake it ‘’but back to the headless rider’‘

‘’Ah yes’’ jun counters ‘’if you go by folklore then the night rider is the harbinger of death but if you go by what towns folk say then he’s a human eating monster’’

You raise your eyebrows at that

‘’Every sunset the rider comes out of the forest, holding a lit torch and gallops from one end of the town to the other with creatures from following him, weirdly though it’s always only one direction that he brings them to.  There are some theories that the reason he does that ,is because at sunrise he brings them back, but theres no evidence backing that up ‘’Jun finishes

‘’why has no one ever seen him?how do you even know that he exists? or know about his activities?’’ you ask baffled that the towns folk just believe something wholeheartedly without even having it seen with their own eyes.

‘’Because those who aren’t inside a building the moment the last siren ring, usually go missing the same evening’’ Jun answers with a serious expression

‘’That still doesn’t explain how this tale got spread around’’ you counter ‘’dead men tell no tales’’

Jun just blinks at you for a few seconds before shrugging his shoulders and continues to take items out of the box.

‘’Thats just how it is’’ Sam speaks up ‘’ when the siren rings you hide, when you see angels you ignore them, thats how it has been for decades’’ He faces the small radio thats on the table ‘’in this town its very dangerous to question traditions or rules, you ought to be careful’’ and curbs the knob.

The radio makes a static noise for a few seconds until you hear a bewildered nasal voice speak up

''Yoongi how can you say you don’t believe in them, even though you starred one dead in the eye and showed me a picture of it?''

The movers in your house all chuckle at that

The other person, presumably yoongi ,just sighs deeply almost as he's used and tired of the first host's outbreaks. '' first of all it was around eight feet tall and skinny like a stick figure i thought that was an abstract piece of art , theres no way that was wendigo''  

you stop in your tracks and look at the radio in perplex, ‘’a what now?’’ you ask no one in particular.

Sam who sees the look of confusion on your face just shrugs his shoulders, as if to tell you to get used to it

Hoseok just sputters '' man come on we all know what a wendigo looks like , yoongi how stubborn are you?, did you not notice the never ending eyes on its body?’’

‘’I 'mean it did but i was too occupied to not vomit from the stench of  greg’s butchery’’ yoongi counters

‘’God that store should be banned to serve people, i’m pretty sure he uses inhuman creatures to- hold on why were you even near that place?’’

''Clearly to not buy meat Hoseok'' yoongi answers ‘’i was just taking a stroll when i found it standing by the butchery’’

‘’Wouldn’t surprise me if it actually eats the shit Greg sells’’ Hoseok says ‘’but anyways back to reporting, as for no-’’

‘’-as for now no one's dead because we all know to stay inside if you don’t want to be taken by the council for seeing the headless, and i’m putting quotations marks on ''headless'' dear listeners,  rider'’’Yoongi interrupts

‘’Really?’’Hoseok asks ‘’so you think that the headless rider is something that the city council has made up to, i dont’ know , manipulate us?’’

‘’Lets be realistic’’ Yoongi counters ‘’no being can be alive without a head, even vampires are known to die if you cut their head off’’

‘’chickens do though’’ Hoseok continues ‘’like they'll continue to run around, which is frankly creepy as hell’’

‘’The minute you separate the brain from the neck, just like in humans, you’re going to get tremendous movement of the limbs, please did you not pay attention in biology class?’’

‘’Firstly i majored in art’’ Hoseok answers ‘’secondly everything that happened before college i have no memory of, hell i don’t even remember half of the shit from college.’’

‘’Thats sad’’ Yoongi states

‘’Anyways’’ Hoseok deviates from the topic ‘’as Yoongi said there are no reports of anyone gone missing this week, besides old Berta's cat but thats nothing new.’’

‘’It really isnt’’ Yoongi continues ‘’after this ad we'll open up the lines so please listeners stay tuned’’

While the ad is playing, you faintly hear the sound of the siren go off again but this time only for a few seconds. worriedly you look over to the window and see that another mover, this time a woman,  is pulling aside the curtain very slowly almost as if she's expecting a monster's face instead of hers to appear in the reflection. After inspecting the outside for a few seconds she finally turns around and gives the people in the room, that are watching her ,the thumbs up.

‘’Alright then’’ Jun says , stands up and stretches himself.

With him standing there in that pose you notice how well build jun is which adds more to his attractiveness and your’e just a little bit envious on how good he looks.

Jun notices you looking at him with your head tilted and with a slight pout and raises an eyebrow.

‘’Do you work out to have a figure like that?’’ you ask

Jun lets his arm fall down and runs one hand through his long thick hair ‘’oh hell no, this job is already working me out ,going to a gym would kill me’’ he laughs ‘’its all genetics’’

‘’Oh’’ you hum ‘’you sure are blessed’’

jun strikes a ridiculous pose that probably a character from Jojo's bizarre would do ‘’i know right?’’

Shaking your head you laugh and turn to the others who are still in the living room  ‘’thank you for helping me unpack’’

A large hand lands on your shoulder and you turn your head to see sam smiling at you ‘’no problem , thank you for letting us into your house otherwise we'd be dead meat’’

‘’Lets go’’ Sam hollers and some of the movers come out to the hallway, you didn’t even notice them going into your bedroom.

‘’The bed is set up’’ The man standing at the entrance of the living room, says and gives you a big smile.

You smile and bow slightly in thanks and the movers slowly trickle out of your house .

‘’Dont forget to tune in to the  community radio, they often announce stuff from the city council’’ sam says as he standing in the doorway ‘’ but dont worry if you forget it will turn on itself’’ he laughs and you just furrow your brow.

As you bud him goodbye you notice another figure standing next to you and you turn your head to see jun.

''Hope you don’t mind that i ripped a paper off but heres my number, lets hang out or go shopping or something, i feel like we'd be good friends’’ Jun hands you a piece of paper

Usually you're not one to take numbers from men's, since a lot of them , if not almost all, have a hidden agenda.  Which you don’t feel that Jun currently has, the feeling you get from him is more of a theatrical person thats always dramatic. You know, like, laying in a field of roses after your crush got asked out by someone else- type of person.

Basically hilarious.

So you accept the small piece of paper and smile at him ‘’sure , i'll text you, might take a while though because i first have to get used to this place’’

‘’No problem’’ Jun waves his hand dismissively ‘’if you got any questions though just text me i'll help ya’’  and walks out of your house , waving his hand with a big smile on his face.

Chuckling slightly you close the door and walk down the hallway into your bedroom.

You truly are grateful that the movers helped you unpack and put your furniture together, because you really wouldn't know how to without getting confused because you're so bad at following instructions. Well its not like Ikea makes it easy to follow and they keep giving people extra assets that just end up frustrating everyone who buys the furniture

The big queen sized bed takes up most of the space in your room but you don’t mind that, at least you're able to have one not like when you used to live in the big city , where the apartments were narrow but expensive.

besides the bed and various boxes that contain clothes there really isn't anything in the bedroom yet. The emptiness makes you slightly uneasy and you're overcome with the feeling of panic and dread. It’s the type of emotion you get after the excitement and adrenaline is gone, your’e left with uneasiness and panic thats slowly seeping yet throbbing from your chest as if you have a hole where your heart is supposed to be. For whatever reason you feel like you're back to being 18, back to the kid who kept getting panic and anxiety attacks over everything,  back to the kid who never lived without a family , yet alone in  another city.

That emotion over comes you so strongly, that for a second you feel like the walls are closing on you and you're getting choked. You shake your head and slap your cheeks a few time, before letting your hands fall down and almost run into the bathroom.

You slam the door open and in two quick long strides you're standing in front of the sink. Your hands are trembling as you reach for the faucet and turn it. The water feels cold underneath your finger tips and you gather some of it onto your palms before leaning down and splashing it onto your face. The coolness of the water a little bit takes the panic away but its still lingering in your chest.

You step away from the sink and lower yourself to the floor ,where you wrap your arms around your legs with your head hanging between your knees. For the next 20 minutes you're slowly rocking yourself from side to side , while taking in deep regular breaths.  It’s a technique you learned online a while ago and has up to now proven to be useful.

As you finally have calmed down , you slowly get up from the floor and see your reflection in the mirror. Your hair is messy, sticking up in different directions, your complexion is slightly green, which you think has to do with the fluorescent lighting if anything, and you turn away.

You walk out of the bathroom, down the hallway back into your bedroom.  You open one of the boxes that has clothes written on it and take out a shirt. Not even bothering to look for pants , you get changed , open up another box that has the blanket and pillows inside, and throw them on the bed before getting onto it.  You remember that your phone fell earlier and lean down to pick it up, scroll through your podcast app before finally deciding on which episode to listen to. You put the phone right next to your head and just a few seconds later you're out like a light.

⤑ ⤑ ⤑ ⤑

Closing the door behind you , you take a deep breath. Yesterday night was , well to say, horrible. You've always had anxiety issues , not in the way that you have trouble talking to people or talk in public , its more that once you're left alone you get the so-called "what-next thoughts". Which always plays out the worst case scenario that could happen to you. Meaning you instantly realize how insignificant your existence is and that if you died right now, it would take weeks for anyone to notice. You've been getting help for that though. Before you moved to silverdell you doctor gave you a prescription so that you could get it refilled at the pharmacy.

which is where you're currently headed to. Silverdell is a beautiful town. Alongside the street there are trees ,which leafs already have turned brown and orange. The air is so crispy to the point where if it wasn’t so sunny you'd think it might snow at any time.

A breeze of cold air blows and you tighten the scarf around your neck. It’s getting close to the end of september and the streets already smells of cinnamon and mulled wine. As you're enjoying the view you notice a trail of kids running past you while giggling and shoving each other, and you smile.

You've always liked working with children, they hold a lot of freshness and innocence , live in their own little creative bubble , and yet are very understanding of a lot of things that parents be overreacting about. The only reason why they then later on sometimes turn out  to have a bad attitude / personality is because of the way they were raised. They subconsciously tend to soak the behaviors in their environment  ,up like sponges, not even realizing that those behaviors aren't socially acceptable. Thats why you became a teacher, to at least lead the kids in the right path but also protect them from the cruelty of the world and society.

Speaking of school, tomorrow will be your first day as a teacher in silverdell. You're slightly nervous but excited, you just hope that your coworkers are nice and not demons disguised as humans like at the last school you worked at.

You shake your head at that thought, you'll cross the bridge when you get to it.

‘‘god please let me find the pharmacy’‘ you silently pray and take out your phone , according to google maps its only a few meters away from you

Turning around the corner you finally arrive at the pharmacy. It’s a small white store that has mint colored decorations, you also spot various pot, plants, around the entrance that gives the store a welcoming feeling.  

Walking up to the entrance, you see that one of the plants is a cactus. When you arrive you bend down to inspect it. It’s a huge dark green cactus that has  multiple vertical lines going down the round figure with needles sticking out. At the top there is a hole, you're not really sure if its an actual hole or if its just an illusion that was created by the lighter color, but you see that there is where the most needles are gathered.

Out of curiosity and impulse you reach out and softly lay a finger on the plant, to which you are, to no ones surprise, stung by a needle. You straighten up while clutching your hand to your chest  and look at your hand. you press the finger together to see a tiny drop of blood coming out of the wound and sigh.

Shaking your head you let your arm fall down, give the plant a last glance before entering the pharmacy.

At the counter stands a woman that seems to be in her forties. Her hair is tied into a braid with stray strands framing her face that has a warm yet gentle expression on as she works on some documents.

She lifts up her head as the little door bell rings for the second time when the door closes behind you.

‘’Oh my’’ She says with a surprised expression ‘’are you new in town?’’

''Is it that obvious?'' you ask bashfully and walk up to the counter

‘’Not at all dear’’ she smiles ‘’its just that this town is quite small so we all know each other, but anyways how may i help you?’’

‘’Right’’ you answer and take out the prescription from your wallet and hand it to her, alongside with your insurance card ‘’i need a refill of my medication’’

‘’Coming right up’’, she takes the card from you, puts it on the table before disappearing in the backroom.

You look around while waiting for her to come back, the inside of the store is just as lovely as the outside. The walls are stacked with various medicine but you notice the same minty color peeking out behind the shelves. The air is very clean, almost biting with the disinfectant still lingering in the air, and for a moment you regret forgetting to take your mouth mask with you. Its not like you're asthmatic but strong smells usually give you a migraine , and using a mask usually helps to dull it down to a slow throbbing.

‘’Here we go’’ The pharmacist says while walking back to the counter, scans your insurance card and furrows her brows as she looks at the computer display.

‘’Is something wrong?’’ you ask. You've paid your insurance bill so there shouldn't be any problem but sometimes the card doesn't function or doesn't get accepted by the pharmacy and you really hope that that isn't the case today.

‘’Oh no no’’ the pharmacist laughs ‘’i just forgot to wear my contact lenses today so i had a bit of trouble reading the display’’

you sigh in relief

‘’But’’ she continues ‘’i just saw that your doctor has written in the data that these medications have to be taken continuously’’ she hands you back your card and the medications. ‘’if they're finished just come back and i will refill them again’’

‘’will do’’ you answer and put the medication into your purse, bid the nurse goodbye and walk out of the store.

The minute you're out of the pharmacy you stop in your tracks. You're not sure if you just imagined that but when you bid her goodbye her smile looked weirdly large for her face and for a second you thought you saw branches ,that looked like antlers ,growing out of her head.

Slowly you turn back and see the pharmacist, typing something on the computer looking normal and you furrow your brows, turn back to the road.

‘’What in the hell’’you mutter and continue walking towards the mall thats quite close to the drug store.

.....

As you're walking past various stores, an unimaginable stench makes it way to you and the urge to vomit is so strong that you slam your hand to your mouth and turn away for a second. The odor is one of a corpse decaying, well you don’t actually know what a corpse smells like but you're pretty sure it would be similar to this.

Turning around you face the way you were talking towards too and frown. On the left side of the building stands in bold red, almost blood like, letters '' Gregs Butchery''

''They weren't wrong about the smell '' you think and hurriedly walk, no  run past the building into the big grocery store thats two stores away from the flower shop and the ''butchery''

The grocery store is just like any other.  Worn out regals stacked against the washed out yellow walls ,while in the background a remix of an eighties city funk song plays.

‘’God that was disgusting’’ you mumble and wipe your mouth with the sleeve of your hoodie. You take out your phone and reach over to the stack of baskets thats right next to you, and take one.

looking at the shoppings list you made in the notes app , you subconciously bite your lip and walk further into the store.

...............

You're looking at your phone again, not for notifications or anything, just checking if the items in the basket match the ones on the list. Which they do ,but you have a feeling that you earlier forgot to write down something important that you need but cant remember what it is.

‘’garbage bags?’’ you mumble ‘’no i - ouf-’’ With all the thinking you're doing you aren't even paying attention to your surroundings and walked straight into something, or somebody.

You take a step back and rub your nose thats stinging slightly '' my bad'' and look up. The first thing you see is black, a black thats so dark where if someone shone a flashlight at, whatever is in front of you, the light would not be reflected. It’s almost as if the void has manifested itself somehow in this shop. The second thing you notice is that the being standing in front of you has the thousand upon thousands of branch like looking bones growing out of it , how you even missed something so grotesque looking, is baffling , but then again this is you we're talking about.

The being turns its body around and you see that its face is empty of facial features. Theres not even a slight dent or shadow of a nose or mouth that could indicate that it’s wearing a mask. Slowly the creature tilts is head, almost as if it’s wondering why you approached it, and leaves without a word.

Not like it could say anything without a mouth anyways

You on the other hand have already astral projected into another dimension.This whole interaction is so surreal to you, that for a second for a second you think you're on mtv's candid camera show, and that this whole thing is just a set up.  

You come back to your senses when you feel a hand on your arm and jerk in surprise.

‘’dazed ain’t you?'' the woman next to you chuckles ‘’everyone is when they see they see an angel for the first time’’

‘’Huh?'' you turn your head towards the woman and blink a couple of times  ‘’excuse me , a what now?’’ She’s a plump 5′2 tall woman with amber skin and undercut and a gummy smile that makes her eyes disappear into crescent forms when she laughs. On the other side of her’s shes holding a hand of a roughly ten year old child thats boredly starring into nothingness , probably waiting for her mother to finish so that they can go home.

The fact though, that she called the ominous being an angel is baffling because to you it looks more like something that jumped out of h.p lovecrafts book.

‘’An angel’’ she shakes her head ‘’they're very nice, they always help me with any chores or escort luna home, and despite the fact that theyve lived here forever people still ignore their existence’’

‘’but thats not how angels look?’’ you quietly retort not wanting to seem disrespectful

The  woman chuckles again and pats you on the arm ‘’what you know as angels is what society taught you with no actual evidence of them ever looking like that’’

''But the bible-''

‘’The bible described them as terrifying which they are’’ she points at the angel thats at the counter waiting for the cashier to ring their stuff up, which he isn’t cause when you look closer you see that the magazine the cashier is holding is slightly crumpled and shaking , probably out of fear.

‘’also it has been translated into other languages so many times that by now half of was originally was written is lost in translation’’ she continues

You tilt your head ‘’so basically everything i know is a lie?’’

‘’No no, not everything is just that in this town, the laws of nature and society don’t apply’’

Great, what type of town did you move into. Yesterdays fiasco was already weirder than anything you've experienced and you kinda swept it under the rug. but this? this is something that even a skyscraper cant hide, and obviously the emotions you're feeling  shows on your face because the black woman bursts out laughing.

‘’Im sorry’’ you apologize flustered not wanting to offend her and come off as uptight

‘’No need to apologize’’'' she says and waves her hand ‘’newcomer’s reaction are always funny to watch but you're the first one who didn’t run away’’

''yeah one day that will be the death of me'' you think and smile wryly at her.

‘’I have to go’’ the woman continues ‘’try to greet the angels once in a while ,theyre harmless’’

You give her a tight lipped smile and nod. The woman chuckles for the last time and walks off , towards the angel whose still at the counter apparently waiting for her to come pay since the cashier is still ignoring the being.

You shake your head and sigh again, glance back to the counter for the last time before proceeding with grocery shopping.

⤑ ⤑ ⤑ ⤑

‘’We're so glad to have you in our team’’ the dean says as you're walking down the school hallway. The dean is a elderly short baldheaded man with round glasses. He's wearing a suit thats a little baggy on him but it gives him character. He kind of reminds you of popeye but with a softer , creakier voice.

It took you some time to find the school, since google maps seems to not always work it took which gave you the same problem you had yesterday  when you were looking for the pharmacy. You'd think for such a small town it would be found easily , which it wasn't because it took you around forty minutes to find the facility. Its located on the other side of the town, which in your opinion is just unethical and slightly annoying.

Whoever the founder was of silverdell clearly wasn't thinking logically, it would be way more proficient if the school was in in the middle where it would take the same amount of time for anyone to reach it

‘’I'm excited to be working here’’ you reply and smile down at the dean who just, not chuckles but makes a similar sound to it.

‘’Let me introduce you to the other teachers’’ he says as you two come to stop in front of a dark wooded door and opens it.

The room is pretty normal. Various abstract drawings are hanging on the eggshell white walls giving the place a slightly modern feeling. In the middle of the room theres a long table placed along side with books and other items. On the left side, the side you're actually standing in, is a small kitchen that has a coffee machine and freshly washed cup and glasses.

‘’Oh?’’ a honey voice speaks up and you turn your head to the person you think it came from. ‘’Who do we have here?''

The voice that you just heard belongs to possible one of the most beautiful human beings you have ever seen in your life. He has midnight black hair where one side is falling into his face while the other side is slicked back. Thick plump lips that are stretched into a smile ,revealing a row of pearly white teeth. He's not particularly tall, you're pretty sure you're taller than him but then again you're taller than most women, but you see from the outfit he's wearing he's well build.

Honestly he's so beautiful its like god took his sweet time making him, plus he's sending you a smile thats so bright you want to shield your eyes, it’s like you're looking at the sun.

‘’Didn’t hear that there would be someone new’’ another low voice speaks up and your eyes wander to the person thats standing right next to him. He's a tall man that looks around your age with strawberry blonde dyed hair, thats slightly hanging in his face. He has a strong yet straight nose and thin lips alongside with big doe eyes that makes him look even younger than he already is. You already have the feeling that out of the two, he's the slicker one.

The black haired boy stretches his hand towards you ‘’i’m Park jimin''

You take his hand into yours and for a second you notice how long your fingers are compared to his but thats ought to happen with your height. ‘’Y/n’’ you retort and give him a firm shake before letting his hand go.

‘’Jeon jungkook’’ The strawberry blonde man says not even bothering to shake your hand as he's preoccupied with twirling the volleyball on his finger like a basketball.

Jimin just sighs at Jungkook’s retort, turns around and slaps the ball off ‘’we're not in college anymore where are your manners?’’ he scolds

Seeing Jungkook's expression you hold your laughter in. His lips are pursed but the look in his eyes sell him out that he's planning to pull a prank on the shorter man. Obviously jimin notices the look and slaps him on the arm to which jungkook just grins before turning around to you with an outstretched hand

‘’Again'' he starts ''i’m Jeon Jungkook ''

you nod ‘’nice to meet you’’

''Which class are you teaching?'' Jimin asks and crosses his arms

''1A'' The dean speaks up and you jump in surprised. You didn’t even notice him joining you three with a cup of coffee in his hand. ‘’speaking of’’ he continues and turns towards you'' classes start soon i hope you understood everything but if you have questions don’t be afraid to ask mister Park and mister Jeon.’’

Jimin and Jungkook both smile at you and you nod ‘’will do’’

‘’Alright then’’ Jimin says and yawns ‘’1A is right next to my classroom i'll show you the way’’

‘’Thanks’’ you smile, bid the dean and jungkook goodbye before leaving the breakroom.

‘’Are you nervous?’’ Jimin asks as he's walking next to you down the hallway

''More excited'' you answer ‘’i’m good with kids but i just hope everything goes okay’’

Jimin turns his head ‘’you just moved here right? what do you think of silverdell?’’

carefully you mull over your words, not sure if its appropriate or too soon to tell him about the supernatural beings and weird customs that you've come across. ‘’it will take some time for me to get used to this town’’ you answer him instead.

Jimin laughs, a laugh that sounds like angels are singing and you smile too ‘’well thats to be expected, but don’t worry everyone settles down pretty quick'' He stops in front of a classroom. ''this is 1A, i’m right next door if you need something’’ and bids you goodbye.

The classroom is just like any normal middle school classroom is supposed to look like. Since it’s not the start of a new school year, you see that the decorations on the wall probably were made by the students and you smile.

You walk up to the teachers desk thats right by the window and put your bag down and take your items out. You're so lost in your thoughts as you organize the your items on the table you don’t even hear the bell ring.

The sound of the door slamming against the wall and the chatter of high pitched voices rip you out of your thoughts and you look up to see students walking into the classroom. At the sight of you at the desk they stop in their tracks and whisper to each other.

‘’Good morning’’ you greet them and some greet you back while others just nod in silence as they walk towards their desks. After all the students are sitting at their desk you walk to the blackboard and write your name on it.

‘’'I'm your new teacher’’ you turn around and face the students ‘’i just recently moved here from the city and i have to say i’m surprised in how much greener it is here, meaning we could once go hiking in the forest’’  you clap your hands together

The moment those words leave your mouth the entire classroom gets quiet. The eyes of the kids are almost glued to you in a creepy way, the expressions on their faces are kind of empty.

A chubby boy with black hair raises his hand ‘’ma'am no one ever goes into the forest’’

Oh boy , this is exactly what you feared, that the kids would be just as weird about the town as the adults are. So instead you give them a tight lipped smile ‘’why?’’

‘’Because the monsters will eat you’’ another student says , the tone indicating that you should already know about the taboo.

‘’Or the headless rider’’ the same chubby boy finishes.

This is the third time you're hearing about the headless rider. His existence still makes no sense to you, how can everyone be afraid of him and tell horrible tales on how he kills humans but yet no one has actually ever interacted with the said being.

‘’Marissa did see the headless rider once’’ a girl speaks up and almost every student turns around to look at her with a scornful expression on their face.

''Whose Marissa?'' you ask and tilt your head.

‘’Someone that has turned into a memory’’ the girl from earlier answers, whom you recognize to be the daughter of the woman from the store you met few days ago. Just like her mom she has brown skin, dark hair and intelligent looking eyes, that seem to know way too much than what a ten year old should know.

‘’Alright then’’ you clap your hands together to get the attention of the students ‘’lets play two truths and a tale to break the ice so i'll get to know you better.’’

⤑ ⤑ ⤑ ⤑

‘’Goodbye ma'am''! the chubby boy, who's name you learned is Evan, says and waves as he leaves the classroom.

‘’Bye!’’ you smile and wave back. The moment the door slams shut your hand instantly falls down and you sigh deeply. ''Well that was a train wreck'' you think and gather the books together and walk over to the regal thats by the wall and put them in neatly. You walk back to your desk pick up your bag not before flickering the light off and walk out of the classroom.

As you're walking down the hallway you see a tiny baldheaded figure that couldn't belong to anyone else but the dean. Who apparently saw you coming because he stops walking and wait for you to catch up to him.

''Y/n'' he greets cheerfully '' how was your first lesson?''

''Good evening'' you greet back '' it was good actually'' you finish. The dean just chuckles and starts walking down the hallway with you following him.

‘’say’’ you start ‘’what happened to Marissa?’’

The dean turns his head to face you, anger mixed with fear clouds his eyes for a second before returning back to normal ''someone thats better not to be spoken of if you don’t want anything happen to you'' he answers.

At the ominous answer the hairs on your neck raise and you resist the urge to take a step back. The way he worded it its like the town will kill anyone who questions their traditions or goes against the rules, plus his whole demeanor screams that you shouldn't ask any more questions.

''A-alright'' you stammer and the dean sends you a tight lipped smile in return.

'' The dean turns around in the doorway he’s standing in ‘’i'll see you tomorrow’’

‘’Have a nice evening’’ you reply and bow slightly. When the door slams shut you sigh and put a hand on your chest, feeling the rapid heartbeat underneath your fingertips. You adjust the bag strap on your shoulder and walk down the hallway towards the entrance and out of the facility.

When you're outside you notice that the shun is already starting to set. That isn't surprising considering that its fall and the days are getting shorter but at the same time that means that you'll either have to hurry back home since the sun sets around at five pm. The other option would be you waiting at school till the coast is clear but considering todays conversation you0d like to spend as little time as possible with the dean. Especially since now it seems that he's keeping an eye out on you.

You shake your head and look up at the sky.Azure blue has now turned into spectacular colors of orange and red mixed with purple, its so beautiful that you take out your phone and take a picture of it. Satisfied with how the picture turned out you send it to your mom and put it back into your pocket.

‘’I should buy a bike’’ you mumble and continue to walk home.

..............

''Hey mom'' you greet your mother and wipe your hands on the towl thats hanging at the wall right by the kitchen sink.

‘’Y/nn dear are you alright?’’ your mother asks loudly sounding frantic.

You grimace and hold the phone away from your ear ‘’i am, why did something happen?’’

‘’What do you mean? , you sent me that ominous picture with no text whatsoever nor did you call me ever since you arrived at wherever you are’’ you mom rants

You know your mom has only your best interests at heart, ever since she found out about your anxiety it’s like she herself developed it too with how much she worries about you being alone. Which on one hand is reassuring but on the other you're already twenty eight and kind of need to venture out in the world on your own.

''ominous picture? what are you talking about? i sent you a picture of a sunset'' you retort and furrow your brows

‘’sunset?’’ your mom's voice pitches up a few octaves ‘’all i got was a picture of a black cracked background with the letters '' if you did, you wished you didn't’’

‘’oh go-’’

‘’and where are you?’’ your mom continues ‘’iv’e googled the town name but nothing showed up, i even asked my coworkers and no one knows about silverdell’’

''Silverdell has a mind on its own, no one can know about it or leave and come as they want without its approval''

you grimace, hoping that whatever Sam said was just some good o'l superstition ,but up to now  with everything that you have experienced, it looks like thats not the case

‘’mom seriously i’m safe, i’m not being held hostage by some mobster or anything like that, why it doesn’t show up on google though i don’t know.’’ you say , trying to calm her down. Theres no way you're going to tell her about the towns strangeness , knowing how she is she'd probably get into her car while she's talking to you and drive off, ending up lost in the middle of nowhere.

Your mother hums on the other side of the phone, by the tone of it you know that she's not fully convinced but will believe you for now. She then continues to talk about her annoying coworker, thats always trying to one upper her in everything and how she wants to screw her head off.

While she's rambling off you're finishing drying the dishes and put the back in the cupboard, occasionally humming in agreement to let her know that you're still listening. Reaching over you take the other towel and dry your hands, put it back on the wall before turning towards the living room. You notice that the blinds are still open and a wave of panic comes over you. you dash over to the other room, of course not without you stumbling over furniture, and quickly close the blinds.

Your heart is beating wildly against your ribcage and it takes you a second to calm down.

''Sweetie are you okay?'' your moms voice comes out of the phone that you’re still holding

‘’uhm yeah!’’ you heave ‘’just stumbled, fell almost on my face’’

your mother sighs deeply ‘’you were always the clumsy one’’ and you just chuckle. Though it quickly fades as you start hearing noises coming from the ceiling. your eyes widen and you jerk your head upwards . The dull sound of something similar to heavy footsteps becomes louder and louder and you furrow your brows. ''are they trying to break my roof?'' you ask yourself and hold the phone closer to your ear.

‘’Mom let me call you back, someones knocking no the door’’ you interrupt your mother, hoping that she doesn't hear your voice shaking.

‘’sure’’ she reluctantly answers ‘’'i'll talk to you later, and remember call the police if something fishy is up’’

‘’Will do’’ you say and hang up ‘’ the police might not help in this situation''

You jump when you hear the static of the radio ripping, slowly you turn around and tilt your head sideways. ''Did you just turn on by yourself?'' you ask out loud , but the radio doesn’t answer instead it continues to flip through channels until you hear a familiar voice coming out of the speakers.

''dear listeners we just received a report stating that  the roof inspectors have already begun their work, we would like to remind you to leave a plate of cookies or milk with honey on the porch as a thank you gift. Another reminder would be that you should absolutely not look directly at the workers as they like to be unknown to the public. Not meeting the criteria will have consequences''

''They like to be private?'' the voice you recognize to be yoongi asks '' we're literally broadcasting this to every citizen in silverdell ,how is that private? on top of that they want food'

Hoseok laughs nervously ''lets not trash talk about the roof inspectors ''

''Or what? they're going to break in and kill me?''

''That are dangerous words yoongi'' hoseok chokes out

''Oh don’t give me that look, i’m not planning to have a chat with them all im saying is that its suspicious''  yoongi exclaims

''maybe so but you should know better than to voice out your thoughts considering we're on live broadcast''

You have a sneaking suspicion that that warning is towards you, maybe its just you being paranoid but the sounds coming from the ceiling sound almost impatient? agitated? you're not sure and you don't want to find out.

So you venture back into the kitchen, open the cupboard and take out a plate and a glass. Fill the plate with chocolate chip cookie, not sure if your choice of cookies will fit their taste you reach into the fridge to take out milk. Pour three spoons full of honey into the glass and mix it up all together. You take out a tray, put the dishes onto it and slowly walk to the front door of the house.

Putting down the tray you unlock the door and slowly open it, praying that whatever is making the noise isn't standing in front of your door. Of course mother nature ignores your plea, because nothing ever goes the way you want it to and you stumble back at the sight.

In front of you dangling from the lowest part of the rooftop edge  hangs a long arm that has white fur on it, which lowkey looks like it belongs to a yeti. Its fingers, if you can even call them that, stretch out like its impatiently waiting for you to hand it the tray. With shaky fingers you pick up the tray, avert your eyes and hand it to the worker, trying to not touch it.

It takes the tray from you, makes a sound that could be described as a mixture of a growl and grunt and vanishes.

With wide eyes and a rapid beating heart you close the door and clutch your chest '' what the absolute fuck?!'' you whisper and run to the kitchen.

There you grab the salt and a chair before returning to the front door,  sprinkle salt along at the gap and barricade it by putting the back of the chair underneath the doorknob. Sure the inspector might be able to kill you and you doubt that a little bit of barricade will hold it back but it sure as hell makes your anxious self feel safer.

Quietly you walk down the hallway and switch off the light, before walking into your bedroom and locking the door, hoping that tonight you'll at least be able to sleep.

⤑ ⤑ ⤑ ⤑

‘’Jimin’’ you call out .

Jimin who's sitting at the table reading a book ,that looks like if you tried reading it it would fry the remaining braincells you have, looks up with raised eyebrows. ‘’yes?’’

‘’So’’ you drawl out ‘’i sent a picture of the sunset to someone and apparently the picture they got was different from what the original one, do you know whats up with that?’’

Jimin leans back in the chair and runs a hand through his hair ‘’ honestly we've been having this problem for a few months now, the after school science club is trying to figure out what the problem is.’’

You raise your eyebrows ‘’the who?’’

Jimin waves his hand dismissively '' thats their name don’t ask me how they got it, but they’re really smart though and have saved silverdell many times when we were in a pinch’’'

‘’well did they find out at least something?’’

‘’not really’’ jimin puts a hand on his chin ‘’we just know that silverdell is putting out some sort of high frequented waves that interferes with the phone, theres a theory that it doesn’t want people outside of silverdell knowing about it.’’

The expression on your face currently can be described as one of pure listlessness. Mentally you already clocked out days ago, but mother nature or as in this case; silverdell has it's way of surprising you. Sighing deeply you put one hand on the table and lean against it

‘’you know’’ you start’’ when i first moved here i was in love with the idea of a small town where the environment is beautiful, the people are nice'' you move your arm in a half circle motion ‘’not this’’

‘’How is that our problem’’ a voice says and you turn around to see jungkook leaning against the door frame.

‘’Jungkook!'' jimin scolds and frowns

‘’What?'' jungkook asks and pushes himself away from the door '' isn't that her fault for having high ass expectations? weren't you suspicious that you couldn't find silverdell?’’

‘’In my defense’’ you bristle  ‘’i just thought i was bad with directions ,who would've thought that its because this town is located in the twilight zone’’

Jimin and jungkook both chuckle at that ‘’hats what a lot of newcomers say’’

Picking up the empty cup of coffee you retort '' well maybe something needs to be changed so we don’t all keep repeating the same thing'' and walk over to the sink.

⤑ ⤑ ⤑ ⤑

Its been over a month since you've moved to silverdell. You somehow got used to the weird customs of the town and nowadays you're not even fazed by the angel's anymore. on the contrary you sometimes let the angel's carry your grocery home or you when they don’t fit on the basket of the bike. In the beginning you were quite shocked and afraid ,when the ominous being stood in front of you and reached out of the bag. Which resulted in you screaming out loud in horror thinking that you're going to die. It took one staff member to calm you down , which took quite some time because apparently the angel didn’t realize that you were scared of it , and kept starring at you as if you had the answer to the Da Vinci code.

⤑ ⤑ ⤑ ⤑

‘’I forgot to tell you , you did well today’’ The woman, miss lewis, whose standing at the door says smiling brightly and leaves.

Todays parent teacher conference day and you just had your first meeting. You're so glad that instead of a soccer mom who has a blonde bob and a nasty attitude you got miss lewis. Maybe she noticed that you were nervous otherwise because her whole presence was reassuring. From the smile to her body language nothing indicated that she was being hostile and you look forward to working with her in the future.

Gathering the documents on the table you put them aside and take out another one that has all the information about your student named calypso. Calypso is a smart girl with a peppy attitude and a mouth that can talk forever, yet she never disturbed the class and always hands in her homework so this meeting should be short and go well.

As you're standing up from the chair, the door slams open and you jerk in surprise, letting out an embarrassing squeak. Looking over to the door your’e see a tall woman slumped against the doorway as she's clutching her chest and breathing heavily. The woman is dressed in a black suit and the first button of her white dress shirt is open. Her black hair is cut into a blunt bob with bangs that stop right by the eyes.

‘’I hope i’m not late’’ she heaves

You shake your head and smile ‘’ don’t worry you came just in time''

The unknown woman nods and walks towards you and you notice that she's almost as tall as you are. ''Min yoonji i’m luna’s mother, nice to meet you’’

‘’Y/n’’ you say and take her hand into yours ‘’ and likewise’’

‘’My wife had an emergency so i had to run from work here’’ Yoonji says and sits down

You put a hand on your cheek ‘’i hope its nothing serious’’

Yoonji waves her hand in front of her face ‘’she's just clumsy , i hope she doesn’t’ burn down the kitchen again though’’

You hold your laughter in and turn your head away, not knowing if it’s appropriate to laugh or not but the fact that Yoonji said the word ‘’ again’’ makes it even more comical.

When you hear Yoonji chuckle is when you turn your head back towards her and see her smiling faintly and you can see how much she loves her wife.

‘’So lets get started’’ you say and clear your throat ‘’luna is a very smart student who up to now has always done her homework’’

Yoonji nods

‘’She participates in class , i see no behavioral problems besides her sometimes making remarks towards her friends.’’ you smile and so does Yoonji ‘’what i did notice though is that when it comes to math her way of calculating slightly differs from what i teach her but that can be managed’’

you put the notes down ‘’this would be all, do you have any questions?’’

Yoonji claps her hand together ‘’not a question per se but my wife and i would like to be notified if the class is going on a school trip’’

You nod '' thats mandatory otherwise i wouldn’t be allowed to leave the school ground with the students''

Yoonji then picks up her bag and stands up with you following her actions.

‘’if later on you have any question please feel free to call me or mail me’’ you say and stretch out your hand

Yoonji shakes your hand firmly nods. She opens her mouth to say something but the noise of the classroom door slamming against the wall interrupts her. In the doorway stands a woman that looks ,well to put it nice, like the wicked witch of the west's third sister.

oh boy

‘’Hope you have a nice evening’’ Yoonji says through gritted teeth and lets go of your hand before walking towards the door and giving the other woman a nasty glare.

The woman totally ignores yoonji and walks towards you instead, a scowl on her face as she musters you ‘’cant be even on time huh? did they hire a incompetent teacher this time?’’

You raise your eyebrows, it takes everything in your body for you to not glare at this atrocity of a human being in front of you ‘’actually ma'am you're just early theres a reason why we agreed for you to come at a specific time’’

She just huffs '' well i don’t have the time because i have to pick up Charles in twenty minutes from fencing’’

''why don’t we start then'' you say and point at the table, before sitting down

well looks like it will take longer than twenty minutes.''

..............

After the conference is over you collect the documents and put them on in the drawer. Getting up you look out of the window and see that the sun is already setting and a wave of stress overcomes you. Picking up your bag from the floor you speed walk out of the classroom, not before flickering the light off, and almost run down the hallway towards the entrance of the building.

Thankfully the parking lot for the bikes isn't that far away from the main entrance and you quickly get  onto it and pedal. The sky is already deep red and you can see that in around five to ten minutes it will be completely gone.

You're pedaling so fast that everything is a blur to you, how you haven’t fallen yet is a miracle because lord knows , that everything that could go wrong in a situation , usually does, when it comes to you.

''am i going to make it?'' you ask yourself and sharply cut the corner. Down the road you see a vast grass field and wonder if you should take a shortcut or not. But driving on the grass usually slows one down .but at the same time you cant afford to lose your life just because you aren't on time.

So you drive through the field instead. It only takes a few seconds before your legs become tired of pedaling so hard, to the point where you jump from the bike , hold the handlebar and run.  A few times the bike smacks itself against you but you don’t feel pain due to the adrenaline running through your veins.

Looking at the bike you see that it’s just dragging you down and it literally takes you a second to make a decision. Letting go of the bike makes your heart clench but you continue to run for you life till you finally leave the field and arrive on the street your house is on.

You heave as you take a three second break before continuing to jog down the road. The closer you get to your house though the more everything starts to flicker. Its like reality stopped functioning and your’e in a glitch. Looking around confused you almost stop in your tracks when you see a figure sitting on a black horse thats standing on the opposite side of the street, linear to your house. Its the Headless rider, his body turns towards you ,as black smoke comes out of the cut off neck and forms a question mark.

Your heart drops and your hand comes up shielding the left side of your face and you run even faster before jumping over the fence towards your house

With shaky hands you take out the keys from your purse and open the door before slamming it behind you. Sliding down to the floor you hug your knees as a wave of panic over comes you. You're about 99.9999.2% sure you're about to die today. Theres no way you're going to survive now that the headless rider has noticed you.

With shaky legs you walk into your bedroom and lock the door, praying to every god thats out there that they will bless you with divine protection and that if you do die , it will be at least painful.

⤑ ⤑ ⤑ ⤑

its been two days since you saw the headless rider. To your surprise you actually woke up the next day and on top of that without any injuries, even your house is unscathed! Yet for some reason you cant help but feel like someone has been following you ever since. Its like you keep seeing something flimsy out of the corner of your eye, but its never really in your field of vision.

''im just being paranoid'' you think and grip the bag tighter as you walk out of the grocery store. It’s almost midnight but you were craving some sweets and ramen noodles so of course you went out and bought them.

You're so lost in thoughts that you don’t even notice the tall figure standing in front of you and promptly walk into them. The person, if you can even call them that cause the body is so hard it feels like you walked into a wall, grips your shoulder and steadies you.

'’You rub your nose ''thank-’’ the words die on your tongue as you look up and see that its the headless rider. Now that your’e closer to him you see that his skin is glowing slightly green giving him a frankensteins monster type of look and that his hands are long yet bony.  The smoke moves in slow motion as it comes out of his head and you feel sick to the point of needing to vomit.

‘’Have you seen my head?’’  an ominous voice booms through your skull so loud that you push the headless rider away and clutch your head instead, You just know you'll have a migraine later on.

you look up ‘’can you please try to not scream in my head?’’

''My apologies '' the being says

Slowly you stand up and rub your temples ‘’i haven’t seen your head, i wouldn’t even know how it looks like’’ you turn around and with shaky legs take a step before an arm grabs you. The feeling of dread overcomes you instantly.  His hand is so cold that it seeps through your jacket into your body and you shudder. ''is this what harry potter felt when he was around dementors?''

''Help me find it''  he says , no, demands.

‘’please stop touching me first’’ you manage to say without stuttering and he releases your arm.

‘’What would happen if i refuse?’’

''You don’t want to know'' he answers and you shudder. with the way his neck is leaning sideways you can almost see how if he had a head he'd be cocking it and waiting for your reply, what expression he would have on you can say though.

Between choosing to go with him and come back unscathed or being hunt down and killed by him and other creatures, its only logical that you chose to go with him.

‘’Alright'’’ you say and hold up the bag higher ‘’can i bring this home first though?’’

The headless rider points at the convenient store ''you can also just ask them to put it aside for you''

You furrow your eyebrows at that suggestion ‘’sure..’’ and squint at him. For someone so inhuman he sure does have a suspicious amount of knowledge of how humans work. ‘’ill be right back’’  and walk off

The little bell rings as you walk through the doors and the cashier raises her head ‘’good-’’ the word dies on her tongue as she she's you walking towards her. Her face completely pales and her eyes grow as big as saucers.

00would you be so nice and deposit this for me? an emergency came up and i cant go home right now’’ you ask with a wry smile and she nods . With shaky hand she takes the bag and puts it right behind her on the counter and gives you something thats supposed to look like a smile if it weren't masked with fear.

‘’thank you'' you say , turn around and walk out of the store. What you don’t see is the cashier's eyes following you until she sees you stopping in front of someone else and showing them your empty hands. The other figure nods and you both walk off . In panic mode she grabs the telephone and frantically dials a number, cussing under her breath as she’s waiting for the person to pick up. after the fifth ring she finally hears a click going through the phone and she speaks up

‘’He has her’’

⤑ ⤑ ⤑ ⤑

Standing on the outskirts of the forest you look at the direction where the houses are located ‘’am i hearing sirens?’’ you ask out loud. From what you can see theres no where a house burning, so that either means someone is dying or that there is someone about to give birth

''Not important for us'' the headless rider says and puts a hand on the small of your back. ''let's go'' he says and pushes you forward into the woods.

The forbidden forest is nothing like you imagined, as a matter of fact you don’t even know what you expected but not this.The trees are so close to each other that you can only see the occasional streak of moonlight peaking through through the thick fog. Yet that doesn’t provide enough light for your eyes because you stumble over a root thats twisting on the floor.

Before your face can make contact with so said floor ,the headless rider grabs you by the arm and yanks you up.

''be careful '' he says '' shedding blood will only cause the creatures to come after you''

‘’jesus christ thanks’’ you retort and peel off his fingers ‘’by the way do you have a name? i dont want to keep calling you ''you''’’

the voice hums in your head '' a long time ago i did'' he answers '' a human once used to call me taehyung''

‘’Okay i'll call you that then’’ you say and look up to him ‘’another question though , were you once a human?’’

A deep sound that can be described as a chuckle rumbles from his chest ''never , i’ve been like this since the beginning ''

‘’ou yikes’’  you slap a hand to your mouth , you cant believe you just said that out loud ‘’sorry’’

''it's alright''

You nod and turn around to continue to look at the environment. Theres a dampness alongside with this weird feeling hanging in the air, it ripples on your skin like water making, all the hairs on your arm and neck stand up. This place might have once been full of animals roaming around, but right now its so eerie and empty ,you feel like if depression could manifest itself into something it would be this forest.

You grab Taehyung by the arm and you both stop. looking up, your eyes widen and blood leaves your face. Above you hovering are hooded figures with long boney limps. Their garment fluttering in the non existent wind yet they look so serene , almost as if they're taking a nap. But the longer you stare the more the figures seems to draw in closer

''don’t look at them'' Taehyung's voice rings through your head '' they feed on human souls and with each second passing a piece of your soul gets chipped away''

''Couldn’t you have told me that sooner''  you hiss and grip his arm tighter to the point that your finger nails leave half moon dents in his jacket.

''do not talk any louder, we're not the only ones here'' he warns you instead and you shut your mouth. With every step you're taking you're cursing at the gods and mostly at yourself. You can already hear your mother screaming in horror if she knew what you're doing. She'd probably lecture you about going with a stranger to the forest saying that that is the number one place for murderers to bury their victims bodies and how she raised you to know better.

''Sorry mom''

Taehyung pushes the leaves of the bush aside to reveal a glade. Its surrounded by trees as tall as cathedrals and a strange green light - almost holy - shimmers through the vast canopy of leaves.Giving you the impression that you're underwater. Deafening silence lays over the land and you feel like you're in a video game about to defeat a mid level demon boss.

''where are we going?'' you whisper to taehyung

''the place where all creatures go at sunset''

you furrow your brow ‘’and why do you need me for that?''

thats where my head is buried at for some unknown reason they’ve always been drawn to it, though it has a protective shield that nonhuman being cant enter''

your voice raises a few octaves as you realize that this is a part of his scheme  ‘’did you just lure me into this place so that you can kill me? Don’t tell me you don't actually need my help, you just wanted to eat me because i look what; appetizing to you?’’

Taehyung lifts his hands and one covers your mouth while the other slam chokes you against the bark of a tree ‘’you think very highly of yourself human'' he hisses '' but i do need it and after i received my head i could also leave you here ,since your so adamant about making our location known to every single living organism''

A branch breaks in the background and Taehyung lets go of you.  choking ,you slump against the tree, as you try to get air into your lungs and look up through your teary eyes. Behind taehyung stands a huge creature that looks similar to the angels that usually help you with chores. But unlike the friendly them, this creature looks like it's out for blood. Its mouth opens and a foul smell , that reminds you of corpses and rotting food, waves over to the two of you and you feel sick.

A scream bubbles its way up your throat and before it can leave your mouth , taehyung picks you up bridal style and starts running. Wrapping your arms around his neck, you close your eyes and just hope that he's faster than the creature and that you aren't about to meet your demise

Minutes later he stops and you open your eyes to see that you're on  the top of a hill. Getting out of taehyung's arms with shaky legs you look around.

‘’Wow’’ you say in awe, amazed by how much the forest changes the further you go into it.

You see a river passing through the jungle wide and opaque. The water is so black it might as well be used as a mirror and for a second you're tempted to walk down and touch it .Yet you know better. The river is a sleeping cobra, It lies across the land in smooth seductive curves, singing an unknown song to its viewer, while it hides a myriad of dangers.

The forest seems to have an intelligence of its own, you notice.  An apparent system thats so complex no human would understand, yet it doesn't seem like it would work anywhere else but  here.

A sudden shrill noise, that possibly belongs to the earlier creature, echoes through the forest,  before it quietly settles, and suddenly it feels like a thousand eyes are boring into your back.

They know you're here

''Lets go'' Taehyung says and walks ,no, jogs down the hill.

‘’why don’t you just pick me up and run like you did earlier?'' you ask '' that would be faster''

Taehyung doesn’t need a face for you to know that he's complete done with you for using your three braincells over its capacity ''that would attract too much attention''

‘’You glow green for fucks sake’’ you call out and point at him ‘’we might as well be wearing a big ass sign that says ‘free food’’ 

Taehyung turns around and stomps towards you and you flinch

''Since you insist''  he says and picks you up and starts running down the hill. Seconds later you two arrive in the valley and he puts you down. ''We're close''  

You look up at Taehyung, his whole entire being suddenly gives off the vibe of a predator. Like he's watching your every move and waiting for the perfect chance to come so that he can pounce on you . Goosebumps rise on your arm and neck and you take a step back ''where is it then?'' you ask

Taehyung stretches his arm and points with a long bony finger behind you. Slowly you turn around to see huge fallen logs layered on top of each other forming a triangular shape. Underneath you find a huge pile of fallen leaves and in the middle something thats glowing green.

''I can only accompany you till where the shield is'' Taehyung says and you nod. You don’t like how he said that sentence, its full of hidden agenda and you're not sure if your mind is playing a trick on you , but you swear you felt the blood thirst coming off him. Another thing you notice is the closer you get to the head, the more the shield surrounding the huge logs, starts to glow the exact same green light that also taehyung is covered in.

As you stand right before the shield , your hand comes up and you try to touch it with no avail. Your hand goes straight right through it and your’e just a teensy bit disappointed. ''hold up''  you think and turn around to squint at the being named taehyung ‘’the shield doesn’t exist’’

''it does, i told you only a human can enter it'' taehyung answers patiently and walks up to you, stretches out his hand and touches the shield. sparks start to fly and you cover your eyes.  

''see?'' Taehyung says and lets his hand fall down

Instead of answering you start walking up to the log. Its in the worst place ever, not exactly on top of the hill but neither in the valley, just right in the middle. Which is a huge burden to you, the mud keeps sticking to your shoes yet it also makes you stumble multiple times.

You finally reach your destination but now you're heaving heavily and your legs feel like they'll buckle in any seconds. ''God do i have to touch the leaves?'' you murmur in disgust. You dont hate the nature as a matter of fact you like it, thats the whole reason why you even moved out here. That doesn’t mean though, that you want to stick your hands into muddy leaves that probably has all sorts of insects crawling and pick up a decaying head.

Mentally prepping yourself you sigh deeply before reaching into the pile and grabbing the glowing head. The head is just as cold as the body it belongs you and it seeps through your entire being. The longer you hold it, the more flimsy your surrounding begins to look and you have to squint your eyes in concentration so that you don’t fall down.

‘’Here’’ you say as you stand in front of taehyung and hand him the head.

''thank you''  he says and takes it from you and puts it on his neck. Suddenly taehyung starts to glows a green light thats so bright ,that you have to shield your eyes. Few seconds later the light dims down back its usual , glow int he dark slime, state.Despite that you're in awe when you look up and see that the neck is connected to his head, and for the first time you see what he looks like.

Taehyung is beautiful beyond words. Long dark lashes kiss his cheek as he looks down on you.  On the right side theres a mole and he has another one, on the slightly plum yet longish underlip.  dark hair that hangs low enough to touch his beautiful sloped nose as he dips his head lower to be at  your eye height. A smile overtakes overtakes his features and at first you're struck, until you start noticing thousand of eyes starting to glow behind his back. Your eyes widen and you look back at Taehyung who's smile grows into unnatural hideous grin that touches both sides of the head and bears one too many teeth.

you take a step back to which he slowly follows until you stumble over a root and fall down. Taehyung chuckles deeply at your cowering state and bends down.

This is it, this is how you’re going to die, in the forrest surrounded by blood thirsty creatures that are ready to pounce on you in any second. And for a millisecond you’re annoyed at yourself for going into the woods with the dullahan just to meet your demise. 

A growl rips you back into reality ‘’'what a foolish human you are Y/n'’ he says and your vision goes black

[canadiankazz]

The Fifth Time - An L.A. by Night Fanfic

Things have been going very well for a while between Annabelle and Jasper, but it only takes one phone call to throw a wrench into everything.

L.A. By Night Alternative Universe where Jasper has been feeding from Annabelle for several weeks and they have developed a Blood Bond. SPOILERS for the end of Campaign 1 including the one-shots. This was written before Season 2, Episode 3.

It’s worth reading the rest of the series before this part.

The Entire ‘Feeds From’ Master List Can be Found Here

I lay no claim to owning any of the characters involved. Warnings for some mild BDSM in this part.

As always, special thanks to @cravatfiend for the support, feedback and encouragement during the writing of the drafts. Special love to @gokaiyellow for their additional input and for being as patient as they can. Thank you to everyone else who has enjoyed this series so far. When I first wrote this, I thought this part might be the end. It isn’t. I’m currently finishing parts 9, 10 and 11 with ideas for more.

Also posted to the author’s Ao3.

First published Feb. 7, 2019.

The Fifth Time Jasper Fed From Annabelle

“I have an idea I want to float past you,” Annabelle said.

Jasper glanced up at her. Her eyes were almost sparkling with mischief. He quirked his eyebrows at her. “Go on, then. I'm listening.” He was, but his main attention went back to the Jenga tower between them. His hands were very careful and dexterous, but even those most skilled at fine manipulation will find it difficult when a Jenga game goes on for too long and the tower starts to get wobbly.

“I'd like to, um... do something similar to what we did last time...”

Jasper could hear the blush in Annabelle's voice even though it couldn't be seen in her cheeks. He smirked to himself and he gently wriggled a block free. Who would have thought any Nosferatu could make someone blush? Take that, Toreadors.

“And which last time was that?” Jasper teased as he placed the block on top of the tower.

“You know... on the bed... with the neck biting...” Annabelle said, flustered.

“Ah, yes,” he smiled, showing his fangs. “You really enjoyed that one.”

Annabelle made an annoyed, scrunched up face at him. She knew he was teasing her. “Yes. That one. I'd like to do something similar again, but... “

He waited for her to pull out a Jenga block. It was stuck, but she managed it.

“But...?” he prompted.

She put the block on top of the tower. It wobbled, but stayed up. “But I thought you'd maybe like to... um... chase me?”

Jasper looked puzzled, not sure he had heard her correctly. “Excuse me?”

“You could chase me...” she shrugged, embarrassed. “Never mind, it's a stupid idea.”

“No, hold on.” He put a finger up. He didn't like her thinking she was stupid. “So... you'd like me to chase you, and pin you down when I catch you?”

Annabelle's jaw was tight and she found she couldn’t look at him. It sounded so cringy when said out loud. “Yeah...”

“Like, in the street?”

“No, around in here.” She gestured a little to the sanctum around them. They were currently in Jasper's lounge. The Jenga tower was set up on a little table between them.

“You do know that I know these tunnels better than you,” he reminded her.

Annabelle was very aware. She shrugged. “It was just a thought I had. Never mind-”

“No, I want to do it.”

Annabelle looked up at him. “Yeah?”

“I mean... with the safe word and all, but... yeah. It could be fun.” He was grinning again. Annabelle's stomach did a little flip whenever he grinned like that at her.

She swallowed. “I will fight back though, this time. You'll really have to hold me.”

Jasper tilted his head down a little so that his stare and grin took on a Kubrick style. “Sounds good,” he growled.

Annabelle bit her lip. “Okay.”

“And when would you like to... begin this chase?”

“Um...” Annabelle glanced at the Jenga tower. Jasper got the impression she was going to do something a second before she did it. She deliberately pushed the tower over in Jasper's direction and shouted “Now!” She sprang up and bolted out of the room.

Jasper's laugh had a snarl in it. She was adorable. He brushed the Jenga blocks off his lap, in no hurry to begin. This was his home, after all, and he knew there were only so many places she could go. The fun would be over much too quickly if he just sprang up and caught her in the first minute. He stood up, cracked his neck back and forth, then activated Obfuscate and disappeared. His Beast stirred, interested in the proceedings. It had been a long time since there had been a hunt.

Annabelle darted through Jasper's workshop and turned down a passage. She looked behind her, but couldn’t see or hear anything. She tried a door and found it to be locked. Another door opened and she found herself in a library. She paused and looked around. She was so tempted to stop and look through Jasper's books, but she couldn't linger. She thought she heard something behind her and wriggled in behind a shelf. She stayed as still and as quiet as she could. Annabelle realised too late that she hadn't closed the library door and cursed herself. She held her breath for a moment before she remembered she didn't have to breathe. She caught movement out of the corner of her eye. Did a book shift?

“Better keep running,” came Jasper's sudden hiss in her ear.

Annabelle just about leapt out of her skin. She yelped and sprang up. He was nowhere to be seen. She scurried out of the library, seriously spooked. She thought she could hear him snicker behind her.

Annabelle sprinted down another passage and made several turns. She somehow found herself back in his workshop. She paused for a second and took off her jacket. She flung it towards Jasper's lounge, hoping it might be some kind if distraction, and moved in the opposite direction. This, at least, she knew fairly well by now. This was the direction of the bedroom.

The bedroom, of course, was a dead end. She knew that. He knew that. But she also knew that they were probably going to end up there eventually.

She thought she could hear movement behind her again as she scampered into the bedroom. She got as far away from the door as possible, with the bed between her and it and turned to face her stalker. She couldn’t see him, but she knew he was there. She bared her fangs and hissed in challenge, like she had seen other Kindred do, calling on some ancient Brujah memory in her blood. She heard an answering snarl come out of thin air and her opponent became visible. He was in the room, just in front of the door. Jasper kicked it shut behind him without looking back at it. The door slammed solidly home with a loud bang!

Brujah and Nosferatu stared each other down in the little bedroom, both daring the other one to make a move. Annabelle smirked, betraying the game, and tried to fake Jasper out. She ducked left, then right. Jasper cut the knot and simply jumped over the bed to get to her. He cleared it easily and slammed into her, shoving her against the wall. She landed hard, wrestling with him as he tried to pin her arms down. She used her strength against him and tried to wriggle free. Annabelle aimed a knee at Jasper and it connected. She broke free and made for the door, but he was right on her. Before she could turn the knob, he pinned her to the door and grabbed her wrists. Annabelle twisted and fought, but Jasper held her fast against the solid door. He leaned in and she could feel his mouth on the back of her neck and shoulder. “Keep... still...” he snarled quietly. Gently, without breaking the skin, he scraped his fangs against her neck. It was a warning and a promise.

Annabelle froze. She shivered at the sensation. Slowly, she tested her wrists again, but he was holding them fast. His whole body was pressing her against the closed door, with her facing the wood. She could push him off and away, but not without using some vampiric power.

“Blush for me,” Jasper rasped in her ear. Something familiar in her belly coiled like a spring in anticipation. She did as he asked. Instantly, she began to breathe hard. Her pulse raced. Her skin and blood warmed. She heard a pleased growl rumble fourth from directly behind her. The sound of it made her insides turn to jelly.

Jasper took two steps back away from the door, taking Annabelle with him. He had her arms restrained, crossed over themselves and her chest like a straight jacket, with his cold hands holding tightly to her wrists. She made another effort to struggle free, but he moved with her, countering her twisting motion. He steered her to another wall and pinned her there, away from the door. He leaned in very close and whispered “So far, so good... what colour is the stoplight?”

“Green,” Annabelle grunted as she continued to struggle against him. He was using the wall to help pin her arms, giving him a free hand to help brace himself properly.

“Good.” He used his teeth to move her tank top strap aside and down her arm. She was wearing a thin strap top this night. His Beast was getting very excited, but he was deliberately taking his time. “I thought I told you to keep still.” He nipped her exposed neck and drew a tiny scrape of blood. Annabelle hissed in pain. Jasper growled deep in his throat as the scent and sight of Vitae hit his senses. Annabelle could feel the vibration of it, but said nothing to stop him. She did stop struggling though.

Jasper licked the little wound closed and sniffed his way down her neck. It was then that Annabelle realised that he was teasing himself as much as her. She grinned despite herself.

“Would you like me to bite you?” he asked in a hushed tone.

Annabelle's voice shook a little when she answered. Her body had a vivid memory of the pleasure, the ecstasy that followed the brief pain from his bite, and it was craving it. “Yes.”

“Yes?”

“Please?”

She could hear him snarl in amusement. “Well, that's a first.”

Annabelle blinked. “What?”

“Someone saying please.”

She felt his muscles tense for a moment, then he suddenly spun her around to face him with her back pressing against the wall. Before she could react, he plunged his fangs into her neck with a hungry snarl. She gasped. He was biting hard, very hard, and the pain was intense.

“Yell..mmm...nnn....” she mumbled, losing her words as the bliss followed and began to roll over her brain and though her body.

To her mild surprise, Jasper pulled back. He had blood on his teeth. He was still holding her against the wall, but his grip relaxed noticeably. His bite mark on her skin oozed Vitae, thick and red, in a line down towards her cleavage. She too was hit by the scent of it now, and it was a powerful scent indeed. Her Vitae was warm with her Blush of Life. Her Beast growled and twitched in her chest, as if confused.

“Mmm?” Annabelle frowned at him. The pleasure was fading. Why had he stopped?

Slowly, deliberately, carefully, Jasper dipped his head to lick at that escaping blood drop before it disappeared into her shirt and bra. “You said 'yellow,'” he murmured. Despite his gentleness, Annabelle could feel that his whole body was under extreme tension, holding back his Beast with both hands on the metaphorical leash.

Annabelle shivered and whimpered at his lick. His tongue was oddly cold against her warmed skin. Her chest heaved up and down as her body reacted to the stimulus. “...'M okay...” she mumbled. “Was just... sharp.”

Jasper chuckled. “Sorry. Got a little... carried away.”

“Mmm… It’s okay.” Annabelle took a deep breath and braced herself. She knew that she could back out now, and Jasper would let her. She didn’t want to back down though. Her body was craving release as much as his was craving her blood. “Green.”

Jasper's mouth went back to the bloody wound and he started to suck her Vitae out of it. This time, there was no pain. That part was over. Now, there was just the pleasure.

And oh, what pleasure it was. Jasper was going slow and tender again, but was gradually speeding up and increasing the pressure on her while he did so. Annabelle was soon moaning. Her knees felt weak and she struggled to support herself. Jasper put an arm around her to keep her upright and against the wall. She clung to him. Her previous struggles to escape turned into her pressing, grinding herself against him, wanting ever more stimulus. She could feel herself building up again deep inside to a climax, and the small cognisant part of her brain, the part responsible for this kind of base desire, prayed she would get there before he pulled away.

She did. Her moans got louder and she shuddered in release. She could hear and feel Jasper growling in response. A few seconds later, she was dimly aware of him pulling back and licking her wound closed. She slumped against the wall and against him, her legs shaking. Little aftershocks rippled through her.

Jasper smiled to himself, very pleased. Once again, he could feel her pleasure, taste it in her blood. This was something he could definitely get used to. His Beast lurked below the surface of his mind, reminding him that it would be so easy for him to continue until he had taken her last drop, but he was very firmly in control of himself and knew he would do no such thing. Jasper scooped Annabelle up into his arms and carried her the short distance to the bed, where he lay her down. She sighed, still getting her breath back. Annabelle's Beast writhed, as always unhappy with the situation, but she was getting good at ignoring it and letting its complaints be drowned in her sea of endorphins and after glow.

When she opened her eyes again a short while later, Jasper was sitting on the bed by her feet, watching her in the dim light of the room. He smiled at her without showing his fangs. He didn't feel the need to ask her if she was good. He already knew the answer to that.

“I like watching you... after. You always look like you've had the best time of your whole life.” He frowned, then corrected himself. “Un-life?”

She chuckled. “Well... you're pretty good.”

“Thank you.” He bowed his head a little. “Who says Nosferatu don't know how to show someone a good time, huh?”

“I've never said that!” Annabelle grinned.

This time, Jasper's smile was toothy.

Annabelle stretched and tried to adjust her top and bra back in place, only to find the strap of her tank top, which Jasper had previously moved with his fangs, snap in two in her hands. They both snickered.

“Oh, no!” Annabelle was partly dismayed and mostly amused.

“Oops... I must have bit it too hard, sorry,” Jasper said, though he didn't sound very apologetic.

Annabelle was trying to examine her bra strap, which still seemed to be okay. The structural integrity of the tank top was ruined though. The right front and back of it hung down without the support of the strap, exposing her bra to Jasper for the first time. It was black lace. Very sensual. Definitely date night.

“It's okay,” Annabelle sighed. “Going to have to get rid of it now though.”

She had meant later, after she got home, but Jasper shrugged. “Take it off. I'll be right back.” He slipped off the bed and headed for the door.

“What?” Annabelle blinked at him, surprised.

He paused at the door. “Take your top off. I'll give you something else.”

She smirked at him. She suspected that now was his time to blush pink if he could.

Jasper disappeared into the passageway and Annabelle did as he asked her. She wriggled out of the ruined top and dropped it to the floor. Part of her was glad she didn't have to get up. She wasn't sure her legs would allow her to walk yet, after that. She lay on the bed in her nice bra and jeans and wondered if she should cover up a little more, but Jasper returned before she had a chance to. He had a black, fuzzy bundle in his arms and tossed it gently to her. He seemed to be deliberately trying to not notice that she was under-dressed.

“Here,” Jasper said.

Annabelle examined the article of clothing she had been given and gave a little squeal. “It's the labradoodle hoodie!”

“I recall you liking it.”

“I recall thinking you looked adorable in it!” Annabelle countered.

“Well... you can keep it,” Jasper said.

She was already slipping it on. The sleeves were way too long and the hood was way too big. She felt like she was swimming in fuzzy black wool. “I can? Really?”

“Sure,” he shrugged. He had a closet full, and didn't need that one any more.

“Thank you,” Annabelle beamed at him. She reached for him, her hands seeming almost small in the long sleeves. “Come here.”

Jasper crawled onto the bed with her and they settled in each other's arms. She rested her head against his lean chest. She still had Blush of Life on, and he could feel her warmth and breathing. It kind of made him wish, for just a moment, that he had learned it too. It's funny, the little things you forget about being alive.

**

Later on next night, Jasper and Annabelle sat on Jasper's bed together binge watching a vampire Anime on her laptop. The main character was a more eldritch abomination take on Dracula and was fighting a horde of vampire Nazis who had invaded London. They were on episode nine of ten and things were reaching a climatic, bloody end.

They were interrupted by Jasper's phone going off. He checked the number. It was the Baron of Hollywood. “Sorry, I have to take this,” Jasper told Annabelle. He extracted himself from her and the bed and took a few steps away to answer the call. Annabelle paused the video and watched him. She saw that his phone still had a scrape on its case from when he had been run over by a truck the month previous.

“Good evening, Baron,” Jasper said smoothly into the phone. Annabelle's eyes widened a little and and swallowed.

“Is it Victor?” she mouthed silently to him. Jasper shook his head at her. She couldn’t hear the other half on the conversation, only what Jasper was saying.

“I am very well, thank you.” Jasper gave Annabelle a tiny smile. She smiled back, relaxing somewhat. Jasper was on good terms with Baron Abrams. Annabelle fidgeted with a loose thread on the sleeve of Jasper's black labradoodle hoodie that he had given her. She was still wearing it and had slept in it the day before. It was very cosy. She wanted to sleep in it forever, or until the fabric fell apart, at least.

“And yourself?” Jasper continued into the phone. “...Yes... Yes, it is... I can, but I think that the Baron of the Valley may need to be reminded by someone that although I am in his coterie, I am not always in his barony, and he does not always listen to me. …Yes, sir, I do.”

Annabelle put a hand over her mouth to suppress a giggle.

Isaac Abrams was telling Jasper something very interesting. Whatever it was, it was making Jasper grin a lot. He glanced at Annabelle again and she could see a moment of doubt and conflict in his eyes. He seemed to come to a decision.

“Yes,” he told the Baron. “Yes. I can. ...Yes, sir. I'll see you soon.” He hung up.

“What was that about?” Annabelle asked.

“I have... good news and bad news.” Jasper came back over to her. “Isaac Abrams is giving me another opportunity to... look after another political prisoner of his from the Ivory Tower.”

“Oh.” Annabelle strongly disapproved. To her, this didn't seem like good news and bad news at all. It only seemed like bad news. Jasper could see it all over her face and feel it in her blood. “Do you have to?” she asked him.

Jasper shrugged. “No, but... I'd like to.”

Annabelle frowned deeply. She was disappointed in him. “Jasper...”

“Annabelle. This is what I do. This is my job,” his tone was gentle. He wasn't going to let her talk him out of this. He had been conflicted for a few moments, but his mind was made up now, and he was unlikely to want to change it. “Yes, I could tell Abrams 'no'. Hell, you could order me to tell him 'no,' and I might have to comply with that, but that may damage my reputation with him, and staying on the Baron's good side is better than not.”

“Are you going to feed from this new person?”

He had already thought about that too. “Yes.”

Annabelle's level of upset went up a notch. “But you don't have to... I accept that you're being given a job. You're a prison guard, fine. But you don't have to...”

“I might need to, at least a little bit, to keep them weak, to help make sure they won't break out,” Jasper explained softly.

That did make a degree of sense, but Annabelle still didn't like it. She was quiet for a long moment. Jasper habitually ran his tongue over his fangs before speaking again.

“I'll understand if... you don't want us to have another feeding date again,” Jasper said very quietly. He cursed himself. Now she had him thinking of them as 'dates' too. He was also mentally preparing himself. He was going to miss it, miss her, if she told him 'no more.' He couldn’t lie to himself about that.

“I don't know, Jasper,” she sighed sadly.

“We don't have to stop though,” he continued. “I unfortunately can't allow you to come back here while there's someone in that cage, but... we could go somewhere else, if you still want to.”

Annabelle had been looking down at her hands, but looked back up at him again. “I can't come here again?”

He shook his head. “No. No one will. I have to keep this new prisoner a secret. I shouldn’t even tell you that I am getting a new person. I only am because... you've spent so much time here, lately.”

Annabelle bit her lip. She looked like she wanted to cry.

“I'm sorry,” Jasper told her. He was genuine.

“It's okay,” Annabelle sighed. Deep down, she knew that they couldn’t keep up what she and Jasper had been doing forever, but at the same time, she was also going to miss coming down to his sanctum. “You're right... we don't have to stop. I'm going to miss this place though.” She sighed again. “Do we have time to finish the series?”

“No, not right now. I have to go see Abrams. Sorry... again.”

Annabelle pouted and packed away her laptop. She bent and scooped her ruined tank top off the floor where she had left it and stuffed that in her bag too. Jasper watched her carefully and noticed that she was trying very hard not to cry. She had a hard lump in her throat. He swallowed.

“Hey... come here,” he said. He opened his arms and drew her into a hug. She clung to him, sniffling. Jasper was head and shoulders taller than her and easily rested his chin on the crown of her head. “Shh... it's okay, Annabelle,” he said softly. “All that's changing is that you won't be able to come down here any more, and why would anyone want to? It's literally a hole in the ground.” He heard her snicker a little, though it was muffled. “And anyways... now you can travel and not worry about when and where... and who... I'm going to eat. You can do your own thing and I'll do mine and sometimes, if you'd like, we can still meet up for... dates. It's not the end of the world, and it's not the end of... this thing we have. It's just changing.”

He could feel Annabelle nod. He smoothed her hair with his hand and she let go of him and stepped back. She still looked a little sad, but she knew Jasper was right.

Annabelle pressed something round and plastic into Jasper's hand. It was one of her little fake tea light candles. He stared at it and smiled slowly.

“Keep one here and think of me, yeah?” Annabelle requested.

“Sure,” he promised her. “Always.” He couldn’t not think of her lately, but having this little reminder might be nice.

Jasper knew that Annabelle would be okay. This was a blow to their relationship, but he did not want to miss this opportunity from Abrams. Annabelle was free to come and go from the city, and indeed had been thinking about leaving L.A. for long stretches of time. Jasper did not want to lock her up, but he did need a reliable feeding source if he was going to keep existing. It would mean going back to his violent, non-consenting feeding habits, but he was okay with that. His Beast certainly didn't care if his victim said 'yes' or not. Annabelle giving him permission all these previous times had been the delightful exception to the rule. If she did wish to eventually continue their dates, he didn't have to give up on non-consensual feeding all together. He had a feeling that she would eventually give in and would want to see him again, to feel his fangs in her skin again, but that it would take her a while. That was okay. He could wait.

**

The following evening, there was a new prisoner in Jasper's cage, and Jasper was extremely excited. He didn't know how Baron Abrams had obtained this rival from the Ivory Tower in the first place, and at the moment, Jasper didn't care. The Baron didn't always answer his questions, and he didn't want to push his luck.

As delighted as Jasper was by this change in his fortune and being given a second chance by the Baron of Hollywood, there were still a few downsides to this. Namely, he was going to miss Annabelle coming here and spending the occasional days and nights with him in his sanctum. He also was going to have to go hunting on the regular for food for his victim, but that was okay. He was very good at hunting, even if he didn't eat the humans himself. Additionally, he kind of wished he could tell Nelli about this, if nothing else just to see her face. He was going to enjoy quietly, privately, lording this over her. Otherwise, so far as Jasper was concerned, this was excellent.

The vampire in the cage was a male Kindred still in Torpor, enforced by a wooden stake through his chest. The Torpor would end when Jasper pulled the stake out. Jasper knew that his victim would be starving as his Beast reacted to coming back to life, as it were, so he had a woman- beating drug dealer with a concussion all ready to go. The other vampire was wearing a black silk shirt, now ruined, of course, by the stake. Jasper smirked to himself. He had no intentions of getting this guy a new shirt.

Jasper carefully placed the meal, who was bleeding lightly from a head wound, into the cage next to the vampire. Then, in one firm, swift action, he yanked out the stake, stepped back and slammed the jail door shut. The vampire's eyes snapped open and he hissed in pain, rage and hunger. The Beast commanded him to pounce on the nearest source of blood and he did, very quickly ending the man's life. Jasper locked the door during this distraction and took a few more steps back to watch.

The caged Kindred finished feeding and got his wits back. He looked around in anger and bewilderment. “What the...?! Where the hell am I?!” he demanded. Then his eyes fell on Jasper and he recognised him. His eyes filled with more rage, and just a hint of horror. “You...!”

The last time he had seen this Kindred, Jasper had been about to hunger Frenzy at the Highland in Hollywood. Jasper had briefly entertained the notion back then of leaping over the table and ripping into this insufferable Toreador's throat. My, how the tables had turned.

Jasper grinned at his newest captive. This was going to be fun. “Hi, Chaz.”

[musubiki]

Whoa! Oscar is the second one to find out Mochi is a witch? How does that go down, if you don't mind me asking? :o

i dont have it set for sure yet but heres a draft kind of!!! (i just know coco finds out last, idk how oscar really finds out yet hfjkd)

➞

anytime anyone new learns about mochis power its always some kind of immediate danger and/or desperate situation

since she wants as few people knowing about her as possible. but since a reason theres an unusual amount of activity around her so more people end up knowing mochis secret outside her immedate family

so (again) i dont know the specifics of what happens???? either oscar happens to be around them when mochi and lime get in trouble or are attacked, or some other situation where oscar needs to get involved (maybe the bad guy team kidnapped his little brother thinking he was important to mochi and goes with them to save him)

but it 100% has something to do with the forest next to oscars house, who he says is haunted, and at first everyones like “Eh, whatever dude” but when MOCHI and LIME go there (probably for a school project) the forest spirits come out. they can sense her

and she didn’t know until now but the forest is home to a VERY powerful wind spirit. so theres a lot of magical energy there and oscar was RIGHT. this forest also contains a doorway to sulluvans dimension. 

so theres all these little spirits with one eyes, little ghost deer, tree monsters, all these fucked up things that are usually hidden, but start to come out more because they sense the witch of the cat. oscar tries to hype them into coming into the forest with him, mochi stays back claiming that shes scared. lime knows though

and at ONE POINT either 1) both mochi and lime are there to help and/or save oscar, or its JUST MOCHI, so she gives oscar the life or death “You HAVE to swear on your LIFE you won’t tell anyone!” lecture and is lowkey freaking out at him that he knows now. shes not as great at breifing people as her mama. 

so oscar (slightly terrified) crosses his heart and tells her “I promise.” later when hes sitting around lime its TOTAL awkward silence and hes just RUBBING HIS ARM FIDGETING TRYNA PROCESS WHAT JUST HAPPENED. AND HE CANT TALK TO ANYONE ABOUT IT. 

SO LIME JUST “………………………..She told me you know already so you can chill out-” 

“ABOUT- THE- THE THING-” 

“Yeah. shes a witch yeah.” 

“OH MY GOD DUDE HOW ARE YOU PROCESSING THIS?????? I WAS RIGHT ALL ALONG?????? WHO ELSE KNOWS?????????” 

“I’ve known for like- months- and its only you and me so don’t tell anyone else.”

later theyre all hanging out in mochis room. she found out everyone kinda needs a Q&A de-breifing session afterwards. hes asking so many questions. hes lookinng at lime “Did you ask her this yet???” he tells him yeah. i already asked her everythinng

oscar cant handle how chill lime is about all this. 

despite being the second the find out, oscar is the last to get a special cursed weapon thing. this is because his is actually kind of significant to his character and person and also his relationship with coco.

also because mochi wants to keep magical cursed things to a minimum. lime gets one because hes always with her and is actually there to protect her. coco gets one to defeat taffy. oscar gets one directly after they fight amanita for the first time.

but for NOW, mochi gives him a little medalion so the forest spirits dont. kill him. when hes wondering around ghost hunting. 

she also forbade him from youtubing anything about her. hes bummed.

but OSCAR is pretty hardy and steadfast on his own. this kid has no fear and it shows when he helps mochi and lime fight sometimes without any powers/protection. when he goes to save his brother he has no power. hes a good kid. brave kid.

and now hes tasked with living with the knowledge that mochi is a witch and everything he thought he knew was dead wrong. and trying to cope with it while going to school and pretendinng everything is normal

the FUNNIEST part though is BEFORE oscar finds out, and hes showing mochi and lime all around his house and yard, meanwhile mochi is FREAKING OUT because ALL THESE LITTLE SPIRITS ARE LIKE BUMPING INTO HER LEG AND FALLING OFF TREE BRANCHES BECAUSE THEY CAN FEEL HER PRESANCE AND SHES JUST STUFFING THEM INTO HER BAG WHILE OSCAR ISNT LOOKING

“is your bag moving?” “OOHH that??? thats just pom ahhahahahah”