#ok i feel so bad for this guy he just sprang into existence and is already a meme

[ragelost-archive]

(from lucy) “The mistakes you’ve made don’t define you.”

(the mistake was drinking something unedible)

"Mistakes?" Rufio raises his eyebrows, leaning forward. "What mistakes?" A small smirk plays about his mouth.

"I'd never make any mistakes. You should know me better than that, Luce."

[megumis-lashes]

Love, but make it Magic!

Werewolf! Hwang Hyunjin x Reader

*Contains*: mentions of blood/fighting, slight angst (if you squint), bullying, fighting, slight swearing, Enemies to lovers if you squint, school based on western standards, werewolf Hyunjin, witch/vampire reader

Nothing too bad overall. Mainly fluff. I sometimes use italics for emphasis. I use typical quotes for speech :)

Narrators POV

In today’s society, supernatural beings like vampires and werewolves are believed to be mythical creatures. Few people believe in their existence and have many false stereotypes surrounding these creatures’ existence. In reality they do exist. Supernaturals or whatever you like to call them, live a life hidden from society. They play the role of innocent humans in a world where they aren’t accepted. In certain areas, schools and housing are built to house strictly supernatural creatures. Despite their separation from the world, they still have many disputes between each other.

Name’s POV

My life has never been easy. From a young age I’ve been pressured to fit into a society that I was not designed for. I’m half witch, half vampire, a deadly combination in today’s world. Not only am I hated by humans but I’m also hated by other supernaturals due to some dumb disputes among species. I lived among humans for the the first portion of my life. I was constantly in fear for what might happen to me if I was discovered. I had to live and act exactly as a human, which was never an easy task. Thankfully, for college I was able to go somewhere I better fit in, an all supernatural college, NX University. My parents were opposed to me going due to their meek status against humans, but I needed a change in lifestyle. Thankfully I managed to get multiple scholarships to the school.

I had been living on campus for a few months. Everything was going smoothly. My stress and anxiety of blending in was long forgotten and I was able to express myself through my supernatural abilities. I took courses on witchcraft and alchemy, things I never would’ve had the opportunity to learn in human society. I shared a dorm with a fellow witch from my classes. Her name was Sunghee. She was what could only be described as text book beauty. She had glowing ginger hair that flowed over her shoulders and large green eyes. Her face was littered with freckles and she was rather slim. To go along with her innocent looks came her witchcraft. She was what humans would describe as a ‘good witch’. She practiced strictly healing and protection magic and had made a pact with herself to never engage in battle. She often spent her days collecting and researching herbs she discovered around campus.

After a long day of classes I was heading back to the dorm. I had what could be described as an infinite amount of homework and I wasn’t exactly excited to lose sleep working on it. As I approached the door I noticed something.

“Hmm? The door is locked? That’s strange. Sunghee usually leaves it open...” I mumbled to myself as I shuffled through my bag, searching for my spare key.

“Maybe she went to the shops for more herbs..”

As I unlocked the door and entered, I was greeted by emptiness. The place was sparkling clean, which was very unusual for Sunghee. She was more like the ‘messily organized’ type so seeing the place so clean was shocking. As I approached the small kitchen table, I noticed a crinkled note taped to the fridge. It read :

‘Hey name! Sorry for the sudden departure but I had some family business to attend to. I’ll probably be back by the end of this quarter. As an apology for leaving so fast I tidied up the place! Also, you don’t have to worry about caring for my plants and such! My friend Hyunjin will be staying here to take care of them! Hopefully you won’t mind!

- xoxo Sunghee ♡︎

“Only Sunghee would do something like this so suddenly and think nothing of it.” I sighed. I guess I had to get used to living with someone else for a while.

“I should really start my homework....I don’t want to be up all night.” I shook my head.

My head had been buzzing with witchcraft and algebra work for what seemed like hours. I was so focused on finishing my work before the clock struck midnight that when a knock on the door sounded through the dorm, I nearly fell out of my chair.

“Who in their right mind would arrive at this hour...” As much as I disliked the idea of talking, I still ran to open the door. As the old wooden door creaked open, the sight behind it almost made me fall over again. Standing at the door was a tall and lanky boy with longer blonde hair tied up in the back. He was beautiful and his perfection was accentuated by the small birthmark under his left check. I couldn’t put a finger on his name but I had definitely seen him before. He was deemed the school’s ‘pretty boy’ from what I could remember.

“Excuse me but what do you need? It’s quite late and I’m not exactly sure what you want from me?” I questioned as I leaned on the door frame in exhaustion.

“Oh hi. You must be name. I’m Sunghee’s ‘childhood friend’ you could say. She asked me stay here for a while to watch over her plants or whatever.” He shrugged as he pushed his hair back. Now that I looked at him closely I noticed he was carrying a large duffel bag packed to the brim.

“You? Stay here? There must be some sort of confusion. I thought a girl by the name of Hyunjin would be staying here?” I blinked in confusion.

“Oh she never explained fully then huh?” He chuckled. “My name’s Hwang Hyunjin. I’m not exactly a girl but I understand your confusion. You were probably thinking of Kim Hyunjin. She’s a girl in the shapeshifter division.” He suffled around awkwardly. “So are you gonna let me in?”

“Hoooold on there. I have no idea who you are! You expect me to just casually share a place with you for months? When I’m just meeting you for the first time now? Plus you’re a werewolf aren’t you? Bold of you to assume I could naturally just trust you!” I was beyond shocked at his audacity.

“Come ooonnn! I’m just tired ok! It wasn’t exactly my idea to stay here. Sunghee kinda sprang it on me this morning.” He sighed once again, rubbing his neck.

“Is that supposed to make me feel better? If you’re trying to convince me to stay with some guy I just met than you’re doing a terrible job.” I chided.

“Look, we don’t even have to see each other or talk to each other. Ok? I’m just as unenthusiastic about this as you are but I know Sunghee would skin me alive if I didn’t care for her precious plants.”

I huffed. “I’m honestly too tired to continue with this conversation. Fine you can stay, but you better keep the place sparkling! Pull your weight in chores and maybe I won’t kick you out.” I didn’t plan on caving so easily but I was exhausted and needed sleep. I let the boy inside and then shut myself in my room for the night.

The next few weeks were....rough. Living with a teenage boy was hard enough but with him being a werewolf it was even worse. Despite trying to keep the place clean, everyday the place would be in shambles. He slept on the couch but would often shift to his wolf form while sleeping and ravage the place. Even with his sudden outbursts, Hyunjin did try his best to keep true to his deal. He rarely bothered me and the only time we really had a conversation was when he accidentally ate Sunghee’s herbs and needed information on which ones he should buy in replacement. One thing I did notice about Hyunjin was his habit to get home quite late. I was typically up into the late hours of the night doing homework so I always heard him come home. He would always be panting and out of breath, as if he had been chased back to the dorm. I did wonder what he was up to but I never confronted him about it, that is until one specific time.

It was a dreary Friday night in early October and I was finishing my physics homework for the week. Due to my growing hunger I decided to make some popcorn and maybe watch a movie later. As I was pouring the popcorn in a large bowl, I heard the front door slam open. Hyunjin must’ve been home. I didn’t greet him, as I didn’t typically do so but I could tell something was off by how he was breathing. He was panting much heavier than I had ever heard and seemed to be groaning in pain. I decided to ask what was wrong and finally discover what was happening. When I turned to question him, I was shocked by his appearance.

Standing in the doorway was Hyunjin. He was drenched it what appeared to be a mixture of blood, sweat and rain as it had been storming outside. What shocked me the most were the large scratches and cuts scattered throughout his body. The most noticeable of them were placed near his heart, from which blood seeped into his shirt. He also appeared to have some bruises forming on his face and his nose was bleeding. The last feature I noticed were the pitch black ears and tail that sprouted from his head and lower back. He was in partial wolf form.

“What the hell happened to you?!” I exclaimed. I wasn’t exactly expecting a bloody Hyunjin to walk through the door.

“Uhh....” he spun around, eyes wide in shock. He was like a deer caught in headlights. “I got into a small fight...” He mumbled, scratching his neck awkwardly. He wasn’t expecting me to be home.

“Bullshit! You wouldn’t look like walking road kill if it was just a small fight! Tell me what really happened!” I huffed. I wasn’t usually one to get mad easily but I had been suspicious of Hyunjin for a while and wanted answers.

“Fine...fine... I guess I owe you an explanation at least...” he stumbled forward out of shock and exhaustion. I quickly set the bowl down and went to help him walk to the couch. He was still badly injured.

“Fine but before you explain we better fix your injuries. You may be a werewolf but those wounds are deep. Without treatment they could get infected.” I quickly jogged into Sunghee’s room to fetch a first aid kit.

“Unlike Sunghee, I’m not a herbs and healing witch. I’ll have to patch you up the old fashion way.” I snickered. This would’ve been a lot easier with Sunghee.

“Fine, just get it over with.” Hyunjin sighed. I could still sense his distress from his previous experience.

I started with the cuts on his face. I washed them with a damp cloth followed by alcohol wipes. Hyunjin cringed in pain. I placed small bandages over the wounds and moved on to his chest. As embarrassing as it was, I was forced to lift up his shirt to access the scratches. Any other day the blonde would of teased me for being shy but he was currently in too much distress to do so. The wounds were deep but just shallow enough to not need stitches. I applied the same treatment as I did with his face but used a wrap of bandage instead.

“Ok Hwang, explain.” I crossed my arms as I huffed.

“Fine, fine.” He shuffled in his seat, cringing in pain as he felt his injuries stretch.

“I wasn’t lying when I said I got into a fight, but it was definitely more serious than usual. I’m sure you’ve noticed by now but I usually get home late and after a run in with some not so great people. They’re a group of vampires and shapeshifters that are a part of my gym class. I do excessively well in that class and I guess they were jealous of that so that’s why they first approached me. They wanted to ‘knock me down a peg’ and put me back in my place. It probably would’ve ended there but I’m so terrible at controlling my wolf form that I snarled at them. They chased me home after that. The past few weeks I’ve tried to avoid them, more for their safety than mine. I would sprint home each day in hopes of not starting any drama. Today was the one day I didn’t run home and those punks took advantage of it. They picked a fight with me and out of exhaustion I partially turned and swiped at them. They were pissed. My accidental turning led to them ‘beating me up’ except I was far stronger and managed to do more damage.”

“Wow.” Despite my suspicion I was still a bit shocked to hear the whole story. “I never would have pictured your lazy ass to be a fighter Hyunjin..” I chuckled. “That’s hilarious.” I subtly laughed into my hand. My exhaustion combined with the fact that Hyunjin ran away out of embarrassment made the situation seem hilarious to me.

“Don’t laugh! Hey! I try to keep the place clean! I do my best!” He chided, dramatically waving his hands around in exasperation. Now that I focused on him I realized he was still half turned.

“Hyunjin..” I giggled “You dumbass! Your ears are still out! Can you even tell?!” At my examination he quickly slammed his hands against his head, feeling that his ears were in fact still showing.

“Dammit! I swear these things have a mind of their own! If it weren’t for these dumb ears, I could’ve avoided all that drama!” He groaned as he tried to push his ears back into his head. I giggled and rolled my eyes. “You really do suck at controlling your wolf! As much as it pains me maybe I could help you out?” I stifled my laughter as I wanted Hyunjin to take me seriously. “Oh really? And how do you plan to do that?” He questioned, tilting his head to the side like a lost puppy. “I’m part witch! don’t you remember? I could make you something that can help you control your wolf better! For the time being I can cast a spell on you to alter your appearance! I’d have to be with you during school though...” I mumbled. Despite being ‘roommates’ I didn’t consider us to be close friends

“You’d really do that for me? Ya know you’re a lot cooler than you let on.” He chuckled.

“Hey!”

“Could you maybe tutor me while your at it?”

“Don’t push your luck, pretty boy!”

Over the next few months, Hyunjin and I spent a lot more time together. Initially it came as a shock to the rest of the school. He was a werewolf and I was part vampire, both species that had strongly disliked each other for years. Along with this, the blonde was far more popular than I was. I was more the ‘nerdy witch’ type, who’s only care was grades. Despite all our differences, we got along extremely well. Someone who had never met use before would’ve thought we had been friends for years or even lovers. Due to our tight knit relationship, it was a common task to deny relationship rumors. As promised I did start working on a formula that would help Hyunjin with his transformations. For the time being, I simply cast an illusion spell on him each morning and would check with him throughout the day to assure it was still in effect. Throughout my growing relationship with the boy, I began to feel confused. I felt strong emotions for him, emotions I had never felt before and didn’t understand. I finally figured them out when on the phone with Sunghee. As I described to her my new found friendship with Hyunjin and how much I wanted to hang out with him, Sunghee pieced together that I must’ve liked him , or in her words had a ‘crush’. I immediately dismissed the idea, but over the following week I noticed just how much I liked his company. There was no other way to explain it. Thankfully it didn’t appear to hinder our friendship at the time so I simply pushed the thoughts to the back back of my head.

Currently it was approaching the end of October meaning both finals for that semester and Halloween were in the upcoming week. Hyunjin was stressed to say the least. Despite all the tutoring I gave him, he was still adamant on needing my help to prepare. I decided to make a deal with him. For my witchcraft class I had a final project which required a non-witch partner. If he agreed to do the project with me I could tutor him again for free.

“Wait so what is this project again?” Hyunjin questioned as he took a bite out of pumpkin pie. We were sitting in the kitchen discussing our study plans for that week.

“Well it’s for my witchcraft class, it’s my final project. I need a non-witch partner and I thought you’d be perfect for for it!” I chided, throwing my arm over his shoulder.

“The premise of the project is to develop the three main elements of witchcraft through a secret mission into human territory-“

“What?” His eyes widened in shock as he choked on the pie he was practically inhaling. I patted his back to help with his coughs. He sighed and wiped his mouth. “What do you mean human territory?! It suuuuper dangerous over there! How could they assign that as a school project?!” He was surprised to say the least.

“Look Hyunjin I don’t see what the big deal is. It’s not like I didn’t live half of my life surrounded by humans. Just because you’re some rich prince boy who has never seen a human in their life doesn’t give you the excuse to back out on me now.” I sighed as I rubbed my temples.

“The majority of humans are pretty chill. They won’t notice anything if we keep a low profile. All we need to do is collect an item for each element of witchcraft, that’s three in total. We’ll be in and out of there in no time!”

“Ughh... As much as I hate the idea of us walking directly into danger, I can’t afford to fail this test. Plus with all the things you’ve done for me, I think I owe you one.” He chuckled.

“Then that’s settled! Well leave tomorrow!” I clapped my hands together. “Better start packing Hwang!” I shouted as I dashed to my room.

That night I packed the necessities I would need for the small trip. I packed a map, money, a change of clothes, water, snacks, and some tools for spell-craft. Hyunjin and I were to be disguised as travelers who were stopping at the nearest town for some materials. The disguise had to be convincing so I told Hyunjin to wear old, battered clothes and bring nothing too flashy. The only downside to this town was their utter fear of supernatural beings. Many humans could care less but for some this fear had evolved into hatred. If any supernaturals were discovered in or near the town, they would most likely be executed on the spot. In order to keep our cover from being blown, I could not risk the use of the spell I typically used on Hyunjin. He questioned me about it before leaving.

“Wait! What about the spell? You know I still suck at control right?” He questioned, lugging his tan backpack from his bedroom.

“I can’t risk anyone noticing. You’ll have to survive without it for one day. Just wear a hoodie or something to cover your ears if they happen to appear.” He nodded, nervous as ever. “Don’t worry it’ll be fine!” I smiled. “Let’s get going.

The beginning of the project went perfectly. We were able to slip into the town with few people noticing our presence. For the grade, I needed to collect three objects to represent the three elements of witchcraft : defense, offense and recovery. The recovery object was the easiest so we decided to gather that item first. We stopped at a small tea and herb shop, which they surprisingly had, and I bought multiple bags of herbal tea along with healing incense. We did get some strange looks in the store but nothing crazy, they probably weren’t used to teenagers visiting a dusty shop like that. Next was defense. It seemed easy enough. Hyunjin suggested we buy a plank of strongly crafted wood and have it shaped into a shield. He went and gathered that part of the project while I purchased solvents from a scientist that I could use in defense spells. The final element was definitely the most difficult. Offense or in short, something that could kill. Sure we could’ve found a sharp stick or snatched a spear from some old museum but those wouldn’t get me a good grade. I needed something special.

“Hey Look! A weaponry shop! That’s exactly what we’re looking for I chided, pulling him behind me by his sweatshirt sleeve. “We can probably get a gun or something here...” I mumbled. As we entered the small shop we were greeted by an old man. He didn’t say anything directed towards us but a simple ‘Welcome. Shout if you need help’.

“Let’s go quick Hyunjin. I wanna get out of here as soon as possible.” I whispered to the boy as I signaled him to follow me into the store.

“Okay, okay. What do you want me to look for?” He whispered back.

“Find a dagger or knife of sorts, I’ll find a small handgun. Don’t buy anything too gaudy though, we don’t wanna draw attention on the way out.” I walked to the back of the store that was labeled as the gun section. I picked out two small handguns along with a couple packs of ammunition, keeping in mind how they would fit in my pack. I quickly met Hyunjin at the front counter. He had picked out a dark green Swiss Army knife along with what appeared to be a hunters knife. If the store owner didn’t walk out at that moment, we probably would’ve slipped out without paying.

“Hello! Is this all you want today?” He questioned. We both nodded placing the weapons on the counter. He wrapped the items lightly then packed them into a small bag. He handed the bag to Hyunjin as I shuffled through my bag for cash.

“Why you both look pretty young! You wouldn’t mind showing me your weapons license by any chance right?”

Shit. I didn’t think of that. I shuffled through my bag in despair.

“Umm you see sir I think I must’ve lost it while traveling....” I rubbed my neck, hoping he would buy my childish lie.

“I’m sorry but I need to see it in order for you to buy these weapons miss.” He smiled, an eerie smile at that.

“I’m so sorry sir but I can’t find it....” I awkwardly smiled back.

“Well then missy, you’ll have to give those back!” He reached and grabbed at the bag which Hyunjin had handed to me. Out of instinct I pulled it back towards me, effectively loosing my balance and stumbling back into the blonde. It didn’t take long for us to trip over each other and fall to the floor.

“You...you monsters! I knew something was up with you!” The man at the front screeched, flailing his arms about wildly. I furrowed my brows in confusion. It made sense when I finally caught sight of the boy beside me. The fall had effectively knocked the hood of his head and thanks to our luck, his ears were out on full display. We were screwed.

“Dammit Hyunjin!” I yelled throwing myself up from the floor and grabbing at him to get up. “Time to run!” Finally grasping the situation, the blonde sprang up from the floor and dashed out the door beside me. As we sprinted through the city, we heard what sounded like gunshots. I assumed they were signal flares, something to notify the people that supernaturals were there. It didn’t take long before a group of crazed humans were chasing after us with spears and guns. Just as the gunshots began to sound, I managed to put up a protective barrier around us.

“Hyunjin we gotta get out of here as fast as we can! We can’t risk dying or letting them know the school’s location!” I huffed. Running was hard. “I can only keep this barrier up for so long! Do you have any ideas?” I desperately shouted as we made a mad dash away from the town. His eyes seemed to sparkle in excitement at me asking for his help. He had an idea.

“You might not like this idea but I think it could work!” He shouted back.

“What is it?”

“I’m gonna need you to trust me fully! On the count of three, I’ll transform into full wolf form and run out of here with you on my back! There’s no way they could catch up to us!” He panted, his golden eyes shimmering in the sunlight.

“You’re really crazy sometimes Hwang, but this time I’m willing to trust you! Just don’t let us get killed ok?!”

“Alright it’ll take me a minute to transform fully! If you can hold up this barrier for that long we should be fine!”

“Alright!” We stopped suddenly. I closed my eyes in concentration as I chanted the spell for the protective barrier. As I did so, Hyunjin transformed into a beautiful, sleek black wolf.

‘Hop on!’ I heard him speak to me through subconscious thoughts. It didn’t take another word from him for me to swing my legs over his back and latch onto his fur. “Go Hyunjin!” I shouted, causing the wolf to sprint forwards, almost three times as fast as the pace we were previously at.

We ran for what seemed like years. The sounds of gunshots and angry shouts seemed to fade into the distance long ago. We had lost them. Upon passing the school gates, we both collapsed on a grassy area, Hyunjin returning to his human form. I rolled onto the ground in exhaustion. I wasn’t exactly the ‘athletic type’ and that amount of exercise was painful. I chuckled as I saw Hyunjin collapse beside me.

“What are you laughing at?!” He jeered.

“Heh, at least we didn’t die! Now you won’t fail your finals since you are guaranteed my help in studying! Aren’t you happy about that?” I chuckled again.

“Ignoring the fact that we almost died, that was the most fun I’ve had in years! Who would’ve though you to be my best friend-“ I was cut off by the sensation of warm lips against mine. Hyunjin was kissing me. I could feel my face heat up but I kissed back. His feelings were clearly reciprocated. Upon breaking the kiss, I faced away for, him and covered my face in embarrassment.

“Huh? Is that the great and fabulous name being shy at a simple kiss? You’re so weak!” He laughed as he rubbed his face against my neck, similar to how an animal would treat its mate. I chuckled. Two could play at that game. I faced him again.

“Is the great, dumb wolf Hyunjin in love with me?” I smirked as I saw the slight blush bubble up on his cheeks.

“Well maybe I am!” He chided. I smiled

“Well maybe I love you too.”

AN: This was from Halloween buuuttt imma post it now cuz y not 😗. Also I watched the Skz concert this weekend and it was AMAZING. I am currently still in post concert depression buttt maybe I’ll have some motivation to write again soon! Peace out ✌🏼

[idk-mlb-is-reals-cute44]

A Miraculously Wonderful Wedding Day

Requested by @crazyfanatic97 (Dress design also by @crazyfanatic97 )

Summary: When Marinette's wedding day is interrupted by an akuma attack, she thinks her luck couldn't be worse. Little does she know, this unfortunate turn of events is about to lead to what might be the most miraculous revelation she's ever had. (AO3) 

*****

Marinette usually considered herself a pretty relaxed person. After coming into her own in the fashion world, finally asking Adrien out, and successfully upholding her responsibilities as Ladybug for almost ten years and counting, she had faced enough “this is gonna be the end of the world” to figure out how to keep her cool in stressful situations. On particularly bad days, she might get a little “loud, angry fashion designer.” On a rare, worse day, she might feel like she was fourteen years old again. 

Today she was at full out teenage-Chloe-levels of stressed. 

For one, it was her wedding day. The week had already been busy. But starting at seven a.m., it had been an endless parade of “how do you want your makeup” and “let me mess with your hair” and “are these flowers ok?” and Marinette wanted to scream. 

But on top of all of that, the fussing and worrying and getting ready, there was an akuma. 

An akuma. On her wedding day. 

To say Marinette was pissed was an understatement. Marinette was experiencing full-on “let’s murder Hawkmoth” levels of rage. 

The ceremony was starting in two hours. There were a million tiny, but also somehow unimaginably important, tasks to complete and details to check. The caterer was late. There was no time left over to deal with a battle. 

But Marinette had been Ladybug for long enough that she didn’t hesitate to clear out the room, citing “wanting some alone time on this special day,” and other such excuses that rolled off the tongue. (She was practiced at this--she knew what she was doing.) 

“This is so unfair,” Marinette complained to Tikki. 

“I know! It sucks!” said Tikki, in companionable indignance. She trusted her chosen not to need any convincing to do her job. 

Marinette gave herself a minute to push down the worries and anger and stress. Paris needed their hero, their Ladybug, right now. Not a stressed out bridezilla. 

(Marinette, in usual fashion, was not giving herself enough credit. To deal with all this, she was a saint.) 

“Tikki, spots on!” 

*****

Ladybug arrived on the scene, to find Chat Noir already there. She smiled at him. Even though the timing was just so inconvenient it had to be cosmically planned, she always loved to see her kitty. 

“Hello, Bugaboo!” Chat called out as she landed on the roof side beside him. 

“Hello, kitty,” Ladybug returned, “It’s always a pleasure to see you, as you know, but I’m hoping we can make this quick? I have a big day.” 

“Same,” he nodded, “I’m short on time as well.” Here he let a big grin loose, and said, as if he couldn’t contain himself in his joy, “I’m getting married.” 

Ladybug gasped. 

“You’re kidding!”

He shook his head. 

“That’s insane. I am too!” she continued, bumping him lightly with her hip. 

Chat snickered. 

“I’m the ying to your yang, right? We’re on the same wavelength!” 

Ladybug laughed. 

An explosion boomed from the north of them. 

“Let’s get to it, hmm?” said Ladybug, slinging her yoyo in the direction of whatever today’s brand of catastrophe would be. 

“Right behind you,” Chat said, taking a running leap. 

****** 

Hawkmoth was apparently bringing out all the stops today. Who knows how much time had passed as Ladybug and Chat Noir faced off against the overpowered, claustrophobia-themed akuma he’d sent out. 

It didn’t help that the longer the two spent struggling, the more their banter and confident energy drained. The time constraint only served to raise the stakes, which didn’t exactly translate to “the superheroes at their best.”

Angoisse, who wore the grossest (bright yellow and somber grey) bodysuit Ladybug had ever seen, had the power to trap people in tiny opaque boxes. Pretty standard akuma. The formula tended to be “something bad happens = does that bad thing to other people.” Hawkmoth was getting bored, it seemed, after all these years. He rarely got too creative. 

Still, the infamous super villain had managed to create a serious challenge this time around, formula or not. 

So, one thing led to another. 

That is to say… Ladybug and Chat Noir got trapped in a teeny, tiny box together. No way out, and hardly any wiggle room. 

Both their timers were running out, so they stood with their eyes closed, waiting for the telltale sparkly, ultra-shiny glow of detransformation. 

What they hadn’t expected was Marinette’s wedding dress. With the poofiest bell shaped skirt to ever exist (or, as close to that as Marinette could reasonably achieve), it was about four or so feet in diameter. It suddenly sprang into existence, and shoved Chat back towards the opposite wall. 

A few things happened, in quick succession. 

Both Marinette and Chat’s eyes involuntarily opened in momentary shock. 

Before Marinette could squeeze her eyes shut, Chat lost his skin tight super suit, in favor of a tuxedo (designed by none other than Marinette). 

A few moments pause, for shock. Here we find lots of rapid blinking, and loss of words. 

“Holy sh-” Adrien started. 

“You’re not supposed to see the dress!” Marinette suddenly squealed, lunging for Adrien. 

She covered his eyes, and he burst out laughing. 

“It’s you!” he almost yelled, his smile so supernova it was probably visible from Mars and rivaled the sun. 

She let out some panicked giggles, which soon became full out cackling. Uncovering his eyes, she grabbed his arms and tucked her face into his neck, shaking with mirth. 

“It’s you…” she returned, then let out one last snort. “I think we might miss our wedding, dear.” 

He enveloped her in a hug. 

“Ehh,” he shrugged, “We’ll elope.” 

Marinette let out a mock shriek. 

“Not on your life, Adrien Agreste!” she pulled back to give him her best imitation of her mother’s sternest face. “What will the families say?!” 

He slowly shook his head, staring at her in earnest wonder. 

“I can’t believe you’re Ladybug,” he said, “The love of my life and my best friend are the same person.” 

“I can’t believe you’re Chat Noir,” Marinette cried, “You’re like, my two favorite people! In one!” 

The two stared at each other, dumbstruck, for a few moments. 

“This is so surreal,” Marinette finally said, “...But also it somehow makes sense? Of course you’re Chat Noir. No one else makes puns as bad as you two-I mean, as you do.” 

“I feel kind of dumb for not realizing sooner,” he said, “We’re total idiots, right?” 

“Total idiots,” she agreed, “Total idiots who are in loooove!” 

“We’re getting married!” Adrien exclaimed. 

“Today! And we’re all dressed up!” Marinette said, “I can’t believe I’m marrying Chat Noir. You! Adrien! Adrien Noir! Chat Agreste!” 

“I’m marrying Ladybug,” Adrien smirked, making the resemblances to his alter ego even more striking, “Fourteen year old me would be over the moon. And you’re Marinette! I’ve got to be the luckiest guy in the world.” 

Marinette leapt forward, kissing him. He let out a surprised gasp, before returning it.  

 “I hope we don’t miss the cake,” she breathed, pulling back. 

“At our own wedding?” Adrien chuckled, a little breathless himself. “I think they’ll wait for us before they get into the cake, sweetie.” 

“You might miss the cake if we don’t bust out of here!” Plagg suddenly interrupted. “I’ve given you like… five minutes for your disgusting love fest. Now you’ve gotta bust us out!” 

“Plagg’s right,” Tikki sighed, sounded disappointed, “Can this be postponed?”

Marinette nodded, digging macarons out of the pockets she’d been very adamant about sewing into her dress. 

“I hope this is alright,” she said to Plagg, “I don't know what you normally eat.” 

Within seconds the dynamic duo was back in costume. 

“Ready, dear wife?” Chat asked, pressing a quick kiss to his lady’s mouth. 

“Not your wife yet, kitty,” Ladybug winked. “I’m ready. Let’s do this!” 

Chat destroyed the box with his signature Cataclysm! 

Spirits were definitely lifted, and the second part of the fight went much quicker than the first. Within ten, twenty minutes Ladybug had purified the akuma and restored the city to its previous, un-rampaged, glory. 

“We’re so late,” Ladybug said, fistbumping her partner. 

“We are!” Chat said. “I’m kind of too happy right now to care.” 

“Me too!” 

They beamed at each other for a moment. 

“Race you,” Ladybug finally said, wiggling her eyebrows. 

“You’re on!” 

***** 

Alya and Sabine were understandably a little mad at Marinette, who had turned up only ten minutes before the ceremony was set to begin. 

Still, she had Supreme Bride Privilege, so all was quickly forgiven. They touched up her Miraculously unruined hair and makeup, and sent her to wait with Tom as the bridal chorus quietly began. 

Marinette’s dress, the instigator of the happy revelation earlier that evening, had delicate off-the-shoulder sleeves. The dress was white, but cut short to reveal the blue underskirt that matched her eyes. Gold trim lined the bodice and waistline, and sparkly star-shaped details peppered the whole affair. Designing her own wedding dress had been possibly the most challenging, and most rewarding, creative process of Marinette’s life. 

Usually, when wearing a design she was proud of, Marinette was hyper aware of everyone’s reaction. Today, as her voluminous skirt swished along the aisle, her hand tucked into her father’s arm, she had eyes only for Adrien. 

They had already seen each other that day, but it had been in the excitement of battle, and the shock of discovering each other’s identities had superseded any other observations. Now, as Marinette milked the walk for all it was worth, moving at almost a snail’s pace, she really took a moment to take in her groom. 

His golden hair was tousled, almost sparkling in the bright mid-afternoon light streaming through the windows. His black tuxedo (with gold and blue accents, to match her own dress) fit him perfectly, and the almost imperceivable dusting of blush and mascara Chloe had insisted upon meant he looked almost too handsome for words. 

But, in all honesty, Marinette couldn't care less about any of that. 

She stared into his bright green eyes, crinkled from his dopey smile, and Marinette felt like she was coming home. She knew he felt the same way. Just like she knew she and her partner would always be an unstoppable team, just like she knew the sun would rise and the moon would set. Adrien was Chat Noir, her kitty, her best friend, the love of her life and her ultimate inspiration. She had hardly known so for even thirty minutes, but she had never known something so fully and completely as she did now. 

As she finally stepped up to the dais, she shot him a quick wink, before turning to the priest. 

Vows were exchanged. They both said their “I do”s. They gave their first kiss as a married couple. 

Later, as they sat, feet near-blistered from dancing and eyes sparkling with happiness, sharing a piece of cake, they had their second kiss. And their third. And their forth. 

“My kitty.” Marinette giggled. 

“Today was perfect, wasn’t it my lady?” 

And despite the stress, and the battle, and almost being late to her own special day, Marinette was completely sincere when she said, “Yes. Yes it was.” 

[tuffduff]

I’m Gonna Marry You (Duff McKagan x Reader)

Pairing: fluffy Duff x Reader

Words: 1175

Request: @hir-cines​ “Ok bby here’s a request: really fluffy Duff imagine were he’s come home after a bad day at the studio and just needs some TLC from the reader. I’m talking compliments, forehead kisses, back rubs and some good ol’ fluffy convos while wrapped in a mound of blankets. Hope that’s good and thank you 😊”

A/N: this is short and sweet, ugh I love cuddly domesticated vulnerable Duff! 🥺 I hope y’all like it, thanks for requesting angel 💕

Just a few more steps. Just a few more step. That’s what Duff kept telling himself as he struggled the last little bit towards the shared apartment he had with you. It was the thought of you and you alone that made him practically run home after a long day of nothing but conflict in the studio. He and his band got along great, but everyone had their off days. Lately, those days were springing up more often; they were all stressed. The pressure to deliver was intense, the fear of failure was almost paralyzing—but it didn’t matter. Not right now.

You were waiting on him.

Keys, keys, fuck, where had he put his keys?

Not even possessing an ounce of patience to search for them, he took the steps that led to your apartment two at a time and merely knocked on the door, waiting to be let in, waiting to be reunited.

When you opened the door, bewildered, he only had a second to take you in, but it was enough; he’d rather feel you in his arms. Goddammit though if you didn’t look fucking adorable in his shirts.

“What happened to your key—oh!” You squeaked a little from the tightness of his embrace. He wasn’t fully aware of just how much stress he was under until he was in your presence again, the one person he knew he could count on to take care of his soul. “Hi, babe. I missed your face.” Your soothing voice made him smile for the first time in hours.

“I had a bad night.” He murmured immediately. The two of you never held anything in—rarely ever would either of you have to ask the phrase “what’s wrong?”

But if open communication was your relationship’s best trait, unconditional love was the second. Or maybe that was just your gift. Duff had never felt so genuinely appreciated in his entire life just for existing until he met you. He still remembered the first night he slept over and awoke the next morning with you being the first thing that welcomed him back to the waking world.

“I’m so glad you’re alive at the same time as me,” you had told him. And he remembered how taken aback he had felt in the moment and found himself wondering to this day how you made something so heavy sound so casual and true. He also remembered thinking to himself, I could get used to this.

The moment he admitted his downtrodden spirit, he felt the roles reverse. Your arms were suddenly wrapped around his frame, your eyebrows pulled together in concern. Lacing your hand through his, you pulled him through the threshold of your apartment completely.

“Do you want to talk about it, or do you just want to forget it?” Duff thought about it for a second, admiring absently how you always knew how to approach any emotional situation.

“We’re just not gelling in the studio lately—I mean if we really want to release a double album, that’s a lot of songs that need to be recorded. I don’t know if it’ll even be done by the time we’re supposed to tour.” As he rambled, you had guided him to the couch and pulled him down beside you. He could never understand just how on earth your hands were always so soft as you began to massage his hands in yours. You were always telling him to take better care of his hands since he so often neglected them from his tedious bass playing. “And Steven is just getting worse every day...I don’t know what we’re going to do about him anymore.” You nodded along silently, never interrupting. “The only thing that got me through it all was knowing I got to come home to you.” You just smiled. It was nights like this when he was reminded how lucky he really was; you had a smile that could start wars between men, the kind of eyes that made knees weak. He felt his heart grow full when you leaned forward to place a gentle kiss to his forehead, a piece of his soul being patched up again, and his patience returning to him.

Suddenly, your grip on his hands tightened and you inhaled excitedly.

“I know exactly what we should do!” The glint in your eyes was already making him smile. He watched as you sprang up and disappeared, only to return with enough blankets that only your face was visible. “Honestly, if you had taken any longer at the studio, I would have already done this by myself. I’ve been thinking about it all night.” You explained, beckoning him to the floor of your living area and draping the large blanket over his shoulders. “Now, why don’t we watch some dumb horror movie.”

“You didn’t think it was so dumb when you couldn’t sleep for two nights.” He teased you, pulling you into the space between his legs and flush against his chest so he could wrap his arms around you properly.

“Yeah, well, I’ve got you to protect me, don’t I?”

The movie didn’t really matter so much after-all, it was practically abandoned the moment the two of you decided popcorn was more of a priority. Now, you were a mess of limbs splayed and connected together under mounds of blankets, a half-eaten bowl of popcorn by your heads and faint screams from the movie being ignored as the two of you faced each other on the ground.

“Sometimes it just feels like I can’t keep up,” he admitted softly. “Everything’s always going so fast. I didn’t even play bass very well when I first got into Guns, and now...” he couldn’t even wrap his head around the now, everything was always viciously demanding of his time.

You reached out and grabbed his hand, grounding him again. “And now you guys are one of the biggest bands in the world, not only because of how talented you all are, but how hard you guys work. Especially you, babe.” He hesitated, shrugging off your words. “No, bullshit, Duff. I can see how much you put into this. I’ve seen how much you sacrifice for this, for the music, for the band, for your fans, for me—you do so much because you wouldn’t have it any other way. That’s just you. And that’s why I love you.”

If he weren’t so set on the tradition and sacredness and the fact that his mom would be disappointed, he would have surely asked you to marry him right there, in that instant.

“Well...” he began, searching for the right words to properly express himself. “I’m gonna marry you someday.” He blurted out, making you laugh. “No, I mean it. I fucking love you, Y/N. I wouldn’t be becoming the man I am without you here.”

“I’m gonna hold you to those words.” You joked, leaning forward to kiss him. The movie was definitely forgotten now, and his bad day seemed like a very distant memory.

[whatarubberchicken]

Day 7: Teamwork

@mlrarepairmarch 

Barely made it on time! (I’ve been distracted.) Less romance than interaction for these two, but I wanted to explore this little headcanon of mine a bit. Spoilers, of course, for those still attempting to not watch season 2 until it comes out on Netflix.

Pairing: Carapace/Rena Rouge (I still like Jade Fox for this ship’s name!)

“Is this really necessary, LB?” Rena whined as Ladybug secured the cuff to her wrist.

“Absolutely,” Ladybug replied, stepping back to observe her handiwork, “you two have been at each other’s throats since Day One.”

“He hasn’t been here since Day One!” Rena protested, “but he thinks he can just waltz right in and tell me what to do—!”  

“I made a few suggestions on how you could focus more on the mission,” Carapace argued, also shifting around the cuff uncomfortably. “It’s not my fault you flipped out—”

“Flipped out??”

“You two are only proving my point,” Ladybug said, rolling her eyes. As soon as her Lucky Charm had turned into a set of handcuffs, she’d known exactly what to do. “And I’m not letting you go until you learn how to work together.”

“Oh, c’mon,” Carapace groaned. “Chat, buddy, help a brother out, man!”

“Sorry, Shelly,” Chat grinned down from his perch, “but our fearless leader has spoken.”

“Dude. Uncool. Remember? Bros before—” Carapace quickly cut himself off, catching Ladybug’s unamused glare. Her eyebrow slowly rose, just daring him to finish that statement. “—beautiful, strong, superheroes with our best interests at heart?” he finished weakly.

Rena Rouge snorted. “Nice save, Shelly.”

“I told you, my name is Carapace,” he snapped back at her.

“Whatever you say, ninja turtle boy.”

“Enough!” Ladybug shouted. She rubbed her temples to fend off another headache. “Chat, where’s the akuma?”

“Looks like Road Rage set up camp at the Arc de Triomphe,” Chat called, peering out from the top of the cell tower, where he’d been tracking the villain while Ladybug ‘took care of’ their wayward teammates. “And her speed bump minions are still roaming up and down the Champs-Elysées chasing cars. Lots of accidents.”

“Ok, here’s the plan,” Ladybug said. “Chat, you’re with me against Road Rage.”

“Whoot!”

“Rena, you distract the minions with an illusion of cars they can chase. Try to keep them away from the real civilians.”

“Gotcha!”

“Carapace, you guard her and make sure none of the minions come after her to break the illusion.”

“I think I’d be better off with you and Chat, shielding you guys from the actual akuma,” Carapace grumbled.

“Hey! Are you saying I’m not good enough to defend our beautiful Lady?” Chat cried, bounding down beside Ladybug.

“Well, if it’s a stick vs. a shield—”

“You all have your assignments,” Ladybug barked, grabbing Chat by the bell before he could argue more. “Go!”

They scattered. –Or, Rena and Carapace attempted to scatter, only to be painfully reminded that they were stuck together at the wrist. They glared at each other for a moment, then reluctantly took off in the opposite direction as Chat and Ladybug.

Carapace grit his teeth underneath his hood, barely restraining himself from just suddenly stopping and jerking his hand backwards. Rena Rouge had practically been dragging him the whole way. Even with Miraculous armor, his arm was gonna be sore later.

“Would you slow down??” he huffed at her, finally using his weight to pull her to a stop. “You can see the damn minions from here, just play them a tune and be done with it already!”

“If I do it here, I’ll be too far away to take any of them out if something goes wrong!!” Rena snarled back.

He resisted the urge to strangle her and instead shot her a dry stare. “They are literally bumps of asphalt that move around under the street, trying to chase and flip cars. What are you gonna do? Whack ‘em with your flute??”

“If I have to!!”

Carapace facepalmed. “Why did I get stuck with a stubborn idiot??” he moaned to no-one in particular.

“I am not an idiot!!” Rena growled.

“Then use your brain!!”

The glare she leveled at him could’ve made lesser men cry. But him? Ha. Nino dealt with Alya on a regular basis, and she was ten times scarier than this girl.

As it was, Rena pulled out her flute, still glaring at him. “C’mon,” she said, her voice lower, but still wound tight. “I need to get closer.”

Before Carapace could protest, Rena threw herself off the building, obviously intending to dive down to the street below.

“NO!!” with a shout, Carapace threw himself backwards, scrambling to grab the edge of the roof with his free hand, while jerking his stupid partner back towards the safety of the building.

The result: they both yelped, went flying, and landed in a heap on the side of the road.

“You jerk!” Rena squealed, trying to untangle herself from him. “What’d you do that for??”

“What part of ‘these things have to stay inside the street’ did you miss??” he shouted back.

She gave him a strange look. “We’re not cars, Donatello,” she pointed out. “They won’t come… after….”

She trailed off as they both heard the tell-tale rumbling of one of the minions. Sure enough, they both looked over to see one large bump of asphalt headed straight for them.

“…us.”

Rena and Carapace took off running for the nearest building.

“Your deductive skills could use some work!!” Carapace yelled.

“That offends me on a personal level!!” Rena shouted back.

“Watch it—watch it!” Carapace cried. He stepped in between Rena and their attacker. “SHIELD!” Instantly, his magical forcefield sprang into existence, surrounding them in a protective dome of green. The racing bump bounced off it harmlessly. To Carapace’s dismay, however, it kept coming back for more, bouncing off the shield again and again. He grit his teeth.

“My shield’s not gonna last, foxy! Do it now!!”

In response, his arm was jerked up and he heard the haunting melody of Rena’s flute.

“MIRAGE!” she cried.

Instantly, the street around them seemed to fill up with cars. Carapace blinked and had to remind himself that it was an illusion. But he could see them all so clearly! And he could feel the vibrations under his feet, and almost smell the exhaust…

Wait, were those vibrations real?

“C’mon, Donatello, we gotta go!” Rena said urgently. He gave her a bewildered look and she sighed before explaining. “The more lifelike I make the illusions, the closer I have to be to them. In order to make the ground actually vibrate so the minions could ‘see’ the ‘cars,’ I needed to make the illusion right here! Which means we’re gonna have all of Road Rage’s minions come over here—” she looked around them, “—oh, right about now.”

Carapace didn’t need any more urging. He dropped his forcefield so he could move. “Up on the building! Jump, now!!”

They jumped together, just as three of the speed bump minions crashed into the space they’d just occupied. Asphalt flew everywhere.

They landed in a pile of limbs again (he wasn’t used to just how strong Rena was), but at least they were off the ground and safe.

Carapace flopped onto his back and took a deep breath. Beside him, Rena laid down too. But after a moment, she started giggling.

“Not bad for a stubborn idiot, huh?” she asked lightly, her tone teasing. He turned his head to grin at her.

“Not bad,” he acknowledged. It might not be the amount of teamwork Ladybug ultimately wanted from them, but at least they’d been able to work together! Rena beamed at him and sat up.

“And you were pretty cool there too,” she allowed, “thanks for saving my butt.”

Carapace chuckled and barely—barely caught the butt joke he’d been about to make. He quickly bit his tongue. Crap! What the Hell?! He wasn’t with Alya! He couldn’t flirt with this girl!! He flushed and glanced over at her.

“An-anytime,” he said, suddenly feeling awkward. She noticed his blush and quickly looked away herself.

“We-well, let’s go find the Bug and get ourselves free,” she suggested, tugging him up once more.

Carapace allowed it, scrambling to his feet. Anything to break the new awkward tension between them.

“Knowing Chat, she’s gonna need our help anyways,” he agreed. They took off together.

WaRC

P.S. If you’ve seen Tremors, that’s kinda what I was going for with the minions.

[4birds-of-a-feather]

Chapter 26 - Man, it doesn’t show signs of stoppin’ [part 4]

Birds Of a Feather

(In the previous chapters: Sara’s come back to the apartment, only to find Eddie next to the front door; the two of them then spent their afternoon talking about concerts, but also about Eddie’s difficult childhood and Sara’s singing abilities that the girl wants to keep secret at all costs. The guy forces her to sing him something and, after jokingly threatening her with the promise that he’ll write a duet for the two of them, Eddie and Sara start a pillow fight. Unexpectedly, Layla appears and sees them behaving in this unconventional friendly way. WARNING: we know, we know! A Christmas Eve chapter when Carnival has already ended?! You all have to forgive us: we fell ill, then University exams and jobs gave us the final blow... Let’s just hope you’re gonna enjoy this update! Thanks for your patience, you guys are seriously the best and we’ll never get tired to say it 🏵️)

Layla sighed as she entered her apartment and tossed the keys on the telephone table. She silently thanked her past self for taking the spare ones after she gave hers to Sara, otherwise she’d have spent Christmas Eve outside a closed door alone. She noticed the lights were on and took a mental note to scold her roommate for having forgotten to switch them off before going out. She plopped on the couch still wearing her coat and with her bag in her hands. <Is it possible to feel relieved and extremely sad at the same time?> the girl asked herself as she was staring at the flashing lights of the Christmas tree she set up with Sara a few days before. She smiled thinking about how she had to threaten her friend not to cook anymore to get some help with the decorations. A minute later she was sulking again though, thinking that it was all meaningless since nobody was there to enjoy it. She wasn’t upset because she didn’t get to leave and see David – she wasn’t that eager to go anyway – it was simply one of those things she would have done because it was just the right thing to do. Layla was actually glad to have an excuse to avoid meeting him, but being alone on Christmas Eve wasn’t exactly the ideal scenario either. She snapped out of her thoughs when she heard some noise coming through the hallway. <... Eddie?> Layla distinctively heard male laughter and sprang to attention. She quickly removed her coat, leaving it on the couch and got up, walking towards the source of the noise, which was Eddie’s room. In a small corner of her mind she wondered what he was doing at home, why he wasn’t at the party with Jeff, but most of all she was curious to know what he was laughing so heartily for. Maybe he was on the phone with his friends from California... She was about to find out and was also considering going to the bathroom for a quick check in the mirror before showing up in his room, but she stopped in her tracks when she heard a female laughter too. <Oh... he’s not alone... well, of course he’s not> Layla called herself stupid for being jealous because they were nothing but friends and after all she was just about to board a flight to go see her ex boyfriend. She was about to go back and take the phone so she could lock herself in her room and call her parents and siblings when she heard a well known voice. “... nobody has to fuckin’ know it!” her friend Sara warned Eddie, who was now horse laughing. “What the...?” Layla whispered and took a U turn, walking towards Eddie’s room. “Ok, ok, nobody will ever know this thing! I swear!” Eddie hardly managed to say between laughters. “Nobody will ever know what?” Layla stuck her head through the half open door and found herself gawking with her jaw dropped when she saw Eddie laying on the bed with his legs in the air and Sara bent over him with a pillow in her hands, both in an almost frozen position as they were looking at her, surprised to see her. “Layla?! Layla, h-hi. What are you doing here?” Eddie slowly processed the fact his crush was standing at the door while he was in bed with her best friend – at least that was what it looked like – and when he did, he immediately jumped up to sit on the covers, while Sara remained there awkwardly holding the pillow and slowly pulling it down on her head. “I could ask you the same question but I’ll focus on the one I’ve already asked you” Layla promptly remarked, opening the door a little wider and entering the room. “Hey, El! Did you miss the flight? Sara asked as nothing happened, her head still covered with the pillow. “Yes, like all the other passengers. The airport is basically blocked because of the snow storm, no flights for now” “And I’ve always thought God didn’t exist!” Sara exclaimed throwing her pillow at Layla, who caught it directly in her hands and gave a scornful look at her roommate. Sara immediately got the hint and went on, addressing Layla but actually talking to Eddie “Oh, I mean, I’m sorry you can’t visit your family but I’m happy you’re here” “I’m happy too. Too bad for your... family” Eddie played along, crossing his legs on the bed and not looking at Layla in the eye. The fact she still wanted to see her boyfriend really upset him but he didn’t want to let her know he knew, he didn’t want to make her uncomfortable. “What about your family, Sara? Weren’t you supposed to spend Christmas with them?” “I did! I went home, shook hands, shared hugs and kisses, wished a merry Christmas to everybody and then flew out of there as fast as I could!” the girl basically mimicked the movement of a Space Shuttle launch. “Did you run after they asked you how college is going? Or if you’re working?” Eddie asked her amused, still remembering their previous exchange on the matter. “Nah, I resisted, but had to get out of there when they asked me where my boyfriend was” she elbowed him hard in the ribs as he was still laughing. “Oh god! I hate when they ask that. When will you settle down?” Eddie put on an extremely serious voice. “When will you get your act together, Miss?” she squakwed and burst out laughing until her eyes met Layla, who was just awkwardly standing there with an embarrassed smile on her face. “Yeah, I guess it can be stressful at some point” the girl commented, feeling kinda out of place in that conversation. Family reunions with the whole Boulais clan together were rare and she loved them and treasured them. Anyway, nobody ever asked her anything about her career or life in general... at least not for first; relatives were usually more interested in her brother’s upcoming concerts or her sister’s first fashion shows at school. Then they would end up asking about her as well, but there wasn’t really much to say; her parents didn’t inquire about her relationship with David, – also because they didn’t really approve it – they thought she was too young to go steady with a guy like that and that he was actually clipping her wings. “Layla’s not like us, Eddie, she was lucky in the family department” “I’d be luckier if I got to spend more time with them. You can’t understand, Sara: you can see them anytime you want, if you were me you’d miss them too and wouldn’t get tired of those boring questions” Layla sighed and her roommate had to gulp down the lump in her throat. “Well, yeah... I guess that-” she shrugged, but her friend stopped her. “So what is it that nobody has to know?” “What?” Sara decided to play dumb but Layla wouldn’t hear of it. “You were talking about that just before I arrived, about a secret you had to keep or something...” Layla folded her arms and leant against the doorframe, waiting for an answer. “Heaven by Warrant” Eddie stated out of the blue. “Excuse me?” Layla squinted towards him. “Sara loves that song but is ashamed to admit it” “WHAT THE FU-” Sara turned to face Eddie and give him a nasty look but immediately understood she had to play along if she wanted her little secret to remain safe “And you swore you wouldn’t have told anybody!” “But Layla is your best friend forever, she wouldn’t – ouch! - she wouldn’t ruin your reputation” Eddie tried to defend himself but couldn’t avoid Sara’s slap on his nape. Layla wasn’t really sure about what was going on. <The song thing can be true but...> it wasn’t Sara’s unexpected interest for power ballads that didn’t convince Layla, but rather the apparently new chemistry and intimacy between her and Eddie. “My lips are sealed” Layla dismissed everything with a smile and decided not to think about it and simply enjoy the company of her friends. “So... what do we do now? I mean, we’re alone at Christmas, we gotta come up with something” Eddie questioned, finally standing up from his bed and retrieving his pillow from the floor next to Layla’s feet. <She’s so beautiful, for fuck’s sake...> he pondered as he did. “We’re not alone, we’re three – we’re a group!” Layla cheered with a little jump. “A group of losers” Sara smirked. “Ok, if you wanna stay here and lie around, moping like this forever and feeling sorry for yourself, you’re welcome; this loser here’s gonna cook a delicious Christmas dinner” Layla stated with a nod and left Eddie’s room just like that. “Where does all that energy come from?” Eddie turned around to ask Sara, still sitting on his bed. “Don’t ask me, just prepare yourself to stuff good things in your stomach” Sara slowly stood up from the bed and was about to drag herself out of Eddie’s room, but the singer had already stormed out to join Layla in the kitchen.

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

Eddie stopped a few steps away from the kitchen then proceeded to enter walking normally, so that Layla wouldn’t notice he was in a rush and eager to be alone with her. As he got in he realized she wouldn’t notice anyway because she was standing on a chair with her head buried into an open cabinet, probably looking for something for the dinner. “Ehm ehm... can I help you?” Eddie coughed and asked as he was noticing Layla’s long Christmas sweater had reindeers also in the back. “Oh, hey! Yes, you can, hold this” the girl turned around a little and held out a big casserole for him to take. “You don’t have to do anything special, you know, anything edible will do. It’s just-it’s just the three of us” Eddie put the casserole down on the kitchen table next to the other pots and pans Layla took out. “If it’s more than one person, it’s always special. And sometimes, when you’re alone too, you need to make yourself feel special, don’t you think? We’re all worth it, now and then.” she smiled and handed Eddie another white pot, pointing at the table “Give me the small one back, I’ll use this one” The guy obliged as he thought Layla was now her usual happy self, whereas minutes earlier she looked kind of sad, almost pissed. <Maybe cooking distracts her from the fact that her Christmas plans with that poor excuse of a man are ruined> “So? Will you just stand there doing nothing or will you give me some real help?” Eddie was so lost in his thoughts that he didn’t see Layla had already come down from the chair and was now stocking on food from the fridge, her hands full of stuff. “Oh yeah, yes! Sure!” he walked up to the girl and took the goods from her hand, one item at a time “Cauliflower? I’d appreciate it but I don’t know if the roaring carnivorous lion in the other room would agree” <Ok, I said I didn’t want anything special but...> “You’ll see, man of little faith!” she squinted at him as she passed him butter and cheese “The lion will be licking her claws. And you as well” “Gruyère...” Eddie read one of the tags aloud “Oh, I like this!” “Grâce à Dieu j'ai acheté les fromages ou nous devrions gratiner avec... je sais pas...Cheese Strings” she chuckled to herself as she was busy putting the rest of the food on the counter. Eddie smiled; he didn’t understand every single word because she was talking fast, but he got the meaning anyway. “Do you speak French to your family?” he asked to shift the conversation on other more personal subjects. He knew very little about Layla and he hated the fact he knew more about her ex boyfriend than her family. “Sometimes. Only a few words or sentences here and there anyway, not whole conversations in French. Unless we don’t want to be deciphered!” she added with a wink “But it’s an extremely dangerous activity because, you know, some people study French and all, it’s not a secret dead language or something” “Did you call them?” “I’ll try and call them after I’m done with this last minute Christmas dinner. Will you cut the cheese, please?” she answered as she took a box of pasta from another lower cabinet. “Sure” “Small cubes, use a plate” she added, handing him the knife. “But... shouldn’t you tell them about the canceled flight and that you’re not going?” Eddie asked and Layla felt he had her on the sharp end of the knife – and not just physically. “Uhm yeah, I guess. I mean, I told them I’d go but it wasn’t like an official invitation – it’s not like they’re specifically waiting for me. Relatives are gonna see I’m not there anyway... at some point, at least” she shrugged as she took a pot and placed it under the tap to fill it with water. “At some point?” “Well, yeah; I guess some time towards the end of the night, when they’re all sprawled out on the sofa with their pants unbuttoned, food and alcohol baby bellies spilling out, then they’ll probably notice there’s more room on the sofa because I’m not there” she joked but Eddie could read a faint hint of bitterness in her words. “I’m sure that’s not true, you’re exaggerating” “Hehe yeah yeah, they’re not gross binge eating alcoholics, it was just for the dramatic effect! They just... really love wine. Like, in a sexual way” “I really love wine too,” Eddie explained and specifically decided to avoid the sexual part “I meant that they’ll immediately notice your absence” “You’re overestimating my stage presence” she shook her head while putting salt into the water pot. “I find your stage presence quite extraordinary, actually” the singer remarked and Layla immediately looked at him, focused on chopping the cheese in small pieces. “Thank you. You say so because you don’t know my parents and siblings yet, they’re more interesting” <Yet? Why the hell did I say YET? What does it mean? It’s not like he’s gonna meet my family anytime soon. He’ll think I’m a weirdo> Layla started panicking internally soon after she had spoken. “Uhm, but I know you and you’re such a genuinely beautiful person and you’re always so full of energy and positivity and every time you enter a room is like you fuckin’ bring the light but in such a delicate, not unwieldy way... And you’re so interesting and passionate about everything you make, from dinners to rabbit surgery, and-and I can’t imagine anyone not noticing you’re not there and not missing you. I’m surely gonna miss you when you’ll go back to your apartment” Eddie said all at once, without taking his eyes off the cheese, and Layla just stared at him through her glasses. “... My dad worked with Ann Margret. Among others” she stated with a sarcastic tone in her voice. “Well, I loved her in Tommy but-” “My brother met Baryshnikov” she added. “You’re still more interesting to me.” Eddie looked up from his work “Is it alright?” “Well, yeah – I mean, thank you...” Layla blushed and didn’t really know what to say. “I meant the cheese. Is it ok?” Eddie smiled a wicked smile and only then Layla noticed he was slightly lifting up the plate to show her. “Yeah! The-err!, the cubes are perfect, thank you! Maybe add just a little bit more, I’m gonna need it for the pasta too” the girl giggled nervously and turned her back to Eddie as she started to peel potatoes more aggressively than needed. “Sooo, look at you two ants, workin’ your asses off!” Sara appeared behind them all of a sudden, peeping at what they were preparing “Oh, but don’t mind me: I’m going to enjoy this sumptuous banquet in my faithful pajamas, Auf Wiedersehen” “You’re wearing what?!” Layla stopped with the potato peeler in mid-air and looked at her best friend in disbelief. “My faithful pa-ja-masss” the other girl did a pirouette “Oh, and my Donald Duck slippers too! This is too good to be true” “Exactly – this is too good to be true, and I can’t let it happen! Not on my watch” Layla wielded the potato peeler in a threatening manner. “Who do you think you are? The fashion police?! C’mon, El, just lemme breat-” “Ed, could you please go on with this task? I got a mission to fulfill here” “Yeah, no problem” the guy smiled at Layla, taking the potato peeler from her hand. “You fuckin’ traitor!” Sara hissed, then tried to escape her friend’s grip “Oh, yes, using your physical superiority against me – that’s fuckin’ great” “C’mon, Sara, don’t be a baby: I’m just a couple of inches taller than you” “That means I’m more agile than you” the other girl retorted, snapping her fingers and running around the table for the umpteenth time. “Just do me this one favor! I’m cooking you THE perfect Christmas Eve’s dinner – you owe me this!” “Yeah, and look at how you’re abusing your alleged authority! Fascist” After a couple of minutes Layla pretended to give up but actually took advantage of Sara’s lack of attention to crush her in a bear hug. “You play dirty! You, of all the fuckin’ people! I can’t believe it” “Fashion police works in mysterious ways” Layla retorted, chuckling when her friend struggled to free herself – obviously with no success at all “Later, Ed” “Later, girls! I’m gonna polish my scorecards for all your outfits” Eddie replied, instantly gaining a middle finger from the victim of all that conspiracy.    “I’m a motherfuckin’ beast you all have to fear!” Sara kept on wiggling out of the other girl’s grip. “Yeah, Sara – now let’s go to your room so I can come back to my potatoes as soon as possible, please” was her friend’s reply, while she dragged her out of the kitchen. “I won’t go down so easily!” were the last words that came out Sara’s mouth before she disappeared in her bedroom with that executioner of her best friend. “Soooo, let’s see what do we have here…” Layla pondered, assaulting Sara’s wardrobe after having locked both of them inside the room. “… you’re fuckin’ insane!” Sara let herself plop down on the bed with a heavy sigh, while the other girl had already begun to throw aside lots of clothes that she didn’t deem appropriate for that evening. Seeing herself in a blind alley, Sara tried to reach a compromise with her. “Ok, let’s just say that pajamas and slippers would be too extreme – I could see your point here… but instead I could wear my U-Dub sweatshirt, sweatpants and a pair of Converse – and that wouldn’t be inconvenient at all, am I right?” “… I’ll just pretend not to have heard the atrocity that has just come out of your mouth, Sar-OH MY GOD!” Layla suddenly squealed and then turned to face her perplexed friend “Look at this! Where did you hide it for all this time??” “… Shit, I knew I had to throw it away while I still had the chance” “Nonsense!” the other girl approached her and waved a tartan skirt under her nose “With a sweater and a pair of boots you’ll be cute as a button!” “OVER MY DEAD BODY” “Please, it’ll be your Christmas present!” “Are you fuckin’ kiddin’ me??? I already given ya your goddamn gift! You ungrateful bast-” “Sorry, your second Christmas present! Because you’re such a wonderful best friend and you love me so much that you want to give me two presents instead of one???” “… just fuck off” “Oh, c’mon! You have this a-ma-zing ponytail full of luscious ringlets and you really want to let it go to waste by pairing it with a stupid tracksuit and sneakers?!” “Holy Ugo Tognazzi, you’re a real pain in the ass!” Sara finally snapped “Just go with it already, but don’t force me to wear a horrible woolen sweater because my skin will scream revenge – and that also applies to the tramp boots you gave me a couple of Christmases ago” Layla pouted but quickly recovered, squeezing her in a tight hug: “You’re the best – we’re gonna have so much fun, you’ll see!” Twenty minutes later, for the second time of that day, a desolate Sara looked at her reflection and blatantly rolled her eyes. “Can anybody explain to me why on fuckin’ Earth I’m dressed as a Sacred Heart schoolgirl?!” She was wearing the green tartan skirt, a white shirt with a red bow under a green cardigan, white tights and a pair of brownish Timberlands – the last a magnanimous concession by her best friend. In the meantime Layla had just finished to tie another red ribbon around her ponytail and was looking at her like a mother looks adoringly at her child; she added a bit of mascara to Sara’s lashes and, after giving her an approving nod for her red lipstick, she couldn’t resist and hugged her for the umpteenth time. “Look at youuuu! I’m so happy, now you’re really ready for Christmas Eve!” “...Yay? Ok, now can I go? I can’t stand your presence anymore, I need at least half an hour alone to be able to be again in your presence – oh, and Ed’s presence too” While Layla was giving her blessing, the doorbell suddenly rang. “Ok, but first go to see who’s at our door and then I’ll consider our task completed!” “I BEG YOUR PARDON?!” “Who knows, maybe’s our landlord and, seeing you like this, he’s gonna offer us a Jacuzzi!” Layla chirped, pushing her friend outside the room “You’re free to go, little bird! Go and spread some Christmas spirit around these stone-hearted people!” and, thus said, she slammed the door right in Sara’s face. “... ma vaffanculo, va’ – chi cazzo me l’ha fatto fare” was her best friend’s lovely reply, while she dragged her feet to the front door.

[rickandmortybykat]

Have some 28 OK

Here, have a sneak preview of Chapter 28 to tide you over until I finish the last part. No context needed, it’s the beginning/opener for the chapter. Just threw it through the word count - there’s about 1.3k here.  WARNING: It hasn’t been proofread and some language may change slightly before the publish. I still need to go do that when the thing is done. Have fun!  - K

----------------------------

Chapter 28 – (Title Chapter Here, some stoopid pun)

December 2nd, 8:50pm Citadel Time, 2001 Cross-Temporal Rift Nebula, Location Classified Citadel Of Ricks, Dimension Number Classified

----------------------------

Once back in the safety of the Citadel, things happened rather suddenly. Rick was rushed to the infirmary's operating theater for emergency surgery while Surgeon Rick followed the team who worked there; it was his main area of expertise after all.

This left the doctor with very little to do but wait around for news and process the events of the last several hours. Although he knew that the ship had been holding him back, it had served as the most direct means to his primary objective and its absence was going to leave a big hole behind. Even if he could continue his work at the Citadel, he still had the issue of being homeless to deal with. 

When the thought of the hybrid-insect colony entered his mind, he pushed it out again; its loss was just another heavy blow. He didn't want to think about Rick either, but trying not to was a futile exercise and his ability to remain objective had failed him; the guilt was almost unbearable. Against all logic, the scientist had jumped in harm's way to save him and he couldn't work out why; they weren't on friendly terms and it wasn't even motivated by self preservation.

Even though he was utterly exhausted, he knew any attempt at sleep would be useless so he sat in the infirmary's waiting room and idly watched the steady stream of medical Ricks moving back and forth through the double swinging doors of the operating theater. There didn't seem to be any reliable pattern to their movements, and it was impossible to discern who was who because they all wore the same sets of plain colored surgical scrubs.

An hour of waiting turned into three, which turned into five. The doctor had obtained a bottle of wine by the seventh, which was half finished into the tenth. In the eleventh hour, one of the surgical Ricks burst through the doors and furiously ripped off his mask and surgical cap, then stomped over to sit in the chair at his left. His sleeves were soaked with blood and it decorated his scrubs from shoulders to knees, but he didn't seem to notice. Without saying a word, he snatched the bottle of wine out of Ricktus's hands and took a heavy swig from it, only to recoil afterwards. “Oh god, how can you drink this crap?!” “It's Pinot Noir,” Ricktus wearily told him as if it would answer everything. “How are things going?” “More like Pinot hell-naw, am I right?” The Rick elbowed him in the side and the faintest grin cracked through his sour demeanor.

Ricktus sighed; it was completely obvious who this was now. “Shouldn't you be back in there, C-711?” “Yeah, but the damn fuckers sent me out for a break. I was still good.” Surgeon Rick grumbled back. “I decide when I'm done, not grumpy Head Surgeon Rick dude. Believe it or not, he's even less fun than you... and to think I forgot why I hated working here.” He took another sip of wine and handed the bottle back, having decided it was completely unpalatable. “So has there been much progress?” Ricktus tried again. “Judging from the fact that they're still working, I assume he's still alive.”

“Nah man,” Surgeon Rick's voice fell flat. “He died.”

“R-really?” Ricktus's brow furrowed and he was momentarily silent, but he retained his composure. “Oh shit...” “Relax, bro. I'm just fuckin' with you.” Despite the comment, any good humor the surgeon had was gone. “Yeah, see how bad it feels when I do it? Don't pull that shit on me again!” He ran a hand through the disheveled spikes on top of his head and let out a grumpy sigh. “He's alive, but barely. They're still trying to stabilize him. He flatlined twice but the team managed to revive him. We've also transfused 14 units of blood. I'm probably wearing at least two of them,” his eyes tracked another medical Rick who was carrying a box of supplies in through the set of doors. “Make that 15.”

“Oh god, and most Ricks barely have 12...” “He's actually pretty lucky to be alive,” Surgeon Rick continued. “We got here quick enough, plus that syrupy crap your bees make acted like a clotting agent and saved him from bleeding out faster. Still doesn't stop the bloodbath in there, but without it he would have been dead by now. Do we have any more lying around?” “I'm not sure. If the Citadel kept any of the curative serum we developed, it'll be from old batches when it was our main focus.” Ricktus buried his face in his hands. “We can't just get more... all the ingredients were back on the ship. I can't clone another batch of hybrids to make it either, I-I...” He took a deep breath and steadied himself again. “Things happened so quickly that I didn't think to bring back any of their genetic material with me.” Surgeon Rick was silent in thought. He got up and disappeared into the changing room, then returned with the filthy clinical scrubs he had been wearing throughout the ordeal on the ship; they were heavily stained with purple and green insect blood. After plucking a piece of soggy bee exoskeleton off the fabric, he offered it to him. “Can you use this? It's still fresh.”

Ricktus raised his head and stared at the fragment, then up at his assistant. “You're... you're fine with giving this to me after everything I've done?” He delicately took it from him anyway; although small, its existence was valuable. “I've been meaning to ask you... was our alliance just one big elaborate prank you've been playing on me this whole time, and if not, why not?” “Ugh. Shut up, will ya?” Surgeon Rick scowled. “You're an asshole, but you didn't deserve to lose everything like that. Besides, maybe you can use that to synthesize the clotting component. You kinda owe it to this guy now.” When his datapad vibrated in the clothes he was holding, he took it out, gave the screen a quick glance, then hung up, his expression even more soured than it had been before. “Nope.”

Ricktus was glad for the distraction; anything was better than discussing their charge. “Not important?” “Fucking Lizabeth,” Surgeon Rick answered through gritted teeth. “She's been blowin' up my damn number since I scrubbed up. I should never have given it to her.”

“You can't avoid her forever.”

“I know,” Surgeon Rick begrudgingly admitted, “but I can sure as hell try.” Before any more could be said, there was a flurry of activity as eight Guard Ricks hurriedly patrolled into the waiting room with Riq IV trailing in their wake. He gave his new surroundings a sneer of disdain, then moved to stand in front of the two Ricks seated at the far end. Ricktus took one look at the new arrival, dropped his bottle of wine, and sprang up; having to face his boss was one the things he had been dreading since coming back to the Citadel and now he had a feeling of impending doom. Although his assistant was already standing, he elbowed him hard in the ribs to make him pay attention.

“How predictable that I would find you here,” Riq IV's tone was immediately condescending. “Would either of you care to explain why my asset arrived in undesirable condition?”

Surgeon Rick raised an eyebrow in inquisition. “Your... 'asset', sir?”

Riq IV raised a pointed finger at the doctor. “Yesterday, this idiot signed all rights and responsibility of the Rick in his care over to me. That means I own him.” He motioned towards the operating theater doors. “Now he's in there. This isn't the first time you've delivered a Rick to us in such a state, is it? You haven't fixed the outstanding anomaly, have you?” There was no answer.

[a-panda-reads-act-omega]

ACT OMEGA PART 7

THE 19/10/16 UPDATE

Alright hi people. Gotta fun story for you! I’m sick. So yeah, the end. I’m huddled up in my room, experiencing an uncomfortable amount of stomach pain, and I. thought “hey! why dont i just do a liveblog?” and now im here. prepare youreselves, we’ve got a whole 4 pages today! lets just get started.

Oh right, we left off with these fellas. Jasprose looks more than happy to bother this guy, and Erisol looks like he wants to jump off a cliff but cant because he floats.

ERISOLSPRITE: fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck.

Jesus, not to good at socializing are we Erisol?

JASPROSESPRITE^2: Hey you! ERISOLSPRITE: nope nope nope nope nope.

Ok yep, he wants no part of this. I fuckin love Erisol. I mean. The fusion, not the ship. 

JASPROSESPRITE^2: HEY!! ERISOLSPRITE: leavve me alone JASPROSESPRITE^2: Stop that. ERISOLSPRITE: fuck thii2 fuck that fuck evverythiing. ERISOLSPRITE: and fuck you e2peciially.

Ok guys I’m relating to Erisol on an uncomfortable level. Also this conversation so far is golden. 10/10.

JASPROSESPRITE^2: I said stop it! ERISOLSPRITE: iill do wwhatever the fuck ii wwant. ERISOLSPRITE: wwho the hell evven are you anywway? JASPROSESPRITE^2: That’s my line! JASPROSESPRITE^2: Do you have any idea how baffling it is to have some random drifter appear now of all times? You’re a complete stranger! 

Its just about as baffling as everything else that happens in this fucked up story. PLUS, Jasprose, you were going around looking for fun. dont you be sassy with the depressed asshole for it.

JASPROSESPRITE^2: I mean, it's a welcome surprise and all, but I'm still perplexed!

Man I wish Jasprose did cat puns now.

JASPROSESPRITE^2: Here I thought we were finally done with all the pointless bullshit. 

We’re never done Jasprose. It’ll always just keep coming. BUT I GOTTA DISAGREE WITH YOUR CLAIM THAT ERISOL IS POINTLESS BULLSHIT. ERISOL IS THE TRUE FUCCKIN HERO OF HOMESTUCK FOR BEING THE ONLY ONE TO POINT OUT HOW FUCKED UP IT ALL IS.

God I hate that I relate to Erisol.

ERISOLSPRITE: actually forget ii evven a2ked. ERISOLSPRITE: ii ju2t met you and ii already hate evverythiin about you.

Gasp! Could this be black love at first sight?

ERISOLSPRITE: and not the 2leazy kiind eiither. iim talkiing about the mo2t platoniic of loathiin my pump bi2cuit could po22iibly mu2ter.

Oh.

JASPROSESPRITE^2: Well, if you aren’t going to tell me your name I’m just going to call you whatever I want. ERISOLSPRITE: or... ERISOLSPRITE: you could go awway. 

Oh my god I feel bad for him. He just wants to be alone to wallow in his own self-hatred/pity. Which is weird, because normally I would hate somebody who wallows in his own self-hatred/pity.

JASPROSESPRITE^2: So tell me about yourself, sad sack! JASPROSESPRITE^2: How’s sprite life been treating you? ERISOLSPRITE: ugh.

Ugh indeed. Does anybody enjoy being a sprite? I mean, its great to be alive again (unless youre erisol), but other than that you just become kinda irrelevant. Gotta be kinda jarring to see life go on without you.

JASPROSESPRITE^2: I mean, two dull troll dopes in one? What a waste of a perfectly good kernel. JASPROSESPRITE^2: Where did yours even come from? There are precisely ZERO empty kernels remaining in this session. I would know! JASPROSESPRITE^2: The only logical conclusion to draw here is that timeline shenanigans are somehow involved.

Jasprose, thats the only logical conclusion anybody can ever draw. I’m guessing though, that Erisol was just on LOWAS during all that retcon bullshit? I think. None of this makes sense anyways though.

ERISOLSPRITE: wwho knoww2? maybe 2kaiia ju2t got bored. ERISOLSPRITE: but 2ure, wwhatevver. let2 go wwiith that. 2ound2 2en2iible enough. JASPROSESPRITE^2: I knew it! I love being right. ERISOLSPRITE: holy 2hiit, are you obnoxiiou2. 

I know, Jasprose is the best kinda obnoxious. It’s like this perfect blend between playful and snarky. 

ERISOLSPRITE: ii diidnt thiink iid evver fiind 2omeone ii hate more than my2elf but youvve done iit. ERISOLSPRITE: ... diid ii ju2t 2ay that out loud. de2perate much??

Of course you are, you’ve always been desperate. Also, auto correct is hating these quirks.

ERISOLSPRITE: the fact that ii evven entertaiined that thought and contiinue twwo talk twwo you iin2tead of nopiing the fuck out of here remiind2 me of ju2t howw depravved ii really am, and that the only thiing keepiin me from obliiteratiin my2elf ii2 howw much of a deranged kiick ii get out of my owwn 2ufferiing.

HNN youre so perfectly pathetic I love it.

JASPROSESPRITE^2: Wow, are you a trainwreck or what?

No kidding Jasprose. Like, theres nothing this guy can do to ever be happy.

JASPROSESPRITE^2: You know, I think I might actually hang around a tad longer. I happen to find trainwrecks and other horrific disasters morbidly fascinating. ERISOLSPRITE: evvery moment ii spend wwiith you iis hell.

I can sum up this whole conversation so easily.

Jasprose: haha youre patheticness is fucking priceless Erisol: kill me

JASPROSESPRITE^2: Then why not leave? I’m hardly chaining you to the spot here, green cheeks. ERISOLSPRITE: ... ERISOLSPRITE: twwoo much effort. JASPROSESPRITE^2: See? Riveting.

He’s already explained this though! he literally just wants to see himself suffer.

Nice panel. thats all I have to say on the matter.

JASPROSESPRITE^2: So now that we’ve established you’ll keep up our conversation purely out of apathy and an acute, masochistic sense of self-loathing...

Yes, yes exactly.

JASPROSESPRITE^2: (Also apparently some form of conflicted caliginous attraction to me. Aint that a doozy?)

HIUDNSA <3 FUcking love you Jasprose.

JASPROSESPRITE^2: How did you end up here? WHY did you end up here? ERISOLSPRITE: ii a2k my2elf that evvery 2iingle day. JASPROSESPRITE^2: Yes, yes, you hate yourself. I get it. Can we please move on? I need details! ERISOLSPRITE: fiine wwhatevver.

Oh wow, is he chilling on the self-hatred thing? who would’ve thought.

ERISOLSPRITE: ii followwed an orange biird guy twwo thiis planet that came from fuckiing nowwhere. ERISOLSPRITE: but then he kept tryiing twwo mumble hii2 2tandup routiine2 at me 2o ii fucked off.

Yep, that sounds about right for Davesprite.

ERISOLSPRITE: ii wwandered around debatiin the pro2 and con2 of fiinally 2elf-de2tructiing untiil 2ome 2ort of wwiindy 2hiit 2tarted happeniing.

Oh cool, John’s big quest thingy. Also, that’s kinda morbid... Like, I get this is part of his self-hating schtick, but he was literally contemplating suicide.

damn.

ERISOLSPRITE: iit managed twwo dii2tract me from gnawwiing exii2tentiialiism for a miinute there untiil ii stopped giivviing a 2hit and movved on. ERISOLSPRITE: then an iindi2crimiinate periiod of tiime pa22ed and 2uddenly you 2howwed up. ERISOLSPRITE: 2tiill deliiberatiin on that explodiing thiing by the wway.

DONT you fucking dare blow up you green asshole.

JASPROSESPRITE^2: Prrr prrr, I see! So both you and Davesprite came the same way I did. JASPROSESPRITE^2: How intriguing. JASPROSESPRITE^2: But enough about how; let's move on to why. JASPROSESPRITE^2: So, Señor Fishface, what are your plans? Any unfinished business you might want to attend to? In need of a GUIDE, purrhaps? ;3

Jasprose, I think the last thing he wants is for you to guide him.

ERISOLSPRITE: meh. ERISOLSPRITE: not really. JASPROSESPRITE^2: That’s hardly an answer! Aren’t you curious about the cosmic significance of your continued existence? ERISOLSPRITE: fuck no. ERISOLSPRITE: iin fact that ii2 pretty much the thiing ii am the lea2t iintere2ted iin. JASPROSESPRITE^2: Well that’s just boring. ERISOLSPRITE: doe2 that mean youll leavve? JASPROSESPRITE^2: Let me think about that... JASPROSESPRITE^2: Nope! 

This poor fucking guy, Like, he needs to ollie outie outta  here quick, because his submissive self-hatred is almost making me feel bad for enjoying this conversation.

ERISOLSPRITE: fiigure2. ERISOLSPRITE: wwhat2 evven the poiint? ERISOLSPRITE: lookiing at 2kaiia ii can 2ee another uniivver2e frog ha2 2howwn up and relea2ed iit2 vva2t croak thiing. ERISOLSPRITE: wwhich mean2 the game i2 ovver and the player2 are probably reciievviin the ultiimate rewward a2 wwe 2peak. ERISOLSPRITE: 2o there ii2 liiterally nothiing left twwo do be2iide2 wwaiit around for an opportuniity twwo croak a2 wwell. JASPROSESPRITE^2: Now hold on a second! JASPROSESPRITE^2: I’m not so sure about that, actually. ERISOLSPRITE: wwhat noww?

Hm.. Im not sure if enlightenment is the first thing or the last thing this guy needs. Honestly I think he just needs a break.

pffFHAHA, JASPROSE WITH THE SINGLE PAP AND STARE INTO HIS SOUL

And he just

wants to die.

JASPROSESPRITE^2: Well, while I was ignoring your dismal yakking, I think I’ve figured it out!

Goddammit Jasprose.

ERISOLSPRITE: (wwhat are you doiing.) JASPROSESPRITE^2: I am almost certain now that you appearing wasn't pointless after all! ERISOLSPRITE: (...)

She’s gonna say something that’ll make him feel more shitty, isn’t she.

JASPROSESPRITE^2: Of course, I thought so at first. But then again, I bet Rose also thought that of me when I initially sprang into being only a few hours ago. And I turned out to be fairly important for the final climactic battle, didn’t I? ERISOLSPRITE: (*2iigh*) JASPROSESPRITE^2: I also thought Davepeta was fairly pointless but I agree with them now, that is definitely not the case. In fact their destiny has the potential to be quite grand!

Where are you going with all this? Come on Jasprose, don’t say something stupid to him. 

ERISOLSPRITE: are you goiing twwo get twwo the poiint anytiime 2oon. JASPROSESPRITE^2: Don’t interrupt!! ERISOLSPRITE: (wwhy me.)

I dont know man, they just dont see how great you are. 

JASPROSESPRITE^2: As I was saying. Let me dumb things down for you: Even though it may not be immediately evident how you’re meant to slot into place amongst the great puzzle of causality, that doesn’t mean a purpose isn’t waiting somewhere in the brush to pounce upon your puke green sprite tail! JASPROSESPRITE^2: And I definitely want to be here when that happens.

Is it just me, or is Jasprose giving off Vriska vibes? I’m not sure what she means by she wants to be there when it happens, but it’s feeling like she could start getting all controlling over his “destiny.”

OOH HI KIDS! I’m hoping we get to see some interaction soon. It looks like John’s hanging out at the door, so probably not from him. BUT these other pairs might be interesting to see.

Dirk/Jake: Yeah this one was pretty obvious, I’m not sure with all the. timeline shenanigans, but I’m guessing they’ll need to work out some relationship issues.

DAD/Calliope/Jane: Not much to say on this pairing, other than it might be interesting if we get to see DAD talk? He probably wont though, let’s be honest.

Dave/Karkat: Ohh yis, the gay ship that nobody can agree on. WELL I CAN AGREE WITH MYSELF, and what myself thinks is that they are fucking precious together.

Jade/RoSE OH FUCK: OK DONT MIND ME JUST SHIPPING. Ahem. So THIS is a pairing we haven’t seen a lot of, despite them both being from the same session. WHICH IS INTERESTING, because they have a really neat dynamic. AND ALSO I FUCKING SHIP THEM

Kanaya/Roxy: This should be interesting as well! Again, I’m trying to wrap my head around timeline shenanigans, so who knows how much Kanaya knows about Roxy. But Roxy did the matriorb thing! And I feel like Kanaya is seriously gonna admire Roxy, which is likely going to be adorable.

Terezi/Endless Void: Seems like they’re enjoying a nice staring contest. Even though she’s blind-

ALRIGHT THATS ENOUGH OF THAT! We got a dialoglog to open

JASPROSESPRITE^2: We’re simply going to have to wait and see. :3 ERISOLSPRITE: yeah 2ure wwhatevver.

Waiting and seeing. Oh, I guess that’s not as controlling then. Though it is kinda unlike Rose to stand by and let the game do it’s thing. . .

HMMMmm.. . .

alright that’s the end of thaat. For only 4 pages, I think I made that reasonably long. Anyways, I’m gonna end this now. BYE.