#other than that be on the lookout for my other projects

[somegirlontheinternet135]

I didn't expect a post about a dating sim x click & point adventure game with The Beasts to be this popular but. . .

*random gestures*

So here you go, some thoughts & features that could be added to this weird fangame I conjured up!

(tw: long)

~General~

The world that the player teleported into heavily mirrors the land of beast yeast, complete with each of the landmarks which the beasts resign in. One exception however is at the center of this mysterious land is a forest of silver trees, which surround a strange alter of six stone standing pads, five little stones around a much larger stone in the middle (wonder what that's about?)

Somewhere amidst the silver woods is a mysterious grove, a grove filled with lilies. If adventurous enough, the player can explore the grove, but be warned, for not only do the scent of lilies cause drowsiness and the possibility of passing out, but lilies aren't the only thing that the land houses. The grove is peerless maze, so the player must enter with caution

The story length will be similar to how Obey Me is set up (divided into different chapters) with the first three to four chapters introducing the Beasts

There's no "canonical" choice of who'll you'll end up with, that's entirely up to the player. Another choice the player will have is whether the relationships can be platonic or romantic

Although many MCs are mostly left blank slates, I want the player in the sort of grey area between having an actual personality but leaving details vague enough to leave people guessing. Think the MC from "Obey Me" crossed with Yuu from "Twisted Wonderland" And you know many MCs are often nice and kind-hearted, well sorta throw that out the window bc we're doing something special(snarky, sarcastic, brutality honest, and filled with trust issues)

There's only snippets of what the player physically looks like(trust me, this'll be important later)

It's also important that the player has zero memory of entering the world they were basically isekaed into, something which the beasts learn one way or another. . .

The player will receive several petnames from the beasts, ranging from simple ones like "dear" or "sweetheart," to petnames relating to mice and other rodents(ie: "Little Mouse," "Pika," even "Pipsqueak")

In the game, the day-night cycle plays a big role in the gameplay. You'll be allowed to roam and explore as much as you want, but at night, you're given the choice of whether you should go to bed or keep exploring. If the player chooses to continue exploring, they'll be met with an energy meter, which increases when you sleep and decreases when you don't. With a full bar, the player can explore a total of five times, and once that meter runs out, they get too exhausted and fall asleep

Now would be a good time to mention the player's different bedrooms. They rotate based on the location, but they're meant to be a sort of safe space for the player, it's also the area where they pick up an important item: A journal

The journal functions very similarly to a scribble board and an actual notebook but serves one purpose, to allow the player to take notes on certain puzzles. Different puzzles are scattered across the landmarks, some are extremely difficult and require one to jot notes

I also like to think the player would receive a variety of tools during their journey and will each be essential. Which would lead the player to carry a bag to hold said items

For the purpose of the story, the player is able to respawn if they die. Remember the alter in the silver tree forest, they wake up there like nothing happened, although they do still retain the memories of said death

The player will engage in several minigames, the most common of them being a cooking style game where you prepare meals and ones where your using certain tools. Whilst the click & point portion consists of the player exploring the different areas & interacting with their surroundings

As a bonus, the player is gifted different outfits from the beasts, each one corresponding to the beast, their interests, and their theme

~Shadow Milk~

In the many eyes of Shadow Milk, the player is the only cookie he's seen in a while, so it's obvious he'd want them to be his audience, if you ever so chose to be. They get the option of asking more & trying to convince him on letting them have a turn in performing, which he'll have different reactions to

*You're reading the scripts of one of Shadow Milk's plays, in awe at the material. You compliment his work, making him all the more flattered*

"Oh I love acting! Your script is amazing, could I try acting some things out?"

*Hearing the question, Shadow Milk snatches the script from your hands. He almost snaps at you*

"What? No, of course not!"

"I'm sorry my dear, I adore your praise but. . . we've already established who the audience is! It's the key tool of any actor's career, and without that, we'd just be two actors with no one to entertain. . ."

"Besides, I think you'd have trouble trying to impress such a seasoned performer like myself~"

Despite his condescending comments, he slowly begins to let you act out small skits as their relationship with him becomes stronger, and he begins to cave

Shadow Milk has several references to acting, the stage, and plays, it would be a sin to not give this man a rhythm game. Similar to already existing rhythm games like "Rhythm Heaven" or the rhythm game portion in "Obey Me"

Every task, no matter how minimal or simple, becomes way more difficult with Shadow Milk. If you're just as much as a theater kid as he is, his need for literally everything to be a grand, exaggerated, obnoxious spectacle, especially around the player, is strong. Half the time, things don't go his way & he winds up making a mess, messes which the player is forced to clean up

Also, most everything he does requires a quick "costume change" thems the rules. He's cooking you breakfast? He's wearing a bright pink apron with frills and a heart-shaped pocket. You get hurt and scrape your knee? Here comes Dr. Shadow Milk in his doctor's uniform and stethoscope. The two of you are getting ready for bed? You'll be seeing him in striped pajamas, an extremely long nightrobe, fuzzy slippers and a sleep mask, including hair curlers

There will absolutely be no sneaking out on his domain, not on his watch! Shadow Milk, with his abilities, is a living security system, and reacts heavily to sound. So one snap of a twig or step on some creaking floorboards and it's over!

"*Ahem!*"

*A freakishly familiar voice is heard from behind you. Breaking into a sweat, you slowly turn around, the smallest part of you wished it wasn't who you thought it was. . . But as luck would have it, you didn't know any other crazy entertainers. . . Sure enough, it was exactly who'd you expected to see, Shadow Milk stood in front of you, arms crossed and everything*

"Just where do you think you're going?"

*You try playing it cool, although sweating a bit*

"Oh hey Shadow. . . I was just about to head out and-"

"Head out? At this time?!"

"I-I'm not gonna be gone for too long! I'll come right back after promise- *ah!*"

*Shadow Milk had already scooped you up, carrying you bridal style*

"That's quite enough! I can't have my only audience member getting drowsy during one of my shows, now can I?~"

*You were embarrassed beyond belief, even more once he started walking you to your room, and abruptly boops you on the nose*

"It's off to bed with you little mousey!~"

". . . ok(;w;). . ."

He takes much pride & joy in inconveniencing the player, purely for his own entertainment. What makes it worse is that he'll always find some sort of excuse, saying how it's "to punish them" and "to teach them how to do it right," just some of the lies they have to deal with

And that's not all, you think he started there? nope! He started lying to the player the second the two of them met. Seeing the player scared and alone in his domain, he didn't miss an opportunity to mess with the player's head. Fortunately, this does change as you begin to get closer with him, he starts being more open with the player

The outfit Shadow Milk gives the player is, although the tackiest thing on earthbread(if the player decides that it is), the most practical of the outfits they'll receive. It has a sort of German fairytale vibe to it, covered head to toe in ruffles, lace, bells, overly detailed designs, and of course, colored blue. It looks like, feels like, and is a costume, but despite its cheesy appearance, it's easy to run & move in

Out of all the beasts, Shadow Milk is the one who cares the most for the player's physical well-being. He's always making sure the player's eating enough, getting sleep, and most importantly, is happily entertained. It's been far too long since he was able to put on his plays, and he's gonna make sure they have the ability to sit through them

All and all, Shadow Milk is a well-meaning, all be it annoying, roommate

~Eternal Sugar~

She was always keen on learning most of the trickster's secrets, so finding out about the player, she became both upset yet understanding. Shadow Milk was the Cookie of Deceit after all

Regardless, Eternal Sugar found it quite unfair of him to keep them all to himself, and took it upon herself to steal the player away, via using one of her clouds

*While wandering by yourself within Shadow Milk's domain, you peer up at the unearthly, but normally blue sky, to see what seemed to be clouds suspiciously hovering over you*

Bewildered and curious, the player has the decision of either ignoring it or checking it out, but each will end in the clouds scooping up the player and taking them, all the way to Eternal Sugar Cookie

First meeting the player, she's admittingly unimpressed with what she sees, to think something so important to them would be reduced to such a simple creature. . ? But that mindset quickly changes as she discovers how adorable the player is, and just how naive they are. . .

She views the player as some sort of pet, spoiling them with all the goodies they can ever want, to a point where its almost overwhelming

*On a table, a large platter of sweets is set in front of you; you're almost tooken back by the sheer size of the dish, it was almost half the size of the table! Just sitting next to you was Eternal Sugar, smiling almost amusingly at your reaction*

"U-Uh. . . Is this all for me. . ?"

*She giggled*

"Of course it is dear! What sort of guest would you be if you didn't receive such delicacies?"

*Eternal Sugar picks up a sweet from the platter and holds it close to your mouth*

"Now, open wide~"

Unlike the other beasts, Eternal Sugar has the habit of babying the player, so like Shadow Milk, every simple task becomes way more difficult with her around. She'll make sure they won't be able to lift a finger!

Her associative minigame fits her sort of style, a memory game using cards, similar to the many games you can find on those "Kid-friendly Newgrounds" websites

Another thing worth noting is her clingy nature. Everywhere the player goes, Eternal Sugar has to follow, which does make things more difficult and affects progress. The prime definition of a space invader

It gets even worse during the night cycle, where she often insists on sleeping in the same bed as the player. Despite this, night is the only time the player will be able to get anything done. Just know that when they got back to bed and woke up the next morning, they'll have a sweet surprise waiting for them

*Morning light shines onto your face as it creeps into the rest of the room. You groan, awoken by your natural alarm clock, and begin to yawn & stretch, a part of you wished you slept in a bit longer. But as you try to get out of bed, you feel a weight on your right hand, better yet, you feel an entire section of the bed being weighed down by some unknown force. Turning around, you quickly discover why*

"E-Eternal Sugar Cookie! What are you-?!"

*There, covering a good half of the bed, Eternal Sugar Cookie was peacefully snoozing, clutching your hand. In your failed attempts at yelling at her & pulling your hand away were left to no avail, she had no intent on moving, nor letting go, making you all the more flustered*

"Ms. Eternal Sugar Cookie, please!- Let me go! I need-"

*She merely lifted one eye, only half awake and ready to sleep the rest of the day away*

"Awh~ but little mouse, it's so early!~ Can't you stay just a bit longer?~"

*She smiles at your flustered expression*

"But I have stuff to do! Please, you have to let me- *ah!-* h-hey!"

*Too busy trying to escape, you failed to notice her grip getting tighter, pulling you back down your now shared bed*

"Sleep a little more with me, won't you? There's no rush~"

"O-ok, fine then, but only for a couple more minutes, but that's it!"

*She giggled*

"Deal~"

Throughout their stay, the player only gets small snippets of Eternal Sugar's true personality. If the player chose to question her sickly sweet demeanor, she'd get defensive real fast, asking them why they would even question something like that. If angered, she becomes pushy, demanding, especially when the player doesn't do what she says

It becomes increasingly clear when Eternal Sugar gives you a new outfit, since the one you're wearing (aka the outfit Shadow Milk gave you) didn't fit her style, believing that you should wear something more flowy. She actually offers several different outfits for the player, and although nice, they're. . . let's just say not so family friendly; try as they might to reject her offers, she'll get upset and more persistent, nonetheless; this however does change as the story goes on, she becomes more understanding. Luckily, the two manage to make a compromise, Eternal Sugar offers the player a much simpler pink dress, with bows, lace, and ribbons. Despite being much to the player's liking(if that's what the player chooses), she begins to whine about it, saying how it could've been so much more; not to mention, both the ribbons and lace constantly get stuck on things if they aren't careful

The only time the player's able to really see Eternal Sugar's true colors is when Shadow Milk shows up, who's not all too happy about her basically kidnapping the player. Whilst they ventured alone, he made the mistake of taking his eyes off them for a second, last thing he knew they were snatched by some clouds and whisked away into the sky, which he immediately starts chasing after them. He knew exactly who was responsible. Unlike Shadow Milk, Eternal Sugar does a much better job of keeping her composure, playing dumb and refraining from acting out of character around the player. But once Shadow Milk insults her fake personality, all hell breaks loose

"Well, well, well, if it isn't my dear friend. . .?~ Eternal Sugar Cookie. . !"

*Shadow Milk had snuck in through an open window. Before you could even do anything, Eternal Sugar had already pulled you to her side, forcing you to sit in the lavish and comfortable sofa she was lounging on. He made his way towards her, with his usual wide smile; from the corner of your eye, you could barely see an eye twitch and, was he gritting his teeth? It didn't look like it, but he was seething with rage*

"Oh, Shadow Milk Cookie!~ for what do I owe the pleasure?~"

"How lovely of you to ask!~ You see, you just so happen to have something that belongs to me!"

*Shadow Milk then stares back at you, startling you a bit with his crazed expression. Although Eternal Sugar seemed unfazed, her grip on you only became tighter as the trickster started speaking to you*

"Little mousey, there you are!~ Oh I was so worried, thank goodness you're safe!~"

"I am so, so, sorry to have kept you waiting~ believe me, it's a long story!~"

"*Ah!* And what happened to the little dress I gave you?! I mean you still look cute, but you'd look so much better before and- oh! almost got off track for a second!~ *haha!*"

"Alrighty, I think it's time for me and my little mousey to get go-"

"You're leaving with them? Now what would be the purpose in that?~"

*She quickly shifted from her lounging position to a sitting position, pulling you closer toward her, and flustering you more. You see the trickster's eye twitch more, noticing just a crack in his character*

"*hehe-* what did you say. . ?!"

"I've tooken quite the liking to 'your' little mouse!~ Besides, you keeping them all to your self. . ? Extremely unfair of you!~"

*She then draped her arms around you, your face was getting redder by the second*

"Surely they'll be much happier here, isn't that right little mouse?~"

"Well, *uhh-* actually. . ."

"Then it's settled!~ The little mouse will be staying with me!~"

*They proceeded to argue back and forth, Shadow Milk's played up character was falling apart at the seams, losing a drop of his patience with every word the "angel" said. Eternal Sugar found herself quite entertained with the trickster getting angrier and angrier. All the while, you didn't know what to do, clearly neither of them were going to let you leave, or you know, let you get a single word in. So you were placed in a very awkward situation, stuck between an angel cookie who wasn't keen on you leaving, and a jester who was trying to get you back through gritted teeth*

"Listen, I'm the one who saw them first, they were found in my domain, therefore, they're mine! So if you would be so kind as to return them to me. . !"

*She proceeded to hold you closer, practically cuddling you, was she trying to make him even angrier?!*

"Oh but we're having so much fun!~ They'd much prefer it here than that over-the-top spiral you call a tower. . !"

*Insulting his domain was the nail in the coffin. It looked like he'd finally snapped, any ounce of patience he had before was completely out the window. Using his magic, he wrapped up your hands in some mysterious string, pulling you forward and out of Eternal Sugar's reach, greatly shocking and scaring the heck out of you. Once you were back in his arms, Shadow Milk pushed you behind him, and looking back at Eternal Sugar, she'd gotten up from the sofa, it seemed like she was starting to crack as well*

"Oh!~ So that's how we're gonna play *huh?!* Then I'll lend you this: do you really think they'd want to stay with a tooth-rotting prick like yourself?!"

*She began to clutch her fists, her eyes widen in a mix of shock and anger*

". . ?! What did you just call me. . ?!"

"Oh don't you give me that! little miss 'sweet & innocent angel!' unlike myself, people can see your fake persona from a mile away!~"

"And with how long they had to stay with you. . . I'm surprised my poor little mousey hasn't gotten sick and vomited from the spoiling and smothering they had to withstand!"

*That was all it took for her, she broke faster than he did, the wings on her back got bigger, Eternal Sugar's eyes glowed with rage*

". . . how dare you. . !"

"HOW DARE YOU!!"

The player obviously gets the choice of trying to stop the fight or slipping away, the following events escalating faster or slower depending on which they choose. Things escalate to a point where Eternal Sugar just snatched them and attempted to fly away with the player, which led to Shadow Milk using his magical strings to pull them back, entering the two of them in an intense game of tug of war with the player. And the force of both sides was so strong. . . It ended up ripping the player in half

So, Eternal Sugar Cookie, kinda pushy at times and very clingy all the time, but a sweetheart nonetheless

~Mystic Flour~

Getting ripped in half by two powerful beings. . . not something you would easily forget. . . You'd expect this to be game over, right? well, wrong, cause upon miraculously waking up, not only do you find yourself on top a strange alter, but face to face with Mystic Flour Cookie

Seeing the clouds of Eternal Sugar Cookie's cloud soaring past her land, she immediately could tell that something was a mist, and strolling through the silver forest and finding the player laying on the strange alter, her suspicions were correct

At first, she couldn't believe it, a cookie, in their world?! But after a proper meeting with the player and asking how they ended up on the alter, she became a bit more pitiful, going on to invite them to her domain, such a clueless cookie shouldn't be left alone!

But talking about what was basically their death is pretty traumatizing, so the player is given the choice of whether to straight up lie, or give some part of the truth

"So, you have no memory of how you ended up on this alter. . ? Nothing at all?"

*Your voice was strained, you didn't want to tell her the full truth*

"N-no, not a lot. . ."

*Mystic Flour then proceeds to grasp both your cheeks, pulling you close to her face, much to your slight embarrassment*

"Oh, you poor thing! You must be so lost, so confused. . ."

*It was that moment when an idea sprung into her, an idea that may help the both of you. . .*

"How about you come with me?~ Surely you'll be much safer!~"

*Try as you might to decline her offer, she just becomes more insistent. She was giving decent points however, you were lost and confused, not to mention trapped in this witch-forsaken place, and the only two "cookies" you knew killed you, accidently or not, you couldn't decide. . . Eventually, after lots of convincing and growing tired, you finally cave, accepting her offer*

"Ok, fine, I'll go with you"

"Oh good! Well, come along then!~"

*Gently, Mystic Flour took your hand, pulling you off the alter, and guiding you through the silver woods*

Mystic Flour had already made herself sound quite trustworthy, but of course, this can't be without some sort of catch. . . Though she looks caring on the outside, she sees the player as a mere tool, a stepping stool for something much greater. Her methods of getting information is much more subtle

Both minigames mentioned before required some sort of skill, Mystic Flour's is no exception. Similar to classic video game "Snake," the player's goal is to fill the respected area using dragons instead of snakes (wonder why?)

Pretty much the minute the two of them enter her domain, she basically gives them free range to do whatever. She doesn't really care if the player wanders too far or gets into spaces they shouldn't. But she will let you know when it's time to head back

*As the sun starts to set, you continue to search about the area like a curious child, you hardly noticed Mystic Flour standing just behind you*

"Little pika, dear it's time to head back!~"

*Hearing her voice yelling out to you so suddenly just barely startled you, but you gained back your composure once you see her warm smile*

"Oh! Hi Mystic Flour Cookie! Just give me a second, I have to check a few more things!"

*It wasn't like you weren't going to listen to her orders, you just had a bit more to do. But watching you get farther & farther away from her; Mystic Flour saw it differently. Already making her way toward you, she proceeded to scoop you into her arms, startling you and plastering blush onto your face, as she started walking you back herself*

"*ah!*W-Wait! Mystic Flour Cookie, I wasn't done ye-!"

"I know, I know, dear, you have your little tasks!~ But you'll have so much time to do them tomorrow, so please, might we head back? I'm sure the food is getting cold!"

*With you being in her grasp and your legs being very much off the ground, there wasn't really a choice to keep going. You could've kicked and screamed, but there were doubts that'd even work. . . And so, with no other options, you let her take you away, which sucked, but hey, at least you have yummy food waiting for you!*

Mystic Flour has the sheer amount of enthusiasm as an overly supportive mother, she has not a clue of what the player is doing but they're doing great! But like some mothers, she tries a more "hands off" approach as a way to set rules, intentionally not telling the player helpful information just for the sake of them learning it themselves

She does, however, provide them with all the materials to do so: a bedtime routine, plenty of food, and a warm winter outfit. Speaking of which, due to the wintery background, Mystic Flour gives them an outfit most suitable to withstand the cold, something heavy, but also angelic, a nun like dress colored a soft yellow, complete with black counterparts. The only downside is that defending the player from the cold is its only purpose, for it is much too heavy anywhere else and unbearable in hotter areas

Unlike the other beasts mentioned, Mystic Flour has no interest in forming a genuine relationship with the player. To her, you only serve one purpose, finding her escape (whatever that means) and is more direct into reaching her goal. She creates a false sense of security between the two of them, then when the time is right, uses that bond to her advantage. Fortunately, this behavior does change as the story continues, and Mystic Flour becomes more interested, and attached, to the player, but for now, her methods remain neutral

This becomes more apparent as Mystic Flour tries getting information out of the player in a sort of therapeutic way, sitting them down and letting them speak about their troubles, starting with the obvious. . .

"And. . . that's pretty much what happen. . ."

*You laid atop the much larger cookie, your head resting on her lap as she lightly massaged your hair. You rub your hands uncomfortably, as if waiting for bad news, your throat felt strained. Sandwiched between two angry beings, getting pulled into the sky then ripped in two, these were memories you weren't ready to revisit, especially with someone you've met only a few moments ago. . . At the same time, was holding this deep inside healthy? You saw life flash before your eyes, seconds before being split in half. . . Besides, you were already holding onto so much. . . would it hurt to let go of some. . . You felt Mystic Flour let go of your hair as she began running her hand on your face*

"Oh you, poor, poor, dear. . ."

"I am so sorry you had to be apart of. . . that. . ."

*Although you couldn't see her face, she sounded genuinely sorry for you, which was quite refreshing considering everything you've been through so far*

"They can be rather selfish at times, only thinking about themselves. . . You're lucky you've ended up with me!~"

*You laughed at her remark, trying to brighten up the mood, despite still feeling, well, you didn't know what to feel at that point. . .*

"*Heh* Yeah. . . I guess you're right. . ."

*Unannounced to you, Mystic Flour smiled to herself, her plan was working swimmingly. . . Having brought you to a docile state, it was more than a better time to gather the information she'd been longing for. . .*

"If you would allow me to. . . may I ask you something else?"

*You think for a minute, it was only one question, what harm could it do. . .*

"*Uh* sure. . . what is it?"

"Well little pika, you see-"

*Before the words could fall out of her mouth, there was a sudden loud BANG noise from outside. Respectfully, this startles you, making you flinch, but Mystic Flour didn't seem to move. . . Looking back up, you were finally able to see her face, she seemed irritated, annoyed. Gently, she lifted your head off her lap, resting you onto your knees, confused, you turn to her and saw that she was already standing, looking down upon you. She mumbled something under her breath*

"*Ugh* At a time like this. . ?!"

"Just a moment pika. . . I have to handle something. . ."

Mystic Flour considers herself to be the mother figure of the beasts, and although uncompassionate at times, she plays her role well

~Burning Spice~

(Literally the most perfect segway!~)

All it took was Shadow Milk and Eternal Sugar fighting for Burning Spice Cookie to want a part of the action. Last where we left off with them, the two managed to split the player in half, insides and everything, and were now freaking out over their (very much dead) body, whilst arguing over whose fault it was. By sheer coincidence, did Burning Spice decide to check up on Eternal Sugar, and catches site of the two yelling at each other

Burning Spice hasn't met the player, doesn't know who they are nor what they look like, but he took immediate interest in them after seeing how they affected the two other beasts. If just their mutilated body was enough to cause them to start screaming and crying like little kids, who knows what else they could do. . .

Already, he was making assumptions of what kind of person they'd be, perhaps the player was someone strong and intimidating, someone perfect to be his sparring partner, and continues to deny any sort of actual description of them

Him, Shadow Milk, Eternal Sugar had mostly worked together in their search for the player, but the millisecond they found out they were with Mystic Flour, the race was on. . . Which takes us to now, where Burning Spice appears first, causing a massive scene with his abilities in an attempt to lure her out

*Alerted by the sudden destruction just outside, Mystic Flour rushed to her outer balcony, irritated like this had happened before. . . She knew exactly who the culprit was, and sure enough, there he was, sitting casually atop the balcony's railing, Burning Spice greeted her with a sinister look on his face. She had already prepared herself, immediately knowing that something was about to go down*

"There she is, Misty! Long time no see!"

"Burning Spice Cookie. . . what brings you here. . ?"

"*Oh!* I think you know exactly why I'm here!"

*Getting off the railing, he walked toward his comrade, having no use in making a big deal out of it. Mystic Flour, although slightly surprised, saw it as a sort of threat, only further did she stand her ground*

"Ya see, a little birdie told me that you've been hiding a shiny new treasure from us. And I, of course, thought it'd be too good to be true. . . So I decided to drop by to take a look for myself. . !"

*He tried walking around her to reach the balcony's entrance, but before he could take another step, Mystic Flour stopped him, she wouldn't back down that easily. . .*

"There is no such thing. . . whatever is in my possession is none of your business. . !"

*In her defensive state, Burning Spice's persistence only grew, now patting her shoulder almost reassuringly*

"Hey, c'mon Misty!~ we're buddies, pals! Letting me get a tiny sneak peek shouldn't be a problem!"

"Say, how about this? You let me see what you're hiding, and I promise, I won't tell the others, I'll even let ya keep it! So what do ya say?~"

*Not even seconds after he said that, he immediately tried pushing past Mystic Flour as if she'd already answered his question. Of course, she shut that down almost instantly, even pushing him back, something which he doesn't really take well. His eyes widened, she set him off by just that push alone. She could bluntly tell he was lying, only using their relationship as an excuse, so she didn't let him any closer*

"Burning Spice Cookie, we've known each other for eons, do you really think I wouldn't be able to recognize one of your petty excuses. . . ?! "

"If you knew better, you'd be wise enough to leave, for this so-called treasure you're after, I know nothing about!"

*Pushing and telling him to leave. . . yep, that'll do it. . . Burning Spice broke into laughter as his hair began to glow warms shades of red, orange, and yellow, moving like a sea of flames*

"*HA HA HA HAHAHA!* *Oh!* Misty, ya might just make me angry!"

*His tone quickly shifts from trigger-happy to overall threatening once he'd opened his eyes, now just as bright as his hair, he marches towards Mystic Flour, who was all the more irritated and unfazed*

"And you. . . don't wanna make me angry. . !"

"Make you angry?! *Heh!* Didn't know it was so easy to mess with that small brain of yours!"

*It isn't long before the two engage in full on battle, both sides being equally matched in some way. While this was all happening, you were completely unaware; being inside exploring, you're none the wiser of the destruction going on outside*

Eventually, Burning Spice does manage to bust his way inside, and upon actually seeing the player in their simple state, he couldn't be more disappointed, to think Shadow Milk and Eternal Sugar's bickering would be caused by such a boring little cookie(but those two do fight over a lot of things, so-)

He'd almost considered leaving them, but Burning Spice would rather leave with something than nothing, so taking his losses he hoists up the player over his shoulder and makes, a not so quiet, escape. Much to Mystic Flour's dismay and the player's protests (or cries for help depending on what they choose)

Burning Spice sees the player like how a general sees a soldier. He thinks they're weak, bland, and more notably boring, and wants to, in his words, "spice them up." Because of this, he is unnecessarily harsh, working the player to the bone and expecting them to "get up" when they get too tired

*How long has it been. . ? An hour? Two hours? At that point you didn't know, but all you did know is that it felt like an eternity since Burning Spice started your so called "training." Back and forth, you were forced to run with heavy rocks on your back whilst following him, who was doing the same. All the while he'd yell at you to pick up the pace as encouragement. . .You huffed and panted*

"*Hah**hah. . .* Burning Spice Cookie, please, can't we stop for. . . just a minute. . ?"

*It was the only time he'd turn back at you, what a ridiculous ask!*

"What?! Definitely not! ya still got a lot to go, pipsqueak!"

*You couldn't go on any longer. A mess of sweat and sore bones, you plummet to the ground, numb to the rocks currently on your back, you wanted rest, at least for a minute. . . Burning Spice only reached a good distance away before noticing you were far, far behind. He ran back to you, but not because he was worried*

"Ay! Pipsqueak, what's the holdup?!"

*He crouched down, better viewing your shriveled up body, far too weak to keep going. Despite the obvious, Burning Spice still tried getting you to stand, poking, even attempting to pull you off the ground, but you won't budge. . .*

"C'mon! Quit acting like Eternal Sugar Cookie and get moving!"

"Please. . . let me rest. . ."

*Your sweat could've well stained the ground if it were cool enough. . . You were stubborn & refused to get up, becoming a puddle of flesh. Realizing that you weren't moving, he, grudgingly, decides to do what was best, but first he had to move you somewhere more suitable to your needs*

"*Ugh* Alright! Fine! I'll let you outta this, only once!"

*Swiftly brushing the rocks off your back, he scoops you up and onto his shoulder, no way would he let you die right then and there. You suddenly feel the biggest weight being literally lifted off your shoulders, thanking whatever was out there for this moment*

"I'll let you rest, but not here!"

"*Heh* Thank you. . ."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever!"

Everything Burning Spice does, he expects the player to do the same, no matter how difficult. But will give them the benefit of the doubt when the player gets too tired to keep going, much to his annoyance

He's active and moving 24/7, that's why Burning Spice's minigame is directly based on "Super Mario Bros" where the player runs about collecting items, attacking enemies, etc.

If the player is talking to him, he'll most entirely talk about himself, boosting his ego, even throwing insults at the other beasts, which is both annoying and ironic because he does the exact same things that they do. That being said, it's important to never get mad at him or give him attitude because it will work him up, for better or worse. . .

The player can easily get information from him due to his blunt honesty. When talking about the other beasts, he'll always give bits of helpful information about them, some that can be extremely helpful in the future

Similar to Mystic Flour, Burning Spice gives the player free range to do whatever, the only difference is that Burning Spice sets up these "training sessions" on random occasions without notifying the player firsthand, and expects them to drop everything to train with him. This exhausts the player, causing them to only be able to do things during the day, when they've required enough rest

*Stumbling into the room Burning Spice gave you, you flop onto the bed, nestling your head against your pillow, relived. You were finally able to rest your jelly legs, sore running around and doing tasks. But you turn to your side, something catches your eye. . . On the single window of your room, you noticed what looked to be a slip of paper. Despite being entirely drained, your curiosity got the better of you, and slipping from the bed, you make your way toward the windowsill, now realizing how out of place from the rest of the room, appearing more of a light lilac than any of the reds and oranges. You questioned if even came from the place, and upon proper examination, your suspicions seemed correct. . . This was no mere paper, but a letter! Curiosities only felt more rapid as you opened, revealing not only short message crafted in cursive, but a beautiful illustration of a rose*

"Small Rodent, have you been faring well within our world? Have you been eating, sleeping well? I hope the others hadn't been too cruel towards you. . . Word of mouth does not travel fast here, so I apologize if I arrive to you late. . . I wish to reach you soon. . ."

"From- Silent Salt Cookie"

"Small Rodent. . ?"

*Reading through the passage, you took a few seconds to process, hoping that whoever sent it wasn't suggesting what you thought they were suggesting, cause if you got kidnapped one more time. . .-*

"Aye! Pipsqueak!!"

*Burning Spice had, without warning, busted into the room, no time for internal dialogue now! With milliseconds to think, you swiftly hide the letter behind your back, not before confronting the brute for his sudden excursion of your privacy*

"B-Burning Spice Cookie?! What are you doing here?!-"

"What?~ I can't check on my little pipsqueak, can't I?~"

*Again with the nickname. .?! Blushing rapidly, you couldn't tell whether you were annoyed, angry, or just plain embarrassed. . . Burning Spice laughed boastingly, always amused by your expressions*

"*HAHAHAH!~* Ya never fail to entertain me, pipsqueak!~"

*Then he noticed the arms behind your back. . .*

"Say, whatcha got there? Ya hiding something from me?"

*Shoot! the letter was still in your hands! Only seeing this as more of a reason to keep it hidden, you play it cool for as much as possible*

"I-It's nothing! W-What are you talking about?!*hehe*"

*Burning Spice just saw your actions as even more suspicious, he might be a barbarian, but he isn't stupid. He attempted turning you around to see what exactly you were keeping from him, all the while you were trying to dodge him, cold sweat beginning to run down your forehead*

"Are ya sure? Cause *uh* ya starting to look pretty sweaty there. . ."

"Oh!- this?! *Uhh. . .* I'm just, tired! from all the training today *haha!*"

*You two do this dance a bit, with you becoming doubly irritated the more Burning Spice tried seeing what you're hiding, getting additionally irritated while Burning Spice looked completely willing to tear your front open, asking and reinsuring you, again and again to get a little looksee. And you thought Shadow Milk was nosy?! Annoying and driven to your breaking point, you practically yell at him-*

"IT'S NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS, OK?!"

*Hearing those words fall out of your mouth, Burning Spice is beyond tooken aback, clearly, he didn't like being told what to do. You quickly gasp to yourself, slamming your mouth closed with a free hand upon realizing what you've just said, how could you be so stupid?! With the letter still in your other hand, you decide the best course of action was to crumble up the paper, that letter was the least of your worries now anyway. . .*

"Did. . .Did you just yell at me. . ?!"

*You gulped, your sweat becoming increasingly apparent as the brute looked seconds away from having steam shoot out his ears. He proceeds to get unnervingly close, practically towering over you. . .Didn't think it would end this way. . .*

"That. . . Is. . ."

"Great!!!"

"Ya getting spicier by the minute!"

*Burning Spice grabbed both your shoulders, and shook them with excitement, much to your bewilderment. The way his tone can just shift was both jarring and impressive. After a bit of violent shaking and surviving what would've been another death experience, he eventually lets go, not before giving you a hardy slap to the back whilst laughing, dang near knocking you off your feet and the letter out of your hand*

"*HA! HA!* Ya know what!? Take the rest of the day off! I wanna see my hard work!"

*He happily marches out of the room, leaving you in a rather messed up state*

"Be sure to get all the rest ya need! Ya gonna need it for tomorrow!"

*Burning Spice leaves the room, shutting the door, the second he was out of sight, you took the biggest sigh of relief. That was close, way too close! Like you practically dodged a bullet! You pull back out the crumbled-up letter and tried to fix it, somewhat regretting your decision of almost destroying it before. You had to be more careful next time*

During this entire scene, the player must be extra careful around Burning Spice, because despite how it's played, there's a route where he discovered the letter while they're asleep, and he's not too pleased with having Silent Salt trying to contact them, promptly getting so angry he burns the letter to ashes

That being said, Burning Spice, though seeming like a rage-filled brute who fights first and asks questions later, he's never threatening nor outright violent to the player, unless its a final resort. The player is a much-needed piece in a, all be it complex, puzzle, even if they don't even know it, and in order for them to work is through gaining their trust. But don't think that this is a good thing, there are many times where he could've hurt them yet actively chose not to

He immediately got to work constructing another outfit for the player cause in his own words, "there's no way ya staying here looking like that!" And the outfit he gives them perfectly reflects his ego, slick black clothing, paired with red barbaric accents, and brightly colored armor, making the player look like a mini version of himself. It's good enough for the endless training they have to do, but it's clear that some parts of the outfit were put together at the last second and were made from the minimal sewing Burning Spice learned. And if wanting to be honest, it's kinda ugly. . . Overall, it's the player's least favorite of the outfits given (if they decide it is)

Every hour, it feels like Burning Spice is always learning something new about the player, to him at least. Because of this, he celebrates every accomplishment they make with lavished (and very spicy) feasts, no matter how small they might be. Not exactly the best prize for basically being slaved away constantly to a point of exhaustion, but he doesn't need to know that. The only downside to this is that he's loud, like really loud, so loud in fact, he can't hear any other voices but his own, making him clearly oblivious to a certain someone stealing away the player(-again)

So Burning Spice, a not-so great roommate, but a pretty good personal trainer

~Silent Salt~

Ever since leaving Shadow Milk's site, someone else had been watching the player for some time, someone who wasn't too distant from the player, none other than the silent knight themself, Silent Salt Cookie

Once they found out about the player, there wasn't an ounce of disbelief nor hesitation that got into their head, they only had one goal in mind, and that was getting the player out of the other beasts' hands. But like a hungry wolf with its meal, they knew it wouldn't be easy. The other beasts always kept the player at arm's length, even with the leisure they receive, those four always made sure they were watched. And so they waited, and waited, and waited. . . In till they had the right moment to strike

Normally the beasts would be more direct when approaching the player, probably showing some pity towards them, not before whisking them away, Silent Salt on the other hand had a more different approach. They'd leave small letters for the player, all written in cursive and paired with a beautifully drawn illustration which they constructed themselves. Silent Salt essentially gives the player a bread crumb trail, preparing them for what was to come as to not spook them later

"Last one to get back to the base goes stale!"

"Burning Spice Cookie! Wait up!"

*You two were only trying to get back. . . nothing too special, yet of course, Burning Spice just had to turn it into a game of tag, didn't he?! Already tired from the day's activities, you struggled to move forward, and the barbarian is way ahead. Despite how unfair, annoying, and exhausting it was, you sighed, it wasn't the first time he did this. . . As you forced your body further, all you cared about was getting rest. You never understood why Burning Spice pushed your body to such lengths, but if there was one other reason to keep going it was to spite him. But as you were about halfway there, an unknown force suddenly grabbed your arm and pulled you to the side, you yelped, why does everyone here like grabbing you!?*

"*AH!* W-What the!?-"

*Pulled into an unnoticed corner, you practically swing yourself around, already having a good idea of just who decided to yank you out of the way, and you got what you wished for. . . Hovering over your tiny body, was the silent knight themself, quiet and unmoving, looking down at you. . . You jump back a bit startled, those training sessions are sounding a lot better right now. . . Although frozen with fear, it didn't take long to realize that something wasn't right. Sure, they appeared in front of you but that was merely it, just standing there, menacingly, almost like a statue. Your fear quickly dissolves into pure confusion as you stare back at them, the moment shifting into awkward silence. You already had a decent idea of who this fellow might be, and decided to use it as a way to break the barrier between you two*

"*Um. . .* Hi. . ."

"Y-You're Silent Salt Cookie, right. . ?"

*It took them a second to respond, and by "respond" they actually crouched down and got extremely close to your face, adding to your bewilderment, and barely managing to keep your composure*

"*ah!-* I'm gonna take that as a yes. . !"

*As a result of being thrown around so much, you practically knew what was next, but seeing the knight so still felt alien to you, and almost refreshing. . ? Like you were happy to just not be snatched for once, as morbid as that sounds. Oh but no, that's not right, who's to say that this fellow was to be trusted. You make the bold choice to ask them more questions, but before another word could fall out of your mouth. . .*

"Aye Pipsqueak! What's the hold up!?"

It's a no-brainer that Burning Spice finally noticed the player's absence, they have the rightful decision of running to him or yelling out, which Silent Salt covers their mouth and attempts to take them away(what a surprise!) The second route, however, the player's (4th) kidnapping is put on display for Burning Spice, who did not handle the situation well. He immediately rushes in to save them, but Silent Salt was much too swift for him. All the while, the player attempts to save themselves; trying to kick, scream, and squirm their way to freedom, but nothing works, they were a knight after all. Enraged, Burning Spice yells at Silent Salt that he'll get revenge, and he won't be alone. . !

(And before we go on any further, I personally like to hc that Silent Salt is both mute and deaf because 1. it matches with the new ancient heroes since Pure Vanilla is heavily implied to be blind; and 2. it'd make sense that the witches would want to make a disabled cookie. During their pre-corruption days, the five virtues also had to be role models for the cookies, thus they had to, at some extent, be relatable. So giving one of the virtues something that other cookies can relate to makes sense. Oh and as a bonus, Silent Salt is completely fluent in ASL and is fairly good at lip reading; Shadow Milk and Mystic Flour are also fluent in ASL and often act as their mouth pieces. Ok moving on!)

You'd think that the player wouldn't trust Silent Salt from the jump, given the circumstances & that this happened to them so many other times, and yet. . . Silent Salt was the only one to be considerate of the player's feelings before performing the act, they knew the player would be scared, if not terrified, of them, especially when you consider their appearance and quiet nature; thus they planted the letter to let them know. So although this doesn't mean the player fully trusts them, it is a step into the right path

How they view the player is a complete mystery, unlike the other beasts, it isn't just spelled out in ink. Instead, the player has to focus on their interactions and certain body language, since they can't speak

Similarly to Eternal Sugar, Silent Salt will often give the player gifts in an attempt to gain their trust. The main difference on the other hand was that those gifts were much smaller scale than what Eternal Sugar gave them, but still feel more thought out and genuine

*Lilac-colored curtain draped over large windows, comfortable sitting, and a bed that resembled a soft marshmallow, you had to admit, for living in a wasteland, they sure knew a thing or two about decor. But as you admired your new bedroom, you get a sudden knock on the door, and opening it a crack, you see Silent Salt, they appeared to be holding a few things*

"Oh! Silent Salt Cookie! What brings you-"

*Fully opening the door revealed what they were holding, a bouquet of beautifully made paper flowers in one hand, and a sliver tin, filled with salted chocolates in the other. Seeing the gifts, you were pleasantly surprised, not just by the tin of sweets but the paper flowers, so true to life and clearly made by them, you were amazed by the fact they were able to pull something like that off*

"Wow! are these for me?"

*The knight nodded their head, handing both gifts to you. Despite how small the gesture was, you still felt a tiny bit overwhelmed, the smallest hint of blush creeped onto your face*

"T-Thank you! They're lovely!"

Silent Salt was & still somewhat is known for their skills with a sword, thus the reason why their minigame is based on "Fruit Ninja." The player, instead of slicing fruit, is made to cut different pieces of paper according to a dotted line, in an attempt to mimic Silent Salt's paper flowers

While out exploring and doing tasks, Silent Salt will actually partner up with the player & help them, which is already a massive change from the player's other beast encounters. Either they'd find ways to stretch the task out even longer, or just not help at all, so having them there is a huge change of pace. They're always by the player's side, because of this, they can come off as clingy at times

They, like most of the beasts, give the player free range to do whatever, but is quick to set boundaries. The player isn't allowed to go into certain areas without their supervision, especially at night

*Lightly tracking your steps across cold floors, you carefully tiptoe through the Silent domain, moonlight streaking onto every nook and cranny acted as your only light source, which you tried to use to your advantage, the last thing you wanted was to be caught. But when you turned the corner, guess who you unceremoniously bumped into. . ? Pressed into their chest, you abruptly backed away startled & flustered realizing who it was, Silent Salt just looked at you, just like before*

"*Ah!-* Silent Salt Cookie. . ! It's not what you think. . !"

"I-I just have a few other things to do, that's all!-"

*The silent knight only stood there, arms crossed, making their stance all the more stern. You already had a good idea of what was going on in their head, no amount of convincing would change your fate. So with a sigh, you started heading back to your room, not before Silent Salt gently scoops you up, refusing to let you touch the floor, and carried you there themself. Blushing rapidly, you beg and plead for them to put you down, but failed miserably; why does everyone like carrying you so much. . ?*

Silent Salt treats the player like they're the most fragile thing on Earthbread, handling them with care and, with their position as a knight, more than happy to cater to their every need and desire

Due to their disability and limitations in lip reading, talking to them is difficult, creating this communication barrier between them and the player. This, however, doesn't stop the two of them from trying to fix the issue

That being said, Silent Salt most definitely wants to teach the player ASL so they can communicate easier. They made sure they'd take their time, teaching them all they need to know, starting with letters, to phrases, to full sentences. Even if the player struggles to learn at first, they're extremely patient with them, teaching things one step at a time

If it wasn't already obvious, Silent Salt is very delicate with their hands, due to their precise skills with a sword. Because of this, they picked up quite a few hobbies, like painting and drawing, clearly showed by the letter they made the player before, and surprisingly, braiding hair

*Slowly, the silent knight carefully overlapped strand after strand of hair from your head into beautiful braids. They put special care into each braid, constantly checking with you to make sure they were comfortable, even going the extra mile of creating more paper flowers to infuse into the braids. Sitting in front of the bedroom's vanity mirror, you were in awe at how perfect the braids were, your hair practically became an art project! Looking back at them, you couldn't see their face, but you could tell Silent Salt was genuinely enjoying themself, how they added flower after flower, even sometimes placing one directly onto your head; because well, why not? It was moments like this that made you think back to when you first met, back to when their silence felt alien to you, and how you were so unwilling to cooperate. . . Yes, you still didn't fully trust the knight, all of this just felt too perfect, almost too good to be true even, but it does. After placing the last flower, they were finally done, the braids were wrapped around your head and tied in the back with a purple ribbon*

If the hairstyle doesn't make them feel like royalty, then don't worry, Silent Salt had them covered. Cause not soon after doing their hair, they presented their outfit, which looked more like a gorgeous gown than any regular dress. Everything about it was perfect, the long white silk trin that partly touched the floor, the bow around the waste that matched your hair, the simple purple accents, its ruffled layers, everything. But possibly the most radiant part of the gown was these beautiful sewn in embroideries, each more beautiful than the last, all throughout. This was the straw that broke that camel's back, such actions of kindness couldn't go unrewarded; so through ASL, the player is able to sign phrases "thank you" and "sorry," to which Silent Salt immediately accepts. Quite a shame the player couldn't do more. . . The only two downside one could think of is that it strongly resembled a wedding dress, which can give the wrong ideas fast; also the gown length gives the possibility of tripping, but that's a simple price to pay

The relationship between the player and Silent Salt is mostly through action, and to some extent, physical touch. The player is always finding new and creative ways to repay them for everything they've done, often finding themselves cooking or cleaning for them, even gifting them drawings and paper creations they made themselves. Silent Salt does find this sweet and charming, but as a knight, they really have no desires. They crave the simpler things, like holding hands, learning ASL, or just being together in general. No amount of wasted paper would change that

Unfortunately, as stated before, not everything can be too blissful. . . Silent Salt is regularly shown to be extremely overprotective of the player, which does make sense considering their role; Silent Salt is a knight, keeping the innocent safe is their job, and the fact that the other beasts were also after them only made them double down on protecting them. Now, Silent Salt, before meeting the player, had no plans of escape, at least even they think of, in fact, became increasingly fond of their surroundings. . . Only when they learned the player did they start to reconsider. . . with a new opportunity, they couldn't simply pass it up. . .

Because of this, they've developed a 6th sense(or 5th or 4th) whenever they felt the player was in danger. Silent Salt can pick up signals of danger from miles away, and acts quickly ensure their safety, so imagine the player's surprise and confusion when being rushed somewhere else

*Everything was a blur. . . One second ago you and Silent Salt were spending time together per usual, before you knew it you were being pulled into your room, and Silent Salt was doing repeated checks on the door and windows, making sure they were locked. Confused, you try to stop them in their tracks, to get some sort of answer, but all they did was clutch both your hands tightly, looking you directly in the eyes; before abruptly letting go, telling you to never, for any reason, open the door or windows till they came back, then disappears, leaving you in a state of flustered shock. Even if completely unexpected on your end, it became increasingly clear why Silent Salt acted the way they did. . . with a battle axe, guess who was waiting just outside. . ?*

"Salty! right on time!~ It's been awhile, hasn't it?~"

*The knight merely stood there, sword in hand with a tight grip. They already knew what the brute was saying, him placing the axe's handle on the back of his neck as he began to walk towards them*

"Honestly, I'm pretty surprised Salty!~ Out of everybody here, it's you who'd be dumb enough to steal from me, me!"

"Cause when I think of stealing, I usually think of Shadow Milk Cookie, maybe Eternal Sugar Cookie if what we're after is really worth fighting for, but you?! *HA!* Didn't think of ya as the taking type!~"

"*Hmm. . .* I like it! You know I always love a good surprise?~"

*With every step he took, Silent Salt only further stood their ground, having already pulled their sword out from the dirt and getting into a battle stance. Upon reading their body language, his grin only got bigger, he knew exactly what was doing and actively stirred the pot. He put his hands up as he backed away in a condescending yet reassuring tone*

"*Woah!-* *Woah!-* Easy there buddy!~ Now I know what it looks like, but I promise, I didn't come here to cause trouble. . ."

"Instead, I'm looking for a little. . . exchange. . ."

*Burning Spice proceeded to hold his axe behind his back to make himself appear more innocent. All the while Silent Salt didn't once get out of their battle-ready mindset*

"Now I know I can be a little. . . hectic at times, but for this I'm willing to make one exception. . ."

"Say, I won't leave a scratch on your place, if you return what you've stole from me. . !"

"A simple deal, really!- You get out of this with no causalities, and I leave with that little cookie in tow!~ So what do ya say. . ?"

*Silent Salt was only getting parts of the Burning Spice's so called "deal," and already, they were not having it. . ! With just a blink of an eye, Silent Salt went from guarding their domain to holding the tip of their blade at Burning Spice's throat, as if they teleported, they were that fast. . ! Along with Shadow Milk's lies, none of the beasts were dumb enough to fall for one of his exchanges! The knight was clearly provoked; exactly what the brute wanted, so he kicked back far enough to pull his axe out from his back. Though the kick was strong, Silent Salt was still able to hold their ground, using their sword to keep their footing. There was a battle-hungry look in his eyes*

"*HA HA!* You just love surprising me, don't ya Salty?!"

*He then stretched his neck and shoulders, tense bones popped at the motion. Then proceeded to do his battle stance*

"Whatever! Wouldn't have worked anyway! Besides, no one gets dumber around here, right?! *HA!*"

"But one thing's for sure. . . Doesn't matter how tough you act. . . I'm not leaving without my pipsqueak. . !"

*His tone shifted to slight anger as his hair turned into bright flames. Having weapons drawn, it's clear as day as neither was willing to do what the other wanted, nor give in. Both had goals set in stone and willing to follow through with them; but just before they could actually strike at one and other. . .*

"*Yoo-hoo~* Up here!~"

"Apologizes for being so late you two, we've bumped into some. . . causalities. . ."

*In from above, flew in Eternal Sugar atop one of her clouds as Mystic Flour floated beside her, landing onto opposites of the brute and knight, creating this strange box. Burning Spice became all the happier, being the violence-obsessed cookie he was, this just maybe the fight more interesting for him. While Silent Salt was as stern as ever, despite being outnumbered*

"Misty! Sugar! Welcome to the party!! Just when things were starting to get interesting!~"

"*Ugh* Don't overexcite yourself Burning Spice Cookie, some of us only want this to be over with. . !"

*She has a quick glance at the beasts around her, just as annoyed of as before*

"So . . . I assume we all know about our new. . . 'inhabitant,' yes?"

*The silent knight nodded*

"*Pfft* *Uh Duh!-* What's was ya first clue?!"

"That's right! It's been far too long since I've seen another cookie, and when I finally find one, they're snatched from my hands!"

"Oh my poor little mouse!~ They must've been so lonely since they were taken away from me!"

"Being pushed and pulled by some brute and locked away by some scary knight?!~ What can be worse?!"

*Eternal Sugar whined and whined, nitpicking everything that she deemed "cruel treatment," and although most of the things said were true, Burning Spice couldn't help but take offense*

"Aye! What do ya mean by 'pushing and pulling around?!' I have you know I treat them with utmost respect and care!"

"*HA!* You call your so called 'training' of yours respect and care?! Don't make me laugh!"

"Unlike you, I provide my little mouse with everything they could ever need, everything they desire. . ! I make them happy! All your training does is ruin their perfect mind and body!"

*She looked over to her two other comrades*

"At least I can be assured that those two actually kept them safe, otherwise, I wouldn't know what I'd do. . ."

"Even Shadow Milk Cookie takes better care of my little mouse. . ."

*That's when most of the group realized a crucial detail, where the heck was Shadow Milk?! Unannounced to them, Mystic Flour already had a good idea of where he was, but waited to answer. . .*

"Oh yeah! Shadow Milk Cookie isn't here! Where is the guy anyway?!"

"When we found out the pika was being kept here, we came as soon as possible. But it wasn't long before Shadow Milk separated from us; we tried to pursue him but by then, he was already gone. . ."

"Perhaps we should wait for him. . .Knowing him, he likely has something planned. . !"

*With Shadow Milk being the smartest of their group, waiting for him seemed like the safest option, after all he was known for his tricks, who knows what he could be planning. Yet the brute and angel, who always had something to say, didn't have the patience for such. . .*

"And let him get another chance on stealing my little mouse away again?! Absolutely not!!"

"Yeah Misty, not having Shadow Milk Cookie around means less of us to get through, even if it is kinda boring! *HA HA!*"

"Wouldn't want his filth to rub off on my pipsqueak. . !"

*Eternal Sugar gasped in surprise and utter disgust*

"'Your' Pipsqueak?! are you delusional?! Clearly they're mine!!"

*Burning Spice cracked his knuckles, as he puffed his chest*

"Oh yeah?! Then why don't ya prove it?!"

*Mystic Flour groaned in irritation, if her eyes were open she would have definitely rolled them, this charade was going too far*

"*Ugh* You two are bickering like children! Could you at least not treat them like some object?! It's likely that the pika will return to me or Silent Salt Cookie, at least we don't see them as a mere pet. . !"

*Silent Salt nodded in agreement*

"And yet, I think we all know what we're really after. . . "

*With that sentence alone, it made Burning Spice and Eternal Sugar as quiet as Silent Salt was. . . The whole area was hushed, quiet enough to hear a pin drop. . .The four beasts side eyed each other, as if ready to duel; evidence was undeniably clear, they wanted to use you. . .for something? After keeping their running mouths shut for what felt like decades, Burning Spice finally breaks the silence, drawing his weapon, his patience was already dissolved. . .*

"Alright, that's it! We all want the cookie, and just sitting around isn't gonna help!"

"So, let's settle this. . . once and for all. . !"

"Agreed!"

"*Ugh* Suppose we should get this over with. . !"

*As Silent Salt drew their sword, the battle had began. The four played sides, the three of them trying to barge their way in, and Silent Salt trying to keep them out; and despite how unfair the fight seemed, not only were they evenly matched, but they all were fighting for themselves, for their own selfish goals, all of which surrounded getting to you. . . Speaking of that, you were once more left in the dark, spared from the situation. Not to say you aren't curious about what was going on either, in fact you were completely willing to open the windows to look outside if Silent Salt didn't tell you to keep them closed. Laying on top of the marshmallow bed, you stare up at the ceiling in boredom and something else. You received another to be alone with your thoughts, really rekindle and wonder. . . What the hell was going on?! First you were teleported to this strange place, then you were kidnapped five times, then you basically died and came back to life? Nothing about your situation was normal! Not to mention the cookies you're trapped with, if you can even call them "cookies" what even were they? You didn't know anything about them, what to feel about them, let alone if you could trust them or not. . . Questions were swimming in your head like fish upstream, feelings fighting for control in till. . .*

"*AH HAHAHAHA!~* no matter what, the story always stays the same!~"

*You hear a voice, a squeaky, arrogant, yet oh so voice. . . You look around in surprise, was that who you thought it was?!*

"That's right!~ The hero has arrived!~"

". . .To save his damsel in distress!~"

*CRASH!*

*Destroying one of the windows, bursts in the self-proclaimed trickster himself, Shadow Milk Cookie, the suddenness of the action making you fall off your bed startled and almost near giving you a heart attack. When hitting the ground, he did a quick barrel roll before landing on one knee in a sort of "ta-da!" position, acting like he didn't ruin a perfectly good glass plane, and much to your bewilderment. You quickly get up and stand towards him*

"S-Shadow Milk?! Are you ok?!"

"Awh~ Look at you!~ worrying for lil'ol me!~"

"I'm perfectly fine my little mousey!~ Absolutely splendid!~"

*You knew you should've expected a reaction like that from him of all cookies, but it didn't stop you from going dumbfounded*

"You just jumped in through a closed window!!"

*He then went on this long, overexaggerated, winded speech about how much he missed you, how you two had been separated for far too long, what lengths he had to go through just to get to you, but you were wise enough to know that he was partly spewing out lies. . . Mystic Flour knew he had a plan, and had a plan he did! whilst everyone else was occupied, he'd snuck in through a back window, unbelievable how such a cheap tactic was able to work. . . It wasn't long for Shadow Milk to notice the beautiful dress you were wearing, and lights up with glee, zipping toward you, and scaring you once more*

"And might I add, that is quite a marvelous gown you have on!~ *AH!* It makes you look so much more like a proper damsel!~ who made it?!"

"Well-. . ."

*He cuts you off before another word could come out of your mouth*

"-Oh, no, no, no, wait!- don't tell me, Silent Salt Cookie made this, didn't they?~"

"*AH!* It's such a no brainer!~ They make such amazing things, of course they'd make something this cute!~ I'm a little jealous!~ *hehehe!~*"

"*Whew!~* Okay, I think we had enough excitement for one day, hadn't we?~"

*He abruptly grabs your arm and pulls you close, startling you as blush begins to creep up your cheeks*

"Time to go home!~"

*It was the mention of "home" that threw you into a loop, what did he mean by "go home?!" Shocked, you pulled yourself away from the trickster, causing surprise and slight annoyance on his end*

"H-Home?! What are you talking about?!"

"Oh, you ask such silly questions, I'm taking you with me! Back to my humble abode!~"

Obviously, going back to the guy that had the player turned into two halves, is something that they aren't fully ready to do, thus are given the choice to go with him or not; to which both have different, yet very grim results. . . If they say yes, Shadow Milk Cookie will carry them out of Silent Salt's domain, not before being founded out by the other beasts, causing the player to be caught up within the drama, eventually getting stabbed through the chest from all the excitement. . ! On the other hand, if they say no, Shadow Milk with become more persuasive toward the player, reminding them of their time spent apart. If they deny him enough times, his patience begins to wane as his persona falls apart. Becoming more demanding till he snaps, forcing the player to leave with him; but it was already too late, as the other beasts had shown up, who aren't too happy about his late arrival, and chaos ensues, leading to the player getting decapitated. . !(Woooo-)

~Final~

The player ends up back at the top of the altar in the Silver Forest, completely passed out from the shock. All the beasts, after freaking out over their dead body, head there in a heartbeat, arguing over who'd be the one to take the player home, till Mystic Flour decides enough is enough, ending the argument and declaring the Shadow Milk should be the one to take in the player since he found them first, further saying that arguing wouldn't get them anywhere and wants to start a meeting before anyone else could argue back. . . Fast forward to Shadow Milk's base, the player is getting some well needed rest as the beasts are discussing what to do next, although it isn't entirely apparent that they remember how they got there, having them around could be beneficial to their much bigger goals. After a bit of talking, Shadow Milk conjures up a wonderfully, awful, idea. . . keeping the player as their hostage. . . Think about it! From the outside world, they already have reputations for being cold and cruel monsters, if they found out they had a cookie with them, they'd go nuts! Plus, who'd be more inclined to get involved? None other than the new Guardian Of The Seal, and Ancient Hero herself, White Lily Cookie. . . Long story short, they all agree with the plan, as it will guarantee their escape, and check on the player not long after, who was still passed out

*In your dormant state, you lay unconscious as all five beasts watched you, each of them claimed a corner of the bed. As they watched, Silent Salt noticed a slight twitching in your hand, and instinctively embraced theirs into yours, rubbing their thumb on your wrist. Not everybody took it well, cause Eternal Sugar shooed their hand away just a few seconds later*

"*Ugh* Get your hands away from them, you're ruining their slumber. . !"

*She turns back to you as her mood shifts from annoyance to gentle delight*

"Awh~ They look so precious!~"

*Burning Spice leaned forward on the bed to get a better look at you, he seemed upset*

"How long are they gonna be like this. . ? It's been awhile now. . ."

"Roughly a few hours, but I believe they will be awake by tomorrow. . . Poor thing, must have scared them quite a lot "

". . . I think it'd be wise to not tell the pika about our plan, after all, we did get this far with them"

"Right you are, my dear comrade!~"

"If it were to get out that we were keeping them for our own sake, it'd surely shatter any trust we might have, and we don't want them defying us, now do we?~"

*The other beasts agreed*

"*hehehehe!* So it's settled!~"

*Running a hand up your arm, the trickster looked back at you with his signature smile*

"*Hehehehe!*Oh be sure to get all the rest you need, my little mousey!~"

"Cause you'll be in for quite the performance!~"

And that's pretty much how the story begins, the player is their little doll for the time being, none the wiser about the beasts' plans for hostage type deal with The Guardian Of The Seal

(holy crap we're almost done, guess it's time to talk about some background and bonus info)

~Background~

You are playing as the new resident of the Faerie Kingdom, a half-faerie who grew up in Crispia. There, they are known for two things, having cookie genetics and being kinda an a*s, everything makes them unique compared to other faeries, especially the lack of wings on their back, and their personality isn't exactly a pocket of sunshine either. So throw that in a blender, and you got yourself unnecessary fame that many don't want. The player receives the full "little sibling treatment" with faeries being overbearing and constantly getting doted on. Which, of course, sucks, day by day, no matter where they go, they can't escape it! The only escape they have from it all is their day job, working as the librarian's assistant is when they could finally have some peace and quiet, alongside the librarian, who became the player's good friend

Ok! Bonus Stuff!

With the player's kidnapping and life within the Silver Kingdom, a few bonus relationships the player can have are with Silverbell, Mercury Knight, Pure Vanilla, and of course White Lily. SB and Mercury are like childhood friends/crushes, having met the player before the events of the main game, making the player more acquainted toward them. White Lily and Pure Vanilla on the other hand, take a parental role, acting as the player's protectors much later in the game. Both are relatively more alien to the player, especially White Lily, but the two quickly insert themselves, insisting that they only want to keep the player safe(which makes sense considering their mission is to protect Cookiekind, and the player certainly counts) Out of the two, it's White Lily we end up getting the closest with(a mother + child bond if you will), as Guardian Of The Seal, she was horrified to find out the player was being held hostage by the beasts, and wanted to do anything in her power to save them. She also took a liking to their personality (which's fine I guess???)

It may not look like it, but this game is all about choice. It's about the ideas and importance of choice, how decisions affect your life, how even bigger decisions are often made by selfish people, and (I'm probably gonna get publicly executed for this!-) how a democracy should be handled, because let's be honest, we need a better one. . . We'll see plenty examples of a bad democracy among the beasts, as Shadow Milk, the proclaimed "leader" constantly makes choices for others, in reality only thinking about himself; it's through the player he learns to give the others a say in the matter. Speaking of which, it's the player's choices that will have the most impact as the story continues, like how most games do, the only difference is that the game provides a much wider buffet of choices, making the opportunities endless!

.

.

.

If you're reading this then, Congratulations!

You Made It To The End!

Here's A Trophy!🏆(for both me and you cause omfg this took FOREVER! I'm happy with the final result but like- I never thought this would take like 5 weeks to make ;w;)

If I could go back in time, I would've definitely made this shorter. . !

If you any other ideas for this strange fangame, then feel free to let me know!~

Ok, bye!~^^

*decomposes into the soil*

[skitskatdacat63]

This is a special genre of f1 picture(to ME.)

[sysig]

Your Weekly TV Guide

On Monday you can expect:

2:30 PM: Star Control II - Helix

And Tuesday:

2:30 PM: Adventure Time - Petrigrof

Wednesday:

2:30 PM: Original - Tala

Thursday:

2:30 PM: AT

Friday:

2:30 PM: AT

Saturday:

2:30 PM: AT - Prismo

Sunday:

2:30 PM: AT

Thanks for tuning in! (Patreon)

[phantomrose96]

Hey not to go all "tumblr is a professional networking site" on you, but how did you get to work for Microsoft??? I'm a recent grad and I'm being eviscerated out here trying to apply for industry jobs & your liveblogging about your job sounds so much less evil than Data Entry IT Job #43461

This place is basically LinkedIn to me.

I'm gonna start by saying I am so so very sorry you're a recent grad in the year 2024... Tech job market is complete ass right now and it is not just you. I started fulltime in 2018, and for 2018-2022 it was completely normal to see a yearly outflow of people hopping to new jobs and a yearly inflow of new hires. Then sometime around late-spring/early-summer of 2022 Wallstreet sneezed the word "recession" and every tech company simultaneously shit themselves.

Tons of layoffs happened, meaning you're competing not just with new grads but with thousands of experienced workers who got shafted by their company. My org squeaked by with a small amount of layoffs (3 people among ~100), but it also means we have not hired anyone new since mid-2022. And where I used to see maybe 4-8 people yearly leave in order to hop to a new job, I think I've seen 1 person do that in the whole last year and a half.

All this to say it's rough and I can't just say "send applications and believe in yourself :)".

I have done interviews though. (I'm not involved in resume screening though, just the interviews of candidates who made it past the screening phase.) So I have at least some relevant advice, as well as second-hand knowledge from other people I know who've had to hop jobs or get hired recently.

If you have friends already in industry who you feel comfortable asking, reach out to them. Most companies have a recommendation process where a current employee fills out a little form that says "yeah I'd recommend such-and-such for this job." These do seem to carry weight, since it's coming from a trusted internal person and isn't just one of the hundreds of cold-call applications they've received.

A lot of tech companies--whether for truly well-intentioned reasons or to just check a checkbox--are on the lookout for increasing employee diversity. If you happen to have anything like, for example, "member of my college Latino society", it's worth including on your resume among your technical skills and technical projects.

I would add "you're probably gonna have to send a lot of applications" as a bullet point but I'm sure you're already doing that. But here it is as a bullet point anyway.

(This is kind of a guess, since it's part of the resume screening) but if you can dedicate some time to getting at least passingly familiar with popular tech/stacks for the positions you're looking into, try doing that in your free time so you can list it on your resume. Even better if you make a project you can point to. Like if you're aiming for webdev, get familiar with React and probably NodeJS. On top of being comfortable in one of the all-purpose languages like C(++) or Java or Python.

If you get to the interview phase - a company that is good to work for WILL care that you're someone who's good to work with. A tech-genius who's a coworker-hating egotistical snob is a nuisance at best and a liability at worst for companies with even a half-decent culture. When I do interviews, "Is this someone who's a good culture fit?" is as important as the technical skills. You'll want to show you'll be a perfectly pleasant, helpful, collaborative coworker. If the company DOESN'T care about that... bullet dodged.

For the technical questions, I care more about the thought process than I do the right answer, especially for entry-level. If you show a capacity for asking good, insightful clarifying questions, an ability to break down the problem, explain your thought process, and backtrack&alter your approach upon realizing something won't work, that's all more important than just being able to spit out a memorized leetcode answer. (I kinda hate leetcode for this reason, and therefore I only ask homebrewed questions, because I don't want the technical portion to hinge at all on whether someone managed to memorize the first 47 pages of leetcode problems). For a new hire, the most important impression you can give me is that you have a technical grasp and that you're capable of learning. Because a new hire isn't going to be an expert in anything, but they're someone who's capable of learning the ropes.

That's everything I have off the top of my head. Good luck anon. I'm very sorry you were born during a specific range of years that made you a new grad in 2024 and I hope it gets better.

[yourqueenb]

No one:

PB writing their Inside Choices blogs:

It’s getting hot in the writer’s room… And it’s all because of our upcoming VIP release — Smut By Another Name! So book team, what can you tell us about this steamy new story?

Berry: You have just moved into a new town to start your new job. Hard-working and eager to please, you hope things go smoothly so that you can prove yourself. But what will happen when your brooding boss makes you a sexy offer you can’t refuse?

Ooooh, how interesting! I wonder what that offer could be. 🤔 Speaking of, who is this brooding boss of ours?

Jane Doe: A billionaire with an attitude, Dixon Balzac always gets what they want and has no issues with breaking a rule or two. As the CEO, they know their way around the boardroom. But as God’s gift to women, they also know their way around the bedroom. *wink wink*

Joe Schmoe: Dixon loves to throw their weight and their wallet around, which becomes very clear after they set their sights on you. But I think players will be surprised to find that there’s more to them than meets the eye. What secrets do they have? And will you be brave enough to get down and dirty in order to find out?

Wow, we’re swooning already! Are there any other characters we should be excited about or on the lookout for?

Tom: Honestly, you should absolutely get excited about your character! Don’t let her innocence and inexperience fool you! MC might need a moment to find her footing. But once she does, she’s a headstrong woman who isn’t afraid of responding with a little sass when the situation calls for it.

Dick: Be on the lookout for your new project manager! As a perfectionist and Dixon’s wife, there’s no telling when she’ll pop up with 10 pages worth of notes on your latest assignment or nosy questions about the nature of you and Dixon’s budding relationship.

Berry: I don��t know about anyone else, but I’m super excited for players to meet our crazy quirky cast of supporting characters, especially one uber prepared best friend! Dressia is always there for you whether you need relationship advice or a hot new outfit to impress a special someone.

Hot new outfits you say? What can we expect from the closet in this book? Give us the scoop!

Jane Doe: Since this book puts the “sin” in “business”, you can expect some very risqué office wear. Low-cut blouses, rising hemlines, lacy thigh highs, oh my! If Dixon Balzac were my boss, I’d definitely stock my real life closet with these outfits.

We can barely contain our excitement! Okay, last question: What did the writing team use as inspiration for this titillating title?

Berry: The team had so much fun perusing classics, modern bestsellers, and popular Wattpad stories alike! We found a little bit of inspiration in every single one, which has allowed us to create a totally original, not at all carbon copied new book for our catalogue. So we hope you enjoy it!

And there you have it, folks! Keep your eyes peeled for Smut By Another Name, releasing next Friday! 🍓

[queen-haq]

Fic: Grudgingly Yours (Part 4)

Fic: Grudgingly Yours (Part 4)

Summary: You are a general surgeon, working in a hospital that’s slowly sucking the life out of you when one day you’re given the offer of a lifetime.

A.K.A  - An arranged marriage fic :)

Pairing: Billy Russo x You

Rating: R

Masterlist (contains links to my other stories and this one)

Chapter 4

You bit down on your bottom lip, looking at the project plan for the next few weeks. Ideally you would have loved to open a hospital but that was beyond your current means. As a compromise, you made the decision to go with an urgent care clinic in your childhood neighbourhood. There was a lot of administrative red tape to get through before you could even begin working on your plans and that’s why you’d engaged two of your closest friends for help. Jacintha was a marketing executive for a healthcare company, and Ritu was a financial analyst, and they were the perfect people to guide you towards your goals. The three of you had accomplished what needed to be done today, and were taking a break now.

 “Any more pizza left?” Ritu asked.

 You peeked through the boxes. “Nah, we finished it all. I can order more?”

 “No, I had too much already,” Ritu said, drinking her glass of wine.

 Jacintha was scrolling through her phone, her feet up on the couch. “There’s no one here that’s even remotely interesting,” she grumbled. “Everyone’s either ugly or a fuckboy.”

 You laughed. While Ritu was happily married, Jacintha was single and on the lookout for fun dates. Except her friend had very high expectations and there weren’t that many men that met her standards. “Maybe you should venture outside Manhattan,” you offered.

 “I’d rather shoot myself than date a guy from Jersey.”

 “My thoughts exactly.”

 Hearing Billy’s voice, you turned around to find him standing at the entrance to the room. Dressed casually in a maroon jumper, black jeans and signature leather jacket, he appeared amused as his eyes languidly took in your friends. When you’d seen him earlier today he was heading out with another woman – so why the fuck was he back and interrupting your night?

 Irritation surged through you. You’d made up an excuse about Billy being busy when Jacintha had inquired about his whereabouts, but now he was here and that meant you had to put on a show for your friends. “Thought you were gonna be gone all night, honey.”

 Both Ritu and Jacintha watched him curiously, with Jacintha taking the lead in approaching him. “Glad you made it home, Billy. Didn’t think we were going to meet you today but I’m glad you’re here.” She reached out to hug him, and you noted how Billy returned the hug with enthusiasm. “I’m Jacintha, Y/N’s would-be maid of honour –“

 Ritu scoffed.

 “- if you hadn’t gone off and eloped with her,” Jacintha continued, sticking out her tongue at Ritu.

 You rolled your eyes, watching as Ritu made her way towards Billy.

 “Only way Jas would’ve been maid of honour is if I turned it down.” Ritu extended her hand out to Billy. “Hi, I’m Ritu. And we need the complete story behind this whirlwind romance. Y/N’s being way too tight-lipped about the details.”

 His response was a gorgeous smile. “I don’t know what lies she told you, but eloping was her idea not mine.”

 What the fuck? Spotting the wicked glint in his eyes, you knew he’d thrown you under the bus on purpose. Asshole!

 “Come on, Billy. Don’t lie to my friends,” you teased, sauntering over to where he stood. “They’re gonna think I didn’t have a wedding on purpose.”

 Jas frowned. “Did you elope just to get out of picking a maid of honour?”

 You put on a fake smile. “Look what you did, sweetheart.”

 His voice was nauseatingly sweet. “Just being honest, love.”

 “So tell us about yourself, Billy,” Ritu prodded.

 “Like you guys didn’t google me?” Billy fired back.

 Jaz confronted him with a raised eyebrow. “We did. What we found wasn’t great. Definitely not the kind of guy who deserves Y/N.”

 “Okay. That’s enough.” You walked over to Billy and grabbed his hand. “Can we talk alone?”

 Dark eyes bore into your soul. “If you insist.”

 You dragged him away, leaving your perplexed friends watching after you.

 Once inside the spare office room, you closed the door behind. “Why are you here?”

 Billy cocked his eyebrow, smirking as he strut toward the couch. Sitting down, he regarded you with amusement. “Last time I checked this is my place.”

 “Wrong. It’s your grandfather’s and he gifted it to both of us. So you can shove that bullshit.” You glared at him with hostility. “We had a deal. You stay out of my way when I have people over.”

 He shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t remember agreeing to that.”

 Exasperated, you crossed your arms. “Do I harass your dates when you bring them home?”

 “My dates don’t take over the entire place.”

 “Upstairs is your area, downstairs is mine. That was your rule!”

 “That Jacintha’s cute.”

 Irritation surged through you at the abrupt change in topic. “Don’t hit on my friends.”

 He cocked his eyebrow. “Figures you’re the jealous type.”

 “I’m not jealous, you moron. I just don’t want you creeping on them.”

 “Tell me something. That whole scene during dinner, standing up for me, bitching out the old man, that was all an act, right?”

 “What are you talking about?”

 He leaned forward. The smile from before was now replaced with a somber look, his dark steely gaze holding you hostage. “You planned it, didn’t you? Plotted with him so you’d look good to me?”

 “What makes you think I care enough to do that?” You held his stare, challenging him back. “Whatever issues you have with your family, it’s none of my business. I only stood up for you because I fucking hate bullies. I already told you that. But if you don’t believe me, I don’t give a shit.”

 His eyes remained on you, unwavering and hostile, staring at you intently. “Let me see your phone.”

 You scowled. “No.”

 “Why not?”

 “Why should I?”

 “Because I want to prove something to myself.”

 “How’s my phone gonna help with that?”

 “Let me worry about it.”

 “Go fuck yourself.”

 He smiled. “Show me your phone and I’ll keep my distance from your friends. That work for you?”

 “Fine.” Taking out your cell from your back pocket, you approached him. You unlocked the screen and handed it to him. “Here. Have your fill.”

 You regarded him cautiously while he scrolled through to look for any incriminating conversations between you and Alistair. There would be none, just a whole bunch of missed calls from the old man since the night of the dinner party. And a vague text message where he threatened you.

 “You’ve been ignoring his calls. Alistair won’t like that.”

 “He’ll get over it.”

 “He’s dangerous when he’s crossed. And you pissed him off by standing up for me.”

 “I can take care of myself,” you huffed, grabbing your phone back from him.

 “You have to be so flippant about everything?” Billy asked.

 The fake concern in his tone was infuriating, like he actually cared about you when it was the farthest thing from the truth. “Don’t pretend like you give a shit about me.”

 He cocked his eyebrow. “Is that what you think? At least with you I know what I have to deal with. If he takes you down, I have to worry about what he has planned next. That’s the only reason I’m warning you.”

 “Whatever.” You slipped your phone back into your pocket. “Now, please get the fuck out.”

 “Who’s Calvin?”

 You froze. Of course the fucker noticed all the text messages from him. “None of your business.”

 A cold smile curved Billy’s lips. “Boyfriend? He seems to be, texts you a lot.”

 “You jealous?”

 “Keep dreaming, sweetheart.” He leaned forward and picked up a random magazine that was on the coffee table. His voice was casual, deliberately calm when he spoke next. “Just curious about how your boyfriend feels you marrying me for money. Calvin okay with the golddigger lifestyle?”

 “He lets me make my own decisions.”

 Billy’s voice reeked of sarcasm. “Sounds like a real man.”

 “He is.”

 Billy scoffed.

 “Why are we even talking about this? I don’t butt into your business, do I?”

 “Oh, you didn’t tell Gwen we were married?”

 You rolled your eyes, remembering the blonde from a few weeks ago. “That was once. You’ve had other women here since then and I haven’t bothered them.”

 His intense, lingering stare remained affixed on you, making you feel unexpectedly self-conscious. You were in jeans, an oversized t-shirt, and wearing no make-up. It was supposed to be a casual night in and you’d dressed accordingly, but you weren’t prepared for Billy to give you the kind of look that speared right through to your soul. His stillness made you nervous, making you feel like he was plotting your death or something. You preferred it when he espoused hateful rhetoric instead. “Anything else?” you prodded. “Or can I go back to my friends?”

 “Do whatever you want.”

 Despite the insolence in his words, his voice was a husky, throaty drawl, smooth like whiskey, like he was trying to seduce.

 Or maybe you were just being an idiot.

 Without saying anything else, you turned around and walked out.

 ***

 Upon returning to your friends, they surrounded you immediately.

 “What’s going on?” Jas asked.

 “Nothing,” you replied, trying to maintain your calm exposure.

 “You’re lying to us,” Ritu piped up.

 You started stacking the empty pizza boxes. “What do you mean?”

 “That’s not how newlyweds act!” Jas accused.

 “Why? Just because I’m not all over him in front of you guys? That doesn’t prove anything!”

 “None of this makes sense. You elope with a guy none of us even knew you were dating, supposedly because the two of you are so madly in love, but that’s not what we saw just now. You guys looked like you hate each other!”

 You ran your fingers through your hair. Shit.

 “Tell us what’s going on. Are you in trouble?” Ritu asked.

 “Whatever it is, just tell us. We’ll help you.”

 Guilt surged through you as you stared back at your best friends. They were genuinely concerned and worried about something happening to you, and there you were lying to them. You sighed, taking a seat.

 Then you started telling the truth.

 ***

 A week later you walked into the penthouse suite, your feet aching in the stilettos you were wearing. Jas and you had gone out to dinner so she could give you notes on the prenup. Even though you’d reassured her multiple times that your lawyer had vetted it thoroughly and negotiated the best terms for you, she wasn’t convinced and insisted one of her contacts, a prominent divorce attorney, review the details. The lawyer did have some feedback but ultimately agreed it was a good deal. Finally Jas was convinced you hadn’t lost your mind with this deal, and the two of you went clubbing after. You were used to staying up all night from working at the hospital, but the whole heels thing was new to you.

 Sighing, you undid the straps and threw the shoes aside, groaning with relief when your feet hit the ground. As you started walking back to your room, you cut through the living room only to find Billy sound asleep. You stopped for a second, simply watching him. Not sure why he was even downstairs, but there he was on the couch, in a black razor tank and jeans, sleeping on his side. There were a couple of empty beer bottles on the coffee table. He was facing you, hair ruffled, eyes closed, one arm tucked under his head and the other splayed on his side. Watching him as he laid there, you had to admit he really was a beautiful man – as long as he kept his mouth shut. You usually liked them stocky and broad-shouldered, gym guys who you knew could lift you without much trouble, but Billy was lean and toned. Not that he wasn’t muscular, he definitely was, but you doubted he could pick you up. Or that he’d want to. You saw the women he slept with, you were definitely not his type. And you had no interest in being one of them.

 You sauntered past him and headed for your room.

 An hour later you were freshly showered and dressed in a silk robe, eating Greek yogurt in the kitchen to satisfy your late-night hunger cravings when you heard a crash coming from the living room. Worried, you quickly marched towards the noise. Upon entering the room, you found broken glass shards from the beer bottles atop the coffee table and Billy on his knees, one hand gripping the edge of the table while the other was clutching his chest.

 His skin was flushed, slick with sweat, eyes stricken with panic. He looked like he couldn’t breathe, as if he was dying.

 Immediately you switched to doctor mode. Rushing, you sat down next to him. “Are you hurt? Bleeding? What’s going on? Talk to me,” you ordered, keeping your voice normal and calm so as not to agitate him further. With an expert touch you examined his hands to make sure he didn’t cut himself - he didn’t - and swiped the beads of moisture from his forehead.

 His breathing was ragged, he didn’t speak, a wild expression on his face matching the far away look in his eyes, like he was somewhere else at the moment.

 You started rubbing his back, hoping the physical contact would tether him to reality. “Billy, you’re fine. You’re okay.” Repeating yourself over and over again, you soothed him, stroking his back, caressing the hair on the nape of his neck, your other hand covering his chest where his heart resided.

 It took a while for his heart to return to normal speed. The entire time he was locked in your embrace, pressing into you, squeezing you tightly like his life depended on it.

 After a short while, Billy finally spoke. “It’s hot. I’m hot.”

 Voice husky, body warm to the touch, you realized he needed some air. “Do you want some water?” You attempted to move away but he grabbed your hand that was on his chest and held it in place.

 “No. Just need to take this off.” In one quick gesture he pulled off his tank and threw it aside. You tried not to stare at the wounds on his chest, burn marks and lashings, like he’d been tortured. They were fully healed, a few years old from what you could tell, but the scars remained, forever haunting him. Your heart ached, realizing he must have gone through sheer hell to survive that.

 Your fingers caressed his chest. “You should get some sleep.”

 Billy finally met your gaze. The emotion in his eyes made your stomach clench with anxiety. There was no anger, no contempt, just raw, stark need for something you didn’t understand. His dark eyes were crystal clear, no cloudiness in them, like he was seeing you for the first time.

 And then suddenly he stood and lifted you up, carrying you over to the couch behind you both. He sat back on the cushion, you straddling him, one arm encircling your waist while the other hand fisted the back of your hair.

 Eyes locked on one another, breaths trembling, you swallowed audibly as you waited for him to say something, do anything. But he didn’t move, didn’t speak, only watching you.

 Minutes passed, every second feeling like an eternity.

 Your heart was pounding in your chest, so loud you worried he could hear it. Could he? Could he see how he was affecting you? That your nipples were hard and your pussy wet from grinding down on his jeans? That his heated skin pulsed through you like a vibrator and you felt every brush, every stroke, every touch of his fingers strumming you like a guitar?

 You didn’t know why you did it, why your fingers curved around his throat, why the other played with his earlobe. You were teasing him, taunting him, daring him to make a move. To take you.

 Electric jolts ran through your body when he unexpectedly moved in closer, the top of his head brushing against your mouth, his lips blowing soft air on your neck as he inhaled you in. “You smell so good.”  

 Wetness pooled between your legs, your body taut with tension. Your arms wrapped around his neck and shoulders, holding on tight. Did he know what he was doing to you? Was it a ploy? How could he sound so desperate and vulnerable and still be playing you?

You didn’t understand, because you couldn’t think. How were you supposed when his erection was nudging your thighs? There was no fucking escape from him, he’d ingrained himself in you completely. Wrapped around every inch of you, next to you, under you, all-consuming solid presence of his body overwhelming all of your senses.

 “Will you stay with me?” he whispered, soft, gentle, making your heart pulse the way your body did. “Help me sleep?”

 There was nothing else you could say. “Yes.”

 You couldn’t turn him down, not the part that was trained to heal patients, nor the woman in you that was utterly exposed to someone who was begging for help.

 And so when Billy cradled you in his arms and maneuvered you both to lay down on the couch, his hand squeezing yours as he pressed a warm kiss on your temple, you simply closed your eyes and let the warmth sweep over you.

A/N - Um, thoughts? 

[blossomwritesthings]

𝐢'𝐦 𝐚𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞

pairing: jisung x fem!reader (afab)

genre: sick!fic. idol!jisung. hurt/comfort. angst. fluff. reader pov. established relationship.

content & warnings: explicit & strong language. mild thematic elements. this one has got the angst. jisung isn't taking care of himself properly :(. reader is worried and takes it upon herself to take care of the precious dumpling. mentions of jisung spiraling/having a mental breakdown. mentions of panic attacks, anxiety, weight loss, and insomnia. pet names (affectionately). some toothe-rotting fluff and humor.

word count: 2.6k

summary: after a bout of not seeing your boyfriend jisung, you take it upon yourself to visit him one night in the studio. but what you find when you get there is the opposite of a happy sight.

a/n: whoo i haven't written a skz fic in a hot minute ever since my midterms started three weeks ago (and since this final month of the semester has been fucking me over big time). 👹 but this was really fun to write and omg ji is so cute and precious i wanna hold and take care of him forever!! 🥹 i hope to get out a few more skz fics this weekend, so please be on the lookout for those too~ and thanks for reading and supporting my work, it means a lot to me (also, i'm almost at 500 followers, wtf?!)!! 💖

🤎 - ̥۪͙۪˚┊❛ other cool stuff ❜┊˚ ̥۪͙۪◌!

. . . ⇢ ˗ˏˋread my rules & guidelines here! ࿐ྂ

. . . ⇢ ˗ˏˋcheck out my skz masterlist! ࿐ྂ

. . . ⇢ ˗ˏˋmy wip list! ࿐ྂ

. . . ⇢ ˗ˏˋ skz fic recs [sfw ver]! ࿐ྂ

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ᴅᴏ ɴᴏᴛ ʀᴇᴘᴏsᴛ ᴛᴏ ᴏᴛʜᴇʀ sɪᴛᴇs (ᴛʜɪs ɪɴᴄʟᴜᴅᴇs ᴛʀᴀɴsʟᴀᴛɪᴏɴs). © ʙʟᴏssᴏᴍᴡʀɪᴛᴇsᴛʜɪɴɢs ⤐ ᴀʟʟ ʀɪɢʜᴛs ʀᴇsᴇʀᴠᴇᴅ

It had been such a long time since you had visited your boyfriend Jisung at his studio. Usually, the two of you would spend time with each other whence he got home from his schedules - after the two of you had worked long and hard days. The two of you liked to spend your time together by playing various video games, binging your favourite animes, and catching up on the latest comics released by your loved authors. 

 But lately, it felt like you hadn’t seen Jisung in such a long time - even if it had only been a week. Since Stray Kids had started working on their upcoming comeback, your boyfriend spent most of his time at the company or in the studio. So that little space for you guys to catch up with each other at the end of the day was suddenly gone because of his new schedule. 

 And you wanted to change that. 

 So on that random Thursday night, you decided to surprise Jisung with a visit to his studio. And of course, you brought a large offering of food with you - which included all kinds of takeout like pizza, fried chicken, and more. 

 You arrived later at the company building than you wanted to - around ten at night - since you didn’t expect to wait so long for the food to arrive at your nearby apartment. 

 Nevertheless, as you stepped through the front doors of the company, you noticed how utterly silent it was. After all, the staff were done for the day and the only people that remained were the trainees and idols who always worked late into the night on various projects. 

 You shifted down the dark hallways silently, like a ghost. And when you finally neared the door that lead to Jisung’s studio, a huge smile spread across your lips. Because finally, you were getting to see him again. Even if it was only for a little while, an hour spent with your boyfriend would be the highlight of your entire day. 

 So you filed through the door slowly, trying to lighten your footsteps to surprise Jisung. The beat he was working on flowed around the room, the bass vibrating in the nearby speakers. The dim led-lights cast a pale blue room against the walls, calming a restless part inside of you. He was seated at his large desk, completely focused on the two monitors in front of him. Your boyfriend had his headphones on, his head bobbing along to the music, which left you with the perfect opportunity to sneak up on him. 

 Placing the bags of takeout down on the nearby coffee table that was placed just in front of the large leather sofa in the room, you crept up behind him. Reaching out, one of your hands grabbed onto his shoulder. 

 Immediately upon contact, Jisung let out a loud shriek. And within a single beat, he was ripping off his headphones and twisting around in his chair, sandy-blonde hair messy and eyes wild in fright. 

 But then, as soon as his gaze landed on you, relief washed over his face in the form of a pleased smile. “Baby-” He said in a light tone, swiveling his chair around and facing you completely. 

 “Uhm- hi,” you began, twisting your hands together in front of you in sudden nervousness. You didn’t know why you were suddenly tongue-tied around him. The two of you had been dating for what felt like years - and you usually didn’t react in such a way when he used the pet name 'baby' on you. But perhaps, it was because it had been so long since you visited him in his studio - since you had entered his sacred space and breathed the same air as him as he composed his music. Nevertheless, you mimicked his smile, before motioning with your head to the nearby table that was laden with food. “I brought dinner.” 

 At that, his smile dropped just a little bit. “Oh… thanks, baby. I’ll eat it when I can, yeah?” His focus darted to the plastic bags for just a moment, before they landed back on you. A tiny smirk spread across his lips then, as he said in a playful voice, “Quit standing over there and c’mere, I wanna get a taste of your beautiful lips.” 

 A furious blush bloomed across your cheeks as you slowly stepped into his space. Jisung wrung his arms around your waist, helping you to sit down on his lap. In an instant, he captured your mouth in a passionate, almost desperate kiss. He must’ve been feeling the effects of your absence too.

“Ji- wait,” you started, drawing away from his kisses to take a few quick breaths. Your heart was beating wildly against your ribcage, as you noticed the way that his dark, chestnut-brown eyes filled with so much love as he looked on at you in bated silence. “I don’t want the food to get cold. Let’s eat…” But then, your voice trailed off as you began to notice the slight changes in his features since the last time that you had been him. 

 Because you were sitting so close to him on his lap, you had a clearer view of his face - and how his cheeks looked a little more deflated than usual, how dark circles hung underneath his eyes, and his hair was so disheveled to the point that it looked like it hadn’t been washed in a few days. 

 “Babe- are you okay?” You suddenly asked, palm coming up between the two of you and pressing gently against his cheek. It was slightly cool to the touch, something very unlike him - since you always joked that he was your furnace. “When’s the last time you ate something?” 

 Your gaze locked with your boyfriend’s then, as he stayed silent. The quietness stretched between you, dancing around the room and only heightening your concern. 

 Because oh- 

 Oh, holy fuck- 

 He was doing it again. 

 He was letting himself slip… just like in the past, when the boys had been so incredibly busy with their schedules. 

 At first, it just started as little warning signs… 

 Less of an appetite, 

 More fatigue, 

 Restless nights of sleep. 

 But then, 

 Then- the symptoms would always get worse. 

 They usually always resulted in a heightened sense of anxiety and stress and heartache. 

 Or worse, panic attacks.

 You had seen him fall off the cliffside only two times before when his schedule had been swamped with activities. And the last time it had happened - which was well over a year before - you had promised yourself that you’d never let it happen again.  

 That late, stormy night, the two of you had been sprawled out atop your plush mattress, surrounded by the four walls of your bedroom that were dim with shadows. And you had held a weak and thin and weeping Jisung in your arms in a tight embrace, as you vowed to his shaking form that you’d never allow him to fall so deep into the hole of darkness. 

Never again. 

So, pressing both of your palms to his cheeks, you forced him to look you straight in the eyes. He was a horrible liar. Jisung could never deny you when you stared deep into his eyes, so that’s exactly what you did. 

 “Now look at me and tell me that you’ve eaten something today, baby.” The words came out a little strangled at the end, and the sharp intake of breath that fell from Jisung’s lips was all you needed to know at that moment. 

 Immediately, you felt your lips quiver in a sob, as you fully leaned into him. Wrapping both arms around his waist in a tight grip, you buried your face into his warm neck, struggling to breathe as worried thoughts began to race through your mind. 

 “It hasn’t been that long, I swear-” He finally said, his soft voice taking a sharp blade to the tension that hung between the two of you. You felt his fingers grasp at your sides, digging into the fabric of your thick, oversized hoodie. “Just… it’s been so hectic around here that I haven’t found the time to-”

 At that, you frantically pushed away from him, “There’s never an excuse, baby. Never. I don’t care how busy you are- you need to eat. You need to sleep… even if it’s just a few hours a night. You need to take care of yourself, because-” Your words cut off then, as the lump in your throat solidified and the tears began to flow from the corners of your eyes, heating your flushed cheeks. 

 “Because what, baby girl?” He questioned, his eyes softening exponentially at the sight of your tears. He reached forward, tucking a strand of your hair behind one of your ears before he brushed a few of your tears away with a gentle thumb. 

 “Because… I can’t lose you, Ji. I- I-” The breath caught in your throat then, as all of the fears of what could happen raced through your mind then. Of what could’ve happened if you hadn’t caught it in time. If you hadn’t visited him that night and hadn’t seen him up close. “I’m sorry… for visiting you so late, I-I should’ve been here, and I wasn’t.” 

 Jisung silenced you with a kiss, delicately pressing his forehead against yours, the scent of him - of freshly cleaned linen and sweet chamomile tea - danced around you. It reminded you of how familiar he felt, how sweet and kind and beautiful he was. And how you never, ever wanted to let him go. 

 “Please don’t apologize, sweetheart,” he began in a low, gruff voice, his words slightly strained in emotion. “I should be the one apologizing. I told you last time that I’d never let it get this far, yet here I am…” 

 You cracked your eyes open to the sight of his furrowed brows and saw the weary light that filled his gaze at that exact moment. “No- no it’s okay, Ji. You don’t have to say sorry, I understand you.” You flattened both hands against his chest, slowly pressing against the muscle there. “Just… just let me take care of you, yeah? Let me help you gain strength again.” 

 A tiny grin cracked across his mouth at your words, and he canted his head to one side, focus landing on the table just behind you, which was full of the food that you had brought with you. “If helping me gain my strength back includes devouring that food over there, I’m all for it.” He said in a mischievously-dark tone. 

 You rose an eyebrow his way, “It also includes you promising me that you’ll get a minimum of four hours of sleep every night... at least until you're done with promotions for this comeback.” 

 He let out a loud groan, pressing his head against the back of his chair in apparent agony. “Four hours? Babe- you’re killing me here.” He whined, screwing his eyes shut and frowning in displeasure. 

 “Well, it’s either that or- six hours.” 

 Jisung flashed you a glare, but it wasn’t menacing in the least bit. Instead, it only made you giggle in delight at the sight of it. Because suddenly, you realized that upon first entering his studio and seeing him, he had been acting… different. 

 More exhausted than usual, 

 And even... weary. 

 But soon after having cracked him open, and discovering his struggles with facing another downward spiral, your boyfriend immediately brightened. 

 Like, just the sight of you had helped relieve some of the pain.

Even if the circles were still dark under his eyes and even if his cheekbones were a little gaunt, at least he was starting to come back to his usual, bright self.

 “Well now, four hours doesn’t seem too unreasonable…” Jisung started, running a hand through his hair and chuckling faintly. 

 You stood up from his lap then, nearing the table that was full of food and taking a seat on the sofa. “Good. Now c’mere, I’m starving.” You patted the space beside you, offering your boyfriend a warm smile. 

 “I haven’t eaten since… I can’t even remember when. I think it was last night’s dinner with the guys.” Jisung confessed as he took the seat beside you, already prying open one of the bags. His entire face lit up at the sight of the glistening, still-hot fried chicken. He turned to you then, a goofy kind of smile adorning his face. “Oh- what am I ever going to do with you? You’re just too perfect for me!” 

 Without any warning, Jisung was pulling you into a tight hug, peppering kiss after kiss across your entire face. You tried to protest against his affection - but in all actuality, you secretly adored it. Adored his attention and love. And of course, he knew this. So it wasn’t until you finally managed to throw him off of you that he stopped and leveled you with a mirthful smirk. 

 “Yeah, okay- I get it, you love me.” You playfully rolled your eyes at him, inclining over the table and grabbing a saucy drumstick for yourself. 

 The silence lapsed between the two of you for a few beats, as you focused on the meal. When suddenly, Jisung was speaking again, but in a much quieter voice than before. 

 “Thank you, baby.” 

 You turned to him, brows slightly furrowing in question as you chewed on a slice of cheese pizza. 

 “I mean… you didn’t have to do any of this,” he looked around the table that was full of steaming hot takeout. “Yet, you still did. You visited me at my studio to surprise me, but I think you might’ve saved me in the process too.”

 You reached over then, brushing a few of your fingers against his cheek. He leaned into the touch, holding your hand close to his skin. “That’s what I’m here for, babe… to make you feel better. And I’ll always be here, no matter what. So every time you start to feel shitty, just call me, and I’ll be here in a heartbeat.” 

 Jisung turned his face then, pressing a few delicate kisses against your fingertips. “And I hope you know that I’ll do the same for you, princess. Always. Whenever you need me, I’m here.” 

 Smiling, you tilted in once more to press a kiss against his lips. And in a split second, he was kissing you back. More fervently this time, and when the two of you pulled apart to catch your breaths, you felt the flush from before start to brighten your cheeks again. 

 “Holy fuck- I’m never getting enough of you,” was all that you heard your boyfriend say before he was tipping back into you to push his perfect, rosebud-like mouth against yours.

 After a few beats of silence that were only filled with your kisses, you slanted away from your boyfriend and glared his way, “Okay, okay- but you better stop now mister, before I truly get angry.” 

 He wiggled his eyebrows at you, a devilish smirk widening the corners of his mouth. “Oh yeah? And what are you gonna do if I don’t stop?” 

 You hit his shoulder with a light fist, “I”m gonna eat all of this food myself, and leave none for you.” 

 Jisung’s impish grin dropped instantly at your words, and suddenly, he was diving headfirst into the food once more. As he stuffed his face full of pizza and chicken wings, cheeks puffing up like a cute little chipmunk, you could only chuckle softly and stare back at him in loving adoration. 

 Because no matter what he went through - you were always going to be by his side. 

 And it came in handy that he was a horrible liar, because at least he could never hide anything from you. 

 So matter what, no matter the hurdles that he would face in his life, you would always be right alongside him, helping him overcome them all. And you knew that he’d continually do the same thing for you in return. 

Fin.

taglist: want to be added onto my taglist so that you always get notified when i post a new work? well then, comment below on this post/reblog it, and indicate your interest in my taglist and i'll add you... or, you can simply send me a msg and request to be added that way~

© ʙʟᴏssᴏᴍᴡʀɪᴛᴇsᴛʜɪɴɢs ⤐ ᴀʟʟ ʀɪɢʜᴛs ʀᴇsᴇʀᴠᴇᴅ

[womenofthearchiveszine]

Applications!

Applications for both Zine Contributors and for Graphic Design Mod* are now open!

General Rules are as follows:

➵ All applications will be open from November 24th to December 24th at 11:59pm EST

➵ You MUST be 16+ at the time of application. We will not be accepting any applicants younger than that, even if your birthday falls before publication as this project is also open to adults

➵ A viable discord and email address, as they are crucial for all communication regarding this project

➵ A portfolio of at least 3 pieces of your work. Your examples don’t have to be just for The Magnus Archives, we just ask that most of them be. If you are applying for any specific character(s), you must have one piece depicting each character. They do not all have to be in the same piece. You can submit either one large Google Drive file with all of your work, or up to 5 separate Drive links. We recommend the first option, but either is fine. 

➵ For those who want to apply to create for a specific character, that character can be as obscure as you want. nobody is off limits for this project.

➵This is a SFW project, but examples may be NSFW IF YOU ARE 18+

➵ The creation period is January 1st to March first, with three “official” check-ins during this period

➵ IF YOU ARE ACCEPTED YOU MAY NOT POST ANY FINISHED WORK FOR THIS ZINE UNTIL YOU GET THE GO AHEAD FROM THE MODS. Failure to comply will result in a permanent dismissal from the project

≪•◦ ❈ ◦•≫

Artist Special Requirements

➵ pieces must have some sort of background and not just a flat color, as the final pieces will have full backgrounds

➵ Traditional art for applications, but for final zine publication, TA will only be accepted as long as applicants have a high enough quality scanner

➵ Apply to be an artist here

≪•◦ ❈ ◦•≫

Writer Special Requirements

➵ At least one piece must be around 2,000 words, as that will be the final length of each zine contribution.

➵ Apply to be a writer here

≪•◦ ❈ ◦•≫

Cosplayer Special Requirements

➵ Cosplayers may apply for multiple characters, but they will only be chosen for one

➵ Submissions must have at least one still image per character being applied for. 

➵ Videos are not necessary UNLESS filming for the WOTA TikTok account is desired.

➵ Apply to be a cosplayer here

≪•◦ ❈ ◦•≫

Graphic Design Mod Special Requirements

➵ You MUST be at least 18+ in order to apply for this position. This is non-negotiable 

➵ A viable discord and email address, as they are crucial for communication regarding this project

➵ At least some graphic design history

➵ Examples of your work

➵ Must be available from January 1st to March 31st

➵ Applying for this role is not an automatic application for any other, if you wish to apply for another position, you must fill out the corresponding application.

➵ Apply for the Graphic Design Mod position here

Also, in the coming weeks(?) there will be applications for a Financial Mod and Shipping Mod (which will both be hard 21+ requirements) and applications for Merch Artists! So be on the lookout (also if people are specifically interested in those mod positions, DM me, because I have no idea what im doing /hj)

If yall have ANY questions, don't hesitate to ask! My askbox is open and my notifications are ON!

Now, have fun, and good luck.

*𝙞𝙩'𝙨 𝙤𝙗𝙫𝙞𝙤𝙪𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙬𝙚 𝙣𝙚𝙚𝙙 𝙖 𝙜𝙧𝙖𝙥𝙝𝙞𝙘 𝙙𝙚𝙨𝙞𝙜𝙣 𝙢𝙤𝙙. 𝙢𝙮 𝙛𝙧𝙚𝙚 𝙘𝙖𝙣𝙫𝙖 𝙨𝙠𝙞𝙡𝙡𝙨 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙤𝙣𝙡𝙮 𝙜𝙤 𝙨𝙤 𝙛𝙖𝙧.

[bite-sizedttrpg]

An Update!

Apologies for not posting for a long time. I have been pretty busy working with artists and writing! Not only have I fully written out how all the lineage abilities work, but I also have nearly finished the spell list, which consists of 105 spells! Not only that but soon (hopefully within 2-3 months) I will be running a one-shot for my alpha playtesters. Once they have all played it and given feedback I will release it as a one-shot for whoever would like to try it out! To finish out this update I also have some stickers available!!! By the end of this week, my Etsy shop should be up and running and you can purchase these if you wish to help support this project! Here are the stickers:

These were drawn by the amazing Vittoria Pompolani! They have been absolutely amazing to work with and you can find all their stuff using this link: linktr.ee/bonedustreborn

Also, I will be posting more often now that I feel like I have updates other than "I wrote some spells today." So be on the lookout for those.

[buthowboutno]

Every once in a while I’ll remember how Casey Jr greeted sweetums like an old friend or someone similar, and now I’m just wondering if sweetums was an uncle/auntie figure to him, and if he’s ever told anyone else about how they (probably) would have been married to donnie

*looks at the snippet i just traumatized my kofi supporters with and looks back*

well, uh

you see

.....

it's been a long hiatus, might as well just show y'all (BLAME @raccoon-robyn FOR THIS. MINOR SPOILERS FOR THE BAD FUTURE REVEAL)

--

“I presume your night with Cassandra went well,” Donnie said, elbows deep in another SHELLDON drone. A few years ago it would’ve been unheard of to retrieve them after the Kraang shot them down. Nowadays, the Rebellion was scrounging for parts anywhere they could get them. 

You squinted at him and handed him a 5/16th’s wrench, “We were on lookout, Dee-dee, it’s not like we were off to the Bahamas.” 

Donnie rolled his eyes and took the wrench from you, “I didn’t know that lookout entailed making out against the walls of the compound.”

You paused, taking in Donnie’s body language. Everything about him read neutral, but you knew him better than that. He was your best friend for Christ’s sake. You knew all of his tells. Everything from the set of his jaw to the way he gripped the wrench told you what you needed to know about that statement.

“I don’t see how it's any of your business,” you replied coolly.

“You’re threatening the safety–”

“That’s not what you’re mad about and you know it,” you cut him off, “And I thought we agreed to stop having this conversation.”

Donnie huffed at you, “I am your commander, it is my duty to know when you are off task.”

“Fifteen minute breaks are mandatory for late night surveillance,” you argued, “You’re the one that put that policy in place.”

“You are expected to stay vigilant at all times, regardless of being on a break.”

“You just wish it was you pressing me against the wall,” you said flatly. You stared Donnie in the eyes, not faltering once while you took his wrench and exchanged it for a flathead screwdriver. Even while fighting, the two of you were never any less in sync.

The both of you had been… fighting a lot more recently.

“That’s not even remotely related to this conversation,” Donnie said, tearing his eyes from yours. You didn’t miss the blush peeking out under his mask, despite how nonchalant he was acting.

“That is the conversation, Donatello,” you said, running your hand through your hair. They came out dirtier than they started with how saturated your hair was with grease and motor oil, “You said you didn’t love me, I’m trying to move the fuck on.”

“That’s not–” Donnie cut himself off with a groan, pulling his arms out of the machinery. He breathed in deeply, moving his hands to his sides, “That’s not what I said.”

“Remind me, then,” you said as you crossed your arms in between you, “Remind me about all the responsibilities and tasks and the goddamn rebellion that has to come first. Remind me how your big-headed importance keeps you from being with me.”

“Because it does! This, all of this–” Donnie gestured to the shop around you, filled to the brim with machinery and future projects the two of you only hoped to have the parts for, “is bigger than us, sweetums. I don’t see how–”

“Do not ‘sweetums’ me right now, Don,” you cut him off. You balled your hands up into fists and sighed, “I don’t… understand why you’re so dead set on making yourself a martyr, but that doesn’t mean I have to be, too.”

“I’m not–” Donnie cut himself off with a growl, gripping the inner edge of the drone’s plating. Once, when you were younger, Donnie had crushed a sheet of titanium with his bare hands just to win a bet against you. You wondered if the drone would bear the same marks after you and Donnie were done fighting.

The two of you stood there in silence, glowering at each other with matching expressions. 

In the decade and a half that you and Donnie had worked together, you had only lost a stand-off twice. The two of you had enough stubbornness for the entire resistance, but your will to be a shit just barely surpassed Donnie’s.

As per usual, Donnie broke first.

Not as per usual, you saw tears start to form at the corners of Donnie’s eyes.

“I can’t,” Donnie croaked out. 

The small victory you won was quickly pushed out of mind when you realized how close he was to tears. You felt yourself soften then, immediately reaching out to grab Donnie up into your arms. Your hands fisted into his dirty tank top and you bit the inside of your cheek as you tried to squash the guilt of your chest.

There was too much to cry about, these days. You didn’t want to be one of Donnie’s reasons.

“I can’t,” he repeated, letting out a shaky sigh as he tugged you close to his plastron, “If I… let myself love you, then everything else be fucking damned.”

“Dee…”

“If I let myself love you and something happened to you? I would tear the whole world apart to get you back,” Donnie said, his hands grabbing at the back of your shirt in a desperate act to hold onto you tighter. The teenage Donatello you first met would barely high-five you. The Donnie you had in your arms now held you like his life depended on it, “But I can’t. I have my brothers, the entire damn resistance counting on me. I don’t– I can’t afford to have you.”

“I know, Don, I know,” you said, squeezing him within your arms, “I’m being a dick about this.”

Donnie sighed, “It doesn’t mean it’s any easier to see you with someone else, though.”

“Would it make you feel better if I told you it was a one-time thing?” you asked, “Cass and I talked this morning, we agreed that it wouldn’t happen again.”

“Then why did you do it?” Donnie asked, the hurt still evident in his voice. 

You’d allow that, you decided.

You shrugged against him, feeling shy now, “She was there, I guess. Cas is a fucking smokeshow, don’t get me wrong, but… she’s not you.”

You put your hand to Donnie’s face and wiped away a tear that had managed to fall. Donnie leaned into your hand, a rare show of vulnerability you haven’t seen in, well, years. The two of you rarely shared this much physical affection beyond squeezing onto the workshop cot together when it got too late to head back to the sleeping quarters.

“I love you,” you said plainly, going back in for the hug and tucking your face against his chest. He stiffened the way he always did when you said those three words, but you kept trudging on, “And I’m sorry I keep pushing you like this. I just… I wish that we didn’t have to meet in the fucking apocalypse. I wish we had at least a few months together in the normal world before the Kraang decided to screw things up for us.”

“You have no idea,” Donnie said. He rested his cheek on the top of your head, “I would’ve liked to take you for a movie.”

“I would have pegged you as a bowling alley first date type of guy,” you replied, bringing a hand up to grab at his neck. Just to hold. Just to feel the texture of his scales beneath your fingers Just to know the two of you were as okay as you were ever going to be, “Show off your skills and spend the entire night trying to get me to stroke your ego.”

Donnie snorted, grabbing your hand from his neck and pressing his mouth against your palm. 

It wasn't even a kiss, really, but it had your heart clenching in a way that you hadn't felt in years. The tears that formed in the corner of your eyes finally fell down your cheeks as you softly hiccupped.

Donnie churred soothingly and wiped them away with a gentle care that he reserved for you, only for you. The two of you sat there in silence again, not wanting to move away but not having an excuse to keep holding each other like that.

You coughed in your hand, making the first step to let Donnie go. His hands reluctantly let go of your shirt and the two of you stood awkwardly in the middle of the workshop and refused to make eye contact with each other.

“So,” you said, breaking the silence first for the third time in fifteen years, “we’re not in love.”

“That’s not–”

“That’s the only decision,” you said resolutely, “Agonizing over each other is as big of a distraction as being in love, so we can’t do either.”

Donnie opened his mouth and closed it. He spent one, two moments looking intently at your face before sighing with a shake of his head, “I suppose you’re right.”

“I always am,” you said with a humor you didn’t feel. You wiped a hand over your face, no doubt getting more grease all over your skin, “Anyways… the drone? Still gotta finish installing the navigation system.”

Donnie nodded, accepting the wrench you handed him.

In another life, you could have had this. 

The thought of it had granted you many sleepless nights. What would the world be like with a Donatello that didn’t have to hold you at an arm’s length? Where you could have met him at some mundane coffee shop instead of a last minute rescue from Metro Tower? Maybe even a world where even the tiniest exchange of touch didn’t have to mean so damn much.

(You’d like to have your arm back, if anything else.)

You returned the soft smile Donnie gave you when you already had the soldering iron ready and a brush full of flux ready to assist him.

You supposed that Donnie was worth it, regardless of how you got to have him.

[loohser]

Pedro is The New Cupid pt1

Pedro is The New Cupid//Bella Ramsey x Reader

a/n alright so in this fic WE are Pedro’s younger sister!! Lmk what y’all think cuz I’m super excited about this fic!! I’m not sure how many parts this will have so stay on the lookout :00

Today was the day that you were going to meet Pedro’s cast mates. You were so nervous! The last time he took you with him on set was when he worked on a project called ‘Narcos’ and you were younger so you didn’t care much about first impressions. But now you’re nineteen and feel as if you have to make a good impression. Pedro is your older brother and he told you that they had a rest day so he thought it would be a good idea to bring you to set just to check it out. Also he said it would be good to explore with them in Canada. Although you didn’t know who else was going to be going with you. 

“Pedro, I just grabbed my luggage right now. Where are you?” You started walking towards the entrance of the airport. “I’m right by the front doors. If you wanna leave you’ll end up walking by me eventually. We’ll see each other.” 

“Are you by yourself?” 

“Yeah, unless you wanted me to bring Bella? I would totally be a good cupid.” He started to laugh. 

You rolled your eyes, “Shut up Pedro, remind me to never tell you anything about my crushes ever again yeah?” 

“Oh stop. I’m just pulling your leg.”

“Pulling my leg? Who even says that old man.” 

“Hey!” You felt someone grab your arm. You quickly looked over and saw none other than your brother Pedro. 

You started to laugh, “Oh my goodness, I can’t believe I actually walked right past you!” 

“Yeah yeah yeah, just get over here.” He mumbled while he pulled you into a hug. Seeing Pedro felt nice. Pedro and you are really close so having him in Canada sucked because you couldn’t just pull up to his place whenever you wanted to see him.. The only way you could contact each other was through phone and you felt bad taking up his time because he always sounded tired through the phone. Although he said he wasn’t tired and how he loved catching up, you still felt as if you should let him rest and end the call early. Now that you are in person again you’ll never shut up. Someone needs to catch him up on what's going on at home. 

You sniffed his chest while you were hugging. “Uh what was that?” Pedro said. 

You backed away from him. “What was what?” You started to walk away like nothing just happened. “We getting an Uber or what?” 

He started walking to catch up to you, “Uh yeah, they should be waiting outside already. And you know what I mean. Did you really just sniff me?” 

“Oh c'mon old man, I really think you're starting to hallucinate on me.” You saw the driver standing outside the car and waved at him. After putting my luggage in the trunk, Pedro and I were off to my hotel. 

“So serious question. Does Bella actually know that I like them? Or better yet, do they even know who I am?” 

Pedro laughs, “Bella doesn’t know that you have a huge fucking crush on them. But yes they do know who you are. You're my sister! Of course I talk about you.” You side eyed him, “You better be saying good things about me vato (bro.) If I walk in and someone comes up to me all like ‘wow you're nicer than I thought you would be!’ I will seriously throw hands.” 

“Trust me. All good things. But really I’m excited for you to meet Bella. They told me that they’re excited to meet you. They said that you sound like a ‘female Pedro’ whatever the hell that means.” 

“Oh gosh. Now I really wanna know what you’ve been saying when I’m not around.” 

You both reached the hotel and you immediately found your room. Once you got settled in your room Pedro decided to leave so you can finally sleep. Jet lag has finally caught up to you. “Alright vato, it’s mimi's (sleep) time for me. What time are you going to get me in the morning?” 

“Uhh, probably 9am? That’s not too early is it?” 

“No sounds good. I’ll text you when I wake up or something.” 

“Okay, I’ll see you in the morning.”

[versegm]

The wind prowls around her, an hungry beast on the lookout for the slightest hint of a weakness. Outside the cave, all she can see is a sea of white, snow, snow, and even more snow panning as far as the eye can see.

Still, despite the harsh winter, Rin finds that she is not cold, and that is what makes her realize that she is dreaming.

She looks around her. There are a few people in the cave with her. A girl with a shield. A man with a golden mask. A dog in human clothes. They’re all sleeping right now, huddled together for warmth.

A single person stands watch near the fire, their back turned to her.

Rin has a theory as to why this dream is so weirdly lucid. And that theory is very simple to verify.

She gets up and walks up to the watch. This is a dream; she’s a projection inside a lived past. She has no fear of being seen-

The watch startles when she steps near the fire. “Ishtar?!”

Rin startles as well. She did not expect that. Berserker- for that is Berserker, if younger and less fucked up- is staring straight at her, eye wide. “Ah- yes?”

Immediately, their face fall. She doesn’t remember if she has ever seen them looking so crestfallen. It is deeply uncanny. “Ah… I’m sorry. You look like good friends of mine. I thought… I miss them a lot, is all.”

Gears turn in her head. There is a lot of information in that single sentence.

“By all means, sit down with me.” Berserker (for lack of a better name, though she believes they are human right now) “I didn’t expect to see any other human in this Lostbelt. How did you get here?”

Rin sits down. “Rosutu Beruto?” She likes to think herself well-educated on all matters of magic, but this one rings hollow to her. If she rakes her brain, she vaguely remembers something from the research on second magic- but she doubts there was more than passing mention of these.

Berserker frowns. They look at her up, then down, then up again. Then their face- lightens? Softens? Neither of these seem right. Their face relaxes, but it doesn’t seem happy. They just look very, very tired.

“I got it. You are dreaming.” They look down at their own hands, flexing their fingers. “And I’m dozing off. So much for taking the first watch.”

So it is a memory she’s seeing- a dream and a memory at once. Time is not a linear thing, you understand.

“I need to wake up.” They get up on their feet. Their movements are oddly slow. They’re hurt, she realizes. “Sorry for dragging you into my dreams. I’m more used to being the one dragged in other’s dreams, frankly.”

“Hey, wait!” She reaches up to grab their pants legs. This is the most sense she has ever heard Berserker making. This is her one shot at getting actual information. “I need to talk to you!”

They look down at her. They give her a smile, but it doesn’t reach their eyes. They look like they have not slept in years. If all their dreams are this vivid, then it might be actually be the case. “Sorry. I need to wake up. We need to move, and figure out what’s going on, and save humanity, and not die, and find a way home.”

They pause. They don’t look like a legendary hero. They don’t look like a warrior at all. Here, right now, under the flickering light of the campfire- they look like a human. An ordinary, everyday human.

“I just want to go home.” They say, with a small, pathetic voice. “For the love of God, please let me go home.”

They step in the campfire, and-

Rin wakes up in her bed, staring at the ceiling.

She stays like this for what seems to be an eternity. Eventually though, her thoughts are broken by shuffling, then footsteps.

“Berserker?”

The footsteps stop.

“Sorry, did I wake you? I’m not sleepy anymore. I’m gonna lounge downstairs.”

“Berserker,” Rin sits up on her elbows. In the dark, she can’t see their face well. She could bet they’re smiling, though. They’re always smiling. “Where is your home?”

Berserker tilts their head to the side. “Home is where the heart is. Is it not how the saying goes?”

Her gaze falls onto their chest. The memory of their bare viscera against her fingers is still vivid.

I just want to go home. That plea had been so genuine, so desperate. For the love of God, please let me go home.

She had never asked, and therefore Berserker had never answered. But Rin knows now. She knows Berserker's wish for the Holy Grail.

[pocket-sized-nightmare]

this is my fic for day two of @mcyt-yuri-week! today's prompt is "royalty"

Rescuing the kidnapped rulers is not going well.

Gem would like to say that it isn’t going according to plan, but she knows there was never a plan in the first place. As much as she loves Jimmy, and as glad as she is that Scott and Jimmy are getting their cute little gay reunion, she wishes he’d brought backup. fWhip, maybe, or maybe Pearl. Definitely Pearl. She just wants to see Pearl again.

Jimmy finishes breaking down the door to Scott’s cell. Scott stumbles to his feet. “Oh, void. Oh, void…”

Jimmy turns to the other cell. “Alright, Gem. Your turn.”

He taps at the bars around the door a few times, slams his pickaxe against the heavy metal door, then—

Footsteps echo from overhead.

“I hear someone down there!” Joey calls in a singsong voice. “I’m on my way!”

“We’re running out of time.” Scott clings to Jimmy, shaking like a leaf. “You have to get out of here.”

Jimmy looks at Gem with tears in his eyes. “I have an ender pearl in stasis at the Ocean Empire. I’ve told Lizzie to drop it on my signal, but I…” He can barely get the words out. “I can only take one.”

Scott looks at Jimmy. Jimmy looks at Scott. Both of them look at Gem.

“Go,” Gem whispers.

Jimmy sends a message to Lizzie, then wraps his arms around Scott. As the ender pearl drops, Scott forces himself to look away from his imprisoned companion.

Gem stares at the wreckage — bent bars, a broken metal door, and an open chest in disarray. There’s no denying what just happened.

Sausage and Joey make it down the ladder and stare at the unlocked cell. Gem can see the fury in their eyes before they even say a word. She crawls to the back corner of the cell and curls up in a ball in a hopeless attempt to shield herself from their attacks.

Sausage stalks towards her. “So he got out, did he?”

Gem nods. Tears pour down her face.

Sausage points his staff at her, prepared for another attack. “You let him escape. And you’re going to tell us everything.”

---

Everyone is understandably furious about this.

fWhip is on the verge of snapping and screaming at anyone he comes across. Shrub blinks back tears every time the subject comes up. Jimmy and Katherine spend all their energy caring for Scott and refuse to think about anything else.

The only person who hasn’t broken yet is Pearl.

None of the other rulers know that Gem is her partner. Neither of them talk much about it — they go on midnight picnics to stargaze, build the community garden behind Pearl’s castle together, and fall asleep in each other’s arms when the world feels safe enough for them to let their guard down, but that happens less and less often lately, and Gem has never liked being open about her emotions anyway. The moment Scott and Gem disappeared, Pearl took a page out of Gem’s book — both metaphorical and physical. She withdrew to her room, researched search-party spells and telepathic links for hours, and cared for Gem’s pets. When Jimmy returned with Scott and not Gem, Pearl knew everything before he could even say a word. The final puzzle piece of her plan fell into place then and there.

Pearl’s plan is simpler than anything the other rulers have come up with. In a way, that’s her cover. Xornoth’s minions are expecting big, flashy fireworks and chaos. They’ll be on the lookout for the hissing of fWhip’s explosives or the howls of Shrub’s wolves.

They will not look for PearlescentMoon crossing the border to Mythland under cover of invisibility.

She makes it all the way to Sausage’s castle without anyone batting an eyelash. The door is locked, but a window just above the door isn’t, so she climbs a nearby vine and cautiously slips through it. If she’s remembering Jimmy’s instructions clearly, there should be a ladder just below her, and then the cells are underneath that. Gem must be nearby.

It’s too quiet. Gem’s too quiet. Gem is never that quiet.

“Please, Gem,” Pearl whispers under her breath. “Please don’t be dead.”

She ties up her dress so it won’t get in the way, then opens the hidden trapdoor and sneaks into the basement.

The basement isn’t deep underground, but every step feels like an eternity. The unbearable smell of mold and dust overwhelms Pearl. She shivers with a cold ache that feels almost otherworldly. She has to get Gem out of there. She takes another step down the ladder, then another, faster and faster, when—

The ladder creaks.

From below, Gem gasps and scrambles to the back corner of her cell. “No, stop… I’ll give you anything you want, just not the dragon egg… please, just don’t hurt me…”

Pearl blinks back tears at the sight, but she forces herself to stay silent. One wrong move could doom them both.

She steps softly to the ground, walks over to an overstuffed chest, and gathers Gem’s items. She can’t carry everything, but she makes sure that Gem’s armor, tools, potions, and staff end up in her pockets.

Gem stares at the open chest. “I’m going crazy. I’m losing my mind. Please stop, just leave me alone…”

Pearl can’t stand to be silent anymore. She takes out a bucket of milk and drinks it, letting the invisibility spell fall away. “Don’t worry. It’s me.”

Gem stays curled up against the wall. Her eyes widen. “Pearl?”

“Oh, gemstone…” Pearl cautiously steps closer to the cell. “It’ll be alright. I’m gonna get you out of here.”

Gem breaks down sobbing.

Pearl lets her own tears fall. “I’ve got your stuff here. I’m gonna hand it through the bars, okay? Then I’ll break you out.”

Gem nods, still crying too hard to speak.

Pearl hands Gem’s items to her one by one. Gem equips her armor faster than Pearl’s ever seen before and holds her staff close to her chest for comfort. “Thank you,” Gem whispers.

“Of course.” Pearl turns her attention to the cell itself. Her heart drops. “Oh, my void. There’s no door…”

“They took it away after Scott escaped.” Gem holds her staff tighter. “They didn’t want me getting out too.”

“Gem, that was two days ago!” Pearl sits down next to the cell and reaches between the bars to take Gem’s hand. “No one’s come down for you since then?”

Gem squeezes Pearl’s hand so tightly that her fingers turn white. “No, they’ve come down. They can…” Her voice breaks. “They can still cast spells through the bars.”

Gem’s broken expression shatters Pearl’s heart. “Oh, love,” she whispers. “I��m here now. It’s going to be alright.”

Gem starts to cry again. “Pearl, help me…” “I’m here to help. Don’t you worry.” Pearl takes out a pickaxe and cautiously taps at the bars. “I’ve got to do this as quietly as possible. Sorry it’s so slow.”

“Take your time.” Gem slowly uncurls and moves away from the corner.

With a loud clang, Pearl manages to snap two of the bars off the wall. She slips through the gap and kneels down next to Gem, making a point not to look too carefully at her. Not yet. She needs to get Gem out of there first. She can’t afford to stop for anything, no matter how much it hurts her to see Gem like this. “I’ve got invisibility potions. If I’ve done it right, we should be able to see each other, but no one else can see us. I’ll break through the wall, and–“

“We’ll be seen.” Gem leans on her staff as she struggles to her feet. “We need to teleport.”

“Gem, it’ll kill you.”

Gem ignores her. “I can get us as far as the castle gate.”

Pearl sighs. She knows her partner well – when Gem makes up her mind about something, there’s no talking her out of it. “Fine, but you have to conserve your power. I’m not letting you die halfway to safety because you overdid it. I’ll take you back to my empire, and we’ll get you fixed up.” 

She hands Gem a bottle of a purplish-gray potion. Gem drinks it and makes a face. “You’ve really got to work on your recipe.”

“Hey, I’m trying to save your life here,” Pearl chuckles. “Give me a break.”

Gem lets herself laugh. “Of course. But when you drink it, I think I’ll be proven right.”

“Oh, come on, I had one from a different batch earlier. It’s not that bad.” Pearl chugs her potion… and fails to hide her disgusted expression. “Never mind. That’s horrible.”

Gem smirks. “Told you so.”

She’s interrupted by a voice from above the cell. “Don’t tell me we have another intruder.”

“We’ll take care of them this time,” another voice says. Pearl recognizes the voice as Sausage. “She’s not getting away from us.”

Gem freezes in panic. “Pearl, they’re coming. They’re gonna find us.”

Pearl slams the bars back into place. “Gem, breathe. If you’re gonna teleport us, you have to do it now.”

Gem takes a deep breath. “Hold onto me.”

Pearl puts an arm around Gem’s shoulders. Gem closes her eyes, holds the staff out in front of her, and whispers something Pearl can’t hear. With a flash of purple light, the two vanish from the cell.

The spell works perfectly. Gem and Pearl land just outside the castle gates, and judging by the lack of odd looks around them, the invisibility potions are still working their magic. They’ve made it out. “You did it,” Pearl whispers.

Gem leans her whole body weight onto her staff, then collapses to the grass. “Pearl, I can’t…” she murmurs weakly. “I can’t walk. I don’t know what to do…”

Pearl’s voice is soft and kind. “I’ve got you. It’s alright.” 

She lifts Gem into her arms with ease. Gem wraps her arms around Pearl’s neck and clings to her for dear life.

“Just hold on, my love,” Pearl whispers as she carries Gem through Mythland. “You’re gonna be alright. I’m getting you out of here.”

When they cross the border into Gilded Helianthia, the air itself seems to get lighter. Pearl hadn’t realized how corrupted Mythland has become until that moment. She has to figure out a way to heal it. No one else will get hurt — she’ll make sure of it.

“Pearl?” Gem clings tighter to Pearl as the kingdom’s golden buildings come into view. “I don’t want to be seen like this. Don’t let me be seen like this…”

“It’s alright. The invisibility spell should hold for a few minutes more.” Pearl rubs Gem’s back, hoping the gesture is comforting and not painful. “No one will see you until you’re ready.”

Gem takes a shuddery breath. “Okay. Okay, that’s… that’s fine. I just… it’s just…”

The castle appears in their vision. Pearl whispers to Gem, “Just what?”

Gem closes her eyes and tries to hide her tears. “I don’t want to die…”

“Oh, starlight…” Pearl blinks back tears of her own. “I won’t let you. You’re going to be alright. I promise.”

Gem buries her head in Pearl’s shoulder and lets herself cry. “Can we go inside?”

“Of course, my love.” Pearl keeps Gem wrapped safely in her arms as she enters the castle. “Of course.”

---

Pearl’s mind whirls as she carries Gem up to her bedroom and lays her down on the bed. Void, she’s tired. She hasn’t had a good night of sleep since Gem and Scott went missing. She can hardly imagine how Gem feels.

Gem curls in on herself with a pained wince. “Pearl, what do we do?”

“Just try to relax,” Pearl says as she types something into her communicator. “I have to tell the others that you’re safe so they stop worrying. I can tell them you don’t want to see them at the moment, if you’d like.”

“Mhm,” Gem mutters. “Do that. But what about…”

Pearl sighs. “I have Joey blocked at the moment.” After a pause, she adds, “And Sausage, too.”

“Okay. Fine. Send it.” Gem curls further into herself. “But they can’t see me like this.”

“Of course not.” Pearl types a few more words.

<PearlescentMoon> I have Gem

<PearlescentMoon> She’s safe and recovering in my empire

<PearlescentMoon> She’s requested no visitors right now but I’ll let you know when she’s ready

Dozens of messages ping in at once, but Pearl ignores them and puts her communicator down. Her partner is more important. As she sits down on the side of the bed, Pearl finally lets herself take a good look at Gem for the first time.

Gem’s braid is messy and full of dirt. One of her antlers is snapped in half. She’s covered in deep cuts and bruises, and there are dark circles under her eyes that make it clear she hasn’t slept in days. Her skin is pale and dry. Pearl chokes back a sob. “Oh, no, gemstone, I’m so sorry…”

Gem takes shuddery breaths as she tries to calm herself down. “No, it’s… it’s alright. You got me out. That’s enough…”

Pearl opens a green shulker box on the shelf and takes out bandages and healing potions. Gem stares in amazement. “You had that prepared for me?”

“Gem, you have to get used to people loving you,” Pearl says bluntly. “Did you really think I was going to drop you at the edge of my empire and leave?”

“Good point,” Gem murmurs, clinging to consciousness. She sighs. “Help me?”

“Of course.” Pearl hands her a healing potion. “Drink this.”

Gem chugs the bottle in seconds. She hums peacefully as the potion takes effect, filling her with warmth and comfort from the inside out.

“Okay. Now here, let me…” Pearl gently bandages Gem’s wounds one at a time. Bit by bit, Gem lets herself relax.

Pearl finishes by filing down the sharp end of Gem’s broken antler, then helps her to her feet. “I’m gonna wash your hair now, alright?”

“Okay…” Gem allows Pearl to lead her into the bathroom. She sits down in front of the sink and undoes her tangled braid. 

Pearl realizes it’s the first time she’s ever seen Gem with her hair down. She wishes it could’ve come at any other time, so she could sit and admire Gem’s beauty instead of worrying for Gem’s safety. “Here, tilt your head back. I’ve got you.”

Gem closes her eyes as Pearl gently washes her hair, combing out all the tangles and dirt. It occurs to her that the gentle touch is the most physical affection she’s received in weeks. When Pearl finishes washing Gem’s hair and takes her hands away from Gem’s head, Gem feels involuntary tears prick at her eyes again.

Pearl returns with a ribbon and ties Gem’s hair back into a braid, then notices that Gem is crying. “What’s happening, gemstone?”

Gem just sobs.

“Hey, hey, it’s okay. It’s gonna be alright.” Pearl helps Gem to her feet again, then wraps her in a hug and helps her stumble back into the bedroom. “You need your rest, alright? You’ve been through so much.”

Gem falls onto the bed and allows Pearl to tuck her in. Her breath speeds up I’ll m as she fights her instinct to cling to wakefulness. “I… I can’t… I…” She blinks back another wave of tears. Finally, she manages to form a single word as she grabs Pearl’s wrist. “Stay?”

“Always, my love.” Pearl sits down on the bed.

Gem pulls her closer until Pearl is lying down beside her, then curls up in her arms. “Thank you, sunflower. For everything.”

“Of course.” Pearl kisses Gem on the forehead. “We got you back, and we’ll never let them take you again. I’ll make sure of it.”

“I love you,” Gem murmurs.

“I love you too,” Pearl whispers back. “Sleep well, starlight.”

Gem’s eyes close again, and she slips into the first restful sleep she’s had in months. Pearl stays by her side.

The world might be broken, but they will keep each other safe.

[love-toxin]

yandere fruity four reverse harem??? 🥺

YOU'RE GONNA JUST SAY THAT??? KNOWING IT'S GONNA CHANGE MY LIFE???? fuck. yandere fruity four.

Steve is such a big protector, choosing to physically put himself between you and whatever danger you might be facing, whether that danger is a swarm of demo-bats or just some creep that's trying to ask you out. he would quite literally die for you, and you often have to remind him not to go that far with tears and wailing when he gets hurt or has to be dragged into the trailer to have his wounds looked at. but, while he's a bit reckless and can be overbearing at times, he's also so completely in love with you that's it's honestly sickening--he's the one that will dance with you in the living room to a song on the radio, and stroke your hair with your head in his lap and refuse to move you if you fall asleep there. you're comfy, therefore you shall not be awoken, and god rest Eddie's soul if he knocks something over or gets feedback on his amp. you'll hear his shrieks and panicked laughter when Steve storms in and throttles him--or just tickles him to death. he's a sweetheart deep down, and he just loves to please you and his best friends, so he's just the perfect guy to watch over you and make sure you're both comfortable and happy.

Nancy is always on the lookout for you, if you sneak out for a brief respite from the four to go do something they think is too risky, she's the one that finds you and gives you a lecture or two about your safety. but she also includes you in so much of her life, you get to come with her on her top-secret journalism projects and hold her camera for her, and she always takes you out for a treat when you stay up all night with her to work on her latest story to submit to the newspaper office. she's so doting, so gentle, and very in tune with what you need and when you need it, whether it be physically or emotionally or both. she can pick up on your emotions so effortlessly that it's like she can read your mind, and all she has to do is suggest something to do that she knows will lift your spirits and you'll be whisked away to go do it. she's on the possessive side though, so you might wake up to one of your partners kicked off the bed and sleeping on the floor while she takes their place. usually that only happens if they manage to piss her off, but it still happens. and don't be surprised by her joining in on any of those more intimate times she might accidentally walk in on--even if she has something to do or somewhere to be, you can bet she'll put it off just long enough to get her hands on you.

Eddie is so soft and sweet on you. he's definitely overprotective but not in the way the others are--he likes to see you with your own freedoms, as long as he can take part of them in some way. he has so many nicknames for you and genuinely does treat you like royalty, but he also can get so attached to you that he can't be shaken off no matter how hard you try. he'll be there in the shower with you and cuddled up as close as he can get against you when you're sleeping together, and if you need some space then you usually have to get one of the other three to drag him away and busy him while you do something personal or just have some alone time. that's just one of those quirks you just kinda have to deal with, but he more than makes up for it with the kind of adoration one rarely finds in anyone, much less a sweet man like him. plus, he wouldn't ever judge you for anything--you don't ever have to fear about being yourself with him, because if anything he'll just want to take part in it so he can get to know you better. that weird hobby or stupid dance or song you want to sing terribly is like gold to him, he wants to see it and treasure it because it's what makes you you.

Robin is the one constantly vying for your attention, always on your heels with that hopeful expression that you'll stop whatever you're doing to talk to her or just shoot her a smile. she swears you're her main source of happiness, her sunshine, her whole world--she would do anything to have your eyes on her, even if it means sneaking you out from under the other three's noses to go do something fun without their supervision. she's the queen of holding hands and giggling as you hurry out of the trailer and duck out of sight, before hijacking Eddie's van and peeling off to go get icecream or see a late-night movie. she's by far the easiest one to talk to about the real stuff, to complain about Steve's stubbornness or Nancy's mother henning or Eddie's barging in while you're trying to pee in peace. and while she has a talent for making you laugh those annoyances off until they don't feel so frustrating, she also listens so intently that you can't help but feel seen and understood even if she doesn't always have the right words to say so. plus, there's something about driving home after a little impromptu outing and seeing Nancy and Steve standing on the porch with their arms crossed like disappointed parents that just brings you even closer together.

[baconpicture]

Darcy's Relationships

just a random Darcy realization that I don't know what to do with.

So, in season 2 everybody was getting paired up in 1 on 1 conversations with someone that wasn't their love interest to have a conversation that benefited at least one of them but usually both with the almost exclusive exception of Darcy (the literal only others are Sahar, the 3 rugby boys and Mr. Farouk). This makes sense considering she already struggled to open up to Tara who she's known and probably loved for years but it just really shows how closed off she actually is like after Tara walked off after calling her out at the louvre and she switches to a big grin the split second she turns to Nick and Isaac before immediately dropping it the second they're in front of her.

Okay so my realization Is that not only does she not have any 1 on 1 conversations with anyone that isn't Tara but every time she has a meaningful connection with someone its always not only while she's with Tara but also because of Tara. For example, Tara introducing Nick and Elle to Darcy and also Sahar introducing herself because of Tara's excitement about prom where I believe Darcy doesn't even say anything to Sahar apart from nod I guess otherwise letting Tara take the lead until that lunch where Darcy makes a joke to the group. Infact, I think the only time we see Darcy try and make a friend independent of Tara is when they meet Charlie for the first time but for the most part it seems like Tara is always on the lookout for new friends and Darcy just seems content becoming friends with Tara's friends.

I don't know if this is because Darcy is actually a lot more introverted than she seems or if she's too codependent on Tara or perhaps this is just the only way she's learnt she can make friends. As in if they became friends with Tara first and she just throws herself in as a package deal considering Alice did say Darcy didn't have many friends to begin with at Higgs because people thought she was weird. And Tara and Darcy have apparently been friends since year 7 and Tara seems to be sort of popular so it would kind of be a logical plan. Also, in that case she probably would have tried to make friends with Charlie by herself because she felt safe enough to do so. Idk the last whole scenario might be projecting on my behalf and either way we have not seen her connect with someone without Tara being there as is the point of this post.

[quaranmine]

Next steps for the AU:

-I have a couple of analysis-type posts to make. I love talking about this fic lol so I have a lot to say still. Included in this will be a review of art symbolism, setting as a character, and some selected real-life cases and research I ran across. I may also talk a little about fire symbolism as well as my fun fire-related words I purposefully scattered around (if you noticed me describe feelings as a spark a lot, it was on purpose lol.) I also may talk about a couple things that didn't end up happening, or did happen but almost didn't.

-This weekend I am going to revisit the fic chapters 8-12 to see if I can add more art to them. I had initially wanted more art pieces throughout the fic but the art would sometimes delay finished chapters for weeks (i have to both draw and color it traditionally, photograph it in good light, and then digitally edit it) so I started worrying less about it. If I do I will post those pieces and retroactively add them in the chapter.

-Speaking of retroactive edits, some earlier chapters of the story on AO3 have some issues with em dashes appearing smaller than they should be. This is corrected in my original document but I never got around to correcting the published chapters (i am always mildly worried the formatting will break lol.) When I do this I will also add cocoabats' cover into the first chapter. I also plan to retroactively edit some of my Fire Finder Math in chapter 3 because I think I made Grian's tower taller than it needs to be/at the wrong elevation. This won't affect the chapter outcome at all I just Need that to be accurate for myself

-I have a great many web weaving materials that I have slowly collected over the months that I would like to mess with again. I have been saving them in a #f tag on my main blog, but I didn't make any except for one because I wanted the full context of the story to be published.

-Going to upload the Letters from the Lookout drabbles into the AO3 series. Hopefully in the future I may add more. Or, I may not. We'll see. I also have a Scar-centric story called "Alpenglow" in my outline. based on its structure it may have multiple chapters, but it will not have any sort of through-line plot. It's selected scenes from his 8 years career as a lookout. I want to write this, but I don't know if it will be or not. With the main fic done I will be releasing my brain to work on other projects/ideas that I didn't want to get distracted by earlier. That doesn't mean it won't happen, it just means that it may not happen on a fast timeline.