#phantom howl shit

[phantom-howls-shit]

KinitoPET Rebooted AU

Hey guys, so I might've come up with a Kinito AU. Basically it takes the very end of the true ending and goes "well what if Kinito's most basic code survived, and some idiot decided to fix it"

Don't expect too many comics lol. I'll prolly just do a ton of random doodles. Feel free to ask about it!

[ambersky0319]

Nothing like randomly deciding to reread a fic you know is gonna make you cry again just for the fun of it

[calamityardman]

i just can't stop and by golly maybe this is whats gonna haul my writing urge from the murky depths.

I'll include additional screenshots under the cut, but they're phantom liberty spoilers (specifically the intro mission)

this expansion was made for me but not in the heehee spy thriller in a sci-fi cyberpunk setting or even the blatant metal gear but your runner oc, no its actually because the vehicles you can find are specifically small and meant for thinner european roads (because its a small, vertically dense but horizontally compact area) which also means I get my joy of tiny box cards being utilized made into a reality.

[anxiety-isnt-bad-babes]

Danny Died playlist Part Two: The Electric Boogaloo. This playlist - mostly folk rock, country, and folk music - is more of what I listen to when getting into the Spectra/Walker dynamic or really just writing Walker’s character in general. He’s an incurable cowboy, and I refuse to apologize for it. Hope y’all enjoy!

[astralnymphh]

⤹ okay but on the topic of vampire!ellie, which one do you guys personally like?? has nothing to do with what i'll write next, just a curiosity + headcanons. MDNI 18+ enjoy this free vamp!ellie brainstorming content with a random side of nipple fixation!

¨༺ ♱ ༻¨

teenage dirtbag vampire!ellie in a modern realm who can't stand being in her parents suburban hell born house, tired of their cockalorum and urging for her to engage more in the vampiric branch of her family. attend the parties, go human–hunting with the other blood–ingesting addicts, try this, do that. it all irked ellie the wrong way, made her psyche boil, cause all she wanted to fucking do was you. she craves only your blood, your taste, the metallic ribbons pumping your lifeline was like a goddamn nectar to her. and you let her feed, because you loved her. you let your meat sack of a body replace her breakfast, lunch, dinner– first and final meal.

that's why you let her move in with you. cause you fucking can. now, every itty–bitty token of her life tangles with yours on the walls. pictures and awards, a manifold of knickknacks cluttering the window sills, even her clothes tend to blend with yours– an illusive invitation for you to wear her clothes without the question ever pressing her lips apart. you both are madly besotted in each other. no denial objects to that.

and, fuck, this version of ellie is hot. fitted tanks absent of a bra– pale brown pierced nipples erecting the thin fabric into a small mound. gray wash skinny jeans that fit her lean legs well, waistband cruising nicely under that peek of a v–line, fraying at the ankle hems that contrasts into those battered up converse of a similar hue. oh, and usually cloaks her shoulders up in a sable leather jacket– with your name patched in. a jacket, so prized, alwaaays winds up hurled to some isolated and cimmerian corner of your room, purely cause she lacks the care to hang it up whenever she returns home in a scramble, fangs unsheathing for blood. her knees would find themselves pressing hard into the mattress beneath both of you, centering a large gully of weight where her half–unzipped crotch and your butt meet, thirstily rutting to the point of numbing your clit through the hard denim of your pants. her zinc button just kept pounding that shit, keeping you spread wide. while dry humping you, she'd moan and groan hot on your earlobe, fangs partial hooking on the rim, "mhh– fuck n' suck, babe– can i? fuuck.." 'fuck n' suck' was just some made–up code for, well, it should be obvious. times like those, where she intends to fuck her pussy rough on you without remorse, whilst drying your organs of blood.

ohh, but i'll write that in detail one day~

gothic vampire!ellie who lodges high on a hill, deep in the mighty fathomage of her grandoise palace, steeples scaping high into the howling sky– torn asunder by a network of lightning above. you're nothing but meat and blood, princess, a feast inside regalia. every freshwater pearl, every satiny reflection of light off your dress, only made your flesh more supple in her fluorescent fern eyes. those lucifer–damned pupils though, well, let's just say you can't even measure the green pool of her eyes anymore. dilating, big black saucers, ballooning the milken white away whenever she snags a glimpse of your blood. that phantom heartbeat of hers races madly, mad of love for that color. for that glisten of liquid. so divine, she thinks. a gulp bolts down her gullet when within a measly foot of you, or, more specifically, a mere gate between the two of your noses. how else is she supposed to store her cache of sustenance?

yes, that's precisely what i'm hinting at. a holding cell. dusty and decrepit, rats abundant skittering the stone ground, and you swore cobwebs began to web themselves in your hair– now loose and unbraided. that brute of a girl would crouch on the opposing side, dangling keys on a loop sat upon her finger, ploddingly wagging like a swinging great axe. taunt, taunt taunt taunt.. is all she would skip about and do. slip into your cell quickly and play with you. kitty–cornering you and blocking you in her arms, cooing how terribly sorry she feigns to be, for jailing you up and treating you like meat. however, tides turn, and so do emotions. could it be, the dracula upon the misty cliff– has fallen in love?

turns out, witty princesses with a snakish tongue and spit to spare really turned her on. fuck, even you cursed yourself for rending your guard and feeling a magnetic pull to that hunk of a beast, clad in her midnight black, puffed sleeves and collar drawstring shirt. finely sewn black trousers and shiny black boots, curse you, for finding something about that hellishly horrid outfit so handsome on her. there's– oh, this particularly noticeable asset tp her garb as well. the black dye was nearing translucency, and if you loitered your vision directly on her chest long enough, caught in the right cosmic light, you could see that waxen bosom and her nipples, light brown contrary to her vampiric skin. haha, how humiliating it was when she caught you staring at them as she stood in front of your sat stature, being so brazen enough to ask, "something caught your eye princess? shall i strip myself of this, then?" whilst her hands mindlessly tucked under the loose hem anyway, wringing the fabric over her head and banishing it aside. "here, feel my dead heart–" swirled her voice, thrusting her hand out to grasp yours, cold as the ice age, her mitts froze your wrists and yanked them forth, pressing them flat against her breast and swiping her thumb across your contrasting warm skin, leavening with excitement as you fondle. she stows her knee on the bed adjacent to your thigh, whispering, so.. so, hauntingly, "feel that? no pulse, no life, not a spark lives within me, dear." and it was nothing vastly far from the truth. beneath her erect nipple, was no beat. eyes widening to a moon, and lips parting to steal simply too much air, you shudder. was it fear, you shuddered for, or arousal? that's a tale, for another day.

[chococolte]

kaeya or zhongli on their knees?? pls am begging,, ur work is so good

word count. 1.1k

୨୧ — ꒰ cw. yandere, unhealthy relationships, possessive & obsessive thoughts/behaviors, religious + cults themes, power dynamic (in readers favor), general cult au + sagau shit, g/n reader. i do not condone yanderes irl.

୨୧ — ꒰ a/n. i promise i'm not dead guys... i hope u like this nonnie, i chose zhongli cus im predictable but if u want kaeya too pls feel free to send another req!!!!

“Kneel.”

Zhongli listens with all of the urgency unbridled in his bones, reverence and fervor burning his skin as he bends his waist. 

It’s not his place to question you, nor is it his place to wonder. He doesn’t concern himself with the reasons for your request— you’ve echoed your order, and isn’t it only right that he kneels before you? 

He settles into place as if he had long been torn away, now back where he was always meant to be. A mellow silence engulfs the two of you, but it is a comfortable silence. To listen to you breathe is a blessing unto itself, and he yearns for nothing else but to sit by your side. To be able to hear your voice was worth every millennia he spent waiting. For even the briefest moment to touch you, he would go through all of it again. 

Zhongli is known by many names— Morax, Rex Lapis, God of Geo, God of War, God of Contracts— each another layer to his image, but all of his titles are discarded when he is in front of you. His head dips forward, every breath held close to his chest; all of the rightful ego of a god lost within the swaddling warmth of your chambers. 

His body creaks in place, eyes stuck at your feet. The heat of your gaze washes over him like sun flares, whipping at his flesh with embers. Zhongli takes note of the places where your eyes stray for longer— does his appearance please you? Or do you find those parts of him unpleasant? 

Despite how his lungs struggle, it feels right to be burned by you, to feel his heart palpitate in his chest from your glance alone. It’s his place to be beneath you like this, akin to the ground you walk on; dirty his soul, and it will still call for you; it will still howl with the urge to kiss your feet— to hold your ankles as if they were porcelain inlaid with gold, lay benign kisses to every inch of skin, murmur all of his prayers into the warmth of your flesh until every moment where he did not love you in his youth has been made up for. 

Whispered orisons and pleas in the silent cold of his room do not satiate him any longer. Adhering to every order and request does not prove how unlike he is of his past self. He wants to worship you until every part of his arrogance is turned into only devotion for you. 

How else is he to prove worthy? How else is he meant to treat you, if not with all of himself? 

Ask him to stay in place, and it is only a question of how long. Another thousand years to his lifetime of eternities is nothing if you are what awaits him. Let the moss cake him and the lichen curl around his limbs; he will keep his eyes open until he can catch glimpse of you again.

Zhongli’s expression gives nothing away to the severity of his thoughts, to the fervent piety churning within— his face is pulled taut, composed and as still as a winter's lake, still untouched by the sun's warmth. 

Your hand cups his cheek, tilting his head up to face you.

Despite the unsaid permission, Zhongli doesn't allow himself to look at your face. He gulps down the desire until it sits with his heart, thumping in his throat. A punishment of his own design for failing to prove himself any better than he was once before— still unworthy to worship you in the way you deserve.

He doesn't dare to bask in your gaze, to soak in your light as if it's a sunbeam; your touch, even if only brushed along his skin, is enough to leave him weak and out of breath. The brief phantom of your nails against his chin leaves him biting the inside of his cheek, choking down the whimper that yearns to come out.

All he wishes is to say your name until it's ringing in his ears, the only word he cares to understand.

"You're so beautiful." Your thumb swipes over his lips, soft and malleable under your fingers. Your name seems to get louder in his mind, his heartbeat drumming against his veins like agitated waves against a cliff face. "I want you to look at me, Zhongli."

He no longer hesitates. Your order ripples in his mind for only a second before he complies, uncaring for how weak his legs may turn. All he bothers to think is that you have asked him to do so, and so he must.

Zhongli has wondered before what it is like for a mortal to see a god's body. What is it like to look on their majesty, to feel so infinitesimal in comparison? He wonders what it is like for man to see him, how their blood flows so quick at the sight.

But every time he looks at you, he understands. He knows what it is like to look upon a being, gaze at their light; to feel so small in comparison. He is nothing when compared to you, but is he meant to be anything more? You are the brightest sun, and he is a dim star, light flickering.

He desperately tries to cling onto your image just as he has before, until you are the only thing he sees when he closes his eyes. Anything to remember the curves of your features, the shape of your lips.

Zhongli's chest swells with every peal of his pulse, his knees trembling underneath him.

He has seen you before, but his heart still cries as though it was the first. His eyes still linger unfettered, still try to drink you in as if he will never have this chance again. He could see you every day, and still wish for it to be every minute; still feel the weakness in his bones and lungs with every moment in your presence.

Part of him wants to bow his head, to kowtow before you entirely— he wishes to completely give himself up to you, in all of his flaws and imperfections. Maybe once he has done that, he will finally be able to revere you the way he wishes. In the way he has wanted too since he was still a young god, hardened with the arrogance of youth and pride undeserved.

The other part of him tells him to stay still, to wait for your order. Even if his bones ache and cry, until your words echo permission, he is not to even breathe.

Your laughter, soft and mirthful, finds its way to his ears. It’s only then that he realizes how his cheeks burn— red and hot, blood pumping in his ears. 

“This is where you look best— on your knees.”

Zhongli lets out a sharp breath, unable to stop the whine from coming out of his mouth.

[sentientgolfball]

you and i share a dangerous obsession with phantom its dangerous!!! anyways may i request a hurt/comfort type of scenario. everywhere i look its just phantom angst and being excluded from the ghoul pack so why not contribute to this trend!!!!!

reader is out in the woods taking a stroll when they're suddenly charged at by a dog but hearing their scream, phantom comes in and chases the dog away. reader and phantom havent had much interaction with one another given how badly the ghoul pack shoves him away and when reader realizes this, they take him back to their room where they ease phantom with affection and phantom basically MELTS

hes being given more attention by a human than his pack :[

sorry for the lengthy request!!!

Never apologize for a lengthy request ! I hope you like this one I kinda made it a mutual hurt/comfort. Everyone gets to be sad and everyone gets a hug

My requests are open !

The crunching of the leaves underfoot comes to an abrupt halt. You stop and slowly scan the wilderness surrounding you. It’s green and lush, teeming with life and the sweet smells of blooming wildflowers. The whole forest is cast in a golden glow as the setting sun pours through the foliage. You close your eyes and throw your head back and let out a deep sigh that’s been stuck in you all day. You feel the prick of tears in the corners of your eyes but you will yourself not to let them gather. You were out here to feel better, not worse. 

You really don’t know what got to you, but for the past few days you’ve felt like absolute shit. You didn’t understand it, everything was going pretty good in your life you knew that. You got promoted to lead your job at the Ministry, you’ve made a cluster of new friends from the influx of Siblings, and you still maintained close ties with your friends who volunteered to go to different branches. But something struck you every so often. Normally you had enough around you to distract you, but one night one off handed comment that was meant to be more of a joke than anything made something within you bubble. You tried so hard to make it go away, to not focus on it, to rationalize with yourself but you just couldn’t. It put you in a slump for the whole weekend. You had to force yourself to chip away at the project you were tasked with. You had to force yourself to shower. You didn’t have enough left in you to do your laundry or clean your space by the end of the day. You needed to get lost in something that wasn’t your mind. That’s what led you out into the middle of the woods. You remember something about nature being good for mental health. 

You walked for a while, stopping every so often to take a picture of a mushroom or leaf that stood out to you. When the forest got darker you decided it was time to head back to the Ministry, you didn’t feel much better but you couldn’t stay outside forever. You started walking back the way you came letting your feet drag on. You really didn’t want to have to return to the real world, but you knew you had to. You continued a bit farther before stopping. 

Didn’t I already pass that stump?

You take out your phone to check your pictures only to realize it had died. How did you not realize it was so low before coming out into the middle of the woods? You cursed and looked around in an attempt to get your bearings, but it was only getting dark as the sun sank before the horizon. You felt sick as the realization that you were lost starts to sink into your mind. You looked in each direction briefly considering picking a path and following it, but it would do you no good. Everything looked the same in the fading light and it made you disoriented. You hang your head in defeat and try to convince yourself that sleeping outside for one night wouldn’t be so bad. 

Well…at least it can’t get any worse. 

You should’ve kept your thoughts to yourself. You hear a howl in the distance and you freeze, tensing. You forgot about the hellhounds. How could you forget about the hellhounds.

 To be fair, the hounds only appeared at night to act as guards for Ministry grounds and you typically were not out and about after dinner. The issue now, though, is you have no idea what to do. If the hounds catch you you’re definitely dead. If you stay put they’ll find you easily. If you run they’ll chase the scent and you’ll just get more lost. 

You don’t have a lot of time to think before you hear a twig snap. You whip around to find the source and see two red pinhole eyes creeping out from the brush. It’s growling low, drool dripping from its maw. It snaps its teeth and you feel your heart pound in your ears. You slowly start to back up from it before your back hits a tree. You stare wide eyed at the beast and send a quick prayer that whatever it does will be quick and painless. You see the way its hind legs shift and you know it’s rearing back to pounce. You screw your eyes shut and hope for the best when you hear its growl turn into a full bark. You wait for the burn of claws and teeth…and you wait. 

When the tearing of flesh doesn’t come you crack open your eyes to see a soft purple glow and a tail waving side to side. You watch the hellhound creep closer to the figure, sniff it, and then turn and dart into the bush it first came out of. The second it’s gone the glow disappears and the ghoul hunches over with his hands on his knees. 

“Lord’s below that was terrible. The puppies are so cute I don’t understand how they grow into that.” 

“Uhh…”

“Oh!” He turns around suddenly “Are you alright? It didn’t bite you did it? Oh what am I thinking if it did you wouldn’t be standing here.” 

You stare at the ghoul in front of you. The left half of his face is cracked with lichtenberg figure scars that dip below the neckline of his top. His eyes are mismatched, one the typical color for quintessence, the other looks almost hollow with the pupil glowing faintly. He has a shock of white in his hair that perfectly lines up with the end of one of the branches of his scars. But all that isn’t what catches your attention. No, what you notice is the very obvious streaks of dried tears on his cheeks. 

“Yeah…yeah I’m okay. Uh are you?” 

“Hm? Oh yea! The hellhounds won’t attack ghouls. We smell like the Infernal to them.” 

“That’s not” you pause and shake your head “You’re Phantom right? One of the new papal ghouls?” 

His posture goes rigid when you say this but he nods anyway. He asks for your name and you give it to him and you are suddenly very aware of the tension in the air. After a moment he clears his throat. 

“If you don’t mind me asking…why are in the woods? I thought humans couldn’t survive outside for long.”

You almost wanted to laugh at the statement. The way he said it was filled with such genuine curiosity it made your heart warm. But then you remembered why you were out there and your face fell again. His scars seemed to pulse dimly with light and the ghoul suddenly looked panicked. 

“No, I'm sorry. I didn’t mean anything bad by that I was just—“ 

You shake your head “No it’s not anything you did Phantom. I just…had a rough couple of days. Needed somewhere to go.” 

His eyes scan over you for a moment before he wraps himself in a hug, tail curling around his leg. 

“Yeah I…I don’t know much about humans, but I think I know exactly what you’re talking about.” 

“Oh yeah?” 

You look up at him and your heart breaks when you see just how small he looks. You tentatively reach towards him and you’re taken aback by how quickly he jumps into you. You freeze for a second not really sure what to do with a ghoul wrapped around you. You know ghouls are pack creatures so this is normal behavior. You slowly bring your arms up and around him, patting his back softly. That seems to do the trick as you feel his tail wrap loosely around your leg. You shudder feeling a zap of quintessence ripple through you. He pulls back just enough to look at you. He looks like he got punched in the gut. 

“I can make that go away. It’ll be easy and you’ll be happy again.” 

“What?” You say astonished before mentally slapping yourself. Quintessence ghouls can sense emotion, and in rare cases read minds. 

“Just let me make someone happy please.” He sounds desperate, almost afraid. 

“Phantom you can’t…make me happy. Well okay technically yes you can, but that’s magic. It’s going to change what’s wrong.” 

He hesitates “What is wrong?” 

You stare at him for what feels like an eternity before sighing and untangling yourself from him. You slump down against a tree and close your eyes, resting your head against the trunk. A quick smile flashes onto your face when you feel him sit next to you, tail now twining around your arm. You open your eyes and turn to look at him. Something about the way he looks at you makes you feel safe, seen. You feel your throat burn and you cough before you begin to explain what’s been causing you so much grief. 

You were lonely. 

“I know it must be such a silly thing for me to complain about…especially to a ghoul.” You say finishing out your tangent. 

“No,” he whispers, shaking his head “No I get it..”

You look up from where you had been playing with his fingers and gasp seeing the tears welling in his eyes. 

“Phantom what’s—“ 

You were cut off by him pulling you into another hug, but this one was filled with something deep. 

“Why do they all hate me? I didn’t ask for this! I try so hard to be everything they need so maybe they’ll keep me around.”

“Phantom?” 

“But they don’t! They always pair off and I’m the odd one out every time! I know they’d rather have Aether. I’m not stupid, but why won’t they just give me a chance?” 

“Phantom.” 

“I know I’m just a waste of resources to them. I know none of them would bat an eye if I just disappeared.”

“Phantom!” 

He stops and stares at you wide eyed, tears running down his face. You gently reach out and hold his cheek in your hand. He melts into the touch as a sob wracks his body. 

“I want you here.”

“But…we just met. Why do you care? Why would you want me?” 

“I could ask you the same. You came to help me without even knowing my name.”

He sniffs “I wasn’t gonna just let you get ripped to little fleshy bits.” 

You cringe a little at his choice of words but continue “I don’t know the full extent of what’s going on but…it sounds like you could use someone to help fend off those bad thoughts.” 

“Like a friend?” 

“Yeah” you smile “Like a friend. We can be alone together. How about that?” 

“I think I need that.” 

You pull him into you and let him lay his head on your chest. You two sit like that for a long time, silently bathing in each other’s presence. You let a few more tears fall from your eyes. For the little ghoul that was so shunned by his pack he had to find comfort in a human who barely knew him. For yourself who had so many people around them but still felt this hole deep inside of your soul. For both of you who found each other. 

You run a hand through his hair when you hear the softest of purrs vibrate through him. It sounds a bit scratchy at first, but soon it turns into an even rumble. You gently shake him.

“Hey it’s getting cold…we should probably find our way back inside.” 

“Oh” his ears droop “Yeah you’re probably right.” 

“Do you wanna…would you maybe wanna stay with me for the night.” 

He instantly perks up “Really? I mean I would love to. I yes I would yes.” 

You both stand and he leads the way once you explain to him that you actually have no idea where you’re at. You take over, though, once into the Ministry. You both curl up under your mound of blankets and spend the rest of the night going back and forth about the things that plague your mind, about the stupid things that make you smile, about each other until you fall into a deep sleep feeling content with the weight next to you, but also the weight that disappeared from your shoulders.

Maybe being alone wasn't so bad if it led you to him.

[weemsicallygay]

sweet dreams

pairing/s: larissa weems x fem reader

warning/s: none really, just that its not plot adjacent and that weems is a clingy gf in this :3

(i do NOT proofread my stuff. these are mainly random ideas i make in my head to help me sleep that i wrote so i won't forget. oh and i have no idea how i managed to make this coherent so enjoy :D)

hands roamed through dusty covers as the moonlight and the dimmed bulbs illuminated her sight, her lips caught under her teeth as she searched with intent. clearly, it was late, most of the students except for the howlers were out like a light from today’s curricular activities seeing as it was another weekday. the only things y/n heard were wednesday’s weekly cello practice (the tune of The Phantom of The Opera ringing in the empty corridors of the school) and the howls of enid as she went away to bask under the full moon. 

she grumbled, surely that book was around here somewhere. her eyes were squinted as she looked through her narrow glasses, her phone’s flashlight wasn’t helping as it showed the titles of other books in the small library she had in her personal office.

“aha! there you are, you little piece of shit.” y/y murmured, finally grabbing the dark blue hardbound cover and blowing away some of the accumulated dust. 

she stared at the cover, Vampires and Sunlight: The Untold Truth it read. a peculiar title yet perfectly what she needed that night. truth be told, she’d been having trouble sleeping lately, but that wasn’t the reason she needed the book.  

now, for a vampire, her sleep schedule used to be perfectly normal. she’d get up by midnight, prepare a few of her lesson plans for her daylight substitute to teach, answer some of the students’ inquiries and then be back in bed by noon. but ever since her substitute and a few more professors suddenly disappear within thin air and were later found dead in the forest, with their insides wide open for everyone to see, she’d been helping the remaining professors and her lover with managing the students’ activities in the meantime. 

“and because of that, vampires tend to sleep during the day so that they may have the energy to hunt at night. yeah, no shit sherlock,” she whispered as she skimmed through the book and walked back towards her desk. 

she sat down, the book still in hand and phone down, before looking at her laptop and began paraphrasing a few of the sentences she needed for the new lesson she needed to teach on friday. her fingers were fast as she typed all the sentences she needed before going to the next page, she did that until she managed to finish the chapter and sighed. 

“okay, now I just need to grab that last one from the Dark Arithmetics section..” she trailed to herself as she stood, the now closed book back in its place on the shelf before she got back to searching. 

unbeknownst to the bloodsucker, the door to her office opened silently. the floorboards creaked and in walked a tall lady clad in her white pajamas, a sleepy look on her face with her blonde locks messily arranged as she trekked closer to the woman whose back faced her. larissa, who softly yawned, smiled at the sight of her lover as she searched around her small library. 

she moved closer, slowly wrapping her arms around the shorter woman’s figure and resting her chin on her shoulders, “my love..” she mumbled. 

y/n sighed, her body melting into larissa’s as she moved her head to rest on hers. her hands immediately placed the books back on the shelf before placing them on her lover’s. 

“‘rissa, what are you doing up?” 

the taller of the two groaned and hid her face in the crevice of y/n’s neck, placing small kisses on her flesh while holding on tightly. both women stood there, their bodies shining under the moonlight as they said nothing. 

finally, larissa broke the silence. “it’s the middle of the night, my dear. i know you’re usually up by this time,” she grabbed y/n’s hands to make her face her direction, the shorter woman gladly letting her do so. 

her gaze softened, “but you haven’t slept since last midnight. you need rest, my love.” 

“i know, but-” larissa pulled her closer, her hands back on y/n’s waist as she placed soft kisses on her face and her lips. “no buts my love, we know what happens when you’re deprived of rest.” 

the (h/c) haired professor rolled her eyes and sighed, “i know, but i have to finish this by midnight. the students-” 

“-will understand that their teacher is doing the best that she can and appreciate that.” she finished. 

her hand traveled towards y/n’s face to cup her cheek, “you can’t keep doing this to yourself, darling. what would you do if I was doing the same thing?” 

“hmm..” she purred under larissa’s touch, “touche, my love.” 

As y/n was busy melting under the woman’s hands, larissa pulled her away from the shelf of books, past her desk (the laptop that was left unsupervised now turned off by larissa before she decided to wrap her arms around y/n’s body), and finally out the door. she gave a triumphant smile as she finally got her lover to step into the confines of their sleeping chamber. she had the liberty of closing the door behind the both them as she watched y/n walk closer to their bed, she mostly done that to make sure that her little bloodsucker wouldn’t be leaving and going anywhere. 

“you can lock the door, sweetheart. i won’t go anywhere this time.” she heard, larissa shook her head. 

she trekked closer towards the bed, her hands grabbing the duvet and pulling it over their bodies. said hands also grabbed the smaller frame just beside her, her face snugly resting on y/n’s chest as her arms wrapped around her waist and her legs over her own. such a sight to behold, the tall headmistress of the academy curled up like a child holding on to their precious stuffed toy like it’d disappear if they let go. 

y/n chuckled, “i promise love, i’m not going anywhere.” 

“just making sure.” she heard a muffled reply. 

y/n’s hands softly caressed and played with larissa’s blonde locks, making waves and twirling them in her hands before she started to hear steady breathing. the symphony of larissa playing in the quiet, dark night, as well as wednesday’s playing, was enough to lull y/n to sleep. 

her eyes slowly shut, a smile on her lips as she mirrored larissa’s state. before she could fully succumb to her slumber, she felt larissa pull her even closer and murmur, 

“sweet dreams, my love.” 

[phantom-howls-shit]

TIS NOW THE YEAR 2024 AND TO CELEBRATE HERE ARE SOME MEMES

Featuring Steamboat Willie Mickey (who's just Willie to me) because I am also celebrating he is public domain. So happy for him. Be free little guy.

[sandinthemachine]

No running by the pool

Summary: You and Soap make a bet at Ghost's expense...they really shouldn't leave you two alone

Warnings: This is just a fun little one so not much. You and Soap are little shits, Ghost nearly blows a gasket, Price is exhausted dad and poor Gaz gets caught in the middle

Words: 858

guys i can't title things to save my life, if you have a better title id love to hear it

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"Ya should've seen it, Captain, the perfect ricochet right through his head," Soap bragged.

"That's because I shot it," Gaz interjected, shaking his head, and Price laughed, taking a swig of his beer. It had been a long mission, and the 141 were relaxing at a hotel for the night before the plane ride home. It was the off-season, and they had the whole place to themselves, choosing to recline and chat by the pool. Price had kept his holsters on, but Soap and Gaz had chosen the casual route, looking for all the world like a couple of college kids on spring break in their jeans and tight t-shirts.

He is pulled out of his reverie by you trotting up to the group, squeezing in between Gaz and Soap.

Soap laughs at you. "Eager to hear more of my heroic stories, are we?"

You chuckle, scratching the back of your head. "Wouldn't miss it for the world."

He laughs even harder, slapping you on the shoulder. "Good lass."

Price just shakes his head at you before turning to talk to Gaz. You take the opportunity to lean in, whispering into Soap's ear. "You owe me 200 bucks."

His eyes double in size from behind his beer. "You didn't-"

You grin. "I did."

Soap snorts, slapping his hand over his mouth as he swallows. "Where is-"

You're interrupted by a splutter as Price chokes on his drink, spitting beer all over Gaz's face, but the poor man doesn't even notice, too busy staring open-mouthed to the side.

You and Soap whirl around to look, you inching behind him just slightly.

Ghost has just walked out of the hotel, eyes scanning the pool. He's wearing his full mask, balaclava and hard plastic both.

And the entire thing is neon pink.

Soap HOWLS, doubling over himself and spilling beer everywhere, completely exposing you.

Ghost whips around and bellows your name before charging at you, and with a scream you sprint away, leaving Soap to collapse on the ground as he laughs even harder.

You rush to the pool house, barreling around it like the devil himself is on your heels. You spot a stack of crates and jump up them, leaping onto the roof and kicking out at the crate stack just as Ghost reaches them. The crates wobble and collapse, sending him backwards with an angry yell, and you pull yourself up, running across the roof with a mad laugh.

"Y/N!" You freeze at Price's commanding voice and turn to see him marching up to the side of the building, Gaz and Soap trailing behind him.

Ghost stalks around the building, looking for all intents and purposes like a bull in a gladiator's ring. Well, except for the pink. You giggle again, and he glares at you.

Price says your name again, pulling your attention away from the fuming phantom. "Get down from there. Now."

You shake your head vigorously. "Uh-uh, no way, sir, Ghost is gonna murder me."

"Damn right I will," Ghost growls, walking closer to the wall, and you squeal, pushing yourself further back onto the roof.

"Ghost. Stand down," Price commands.

You laugh. "Yeah, come on Ghost, it wasn't even my fault, it was Soap's idea."

Soap's eyes round into saucers as the hulking man turns to face him. He forces a smile. "Just want you to let loose a bit, Lt, ya look like you could use a little-NO!" He cuts himself off with a screech as Ghost leaps at him, the pair sprinting back towards the pool.

Unfortunately, Soap isn't as fast as you, and within two seconds Ghost tackles him to the ground, rolling and flinging the poor Scotsman straight into the pool with a splash.

Price burrows his face into his hands, and you laugh hysterically, shaking on your legs until one of your feet slips and you squeal, sliding right down the roof. You grab at the gutters as you go over, leaving your legs dangling.

And Ghost is there. Of course Ghost is there. You look down just to see him looking back at you, his hands wrapping around your ankles with a chuckle before he yanks, wrenching your grip free and pulling you right down into his arms.

You smile up at him. "Uhh...sorry?"

But it's too late to beg for mercy as the man marches you right over to the pool and opens his arms, letting you drop into the water ass-first.

You splutter as you come back up, treading water next to Soap. "You happy now?"

He sticks his hands up, sinking into the water for a second. "Hey, it was your idea."

You both start laughing, splashing around before you see Ghost in the corner of your eye, still standing at the edge of the pool. You look back at Soap and give him a wink. He winks back.

In one motion the both of you twist, bringing your arms together and hurling a wave of dirty pool water all over Ghost's pants.

His long-suffering groan is drowned out as you both cackle.

A job well done, if you do say so yourself.

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A/N I thought of this the other day and I couldn't help myself, the thought was too funny. It's torture Ghost season, and reader and Soap are star players.

Comments and reblogs are always appreciated. Love you guys :)

[andromeda-vita]

sorry for being dead ^^' ive been working on writing and various other projects

some doodles ive made

(for context a user offsite made a whole story based off atsv but instead basing it off the countless versions of rayman and his friends. and i thought it was the coolest shit ever) @phantom-howl give urself a hand

so basically me when i merge my two fixations together out of sheer boredom

(ramon as miles from earth-42/the prowler)

(took creative liberties for this and took stuff from many concept outfits)

aaand rayman (sparks of hope) as miles morales (from 1610)

this gives me so many questions though are they counted as rayman plural or spidermen

[negativeyield]

runs cold, runs deep

chapter 1: skin to skin Summary: The ghouls happen upon you caught in a blizzard and nurse you back to health. When the blizzard snows you in, shenanigans ensue. main pairings: swiss x you / ghouls x ghouls / ghouls & you 2.7k words ~ rated M

Distantly, you wonder if you had that survival rule a little backward. Maybe you were supposed to wait in the car when stuck in the middle of a blizzard, not look for help on foot.

There was no turning back now. The swirls of howling snow had swallowed the path you came. With every step you trudged through shin-deep drifts, the space seemed to fill within seconds. You thought for sure there was a gas station just a little ways up the road. Now, you weren’t even sure you were still on the winding, mountainous highway.

Fucking perfect, you think, wrapping your arms tighter around yourself. I wouldn’t be dying in the middle of hell as it freezes over if I just cancelled this stupid trip.

This “adventure” was meant to be a birthday present for your partner— ex-partner, now. The outdoors weren’t exactly your best friend, but you were willing to invest in a pair of hiking boots off the sale rack for the sake of a surprise roadtrip to a few major National Parks. After all the time spent planning, booking lodging, and researching, you discovered your relationship was not quite as monogamous as you originally thought.

Unfortunately, their betrayal was revealed a bit too close to this trip. Deposits were nonrefundable, and heartbreak made you willing to entertain the delusional part of your brain you usually ignored. You convinced yourself you could do this week-long roadtrip solo, and so you did.

What you didn’t quite factor in was the reality of your winter-weather driving prowess. While your partner grew up in a cold climate such as this, you didn’t even own a winter jacket before this trip.

Unfortunately, that winter parka you thrifted was not as warm as it looked. You were soaked to the bone. Numb except for where your face burned as snow and ice pelted your exposed cheeks. So cold that when your boot snagged something hard beneath the snow you barely felt until you were falling face first into a deep snow bank. As the snow gave way to your weight and cut you off from the howling wind, the world grew much quieter. You took shaky breaths, trying to bring yourself back to reality. Think of a new plan. Find some help even though you drove for hours without seeing a single other soul on your route.

That realization furthered the dread pooling in your belly. Maybe you were as doomed as you feel. Who in their right mind would be out traveling in this weather?

_ _ _

“Maybe we should turn around?” Rain muttered, glancing out the window of the van with mild unease.

“A little late for that,” Dew grunted from the middle seat. He leaned forward, popping his head between the driver seat where Mountain was doing his best at navigating through the white-out and the passenger seat where Swiss was white-knuckling the safety handle. “How you doin’ Mountain?”

The drummer sighed. “Were almost there… I think.”

“You think?” Swiss groaned. “I shoulda gone with the girls.”

“The party poopers?” Phantom poked between Dew and Swiss.

“The ones with some fucking sense to leave early when we got the blizzard report,” the multi-ghoul said, swatting Phantom back to his seat.

“We’ll make it,” Mountain reassured. “There’s some lights up—”

“Wait, what the fuck is that?” Swiss interrupted, pointing out his window.

“What is—”

“Shit. Shit, stop the car,” his seatbelt was unbuckled and he was flying out of the car before Mountain could make a full stop. Dewdrop followed the frantic ghoul until he realized what Swiss had seen. He swore, hitting Phantom on the thigh to let him out too.

In the sea of fresh powder was a blob of red with a small dusting of snow starting to gather atop it. As the ghouls came upon the the blob it became apparent it was the figure of a human lying face down. Swiss knelt at her side, rolling her into his lap and covering her ice cold cheeks with his hands. Her eyes were closed, but there was a steady rise and fall of her chest that made the tension in both of their shoulders release.

“They’re breathing,” he said, gathering them in his arms and looking up at Dew. “Help me get them to the van.”

continue reading

_ _ _

this is part of the first chapter of my ongoing fic. it was meant to be a one-shot, but as of right now it's 5 chapters and 17k words with more on the way... so if you like ghoul shenanigans, mutual pining (with tropes!), and a little slow burn to the eventual spice, feel free to check it out on AO3 :)

[controlledchaosetc]

Weakness - Cyberpunk 2077 Fanfic

After making herself permanently a traitor of the NUSA, V needs to protect the person she loves while grappling with that fact that she can't explain why she just gave up the best chance at a future.

Fic picks up right at the end of Phantom Liberty with "Betray Reed" and "Free Songbird" ending.

5000 words, Fem V POV, V/Judy, hurt/comfort

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All V could feel was numb. She was alone; Johnny was done with the fireworks. No more cocky persona. No more quips, or jokes, or verbal jabs at the ghost of the rockerboy that could help her divert from growing, gnawing ache inside. Tears threatened to roll down her face that she hadn’t registered.

It wasn’t until the distant roar of the rocket boosters were replaced with the whirring of helicopter rotors that V returned back to herself. Quickly, she wiped the tears away. Songbird might be safe up there in the stars, but she still wasn’t, and she sure as shit couldn’t stop now.

She groaned as she stood. Boosters helped mask the pain, but everything hurt. Aftershocks from the Blackwell echoed in her head, pinging into the Relic and shooting spikes of pain across her eyes. Her body was riddled with bruises from where bullets had bounced from her subdermal armor and holes where she hadn’t been so lucky. Her body begged for rest, doubly so as a Relic malfunction sent a wave of weakness across it. V stumbled, grabbing onto the back of the chair.

She couldn’t have an attack here. She needed a way out.

Her escape route wasn’t obvious. The launchpads were small islands connected to the Space Port complex by monorail, but the train would be easily intercepted. The observer tower she was in was too obvious; she’d be found easily. There was only one thing she could do when left with no other option: improvise.

Glass that could withstand the concussive force of a spaceship from the outside was shattered by well-placed grenades from within. Looping her monowire around a beam, she jumped down. As the spool ran out, the force of the leap sliced through the steel, cushioning her fall slightly. Her reinforced tendons performed the rest of the work, but her foot had landed awkwardly. Fire radiated from her ankle. For as chromed up as she was, the few wholly biological parts of her remaining still managed to make their appearance.

She welcomed it, however. A reminder there was still part of her in there. That this city hadn’t taken that part of her yet. Maybe So Mi thought the same after the stadium.

She frantically scanned the area for options. The only way back to Night City was through the water, but she wasn't in any state for swimming. However, it didn’t mean she couldn’t trick the FIA into thinking so. A service hatch sat closed in the wall, near where the concrete pad ended and the Pacific Ocean began. A place to hide.

“Maybe- no, it HAS to work.”

She limped towards the edge of the launchpad. Another malfunction caused her legs to lock up, sending her tumbling to the ground.

“No. No no no no no no.”

She steadied herself and her breathing, crawling back onto her feet and reaching the ledge. The hatch was about 10 feet away. The howl of AV engines approached while V hastily threw off her shoes beside her. She only had about 30 seconds before they’d spot her. She tore off her jacket, and let it drop into the water below. As she hacked open the hatch with ease, she reviewed the plan in the head. She knew if she simply walked over to it, her footprints would most likely be seen, and her misdirection would be for naught. And so, she faced towards the ledge, squatted down, and tightened her chest, steeling herself for the pain to come. 

She lept, not forward into the ocean, but sideways towards the service hatch. Spinning in the air, she faced the vent, and with the last of her strength, kicked in the air once more to rocket her body inside. Her shoulder slammed into the metal paneling hard, and, with a small pop, dislocated as she slid deeper in. Fighting the urge to cry out, she quickly closed the hatch and activated her optical camo as she heard the AVs touch down.

With her one good arm, she pulled herself around a corner and fully out of sight. She could hear the muffled shouting of orders from soldiers just over the squealing engines. 

Her attention turned towards her shoulder. It couldn’t stay like this for long. She peeled off a bloodstained sock, balled it up, and bit down. Grabbing her bicep, she shoved her arm back into place and immediately injected yet another booster, her groan muffled by the sock. V was about to spit it out when she heard footsteps outside.

“OVER HERE,” the voice of a soldier called out.

 Immediately, she froze. She wished that she could stop the beating of her heart so everything could be still. More footfalls followed. Flashlight beams bounced erratically on the walls of the vent.

“She’s in the water!”

Just as V began to relax, a familiar feminine voice spoke.

 “Goddammit,” President Myers said. “If she’s in the water, we’ll scan for her when we delta. In the meantime, fan out and search for her. She’s tricked us before, I won’t let her do it again.”

“Fuck fuck fuck fuck” is all V could think. She began pushing herself further down the vent when another malfunction hit. Her whole body spasmed; the only thing stopping her from involuntarily shouting out was the makeshift gag in her mouth. She couldn’t move. Her entire body was frozen as all muscles tried to contract at once. The wires within her executing a faulty program threatened to tear her apart. She was utterly helpless.

Another voice spoke up, “Madam President, Orbital Air reinforcements are inbound. We don’t have much time.”

Myers sighed. A pause hung in the air.

“Fine. We’ll find her eventually. She can’t hide forever. Everyone, move-”

The Relic malfunctioned a final time, and darkness fell.

V’s head pounded when she awoke. What was more important, however, was that she was awake, and she was still in the vent. She laid there, collecting herself and simply recovering. Finally, she pushed herself up and crawled towards the exit. Sunlight flowed through the bars; it was nearly 11am. She waited briefly if anyone was walking around but detected nothing. She climbed out, nearly forgetting her ankle until pain radiated from it. It was horribly swollen and hurt like a bitch, but diagnostic scans showed it wasn’t broken: a small consolation.

She still couldn’t take the monorail. It’d lead her right to the arms of Orbital Air, and she wasn’t that much of a gonk. The water it was then.

The repetitive movement of swimming helped her focus on something, anything outside of the shitstorm that followed her and only ever increased in size. Swimming meant she wasn’t putting pressure on her ankle, which was nice. The water itself was tinged with a slight oily rainbow finish. Couldn’t damage herself more, she supposed. Water probably wasn't toxic enough to need watersuits like the tunnels, or the lake where her and Judy had their first date. 

“Oh god, Judy.”

The last time she talked to Judy was before the Hanson operation. Before everything went to shit, when she dared to imagine what their life could be like once Reed had his contacts develop the cure. Lying in bed together, they had spoken of future plans and adventures, the places they’d travel to with the Aldecaldos. Hubris. It’d ended with the promise that Judy would see her in a couple days max. It’d now been six.

She had laid low after the stadium, waiting for Songbird’s call. She hadn’t risked contact with anyone, not Rogue, not Panam, not even Judy. Judy was the only one who she’d told anything about what happened in Dogtown, but all she knew was that she was backing Reed in the plot against Hanson. She knew nothing else: not where V was, not where Songbird was, not even why V betrayed Reed. Judy was of no use to the NUSA, FIA, or Myers. Or so she hoped. That’s all that she could hope for in those days that lasted an eternity. 

But now, with Reed dead, So Mi gone, and Myers empty handed, the game was changed. V wasn’t good at playing it, but she knew it all the same. In Myers’ eyes, Judy had changed from a person with knowledge to a pawn to be captured. 

How could she be such a gonk? She had the perfect solution, and she threw it away. She had the cure in her hands and gave it up. Now, she’s an enemy of the NUSA, and a personal enemy of the president. Everyone around her, everyone she’s come to care about and love, was in danger. And it’s all her fault. Judy might have already been taken, even before killing Reed.

Tears began to well up in her eyes, but she immediately pushed it down. She couldn’t break down. Not when Judy was in danger. She couldn’t show weakness.

V swam even faster.

After cleaning up in a bar bathroom, a change of clothes, and klepping a car, she sat in front of Lizzie’s bar. Judy was most likely at work, so it was a solid place to start. She’d wrapped her ankle as best she could, and boosted for a countless time. She could walk again, but it still ached. Scanning the crowd, she checked everyone who came and went. She didn’t find anything, although she didn’t know what she expected. FIA agents were able to cover their identities even better than she coulda. If someone was in the bar watching for her arrival, she wouldn’t be able to tell through her tech. Whether an obsession or a crutch, she’d always used tech or netrunning skills to get the upper hand. Having to rely on just her intuition uneased her. 

Although, she did have something she could use. She reached up to feel her face. The FIA might be able to identify their technology through Space Port security, but an ordinary agent might not. It was worth a shot.

She looked in the mirror as her face and body morphed to Aurore Cassel. There was a slight bit of excitement when she had used the faceplate the first time that briefly overruled the sickness she felt from their murders. All she could think now was of Aurore’s real ruined face, shot by Alex, lifeless on the ground. Maybe that’s where things changed. No matter now, there were more important matters to focus on. She exited the car and walked with the strut Aurore carried as she entered the bar.

Sitting at the bar after ordering a bourbon, she turned to speak to the bartender.

“Excuse me, monsieur, is Judy Alveraz working today by chance?” she spoke in a thick French accent.

He regarded her wearily. “Who’s askin’?”

She chuckled musically. “Well let’s just say I have something that may pique her interest. I am a developer of virtu technology, and a little birdy has told me that this one has been experimenting with BD’s herself. She may have an interest in a small business collaboration.” V smiled as she swirled the caramel liquid.

“I can check and see if she’s interested. Dunno she’s even in though,” he said, and began to leave.

“Wait!”

The man stopped, a look of annoyance pastered on his face.

“A small message for her. To convince her that this is the real deal.”

She grabbed a napkin, gestured for a pen, and began to write: “It’s V. Won’t look like me but it is. Just trust me. Be ready to leave.” She folded the message, and before the bartender could take it, she pulled it away.

“Ah ah ah! No peeking! Business between ladies must be respected,” she said with a wink. Only then did she hand him the napkin, and he walked away towards the back in a huff. 

V downed the remaining bourbon. She didn’t even know if she was here. She just had to wait and hope.

Johnny appeared in her vision and sat beside her.

“So Aurore,” speaking the name in an exaggerated French accent, “what’s the plan if she’s even here?”

“I don’t know, maybe leave? Delta the fuck out to the Aldecaldos?”

“And who’s to say the NUSA isn’t watching them too?”

“Militech hasn't found them yet, and they’re basically NUSA. They’re safe.”

“For now.”

“Thanks a lot, Johnny.”

“No problem.”

He disappeared once more with a mime of a drink. Alone again, she began slightly rocking on the stool. She could use another drink. Or several. No one was watching her, at least from what she could tell.

In what felt like an hour but was only 5 minutes, the bartender returned with Judy in tow. A wave of relief crashed through V’s body. 

“Myers didn’t have her yet.”

She could tell that Judy was heavily guarded, inspecting every part of her. She hesitantly sat down beside her and asked, “So, what’s this deal you have for me?”

V couldn’t know if anyone was listening, so it was safest to keep up the act.

“I was thinking we could talk about this on a little drive around town. I know a cute little tea shop we could chat at, mon cheri.”

“I’d much prefer to stay here, thank you very much,” Judy replied as she nudged herself further away. V could see the distrust in her eyes, and anger too that V wasn’t being straight with her. She needed to convince her.

“I see. Well, I came here, see, because I heard you are the first to successfully scroll two BD actors simultaneously, no?”

Judy’s expression softened.

“And it wasn’t even for that erotic thrill either, no no, but a swim through Laguna Bend. A shame if I am to be frank.” Even as V said the last line, her own eyes begged for Judy to trust her.

Judy sat for a second, and hardened once more. “Someone could have told you that. How am I supposed to trust that you’re-”. Judy stopped herself. “That you’re here with… new virtu tech and not the same old junk.”

V paused, thinking hard about what she could say.

“I have something that even your abuela would love.”

Judy’s disposition changed entirely. “You know, a drive does sound good.”

They both stood up, slightly hurriedly, and walked towards the exit. V could tell Judy was staring at her, now out of fascination. V jumped into the car, starting it as Judy closed her door.

“What the fuck V? It’s been almost a week, I thought you were dead!”

“I’m sorry, ok?” the voice shifting between Aurore and V as she turned off the mask.

“You’re sorry? What… what even is this? Who was that… person? You? How the fuck… what the fuck happened?”

V began to drive. “I don’t know where to start, really.”

“Well start somewhere? I thought this was all figured out, you said it would be a couple days.”

“I know that’s what I said, I was wrong. Things… changed.”

“Yeah, sure as shit things changed.”

“I betrayed Reed.”

Judy looked shocked. “You… what?”

“I betrayed him. I just… I couldn’t.” V was driving even faster now. 

“Couldn’t? Couldn’t what? Listen, I know I had a problem with you working for the NUSA, they’re like any other corpo, chew you up and spit you out when you’re not useful. You said it yourself though, V. Songbird betrayed Reed, Hanson, even Myers. She couldn’t be trusted. And yet you… what, sided with her?”

“I- I don’t… I killed Reed.” V gripped the wheel hard enough that she could feel it mold and crack under her fingers. She made a hard turn to start driving them out of town.

“V… qué has hecho…” Judy lamented as she slumped into her seat.

“What have you done,” her deck translated.

V could feel the tears beginning to return. She couldn’t explain why she did it, it didn’t make sense to her either. Why did it feel so terrible? She couldn’t show weakness though. No weakness. The world would eat her if she did.

“What happened, V?”

She looked up at the rearview mirror, and recognized the car behind her as the same one from several turns ago, its metallic gray finish catching her eye. She blinked the tears away, stating, “Hold on, we have a tail.”

V slammed the gas pedal, the car responding instantaneously and exploding through a red light. The car behind replied in kind, speeding forward and nearly avoided T-boning a truck. She watched as the passenger took a gun out while the car itself revealed installed turrets when the front bumper cover retracted. 

“GET DOWN!” she ordered, as she yanked the steering wheel to the right and hurtled down an alleyway, narrowly avoiding the barrage of bullets as the turrets began to fire. The game of cat and mouse continued down several more roads, with V occasionally firing back. However, V turned onto a new road and realized they were pinned. A straightaway with no turns off of it and concrete barriers on either side. 

“Fuck!”

The gray car began to line up behind them, ready to send another barrage of bullets through the car and into both of them.

Time to improvise.

She swerved and slammed on the brakes, causing the trailing car to race ahead. Its brakes squealed as it tried to change course as well, but V wasn’t focused on continuing the chase. She began to netrun, attacking the car’s internal systems. The ICE on the car was thick, confirming that this was indeed FIA. She’d broken through thicker though. The car was beginning to turn around to face them once more. She could vaguely hear the turrets begin to wind up and Judy begin to shout as she punched through the remaining layer and flipped the engine into a bomb. Before another shot was fired, the gray car exploded into an inferno.

“Ha HA, see you in hell chooms!” V whooped as she hit the gas and drove as quickly as she could out of town.

The remaining car ride was relatively silent. They stopped briefly to klep another car in case the previous one had been tagged, making sure to stay out of camera sight as they did so. They reached the Aldecaldo camp, and while V unbuckled and readied to leave, Judy grabbed her arm.

“Did you get the cure, V?”

She froze. She couldn’t even look at Judy as she muttered, “...No. I didn’t.”

“V, tell me, what happened?” she said firmly.

Her mouth felt dry.

“Songbird… So Mi… she played us all. The neural matrix… it was a one-time use…” “Shit… V-,” Judy whispered.

“She passed out on the train after telling me this. I was angry and upset, I wanted to scream at her, but I… I picked her up and took her to the shuttle.”

She still wasn’t looking at Judy, but she could already tell the look of confusion Judy had. She couldn’t bear to see her face.

“Reed somehow got on before us and demanded I hand over Songbird. He even said I could have the matrix if I did. But I… I couldn’t… I couldn’t let them have her… he gave me no choice and I shot him, and I put Songbird on the shuttle… She has it.”

Judy had let go of her arm.

“V… What the fuck, V? She betrayed you, she told that to your face, and you… you still helped her? After all that, after she jerked you around, spit on your face, and took you for a gonk. You had it V, you had the cure, and now you’re- what, an enemy of the state? Wanted for high treason? Why… why the fuck didn’t you take it?”

She could tell Judy was trying to understand, to argue on her behalf somehow, but a gonk move is a gonk move, and Judy couldn’t sugarcoat that.

It was too much. It was all too much. She was right. She’s ruined her life, or what little of her life remained. She was wanted until Myers had her head. She’d given up the best chance she’d have to live so far just for someone that betrayed her. All the heartache, all the struggle, all of the times she’d put her life on the line just for a chance at a little longer, all for nothing. In all likelihood, she was going to die, whether because there was no cure, or the only way to get it was a suicide mission, or she’d have to sell her soul to Arasaka. She would never be able to enjoy freedom with Judy.

When V was a young boy, she learned an important lesson. On the streets of Heywood, she watched as a teenager wept after taking a beating. She saw as those around him jeered, calling him a pussy, a coward, a weakling bitch. From doing small errands, she saw those who got respect where those that never weakened when shit hit the fan. The hard motherfuckers who never let their tough demeanor drop. Only a few times did she witness frailty in thought-to-be private moments, but never when shit needed to be done. Your peers, and more importantly, fixers, could never think you’d go soft in the most dire moments. So she didn’t. For decades, V refused to cry. Not when her hope that Atlanta would finally be the place she’d hit it big failed spectacularly and she came crawling back to Night City. Not when she discovered the Relic would kill her and she was slowly losing herself. Not even when Jackie died. There was always more shit that needed to be dealt with, so she could never stop. She could never show weakness. Even after so much growth, even after abandoning her lifelong dream to become a legend of Night City, she hadn’t abandoned that. 

But now, for the first time in 20 years, V cried. She did more than cry. She started to wail as the dam she had built crumbled. She couldn’t do it anymore. She’d lost so much, she’d lost so many, she stood to lose so much more.

Judy had climbed over the center console and was holding her. Gently. So gently. 

Was this what it meant to be weak? 

It felt so nice.

She vaguely registered Panem who had jogged over with Mitch but had slowed and reversed course after looking through the windshield. 

The tears continued to stream down her cheeks, and she was struggling to breathe through the shuddering sobs. She reached up to hold Judy’s arm as well. She tried to catch her breath to speak, and after several failed attempts, choked out:

“They took my face, Judy. I let them take my face.”

She continued to sob.

She was finally beginning to calm down. Her breathing was slowing, and the tears weren’t flowing as hard.

“How about we move to the back, ok?” Judy suggested, running a hand through V’s hair.

V could only nod as they both exited and re-entered the car.

“Sorry, my leg was falling asleep,” she tried to joke, letting out a half-hearted laugh.

V wiped her nose. “I’m sorry.”

“No, you don’t need to be sorry, I, uh…” she trailed off. “How… how are you feeling?”

V stared at the patterns of the pleather seat. “...Not good.”

They sat in silence a while longer.

Judy spoke up again. “What… what do you mean they took your face?”

V was slow to answer, but she could see how patient Judy was, the kindness in her eyes. “It’s how I was that French woman you were speaking to at Lizzie’s. It’s a faceplate- disguises you, makes you look, sound, and act like them. I didn’t think much of it at the time, but now… I’ve let them take so much of me. I don’t know how much you’re touching is me and how much isn’t.”

Judy’s reply was instant: “Does it matter? It’s all you.”

“Yeah… yeah I guess,” V paused briefly. “I always wanted implants, ever since I was a little kid. I was fascinated with them and was so excited to get chipped. It’s less that I ever got implants and more… When things started to get more dangerous, I thought I needed to return the favor, I guess. Put in more and more chrome to turn into a weapon no one can hurt, even as I stopped wanting to be that. Part of me wonders if I’ll always be that now. That I’ve ridden the edge and gone over.”

“V, listen to me,” Judy said as she grabbed her hand. “You are whatever you want to be. Just because you have weapons doesn’t mean you have to use them. After this is all over, you never have to take another life.

Judy raised her other hand to her face, and gently wiped away the tears with her thumb.

“Even with all that chrome, you will always be soft to me.”

Judy calling her soft so lovingly struck a chord in her. She began to cry again, softly and sheepishly. This is the most vulnerable she’d been with anyone in years, other than the encounter at Clouds.

“You will always be you, I’ll make sure of that,” she said gently. “We’ll figure that out together.”

They sat there in silence again, with Judy’s thumb continuing to stroke her face.

“I think I know why I helped So Mi.”

Judy shifted, taking her hand away from her face. “Go ahead.”

“It was before things had even started, really. We had planned to kidnap the Cassels to make the deal with Hanson. It’s gonk now to think, but I really thought we were letting them live. But when I left the trunk, Alex and Reed had zeroed them immediately. When I demanded why, he said that they were career criminals, and that nothing of value was really lost, and I… I felt sick. That could’ve been me. And that- I’ve done that to so many others. And I was about to be the person they killed. He did it so methodically. It’s like… if we weren’t having to work together here, I saw what he would think of me. I saw what he would think of Songbird. I saw that he was too loyal to the NUSA, a soldier through and through. Songbird would never be free, and I might not be either.”

V continued, “I hated her. I still hate her for what she did. She could’ve just told me before all this. She gave me so much hope and… crushed it. But something I didn’t realize then that I do now is that… she didn’t have to tell me. She could’ve let me believe that I was saving myself by saving her, and I would’ve killed Reed without question. She would’ve won. I think in that moment, when she told me, she wanted to just… just die. She couldn’t live with herself anymore. I think I recognized that, subconsciously, and I pitied her. In front of me was a woman who had backstabbed everyone she could so that she could finally crawl out from under Myers’ boot… for the chance to break out of her cage. I could see myself in her, if I was left with no other option, and I had everything and everyone I ever valued stripped from me. I think… I think I was that. Or almost was. After Konpeki. I… I still had… have options. Worse ones, probably, but other chances. She didn’t. I don’t… I… I couldn’t take that from her.”

V began to tear up again. “I had the killing blow. She was helpless. Reed was offering me back my life on a silver platter. And for the first time, I couldn’t take someone’s future for my own…” she ended with a half smile. “I was weak.” 

Judy looked at her for a few seconds, hesitantly starting, “I… I don’t know if you did the right thing. But… what I do know is what you did certainly wasn’t weak. That takes a level of grace I think only you have. I don’t think I woulda been able to do that.”

“I think you’re sellin’ yourself short.”

“I dunno, I am a pretty stone cold bitch.”

They both giggled, and V reached out to hold her other hand.

“After I left your room, but before the mission, I met with Alex at her bar. We drank and talked about what we’d be doing if things were normal.”

Judy raised an eyebrow. “What’d you say?”

“I thought about it for a while, and I said… I think I’d be dead. If it wasn’t Konpeki, it would’ve been something else. The pace I was going at… I would’ve burned up. Or been shot on the side of the road. I don’t think I would’ve changed. The Relic, Johnny, all of this… this second chance is what I needed, in a weird way. A wake-up call. I wouldn’t have met you, or have… any of this. Even if, in the end, this is borrowed time… I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

Judy leaned forward and kissed her. It was a slow, deep kiss, and just as gentle as before. V leaned in, ready to return her tenderness.

They separated briefly.

“I love you, Judy.”

“I love you too, mi calabacita.”

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

I finished Phantom Liberty a few days ago, and the ending of letting Songbird live ate my brain. The ending was WAY too nonchalant for literally making yourself a traitor of a country and personally pissing off the fucking president, which is why I took it upon myself to get what I wanted. Literally wrote this over the span of two days like a woman possessed.

[tiredstressedemotionalmess]

hihii do you have ideas for writing the fab four as ghosts? also what do you think halloween would be like in the zones? i'm attempting to write fanfiction for like the first time ever and you're basically the killjoys fanfiction mutual so i'm coming to you lol

i am absolutely honored to be considered the killjoys fanfiction mutual!! sorry this took forever to get to ive been battling a headache all day 😅

the fab four as ghosts is an interesting concept that ive never really thought about before!!! i mean i wrote one fic once kind of abt party as a ghost but that wasnt really the main focus.. anyways, there's a tooooon of super cool ways to explore that concept just in how they died alone. like is this a post sing thing where they all died together saving the girl? if thats the case i could easily see them following her around over the years, using what limited connection to the physical world they have to influence minor things and keep her safe as she grows up alone in the desert. or maybe (bc im a sucker for ghosts who dont remember their mortal lives) they have no memory of the girl or each other but they all decide to stick together bc they're scared and confused and There and they just kind of wander around together until they stumble upon the girl and they feel this strange pull to Protect Her

or if it's not post sing and they've all died in different ways, maybe this is an au and they meet as ghosts and they become known as this phantom crew, legends that wander the zones and take out dracs in the dead of night, only to be seen by those already well aquatinted with death

as for individual behaviors, i think taking the name fun ghoul literally would be really fucking cool. im pretty sure the general consensus abt ghouls is that they haunt graveyards so maybe ghoul specifically hangs around grounds where lots of death occurs, like common grounds for bli ambushes and firefights and shit. it's absolutely br the most annoying ghost ever, going out of his way to spook people by doing alll the classic horror movie shit. that motherfucker is howling and making weird noises in the dead of night, he is levitating objects and moving shit that shouldn't move and flickering lights and just being a general menace to the living

i think party would take a LONG time to accept the fact that they're dead, if they ever even admit it to themself at all. i feel like they have this sort of bitter, jaded relationship with death and the witch and the whole concept of the afterlife, and admitting that they're a ghost would be admitting that all the shit they weren't sure if they believed in was real the while time. and too, depending on how they died, i could easily see them having a sort of bitter breakdown over the fact that they've just been allowed to die with no fanfare. they've literally given their life for this cause and now that theyre dead and nothings changed or is changing it feels like they lived their whole life for nothing, like they lived their whole life wrong almost.

jet and kobra im having less immediate thoughts on. out of all of them, though, i think jet would be the most likely to try and find a way back to life. idk if youve read ttid but uh. yeah. i see her a bit like that, where she refuses to accept that this is the end of her story and she tries whatever she can to make it continue

kobra as a ghost i think would change a lot depending on how he died. if it was something out if his control like illness or a bad run on the crash track i think hed be more "go with the flow it is what it is" about it. if he was killed though he would dedicate his afterlife to revenge, and maybe actually no matter how he died hed end up becoming vengeful after long enough bc hed star thinking about why he was even put under the circumstances to die in the desert and hed think about his hatred for bli... yeah actually no matter what i think hed become a vengeful spirit!! hed go and hun down whoever killed him and make them fucking suffer, and then hed go and do the same for every drac and ever crow, every exterminator he can get his hands on. his mortal life was horrible and he is going to spend his afterlife making sure the ones responsible for his suffering get what they fucking deserve

uhhhh this has turned out wayyy longer than i meant it to so im gonna make the Halloween in the zones part its own post and I'll tag you in that when its done!! i hope at least some part of this was helpful or inspiring in a way, cant wait to see what you end up writing :]

[eggcrackerbracket]

Hi!

I have some announcements to make,

Firstly, I'm currently visiting family right now so the bracket may be up later than I expected, sorry about that (I'll still try and answer any of your asks as best as I can).

Secondly, I can't tag for shit, (I am very new to tumblr) so I don't know what character specific tags to use so let me know if there are any specific tags to use.

Thirdly, I'm proud to reveal the pairs competing in this bracket, in no specific order (sorry there are no pictures):

Dave Strider (Homestuck) & Stiles (Teen Wolf)

Alex Fierro (Magnus Chase) & Elizabeth (Visual Prison)

Link (Legend of Zelda) & Sabi Mehboob (Sort Of)

Haruhi Fujioka (Ouran High Host Club) & Bill (Promethea)

Howl (Howl's Moving Castle) & Shiver (Splatoon)

Kris (Deltarune) & Franken Stein (Soul Eater)

Mettaton (Undertale) & Harrowhark (The Locked Tomb)

Nico di Angelo (Percy Jackson) & Arya Stark (A Song of Fire and Ice)

Naoto Shirogane (Persona 4) & Yuri Rurikawa (Act Addict Actors!)

Ranma Saotome (Ranma 1/2) & Sokka (Avatar: the Last Airbender)

Zuko (Avatar: the Last Airbender) & Pidge Gunderson (Voltron)

Hiccup (How to Train your Dragon) & Princess Mononoke (Princess Mononoke)

Danny Phantom (Danny Phantom) & Angel Demon (Chainsaw Man)

Hunter (The Owl House) & Seadall (Fire Emblem)

Gomez Addams (The Addams Family) & Conel.EXE (Megaman Battle Network)

Charlie Kelly (It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia) & Garmadon (Ninjajo)

Jim Jimenez (Our Flag Means Death) & Kakashi Hatake (Naruto)

Stevonnie (Steven Universe) & Aubrey (OMORI)

Gonzo (The Muppets) & Sapphire (Princess Knight)

Allen Walker (D. Gray Man) & Raven (Teen Titans)

Jim Hawkins (Treasure Planet) & Spock (Star Trek)

Madeline (Celeste) & Oliver Swift (Dialtown)

L Lawliet (Death Note) & Larry Needlemeyer (Amazing World of Gumball)

Edward Elric (Fullmetal Alchemist) & Helia (Winx Club)

Zagreus (Hades) & Yami Yugi (Yugioh)

Lake (Infinity Train) & Kitty Pryde (Marvel comics)

Sherlock Holmes (Various Sources) & Makoto Yuki (Persona 3)

Ed (Cowboy Bebop) & Boyd (Ducktales)

Mulan (Mulan) & Bow (She-Ra and the Princesses of Power)

Fionna the Human (Adventure Time) & Anakin Skywalker (Star Wars)

Inosuke Hashibara (Demon Slayer) & Emily (Thomas and Friends)

ENA (ENA) & Joey/Rojo (Ben 10)

Marshall Lee (Adventure Time) & Alonzo (Cats)

Aziraphale (Good Omens) & Marcy Wu (Amphibia)

Dipper Pines (Gravity Falls) & Bee (Bee and Puppycat)

Stanford pines (Gravity Falls) & Yakko Warner (Animaniacs)

Bridget (Guilty Gear) & Ema Skye (Ace Attorney)

Testament (Guilty Gear) & Sailor Uranus (Sailor Moon)

Nagisa (Assassination Classroom) & Allison (The Breakfast Club)

Dirk Strider (Homestuck) & Klaus (Umbrella Academy)

Ghost (Call of Duty) & Sebastian (Stardew Valley)

Grell Sutcliff (Black Butler) & Sonic (Sonic the Hedgehog)

Ping (Mulan) & Kaoru Sakurayashiki (Sk8 the Infinity)

Eijiro Kirishima (My Hero Academia) & Kou Seiya (Sailor Moon)

Hawks (My Hero Academia) & Axel (Kingdom Hearts)

Blackbeard (Our Flag Means Death) & Tails (Sonic the Hedgehog)

Princess Ozma (Oz) & Princess Peach (Mario Series)

Team Rocket (Pokemon)

Mizuki Akiyama (Project Sekiai) & Wade Wilson (Marvel comics)

Utena Tenjou (Revolutionary Girl Utena) & Rodrick Heffley (Diary of a Wimpy Kid)

Crona Gorgon (Soul Eater) & Shuichi Saihara (Danganronpa)

Luz (The Owl House) & Spamton (Deltarune)

Morpheus, Dream of the Endless (The Sandman) & Barney Guttman (Dead end Paranormal Park)

Mad Mew Mew (Undertale) & Jesse Pinkman (Breaking Bad)

Cecil Palmer (Welcome to Night Vale) & Trunks (DBZ)

Sheik (Legend of Zelda) & JFK (Clone High)

Kara Zor-El (DC comics) & Legoshi (Beastars)

Wheatley (Portal 2) & Fluttershy (MLP)

Shinji Ikari (Neon Genesis Evangelion) & The green M&M (M&M’s)

Yellow (Pokemon Adventures) & Anne Boonchuy (Amphibia)

Yukiko Amagi (Persona 4) & Steven Universe (Steven Universe)

Peppino (Pizza Tower) & Jason Todd (DC comics)

Mahiru Koizumi (Danganronpa) & Megamind (Megamind)

Itsuka Kendo (My Hero Academia) & Miles Edgeworth (Ace Attorney)

-Mod Sky

[downtherabbitholewithlucy]

👻LIMP BIZKIT'S HOUSE OF HORRORS👻

(a terrible, poor excuse for a Halloween campy-"horror" fic that was never intended to be a fic... but yet here we are. Warning: Foul language, "jumpscares"... sure, if you wanna call it that.)

(no seriously, this is not good. turn back now and spare yourselves)

You'd heard the rumors for so long. An old house at the edge of town supposedly haunted by the trapped souls of a band where nu metal went to die. Why did nu metal die in this house? Well no one really knows. But you were here to find out.

You walked into the decrepit house. A chill traveled down your spine. You weren't sure if it is the rain in cool October night or something else.

The wind outside howled, causing the door you stepped through to slam shut.

You immediately turned around and tried to turn the doorknob with no luck.

You stood there as reality set in.

You were stuck here. You shook the flashlight in your hands and turned it on.

A voice stirred you from your thoughts.

"Welcome to my haunted crib punk."

Your eyebrows shot up at the sound. You turned around, trying to find the source of the voice, but there was no one there. "...umm, h- hello?"

"Didn't you read the fuckin' sign outside? What'd ya got a death wish?"

"Who's there?" You raised the flashlight and aimed the beam in front of you.

"WHOA! Easy with that thing. You're gonna blind somebody."

You raised the beam to your face. "I'm not gonna ask again. WHO'S THERE?"

"You do know I can see you right? Even without the flashlight. But since you can't see me, let me introduce myself. Name's Fred Durst. I'll be your host. You're ghost host."

"Isn't that from the Haunted Mans-"

"Do you ever stop talking?"

"Look, can you just help me find out what happened here so I can get out of here?"

"Bossy much. Okay, okay, look... all the answers you're looking for are right up those stairs."

You scoffed. "You've gotta be kidding?"

"Nope."

"Can't I just like, you know, ask you what I want to know?"

"Nuh uh. I don't do interviews. Media twists words for print."

"The media? You do know I'm not a journalist and that you're a ghost, right?"

"Up the stairs. That's how this works."

"Geez, now who's the bossy one." You rolled your eyes before making your way up the steps, each one creaked louder and louder.

When you made your way up you found a long hallway adorned with eerie portraits.

You looked at the inscription below each, 'Sir Wesley Louden Borland. Lead guitarist known for his eccentric looks'.

The hallway continued on forever. Strange artifacts lining the walls.

"Huh, that's an odd take of an armored knight."

You kept walking.

"Wait... did it just, move?" You took in a deep breath. "No you're just imagining things. Don't be silly."

"Yeah, it does that sometimes."

"WHA-?"

"Handsome, right?"

"Wait... FRED?"

"Don't look so shocked."

"I thought I couldn't see you since you're a ghost."

"Nah. I just like to fuck with people. I choose when I want people to see me."

The exasperated look on your face said it all. "What the hell man? Just help me get outta here."

"Sure thing. Just pick a door."

"Huh?" You turned and faced the direction phantom Fred was pointing in.

A short hallway with five doors.

You blinked.

"AHHH! SHIT. HOW did you get there? And why do you look different?"

"I'm a ghost. Remember? I'm everywhere. And I look how I wanna look. You don't like it, that's your problem."

"Look, whatever. How are those doors gonna help me?"

"One of them holds your exit. And who knows maybe you'll find the answers you're looking for.

"Fine. Let's just get this over with."

You marched to the first door on your left. Before you could open the door, you heard banging and clashing over and over again. It just got louder the more your hand reached out for the knob. With a twist and push, you opened the door and were hit with the sight of blinding lights, swinging chains from the ceiling and a figure seated at a drumkit. His back turned to you.

The figure banged on the drums like a madman with a chaotic beat. The lights flicked like a strobe flickering around his form. You got closer, hand reached out to tap his shoulder, but before you could even make contact, his head twisted all the way around to face you whilst his torso remained still.

"TAKE 'EM TO THE MATHEWS BRIDGE!"

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!"

You ran out the room and slammed the door shut.

Fred's mocking laugh echoed from the distance as you braced your hands against your knees and caught your breath.

"No luck with that door I guess?"

"WHAT'S THE DEAL WITH THIS FREAKING HOUSE FRED?"

"Check out the other rooms and you'll see."

You huffed under your breath and marched forward to the next room but not before muttering, "I'm so over this nu metal rendition of Five Nights at Freddy's".

"I heard that."

"Good." You pushed the next door open and stepped inside.

It was pitch black. Not even a window off in the distance to illuminate the floor. Your flashlight had stopped working and wouldn't turn back on. Great.

You heard a sound, grating, like nails on a chalkboard.

You stood there, frozen like a statue, but the sound kept becoming more piercing.

Suddenly the sound reversed backwards, then repeated back to it's original tone before reverting back again. It kept on going like that over and over until the scratching sound got repeatedly faster until the sound changed.

"Are those... horns?"

The sound switched to an upbeat hip hop tempo and a light shone in front of you... and it wasn't from your flashlight.

A pair of floating hands hovered over a turntable as the ghostly fingertips spined the records.

The light grew wider, illuminating a face with a black weed ball cap shielding his eyes.

"DJ LETHAL FROM HOUSE OF PAIN IN THE BUILDING!!!"

The DJ's hands lifted off from the records as the song continued to mysteriously play. The records started to levitate above the turntables. They rotated, thin side facing right at you before sharp knives protruded from the edges charging at you like Chinese stars.

"WHAT THE FU-"

You turned back around and bolted out the door, shutting it before you could finish your expletive statement as the razor sharp records pierced through the wood of the door on either side of your head.

"FRED I SWEAR TO GOD IF YOU DON'T GET ME OUT OF HERE IN THE NEXT-"

woof, woof.

"-huh?"

You looked down, only to be greeted with a wide set of jet black eyes attached to a yellow face. The figure crouched at your feet. It looked human, well not really, more like an alien... but it acted like a... puppy... maybe.

You bent down to get a closer look. "Hi little fella." You slowly reached out to pet it's head.

Fred's voice echoed along the halls, "I'd watch out for him. He-"

"OWWW."

"-bites."

You stood up to nurse your bitten hand. "You little fucker."

The creature growled and stood up on two feet, sharp canines ready to bite again.

"NOT THIS SHIT AGAIN!" You backed off and ran away, heading for the next door, entering it and slamming it shut.

The creature's growls died off in the distance.

A low, treble rumbled around your ears like surround sound.

In front of you, several feet away, a shadowy figure with red glowing eyes stood still. Suddenly, his glowing red eyes appeared to have multiplied down the length of his body.

The low sound seemed to be mirroring the rapid beating of your heart.

You gulped. Loud.

Spotlights illuminated from the ground and you were surrounded by mirrors.

Suddenly the shadowy figure was everywhere. His reflection beaming off every mirror as the spotlights on the floor casted enough light on his sinister face and the long bass guitar he was holding.

Before you knew it the strings detached from the bass' bridge and snapped out like wild whips ready to make contact with your flesh.

You cried out in horror not knowing which direction they were actually coming from and worse, not knowing where the door was through all the mirrors.

You swore the strings were coming right at you in dozens of different directions, but when you never felt anything after each whip, you grew more afraid.

This was psychological warfare.

Without a second thought, you chucked your flashlight out in front of you and the image of the bass wielding madman shattered to the ground revealing the door once again. You ran to it and exited the room as quickly as you possibly could.

When you made it out into the hallway again, you were met with "the alien puppy" once again waiting for you in front of the door across from you, only this time it had transformed into a demonic mutt.

"I take it that's his doghouse- er- um, room?"

The haunting voice of Fred chuckled. "Yeah, a little of both."

You looked back at the demon pup.

It barked at you before scurrying around and moving into the room that was already slightly opened, waiting for you to follow.

"Do I even wanna know what's waiting inside?"

"Don't think I could describe it to you even if I wanted to."

You sighed. "Jesus Christ."

When you made your way through the door you were stopped by a ghostly figure wielding a sharp sword.

"HALT!"

"Wha-"

"What brings you into my lair?"

"Your lair? What are you talking ab- Who are you?"

"The name is Sir Wesley Louden Borland." The phantom stated in a terrible British accent.

"Ohhh, like in those creepy photos in the hallway."

"Creepy pho-" The phantom's accent quickly faded into a nasally American accent that was clearly offended, before he cleared his throat and doubled down on the Brit tone. This time it echoed in a cheesy villainous way that vibrated past your ear drums. "You haven't answered my question. What brings you into my lair?"

You rolled your eyes. "I don't even know anymore. I was searching for some philosophical answer to nu metal, but honestly, now I just wanna go home man."

"Very well then. To escape my lair you must complete one task."

"What's that?"

"Figure out which Wes is real."

"Huh?"

Before you knew it the sword-holding-phantom had vanished and two figures had emerged on the other side of the room.

"REALLY?"

The two figures stood still.

The one, piercing through your soul with an eerie set of double eyes, none of them blinking.

The other, perched high up on a wicker chair, glaring down at you like a sleep paralysis demon haunting your slumber.

"What the hell am I supposed to do now?"

The phantom's voice echoed through the room again. "Figure out which Wes is real."

"Yeah, you said that already Mr. Ghost-Phantom-Man."

Silence.

You shook your head in annoyance and started to tip-toe your way further into the room, closely analyzing the two figures' features as you made your decision on which you were going to interact with first.

Yep, not the sleep paralysis demon.

"Okay mister four eyes, let's check if you're real."

You tickled his mustache.

Nothing.

Grabbed him by the suspenders and sent it snapping back.

Nothing. Didn't even move one bit.

"Guess this is just a really good statue. Alright then, Mr. Sleep-Paralysis-Demon it is."

You marched over to the tall figure and tugged at it's long silk robe it wore.

Nothing.

You reached up for it's hand and was surprised to be met with such hardness. Like stone.

"What the heck! Hey Mr. Ghost-Phantom-Man? I think you sent me some defective Wes dudes over h-"

And that's when you heard it.

The sound of two down tunned guitar riffs going off in the distance.

Your eyes widened.

The guitar went off again.

Suddenly the whispered voice of Sir Wesley Louden Borland was right there in your ear. "You seemed to have forgotten the one standing behind you..."

Your teeth chattered as your body involuntarily turned around, slowly. There was nothing but darkness there.

"...I present to you, Bloody Butcher Borland."

The guitar riff sounded off again and from the shadows emerged bold red figure with fresh blood smeared all over it's body.

He flashed a wicked grin before twisting the neck of the guitar off it's body and it transformed into a sword. He held it up to the light.

"...wait a minute... that's Sir Phantom-Dude's sword!"

Before you knew it the bloodied figure was chasing you, sharp weapon in hand.

"OHMYGOD!!!" You exclaimed as you ran for your life, trying your best to run around him and reach for the door again, but the room was somehow getting larger and larger. The distance between you and the door growing further apart.

You looked back and that's when you really felt like you were going to shit yourself.

You were being chased by Bloody Butcher Borland, as he was joined by every single form of Wes that you'd encountered. Sir Wesley Louden Borland, Four-Eyes, Sleep Paralysis Demon, Demon-Mutt, and Alien-Puppy.

"FRED I COULD REALLY USE YOUR HELP HERE! HOW DO I GET OUT OF THIS ROOM? IT JUST KEEPS ON STRETCHING!" You yelled out as your legs continued to bolt for the door with no luck.

The ghost voice of Fred grunted around you, "Ugh, do I have to do everything around here?"

"GET ME OUT OF HERE!"

"Fine. Here. Catch."

"WHA-"

You heard a whooshing sound above you as you saw brown object dropping in mid-air. You reached your hands out and caught the hard object.

A ceramic rabbit.

And that's when you heard it. The charging footsteps behind you went still and a choir of monotone voices erupted behind you.

"LUCY."

You looked down at the rabbit in your hands, then looked back up at the hoard of Wes figures standing still in front of you, in a trance.

"Is this what you want?" You shook the rabbit figurine out like a teddy bear in front of a baby.

The hoard shook their heads 'yes' in unison.

You gently placed the figurine on the hard floor beneath you and slowly walked backwards, watching as the room began to shrink back to regular size as the hoard of Wes' made their way to the rabbit like travelling zombies.

"MUST PROTECT LUCY. MUST PROTECT FRIEND."

You looked on at the odd ritual in front of you as you continued to make your way backwards until your back had hit the door.

With a sigh of relief you grabbed the doorknob, twisting it open, but you stopped, looking back at the figures in the middle of the room as they took turns clutching onto their ceramic friend like a bunch of Neanderthals'. You had to admit, it was a heartwarming sight, well if you set aside the near-death experience of it all.

You made your way out the door and closed it tight.

You looked ahead at the last door. That had it be it. The exit.

You walked over to the door but quickly stopped. Standing there in contemplative thought. You whispered to yourself in revelation, "Wes lost his friend, Lucy, so then he lost his spirit. When the band lost their friend, Wes, they lost their spirits. When nu metal lost the band, nu metal was no more..."

"So it looks like you did find what you were looking for after all, huh?" Fred's ghost appeared in front of you once more.

You looked up at his ghostly figure, "It all makes sense now."

"I guess you're finally ready to walk through that last door."

"Yeah... I guess so."

"Alright, partner. Keep on rollin', baby. You know what time it is." Fred said softly with a wink.

You shared a knowing smirk with his ghost and opened the door but stopped before going through it, turning back to look at Fred's ghost inquisitively.

"Wait, so why did y'all haunt this house specifically. Was this like where y'all held band practice when starting out?"

Fred rolled his eyes. "Did anyone ever tell you that you ask too many damn questions? Jesus. Yeah sure, that's the reason. Why not? Now get lost. The haunted house tour is over." He shoved you out. "Don't forget to pick-up your souvenir photo at the exit giftshop."

"Souvenir pho-?"

SNAP.

A bright light flashed from the porch awning... or maybe it was lightning. Either way you were too distracted by the blinding light and missed a step on your way out of the porch, tumbling down to the ground.

Thunk.

You were knocked out cold.

When you finally came back to your senses, a figure in white stood above you.

You blinked a couple of times to unblur the image.

"TRICK OR TREAT PUNK. TAKE SOME CANDY FOR THE ROAD."

HAPPY HALLOWEEN 👻🎃🦇💀🐈‍⬛