#plus one planned gory

[lorawant2sleep]

god help the girl with too many wips

[whispereons]

Oracle!Reader Part 23

Masterlist - Part 1, Part 22, Part 24

Warning! This is a SAGAU imposter au so this is pretty gory and not happy all the time. Plus yandere but that's the expected for SAGAU.

Xingqiu and Chongyun both showed muddled emotions at your words of leaving Liyue.

“That may be best for you…” Chongyun says first as he keeps his gaze on the floorboards.

“Yes, I agree. Although I never expected that you would have to leave Liyue so soon, it's clear that you aren't safe here.” 

Xingqiu’s words that were full of understanding still had disappointment sprinkled in.

“We can't do much to help you when it comes to Ningguang, but Mondstadt is a different story. Do you have the talisman on you right now?”

Chongyun takes a few steps closer as you lift the amulet for him to see. He rubs one finger on it, examining the symbol that appears at the action.

“It's still at full charge, good. The road to Mondstadt can either be empty or full of demons depending on the day. But once you get to Wangshu Inn, it becomes much safer.”

“Because of Xiao, right? Despite how the situation looked when I first met the Adepti, I'm on relatively good terms with them now.”

It was a bit risky telling them this, but they both deserved to know at this point.

“When are you planning on leaving? Is your meeting with Ningguang today?” Switching the topic, Xingqiu brings the focus back to the most pressing issue.

Nodding, you answer. “My meeting is with her today, but I'll probably have to leave either at midnight or early tomorrow morning. The sooner, the better.”

“Then I can offer you some help that should make staying in Mondstadt a bit easier.” Xingqiu grins as he takes out paper and some ink. “I happen to know someone-”

“Albedo, right?” Cutting off Xingqiu as you think back to his connection, you continue. “Together you made the book, uh what was the name again? A Legend of a Sword? It got pretty popular in Inazuma. I remember there was a whole festival on light novels that you both attended too.”

Once you stop, you notice Xingqiu squinting his eyes at you before replying. “That's really creepy, you know? If I didn't know you were the Oracle, then I would have believed you to be some stalker.”

“If I was, then I wouldn't be stalking you of all people.” You snapped back as he grins while shaking his head.

“But yes, I'll send Albedo a letter in advance so that he can arrange for you to be settled nicely over there. I won't mention the Oracle situation as the Creator didn't want you to be known widely like that.”

It's been so long since you last heard the title ‘Creator’ be mentioned despite the fact that all of your problems come from their supposed existence.

Only goes to show just how ingrained the Creator is in this world.

“Thanks Xingqiu. Albedo is the chief alchemist and well respected among the community, so I should be in safe hands.”

Xingqiu merely hums in response as Chongyun tugs the amulet closer to him.

“Just trying to apply a better talisman on it.” He mumbles in accordance with your stare as he settles himself closer to you.

He's basically pressed against your side, but you strangely don't feel uncomfortable to have him close.

As the pair focus on their own activities, your mind wanders off to Albedo.

Albedo, the chief alchemist and homunculus created by Gold, the famous Khaenri'an scientist. Khaenri'ah, which also held so much information that could be connected to Celestia…

It was a long shot, but you could try digging for information about Celestia from him. The deal that Celestia made with Teyvat still bothers you to no end. With the age of this deal unknown, you might even have to look into the primordial dragons if it's even older than the Archon war.

A light shining brought you back to the present and your eyes flickered down to where the amulet shined in Chongyun’s hands.

Once it died down to reveal a more intricate symbol than before, Chongyun nodded, satisfied with the final product.

“This one is a lot stronger and should last longer now. I know you can fight well, but the demonic energy in Bishui Plain and Qiongji Estuary has shown to rise around this time of the year.”

Carefully taking the amulet from him, you thumbed the symbol with curious eyes. “I get it, thank you. Does it activate on its own, or do I have to activate it with something?”

“It'll work on its own. Depending on the amount and degree of demonic energy around it, the workings will change.”

Motioning with his hands, Chongyun’s calm voice explains the working to you. At the end of the rather lengthy explanation, you nod and condense the information in your mind.

“And now that Instructor Chongyun is done teaching you, I'm happy to say that I'm done with the letter. Have been for a while, but I saw no need to interrupt the oh so fascinating lecture.”

Raising the letter, Xingqiu lazily waved it as Chongyun bristled but ultimately said nothing.

“I can send this once I get home. Unfortunately, neither me nor Chongyun will be available to accompany you through your journey.”

Xingqiu tsk’d at his own words while Chongyun turned his head away, visibly sulking.

“My family was just hired to check out Wuwang Hill and my attendance for this is mandatory. Xingqiu’s father is forcing him to stay and attend meetings with his brother for the week as well.”

All you could do was smile sadly in response.

Before long they were both forced to leave by Baizhu who insisted on total privacy for the reviewing of your medication and discharge.

Watching them climb down the stairs from the window in your room, you listen absentmindedly to Baizhu.

Changsheng still refused to see you. Something Tevyat was clearly displeased with, as the once sunny weather quickly turned cloudy. The cold-blooded creature must be huffing in annoyance by now.

“And this is the overview of medication and supplements to take, with the doses and dates to take them.”

Casually looking over the paper received from the shady snake bastard, you hummed for a moment before stuffing it into your bag.

“All of it is paid for by your special benefactor. And the drug you requested has already been paid with by your body, as we both know.”

‘Must he phrase it like that?’ You internally questioned as you snatch the medication and shove it into your bag.

“I'm glad for it. Maybe even more so if she didn't pin so many babysitters onto me.”

At your grumble, Baizhu’s smile wavered at the edges. Either he truly hadn't known why there was extra ‘security’ or he was a great liar. You suspect it's a bit of both.

“Then if everything has been covered, I’m happy to say that you're officially discharged as of-” He merely glanced at the sun still high in the sky before finishing. “1300. I sincerely hope that the next time we meet you'll be in a better physical state.”

“And I sincerely wish we never have to meet again.” The words you utter are full of sarcasm, something Baizhu simply chuckles at.

“Now what could I have possibly done to deserve your ire, dear Oracle?”

“It's what you haven't done. A little heads up about all the guards would have been nice.”

“Oh, but I did!” His smile seems a little sharper as he leans toward you, his glasses sliding down to the bridge of his nose. “Didn't I let you know early on that there were quite a lot of guards?”

With an annoyed scoff, you snap back. “You said it was due to the two temples nearby, not cause Ningguang wanted to keep an eye on me.”

Raising his hands with wide eyes, Baizhu tried to placate you. “I'm not part of the Millelith, how on earth could a physician like me know the true reasoning?”

Holding his gaze, you tried to discern what he was truly thinking at this moment. Malice? Amusement? Mocking kindness?

But at that moment, all you could see was genuine surprise in his eyes. It only served to confuse you further.

Was Baizhu truly innocent in this? Your instincts in situations like these were usually correct. Besides, what would Baizhu even gain from deceiving you?

Still, that didn't explain why Baizhu was always so damn shady, but maybe you should chalk it up to an unfortunate side effect of being contracted with a snake.

“Well, then let me reiterate my earlier words. While I still hope we won't have to meet again. I do wish for us to want to meet again.”

Baizhu lowers his arms while fixing his glasses to laugh, the sound is surprisingly tender. “And how do you expect me to tell when that would be? I’m no mind reader.”

Standing up, you stay silent as you slip your bag over your shoulders and move past him. The door opens with a creak as you tilt your head slightly to meet his eyes.

“To put it simply, I’ll want to see you when you discover whatever is hidden in my culture sample.”

The door clicks shut as you leave Bubu’s Pharmacy for good.

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

After a brief but firm pat to Qiqi’s head, you walk down the stairs casually. The slight rustling of the leaves, the fabric of curtains drawn, and the quieting of chatter are all brought to your attention.

Ningguang’s spies and the Millelith guards are all watching you like rabid dogs, waiting for you to slip up and give them an excuse to arrest you right now. 

Smiling without hesitation, you get to the last step and pretend that the forced conversations around you aren't scripted, and that the eyes locked on you are of a curious bystander and not the ones of detectives.

Bringing your attention back to the list you have clenched in your hand, you read the first errand on the list.

Return books to library.

Easy enough, and it's even easier when people seem to automatically avoid being in your path.

Is this what a day in Xinyan's life feels like? It's honestly not that bad.

At least you thought so until you got to the counter and waited for the receptionist to return.

Five minutes pass. Then ten minutes, which quickly turn into fifteen in a blink of an eye. You can feel your mood worsening.

Deciding to test something, you walk away from the library and turn the corner. Peeking around the corner, you watch as the ‘customer’ that was standing in the corner all those minutes gets to the counter. Almost immediately, a swarm of people return to it.

Sighing heavily, you ignore the weight of suspicious stares and turn the corner back into the library. Getting back into line feels humiliating, but it's just a quick errand, you tell yourself.

No one moves out of the way, but the quick glances they send you make them pale with each minute.

Not a soul dares to stand behind you.

It's finally your turn, and you place your books on the table with the last bit of patience you had. She doesn't meet your eyes and mumbles something.

“I'm sorry, what did you say?” Leaning closer, you try to catch her words, only for her to yell.

“It's lunchtime now so I can't accept any more returns or purchases. H-Have a good-d da-ay!”

Flabbergasted at the sheer audacity, you watch her flip a sign on the table and flee the area.

“Fuck this shit.” Colorful curses leave you as you drop all the books haphazardly on the table and storm away.

Crossing it off the list, you follow the main path to the next errand.

Collect reward from Guild

That commission should have given you one hell of a paycheck the last time you checked. Primogems may be worthless now, but you could use the Mora the commission provides.

Plus, you needed to let them know to change it to the Mondstadt region.

Lost in thought of all the technicalities and paperwork you would have to fill out, you weren't focusing on the fleeting whispers around you.

“Is that them?”

“Who else could it be?”

“What a monster…”

“-as long as we get paid.”

“Who cares about-”

“It's me or them.”

“As long as it's them and not me.”

Your experience at the guild was a much kinder one. Katheryne was the epitome of professionalism, just as you remembered her to be. Not that you expected much else from a robot.

After handing all the written work to her, you finally noticed the absence of a certain person.

“Where’s that grouchy Lan? She's usually here, isn't she?” Checking the vicinity, you try to spot the brown recognizable bob.

“The Branch Master Lan is currently undertaking a commission at this time.”

“About the unseen razor, right?”

“That can not be disclosed to unauthorized-”

“It's fine. I’ll see you later, Katheryne.” Turning around, you leave without another thought. Lan wasn't anywhere near the ‘threatening’ list you've created since you last saw her.

Pick up plushie

Crossing out the previous task, you look at the present one with mixed emotions. On one hand, you were happy to get a chance to see something related to Earth, to your world. But at the same time, you couldn't help but wonder if it would serve more as a distraction than anything else. The memories it brought up never failed to leave your heart troubled…

Remembering the money you spent commissioning it ultimately tipped the scales, and so you dragged your feet to the little old lady’s toy shop.

It was empty just as the first time you were there as she hummed. If she was a vision holder you'd guess Hydro judging by the tranquility she radiated.

Her eyes meet yours and a happy smile slips onto your face without much thought.

“Here to pick up the toy, dearie?”

“Yup.” Popping the ‘p’, you watched as she gathered a delicately wrapped box from under the other boxes and presented it to you.

“Enjoy the nostalgic memories a toy can bring.”

You politely thank her before taking the present and walking away. The weight of the box is heavy with dread, and you can only find solace in the fact she didn't refer to it as ‘happy’ memories.

Once sufficiently out of sight, you take to grasping the lid. But you couldn't bring yourself to remove it.

Too many memories. All of them are rushing in and filled with conflicting feelings that would surely crush you. The fear and selfishness of the broken promises and unfulfilled desires would throw you off your game.

With a little too much enthusiasm, you stuff the box of the cat plushie into your bag.

Most likely to stay forgotten and distant from the present you're facing.

Scratching it off harder than the rest, you get to the last errand.

Refill supplies

A smart and mature move considering how you used the whole Medkit during the chase. The soggy bandages and washed away ointment really hurt your heart and wallet.

Revisiting the same shops you went to the first time proved to be ineffective. Either they were completely sold out or no longer supplying them.

Forced to visit more stores, you had to walk around the city a lot more than you cared to. Each store had one of the two situations, and the skittish actions of everyone around you were just the cherry on top.

At one point you even tried to buy the individual items separately, and even that failed.

It's not like you could just wait till next week for the first shipment. You weren't even sure you would live till then.

Eventually, you found yourself sulking on the lower docks, turning the situation around in your head.

If only you lived in Liyue for a little longer, maybe you could have found some of the hidden shops. Befriend a store owner and get a hidden one.

Just who the hell would even go out of their way to get every medical first aid part when it's such a crucial item for so many people in this era?

A name finally comes to mind and your expression sours at the thought. Not that you’d let it show, Celestia knows how many guards are watching you at this moment-

A sudden, rapid series of taps on your shoulder has you spinning around in surprise.

A young boy stands before you. The clothes he wears has visible wear and tear as the fabric frays from the edges. Yet you can't help but think you might have seen him before.

Placing a finger on his lips, he uses his other hand to grab hold of your elbow and tug you along.

Surprised but not suspicious of the kid, you let him lead you deeper into the docks. The dark red of his eyes seem to glow within the shadows as his dirty blond hair acts as your beacon of light.

The smell of fresh fish turns rotten, and the dirt caked under his fingernails stains your clothes. The complete and straight planks become jagged and creaky as you follow him farther.

But you stayed silent.

You recognized a path to the seedy part of the city when you see it.

Instead, you examine the younger boy with a critical eye and finally connect the dots. He must be one of the kids you saved with Yiran.

A smirk creeps up your face. It seems you managed to use your time wisely in making connections after all.

Following along the twists and turns, you don't worry too much about the Millelith. Most of the guards probably couldn't even get this far. If you had to guess, it would only be the detectives who could keep up.

It's not like the hidden underworld of cities as popular as Liyue Harbor are any big secret to them.

Stalls and various shops fill the area as flickering lanterns and other extra lighting give you a wider view.

Multiple people call out to the boy as he silently waves to them. The gaze of the homeless and shady people around aren't warm, but aren't hostile either.

Not that you were exactly expecting a warm welcome, but at least you didn't have to worry about sudden personality changes.

Money could buy you information, but it wouldn't buy you trust in these parts.

He finally stops at a little nook in the corner of the area. The door is worn down with scratches and marks yet the light you can see under it is warm.

Silent as before, he points at you, then to the rows of shops in a sweeping motion before stopping at the door.

Pinching your brows in slight confusion, you chew on the gestures to understand it. High-pitched laughter that suspiciously sounds like children eases into your ears as the boy squirms in place.

“Did you want me to knock on the door when I'm done shopping? That you'll lead me back to the surface?”

It was the only thing that you can think of. And despite your hesitation, the boy nods, clearly relieved that you understood the message.

He must truly be mute, no doubt from whatever horrors he must have faced that lead to the scars poorly hidden by mud on his arms.

You were thankful either way. Just leading you here was great but getting an exit too was even better. Now you could avoid getting mugged and/or murdered on your way back.

“Thanks man, I'll be quick.” With that, you walk away, already following the invisible path to the shops that caught your eye.

As much as you would have liked to explore the various items and weapons they had, you didn't want to keep the kid waiting.

After having to buy a rather expensive medical kit, a minor downside to finding the first medical anything since you left Bubu’s pharmacy, you pick up a minor stitching case.

You could have really used one during your latest and probably not last chase. Stuffing it into your bag, as people eye the magical item with desire, you quickly find the home.

Getting to the door, you step closer than before and take note of the older voice. A woman that's chuckling, and a lingering sense of guilt invades your mind.

Quickly rapping your knuckles on the wood, you step away as the home goes dead quiet.

Multiple little eyes peer at you from windows below you as you lazily grin and wave. They all scatter as giggling resumes and the sound of playing returns.

But not the woman’s voice. You didn't expect it to. It's hard to face the only person you've poured your raw wounds from a child's death to.

The kid finally steps out with multiple clicks of locks echoing around the small space. Smiling, you take no offense to the action. You weren't here for trust, and they weren't helping you out of it either.

His crimson eyes glisten with interest at your bag. He wants his pay, and you're more than happy to oblige.

Stuffing your hand into the bag, you feel the familiar clink of Mora gathering in your hand. Pulling it out, you place an appropriate amount into the pouch he already has prepared.

When you drop it all, he takes it closer to him and picks up a piece. The first thing he does is try to bite it, and the familiar memory of you testing coins the same way makes you smile sadly.

Counting the Mora, he frowns, clearly displeased with the amount. He holds his hand out, and you can feel the other children’s stares digging into you.

“I'm going to give you two things that aren't Mora, okay? But you have to keep it a secret.”

He narrows his eyes, no doubt suspecting you of being a shady person. That's probably why he brought you here first and demanded payment before returning you.

Like this, he has back up and cornered you further into payment of his choosing.

“Do you have a cooking pot?”

He frowns in confusion before nodding slowly. Lifting one finger in a pause motion, before heading back inside his home.

He returns while holding a clean cooking pot. It doesn’t take long before he places it over the open fire you already started.

Small eyes follow your every step as you dig out ingredients from your bag. Mentally going over the ingredients you had originally prepared for your celebration feast if you survived tonight, you drop them into the pot.

4 ham, 3 crabs, 3 shrimp meat, and 3 matsutake potatoes are dropped in.

Turning around, you count to five as the boy gives you a confused stare. But you only wink at him before turning around to look at the pot, as his eyes widen at the sight.

Adeptus’ Temptation sits innocently in the pot as the rich aroma wafts around the area, drawing curious hungry eyes.

Leaning down, you whisper to the boy.

“Get your friends and bring the pot back into your house quickly. This food is blessed and safe as you watched the whole process. I suggest you let the sickly and injured children eat first.”

He looks between you and the pot with conflicting emotions. On one hand, he can't trust you too much, but even the smell of the food was clearly tempting him.

It's the shuffling of feet getting closer that makes him bang on the door, signalling for the other children to come out and help him bring it inside.

By the time the shabby adults come into view, it's just you and the boy ‘talking’ as they grumble and turn around.

The kid still looks displeased. You don't blame him completely, since how can he trust that the food you cook isn't spiked with anything nefarious.

You're not even sure if it can heal people that aren't acolytes. It doesn't work on you after all.

At least they'll all enjoy a hot meal, even if it doesn't work.

Sighing, you take out your last resort from your bag, sadly selecting it and pulling it out. The secret weapon you've been saving since your time in Inazuma.

The colorful assortment of candy wrappers makes the kid’s eyes sparkle with the childlike glee that was absent since you met him. Probably long before you met him.

“It's not just Liyue candy, some are even from Inazuma.” The thought of giving up your hard-earned candy hurt you, but you let it go. 

The candy you squirreled away during the Inazuma festival, and the discount ones you bought at cheap prices at Liyue’s markets, were both never going to be eaten anyway.

His hands reach out to snatch the candy greedily from you but you raise it out of reach at the last second. He stomps his foot in childish indignation as you chuckle.

“Sorry, but I need you to bring me back to the outside before you scam me out of any more goodies.”

Finally giving up, he grabs your elbow again and leads you back through the streets. You enjoy the sights as he leads you zigzagging through the stalls.

You can't help but wonder if any detectives are still watching your boring little interactions. Admittedly, you played into the kid's desires more then you had to.

But you couldn't stop yourself from doing so when all you could see in him was yourself when you were that height.

The sun comes into light as the dim lanterns fade away. Like this, you can see his features once more as the stomping of soldiers return.

His eyes scan the area at the sound, but he keeps his hands open for the sweet treats. Smiling, you drop the candy into his open palms before he rushes off with a beaming boyish grin.

Stretching as you walk up the planks to the surface, you finally cross off the last item and drop it into the nearby trash can.

You try to ignore how it disappears when you turn the corner.

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

Time ticks down slowly, and you aren't looking forward to seeing Madam Ping just yet. Besides, you made a long-overdue promise to someone else beforehand.

Starting up at the somewhat hidden Funeral Parlor, you push the door open with a casual; “Hey, I'm here to meet up with the Director of this fine and totally not macabre establishment.”

The receptionist blinks at your sudden words before a cheery voice responds from behind her.

“You sure took your time, Y/N. I almost wondered if you up and died before I got a chance to have you purchase one of our very convenient and practical deals!”

Yet again, Hu Tao was right on the money about you being close to death. Idly, you wonder if you look half as dead as you feel.

The receptionist is more than happy to slip away as her boss bounds up to you with that elemental ghost hovering around her.

Flower pupils stare into your eyes, giving you a vague sense of unease as Hu Tao examines you from various angles. 

“Yup, yup! Just as I suspected. You are in desperate need of escape, and it seems the only way you'll be getting it is in death. My honest suggestion is that you buy a coffin from us and lead a hedonist lifestyle to enjoy the few years you have left.”

“Thanks for the vote of confidence.” You dryly respond as she nods approvingly. 

“A business needs to be honest for it to succeed in the long-term. Trust of the customers is one of the biggest key factors.”

Not willing to argue on a topic you were admittedly clueless on, you follow her deeper into the Parlor.

“Then you got any good deals for a traveling adventurer like me who could be dead halfway across the world?”

She sighs, exaggerating it to the utmost while circling you. “I thought deeply on the topic and while the Wangshsng Funeral Parlor has grown enough to reach all of Liyue and a good amount of Mondstadt and Sumeru, we still haven't grown enough to pair up with each region.”

Passing by multiple doors, your eyes scan for a clue on where she was leading you.

“But considering you're the most eager customer I've had concerning their own death, I decided to present you with a special deal.”

“Wouldn't suicidal people also be enthusiastic in this topic?”

“They're usually more focused on the moment and their own afterlife, instead of the corpse they leave behind. Besides-!”

Whipping around to look at you with a knowing grin, she lays a hand decorated in rings on the handle.

“You aren't that far from being called a suicidal person yourself, Y/N!”

Before you can question her on those words, she swings the door open to show multiple rows of various coffins.

“The special offer I'm giving you is to purchase a coffin and I will personally escort your wandering soul to the border for proper peace.”

Tearing your eyes from the admittedly impressive collection of varying caskets, you have the sense to ask her a question. “So, what's the point in me buying a coffin if my body ends up in the waters of Fontaine? And how could I even trust that you have the ability to escort souls?”

From what you remember, Hu Tao should have no clue about your oracle status, so logically you should act oblivious to her connection with the border. Would you even be able to cross the border? It’s not like you were born on Teyvat like her other customers.

Unless Zhongli told her, but that would require more of an explanation on his behalf that he wouldn't want to do. 

“Very good question, dear customer!” She spins around to face you once more, her long twin tails swinging during the motion.

“Even if your body is irretrievable for whatever reason, the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor will deem your casket full after I guide your soul.”

The atmosphere visibly shifts after she speaks. The room darkens as the lanterns flicker, her back lowers in a familiar position as a cold phantom touch caresses your hand.

“You of all people should know why and how I'm able to guide souls. After all, I wouldn't expect anything less from an Oracle of the Creator.”

A crooked grin makes its way to your face as goosebumps raise on your skin. Hu Tao’s ‘threatening’ words of knowing your identity were like the sweetest song to your ears.

Finally, all your hard work in creating connections and stabilizing your identity has paid off. Acolytes you've barely begun conversing with already see you as an Oracle.

“Should I applaud you or something, Director? Or should I just accept the deal and make us both happy?”

Hu Tao laughs at your words as you take confident strides to stand by her side.

“I would appreciate the second option much more!” Signature flower pupils drink your smiling visage in with delight before her hand grasps yours in a tight hold.

“Now, if you will, I'll introduce all these amazing coffin and casket types for you to ask about and choose between.”

There's no time to protest, not that you would as she pulls you along excitedly as butterflies made of Pyro brush against your cheek.

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

Somehow you and Hu Tao had managed to look at every single coffin type in existence. A style, color and even additional design to it has already been decided.

You're just left with choosing the best wood for it.

Hu Tao wanted to stay with you throughout the whole process, but an important matter came up again, making her complain loudly as she left.

But before she did, she insisted on sending one of her employees to help you in choosing, as ‘the wood is a vital part of the process!’. 

So now you're left waiting in the absolutely quiet room, with only the sound of your own breathing accompanying you.

Looking down at the two coffins made of different wood, you waited for this employee. A small smirk played on your lips as you heard the door audibly click shut.

The thumping of shoes coming closer was silent, but the slight hitch of breath gave away how close your new consultant was.

“White cedar wood and Teck wood are both very fine choices. Though I would consider the Catalpa wood two rows down to be the best choices considering your position.”

Hot air fans your skin as the knowledgeable words spoken in that low timber light your nerves aflame.

Turning around, you look into amber eyes that remain steadfast on your face. His outfit is pristine and there's not a single evidence of the battle he was left to fight on him.

“If that answers your last question for the coffin customization, then would you mind stepping outside with me?”

Waving your hand, you dismiss his words without hesitation. “We can do so after I check out the Catalpa wood you recommended.”

Your head angles to the side to look at him with a teasing grin. “I know it's your retirement, but you of all people should know that rushing a job is never good.”

A long-suffering sigh leaves Zhongli as you walk away to the Catalpa coffin, before he follows you. 

More than happy to kill time like this, you feel the wood under your fingertips in a smooth stripe.

“Catalpa wood was and is still often used as an outer coffin for the jade inner coffin that Liyue officials were buried in. Not only can it be carved fluidly, but it is also very resistant to decay, unlike other ornamental wood. Its stability is quite underrated, with only the drying to be a tad problematic. And even that will be for us to deal with.”

Vaguely you wonder if this information was inserted into the game based off China’s own history or if Teyvat really did age throughout many years to build its own history.

“That’s why I recommended this type of wood to you. While you’re not officially a member of the Qixing or other affairs, your position of oracle is enough to warrant such a valued coffin.”

“Are you trying to convince me to buy it for your job, or are you trying to flatter me for your proposal?”

“You may see it as both, neither, or one of the two. I'm simply here as the consultant. I am to assist you with all of your decision-making inside this building.”

A huff of laughter leaves you before you tap on the casket. “Then I'll go along with what you want and take this wood.”

Zhongli nods, not bothering to write it down as his memory must be far greater than you care to imagine. 

His gloved hand is displayed to you in a silent question, but before you can move, he removes the glove.

Quizzically, you raise an eyebrow before placing your hand on his now bare one. Peering at his face from your place you note the slightest blush on his otherwise composed expression.

Smiling to yourself, you allow his fingers to intertwine with your own as he guides you out of the side door. Following him blindly up the staircase, past a set of rooms, another staircase till you finally arrive at the roof.

Zhongli squeezes your hand one last time, clearly relishing in the touch of your calloused fingertips before letting you go.

“I've waited patiently for you, Y/N. What is your answer to my marriage proposal?”

His eyes stare at yours with unshakable firmness. In a sense, it's endearing, and you make it clear by smiling widely.

“It's a no from me.” That resolute expression cracks and his mouth drops open before it's slammed shut at your bright laughter.

But even his poorly concealed embarrassed expression can't smother the blood rushing to his cheeks as his ears hang onto every addictive note that leaves your lips.

This has taken a long time. Like super long. I haven't dropped this series, just have lots of school work to complete and exams to study for. Like I literally have one tomorrow. My editor did me a solid and highlighted the parts that I had to fill in after I gave the mostly completed document for editing. When I have to write the next chapter, it'll take a bit as I gotta reread for recalibration. Taglist is open as always!

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[a-dauntless-daffodil]

me: i'd like a little chaggie angst in my life.

me: nothing major. no blood or screaming or anything like that.

me: maybe something that could slot into canon without much trouble? something quiet. something sad. a small gut punch, is what im after

my brain: On in boss! Give me a sec.

my brain: .....

my brain: Okay how about this- Charlie was so hyped and determined to have Vaggie come with for the heaven trip not just bc they're partners, but also because- Charlie was gonna propose.

me: .... why would she propose? and in heaven? aside from it just being a nicer less gory place in general, i mean

my brain: Well Charlie was super excited about the trip, right? She thought there was a good chance they'd win their case, confirm Angel Dust's path to redemption, show their hotel could work, and prove the exterminations aren't needed and should stop. That's HUGE! That's her and Vaggie's current life goal getting checked off- and if they can stick together through making a hotel for redeeming sinners work, then marriage is kinda just yelling that for everyone to hear.

me: wouldn't charlie be freaked out by marriage tho. her parents are separated, and her family fell apart for while afterwards. she's only just started picking up the pieces with vaggie

my brain: EXACTLY!!! Vaggie got her talking with her dad, talking with him got him kinda onboard with the save sinners plan- the plan Charlie is trying to make her mom proud with! So her mom and dad aren't together, but they're least on the same page now! As far as Charlie knows anyway. Meaning them being married had REASONS behind it, reasons that haven't gone away even after they separated- so it's not like them being married to each other was for nothing or a mistake. It was good! It can still end good! And having Vaggie in her life is what helped all of that happen in the first place. Soooooo....

me: marry that girl?

my brain: Charlie was expecting her and Vaggie to get a great win up in heaven, together, as partners. What better time and place to say how much she wants to keep doing that with her?

me: hmm

my brain: Plus if Angel Dust got the green light for an eventual move to heaven, having the wedding before then would be kinda important if they wanted to be SURE he could be there for it. And Charlie would DEFINITELY want Angel there for it.

me: true, true.... so, what are we picturing here tho? how does all this... become a thing i can feel sad over?

my brain: Well first, imagine Charlie planning it. Being exited for it.

me: oh she'd be so very excited

my brain: Imagine her the entire time they're headed to and are up in heaven, checking her pocket whenever no one's looking, triple checking on the ring, grinning to herself- physically straining under the urge to just blurt everything out to Vaggie like she usually does BUT wanting SO MUCH for this to be a special surprise for Vaggie!

my brain: She goes on the heaven tour while Vaggie stays behind, and Charlie's a little relieved to get a break from the constant urge to get down on one knee whenever she looks over at her girlfriend- she spends the whole tour of heaven gushing about Vaggie, barely taking in the sights- maybe even lets slip, to her HORROR, what she's planning to ask (a beaming Emily SWEARS not to say a word)

Getting back to their room Charlie has to spend ten minutes pacing outside, muttering to herself and checking the ring and REMINDING herself NOT to just pull it out the moment she walks in and sees Vaggie again after a whole two hours apart- She goes in, buzzing with pent up marriage proposal energy, not sure she WON'T just say it all right then and there, and...

Vaggie's curled up on the bed, asleep, luggage open next to her and one of Charlie's spare shirts tucked around her like a blanket, a small stressed frown on her face as she naps.

Charlie melts. She takes a slow deep breath, lets out a long happy sigh, and tip toes quietly over. She does get down on one knee- to be on a level with Vaggie so she can smile at her and stroke her hair and smooch that pinchy frowny face, chuckling softly about how Vaggie never stops worrying about things, even in her sleep. At least Vaggie IS sleeping now. She hadn't gotten much of it, leading up to the trip here.

The ring is pulled out of Charlie's coat and slipped into pants pocket instead so Charlie can safely drape the coat itself over Vaggie, who's curled up as if Heaven's perfect temperature feels a bit chilly- and Charlie moves the luggage to make room on the the bed so she can snuggle in behind Vaggie, arms wrapped around her, maybe not able to resist playing with her girlfriend's left hand a little before dozing off herself.

Imagine Vaggie had been working up the courage to tell Charlie the truth when Charlie came back.... but she wakes up already safe in Charlie's hug, and it's- it'd be one thing to face Charlie across the room and see her turn away- it'd be another to FEEL her let go. Or to be the one who breaks the hold, maybe for the last time

So Vaggie doesn't tell Charlie.

And the trial goes, the way it goes, and Charlie- never tells Vaggie what she wanted to say either.

Instead of asking a question, Charlie gets answer, and they both find themselves on their knees in heaven- but for all the wrong reasons.

Then its bad. Charlie's up in their room alone with Razzle and Dazzle- and the RING- and she keeps trying to put it away or even chuck it out the window... but it always ends up tucked in her fist. Slipped safely back in her pocket.

In Cannibal Town, at Rosie's, when asked if she loves Vaggie, Charlie stumbles over her answer- not because she doesn't love her or doubt it, but.

She almost blurts out, at the worst moment- yes she loves Vaggie. She was even going to ask her to....

Everything all flies out the window back at the hotel gates.

They've got a fighting chance against heaven, hungry cannibals to arm with angelic steel, friends who chose to stay and FIGHT for their home and each other instead of running for cover- it's not what Charlie wanted but she'll damn well take it and she means to KEEP IT- there's no time to think about what the actual battle will be like or what (or if anything) comes after.

Charlie doesn't remember the ring again until days after the After.

At night in bed, after a long day doing more minor endless finishing touches to the new hotel (with Vaggie) and an evening writing out thank yous to everyone who helped hoping none of the overlords suddenly think of an extra cost to that help, rewording until her hand ached (and Vaggie took it gently and tugged her away with a "we'll finish them tomorrow, sweetie")

Charlie wakes up at night, in bed with Vaggie, and lays there staring up at the dark ceiling, frozen in panic- until she not frozen anymore but slipping out of bed and into carpeted middle of the room, hooves muffled as she paces, picking up KeeKee on the way and petting her frantically as she tries to THINK-

The ring, the fucking RING.

She doesn't know where the ring went.

Where she put it- still in her pocket when she was changing into her dress for the battle? Which pocket- pants or coat? Where had she put those- no one had bothered much with stuff like laundry when there were fortifications to be made! Not with Vaggie running daily drills on how to fight exorcists, not with Charlie scrambling to learn how to fight after a life of not ever wanting or needing to, but heaven had done those things to Vaggie, had hurt her, and wanted to do worse to their friends and Charlie would be DAMNED if-

had Charlie's one random set of clothes survived the blasts from the battle? Had they been sitting in the rubble somewhere? The ring- the ring should have made it- it'd been made to LAST after all-

Had someone else found it? She would've heard if anyone from the hotel had picked up a fancy ring though- a random cannibal or sinner maybe?

Or...

... maybe it was just lost. Just, gone.

Fallen in some crevasse or crack into some deeper part of hell, if it hadn't been melted and shattered with all the holy and unholy power being thrown around.

She knows exactly what that would look like, after all those times spent checking the ring, staring at it and trying to picture Vaggie wearing it without squeeing too loud. It would've looked good on her- but that daydream is gone too, and Charlie just sees the ruins of it.

Black obsidian band broken, gold edging melted, inner inscription burned away. The paired musical notes articulated with fermata like little rising suns above them (the pause, to be held as long as they wanted it to be) bracketed and bracketing the blood red, small, heart-shaped diamond....

All of it now probably just one dulled chip of rock lying somewhere no one will ever see.

Charlie, standing in the middle of her and Vaggie's new bedroom, staring at Vaggie asleep in their bed- her exhausted girlfriend planted face-fist into a pillow, silver gray angel wings flopped awkwardly over the covers and spreading out so long and slack (relaxed) they droop over mattress on either side, flight feathers brushing the floor.

The scars are still there too. Also silvery pale in the dim glow of hell outside the windows.

But when Charlie finally releases KeeKee and slips over to adjust Vaggie's pillow (she'd get a cricked neck otherwise) she has to stop and kneel down on the floor for a bit (down on one knee again too) and stare.

Vaggie's smiling in her sleep. Her eyepatch is off for the night, thin slit of black nothing peeking out under the lashes of that eye, and Charlie can see the fresh scars on her left arm from fighting off Lute.

Charlie, picking up Vaggie's left hand playing with it again, like she had up in heaven. Pressing a small kiss to the stab wound in it's palm.

It would've been nice to put on ring on that hand instead.

But Charlie finds herself smiling anyway, softly, as she squeezes into the thin strip of space between Vaggie and the edge of her side of the bed. She snuggles in close, Charlie's cheek on Vaggie's scarred hand and her arms wrapping tight around her own small piece of something way better than heaven.

Vaggie's wing stirring and drawing in, folding over Charlie like an extra blanket and a dreamy hug, not even having to be awake to want her closer.

"Next time," Charlie whispering as she falls asleep looking at her partner- her partner in every way that matters. "'m gonna wait for you to ask... 's your turn to worry about stupid rings, and, stuff...."

On the carpet in the middle of the room, KeeKee licks a paw. Stops. Coughs. Spits something out- something that chimes metallically as it bounces and rolls off the edge of the carpet an onto the floor-

KeeKee sniffs the thing curiously. Bats at it with one paw, pushing it under a dresser drawer. Then, bored, licks said paw and saunters off.

Vaggie's startled wings will fling herself backwards so hard and fast into the bedroom wall she'll end up giving herself a concussion, later, when she finds the ring.

it's her turn to worry about it, after all

XD

[mouschiwrites]

Creepypasta/MH - Doing Halloween Stuff With Them :)

(Characters: Tim/Masky, Eyeless Jack, Jeff the Killer, Nina the Killer, Jane the Killer, Ticci Toby)

Tim/Masky

Hear me out... corn maze

I believe that Tim enjoys a good puzzle every now and again

He loves trying to figure things out (specifically when there's nothing at risk)

Getting to show off his navigational skills is also a major plus

He just likes to impress you, even if it comes off as annoying sometimes

"See? What'd I tell you? The exit's right there."

Though he does like the satisfaction of completing the maze, what he really treasures is that time you spend together figuring it out

Once you finally find the exit, you'll celebrate with hot cocoa :D

Eyeless Jack

This man LOVES carving pumpkins

He goes all out; definitely one of those people who makes the crazy intricate designs that look like they take hours

He'll love it if you help him!

If you have a steady hand, he'll let you do the details

If you don't, he'll task you with gutting the pumpkin/handing him tools

You guys collaborate on multiple pumpkins throughout the month, setting them in random locations for everyone to see

If there's a design you want to do, just show it to him, there's no question he'll be down

If it's too simplistic, he'll try to add more details

"Ooh, Jack, look at this one. Can we try to re-create it?"

"Of course! Though I do have some ideas on how it can be improved..."

Jeff the Killer

Another pumpkin carving enjoyer

But for a different reason... a very different reason

He loves the goriness of gutting the pumpkins

He couldn't care less about making actual designs, he just wants to get messy stabbing the pumpkin and gouging out its insides

That being said, he'll 100% gut your pumpkin if you ask him (he'll probably end up doing it even if you don't ask)

It's honestly a little disturbing watching him work

He just gets this look in his eye...

"You, uh... you doing okay there, Jeff?"

"Hm? Yup! Never better!! Say, can you grab the big knife from the kitchen for me?"

Nina the Killer

You best bet she's the costume queen

Spends the whole year planning matching horror-themed costumes

She'll settle for no less than creativity and perfection

High-quality props and articles only!! She'll even make them herself if she has to!

You can expect to spend at least an hour in front of the mirror while she does your makeup/adjusts your clothes

She's an SFX makeup legend, loves incorporating as much gore into your costume as possible

Don't ask why it's so realistic (it's not like she knows how the wound would look if it was real or anything)

"Wow, Nina... It's almost like I can feel it! It's so real!"

"No, no. If you were feeling it, you would be screaming pretty loud right now."

You can also expect to attend multiple parties where you show off your costumes

You guys dominate costume competitions

Jane the Killer

Horror movies!!

Specifically, making fun of them

You both pick apart the plot, the characters, the dialogue, the special effects, everything

No horror film is safe from your scrutiny

If you're the type to get scared during horror movies, her snide comments will help distract you

"Ooh, I can't look!"

"Oh, come on. Look—I bet they used corn syrup for that fake blood. It's way too thick."

When the movie ends, you're both feeling more amused than scared

She doesn't like to see horror films in theaters because she doesn't get to make commentary, plus she doesn't want to "waste" money on a "stupid tryhard-horror flick"

She'd much rather dig up some old indie DVD/VCR and have a home movie night with you

Ticci Toby

Halloween sweets are his bread and butter

Candy apples, fun-sized candy bars, candy corn, pumpkin bread...

He would perish if you made anything homemade for him

Spends the whole month gorging on sweets almost as fast as he can get his hands on them

He will not share with anyone but you

And even you only get a small portion of his goodies

Robs at least one child on Halloween night, mostly for the candy but also because he likes scaring little kids

"Where did you get all that candy?"

"Got it from a little birdy. By that I mean a kid in Falcon cosplay."

"Toby! ... save me the (favorite candy)."

Thank you for reading! Have a good day/night my spooky pookies <33

(divider by saradika)

[whorergal]

SURPRISED?

summary: you're ghostface instead of ethan…

warnings: descriptions of blood & murder. overall really gory. language (cussing).

pairings: ethan landry x fem!reader, platonic sam carpenter x fem!reader, enemies quinn bailey x fem!reader

authors note: ethan and quinn aren't related in this one btw!! i really liked this idea so here's me trying my best to write it to the best of my ability 😭 also anika lives bc she's my pookie <3

——————————————————————————————

You sat in Quinn's room, making sure to stay clear from the windows she had purposely left open. Messages from Ethan and your friends in general went crazy as they wondered where you were and why you weren't answering. You rolled your eyes, understanding their worry but seeing as you were the cause behind their constant paranoia, you found it annoying to be bothered.

Quinn had left her room, saying she needed to not act suspicious. Her hookup would be making his grand reveal in a couple of minutes where you would be hiding in the closet, hoping to not be forced to witness something that would physically make you ill.

Noises outside the room got louder as you heard everyone laughing. It brought a smile to your face until you forced yourself to drop it.

Yes, you loved your friends. You had known Tara, Chad, Mindy and Sam your whole life—how could you not grow to love them? But, then again, you weren't planning their demise half the time you spent with them until last year when you grew vengeful.

Ethan was just an fortunate bonus you collected once moving to New York that happened to please Quinn, her being the mastermind and all. She liked the idea of getting someone like him to trust you just like how her brother Richie did with Sam.

Although, you did end up falling for Ethan and not just for the act. It was never in your head to make him love you just to hurt him in the end until Quinn meddled into your life and found out about you two. Then, the thought of your reveal and how he would react never left your mind. For some reason, it never crossed your thoughts that you would eventually have to face him seeing as you were too in love with him to kill him.

Your phone screen lit up, a picture of Ethan you took when he was studying popped up. You sighed, making sure to keep your voice low as you answered. "Hey, E."

"Y/N/N, where are you? I thought you said you'd be coming over tonight?" Ethan's worried voice caused your heart to swell. God, you hated lying to him.

"Yeah, I know but I'm still stuck in class," you lied very effortlessly. "My teacher offered to give us extra time to prepare for our next exam so I decided to stay. I might be around in an hour or two."

"Why didn't you tell me? I would've stayed with you," he immediately told you. "I hate knowing you're alone."

"E, I'm fine. I'm in a class full of thirty other people plus my professor," you reassured him, staring into the ceiling.

"Doesn't matter, Y/N/N. What if Ghostface attacks you on your way over? Or what if he's there at—"

"Hey, hey," you interrupted his rambling. "Look, I've done this once before, he'll have to try a lot harder then sneak attacking me while I'm in an Econ class."

"Y/N, I'm being serious," Ethan said sternly.

"So am I," you countered with a breathless chuckle. "How about this? I'll call you when I'm on my way over and we can facetime so you can make sure I'm okay."

The line was quiet until you heard a soft, "okay."

"I love you, E," you told him sadly, hoping he couldn't tell as you continued. "Please be safe. If anything happens, don't play the hero, okay? I can't lose you."

You were saying that mostly for yourself. You'd be the one behind the mask and if he did get in the way, you'd be forced to do something you didn't want to do. You had managed to steer Quinn clear from him until tonight and the last thing you wanted to do was cause him any ounce of pain.

"I should be telling you that," he told you with a smile, you could hear it through his voice. "I'll try not to, alright. Just…I love you. If anything does happen tonight and I can't say it again, just know that I really love you, Y/N."

"Don't say that, E," you interrupted. Your heart felt like it was stuck in your throat. "I won't let anything happen to you."

"You can't control it, Y/N/N," he let out weakly. "But I'm sure nothing's gonna happen, okay? So just worry about your exam and call me later. I love you."

"I love you too, E," you mumbled sadly.

"Get a room!" you heard Mindy yell in the background.

"Minds, stop. It's cute," Sam defended you two.

"Bye, E." You laughed; you couldn't help it.

You hung up the phone, staring down at his contact picture for a second longer. For some reason, that one conversation alone had you rethinking your choices. Would it be so bad to back out of the plan now? Quinn and her dad can take care of the rest—you only had to do with those two college nerds deaths and another guy who you'd seen bothering Ethan on campus, but that was it. The rest was Wayne, which was only the bodega and Sam's therapist.

The thought of even having to possibly kill Sam, especially Sam, because of how close you were with her made you sick to your stomach. So, why were you still apart of a plan that ensured her death along with your friends?

Your second thoughts were interrupted by the swift open of Quinn's door. The redhead came barging in, wearing her pink silk nightgown that barely reached her thighs.

"Nice conversation with your boyfriend," she told you with a certain distaste in her tone.

"Had to make sure I didn't sound suspicious," you defended yourself, getting up from the floor but staying in the corner of the room. You were lying.

Quinn rolled her eyes. "How long are you going to string him along? He's going to hate you when he finds out what you've done…that's if he survives that long."

"He stays out of our plan, remember?"

"Where's the fun in that?" she whined, walking over to mess with your black robe. "He takes you away from me all the time."

You shoved her away. "I told you, Quinn; you and your dad don't touch him. That was our only agreement."

"Yeah, it was when you realized you loved him," she had to point out. "He's turning you against us. Before you met him, you were excited to get revenge just like us."

"No, he's not but is it bad for me to not want to see the one person I actually care about harmed? It's not my fault that the only person you cared about was murdered."

"Just because you're apart of this plan doesn't mean I won't kill you," Quinn threatened as your words fell loosely from your mouth. You just couldn't stand when she badmouthed Ethan in front of you.

"Oh, shut up," you replied annoyedly. "Your dad won't even let you get behind the mask."

Quinn got quiet because it was true until she spoke, having to have the final word. "Fine, you got kills but do you really think Ethan would date a murderer? What're going to do when we complete act three? You think he's going to want to be with you after you helped kill his friends?"

"Fuck off," you snapped, letting her words get under your skin which you shouldn't have.

Quinn was going to continue bothering you but her phone went off. Her current boyfriend of the month was on his way up, forcing you to put the mask over your head and hide inside the closet.

Surprisingly, she didn't do much with him. You were sure she wouldn't pass up the opportunity to make you watch her but it seemed she was excited to get on with the plan. It only made up of occasional frisky touching, some things that were still counted as sexual activities that did make you look away but nothing too extravagant.

He ended up leaving to her connected bathroom to take a shower, saying how he felt dirty. Quinn then started to call her dad, basically filling him in and then she turned to you, gesturing for you to make your grand appearance as she saw Danny standing by his window just like planned.

Your boots helped make you seem taller as you stalked toward her very slowly. Her back was facing you as she rambled on the call about something. Your hand gripped your knife as the thought of actually killing her surfaced in your head. No, you couldn't do that.

Noises coming from across the window caught your attention as you looked up, seeing Danny pointing at you while yelling words you couldn't hear. You tilted your head at him, walking away inside the bathroom.

Killing her boyfriend wasn't too hard as you caught him off guard but the scene had become gory. You'd taken your pent up anger on the poor guy, his blood covering the entire room that you didn't notice until you backed away from where he laid lifelessly in the tub, naked.

You grimaced at yourself and what you had done.

Walking back into the room, you decided to start the act earlier than Quinn wanted, knowing it would piss her off. You rose your knife and planted it straight into the mattress, startling her as she let out an authentic gasp.

She began to scream, making sure to keep it leveled so it didn't sound too suspicious to everyone outside her room. She needed them to believe she was having sex so they wouldn't interrupt before she could get in her costume, which was just covering her entire body with fake blood and a few slashes from your knife to make it even more realistic.

You pulled her up, wrapping your arm around her neck just as you saw Danny take a picture. Then you tossed her to the floor where she crawled to the fake blood and splattered it all over herself and her room.

A couple more seconds, she continued to scream until she stopped and you heard the group outside running toward the door until the silence made them halt.

"Showtime," Quinn whispered proudly.

It made you sick to your stomach.

You held her up, taking a second to let her collect herself before you threw the door open and charged her body at them. Quinn fell on Anika, taking her and Mindy down as the girl screamed at Quinn's "dead" body.

Then, everyone scattered. You saw Chad pull Ethan and Tara toward the direction of the door and you decided to let them go on the account it would mean Ethan was safe. You headed straight toward Mindy, slashing her in the arm, knowing it would be enough to make her weak as blood always made her squeamish to the point she would pass out at times.

Your goal was to get Mindy. That was the plan Quinn had created for you to do but you couldn't. The rush of it all hit you once you saw her hunch over to hold her wound, trying not to vomit at the sight of the blood.

Anika was about to attack you for what you had done to her girlfriend but you got smacked in the face but a large object, sending you flying against the TV. When you peered through your mask, you saw Ethan's familiar light blue shirt and his curly hair, reaching down to help Mindy and Anika. Fuck, you thought. You should've known.

"Come on," he urged them both up.

You collected yourself quickly, slicing him in the arm and throwing him and Mindy against the table. The sound of his wince caused your heart to break but at least he wasn't in your way anymore.

Turning, you gripped Anika and pulled her up by the throat, which wasn't that hard at how light she was to carry. You slammed her against the wall and drove the knife in her gut. She let out a scream that actually made you sad. You could feel yourself losing grip on your knife. Thankfully, you were hit in the head again, causing you to fall to the floor and drop Anika.

Sam dropped the knife dispenser and went reaching for Anika as she carried her inside Quinn's bedroom. Ethan and Mindy were following closely behind. You got up and slammed against the door, causing Sam and Ethan to push against you even harder.

You stopped, remembering the second entrance to Quinn's room. You ran around and almost got through until you saw Ethan immediately run to slam the door in your face. Without thinking, you slipped through the crack and swung your knife around which sliced his skin again, making him even more annoyed, putting full force in his last push. You fell back just as you heard Sam and Mindy put a dresser against it so you couldn't enter.

Would it be so bad to let them go? You were about to give up until you looked behind at where Quinn was playing dead and she gave you a head gesture, as if telling you to get through that door and do something.

You started to kick it, slam your body against it, and slowly but surely the door started to crack. You could finally see in and you saw that they were trying to leave through the window on a ladder, thanks to Danny. You rolled your eyes, growing psychically exhausted but you continued to push against the door, the dresser beginning to shake.

Purposely, you didn't use your strength. You wanted them to survive. Poor Anika made you see that once you saw the gutted look on her face. You weren't close with her but she was a nice girl and she deserved to live. So did Sam and Mindy. Especially so did Ethan.

Sam went first, you caught sight of her hair just as she made it through. Then, Ethan of course had to make sure one of the girls went before him. Mindy gave Anika a kiss, thinking it'd be their last as she shakily made it on the ladder and got through. You continued to slam against the door as you watched Ethan pick Anika up from the bed, walking her toward the window where he helped her get on the ladder and kept it stable for her.

She took awhile to get through that you unfortunately made it inside just as Ethan was barely exiting the window. You stalked toward it slowly because you knew you weren't going to let him die.

"Ethan, you have to hurry!" Sam and Mindy screamed.

He turned around and the scared look on his face could've been enough to kill you. You slammed your knife on the window sill and grabbed the ladder.

They all were expecting some foul play on your end, encouraging him to be quicker but you didn't. Instead, you held the ladder down and stabilized it for him. Sam watched in shock. She was the only one who noticed your action that had been completely out of character.

Ethan made it inside Danny's apartment a second after and they all looked at you. You tilted your head at them, pulling your knife out. Then, you were gone. You didn't even wait for Quinn because you needed to get out of that costume and in Ethan's arms as quick as possible.

[butchhamlet]

a scene-by-scene playlist for macbeth--one song for each scene. you know the drill by now. track list with rationale under the cut; special thanks to @blackcatarts for help with the selection :3 happy halloween season, y'all.

track list + rationale

act one

1.1 (the witches enter) - Everybody Wants to Rule the World (Lorde Cover) (feels self-explanatory, plus the vibe of it feels like panning in over a foggy battlefield)

1.2 (duncan finds out macbeth slayed) - Aneurysm by Nirvana (found this one on this macbeth playlist a while back and it has remained a macbeth song to me forever and ever; the manic energy fits the battlefield fervor here)

1.3 (macbeth and banquo meet the witches) - They by Jem (“and it’s ironic too // ‘cause what we tend to do // is act on what they say // and then it is that way… who are they? where are they? how can they possibly know all this?”)

1.4 (duncan names malcolm his successor) - Money Money Money by ABBA (he’s plotting! he’s planning! stars, hide your fires! look just trust me on this one)

1.5 (lady macbeth reads the letter & reunites with macbeth) - She’s Kerosene by the Interrupters (every lyric of this song is about lady macbeth.)

1.6 (lady macbeth welcomes duncan to her castle) - Silver Platters by Les Gold (“no need to be cordial // you could be immortal // if you take the risk // could you take the risk?” + “step out on the dance floor // this is what you asked for // such a pretty face // what was it underneath the mask for?”)

1.7 (the macbeths argue) - Fight For Me by AlicebanD (macbeths song of all time!!!)

act two

2.1 (dagger scene) - Disturbia by Rihanna (the supernatural begins to bleed into the world! will someone please direct a macbeth where this comes on during this scene) 

2.2 (post-murder argument) - Prowl Great Cain by The Mountain Goats (very macbeth song. placed here for “and i feel guilty, but i can’t feel ashamed!” & mention of sleepwalking & betrayal & prowling [cf. his line about tarquin in 2.1])

2.3 (porter scene, duncan’s death comes out) - Daniel in the Den by Bastille (“felled in the night by the ones you think you love // they will come for you” + “and for every king that died // they would crown another”)

2.4 (hey. don’t cry. duncan’s horses ate each other) - When He Died by Lemon Demon (literally a song about the world getting fucked up after a guy dies what can i say)

act three

3.1 (banquo gets suspicious) - Aha! by Imogen Heap (entire song about people pretending to be better than they are, including an actual serial killer. + “cost you to keep me quiet” with banquo…)

3.2 (the macbeths are fracturing) - The Horror of Our Love by Ludo (EXTREMELY MACBETHS SONG. here because this is the scene where they start to switch places, with him the one buying into violence as the answer & telling her not to worry about gory details)

3.3 (banquodeath) - Bury A Friend by Billie Eilish (rdj meme voice: he has murdered his friend)

3.4 (banquet scene) - Bird Song by Florence + the Machine (song about killing the witness and then being haunted by that witness and completely losing your shit trying to shut their ghost up…)

3.5 (hecate) - Hecate by Wendy Rule (i don’t give a shit about this scene i’m sorry. interpolation boooooo)

3.6 (lennox talks politics) - Dark Doo Wop by MS MR (foggy apocalyptic ones. “it’s all gone to shit // it’s out of our hands”)

act four

4.1 (double double toil & trouble) - Hot Knife by Fiona Apple (i’m a hot knife i’mmmm a hot knife i’m a hot knife he’s a pat of butter… you’re just gonna have to trust me on this one. my school’s macbeth had heavy drumming all through this scene and it’s associated with this song to me forever)

4.2 (macduff’s family is murdered) - Pretty Little Things by the Crane Wives (songs about pretty/fragile things being destroyed because of men’s betrayal… thinking about how lady macduff blames her husband for abandoning her to the wolves :( )

4.3 (malcolm and macduff) - All or Nothing by the Dream Masons (songs that are about both malcolm and macduff. the first verse especially is very malcolm, as a young prince stranded among enemies; the chorus is especially macduff-deciding-to-kill-macbeth-or-die-trying)

act five

5.1 (lady macbeth sleepwalks) - Tymps (The Sick in the Head Song) by Fiona Apple (LADY MACBETH GUILT SONG! “those boon times went bust // my feet of clay, they dried to dust // the red isn’t the red we painted, it’s just rust” w her imaginary bloodstains, + “i’m either so sick in the head i need to be bled dry to quit // or i just really used to love him // i sure hope that’s it”)

5.2 (the scots and english gather) - Marked Man by Mieka Pauley (songs i considered for 4.3 as well. they are coming to Get His Ass)

5.3 (macbeth preparing to fight) - For the Departed by Shayfer James (songs about knowing you’re about to get got but what does it matter when you’re already damned)

5.4 (the fucking wood is moving guys) - Kingdom Fall by Claire Wyndham (songs i almost put on the prior scene, for “i’d rather watch my kingdom fall // i want it all or not at all,” but eventually i placed it here because… well, we are watching the kingdom fall, my guy)

5.5 (tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow) - Drowning in the Sound by Amanda Palmer (okay, this is kind of because of “sound and fury,” but also it’s soooo macbeth act 5. “and the body is a temple but the temple is a prison and the prison’s overcrowded and the inmates know it’s flooded and the body politic is getting sicker by the second” + “do you ever feel like this should be officially the end? // and that you should be the one to do the ending, but you can’t?” + the inevitability…)

5.6 (scots + english arrive) - Lion’s Teeth by the Mountain Goats (song about trying to kill a powerful and tyrannical figure. also sounds like a fight scene)

5.7 (macduff and macbeth come face to face) - Bury Me Face Down by grandson (so obsessed with how firmly this guy would rather go down fighting than do literally anything easier)

5.8 (macbeth’s head presented, malcolm crowned) - King of the World by WAR*HALL (a new king is crowned after one dies by violence. fleance is still out there somewhere. the cycle of violence continues. this one doesn’t work unless you imagine the witches watching pityingly/sinisterly in the background)

[aidenoconnell]

day off.

Aiden's plans on his day off include doing absolutely nothing. No morning run, no doing to the boxing club, no errands, nothing. The last come weeks have finally caught up to him and he can feel his body telling him to stop for five minutes. The thing is with Aiden is that he doesn't really do things half assed, he goes in and either does it or no and this whole new job has been one hundred percent plus he's still doing this boxing appointments with the kids. So it does take a lot of this time especially not on a set schedule. That's taken some getting used too as well.

But he thinks he's doing fine? Luci hasn't told him to get lost yet and Stella hasn't fired him so, all good. Aiden rolls over in bed, picking up his phone to look at the time and he hates that his eternal alarm wakes him up so early. He breathes out, opening his messages and the last conversation he had was with Luci. Well, it was him telling her one of those 70s slasher films was on but they cut out all the gory parts.

He doesn't even like horror that much.

Aiden sets his phone down, rolling over and closes his eyes to go back to bed.

[mercysimming]

every teenage friend group has to have that one friend who fake overreacts to everything ( lot )

prev / next.

Transcript:

Emery: I'm telling you, dude, you should join me for dance class sometime. You've got rhythm.

August: Don't give the perfectionist any ideas, Em.

Avery: [sarcastically] Wow, thanks. Whatever, I like dancing for fun anyway, not in some "learning environment."

Emery: You make it sound so dirty.

Emery: Same as usual?

Avery & August, in unison: Yeah.

Emery: I'll order, then.

[info: August Lawton. she/they. goth baby bat (affectionate). best music taste in town. met Avery 2 years ago. friends with Emery since grade school. has drama with her not-actually-ex-girlfriend. bass player who believes she is the most important member of their not-a-band (she's right).]

Avery: What?

August: You're in a good mood. What're you hiding?

Avery: Trying to get the gossip while Em is busy? Classy.

August: Only if you're not gonna tell him.

Avery: I'll give all the gory details, just wait for the food.

[narration: A bit later. Yes, this is their usual order.]

[narration: A quiet lingers for several moments as the group starts eating, the only sounds coming from the quiet chatter of nearby diners and utensils on plates. Avery's silence is almost tangibly smug.]

August: Avery!

Avery: What? Damn—

August: You had something to tell us.

[info: Avery Banks. she/her. daughter of Candy & Mikhail. wannabe rebel. actually a straight-A student with a complex about being perfect. sarcasm as a love language. plays guitar. has never been in a relationship. has been planning on bragging about this for two days straight.]

Avery: Guess who's getting to go to Mt. Komorebi this summer.

[info: Emery Baldwin. they/them. introduced to Avery by August. unlike the other two, completely aware that they are considered weirdo losers at school. somehow the most confident of the three of them. funniest of the friend group. plays drums. the ACTUAL troublemaker.]

Emery: You were hiding THAT from us? Details, details, details!

Avery: [laughs] I guess my aunts decided that it would be cool for me and my brothers to hang out there this summer.

August: There's no fucking way your parents agreed to that.

Avery: Yeah, it's kinda crazy, not gonna lie. I think they're good with it because Julien's almost 18 and the golden child. They think he'll "keep us in line" or some shit. Like he doesn't sneak out to see his boyfriend three times a week.

Emery: Man, I wanna go to Mt. Komorebi. Any chance you can get a plus one?

August: Plus TWO.

Avery: Nope. Ma's letting perfect Julien invite Javier, but that's it.

[Avery, thinking: Totally bullshit.]

August: Don't get it twisted, Ave. You know it's only because your parents are close with Javier's.

Emery: Well, whatever, fine. Have fun soaking in the hot springs while I spend my summer at work.

[choice: bitch dramatically]

[midnightsun-if]

I know you have Unscripted and Omen of Ice, I adore both by the way, but do you have any ideas that you personally love but don’t think you’ll ever make? Like you just don’t think that many people would be interested? I’m curious since you’ve told us you have multiple stories planned out.

Can’t wait for the next update to Midnight Sun ❤️❤️❤️

Thank you! I’m excited for you all to read it! It’s taken me a bit to get it finished, but I’m happy with how it’s progressed.

An idea that I love but probably wouldn’t pursue? Hmmm…. I’m not quite sure… The only one that comes to mind immediately is The Red Rum (people commonly mispronounce it as The Red Room)— the MC would be the owner of said lounge/hotel/night club (haven’t decided what it’d be yet), but they’d be a serial killer/a bit unhinged. I think there’d only be four ROs— a detective, another serial killer, a worker at The Red Rum, and a potential victim.

The reason I probably won’t pursue it is simply because of how gory/dark, I believe the story could get and I don’t necessarily know if the material would be all that appealing to people. Plus, Midnight Sun is my top priority at the current moment anyway— don’t need anymore traffic to interfere with it.

[mostthingskenobi]

CASSIAN’S RECKONING - Chapter 1: The Razor

FIC SUMMARY: Cassian Andor, Jyn Erso, and the rest of Rogue One survive the Battle of Scarif, delivering a major blow to the Empire. But Wilhuff Tarkin will not be made a fool. When Cassian falls into the Grand Moff's clutches, he pays dearly for the Rebellion's victory.

Special Note: I commissioned the wonderful @amikoroyaiart​​ to create 5 illustrations for this fic. I’ve included one of them in this chapter (scroll down to see it!!! It’s 🔥🔥🔥). The rest will be released on my Patreon to my Jedi Knight and Jedi Master tiers.

READ THE FIC ON AO3

I come bearing gifts.

I've been working on this fic since the Andor series began. Jyn and Cassian have become my latest obsession. I love them. But, let me say this right up front: Rogue One is perfect exactly as it is. The only reason I wrote this fic was as a guilty pleasure for myself because I ship RebelCaptain so hard it hurts my soul. Plus there's a general lack of Cassian whump in the world, so I've taken it upon myself to remedy that.

If you are not into whump, turn back now. I don't get too gory in this fic, but there's a lot of hurt before we get to the comfort--as per my usual.

I'm only sharing chapter 1 for now. I just wanted to wet your whistle before I post the rest after I've finished writing it (which should be very soon--I only have a few chapters left). I hope you enjoy.

——————–

PROLOGUE

People had been disappearing since the Empire reared its ugly head. Force sensitives, intellectuals, journalists vanished into an imperial abyss, never to be seen again. Cassian Andor hadn’t expected to be one of them; sure, he’d been imprisoned as a boy, forced into their sick system, ground up, and spat out again. But that was different than disappearing. Even when he’d been sent to Narkina 5 he’d been with other men; he wasn’t the sole witness to the facility’s grotesque truth.

The Rebel Alliance had always assumed the Empire had secret prisons, holding cells, cages—places tantamount to dungeons where these vanished beings were tortured, interrogated, or enslaved.

But now Cassian had proof they existed.

He had irrefutable evidence.

Because he was currently being held in one of these arcane locations, tied to a chair in a freezing cold, pitch black cell.

No one knew where he was, not even himself.

And no one was coming to his rescue.

——————–

CHAPTER 1: THE RAZOR

The mission had been a risk right from the beginning. But what else was new? After surviving Scarif, everything seemed easy in comparison. Jyn had been doubly angered by the plan, firstly because they were sending Cassian on another extremely dangerous assignment less than two months after being released from the medical ward—he had broken several ribs and a leg falling from the databank in the citadel spire. But she was even angrier that they weren’t sending her with him.

“This is ridiculous,” she fumed while they briskly walked through the curving corridors in Yavin 4. “Can’t you talk to Draven? Get me put on your crew?”

“There’s a reason you’re not going.”

“And what is that?” she said, her tone acidic, expecting his answer to be personal.

“They don’t want to put multiple Rogue Squad members together on missions for a while.”

“But that’s insane. We all work best together.” She grabbed Cassian by the elbow and abruptly stopped him. “We’re stronger together.”

Looking at her face, he finally understood. She was afraid. “Jyn, I’m better,” he said gently.

Her voice became quiet though her eyes remained hard. “You almost died on the transport back to base.”

“I know,” his tone softened further. They both pretended they weren’t traumatized by Scarif, pretended that seeing a wall of death rushing at them across the ocean hadn’t turned their blood to ice. He reached out and took her arm in his strong hand, giving her a reassuring squeeze.

“I just don’t think you should go if you aren’t one-hundred percent,” she said.

“I’ve been on other missions since Scarif.”

They had moved closer, their foreheads almost touching. “But this is different. This one…” she shook her head, trailing off. “This one spooks me.”

“It’s almost exactly the same plan we had for infiltrating the Citadel.”

“But Tarkin is a madman, Cassian. And since we’ve stolen the Death Star plans, this mission is like poking a wounded beast.”

He couldn’t hold back a crooked smile. “Are you worried about me?” he teased.

“Be serious,” she replied disapprovingly, which made him smile bigger.

“Tarkin’s not even going to be there. We’ll get in and get out. They won’t have a clue.” He turned and kept moving down the hall. “I don’t have a lot of time so if you want to talk, you have to do it while we walk.”

“Why don’t they want us on missions together?” she asked, her anger from earlier coming back as she hurried to keep pace.

“They picked up some chatter on an imperial comms relay. The Empire has put us on a wanted list. Specifically, you, me, Bodhi, Chirrut, and Baze, but any rebel who survived Scarif is in danger. The Alliance doesn’t want to risk putting us all together in case we get captured. They don’t want to give the Empire the satisfaction of grabbing us all at the same time.”

“What?” Jyn couldn’t keep the fear out of her voice, and she cursed herself for it.

“Don’t worry. Apart from Bodhi, they don’t have any of your names.”

“But they have your name?”

“That was unavoidable.”

“Why?”

“Because I was sent to prison when I was thirteen. They have my face and name permanently on file.”

She grabbed him with more force this time and spun him to a stop. “Cassian!”

He recoiled from her, not sure if she was going to hit him. “What?!”

“This is madness!”

“You know as well as I do that this is the life of a soldier, Jyn.” He was trying not to shout back at her. She had an uncanny knack for getting under his skin. “We don’t get to rest and lay in bed and bundle up until we feel better. We get up and we keep going. You would do the exact same thing if you were me.”

She didn’t reply. She looked down, her chest heaving as she tried to calm herself. Cassian suspected she had an internal battle raging; half of her wanted to protect him, the other half knew she had no right telling him what to do. She certainly never allowed anyone to control her decisions. Eventually she would concede the point. He knew her well enough to know Jyn Erso was no hypocrite.

She nodded but still wouldn’t make eye contact. Cassian took her by the shoulders and turned her square to him, gently squeezing her until she looked up. “It’ll be OK.”

She smirked, acceptance finally softening her features.

In some ways they were closer than ever, comfortable enough to touch each other, challenge each other, even voice their fears. There was no question they trusted each other implicitly—facing death side by side will do that. But in other ways they were miles apart. Unresolved tension existed that Cassian didn’t fully understand. He had theories, but no data to confirm. They were both wounded animals protecting their survival; a lifetime of loss driving a wedge, not just between the two of them, but between them an anyone who wanted to get close. Their friendship was good, it was solid. And though their gaze would linger or their touch was intimate, they were both unwilling or unable to be fully vulnerable. So, Jyn and Cassian remained as close as two fearful, orbiting objects could be.

“You better not break your leg this time,” she joked. “I won’t be there to drag you out.”

He laughed softly. “Is that an order?”

“Definitely.”

They both smiled shyly. After another shared, lingering look they carried on walking.

“So, give me the rundown.”

“I’m not supposed to tell you any of this. I shouldn’t even have told you I’m going on this mission.”

“Come on, Cassian, you know I might catch something the rest of you missed.”

They had arrived at a door that he now paused against. “You’re right, your brain is wired for strategy. But you can’t come in here.” He punched the access panel and revealed the men’s locker room.

Unfazed, she followed him in, much to the surprise of two young recruits. “Beat it,” she barked.

Cassian smirked and shook his head, enjoying the way she pulled rank. He didn’t countermand her order and watched, amused as the soldiers grabbed their gear and practically ran for the door.

“What are the mission details?” She didn’t skip a beat.

Andor moved to his locker and opened it while he talked. “We’re taking a confiscated lambda shuttle to rendezvous with Tarkin’s star destroyer Executrix. We’re going to board under the guise that we’ve been sent by Imperial Military Intelligence to upgrade local data vault security. We’ll use Scarif as an excuse, telling them we’re checking for vulnerabilities.” He took a kit from his locker and walked to the sink.

Jyn pulled herself up on the counter next to him and crossed her legs. “What if Tarkin is there?”

“He won’t be. We have confirmation that he’s taken charge of the Death Star and only goes back to his star destroyers occasionally.” He untucked his shirt and pulled it over his head before throwing it at Jyn.

“What are you doing?” she queried, catching the garment. She glanced at his muscles then quickly looked away when her eyes fell upon a massive scar running around his ribcage, stretching from his chest to his back.

He noticed her flinch but didn’t acknowledge it verbally. “I have to shave.”

“Why?” she said, recovering herself.

“Because I need to look like an Imperial Military Intelligence officer.”

The corner of her mouth pulled up in a wry smile. “Can’t look like a scruffy rebel?”

“Not today,” he said, turning on the hot tap and pulling a razor from the kit. They carried on talking while he worked, splashing steaming water on his face before rubbing shaving cream into his beard.

“What if this is one of those rare occasions when Tarkin is on board?”

“It won’t be, Jyn,” he said firmly, starting to drag the blade expertly over his skin. “A contact confirmed he’s on the Death Star.”

“If he’s on the Executrix, it’s very likely he will recognize you. He’s the sort of man with a mean memory. And there is almost certainly footage of us infiltrating the Citadel on Scarif. Tarkin will recognize you the minute he sees you. You should prepare for that eventuality.”

“And how do you recommend I do that?”

She thought for a moment. “Just pray he isn’t there.”

Cassian snorted. “There’s the brilliant strategy I was waiting for,” he teased, lifting his chin to get at his neck.

“Your best bet is to run. You’ll want to have multiple exit strategies, unexpected ones, to get back to your shuttle. And you might want to consider bringing a droid who can launch a bunch of empty TIE fighters or perform a trash dump while you’re making your escape.”

He had frozen in place, the blade against his throat. “Why?”

“Because when the cruiser activates its tractor beam, you’ll stand a better chance if their scopes are full of debris.”

He didn’t move for a long time, his eyes wide as his brain worked through the problem.

“You forgot about the tractor beam, didn’t you?”

He removed the blade from his neck and nodded. “Can we disable it?”

Jyn shrugged. “Maybe. But you’d do better to confuse it. Disabling it might draw too much attention.”

“It would have been the perfect job for K-2.” Regret lingered in Cassian’s tone.

They locked eyes for a moment, each haunted by K’s final ‘goodbye’ and the eerie way his voice warbled before fading out.

Jyn shook off the memory first. “So, what are you really doing on board? You’re obviously not installing a security update.”

He carried on shaving while he spoke. “The Council wants to find out more about Project War-Mantle and Stellar Sphere.”

“War-Mantle? Why do I know that name?”

“It’s one of the files we saw in the data vault on Scarif.”

Jyn’s eyes became wide. “I remember now.”

“They’re all part of Tarkin’s initiative. The Council thinks there might be information on his local archives that isn’t held anywhere else.”

“You’re right, this is essentially the Scarif plan all over again.”

“Yep.” He leaned forward and splashed more water on his face before drying off with a towel. He ran a hand over his chin and jaw, feeling for any missed spots.

Jyn was surprised how sharp his features looked without a beard to soften their edges. His jaw and cheekbones were straight as a knife. She watched as he studied his boyish appearance in the mirror. Cassian rolled back his shoulders while changing the set of his jaw. The boyishness instantly faded, replaced with imperial coldness as his brow became arched above his aquiline nose.

He reached out for his shirt and as she gave it to him Jyn asked, “What makes you think they won’t see you coming?”

It was Andor’s turn to shrug. “Hope, I guess.” He pulled on his shirt and as he tucked it in, Jyn slid off the counter and came toward him, grabbing the towel he had discarded. She reached up and gently took him by the chin, turning his head to the side before using the towel to wipe away some shaving cream he’d missed by his ear.

“You don’t have any room for mistakes on this one, Cassian.”

——————–

END NOTES

NEXT CHAPTER IS CALLED “THE SCYTHE” - If Cassian had known what was going to happen next, he would never have agreed to the assignment.

Thank you for reading!

Likes, comments, and reblogs are very welcome!

Much love!

——————–

READ IT ON AO3 - Kudos and Comments Welcome :-)

READ CHAPTER 1 “The Razor”

READ CHAPTER 2 “The Scythe”

READ CHAPTER 3 “The Cold”

READ CHAPTER 4 “The Expendable”

READ CHAPTER 5 “The Truth”

READ CHAPTER 6 "The Detritus"

READ CHAPTER 7 “The Salt”

READ CHAPTER 8 "The Power"

READ CHAPTER 9 “The Betrayal”

READ CHAPTER 10 “The Ruse”

READ CHAPTER 11 "The Reprieve"

READ CHAPTER 12 “The Ghosts”

READ CHAPTER 13 "The Redemption"

READ CHAPTER 14 "The Spoils"

READ CHAPTER 15 “The Interrogation”

READ CHAPTER 16 "The Rogues"

READ CHAPTER 17 "The Absolution"

READ CHAPTER 18 "The Reach"

READ CHAPTER 19 "The Hologram"

READ CHAPTER 20 “The Divide”

READ CHAPTER 21 “The Cost”

READ CHAPTER 22 "The Fallout"

READ CHAPTER 23 "The Wounds"

READ CHAPTER 24 "The Hand"

[shipcestuous]

BOY KILLS WORLD!

Anon #1: Have you watched "Boy Kills World" (2024) yet? It is a film about a boy who watched his family got killed and is haunted by his dead sister’s hallucinations. They are really sweet to watch; I am just so happy that we can watch a Hollywood movie focused on sibling bond in 2024.And if you ask my crazy shipper’s ass, I can even see some incest hints in this film (forgive me)

Anon #2:  It's hard to get into why without major spoilers so I'm just going to say, while it's definitely non-canon in terms of any incest content, the recent comic-style action movie Boy Kills World is DEFINITELY worth a look. Let's just say after watching it I'm considering incest fic in which there's nothing I feel like I have to undo or make justifications to avoid implications from where the movie left things. 

I am so grateful for these recommendations! I was already planning to watch Boy Kills World when I received these asks, but originally I did not think it was my kind of movie. Fortunately I encountered a few things that changed my mind, but it just goes to show how important sharing recs are, because when I think that I almost missed out on this, I’m shook. Plus these asks made me hurry up and watch it.

Thanks for being careful about spoilers. It’s really hard to get to meat of the matter without spoiling anything. Inevitably, just by talking about this, you’ll be able to guess a few things.  

I’m in the process of writing a longish commentary (no ETA on that yet), so I won’t share too many thoughts. But I want to echo these recs. This is a very violent/gory movie, but if you can handle that, I recommend it wholeheartedly to my fellow shippers. It’s non-canon, but comparable to Doom, House of Wax, etc. The type of relationship that I did not think I would see again. Central to the movie, no love interests, siblings who care deeply about each other and no one else seems to matter. As Anon #2 pointed out, the ending basically sets you up for a fic. And as Anon #1 mentioned, there’s kind of a squinty suggestive thing that is the reddest plumpest most beautiful cherry on top. 

Premise from IMDB:

A fever dream action film that follows Boy, a deaf person with a vibrant imagination. When his family is murdered, he is trained by a mysterious shaman to repress his childish imagination and become an instrument of death.

I might be posting gifsets and such, and the tagging may also begin to give things away, so block boy kills world spoilers if you want to avoid all that. There are download links on this page. But support the movie if you can. Show them we love siblings!

[witchesoz]

Oz Lore: The Black Brick Road

Have you heard of it? The Black Brick Road of OZ was a webcomic that began on DeviantArt, was quite popular on Tumblr and even got its own website! It was a reimagining of Baum’s Oz works, mixed with the tales of Volkov’s Magical Land (the author being Russian but also aware of the original American works), but the whole thing twisted and reinvented into something much more surrealistic, whimsical, dream-like – but also darker. In fact, the story was supposed to be, or rather become, or rather end, in a very dark, gory and depressing way. Unfortunately, the author stopped the project and deleted her DeviantArt account, her Tumblr account and also destroyed the website that hosted the comic. On one side because she was dissatisfied with how the story was told, and on the other side because she realized she had developed her story too much. Her worldbuilding had gotten out of hand and the project as it was couldn’t have been told unless she spent several years working as hard as she could on three different chronologies/series. Now hopefully everything is not lost. The author explained her full plans for the story – the full chronology, character info, all the secrets that would have been revealed and the ending that she had planned, on her wordpress blog. Unfortunately said wordpress blog is now private so you need to have an account there and be authorized by the owner. The webcomic still has a TV Tropes and Idioms page, and numerous pages and drawings of the original webcomic were kept on Pinterest. BUT the most useful things of all is that the author left her Toyhouse account open, and in it she stored a lot of infos about Black Brick Road – as in full character sheets for nearly all of the characters of the story, with extensive biographies, backstories, their role in the story and extensive galleries. I will put all of the links in the description, because I can’t of course sum up everything the author created, but I want to highlight some of the most interesting and useful facts here (plus I collected some info back on the Tumblr account that are now gone and can’t be found on the ToyHouse account).

I) Anyway… In this webcomic O.Z. means “Outer Zone”. The Outer Zone is split into five different countries: the Violet Country in the North, the Blue Country in the South, the Green Country in the West, the Yellow Country in the East, and the Red Country at the center. And of course, everything begins when a young girl named Dorothy wakes up in a trashed house, that just landed on top of a Wicked Witch. A little girl with a little cat, that may actually come from IZ…

When Dorothy arrives in Oz, there are six powers ruling OZ, three “good” and three “wicked”, four Witches and two males: Ichor the Good Witch of the South, Ferret the Good Witch of the West, Godween the Great and Terrible Wizard, Ruggedo the Nome King, Pepper the Wicked Witch of the East and Bastille the Wicked Witch of the North. These six powers are actually childhood friends. A long, long time ago, in the Violet Country, there was a reformatory named the “Motley Horde”, and in it was a Tower – in the Tower, “special” cases, weird kids with weird abilities. These kids were prepared and groomed for the conquest of OZ. These six were part of the original “Tower Kids” (even though there were more, but not all of them did the cut). The four Witches are believed to be sisters, even though they don’t look like each other – they were abandoned as infants at the door of the Motley Horde. All of them share strange abilities, which made some theorize that they come from IZ. They also all received upon one of their birthday a visit from the embodiments of death (characters from another series of the author) who offered them special “Death-Wish” to use, a bit like genies, but of course always with a price and a twist. (Originally the author had planned to have the four Witches absolutely lacking in humanity, able to do the worse thing with a smile and no care in the world, whether “good” or “wicked”. But she later gave them a bit more complexity in terms of personality and morality.) Another interesting point – in this webcomic, the four traditional inhabitants of Oz are reinvented as familiars of the Witches. Well not so much familiars as “Dolls” which are basically inanimate objects given life, including living toys (a la China Country), or the scarecrows of Oz – but also include other strange things such as birds made of scissors. Pepper’s Doll is a giant four-limbed ball named “Munchkin”, Ferret’s is a sort of giant caterpillar with two porcelain masks as a face named Gillikin, Ichor’s doll is a sort of snake made of smoke with two eyes and little wings around its head named Jellikins (Gillikin) and Bastille’s is actually a bunch of Dolls, the Winkies, flying alarm clocks with an eye in them.

II)

Pepper is the Wicked Witch of the Yellow Country (the equivalent of Baum’s Wicked Witch of the East, and Volkov’s Gingema). She is an overweight young woman with curly Venetian blond hair. She is very… childish. Energetic and joyful, but also selfish, short-tempered, violent, lacking in intelligence and always refusing to admit her own faults. She has a huge love for sweets and candies, and this is why during the Conquest she chose to rule over the Yellow Country – because it had all of the candy-making factories and industries of OZ. In fact the Yellow’s Country main theme is food – it is populated often by living meals and dishes, such as hot-dogs that are literal dogs, or crabs made of waffles. Among its most noticeable locations are : the Sea of Tea, the Sugary Desert, the Jelly Valley, the Oil Rock, the Ice-Cream Caps and the Milky Way. Its capital is the Topaze City, where Pepper lives, on top of Sweet Hill. Note however that her fat is not related to her sweet-tooth, her obesity rather being caused by illnesses. She always was a very sick and ill girl, forced to take numerous drugs and medicines. Her main hobby always was cooking – but she can cook cakes and pies as easily as she cooks potions and poisons. She adore all things cute and pretty, especially dresses and hats, but don’t ever get on her bad side – if she is angry she will devour you. Literally, she will take out a fork and jab you and eat you pieces by pieces. Pepper has an obsession with love, finding love and finding her “Prince Charming”. Her overweightness gave her a bad self-image, and she believes only Bastille, the other Wicked Witch, and Ruggedo the Nome King can ever really love her – so she created herself this fantasy of a finding a prince, and she keeps trying to become the girlfriend or to marry all the cute boys she can find, to the point of becoming an obsessive stalker. During her rule in the Yellow Country, this resulted as a strange “dating game” where Pepper would chose randomly one of her beautiful male subjects and forces him to stay in her castle for a while. If he can please her, he will go home with presents (and a good mental trauma). If not, she will hurt him or kill him or devour him, or all three at once. Because the thing is that no one can really like Pepper. Not because of her appearance, but rather due to her personality: she is insufferable. In fact, this shows on how she ruined the Yellow Country – she invaded it by force, spreading destruction everywhere, and then ruled it according to her selfish whims and her neglectful stupidity. What else to say… She was one of the two Witches to create the “life stone” that animates the dolls, by providing one of the two essential ingredients, a special potion. She is said to be “chaotic evil” and that her corresponding insect is the “Colorado beetle”. She has a spiral-symbol on her forehead that can “do” strange things when “activated”. And, of course, she gets crushed by Dorothy’s house.

III)

Bastille is the Wicked Witch of the Violet Country, or Wicked Witch of the North (the equivalent of Baum’s Wicked Witch of the West, and Volkov’s Bastinda), a tall and slender dark-haired and pale-skinned woman. She is a totalitarian ruler of the Violet Country, feared and respected by her subjects, but she actually is the complete opposite of Pepper, never falling into mindless destruction. She may be aloof, ruthless and condescending, but she judges everything fairly, if not strictly. Under her cold and stern appearance, she is a woman with trust issues, strong beliefs and a strict personal set of morals, as well as great devotion to those that she cares about. But she is also the kind of woman that refuses to feel love as not to “soften” or “weaken”. Stoic, smart, educated, her two main passions are sewing and biology. She did not “invade” her country like Pepper. Pepper was the first one to launch the Conquest by invading and destroying the Yellow Country. Soon after Bastille appeared to the royal family of OZ and threatened to unleash the same destruction on the land if she wasn’t given the Violet Country, she even took the daughter of the royal couple hostage to make them accept. As a result she took the North without harming its people or resources, and while she became a dictator, under her rule the country’s production and well-being skyrocketed. Under her rule, the Violet Country became an industrial region, centered around science. But it is still a very creepy and sinister region, as proven by its most notable locations: the Grave Grove, the Copse of Corpses, the Creepy Creek or the Wicked Thicket. Bastille rules from her Clockwork Castle, in the Amethyst City. Bastille was always fascinated with the questions of life and death, especially since she was a very frail child that had several near-death experiences, and because Witches are unable to reproduce. She did experiments on animals to try to find more about it, and she is the one that created the “life stones” that animate the Dolls. For that, she mixed two ingredients: a potion that only Pepper can make, and her own “Sand of Life”. This precious sand was actually given to her by the Deaths – Bastille was the first one to make her Death-Wish, by wishing to know the secret of life. She was given an hour glass filled with this “Sand of Life”. It is only later that Bastille discovered that this hourglass was actually HER hourglass, that this sand represented her own life. When she created all her Dolls, including an army of soldier Scarecrows, she wasted her own life, that is why she is so frail and weak now. Ever since she stopped creating new dolls and merely recycled the old ones, carefully taking back and hoarding the life stones.  But this Sand will end up being her doom – she had received a prophecy, “After the house falls, Bastille dies” and indeed after Bastille’s death she sees her hourglass is running out of sand, which makes her paranoid. She tries to trick fate by trying to remove all possible threats to her – including Dorothy and her gang. And in defense, at one point they will poor a boiling potion on her Sand, melting it and melting Bastille as a result. Her other main power is that one of her eyeballs can actually be removed from its socket and answer any question asked – she was born with this specific ability. But the eye can only answer by telling what everyone knows is true, or what everyone believes is true, which leads to its information being biased. It also can see things hidden or invisible. “Evil Lawful”, associated with the praying mantis, she has a slight accent that makes her replace the “w” with “v” and the “th” with “d”.

IV)

Ferret, full name Ferret Lie, is the Good Witch of the West, or Good Witch of the Green Country (the equivalent of Baum’s Glinda, Good Witch of the South and Volkov’s Stella). The Green Country is centered around notions such as glamour, entertainment and capitalism, and her Witch represents those notions perfectly. Some noticeable locations of this country are: the Mellow Meadows, the Doves Coves, the Glamorous Glades, the Orchestra Orchard, the Mirror of Fears, the Mawkish Mountain and the Fame Lane. Ferret lives in her Flying Fortress, above the capital of the Green Country, the Emerald City. She is a very… controversial figure in OZ. Yes, she is a Good Witch, who “conquered” her region not by force, but by kindness. When Jinjur with her army of rebels overthrew the royal family and conquered the Ruby City at the center of OZ, the last princess of OZ, Zee, asked Ferret and her sister Ichor for help. They kicked Jinjur out of the Ruby City and as a result, Zee rewarded them with the two regions that hadn’t been already conquered by Wicked Witches, the West and the North, turning the two Witches into national “heroes” and “Good Witches”. But that was when people still ignored that Ferret was one of the brains behind the idea of conquering OZ… or that she had a hand into convincing Jinjur to attack the Ruby City… and that she had promised to her boyfriend, who is Oscar Diggs, the Ruby City to rule over, explaining why he was put in charge right after Zee stepped down from the throne. (Because yes, in this version Glinda and the Wizard of Oz are together). Ferret is a manipulative woman, with many layers to her plans, and always with a plan. As I said, Ferret represents her country perfectly. Just like her country is a commercial one based on trades and economy, Ferret is a merchant, a saleswoman, but a manic and foxy one. She can grant you any wish, make any of your dreams come true – but always to a price. She may appear as a sweet, kind and benevolent figure, but she will still force you into a Faustian deal with a big smile. And she also corresponds to the notions of glamour and entertainment: she is a show woman, a “superficial actress” in the author’s words, glamorous and flamboyant, always changing her clothes, colors and hairstyles nearly everyday, a true Lady Gaga. A chronic liar with a dramatic and quirky persona, the thing is that Ferret hides her true feelings. She learned, through the hardships of her life, how to put a fake smile on her face, and how to please people by telling them what they want to hear, and she plays this whole “act” for so long that now she forgot completely her real feelings, she is a “mask on an empty shell” drowning in denial. Quite funnily, she also wears a real mask over her eyes – it is explained by the fact that she actually isn’t born with real eyes, but with screens instead of orbits, resulting in her ”eyes” being actually digital pictures showed on the screens. Ferret is also indirectly the cause of many of the horrors that befall her sister – that she saw die one by one. For example, she always desired to learn how the Wicked Witches created the Dolls and gave them life, but they always refused to share their secret with her. She sent a spy to steal Pepper’s recipe for her potion, and the spy succeeded, but caused a lot of harm, deaths and damage for both the Witches and civilians. And later she was the one that sent Dolly/Dorothy and her friends to fetch the Life Sand out of Bastille’s hourglass, not knowing that this would cause Bastille’s death. Her ruling of the Green Country is described as “rash”. She mostly focuses on her deal, her business as well as her public persona (which pays off given that she is loved and appreciated through all of OZ) but for all the technical details, administration and “real” ruling, she leaves it to associates and underlings. Associated with both flies and butterflies, she is a “Chaotic Neutral” Witch. Oh yes, and she is obsessed with poppies, putting them everywhere she can.

V)

As for the last of the four Witches, her name is Ichor – the Good Witch that rules the Blue Country (the equivalent of Baum’s Good Witch of the North, and Volkov’s Villina). A “true neutral” Witch associated with the cicada, she is actually dead when the events of the webcomic. To be precise she killed herself, which shook deeply the three other Witches, leaving only behind a note destined to Bastille, informing her that she would die soon after the “house falls”. Each of the Witches has a special characteristic. Pepper has her strange swirl on the forehead, Bastille her magic eye, Ferret her screen-eyes. Ichor’s specific characteristic was that, outside of her hair, she was completely invisible – not only that, her voice also couldn’t be heard by other people. As a result, she was often overlooked or ignored as a child by other people. This marked her, despite all the love and attention her Witch sisters gave her. Ichor often tried to be noticed by using her magical powers, mostly telekinesis, but it often ended up pretty badly since she was the “weakest” of the Witches and thus had a very hard time controlling her powers, leading to accidents or disasters. The “mother” of the Tower Kids offered Ichor a violin, which she learned to play, and tried to use music to help her control her powers and her moods. It worked, to an extent. But outside of that, Ichor also had the dreadful habit of causing or getting into trouble, only to flee from it, due to her inability to deal or cope with it, half out of fear and cowardliness half out of shyness and self-loathing. In fact one of the first Dolls Pepper and Bastille created, named Jellikins, was created to be the mentor and guide of Ichor. But her bad habits culminated in a dreadful accident – losing control of her powers, Ichor accidentally pushed Bastille down a cliff, breaking her spine. Afraid, Ichor fled, hiding away and leaving Bastille to die. Hopefully she was found and saved – she had to be in a wheelchair until Pepper used her “Death wish” to heal her spine, to the cost of Bastille’s body becoming very frail. Bastille never hated Ichor for that, but she deeply despised her “sisters” cowardliness and habit to flee from troubles, thus dooming others. Ichor still hoped to regain her sister’s love and trust, but this only stayed a hope, she never actually did anything to regain it. Pepper was the most aloof of her sisters. Ichor helped her during the conquest of the Yellow Country, amplifying Pepper’s destruction with her own magical music, but she always refused to hurt people. Ichor also saw Ferret slowly craft her fake persona and take on her role of the always-happy saleswoman, and felt her “drifting away”, resulting in the invisible Witch realizing she could never be certain of the authenticity of her sister’s feeling. When the last princess of Oz, Zee, went to Ferret and Ichor for help, and when the Good Witches vanquished Jinjur’s army, Zee offered to Ichor the ruling of the Blue Country as a “thanks gift”. Ichor was thrilled to have an entire country to rule, thinking of it as a new and exciting experience. It proved itself much more difficult than she thought, but she still held on, supported by Jellikins and by her people that – while creeped out by her appearance and powers – still loved her. As a bit of geography, the Blue Country, in the South, has for capital the Sapphire City, with at its center the Ivory Tower, Ichor’s residence. It is a very… calm country. Very quiet, very foggy, a bit eerie, it has locations such as the Lace Lake, the Domino Domains, the Gale Dale, the Stream of Dreams, the Obscure Ocean, the Hush Underbrush or the Uncanny Canyon. Now, the last straw that broke the Witch’s back was a dreadful incident – good friends, almost family of her boyfriend, needed a dire help, else one of their own would die. They begged Ichor to contact the Wicked Witches, the only ones able to help, but Ichor was too afraid of Bastille to do so, so she refused to help them. Which lead not only to her breaking up with her boyfriend, but also to all of this little group dying in atrocious ways. Falling into depression, Ichor started giving up on ruling her country, stopped appearing in public, locking herself in her tower. The people who loved her quickly considered her inept and useless. While the other countries changed, for the better or the worse, her own country stayed still, not evolving, not regressing, burying itself under “dust and cobwebs”. Then she died, killed herself. The end. Or is it?

VI)

Now, we talked about the ladies, but we also need to talk about the gentlemen! On the Good side, Oscar Diggs! At the time of the comic, he is known as Godween (the equivalent of Baum’s Wizard of Oz and Volkov’s Goodwin), the ruler of the Red Country – a country at the center of Oz, associated with the body and organs (notable locations include: the Capillary Caverns, the Pneumonia Pool, the Wounded Woods, the Mouthful Moor, the Brain Barren and the Knee Knoll). Godween resides in his Palaver Palace, at the center of the Ruby City. A giant jack-in-the-box, apparently blindly following the orders of Ferret, he is the one that sent Dollie and her gang go get Bastille’s sand. But back in the days, he was a normal-looking young man, named Oscar Diggs. Excitable, optimistic, sociable, a bit too prideful, he was a good actor and a big book-reader that always dreamed of joining a circus. Ironically, he wasn’t one of the Tower Kids like the Witches or the Nome King. He was merely a member of the “regular” Motley Horde, an orphan sent there due to petty crimes such as pickpocketing. He met the Tower Kids and the Witches one day, and decided to manipulate them, becoming their “friend” so they could help him escape – however he soon became truly attached to them, and even had a big crush on Ferret. Bastille and the future Nome King both built a blimp in order to escape OZ and go to the fabulous IZ, but it was Oscar that went on this blimp by mistake, and he was the one that went to IZ. He came back several years later. He tried to find a normal life in OZ as a librarian, but he was found back by Ferret and the Witches, and included in their plan for the conquest of OZ – Ferret used Oscar’s knowledge of IZ technology to scare the very superstitious Jinjur out of the Ruby City, which secured the Good Witches position. In fact, Ferret became Oscar’s girlfriend, and she promised him the Red City as his domain (he got to rule over it when the last princess of Oz abandoned the throne). Oscar used his knowledge of IZ technology to make people believe he was a Wizard, when he really was not. He also refuses to talk much about IZ (which is implied to be our world). He had pictures of it, but they were stolen by Ichor. Despite not speaking of it, Oscar kept dreaming of IZ and he sincerely wished to return there. Ferret became very jealous, suspecting that he had another lover there. Fearing that he would leave OZ, Ferret decided to use her “Death Wish” to make Oscar completely submissive to her. Which resulted in Oscar being turned into a giant, mindless Doll – Godween, a brainless, heartless puppet only dedicating to pleasing and obeying Ferret’s every whim. This incident had a huge, huge toll on Ferret’s mental health, I can tell you that.

VII)

As for the “Wicked Wizard”, he is none other than Ruggedo Quareria, aka the Nome King. (a mix of Baum's Nome King and Volkov's Urfin Jus) Long ago, the Nomes lived in colonies of the Violet Country. Working in the mines, spending most of their time underground, they were fantastic mechanics, good workers and the ones that offered many resources of Oz. But they were also rude and mischievous, vengeful and unpleasant, only tolerated for the wonderful gift they offered OZ. People accused them of every crime, including kidnapping children to make them their slaves. It all went down when the current King of the Nomes, Roquat Quareria, made a deal with the Snowbank family (the equivalent of Ev’s royal family, but here living in the Yellow Country), humble candy-makers. He offered them wonderful machines that quickly made them the most powerful candy makers of the Yellow Country. But in exchange, Roquat asked for his share of the profits and the wealth of the Snowbank family. And since the machines needed to be rewound, and only Roquat had the key, he greedily raised the prices of his rewinding, until he asked the leader of the Snowbank family to offer his whole family to slavery. Snowbank did, but then he poisoned Roquat and many of the Nomes with a special delivery of body-rotting candies. The Nomes being now without a ruler, and half-dead, the people of OZ quickly saw here an opportunity to eradicate their troublesome “neighbors”. All of the Nomes colonies were reduced to ruin and nearly all of the Nomes killed, except for some that fled underground. And except for Ruggedo that was found as a baby near the ruins of a Nome colony. Swearing vengeance on the Ozians for destroying his race, and wishing to create a doomsday device that would annihilate all of the Outer Zone, he only managed to receive during his childhood many injuries that prevented him from really creating performing machines. Later caught and sent to the Tower, he proved himself mistrustful and antisocial at first, but quickly started to develop feelings for Bastille, who helped him refine his machinery and create better devices, becoming a very good craftsman in the process. Ruggedo ended up sharing with her his childhood dream – while he was mocked by the other Nomes for being a “failure”, he kept dreaming that he was secretly the heir to Roquat and their rightful king. Bastille promised to make his dream come true. During the Conquest, Ruggedo united the leftover Nomes under the promise of getting revenge for the crimes against their race. Allying himself with Bastille, they threatened together the royal family to obtain the rule of the Violet Country – the Nomes even built a tunnel that led to under the royal palace in order to kidnap the last princess of Oz as a ransom. Once the Violet Country was theirs, Ruggedo recreated the Nome colonies, and they returned to their peaceful life. Ruggedo tried his best to change the Nomes ways, in order to be seen under a better light by the other Ozians, but he never managed to do so, still being seen as in league with the “Wicked Witches”.

And that’s it for now folks! There is much, much more to say about this webcomic, but I’ll keep it a little surprise Xp But yes, if you want to know more, go check the links in the description. (Prepare yourself, Dorothy is not who you think she is…)

- - - - - -

Now, all of the info concerning the project and most of the surviving art can be seen in the artist's Toyhouse page for the project:

https://toyhou.se/Xamag/characters/folder:345028

I suggest you go check it out because there are TONS and TONS of info I haven't included here, such as a reinterpretation of Ozma's story, the true identity of Dorothy, new backstories for the well known "companions" and much more!

You can also check the TV Tropes and Idioms page of the webcomic:    https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Webcomic/TheBlackBrickRoadOfOZ

[crimsonv1]

"Chocolate Milk Gifts"

Corey cunningham x reader

Smut / Drabble

Top!reader x Sub!Corey , Riding, Mommy kink,

!!

I am not in charge of who interacts and I am not liable for any overdose of media :)

—---

Ever since you saw him on the ground, wincing at the glass shards in his hand you recognized the Corey Cunningham.

Sometimes you would see him here and there, and other times you would follow him places.

You knew he was shy and you wondered if you would take advantage of that to get his attention, but you thought that would be mean.

So you followed him before his shift at the mechanics, into the gas station. You waited patiently at the chocolate milk isle.

You looked away until he went to grab one, and you conveniently reached up- not to the lines of chocolate milk cartons below you or at your level- but to the one you couldn't reach. You stood on your tippy toes as if you couldn't even touch it-

He soon took notice and grabbed a second one, giving it to you. You smiled and thanked him- and rushed to pull out your wallet , sighing loud.

"Hey …do you have any extra money? You don't have to- I just love chocolate milk and don't have any cash on me…" you awkwardly asked.

He stood there for a minute, eyes wide and then calmed down.

,"U-uh yeah, sure- I'll buy it for you no problem."

You smiled, "thank you!"

You both walked up to the cash register, you searched for candies below and pulled come cents out of your wallet, you payed for your candy and Corey handed you the carton of chocolate milk

You both walked out of the store together and then you brought up the words,

"Hey, you're Corey cunningham right?"

He looked away for a minute, ashamed and said "y-yeah."

"Oh no worries, nice glasses by the way." You smiled

"Thank you- uh"

"Do you have any plans tonight?"

You asked, if he said no to a date you had no lashback because you barely knew him so there was barely any anxiety worked up in you. Plus, he was shy.

"Uh, no..I guess not-"

You thought up an idea, quickly and asked him as soon as you thought it.

"Would you be okay to go to that restraunt down the road of here, and then come and watch a movie at my place? I just uh-"

You knew the last part sounded Wierd, and lustful.

"- have no one to do it with, I haven't in a few..y-" you cut yourself off at the last part saving your embarrassment from the obvious lie.

"Sure! Can you text me- when to come? I can pick you up.." he sounded almost so joyful, you smiled and put out you hand, for a minute he was quizzed but soon put his phone in your hand. You exchanged numbers and addresses,

<333

Later that night, you got in a [outfit] and put light makeup on, brushing your hair out neatly until you heard a knock at your door.

You saw Corey in his same jacket, trying to look clean but you thought the dirty messed up look did great for him. He had one rose in his hand picked from presumably a garden by his hand, you took it and set it in your home. "Thank you for the rose!" You smiled

"Thank you for uh…meeting up with me," he laughed, and you both rode on his motorcycle to the restraunt,

After people - grown men, picking on him persistently, you shot then a glare and called them crude in appropriate names and laughed like a middle school boy. They just were left with a look of disgust and left. Once you both were done, Corey insisted on paying and once you both left he stopped his motorcycle at your place. You got inside, at the freshly set up good smelling place. You wiped your makeup off and changed into some short shorts and a t shirt.

You sat on the couch as Corey took his jacket off and went through the DVDs

Knowing his past, or incident you asked innocently, "are you okay with gory horror movies or uh- no?"

"Uh…yeah I'm fine with them." He sighed.

You put in a movie and laid back as you watched it. It was an og, so you enjoyed it. You saw how Corey barely winced at them, so you probably shouldn't make assumptions about him.

You remembered a gift you had got and tapped Corey,

"Hey corey- uh can you come to my room? I got a gift!" You smiled. You soon pulled out a nice hoodie you bought in his size and gave it to him, he looked so happy.

"Thank you!" He smiled as he looked around at things in your room,

He tugged on a droo

r but it wouldn't open, so he tugged a bit harder and found ehm….

*Toys*

You heard the door and whipped your head, "uh! I-" you stuttered

"Sorry!" His face flushed,

You giggled, at his state right now. His face was red and he wasn't looking straight at you. Rather at his hands adjusting his glasses.

"So- you got a girlfriend right? What's the name again-" you lied,

"Uh- no..I don't"

"Oh- wrong person…must've confused you" you backed up your lie.

You scooted closer to him,

"You- have something right here…" you stood on your toes, and .

Kissed him, he couldn't speak for a moment neither could you

"Sorry..!" You said

Before you could say anything else, he kissed back, his hands went to your sides.

Your hands went up to his covered chest.

"Could we..?" You implied, not being your first time , (or was ? Idk🤨) Corey stood dumbfounded for a moment,

"I uh! Its- well I've never really…" he gasped.

"You don't have to, I'll help you " you said, smiling.

He nodded frantically and went to sit on the bed. You sat on top of him and started undressing, Corey sat with a bit of drool spilling.

You giggled, he caught himself and his face. He tugged at his own shirt and removed it, throwing it to the unknown pile.

You took off your shorts, and he did the same with his pants, quickly removing them. He scooted back on the bed and you slowly took off your underwear, doing the same with his boxers.

Your hands flew to his shoulders, and you adjusted yourself above him, you looked at him for reassurance and he nodded

"I need words Corey,"

"Y-yes.."

"I'm on the pill, (or preference you had those type removed from ur body Idc😊)

You reached you hand down and slowly jerked him off, teasing him

"F- fuck" he moaned.

While his eyes were closed you sat down on his cock. "Oh, fuck y/n, fuck" his head slammed back

You sat there for a minute as he regained from what just happened

"K-keep going, please, please" he moaned breathless.

"What do you want? Use your words good boy" He became flushed again at that,

"I- I need you, to move please…mommy"

You felt something as he said that, you just felt so amazing.

You went up, and slammed down again, going at a faster pace each time.

He was a moaning mess and he soon came , you kept going- overstimulating him until you came on him.

"Ple-please no more please, fuck" he moaned. You lifted off of him and got a towel to clean him off,

You put on new underwear and wore the same night outfit , Corey stayed the way he was. You giggled at him forgetting to take off his glasses. You snuggled in bed beside him and laid hugging him

"I love you Corey.." you said, drifting off to sleep

"I, love you too." He hugged you tighter. You took off his glasses and put it on your bedside table

You both fell asleep at that, snuggled by eachother.

BONUS!!:>

You both woke up the morning after, you got up first and yawned, realizing your dream wasn't a dream after all. He got up after, and was speechless and flushed as hell. You put your hand in his hair and played with it until he was calm, laying on your thighs

"Won't people..judge you- for ….being with me?" Corey said

"No one judges ME, plus, I love you either way Corey. You're just too cute , and you always were " you kissed his head.

[nebulacollege]

*runs in a circle like a feral creature* Would Edmund be the type to read Edgar Allen Poe books in class to look smart or is he more of a horrific fairytales type of reader?

+

Anonymous asked:

Do the boys have a favourite book? Which genre do they love reading?

Woah, a question that implies that I read enough books to answer that!! I wish, Anon 😭 But I’ll try to satisfy your curiosity to the best of my abilities.

I combined these questions together since both of them are more or less about the same topic... but for once, I’ll start with Edmund.

I think Edmund would like both of those things unironically. He doesn’t have a need to flex in front of his classmates, he probably doesn’t even think he’s smarter than everyone else (shocking, I know), but it could just be due to the fact that he doesn’t know them very well... yet, the year has just started. Back to books: anything creepy, anything horrific, anything macabre is his go-to, so he’s going to enjoy both of the options you mentioned. He’s not really there for a deep commentary about something, he wants to get spooked, he wants to see some new ideas and thoughts he’s never seen before, and he wants to find something that might actually be true and real despite the bizarre nature of these stories or even fairytales. His edgy side is definitely happy about this, and hence it’s his favourite genre overall, even though a ghost story, an eldritch horror, a detective story with gory descriptions of its murders by a serial killer, or a horrific fairytale are not exactly one genre. Now, if you want him to look smart in class, go with something written by Oscar Wilde, Balzac and such. He feels very smart enjoying the satire. As for his favourite book, no idea lol He probable could name a couple of titles, he has more than one favourite book, but nothing comes to mind as being “Wow, Edmund would’ve been so into it” right away.

Niall is another person who enjoys reading the satire, especially the one which criticises the elite, so he would actually... bother Edmund if he saw him reading something that he’s into as well. Niall especially likes simple, easy to read books, the ones that can entertain him. Things like “The Hunchback of Notre-Dame”, “Fathers and Sons”, “Botchan” and others that have a very clear humorous narration (Niall wouldn’t like “Lord of the Flies”, for example, because it’s too dark and depressing)? He’s drawn to this type of literature, but he doesn’t read it very often. Because there’s something he likes much more, and it’s biographies of famous people :) People like Alexander the Great, Augustus, Caesar, King Arthur, Napoleon, Genghis Khan, Tang Taizong and such. And then I remembered that I wanted to make the Nebula college located not in our universe, so he probably reads something about similar people lmao But you get the drift – the way they rule, conquer, plan and strategise is his jam. He’s so obnoxious... Niall doesn’t read this stuff very often, but he had phases (especially in his childhood) when he really fixated on one of the “cool” political figures and made it his entire personality until he got bored of it. But his passion stayed, and now he has a better and deeper understanding of all those figures and he doesn’t really idolise them as much as he used to, plus he pays much more attention to people who surrounded them and stuff. He also likes historical books in general, I think.

Ned is not exactly known for his reading tastes... he mostly ever reads non-fiction. He reads stuff related to his studies, he tries to read a lot of economy-related books and sometimes gets distracted by things that analyse society more than market. He’s both somewhat interested in it and it’s his genuine desire to understand ~the market~, but at the same time it’s so fucking boring that he falls asleep a lot of the times, so it takes a lot of grinding for him to get to the core idea of those books. Other than that, he only reads textbooks, and the entire world of fiction and art is not something that he considered worth of his attention. Which is a pity, because I think that he’d immensely enjoy grand Bildungsroman novels, which tell an entire life of a character. It’s both like looking at someone’s life and living it at the same time, which Ned would find fascinating on its own, and then it’s peeking into someone’s mind. My guess is that he would enjoy a main character who’s either a lot like him and proven wrong during the course of the story (or when characters from a story throw challenges at his beliefs, he’d like to know how to counter that lol) or who’s depressed, nihilistic, but at the same time very different from Ned’s own rigid views. He doesn’t like infantile or dumb characters, the ones that act irresponsible. Watakushi Shosetsu is also a genre that Ned would like, since it’s very similar to this type of novels, but the line between fiction and reality in Watakushi Shosetsu is very blurry. His favourite book is definitely the one from any of these genres, the first one that shook him to his core.

I asked Ryu about his thoughts on Liam, since Liam obviously reads non-fiction a lot: botany, science, biology, medicine, fashion (esp back in his childhood, so he knows the history of fashion more or less + has an eye for stylish things because he used to stare at pictures a lot), and things about our planet in general, he’s that one encyclopedia child that spent tons of time looking at photos and stuff. So what on Earth would he read as fiction? Detective stories :) It suits him so much it almost hurts. He loves when the author asks him “Can you guess who the killer is?” and he plays this little game in his head every time he’s reading the story. So yeah, he’ll gladly take a whodunnit, howdunnit, and any other mystery he’s offered to solve . He 100% read all of Sherlock Holmes and Agatha Christie stories (although Niall and Edmund also did). His favourite book would be the one where he failed to solve the mystery and considered the explanation smart enough to provide him with clues on why he failed – his criteria is rather strict, so a lot of times he was disappointed by the author’s slyness and the lack of a writing talent.

[countlessrealities]

🗑️ ⚖️ 💚 right back at you!

Scrapped / on pause / WIP ideas meme || Selectively accepting !

🗑️ a scrapped element of the blog

This is something that I never actually applied to this blog because I scrapped the idea before I had the chance to try it out, but I think it should count since it's about one of my current muses.

When I firstly designed my HCs for Evil Rick, he was very different from the version I've chose to adopt for my portrayal. The initial idea I had for him had been to base his character mostly on the stereotype of what in the mind of the public is a "sociopath" (I know, I know, we aren't using that sort of terminology anymore, but it's for the sake of simplicity). So, brutal, unrefined, unable to understand basic social / human behaviours and uninterested in learning to. He was basically just an asshole who had no driving force in life if not satisfy his darker impulses. Also, he was supposed to behave more like he does in the show while under Evil Morty's control.

Whoever has even just glanced at how I write him now, you can see that he's nothing like that. Sure, he's merciless, can't feel empathy, he's extremely gory at times, but his whole personality is centre on quiet and emotionless detachment. There's a long list of reasons why I picked this version over the other, but I won't list them. I just wanna mention that I ended up making up almost the opposite (attitude wise) of how he acted while puppeteered by Evil Morty because, for how I write him, my Evil Morty would want to put as much distance between himself and his Rick, thus why he distorts his personality. And also because he knows that Evil Rick would find it insulting.

⚖️ something stuck in limbo

I've been pondering for a couple of weeks now to add a certain muse to my roaster. I've been writing him on Discord with @mcltiples (so I blame her for giving me the thought to add him on here too) and I think I'm doing pretty decently. Plus, he's fun to write and I need more psychos on my muses list.

I'm still pondering it because 1. I already have several muses and 2. a close mutual of mine writes the same character and that makes me a little hesitant because I don't want it to look like I'm trying to copy them / steal their spotlight.

I know, I know, point 2 is probably all just paranoia, but I can't help worrying about it. As for point one, I'm planning to remove a muse (Stan) from my roaster with the new year, so that could technically mean having an open spot.

💚 a coming idea that still needs development

This one is an element that I've often included in my portrayal, but without really defining it or diving in depth: Morty's anger issues and trauma-induced coping mechanisms.

There are a few specific HCs I tend to use and mention often (like how he spent a really long time unable to even just look at public bathroom, or how Rick has resorted to take him purging regularly), but the real extent of the damage Morty carries? That's pretty unknown to me too xD

I'd really like to develop these aspects more, decide what he has gotten over, what is still haunting him, and what had gotten lost in the cynic attitude and mindset he has been forced to adopt for the sake on not falling into an endless breakdown. Also, since most of the emotions linked to all this events manifest through anger (something that happened even before Rick) it's also very hard to tell how he truly feels about something. Whether he is truly angry or if rage is the manifestation of something else (guilt, fear, sadness, sorrow, remorse, etc).

[voraciousvore]

In the Belly of the Giant (36/39)

***Contains violence***

Chapter 36

Trent decided he didn’t have to honor his promise to leave the two prisoners alone for the rest of the day, because technically Joey had not swallowed another cockroach. He had eaten Eren instead, and she didn’t count, especially since she tasted so good. He figured he ought to give the pair a short break, so they’d all be fresh for round two. He needed to think about what he wanted to do next. He felt in the mood for some really bloody violence. Joey was the perfect target for him to take his anger out on, since he wasn’t as delicate as Eren. He could take a beating. Trent was still bitter about the police breaking up his gang, so he wanted to take his anger out on the police officer. 

Joey sat in the chair like a useless lump, utterly drained both physically and emotionally. He was not doing well managing the strain, and to make matters worse he was still covered in his own barf and chunks of cockroaches. He wished he could have a drink of water to wash the revolting taste of vomit and roaches out of his mouth. He was thoroughly disgusted with himself. Even if the act was unintentional, he had almost killed Eren. He couldn’t believe he had ingested her twice now. She probably wouldn’t be able to stand being around him anymore. He hated to think that his tiny girlfriend might come to fear or resent him due to his role in her torment, however unwilling he may have been to participate. 

Joey’s fears were unfounded, for Eren of course still loved him dearly, more than ever. He was her one comfort in this darkest pit of hell, even if he had been forced to eat her twice. Being swallowed without the pills had been terrifying, since she was afraid to die, but the first time had been worse for her giant boyfriend than for her. She feared most that Trent’s sadism would escalate to the obvious conclusion, and nobody would be able to intervene. She doubted she could count on the rest of the police force to miraculously show up at the last second to save Joey’s life, if they hadn’t been able to track her down up to this point. She didn’t see any way out, except for painful, gory death. Nevertheless, as long as Joey was still alive, she was determined to fight to her last breath. 

Trent turned on the TV and chain-smoked a few cigarettes. He was feeling great. Some crime show was on about a serial killer and he watched with morbid interest. He liked how the giant killed his prey in creative ways, especially one human that he found and tortured to death, chopping his poor victim up with a meat cleaver. The show was giving him some great ideas. He didn’t like the ending though. The cops found and arrested the killer, then locked him up for life. Trent knew, if that were him, he’d be too smart to get caught. 

He finished his cigarette, casting the butt into an empty can on his nightstand, and clicked off the TV. Joey and Eren both tensed up. Trent hesitated, then walked with purpose over to Eren’s enclosure and retrieved her. She trembled in his palm, terrified of what torture he had planned next.  

“I’m going to give you a front row seat to the show, so you can watch close up,” Trent remarked. He carried her over to Joey and dropped her on the armrest of the chair. For a brief moment, Eren was tempted to make a run for it, but the chair was too high up for her to jump to the ground without breaking bones. Plus, she was afraid of what would happen to Joey if she tried to escape or ended up leaving him behind. She huddled on the armrest in terror. 

Trent loomed over the two of them with menace. His face was deathly serious, full of rage, more frightening to Eren than his usual smug smirk. He cranked his arm back and punched Joey savagely in the stomach. Joey doubled over with a choked groan. If he hadn’t already vomited, he definitely would have done so as a result of that punch. Trent pummeled the defenseless man with his fists, all over his body. Eren screeched at Trent to stop, crying and wailing. He ignored her.  

Finally, he ran out of breath and pulled back, wiping the sweat off his forehead. Eren was sobbing and pleading by this point. Joey was barely conscious, full of pain, and covered in darkening bruises. Trent stared at Joey’s mangled body, thinking to himself, then went to grab his trusty automatic switchblade and extended the stiff blade out. 

“No, Trent! You’re taking this too far! Stop!” Eren begged. 

Trent pointed the giant knife close to Eren’s neck, making her stiffen. “Shut up!” Trent yelled. “I’m going to carve this motherfucker up like a Thanksgiving turkey, and there’s nothing you can do about it!” He slashed the keen edge of his blade through the fabric of Joey’s puke-stained uniform, exposing his bare chest. “Say goodbye to your stupid boyfriend! Lament that he was too weak to do anything to save you!” Eren screamed as the knife, thirsty for blood, approached Joey’s tender, bruised flesh. 

Just then, the front door busted in with an enormous crash and several cops swarmed in, guns raised. “Police! Put your hands up!” Trent was startled by the interruption, but instead of complying surged forward and attempted to plunge his stiletto knife into the abdomen of the nearest officer, who barely dodged the assault. The policemen acted swiftly and worked together to tackle Trent to the ground and cuff him. He cursed and shouted, his face red with anger. Eren was stunned. 

Ray rushed over to Joey and began to untie him from the chair. “Joey! Are you alright?” he exclaimed. Joey coughed and mumbled an incoherent response. Ray didn’t even notice Eren at first, with how small she was. When he finally spotted her, he raised his eyebrows with surprise. “Eren!” He had met her once before, a while back, so he recognized her. When he saw she was naked, he blushed and politely averted his eyes. “S-sorry…” 

“It’s alright,” Eren replied softly. She didn’t care if she was naked at the moment; she was too worried about Joey. She hadn’t worn clothes for days anyways, so she was used to it. She jumped down onto Joey’s expansive lap and ducked under his shredded shirt, burying herself in the plush softness of his warm belly. Now that his arms were untied, Joey gently scooped her up and held her against the bare skin of his torso, livid with bruises. His hands were shaking with emotion. 

“Eren…” he croaked in a husky voice, “I’m so sorry…” He started to cry. “I’m so, so sorry… I wasn’t able to protect you…” He felt deep shame at his failure. 

“It’s okay, Joey. I’m just glad you’re safe. We’re safe now,” Eren reassured him, tears of joy flowing down her face. “I love you so much! I missed you so badly!” Ray stood back to give the couple some space as they embraced.  

“I love you too, Eren.” Joey sat for a minute, gazing down at the tiny woman nestled against his body, sitting in his hand. He had regained the light in his life. Although he was happy to have her back, his heart was shattered from seeing the terrible abuse she had suffered at the hands of Trent. Her frail little body was thin, weak, run ragged with stress and physical torment. Seeing her cry made him upset. An uncontrollable rage boiled over inside him. Trent needed to pay dearly for his crimes. 

Joey stumbled to his feet, cradling Eren defensively against his chest. Fortunately, none of Trent’s punches had seriously damaged him beyond the aching purple bruises. He looked down with the upmost contempt at the criminal giant cuffed and pinned on the floor by another giant police officer. He stared intently at the scene before him before he made a rash decision. As briskly as he could with his wounded body, he reached down and snagged the cop’s gun out of his holster. The cop exclaimed in shock as Joey turned off the safety, cocked the pistol, and pointed the muzzle at the back of Trent’s skull, his finger on the trigger. 

“Whoa, Joey! Stop!” Ray hollered, running over and grabbing his arm. “What are you doing?!” 

“What’s it look like I’m doing?! I’m going to shoot this bastard and make him pay for what he’s done!” Joey yelled tearfully. “He doesn’t deserve to live!” 

“Joey, you can’t do that!” Ray shouted. He wrestled with Joey, attempting to pry the gun out of his stubborn hand, but was afraid Joey’s itchy trigger finger would set the gun off. “I know you’re upset, but you need to chill out! Trent’s been arrested and we have all the evidence we need to put him away for a long time! He’s not going to get away with it!” 

“That’s not good enough!” Joey bawled. “You don’t know all the horrors he committed! He’s the spawn of demons! No earthly justice can compensate for that!” 

Eren intervened, screaming shrilly at the top of her lungs, “Joey!” He stopped; her voice was the only one that seemed to reach him. “Joey, I know how you feel. I do. I want Trent dead as much as you do. But I can’t have you throw your life away over it! He’s not worth it. I need you!” Joey’s angry expression softened as he gazed down at her small, tearful face, looking up at him from inside his hand. “Please, Joey… I need you. Put the gun down.” 

His death grip on the pistol loosened and he removed his finger from the trigger. Ray seized the opportunity and ripped the gun out of his hands, returning it to the other officer. Ray looked at Joey with exasperation but also sympathy. He put his hand on his shoulder. Joey continued to stare down tenderly at Eren, stroking her softly with his thumb. 

“Let’s get you both home,” Ray asserted, guiding Joey firmly out the apartment door to get him separated from his adversary. Joey allowed himself to be nudged along, until they were back inside their police cruiser. The other cops came out with Trent and some evidence they had collected of his crimes, including his drugs and weapons. Trent was clearly fuming, still incredulous at the fact that he had been caught. The cops shoved him into the back of one of the police cars and slammed the door. Trent glowered at the cops and glared ferociously at Joey, like a wild beast in a hunter’s snare. Joey smiled back and waved. Ray pulled out and began driving Joey back to his apartment. 

“By the way, Ray… how did you find us?” Joey asked. “I know we didn’t have any leads on Trent, so how did you know where we were?” 

“Oh, I got lucky,” Ray answered. “I went to Mr. Henderson’s house to see if you were there. As it turns out, somehow you had Eren’s watch on your person. Mr. Henderson was aware of it prior when he checked his tracker app and saw the watch going to the police station and other locations. So it was a simple manner of getting the manpower and collecting you.” 

Joey reached up and touched his breast pocket. Sure enough, he felt through the fabric the miniscule lump of Eren’s watch inside, along with the engagement ring. His throat tightened. He still wanted to propose to her at some point, but now was obviously not the time.  

“We got lucky,” he choked. “I’ve been neglecting my personal hygiene lately, since I’ve been so overworked and stressed. If I had washed this shirt or worn a different one, we would've been lost.” He went quiet. “I really do believe Trent was going to kill me with that knife.” 

Eren shuddered. Joey held her securely against his chest. He would never let anything like that happen to her again. 

Chapter 37

Chapter 1