#quick ways to lose

[youngpettyqueen]

I know the decision to have Julian's parents have him augmented was made on the fly but imo its pretty obvious from early on that Julian has Family Issues because he avoids talking about his family like the plague and I think they should've incorporated this into the Julian and Sisko dynamic right from early on because I think it would've made for some really compelling stories and moments and could've set up a REALLY interesting Julian and Jake dynamic which they kinda started to do but never fully went for

[squiddlysq]

Murderbot's interview with Station Security when it first arrived on station went extremely well

[bitterrobin]

a quick PSA on pre-Robin Damian (again):

He has never called himself the "Blood Son". Those specific words have never come out of his mouth in a comic. In fact, Damian has only had dialogue regarding his bio status or another character's adoptive status like... three or four times.

Yes, pretty much all of those times have something to do with Tim in one way another. That's because Damian was less of a character, and more of a sword-carrying plot device when he was first introduced.

Damian's early writing lines up more with that of a minor villain than any supporting character. He existed at first only to rile up chaos in the Batcave for like, two issues, before his death in the fourth issue he appeared. He was introduced in issue 655 and killed by torpedo-submarine explosion in 658. Damian as a character was effectively "punished" for his earlier actions through a violent death.

You need to understand that early Damian (2009 mostly) didn't have a cemented personality or much characterization other than the basics that Morrison imbued into him i.e he was 10, an assassin, lax about death, very sarcastic/rude in tone, and weirdly spoiled despite his upbringing implying the opposite. Grant Morrison tends to write the large story concepts they like and they don't often adhere to any consistent/previous characterization (as seen with Talia) if it doesn't line up with the vision they want. Not even Damian's existence was kept consistent, as it's very hard to believe that Batman #656 Damian has the same backstory as Son of the Demon Damian or the Ibn al Xuffasch of Kingdom Come.

They didn't flesh out Damian a whole lot when he was first introduced, making him more of a spoiled rich kid who just happened to know how to kill people than the Damian that you probably think of. It took later comic appearances and other writers to add onto Damian's sporadic characterization - because he didn't have much major development after being created until becoming Robin and working alongside Dick.

To further characterize Damian as Robin, now that he needed to play against a larger cast and more established figures, writers needed to come up with ideas fast. So some writers played up his League backstory and wrote him colder, more logical and vaguely terrifying. They made Talia and Ras more and more ooc and abusive. They wrote dialogue for Damian that made him more of an annoying little brother figure, impulsiveness and all. Sometimes his dialogue with female characters drifted towards sexism, as clearly some writers can't write young boy characters without relying on shitty sitcom-style misogynist tropes. He got different moments, some skewing towards insanely violent or towards a normal child reeling from issues. This long trek of his writing was always changing in little ways until the reboot in 2011 and his first real death in Batman Incorporated, and then just continued on afterwards to this day.

In short, early pre-Robin Damian was a mess, and it took a long time for DC to develop him as a full character. (Even now, writers are still "figuring him out" and pulling ooc takes out of their asses). We have fun here.

[pup-pee]

im still not over that issue

NOT THAT I DREW THEM FROM THAT ISSUE BUT LIKE LIKE >???????????????

[cloudysarts]

this show would be good if literally everything about it was different

[choccy-milky]

Their kids are so cute omg i'm gonna dir of adorableness

lewis: then die LMFAOO NO BUT FRR THANK UU IM GLAD U THINK SO🥹🥹💖💖💖all the love for them (esp lewis) gave me the idea to draw him deflecting all the attention so ty for giving me the excuse to post it....we luv our aloof distant boi🥰

its funny bc i was JUST talking about this recently, but i dont like pet names at all BAHAH, hence why seb and clora dont call each other anything, not even nicknames.... seb calls her the light/princess/a bird sometimes as playful and teasing jokes, but doesnt actually address her like that. and clora always calls sebastian by his full name as well, bc i was basing her dialogue/my writing off the game dialogue...bc for as close as anne and ominis are to seb, both of THEM call him sebastian in full, so maybe it was a victorian thing that nicknames werent really common? plus clora's so proper that it just feels like its in her personality to always call seb "sebastian"... i feel like if she ever DID call him "seb" he'd do a double take and be like ...HUH? who are you???......are you polyjuiced? LMAO. i do imagine seb calling clora "love" when they get older tho (not in hogwarts) bc i like how simple it is, and imagining him saying stuff like 'careful, love' makes me🫠🫠🫠🫠

aw TYY💖💖 honestly i didnt give the victorian setting TOO much thought, other than making clora more modest/not used to wearing trousers etc. like the actual victorian courting process was that youd ALWAYS be chaperoned by at least 1 other person and you wouldnt be able to kiss or anything, so the fact that our mcs are in a co-ed school with free reign already ruins that, so i wouldnt worry too much about it. a lot of it you can just wave off with the excuse that wizard society is more advanced than muggle society, which is true anyway LOL. i just kept the parts that i thought were fun/made it feel victorian ENOUGH but got rid of the stuff that was too annoying (one big example being the amount of clothing they wear....i said it in the notes for one of my chapters, but i wasnt about to make seb go through like 5 different layers just to touch cloras titty LMFAO) and no i didnt have 1 specific website i used, id just google "blank in victorian times" and look through all the articles and resources i could on that subject, and take little bits of it. SO YEA i wouldnt worry about it too much, just take what you want if you think it could enrich your story, and leave stuff out if its annoying to deal with BHAHA. and GOOD LUCK WITH YOUR WRITING!!💖💖

BAHAHA yeah sebs bark was defs bigger than his bite when it came to actually having kids/getting clora pregnant LOL. he defs loves the pregnancy part, but i feel like seeing her go through the actual labour was super hard on him/made him feel guilty bc he hates to see her in pain, let alone bc of HIM. not to mention that i imagine he would still work even once they have kids, so to leave clora with like 6 kids by herself isnt something he would have wanted to do LOL. once both lewis and celeste are in hogwarts tho i actually imagine seb and clora still doing curse breaking as well (albeit less dangerous jobs/not as far away) BUT YES having a third kid that looks like seb and is sassy like anne would be SO CUTEEE...a happy accident is a good idea too, tho i kinda like the idea of it being cloras idea.....like, she gets baby fever again now that the kids are kinda growing up and sebs like no i dont wanna put u through that again... but obvs seb wouldnt be able to resist if clora was begging seb to put a baby in her LMFAOOO its already as good as done at that point😇😇 AND THANK YOU, and im glad you liked it!!!🥹💖💖💖

@the-kcm-muggleborn AWWW ur right thats so pretty.....ty for showing me!!🥹and im glad it make you think of clora...SHE WOULD APPROVE OF THESE STUDIES👌⭐🌙

[takemetodragonstone]

imagine deciding someone’s entire identity is fake just because you don’t understand it. climate denier ass behavior

[a-loose-collection-of-ants]

Happy pride month, holy shit

[ancha-aus]

RealAgeAU Drabble - Hidden Fears

I had an idea! For a Drabble! @spotaus get in here friend!

I am not quite sure where in the timeline this one happens though. I can be anywhere really. So no normal prev and next one. So a bit of a stand alone one. No worries I will link this one in my masterpost as well.

First Drabble in the series.

It is somewhere after they got their own house. :3 I hope you guys are ready :3

Warning! It is a bit of a gut punch :3

*--------------------------*

Killer pants as he slowly but surely starts to see through the dark haze that had overtaken his vision.

What happened?

Where is he?

The last thing he remembers... He was... He had been in the field with Horror. they had been trying to... Right. they had been checking the river. Making sure everything was secure.

Killer had just been watching Horror work. Admiring him and how he moved. How he moved the very earth for them to work with and...

and...

Killer groans as he rubs his skull and sits up. He glances at the gorund and everything is covered in his goop.

Fuck... fuck no no no no.

No!

He can't have...

There is NO WAY...

He hadn't had one of those episodes in ages!

Killer had thought... He had thought he was over that... He thought he got PASSED that.

A laugh.

Killer freezes.

"It has been a while. Partner."

Killer turns around and glares at the demon that wears the face of a child. Chara smiles back.

"What is wrong partner? Did you really think I was done with you?" they giggle.

Fear.

No. No no no no.

Killer looks around himself. Where are they?! Where are his mates?! WHERE IS THEIR CHILD?!?

another giggle "Did you really think you could just change? That you could be anything but my weapon and partner? That isn't how this works s-"

Killer shouts "SHUT UP! SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP!" It is fine. He starts running. He has to find them somewhere! It is okay. it has to be okay!

There is no way he... no. there is NO way. Not after everything they have gone through. Not with how strong they are! There is no way.

Dust would ahve murdered him before Killer could ever harm Nightmare.

Cross would have held him down and tied him up to make sure he didn't do anything.

Horror doesn't even need to do much. Horror is much stronger than he is.

It is fine!

Chara is bluffing.

Killer just needs to find them! That is all!

He runs out of the forest and gets back to their little area. He looks down by the side of the river and freezes. that is... there is dust on the ground... no... no no no no! There is no way!

He couldn't have killed Horror! horror is too strong! There is no way Killer could have bested him in a fair fight...

Unless... unless it wasn't fair... unless killer attacked him when his back was turned... because H trusts them...

Killer shakes and looks with fear to the house. please... please don't let him have... he rushes over.

The door into the house looks fine and he freezes... How does he explain this to them? How does he explain what happened? That he... His hands shake as he slowly pushes the door open "Guys.... guys i fucked up... i-"

everything is dark.

no... no please.

Killer eases into the area and looks around. He checks the nest first and part of his soul breaks at finding more dust.

Right... It was Dust's rest day. He would ahve been asleep...

Killer sobs as he looks around. Cross... Cross must be hiding with Nightmare! He has to be!

He swallows and speaks "Cross? Cross please... please tell me you are okay... please tell me you got Nighty..."

silence.

please... Please fuck please...

Nothing...

Killer checks the gardena nd green house but finds nobody.

He looks at the ladder leading to the attic and the ladder leading down. He first moves upstairs. He makes sure to make noise and speak "I am sorry... i am normal agian... please be oaky." he is sorry. he didn't mean! He didn't think!

he gets to the attic and doesn't even need to search it. He finds Cross's knife on a pile of dust.

Killer wants to roll up and cry. not ever move again.

Why? Why did this have to happen? Was it because he got too comfrotable? too happy? what went wrong? why would he... why would he ever?

Killer forces himself up and searches the attic. He doesn't find Nightmare. He also doesn't find another pile of dust.

He rushes back downstairs, almost falling, before rushing into the cellar.

They hadn't cleaned this one up yet. mostly because they weren't sure what to do with it yet. it was messy and dirty and Killer has to carefully navigate it all or fear hitting something.

Not that Killer cares much about getting hurt at this point. But he forces himself to be careful. There is still one chance... please... please be okay.

soft mumbles and Killer follows it. careful hope starts to build as he calls out "Nightlight?"

the mumble goes quiet.

Killer feels something in him break "I am sorry... I am so sorry. I didn't mean... I know it is a weak excuse... but please... please i need to make sure you are safe..."

silence. Killer moves forwards and finds a small bundle in a corner. shivering...

Cross must have hid him here... knowing he can't keep invisible all the time. Cross must have made the hard choice to hide Nightmare and try and lure him away.

Which worked...

Killer sits on his knees and stares at the little bundle. still shivering. Hidden away in a corner. "Ngihty?"

The bundle freezes.

Killer shakes as he reaches for their- well now his baby. He manages to get a hold and the bundle immediantly starts to struggle and Killer's soul aches.

"No let go of me! I hate you!"

Killer feels a part of his soul break as he pulls their baby close and prays.

please. please still work.

But their souls aren't syncing up. Nightmare's soul doesn't calm down. He keeps struggling and trying to get away.

Killer sobs and just holds their baby. He will keep him safe still. Find a place where he can be safe. Where he won't be hurt again where Killer can actually keep him safe. please. just please.

He doens't want to be alone.

"Funny how you thought you could escape me in any meaningful way."

He is sorry.

So sorry-

--

Killer sits up and pants as he looks around.

Their... their home? their nest? Wait! where is nighty?! where-

He freezes as he sees all three of his mates sound asleep in the enst wiht him. Nightmare snuggled close to Cross and asleep himself.

A.... dream? A nightmare?

Killer can't help but laugh as he pulls his knees close. putting his skull against his knees as he feels more goop leave his sockets with his tears.

He should be happy. They are fine. Nothing with wrong. Everything is okay.

It had felt so real... he hadn't... he hadn't thoguth about those type of things in so long. he hadn't thought about chara in so long. He really thought he was free... That all of that was just a thing of the past.

Maybe he is getting too comfortable? what if he looses it still? what if he kills... what if he kills...

He needs fresh air.

Killer escapes the nest and rushes outside. He stands on their porch breathing heavily as he just watches the goop drip from his sockets and fall on the fench.

A yawn behind him and soft steps "Waht are you doing out?"

Killer doesn't look up. He leans his skull on his crossed arms and shrugs "Nothing. Go back to the nest bunny." He doens't... he doesn't want.

another yawn but no steps that he leaves. Killer and Dust jsut stand there in the cooling night. quietly side by side.

Killer eventually glances at Dust and finds him just staring out over their area. appearing relaxed but Killer knows Dust better now. Dust is very alert. Keeping watch as Killer does his thing.

Killer looks away and mutters "i am fine. it is stupid anyway."

Dust hums "doubt it if you are crying."

Fuck so he did notice that.

Killer just shrugs again.

Dust hums and nods "Fair enough." and continues to keep watch.

They stand there for a while until Killer sighs "It is nothing Dusty... really... just... stupid shit..."

Dust hums but doens't say anything and he stays right there.

Killer groans and rubs the marks left by his tears away "Just a stupid bad dream that is all."

Dust hums again as he continues to look out "what was it about?"

Killer freezes and tightens his grip on the banister.

Dust hums again "Can't help but notice that you left your knives by the nest instead of taking them wiht you."

Killer knows he flinched.

Dust sighs as he actually turns around and leans back against the fench as he crosses his arms. "If you don't talk about it it will stay stuck in your skull."

Killer doesn't want to talk about it. There is something seriously wrong with him that he even thought about the posibility of killing them. What is worng iwht him?!

Dust just stares at him expecting "Kills. What was your drema about?"

Killer sighs and puts his skul bakc in his hands and it just comes tumbling out. what happened what he did. How much it hurt.

Dust hums and nods "Yeah i get it. got similar stuff."

Killer blinks and looks up confused "Waht?"

Dust nods "Paps used to tell me I had to kill all of you multiple times a day. I didn't obviously but it was a thing. Not as much anymore. I think Nightmare's new domain kinda caused him to disappear as I haven't heard him in a long time."

Killer knows about Dust's brother of course. There is no way to not know when dust just stares at a random corner in the room like a cat. Killer hadn't known that he said that!

"Waht made you not do it?"

Dust shrugs "didn't want to." He shoots killer a look "They are just thoughts Kills. dreams and nightmares are weird. They don't show what we want or desire. They just show random thoughts and things we see. Fears we unknowlingly think about and fear." he nudges their shoulders together before he goes towards the front door again "Take as long as you need. But you know yourself best. You know how you start acting when you start going into one of those other stages and phases." he gets to the door and pauses "Also. Horror wouldn't stay dead. He would eventually come back as he is connected to his worlds core. Cross may not fight dirty like you but he knows how you fight." he shrugs at Killer "And I am a lot harder to kill than you give me credit for."

And dust disappears back inside.

Killer watches the calm dark night for a moment longer before slowly going back to the others.

Dust lays back with Cross and Horror and has his sockets closed. Nightmare is yawning sleepily as he rubs his sockets. looking around confused.

Kilelr stands frozen beside the nest.

Ngihtmare flinching away and trying to struggle out of his hold. Telling him he hates him.

Nightmare spots him and yawns. tiny fangs visible for a moment before he looks at him sleepily and holds out his arms and hands to him wiht a quiet hum.

Killer almost falls over himself to get to his baby. He quickly joins the nest and hugs him close. Nightmar ehums happily and tugs his skull right under Killer's.

Killer sighs as he hugs Nightmare close and mutters "I swear to you. I promise you. I will never willingly hurt you."

Ngihtmare hums sleepily and yawns "okay dad..."

Killer feels the last part of him finally heal from the night terror as he lays by his mates with their baby.

Killer ignores the fact that dust now has a smug smile on his face.

Killer however does move around enough until he can also pull dust into a hug. Dust makes a token annoyed grumble but doesn't fight him.

Killer relaxes and lets himself fall asleep again as he feels Ngihtmare's and his own soul sync up again.

*--------------------------*

[natasha-in-space]

All Good Things Must End

Ray/gn!reader;

From the beginning, you trusted Ray with all your heart. He was the embodiment of your fairytale dream come to life. Your respite from all the unappealing troubles of the outside world. But all fairytales have an ending to them. And yours is not as happy as you expected.

CW: brief mention of violence, erratic behavior, depiction of a codependent relationship. This is a Danger Ray fic! Set during V's route. Loosely based on the 7th day outgoing call to V (11:51 AM, after the 'Provoke' chatroom).

Lovely dividers by @/saradika-graphics!

Ray was a good man. A kind man. A fragile man, even. His entire appearance would remind you of a beautiful but delicate flower. So starved for love and warmth, yet so sensitive to every harsh touch of the wind, even the slightest of pushes against its soft petals would make it start to wilt. A flower that needed nothing but some gentle care and love for it to come into bloom. And, of course, you were willing to give him just that. After all, why wouldn't you be? Ray has been nothing but kind and caring towards you, ever since you stepped foot into this strange place, guiding you along the way while holding your hand and not minding any of your clumsy mistakes. He was understanding. Attentive. Curious. Always checking in with you and eager to hear about your day. Never ignoring you or making you feel stupid if you didn't understand a thing or two.

No wonder you found it so easy to open up to him in your short time here. You trusted that he would do no wrong by you. Just as he promised.

At least... that's what you thought. And appearances can be deceiving. Oh, so very deceiving. Now, it felt downright humiliating just how much of a blind fool you really were. How stupidly determined you were to deny and rebuke anyone daring to challenge your views on Ray.

You loyally refused to trust Rika's musings about Ray's 'darkness' during your brief stay with her, dismissing them as nothing but her twisted philosophy that you couldn't even begin to comprehend. You impulsively denied V's numerous warnings not to trust in Ray's sugary words, reassuring yourself over and over again that surely his affections for you must be true and earnest. You turned your back on every nagging suspicion buzzing at the back of your mind during short moments of unrest. You knew in your heart that Ray was a kind, tender boy. He was simply confined to an environment that would exacerbate his worst traits.

And he was only human, right? No one is immune to harmful outside influences being forced down upon them. Anyone could end up in his place one day, even you. It was no reason for you to be hostile and distrustful of him.

Then again, maybe that was just your mind trying desperately to keep you calm in the midst of a horrible storm you found yourself being forcibly thrust into. After all, accepting just how truly bad and out of your control things truly were here... How utterly helpless and vulnerable you were, with no one there to come save you if you needed it... How trapped and isolated you were in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by nothing but miles and miles of lush mountain forests, with no civilization in sight...

Just the thought of it would make a heavy lump of acidic bile rise up to your throat. The sad truth is... Ray simply provided you with feelings of solace and comfort that some deeper, weaker part of you was so desperate for. Losing that was something you were not ready to face yet. He was there by your side from day one. He had a better understanding of you than anyone else did. Of course you would cling to his familiar presence for this brief feeling of stability you yearned for so gravely.

In retrospect, it was always a losing battle for you to try and win. You could have done better. You really, really could have done so much better. Yet it still hit you harder than a sledgehammer to the back of your skull, when the bitter reality has finally reared its ugly head to you, without any regard for your fragile heart.

You resent yourself for hitting that call button despite your gut screaming at you not to. You were already well aware that you would regret doing that, somewhere on the back of your mind. But, in the moment, your worry for your friend overpowered your lingering anxiety. Maybe out of some sense of duty. V made it all the way here, just to save you. You played a big role in his capture, in a way. If it wasn't for you, he wouldn't be in danger. And not knowing a single thing about his whereabouts or even his state was... daunting.

So, you dialed his phone number.

You anticipated that he wouldn't pick up. Maybe you would receive a very brief phone call with him begging you to keep yourself safe, like he always would. Or even just a quick exchange of words between you two that would maybe give you even the tiniest of clues on his whereabouts. Something you could then relay to Seven. Make yourself useful. Actually do something, instead of just sitting there and driving yourself mad with dozens upon dozens of anxious thoughts clouding your mind.

What you received was worse than you could have ever imagined.

It was one thing to hear pained groans, gasps, and raspy coughing on the other end of the line. You already had an expectation that V would not be okay when you hear his voice. It still left your knees feeling weak and your heart lurching in your chest with a dizzying intensity, but you could handle that, to an extent. What you couldn't handle was also hearing a familiar soft-spoken voice that has become an unstated but undeniable source of comfort for you. A voice that was now sounding so cold and angry, that your brain had a hard time comprehending what was happening, seemingly shutting down completely, as you remained deathly quiet for the whole duration of that cursed call.

Ray just was not supposed to be there.

You have heard him get angry before. You have heard him lose his grip on reality before. You have heard him say things you couldn't truly agree with, despite you still going along with them regardless, to avoid causing him any disturbance. Those were all aspects of him you were not blind to. You just actively chose to overlook them whenever they would come up. Something that you probably shouldn't have done.

-But you never heard him be so downright cruel and vicious before. Seemingly not at all disturbed by the very real sounds of suffering from the other living person there with him. Even getting angrier at them.

Like it was something completely normal. Not at all worth getting upset or worried over.

You couldn't wrap your head around the fact that this was the same man that worried himself sick over you simply scraping a knee. He was so caring, so empathetic to you back then... over a small cut, of all things. And now, that very same man was not at all disturbed by such grave suffering happening right in front of him.

No, by the sounds of it... he was actively causing it.

And that's not something you could live in peace with.

The call lasted for a maximum of two minutes. That's the time that your phone would display to you whenever you mindlessly return to it, anyway. But it felt way longer than that. For those two horrible minutes, your ears were ruthlessly subjected to the merciless reality you were so desperate to avoid facing up until that very moment.

The bitter truth was that Ray is not a fragile flower. Nor is he a prince from a fairytale. For, fairytales are not reality. No matter how much you want them to be. He was a man, a human being, just like you. Just like every other person in this building. And much like any human being, he was more than capable of causing harm by his own two hands if he so chooses. In fact, he would do so purposefully. And a victim of his spiraling wrath was no longer some faceless unlucky believer that you could forget about in a matter of hours, despite you genuinely feeling bad for them. No, it was your friend. A friend who fought so desperately to save you, even at the cost of his own safety. A friend you have come to care for in the short time you have known each other.

A friend, you knew for sure didn't deserve to be suffering in the way that he was. By the hands of your other friend you cared for just as deeply.

Such reality was just too cruel for you to bear.

So, you do the most foolish thing of all.

You confront Ray head-on.

"-Y/N, you must be confused... I've done no wrong. I do admit that I... did loose myself for a moment there, but- but it was his own fault! If he just kept quiet and drank the elixir like my Savior has instructed, I wouldn't get so upset with him. And he kept saying his stupid lies... He wouldn't shut up. My head hurt so bad... You have no idea."

You are left feeling sick to your very core by the soft apologetic smile reflected on Ray's face, once you do have a chance to finally face him again. No matter what you say, how hard you try to show him how wrong and cruel his actions really were, it was all completely pointless. For someone so seemingly skittish and subservient, Ray was frustratingly stubborn in his beliefs. It was like throwing a tennis ball at a wall. The more force you put into your throw to get your point across, the harder it just bounces right back into your face, leaving you with the painful sting of your failure.

You shake your head, an ugly mess of emotions steadily clouding your sense of judgment. At some point, you lose track of your location and position. All caution goes out the window. All that remains is a debilitating feeling of betrayal, clutching at your insides like metal rods slowly puncturing your very heart. "It is still wrong, Ray! How can you not see that!? He was suffering, and you just- just-"

The words don't come out of your mouth, obstructed by the suffocating lump stuck in the middle of your throat. You were going in circles now. You have been trying to get through to him for almost ten minutes straight, and still no results. You have to take a moment to try and regain your breathing. A soft glowed hand rests gently upon your chin, causing you to tilt your head to meet Ray's gaze instead.

You are disgusted by the genuine concern etched onto his delicate features. By the unfeigned emotions of nothing but genuine care and affection swimming in his eyes as he looks at you. By the tender touch warming up your clammy skin. All of it is sincere. You know he is not lying to you. Not right now, at least. And that is a sickening realization to come to.

More than anything, you are disgusted by the simple fact that you cannot perceive him as a monster or an angel. Ray is no perfect prince from a fairytale, no matter how hard he may try and appear to you as such.

He's a human.

Just like you.

And this implies that he is capable of all the atrocities that any human being is capable of. As much as he is kind to you, he can also be cruel to others. As much as his hands soothe and tremble when they brush up against yours, they can also hurt and sully those he harbors hatred for. It's not all black and white, as you would like to delude yourself into thinking.

And his actions were truly appalling to you. You couldn't live in your fantasy world anymore. It was sullied. Destroyed beyond repair. Your Wonderland has been corrupted from the start, and you just denied each and every sign of it, until it was too late.

"My prince/ss... It pains me to see you in such distress. Though, your tender heart is another trait of you that I adore," Ray whispers to you softly, his thumb lightly brushing over your cheekbone. He was touching you so gently, it's almost like you were made out of glass. And yet, just a few hours earlier, these exact hands were causing so much suffering to someone you care so deeply about. The thought prompts you to swallow hard and clutch your hands together as they start to shake. He continues, seemingly undisturbed by your lack of a positive response. "-But believe me when I say that that villain is not deserving of your compassion. He tried to take you away from me... To ruin what you and I have built together. I cannot stand by and watch him do that to us. What if you got hurt because of him? I would never forgive myself, if that were to happen."

You shut your eyes, refusing to accept the reality unfolding before you. Everything was wrong. So very wrong. One part of you wanted to scream and shout at him, to make him see the twisted nature of his words by pure unrelenting force if you have to. But there was another part of you that contemplated just giving up and concluding this interaction altogether. The debilitating feeling of helplessness was just too much for you to handle.

You are not allowed to do either of those things, however. Instead, another hand lightly rests on the small of your back, pulling you in towards the source of your distress. And you don't fight it. You feel your forehead come in contact with Ray's chest, his flowery scent filling your senses, as both of his arms are now circling around you. You hear a happy sigh fall from his lips. It all seemed like a very cruel joke on you. A moment that seemed so sweet and touching, bringing you nothing but more hurt and anguish.

Did he really not see anything amiss with any of this?

"I missed you so much, my flower... You know, when I heard that liar try and talk to me like he knew you better than I do, I felt like I might just strangle him right then and there. Make sure he never utters your lovely name ever again." Ray's voice is slightly gruff from how quiet it is against the side of your head. A low hum vibrates in his throat as he nuzzles into your hair like an affectionate cat would, breathing in your scent with all the longing you could possibly ask for. Though, the only thing that comes from his affections is a sickening feeling of dread for you.

"-But I thought of you. I thought of your lovely smile... Your eyes, your voice. I know I shouldn't think like this, but... You gave me more strength than my Savior's words ever did. What I did... I did for you. For us, Y/N." He continues, taking a step back from the hug to look at you. Your gaze is cast low, as you don't reciprocate the gesture. You can't bring yourself to look at him right now. It's hard to even keep yourself from putting your hands over your ears to avoid hearing it all. He gently tilts your head up, however, making it clear that he wants you to look at him. "Please don't be upset... It breaks my heart to see you sad because of that villain."

That's when the dam inside of you finally shatters, all repressed emotions spilling out in a violent wave of hopelessness you cannot bring yourself to stop. You wrench yourself away from Ray's arms, your own hands now clenched into tight fists as you look him directly in the eyes. There's a fire burning ever hotter inside of your chest, and you make no attempt to put it out. You let it take over you completely, consequences be damned.

"Villain?Villain!? Ray, he did all he could to save me! And you locked him up and tortured him for that!"

Your mind is screaming at you to stop. To stop and fix things before they spiral too out of your control.

You're being too aggressive. Too blunt. Too disobedient. Staying safe requires you to be both calm and smart about this. And you are neither of those things right now.

But you don't care.

Even as you see the emotions in Ray's eyes shift from that suffocating affection to a mix of desperation and frustration you know well. He makes a step towards you. You make two steps back. This makes his brows furrow in what you could only assume was dissatisfaction.

You never backed away from him before.

"Save you...? No. No. Y/N, he tried to steal you from me. Poison you with his lies, like he has done to my Savior. He did it to me, too! I'm the one who saved you. I did what had to be done to protect you!" You can actively hear his voice changing from the shaky disbelief at your denial of him to rough desperation to prove you wrong. It's borderline scary how quick those changes are occurring right in front of your eyes. Almost in a blink of an eye. It's yet another blaring warning for you to stop.

One that you ignore.

Instead, your frustration boils up inside of you, making you sneer at his stubborn refusal to see reason: "By hurting him!? By making him choke and gag in pain? What was the point of-"

Your angry line of thought is instantaneously interrupted by a small yeep that slips past your lips, as Ray closes in on you in just a couple of quick steps, grabbing at your wrists with a tight grip. Tight enough to cause you some discomfort. His eyes are wide, and his breathing is noticeably shaky. Like he's fighting to get enough air into his lungs and failing miserably. He yanks you close, making you stumble into him without much time for you to struggle or push back against him. Mostly due to your state of pure disbelief. You never expected Ray to actually do anything to you. And while he wasn't actively hurting you, this was still shattering your perception of him to bits and pieces. Or, what remained of it.

"That was nothing, Y/N. He deserved all of that. He deserved that and more. You feel sad for him? You wish mercy on him?" You are suddenly pushed back against the wall, and Ray's slim form keeps you trapped in this makeshift cage you created for yourself with your reckless actions. Ray's voice grows shakier, yet also significantly lower. It sounded dangerous. Angry. His nose brushes up against yours, as he's leaning so close to you, you can't focus on anything but him. Your breath hitches as you instinctively press yourself up against the wall, the panicked pounding of your heart echoing in your temples. "You have no idea how badly he hurt me. What pain I went through because of that- that-"

You can't help but wince in pain as his grip on you tightens. An action that seems to immediately shake Ray out of his temporary fit of anger, as he gasps and quickly lets go of you, stumbling backwards with a frightened expression painted over his features. You don't even have to look at him to know that he is probably in a less than stable state of mind. You are left staggered, betrayed and confused, as you stand there, eyes cast low, rubbing at your wrists. They didn't hurt. Not much, at least. It's the psychological aspect of it that left an impact of you.

Ray's voice feels muffled as it reaches your ears through the constant flow of thought in your head.

"I- N-No, Y/N, I'm sorry, I didn't want to- Are you hurt?" You can see him taking a step back towards you, hand reaching out for yours, probably to check on your wrists. You can tell he's scared. And upset. Probably guilty. Which makes this even harder for you to grapple with.

Either way, you cut him off, not wanting to hear any more of this. Partially because you understand that staying to listen will only cause you to break further, if it was even possible at this point. Because he sounds so genuine, nervous, and miserable, it makes your heart ache for him despite yourself. Makes you want to look up, smile, and say that you're okay. That you two can figure it out together.

And you don't want to repeat the same mistake twice.

"Just... Leave, Ray." You mutter out quietly, not raising your eyes at him. You sound a bit too soft for your liking, but it'll do. Swallowing, you repeat yourself for good measure. "Please. Leave."

There is a prolonged pause between the two of you. It's almost too lengthy for comfort. Neither of you say anything for a while. But the tension in the air is thick, and it does not fade with time. It only grows. Crawling over you like snakes. There is a fear within you that prevents you from looking at him. A fear of seeing the pain in his eyes. Or, instead, to come face to face with that same anger that felt so alien to you.

Ray finally speaks up. His voice is barely audible.

"...N-No..."

He moves closer to you still. For the second time today, you are finding yourself backing away. But now, you turn your back on him and keep your hands locked where you can see them. You can feel them shaking. With a sigh, you repeat: "Leave."

And, as you soon learn, that was not a very wise choice for you to make.

You're quickly spun around before you can think to act, and Ray's fingers are digging into your shoulders with a disturbing intensity, leaving you little time to react. He's observing you as if you were a wounded animal that was left behind after being hit by a car. Like you're the saddest creature he had ever seen. And, for some reason, that look scares you more than the previous anger he showed you.

"I can't believe this..." He murmurs under his breath, his eyes darting over your figure, almost like he was searching for something physical on you that could be visible to the human eye. But he doesn't find it, and that seems to upset him further. You try to pull away from him, only to get jerked back in again, his hold on you tightening.

Only this time, he does not pay any attention to your visible discomfort. He was too occupied with his own thoughts that you were not aware of. It's like he doesn't even see you. Not fully, anyways.

He holds your chin and tilts your face to examine you more closely. As he does, his shaky breath sneaks over your cheek and causes you to shiver in place.

"He... He poisoned you, didn't he...?"

The hushed murmur sounds so utterly ridiculous that it almost makes you forget about the disturbing nature of this situation for a good moment. Yet, he was completely serious. And he wasn't even talking to you, by the looks of it.

"What? Ray, I-"

"-That's why you are saying all these things to me... That's why you don't trust me anymore." Ray cuts you off as if you were not there, his brows furrowing into a deep scowl, but not one aimed directly at you. One of his hands grips onto your chin, while the other finds your hand and takes it into his own, his fingers sliding between yours. He grasps it tight, in a hold that would feel reassuring, if it wasn't for the circumstances. "My Y/N wouldn't tell me to leave. I should've guessed..."

A shiver of fear runs down your spine. As your outburst of frustration subsides, you slowly start to realize the seriousness of this situation for you, as the fire of anger and betrayal subsides. Now you wish Ray was angry again. At least then he still listened to you. But how can you fix things when he doesn't even acknowledge you?

"-Don't worry," You are brought back to reality by a warm and assuring smile on Ray's face. One that only makes you feel nauseous. He leans in and presses a kiss to your forehead, making your breath hitch. Staying there, he whispers onto your skin, like a secret promise only for your ears to hear. "I will fix it, my prince/ss. I shouldn't have been away from you for this long in the first place... My Savior is far too busy to give you the care and attention you need. But now, I'm here. And I'm not leaving your side again. I promise. I'll make sure you are smiling again."

He does not let go of you again. While your fairytale might have been broken, his has only begun its story. And his happily ever after is not something he will give up on. Even if you did.

[michyeosseo]

Do you know why she is honored as goddess? Bedridden for a long time due to her incomplete celestial roots... a deity everyone thought could not be saved... Lord Xingzhi came to take to the Extranatural Heaven. And cured her. Therefore, the Divine Realm's Heavenly Lord gave her a title: Luotian Goddess – blessings from the sky. The girl blessed by the [ancient] gods.

Li Jia Qi as YOULAN

THE LEGEND OF SHEN LI (2024) 1.17-1.19

[mawguai]

Our journey will continue forever

[carnivalcarriondiscarded]

job applications: this is entry level! anyone can apply!

job applications: ...as long as you've done at least six months of highly specific work, or have this exact degree, or if you kissed a chicken during the last moon of 2012-

[puffpal7]

Must you betray me with a kiss?

[moeblob]

I vote for Argenti! I hope you feel better soon!

Thank you ! I do feel much better (though I admit I hurt a little for very much my fault reasons but it's mostly manageable through light pain meds).

Take an Argenti o7 I got lazy and didn't draw the roses I was gonna draw to the left so there is now a wide open blank spot.

[odessastone]

Think I’m gonna have to force myself to take a break from this game. After going on a 12 game losing streak a week or two ago, I’ve ended up in some gutter hell where half the players literally don’t know how to play the game (never touching the payload, standing off to the side shooting some distant enemy while the red team takes the point, etc.) and the other half are smurfs going 30-0 with supposedly like 45 minutes on the game. I’m not good enough to solo carry my way out of this hell, so I’m just getting sucked deeper and deeper into the mire with no light at the end of the tunnel. In the past week I’ve been hovering around a 27% win rate.

I’m not usually the type to get frustrated at games, I play OW because I enjoy the characters above all. But this is the least fun I’ve had with the game in 8 years.

Has anyone else ever experienced this? I feel like I’ve been sent to the Overwatch equivalent of Hell!!