#so she'll never forget her and carry a piece of her always

[fellhellion]

i need to know the deep lore on why p3p allows you to have queer romance as femc when that one dev from the p2 duology was like yeah lol we included the jun romance to see if there was any money to court from fujo like fjkdhfjksjkd WHO WAS THIS FOR

[bambikisss]

To make an album: K. HongJoong

(Bambi's ver!) Producer bf HJ X Famous singer reader

'To make an album, you need three things: a studio, a mic, and a damn good producer'

📙: You have been on the rise since your debut album almost 4 years ago. Now, your millions of fans are demanding a full album from you and the company is on you about finishing it before the deadline, giving you one big choice: who will produce your album?

⚠ : Unprotected sex (always wrap it up and keep it safe), Mentions of past poor producers, Sex in the studio, Multiple rounds, recording sex, car sex, use of handcuffs (reader), L bomb, use of mirror, Spanking, HJ calls reader names (baby girl, slut, puppy, baby), Slight Dumbification, slight degradation, pussy obsessed HJ, basically smut with barely plot, Producer HJ (whole warning)

🎶: Mushroom Chocolate - Quin ft 6lack, Lil Freak - Usher, Take Me -Miso, Gorilla - Bruno Mars

Bambi's notes: SO what happened was that I got carried away because producer HJ is a version of him I will NEVER get over lol. Smut with semi plot, not really.

TAGLIST: @teez-the-time @yawnzshit @sugarnspice630 @sarah-55213 @certifiedmoa @scarfac3 @woohwababes @doritochoi @wisejudgedragonhairdo @yourfatherlucifer

ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES ONLY | REBLOGS + COMMENTS APPRECIATED | buy me a coffee?

'Y/N L/N is set to release her long awaited full album in two months. Fans have been waiting for a full album from her since her debut almost 4 years ago. What kind of sound do you think she'll go for? Please let us know via social media at-'

"Alexa, turn this off." You ran your hands through your hair as you walked through your large apartment, your feet padding against the floor as you entered the kitchen. It was far too early to hear anyone talk about you, even if it was positive.

You raised to the tips of your toes as you grabbed your coffee bag from the cabinet, the dim morning light lighting the kitchen for you as you began to make your morning coffee. You had a long day in the studio ahead of you and knew you couldn't get by without any sort of caffeine.

You were at the top of your career after debuting 4 years ago. You had gained millions of fans and had put out award-winning singles and mini-albums. You even went on a sold-out tour a couple of months back.

However, while you were more than content with your singles and mini-albums, your fans had been getting vocal about wanting a full album from you, just like when you first came onto the music scene. You had put it off for as long as you could, not finding the process of making the full album interesting enough to hold your full attention. Plus, the producer who produced your debut album was an asshole, which made you unwilling to make another one. But, the company was now placing their foots down, not releasing any more of your music until you presented them with a full album.

You jumped lightly as you felt a pair of arms wrap around your waist, pulling you back to rest against his chest. You relaxed at the feeling of his lips pressed against your cheek, a small hum leaving his lips as you rubbed his arms. You tilted your head back to admire the man who held you close, his dark brown hair still a mess from sleep. His eyes scanned your face as if you were a piece of art, the corners of his lips curling up as you smiled back at him. It felt like such a sweet moment between you and him, forgetting all about your problems.

"Did you make enough coffee for the two of us?" HongJoong's deep, sleep-laced voice made your smile grow as you loved how he sounded when he just woke up. You nodded, leaning forward to check the pot before turning around in his arms to face him. You wrapped your arms around his neck as he placed a sweet kiss onto your forehead, his hands resting on your hips as he did so. "Good. How's the last 4 tracks of your album coming along?"

You frowned as he mentioned your album, placing a kiss on his lips as you tried to shut him up about it. It was bad enough that all the fans and the company were constantly asking you about it, you didn't want your boyfriend to ask you about it too, especially before your coffee.

HongJoong only chuckled at your attempt to silence him, pulling back to look down at you with knowing eyes. He knew you'd rather forget about it, but he wanted to help, especially since the company had their eyes on you. "Baby, you can't just kiss me whenever you want to shut me up, you know?" He laughed.

"I wasn't trying to shut you up, but I don't wanna talk about the album right now, baby." You smiled, moving to lean against the counter as HongJoong moved to grab you and him a mug for the coffee. He chuckled again, filling your mug with caffeine before sliding it over to you, a smile on his lips as he said "But we should talk about it, especially with that deadline you have coming up."

You took a sip of your coffee as he returned to stand in front of you, leaning against the opposite counter with a comforting smile. HongJoong knew about your past producer who treated you poorly when you were putting out your debut album. He had met you right afterward, so he understood when you didn't want anything to do with him unless it had to do with music. But, as time went on, you and him grew closer. Now you two had been dating for 2 years.

"Y/N, baby." HongJoong tilted his head to meet your gaze, offering you a comforting smile as he took a sip of his coffee before standing back up straight. Only when he is sure that he has your full attention does he ask "Did you find a producer yet?"

You hadn't. You had been writing and recording demos all by yourself, choosing to put off picking a producer till the very last second. You didn't know any other producers you trusted with a project like this. You shook your head, meeting your boyfriend's eyes over your coffee cup as you said "I'll probably just take whoever the company assigns to me to produce this."

To your surprise, HongJoong's eyes lit up at your words before he said "Well, let me produce it."

You narrowed your eyes over the mug of coffee at your boyfriend, trying to see what he meant by that. At your sharp and questioning gaze, he placed his mug down on the counter before saying "I'll produce your album." You and HongJoong had only worked on two other songs together, those two songs doing well on the charts and even winning awards. However, you wanted to keep your relationship and your music separate, but HongJoong wasn't having that. He placed his hands on your waist, a small pout on his lips as he asked "do you not have faith in me and my skills? I know what it takes to make a good album, you know."

"What do you need, HongJoong?" You asked, crossing your arms over your chest as your boyfriend smirked, his hands moving to your thigh, his fingers playing with the edge of the large t-shirt you slipped on after your many rounds with him last night. His fingers slowly dragged up the sides of your thighs, small goosebumps being left in his wake as it moved underneath your shirt, cupping your ass as he spoke with confidence ''To make an album, you need three things: a studio, a mic, and a damn good producer''

You were no longer paying attention to his words, his lips grazing yours as he placed a small kiss onto the corners of your lips, his fingers digging into the flesh of your ass as he pressed his chest against your folded arms. HongJoong lips dragged against your cheek to your ear, his hands moving up the small of your back as he spoke into your ear "plus, think of all the fun things we can do in the studio. I know you like riding me while I produce"

You bit your lip at the memory of you riding him in his studio while he tried to focus on producing: you had been missing him while on tour and was on break for a week when the company asked him to produce a song for Yunho. You had been begging him to just take an hour's break and come home to fuck you, but he was very insistent on finishing the song that night. He responded to your needy texts with a simple "If you want me that badly, you better come and get it."

"You were so wet for me, babe" You shivered as he placed a kiss onto your neck, his hands now moving back down to your ass, his finger dipping underneath the panty fabric to tease you before he whispered again "I remember that I had to cover your mouth while I bent you over my keyboard because you were so goddam loud, moaning and whining like a bitch in heat."

"HongJoong" you whispered, the desire in the air making you forget what the conversation was even about. You closed your eyes as your panties snapped back against you, his hands soon moving to grab the sides, teasing you by pulling them down slightly before snapping the fabric back against you. HongJoong smirked at the sight in front of him, his cock pressing against his thin boxers as he repeated his process a few more times till your hands were gripping the countertops. He had you right where he wanted you.

You closed your eyes as he leaned in close to your lips, hoping he would take mercy on you and just kiss you. You were soon filled with disappointment as his hands left your body, opening your eyes to see his proud orbs. He placed one of his hands underneath your jaw, making sure you kept your eyes on him as he said "just think about it, baby."

You sighed silently as he let go of your chin, grabbing his coffee cup before walking away to begin getting ready for his day. You took a deep breath, hoping to calm down as you looked outside your apartment windows. You pressed your legs together as you felt your wetness pool in your panties, your boyfriend's touch having lingering effects on you.

You thought about ambushing him while he showered, but your phone buzzed with a text from your manager, letting you know that she was on her way to pick you up and take you to the company so you could work on your album. You bit your lip, realizing that you had an hour to go get ready.

Today was going to be a long day.

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"No, he called me a bitch for not wanting too much autotune in my songs"

Your manager ran a hand through her hair as you denied another producer, sitting across from you in the meeting room at your company. She had a whole stack of worthy candidates to produce the album that you had worked with in the past, but you turned them all down. You had bad experiences with all of them that you didn't want to think about when you were working on an anticipated album.

Your manager called for a break so she could find another list of possible producers, sighing as you shot out of your seat and made your way to the doors. She called out to you before you could leave, a motherly look on her face as she said "Y/N, you have to let someone produce this album. You can't keep putting this off."

You nodded, walking out of the room silently. She was right, you couldn't keep putting it off, but you didn't want just anybody touching your tracks.

You ran your hands through your hair as you walked through the long hallway, looking for a practice room for you to record another song you had written. Maybe you could release an album full of demos?

Before you could enter the room, your eyes fell onto your boyfriend's studio down the hall. His door was covered in stickers that his visitors had placed there when they worked with him. The familiar feeling from this morning returned as you made your way to his studio, hoping to just get a glimpse of your boyfriend. You carefully opened his office to see him working on a track, his headphones snug on his head.

You smiled at the sight of your boyfriend producing, bouncing his head to the beat of the music while his fingers added to it. He was in his element and you found it incredibly sexy. You bit your lip as you closed the door behind you, making your way to him carefully as he continued to produce, not noticing you till you placed your hands onto his shoulders. His eyes glanced over at your manicured nails, smirking when he realized it was you.

He let your hands drag up his shoulders and neck, carefully taking off his headphones as he saved the track, knowing that he wouldn't be getting back to it for a while. He turned his chair around, looking up at you as you moved to his lap, both of you sighing as your warm, clothed pussy pressed against his clothed cock. He watched as you began to grind down against it, craving any sort of friction you could get. He gently grabbed your hips, helping you as he placed kisses along your neck.

"Did you think about what I said this morning?" He hummed against your neck, his tongue peaking out to lick your sweet spot, making you purr out "Hmm, what did you say this morning."

Your words were met with a bite from him, tsking as he pulled back to look at you, his hips meeting yours as you both ground against each other on his chair. "Don't tell me you didn't pay attention to me, baby. Or, were you distracted by something?" He played with you as he looked up at you, chuckling at your already fucked out looking state. He gently patted your cheek, licking his lips as he asked "Were you distracted, baby?"

At your nod, he let out a soft "aww," his voice laced with faux care as he unbuttoned your jeans, leaning down to place a kiss on your stomach as he looked up at you through his eyelashes. "I'm sorry baby, I'll make sure not to touch you when I'm talking to you"

You knew he wasn't really sorry, your hands running through his hair as his hands slid into the back of your jeans, pushing them down as much as he could. HongJoong loved it when you got distracted by his touch, loving the sight of you trying to remember what he was talking about while he picked you up from his lap, smirking at the wet patch that was on his own jeans.

"I was talking to you about me producing your album, baby," he said, unbuttoning his jeans as you took off your jeans and shirt, now standing before him in nothing but a thin thong and bra. You let out a playful "Oh? Were we really?" as you turned around, bending over as you pulled down your panties. You made a show out of it, smirking when you heard your boyfriend's breath hitch. You bit your lip as his hands made contact with your ass, his hands massaging the globes of your ass before he stood behind you, his cock slipping in between your thighs, making you moan softly.

"Yes, we were talking about me producing it. You need to learn to focus, babe." He hummed, pressing a kiss to the bottom of your neck while his hands moved up your sides slowly to your hair, his fingers making a ponytail out of your hair. Once he was satisfied, he kicked your legs apart further, making you lean forward to place your hands onto the couch he had in his studio as he spit down onto his cock, his spit coating the head of his thick cock before slowly pushing into you.

"Oooh, that's it baby" he groaned deeply, closing his eyes as your wet pussy welcomed him back in warmly. HongJoong couldn't get enough of your pussy, always wanting to be balls deep in you whenever he could be, even if you two of you weren't fucking. He swore he felt his brain turn off as he began to fuck you, his eyes shut tightly as fucked you. You gripped the couch as he fucked you, his cock stretching you out perfectly as you moaned into the couch. At the sound of your muffled moans, he pulled on your hair, tugging you so your back was arched, your head no longer on the couch as he drilled his cock into you.

You tried to keep quiet as he praised you through your moans, even lifting one of his legs to the couch so he could drill his cock deeper into you at an angle. He had you seeing stars in no time, panting out his name and moaning as he fucked you.

HongJoong soon pulled out of you, making you whine at the loss of his cock and back your ass up to where you thought he was. You were met with a hard spank to your ass, making you moan as your boyfriend dropped to his knees behind you, kissing your puffy pussy before whispering "hush baby, lemme taste you, then you can ride my cock till I fill you up."

You moaned at the thought, your moans only growing as HongJoong's tongue licked your pussy, flattening his tongue against you before sucking on your lips. You reached behind you to grab his hair, pulling him closer to your pussy as his hands gripped the flesh of your ass, spreading you for him to eat you.

One of the things you loved about him was how loud HongJoong got when he ate you out: you could vividly hear every time he sucked, licked, and spat back into your pussy. You bit your lip as he moaned lewdly into your pussy, his secret desires and your praises being moaned into your wet pussy, the vibrations making you shake. After one long lick, he pulled back, helping you to stand up (more like he held you while you leaned against his body) before leading you to his chair, sitting down on it before he pulled you down onto his lap.

You instantly knew what to do, sinking down on his cock with a pleasure-filled sigh. You began to grind down as his hands returned to your hips, guiding your hips to spell whatever he wanted. "You still haven't answered me, princess, come on." Your eyes snapped to meet his dark ones, your bottom lip quivering as you tried to remember what the hell he was talking about.

HongJoong tsked at your fuzzy memory, shaking his head before saying "I know you're in heat, baby, but you should at least be able to remember what I just said. Don't tell me my cock is stopping you from thinking." He leaned forward, biting your shaking bottom lip as he began to fuck up into you, pulling back as you moaned loudly, tossing your head back as he clicked his tongue. He suddenly stopped, smirking when you began to whine and try to move again, his grip on your hips tightening, warning you. "Look at me, baby, meet my eyes."

You did as you were told, his head falling back against the head of his chair as he opened his legs a little wider to make it more comfortable and to firmly plant his feet against the floor. "Tell me, baby, what were we talking about?"

Your brain once more short-circuited as his thumb began to rub small circles on your clit as your thought, your boyfriend's lips soon wrapping around your nipple as you stumbled out "You producing my album?"

"There we go, baby" HongJoong praised, helping you resume riding him as he fucked up into you. He watched as your face contorted to show pleasure, your head now tossed back as you eagerly rode his cock, making him moan. "That's my smart baby, huh? She may be a slut in heat, but she knows what's important, right?"

"Yes, yes" you moaned, HongJoong lips returning to your nipple with a soft "good girl." You let his words motivate you to move faster, no longer even registering that you were in his studio in the company with an album that was due soon. Nothing else mattered when he fucked you so well.

"Hmm, so what about what I said this morning, baby? Are you going to make the right decision and let me produce your album?" He hummed against your breasts as he moved faster, watching as you bounced faster to match him. He could tell you were about to cum and that he was getting close too, his own moans growing to match yours. It made him glad he soundproofed his studio that morning.

You nodded at his words, desperate to agree to whatever he wanted so you could cum, his lips crashing into yours as you both came. You held him close as you both kissed, your tongues locking in the kiss as you both ground against each other, both of your cum mixing and leaking out of you onto his cock, balls, and even a bit on the chair. Once you both had calmed down, you placed your head onto his shoulder as you took a deep breath, your eyes closed as HongJoong turned the chair around to face his setup, his hands running through your hair as he whispered "Whenever you're ready, baby, we can get started recording the tracks. We got an album to make."

Yes, the two of you did.

______________________________________________________________

"Looks like you found your main producer, huh?"

You smiled as you held your glass of champagne, turning to look at your boyfriend. HongJoong was across the party with his own glass of champagne, his custom-fitted dark purple velvet suit against his body while his freshly bleached hair was styled perfectly. He was talking to someone else, but with the feeling of your eyes on him, he suddenly made eye contact with him.

Throughout the whole album-producing process with him, you both had not been able to keep each other's hands off each other, fucking multiple times all around his studio.

"Yes, I did." Your eyes drank in the way HongJoong leaned against the wall, his eyes doing the same as walked around that night. HongJoong couldn't wait till the two of you got home, excited to rip off your short, dark purple dress that hugged your body perfectly. His eyes moved up your legs and thighs, his body heating up knowing what was between your thighs. He felt like he could pounce on you at any minute, not caring if everyone watched as he fucked you on the table. In fact, that was on his bucket list.

"Baby?" You turned around to see HongJoong now behind you, his lips still puffy from the make-out session you two had in the hallway 30 minutes ago. "I think it's time we go, Y/N. The party is winding down and I have another surprise for you at the apartment." A surprised "Oh really?" left your lips at his words, not expecting him to have a surprise for you waiting at the house. Before you could try and ask for hints, HongJoong's hand interlocked with yours, pulling you from the party. You tried your best to keep up with his fast walk as he walked outside, unlocking the car you and he shared before he opened the back door. You looked at it with confusion, HongJoong's only response being "Get in the backseat, baby. It'll all make sense later."

You sat in the backseat as he climbed in the front seat, the car ride silent as he sped home. You bit your lip as your eyes fell on your boyfriend's hands as they gripped the steering wheel, his veins popping out from how tightly he was holding it. Your eyes moved from his hands up his body, noticing how fast his chest was rising and falling. Your eyes soon looked into the rearview mirror, meeting HongJoong's hard gaze. You hadn't noticed that he was looking at you throughout the car ride, biting your lip as you spread your legs, giving the mirror and your boyfriend a perfect view of your soaked panties.

When HongJoong glanced into the mirror once again and saw your new position, he swore he almost pulled over right then and there. He smirked, glad to see that you were just as horny as he was for you. He reached back to touch your knee as his other hand stayed on the wheel. His eyes never left the road, but his voice let you know that he was still watching you.

"Why don't you run a pretty finger up your panties for me, baby? Tell me how wet you are for me" You did as you were told, dragging your fingers up your clothed pussy, shivering at how your panties stuck to you. "You're so wet, aren't you baby? Just a few more minutes, then we'll be back home. I'll take good care of you, I promise, just keep yourself wet for me."

You nodded, feeling a jolt of excitement rush through you at what was about to happen.

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"Joong, please" You closed your eyes as HongJoong ripped open the door to the car, his knees meeting the floor of the car in an instant at the sound of your voice. HongJoong has made you touch yourself over your panties constantly, not letting you give yourself any relief. He parked in a spot in the parking garage that was hidden from everyone else and from the security camera, making sure that no one could interrupt you two. He closed the doors behind him as he cooed at you, promising to ease your pussy's ache as he placed kisses along your inner thighs, moving closer to you.

He soon hooked his fingers into your ruined panties, tugging down the fabric. He had to pause when he saw a string of your arousal connect with the panties, making him look away to ensure that he didn't cum in his pants. He wanted you to have all of his cum, not wanting to waste a drop.

He finished removing your panties, placing the fabric into his pocket before he took in a shaky breath; it wasn't out of nerves, but to control himself. He spread your legs as wide as they could go, biting his lip at the view of your spread pussy. "Such a wet and naughty pussy. Did you want me as much as I wanted it, baby?" You nodded as he leaned in, licking a long, slow stripe up your pussy. Both of your loud moans mixed in the car as he repeated his motion, slurping up any more wetness that leaked from you with urgency.

HongJoong soon sped up, his licks moving faster as he pushed a finger into you, curling it as his tongue played with your clit. He loved watching how you rode his tongue and fingers when he ate you out, wanting more of him as he drowned in your pussy. He licked up his wrist, catching more juices before his tongue replaced his fingers, making your hands rush into his blonde hair, your back arching against the car seat as you came and squirted. HongJoong moaned loudly, cussing as he cleaned you up. You lay limp against the seat as he finally pulled back from your pussy, moving up the seat to stand in front of you.

"Talk to me, baby. Let me know you're still here with me" he cupped your face as he spoke, his thumbs rubbing along your cheeks as he waited for you to come down. When you finally nodded, he smiled before pressing a small kiss to your forehead. "There you are, baby. You came so much for me."

You smiled at his praise, reaching for his cock that was now pressing against his velvet pants, HongJoong's hand gently grasping your wrist to stop you. "Not right now, baby, not in here. Lemme move the car closer to the elevator and take you up to the apartment." You pouted as he got out of the car to move to the front seat, meeting your eyes in the mirror as he said "trust me, baby."

You trusted him as he moved the car to park in front of one of the elevators before helping you inside. When you both finally made it inside the apartment, you had to pause at the doorway.

The apartment was decorated with tons of flowers and heart balloons, led candles were lit all around the place. It looked so romantic. You turned to HongJoong as he locked the front door and removed his shoes, an obvious smile on his face as he walked past you. "Did you do all of this, Joong?" You followed him into the living room, smiling as he finally faced you with a smile on his face. "Of course I did. My girlfriend put out an album despite not choosing me two weeks before it was due" You rolled your eyes playfully as he pulled you close to him, smiling as he placed a kiss on your cheek. "But, I did this to show how proud of you I am, Y/N. I mean that."

You smiled as he kissed you again, the kiss this time sweet as you cupped the back of his neck as he began to lead you down the hallway, stumbling with you into walls. When you both finally reached the bedroom, the kiss had intensified to the point where your tongues were caressing each other. HongJoong pressed you roughly against the door, his hands moving around your body before he ripped down the front of your dress, shoving his face in between your tits as he picked you up. You moaned his name as he carried you to the bed, laying you down on it with ease before he pulled back, standing up.

For the first time that evening, you saw HongJoong's desire in his eyes fully. He looked at you as he began to unbutton his suit, commanding you to watch when you tried to move closer. His eyes drunk in your sprawled-out body on the bed before he removed his jacket, making his way into the closet that was adjacent to the bed. You kicked your heels off as you watched HongJoong toss the velvet jacket onto the floor carelessly before he roughly separated some hanging clothes. He leaned into the clearing he made before he took out a dark blue box that was covered in stickers and had a ribbon on it.

That dark blue box was your and HongJoong's sex box. HongJoong called it 'Joong's box', a play on Pandora's box. Inside the box contained anything either one of you had bought to use during sex, having decorated the box so if anyone saw it, they wouldn't think anything of it.

When HongJoong turned to exit the closet, the two of you made eye contact for a brief moment, and you felt your body shiver. He looked so far gone, not even recognizing the depth of desire he had for you. He gently removed the ribbon as he approached the bed, his thumb flicking off the top of the box as he stood in front of you. He smirked as he looked through the box, picking what he wanted to use on you tonight before he placed the box down onto the nightstand.

He moved you to your knees, allowing your hands to run up and down the fabric of his pants before you began to unbutton his pants, eager to get a taste of him as he fiddled with the box. As you pushed his pants down his thighs, your eyes zeroed in on his cock as HongJoong soon pulled out something from the box, placing them on the bed before he moved to grab the box top. You took the opportunity while he put the box back to see what he took out, moaning softly at what he picked out.

Sitting on the bed next to you was a black cannon camera and a pair of fuzzy red handcuffs. You bit your lip as he returned, picking up the camera to inspect it. "I think there's enough memory in here for tonight, don't you baby? I mean, we are celebrating."

You watched as he positioned the camera on the nightstand to get the perfect angle of you and him before pressing record, leaning down to give you also a sweet kiss. His lips gently rolled with yours as he kissed you, taking all the air from your lungs as he held the back of your neck, keeping you in the kiss. His hands slowly moved down the back of your dress, dragging the zipper down with him as he did so. "Are you going to be good tonight, Y/N? Say it loud enough for the camera to hear, baby girl."

"I'll be good for you, HongJoong. I'll always be good for you" you moaned as he bit your bottom lip, a proud smirk on his lips as he pulled back. "Of course you'll be good for me, baby. That's all a dumb puppy in heat like you wants, huh? Just my cock pleasing you?" HongJoong watched as you nodded, pushing down his boxers with a proud smile lacing his lips.

"Yeah? Come get your cock then, baby. I know you've been craving it since we got home." You rushed to give his cock a few pumps as your tongue dragged along his tip, gathering his precum on your tongue as he leaned over to grab the camera, holding it in one hand as another hand went into your hair, pushing you down onto his cock. You and HongJoong closed your eyes as you began to bob your head, your hand pumping what you couldn't take as he tossed his head back, offering you praise through his moans. When you couldn't meet his eyes, you looked into the camera, doing whatever it took to hear him curse and moan your name.

HongJoong tossed his forward, forcing himself to watch as you bobbed your head on his cock. He then leaned over to place the camera back on the nightstand before the hand that was in your hair pulled you off his cock, some of your saliva mixed with his precum dropping from your lips as he tilted your head back. He smirked at the sight before leaning beside you, grabbing the handcuffs while you pressed kisses to the side of his face, desperate for him.

"Place your hands behind you, baby." You did as you were told, looking up at him as he handcuffed your hands behind you, stopping you from being able to feel him. You whined softly, about to complain when you felt a sharp sting on your ass, the spank echoing in the room as HongJoong hissed "Shut it."

You nodded as he eased you down on the bed so your head was hanging off the edge while the rest of your body rested on the bed, his hands moving to knee your breasts as he positioned his cock at your mouth. "You shouldn't need your hands to take my cock baby. No, baby girl, you're a pro." He moaned as he pushed into your mouth, gripping your breasts as he began to fuck your throat. You gurgled around his cock as he used your mouth, your hands gripping the sheets as he continued to speak.

"No, my baby is a slut. My baby knows how to take some cock, especially when it's mine. You even made a whole song about sex with me, didn't you?" HongJoong asked, his voice now deeper than usual as he pulled out of your mouth, looking down at you with dark eyes.

Near the end of producing your album, you had chosen to get inspiration from your many nights in the studio with your boyfriend and write a bonus track. When HongJoong heard it, he fucked you all around the studio in one night. To say HongJoong liked it was an understatement.

You nodded as he turned you over onto your stomach, cupping your jaw as he fed his cock into your mouth, resuming his rough pace as he moaned. "Wrote a whole song surrounding getting me cock, didn't you, baby? Fuck, and when everyone hears it, they're going to wonder who you're singing about, not knowing that you were on your producer's cock while you sang about riding it."

You couldn't help but moan louder at his words, grinding down against the bed for comfort. With the sight of you grinding against the bed, your moans, and his own words working him up, HongJoong pulled out to cum all over your lips and chin with a loud moan of your name. You gently licked your lips as HongJoong calmed down, his still hard cock pressing against his stomach as he finally opened his eyes to look at you. He smiled at the sight before his thumb moved along your lips, cleaning you off before he grabbed a towel, wiping off your face fully.

HongJoong uncuffed you before he got on the bed next to you, his hands helping you move to your back as he slowly pushed into you. You whined, wrapping your legs around his waist as he leaned down to place his elbows onto either side of your head as he met your eyes. His eyes we not as dark as before, but softer as he slowly moved his hips. His hands soon intertwined with yours as he began to rock his hips to meet yours, placing small kisses around your face. "I know you're tired baby, just one more for me, ok? God, you're so perfect."

"One more" you purred against his lips, making him moan at your true fucked out state. He nodded, moaning against your lips "yeah, one more for me, baby. Fuck, I love you."

You felt your heart swell at his words, whispering that you loved him too as you both got lost in each other. HongJoong pressed his forehead against yours as he moved, pressing small kisses to your nose whenever he could before he moved to stuff his face into your neck. He felt his body heat up as he felt his climax approached, his breath now short as he let out a broken moan of your name as if he was calling out to you.

"Y/N...baby, I'm so close for you, I love you so goddam much" he moaned, moving to see your face as he moved faster, wanting to watch you fall apart. "Say my name, baby. Say my name while you cum for me. Let everyone know who you love"

"HongJoong," Your eyes rolled back as you came, your name leaving HongJoong's lips as he came with you, his hands slipping from yours to hold your face in a deep kiss as he shook. You wrapped your arms around him as you both rolled over onto your sides, the kiss slowing down to simple pecks. You both panted against each other's lips, holding each other as you both slowly came down.

HongJoong was the first one to move, standing up to go grab a towel before returning to you with shaky legs, both of you laughing when he fell onto the bed. He gently cleaned you up, whispering more praises to you and your pussy before he pulled you to his chest, rubbing your sides.

"So, you love me, huh?" Your question made your boyfriend of two years blush before turning away, making your smile grow. You moved to place your hands onto his shoulder, making him face you once more before you said "I love you, HongJoong. I wrote a whole damn album about you, so don't be the one getting embarrassed"

Your words made HongJoong smile and laugh, nodding before pulling your back down into his embrace, smiling at you snuggle into him. "How do you think your album is doing on the charts right now?" He asked, grunting as he stood up with you in his arms, carrying you to the bathroom. You hummed against his shoulder, shrugging as he placed you on the toilet before going to turn on the shower.

HongJoong handed you your phone as he went into the bedroom, letting you check while he gathered shower stuff. When he returned, you had a bright smile on your face. "Number one everywhere and trending. Everyone is complimenting me and the producer."

Your words make your boyfriend laugh, placing the towels, lotion, and clothes onto the bathroom sink before he aimed the black camera to face the shower, making you smirk. "Why'd you bring the camera in here, baby?"

HongJoong smirked as he helped you to your feet, walking back into the shower with you as he said "I'm help you get inspiration for your next album. That's what a good producer does, baby. And, you're lucky, because you have one of the best helping you. Now, make sure you're loud enough for the camera baby, this all might be useful for another secret track."

Bambikisss | 2024

[opal-owl-flight]

Heat of the moment.

Well….a first kiss is one way to end the Grandfest.

*Takes place after the results were announced, but before this comic, and after this piece!

Follow-up dialogue below!

*The situation is that 3 had woken up before everyone else, as is usual. Went to check on their team. 8 woke next, and checked in with OtH. Theyre her close friends after all! 4 woke last. She woke right as the splatfest winner was announced. And she saw 3 being carried by their team, tossed up and down.

Back to the dialogue after the comic:

"T-TANARA????"

3 scrambles back, signing apologies over and over. "|It was heat of the moment- Im sorry! Im sorry! Im sorry!!!"|"

4s glowing. "I-its fine! Its nothing, really. I get it! Calamari Inkantation does things to you!"

"|Its nothing...yeah. Nothing.|"

"AAANYWAY," John yells, breaking the silence, "ITS TIME WE CELEBRATED A WIN JUST LIKE OLD TIMES! COME ON, TEAM! AY! AY! AY! AY!"

hes crowing that victory theme, and the team scramble to pick 3 up again, running them off to the nearest tacticooler soda tub to dunk them into it. Old, veteran tradition.

4 stands there, stunned. Why-

Why did they kiss her? Did....did they actually like her back, or...

Was it really just the heat of the moment?

Oh cod, what is 8 going to think? She KNOWS that she likes them. She TOLD her she likes them!! And yet-

And yet she STILL fell for them, she STILL allowed 3 to do what they did-

She'll...try to forget it.

(But as the night passes later, she realized she cant let it go. Oh man, she has to talk to them about this...)

She knew 8 was elsewhere. She grabs one of those pamphlets they give out when the results are announced and goes to find her.

Shes gonna bury that event for now. Its nothing. Its nothing. Its...

Its important that she find her first. Yeah.

---------

GOD THESE SQUIDS ARE SO GAY LMAO

*the way 3 runs to greet 4, and then 4 picking them up and spinning them around, is something they do after 4 comes back from patrol -- both post Hero2 and after they made up post Hero3. Its their special little greeting :]

**All the ship art takes place AFTER this! I never quite figured out when it all started, it was always "vaguely in the future." With the end of story updates though, I think its safe to finally pin down where I can let the ship(s) sail!

[futurecorps3]

Hiii !! I love your writing ❤️. If your comfortabke can i ask for marauders comforting reader since they do stuff for others but forget to take care about themselves?

𝐍𝐞𝐠𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞

Masterlist<3

Summary: They'll always have each other<3. Pairing: poly!marauders x fem!reader Warnings: Reader stops eating, kind of scolding from the marauders but like in a nice way, mentions of being sick. Lemme know if I missed any!! Word Count: 1.5K Requested: Yes

A/N: Made this poly!marauders love, hope u don't mind! Thank you so much, hope you enjoy<3.

Since they met, there was no waking moment where Y/N wasn't offering to do something to help life make even the slightest bit easier for people. Not because she was a people pleaser. No, not at all. She was just that kind. Sirius heard Remus say once that "acts of service" was her "love language".

He demanded to know what exactly that meant and the conclusion was that that's the way their girl expressed her love. And that was okay. James loved to craft little handmade gifts for his boyfriends and girlfriend. Remus tried to spend as much time as he could with them. Sirius wanted nothing but to cuddle with his loves. Y/N/N loved helping them.

Even her friends, too! Lily needed a book from the library but didn't have time to fetch it? Y/N could get it for her. Regulus was having a hard time and needed his comfort food? She'll cook it, it's okay. Her boyfriends loved how sweet she was with it as well, a caring soul that expressed her love through helping.

Until it backfires.

Remus was the first one to notice, ever the observer. "Y'okay dove?" he whispered, looking down at her figure resting on his arm, almost dozing off. That would be a normal occurrence if their history of magic lesson was a bit too boring for her liking, and he'd let her sleep through it since it was one of the classes Y/N excelled in without even trying.

Not the case with potions, and she always tried her best. So yes, this was odd. "Just a bit tired s'all" the girl mumbled back, trying to get up but inevitably snuggling impossibly closer to the boy's arm. "Darling, Slughorn will give you detention if you keep sleeping. Get up for me, will ya?" he muttered once again, gently pulling her up, but she just ended up falling face first on the table.

James looked over at the thud and frowned, directing his gaze to Remus who, wide-eyed, shook his girlfriend's form to wake her up. She was no longer asleep. A thousand possibilities ran through his head. Confusion. Fear. Shock.

"Is everything alright, Remus?" The professor asked, in perfect timing, looking over at his student. "I-I don't know what happened, sir. She was dozing off, and I was trying to wake her up but-" "Let's go. Pomfrey. Now."

Sirius' voice coming from behind him, James already carrying Y/N's limp form in his arms and quickly exiting the classroom in a hurried step. His boyfriend had a habit of overthinking and trying to piece a logical explanation for everything, like right now; why did Y/N faint suddenly? Sirius knew she fainted, and they needed to get help right that second.

Why's and how's would be found later, when their girl was okay.

The couple ran through the corridors, James muttering small "Darling, wake up" and "Stay with me, alright? We're almost there" with Remus and Sirius following close behind, hand in hand as the prior dried some stray tears with the right sleeve of his sweater.

It was all much too overwhelming for him; Y/N fainting, Sirius looking worried which practically never occurred, James talking to his girlfriend's limp body as if she were dead and how he got in his head instead of acting when it all happened.

His boyfriend squeezed his hand, knowing him well enough to realize what was going on in his head. “Remember what Jamie told us the other day? When you hop on a plane, they tell you to place your air-mask before helping whoever needs help near you” He said as the three of them walked through the infirmary’s door.

“Y/N/N needs help right now, but we gotta be okay to help her. Steady breaths for me, baby” he continued, encouraging him to find a rhythm so he could calm himself down. James placed Y/N on one bed and brushed the hair out of her face.

Pomfrey got in action quick as lightning, giving her a potion that would wake her up. Fainting like she did was not normal, not for a healthy person like Y/N, so she had to have her awake to answer her questions.

Her boys sat down on the sides of the bed, James and Remus on one couch cuddling as Sirius held her hand on the other side, rubbing soothing circles with his thumb. “My poor girl…” James mumbled, watching over her as Moony dozed off after the energy-draining panic he had.

“She’s been quite busy lately,” Sirius prompted. Maybe she fainted out of tiredness. “Yeah, she wasn’t even at movie night with the girls on Thursday, Lily told me,” the brunette answered, getting where his boyfriend was going. "Hasn't been much with us either, eh?" "Yeah".

They waited for about an hour after Pomfrey gave her the potion before she woke up. All of them stayed there the whole time. It was about 5pm, and they didn't attend lunch, but they couldn't risk her waking up alone. Sirius saw her shifting and stood up immediately, making James and Remus to do the same. Brows furrowed and dry lips, Y/N opened her eyes slowly.

"Hello, darlin'", "Hi babe", "Mornin' dove".

Prongs busied himself with a cup of water for his girlfriend as she returned their greetings. "W-what happened?" She asked, confused out of her mind before sipping on the glass. "You fainted during potions. Poppy said she needs to ask ya some questions." Sirius smiled, kindly kissing her nose to pull a giggle from her. "You've been taking care of yourself, baby?" Now spoke Remus, already sensing what was happening.

"Yes, I-I've been helping Reggie with some stuff for Divination and spent most of my days there, but yes" "When's the last time you ate?". Theatrical silence fell as Y/N tried to recall when did she had her last meal. Around ten seconds passed, and Sirius sighed in frustration. "Shit, Y/N".

"M'sorry, okay!?" the girl whined softly, feeling guilty about it already. "I was busy. Regg needed help..." "That's no excuse for you to not take care of yourself!" The raven-haired boy yelped, anger and worry clear in his tone. There was no way he'd let it happen again. It doesn't matter how much she wanted to help; straight up blacking out for not eating was unacceptable.

James grabbed his hand and squeezed it. "Calm down, darling. You too, Y/N. We're just glad you're okay." He pipped in, seeing as tears started to well up in his girl's eyes. Remus sat next to her on the bed, grabbing her hand and intertwining her fingers. "Sirius, could you go get some food for her? See if there's still some. Tell Poppy she's up and we know why she fainted." "Yeh," he mumbled, boots loud on the floor as he exited the room.

"Is he mad at me? A-Are you guys mad at me?" "Nonsense, dove," Remus cooed, laying beside her and letting her rest his head on his chest as Prongs did the same, holding his boyfriend's hand in the process. "We're not mad and neither is Sirius, he's just worried, and a bit frustrated but not mad". Y/N nodded after James explained, kissing both of their cheeks and finishing her water.

"S'not okay you forget to eat, though. We understand how much you like taking care of everyone and help them out..." Spoke the lycanthrope "We love that about you!" Chirped James. "... but you gotta be okay before you help anyone else. Take care of yourself first, then others. We could remind you if you like but this cannot happen again".

She nodded once again, reminding herself of the times her stomach grumbled, but she didn't listen. "Okay" Y/N smiled at her boys. Pomfrey walked over right after and scolded her for the negligence, offering more water and advised to skip the next day of classes to rest. As they got ready to leave, Sirius walked back with an armful of pastries, careful on balancing them and not drop a thing.

Everyone helped him and placed the food on the bed, rounding it so they could share their late lunch. Padfoot sat next to Y/N, and she immediately grabbed his face so he'd look at her to have his undivided attention.

As he looked upon her face, a chill ran through his body as he noticed how pale she was, and he couldn't help but feel his heart break a little as he reached out and held her face in his hands. "I'm sorry Siri..." She mumbled, looking him dead in the eye; a thing they did when one was being dead serious.

"No, I'm sorry. Shouldn't've lashed out at you like that, it's just you- you got me worried and I don't like you ill for something you can control. We'll eat our meals like clockwork now so you don't forget pup, that okay?" The boy proposed, grinning sympathetically at her as she mumbled a small okay before pressing a deep kiss to his soft lips.

The couple ate and chatted, like any other day. Promises were made, too; The boys made a silent agreement on making sure Y/N took care of herself, and she, to be as caring with herself as she was with others.

In the end, they had each other. When fainting, when laughing, when crying. They were together for the end of time and that's really all that mattered.<3

˚ · • . ° .

This is my first time writing poly!marauders so I'm very nervous at how y'all will like it haha. Tysm for reading! Hope you enjoyed

Remember, the best way to support writer’s works on here is by REBLOGGING WITH TAGS. I’d very much appreciate it if you did!

Thanks again, stranger. Hope you have a nice day<3

NO ONE IS ALLOWED TO REPOST AS THEIR OWN/TRANSLATE/OR COPY MY WORK IN ANY PLATFORM OR SPACE WITHOUT MY EXPLICIT CONSENT.

[strawberryspence]

00:59 🕰️

Steve can't remember a time he's run this fast, his heart beating so loudly against his chest. He wishes, not for the first time, that he has the ability to control time. But as he runs, four lines cracking in the sky, he has never wished for it harder than right now. 

Even from a distance, he can already hear it. Dustin's crying, screaming and— Steve’s mind goes to the worst place possible. His brother, just shredded into pieces by demon bats, bleeding and dying. God, he shouldn't have left the two of them. What was he thinking? Eddie was a rookie; he was a newbie to all of this.

“Steve! Help!” He sees Dustin, sitting upright, a sigh of relief passes through him before he realizes that Dustin’s cradling a body. 

Steve slides on to the ground as he reaches them. There's— There's so much blood. He doesn't think he's ever seen so much blood.

00:43 🕰️

“Fuck, Eddie. Stay awake.” Steve urges as he pulls off his coat and presses it hard on Eddie’s bleeding torso.

Beside him, he can hear Nancy and Robin catching up to him. There bags landing on the floor with a thud.

“I can't.” Eddie mutters back, barely even audible. 

“No, Eddie. You have to.” Steve says, as he looks up to Nancy. Nancy will know what to do, she'll— she'll find a way.

She always found a way. She’ll tell them that it's gonna be okay, that they'll bring Eddie to the hospital and he'll be fine, “Nance, what do we do?”

Nancy's eyes are traveling all over Eddie, her eyes checking. There's something painful that passes through her face, before she finally meets Steve’s eyes and she shakes her head. 

“No! Nancy! We can still go! I can carry him to the hospital!” Dustin's crying beside him, Robin has a shaking hand against his shoulder for comfort.

“Steve.” He turns, Eddie’s glassy eyes stares back at him, “You have to go. I won’t—” He coughs more blood, so much blood, “I won't make it.” 

“I told you not to be a hero!” Steve defends, his eyes already filled with tears. 

Steve selfishly wants to say so much more, beg Eddie to fight so Steve can know him more, ask him for his forgiveness, learn his favorite songs and his favorite bands and how he likes his coffee in the morning, smoke some weed with him, be his friend, maybe see if there's something in that small spark of electricity he felt when there hands met. Steve wants more, wants to know who Eddie Munson really is.

“I am sorry. I had to keep Dustin safe.”  

00:36 🕰️

Steve nods, smooths Eddie’s hair away from his face, “You did good. You did so good, Eddie.”

Dustin’s still crying; but Robin's taken him away from Eddie. Steve knows it's about to happen, and no child deserves to watch their friend, their idol, their brother, die in front of them, in their arms. 

Eddie smiles up at him, there's blood in his teeth, but it's— it's still so bright, his dimples deep and his smile beautiful. Steve wonders how long it will be after all of this before he completely forgets what Eddie looked like when smiling. 

“What do you think will happen next, Steve?” Eddie asks, his breathing slowing down. In his hand, Steve can combs through Eddie's hair.

Steve chokes, but indulges him, “I think you’ll go somewhere good. Somewhere peaceful, with good lighting. You can paint those tiny little figurines Dustin keeps on bugging me to buy.” 

Eddie laughs, it's small and quiet, but it's a laugh and it's the best damn thing Steve's ever heard, “That’d be great. That's a beautiful picture to paint a dying man, Steve.”

“It's the least I can do.” 

00:27 🕰️

Eddie can barely move, but he raises his arm, cups Steve's face into his hand. 

“Can you grant a dying man his last wish?” Eddie whispers. 

Steve nods, “Whatever you want.” 

“Kiss me?” 

“Just fyi,” Steve whispers as he moves closer, “I would've done this too if you weren't dying.” 

Eddie whimpers. Steve doesn't hesitate, doesn't even think about it, as he closes the gap between him and Eddie. There's a metallic taste in it, sweat and tears and blood all mixed together. But it's so terrifyingly sweet and tender, because it's Eddie. It's Eddie and Steve's just found everything he's ever wanted and it's all dying in his arms. 

When they pull apart, Eddie has a small, content smile on his face. His hand slowly, falling from Steve’s face. Steve already misses the warm, callous fingers against his cheek. 

“That was—” Eddie stares at him, “Magical.”

00:15 🕰️

“Eddie.” Steve sobs, holding his forehead against Eddie’s as he cradles him in his arms. Eddie hums softly. His heartbeat is almost skipping beats against Steve's hand, and god— 

Eddie's brown eyes stare back at him. There's still that familiar twinkle in it, mischievous and real.

After all of this, Steve will miss it, he’ll dream about it, and will wander around cities searching for anything that comes remotely close to Eddie's brown eyes. He will never find it.

But for now, Eddie's eyes flutter close, so slow and soft, almost like a butterfly flapping its wings. 

“I hope we meet again, Steve Harrington.” 

00:00 🕰️ 

🕰️ 00:00

There's something so peaceful about museums. Steve never really understood his love for them, but in every city he visits, he makes sure to visit one.

Maybe it's because Steve is an architect, loves the way a building is sculpted to perfection to fit and house a collection of the world’s most beautiful pieces. Maybe it's because of his innate curiosity to learn and know the background of each piece, its history and its story. 

Chicago has a few museums. The Art Museum has old and historic pieces, to new and modern pieces, all housed together in a beautiful building. He's been here before, for Robin's 16th birthday.

Steve looks down on his phone, sends a quick text to his younger sister, Robin, before turning it off. She tends to worry when he goes traveling, always worrying if he got kidnapped and taken away. 

The guy on the front of the building smiles at him, checks his ticket and says, “Have a wonderful day! Enjoy the museum!” 

🕰️ 00:00

Steve's not sure how much time passes as he moves along from one painting to another, from one piece of art to another. 

He enters the part of the museum for the newly installed pieces from new artists. There's only a few people walking around. Across from Steve, something catches his eyes. It's a man and a younger boy. Steve can vaguely hear them fighting over what to eat for dinner: Taco Bell or Olive Garden. 

Steve chances a glance at them, and almost stops on his tracks. The older man might actually be the most beautiful person Steve’s ever seen. The natural light coming from the window ceilings makes him look like an actual angel. He has long curly hair, it's all gathered together in a low ponytail that helps frame his jaw and face. He's smiling at the boy— his brother, Steve thinks— and he's got a dimple that Steve wants to poke. 

Because he's a human being, the man turns, feeling the burn of someone's eyes on him.

Across the museum, their eyes meet and everything— just slowly blurs out. Steve should look away, pretend that he was never even looking in the first place, but this man has the brightest, brown eyes he has ever seen. 

There's a feeling creeping in Steve's back, like he's been here before, but that's ridiculous he's never seen this man before. It's almost like— déjà vu. 

The man snaps away first when his brother claps a hand in front of him. 

Steve looks away in embarrassment, starts walking to the other side of the gallery to avoid the man. 

A painting at the end captures his attention almost immediately.

🕰️ 00:00

Steve walks closer to it, instinctively gravitating towards it, something about the piece was calling to him. 

The painting was simple. It was a landscape, but instead of the usual spring fields, with blue skies and clouds, it had a dark sky, with red specks and a bolt of lightning. Instead of green pastures, there's black vines surrounding the ground. In the middle, there's a boy, just sitting. 

Steve squints at the plaque under it.

Edward Henderson

Born on March 27, 2023

Waiting, created on 2051

Acrylic on Canvas

Henderson is a new and upcoming modern artist from Chicago. Although he is a newbie, he is creating a name for himself with his vivid paintings. There's darkness in the way Henderson uses his colors, a way of showing his grief and longing. 

“Waiting (the painting) came to me in a dream when I was younger. It was so real, so vivid. I was just sitting there, under the dark skies, waiting for someone, something.” - Henderson

Steve blinks at it, feels the beating of his heart in his chest and tries not to think about his own dreams, and how the painting in front of him is the perfect depiction of it. 

He hears footsteps coming closer to him.

🕰️ 00:00

The man from before shows up on his peripheral view, he folds his arms and looks at the painting. 

Steve's not sure how much time even passes as they stand beside each other, just staring at the painting, just waiting. 

Steve turns to him first, just as the man turns to him and for a solid second, they just stare at each other. 

The man smiles at him, and it's— it's bright, his dimples deep and his smile beautiful. It's like being in front of the sun and still not wanting to look away.

Steve easily returns the smile, something in his chest settling, like his heart physically sighing in content.

The man blinks at him, alive and slowly, almost like a butterfly flapping its wings, before saying, “Hello.”

🕰️ 00:01

based on this poem:

[50calmadeuce]

Ch. 36: Another Deployment

Warning: Mention of miscarriage. Some chapters have sex.

Disclaimer: This is a work of fan fiction using characters from the Top Gun: Maverick world, trademarked by Paramount Pictures Corporation. I do not claim ownership of the characters and the world that I am borrowing.

The story and situation I am creating are a work of my imagination and I do not ascribe them to official story canon. This work is for entertainment only and is not a part of the storyline.

I am not profiting financially from the creation and publication of this story, but I do hope it gives you happy thoughts.

These stories are my own, so please do not take them and use them for yourself without my permission. If you see them somewhere else, please let me know. :)

Jake held your left hand as the two of you slowly walked towards his family from the rental car. He carried his travel bag in his right hand.

"I'll be back," he said reassuringly.

You tucked a piece of hair behind your left ear as the wind blew. "I know, Jake. I've never had any doubt in that."

Jake squeezed your hand gently, a warm smile on his face. "That means everything to me, Y/N."

His family spotted you both and came over, their faces a mix of joy and a touch of sadness. Cindy was the first to reach you, wrapping you in a warm hug. "We'll take good care of you while he's gone," she whispered, her voice full of reassurance.

Jake's sisters followed suit, each giving you a hug and words of encouragement. "You just call us if you need anything, okay?" one of them said, her eyes full of determination.

Jake looked at his family, grateful for their support, and then a playful grin spread across his face. "I'm glad my wife will still be taken care of when I leave, but remember, I'm the one who's actually leaving," he said teasingly.

Jake's family laughed, and Cindy playfully swatted his arm. "Oh, we know, Jake. But you'll be in good hands too. We've got a care package ready for you."

Jake chuckled. "I appreciate that, Mom."

You stood back, watching the interaction with a smile. Jake's family had always been welcoming and supportive, and it was comforting to know they were there for you.

Jake's dad stepped forward, clapping Jake on the shoulder. "You stay safe out there, son. We’ll be here holding down the fort."

Jake nodded, his expression turning serious. "I will, Dad. Thanks for everything."

Max also stepped up to Jake and put out his hand. "She'll be in great hands."

Jake reached for his hand and then pulled Max in for a brotherly like hug. "I know."

As the time for departure grew closer, the family stepped away for you and Jake to get your last few minutes and Jake turned to you, pulling you into a tight embrace, your foreheads touching. "I love you, Y/N. I'll call as soon as I can."

You tried not to cry, but the pregnancy hormones got to you first as a single tear started to slowly form and slide down a cheek.

Jake grinned playfully. "Why Y/N Seresin, are you crying?" he asked with a teasing lilt in his voice. "My strong and independent wife is crying," he responded as he gently reached up with his thumb and wiped the tear away.

You half cried and half laughed. "Not funny, Jake Seresin."

"It is just a little bit," he said, gently pulling your face closer. As the two of you kissed, the tears really started to flow.

When you parted, Jake got down on one knee and placed his hands on your belly. "You take really good care of momma while I'm gone. You're a Seresin. We all stick together." He gently kissed your stomach and then slowly rose back up. "I love you, Y/N Seresin. Don't you forget that."

You smiled. "Never and the feeling is mutual."

He started towards the building, and just before reaching the door, he looked back for one final glance at you. Once again, he sent you a kiss through the air. Playing along, you mimed catching it and pressed it to your lips, then sent one back to him. He mimicked catching it, placing it tenderly on his lips. With a heavy heart, you watched him turn away and disappear into the building, the door sealing shut behind him.

The tears started to flow heavily now and you were really hating these hormones.

"Oh, Y/N. Come here, sweetie," Cindy said as she walked up to you. You turned towards her, burying your face into her shoulder and letting it all out.

An hour later, you and Max walked through the doors of Jake's apartment.

"Wow. I give you credit. I couldn't do that," Max said. "Especially after four years of nothing."

"Trust me, Max. It's not easy, but Jake and I have had to rebuild a solid relationship in a really short time."

He nodded. "Yeah. I saw that. My question is, how?"

Your phone dinged, and you looked at it. It was a text from Phoenix asking about Max, and you giggled as you glanced at him. "Maybe someday you'll find out for yourself what it's like to date an independent yet strong woman. I think Phoenix really has the hots for you."

Max, whom you've known for a while now, started to blush.

"Are you blushing?" you teased.

"No!" he denied, looking away.

You laughed, enjoying seeing Max flustered. "Come on, it's obvious you like her too."

Max rubbed the back of his neck, avoiding eye contact. "She's… she's great. But I'm not sure she sees me that way."

You raised an eyebrow. "Oh, trust me, she does. That text was asking about you, after all."

Max sighed, trying to hide his smile. "Alright, alright. Maybe I'll talk to her."

"Good," you said, giving him a playful nudge. "You deserve to be happy, Max."

He smiled, finally meeting your eyes. "Thanks, Y/N. I appreciate that."

You looked around the apartment, thinking about the journey you and Jake had been on. "As for rebuilding a relationship… it takes time, patience, and a lot of communication. We both had to be honest about our mistakes and our feelings. Even that was a challenge. It's not easy, but it's worth it."

Max nodded thoughtfully. "I'll keep that in mind. You and Jake are a great example of what love and dedication can do."

You smiled, touched by his words. "Thanks. Now, let's get this place in order before we fly out to Wyoming," you said with a sigh.

"What about all the stuff from the baby shower?"

"Oh, Penny is taking care of that. I told her to send it and let me know how much it was and I would reimburse her. Chuck is aware of it's arrival." You turned and looked at him. "I found a small cabin to rent while we're there."

"Let me know half and I'll have it reimbursed for work," he replied.

"Will do," you responded as you sighed again and looked around the apartment. "I'll start in the bedroom. Did you just want to order take out since our flight leaves early in the morning?"

"Do you do this every time Jake leaves?" Max asked.

"Do what?"

"Clean his apartment."

"This is only the second time I've done it. Thankfully he doesn't have much here."

Max nodded. "Makes sense and yes. Take out is fine."

Later that night, you and Max sat at the small table in Jake's apartment eating Chinese food.

Max took a sip from his cup of tea and looked across the table at you. "You know, Y/N, I have to say, you’re handling all of this really well."

You smiled, pushing some rice around on your plate. "Thank you, Max. It’s been a lot, but I’ve got good people around me. Plus, it’s not the first time I've had to manage on my own."

Max nodded, understanding. "Still, it’s not easy. But you’re strong. I’ve always admired that about you."

You felt a warmth from his words. "I couldn’t do it without everyone’s support. And knowing Jake is out there doing what he loves makes it a bit easier."

Max’s eyes softened. "He’s a lucky guy. And you’re going to be a fantastic mom. I have no doubt about it."

You laughed softly. "I hope so. I guess we’ll find out soon enough."

"Are you scared?" he asked, suddenly serious.

You looked up at him, your eyes reflecting a mix of vulnerability and determination. "Yeah. I mean, I have so many questions about myself. Will I make the best decisions? Will I be able to handle everything? It’s a lot to take on, and sometimes I wonder if I’m ready for it all."

Max laughed. "This coming from a large animal veterinarian."

You mixed your food on your plate. "A baby isn't a large animal, Max."

Max chuckled, shaking his head. "True. But you’ve dealt with a lot of challenges with those large animals, and I’m sure you’ll handle this one just as well."

You smiled, appreciating his encouragement. "I guess it’s all about adapting and learning as you go, right?"

"Exactly," Max agreed, leaning back in his chair. "And I'm sure Jake's family will be there to help."

You laughed, a big smile on your face. "That is true."

As you both enjoyed your meal, the conversation shifted to lighter topics, with Max recounting amusing stories from his travels and you sharing updates about life back home. The comfort of having a friend by your side made the evening feel warmer and more manageable.

Tags: @buckysteveloki-me @bellyliveslife @tgmreader @callsign-barbell @86laura11 @dizzybee03 @kmc1989 @guacam011y @nerdgirljen @hookslove1592 @dempy @djs8891 @smoothdogsgirl

[nescaveckwriter]

Paintbrushes And Romance

Part 2 🥰

A/N: So excited for this, not sure how many part's there's going to be, but I'm sure excited to see where it goes... Embrace the journey with me .. 🐞🥰

Warnings:

The vibration and ringing of a phone breaks your concentration on this sketch, looking at the caller id, you smile, its your mom! Hey my dearest mommy bear, you jokingly answer, Hi my love, you hear your mom's kind voice on the other end, oh the love you have for her, she'll probably never realize, she has helped you overcome some difficult times in your life, honey, she says did you forget about meeting up with my friend for the mural piece she wants done? Comes the question, oh Shit! Mom I'm so sorry I got lost in this, well this piece I'm working on you say a blush creeping on your cheeks, I'll tell you all about it later, you always tell each other everything, I will be there in a little while mom , I promise you, sorry I totally forgot, regret clearly noticeable in your voice. Oh honey you are so forgetful, she says laughing a little, see you soon honey, be safe, love you. Love you too mom, see you in a few.

....

Black velvet from Alannah Myles, playing interrupts Dean and Sam talking about the case he can't seem to catch a break on. The music playing comes from the corner you sat in, wow okay, he said thinking that, classic rock didn't really suit the, softness and gentleness that you were beaming out, a smile tugging at his lips, you are quite interesting he thought to himself, seeing you packing all the stuff in your bags, he's heart sank a little , will it be the last time he ever saw you.

Seeing you stand, you must be about 5 foot 2 if he guessed, quite shorter than he'd expected, but adorable looking. You definitely carry yourself with confidence, but also not thinking too much of yourself, he is good at reading people but he can't quite put a finger on you. She's probably got some damn lucky guy in her life, he thinks to himself.

Usually he would go and chat you up a little, get your number, spend the night, but something tells him your not that kind. His thoughts get interrupted by two kids running into you, probably going to the playground he saw over there, waiting for you to freak out and get angry, but instead your voice sounds like honey , all while you ask them if they got hurt, your voice not high pitched or too low, just well just sweet, he'd probably listen to you talk all day not ever getting tired of how you sound. Watching you, sort off in a daze, Dean catches what looks like a sketching book, slightly showing what looks like a man's face, if he didn't know any better, he'd say it was him, ha! Yeah right she didn't even notice me, he thought to himself, while reading the title of a book lying on top of the sketch book "Burning Rose" author "lady bug" seems strange , dark cover with a red rose covered in flames, she quickly grabs everything, throws it in, and for a moment time stood still, you look up into his eyes, Dean could've sworn he was drowning in your eyes, he can't help it, with a smile as wide as the county he looked at her, seeing her cheeks, turning to a light rose color, she shyly smiles back, that gave Dean a glimpse of what heaven probably looks like. He wanted to get up say something, maybe even just kiss you right then and there, but you left, like a little hurricane out by the door, a hurricane he wouldn't mind being caught in, he thought to himself.

..........

You get out of the cab, at John, and Mary Winchesters home, humbly looking house but still big, amazing garden, this is so much fun, you love doing murals, feeling comfortable, walking in, You've been busy for almost a week with this piece, looking at the wall of the front entrance, its all coming together, the green of the leaves and the white of the magnolia flowers , complimenting the decor of, the entrance, filled with neutral tones aswell as splashes of dark green and bright yellow.

Good morning darling you hear a kind voice say, morning Mrs W, how are you doing this fine morning you ask cheerfully. Oh good dear, John had to go on a business trip again, so I have the house all to myself, she says, not looking really happy about it. I'm so sorry, why don't you and my mom go doing something fun, drink coffee, maybe even a bit of wine, just don't get to tipsy now, you say teasing her! Oh really honey, you hear your mom's voice behind you, tipsy, ha! We are classy ladies, we don't drink wine this early, but no one said there's something wrong with Irish coffee, you all three burst into laughter. Come on Mary lets leave her alone in her art world, while they walk out you hear your mom laughing and saying I love you honey, you too mom, you say while picking up the brushes you need and sticking it into the back pocket of your jeans , climbing up the ladder, already humming to whatever classic rock song is playing, into your earbuds, knowing this is what you are meant to do with your life.

..........

It's about three in the afternoon, and he still haven't returned the pastry dishes to his mom's house, damnit, like I have time for this, letting out an irritated sigh, driving into the drive way, with his black chevy impala, he'd name her baby, all while a song of Led Zeppelin is playing, he gets out, grabs the clean dishes out of the back seat, he walks towards the front entrance , puts down the dishes on the table right by the door way, looking at the picture in front of him, a woman standing on a ladder, hair braided loosely, with a black t-shirt and jeans on, covered in paint, humming and swaying to what sounds like a Bon Jovi song, while admiring the view, she loose her balance, tumbling down, Dean catches her, wide-eyed and confused she looked at him, its her, the coffee shop angel.

Fudgesticks up a fudge tree Dean hears her say, what? He looks at her while still holding her in his arms, the feeling of her so close to him its electrifying, oh sorry she says laughing a little, I try not too swear to much. Not making the effort to get out of his tight grip, he puts her down, seeing the black shirt she has on is a Guns n Roses paint splattered shirt. Well thanks for saving me from, ending up like humpty Dumpty she smiles. Oh my pleasure, he wanted to ask what's she's doing for the rest of her life, but his phone rang and he had to answer since he is the Sheriff of the town. Yeah, what is it he asks with the irritation back in his voice,? There's been another victim boss, says the young deputy, okay Jack I'm on my way, just hold on , he closes the phones speaker with one hand, looking at the beauty in front of him with paint all over her, even on her even on her face, all he can say is good day miss and he starts walking out the door, not waiting for a response.

.....

Arriving at the scene, there he sees it again, this damn killer is toying with them, its one big game to him, like a treasure map, they need to find, he placed the dismembered body all over, the dogs and coroner is already on scene, working. The almost gifted wrapped torso on the park bench. Dean is looking around the scene for clues as to how he chooses his victims, thinking, he doesn't have a specific type, so to say, some has light hair with light skin, some have dark hair with olive skin, its victim 8, its been 8 months since this case came to his attention, but still no clue, how he gets his victims, since he seems to toy with his victims for 3 to 4 weeks all sedatives maybe used, is already out of there system.

Waiting for the coroner, what seems like hours, he finally gets the call, Sheriff Winchester you can come and look at the body. Yeah on my way, before going in, Dean inhales a deep breath, not so much for the smell, but more for the courage to see another life taken, someone's, daughter, sister. He is a rough man, but sometimes the stuff what he sees can also take its affect on him. Shaking off whatever he just felt, walking in, he sees the women neatly placed on the cold steel table, every body part pieced together, looking at her face , she can't be older than 20-25 he thinks, while listening to the coroner telling him, how she has the rope burn bruises like all the other seven vics, the dismembering is clean, like it's done by a professional, no signs of sexual assault, the coroner goes on to say, she's been washed in some sort of alcohol almost like sanitizer to remove whatever traces of DNA there could've been. But I did find something odd by one of the cuts, the coroner said. Yeah well get to it doc, Dean says, okay jikes! Its another piece of meat, most likely beef, but its getting tested and I will let you know. Good, Dean said thanking the man, giving one last look of the woman lying there. Hell sometimes I hate this job.

....

The stars clearly visible in the dark skies, while sitting on his porch, whiskey on his breath, a worried look on his face, thinking about the day, the case, the parents of the woman he had to let know that they found their daughter, but she didn't make it, how they had to ID her and the damn tears and despair afterwards... Taking another sip of his whiskey, thinking about the coffee shop angel he saw again and how happy and carefree she is like she doesn't have a worry in the world , not a inch of sadness he detected in her eyes or her sweet honey filled voice.

Wondering why he haven't seen her around in this old town, contemplating what he already knows about her, she doesn't really like to be seen, she likes classic rock, she doesn't like swearing, clearly she likes fudge, and she must be an artist, he can't help it but he starts smiling when he remembers her laughter filling his ears, oh yes and she likes to read remembering the book he saw, quickly taking out his phone he does an internet search of this author "lady bug" three best selling novels, there's the one with the rose, he reads the review and then the ending, of the book because he ain't much of a reader so his not going to read the whole thing!

Wait, what! This book its, clearly one of those steamy romance books but its also a thriller, okay , she is something else, he reads the ending of the book again. "Like a burning rose he ignites your soul when his lips come crashing to yours, flames of passion dancing in your eyes, hands and body intertwined, his love for you burning away all the thorns of past heartbreaks and mistakes, knowing his touch is crumbling your walls and with the thought of knowing your safe with him, you give into the flames engulfing your soul."

[py-dreamer]

MY Wish rewrite pt2:

Hai there! back again! Ok so. Without further ado, let's carry on with the show shall we?

I just want to clarify, Asha gets big sister vibes. Like Cinderella or Tiana or Mirabel, she's very supportive and emotionally available

Ok so y'know "At All Costs"? Upon first view, I interpreted it as a song between a parent and child since I refuse to see the alternative between king and 17 year old. SO we take that and I want to make something like a...leitmotif I think it's called?

At the beginning I want Magnifico and Amaya to sing a lullaby to lil Asha looking over their new kingdom. I want it to have like a leitmotif (similar melody) to at all costs. Obviously change the lyrics to something appropriate but keep the theme of 'promising to ALWAYS love someone' and the theme of 'at all costs' as well as 'protection' and have softer instrumentals

We could have something akin to "You'll be in my heart" from Tarzan or "Remember me" from Coco

Have Asha one day find out of the outside world through an old book and confront her parents who don't see the issue and shut her down

she hears them discussing that when they take her wish on her birthday, she'll be more docile and easier to bend to their will and be their perfect obedient daughter

Learning she's basically about to be stripped of free will runs into the woods and sings her song and wishes on a small star

(And of the love of cheese, give the songwriter more than 3 weeks! let them be able to adapt to the rest of the movie)

I saw this concept of when Aster descends they're in their plushie form then Asha accidentally plants a kiss on their cheek and BAM they suddenly turn into their mischevious shiny self I wanna keep that

I want a scene where Asha early on tries out pixie dust. She's wobbly, unconfident and flying everywhere like the start of her character arc.

this would mainly be based off that flying/dancing in space scene in Wall-E...only much more chaos and Asha is doesn't really trust Aster to this extent atm

Have Aster be able to rally a crowd in a heartbeat. He's so charismatic and enchanting he draws everyone's attention around him; they are virtually never quiet

He acts very confident and gets easily distracted, trying to turn everything into a game and kinda looks down on humans at first being easy to entertain and understand. After all he's watched them from afar for Centuries! this should be a piece of cake!

and at first it is but then Aster and Asha end up finding one of the friends/dwarves somehow. Doesn't have to be all of them, just 1 or 2 (hell it could even be Asha's 'grandpa' Sabino they're not related here though)

Asha gets the idea to help someone get their wish by themselves without Magnifico's help, it can be very simple like perhaps winning a small competition,

Eventually the person starts to doubt themselves and remembers something sad and Aster's magic starts to fade, he panics and tries to cheer the person up by telling to forget about these sad feelings, using jokes to make them laugh ect like Joy from Inside out but it doesn't work

Aster keeps panicking, the person's still sad and he starts to fade, Asha notices this and tries to comfort the person but not by ignoring their sadness but embracing it. Aster at first is annoyed but notices that when they talk their feelings out, the person does feel better and feels confused

Asha reminds the person of something, telling them to keep their chin up or something just being very patient and supportive and Aster marvels at this

for the first time in his appearance he's quiet at this. They thought that humans were simple creatures with greedy simple wishes without much complexity but witnessing this small connection has them reflect a little.

(we see our class clown start to fall for our sunshine girl)

The person regains hope and tries again, just when everyone including Aster thinks the person is going to lose, (except Asha, she believes) the person against all odds succeeds and our protagonists marvel at the posibillities of people achieving wishes without magical intervention but with just a little support

through Aster's magical shenanigans and a bit of carelessness, a barn in the forest is set on fire

this catches the attention of the royal couple since there hasn't been a dangerous incident like this in Rosas since its creation

the two witness this and Magnifico in particular is shaken

we witness flashbacks of how horrible the burning of his home lands were, we see the trauma and for the first time in decades, the king feels weak.

through Amaya's levelheadedness she puts out the fire, settles everyone down, tells everyone not to worry for there is nothing she and her king can't handle then pulls her husband aside to comfort him in private

we see her support him when he snaps and tells her they had to go back to the castle

they had been aware of the landing of the star but in their hubris, they tell themselves they'll worry about it later

at the castle the two fret over the safety of their kingdom and Magnifico admits he felt weak before his wife tells him then they needed to do something about that.

using their magic they create magic guards to scourge the kingdom and find these perpetrators and make the guards menacing and scary

something akin to the shadows of Dr Facilier or the evil spirits of Rasputin (from Anastacia not Ra-Ra-Rasputin), have some fun with the imagery

back with our protagonists, they camp in hiding, the person they helped included since they were spotted with them, its night and Asha is very worried

she knows how powerful her parents are and fears what will happen to them, especially Aster. So she stands guard for the night, telling everyone not to worry and rest while she stays on guard

it gets late and Aster still finds Asha awake, they worry about her and tell her to sleep that they will be safe

to help her rest, Aster and Asha share the names of the stars and constellations to each other, their human given names, their stories ect and Aster tells Asha of his parents, the two stars to the right, Raymond and Evangaline (I love this idea) Asha slowly falls asleep on his shoulder. She is lulled to sleep to the tune of a twinkling lullaby

then in the dream world, she finds...Aster? And they can talk?!

its like a more ethereal version of Rosas, where Asha's heart lies but more magical like the concept of fairy land or the fae

You see, in the mortal world, humans can't understand the tinkling language of Stars but in the world of dreams is where the humans and wishes are connected because: "A dream is a wish your heart makes" (it makes me squeal and cringe to make that reference)

Asha asks Aster about when he was all quiet and he mentions, he didn't really believe in humans at first and asks the princess what she sees in them, like she said they are all reliant, ignorant sheep who rely on her parents and seem happy so why go through all this trouble

she answers how everyone has potential and deserves a choice and humans are much more complex than he thinks, we see that fondness in her eyes and a twinkle of a fondness for her in his

then Aster asks Asha had she ever thought of what she wanted outside of the people of Rosas. Cause the wishes he's seen are mostly selfish or for one person's benefit and she confesses how sometimes she's so worked up about everyone's wants she feels selfish about desiring support and attention herself and Aster affirms to her that she is one of the most selfless, interesting humans he's ever seen and if anything she deserves all the love her parents get due to her willingness to comfort everyone, then we have a peaceful quiet moment (Aster most definetely blushes and looks away)

good feelings all around

Then everyone's favourite...AT ALL COSTS BABY WOOOOOOO!!!!!!

(SEE I TOLD YOU I'D WORK AT ALL COSTS IN HERE SOMEHOW)

NOW we have the cinderella, whole new world, howl's moving castle floating dancy scene we've all been waiting for

I want these two to dance in the air using pixie dust, it should appear light and airy as all hell and they should be having fun more than anything.

Have their clothes bounce a bit to show that floatiness

I WANT ASTER TO BRIDE CARRY ASHA AT ONE POINT (or other way round I don't mind) AND PUT AN ASTER FLOWER IN HER HAIR

MAKE THIS TWINK KISS HER HAND ON ONE KNEE, MAKE THIS HIMBO A GODAMN GENTLEMAN LIKE A KNIGHT

GIVE ASHA A PRETTY DRESS MAKEOVER, SPARKLES, GLIMMER SHINE EVERYTHING!!! SHE'S A PRINCESS WHO'S CELEBRATING THE 100 ANIVERSARY OF DISNEY

taking a pause cause Tumblr told me so

regardless of the design, she should have a show stopping dress, something memorable at least, change up her hair a little

and to show her gaining confidence, give her a crown she'd been denied all her life

I want her to give the vibes and shock us like when we saw the live action 2015 cinderella dress. It doesn't have to be big and poofy but it has to be memorable and evoke that same magic

Aster gets down on one knee and swears to help Asha achieve her goals and protect her and Asha swears the same

Anyways after that whole dance sequence, Aster wakes up first, they smile at Asha still asleep and want to find a flower for her

they leave and go to find a perfect flower for their princess but out of no where get captured by the magic guards sent by magnifico

Asha and the friend hears the distressed jingles of Aster and go to help, the guards are scary as all hell and they have to hide

Show off Asha's wits, magical capabilities and bravery by having her come up with a plan, jump into action and use the magic she's never actually practiced and have Aster be amazed at how such a shy girl would jump into the line of fire to protect those she loves

the guards are forced to leave, our main duo make their escape and decide if they want to stand up to the tyranical rule, it was now or never since they've been spotted

the guard return to the palace with nothing in hand, the two are starting to lose their grip on sanity, their trauma and anxiety of this unforseen force could be their downfall and now there was a rogue magician helping the star?

NOW we have the villain song (and for god sakes disney use a MUSICAL songwriter not a pop songwriter for your MUSICAL ANIMATED MOVIE)

instead of a dumb solo by Magnifico about how he lets his citizens live for free and stuff, we get a moral conflict duet about the issue at hand

have the book call out to them, tempting them, and the other trying to snap them out of it but it fails

we could have something honoring Hellfire with that intense choir and the two convinced they're in the right, descending into madness

have intense colors, play with shadows and that temptation where they have to weigh the risk of this evil magic or sucumb to this new magic, keep the theme of protection

have them repeat to themselves, this is for the sake of the people, if they relinquish control, the kingdom will fall into chaos, the people NEED them ASHA needs them

have them bring up news of some magic shenaniganary, their people are questioning them and they say how their 'children' are misguided and their fragile minds need to be protected

use the leitmotif of At All Costs at one point maybe to highlight this deep devotion and love twisted into something dark and obsessive to commit to their duties by whatever means

Meanwhile Asha and Aster rally up the townsfolk, Asha takes the lead this time and use the friend as living proof they don't need someone else to dictate their desires, that there is more to life and it's so much more rewarding when you work hard for your achievements

we have a war song like in the movie, the people vs the royals, Aster gifts Asha a magic wand, so she can practice her magic

then we have an epic battle all of Rosas banning together in unique ways to get their wishes back but the villains this time have the upper hand

they discover Asha is working on their side and are shocked and betrayed, rage boils and bubbles in them at the traitor who've they've sheltered and raised for years

they tell her one more time to put an end to this nonsense, give them the magic impostor and they can all return to normal

Asha tells her parents no for the first time but then they use their magic to threaten the people of Rosas

Seeing Asha so distressed, Aster summons magic for a very powerful attack, Magnifico and Amaya do the same when Asha really notices everyone at a real risk of dying and even if one party wins, there will be many casualties

she tells them to stop and asks her parents, if she gives up this rebellion, if she gives her magic up altogether, will they leave the people and Aster alone? She offers up her wish for her people to be happy and safe

they agree, Aster is disapointed, tells her not to give in, think about the freedom she wants but Asha sees no other choice

Magifico says he'll leave Aster alone but just as Aster turns his back, he sends out one lethal shot which Asha sees and blocks with her own body

her parents are horrified, after all they did, after all they sacrificed to protect their little girl, eventually she was turned to stone by their own hands

Aster is distraught, he is in tears as he watches his princess slowly freeze into stone as she smiles and whispers to him

"I will protect you at all costs..."

In anguish, Magnifico sends out one more spell which Aster uses Asha's wand to deflect back to husband and wife

Idk how they die, maybe in a burst of sparkles, maybe turned into stone as well and pushed off the edge but personally my favorite disney villain deaths are the ones caused by the villain's own actions (think Clayton hanging himself in Tarzan), yea I want something like that

then the people all congregate and all wish for their princess who sacrificed everything for them to come back and through Aster's magic, she does!!

wooo yay!!

anywho, the day is saved and Asha fufills her wish to help others by becoming the fairy godmother because sometimes some wishes require a little push

but Aster must return to the sky and we get a bittersweet ending between our lovebirds

Aster wishing to inspire people and light their way, becomes the morningstar who rises before the sun

The kingdom of Rosas will always have a special place in Asha's heart but now she lets the people explore the world to learn for themselves what they want, let them work hard and stays to lead the remaining Rosas citizens to teach them of the outside world

she uses her parent's old office to practice magic and in the credits we see a sequence of the people she helps

and finally when she goes to sleep and appears in the dream world, we hear a familiar voice behind her and she smiles (like when Gwen approaches Miles at the end of into the spiderverse)

Ok woo! what a mouthful

the goat?

ehh, we won't miss much. No talking goat, the animals can be sentient and help out but no butt jokes please.

Also Aster can talk to animals, cause magic

I understand the idea of making the movie look like a digital painting and a 2d look and it looks decent enough but for a disney movie? A 100 year aniversary no less? It looks cheap. They specifically didn't use motion blurr but then it just looked like a Tv show and cheap

For my hypothetical Wish, do something stylistic that looks purposeful like Puss in Boots TLW rather than it just looking unrendered or hell take a page out of Klaus' book use 3D models and make it look 2D

But anyways that's all from me, I don't look forward to Moana 2 but hope you enjoyed!

[befuddled-calico-whump]

Hand in Hand (part eight)

@whumptober Alt. 12: Broken

cw: broken bones (didn't see that coming did you :) ), death mention, deathwish

prev ///// au masterlist ///// next

~ ~ ~

He's on the verge of sleep when he hears noise outside the room; shuffling, muted voices, the click of the lock.

It's time to act.

Dan knows nothing is optimal about the situation; he'll be outnumbered for sure, and even if he wasn't, he'd already be at a significant disadvantage from his physical condition. Surprise is the only tool he has, and once he uses it, he knows he can't hesitate. It's all or nothing. Escape now, or die trying. Better that than this unlife Swift has him trapped in.

He'll wait for them to unlock his restraints, of course. He'll probably even let them get a good distance down the hall, let them sink into the complacency of routine, then he'll make his gambit. If there's only two guards this time, he stands a fighting chance. Hell, even with three, he might just be desperate enough to pull it off. And if he fails... if he fails, he can only hope that she doesn't let Wes suffer for it for long.

Dan closes his eyes, breathing slow and quiet as the door swings open. If he feigns sleep, will they be put more at ease?

"Good afternoon, Mr. Melchior."

His eyes fly open, and he turns his head fast enough that his previously-subdued headache flares back to life, making him wince.

The guards are here, but they aren't alone. Mercury Swift is at their side, smiling down at him.

A sick feeling begins to coil in his stomach, his body sensing a wrongness before his mind can catch up. It's okay, he tells himself. Don't panic. Let her say her piece and save the plan for next time.

But what is her piece? She's never come directly to his room like this, he's always been brought to her. Is she here to make threats? Tell him how she'll be puppeting him at the next meeting?

"Is it already afternoon?" he replies, the words scraping against his throat as they leave it. He doesn't care.

"Ah, forgive me. It must be difficult to tell the time from in here."

"What do you want?" He's too tired to carry the banter for long. He just wants her to spit it out and leave him alone.

To his surprise, she doesn't chastise him for being impolite. "Straight to the point, then." Her smile widens. "I've been doing some thinking these last few days."

Dan's heartbeat is speeding up, thrumming in his chest. He tries to ignore it.

"Since your little... escape stunt, I've realized it's not possible to be too careful."

Breathe. Keep breathing.

Swift turns to one of the guards. "Alright, send him in."

The Riot King leaves, and Dan's chest tightens. Him. Wes? Is she about to force him to watch another fucking demonstration?

But when the door swings back open, it's just another guard, this one holding a heavy metal pipe. His stomach drops.

"Right leg, I think," Swift says to him, then sits back and watches Dan pull uselessly at his chains as the man and the weapon close in on him.

"No..." He needs to think, needs to find a way out of this. "Swift, please," he gulps down air, mind frantic for any words that might sway her. "You've already punished me for the escape, th-this isn't necessary--"

"It isn't a punishment, it's security," she murmurs, sounding disinterested.

"What about the meetings?" he tries. The man reaches the bed. "What will your allies think?"

"You don't need to walk to be useful to me," Swift says. "And is a broken leg really so uncommon?"

The pipe raises, and Dan isn't sure if it's the Riot King holding it that's dragging out the moment, or his own panic. Any plans he has, any hope of making it out, will shatter with the bone. Forget fighting, how will he walk? How will he carry Wes?

"Please!" he cries, jerking on the chains, causing nothing but a sharp clink. "Please, don't do this, I won't do it again, I swear--"

"It's your leg or your friend's," Swift replies. "Make your choice."

The obvious choice is Wes. If Wes can't walk, that's fine. Dan can take care of him. If Dan can't walk, they're both doomed. But even as he opens his mouth, he can't say it.

Spare me. Hurt him instead. Break his leg, make him scream and tell him it's because of me.

He can't. His body is recoiling more from the thought of that than the thought of being hurt.

He can't be responsible for any more of Wes's pain.

He inhales shakily. "No. Don't hurt him."

"That's what I thought."

Dan closes his eyes.

He hears it before he feels it. A brief whoosh as the pipe cuts the air, followed by a sharp sound that's more crunch than crack.

At first, the pain is surreal. A distant, impossible explosion, so bright it hurts his eyes. The air in his lungs freezes, the air in his throat chokes him, and for a moment he can't even scream. His leg, just below his knee, is engulfed in something jagged and inescapable, like someone is taking a cheese grater to the bone.

He barely feels himself being unchained, trying to hold as still as possible to avoid making his leg any worse, and when a hand closes around his wrist, yanking him off the bed, he doesn't even think to fight it.

His now-broken leg is the first thing to hit the ground, and Dan screams, crumpling into a heap. He bangs his head on the bedframe in his haste to take weight off the limb, but he doesn't feel it. Hands catch hold of him from either side, hoisting him back up, and even though he's careful not to let his bad leg touch the ground, the pain is almost enough to steal his consciousness.

He wishes it would.

The guards start walking, dragging him with them, and every little shift is enough to make him cry out. Every bit of strength that remains in him is devoted to keeping the bad leg off the ground, no room left for wondering where they're taking him, wondering what comes next.

Somehow, there's still room for fear. Not the overthinking, frantic planning Dan's used to, but a blind, pain-driven panic.

The movement suddenly stops, and then he's being shoved forward, into colder air, onto rough concrete. The impact with the ground goes right to the shattered bone, sending a sharp wave of nausea through him, and for a long while he can do nothing but lie as still as possible and gasp for air.

He doesn't know how long it takes for his body to get used to the worst of the pain, his consciousness finally pulling back its focus from his leg as it accepts this as his new state.

He's in the cell. Subconsciously, he already knew that, but now that he's actually aware of it, he lifts his head, eyes sweeping the dim room until they land on Wes. The other man is curled up tightly, with his back to Dan. His ribcage is heavily bruised, his skin layered with unhealed welts. Every breath must be agony, but he is still breathing. Still alive. Dan isn't sure if that's a mercy anymore.

He inches towards Wes, pulling on the concrete with his hands, pushing off with his good leg. The movement, however slow, is excruciating, grating against the fragmented bone like the teeth of a predator, but he keeps going, breathing through tightly clenched teeth, not trying to stop the tears from pouring down his face.

This might be it. This might be the last of the time he has with Wes, and he isn't about to waste it. Inch by inch, foot by foot, Dan drags himself across the cell floor, the pain in his leg building to a howl long before he reaches his friend.

But he does reach him. Shuddering, panting, crying, but he's there.

"Wes..?" He reaches out, carefully lays a trembling hand on his shoulder. There's no indication that Wes is conscious, but his bare skin is cold, so Dan shifts again, wincing through the movement, until he's tucked up behind him, chest to back, one arm draped carefully over his side. His leg is throbbing, but Dan holds as still as he can, not wanting to agitate the wounds on Wes's back, the ones he caused.

Fuck, how did things get this bad?

How could his own men hate him enough to let them both suffer like this? How could Swift be so cruel? How could he be stupid enough to let it happen, to let Wes drag himself into it, to not escape when he had the chance? How?

He's truly lost all control. The plan he'd had was a last resort brought on by desperation, but it was still his, it was still something he could've done, even if it was destined to fail.

Now there's nothing he can do. He's whatever Swift wants him to be, and if he isn't, she has no trouble breaking him apart until he's the perfect puzzle piece. He can do nothing---

He could kill Wes.

The one kindness he has the power to grant. He could kill Wes, and ensure Mercury can't drag this out any longer.

He could, but he can't, he knows he can't. He knows Wes will die either way, but he's still not strong enough to at least make it as painless as possible.

"I'm sorry," he mumbles.

"D...an?" the voice is quiet and broken and small.

"I'm here," he says, trying to keep his own voice steady. "I... I can move though, if y-you want."

"Stay. Please."

Dan doesn't need to be told twice. He inches closer still, pressing his face into Wes's neck, wanting to say I'm sorry again, because it's hard to think of anything else when everything hurts and they're both going to die here.

But he doesn't. Instead, Dan holds Wes close.

"It'll be okay," he lies. "We'll be okay."

@kira-the-whump-enthusiast @kixngiggles @shywhumpauthor @whumpsday

~ ~ ~

[mickimomo]

When They're Jealous

The Sun & The Sky AU

Some things are censored with a multiplication sign, so it's not too explicit.

p.s. @sphinx81 he got punched here. I'll see what kind of pandemonium I can cook up in Storm for M'Baku to get punched by Namora there too. 🤣

Attuma × Okoye

When Attuma is jealous, he makes it extremely clear to everyone that Okoye is his. Whether that be him randomly shouting "Has anyone seen my wife, Okoye? Oh! There she is!" To scooping her up, tossing her over her shoulder and announcing that he's going home to make love to his K'iin. Okoye is always extremely careful to not make him jealous to avoid this, unless she's intentionally trying to make him jealous (when they had a bad argument and he won't apologize first) or when she's tired of someone who's persistently trying to flirt with her despite telling them she's happily married.

If Attuma suspects that she's intentionally flirting with someone, he will not hesitate to lay her out on a table to blow her back out.

In public.

Namora: ATTUMA NO! WE'RE IN A PUBLIC ESTABLISHMENT!

Attuma: *ignores Namora as he speaks to Okoye in Xhosa*

Oni: Why don't we ever do that, Amora?

Namora: In yakunaj, if you need to be pleasured, we will do it at home.

Oni: *bows her head in prayer* Why couldn't it be me, Bast?

Namora: Oni!

Namor: *still eating his food*

Shuri: *has a waitress screen off the area while Okoye curses back at him in Xhosa before she began to frantically apologize and moan*

Aneka: Why would she flirt with the waiter?

Ayo: I don't know, but that's none of my business.

Ross: *minding his business*

M'Baku: *also minding his business*

Okoye does her damn best not to be jealous. In fact, Attuma is such a faithful man. It's rare that she does feel jealous. The only times she's ever felt jealous was when she saw a beautiful warrior talking to him in Talokan. (She really was beautiful, but to her surprise, she was into women... and Attuma was actually telling her that Okoye was his wife... because she was interested in her. 🥴 His jealous ass.) And the second time was when she saw him helping a woman carry some things home because she was pregnant. He just looked like he belonged with her, despite it being an innocent act of kindness. She felt so bad about it that she cried. But it was just the pregnancy hormones. 🥹

Attuma showered her in kisses and fed her chopped pieces or melon to lift her spirits.

Attuma: I was only helping because she was pregnant. My sweet wife is pregnant, and I would want someone to help you if I wasn't around. *feeds her a piece of fruit*

Okoye, trying her hardest to stop crying: I know. But she's so pretty.

Attuma: Okoye, you are the sun in the sky. What could outshine you?

Okoye: *starts sobbing again*

Attuma: K'iin?!?

Okoye: What about at night!? *wails* Doesn't the moon shine bright too?

Attuma: *shocked Pikachu face*

Namora x Oni

Oni is a literal demon when she's jealous. It's never truly Namora's fault. The warrior is completely oblivious to flirting now that she's married and her rest face still scares people off. Despite that, some people are super persistent, and Oni has no issue making it very clear that Namora is married.

She'll watch things unfold quietly and watch how Namora reacts. Then she'll step in and drag Namora away to do some very explicit activities until the only coherent word she can say is 'Oni'.

Oni tilted her head as she kneeled before the dazed warrior and grabbed her jaw.

Oni: Who do you belong to, Amora?

Namora, panting and sniffling from overstimulation: Oni.

Oni: *smiles sweetly as she cupped her flustered cheeks* I don't mind reminding you. Forget as much as you'd like. You will always end up like this when I'm done with you.

Namora finds it very hot but is always careful not to let Oni get jealous too often. Oni has no shame and will definitely do something freaky in public to remind everyone who she belongs to. 🫣 She has literally climbed under a table to eat her out before. Don't ask for the specifics. 🥴

Oni is the type of girl that will finger a grapefruit to get her point across, so I'll let your mind go wild with what else she's capable of. (Yes, she can tie knots with cherry stems. 💀)

Oni: Amora!

Namora: Mm? *looks up at her wife*

Oni: Watch this.

Namora: *watches her wife toss a cherry in her mouth and close it with a super focused look on her face before sticking out her tongue to reveal a sparkling clean cherry seed and a knotted cherry stem*

M'Baku: That is the skill of a woman who has conquered many men.

Shuri: Don't start.

Namora: Oni is a skilled warrior. *furrows her eyebrows* I do not understand the offense.

Aneka: He just called your wife a hoe.

Ayo: Aneka.

Aneka: I'm not gonna lie to her.

Ayo: *shakes her head*

Namora: A hoe?

Namor: *translates before taking a casual sip of his drink*

Namora: *gets up and beats M'Baku's ass*

Ross: *still minding his business*

Oni: *looks at Shuri* Can you do it?

Shuri: Let me try.

Okoye: *eating her food and watching M'Baku get beat up* This salmon is delicious. You wanna try it?

Attuma: *also watching the Namora win the fight* Sure. *eats her offering off her fork* Wanna try my food?

Okoye: Sure.

Now, when Namora gets jealous. You better run. Namora will more than likely send you off to meet your maker or catch and release you into the wilderness, halfway across the world.

Oni is a beautiful woman, and she's usually very friendly until provoked. So it's natural that honey would attract bees. She appreciates those who back down after learning that Oni is married.

What Namora won't tolerate is when you continue to flirt with her wife after Oni informs you that she's married. Provoking and upsetting Oni will get you on her list. And with heightened senses, she knows when it happens whether Oni tells her or not.

Over 15 people have gone missing after flirting with Oni. And Namora being Namora, she always gifts Oni something that they were wearing. Like a watch or blouse. To make it abundantly clear that she did something and will not hesitate to do it again.

Don't worry. These people found their way home months later, absolutely terrified of the couple.

Well. One guy never made it back because he slapped Oni's ass, but Namora won't tell Oni what she did to him. She simply gives her a kiss and pretends she never asked anything.

Namora earned herself the title Sea Demon, because she has been spotted dragging people out to sea a few times.

Just don't bother her wife, ok? 😮‍💨 Leave Oni alone.

p.s. Oni doesn't flirt with people, so it's their fault if Namora has to get them. Bast doesn't mind it either. Namora is the best protector her vessel could have ever had.

Namor × Shuri

Namor does not enjoy feeling jealous and things will always boil down to three options:

1. He'll do something explicit in public to Shuri in a discreet manner, where no one knows what's happening but the two of them.

2. He'll punish her for entertaining someone by edging her for a few days.

3. He ends them. (A last resort option, because Shuri doesn't like it when he does it.)

Not a single soul in Takokan or Wakanda would be bold enough to flirt with Shuri. (They don't want to die, and they know he would end them. 💀)

Shuri: You know what sucks about marriage?

Oni: What?

Shuri: People don't flirt with me or compliment me anymore.

RiRi: You married the King of Talokan.

Shuri: So?

RiRi: Did you forget what he did to Wakanda? If he caught anyone flirting with you- not a single soul would survive his wrath.

Oni: I agree with RiRi. Namora makes people disappear. Namor would definitely make a country or even a continent disappear if someone dared to flirt with you."

Shuri: But what if it was one of you guys?

Aneka: Girl, what?!

Okoye: She wants to watch the world burn.

Shuri: Well, if I kissed one of you, he wouldn't get mad.

Oni: You can't be serious.

Shuri: It's a hypothesis.

RiRi: That shouldn't be tested, genius.

Okoye: We're all basically sisters to you anyways. It wouldn't work out. Especially since everyone's married, but Ri-

RiRi: -it doesn't even matter that I'm single. That man barely forgave me for my invention. He will never be given another reason to want to kill me, God willing.

Shuri: But what if we pretended we did and pulled a prank. Like a joke. A lil jokey joke.

RiRi: That man doesn't play about you. I'm not using my life as bait.

Shuri: You guys don't get it. It's exciting to see him jealous.

Okoye: How hard do I need to hit her to help her think properly?

Aneka: *rolling up a magazine* I got it. *gets up and chases Shuri around*

For this reason, it usually happens on missions when they're in another country, and no one knows who they are because they're undercover.

Shuri handles it pretty well, and will sometimes flirt with random people to set him off because she finds it fun. (Sis is playing with fireworks in a bonfire. What did J. Cole say in that one song about not wanting to be saved? 🫣)

Unlike Namora, Namor doesn't have a partner with unhinged blood lust. So, people can't just go missing without Shuri getting upset. Unless it's to the point that Shuri feels extremely uncomfortable or unsafe.

They have a safeword for when she's fine with him taking them out, and it centers around his real name.

It's only been used twice, so far.

Random guy: Why are you playing so hard to get? *grabs her wrist roughly* We were dancing and everything, and now you're trying to leave.

Shuri: I was trying to be nice, but you're making things difficult. *snaps his wrist like a twig before walking off*

Random guy: *follows after her, reaching for his weapon* Why you-

Shuri: Ch'ah Toh, in yakunaj. Áantení. *hurries outside as she whispers into her kimoyo beads*

(Ch'ah Toh, my love. Help.)

The sound of bullets firing made her panic as she looked around for her husband. Just as the man came outside and grabbed her by the back of her neck, a spear went zooming past the queen's head and into the man's skull. He dropped to the floor, his touch no longer contamininating her skin.

Namor: Are you hurt? *looks her over frantically*

Shuri: I'm fine.

Namor: You didn't fight anyone, right?

Shuri: No. I'm fine. *gently touches her stomach* We are fine.

Namor: *exhales softly* Good. Did you get what you needed?

Shuri: Yes. *holds up a tube of vibranium*

Namor: Then we can go?

Shuri: Yes, my king. *smiles as he peppered her face with soft kisses*

Namor: *scoops her up* Great. You did well, my queen.

Even before she's expecting, they had this safe word prior to in the event Shuri is fighting someone she can't beat on her own. And no, she's not expecting in Storm, lol. Shuri and Namor have kids somewhere around Okoye and Attuma's fourth kid.

Shuri doesn't handle jealousy any better than Namor. Namor, however, doesn't entertain it or initiate it. Even while on missions, he's very dismissive to people who flirt with him.

Drunk Namor however may fuck up if he sees a woman who is slightly reminiscent of his beautiful wife. Although Shuri finds it a little endearing, she will not hesitate to use PDA to make it very clear that Namor is taken. She'll kiss him. Sit on his lap. And in a few extreme instances, she's literally warm his c×ck or given him a h×ndjob. 😳 Do with that, what you will.

Alexa, please play Partition by Beyoncé.

Shuri: Aj K'uk'ulkan. You should be able to differentiate me from other women. *bouncing on his lap in the corner of a restaurant that is slightly screened off*

Namor: I am sorry, my Queen. *grabs her hips as he struggled to stay quiet* I was only confused for a moment.

Shuri: I don't like it when you gaze upon other women. You should only look at me like that.

Namor: I thought she was you for a moment. I looked away once I realized she was not.

Shuri: You tend to struggle when you are drunk. *grabs his jaw and pulls him closer* Let me help you remember exactly who your wife is.

Namor finds Shuri absolutely enchanting when she's jealous. She's so needy and affectionate, yet demanding and dominating- and he can't help but melt under her every single time. Seeing her uptight facade fall while she's making a very public scene makes him very h×rny.

I would type out these scenes in deeper detail, but I'm not trying to get yeeted. I might crank something out and toss it up on AO3, if I have some free time. 🤷🏾‍♀️

What are you thoughts? Am I missing anything?

I contemplated doing something for Aneka and Ayo, but Ayo does not play those types of games with Aneka. And Aneka knows Ayo would get upset if she saw her entertaining someone. So they don't. There's rarely any jealousy between the two because the boundary is extremely clear.

Blooper:

Ross minding his business

[matcha-kisses]

II

wordcount: 3.6k+

≿━━━━༺❀༻━━━━≾

"Papa, I feel so pretty!" Bai cheered. Bai was wearing a traditional red and white kimono dress with red flats to match. Gramma even added a red flower head piece to match and give her already beautiful outfit some magic. Bai has never gotten so dolled up before and she feels like a true princess.

"Well, that's because you are pretty! You're pretty when you're all dressed up like this or when you're dressed in your training clothes. Never forget that Bai." Yao replied to his young sweet.

Bai looked at her Papa with pure happiness. She's very lucky to have him in her life and to have someone who cares for her so deeply. She might have not met her actual father, but she knows that her papa is a true father to her. She grabs his big, calloused hand and gives it an "I love you squeeze".

Yao takes the child's smaller, soft hand and copies her action.

Suddenly, they are both snapped out of the moment when they hear a voice.

"Yao! Welcome." A lady annouced, bowing at Yao.

Yao returns the gesture by bowing back at the servant.

"Thank you, Liang. It's always a pleasure to see you."

Liang looks down to Bai and gives her a big bright, beautiful smile.

"And who do we have here? Is this one of Princess Azula's friend?" Liang questioned.

Bai began to grow nervous and sweaty. It didn't hit her until this very moment what exactly she was getting herself into. But, she shook off her nerves. Firelord Ozai invited me, she thought to herself. It's okay for me to be here.

"I'm Bai. And I'm not Azula's friend. Oh, that sounded mean. I mean I'm not her friend yet, but that's only because I haven't met her yet! I'm hoping we'll be very good friends though." Bai answered, unsure of herself.

Well that didn't go as planned.

Liang smiled at the young girl before looking at the guard.

"She's a cutie."

"Well, I think so. But I'm known to be a little biased." Yao answered.

Liang gave a small giggle before moving out of the door way. Bai and Yao walked in together. All of Bai's nerves were replaced with excitement.

"Have fun you two!" Liang called. She began talking to more guests, and her voice became softer as Yao and Bai walked closer to the social room.

Bai couldn't believe her pretty blue eyes. The Palace is beautiful! When you first walked in, you could see the columns standing proud and strong, much like the Fire Nation. Banners with Fire Nation insignia hung high on every corner you passed. Combinations of red, black, and gold followed you whenever you went. It was a beautiful mixture that Bai couldn't get enough of. She's never really seen so much beauty in one room. She knows that the Fire Nation can do some... questionable things, based on the way Gramma speaks, but no one can deny the fact it's beautiful. You can feel the passion, energy, and life.

"We're almost to the ballroom, Bai. We just have to cut through this walkway outside and we'll be on our way partying." Yao said, snapping Bai out of her own thoughts.

Bai thought it couldn't get more beautiful until the duo stepped outside.

When Bai looked to her right, she was greeted with a beautiful outdoor scenery. It was nighttime so Bai couldn't see the garden in it's daytime beauty, but it was just as beautiful at night; maybe even prettier. The fountain carried a beautiful, heavenly glow to it thanks to the moon. The moon even shared reflections with the pond, allowing the pond to glow brightly through the night, and if you were quiet enough, you could faintly hear the turtle ducks sing a song.

I can't believe the princess get to play out here and feed turtle ducks all the time! You could probably have so much fun on that bridge over there! Maybe Azula and I will be such good friends, and she'll invite me here all the time! I'd love to explore this area more, Bai thought to herself.

Suddenly, Bai and Yao stopped right at the ballroom doors. Yao crouched down so he could be eye level with his granddaughter.

"Now, Bai. I want you to have a good time tonight. I know Gramma and I don't get to really treat you to things like this so I want you to take complete advantage to it. And, if for some reason, you're having a bad time, come find me. We'll out-dance everyone here." Yao said with a coy smile on his face.

"Of course," Bai giggled. "Thank you, Papa. I'm going to have fun tonight."

"I know you are," Yao said, patting the young child's shoulder.

Yao had his hand on the door, ready to open it until he remembered something very important.

"Oh, and sweetie? No bending." Yao whispered. He couldn't risk anyone hearing him.

Yao then opened the door with force, and Bai felt her nerves coming back. Everyone looked at her and Yao as soon as they entered. She wondered if her Papa was feeling a little overwhelmed too, but she figured not since he began talking to one of the servants.

"Yao, what a pleasure to see you." The servant spoke while bowing down.

"As well to you." Yao replied, coping her motions.

Yao knew Bai was a little nervous so he took her hand and guided her through the large crowd of people.

As Bai was following her Papa, she noticed that there wasn't many children here. She could only spot three girls in the crowd, one of them being Azula, she figures.

I thought this party was going to be filled with children? Where are they?

Suddenly, Yao came to a halt, causing Bai to bump into her papa since she was behind him.

"Firelord Ozai," Yao started. "It is with great pleasure to be in your presence."

"Yes. Thank you for that. Thank you for coming as well. You know you are my most trusted guard."

Bai peeked from behind to get a look of the man full of power. When she glanced up at the Firelord, she began to grow afraid.

He was wearing a sinister smile and he towered of Bai and Yao. He had is hair up in a half up half down style and was being hold by a crown- shaped like a flame. He was wearing layers of red and gold that made him look very strong. Bai expected to be in awe when she saw the Fire Lord, but she was. He looked like power, and she didn't like the look of it on this man. Bai didn't know much about him, but she knew that he could destroy someone with a snap of his fingers.

He then looked down and locked eyes with the young child. When he saw her, his smile grew even bigger- making him look wickedly evil.

"And is this the famous, Bai, I've heard about?" The Firelord questioned. His voice sounded vile and it made the hair on Bai's arm stand.

Bai became nervous with the Firelord's attention on her. However, she knew better than to ignore him. She took a deep breath to calm her nerves before answering.

"Yes," she started, bowing like Papa did. "I'm Bai. Thank you so much, Firelord Ozai, for inviting me to suck a luxurious party."

"You are welcome, little one. I should be saying the honor is mine."

Bai couldn't understand why, but there was something about this man that made her want to scream. Papa has always told her that she must show reverence to the Firelord. Especially, considering how kind they've been to the Shang family.

But Bai couldn't find anything to respect about this man. She could only find reasons to fear him.

"Bai," Firelord Ozai utteted, stopping Bai's train of thought. "I have a special someone I'd like you to meet."

Suddenly, a young girl came from behind the Fire Lord.

"Bai, I would like for you to meet my daughter and princess to our nation, Azula."

Azula held a nasty smirk on her face. She had fair skin and shared the same golden eyes just as of her father. Her hair was pulled back, out of her way with the exception of two pieces hanging from her face.

"Princess, it is a pleasure to be here. I'm Bai and it is wonderful to meet you." Bai said cheerfully.

"Well of course it is! It is my party after all. It's probably the most fun you'll have in your life."

"Yeah, you're probably right, Princess. I never really get to do things like this!" Bai spoke, innocently. She didn't even realize Azula was attempting to speak down upon her.

And Azula loved that.

"Yes, well, why don't you two girls run along. Bai's grandfather and I have serious business to attend to." Firelord Ozai insisted.

Azula immediately took Bai's hand and ran towards the two other girls she saw earlier. One of the girls was wearing pink outfit and had her hair pulled back into a braid. The other girl was wearing maroon and black robes and had her hair pulled back with two little buns on her head. Bai had a feeling this was a close group of girls and wasn't sure how they would feel adding another addition.

I just hope they'll want to be friends with me too.

"Ty Lee, Mai- I want you to meet, Bai. She's the guard's granddaughter I was telling you about."

Ty Lee gave Bai a big smile while Mai looked as if she couldn't care less about what Azula just said.

"Hi there! I'm Ty Lee! It's so nice to meet you! It's nice to have another girl to add to the gang, right Mai?"

Mai took a long, exasperating sigh before answering. Does she always seem so.... gloomy, Bai thought to herself.

"Yeah," Mai responded flatly. "More people I'm forced to talk to."

"Oh, lighten up Mai," Azula said. "Bai is our new friend here and we must treat her as so. Or I know... are you scared she'll take away Zuko from you?"

Mai's emotionless face turned into anger very quickly, upon hearing this name.

"Yeah," Ty Lee joined in. "You better watch out, Mai. You have some competition!"

Ty Lee and Azula giggled like hyenas, Mai looked like she wanted to destroy Bai, and Bai just felt very uncomfortable.

"Um- who's Zuko?" Bai questioned.

"Oh, it's just the boy Mai's been after for ever." Ty Lee explained.

"Oh," Bai replied awkwardly. She didn't know how to feel about being pulled into the middle of all this. She just wanted to make friends and eat some Fire gummies. She wasn't expecting to be stuck in some love struck war only 30 seconds after meeting these girls. "Well, where is he? I don't think I've met him yet?"

"No... you haven't." Azula said, looking of Bai's shoulder with a wicked smile on her face. It was the same smile her father carried and it made Bai's skin crawl. "But you're about to."

Suddenly, Azula shoved Bai without warning. She didn't use enough force to cause Bai to fall on her bottom, but it was just enough force to cause Bai to run into a stranger who must've been trying to walk past her.

Oh no! I'm in trouble. It's over for me! My 11 years are about to end in this moment. This person will be furious with me.

Bai immediately began apologizing to the victim of Azula's sneak attack, hoping she wouldn't get in trouble. She didn't known why, but she knew she would probably get blamed for the whole incident. Especially since it's Azula's birthday and she's the princess.

"I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to! It was an accident! Please don't be mad at me!" Bai pleaded.

When the stranger turned around, she was greeted with a young boy. He didn't look much older than her; maybe a year older than herself. He only towered a couple inches over her, but she still managed to feel slightly intimidated by this boy. Not the same way she did with Azula, but just enough for Bai to understand this boy is important.

He had jet black hair that was tied up in a slick ponytail. He golden amber eyes and a twinkle to them and they looked very inviting. His skin was free from any imprecations and had a slight glow.

Bai's stomach began turning into knots.

"It's no problem!" The boy replied. His voice was raspy, but still sounded a little young. His voice probably hasn't changed all the way yet, Bai thought to herself. Yet, it didn't stop the butterflies dancing in Bai's stomach.

What's wrong with me? Get it together, Bai.

"Ugh!" Azula screamed. "Zuko! What are you doing with my friend? Sorry about my dumb-dumb of a brother."

Bai was shocked about hearing Azula had a brother. No one has spoke about Zuko this whole night, not even his father.

Shouldn't the prince be a special guest that I also should meet? Why wouldn't the Firelord let me meet his son?

Pink started to color Zuko's cheeks out of anger and embarrassment. Bai understood that Azula may give Zuko a hard time. She figured she should step in to defend the prince and save him from embarrassment. After all, Bai was the one to bump into the prince.

"N-no! He's fine. It was my fault. I'm just clumsy." Bai replied with a breathless giggle.

Zuko smiled shyly at Bai. He let out a breath he didn't even realize he was holding in. A small part of him felt glad that she would defend him. No one has done that since his mother disappeared. Azula is perfect, and never does anything wrong. So, it felt nice having someone make him feel like he isn' a constant screw-up. Zuko suddenly wanted to know more about this girl.Why would someone who seems so sweet want to hang out with someone as icky as Azula.

"Oh! Where are my manners? I'm Bai. It is a pleasure to meet you, Prince Zuko." She said while bowing.

"Oh," Zuko awkwardly started. He didn't realize she would make him feel so nervous. Her voice sounded soft and sweet, and her smile was pure. She must've been the type of girl everyone wanted to be friends with.

Play it cool Zuko, he thought to himself. She's just a girl- a nice one at that.

"Um, hello! Zuko here. But I-I guess you already knew that since Azula already said my name."

Nice, he thought to himself proudly.

"Oh, Zuzu!" Azula interrupted. "Why must you always get so weird around girls?"

"Not funny, Azula!" Zuko growled.

"Yeah," Ty Lee giggled. "I don't even see you get this awkward around Mai!"

Ty Lee must've struck a nerve with Mai because upon hearing this, Mai ran off into a different part of the room.

"Oops! Better go get her!"

Ty Lee then stood on her hands and walked over to Mai, leaving Bai with the royal siblings.

"Well," Bai chimed in. "I don't think he's weird. And I also don't think he was being weird! Your bother seems very sweet, Azula. Would you like to hang out with us?"

Zuko was about to answer until Azula butted in.

"Sorry, Bai. But we have more important things to do."

Bai looked at Zuko with disappointment. She wanted to get to know the prince. That's what tonight was all about anyways- making new friends. Yes, she's getting to know Mai and Ty Lee, but she was more curious about Zuko. She didn't know why, but she wanted to know everything about him.

"Oh... okay. Um, sorry Zuko. Maybe we'll run into each other again." Bai suggested.

The young prince smiled at the possibility of running into Bai again. He didn't know much about her, but he knew he wanted to. He wanted to be around Bai all the time.

Azula grabbed Bai's hand, leading her to the direction of Mai and Ty Lee. Bai turned around and saw the prince holding a small smile on his face while waving "goodbye" to Bai.

≿━━━━༺❀༻━━━━≾

"Well, did you enjoy yourself?" Yao asked. "I noticed that the princess really enjoyed your company."

Bai thought about the time she spent with Azula. She liked her of course. Bai doesn't hate anyone. But, some of the things Azula said and did tonight didn't sit right with Bai. Maybe it was just an exciting night for her and she got carried away, Bai thought to herself.

"I did! I really enjoyed the party. There was so much dancing and life! I ate so much fire gummies tonight! I'm surprised I'm not sick, Papa."

Yao laughed deeply. He hoped Bai would have a wonderful night and he was glad that he was able to do this for her.

"Well, I'm glad, sweetie. I've got something else I want to ask you. How do you feel about that prince? I saw you two smiling at each other and awful lot."

Pink washed over Bai's face while heat was slowly crawling over. She remembered how gentle and sweet he was-  the complete opposite of Azula. Of course, she couldn't tell Papa the full truth; she'd never hear the end of it!

"Um, he's alright, Papa." Bai awkwardly spoke. "I didn't get to really talk to him tonight that much. I don't really no how I feel about him."

Yao looked at his granddaughter. He knew she was lying. But, he didn't say anything. He did know, however, she was about to be a little more embarrassed.

"Oh, I see. Well, I hope you don't mind him too much because you'll probably be seeing him and the princess in the days to come."

"What?" Bai squealed.

Yao smiled at his sweet's reaction. He knew she'd freak out about that.

"When the Firelord said he and I had matters do discuss, it was about Gramma. I wanted to see if he'd let me take some time off because... well, you know that Gramma hasn't been feeling herself for the past few days." Yao started.

Bai disappointingly nodded her head. She hasn't tried thinking of it too much, but she knows it's true. Gramma hasn't been herself at all. She's not sick; she's in perfect health. But there was something off about her. Her eyes didn't hold the same warmth they used to. She doesn't smile like she used to. Gramma tries her best to be strong for Bai, but it's still hard.

"Well," Yao started. "He wasn't pleased with that idea."

Of course he wasn't, Bai said to herself.

"However, we came up with a compromise. Firelord Ozai is aware that Gramma isn't feeling well, and she probably needs to have some personal time alone."

"So....." Bai questioned. She wasn't sure she was following her Papa's trail.

"So, he thinks it's best that she takes care of herself for a few days. At first, I didn't think it was a good idea. I had to explain that someone had to watch you, Bai. But apparently, you made quite the impression on the Firelord. And, his daughter seems to take a liking to you. So, while Gramma is taking time to heal, you can come with me."

Bai was in shock. The Firelord really is allowing me into his home, she thought to herself.  Willingly?

"Really? So, I could hang out with Zuko and Azula!"

"Yes, child. However, he did tell me this. Since, he is being so gracious to you, then you must start working in the palace. You will be the prince and princess' personal maid. He couldn't allow you to just do nothing around the palace. But, that still lets you spend time with them."

Normally, that would sound like a dealbreaker to most people but not for Bai. She was excited at the fact she would get to be in the palace! She'll get to be with her Papa! She doesn't get to spend time with him often since he's always at the palace. So, it'll be nice being with him. Not to mention she'll get to become even better friends with Azula.

And get to spend time with Zuko as well.

"Papa, that sounds wonderful! Me? Getting to work at the royal palace! That is a huge blessing. The spirits really are good to us!" Bai cheered.

"I thought so too, Bai." Yao exclaimed. He was very lucky to have such an understanding, sweet granddaughter. I hope you always stay like this, he said to to himself. "You start tomorrow so I hope you're ready to wake up early."

[moonyasnow]

🥯🤩💯🚗 for lisle, victor, and irina ^^

Oooooo so many questions!!! So fun!!! And I love getting to talk about multiple OCs in one post- it's so fun to see them contrast each other! #> <#

🥯

For Lisle, it depends on if he's eating alone or with other people! If he's just eating alone, he just gets a glass of tea to energize him because he doesn't actually have a lot of appetite in the morning-- and then he might sneak in a granola bar or something for extra energy when it starts to return. But if he's gonna be eating where other people are present, he goes all out with french toast with berries, or pancakes, or eggs benedict, and gets a fancy mug to fill with some real fancy kind of tea He has an example to set, after all! So he needs to appear to take good care of himself.

Since Victor usually wakes up so early, he has lots of time to prepare breakfast for himself. He starts it off with a cup of coffee— filled to the brim with so much milk and sugar that the sickly sweet concoction could barely even be called 'coffee' anymore— just to wake himself up properly, but then I think he'd do that thing where you make your breakfast look like an animal of some kind, like putting three slices of bananas and three raisins on a piece of toast to make it look like a bear. And he never puts butter on his toast; always something sweet, like jam, marmelade or chocolate spread. Or if he's not feeling well, just regular fried eggs and bacon. He always prefers warm food in the morning. And then he'll bring another cup of coffee with him to go while he goes to do some early-morning chores.

Irina eats a singular piece of bread. usually the pre-sliced white bread you can buy in bulk at stores. If she's feeling extra bad that morning, she'll microwave it for a few seconds to warm it up a little. She'll also always have at least two pieces of bread with her in a small plastic bag at all times, to put in her bag or pocket. Just so she has 'emergency rations', in case she for any reason can't get anything to eat. It's a habit carried over from when her parents used to forget to feed her when she was little, and she started hiding small pieces of food in her room in case they forgot again.

🤩

Lisle is a planner through and through. Every tiny little part of his image, what he says, how he presents to others, is thought-out and calculated in advance. He has a 10-year-plan, five-year plan, and even a three-month-plan! He'll adjust this plan slightly when something unforeseen occurs, but prefers to do so quite a while in advance. The kind of 'you need to ask me to hang out at least a week in advance' kind of person. He has so much going on and so many people to help that it's just kind of a necessity for him! He is incredibly ambitious, after all, so he needs to spend all his time maximizing his chances of future success!

Victor is also more of a planner, even though it might not appear like it. For example, he often just wings his school projects. He's pretty good at alchemy and potionology, so with those he usually already knows the solution, but if he doesn't, he just experiments and makes something up. But if it's a history test, he'll answer the questions he does already know correctly, then choose the other options at random, because then there's a 50/50 chance he'll be right. Really, so long as his grades are good enough to keep him in school and out of any kind of trouble (like detention or extra homework) he doesn't care. So he plans ahead to be able to do the bare minimum required of him, and spend the least amount of time possible. Work smarter not harder, basically, minimizing the amount of work he needs to do as much as he can. But if it's something he does really care about, like doing a specific experiment, he'll plan out how to get the specimen he needs, several different ways to go about it if plan A fails, etc. Though he's learned from experience not to have any plans for what he's actually going to do in the experiment; when he sees the thing in front of him his planning all goes out the window and he acts on instinct, doing the first thing he can think of. His passions have a tendency to take over him in that way.

Irina is 100% NOT a planner. Girl has never planned anything in her life. She lives moment-to-moment, always deciding things as they come. She's gotten this far purely on improv, after all! And her mind lives so in-the-moment anyway that planning isn't even really something she CAN do. It just feels too far away from the current moment for it to be something she can bring herself to consider at all important. So if she ever does try to plan something, it's usually just what she's gonna do in the next hour, or what excuse she can tell in case she's a little bit late to something.

🚗

Lisle has a license to drive a motorcycle! He's pretty attached to his own motorcycle, actually. He built it himself, from spare parts collected at his parents' auto-mechanic shop over the years, and, since it's Lisle, it's also been fully plated with gold, thanks to his Signature Spell— mostly to make it less prone to breaking. Though since he knows it could come off as kinda gaudy, he's painted over most of the gold.

Victor is planning to get a driver's license for a car in the future. Cars are really useful! He can use one to go almost anywhere he wants, not to mention he can store lots of things in it! And it's also in his mind good for self-defense! Like if someone's been acting threatening to him, if he 'happens to accidentally run them over', they're not gonna bother him anymore :)

Irina has none, and has no plans on getting any.

💯

Lisle Fact #1: His cousin, Briallen, was originally just a completely unrelated OC of mine. But when I realized how similar they looked, I just thought it'd be fun to include her. And her inclusion definitely made an aspect of his backstory make more sense, too! Which would not have been possible if her personality wasn't the way it is. Lisle Fact #2: He is gender-fluid! For him meaning that on some days he'll feel more masculine, and on others more feminine. Though he still prefers he/him pronouns. Though it does lead to classic non-cis gender struggles of him not being able to decide whether he'd rather play the part of the fairy godmother or the prince in a fairy tale. Lisle Fact #3: If Christianity existed in Twisted Wonderland, I think he'd DEFINITELY be Christian. His surname 'Ram' is actually supposed to be a reference to how in Christianity, there are two motifs for a hoofed creature: the lamb (Jesus) and the goat (the devil). Basically like— do you interpret his surname as the sweet little innocent and nice lamb, or the satanic goat. I'm not Christian myself so who knows maybe that's like blasphemous or something, but I just thought the idea was neat. Also I know Rams aren't goats but c'mon work with me here symbolism isn't always easy.

Victor Fact #1: He actually didn't become his own character until almost 2 years after I made his sister Veronica! He was always part of her backstory, but was always more of a background character in her story until I decided to flesh him out not that long ago. Victor Fact #2: He seems to be a favorite of mine to draw, hehe... If you look at the amount of art I have for each of my OCs, he's really high up there. Victor Fact #3: He really enjoys slapstick comedy; the more cartoonish the better. But always with real actors. There's just something funny to him about seeing a person step on a leaf rake and get hit in the face with it. Like in Home Alone. He'd have an absolute riot watching that movie. But never when the cartoon violence involves two or more people actively fighting each other, like, physically, fist-to-face style.

Irina Fact #1: Whenever I draw her, it's not at all uncommon for me to forget to draw the moles on her face... I guess not so much a fact about her as it is about me ''OTL Irina Fact #2: She's the OC of mine who changed the MOST from my original idea until today. The original plan for her as a character was for her to have her hair in twin-tails, and also be autistic— which is so far removed from her today that it barely feels like the same character anymore. Irina Fact #3: I guess this one could be considered somewhat suggestive in certain circumstances, but given that it also can affect her just in daily life, I'm gonna include it anyway. Irina is a masochist. So like, physical pain feels nice to her. So something like scraping her knee wouldn't be an uncomfortable sensation to her.

Tag list: @another-random-paradise @thehollowwriter @faefum @cactus13-rolloflammesimp @beneathsakurashade

@nyx-of-night @theolivetree123 @babyghoul138 @skibidibabygirl

[your-old-sins-tournament]

12 YEAR OLD OCS; SIDE A

Aldara [@kozzax]

I've carried her with me as long as she's existed. Even just doodling her in the corner of a notebook has gotten me through some of my roughest days. She's everything to me. Her story and world have developed so incredibly far from her original creation-- which, for the record, was for a school assignment --but she's always, always been here for me. Yeah, she's changed over the years as I've grown as a storyteller and artist, but the thing about change is that it's not always bad. She's still Aldara, she'll always still be Aldara at her core. When I draw her as a comfort for myself, it's like a piece of me from a time when everything was just that little bit easier has come up to the present and told me that everything's going to be alright. When I work on developing her story, it's a gift to that younger version of myself. A promise that we can grow and develop and change and yet we can still keep the parts of ourselves that are the most important. She means the world to me.

As for propaganda about her, on her own-- she was originally meant to be a "little sister" sort of character. Kind and caring and bubbly and happy, with a naivety that followed everything she did. Her original story had her simultaneously being the protagonist of the story who couldn't read, when everyone else could, and being old enough to have had kids that were stolen from her by her ex-husband. She's never been an active player in the plot, which is now an intentional choice but in my childhood was very much not.

Back when I was twelve, she'd been part of a group trying to free a bunch of cats who had been experimented on by humans, except her group just kind of naturally had magic powers as well. While her powers were never overly powerful, she was always good enough to stand alongside people with far more training than her and who were objectively more powerful than her without much, if any, consequence.

I've refocused her, now. She's kind, still, and she cares about people in a way that a lot of my other characters just don't quite reach. She's still naive, and still a sweet person who lights up any room she walks into. At her core, she hasn't changed. All that's changed is that the world she exists in suits her better, and the role she fills in it makes more sense for her.

I don't think she'll ever change, at her core. Her design changes on a regular basis, but the core concept will always remain the same. Her personality has never changed, not as long as I've had her, besides fleshing it out further. She'll always be Aldara. She'll always have the bits of myself that I put into her when I was twelve, and I'll always love her for that. She's maybe the best thing I ever started creating, and I will always consider her and her story to be a love letter to my childhood self and the way the creativity that poured out of me at that age let me develop into who I am today.

Description: No matter how long I've had her, she's always kept the same set of colors. She's always kept the way her tailtip is colored, and the arrows on her forehead and chest. She's always kept the colors on her wings, though they have changed locations over the years, and she's always kept her ear tufts. While her design may have grown more complex over the years, I've fought hard to keep the essence of what makes her recognizable as herself. I don't want to erase the character that I created when I was twelve. I never want to erase that character. She holds the shards of my twelve-year-old heart, and I will never let myself forget that.

Dan (Hanson Ōkami) [@cabincryptid51]

My trans awakening. I played as him in a Maximum Ride Amino even though I didn't know anything about it! My friend made me join so I could play their love interest and Dan is who I made. He already had a name in the lore but I didn't like it so he ended up having about 20+ secret identities. At some point his evil brother kidnapped, making everyone believe that he was dead and then the role play group stopped. But my friend and I had lore that continued because we wanted to have an arc were he died then came back to life where he would loose his arm and get dragon wings (I have a picture of this but I literally have no idea where it went). Anyway, I love him <3 My silly goofy himbo boy!

[saintsofwarding]

BURIAL

Chapter 12

Come find me, Donna!

A little girl, running through the sunlit garden, her black hair flying behind her as she raced through golden birch trees.

Come and find me!

No. It didn't have to be this way. But it always was. She crushed her hands over her eyes. The yellow flowers were all around, clustering against her, roots twining deep into her skin. Deep, deep inside her, like a parasite.

Don't look don't look don't look.

It squirmed in the back of her skull, spasming in time with her heartbeat.

(It's you and me. Always was! Don't deny it. We only need each other, don't we?)

But it was always her hands, always her that felt it. Always her that did it. She took her hands away. She couldn't help it. She never could.

Claudia stood before her grinning, hands full of flowers, torn up by their roots. They dripped not dirt, but blood, bright and raw and gushing to the grass.

"You found me," she said.

Hands over the eyes. It always has to be this way. And when she looked again, as always, the little girl was gone.

***

"You can never go down to the village," Donna's mother told her. "You set foot past the gates alone, you even think of crossing the bridge, and I'll break your legs myself. I'll take a hammer to you like Lord Heisenberg and break them so badly you shall never walk again. Do you understand?"

She seized Donna by the shoulders.

"She'll come for you," she whispered. "She knows. Who you are, what you're capable of. And if you let her she'll worm into your mind. Like she did when I was a child."

Her eyes fluttered shut. "Bernadette, she called. And I went to her, and my memories after are black pits full of weeping. Years and years and still she has me. I can hear her, even now. She calls to me. She'll call to you. And to Claudia."

The baby slept in their mother's arms. Donna looked at her, the little girl, so precious and so innocent. What did she dream about? What had Donna dreamt of, once, before she became aware of the birdcage world she lived in?

She remembered her parents. Lord and Lady Beneviento in their finery, standing on the manor steps as Mother Miranda came to view the infant. She'd cooed and hummed to little Claudia, laid her clawed hand on the child's head, golden eyes glimmering with something that was almost love.

Donna, hiding behind her mother's legs, had stared up at the Black God's prophetess with furrowed brow, and Miranda's eyes flicked and lit on her.

"Such a serious little thing," Miranda told her. "Don't think I've forgotten about you, Mistress Donna."

Donna blinked. "Forgotten about what?"

"Your potential. You have it. Strong as anything. You carry the blood of the Black God's chosen, child, and never forget. But your sister..."

Still she stroked the baby's head.

"What about my sister?" Donna piped up. "What's wrong with her?"

"Wrong? Nothing. On the contrary. She has great affinity. The greatest." Miranda looked back to Donna's parents, their faces pale and drawn.

"She may prove perfect," Miranda told them.

And her mother gripped her shoulder, so hard it hurt. Later Donna counted the bruises left by her fingers in the bath. One, two, three, four, five.

"You must stay away," her mother warned. "Far away. You and Claudia, always."

Maybe that was why. They leapt from the cliff and Donna screamed and screamed, hiding Claudia's eyes, hugging the little girl as she sobbed into Donna's chest. Later, Donna crept down the cliff path to look for them on the riverbank. Maybe they would be there, springing up between the rocks like marionettes, saying surprise, darling, here we are! It was only a trick!

But she found them, and it wasn't a trick. She gathered their pieces, walked gingerly through the blood. She tried to put them back together but when she was done they didn't look right at all. Some parts were smashed out of shape. Some were missing. Some just...didn't fit. Maybe if she sewed them together, then they'd fit again.

She didn't try. She sat with them, holding her mother's hand. It was one of the few pieces that was still recognizable.

Maybe Miranda had whispered to them. Fly, like I do. Maybe she had wormed her way into their minds and simply unmoored them. Maybe they had only realized they were falling after their feet had left the cliffside.

Either way, it meant there was no one left to protect them. Donna and Claudia, all alone in the big, empty house.

***

Elena moved through the house like a sleepwalker. It loomed around her, a darkened reflection of the real thing, as if she'd stepped through Donna's obsidian mirror and into the shadow world on the far side. Dolls clustered everywhere, on furniture, in corners, sitting at the dining table as if waiting for her to join them, chittering and whispering and giggling to one another.

She heard their footsteps in the echoes of her own, felt their little porcelain fingers plucking at her skirts as she passed by.

She was silent, drawn along as if by a string.

She looked into the kitchen. Donna and Claudia huddled by the stove, Donna no older than nine or ten, tucking a blanket around Claudia's shoulders. They looked like a pair of urchins, clothes ragged, hands gloved, noses red and chapped, crouching over the meager flames.

"I'm cold," Claudia whispered.

"I'll find more wood. Later. Right now, look what I have for you." With a flourish, Donna produced a doll- a crude clay thing dressed in scraps of lace.

"My own Angie!" Claudia took the doll and hugged it. The real Angie sat on the windowsill. Her face was uncracked, her dress clean. A pretty thing, made for a child.

Claudia held the little doll up to the flames. "I wish I could make her warmer."

"Worry about yourself first, Claud."

"Then I wish I was warmer."

"This is just like our ancestors did, a long time ago," Donna told her. "Berengario and his family and apprentices...deep in the snows with the monster wolves howling, crouching in the ruins of an ancient monastery for warmth and protection. They made shadow lanterns with scraps of paper and told stories on the walls. Hands and paper and their own minds, imagining it even as the cold chewed at them."

She stroked her little sister's hair with one thin, pallid hand. They all looked one of a kind, she and Claudia and their mother and their father, cousins bearing the same surname, the scions of an anemic branch. Now they were the last.

"Do you remember what Mama said about Berengario?" Donna asked.

Claudia nodded, fiddling with her new doll's dress. "He cut off his own hand," she murmured. "To feed the starving. So they wouldn't have to go for the children."

Donna nodded.

"Is that what Mama and Papa did? Leaped from the cliff because they were starving, to stop themselves from eating us?"

Donna shook her head. She didn't know how to answer that.

Claudia looked up at her. "Can't you go down into the village? Find more wood for us?"

"No. Remember what Mama said? We don't go past the ravine."

"If...if we only asked for help, maybe Mother Miranda would-"

"No!" Donna's voice was too sharp for such a young child. "No. We don't go to her. We don't ever. Understand?"

Claudia looked away, pouting.

"Ever," Donna repeated. "She'll...she'll forget about us eventually. She will. We just have to be quiet as mice. Can you do that, little mouse?"

Claudia nodded, silent, and even Elena could see the hurt in her eyes, the confusion. The yearning for safety, for an end to the cold. For someone to come save them, someone stronger than her older sister, barely more than a child herself, despite all her best efforts.

"Just think of summertime," Donna told her. "We can go dance in the woods. We can light candles and pretend we're forest spirits."

"...That sounds nice."

"Just imagine it really, really hard. The sun on your skin. Then it's almost like you're warm. If you try hard enough it almost feels real."

***

The dark closed in. Claudia was a child, bright and sunny, laughing in the garden amidst yellow flowers. She raced ahead, pigtail whipping over her shoulder.

Come find me!

***

Elena drifted to the next room. Donna and Claudia faded, and then reappeared; Claudia ran into the room, older, now, and dressed in a lightweight summer frock the color of buttercups, matching ribbons tied in her hair.

"Donna! Look!" She whirled, the dress's skirts flying. Donna descended the stairs, a skinny teenager with black hair drawn into a severe plait. Her eyes widened as she took Claudia in.

"Where did you get that dress?" she snapped.

"Mother left it for me!"

"Mama's dead."

"No! Not our mother. I mean Mother Miranda." Claudia dipped a low curtsy. Donna dashed down the steps and shoved her little sister, hard.

"Hey!" Claudia yelped.

"You're so stupid. Don't you ever listen? Where is she?" "She brought it to the bridge. It's a present."

"You don't accept her gifts. Ever."

"Why not? It's so pretty. She said I was growing up strong." She frowned. "She said I was even more perfect than before. What does that mean?"

"Nothing. She's a liar. If you want a stupid dress, I can make you one. A better one."

"No you can't," Claudia told her, frankly. "You barely have any fabric left. You have to take apart all Mama's pretty clothes to make anything new."

"I can...I can take apart the green velvet robe. You always loved her green velvet robe. Please, Claudia, please." She fell to her knees in front of her sister, gripping her hands. "Please don't ever go to her again. All right?"

"Because of what Mama told you?"

"Yes."

"Mama's dead," Claudia said, an echo of what Donna had just told her. "She jumped and left us. I don't care what she says anymore."

"Please," Donna said. She drew her sister closer. "Please, Claud, please. You're all I have left, you're all I have in the world. Don't leave me. Don't leave."

She pulled Claudia into a hug, her face pressed into her sister's shoulder, her arms wrapped around the child's body, holding her tight. Too tight.

Later, Claudia would count the bruises in the bath.

***

Donna covered her eyes, then peeked, and Claudia was there, face bright with mirth. She took after their father in that way.

Don't look, Donna!

***

The children faded into shadow. The house darkened around them. As Elena climbed the stairs she heard the echo of voices down the halls, through the mezzanine, small ghosts chasing one another in the dark. The dolls thronged around her, more of them than ever. Donna walked from the darkness and back into it, carrying a lit candle. Claudia followed her, laughing, arms full of cut flowers.

Years and years, flickering against the walls. Elena glimpsed it all. Shadow plays and forts built from broken furniture in the attic. Their father's old puppets scavenged from storage and made to chatter and dance. Dress-up in antique ballgowns and paper crowns, festooned with wildflowers gathered from hedgerows and ditches. Scraped knees and lost teeth. Bird's nests and amber earrings. Overgrown gardens and hiding in cupboards to giggle and argue and shush each other, in case the ghosts overheard. A groundskeeper and his family came to stay in the house on the hill, but they rarely saw the two Beneviento heiresses. Sometimes, Donna and Claudia almost forgot there was a world past the ravine at all.

Two young girls, like lost princesses in a fairy-story, wearing balding velvet and ragged satin, little beaded slippers all covered with mud. Somewhere came the rustle of wings; the wind rose and fell, stirring Elena's hair.

"She says I'm ready."

Claudia stood in the darkness. Around her, House Beneviento had ceased to have any structure; it was all cut up and pasted back together at wrong angles, more like an impression of a house instead of the reality. A memory.

There was a small bed near her, and a window, looking out into a starless night. Donna stood opposite, at the door.

"She says it's a gift from the Black God," Claudia told her. "She called it the Cadou. It means present. It gives you powers. Miracles! Like Lord Moreau and Lady Dimitrescu. And Lord Heisenberg. I know you like him. You think he's funny."

"He's not very nice."

"But funny-not-very-nice."

"We talked about this, Claud. We've always talked about this." Donna drew closer. "Why do you want to go to her so badly? It's enough up here, right?"

"It's cold."

"I...I know. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

"I miss them. Mama and Papa." She hugged her arms around herself. "Miranda said...when I accept her gift I'll be in a family again. She'll be my mama and I'll be in her family."

"Claudia, you have a family. I'm your family."

"You keep me trapped up here. I don't want to be trapped anymore. I want to go to the village, I want to dance! And Miranda will let me. She'll give me all the dresses I want."

"I know- I...I wanted the same thing, when I was little. But it's not safe. She's like a witch in that old story. She'll lure you away and trap you in a mirror and use your power for her own." Donna stepped closer. "I'll do anything you want, Claudia. I'll...I'll make you things. I'll find a way for us to get out. We can go through the forest, there's wolves but I can find a way. Just please, please stay with me. All right?"

Another step closer. She held out her hands. "Just say yes."

"She's coming tomorrow," Claudia said, shortly. "I told her I was ready."

Donna dropped her hands. "What?"

"I sent her a letter. I told her I'd made my decision. I want the gift, Donna. Maybe she'll give you one too."

"No."

"You're not Mama! She's everyone's mother. She told me. Inside. In my dreams. I can see it. Everything she promised. She can do that, Donna, and you can't!" Claudia stamped her little foot. "I don't want you anymore. I wish you'd go away! Jump off the cliff like Mama and Papa!"

"Shut up. That's enough."

"I hope Miranda makes you disappear," Claudia screamed. "You know, when I have my power I'll make you disappear. I hate you. I hate you-"

And then Donna was across the room, grabbing Claudia by the hands. The little girl kicked and screamed, but her sister was older, stronger; Donna threw Claudia onto the bed and shoved her face into the sheets- "Shut up, shut up, I'll tie you down if I have to so you can't run to her like the stupid little mouse you are-"

She cut off with a yelp as one of Claudia's heels clipped her on the chin, throwing her back. Red dripped onto her hand.

"You kicked me," she said in disbelief.

"Miranda!" Claudia's scream split the silence. Dolls whispered and whispered, eyes shining in the dark. "Miranda! Help me! Come find me! Come find-"

Elena tasted Donna's terror, bitter in her mouth. Donna was back on her knees, leaning over the girl in the bed. She needed to stop screaming. Nothing else mattered but that she needed to stop screaming. "Quiet," she whispered. "Quiet, please be quiet." Her hands pressed over Claudia's face. The girl struggled and kicked.

Donna pressed down harder, over her little sister's mouth, until she wasn't screaming at all anymore.

***

She buried her alone.

***

The dream washed through her like waves, and receded, and left her.

A flutter of heartbeats, a decade of years. The lives of two sisters, lived alongside them, gone in seconds. Reality smoothed over and settled. Elena drew breath, a sharp gasp of the subterranean air. Donna stood before her, Angie in her arms.

She'd gone back. Elena understood. Gone back alone and by the time she reached the house she knew she had to put it away. Donna Beneviento was a survivor. She'd mangled her own mind to do it. She'd buried Claudia so deep inside herself it was like she'd never died at all. Like it had been another girl's hands that had pressed over her mouth, another girl's hands that had smothered the life from her little sister.

Break the mirror, and you never have to look at your whole reflection again. Elena still felt the dirt beneath her own nails.

The grave, dug in the mud. Hacked out with shovels and then with hands.

The still cold body of the child lain to rest within.

"You went to Miranda," Elena said.

Donna nodded.

"You went to her because there was nothing left. You took her gift. The...Cadou."

Another nod.

"Oh, Donna," Elena whispered. A tear slid down her cheek. "I'm so sorry."

Angie gave a little snort. "Not as sorry as you should be," she said, and flung her arms forward. She shoved Elena right in the chest. Elena, who was right by the edge of the old well.

Elena yelped. She tottered backward. The small of her back struck the lip of the well. No- It opened before her, a black pit into nothingness.

She didn't even scream. She tipped backward and fell.

A plunge through empty air, through darkness, wind rushing in her hair. She didn't even feel the bottom, just a crack of cold through her whole body, and then-

-nothing at all.

A darkness absolute.

Unconsciousness like death.

She came to slowly, with the second realization in a far-too short amount of time that she wasn't dead.

Elena floated in a good foot and a half of water. It had gotten in her mouth; she spat it out, plashing noisily as she righted herself; she was soaked through, filthy, so frigid she felt none of her extremities, her gasps echoing around her in the small stone space. She tipped her head back, but the well's mouth was a circle of black slightly lighter than the field of black around her. A sob tore at her throat, and despair clamped down, overwhelming, worse than the cold.

That was when she remembered the rungs.

A small hope. A foolhardy one.

She could hardly hold onto the first rung. It was only through an immense effort that she managed to lever herself to her knees at all, and she chewed down on a wail as the enormity of climbing all the way up to the gray circle struck her.

You have to, or you're going to die here.

She really would, she realized. Never before had it felt so real, so close. All she had to do was close her eyes and let the cold take her. Not so bad; that's what her pa said, anyway. Not so bad, to let the cold creep in, to let Father Wolf latch his kindly teeth in you. The cold would get unbearable, and then she would grow warm, and she would drift away.

Like going out to sea, like fading into the circle of white light, the window to the world glimpsed through old memories.

Nothing, then. No more revelations, no more hardship. No pain and watching people she loved suffer. No more reliving nightmares of dead children and guilt so profound it split the soul in two. The question of the world would be answered, then, her life drawing to a close with a whisper. And all would stay as it was, except that she had driven Donna to hardship, had put her father in danger. Except that she had made all things worse by her actions. And they would remain that way. For everyone. For herself. And there would be no resolution. No remedy. Nothing good, ever again, nothing in all the world.

She wouldn't be able to find Donna, to see if there was hope for a future together. And maybe she was a fool. And maybe none of it was real. Maybe the thing she loved was a shadow, already fading, already lost.

But, saints. She still had to try.

You're not going to die here.

She held on. Her foot went on the rung below. That's the way. She hoisted herself up. Her entire body shook, but she didn't let go. All she had to do was concentrate on not letting go. Another foot followed, and then the next.

It took what felt like hours, an eternity of shaking and freezing and darkness, but that gray circle grew closer, brighter, and the water retreated, the bottom of the well in the pit of House Beneviento, and when she reached the top she let go at last and spilled over the side, collapsing in a heap on the damp flagstones. She'd never felt anything better. Anything, she realized, going forward, was going to be better than the feeling of falling into that blackness, of lying there looking up at all the nothing above.

Donna...

She was nowhere to be seen. Elena crawled upright. Her shake had grown worse. She only had a limited amount of energy before she gave out entirely. She'd have to be fast. She looked up the steps and-

No, don't think, just do.

They were almost worse than the rungs, there were so many of them, and she couldn't see the end, but at last she was up them and in the doll workshop, in the basement of the house proper.

The air was almost warm in here. She half-limped half-crawled down the halls, supporting herself on the wall, leaving a smear of dark, watery filth behind her. She almost cried in relief when the elevator came into view, its interior light so warm and golden. It splintered in her vision.

She shoved herself along the last few steps and collapsed inside. The up button went click. She fell to her hands and knees, breathing hard, feeling like she might be sick.

Ding, went the elevator at the top.

Someone yanked back the gate.

Elena struggled to her feet at the dark silhouette before her. His beefy shoulders almost filled the hallway, round glasses reflecting the elevator light. Lord Heisenberg? Elena's exhausted brain struggled to comprehend.

"What are you doing here?" she burst out.

"Oh, wow, you look like shit," Heisenberg said. "Miranda sent me. Something about you getting up to some world-class fuckery."

Electricity sparked and spat, leaping from bar to bar on the gate. The chain that had secured Donna and Angie in the front hall snaked from nowhere and twanged, tight as a noose, around Elena's leg. With a wrench and pulse of blue energy, it yanked her bodily off her feet. She hit the ground with a thud, then swooped skyward, the hall spinning upside down.

Blood rushed to her head and she let out a strangled yelp, eyes wide as Heisenberg dangled her by the ankle like a hooked fish. He sauntered up to her, grinning, and cocked his head, bending to look her right in the eyes.

"Where's Donna?" Elena spat.

Heisenberg shrugged. "You should be worried about yourself, sweetheart. Guess what? You've won yourself a free trip back down to the village!"

***

He didn't make her walk, but wound the chain round her body and hoisted her into the air with his power, floating her along with one upraised finger. Blue energy crackled and spat round his body, wreathing him in its eerie glow; Elena's body prickled and hummed each time the sparks cascaded down her chains.

"You don't have to do this," Elena stammered. "I'm not trying to take down Miranda. Just free Donna. She's tortured by her power-"

"Good!" Heisenberg looked up at her. "She's inflicted it enough on others, why not have a taste of her own medicine? You wouldn't think it to look at her, would you? Looks kinda sweet, but she's just as fucked as the rest of us in the cranium." He let out a bark of laughter, pressing his finger to his temple.

"That's...that's the point. She told me about what she did to you...what happened to all of you. It's just the same as what Miranda does to all of us in the village-"

The chains tightened with a crunch. Elena gasped, white trembling behind her eyes. Heisenberg's face had gone still and cold.

"You shut your fuckin' mouth before I throw you off this goddamn cliff," he snarled. "You don't know a thing about it. Whatever the little blackbird sang to you she's a fuckin' liar, just like Mother. Understand?"

Elena choked out a wheeze, but nodded.

"Thought so." The chains loosened. He didn't look at her again, or speak another word, all the long way down the mountain path.

Elena smelled the village before she saw it- mud and bonfires and the smell of cooking, familiar spices bringing tears to her eyes. People scuttled out of the way as Heisenberg threw open the gates from the Giant's Chalice and strode into the village itself, not sparing a glance to the townsfolk dropping to their knees in the snow around him. He'd lit a cigar, and the blue smoke billowed into the dark night sky, the snow descending once again in veils and gusts.

Donna, please be okay.

Through the familiar streets and byways, past yards of goats and children staring silent from behind fences, clutched to their mothers' legs. Elena knew where they were going, and stifled a sob. All of this had gone so wrong. By the time her father's house came into view, she'd begun to shake again, a full-body quiver she couldn't hold back. Heisenberg kicked open the house door and flung Elena through- she smacked the ground and rolled, coughing, coming to a halt face-up before the dining table.

Her father sat at one side, dressed in his best clothes. Andrei sat at the other, eyes wide and shining in the warm firelight. And at the table's head, wings spread, resplendent in black and gold, sat Mother Miranda. She smiled down at Elena on the ground, still trussed up like a midwinter goose.

Behind her, Heisenberg set his hammer against the ground with a clang and leaned on it, expression unreadable. The hearth flames flickered on the lenses of his dark glasses.

"Well done, my son," Miranda said, after a moment.

"Thank you, Mother," Heisenberg said. If Miranda detected any trace of mockery in his tone, she didn't show it. She spread her gilded hands, a giving saint glowing in the firelight.

"You've given me far more than I thought possible, child," Miranda said. "Showed me my control can be...shaken. Showed me there are far fewer believers in the fold than I assumed. Not only you, traitor, but my own daughter, too. Hiding her fears and weaknesses. Hiding her secrets, her abilities. All this time, locking her true capabilities away in that tomb of a house, and herself the corpse at its heart."

Elena's father threw a terrified glance from Elena to Miranda. Andrei began to pray, hands clasped together on the table, Elena's jawbone amulet clenched between them.

"She's...she's not your daughter," Elena managed. She coughed; blood slicked down her chin. She must have bitten her tongue when Heisenberg dumped her on the floor. "You stole her real parents. All of them...stole them from their lives...made them your...your devotees when they didn't want any of it..."

"Do you realize how mad you sound, Elena? Me, steal those who are already beholden to the Black God's protection? I give them the power they were born to hold. The strength they were made to wield! Who would deny that?"

"An unwilling child!"

"Enough." Her voice was ice, and Elena felt it, her own control slipping, Miranda's talons gripping the edges of her mind. She was so strong. Terror slid up her throat, bitter and acid. "We had a deal, Elena. And you broke it."

"Please, Mother Miranda," Elena's father broke out. "I'm begging you. Take me instead. Don't take her. She did this all for me, like you said. Right? She's just being a loyal daughter. And she is. She always was."

He looked down at her, eyes crinkling as he gave her a shaky smile. "Best I could have asked for."

"Hush, Pa," Elena managed. "You just be quiet. It's all right."

"A loyal daughter," Miranda echoed. "Dutiful and true. You're right, Leonardo. She is. So she will understand the weight of a promise, won't she? And a promise must be kept. Or broken."

Gold flashed in the firelight: claws.

Heisenberg bowed his head as Andrei cried out in horror.

Elena could only watch, paralyzed, silent, her mouth open as if she might call out for her father as Miranda's gilded talons closed around his head.

"Forget," she breathed.

There was a wet cracking, a snapping; her father gasped as blood burst from his mouth, spattering the table in a spray of dark red. Miranda's eyes glowed. Power rippled, bitter in the firelit air. Elena's father shuddered; his eyes rolled back as Miranda's talons dug into his forehead. With a curl of her lip, she released him.

He slumped to the tabletop, right in the blood. Splack. Elena's vision shocked white, red, black around the edges. Her father was so still. He stared into nothingness. He was breathing, but- his eyes, what was wrong with them, there was nothing in them.

"A body is a body," Miranda said, "and yet has use. But his mind had run its course. He won't remember you, child." She flexed her bloodied talons. "Never again."

Pa- Elena's voice caught in her throat. She struggled to her knees, but weight dropped onto her shoulder, holding her in place. Heisenberg's hand.

No, let me go- let me go to him, let me put him back together- Like Donna had tried with Violeta, but it could never be put back in once it was gone, could it? Lost, Donna whispered. Lost forever.

"Now," Miranda said. Her voice was a little unsteady, full of a weird, sharp thrill. Her eyes were bright behind the mask. "This unpleasantness could have all been avoided, Elena. What a shame. Heisenberg, where's Lady Beneviento?"

"Fuck if I know. Didn't see her skulking around the house."

"She'll be there. Hiding from me. She won't reveal herself without provocation. Take the traitor and lure her out."

"And her?" He gave Elena a little shake. She hardly felt it.

"Kill her in any way you see fit."

His grip tightened on her shoulder. He was quiet for a long time. Elena's father's blood dripped to the rug. He lay there like a corpse, his brow slightly furrowed, staring at her sightless.

Why couldn't she feel anything? It was like a great silent nothing where just moments before had been a storm.

Come on. Cry. Scream. But there was just emptiness. She wished she could pass out, never wake up. She wished all of this would just go away.

Heisenberg still hadn't spoken. Elena glanced up and found him staring down at her. She wondered, fleetingly, distantly, what his eyes looked like under the glasses. What was he thinking? She remembered what Donna had said about him. A scared child, stolen, cut open, betrayed. No one ever stopped being a scared child, not deep down inside.

"Heisenberg," Miranda snapped.

"Hm," he said at last. "Nah."

Miranda blinked.

"...What?" she said, her voice pure ice.

"She's too valuable to kill," Heisenberg said. "How long's she been up there in the house of horrors? Month and a half? All that time, her brain and system soaking up Donna's acid trip flower juice. Donna doesn't usually let go of her playthings while they're still breathing, but now? Here one is, ready to go! Look at her. She's marinated like a lamb chop. Give her to me, and I'll saw open her skull, get a good look at her internal workings. Fascinating, to see how she ticks when she's tripping out of her mind on hallucinations."

He grinned. "A hell of a weekend, at any rate."

Miranda said nothing, but Elena felt the surge of power, the bitter smell of mold gusting through the room. Darkness snaked across the walls: black, glistening tendrils, roots or veins. The fire extinguished with a hiss. Feathered shadows filled the room, glorious, ghastly, as Miranda rose from the table and unfurled her wings. Andrei pressed his face into his hands, rocking back and forth in his chair.

Heisenberg snapped rigid. He gasped, the sound scraping from him like a knife against stone. Lightning crackled round him, unearthly radiance, underlighting him ghastly from beneath, but Miranda had him. She had him without having to lift a finger.

"Take her," Miranda said. Her voice echoed through the bones of the house, through the depths of Elena's still, cold mind. "Kill her. Bring me Beneviento. Now."

And Heisenberg's hand slid to the back of Elena's head, fingers winding through her hair. He yanked her off her feet and marched her stiffly to the door, shoving her without ceremony back into the frigid night wind.

[pigeonwhumps]

Owner

BBU Community Days: Day 9

@bbu-on-the-side

Someone else

My favourite piece by someone else has to be The Lights by @ashintheairlikesnow. It hit me like a freight train when I first read it, and I can't choose just one quote.

He likes Baldur that way. Likes to be the one who carries him back to the bed.

&

But, for just a second, when the hand first came off his eyes… he had seen only the lights. He had seen only the beauty of the house, and he hadn’t thought, in that second, at all about the ugly days he lives through inside.

&

Baldur stares at the Christmas lights until his eyes blur with the tears he hopes his Sir cannot see and punish him for. 

Oliver Branch is a disgusting, creepy fucker, isn't he?

My own

Most of my owner pieces are for Cass and Aaliyah, but my favourite has to be Transport. It horrifies me how they're transported, stacked on top of each other, the driver driving with no regard for the terrified pets in the back. And poor Lea! It's fairly brutal, and writing it was hard, but I enjoyed it.

Plus, it's Cass' introduction, which always makes things better.

A couple of quotes:

The metal doors of the delivery van slam shut and a few seconds later there's the rumble of an engine as the vehicle starts moving. 785 bumps up and down, hitting the wood with small thuds that disorient her but won't do much actual damage (she doesn't think so anyway). She can hear crying from one of the boxes, and coughing from another.

How many Pets are in here?

&

"That's bullshit! I've never even seen the inside of a WRU centre! This... scumbag kidnapped me and when I wouldn't be his perfect fucking pet he left me in a box on the roadside! I'm not one of your fucking slaves!"

"You know what? I really don't care where you're from. If you think WRU get all their Pets legally I've got a damn bridge to sell you. You're ours now."

&

She can't fight. She's a Pet, she chose to be one, she'll be one for life. She signed up for this. Even if... even if that means she'll be refurbished, forget 065. That's fine. She signed up for it, nothing is her choice anymore, she has to obey. It'll all be good if she obeys. If she fights, it might not be. She's not going to fight. She doesn't have permission or orders to do so.

Unconsciously, her hands curl into fists behind her back, thumbs squeezed around the outsides.

[terrifyingstories3]

daisy has mixed feelings about their birthday. it wasn't until they were twenty six that they learned the date of their birthday, or met their parents, for that matter. being able to have a normal dinner (all things considered) with her parents and learn the story of her birth is one of the best memories daisy has and one of the ones she holds the closest, but it was tainted after things fell apart with her parents so quickly. she'd never truly expected a happy ending where they would reunited and live happily ever after, but it doesn't make their loss, or the nature of their loss, any less painful.

there's a lot of really complicated grief there, but a lot of love and desire to preserve the good memories that she does have and the people she believes her parents once were. all of these conflicting feelings often bubble up around their birthday, and it's not a day daisy has a huge desire to go all out and celebrate.

sometimes she's a little quieter than normal, not for any upset about growing older but because she finds herself grieving what was lost and what maybe could have been. there are times she's angry, but it happens rarely. she'll always carry pain over what became of jiaying and cal, and she'll never forget jiaying's hands drawing the life from her, but mostly she wants to honor the life lost - whether that means honoring jiaying's actual life, the life cal had stripped away when they altered his memories, or the life the three of them could have shared.

a part of reclaiming the name daisy is honoring the family and identity that was lost because of hydra and shield. they do it not because they feel obligated to because of cal or jiaying but because it's a little piece of what they should have had that they can take back, a symbol of the good in both cal and jiaying and the love they had for their child. daisy can't change the past and she isn't the child they expected to have, is so aware of the many ways she is so much more damaged and scarred, but they're critical to her story and who she is all the same. she can carry them with her, and use their memory not to be bitter or sad but become a person more whole, less defined by the void of the family she grew up missing her entire life but never even knew. it's an active choice to choose to embody someone fuller and healthier with meaningful history and use their pain to make a difference to those who are vulnerable and in need.

daisy was never a person who had birthday parties or a day filled with celebration, and thus never a person who had any kinds of traditions for birthdays or any other special day of the year. but she makes a habit of seeing flowers if she can and picking a bouquet for her room, thinking of cal and the flowers he brought her, and will usually have some ice cream in his honor. and she finds a few moments to sit in the quiet in nature and think of jiaying, if she can out far enough that she can safely let loose with her powers. she had such a limited time with them, but she holds the time she did have very close. it's hard to find a lot of downtime to really pursue this, but she's interested in learning more about different chinese traditions, to further connect with jiaying and that aspect of her own identity.

it's a day where she needs some quiet and time to reflect, but also loves to spend with family, surrounded by loved ones, even if she doesn't feel super up to talking.