#story

[journeytomonkiekid]

CH 6 (Momentum) - Page 50 Previous || Next

[write-it-motherfuckers]

Person A: “This isn’t going the way you planned, is it?”

Person B: “Nope, not in the slightest... It’s kind of thrilling actually! Though I could have done without the attempts on our lives.”

[bts-trans]

230327 RM’s Instagram Story

매화와 벚꽃 차이를 이제 알았습니다..

I only just found out the difference between a plum blossom and a cherry blossom..

Trans cr; Aditi @ bts-trans © TAKE OUT WITH FULL CREDITS

[impalalord]

The secret to a good TTRPG/D&D level up:

Have your players create a copy of their character sheet, but leveled up by one at all times.

“Just so I know what to expect when the time comes” you say, “just so we don’t have to waste time to deal with leveling up mid-session”. You are lying.

Level them up two or three times like a normal campaign. Your players might get a little annoyed at your strange house rule, but promise them it’s to help the narrative flow better.

Eventually they’ll level up to be an actually strong fighting force, and make their way to a big boss, be it the bbeg or just a end-of-dungeon tough guy.

Now the fun part.

Beat the everliving shit out of your players, make them suffer for every little thing they’ve done to your beloved campaign. Every poop joke, every “I roll to seduce,” every unwarranted murderhobo moment. Use them as your stress ball until everyone is down or has a trickle of HP. Monologue it beautifully, say things that make them think you plan on killing their characters. Make them panic, make them cry, make them feel remorse.

And then you’ll forgive them for everything.

Maybe the cleric cast divine intervention, maybe an NPC who owed them a favor shows up to save the day. Whatever it may be, you give them their magical girl moment.

In a moment, a warm and blinding light washes over the players and fills every one of them with fresh energy as you hand them their new character sheets.

And phase 2 of the boss battle begins

[simsadilla]

Girllllllllllllllllll- cut the music!

[yridenergyridenergy]

Kyo rehearsing for Petit Brabancon's performance at Knot Fest.

[komatsuyuko]

To miss. 思念是像喝一杯冷開水，然後花上很長的時間流出的熱淚泡滿拉麵。雨天的時候，人們時常流眼淚。分辨不清當思念被蒸發成水蒸氣飄向天空時，能不能把我的想念也一併傳達給你。期望自己盡量不要離曾經的喜歡的自己太遙遠。

rain drop

[161afa1312acab]

[k-evans-reads]

In Living Color

Chapter 17

Summary: When Natalie Marton, lead character designer for Buzz Lightyear, meets the voice of Buzz, Chris Evans, the sparks are undeniable. But when their work pushes them away from each other, both physically and emotionally, will the sheer differences between their worlds be enough to force them apart?

Pairing: Chris Evans x Pixar Animator OFC Natalie Marton

Word Count: 5,217

By: @k-evans-writes and @ourfinest-hour

We do NOT give permission for our works to be reuploaded, translated, or reposted on any other site. Our work is our own.

Warnings: Sexual content. 18+ ONLY. MINORS DNI.

Previous | Main Masterlist | In Living Color Masterlist

December 31st, 2021

Chris watched Nat as she checked the temperature of the chicken, shutting the door of the oven quietly as Mark and Jamie boomed with laughter from behind them. The happy laughter in the room made Chris smile, his cheeks practically aching from how much he’d been laughing and smiling the past two days he’d been up in this cabin in the mountains of Washington. 

They’d spent Christmas on opposite coasts, with their own families back in their hometowns, before Chris, Dodger, Scott, and Scott’s partner flew to Washington to join Nat, Mark, Jamie, and Lauren at a ski town just east of Seattle, tucked away in a large rental in the snowy mountains. He’d missed Nat desperately over the holiday, despite only being separated for nearly two weeks. They’d made the decision together to spend the holiday apart, but it hadn’t made it any easier and instead had only made them a bit more attached to their phones than either anticipated that day. 

But here in Washington, surrounded by their closest group from California, they’d slipped seamlessly back together, evidenced by Chris smacking her ass as she walked by him to open another bottle of wine for everyone. He’d thought the action went unnoticed by the group in the kitchen, with Scott and Steve making a salad by the sink and Lauren handling the potatoes while Mark and Jamie sat at the island and prepped green beans, but a groan told him otherwise.  

“Are we really going to have to deal with this for the next three days?” Mark asked, rolling his eyes as he scowled at the couple. 

Chris’ brows furrowed as Nat smirked playfully at him, her hand tickling his side as she headed back over to the stove to help Lauren. “Deal with what?” Chris asked him. 

“You two being all over each other,” he clarified, waving a hand before he grabbed the pepper from the counter, grinding it over the vegetable. “I swear nobody would even be able to fit a piece of paper between you two!” 

But Nat didn’t miss a beat, even with her back turned and as she sprinkled rosemary on top of the potatoes. “Don’t be crabby just because you don’t have a new boyfriend yet,” she told him, faux-dismissively.  

Scott grinned from where they were near the large window overlooking the snow-covered trees outside, telling the group, “We’re actually spoiled by Chris being… Chris, because that means he can’t really be into PDA when we go out and do things so it saves us.” 

Jamie chuckled as he shook his head, getting up to bring the dish of green beans over to the oven. “Yeah, and at our game nights Nat is too busy trying to make up some ridiculous rule or throwing game pieces at everyone and Chris is busy trying to talk shit about everyone for them to even think about getting handsy,” he supplied, dodging a playful shove from Nat. 

Steve glanced over his shoulder as he washed his hands, pointing out, “Well they’re making up for it now.” 

“Okay in my defense, I haven’t gotten my girl in almost two weeks! Give me a fuckin’ break!” Chris told the group, holding his hands up defensively, but he smiled as the rest of the group laughed. 

Nat turned as Lauren put the potatoes and green beans into the oven, leaning the small of her back against the countertop as she crossed her arms over her chest and told the group, “And Chris is going to be ditching me come February.” 

Chris rolled his eyes, reminding her, “It’s called filming, not ditching.” 

But Nat smirked at him, shrugging her shoulders. “Same thing,” she murmured, laughing as he snaked an arm out to tickle her side. 

“You know, after how many times you ate it on the mountain today, I would have thought it’d knock the sass out of you,” he murmured, his hands stopping as Nat leaned against his side with a happy sigh just before she slipped out of his grasp to check the chicken again.

Jamie frowned, his eyes wide as he seriously told Chris, “Nothing can knock the sass out of her, trust me, we’ve seen her wipe out way worse than today.” 

Recalling that very first day that Nat had crashed into his life he chimed in, “That’s true, I do seem to remember meeting Nat for the first time seeing her slamming into a glass door.” 

He didn’t even have to see Nat as she bent over the oven to know she was rolling her eyes while defending,“I was trying to hurry and didn’t notice-” 

But Chris couldn’t help but cut her off with a playful smirk, asking, “Notice that big door right in front of you?” 

“You know what, Evans?” Nat started with a smirk, pointing the spatula in her hand at him, “If you keep this up, you’re sleeping alone tonight.” 

“By midnight you’ll be freezing and come lay on top of me so I’m not worried,” Chris shrugged with a soft laugh, moving to sit down on one of the barstools at the island.

“I still think my first meeting with Nat was more memorable,” Scott insisted as he washed his hands, turning the faucet off before turning around as he dried his hands. “I got to meet her while she stuck her head out the window of her apartment yelling that she was locked in.” 

Mark let out a loud laugh from next to him at the counter, shaking his head and insisting, “Honestly, that’s not even anything to bat an eye at. When you know Nat as long as we have, chaos is just something you come to expect.” 

“How did you all meet, anyway?” Chris piped up as he looked between the trio. Over the past almost year, he’d come to see just how close the three of them, as well as Lauren and their children were. He knew that they’d all been friends for so long and had become more like family than friends which is something he understood well, knowing just how bonded he was to some of the people in his life that he’d grown up with but Chris finally vocalized, “I think in all this time I’ve never actually heard exactly how other than you all worked together.” 

A soft laugh echoed from Lauren as she peeked in the oven to check on the food before looking over her shoulder, “Honestly Chris, I don’t know that you should get them going. You should know by now that these three have their own little language we’ll never be able to decipher.” 

A soft smile crossed his face as he looked over at Nat, running a hand through her curly hair as she noted, “It’s been so long that I don't think I even remember the first time that I met Mark.” 

“Oh I do,” Mark was adamant as he pulled everyone’s attention to him, his hands resting on the counter as he revealed, “I was helping with the onboarding orientation for the new hires. How old were you? Like early or mid 20’s?” 

Nat’s brows furrowed as she tried to recall exactly when it was, finally remembering, “I was 22 so you were 27.” 

Mark nodded, continuing the story and telling everyone, “Yeah, so anyway I’m sitting at this orientation with probably thirty or so people and in comes this curly-headed tornado who sat down right next to me and she introduced herself, told me that she thought we were going to be friends and then asked me to watch her stuff while she went to the bathroom,” he paused, shaking his head with a grin. “But I guess Nat was right because we did become friends almost immediately.” 

“Jamie, how did you get hooked up with the gruesome twosome?” Chris asked, nodding his head towards the other man in the room with a curious look on his face. 

Jamie smirked, glancing at Nat and Mark with a knowing look in his eyes. “Well I was in a different department but I had met Mark here and there but we hadn’t talked a lot. But one day on my lunch break I walked through the Pixar campus and I saw this girl sitting on a bench unzipping her backpack,” he quieted down as Mark and Nat began laughing, a smirk on his lips while Scott, Steve, and Chris’ faces turned to confusion. “I was just absentmindedly watching and saw a little squirrel hop out of her backpack and run across the grass and up into a tree.” 

Chris’ jaw dropped and his eyes widened in shock, and he turned to Nat as he incredulously asked, “You had a fucking squirrel in your backpack?!” 

“My thoughts exactly,” Jamie murmured as he sat back in the barstool, smirking at the chaos that story caused. 

Nat held her hands up in defense, waiting until the room quieted down to speak. “Okay it actually makes sense though because I saw a little squirrel in the parking garage and I was afraid he’d get killed so I just dumped some of my nuts into my backpack to lure him and then zipped it up when he climbed in and took him out to where the trees were,” she told them, then paused and shrugged. “That seems very normal to me.” 

Chris rolled his eyes as she finished speaking, insisting, “Only you would think that it’s normal to lure a squirrel into a backpack to get it to safety.” 

As the timers began beeping, Lauren grabbed oven mitts and opened the oven to pull each dish out while Nat grabbed the meat thermometer. “That’s not even the part that surprised me about that story. The part that shocked me was that Jamie chose to be friends with her after that!” Lauren laughed, waiting until Nat nodded to pull the dish of the chicken out as well. 

“I just remember making eye contact with her and laughing so hard, then Nat ran over to give me that same crazy explanation and that was that,” Jamie chuckled, grabbing the bottle of wine and salad before he headed to the table. 

“Okay Jamie wins for the most memorable first meeting with Nat,” Scott laughed as he looked around the group, helping carry food over. 

But before the conversation could roll on, Chris put a hand out as he said, “Wait, we haven’t heard Lauren’s yet!” 

“Well Jamie and I’ve been married for five years so these hooligans had already been thick as thieves for a long time,” Lauren snickered as she looked at the three outgoing artists who were bonded so tightly. She accepted Chris’ help gratefully, handing him an oven mitt so he could carry the potatoes as they headed to the table “But my first time meeting Mark and Nat was when Jamie brought me out with them one night and we walked in and Jamie pointed out that his friends were the two drunk people singing a karaoke duet up on stage.” 

At the thought of the memory, Nat hunched over behind her chair with her loud hysterical laughter, dark curls shaking as she pushed out through her adorable laughter, “The worst part is that we actually weren’t even drunk!” 

Mark was laughing just as hard, reaching a hand to point at Nat from across the table as they all sat down and he kept cracking up, arguing, “No, the worst part is that it wasn’t karaoke night!” 

With the lighthearted atmosphere in the room, Chris slipped into the empty chair next to Nat and snapped his fingers and commented with a smile, “Damn I really did think my first meeting with her was special.”  

“Yours doesn’t even make the top ten that I can think of,” Jamie shook his head. 

“It might not be the most embarrassing first meeting I’ve had, but it certainly is the most special,” Chris felt his heart soften as Nat said those words, looking at him with nothing but love in her eyes, holding his gaze for a long moment before tipping her head back as she mused, “God, I can’t believe how long it’s been since that first orientation at Pixar. I remember feeling like I was going to throw up because I was so nervous.” 

“I think I might have,” Mark laughed before he looked at his two longtime friends, asking, “Can you believe how long it’s been since we all started?” 

“I can’t believe all three of us are still there,” Jamie noted, leaning down to pet Dodger who was walking around their feet. “Although I’m pretty sure they’re going to have Nat chained to her desk from here on out so it’s not surprising she’s stuck there.” 

Unsure of the meaning behind his words, Chris tilted his head and asked, “What does that mean?” 

“Right before Christmas they assigned me to my next film already,” Nat nearly groaned as she leaned back in her chair, informing him, “I’m starting on Inside Out 2 right when we all get back from the holidays.” 

Steve piped up, wondering, “Is Lightyear even done?” 

Chris was curious, looking at Nat as she let out a soft sigh, “I’ll be fully done with it in February so I have to work on both for the next month.” 

His brows furrowed as he heard her weary words, remembering their conversation from earlier in the month as he pointed out, “That sounds kind of rough, Nattie.” 

But Nat could only shrug before Mark launched into explaining, “Nat’s just too good that they don’t ever give her a break. She always goes from one thing right into the next,” with a chuckle before he paused to serve Lauren some of the salad. “Once she showed how great she did as lead character designer for Disgust in Inside Out, they’ve just been putting her on as much as they can.” 

While grabbing her glass of wine, Nat muttered, “Apparently they just really want me to have no life ever.” 

Not wasting a chance to tease his friend, Jamie wondered, “Sorry did you ever have one? This is news to me.” 

Not missing a beat, Nat smiled at him and told him, “You can just fuck off.” 

Chris just shrugged before leaning over to bump his shoulder against hers, “After your incredible art show, I think you’re going to have to tell Pixar you can’t work as much because you’re too busy becoming a famous painter.” 

Nat shrugged, her voice quiet as she admitted to not only him, but the group as well, “With the way my schedule is going to be coming up, I’ll be lucky if I even have time to think about painting, let alone do it.” 

Chris frowned at her words and watched as Nat pushed aside her feelings and passed him the potatoes before she dug into her dinner, but throughout the evening, the thoughts lingered in his mind as they ate dinner, cleaned up, then watched a movie with everyone, celebrating with champagne as they rang in the New Year before they all trudged off to their bedrooms in the rental home.

Chris and Nat headed down to the ground floor and to the back corner, closing the door behind them with yawns and sore muscles from the long day on the slopes. The bed was inviting and empty, thanks to Dodger deciding to spend the night with Scott and Steve upstairs, and Chris flopped down on it with a sigh as Nat pulled on one of his old sweatshirts.

“Ugh, I’m so sore! Why in the world did I let you and Scott talk me into going down that huge hill?” She complained quietly, pulling her curly hair up into a messy bun before she crossed the short distance of the room to lay down on the bed with a groan. 

“That huge hill? You mean the one that the group of kids passed you on?” 

“Yeah that one,” she yawned, eyes softening as she sat up against the fluffy pillows. 

“I was trying to show you how to do it!” Chris laughed, a hand coming up to run through his hair as he plugged his phone in and set it down on the nightstand. 

Nat pulled the fuzzy blanket that was folded at the foot of the bed up tucking it around her lanky frame as she rolled her eyes and reminded him, “Yeah, while laughing at me!” 

“Well you looked pretty funny, babe,” he murmured, his hand coming to rest over the blanket on top of her knee, squeezing her leg reassuringly. 

She rolled her eyes but the fond smile playing across her lips betrayed her as she muttered, “Nice to know my boyfriend is so supportive of me.” 

“I’m supportive through my laughter,” he assured her with a grin, smirking as she shoved his shoulder lightly. He laid down on the bed fully and rolled onto his side, facing her as his voice dropped and he confessed,  “I know we’ve only been here a few days, but this has been so great. I’ve really loved this trip.” 

“Me too,” Nat agreed, her voice quiet and soft. “I really missed you over Christmas.” 

“I missed you too, Nattie. It just didn’t feel right without you,” he sighed. He thought it wouldn’t have been a big deal, being separated over the holiday. He assumed the chaos of the big family get-togethers would’ve been enough distractions for them both, but their nearly-constant contact over text and a couple phone calls throughout the day proved otherwise. It hurt more being apart than it would’ve been for him to suck it up and hop on a flight to be with her before the holidays, but he had not expected it. Most of his previous relationships had little to no expectation, especially less than a year in, when it came to spending Christmas together or alone with their families, but both he and Nat had their own reasons to be home. He was gearing up for what seemed to be a long year of work ahead both in Atlanta and abroad, with three projects and two press tours to handle, and Nat, to see her family, baby Jack, and spend time with them alone. 

But he’d missed her. He’d ached to be there with her, to have her by his side as he watched his Ma open up her gifts from everyone, to see Dodger bouncing around with his niece and nephews as they enjoyed the chaos of the morning. He wanted nothing more than to have her by his side, and he wasn’t surprised when he learned a few hours later that Nat was struggling with the same thing. That knowledge both helped and stung a little, but it built up the anticipation even more for their New Years getaway with the group in Washington, to the point that he was practically vibrating as he stepped off the charter flight to see her waiting in a rental car with Mark, Jamie, and Lauren at the airfield. 

Nat gave him a half-smile as her voice softly told him, “We’re going to have to get used to that with the year we have coming up.”

“I guess so,” he sighed, giving her a frown in return as his mind began racing with all he knew was happening that year. He was already committed to those three projects, involving long shoots in Atlanta, across the country from Nat. He knew that once work picked up post-pandemic that it would test them, but it certainly happened a lot quicker than he realized. The year flew by thanks to Nat’s role in his life, making him look forward to everyday for a new reason that he hadn’t anticipated this time last year. But with the reality being that it was about to be 2022, he realized just how long they’d been side by side, nearly inseparable for almost ten and a half months now. “I was going to ask you if you might be able to come out to Atlanta at all while I’m filming Ghosted but from what you said tonight, it sounds like you’re going to be really busy.” 

“Yeah I found out about Inside Out 2 right before Christmas break and I wanted to wait to tell you until I could see you in-person,” she sighed, frowning slightly at herself. Her hand landed on top of his where it was resting on her knee, squeezing it gently before he flipped his hand over and laced her fingers through his own, all without taking his eyes off of hers. “I was really hoping I would have a more relaxed January so we could spend a lot of time together before you leave but now I’m going to be even busier having to juggle both projects.” 

“It’s alright, baby. We’ll still get to spend time together,” he assured her, before he remembered what was on his calendar in early February and he frowned nervously. “Are you going to be able to get away to Palm Springs in February?” 

“That was on the schedule before I was assigned so I still get that time off,” Nat reassured, smiling faintly at the mention of that long weekend away. He knew what she was imagining – just them, phones off, no distractions, one last quiet weekend before the chaos of the year truly began. “I’m sure those couple weeks before I’m going to be swamped though.” 

Chris chuckled, his thumb moving back and forth mindlessly over the soft skin on the back of her hand. “I have a feeling I’ll be bringing you a lot of comfort food for lunch,” he laughed. 

“Chris, I think you should go home for a while in January,” Nat sighed, surprising him with those words. He thought they were pretty in sync, wanting to soak up any time they could before chaos broke loose and they had forced distance between them, but to hear that she didn’t want him out there with her made him – admittedly – nervous and a bit scared. “You know I love to be with you, but I know you’re going to need some time to recharge and be home for a bit before everything. And honestly, I think having you in LA that whole time would make my schedule worse because I’d feel so bad that I’m working so much and you’re there.” 

He nodded, understanding where she was coming from, but also trying to push aside those selfish feelings of even just wanting to be around her. “I want to spend as much time with you as I can, but I do think spending some time at home would be nice,” he finally began, shrugging half-heartedly. “I might head back home once you get busier but we can figure all of that out once we’re back in LA next week.” 

“Having been so busy, and knowing how busy both of us will be this next year, it feels so nice to have this time here. It feels so good to just not have to worry about any of it for a while,” she admitted, the soft happy look on her face warming Chris from the inside out. 

“It really does,” he agreed easily, his hand tightening its grasp on hers. A year ago, he hadn’t even met Nattie yet. He was at home in Massachusetts, where he’d spent the majority of 2020, doing all his work through Zoom and email and riding out the pandemic in his bubble. But now? He was happy. He was sharing his life with someone, someone he couldn’t imagine a future without, and he was excited for what this year could bring for them. “I’m so happy I get to start this new year with you, Nattie. I can’t believe that this time last year I hadn’t even met you yet.” 

“It’s weird to think that one year ago we hadn’t met and this year is so different,” she laughed, arching an eyebrow before she asked, “I wonder what next New Year’s will be like?” 

And at the mention of that, Chris couldn’t help but let his mind wander. He didn’t know what it would be like, his brain for a moment flickering to the worst possible thought as he wondered if there was a possibility they might not be together. But just as quickly as that thought came, it left, knowing deep in his heart that Nat was it for him. He knew just how deep his love for her ran and everything in his brain was looking at their relationship through the lens of them being together forever. 

He wanted everything with her. He wanted to go to bed every night next to her. Have dinner with her every night. Laugh at the same stupid jokes with her day after day. Celebrate holidays together and buy birthday gifts for their nieces and nephews. What it would be like to see Nat holding their own baby in her arms. Take their daughter or son for their first day of preschool. Come home to Nat ruining another one of his tee shirts as she painted furiously by the big windows in their home. He wanted every single moment of his life to be shared with her and he hoped that somehow next New Year’s, they’d be even closer than they were right now. 

“I don’t know what it’ll be like next year, Nattie, but I know I’ll still be so in love with you,” he murmured, his mind racing with snippets of what their future could look like. “I don’t know how I got so lucky.” 

“That’s what I’ve been saying to myself for months,” Nat chuckled, but her smile turned into a smirk as she turned to face Chris, her legs folded underneath her as she looked down at him. “How I managed to have you in my life is something I’ll never understand but I’m not going to question it. I’m so excited for this year because of knowing i’ll have you.” 

Chris pushed himself up, his hand running up and down Nat’s arm as he honestly told her, “I love you, Nattie. I love you more than I knew was possible.” 

“I love you too, baby,” she breathed, pausing to search his eyes. “You’re truly my best friend.” 

The softness in her voice and tears that were glistening in Nat’s eyes showed Chris just how honest her words were. Just as they always did, Nat’s words went straight to his heart, treasuring the fact that she considered him her best friend, because he knew that in every sense of the word, she was his. They could laugh, tease and joke around with each other, but then could switch on a dime to having the deepest and most vulnerable conversation, knowing their feelings were safe with the other person. Chris knew that Nat was always supportive of him, telling him the hard truth when he needed to hear it or helping him see his own faults in things, while validating his feelings in other moments. She helped him grow, pushed him to be better, and made him feel more loved than he ever had felt. 

Nat loved him just for him and nothing was more beautiful than that. 

Their arms came to snake around one another, pressing their bodies against each other’s warmth as their lips connected in the dim room. Chris just needed this. He needed this physical connection with her, unable to hold his deep feelings for her in and judging by the way she kissed him back, Nat felt the same exact thing. He wanted to hold her close, feeling her heartbeat as they kissed, Chris so wrapped up in the fact that Nat was his and he was her. 

There was so much love and tenderness in the air as they both slowly peeled each other out of their clothes, their warm bodies pressed together without a single inch of space between them. Chris swore it was like heaven getting to have Nattie in his arms, loving her in both words and actions and having that love returned to him. It certainly wasn’t the first time Chris had been in love, having had the opportunity to have some beautiful relationships in the past, but it had never been like this and he knew there would never be anything like this again. Nat was his world and he couldn’t imagine it any other way. 

A low moan erupted from Nat’s lips, echoing in his ear when he finally pushed inside of her, giving them each that connection they’d been longing for. Nat’s arms were wrapped around his waist, pulling him down and deeper into her with each slow and sweet snap of his hips. But Chris wasn’t in a hurry, just taking his time peppering her lips with kisses and showing her with his loving words in between each kiss. Nat’s eyes had been squeezed shut, drinking in every bit of this moment, but when those long eyelashes of hers fluttered open and looked at him with such emotion and tenderness, he felt his knees going weak at just the sight knowing that this sensitive, beautiful, kindhearted artist was looking at him that way and nobody else. 

His emotions for her were so pure and true that seeing this woman that he loved so deeply underneath him and hearing her gasp and moan while she gripped his shoulders was just too much for him to be able to handle. Chris could feel himself getting close, each thrust of his hips into her warmth bringing him closer and closer and he could tell by the way Nat was panting that she was barely hanging on too. He brought a hand down between them, rubbing his thumb against that bundle of nerves that had Nat crying out loudly as her fingertips dug into his shoulders and her walls squeezed him like a vice. 

With one more drag back against her velvety walls and push back in, Chris was groaning with pleasure into the crook of her neck as he emptied himself inside her. But as good as that high felt, it was this moment that he loved almost more than anything. This moment of holding each other close, still tucked inside her as they lazily kissed and soaked in the feeling of just being fully connected in every way. 

Nat’s hand ran up and down Chris’ bare back, nails dancing along the skin lightly, causing goosebumps to pop up in her wake. He leaned his forehead against her collarbone and kissed the skin there, wanting nothing more than to just stay here with her forever, protect her as best as he could, and get to step into their future, side-by-side, together. He wanted nothing more than to grow old with her, raise a couple kids, build a life and a home. And as he gently pulled out of her, cleaned them up, and climbed back into bed next to her, pulling her against him as she drifted asleep, he couldn’t help but think, once again, about how much this year flew by. With each passing day, their anniversary approached, and it put them one step closer to forever. 

A/N: Thank you so much for reading!

[rivibaes]

Rivi was originally found out in the woods, lost and alone. She probably wouldn't have lasted long if someone hadn't found and taken her in.

[writerupdated]

Conflict is an essential element of any story, as it creates suspense and excitement and engages the audience.

(via 6 most common types of story conflict (infographic))

[write-it-motherfuckers]

Person A: “What did you do to (Person B)?!”

Person C: “Nothing you can prove in court.”

Person D: “Court? Ah, you misunderstand the situation... We gave up on seeking that particular brand of justice the moment you targeted (Person B).”

Person C: “...Then why bring me out here? You trying to scare me into stopping or something? It’s not gonna work.”

Person D: “Scare? No ...We have a much more permanent solution in mind.”

[bts-trans]

230324 RM's Instagram Story

Photo Translation:

Envy is my strength

After a great amount of time had passed My worn bookmark let this paper fall By then, my heart had built so many factories So foolish, it had so many things it wanted to remember just as they were Like a dog taking a slow stroll under the clouds I never thought I'd get tired, and now I waver mid-air I have nothing but sighs of despair I fix my youth in every evening street with a blank stare Fascinated, I lined up all the days I lived Since no one has ever been afraid of me All my hopes consisted of was envy And so I write this short message here My whole life I wandered madly in search of love Not once did I ever love myself

Trans cr; Aditi @ bts-trans © TAKE OUT WITH FULL CREDITS

[write-on-world]

[pidayforpi]

Small Mouse in a Small Cage

Pinky never knew why Brain would like to take over the world.

He never needed to know, anyway.

He just knew that achievement would make Brain happy.

And he would do anything to make Brain happy.

That's all that mattered to Pinky.

"In this room, there is only you and me

Let us continue singing our song together

Anything in the outside world...I don't have to know about it

...If that's what you wish for"

[Mention of (major) Character Death]

For a genetically modified mouse, Pinky was quite naive.

Unlike others of his kind, such as Snowball or Julia, Pinky harboured no ill will on his mind, nor any idea of an "ill will" was.

He did not grow bitter of the cruel world he was so unluckily born into, nor develop thoughts of vengeance towards the merciless scientists who had experimented on him.

Even after all those electric shocks and drug injections, Pinky never lost that innocent heart of his.

Also retained was his ignorance to the world.

While the others were drafting equations and hypotheses in a computer, Pinky was doodling a sketch of himself on a piece of paper. While they were seeking to travel through waters and the sky, Pinky was more than happy to stay in his little cage. (And why was he still living in a cage, anyway?)

To him, there's no need to travel beyond his home. Everything of the outside world was already within his reach: The lights on the ceiling were the sun in the morning, the stars at night. The tall desks and tables were the mountains, and the huge bathtub the deep blue sea. Everything he needed was already with him.

As for company...Well, Pinky had one and one only, but that person alone meant everything to him.

That person was the whole world to Pinky.

From the moment Brain opened the cage door, Pinky felt his heart being opened as well. When Brain held his hand, it was as if Pinky was touched to his heart.

Pinky remembered that day as if it had just been yesterday. Brain grabbed him by the wrist, leading him away from the laboratory room and out of the building. The two rodents ran and ran, climbing through secret passages that Pinky hadn't even known existed, evading traps which he would have otherwise stepped right onto. They kept running away hand-in-hand, until they stepped out into the open field.

It was a grass field outside of the secret laboratory building, in the middle of a wilderness. The two fugitives lay on the grass field, their chests heaving heavily from their great escape just now. Pinky asked nothing, and Brain explained nothing. They were both too exhausted to talk. They only looked up at the night sky, listening to the surrounding ambience.

For the first time in his life, Pinky knew what the stars were like. For the first time in his life, Pinky learned what cricket chirps sounded like.

But more importantly...for the first time in his otherwise pathetic life, someone had done something nice for Pinky.

The cosmos and insects meant little to Pinky. What mattered that day was Brain. What mattered that night was feeling loved for the very first time.

Of course, if he had shared with anyone about how grateful he was for Brain's "rescue", almost everyone would tell Pinky he was only being taken advantage of. After all, why would Brain go through all the hassle of saving a mouse he didn't even know? Everyone knew Brain was much smarter than that, and the word "sympathy" didn't even exist in his mental dictionary.

Brain might have only wanted a fellow escapee in his jailbreak, or a scapegoat if he was caught. He might have only wanted a lackey in his future plots, or maybe even a guinea pig in his experiments. Others might never know what the cunning mouse was thinking, but everyone always assumed the worst when it came to Brain.

But not to Pinky, for the naive white mouse saw only the kindest in someone's heart, for the worst and the best.

And Brain was the kindest person Pinky had ever known.

"I called you 'father'

While you called me 'daughter'"

After a restful night, the two returned to the construct that was once their prison, only to find the entire building to be abandoned. Brain must have scared off the personnel with his...not-so-pleasant escape plan.

And so, the laboratory they had been so unfortunately accustomed to became their new home sweet home.

Even after becoming practically roommates, Pinky knew little about Brain. He never asked nor answered trivial questions. While Pinky told Brain literally everything about himself, the only things Brain told Pinky was his name, his ambition to take over the world, and how Pinky could help.

And Pinky just took what he was told as it-is, and became Brain's partner in "taking over the world", whatever that meant. Perhaps part of his compliance to something he didn't even know was because he was Pinky: He wasn't the brightest of mice, after all. But a bigger part was because that was Brain: The person who saved him, and showed him what it was like to be "loved".

He would do anything for Brain, whatever it was.

"Because you worry about me who cannot walk

You filled the room with beautiful things for me"

The man-made laboratory soon became fit for two mouse-size residents. There were ladders and stairs to climb to higher places, and even elevators for both cargos and mice. Needless to say, all of the constructs were made by the shorter mouse, whose intelligence and creativity astonished Pinky to no end. Seeing Brain making impossibilities into possibilities always made Pinky admire him so much.

"A red glass

With a blue spoon inside

Along with a pair of yellow-framed mirrors"

When sunlight shone through the windows of the building - whether it be the noon sun, or the dusk twilight - it always illuminated their shared home in an amber sheen. Something as simple as natural light would already show Pinky the beauty of the world.

Such a beautiful scenery would always make Pinky want to sing and dance. If he was alone, he would just sing and dance to himself without a care in the world. That would already make him so calm and happy.

But what would make him the happiest mouse on Earth was when Brain was there. Pinky would offer him a hand and a silly grin, an unofficial invitation to be his dance partner. More often than not, the shorter mouse would be busy with his schemes.

But when, for some reasons, Brain accepted his hand, that would make Pinky feel over the moon. Every time their paws touched felt like the first time, when they had been escaping the facility they now called home. Even if it was just a 1-in-a-1000 chance, it was this rare occurrence that Pinky treasured the most. It was like a lottery, but how much money won from an actual one could not compare to Brain saying a simple, free "yes".

Brain would always be the one to lead, despite being the shorter of the duo. Perhaps the mastermind just didn't like being told what to do. Not that Pinky would care, though. As soon as Brain had said "yes" or nodded, Pinky wouldn't have any more requests.

Under the gentle sunlight, the two mice stood hand-in-hand, their snow white coat reflecting the glittering light. They would dance to Brain's selection of classical music, which would always be played when the mad scientist was working. None of the mice knew much about choreography: Brain had no time to explore such trivial knowledge, while Pinky had no interest to study at all. Still, they danced according to the smooth, soft rhythm, guided by nothing but their little thumping hearts.

At times when no music was available, Pinky would hum his own song. It would always be that one song, the melody of which he heard during his time still in captivity. There were lyrics to the song too, but Pinky could not quite remember. All he could sing was with simple vocalisations of different pitches, which were something taught to him as part of an experiment in learning (not that he knew what he was taught was called "solfège").

His singing voice was the only talent Pinky was proud of himself. Brain would never admit it, but Pinky's voice was something that would always bring a smile to his face. And Pinky noticed that. He knew he was too daft to help in formulating a plan, a formula or an equation. He knew he was too clumsy to assist in an expedition, an operation or a heist. All he could do was to cheer Brain up, with the only thing he was good at.

"In this room, there is only you and me

Let us continue singing our song together"

Every second of those moments felt like heaven on earth. Worries and fears melted away like chocolate in the sun, while sadness and despair washed away like seashells on the waterfront. In those moments, nothing in the world mattered. Just Pinky and the Brain, and that alone was everything to Pinky.

"Anything in the outside world...I don't have to know about it

If that's what you wish for"

Countless days had passed (or perhaps not a lot in reality, but very long in the eyes of a mouse). Brain had drafted and executed plans after plans, made inventions after inventions. The stack of scraped blueprints piled only higher, yet the goal of "taking over the world" seemed nowhere closer.

Brain started staying at the laboratory for longer and longer periods of time. Even if he did go out, it would be only for the preparation or execution of his plans. Afterwards, he would be back in his office, disappearing from the rest of the world.

Away from the working table, Pinky only watched. He could only watch, as Brain grew more elusive day by day. The sight of his partner so indulged in work had always made him feel swoony. Now, however, Pinky's heart was clouded in worry and helplessness.

And a deep feeling of guilt, too.

Pinky did everything he could to help. Anything that would lessen Brain's burden as much as possible: He kept the abode sparkly clean every day. He prepared all the meals from breakfast to dinner. He did every manual labour Brain told him to.

Still, Brain's smile never came back. That smile, so rare yet so precious, was truly gone.

And Pinky could do nothing about it. He hated that he could do nothing about it.

"The dark bedroom, and the scenery outside the window

Those are the entirety of world to me"

From a certain day onwards, Brain had never accepted Pinky's hand anymore. Pinky remembered so deeply, that one time, when he wanted to cheer Brain up with a small dance...his hand was slapped away. It couldn't have been Brain - Brain would never do such a thing - but there were only two mice in the room.

Pinky held his retracted hand, but it was his heart that hurt.

Their feelings became distant, as Brain began working alone a lot more often. When Brain went outside, he no longer brought Pinky along with him. He didn't say if it was out of concern or annoyance, but Pinky thought to himself the latter. It was because of his incompetence that Brain had to work alone, the poor mouse thought.

On days when Brain was out on an expedition, Pinky would stay behind, eagerly waiting for the return of the one he loved. His home never seemed so empty, although what was missing was only a single short mouse. His heart was working fine as ever, yet it seemed as if a hole had been punched through it.

"Although you are always gentle to me

You never tell me about the outside world"

When sunlight seeped through the windows now, not even the noon sun could purge the coldness in the room. Although the bright light illuminated all the fantastic constructs in the laboratory, such a beautiful painting would always be missing something. The music player spun no more, and the abode was a painful silence. Except for the clattering and clunking of machineries, which sounded like gossips and mockeries.

Sometimes, Brain would even be out overnight, much to the remaining mouse's worry. Pinky never doubted Brain's ability, yet the pitch black darkness outside sent his heart racing in anxiety.

And the cries of the crickets filled it with loneliness.

"The trinkets in the room laugh at me

'We are just the same thing'"

In those lonely nights, Pinky began to sing.

It would always be the same song, the same melody, but it sounded different with a sour heart. Under the veil of moonlight, the lone mouse danced and serenaded, to the one he loved. Even if his voice trembled, even if his eyes teared...He never stopped singing.

"Lu Li La Lu Li La, I sing this melody

As if the world outside cannot hear my voice"

Though so far away from his dear Brain, Pinky only hoped the night wind would carry his voice to the one he loved; or the gentle breeze would carry his song to the wishing star above, praying that his beloved one would come back safe and sound. After all, his singing was the only thing that could make Brain happy.

And he would do anything to make Brain happy.

"I will only sing for you

Because that's what I wish for"

In another lonely midnight, when Pinky had fallen asleep after singing his feelings to the moon and stars...his wish was granted.

Brain was there, right in front of his eyes, waking him up. It was much better than any sweet dreams he could have.

Pinky would love to give Brain a tight, affectionate embrace, congratulating him on his triumphant return.

But Brain didn't seem to have the time for that, otherwise he wouldn't have woken Pinky in the middle of the night.

Instead of his usual smugness, Pinky saw something he had never seen on Brain's face.

Fear...?

Brain yelled something to Pinky, but he couldn't remember clearly in his drowsy state.

"I heard from you about the word 'war'"

He also remember hearing some other unknown voices and noises, like angry shouting and hurried, heavy footsteps.

The normally cool laboratory felt somewhat hot, too. And a strange smell was getting stronger and stronger.

Without another word, Brain grabbed Pinky by the wrist, just like how he did when they first met. Pinky would have thought that had been a dream, if it wasn't for how real it felt. Brain frantically brought him to the nearest window, and struggled to open it even with the help of machinery.

Pinky was confused, so confused. Especially when the foreign noises kept getting louder, and the room kept warming up despite the cool night breeze. But he decided to keep silent. He trusted in Brain. He knew Brain would always make the right decision. Whatever the pickle might be, Brain would always come out victorious. He would always come home, safe and sound.

In a split second, shorter than Pinky could comprehend...The window was opened, and he was pushed out of the building.

He didn't have the chance to ask what. He didn't have the chance to ask why.

All he saw was Brain standing on the window sill, getting further and further away from him.

Were those tears in his eyes? Why was he so sad? Why wasn't he coming along?

And...

"Why is the room on fire?"

Those were Pinky's last thoughts, before the small mouse hit the grass field below.

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

"So...this is Pinky and the Brain's lab...?"

"And home..."

"And 'was', I guess..."

"Yes...sadly."

Turning the knob of a burnt door, the Warner Siblings and Chairman Plotz entered their mice friends' abode.

Former abode, now in ruins.

Even though none of them voiced out their feelings - not even the talkative Yakko or the straightforward Wakko - all undoubtedly felt a heavy sense of dread.

"It's...all burnt down..."

Dot inspected her surroundings, the sorrowful emotion in her heart unconsciously being muttered out. She remembered Pinky having invited her (and her brothers) to the lab: It was a marvellous design then, much better than the interior and exterior of the water tower combined. It was almost like a tourist attraction, albeit being a legitimate working and living space.

Now, however, Dot not only mourned the destruction of an aesthetic, but also the loss of someone important. The tourist attraction was destroyed, along with the tour guide. One thing could be repaired, the other could not.

"H-how did this happen, Mister Plotz...?"

Wakko held the hand of his elder brother, his speech demeanour being unusually polite. He could still recognise the remnant of the dining area, where Pinky had once challenged him to an eating contest.

"Yea...How could this happen...?"

Yakko added, although his eyes were focused on the ruined office section. Unlike his siblings, he bonded with Brain more, whom he looked up to as a teacher-figure. How else would he know about the countries of the world? That megalomaniac mouse was more than happy to share the places he wished to conquer.

Chairman Plotz had been hesitant to break the news to three children, but they deserved to know. If there's anyone who absolutely deserved to know, it would be the Warners. They were already the last to be informed, yet had been the closest to the two mice.

"I...I hate to say this, but..."

Thaddeus Plotz was never good with words, and now was even harder.

"...It was an inevitable outcome. No one could have predicted this, but everyone could have seen that happening someday."

He chose his words carefully, trying not to hurt the children more than necessarily.

"Brain had made too many enemies...His ambition in world domination clashed with so much of the others. His plans and schemes angered and frightened so many."

"And when you have enemies...vengeance is something you have coming for you."

"Brain...He had it coming. It had just been a matter of time."

"I'm sorry, kids..."

Chairman Plotz looked away from the three siblings, who were understandably silent. His heart was still conflicted about telling them the cold truth.

Yakko was the first to take in the news.

"But...but what about Pinky...? He...he couldn't have had it coming, too?"

Not the innocent, friendly Pinky. This made it even harder for Plotz to explain.

Luckily, he didn't have to, when a soft singing voice was heard all of a sudden. Everyone turned to the source of the sound, but no one could believe their eyes nor ears.

The mouse in question was sitting on the window sill, carefully camouflaged in the white background until now. His short legs were dangling outside, while his long tail was hanging inside.

It was the same song, the same melody. But he finally remembered how the lyrics go.

"Found in the burnt-down mansion"

The Warners slowly approached the window, tears forming in their eyes.

On the window sill...

"Were the body of the lonely man"

"And a charred clockwork doll"

(22-11-2022 ~ 26-3-2023)

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

So, uh, this is something...

First of all, this is my first time writing about your favourite mouse boyfriends, and I immediately killed off one of them. So...yeah.

Secondly, this was actually quite an "impulse idea". Aside from writing about a new production, you can see I started in November of last year...and almost immediately paused. I blame exam, stress and exam stress.

I only resumed writing in this March, after I finished the Ducktales piece (which had also been an impulse idea but I did it in one go at least). I would say...80% of the story content was written in (the second half of) this month.

Also, after this piece, I plan to finish my WIPs first before starting any new productions (they have been WIPs since 2020 omg). All of them are long stories. And plan, so if I fail to adhere to myself please don't use this against me orz.

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

[Back to the actual story]

Another song fic featuring another song, this time showing my otaku side. Not sure if you may know this one. Or, may at least know the musician.

The song is "Miniature Garden Girl" (箱庭の少女) by Mothy/Akuno-P, "sung" by Hatsune Miku. The (translated) lyrics are the sentences "in quotations and italics".

If you have been a Vocaloid fan since ancient times, you probably will have at least heard about Mothy and/or some of his songs. Some of them are really classics in the Vocaloid history.

This song was one of my favourites from like >10 years ago when I was a somewhat passionate Vocaloid fan. It was quite hard to find a calming Vocaloid track, so this one stuck out to me (also I was a fan of Mothy's productions at that time). The song itself isn't nearly as famous as Mothy's other works (Daughter/Servant of Evil, anyone? Regret Message?), but it is still one of my favourites to this day.

Obviously the quality sounds pretty subpar nowadays. I believe the Vocaloid software used was still more or less a prototype. Mothy actually remastered the song a few years ago, with a more modern Miku voice bank. I will link both versions below.

https://youtu.be/2q1HqQEc4OY

https://youtu.be/DCdLi6z_jmg

[aliyaaaepel3]

When a rose turns black chapter 11

(A rotten fruit from a virtuous tree)

A/N: This Chapter includes mention of bleeding, disfigurement, Child Sacrificing, and stuff, so beware! It’s been a while since I wrote gore and stuff, and won’t be my last <3 Btw; This photo is taken by me ;)

The Queen of Morbidia sat alone in her office, devastated by the loss of her kingdom’s economy and financial resources. One of her councilors suggested loaning from other countries, she found this idea great but she doesn’t want to drown her country in debt. One of the councilors suggested that she goes to a mage and tell her of a magical quest that will benefit her financially.

She found this idea an absolute waste of time, she doesn’t trust mages or sorcery, But that idea gives her motivation to kill Donovan and sell his magical artifacts, Or anything related to him.

One of her councilors reminded her of her pact with King Midas, the second richest man in Virginia, she rolled her eyes in pure annoyance and scoffed.

“Of course, I remembered my pact with that arrogant fool!” She scolded him.

“I know, your majesty, but-“ he muttered, but the Queen interrupted him

“Do not! Remind me of this again!” She warned.

“Yes, Yes your majesty,” he replied.

All the councilors are shocked because of the Queen’s attitude toward the first councilor of hers, they silently disdain the Queen, One of the councilors changed the subject to a different one.

“My Queen, words spread of a different entity that eats children!” The counselor started,

“Ugh, Great! Another monster!” She scoffed, It’s like Donovan alone isn’t enough for her, another monster in the picture is way worse, How can she cope? What if the two monsters teamed up together and decided to fight the queen and her kingdom? That is too much to bare.

“It’s like that abomination isn’t enough! He attacked us, he destroyed our economy and my kingdom is not in a good condition anymore!” She grumbled she hates everything and everyone now, she even hates King Midas more.

“Your Majesty… don’t be negative, you know that most monsters do not want rivals or competition in their place,” One of the councilors pointed out, there is some truth to his statement.

“I guess you’re right,” She consented, they are right she should be positive not negative about life.

“Your Majesty, I heard that new entity only hunts Near Khÿeroma’s villages only!” One of the councilors told.

“That’s such a relief! Our Kingdom cannot bare any more problems” She breathed.

There was a hastily knock on the door, the Queen commanded them to enter.

“Enter!” She commanded.

A maiden came, “your Majesty! It’s King Midas, he is here” the maiden said.

“Good, I will come immediately!” The Queen muttered, and the maid left to do her work.

The Queen excused herself and left, as well as the councilors.

Most of the councilors are tired of the Queen, they hoped that she will soon die and her daughter rule instead of her. But, they cannot afford to show their secret perspective about the Queen, they cannot afford to let their dark secrets slip into the light. They thought that this incident would teach her something but it didn’t, she never changed, she was still the same old Queen Elysia, and nothing changed about her.

They still remembered her father, King Xavier, the kindest and wise king of Morbidia, A King who is not going to be repeated in history. But they quoted the old saying “ there is a bad seed in a virtuous tree, or, A Rotten fruit from a virtuous tree” King Xavier was Kind and wise, but not his daughter, A shame to his legacy.

If anything, There are rotten fruits from virtuous trees.

Some say children grow up to be like their parents, Wise, Righteous, and Kind-hearted, But not all children grow up to be like their fathers. Not for Ashure Ro’bey. The infamous Mage of Omenvalley.

Ashure mind’s drifts into a deep dark place, where his sick fantasies appear, Money- that’s all he thinks of Wealth, anything that he did not have as a young man. Anything that his father had taken from him to earn by working.

It never crosses anyone's mind that Ashure is a rotten fruit from a virtuous tree. Just like the case with Queen Elysia. Both are rotten, and both are bad, but their parents were good people.

Borēm, one of Ashure's best friends and personal assistant, he gave him a dagger, that is only used for sacrificing. Borēm, A Powerful mage himself has doubts too. He knows what they are doing is unforgivable, But the love for wealth and fame had blinded their eyes and their hearts. It’s such an unfortunate thing when people value money over someone's life.

Ashure Took the dagger, he looks into it. He remembered using it too many times in sacrificial rituals only. He took such sick pride in doing it too many times, even though, he didn’t earn anything for it.

But this time he will, or as he thinks so, it is nighttime in some desert area, the place is dark and eerie, and it didn’t help to ease the cries of the children That Ashure Kidnapped a while ago. If anything, they weren’t calmed at all.

The place is dark, creepy, and scary, With a huge altar sacrificial for these children. A place these horrible mages chose to be the last resting place for these poor souls.

“Please... S-Sir.. let us go” the children begged

“Hehehehahaah” Ashure only laughed at them.

“Sir… please.. we beg of you... let-let us go!” the children begged again but their pleas weren’t enough to spare them from such a fate.

“No” Ashure simply replied to them, then he motioned for Bōrem to bring them, so they can start the ritual.

“Ahhhhh. No.. no.. please sir.. no” the children cried, If only can someone hear them.

But alas, it was only a mere second and they were silenced forever, Ashure used his magic to grab them and put them on the altar table. To begin the rituals.

Ashure precisely had cut the arteries of their stomachs, necks, and their hands, Ashure, and his friend can hear the children scream in pain and agony, but they didn’t care at all, the bloodstreams were in the place like a river. In quick seconds Ashure had drawn some runes symbols on their bodies while muttering a language only the mage can recognize it. The blood still runs under them, it didn’t stop until it turns black and thick, The sand quickly absorbed their blood. Leaving only faint spots.

Arlem, the leader of the guardians that guard the underground treasures, every time, he remembers these mages doing a ritual he laughs at them. Because they can’t do it right, they can’t find the right child to sacrifice, and that child must be a “Zoris”, or otherwise, it won’t work at all.

“Ah! Ashure, reminds me again how many times you did this ritual?” He mocked them.

“Laugh all you want! But the treasure will be mine!” Ashure shot back.

“Ha! Keep dreaming!” He mocked again.

“So… you are saying the sacrifice didn’t work?” Bōrem chimed in.

“What do you think?” Arlem cruelly cackled at them

The two mages stand there in utter silence, They just sacrificed two lives for nothing at all, and the disappointment that washed over Ashure is showing. But he deserves it for doing such terrible things, if anything, this is too little compared to what he did, and what he deserves.

“Next time, please understand the context well, so that you won’t waste my time again” Arlem advised, then he left them.

“Ah damn it!” Ashure Cursed, Anger, and disappointment are showing in his voice.

“Calm down,” Bōrem told him

“I’m Calm!” Ashure declares angrily.

“Welp, If you remember; We have bigger problems at hand,” Bōrem started

“Oh yes,” Ashure muttered.

“Raqoul. We must get rid of him,” Bōrem added.

“Indeed,” Ashure replied.

“Let’s go to find a solution to this problem,” Ashure suggested, then both of them left.

Today is the day that Hadi Aepel return to his family, he missed them so much, it has been two weeks since he left. But he can’t wait to return home to his family.

Hadi finished packing all his possessions in the bag, He is now ready to leave with his friends for Al-Jahra, His hometown. He is coming home. Coming to the place that shaped him, the place he grew in with his parents. The place where the spark and love are.

It will take three hours from here but he doesn’t care, he will walk all these three hours, To return home.

“Hey! Guys! Are you ready?” A man called.

“Yes, I am ready,” Hadi replied, looking at his shoulder, He saw his friend packing their bags.

“Give us a minute!” Nadeem answered the man

“Okay,” The man said

Hadi Inhaled a large amount of fresh air and then exhaled, after he freshened up, he started to walk with his friends.

All the men are now ready to leave the camp, they left in groups on the journey to reach their hometown. Al-Jahra City.

He missed his home and his family so much, he can’t wait to see them, As they do too.

When someone thinks of a monster, they will think of an ugly scary-looking beast with huge teeth, But that’s not the case for Donkey Lady.

The Donkey Lady is a beautiful young woman with long black hair, fair skin, and light brown eyes. She resembles most of the girls in Virginia. But that’s not the case, she is a monster, a child eater, a servant of the devil donkey patron.

The Donkey Lady, unlike all monsters who love to hunt at the night, she hunts in the afternoon. Normally due to the hot temperatures in the afternoon. She picks her victims very carefully.

And, one of her victims today is two persons, A woman, and her freshly-born baby girl.

Donkey Lady had been investigating the situation of her would-be victims, she saw a young woman carrying her baby girl, the woman’s husband always leave for his work. Leaving them vulnerable to monsters or killers.

Donkey Lady changed her form into a young alive woman, she was in her undead form. But now, she isn’t. She Gracefully walks to the house where she intends to kill the owner in it.

She gently knocks on the door, and moments later a woman opened the door.

“Hi! Can I help you?” A woman beamed.

“Yes.. yes... Actually! I’m new to this city.. and..” Donkey Lady answered.

“And?” The woman repeated.

“Well... I just want to know where the market is!” Donkey Lady lied.

“Oh.. sure! Do you see those huge palm leaves? The market is on the left of them,” The woman replied, as she gave her the directions.

“Thank you!” Donkey Lady uttered then she walk away.

The woman noticed something strange about this woman, something that made her blood runs cold, she noticed that the woman has donkey-like legs, so she hurriedly closes the door and prays that she won’t come again.

But that didn’t happen.. because the same woman with donkey-like legs came again. The next day. She came again asking the same question. “Where is the market?”

The woman answered the same as the last time, “it is near those huge palm trees”,

The donkey lady leaves again, and that woman and her baby are scared to death. But the woman decided that she won’t be silent anymore, she told her neighbors of this incident, She gathered people, neighbors, family, and such, to tell them what she encountered.

“You have to believe! It is real! I’m not imagining or anything!” She pleaded.

But their response was only a deafening silence. They only gave her looks of pettiness and she is insane glares.

The woman knew that she and her child are in danger, but no one believed her or even wanted to fake believing her. She felt letdown, Everyone failed her. It is really cruel and painful when you see something and no one believes you, not even one person believed her.

they didn’t believe her, even her husband didn’t believe her. That made her devastated and sad, no one believes her, and that means no one can protect her now.

On the third day, the Donkey Lady decided that she had had enough of those mind games, she will feast today, she will eat that baby and she will enjoy such a lovely, tender meal.

She used her donkey-like ears to hear the sounds, what her ears caught is the sound of a baby crying, she knows it is the child of that woman, whom she asked where the market is.

“Ooh.. what a lovely tot!” She mused as she spins around gracefully.

“I will enjoy today~” she creepily whispered.

The donkey Lady left again to that woman, her new victim, She gently knocked on the door.

She knew that the woman is inside, but she didn’t open it for her, because she is deathly scared, Scared of her.

The Donkey Lady knocks on the door again, but there is no answer, she knocked thrice, and the last time she knocked on the door.

The donkey lady had enough now. She used her magic to open the door, it opens gently and soundlessly.

The woman was hiding under the bed, she tried to get her baby to stop crying, but she couldn’t, she is crying and crying, the mother's heart is breaking from sadness and pain, she can’t take this anymore, her heart is swelling with sorrow. She prays that someone helps her, but no one answered her prayers.

“I know you are here!” She softly says, walking near the bed, She lowers her head to see them.

“Noo nooo. Please.. please.. no.. let us go-“ the woman wailed, as she hold the tot between her arms, Her tears flood non-stop, Begging for mercy and mercy only.

“Shh... I will give you a painless swift death~” The donkey lady whispered, With a quick move of her hand, she plunged it into her chest ripping her heart out and squeezing it until it breaks and turns into dust.

The mother's corpse fell lifelessly near her baby, the baby kept crying, not knowing that her mother had just died.

“Shhh~ Beautiful thing~” Donkey Lady whispers,

Donkey Lady had scraped the woman’s face, her cheeks were bruised and bleeding, she licked the blood, enjoying it’s taste.

The baby kept crying, giving the donkey lady a thrilling, sick sensation she enjoyed to the core, she bears her fangs to the baby girl who is crying, she gently hold her as she took a bite of her cheeks, leaving a bloody gaping hole on her cheek, she munches it, she smiles as she enjoys the tender flesh of the baby, in all likelihood, if a killer had seen her, he would hate the moment he killed. She looks beastly, otherworldly, And sure, she is an abomination.

She took another bite from the cheek of the other cheeks, and the child wept in pain, but the donkey lady decided to silence the child, she sucked the child’s life essence hastily, and as the child crying died down, she finally sighs and kept feasting on the poor baby.

If only the walls can talk.. rather than just be a silent, dirty witness splattered with blood, a silent witness of this bloody hunting...

Raqoul hates everything and everyone now, Lucifer had just survived one of his ambushes, which made him boil with anger and hatred, Soon, Lucifer will fall on Raqoul’s ambushes, and he won’t survive them.

He couldn’t get why some humans love lucifer, he just can’t fathom why they love him, Lucifer betrayed Souma, the first godfather of all demons, and Lucifer killed him by poisoning his heart and taking his place. Raqoul.. will one day resurrect Souma and they together will rule the realms. He kept thinking and thinking until someone came to annoy the crap out of him. It is his half-sister. Vamonessyia.

Vamonessyia came to Raqoul, she is wearing a red seductive, short lace dress. She is beautiful, but Raqoul isn’t interested in the slightest in her, She is as he calls her “abomination” a half-Lucifer blood half-Souma blood, she is a succubus, an evil spirit, who feeds on men's life essence.

While Raqoul is a demon of desolation, he feeds on people's misfortunes, tension, fears, and Chaos. He feeds on a lot of things, especially people’s Chaos, His birthright, something linked to his name, and that is Chaos.

“Brother-“ She started, but Raqoul interrupted her harshly.

“What! You abomination!” Raqoul harshly interrupted her.

“Brother~” she whispered to him.

“I’m not your brother,” He dryly reminded.

“Eww, you are so cruel” she replied, as she faked hurt in her tone, she loves mind games, but sadly, they don’t work on Raqoul, not even one bit.

“Go away,” He dismissed her, Then he looked at his huge mirror to spy on his enemies.

Vamonessyia only gives the reaction “meh” and then she left to find new victims, she can feed on their life essence, and She will soon find them.

Raqoul didn’t care about her being happy or annoyed, he just doesn’t want her near him ever again, he soon forgot that she ever existed and kept dreaming about what if Lucifer died. What will happen? Will he be the new ruler? Or he will resurrect Souma to take his place again on the throne. A lot of questions raced to his mind. But he kept dreaming, about the day of his victory over Lucifer. The pretender, the betrayer, and the vilest creature ever.

If only.. it is a dream comes true.. but. Some dreams must die, Forever.