#these one seemed perfect to try more vibrant colours

[hils79]

Illusion

Favourite moments in every Ateez MV 7/?

[dreamescapeswriting]

Blooms Of Serenity ~ BC

WORD COUNT: 1.7K

GENRE: comfort fic, chan being very sweet and comforting toward a reader who has had a hard time with their anxiety/panic attacks lately, cute boyfriend chan, NON IDOLVERSE, established relationships

PAIRING: Chan x Fem!Reader

⤜Copyright: © DreamEscapesWriting - February 2024

⤜MASTERLIST

Sliding out of the seat carefully you held your hand out to Chan who was still refusing to let you take off the blindfold he'd put on you about an hour ago. Part of you was a little sad he'd refused to let you see, you loved going on night drives with Chan since you'd spend all of your time looking up at the stars that were scattered across the sky it was one of your favourite things to do.

"Are you going to pout all night?" Chan whispers in your ear, his breath catching on your skin making your whole body shiver. 

"No, but I'll stop sooner if you let me see," You giggle trying to tempt him but it wasn't going to, Chan had been working on this surprise all week long and he wasn't going to ruin it now. 

In the heart of a packed city, where life echoed everywhere and it didn't matter how far you went you'd still hear the sounds of car horns or people yelling there existed a small haven of tranquillity known as the Serenity Garden. After extensive googling, Chan had managed to find the little slice of heaven for you.

Its charm lay not only in its lush greenery and vibrant blooms of flowers but also in its ability to soothe troubled souls. And it was here that Chan decided to bring you.

The gardens were said to be completely silent, breaking away from the hustle and bustle of life which was exactly what you needed right now.

As Chan stepped into the garden, the air seemed to change, becoming lighter, and more fragrant and turned his attention to you, his hands shakily taking off the blindfold as he studied your reactions. As soon as the blindfold was off and your eyes had adjusted to the light your once tense shoulders relaxed slightly as you took in the sight of the colourful flowers swaying gently in the breeze. The place looked like something straight out of a fantasy romance book.

"Chan...Where did you even find this?" Your voice barely came out as a whisper as you walked further into the gardens, being careful of the flowers as you strolled.

"I'll never reveal my secrets,  Google did play a huge part," He winks at you playfully as he smiles to himself. He was pretty proud of his find and happy with himself that it seemed to ease you, even if just for a little while.  

Your eyes were still busy trying to take everything in, the garden stretched out like a patchwork quilt, with winding pathways meandering through lush greenery and colourful blooms. Huge trees provided perfect picnic spaces underneath them.

"This place is...beautiful," Your voice cracked a little as you turned to look back at Chan, who had a giant grin on his face.

"You needed time away from everything, so I found a small home away from home," He smiled, taking your hand in his and kissing it softly before making his way through the garden with you.

Every corner of the garden held its own enchantment, there were clusters of roses in shades of pink and red, and beds of vibrant tulips that swayed gracefully in the night breeze. There were even patches of wildflowers dotted around the landscape, something you truly never thought you'd see in person. 

"This is like something from a book," You whispered to Chan, somehow it felt wrong if you were to speak too loudly, like somehow you would disturb the peace that was around.

"I knew you'd love it," He chuckled softly, taking you toward the centre of the garden where a majestic water fountain was sat. It was a marble basin adorned with intricate carvings that all depicted mythical creatures and flowing vines. The water trickled from the spouts filling the night air with the sound of cascading water.

"I love it and you," You told him as he carefully sat down on a brick bench that was sat in front of the fountain. 

"I love you too, this is your sanctuary," He told you as you carefully sat down beside him, smiling and letting out a sigh of relief as you just let the world be.

Sitting there amidst the blooms, you felt a sense of peace wash over you, a welcome respite from the storm raging within your mind. But even in this serene setting, the echoes of your anxiety lingered, threatening to pull you back into its grasp.

As if he could sense your distress Chan wrapped his arm around your shoulder and pulled you closer to him.

"I'm here, Yn," He whispered softly, his voice soothing your frazzled nerves as if like magic,

"You're not alone." You leaned into his embrace, finding solace in his presence, something you'd always managed to do with your boyfriend. There was something about him you couldn't quite explain, something you never thought could be possible but he calmed you.

He made you feel safe and secure whenever you were together, safe enough to let your mind go blank as you just relaxed against him. Sleeping next to someone had never been easy for you before but with Chan you always found yourself able to fall asleep with ease and even sleep through the night. Your body trusted him.

"Just close your eyes and let it be," Chan whispered, you closed her eyes, letting the sound of the water fountain and the sweet scent of flowers envelop you like a protective cocoon, Chan's strong arms around you helping all the more. With each breath, you felt the tight knot of anxiety within your chest slowly begin to unravel.

"Listen to the leaves." He said, his breath warm against your ear as you kept your eyes closed.

"Each one carries a message of hope, reminding us that even in the darkest of times, light is always there to be found." Chan pressed a gentle kiss to your temple, his hands gently running up and down your arms as you felt a lump in your throat beginning to form.

"You're stronger than you realised, Yn." He continued, his voice filling you with hope and confidence.

"You've faced so many challenges before and you've emerged stronger every single time...You have the courage and the resilience to overcome this..." He stilled his hands before moving closer to your ear,

"I believe in you," He whispered as your tears began to flow, you turned to bury your face in Chan's chest and he smiled weakly.

"I know it's hard," He told you as his arms tightened around you.

"But you're not and never will be alone in this. I'm here for you, every step of the way." He tells you as you snuggled closer to him.

"We'll face this together and we'll be stronger on the other side." He promised you, and you knew you could believe him, you just knew.

As you sat there, wrapped in each other's arms, you felt a flicker of hope ignite within you, a beacon of light in the darkness you'd been consumed in for days. With Chan by your side, you knew that you could weather any storm, and conquer any fear. Together you'd be able to emerge from anything victious.

"Thank you, Chan...for everything," You sniffled a little and Chan smiled using his hands to gently swipe away the tears that had fallen.

"You never have to thank me for something like this, I just want you to come to me in the future." He told you as you nodded, cuddling into him and smiling warmly.

After a few hours of sitting there, enjoying the night sky and the sounds of water you knew it was time to head home but there was something different. It felt as though there was a renewed sense of purpose coursing through your veins. You knew that the road ahead would be filled with challenges, but you also knew that with Chan by your side, you were going to be able to face anything that came your way.

In the days that followed your visit to the  Garden, you found yourself leaning on Chan more than ever, which he was adoring every second of. All he ever wanted was to be there for you, it was part of being a boyfriend he was supposed to be there to support you in times of hardship. He became your rock, your steady anchor in the tumultuous sea of emotions. With his unwavering support, you began to face her anxiety head-on, armed with newfound courage and determination.

The two of you had developed different coping mechanisms that would help you out whenever your mind would become stormy. You took walks to the park almost every other night, leaving your phones at home and just walking hand in hand, breathing in the crisp air as you tried to let things go. Throughout every single part of it, Chan had been there, a constant source of love and encouragement, never once letting you go through any of it alone just as he had promised.

Through everything, Serenity Garden was your sanctuary, a place of refuge and where Chan would take you when everything would get too much again. You both returned to it often, seeking solace amidst the flowers and fountains and every time you came back you felt a little lighter as if the weight of the world was lifted from your shoulders, even for a short time. The two of you were back again tonight, cuddled together on the brick bench, surrounded by the gentle melody of the water fountain and the fragrant embrace of the flowers. Chan had his arms around you, pulling you close to him as his arms were a comforting shield around you.

"I love you, Yn," He whispered, his voice soft but fulled of unwavering sincerity. 

"I will always be here for you, through the good times and the bad." Tears threatened to spill from your eyes as you stared up at him, overwhelmed by how much Chan truly meant to you and how deep his love went for you. At that moment, you knew he was absolutely your soulmate, your partner in life's adventures.

"I love you too, Chan." Your voice choked with emotion/

"Thank you for being my rock, for never giving up on me even when I felt like I was giving up on myself." Chan brushed a gentle kiss across your forehead, 

"I'll never give up on you and I'll never let you give up on yourself," He whispered to you, kissing your forehead one last time before you sat there, wrapped in each other's arms, your love burning amidst the tranquil beauty of Serenity Garden and you felt peace completely wash over you.

@chiisaiblog @sw33tnight @kaitieskidmore97 @laylasbunbunny @stayconnecteed @saymyspringrain @toplinehyunjin @katnisspeetaprim @acciocriativity @just-aelia @choisoorin @straykids5star @midnightfrog625 @beccaskz @scarletemeterio @halesandy @junhannies @gothic4under4lord @lixie-phoria @soulphoenix1618 @aerastus @jin-from-the-block @lensfilm @elizaschuyler18 @piratequeen-impact @kpopsstuffs @chaeyoungs @delulu18 @xyahrinx @katsukis1wife @anthropologymajorkpopmultistan @blairscott @4-chan-inpadella @niktwazny303 @moonlight-the-writer @armystay89 @hadassahchan @yxngbxkkie @myyouthdonut @extrhotjne @ca11me3mily @elissasimp @xakx @sleepb @kittymaryam-thebrowniefairy @kpopmenace143 @minhosify @loveforred @b1nn1e-1s-cut3

[fieldofdaisiies]

Falling

ship: Eris x Nymph! Reader type: fluff word count: 1,4k warnings: one curse word summary: the bond snaps in place between the High Lord and a nymph

"Just like the leaves in autumn I am falling for you." 

The first time you met, it was so fleeting, so quick he almost thought he was dreaming. Eris, trying to strengthen the connection between Spring and Autumn, has ridden into Tamlin's court, hoping to get a chance to talk to the High Lord. He was riding through a large forest with looming, weathered trees when soft giggles caught his attention. He slowed his horse and looked around him, and suddenly saw you — you were bathing in a lake, happy and free spirited, splashing around yourself. 

He knew in this moment that you were the most beautiful female he had ever seen, stunning and breathtaking. But it would have been out of place to talk to you then. All your clothes seemed to be discarded on the riverbank. He would invade your personal space and that was not like him. 

So, he rode on, and met with Tamlin, yet his mind wasn't fully focused, his thoughts mostly with you. 

A short time after he saw you again, this time collecting herbs, but he was late for his meeting with Tamlin and once again did not talk to you. But one day, luck was on his side, and he got a chance to talk to you. You captured his eyes with your beauty, your heart with your character and he fell in love with you in this very moment. And it wasn't much different for you — it was like thunder struck you, the High Lord was so beautiful, so breathtaking, he robbed you fully of your rationality. 

There was only one problem, one obstacle — he was High Fae, a High Lord, and you, you were a Nymph. He told you he did not care, and he truly didn't, but you did not find yourself worthy of being with someone like him. You were considered lesser than lesser way, scum ist what some people called you. What would the people of the Autumn Court think, if you were with their High Lord?

But Eris did not care, he fought for you and for your love, he was eager and he was not going to give up and so he mentioned to convince you to meet him in the Autumn Court. 

He wants to show you his court and reluctantly you decide to follow his invitation, still unsure of the future, of a future with him, but the feeling inside of you, the pull towards him is too strong, your rationality helpless against it and so you follow your heart and soul, letting the forest, your homeland, guide you to him. You follow the chirping of the birds and the sounds of nature, becoming one with the forest around you until you cross the border to the Autumn Court. 

The colours seem more vibrant, no more rich, lush green leaves, they are replaced by red, orange and yellow tones. The air is a little cooler, more crisps here, yet not unpleasant. You find yourself marvelling at the colours, the sounds, your finger tips brushing over the leaves as your bare feet walk over the in pine needles covered ground. 

"You came." There is a radiant smile on the High Lord's face, his style immaculate, dressed in a dark green jacket, his red hair tied at the nape of his neck. "I am so glad you followed the invitation."

You curtsey as you tell him your greetings, grinning. "Thank you for inviting me."

Eris extends his hand to you, and carefully you take it, fingers curling around his broad hand. "Let me show you my court then." 

You start to the set out for the deeper part of autumn forest, colourful leaves starting to fall all around you almost like they are reacting to their High Lord. 

The air smells fresher and more earthy they further you walk into the forest. No conversation passes between you, you are too occupied with marvelling at the beautiful scenery, your whole attention captured by it. A gentle breeze brushes against your skin and sunlight peeks through the trees above It's a calm day, perfect for your stroll. 

"How have you been?" Eris asks, his voice soft and kind. 

You turn to him, glimpsing up at him. "Quite good, I was really looking forward to this day."

His thumb swipes over the back of your hand, and his head turns to you, smiling. "Me too. I was counting down the days."

"Eris, I—" "I don't care that you are a Nymph. I have never met anyone like you. I have never felt anything like what I feel for you. You are a Nymph and I couldn't care less."

You smile, cheeks turning so rosy. "You are too good for this world." He chuckles, but it is rather cold, almost like he thinks you are mocking him, that you are joking. 

"I am—" "Yes, you are." You vehemently nod your head, trying to make your point clear. You begin to walk a little faster again, wanting to see everything possible. 

The High Lord can't help but steal glances at you, admiration and adoration sparkling in his eyes as they trail over your features. 

Your feet might be bare, the ground cold, but Eris' presence, his warmth, warms your own body and brings you comfort — comfort you have never known of before. 

After a long time of walking, you arrive at a clearing bathed in dappled sunlight. You stop. Eris takes both your hands into his, and turns to you. He takes a deep breath, inhaling the crisp autumn air, trying to summon the courage to speak what has been on his mind since the first time he saw you. His eyes lock with yours, and the around you seems to fade into nothingness. 

"Y/N," the High Lord begins, his voice soft and filled with vulnerably, "there's something I've been wanting to tell you for a long time."

Your heart quickens, your eyes wide with anticipation. You have an inkling of what it might be, and even though you still find yourself unworthy of his love, you want nothing more than to hear it. 

"I love you," Eris declares, his voice full of sincerity. "I love you with all my heart and that since the first moment my eyes fell on you. I doubt it was purely love at first sight, and I think…"

He cuts himself off, swallowing around the lump that has formed in his throat. He feels how his hands, holding yours, turn clammy. "I believe we are mates!"

It seems like all life whooshes out of you, your eyes and mouth widening. It is not like you have not been expecting it, but hearing him say…it feels so surreal. 

"Are…are you—?"

"I am sure. I am completely and fully sure." He looks sincere, honest, hands still holding yours. "I've been wanting to tell you for a whle I can't keep it in any longer."

Tears dwell in your eyes as you take in his words. Your heart feels as if it might burst through your ribcage by joy you are feeling in this moment. Your bare feet tingle, not from the coolness of the forest floor, but from the overwhelming rush of emotions. You remove one hand from his hold and bring it up to cup his cheek, your thumb brushing over his skin. 

"I love you too," you whisper, your voice trembling. "Since the first moment you talked to me, and I am feeling it too, the bond." You inhale a shaky breath, some single tears rolling down your cheeks. 

Eris leans in, hesitant at first, his nose brushing yours, before your lips meet his in a sweet but short kiss. You want to lean back, but Eris is quicker, he holds the back of your head, bringing you closer to him again, so he can deepen the kiss. 

And so, in the middle of the autumn forest, you are sealing your love. The world around you fades into insignificance as you lose yourselves in him, the feel of him against you. "Now I need to ask one last question…"

His lips linger against yours, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips. 

"Everything ," you breathe against his lips, eyes closed. 

"Will you become my High Lady?"

~~~~~~~~ tags: @sunshinebingo @tarataraaaa  @brekkershadowsinger @azriels-mate123 @mandziaaa  @cosmic-whispers @mali22 @elsie-bells @imma-too-many-fandoms @kuraikei @ginnyweasley06  @bubnix  @powerfulpantera 

[another-lost-mc]

black & white

humans live in a world of black and white until they meet their soulmate.

pairing: solomon x gn!reader

sfw | soulmates au | angst with a happy ending

cw: jealousy, story spoilers for s3 + s4, events that take place in alternate/future timelines (including: violence, solomon and mc raising a child together, implied character injury/death)

Solomon lives in a world of black and white.

When he was a human king trying to satiate his lust for power, he expected one of his many spouses would turn out to be his soulmate and his world would burst with colour -  but it never happened. By the time his spouses reached triple-digit figures, he only felt resigned acceptance that he may never meet his soulmate.

He pretends not to be disappointed by that truth, but he is.

He collects demons and harnesses their strength, building his wealth and influence beyond measure, but none of his earthly and otherworldly gains are able to fully soothe the emptiness he feels. When he stumbles upon his own immortality, he has no expectation now that he’ll ever meet his soulmate - he considers it a punishment for the life he’s lived.

He creates a potion that simulates the illusion of colour, and a small rune on the inside of his wrist warns him when the potion’s effect is fading. There are times when he sees the colours blurring to nothing at the edge of his vision, the rune etched on his skin slowly disappearing.

Some mornings he wakes up, filled with unmeasurable loneliness when the world has returned to a landscape of grey. When he stumbles into his alchemy lab, he grasps the small vial of potion in his hand - and in a fit of frustration, he flings it against the wall. He does this more than he cares to admit, stupefied by the one obstacle he has yet to overcome, but he slumps into his chair and reforms the vial with a muttered incantation. Eventually he stops letting the potion’s effect fade at all, drinking it like clockwork to avoid waking up to the dull, grey reality that plagues his dreams.

The centuries pass by and he studies magical anomalies in the world, testing the limits of his own power and brilliance. Sometimes it’s easier to associate with demons and angels than other humans - their races aren’t impacted by the curse of soulmates, and they don’t pity him the way human witches or sorcerers sometimes do. The Devildom in particular is a rich, vibrant world he can lose himself in, indulging in his sins without shame and exploring his magic without limitations.

When he meets you during the Devildom exchange program, it feels like the first genuine human friendship he’s had in a very long time. You captivate him in ways he can’t articulate, but he watches the demons and angels around you slowly succumb to your charms and enthusiasm. He hates to admit that you’ve lured him in as easily as the others, but he decides he’s simply one of many and thinks nothing of it, shoving unrequited feelings for you deep down where he can pretend they don’t exist.

Sometimes his heart betrays him and he thinks about you - romantic thoughts, desperate thoughts - but he’s used to ignoring the pang of longing that makes his heart clench. The truth he tells himself is that you’re already lost to him, destined to find your perfect soulmate one day while he hopes he never has to witness it.

He tries to keep his distance from you but it’s a challenge, especially after you’ve become a fully-fledged sorcerer and you travel freely between the Devildom and human world at will. After so many lifetimes of doing things alone, he can’t resist the temptation to invite you along while he carries out his duties as the human world’s would-be guardian. More and more often these days, you seek him out, wanting his wisdom or expertise - or sometimes you just want his company - and he is too selfish to say no.

One morning Solomon wakes up and it seems like a typical day - it’s only later that afternoon he happens to glance at his wrist and sees that one of his runes is missing. The fact that the world is still colourful and vibrant as ever makes him panic even more than if he had woken up to a world of black and white. Now that he thinks about it, he can’t remember the last time he drank that potion.

Solomon makes a list of all the hypothetical scenarios that can explain what happened, but he keeps drawing the same conclusion: he met his soulmate and didn’t realize it. It’s difficult to pinpoint when he stopped drinking the potion and almost impossible to narrow down the list of potential soulmates he met before that time.

He knows Barbatos doesn’t use his powers freely at Diavolo’s request, but having a pact with him does come in handy for situations like this. Barbatos hesitates when Solomon nearly begs him to take him back into the past. Barbatos finally obliges, having been granted Diavolo’s permission just this once; Solomon’s not sure what Barbatos did to persuade him, but he knows better than to ask.

Barbatos leads Solomon to his private chambers and through a portal so that they can watch his life zoom by in reverse. Barbatos’s ability isn’t impacted by the effects of Solomon’s potion so identifying the moment his world shifts from greyscale to colour is his only clue. Solomon sees the day - nearly two weeks ago - when he last drank the potion, but the colour lingers as Barbatos searches long before that, months of time passing by without any signs of change.

At last the world seems to darken for a moment, and Barbatos pauses his spell when Solomon’s vision suddenly reverts to black and white. Solomon stares at the scene before him: having just introduced himself to you at RAD, you shake his hand while a glimmer of curiosity shines in both your eyes. Colour bleeds into the world when your hands touch.

Barbatos glances at Solomon who’s grown silent, apparently oblivious to the grin on his face and the tears falling from the corners of his eyes. Solomon chuckles, feeling close to bursting with the same happiness he only ever feels when he’s with you.

It suddenly makes sense: all those times when he felt drawn to you even though you seemed so ordinary; his suspicions that turned to fear when he realized your powers were wreaking havoc on the three realms, threatening to kill you both; your eager acceptance to become his apprentice, and his unmatched pride when you succeeded.

He doesn’t want to think about all those times he watched your other friends - demon and angel alike - crowd you for your attention, their unsuccessful bids to win your heart for their own, the way you accepted their casual touches and how much Solomon despised every moment of it—

Solomon turns to Barbatos who has conjured a portal to return them both to his room in the Demon Lord’s castle. “Why didn’t they say anything?” Solomon asks out loud, but mostly to himself. But then he remembers something you said a long time ago, one of the only times you spoke together about the human phenomenon of soulmates:

“I’ve always been able to see colour,  but I couldn’t figure out why. People thought it was strange, so it was easier to pretend I couldn't,” you said with a shrug. “Simeon thinks it’s because I’m an angel’s descendent since they don’t have soulmate colour blindness the way humans do. I hope when I meet my soulmate, they’ll be able to tell me.”

Solomon can’t help but ask Barbatos before he leaves, “Did you know?”

Barbatos meets his curious gaze with a guarded expression of his own; he thinks back to a time long ago when he debated entering a pact with Solomon. He wanted to judge the sorcerer first, and like so many times before, he used his power to glimpse into Solomon’s future, one that was murky with endless possibilities due to the nature of his immortality.

Among those possibilities were visions of a sorcerer burdened by grief:

Solomon walking away from your wedding, the celebration of your marriage to someone that’s not him, dropping the forced smile from his face when he turns his back and disappears like a shadow into the darkness Engaged in battle in defense of the three realms, Solomon catches fleeting glimpses of you weaving defensive spells to protect your allies, but you don’t notice the enemy assassin approaching you from behind until it’s too late– Solomon standing beside your grave, his eyes dull and his world grown desolate once more in your absence Solomon, who raises his glass in a fake toast, sipping his drink and smiling bitterly before the reaper in front of him cleaves the soul from his body at last—

Despite the memories that served as a warning to him, Barbatos also remembers the other possibilities with more clarity than any others, a sorcerer filled with happiness and purpose and love:

Solomon dancing with you, holding your hands in his own, both of you dressed in the finest wedding attire, and the demons and angels around you cheering Solomon feeding a baby some foul concoction he made himself, oblivious to your horrified expression when the baby giggles happily at the taste Solomon holding a toddler on his lap while he reads, explaining rudimentary summoning circles to the small child as he bounces them on his knee Solomon is standing by your side, both of you watching in disbelief as your child rides Cerberus around like an oversized horse; the demon brothers give chase and take pictures while Lucifer supervises with an amused twinkle in his eyes The child you and Solomon raised, grown up and a fully fledged sorcerer too, grinning when they introduce their own soulmate to their parents for the first time

“I know many things,” is the demon's cryptic response, and his dangerous smile warns Solomon not to pry any further. Their business concluded, Barbatos disappears back to his master's side, leaving Solomon to contemplate his next move in peace.

Solomon wastes no more time, pulling out his DDD as he walks out of the castle and he sends you a message: “Care to join me for dinner tonight?” Barely a minute passes before his DDD pings with your enthusiastic reply.

For the first time in a long time, Solomon lets himself feel hope.

read more: solomon masterlist | obey me! masterlist

[everlasting-elegy]

Keeping Up Appearances | Solomon x Reader

Just nice fluffy times with Sol~ (Narrator: They are lying) Inspired by this wonderful fic (NSFW warning) by @books-and-catears. I read the first part and it just made the gears turn, thank you for such a marvellous fic Shio~

Solomon just wanted to know what it was like being the object of your affections, and what better way than with a potion? Genre: Fluff, (Angst?) Word Count: 1.3k

It was ingenious, honestly. Solomon couldn’t help but smile at the faint reflection in the classroom window. It was the perfect potion, simple but effective, it’s a wonder as to why it wasn’t used by more of Devildom’s population. A potion to transform the consumer’s external attributes into their love’s ideal type. It was fascinating discovering what appealed to you, Solomon’s poise was still there but accented. After years of immortality draining the vitality and colour out of his body, his skin tone and hair were now vibrant. His eyes were brighter, accenting their mischievous glow. Even he had to admit he looked rather dashing, how would you react to such changes?

He didn’t have to wonder for too long, as the classroom door opened to reveal you. The moment could’ve been likened to those cheesy romcoms the two of you ended up watching together at sleepovers in Purgatory Hall. The way time seemed to slow as the two of you made eye contact. An unmistakable spark between the two of you, it was electric. A shiver went down his spine, heart racing.

“Sorry, I thought this classroom was empty.”

“No need to apologise. I was just studying here is all.”

“Oh…”

You nodded slowly, looking away. Solomon tried to stop his smile growing on his face. He managed to catch you looking embarrassed a few times but not to this extent. How you discreetly swallowed as you averted his gaze, shoulders slightly rising the longer his focus landed on you. How did he not notice this was what you were like when you were bashful? It was utterly adorable, he was sure to burn the sight into his mind.

“Feel free to study with me.”

“Would that be alright?”

You held onto your books tightly, pressing them close to your chest protectively. You managed to make eye contact with him for a moment before having no choice but to look down at said books. Had Solomon known this was how you’d react when he took the potion, he would’ve taken it earlier.

“Actually… I hope it’s not too much to ask for, but I’m struggling with the Hexes and Potions assignment. Could you tutor me again?”

Solomon changed his pose, one hand to his hip and the other pressed against his chest in mock contemplation. It was teasing, seeing just how far he could push you as you watched him with eyes sparkling with hope. You had never looked at him like that before- no. He quelled such thoughts before they overwhelmed him.

“Of course, we could start now if you wish.”

“Really? That would be great, thank you so much!”

You dashed up to his side, putting down your belongings, fumbling occasionally as your hands worked faster than your brain could process. It was endearing, Solomon couldn’t help but chuckle. He pulled back a chair for you, simply watching your distracted form as you tried to put yourself together to best impress.

“I already started taking notes for the assignment,” you opened one of the books sprawled across the desk.

“Are you always so eager?” Solomon asked.

“Even if I know next to nothing about this subject I can’t have you doing all the work,” you muttered.

You were always warmer than him but now it was tenfold. Even just standing before him he could feel his side getting warm. Or was it him just being painfully aware of how close yet far away you were?

“I- uh,” you cleared your throat as you tried to face Solomon head on. “You look great today. Not to say you don't look great all the time, you just- look different. In a good way!”

“Look different how?”

“I don’t know, it’s just different. It’s like you’re sparkling… glowing, maybe? Did you try some of Asmo’s beauty products or something?”

“No, I don’t think I have,” Solomon mused as he leaned towards you, the potion giving him a newfound confidence, having him say things he’d never be able to bring himself to say before.

“But you do know what they say. Love makes everything look more beautiful.”

Stuttering, you pulled away and feigned reorganising your notes. Head turned from him, you offered Solomon more time to admire you up close, in a state he had never seen you in before; undeniably head over heels for him. Oh, this study session was going to be fun.

And fun it was, the potion emboldened him more than a casket of Demonus on a lesser demon. He wanted to push the boundaries, see how flustered he could get you. Every exchange of the pen left his hand brushing against yours. Every time his scrawls were a little too small or slanted to read, he’d beckon you further until your shoulders were always touching. For every answer you got right or for every major breakthrough you two would hug. For you, it was nothing more than playful affection but for Solomon it was a loving embrace. It was intoxicating how warm you were, how well you slotted into his arms. Perhaps he drank a sleeping potion instead, the feeling of you so near being a dream come true.

One final revelation of the assignment had you holding him tighter than ever with an angelic laugh. As you pulled away, Solomon realised he should’ve commented on how you seemed to be the one glowing. But you always were in his eyes. This afternoon was an absolute joy, it couldn’t get any better. Staring at you, he was already conjuring up ideas of when to concoct the potion again. Perhaps at this rate he will one day be able to take the role of your lover…?

“I don’t know how I can thank you again. I’ll see you later, Satan!”

… Ah…

Solomon swallowed the sob that wanted to escape his throat, masking it as a pained chuckle.

He supposed it was to be expected. After years of honing his skills his potions were most effective, perhaps a little too much so. They most certainly changed his physical attributes as planned, bland white hair enriched with colour until they were blond, his eyes now shone like emeralds. The air he held changed, it was calming, ever fitting for a gentleman. The instant he saw his changed reflection he realised he wasn’t enough to be the object of your affections and the potion clearly knew that too. If he wasn’t enough, then he’d just have to take the form of someone else. And just as planned, you treated him with that unmistakable adoration that he had never received before.

A successful scheme had never hurt so much.

Solomon had indulged. How empowering it felt knowing he held your affections in this moment, he could barely comprehend how it would feel to have this appearance permanently. He had his time taking the appearance ideal for you and what a form it was. Of course you would naturally be enthralled by one of the strongest beings in the three realms and he knew that such feelings would be reciprocated. It was you, after all.

You stood up but Solomon took your hand without a second thought. His gaze settled on how they intertwined, but he could only see the differences. How the hand he was puppeteering was more tanned compared to his ghostly complexion, how his fingernails now adorned green. How your hands fit together so perfectly when it wasn’t even his own. Such a simple gesture reminded him of his place. He should give up the chase, accept defeat. Logically, he should step back and not even worry about stirring up any potential conflict with the Avatar of Wrath. He should rip apart any and all notes he had of this potion that was both such a blessing and a curse. To just immortalise this moment and mourn how in the future you will never look at him like you're looking at him now. And yet…

“Now that we’ve got the ball rolling, I say we should keep on working. Stay with me a little longer, won’t you? Please?”

Obey Me! Masterlist

[reader1238765]

Alastor x Reader

Chapter one:

One

i swallow

Two

breathing heavily

Three

Sweat drips down my temple

Four.

"Action!"

I smirk up at the camera as multiple men jump onto me.

I make all my prettiest faces.

Make all my prettiest sounds.

"That's it pretty girl"

Disgust riddles my body and I almost slip up.

I spit on his chest and giggle up at him as my arms are bound above my head.

He makes a disgusting noise.

I make an even worse one.

"Cut!"

I drop all my acts and all my trained motions.

"What the fuck was that Lemonie?"

I roll my eyes and roll out of the bed.

"What? Wasn't slutty enough? Or was it that you wanted it more innocent this time?"

"Oh please you don't want to start a fight with me right now. Do it right or don't do it at all and you know what happened when you don't do it at all. Don't you?" Valentino growls through his teeth.

I snarl and go back to my positions.

~

"Tough shoot?" Olivia

Oh Olivia Olivia Olivia.

Your all I breath for

Or... actually

"Ugh. 10"

"10?"

"10."

"Ahhh gotcha" she shrugs and hands me a coffee.

Her bedroom is a perfect palace of pink with her perfect heart mirrors and doors of wood and chains.

She's a very good actress.

I lay on her perfect palace pink bed with a heart headboard.

The tips of the roses sitting in a glass on her nightstand shake softly with the pacing of her soft bunny feet.

"Anyway doll I gotta head out for a shoot so I'll text ya later?"

Her long ears bop behind her as she skips out of the room.

The white fluff of her hair runs down her back, not quite to her butt but right above her little bunny tail.

"Bye Lonna!"

Lonna. Lonna Lonna Lonna.

I hate that name.

The name on my contract the name of my soul.

The very name that got me into this mess.

~

A simple bedroom with cotton pillows and bright hopes and dreams of vibrant colours.

Mashed browns and whites and greys, maybe some ivory, maybe some cloudy blue.

Nothing more than an estate of blandness.

"Lemonie!!!! Into the studio now."

Valentino's grading voice, like when people try to open a bottle with their teeth.

"What" I walk into the purple studio, heels clicking like the slapping of a whip.

"What the fuck is this Velvette? I told u to hashtag it and put as many as you could" Valentino is shoving an iPhone in Velvettes face, mad about something.

"Hashtags are thirsty. I won't be apart of that, do it yourself if u want to ruin your brand fuckface" she claps back and shows herself off.

Valentino's angry red eyes meet mine. Boy am I in for a day...

Walking around the V's skyscraper is like walking around a fire pit. Ash and all.

You have to balance enough to not fall in, but you have to act natural enough so it doesn't seem like you're trying.

The people sitting around the campfire would laugh if they saw you worried about a silly little flame.

A flame that could grow much bigger, a master of deception. A little flame that could secretly take down the entire world if given the chance.

The plain tiles, slick and shiny as always, reflect my bare feet dancing around, heels in hand, headphones berating my head.

I hum along, singing a word every now and then.

My green skin glistens with sweat, my equally just as green hair, down across my shoulders and to the floor.

(See end of chapter for picture of character) (you can change if u want)

I nod my head to the tune, Eyes closed.

"Lemonie what the fuck are you doing?"

I pause. My eyes open. And pretty wide too. Wide enough to see the smirk on Vox's face.

And the 7foot tall red demon he stands beside.

The harrowing smile plastered on his face seems permanent. His eyes just as wide as mine looking at me with curiosity.

"Uh" I look between Vox and the macabre demon beside him.

The demon blinks at me but the rest of him doesn't move an inch.

"Get the fuck out of here" Vox scoffs and I go on my merry way.

The tall demons engrossing glowing red eyes trail me as I leave the room.

Back to my boring little bedroom.

Ivory bed set and grey set walls. All plain and boring.

See, apparently I wasn't a good enough actor to put in bedroom requests.

A knock at my door peaks my interest and I open wide.

Wide enough for the world to see me.

Wide enough for my privatest parts to be plastered all over the city on billboards and jackasses trucks.

Wide enough for the camera to take just one more photo.

"Wider Lemonie" Valentino barks and I comply.

Nothing like contract work for a Saturday night.

"God fucking damn it Lemonie if you don't split your entire fucking pussy for this screen I swear to god I will do it for you" Valentino vociferates and I again try to please his needs.

I roll my eyes and besides my obvious concern for my own body I split.

As big and pretty as I can. Just for my Vali-Poo

"Valentino. My office now" Vox bursts in, giving me no more than a once over before pulling Valentino aside.

I take my opportunity to break and close my legs, grabbing a robe and holding it closer than any childhood toy i ever owned.

"Hey toots! Been waiting to see your face around here" Angel stumbles into the studio as I'm standing from the bed.

"Hey Angie" I smile and welcome him with open arms into a pretty shitty but well needed hug.

"Hey uh I got a favor to ask of u baby cakes I hope you don't mind"

"What's up?"

"So uh I got this friend and uh... so basically you know that hotel I'm staying at?"

"Yea?" I raise a brow expectantly

"Well... the owner, Charlie, is havin' a tough time recruiting people for her whole cause or whatever and I know that you want out of here.. so uh. You can come crash there for a bit? It's all free baby"

My red eyes dart between his and ponder.

"Like... just show up? And.. live there?"

"Yeah! It'll be fun, whadaya say?"

"Uh.. um. Well. How does Valentino feel about that?"

"Well you still gotta come and work.. but yk you don't have to be here your whole life and you can actually live.. even though ur... dead"

"Well."

Months and years and lifetimes worth of torture flood my brain and take my soul into a whorl wind of memories and hopes of freedom.

My first few months of the contract I begged that it wouldn't last forever but deep down I knew it would be till I wouldn't make him money anymore, then he would kill me and I would be free.

Even though I won't be free now... he could forget about me? But no. How could he forget when the name Lonna is plastered on one of his contracts.

He could be madder.. he could leave me alone.. he could punish me more than he ever has before...

I could be free.

"I'm in"

READ MORE ON WATTPAD

Third chapter coming soon! 👹👹

[cusitachusharmuta]

Gift

Selling flowers is nice: you get to people watch a lot, notice when and what they buy, guess who it's for.

It's all fun and games until an absolute beauty of a man enters your shop to buy something.

Doppo was mesmerized. Beautiful, flowy lavender hair, a tall and slim figure and a charming smile greeted him as the person entered his shop.

"Hello?" oh, damn it, his voice is so good too.

"A-ah, sorry, good morning, sir!", Doppo exclaimed, trying to pull himself together. He was talking to a customer, after all.

"Morning," the man smiled at his reaction again. "I'd like to buy a bouquet of lilacs, please?"

***

As he was leaving the shop, Jakurai left Doppo another smile. Surprisingly enough, they managed to have a nice little conversation while Doppo was preparing the bouquet. He learned that the mysterious man is, indeed, the well-known doctor Jinguji Jakurai, which Doppo was surprised he didn't realize earlier.

Looking at the time, Doppo thought that the doctor was probably just getting off work. Weekday date, huh? He wondered who those flowers are for. "Love at first sight"... it's an interesting message to try and send through flowers.

***

As the days went by, Doppo learned more and more about Jakurai, falling deeper in love every day. The doctor managed to stop by the shop every two or three days, either before or after work. "Why does he need flowers before work, I wonder", Doppo thought, giving Jakurai another bouquet. "Maybe it's for decoration". At least he hoped so.

Every day Jakurai bought the same bouquet of beautiful, comparable to himself, purple lilacs, and never told Doppo who or what they're for. He never asked, either. He guessed that it was too personal to share with a simple florist. But oh did Doppo wish to know. Each time he saw the man, he felt as though someone has lit a light inside him. Never before has another person made him feel that way, just so simply smitten. He wished to know everything about Jinguji. He wanted to talk, talk and talk to him until the hour was late and they would both fall asleep together...

What stupidity. No way such a person would ever even consider being close to someone like Doppo, right? And what's with those fantasies, anyway? It's kind of too early to think about something like that. What's next, you're going to imagine your kids?

All sorts of thoughts flooded Doppo's mind when he was left alone. But one though was a constant: "I want him". Not necessarily in the sexual kind of way, more like a way of Doppo wanting his every moment to be with Jakurai. To spend a ridiculous amount of time talking to him, holding him, not just thinking about him as he did now. But it seems like that's all what the man had.

***

One day, as always dropping by the shop after work, Jakurai suddenly declined his usual and asked what Doppo's favourite is. Doppo blinked at him, dumbfounded by the sudden change of plan, as he already went to prepare the lilacs.

"Uhh, tiger lily?", Doppo said after thinking for a moment. Those were definitely his favourite. Meaning a strong desire to be loved, a dare to, almost, seemed like the perfect choice in this moment.

"I'll take a few of those, then. You see, there's a person I'd like to offer them to, but I'm not too sure of my own taste, so I'll just trust you." Jakurai said, smiling at him almost weirdly, in a very gentle way.

Doppo felt his heart shatter. A person, huh. Just like he thought. No chance for him. It's probably some pretty nurse from his hospital or someone else he knows, right? Oh well. He just nodded his head as he started preparing yet another bouquet, picking the best, most vibrant and colourful lilys he had. Soon, after the flowers were ready, he handed them to Jakurai, and received his pay.

"Say, could I get a vase for those? Do you have anything like that?" Weird. Don't you have a vase at home? "Oh, yeah, sure, I'll find you one. Going to the back of the store Doppo, clueless, could only wonder what this all meant. Well, maybe he did, in fact, not have a vase at home.

He smiled, bringing out a pretty clear vase, and putting the flowers inside it. "Here you go", he said.

"How much do I owe you for this?"

"Consider it a gift, on the house", Doppo smiled, seeing as Jakurai frowned his brows at the sudden gift.

"Well, then, I'll take my leave," Jakurai turned around and went to walk out of the shop, the flowers still on the counter inside the vase. "Wait, Jinguji-san, your flowe--". Doppo felt gagged as Jakurai, already standing in the doorway, turned around and winked to him, saying that he may consider those a gift, too, before walking out.

Doppo, once again dumbfounded, stared at the flowers, feeling his face burn up. "For me..?"

[waterpoofs]

Your Stable Diffusion Qs answered, part 1

Several of you have asked questions in the comments and msgs, wanting to generate your own Stable Diffusion AI inventions like these. I don't consider myself any kind of expert on this, I've just been messing around, pressing buttons and seeing what happens. But then, that seems to be what everyone who uses Stable Diffusion has been doing, so I guess I'm probably as qualified as anyone to share how I've done this.

So to start, I've answered the basics on what set up I'm using below. When I get a moment, I'll do another post answering questions about prompts, and then one on models.

Hardware and software

I'm running this on a 5 year old Dell XPS 8930 with a 6GB graphics card. It's just a good consumer PC, not a cutting edge supercomputer. But if all you have is a cheap laptop with no GPU, you should probably look to somebody else for guidance, this method probably won't work for you. I think there are other ways you can do it, but I have no experience with them so can't advise on those.

I installed Automatic1111's Web UI following these instructions. Since I did that, somebody has created an installer that is intended to make all that easier, but since I already did it easily enough the first way, I can't vouch for that option.

Config

The best thing to do is play around with things and see what happens. I've messed around with all the different sliders and options, but found that most of the time changing them from the default doesn't do much to improve the results. The only ones I change from the default are sampling steps, which I typically put in the ~100-120 range, and face restoration, which I usually have on during image generation but not during enlargement.

Workflow

The main secret to getting images that I deem worth posting here has little to do with getting the config right, or even writing a perfect prompt, and everything to do with generating a lot of images and binning piles of garbage, then iterating the few creations that have some promise. To get to an image worth posting I typically:

Prompt it to generate a large number of 512x512 images on a theme.

Delete most of what it creates and pick the best looking one - judged on overall composition and the design of the gear, rather than details at this stage.

Send it to the img2img tab to iterate it, typically telling it to generate half a dozen or more variations with denoising strength usually set in the 0.6-0.9 range, depending on how close it already is to what you wanted. Sometimes refining the prompt keywords at this stage too if something stands out as needing a nudge in the right direction.

Pick the best one and send it to the extras tab to enlarge it. There are lots of enlargers available. I've used 4xValar a lot. I often couple it with lollypop, which creates quite a bold, smooth and vibrant look which works well with shiny gear. But I haven't tried many, so there may be other great enlarger options out there.

Now send the enlarged image to the inpaint tab to improve any areas which have problems, like low res artifacts, bad faces or fabrics that aren't what you wanted.

For step 1, the "Script">"Prompts from file or textbox" function is useful: you can write a variety of different prompts, and create minor variations on prompts to see how different keywords affect the results. Fill the textbox with a list of prompts, set the "Batch count" to anything from 20 to 100, then leave the computer churning them out in the background for you to deal with when you have the time to do the other steps.

For step 5 I select an area of the enlarged image, tick "inpaint at full resolution", and if the selected area is larger than 512x512, try to match the width and height settings to approximately the size of the selection. I typically set denoising strength in the 0.3-0.6 range - setting it higher will have a stronger effect, but can also result in that area looking less like it belongs as part of the image, as the lighting and colour balance can end up being a mismatch. Then I write a prompt that is specific to the selected area and have it generate half a dozen options.

The image at the top of this post, for example, started as one of many dozens of guys in shiny Adidas 3 stripe waterproof sportswear, generated as one big batch, the majority of which went straight in the bin.

After img2img iterating it with small refinements to the prompt and picking the best out of a couple dozen variations, I inpainted an area including the left arm, shoulder and hood of the jacket, with a low denoising strength and a gear-specific prompt, just to give it a smoother and higher definition appearance than the enlarged low resolution image had (and still has, on the right arm and legs - they catch my eye less, so I didn't bother trying to perfect those). I then did the same for an area around the face and hands, so it would have better texture and detail, clear up a few oddities in the general shape and the hand structure, and give the guy less crudely sculpted facial hair.

It sounds like a lot of work when now I lay it all out in detail like this, but most of the work is done by the computer in the background: line up a batch of stuff for it to generate/iterate, be patient and leave it to do its thing. Then when you come back to it later, you've just got to pick out the best and do a bit of inpainting once you've got some good images to refine.

At least, that's the workflow I was using for most of these posts - until the most recent 2, filled with the painting/illustration-style creations. Those were even simpler. But I'll get to that in the post on models.

[emotionally-damaged-carrot]

Jake lockley/marc spector/steven grant x villain!male reader

A common enemy

I hope this was worth the hype????

Might have a lot of grammatical errors and I sincerely apologize for it, it's just how I write. For some reason I rush things. Hope you enjoy tho. And sorry if this was not up to standards. (Don't really know whethere to make the reader an avatar or a God.)

Ammit's little cult has come to my attention. Looking into the future and seeing the succesful task of Harrow in releasing Ammit, I smile.

I am the Judge, Jury and Executioner. No one dares to oppose me, the Ennead fears the one who they cannot imprison. Your fate is sealed, Ammit. You are playing a game you cannot win.

——

Waking up, I felt like I didn't sleep at all ignoring that fact, since it has been happening a lot lately. I did my usual routine, sitting up on my bed checking the ankle restraint. Removing it and walking over to the door, checking whether the tape on the door crack has been moved. Seeing that it was untouched I removed rolling it up into a little ball and throwing it in the bin full of the same tape ball.

Eating breakfast and getting dressed and grabbing my coffee I walk outside almost bumping into the broomstick vendor, I walk towards the bus stop only to see it driving away. I chased after it, getting in after a few minutes of chasing it.

After sleeping on a strangers backpack for a bit, he nudged me awake. Looking over to the woman beside me as she looks at me.

"Cheers."

I say tiredly, holding me coffee up, I beging drifting off again, until I remembered my job. Getting off the bus at my stop, I walk into the museum, noticing the banners of the Ennead wete incorrect. Walking through the doors I greet [camera guy name].

"Hey, [cctv guy]."

"Morning scottie."

He greets back.

"It's Steven, with a V."

I walk past seem seeing Donna talking to a bloke I have never seen before, without any awareness that I was staring at him, I notice just how handsome and cute he was, look at Donna with a confused and annoyed look as Donna just keeps talking. He notices me staring at me and he winks at me, making me blush. I look down and start walking towards my little area in the giftshop which coincidentally is where Donna and the new guy are.

"Perfect timing, Stevie. Show Y/n around I have some stuff to do."

Donna says as she walks away.

"She gives an earful doesn't she?"

I say to who I know now is Y/n.

"Bloody annoying, woman."

He says with a small smilr as he walks around and into my little space.

"So, what do you do here?"

He asks looking around and under the counter.

"Try to sell these little buggers to children."

I say holding out a few of the many things in the gift shop, that does not even slightly correlate to egypt in anyway apart from the packaging.

"Are these supposed to me isn't this an ancient egyptian history museum, or something? Yet none of those things even slightly reminiscent ancient egypt apart from the packaging."

"Exactly what I was thinking, and the banners of the Ennead are missing a few of the Gods."

"Yea, noticed that too, this place is a mess."

"Yea."

I say looking at him with admiration, it's for me to encounter someone who is as interested and knowledgable in ancient egypt as me. I keep looking at him for a bit more, watching his beautiful and vibrant e/c that have a deep colour in them. Watching his small and skinny hands skim through everything on the counter. Looking at his smooth and soft skin.

"You're staring, and we haven't even introduced ourselves properly."

"O-ow, I'm Steven, Steven Grant."

I say holding out my hand.

"Y/n, y/n l/n."

He says with a charming smile and shaking my outstretched hand.

"Nice to meet you."

"Likewise."

After our little interaction, I remembered what Donna said.

"You are new here, right? What is it that you do?"

"Well, I am apparently a gift shopist as well. Well to be more accurate, inventory but I help in the giftshop in the and get some supplies from the inventory. And at the end of the day I also do some inventory work, something too much. Since I will most likely not do anything in the day, since you are here."

He says with a smile as he leans on the counter a hand on his chin supporting in and the other lazily playing around with the stuff on the counter.

"Ow, I guess that's not too bad."

After saying that, a kid ran up to the counter to buy some gummies.

"That would be 2£."

She lives the money and runs off to her mother.

"That's sad."

"What? W-why?"

"Not a lot of people come here, we've been open for 2 hours and only 1 person came to the gift shop."

"Ar least I don't have to do anything, but later people will start comming here, once tour groups arrive."

"I guess so."

We went on with the day, morning becoming noon, noon becoming afternoon then eventually came evening.

"That was a boring day."

Y/n says, leaning back on the counter, with his hands supporting him.

"Story of my life."

I say with a breathy chuckle.

"Yours too, damn."

"Aren't you going home, it's getting late."

"I have to do inventory."

"Ow yea."

I say a bit sad that he had to stay late.

"See you tomorrow then, g'night."

"You too."

I say as I walk through the doors into the outside world.

——

"So yea, he's a really nice bloke, has the perfect shade of e/c in his eyes that you can get lost in. Voice that sounds like a siren luring a sailor into its clutches. He's just perfect in every way you look at him. And I always knew I had a kind of attraction to men, and this just confirms it. That fact that I am actually talking about him like some kind of God."

I say to the man posing as a golden statue as I take a bite of my vegan burrito looking at him.

A few seconds later I heard a voice call my name, a voice I longed to hear when I left the museum.

"Steven? What are you doing here? You look like a lonely weirdo talking to a man posing as a statue."

Y/n says as he comes closer and takes a seat beside me.

"H-he's just a great listener is all. Never really talks much but he says a lot."

"Okay? So, what are you doing here, aren't you supposed to be home by now?"

"J-just had some erands to do. H-how about you? What brings you here?"

"Nothing really, just decided to take a stroll around the area, got a bit bored back at home."

——

'Poor thing, he must be pretty lonely to talk to a living statue.'

I thought to myself, as I beging to zone out.

'Marc using the body at night not letting it rest, is really affecting Steven, huh. Always sleepy, always tired no wonder he fell asleep on that stranger in the bus.'

I was pulled out from my thoughts with Steven saying his farewell.

"Well, I'm gonna go now, it's getting pretty late, have a goodnight you lot."

He says with a small smile, leaving a burrito in the man's hat.

"He's an odd fella isn't he?"

I say to the man beside that is beside me. And as expected, he made no sound nor did he move any limbs.

"What did I even expect?"

I say as I get up from my place on the bench and start walking home. While thinking of ways I can get that parrot to show.

——

Waking up, in a grassy arra was not what I expected. I immidiately register the pain on my jaw, now feeling that it is displaced. Quickly fixing the issue, I look infront of me to see a village.

"Oh no no."

"Great, the worm is back."

"What?"

"Give the body back to Marc."

"I-I don't know what you're talking about."

"Surrender the body."

"Where are you?"

I look around trying to find the source of the voice. Only to see a house behind me with a man looking out the window. Giving him a wave he waves back until a man appeared beside him and told him something, then all of a sudden they started shooting at me. I run towards the village.

Arriving at the village, I see people that look like the ones who were chasing me, I pull up my hoodie as I see people walking to where I assume is the center of the village and follow them.

Moments later, they formed a sort of a passage way. Seeing a man dressed in what looked like a red a long sleeved button up shirt that has been buttoned all the way to the neck, and a pair of red slacks to go with the outfit. And a cane that seems like it has crocodile heads as a design for the head.

'Well, someone likes the colour red.'

I thought to myself as I try to get out of the group of people now bundling up. I try to find an exit but it doesn't seem possible with the 4 armed men behind me.

After he does his whole speech.

"Who wants to go first?"

"I do, Harrow."

An old woman says as she walks up to Harrow.

"Please, call me arthur. Do you accept the outcome of the scales no matter what it is?"

"Yes."

He takes the old woman's hands. Put them together with the cane between the forearms. He gave the cane a slight push foward maming it go back and forth. Walking closer to the front to get a better view, I see a scale tattoo on his right forearm with two heads of a crocodile. The scales start to move left and right for a few seconds before settling on the left side and turning red.

"I'm sorry."

"B-but I've been good my whole life."

"I believe you, but the scales are never wrong. The world will be spqred from the evil you will do."

Harrow says, letting go of the woman's hands as she falls back, looking like an empty husk.

One of the armed men walks to Harrow, whispering something to him. All of a sudden Harrow says a word, and everyone kneeled. Except me.

"Bollocks."

"Marc Spector, a Mercenary."

"You have this all wrong, I-I'm Sreven Grant, I work at a gift shop, I'm a gift shopist, in London, Lon don."

I say, saying London a second time but slower.

"Yes, Steven Grant of the Giftshop, why don't you come here."

He says as I walk towars him slowly and caustiously.

"I need you, to give me the scarab."

He says as I get close enough.

"W-what scarab? I don't have anythi-"

I say feeling myself for something until I feel a hard object in my pocket, pulling the object out I see that it is a scarab.

"Give it to me, you have no idea what it does."

"Marc, if he gets the scarab I will kill you both."

The voice from earlier said as I was about to give the scarab, suddenly my hand closed up and I can't open it.

"Don't make this hard."

Harrow says now with an annoyed look. I keep trying to open my hand now using my other hand to open it up and succeeding.

"Take it, take it."

As he was about to take it, my hand suddenly pull back and went behind me.

——

'Marc, you're really making a fool of yourself.'

I thought to myself as I was watching from a roof. A bit entertained by Steven's efforts at trying to gibe the scarab. As he turned around to try and give the scarab that way, he suddenly started walking away.

As Steven was getting sorrounded I put on my mask, and ran to Steven. He sees me and start to panic until I kill everyone that was sorrounding him, as he was about to thank me. I snatched the scarab and disappeared without a trace, almost like I wasn't there at all.

——

"Marc, you better get that scarab back, that man seems to be a third party."

The voice says again, and I look at Harrow to see if he had anything to do with it. Only to see his face annoyed.

"H-he wasn't one of your m-men, was he?"

I ask him.

"Far from it."

I ran away after that, and surprisingly no one followed. I made it out of the village until I suddenly saw black and woke up in my bed, the restraint still on. I let out a breathy laugh, doing my usualy thing in the morning. As I was sat on a chair infront of the T.V eating cereal, I looked at gus and greet him.

I look back at the T.V again, and did a double take on gus, walking closer to him, I notice he now has 2 fins. I begin to clean up and dress up and seeing as I was in a hurry I decides to put "Gus" in a blender and made my way to the fish store where I first got Gus.

"He now has two fin."

"Listen like I told you before, all of them have two fins, find a store that sells disabled fish."

"I wasn't here yester-"

I was cut off when I heard the door open, turning around. I see y/n wearing a sweater that was a size too big for him.

"Ow, hey Steven, wasn't expecting to bump into you here."

"I-i wasn't expecting to be here a-as well."

——

"Where have you been the past two days? You weren't at work."

I asked him, knowing full well where he was.

"W-what do you mean?"

'Ow yea, I forgot that Marc used the body for 2 days. He's getting sloppy.'

"It's sunday now, last time I saw you was on thursday."

"W-what? N-no, that can't b-"

His voice faded out as he looked at the clock with a puzzled look.

"I-is that clock broken?"

"No, it is actually 2pm? Why are you surprised?"

"B-but I-i just woke up."

He says, seemingly in disbelief.

"Why? Did you have something you needed to do?"

"If you lot are just gonna chit chat, better find somewhere else, you're cramping up the place."

The woman at the counter says with an annoyed tone.

"So sorry, madam."

She rolled her eyes as I apologized.

"Let's go somewhere else, my flat is-"

"I live close by."

He says a bit too hasty.

'He really is bad at hiding stuff.'

"O-okay then, let's go to your flat then."

We left the fish store and walked to his flat making small talk, with him opening up a bit about the weird stuff his body apparently does.

As we arribed at his place, he fumbled with the key a bit, struggling.

"Can you hold gus for a moment, love?"

"S-sure."

Hearing that nickname made me disgusted. As he opened the door, we walked through and I immidiately notice his bed. Sand sorrounding the bed, an ankle restraint cuffed to a pole beside the foot of his bed.

He notices me staring at his bed.

"D-don't mind that, i-it's not what it looks like. It's just my body walks around and stuff at night, like I told you earlier on our way here."

"Ow."

"You probably think it's weird or creepy. You can leave if you want, o-on if you want to of course. I don't ha e anything prepared here so, maybe we can order something to eat or we can just hangout and maybe watch some T.V or maybe just-"

He stops his rumbling turning to me looking at the little aquarium where he out Gus in when we walked in.

"I-i'm sorry for rumbling, i-it's just habbits ya kna?"

He says a bit nervous, his voice had a tinge of uncertainty.

"All good, it's cute when you keep talking."

I smile turning to him with a big grin on my face, studying his facial exptession.

'Just as I thought, I have you wrapped around my finger.'

"Marc, he knows something about thr scarab, you better find out what."

I hear a voice say with an annoyed tone and by the looks of it, so did Steven.

'Khonshu, always the short tempered one.'

"D-do you wanna order something to eat?"

"Hmmm, pizza sounds nice."

"O-okay, what kind would you like?"

"Dealer's choice."

"One pineapple peperoni then."

He says in a whisper.

"You like pineapple on pizza??"

I asked in schock, I may know a lot of things, but this one. This one is new.

"Y-yea, i-is something wrong?"

"Why do you like pineapple on pizza?"

"I-it tastes good?"

"Nah uh, I'll be taking a ham and cheese."

"O-okay, one ham and cheese and one peperoni with pineapple."

He says as he dials the local pizzaria.

"I'm surprised you like pineapple on pizza."

"They're good, whst do you want me to say?"

"They don't."

"You just don't have taste."

"Says the guy who likes pineapple on pizza."

After our little argument, that left us both with temper. We decided to just huddle up in the couch and watch T.V.

A few moments pass by, I was leaning on Steven without realizing it, my head on his shoulder awfully snug. Then the doorbell rings.

"I-i'll get it."

He gets up in a hurry, making my head fall to where he was sitting a moment ago. Feeling a bit disgruntled, I decide to just stay laying down.

"Y/n, pizza is here. Eat it while it's still hot."

I get up from the couch with an annoyed groan. I make my way to the kitchen, where I see Steven eating his disgusting pineapple on pizza. He notices me staring at him eating the pizza with a look of disgust on my face.

"Just eat your pizza and let me enjoy mine."

He says taking his box and downing the pizza he was holding. I roll my eyes at him as he walks back to the couch with a glass of water and his pizza box, also taking a glass and filling it with water, I take my box and waled to the couch and sat down beside him. A bit cramped seeing as the couch was a bit too small. Putting the glass of water and pizza on the table, that can surprisingly fit 2 glasses of water and 2 pizza boxes.

"It's getting pretty late. You mind if I maybe, stay the night?"

I ask him a bit shy, he froze up after hearing my words. Seemingly in a trance.

"Ah s-sure, you can take the bed I'll take the couch."

He says as he finishes his pizza surprisingly fast.

"N-no I'll take the couch, you take the bed."

"You're the gue-"

"We'll both take the bed, we can probably just turn our back on each other."

I cut him off. While finishes the last slice of my pizza.

"Uhm, ah s-sure. I-i guess we can do that."

Throwing our pizza boxes away, and downing our water Steven washes the glasses, while I get settled in bed, removing the jacket I had on. I see Steven say good night to Gus while putting a bit of fish food in his tank.

He turns to me, seeing me sitting on the bed with my back on the head board.

"Stop staring and just get over here, I'm tired."

After getting called out, he takes quick steps towards the bed, I beging to lay down. As he climbed under the blanket, I turned my back to him and turned off the lamp.

"G-goodnight?"

He says seemingly aking.

"Goodnight."

I say still looking ahead of me. After a few minutes, I heard light snores coming from Steven.

"I know you can hear me, Marc. You better act quick or something will happens to the scarab."

I say, with a light chuckle.

"Ow and, tell your bird I said hi."

—————————

Decided to not add the jakal fight scene, cause what's the point? Hope you enjoyed tho, sorry for the grammatical errors again. I don't have any beta readers that can prolly help me.

[breakfastwithbeb]

hii! this is the mac/vanilla anon. may i know how did you make your build/gameplay screenies looks so pretty, vibrant and looks like they have dof? your screenies straight up look like you have reshade on and im so. WOAH<333 sorry if this ask sounds so weird but i play on mac too and my game looks so atrocious HSJFKEJFJ

oh my gOD thank u so much that is the nicest compliment i could ever receive 😭<3 i totally understand the game looking like pure garbage it's tough out there for mac players 💔 here's my

~editing process of a sad mac user~

i use Photopea to edit everything. free and online, what's not to love!

oil paint filter with a radius of 0.8 to 1, lighting off

smart sharpen with a radius of 1.4 (these first two steps don't often do too much but can smooth out the edges of the pixels without having to play with edge smoothing on)

i like a bit of chromatic aberration so i go into channels, select red, and apply a lens correction filter of 3 (go back to regular channel afterwards)

to fake DOF - i use the quick selection tool and mess around with it until the foreground or preferred focus of the image is selected (doesn't have to be totally perfect, often times people won't be looking that close). then inverse the selection and apply lens blur, typically with a radius of 12 to 15 ----- (the selection part can be a real bitch - sometimes there just isn't enough contrast between the foreground and the background for Photopea to understand which specific section ur trying to select. in cases where it rlly refuses to work i've had to go in and use the polygonal lasso select tool and manually trace what i want to be in focus akjsdhfj)

apply photoshop actions to adjust colours - lately pretty much the only one i've been using is wooldawn's warmerfalls sometimes combined with intramoon's bright and saturated

sometimes i will apply a gradient fill layer (often the purple to orange one) and set the blending mode to luminosity, opacity 12 if there's a light source that i want to emphasise a little more. it also just adds a nice softening effect

for funky rainbow effects - look up "rainbow light leak overlay" and download any u like the look of. open and place them on top of ur image, fit them to size, change the blending option to exclusion, lower the opacity to desired outcome. to make the colours of the rainbow *pop* a lil more i like to duplicate the layer and change the blending option to overlay, though u may have to lower the opacity of this layer even more as it darkens the image quite a bit

i add a film dust texture over a lot of my posts! i downloaded a set a while back but i don't remember where from, sorry :( there are a bunch out there if u look it up i'm sure!

and that's about it! it seems like a lot written out but i'm self taught and technologically inept so it's all actually pretty basic when u know where all the buttons are in Photopea heh ;D thanks again for liking my posts!! it means the world u have no idea <3

[sophieswundergarten]

People talk about SQ going on a villain arc, but personally I've always thought he'd be more likely to just shut himself away for a while

He'd fall off the map, become a recluse not because he's trying to hide from his father, or his uncle for that matter, but because he's so confused and mixed up and lost he isn't thinking clearly

He finds an empty old house, one in a little town somewhere in the middle of nowhere, that he can live in. It's in much worse condition than Mr. Benedict's, and he gets to stay because he does farm chores for the nearby people who own the property

A quiet town. No one questions why this boy appeared, and as he keeps to himself no one bothers him

He comes into the general store sometimes, or maybe the hardware store. Buying basic necessities, repair materials, and asking sometimes strange questions with obvious answers in an embarrassed way

Every now and again, he stops by the pet store. Buying a small bird or two and an obscene amount of birdseed

He becomes known as a lonely artist, a mysterious figure the adults ignore for the most part and the children whisper about. He doesn't pay either reaction any mind

SQ's house is full of art

Colour splashed across the floor, tiny vines and butterflies covering the shutters, vibrant shades all over the fan blades. He etches painstakingly accurate bird footprints on every windowsill, sketches large diagrams of feathers and bird wings across most of the walls, because, who's there to tell him no?

He tries to teach himself to whittle, and there are many mishapen lumps of woods that vaguely resemble birds lined up on the back porch. (He knows they're terrible, but he can't bring himself to throw them away. He feels too guilty, after all, he's the one who brought them into existence. If he won't love them, who will?)

And he has a lot of birds. Some were wild ones he befriended, leaving food and nesting material out until they felt comfortable enough to rest in the rafters, flying in and out of the near-always open windows. Some were bird he saw, either sitting in a cage when they had no business to be, or wandering the park looking half frightened and confused. Birds that people had captured from their natural homes and probably smuggled, hoping to pass them off in a small enough town where no one would notice. Some were birds that had been "released" by their previous owners; left to wander an environment that was not their own and to fend for themselves when they'd been raised domesticated

It's these last few he feels for the most. It's not fair, he thinks. There's no one to take care of them, and it isn't their fault they were forced into a situation like this. At some point, someone had hurt them. Had taken advantage of their innocent nature, and it left some scarred.l

Some physically, like the ones who needed their wings splinted, or had lasting limps, or sometimes were even half blind. And sometimes mentally, like those that still shrank back from his touch after months of rehabilitation, or had missing patches of feathers, or would hiss instead of sing

And so he became known as sort of a wild artist. Someone who seemed to know everything about art and birds and the forest, but occasionally could be seen asking how microwaves worked or whether he would have to pay for checking books out of the small local library (He always returned them in perfect condition)

And, eventually, after he's had some time to think, he calls his uncle. He isn't sure how to contact his dad, but he isn't really surprised to hear the two are living together again. They're twins, after all

And so he tells them where he is, tells them that he wants to talk, wants to understand. And to his surprise, they come to him. And they offer apologies, and answers both

While the kids marvel at the birds and his art and the small collection of poetry and naturalist books he's been slowly building up as he shows them around, the adults confer on what it best to do

And he thinks that, if it's offered, he'd like to go back with them. But he isn't sure. And he's still caught off guard when they ask

[belladoesmakeup]

Time for a hair change!

Hi guys,

This time next month I turn 30 years old which is insane and to celebrate this milestone I wanted to change up my look. For the past 3-4 years I have had bright red hair and pretty much every shade between red and burgundy I could get my hands on. But when you have coloured your hair funky colours for a long time, normal colours start to seem more exciting.

I decided this would be the perfect time to try and give my hair some loving and stop dying it so much so that meant it was time to say goodbye to red hair! Though I love having red hair the upkeep isn't ideal because you need to refresh the colour every 6-8 weeks which you can imagine courses damage after a while. I decided it was time to go back to my roots (literally) and go brunette again!

But before I coloured my hair I decided it needed a cut, when you colour your hair you get very dead ends after a while. I decided to chop around 15 cm off my hair which is a total change for me but one I'm so happy I did. Once my hair was cut it was time to use the L’Oréal Paris Casting Natural Gloss Semi-Permanent Hair Dye, Ammonia Free, 5.23 Hazelnut Light Brown, £10.99. This time I decided to use semi-permanent hair dye because the colour coverage is just as good but doesn't damage my hair as much. I'm so happy with how the colour turned out.

I'm so glad I decided to give my hair a change, it feels fresh and a little more grown up from the vibrant red hair colour. Take this post as your sign to make that change to your hair and as always all products mentioned in my blog post are linked above.

Lots of love

Bella xx

[sillyguy99]

There is no fear in love

(Mafiafell Sans x Reader)

Chapter Four: Habitual Introduction

[Index | Previous | Next]

               An elderly nun – likely in her seventies – sets a cake decorated with white icing and colourful, round sprinkles on the coffee table. Her habit seems a size too big, and her hand shakes as she grabs a knife. A few silver hairs have escaped her veil, falling flat on her forehead, and her brown skin shows a couple of darker spots across her exposed arms, her sleeves rolled up to her elbows. She makes each cut slow and precise, and once she's done, she takes a seat. Brown eyes stare directly at him while another nun busies herself with serving the slices.

               “Well, isn't this perfect timing?” Sister Theresa – the one responsible for baking and cutting the cake – says, wrinkles showing near her eyes and mouth as she smiles at Frisk's mother. “You introduce us to a new friend… Right on your thirty-secondth birthday!” She then looks back at him. “What is your name, young man?” she asks, keeping her smile.

               The youngest of the two already seems to notice just how uncomfortable Sans currently feels, as she bites back a wobbly smile of her own, just as he rubs behind his neck and avoids the older woman's gaze.

               “...sans,” he replies, attempting a polite nod. “pleasure to meet you.”

               “Fourteen years,” Sister Gabriel – the one setting slices down for each person to take – says, joining in with just as much merriment. “Quite a feat, don't you think so? She has contributed plenty to our convent since her family left her in our care seventeen years ago!”

               The woman appears at least a decade younger than Sister Theresa. Hints of colour in her hair are part of the evidence that suggests her age, adding to that the simple jewellery she wears on her wrists and neck, plus the subtle makeup on her face. Salt and pepper locks can be seen behind her ears, and the reddish tint to her pale skin reveals she has been outside without any sunblock. The colours of her habit are far more vibrant, and contrary to the other nun's clothing being a size too big, this one looks a size too small, as the length of the skirt displays part of her legs. Her smile shows she doesn't seem bothered by the concerning amount of information she's provided in one go, much to the great displeasure visible on the other two women's expressions.

               “...Gabriel,” Sister Theresa says, frowning, while Frisk's mother sighs in approval. “Please, control yourself.”

               “Oh,” the one in question replies, placing a hand on her cheek. “But… Does it not feel like he already cares deeply for this place? He called yesterday, asking if Sister Magdalene was doing alright!”

               “i only wanna know ‘bout the people frisk sees every day,” Sans states, against letting this drag on or having assumptions made about what he wants. “that's what i'm here for, and nothin’ else.”

               “But you asked about Frisk, and how their mother was doing,” Gabriel insists, smiling wider. “Perhaps, you refuse to admit it, but… You are being motivated to worry about Frisk and Sister Magdalene, even if you are trying not to let that happen.”

               “Either way, sir…” Sister Theresa frowns. “You have made it here, and that is what matters most. Could I ask what prompted you to return… apart from learning about who Frisk associates with?”

               “they've been sick, so i brought this.”

               Sans slips out a paper bag from the inside of his jacket, and he tries not to chuckle when he notices Frisk's mother seems just a little too curious about what that could be, her wide gaze following each movement he makes.

               “What is this?” a new nun asks, appearing from behind him and taking the item from his hands. She looks at the heart-shaped locket she pulls out of the bag, suspicion clear in her gaze. “...A protective charm, perhaps?”

               “sorta like one, yeah.”

               And – as if arriving in order of age – she seems to be the youngest of the three women he's greeted today, likely in her fifties. Black bangs decorate her forehead, and there's a mole at the left corner of her chin. Her clothing fits just right, and though her face shows maturity, there isn't a hint of a wrinkle anywhere around. The sharp scent of sterility hangs in the air as she stands before him, and blue gloves protect her hands. She has brown skin a shade darker than the first nun he'd met, along with eyes of a similar colour.

               “...I’ll be studying it, then.”

               She secures the locket in a tight fist, slips it into her habit's pocket, and – finally – walks off to where the two oldest nuns are sitting.

               “Are you married?” she asks, her question far too blunt for her to be looking so stern.

               Caught off guard, Sans remains silent for a few seconds, until he processes his answer.

               “no, uh…”

               He looks left, and he looks right.

               All three nuns – minus the one he’d met before today – stare intently at him.

               The one not staring at him seems busy with the tea leaves she's gone off to inspect, these dropped onto the coffee table with the arrival of the new nun.

               So, he takes that as him needing to answer in a way that will keep the group interested, at least until the one responsible for dragging him into this messy introduction finishes doing whatever she's doing with those tea leaves she won't stop shuffling through.

               “but i used to be,” Sans says, trying his best at a sad visage through the dimming of his irises, the lowering of his droopy gaze, and the deep fall of his usual grin. “she passed away two years ago, and that's why i wanna look after frisk a bit more, since they're like a siblin’ to my own kid.”

               Heavy silence and worried expressions ensure things are already moving in his favour.

               Though, he can't allow himself to let that show, no matter how his skull itches to be permitted a triumphant grin.

               “and cuz the two of ‘em haven't been feelin’ well since they got to the surface… i've been wantin’ to ask sister magdalene if she can help me with the situation.”

               Everyone's gazes turn toward the one he's mentioned.

               In response, she slips the tea leaves into a bag, sits back down, grips the bag in her hands, and clenches it like it's her lifesaver.

               “You know how to make monster medicine?” Sister Evelyn – seemingly the second youngest of the four Sisters present – asks, a frown on her face.

               “U- Um…”

               At the sight of Sister Magdalene being unable to reply, Sans decides it's best to carry on with the act.

               “she's been givin’ it a shot,” he intervenes, sitting up straighter and glancing at her side. “…ain’t that right?”

               She meets his eye sockets, then nods – once, and slowly.

               “...Yes.”

               A harrumph follows, and she fixes her posture before sparing another glimpse at him.

               Then, she breathes deep, looks elsewhere, and closes her eyes.

               “Very few hospitals accept monsters into their facilities, so I have been… trying to make up for that.”

               Her chest rises and falls like a hammock against a soft wind.

               “It- It doesn't feel right to do nothing, when I am aware I can do at least… something. Or anything.”

               “Is it truly necessary for you to get involved with something so dangerous?” Evelyn intervenes, her sorrowful voice deepening. “You should let professionals deal with this issue.”

               “Even if guilt stops me from living peacefully?” A glare forms on Magdalene’s expression. “Trying to help is better than not trying at all!”

               “You aren't prepared enough for this, and you know it, Sister Magdalene.” Evelyn scoffs. “You would be better off facing a horde of hungry wolves than dealing with something so… reckless.”

               And then, she scowls.

               Magdalene, contrarily, smiles and walks off to the monster's side, propping her hands gentle yet firm on his shoulders – the way she squeezes leading him to believe she wants him to follow along.

               “Even if I'm not, Mister Serif and I made an agreement,” she says, leaning closer, until she's almost resting her chin on top of his skull, though she shows she knows better than to do something like that with a stranger. “He will offer me safety and resources, while I will use that to perform the needed experiments to make effective medicine for humans and monsters alike.”

               Still, the closeness her actions bring reveals that not only is her heart thumping like it wishes to be set free, but that she wants this to end, judging by how much her hands tremble as she tries to let him go.

               And it's at this precise moment that he's reminded of the day after he first met her, when he was in the garden with her, and when she confessed she believed he looked like trouble.

               “If my research were found out by people who are in disagreement… then the trouble would not be as worrying as it would be, if I were to focus on both species, instead of just monsters.”

               The idea of her being threatened by him brings about an uneasy feeling in his soul, like he can't figure out whether he wants that or not.

               “Our agreement…”

               She had been the one to confront him first, after all.

               And despite the reasons for her anger having a sound basis on her worry as a mother, that doesn't mean he isn't against entertaining the idea that he can act dangerous, just to mess with her.

               “...Our agreement is beneficial for both of us. For everyone.”

               So far, she hasn't mentioned to her Sisters what he  told her the day of Frisk's arrival.

               Nor does he believe her Sisters had been witnesses of her angered outburst upon that revelation.

               In their eyes, he's simply an odd monster man who had been kind and caring enough to bring Frisk back home safe and sound, and who she welcomed into the garden with open arms – excluding from that narration the part where she slammed him against a wall and shamed him for how blatant his confession had been.

               “Where will you be making these… experiments?” Evelyn asks, after an extensive silence from everyone around, the sole thing to keep calm being the sound of water boiling close by and birds chirping in the distance.

               “Here,” Frisk's mother replies, finally walking away from him to tend to the boiling water. “I won't be going anywhere,” she carries on, giggling. “...If that's what you're so worried about.”

               The eldest of the two huffs while the other laughs again, the disclosure of Sister Evelyn's true intentions seeming to lighten the mood.

               “With Frisk being the Monster Ambassador and their health not being the greatest, Mister Serif offered that solution, so that we can both… overcome certain obstacles.”

               Her voice breaks at that last line.

               “Surely, if you've… r- read the news since their arrival last week…”

               Even from the distance she's at, Sans can still see how her body shakes as she picks up the boiling water and pours some into each cup she's set on the counter.

               “You've…”

               She sets the empty pot on the stove, then grabs a pair of cups, only to set them back down on the counter.

               “You've seen what they plan to do with my child… Don't you?”

               And as he saw coming from a mile away, she slips in her actions and burns herself with the stovetop.

               In response, she hardly flinches, wet eyes and a shaky smile divulging her primordial concerns.

               “They will be taken for questioning,” Theresa says, a grey, grim look on her face. “So that we may understand their reasons for freeing monsters from the Underground, even though they were treated poorly?”

               Seemingly fatigued, he sees Magdalene rest her back against a counter, slouch, and cover her face with her palms, nodding into them – once and firmly.

               “That is what brings into my attention just who are we letting into our convent as of late…” Evelyn says, her disagreement returning. “Undoubtedly, if most monsters brought harm upon them, you must be no exception, Mister Serif.” A brisk pause arrives with a sigh. “And though I'm sure you must mean well, you have yet to repent for what you've done. Right now…”

               Her trailing off is accompanied by her standing up and pointing a finger at him.

               “You are the chief of sinners,” she says, anger manifesting in her eyes and tone. “Frankly said… You are a wolf dressed as a sheep, trying to make yourself fit into a rigid mould you cannot possibly ever force yourself into – no matter how much you try, and no matter how much you attempt to redeem yourself for it.” Another pause arrives. “And… That is without bringing into this how you treated Sister Magdalene the day after Frisk's arrival, with you yanking her rosary away and… exposing her the way you did, even after she offered you an apology you did not deserve, and even her friendship, despite your questionable background.”

               She walks to the door and opens it, gesturing for him to pass through the frame, sunlight blinding his gaze.

               “Do yourself a favour, sir, and leave while I am still feeling merciful.” She scoffs. “You can keep your agreement with Sister Magdalene, but I sincerely do not want you here. Bring her whatever resources she may require, but stay away from her and this place. We will protect her the way we always have.”

[Index | Previous | Next]

• • •

Tag List:

@itsberrydreemurstuff

[mish-ka]

Hawayein

A/N: Thank you so much for the love on my first fanfic. It means a lot to me. Also sorry for the short chapter, the next one will be longer.

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The vibrant and stunning city of Delhi, perfect for those trying to make a living for themselves and their families. Delhi is a city with a colourful interior and a lovely forest surrounding it on all sides.

Y/N, who is new to the city, strives to take in everything she can with her lotus-like eyes. Her heart has no boundaries, and her body is bursting with enthusiasm. Her steps have an added bounce, and the beaming smile on her face is barely contained by her lips.

Convincing her parents to let her move from Calcutta was the hardest task Y/N had to do. Even her studies weren’t so hard. It took years for them to even consider the idea, especially after the rebellious streak that Y/N has had ever since she was toddler. But in the end, they obviously had to listen to their youngest daughter.

As if sensing her excitement, the day is bright and sunny, with the birds chirping and the cool feeling of Earth under everyone’s feet is a blessing on the hot day. The city’s fresh air blows in a gentle breeze and the sun kisses the ground with its orange hue.

Gazing through every shop on the street, she observes every little thing that comes in her sight. It was absolutely magnificent how many things were hand crafted by the people and how talented people could be. As she strolls through the streets of Delhi, the ground jars beneath her payal-decorated feet.

Today is a little special. She is having a guest over for dinner, and so she wants to make something special for dinner tonight. It is her first time having someone over as a guest on her own, so she is a little nervous. But good thing she had the dinner planned.

For tonight’s dinner, Y/N had decided on making Kosha Mangsho, Aloo posto with rice and roti. For sweets, she has decided on making chum chum.

So she was currently out in the market, searching for the ingredients for the dinner tonight. It was a bit of a task, as everything was so different from Calcutta.

“Y/N!”

A voice calls out her name from a distance. Y/N frowns as she wonders who would call her name in this unknown city. She turns around to find a man attempting to get her attention by waving his hand.

Y/N squints her eyes as the sun shines brightly behind the man that stands on the other side of the road. A grin stretches its way on her lips when she realizes who the man is.

“Ram!” The name leaves Y/N’s lips with such excitement that it somehow amazes her.

Last night , all she could think about was Ram. Y/N was always curious by nature but something about Ram fueled the fire of her curiosity even more. She felt compelled to get to know him better.

She had experienced an unexplainable draw toward him the moment she had first seen him. In addition to that, his eyes were a mystery of their own, waiting for someone to explore them. A glance at them and Y/N was ready to solve the puzzle of his life.

Ram, though, is unable to control the smile that breaks out on his face as Y/N recognises him. Seeing her again made his whole day seem so much better now than it had been.

The lotus eyed woman had ruled his dream last night, teasing him with the tinkling of her payal, the pallu of her saree caressing her waist, her bangles making the most melodic of sounds. It was all of her that was present in Ram’s dream.

Ram’s mind that was mostly filled with thoughts of his duty, his promise, and worry for his cousin sister, Seetha, now were occupied by Y/N.

Babai had noticed the change in Ram’s behaviour, and when his Babai had questioned him about what was wrong, Ram simply stared off in a distance with a soft smile on his face.

Ram was walking home early today, and while strolling through the market, he had come to the conclusion that it was wrong to go to someone’s house empty handed. So he had decided to buy a gift for Y/N.

Glancing around the vast majority of the items in the market, Ram realizes that nothing held a candle to being designed as a gift for Y/N. As so he had explored more than half of the market, before finding the perfect gift.

Ganga by Mahesh Thakur

Ganga was a book about a pure, and innocent teenage girl, who is forcibly married off to a British officer. The book is about how Ganga enters the dark and malicious world of the West, corrupting her in the process.

Ram had read the book himself and it was one of his favourite books. It was a book that he himself couldn’t put down, and was shocked at the ending. So he hopes that Y/N enjoys the book.

With a smile, Ram tightly clutches the book in his hand and headed down the street towards his house, hoping to freshen up before heading to Y/N’s house for dinner.

A familiar soft sound had reaches Ram’s sharp ears, which causes him to stop in his path. Y/N. It was sound of Y/N’s payal. So that means that she’s nearby.

His sharp eyes whirl around the street, and tried their best to locate Y/N by using the sound of her payal. Fortunately he did find Y/N on the other side of the road.

There she stands, in all of her magnificent perfection, dressed in a pastel pink saree with a short-sleeved spotless white blouse. Her pendant hung from her neck, and her body is adorned with jewelry. Her gorgeously long hair fell even lower, kissing the small of her back and her waist.

Where last night, Ram thought that Y/N looked beautiful under moonlight, yet here she was, being kissed by the sun’s light in ways that gave her a divine aura, highlighting her waist and body.

“Y/N!” Her name leaves Ram’s mouth without his consent, surprising him.

Ram watches with eager anticipation as the Bengali woman turns around and searches for the source of the name call.

“Ram!”

His breath hitches when Y/N calls his name, and he’s never been more pleased about having someone calling his name. Ram. The way she says it is as if someone has mixed sugar in the air and it reached his ear.

Breaking from his trance of admiring her beauty, Ram glances both ways before crossing the road. In his excitement, he doesn’t even realize that he’s jogging towards her.

Ram closes the distance between Y/N and him with an unmatched enthusiasm. As he gets closer, the air surrounding Y/N turns fragrant as if packed with the aroma of jasmine and rangoon creeper flowers.

Ram stops just short of Y/N, a little distance between them. “Y/N, what are you doing in the market?”

“I was out buying ingredients for our dinner tonight.” Y/N answers his question with her alluring smile.

It warms Ram’s heart in a weird way that she is out in the market because she’s been trying to find the ingredients to make dinner for them. It was oddly domestic and so much like something a housewife would do.

“I’ve got all of them and I was just gonna head home and start preparing for the dinner.” She says, motioning to the heavy bags in her hands, filled with vegetables and other ingredients.

“Yeh mujhe do.” Immediately Ram reaches over and grabs the bags, shifting the gift in his hand. [Give them to me.]

“Arrey-” Even though Y/N tries to protest, Ram notices the relief washing over her eyes as the weight of the bags is removed from her arms.

Ram watches Y/N grabs her pallu, and wipe the sweat from her forehead. Its then that Ram notices how tired she must’ve been, finding ingredients all over the market.

“Chalo ghar chalte hai.” Both Y/N and Ram fail to notice the domestic meaning of the words that Ram just uttered. [Let’s go home.]

The two begin to walk home in a comfortable silence, basking in each other’s presence. While unintentionally walking the same path of love, the two steal looks at one another while wearing identical shy smiles on their lips.

Le jaayein jaane kahaan, Hawayein

A/N: I hope you guys enjoyed it. Let me know if I made any mistakes and if I should fix something. Constructive Criticism is always welcomed.

Tagging: @bromance-minus-the-b @shreyalokesh @iamhereforthefanfics @thewinchestergirl1208 @voidsteffy @rishi-sita @anyavaramyr @ronaldofandom @budugu @shawty-writes-a-little @saanjh-sakhi @nyotamalfoy @chaanv @obsessedtoafault @ronnoxandlumoss @maraudersbitchesassemble @dumdaradumdaradum @bibi-birdy @its-pinkfunny-blog @phoenix666stuff @ramcharanobsessed @iam-siriuslysher-lokid @yehsahihai @aasthuu @deeznutsssssblog @moonyrox

[i-did-not-mean-to]

T - Tragedy

Written for @maalezzo :)

Song: I never told you

Words: 683

Pairing: Bagginshield

Warnings: Sadness, canonical death

After having spoken words much too tender to bear, Thorin closed his eyes—wearied beyond words by the battle and weakened by his wounds.

Time seemed to slow to a crawl as his lids slid down ever so delicately, like snow drifting on the ocean, obscuring the salvation of a blessed isle in the distance.

Never had Bilbo yearned to see that blazing blue—the hottest part of the flame— of Thorin’s eyes as much as in this very moment; it felt as if the sky itself had lost all colour.

Dazed as he was, he couldn’t help but wonder whether the Shire was but a panorama of drab greys now that Thorin had left the world devoid of vibrant colours.

“The eagles,” he cried, then whimpered, then sobbed until his voice was barely above the sound of flapping wings itself. “Thorin, look!”

If only Thorin would open his eyes, Bilbo would not have cared if he had looked at anything but the feathered saviours—he would have been especially happy and gratified if that warm, intense gaze could have touched his own face once more.

Just one more time to prove that he was all right and that the kaleidoscope of joy and anticipation spinning madly in Bilbo’s heart was not broken beyond repair.

“Thorin,” he keened, “there are so many things I have never told you, please, I am begging you, open your eyes and look at me.”

Surely, dwarven manners also demanded that one met the eyes of a person who was trying to engage in a conversation, Bilbo thought frantically, giving the cold, hard shoulder of the one he had stared at longingly for too long a light shake that quickly devolved into jerky wrenching and hard shoving.

“Thorin,” he repeated compulsively. “Look at the eagles, look at me…just pry those lids open…”

And suddenly, all the words he had kept locked up, like his mother’s best silver, burst forth in a maelstrom of agony.

“I live in your gaze, you know? Whether you glower at me in impatience or wink at me in a rare moment of mirth, I love your eyes…they invariably betray your thoughts and feelings. Did you even know? No matter how impassive your posture might be, those deep-blue windows into your soul always give you away.”

I love you, he thought, biting his tongue as his jaw began to quake uncontrollably.

I love you, please don’t leave me here alone.

“I remember all the times you defended and protected me,” he kept on babbling, picking up speed in his race against a clock that had stopped, its perfect silence roaring in his twitching ears. “And I shall do the same for you, I will stay here and keep you safe and warm.”

Fitfully, he pressed a kiss—a weakness he would never have allowed himself in normal circumstances—onto Thorin’s bruised and bleeding brow.

His arms, stronger than they had ever been, closed around the frighteningly heavy and motionless body of the dwarven king, pulling him against his heaving chest.

“Please,” he sobbed, “please, Thorin, if you could just look at me one more time, I could tell you what these last months have meant to me—what you mean to me…”

When he got no reply, Bilbo cupped Thorin’s face and—with a dirty, hesitant thumb—he pushed up one blood-encrusted lid carefully.

He had spoken true for—when he looked down into those eyes he so adored—he saw dull, lifeless darkness; there was no sign of the king’s dry humour or absurd pride.

Infallibly, those eyes that had caressed and reprimanded, praised and comforted him, spoke a truth too monumental and heavy to ever put into words. Thorin had ever been taciturn and so it was unsurprising that this humble admission of defeat and his last goodbye would be expressed by his empty gaze rather than by a rambling speech.

Bilbo wanted to wail, but—along with Thorin’s life—words had fled him and so he merely sat on the icy ground, chewing on words that would now never be spoken.

@fellowshipofthefics So, here's a sad one for today :(

Lots of love

-> Masterlist

[sun-daddy-yoriichi]

Any ideas of michi falling head over heels way too fast for someone?

notes — i'm assuming you mean michikatsu, in which case, i have ideas! it's a little short, but i didn't want to get carried away!

warnings — spoilers, semi-unrealistic setting for the time period, implied female!reader but never specified

Arrhythmia | Michikatsu Tsugikuni

His heart leaps in his chest when he catches sight of a familiar kimono.

Michikatsu isn't sure why he lets the other Hashira convince him to go out to eat with them. Usually, he's good at saying no, coming up with a convincing enough excuse or simply denying the suggestion altogether. He isn't sure what draws him to the quaint little restaurant near the Flame Pillar's estate; there's just something different about it.

Actually, Michikatsu knows exactly why he keeps going back there, and he'd sooner die than let anybody know the truth.

Every other week, he'd sit and listen to the other Hashira speak, if only to catch the smallest glimpse of a colourful kimono and perfect, white haori.

He didn't even know their name, and he felt his body shift whenever he even thought about asking for it. Michikatsu was aware of the term 'love at first sight'; it was hard to miss the way young lovers gazed at one another, partially blinded by adoration and lust to notice much else about one another. He hadn't ever wondered what it really felt like until several weeks ago.

And when the Flame Hashira asks him — every single time — why his heart is beating so fast, why he's lost control of his breathing, he tries to pretend like he doesn't feel shame burn inside his gut.

They must have figured it out somehow. Either Michikatsu isn't as slick as he thinks, or the other Hashira are sharper than he originally presumed, but they're pushing harder today, spending more time than usual trying to coax Michikatsu into saying exactly what they want him to say.

He doesn't relent. He leaves. He had no need to turn his eyes upon a stranger tonight — it might be best if he forgot about them altogether.

Michikatsu's in such a rush to get away, that halfway down the small road from the restaurant, he bowls into someone.

They're much smaller than him, and they land with an undignified squeak. He hadn't know many humans — other than children — to utter such a noise. In his haste to get away, he almost leaves them.

That colourful kimono stops him in his tracks.

There's a feeling welling in his chest that he doesn't ever feel, to the point where he's not quite sure what it is. It makes him clam up and burn, not unlike the hot springs he's visited on the off occasion. Hot springs don't usually make Michikatus feel like he's boiling from the inside out, however.

"I apologise," he mumbles, almost too low to hear as he reaches an arm out to help them stand. They don't seem hurt and, much to his relief, they aren't angry. They wrap a delicate hand around his wrist, forcing Michikatsu to pray that they can't feel his pulse race under their grip.

"That's okay," they tell him, smiling, "I wasn't looking where I was going, either. You didn't trip on anything, did you?"

Michikatsu wants to die. "No."

"That's good! Wouldn't want you to get hurt, now." They peer up at him, inquisitive and open, before they speak again. "Say, I see you around town a lot. You and your friends eat at that down the street restaurant a lot. Do you like it there?"

". . .Yes."

The colourful stranger claps their hands together, smiling widely. "That's so good to hear! My family has been making the sake that restaurant sells for decades now. Have you ever tried it?"

Michikatsu didn't drink. He didn't like alcohol all that much to begin with. "I'm not entirely sure."

They cock their head, and grin. "Well, I'll make sure you try it! It'll be my treat, how about it?"

Michikatsu could almost feel his brain rattle around in his skull. They were so friendly, and vibrant, and open. He was calm, he was calm, but that meant almost nothing to him now.

The smallest part of him wanted to ask if they were married. Instead, what comes out is, "What is your name?"