#they can have fun in bursts spontaneous little things

[redrobin-detective]

I have read a thousand fluffy, happy Batfam fics and I read one thousand more but when the happy sanitized fanon is put away and I really think of the characters, I can never believe it.

The Bats love each other, I honestly, truly believe each and every one of those weird, repressed assholes would die to save one another. But the day to day is hard. They’re not just a family, they’re coworkers and soldiers and enemies. Bruce doesn’t do normal and shows his love through control, paranoia and shared violence and he taught that to his children. The siblings never feel quite at ease around each other, too many betrayals, cutting words, stinging injuries. In the field, they are a well oiled machine, when they’re at home playing the part of a happy family, they can’t quite relax.

Dick is a demanding perfectionist who sometimes can’t separate himself the job. He’s burned bridges at some point with every family member and though he dearly loves them, sometimes being the happy, welcoming, forgiving big brother all the time to too many siblings is exhausting. It’s hard to keep so many different people happy at once so sometimes he just lets them go.

Jason never fully integrates back into the family. He doesn’t legally reclaim his name and return to his life, just keeps his head down and sticks to his turf in the alley. He’s simmered down a lot since his resurrection and can hold conversations with his so called family but it’s tense and soured by the past. He occasionally still murders and break B’s moral code but B is so tired of the fighting that they’re in a bit of a stalemate over it.

Tim has grown used to feeling like an outsider in the family. He stays out of obligation and because he has no one else left to turn to. Sometimes it feels like he’s just going through the motions of being a brother and son. He dreams about packing up and leaving but knows he never can. Is still bitter at the fallout of previously good relationships (Dick, Steph and B) and in general wary and untrusting of Jay and Dami. He wishes things could go back to how they were.

Cassandra has never truly understood the concept of a happy family. The Bats are comfortably familiar with their frequent brawls and generally being on edge around the other. To her, this is normal. That said, as much as she loves, she keeps her distance because its hard for her to deal with and express that love. She’ll spar and cuddle and smile and then disappear for months making it hard to the others to feel connected to her. She feels most comfortable alone.

Damian’s inferiority and superiority complex are at constant war with each other. He’s learned to see the error of his earlier thinking and realizes that everyone will always see him as an assassin. He hates how much he looks up to his older siblings, their skills and experience how easily they seem to have his father’s love. His pride prevents him from admitting this, opening up to them and instead perpetuates the cycle of insults and fighting.

There is love and connection in the Bat family but also cracks from hundreds of little interactions brought about by stress and pain and misery. When the stars are right and the moon is bright, they can come together and be a family. But it’s never the whole group and never for too long before uncertainty and fear creeps back in. In battle, they are an unstoppable force that works in tandem. Outside of costumes, just themselves, they are broken people awkwardly trying to hold together a facsimile family.

[whoopsyeahokay]

October Sun

summary: your mother had warned you. Don't let them know, she'd said, her nails digging angry crescents into the flesh of your upper arms, eyes wild and imploring, don't let them know you can see. you'd listened, all these years, you'd lived your life by that rule. until you couldn't.

pairing: Wally Clark x fem!reader

warnings: eventual smutty smut smut. and mad spoilers. and obvious Canon divergence.

bon reading, frens

___________________________💀

OCTOBER SUN pt.1

Like most things, it started with a look.

A boy. A girl. A crowded place; a friend talking—their voice muted as if heard through a motel wall. Time slows. People filter in and out of the space between, chatting, laughing, in frame just long enough to emphasize the weight behind something that, in any other context, would be utterly unimportant.

Simon had urged you outside at lunch, pulled you away from your table, tone frayed in desperation as he interrogated you about things you're certain you'd made seem the expression of a morbidly quirky imagination.

"Well," He said, like jabbing the eraser-end of a pencil into your sternum, "Can you?"

You hesitated, gaze lifting away from his to skirt the middle-distance behind him.

And then—

It happened molasses-slow. Your eyes caught his; lingered a beat too long to be played off as anything other than what it was. Acknowledgment.

Those sweet-sultry cow eyes widened a fraction.

Oh no.

Then time rushed back in and snapped into the correct rhythm. You didn't have a chance to process what had just happened because Simon sighed with the weight of the world, grabbing fistfuls of his hair and pulling. Quickly, you arranged your expression into something slightly put-off.

"Si, what are you talking about?"

Simon groaned and took a few steps back then forward again. He reminded you of a caged animal being forced to perform. Lately, his mannerisms had been erratic, a little unhinged. You'd caught him talking to himself a couple of times, in classrooms or the cafeteria. The last couple of days he'd been glued to his phone, taking spontaneous calls that he'd never received before. Initially, you'd assumed he was in touch with Maddie; the only one she'd trusted enough to keep in the loop. However, the more you'd observed, the more you'd doubted the assumption.

You'd watched him unravel from a distance, of course. Nicole had turned inward, Simon was bursting at the seams, and you, as the casual friend with a life separate to theirs, stayed away out of a sense of insecurity.

You and Maddie hadn't been as close as she and Simon and Nicole. You shared interests in the macabre and spooky, but that's where it ended. Event Buddies who became familiar through exposure, lacking that profound connection that would give you a reason to call about something other than the next horror film release date.

You didn't feel right about asking to share their grief. It felt intrusive.

Simon paced the length of the bus shelter once more before stopping in front of you. He was clearly nervous, frustrated, avoiding your gaze for a second while he collected his thoughts.

Finally, he took a deep breath, glanced around to make sure no one was within earshot, and said, low and secret, "You talked about the ghosts here—" You folded your arms and tilted your head in what you hoped came across as confused. "—Last year," Simon grabbed your arm and pulled you in closer when a group of younger girls walked by, "Last year, you told us about the crush you had on your mom's dead boyfriend, remember? The guy who died during the '83 homecoming game?"

"They never dated." You corrected, fighting the urge to chew your lip. A giveaway that you were about to choose your words very carefully. "But, look, Simon, I talked about that stuff because I thought it was fun. Not because I can commune with the dead."

"But your mom—"

"Is a fraud and you know it." Then you frowned, genuinely intrigued, "What's going on?"

Simon shot you a dazed look, "Huh?"

"Why are you suddenly into this Sixth Sense shit? You've never believed in it before. A stance you've made very clear you take." Every time you joked about reaching out to the Other Side, Simon would scoff and roast you endlessly. Something that you found endearing. Like a prickly inside joke. It was your thing.

Suddenly, Simon got that look on his face, the one he got in class when your teachers outlined your homework. As if he were listening to someone. Except there was no one else close enough to hear.

The silence stretched into a thin static between you until, at last, Simon said, "Never mind." He sounded equal parts defeated and aggravated.

Taking a cautious step forward, you placed a hand on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry about Maddie, Si, I—" Have no idea how to put into words how fucked up it all is, "—I wish there was something, anything, I could do to help."

Simon pressed his lips together and nodded. From the corner of your eye, you saw a figure approaching the bus shelter. Tall, broad, donning the unmistakable colors of the Split River Bandits, née Devils. You had to get out of there before you irrevocably fucked up and found yourself at the center of what your mother warned you would be a swarm.

"Look," You dropped your hand to Simon's, squeezing supportively. You might not have been able to tell the whole truth but you could try to offer some comfort. Whether or not he believed you was up to him. "Maddie's okay, Simon. Wherever she is. Whatever happened to her..." You paused, considering your next words, "She can't be so far gone that we won't get her back."

You said it with all the conviction you had in you, believed it to your core.

You'd seen the beatnik with her lollipops, the shy boy with the glasses; you'd seen the young man in the outdated suit, and the modest, Sally Olsson lookalike, and the girl with the daydream eyes. You'd seen the myspace emo punk, the lanky autoshop geek, the dark-skinned disco queen; the marching band, and the theater kid...and him. The charming, high-on-life football star currently stood outside the bus shelter, his hands cupped around his eyes as he peeked through the glass against the glare of the sun.

You hadn't seen Maddie. Not a glimmer or a shadow or the impression that she'd been and gone. Nothing. And you'd done your due diligence as soon as you'd heard about the blood in the boiler room. You'd scoured the town after dark, before school, whenever you could get away without raising suspicion. Her old haunts and favorite places had been empty.

Minus a couple of exceptions, but they hadn't been Maddie, so you didn't see the harm in continuing to keep the truth from Simon.

"Yeah." Simon said. He didn't sound convinced. "Thanks. For that."

You deflated, released his hand with an affirming squeeze, and made your excuse, "I gotta get ready for next period."

He didn't meet your eyes, simply pulled his phone out and put it to his ear. "See you later." The smile he gave you was tight, quick, insincere.

Taking that as your cue to leave, you turned and exited the bus shelter, tall dark 'n' handsome keeping pace as you made your way back into the school, his gaze a warm weight on the side of your face.

All you had to do was pretend he wasn't there. You'd done it countless times in the past, were well-versed in how to cover your mistakes.

You stopped briefly, reached out to open the door, and in that second, you felt a tingle up your spine and the closeness of a body behind you. His voice, a gentle rumble, spoke directly into your ear, the parody of soft breath tickling the hairs on your neck.

"I know you can see me."

You forced yourself not to react, perhaps stood a second too long before yanking the door open and marching inside, but you kept your eyes forward, and relaxed your jaw and shoulders. To the students milling about the hall, you were the picture of normal.

"Do what you want but I'm not going anywhere until you admit it." He said lightly, a step behind you as you maneuvered toward your locker.

Once again, you had to stop, twisting in the combination to open your lock. You fumbled, missing a number, had to start again. He leaned his shoulder against the locker beside yours, watched you through his lashes, a smirk pulling one side of his mouth upward.

You'd always been attracted to him. Had to suppress the urge to stare at him when he appeared in the same classroom or hallway you happened to be in. Having him interact with you, intentionally, made your heart quicken and the ability to think critically dissolve.

Oh God, not again...

Your brain fired a thousand synapses in every direction as you willed yourself to hurry before you accidentally did something stupid; steadied your hand to input the combination correctly. You tugged the lock. It stayed stubbornly latched. And then he leaned in, too close, the tip of his nose practically grazing your temple.

"You missed the 3."

The air was syrupy thick, fuzzy. In an effort to concentrate, you closed your eyes, repeating a mantra your mother had taught you to center yourself.

You sensed his body shift, tilted further toward you like a bracket, then the sensation of blunt nails traveling up up up your back, catching in the material of your shirt as if the touch were real. Goosebumps erupted over your arms, your breath hitched, and you found your head slanting in his direction.

Fuck. You needed to—BANG—Jesus Christ!

Your eyes snapped open at the abrupt noise, your friend cackling wickedly as she took in your shock.

"Hey, silly." Mathilda Grace—of The Split River Graces, not that she'd ever say it like that—grinned proudly at the reaction she'd gotten out of you. "You ready to fail this test with me?"

You could still feel him hovering, but it seemed he'd put an appropriate amount of distance between you. Shaking your head to clear the last of the muzziness from a moment ago, you plastered on your most natural smile and responded, "Let's go disappoint our parents."

You managed to undo the lock and grab the right textbooks, transferring what you didn't need from your bag into your locker while Mathilda regaled you with what you'd missed after Simon had dragged you outside.

"What did he want, anyway?" Mathilda asked, more concerned than curious.

"To talk about Maddie." You replied as close to the truth as you dared. It had the added benefit of making Mathilda feel awkward enough to change the subject immediately.

"K, c'mon, bell's about to go and I need to grab my book, too."

Shutting and locking your locker, you chanced a sideways glance and were relieved to find that it was just you and Mathilda and the regular stream of other alive-and-well students making their way to their next class.

Still, as you and Mathilda walked toward Ms. Fields' class, you felt the tingle of his gaze on the back of your neck.

The next couple of days would be white-knuckle hard, but you'd dealt with it before and could do it again. Had to do it again.

What you didn't anticipate—and probably should've, given what you knew about him—was Wally Clark's steadfast determination and his refusal to let sleeping dogs lie for a second time.

💀___________________________

PART TWO

note: i'll just leave this here for now :) i have a whole idea, fully fleshed out, but am also developing an actual Series Compliant fic that uses some of the same elements as this story 😅

if you'd like to be kept up-to-date, please join the tag list!

[yorshie]

Hi!! I’ve been obsessed with a recent post of yours, about the tmnt turtles and the ways they would confess their feelings, it was so on point? Seriously it has been even helping me fall asleep (dreaming about it lol) on that note, would you please do a scenario or Headcanons of tmnt x reader and their first kiss? Planned? Accidental? In a burst of emotion? Floor is yours

Thank you and hope you have a good day ♥️

Bayverse turtles (separate) x GN reader, SFW (set in 2023 so turtles 24-25)

OH this is RIGHT up my alley. Thank you for the ask! I'm glad you're getting some sleep lol, it was 3 a.m. when I wrote this. Being stuck in a car brings that special kind of tired where you're still jittery, you know? Anyway, I hope you enjoy reading this, and thank you for sending in an ask so I wasn't bored staring at the ceiling fan.

It's not pertinent to the idea but I'm thinking Raph's kiss is a lot longer into the relationship, simply because in my head I keep thinking I wouldn't want to kiss him until he got over his whole angsty phase. If you wanna imagine he's still angsty when the smooch happens, feel free, but hot and cold ain't fun.

MIKEY

Angelo called you on your way home from work for a spontaneous Tuesday night date, and it was with only slight trepidation that you hurried home, visions of the sunshine ball left alone with no one to distract him amid all your stuff floating around your head.

Thankfully, there was no grand chaos when you poked your head through the door, only Mikey in an apron, twirling around your kitchen without a care in the world. He was juggling between three different bowls and the stove, singing along to the music blaring through his phone.

The oven dinged as you were shucking your shoes and jacket, and Mikey brightened upon spying you, tossing his spatula to the side and holding his arms open to hurry you towards him with a raucous, “babycakes! I missed you!”

You went willingly, not quite sure if he was intending to hug you or pull you into a dance, but it ended up being a mixture of the two. He spun you into a dip, hands pulling you upright when your socks slipped on the floor with a goofy smile and a little two step before he grabbed your hips, lifting you up onto the counter next to his work area. 

He broke off mid chorus to offer you a spoonful of whipped cream with a soft, “try this, baby, tell me what you think.”

You tried it without thinking, eyebrows jumping at the cloying taste on your tongue.

“Uh. Angelo, you used way too much sugar in this.” You twisted in your spot, tossing the spoon into the sink and giving a little cheer at the satisfying ‘plonk’ of it disappearing into soapy water, completely missing the mischeiveous smile on your turtle’s face.

“Yea? Here, let me help get rid of it.” Mikey’s words were teasing, and for a moment you thought he was talking about something completely different.

You weren’t expecting the warmth of his hands sliding into your hair. You startled, blinking at him dumbly when he sidled into your space, plastron tapping against your knees and pinning your shins against the counter drawers. 

He grinned, cradling your head, thumbs along your jaw, holding you still as he tilted his head and pressed his mouth to yours.

He was warm, lips soft, moving gently against your skin. He started to churr when you reached up and tucked your hands over the strong curve of his shoulders.

Your lips glided together once again, mouth opening barely under his direction, eyes closing at the little sweet exhale he gave at the motion.

“You taste like syrup.” You murmured against him, and felt his mouth fight not to tip upwards again.

“What can I say,” Mikey moved his thumb to brush over your lips, “I like sweet things, baby.”

You weaseled your arms down between your bodies, hooking around the edge of his shell and holding him closer, pulling a shiver from him.

“Give me another,” he pushed, and you giggled into the press of his lips.

DONNIE

Your nerd was thinking.

You could practically see the steam of over worked processors from where you lounged at the foot of his bed, book tilted far enough up so you could both pretend you weren’t sneaking glances his way.

Donnie was hunched over in his chair, just barely within eyesight around the low dresser separating the main room of the lab from his bedroom. His hands were lax on the keyboard of the refurbished laptop he was suppose to be working on, glasses low on his snout and eyes clearly trained, not on his work, but at the wall beyond his desk.

You entertained the thought of calling out to him, but the chances of reaching him in this state were slim to none even if you laid a trap with coffee for the bait, so you settled back into the book, flicking curious glances his way every now and then to make sure he was still breathing.

Your patience was rewarded, eventually, when he blinked and that sharp golden gaze flickered over to your face.

“I want to try something.” He said without preamble, once he saw he had your attention, and you closed the book you hadn’t been actually reading for a while with a snap to let him know he had the floor.

“Alright.” You scooted to sit at the edge of his bed, feet crossed under you and curiosity building. “What is it that you want to try, Dee?”

Donnie closed the laptop with a soft little click, rolled his chair towards you, then left his seat to shuffle into your space on his knees when he realized he still towered over you.

You swallowed at the abrupt closeness, breathed out slow to combat your sudden nerves.

The tall turtle took your hands in his, smoothed his thumbs softly over your knuckles. “I want… to kiss you. If that’s alright?”

You nodded as soon as the request was processed, gaze skittering to watch his tongue poke out reflexively before he leaned down and pressed his lips to yours in a chaste kiss.

And held them there. No movement, no gentle give and take. You weren’t even sure he was breathing, he was so still.

He pulled back after a moment, light eyes quizzical before they turned inwards, and you could tell you were about to loose him to whatever data he’d collected.

“Ok. Hey. Wait.” You raised your hands, tapped along his cheeks until he glanced back at you. “I want to try again.” 

You kept your words soft, and when he automatically leaned in, you stopped him. “Let me lead, Dee. Just do what I do.”

This time, you used your hands to tilt his head a little bit, and softly touched his lips with your own. Pressed short kisses against him, letting him settle before you moved your jaw and pet your mouth across his.

The steam pouring out Donnie’s ears was back, his hands tightening against your own, and he gave a shaky exhale against your cheek before he responded, mouth slipping over your lips a little roughly as he moved to mirror your grip and tilt your head a little to the back. 

When the two of you broke apart, his eyes opened, and he whispered, “again?”

RAPH

The quiet times were the best with Raphael. The moments with no pressure, no societal niceties, away from the teasings of his brothers, when he’d look at you and jerk his head in a clear ‘let’s get out of here’ invitation that you’d never be able to turn down. 

Raph would unwind enough to simply exist when it was just you and him, warm and mellow and guard low enough that only affection glanced back when you met his eyes.

You were taking advantage of the quiet this particular date night. He was loose from good food and the way your smaller form sat at his side without fear. So much so, that when you swiveled and tucked a leg over his thigh, his big hand wrapped around your knee without stuttering, grip wide and warm and content to rest on the curve of your joint.

He was still engrossed in the movie, though you caught the little flicker of his eyes as he watched for your reaction to his touch, an old gut reaction that you were happy had faded even this much.

When you simply leaned into him, he relaxed further, and you were rewarded with the slow brush of his thumb against the soft skin on the inside of your knee, as though he couldn’t help the movement.

You let him settle through a few more scenes before pushing a little further, thought the amused quirk of his mouth when you finally made your move made you realize you might be a tad predictable to the large turtle.

That didn’t matter so much though, when he made no move to stop you. If anything, it confirmed his trust, at least enough that when you pulled up to your knees to reach him, hands hooking into the upper edge of his plastron, he tilted his head further to meet you halfway.

He was probably was’t expecting a kiss, however, if the little stutter that rolled through him under your hands and the way he gripped your hips was any indication.

The press of his lips were sweet and a little hesitant, especially when how small your mouth was against his broke through even your hazy thoughts, but you tipped to the side to make up for the difference. After a beat he leaned in, following your lead of how hard to press and when to move, softly scrubbing his lips against you as much as you would allow.

His hand slid up your spine, careful and soft, and you shivered at the feeling, pulling away only to dart back in for one more small peck for luck, pulling a little flustered huff from his snout.

When you pulled back for real, he tucked his head under your chin in a fit of bashfulness, even though you could feel his grin against your skin.

“Wanna finish the movie?” You asked, loathed to quit but not wanting to push him too fast.

“In a minute.” He replied, surfacing to press his mouth to yours again.

LEO 

Story time might be Leo’s favorite part of the day. Certainly it was the part of the day where he let himself relax, as much as he was able, but he coveted these moments where he wasn’t anything more than Leo, the mutant turtle that had found you.

So he soaked it all up, the softness of your back against his chest, the way you fit yourself against him without a care. It should have had his heart hammering, the way it had for hours after the first time he had found himself in this position. But the organ beat slow and steady in his chest, soothed when a shoe didn’t drop, and he became used to all the tiny movements you just couldn’t seem to help.

You were only partially aware of all the things that went on in your turtle's head, but slowly you were peeling back the layers as Leo let himself relax around you. You knew however, that he needed these small moments, and you were careful never to question when he came tired and bruised, to simply drop a book into your hands and lean his shell against the wall. He’d tell you, when he was ready.

You turned a page of the book, barely moving your wrist so the thumb sweeping back and forth across the small bones wouldn’t be dislodged, and continued weaving the story of a small elf looking for the last bit of magic in his world. 

When Leo’s thumb slipped up to touch your knuckles, framing the back of your hand with his palm, you had a moment to wonder if he wanted to hold your hand. When a sigh sounded from above you though, a small sound of contentment slipping out in a rumble you knew you weren’t suppose to hear, you realized he already was.

You glanced up, taking in Leo’s rounded shoulders, his lowered head, his large form practically curling around you. His eyes were shut, head tilted into your space, and an urge pinged hard in your chest at the sight.

You slipped the book jacket between the pages to hold your place, and set it aside, twisting around until you faced him on your knees. Your hands found the corded strength right above his knees briefly to keep yourself from falling over.

His eyes were open now, staring at you curiously, still soft around the edges.

You cupped his cheeks, leaned up against his plastron, and touched his lower lip softly with your own, eyes half lidded to gauge his reaction.

You watched his pupils blow wide, refocused when you pulled back, almost chased you hypnotically before the action caught up. There was a moment where you could see the hesitation, an errant thought, before the decision cemented in his eyes and he closed the distance again.

This time, the kiss was longer, sweeter, and he pushed into your space with a deep rumble in his chest, enough so that you had to hold his head steady to avoid being tipped backwards, stepping in when he faltered to lead him through the movements.

[ssentimentals]

seventeen members as their natal charts: jun

sun in gemini, moon in aries

this man's energy levels are off charts, he's super enthusiastic and passionate; smart and impulsive, he can be quite restless and chaotic, it's hard to pin him down cause his focus shifts elsewhere very often, a great communicator who changes his opinion often but becomes very bull-headed once he has a goal in mind

'jun, okay- slow down, alright?' you huff, tugging at his sleeve. his enthusiasm is contagious but at the rate you two are going, you fear your lungs may give out.

'we are very close, you're doing so well, honey!' he tries to cheer you up, stepping closer. with all the care in the world he reaches out to dab the sweat on your forehead with his little towel.

this gesture makes you smile but you swat at his hand playfully. 'that's what you said twenty minutes ago.'

'but this time we really are close,' he insists. 'c'mon, we don't wanna be late for the sunset!'

your boyfriend's energy is unmatched whenever he sets his mind on something and you silently cursed whoever told him that sunsets are most romantic when you watch them from the certain mountain peak. it tugs at your heart though, how jun always wants to add excitement in your relationships, try something new, even if some decisions are very impulsive.

'look at that!' he gasps, grabbing your hand and pulling you closer.

it is pretty, you have to admit that. beauty of sunset takes your breath away and you smile softly, when jun wraps his arms around your waist, hugging you from behind. his lips leave small kisses on the left side of your face and you squirm a little, when his hands sneakily get under your t-shirt. 'was this worth the hike?' he asks, basically molding himself to your back. 'are you happy?'

'this hike was so random and chaotic,' you giggle, feeling his lips on your temple. 'but i'm happy i agreed. it's wonderful here.'

jun nuzzles to your neck, ignoring all your comments about being sweaty. 'i'm happy that you are happy,' he says at last, tightening his hold around you. 'it's the most important thing.'

you know that he's not joking. it's so crucial for jun to keep your happiness at the highest level, his bursts of spontaneous energy are fiilled with ideas of making you smile, making you happy. 'your happiness is important too,' you remind him, kissing his cheek. 'thank you for bringing me here, i love it.'

he beams at you, lightning up like a christmass tree. 'always welcome,' he leans in, pecking your lips. 'and i'm always happy whenever you are happy.'

fun loving and open-minded, this man likes to be challenged in love, is into the whole 'chasing' thing as it sparks his curiosity and excites him; he is loyal and loving once he found the one, but he won't tolerate possesiveness, his perfect partner is someone who can keep up with him and teach him patience.

corner of your lips quirks into a smirk as you assess junhui in front of you. 'who said i'll agree, though?'

he blinks, momentarily stunned into a silence. 'i- what do you mean?'

you shrug, trying your best not to smile and keep up the act of nonchalance. 'i'm not that easy, moon junhui. you'll have to try harder than that to get a date with me.'

jun's mouth opens and then closes as he tries to scramble his thoughts together. 'but you said you like me too.'

'and that equals to me agreeing to go on a date with you?' you ask, smiling at his adorably confused face. 'i don't think so.'

you were waiting for the right person and everything inside you screamed that jun is that person, but you still wanted to be cautious, hesitant in opening up quickly and easily. you look at him, fearing that he might just get up and leave, but instead jun smirks, excitement lights up in his eyes. he steps closer with a solid determination, looking like he's ready to move mountains-

'i'll get that date,' he announces with zero qualms and hesitation, staring at you like you're the most prized jewel, 'in no time.'

'that's a whole lot of confidence,' you manage to mutter, not being able to look away from him. 'hope it's not just for show.'

wolfish grin he sends you in response makes your knees weak. 'just wait and see.'

jun leaves with heart hammering away in his chest, filled with excitement and adrenaline rush. if the chase is what you want then he'll give it to you. oh, he'll chase you alright, he'll get you no matter what - his whole body thrums with desire and impatience to have you, to be able to look into your eyes and say 'i got you'. his mind is already filled with million ideas and he's ready to do it all, because you are worth it.

a/n: first i'm writing mingyu as not a dom, now i'm writing jun as not an innocent flower.. turning tables is fun :D - nini

tagging @prpldahy (let me know if you want to be tagged as well!)

my masterlist is here

[kankuroplease]

hello! how would the uchiha brothers be as spouses?

You know I love Uchihas even when they irk me and I believe in the Uchiha deep love deal so 🥰

Disclaimer: I HC they’re all possessive lovers/Doberman bfs (tsk), it’s just a matter of the degree a lover can handle

Madara

Firstly, Finest of the founders era spouses and you can’t convince me otherwise

He’s mean, but he also means well. So they can’t be too mad, right?

Well they can but that’s not going to phase him much

He enjoys fighting and is rather intelligent, so it wouldn’t be in their best interest to pick a fight if they can’t actually debate him with proper arguments and valid points

BUT if they’re he is spouse, they’ve clearly have earned his trust and respect in some regard

So he will at least listen to them. Even if he doesn’t agree, he’ll take it into consideration probably won’t tell you that tho cause again, meanie

His spouse wouldn’t have to worry about him getting hurt too often, it’s Madara. They’ll have to worry about who he hurt

Likes when his spouse walks around town confidently like they own everything. That’s hot asf to him

I’m convinced he has a softer side that’s so warm one could spontaneously burst from it

Pulling them in close to lay their head on his chest while making small circles with his finger on their back or shoulder

Coming up and kissing their shoulder when they’re concentrating on their own work to pester them about what they’re doing for telling them to hurry up

It’s time to train

Which is Madara’s version of saying he wants their attention

HE TAKES HIS GLOVES OFF TO HOLD HANDS sometimes

He’s not overly concerned about PDA but he prefers to keep most intimacy within the house

Loves couples bathing and will turn their solo bath into one

If someone offended them, he wants names. Now

If they set a date, he’ll always be there no matter how busy his schedule may have been

Very random; but he’s the most likely brother to prank his spouse

Inari

Very supportive of his spouse’s ambitions

He’s not the husband that will drill them about where they’re going and who will be there

He’ll just tell them to have fun and don’t get into too much trouble

He craves quality time with his spouse and would be very happy if they joined him in collecting herbs and grinding medicines

He is a bit of a romantic, so fresh wild flowers weekly while they’re in season and confections for them to know he appreciates them

Makes them tea whenever they’ve had a stressful day and ask if they want to talk about it

Loves when they’ve read something from his personal library so they can talk about it

Falls in love all over again whenever they hug or kiss him for no particular reason

Lightly brags about his spouse to his patients and brothers

Enjoys leaving love bites for the same reason

Kota

So excited to be a husband, but if they ask him what he’s smiling about he’s going to get embarrassed

Looks forward to being able to cuddle them nightly

Will get a little moody by that i mean he’s insufferable with others if his partner is touched out and he hasn’t had them

He’ll make them little wood carvings while out on missions of the different animals he’s seen

Secretly wants to do all the cliché couples things including festivals, moon viewing, and cherry blossom parties

He’s going to lay his head on their lap whenever he’s wanting to be spoiled or just doesn’t want them to leave

He’s also a bit of a neat freak and cleanly, so they will rarely have to clean up after him and he’ll clean their messes too

Which isn’t a problem unless he feels they’re intentionally doing it to piss him off

Once they’re his, his jealous nature subsides a bit, but it will pop up back up when someone tries to be overly sweet with his spouse

He’s got a lot of emotional maturing to do. So his spouse will have to give him some grace and also put him in his place when he steps out of line

He’ll try to argue back, but he’ll ultimately apologize

Then awkwardly try to make it up to them

It’s not the smoothest sailing relationship, but they’re as important to him as his brothers if not more

So he’ll always try to be better for them

Tenko

They have him wrapped around their little finger completely

The type to wake up and admire his spouses face in pure bliss

He’s can’t get enough of them and will either wake them up with too many kisses or from messing with their hair

Absolute trash in the kitchen, doesn’t stop him from trying to make them food

Will gorge out on any food they make for family get togethers because he doesn’t want to share it

They can have his cooking

He’ll never raise his voice in anger towards them about anything

Beg him for anything and he’s folding. Immediately.

Will take them dancing in the moonlight

If they’re having a bad day, he’ll do anything to make them smile

Loves doing their hair. Doesn’t matter how short or long it is, he’ll insist on helping them wash it

They (and the whole village) will know he’s back from a mission because they will hear him cheerfully shouting their name/petname

He’s a little baby crazed/eager to start a family so he’s going to talk about how cute babies and little kids are

Adoption or his own, he doesn’t care. He just wants to start their family sometime soon

Izuna

He’s still a dick, but he’s their dick. So it’s okay 😌

He’s the most possessive. Like will literally grab their waist and pull them closer if someone so much as pets their eyes linger on his spouse too long

Might ignore them if they entertained someone he doesn’t like, or he’ll start a fight

You just never know with him

unlike his brothers, he doesn’t like his spouse showing themselves off. It makes him SICK when he sees the wistful eyes of others looking at HIS partner

On the brighter side, he’s happiest when he’s needed. So if his spouse gives him task, he’s going to be smug about it on the outside and mentally doing cartwheels

He needs quality time with his spouse, so he seeks out their company as much as possible

Which can come off as clingy

And he is

But they’re his spouse. They should want to be around him

Wipes down their seat for them without fail everytime

He’s also going to kiss their sleeping forehead every morning when he’s ready to leave

He’s the type to them you have a good day and if they respond with an “I’ll try.” He’ll respond with “you will have a good day.”

Tries to keep his composer at all times, but a little praise and a few neck kisses later and he’s melting

[the-roo-too]

candy -> lily jin morrow ver.

aka the fluff alphabet

admiration (what does she absolutely adore about you)- you listen to her banter about the most random things, be it music or books. she sometimes stops middle sentence and glances at you to see if you’re listening :(( and when she sees she has all your attentions she just goes 🤭🤭🤭

body (what’s her favourite body part of yours)- lily likes your eyes. sappy remarks about how pretty are your eyes and how much she loves them? yes :((

cuddling (how she likes to cuddle)- you on her side while she hogs you to her chest. it’s like having a bear wrapped around you

dates (what’s her ideal date)- lily will 100% make you listen to taylor swift while eating ice cream. she also definitely tells you all the little details and references

emotions (how does she express her emotions around you)- very verbal, lily thinks communication is the most important thing. you can mostly tell what she’s feeling based on the little noises she likes to make

family (does she want one)- yes, but she doesn’t need one. if you don’t want to start a family, she’s not pushing you into anything. but she’d like to have a mini lily or mini you <3

gifts (what about gift giving)- she doesn’t really care tbh, like it’s v nice if you give her something every once in a while but she prefers gestures over gifts. expect her to go all out on valentines tho! she’s gonna buy you a big ass bouquet and serenade her love <33

holding hands (does she like to hold hands)- she loves to! when you’re walking together she physically needs to have skin to skin contact with you :((( that assures her you’re still there with her and nothing bad happened

injuries (what would she do if you got hurt?)- unexpectedly, she’s really calm about it. if it’s a minor thing, lily will just help you herself and give you a smooch afterwards. if something more major happened, like you broke something, she’s gonna be nursing you back to health with cuddles after you come back from the doctor

jokes (does she like to joke around)- i’m sorry but lily is a loser with bad pick up lines 😭 bonus points for her because she tries to make up most of them

kisses (how does she like to kiss you)- loud smooches on your cheek, bonus points if someone is around. she just wants to show you her love mwah <33

love (what’s her love language)- lily sings to you. that’s it. you passed a hard exam? she’s gonna perform one-man-musical to you. failed the exam? she’s gonna perform sad songs to cheer you up

memory (what’s favorite memory together)- your first date! she was so nervous but her members made her go and she had so much fun :((( poor baby was stuttering but when she saw how nervous you were she kinda calmed down and everything went great

nighttime (how does sleeping with her look like)- lily’s a calm sleeper in the sense that she doesn’t move that much. she could go to sleep on her back with you on her side, and you wake up curled somewhere between her legs while she hasn’t moved 🥲

oddity (what’s a quirky thing about her)- she’s a book nerd. you could be sitting and drinking your tea and she bursts in, saying the author you once mentioned 7 months ago that you said had one book very cool just dropped another book that she read is very similar to the one you liked and she ordered it for you and would you like to read it with her when it arrives

pet names (what does she like to call you)- baby, my love, cutie, prettiest <33 she likes the very cute nicknames :(( pls call tell her every day she’s lovely

quality time (how does she like to spend time with you)- i think lily would love it if you sang with her. doesn’t matter what song but hearing her voice with yours brings her so much happiness

rush (does she rush into things)- lily takes her time with more important stuff like moving together, but small spontaneous acts of love are normal with her

secrets (how open is she with you)- secrets on special occasions, like birthdays. other than that, you know everything, including all the idol drama she hears

time (how long did it take her to confess)- a loser at heart, she wouldn’t confess if sullyoon didn’t accidentally talk her out to you yoona likes to remind her she’s the reason lily and you are together

upset (what’s her reaction when you’re upset)- she’s a little slow sometimes so she might not even notice she made you upset. if you got sad at someone else, she’s throwing hands, shoes, wigs and all that. if she’s the cause of your bad moon, she probably makes you some hot tea and brings it to you with the biggest pout ever

visibility (is she afraid of the public opinion)- of course she’s cautious, but once she gets the green light from her manager to come out, nothing will stop her.

warrior (how often do you fight)- you fight only if the problem is coming from her to be honest. if you’re the one that was mad, she already talked it all out calmly. but on the rare occasions she gets angry, oh boy

x-ray (how well can she read you)- the glasses must give her some superpowers because she can read you like an open book; both your body language and your expressions

yes (how would she propose)- lily is a poor little romantic at heart, she’d get all the girls to help her. someone would keep you busy and lead you to the exact restaurant she took you to on your first date, where she would be already waiting. i feel like she’d also write you a song to propose

zen (what makes her feel calm)- laying with you with her hand rubbing your tummy :(( something about that just makes her feel so safe and comfy, you’re her personal teddy bear

part of [the fluff series]

[thebisexualdogdad]

Prom night - Tory Nichols x M!Reader

You couldn't believe that Tory actually said yes to going to prom with you and not even because you two were hooking up on the down low and weren't really telling people about it but because Tory once told you that prom was the last place she would ever be seen.

"I guess prom wouldn't be so bad if I was there with you," she said when you asked her, "plus it's a free excuse to get dressed up and look hot."

When you picked her up she stepped out of her bedroom in a stunning leopard dress with a slit that cut all the way up her leg and your jaw dropped.

"Don't get any funny ideas mister," her little brother tells you after taking some pictures of you guys for Tory, trying to sound like the man of the house.

"Go play fortnite," she chuckled, kissing the top of his head, "I'll be back around midnight, there's leftover pizza in the fridge if you get hungry."

Arriving at the dance you stand in the doorway, noticing Tory is nervous.

"Hey we don't have to do this, we can just go hang out at the beach or something," you tell her.

She takes your hand and squeezes it reassuringly, "I'm okay, let's dance."

Everyone was staring at you guys, of course there were rumors you were together but showing up to prom arm in arm and Tory being in a dress like that was a statement.

On the dance floor you find Robby and his date, having fun with them dancing to the blaring music while avoiding Sam and Miguel as Tory promised to not cause a commotion.

Not that Tory didn't enjoy the moments of dancing right up on you knowing that they were looking.

During the slow dance her arms are around your neck while you hold her waist.

"I'm really glad we came here tonight," she tells you.

"Me too," you smile, "and I know I've already said it like ten times but you are so gorgeous Tory."

She smiles back and kisses you sweetly.

When the prom comes to an end you still have a bit of time before Tory promised her brother she would be home so you drive to the closed amusement park with some burgers you picked up on the way and just chill in your car in the parking lot.

"Where did you even get this tux?" She asks with empty fast food wrappers on the floor of your car.

"My mom picked it out, she said and I quote 'Tory is gonna find you so handsome in this'," you laugh.

"Well she was right, you are very handsome," she tells you.

There's a moment of silence, the lights from the park rides glowing in the night sky.

Tory looks at you, smiling but not speaking.

"What?" You chuckle.

"I don't know what I did to deserve you," she says sincerely.

"I could say the same thing…. I love you Tory," you say for the first time worried that it was too soon and would freak her out but you just had to get it off your chest.

"I love you too Y/N," she says softly, leaning in to kiss you.

The kiss quickly turns heated and she climbs into your lap, your hands on her thighs.

"You sure you want to do this here?" You ask.

"There's no one here and I need you," she replies, her hands on your neck while she kisses you.

Your hands move further up her thighs and under the open slit of her dress.

"Just be careful this is a rental," she chuckles.

The two of you maneuver the best you can around your nice clothes, Tory accidently honking the horn with her elbow making you both burst out laughing.

"Okay, okay I think I got it," you say rolling on one of the condoms you kept in your car for spontaneous moments like this.

Tory lowers down on your cock, moaning while she takes a second to adjust.

You hold onto her waist while she slowly bounces in your lap.

"You feel so good," you say, a hand reaching up to her chest to palm her through the material of the dress.

"Fuck yes," she groans as you thrust your hips upwards into her.

She fully unbuttons your white shirt, hands exploring your bare chest with your stomach clenching with every movement.

She kisses you again but it's sloppy this time as the both of you are doing your best to keep the pace of your bodies steady.

The car is shaking and all you can hear is the sound of your moans blending together.

Sooner than you anticipated you're cumming but still intent on giving her her own orgasm you squeeze her ass with one hand and use the other to rub her clit.

Tory cries out your name when the added pressure on her clit pushes her over the edge.

When your releases subside she slows her movements, letting a few aftershocks hit her before going still.

"That was hot," she tells you.

"You're always hot," you tease.

"Well that I know," she laughs, kissing you one last time, "I should probably be getting home."

"You kind of have to get off of me for me to drive," you joke.

Tory blushes and rests her head for a moment in the crook of your neck, "if I must."

When she returns to the passenger seat she fixes her dress while you button your shirt back up and take the full condom off.

"What do I do with this?" You ask, tying it off but not having anywhere to throw it away.

"There's a trash can over there," she says motioning to the amusement park trash can near your car.

"Now I really hope there's no one else here," you say unlocking the door.

"Y/N," she says before you get out, "pants."

You look down and realize your dick is still out, "oh right," you laugh, stuffing it back in your pants, "what would I do without you?"

[padfootastic]

miss padfootastic, I would like you to tell me about the prongsfoot proposal. does Sirius propose? or does James? or do they both propose at the same time? is it fancy, or spontaneous? tell me all your thoughts!

hi miss imp!!! thank u for this question, i had a lot of fun w it 🙈🙈

so immediately my mind went to ‘marriage? huh?’ because i just. can’t see either j or s caring so much about a ritual when they’re also so intertwined. like they’re soulmates ykno?a piece of paper or a ceremony won’t make a lick of difference to their bond, right? but if there does have to be one, then i totally feel like it’ll be that ‘character A brings the ring out and character B bursts out in laughter bc they have one in their pocket as well’ thing

maybe something like,,, one day someone, one of their friends or a random person, makes this comment about how ‘you still haven’t put a ring on it? damn’ and it’s like this—james and sirius aren’t insecure about their relationship, not really (but there’s a part of sirius that always thinks james can do better and a part of james that’s worried he’ll be Too Much for sirius one day and he’ll leave) but both of them are pretty possessive. and they’ve seen how much others thirst over their partners and how desirable they are and all that.

so. both of them, simultaneously but parallel(ly?), buy rings and plan a whole proposal out bc 1. they don’t ever want their partner to think they’re not valued and/or wanted, 2. they want the world to know this is HIS person, 3. doesn’t want anyone pawing what’s theirs, and 4. likes the possessive branding aspect of it.

and then they’re just trying to find the perfect time to propose (bc they’ve overthought the shit out of this for no reason) but it just. doesn’t. happen until one day, james gets annoyed and just. sits sirius down in the middle of the kitchen and goes ‘listen, i think we should talk’ proceeding to share the wits out of sirius who’s like ??? what happened???

james is like no. this is important. and gets the ring box out. sirius is goggling at him, james proceeds to give an endearing, bumbling speech and hopefully holds the ring out, hazel eyes wide and imploring, body shaking a little from leaning all his weight (and muscle) on one knee for so long, and just. generally being a face no one can say no to ykno?

except,,,,sirius just goes ‘you absolute tosser’ and storms/runs out the room and now james is kneeling there, blinking, not knowing what just happened. was sirius crying? angry? hurt? what. enter two point six minutes later, james is literally still in the same position, and sirius is panting a little from the flights of stairs. he pushes the chair aside and kneels right in front of james, holding one of his hands and bringing his own (coincidentally matching) box out of his robe pocket.

now it’s james’ turn to goggle.

(spoiler: both of they say yes of course. when they go to announce it to their friends in the trad way of ‘he said yes!!’ all of them facepalm and give them a deadpan stark like duh, ofc he did)

[otomefiend]

Victor

Story Event: Wicked love blooming in the dark night (part two)

Chapter 2

Chapter 1

More Vic's antics. Forgive awkwardness here and there.

~~Part 1~~

Victor's arms were filled with mountains of presents as he made his way around Harrods.

(I can't see his face hidden behind the pile of boxes!)

Victor: "Since I'm with you, I thought I'd refrain from buying gifts."

Victor: "But Ellis’ shirt was worn out, so I wanted to get a new one and a jacket for Liam as well!"

Victor: "I also found a tie clip that would look good on Alfons. Look, this one."

Victor: "Jude's shoes too―"

Kate: "Victor, watch out―"

I managed to stop the falling box at the last moment.

Kate&Victor: "...phew."

Victor: "Um…Kate, sorry?"

Kate: "Pfft, hahahahaha! I've never seen anyone buy this much in just a few hours."

Victor: "...."

(how cute)

Seeing Victor like that brought an image of an overturned toybox to mind and resulted in me spontaneously bursting into laughter.

Kate: "Hanging out with you is a lot of fun, Victor."

Victor: "Ah, at last! I was able to see you smile.'

Kate: "Um"

Victor: "You haven't laughed so heartily since you came to the Castle, have you?"

Victor: "Not surprisingly, since you expected to die."

~~Part 2~~

The vivid anxiety and fear of that night still lingered on my mind.

*flashback starts*

(I have to convince them somehow...!)

(If the reason for being killed is "knowing the secret"—!)

Kate: "I swear I won't tell anyone what I just heard!"

*flashback ends*

Victor: "Since we were the ones who scared you, this way of thinking might seem quite selfish but..."

Victor: "Every time I looked at you, Kate, I tried to imagine you laughing."

Victor: "You're wonderful whether you smile or not, but..."

Victor: "I'm truly overjoyed to see you laugh."

Victor: "So thank you for making me happy, Kate."

(I wonder why I suddenly feel like crying)

Kate: "...you're welcome, thank you for thinking about me."

That was all I could say, feeling that if I let my guard down any further, I wouldn't be able to stop the tears.

Victor: "Kate, I'm sorry, but can you help me unload this in the carriage?"

Victor: "At this rate, I won't be able to charmingly escort you."

Kate: "Yes! It's no trouble at all."

~~~

(T-this is...!)

~~Part 3~~

After loading the carriage, Victor invited me to this room in Harrods to thank me.

Even I knew that such privilege was reserved only for selected customers.

Victor: "Choose whatever you like. I want to buy you a gift."

Kate: "No way! You bought so much already..."

Victor: "That's what you need in life. From now on, please let me treat you. Okay?"

His voice was soft yet his eyes were unyielding.

(...everything in this room is wonderful though)

Victor: "Kate, I don't think the act of getting-to-know can be done one-sidedly."

Victor: "I'd hope you meant it as a desire to form a relationship with each other."

Victor: "Remember, we want to know you as much as you want to know the Crown."

Kate: "Victor..."

Victor: "What a sanctimonious, uptight, shady man I am! Come now, choose, choose!"

Kate: "Fine!"

(...similarly to people in town, he talks to me like an equal)

Member of the Crown and the postwoman. Queen's aide and the fairy-tale writer.

There were many titles attached to people, I was happy he didn't seem to care about them.

When I looked around to pick something,

a midnight-coloured dress caught my eyes.

(...so gorgeous. I wish I could wear something like that at least once)

(though it must be expensive, so regretfully...)

~~Part 4~~

Out of many available things, I pointed to a small but elaborate and beautiful headdress.

Kate: "That butterfly hair ornament."

Victor: "Oh, that's nice. I think it suits you just right. I'll have it wrapped at once."

Kate: "That's very kind of you, thank you Victor. I'll cherish it."

Victor: "...you're most welcome."

Victor: "Now then, it's time for the tea party. Although, truth be told, I'd rather be alone with my cute lover a little longer."

~~~

Back at the court, members of the Privy Council gathered in a beautiful garden.

The table was lined with expensive looking tea-ware and sweets.

(as Victor's guest, I have to make sure I don't commit some faux-pas)

When I braced myself once more, Victor peered into my face...

Victor: "Kate, say a-ah."

Kate: "A-ah... munch..."

The strawberry he picked made its way into my mouth.

Victor: "Aww, how cute, you look like a squirrel! You're really good at stealing my heart."

He leaned forward and whispered in my ear.

Victor: "Kate, it's okay. I'm here with you, no need to be nervous."

~~Part 5~~

His words were reassuring, and at that time we looked at each other and laughed.

Maid: "Lord Victor. Um...the head chef would like to speak to your lordship..."

Victor: "....."

Victor: "Is this something that can't wait?"

Maid: "Y-yes. I was told that it's urgent."

Kate: "Victor, I'm fine, feel free to go."

Victor: "... Okay. I'll be back in no time."

As he disappeared, I could hear one of the Privy Council members exclaim.

Councilman with black hair: "I'm so pleased I was able to set this up."

Councilman with black hair: "I approached Her Majesty as well, but... unfortunately, she turned down the invitation."

Councilman with brown hair: "It couldn't be helped. Her Majesty isn't a party person, is she?"

Councilman with black hair: "Indeed. Instead, I managed to borrow one of Her Majesty's tea sets."

I could hear a few cheering voices.

Councilman with black hair: "It's no ordinary tea set. Rather, it's a precious gift bestowed upon Her Majesty the Queen."

Councilman with brown hair: "Ah, it's a tribute gift reflecting the friendship between countries, isn't that right? Frankly, I'd advise against touching it."

(Such an important thing here?)

(...just in case, I'll keep my distance)

When I was about to step away, a thump sent a shock through my back.

Kate: "....!"

As I staggered, my hand hit the tea set placed on the edge of the table and knocked it down—."

Chapter 3 Premium

Chapter 3 Bitter

[dailyoriginalcharacter]

Once a member of a ragtag group of misfit pirates, Eror awoke on the shore of a mysterious land without his right eye and with a gray streak in his hair after what was assumed to be a massive storm wrecked his ship. Upon searching for his lost friends, things took an unexpected turn when he discovered no one can recall them.

Learn more about Eror at @teamyell and his page on my OC website

Born into a family of wealthy executives, Eror’s life had been meticulously planned for him long before his conception. Both his parents were devout believers in the ideal that one’s destiny is laid out for them from the moment they are brought into existence. Needless to say, it was a shock to everyone when their only child was proclaimed to have been born under a “black star”, an eclipse; an unmistakable omen of ill fate.

With the burden of taking over their family’s business loomed above him at all times as well as a lingering reputation as a walking bad luck charm, Eror struggled to keep up with their family’s sky high expectations. For their entire childhood, this inadequacy was constantly thrown into his face and used to try and pressure them to do better. But all Eror dreamt of was a quiet life, where he could simply exist in peace without all the rules and obligations.

As much as Eror tried to be the perfect child, they found that from the start they were always doomed to fail. As this became clearer to him, his faith in the gods began to wane. Eventually, things reached a boiling point during a particularly heated argument with his father. Years of pent-up rage rose to the surface, resulting in a blinding burst of light which rendered their father unconscious.

Panicked, they fled the estate, taking refuge in a trading caravan headed towards a port city. There, he found himself spontaneously recruited into a crew of pirates. Finding himself able to live freely for the first time in their life, Eror slowly warmed up to his newfound family as they taught him the ropes.

One day, tasked with smuggling a strange artifact to a specific location, an eclipse shadowed the sky as the ship was sunk. An unknown period of time later, Eror awoke on the shore, where he discovered no one could remember him or his crew.

eror is a character i created a couple years ago with the intention of playing him in a dnd campaign! while i did get the chance to do so on a miniseries that was livestreamed, i keep coming back to them because i LOVE their backstory and design so much.

the inspiration behind his entire concept is the tarot card The Tower. The Tower typically represents a very strong force of change uprooting you and sending you for a loop. essentially, the “tower” of comfort and protection you’ve built up around you crumbling to pieces.

i also designed their pirate crew too!

SOLANE:

The supposedly no-nonsense captain of the ship. Once you are around her for a little while, it becomes clear that she’s actually softer than she looks. She’s fond of taking in underdogs, so her crew is typically known for being a ragtag group of weirdos.

KHES:

Solane’s second in command, quartermaster and gunner, she’s the one that keeps everyone on task at the end of the day. Doesn’t speak much (if at all) but those muscles speak for themselves.

JERICHO:

The navigator of the ship, he’s fascinated by the stars and the night sky. You can catch him gazing through his telescope most nights. He dreams of being a world-renowned astronomer someday. The others like to poke fun at him for being the (physically) weakest crewmember. 

MATTHEW:

The carpenter, they are of the mindset that actions always speak louder than words. They have a very “work hard, play harder” sort of attitude, and can be weak to the vices of the city. (Mainly women and drinking.)

[babygirl-diaz]

Time Out

He looks so out of place. He saw the man in the corner, nursing the same beer for an hour, trying to hide away. Buck was sipping on his own third beer and he couldn't take his gaze away from the man. He wouldn't let him disappear. The man was tall but not taller than Buck, had gorgeous brown eyes that Buck managed to catch a glimpse of when the club lights shone on them a few minutes ago, and lips that looked like they were just made to be wrapped around Buck's cock. God, Buck wanted to go over there and pull the man close, and kiss him silly, but he needed some liquid courage first. After finishing his beer, Buck made his way over to the man, who straightened up and became alert when he saw Buck approach him.

Buck leaned on the wall beside the man before looking over at him. "You're usually supposed to dance at a club," he said.

"I don't see you dancing," the man threw back. Although there wasn't any accusation behind his voice. Just curiosity.

"Maybe I was just looking for the right partner," Buck replied.

"Oh yeah?" The man asked, taking another sip of his beer, "Have you found them yet?"

Buck suggestively eyed the man from top to bottom. "I guess I have," he said.

"Well, I haven't," the man replied but Buck could see a small smirk playing on the edges of his lips.

"Hmmm... What are you looking for then?" Buck asked, subtly scooting a little closer to the man.

"Someone who knows how to take control," the man replied. "You don't look like you can do that." He spoke with a mischievous tone in his voice and clicked his tongue.

Buck pressed his lips together and nodded before pushing the man back against the wall without a moment's notice and pressing both his arms on either side of him.

The man's beautiful brown eyes widened. "I wouldn't do that if I were you," he said. Warning clear in his voice.

"I thought you wanted someone who could take control," Buck said, his breath falling over the man's face.

"There's control and then there's intimidation. And you're doing the latter right now," the man replied. "And I don't like being intimidated."

"I'm not trying to intimidate you. I'm just trying to show you a good time," Buck replied, licking his lips as he focused on Mr. Beautiful Brown Eye's lips.

"Oh yeah?" Mr. Beautiful Brown Eyes asked. "I'm having anything but a good time."

"Do you have to be so difficult?" Buck asked looking into his eyes again.

"Do you have to be so cliche?" Mr. Beautiful Brown Eyes replied.

Buck felt his confidence falter a little, but he still didn't move away. "Dance with me," he finally said.

"I don't think you can handle me, sweetheart," Mr. Beautiful Brown Eyes said, leaning casually back against the wall.

"Oh, I can handle you, alright. I can handle you so good." Buck trailed his eyes down Mr. Beautiful Brown Eyes' body again.

Mr. Beautiful Brown eyes burst out laughing at that. "Time out," he said.

"Wait what?" Buck asked, confused.

"Buck, you can't say shit like that and expect me not to laugh," Eddie said in between his laugh.

"Oh, come on! I was having so much fun." Buck pouted at his husband.

"I wasn't. I had to keep a straight face through your ridiculous pickup lines."

Feeling defeated, Buck started to move away when Eddie grabbed the lapels of his shirt and pulled him back in. "I love you just the way you are, Buck. A goof. My goof. You pretending to be someone else just doesn't do it for me."

"So you don't wanna roleplay again?" Buck asked sadly. "Because I liked this strangers thing."

"We can roleplay, but we need to acknowledge that we're just bad at being spontaneous. So let's plan better next time." Eddie reached out and touched Buck's cheek. "Now, come on. Show me a good time on the dance floor, like you promised," he said.

Buck beamed and took Eddie's hand, spinning him around, and taking him to the dance floor where he wrapped his arms around his waist and pulled him close as they danced the night away.

[watatsumiis]

you and your f/o(s) finally have time to relax and decides to take some extra days off this festive season! where are you going and what will you be doing? 🌴

no pressure in answering, and please take your time! <3

Ooooooh (twirling my hair (gay coded)) this is such a fun question, ill answer it under the cut since ive got a feeling im gonna ramble!! thanks so much for asking this, it was so fun to answer :D

my self ship blog is @rowavolo in case anyone is interested in more of these sorts of drabbles, they're so fun and silly <3

Well, since the festive season is always warm for me and I don't cope well with the heat, a lot of the activities would probably be shaped by that skdjjkdfs

Neuvillette and I go on a trip! Not super far out, but we stay in a place close to the beach (with air conditioning, of course,) and spend the days napping away (or doing some low effort crafts or cooking together!) and then go on walks in the morning and evening, even going to go sit on the beach late at night and hold hands under the light of the stars while we listen to the waves!! I imagine the time would be mostly unstructured and calm, with a few scheduled Events for us to work around, but a lot of it really depends on how we're both feeling that day, and we may choose to be randomly spontaneous and do something a bit wacky every now and then (including cooking soup over a bonfire on the beach. simply because we can.)

Ayato doesn't often get time off, so I feel like he'd pack it full with all the things he's been wanting to do since he last had a break like this. He'd have an annotated itinerary and will do his very best to get Ayaka and Thoma to be able to join us! He likes to be able to wander the markets at his leisure, but also going on long walks or checking out monuments and events and stuff like that! If it's possible, he's almost definitely swinging to get out of Inazuma. I think one of the things he'd love to have a chance to see is the Lantern Rite, so Liyue is the number one destination! Fancy dining, interesting stalls, storytellers, you name it, it's on Ayato's itinerary in itty bitty writing that only Thoma can even begin to decipher. Of course, there's definitely a few cheesy little dates for just us strewn throughout there too.

Zhongli has probably been planning for something like this for a while - Hu Tao is pretty lenient with giving him time off, especially around this time of year. Of course, he'd definitely have the Lantern Rite on his list as well, but it's definitely not at the tippy top of his list. Ideally, he'd organise what is essentially a several day long hike/camping trip to show me places of interest around Liyue, including interesting ruins and statues and even places with fauna or flora he thinks i'll like looking at. In the end, it's just us infodumping back and forth at each other for hours on end about whatever subjects come to mind as we walk, occasionally stopping for picnic breaks or to look at some cool animal that's passing by :3

Diavolo organises a trip up to the human realm. He certainly doesn't want to miss out on the warm summer weather and all the human world traditions i've mentioned to him! Anything summer-y that you can think of, we're probably doing it. Sailing, surfing, fishing, playing on the beach, water parks, drive in theaters, everything! He probably plans way too much to do in the short amount of time he has off, and thus has to extend the holiday (much to Barbatos' chagrin). He totally wears a big floppy hat, short shorts (that his thighs are basically bursting out of jksdfhkfd), sunglasses and those painfully bright button up shirts (stolen from me) as well as the most horrific bright red crocs (covered in charms, obviously).

[cyanide-e-pistachio]

WIP Game

Rules: Go to your current WIP and share the following:

The first line of your work.

The first line of your current chapter (or if it’s a one-shot, the first line of the tenth paragraph).

The last line you wrote.

A line for a chapter/part you haven’t written yet.

Tag at least 3 people whose work you wanna see, and if you make a separate post for it, please link the original.

I was tagged by @nardaviel to do this game! I figured why not participate in a little fun and also share little snippets of my upcoming longfic? :3

First line of the work:

“By all accounts, Goro Akechi was supposed to be dead.”

The first line of the current chapter I’m working on:

“Akira thought that adjusting to the life of a househusband would be easier.”

The last line I wrote:

“Again, this was getting…very complicated, to say the least. Akira had hoped that maybe this world would spontaneously implode or something before he had to come clean to his now husband. But it was still here, they were still married and Akira was balls deep into scrubbing this stubborn piece of stuck rice off this godforsaken bowl.

Okay. Yeah. Maybe it was time to stop playing house. As horrible as the repercussions would be, Akira owed it to Akechi to confess. Who knows—maybe with all his ‘glorious intelliect’, he’d have a few ideas on how to get him back home.”

Line for a part I haven’t written yet (got carried away might delete later 🤪✌🏻)

“‘Something wrong?’ Kurusu asked him.

Akechi blinked, scrambling to find an excuse. ‘No, just…sometimes this feels a little…unreal, don’t you think?’

‘What do you mean?’

‘This,’ Akechi said, surprisingly breathless. He stepped closer to Kurusu. ‘Us.’

‘Yeah. I get that too, sometimes.’ Kurusu looked equally as serious, setting down the basket of laundry and closing the distance between them. ‘Even now, it can feel…hard to believe.’

‘Heh. Sometimes I wonder how truly insane you must be to have married me.’

Kurusu grinned. That shit-eating grin Akechi hated. ‘I never said I was normal, did I?’

Exhaustion caused people to do strange things. Some studies say that exhaustion can almost impair someone’s judgement to that of a drunkard. And that really could be the only logical explanation for why Akechi pressed his lips to Kurusu’s own.

Before he could even ask himself why the living fuck he did that, Kurusu wrapped an arm around the small of his back and pressed them flush together. Akechi couldn’t escape, not that fleeing was much of a tangible thought right now.

No, Akechi was too distracted by swallowing the bitterness down his throat and just fucking yielding to this. Just this once. Just this once. He had never thought about kissing someone before this timeline. Except maybe with Kurusu a few times. Maybe more than a few times.

And look at what he was doing right now.

This kiss lasted a little more than 4 seconds. Truthfully it might’ve lasted a minute, maybe more. Akechi couldn’t get enough of the plush and warmth of Kurusu’s lips, a warmth that could only be exuded by a living being, a warmth that Akechi never wanted to admit he craved until now.

Somewhere along the line tongue got involved. If Akechi thought Kurusu’s lips were warm before, they were nothing compared to the pure heat of his mouth, slipping past his own lips and invading his entire being. Akechi tangled his hands into the fabric of Akira’s shirt, growing fervid from the other man’s soft hums and quiet pants, feeling like he may burst at the seams at any moment.

Shit. This was evil. This was delicious. Maybe this was everything Akechi imagined and then some.

When they both found it within themselves to pull back, they were flushed, breathless. Akira stared back at him, eyes blown wide with something resembling desperation and uncertainty and yearning, all at once.

They were on the razor’s edge. One more push. One more move and Akechi would be done for. His carefully crafted being would burn to ash, leaving a fool in the cinders.

And one thought kept his flame burning, alive: no matter what, this wasn’t real.

It wasn’t.”

I’ll tag users @sixteen-juniper @honeysweetcorvidae @ser-estinien to participate in the game! Let me know if you’d like to be tagged and I can add you as well 💚

[rhaenall]

do you think kenstewy would be open to having a threesome?

my initial thought was “NO!” because kendall gives me a lot of monogamous vibes. yes him and rava are/were married throughout the season but it seemed like they did discuss on being able to see other people during their separation period. but kendall was still jealous of rava seeing someone else. and once he was with naomi he seemed pretty serious. i think kendall like to be committed to a relationship and doesn’t want other people in it. at least thats how i read it.

but well with stewy…

i feel like during their college years both of them experimented with sex as much as they did with drugs. i can see them have spontaneous threesomes..maybe the girl is really into both of them and they are high and young. though i can see kendall get a bit jealous, like his stomach will turn tight and he wishes the third person would just disappear? they don’t really kiss or do things to each other focus is on the third person (who kendall doesnt want rat out to tabloids that he kisses his guys during a threesome) but kendall would grab into stewy’s flesh and squeeze it hard. also intense eye contact. very intense kendall making everyone and everything else disappear but stewy and pleasure. this is actually my favorite trope: kendall and stewy fucking someone while having the ability to communicate (either verbal or non verbal) w each other still and have this intense burst of emotions for eqch other. can imagine maybe stewy wanting to fuck someone but kendall is in one of his depressive episodes. but kendall is here at this stupid party stewy wants him to stay. kendall sits there while stewy is having fun. intense eye contact. stewy initiates that heavy eye contact sometimes thinking that he is fucking kendall in that moment just for a little bit.

ALSO I THINK I READ A FIC LIKE THAT where kendall is sitting there while stewy is a fucking someone and they are both talking throughout it to each other GFJRKD but yea j can see that happen definitely. also when they are older (when kendall separated from rava) and in the should we fuck or not stage again or when kendall is just not feeling it.

but i think threesomes happen when they aren’t exclusive but once they are exclusive i think they dont happen. kendall is just soo attached to stewy he doesn’t want to share. stewy respects that especially when they are older. their sex (slash sex drive lol) is very different once they are older too so i think that plays a role too. i think they’d be pretty content.

sorry i got a little crazy but thank u for asking these thoughts were fun to think about 🤓

[mike-haters-dni]

Cool Buffs El Should Get in the Next Stranger Things Patch (Season 5)

Also a discussion of how El's powers work, because they're really fun to think about. If any of these actually happen in the show I will spontaneously combust. Anyway, here are my ideas:

Learning hand-to-hand combat/martial arts and incorporating it into her powers.Ok, so the theory goes like this: what is El’s most consistent weakness when it comes to combat? Overtaxing herself and then being unable to continue fighting—barring some intense surge of emotions to act as an emergency energy burst, which is neither a dependable nor healthy thing to rely on in the long term. No, what El needs to do to mitigate this weakness as much as possible is learn to be more economical with her psychic attacks and incorporate more physicality into her moveset. Think of it as having both a mental and physical battery. So far in the show, she has pretty much exclusively utilized her mental battery when doing anything. I mean, she literally stances up to stand completely still while using her powers most of the time, which works if she can take every enemy out at once, but every other time it ends either badly or extremely badly. The worst example of this is during the cabin mindflayer fight where she just stands still after fucking up a couple tendrils (which took like, waay to much effort btw), and then gets grabbed very easily due to her legs being completely stationary along with her subpar reaction time (probably not helped by being overexerted). She then panics and doesn’t do anything to try to free herself from its grasp, which is fair enough, but still. There’s room for improvement here. Of course, this is good storytelling because it would be really boring if she was super op, flicking every threat out of the way, but I think s5 should get to be the late-game, full-build, onslaught arena season. El (and everyone else) is at full power but so are her enemies, who attack in hoards. Anyway, this is all to justify the first powerpoint that I will be giving to the Duffers: Reasons why El should learn hand-to-hand combat and also incorporate physical movements into her powers Avatar:TLA-style:

1. She’ll get tired less easily. Being economical with attacks means instead of squeezing a dude’s body to death for like 5 seconds, maybe just snap his neck? Or throw a sharp object at him? Or break his kneecap? She could break a lot more kneecaps in a row than she could squeeze dudes to death, and if she had a weapon to throw around? Forget it. And that’s not even bringing the combat training into the mix. She could throw a knife across the room into a guy’s neck, while ducking under another guy’s attack, kick him in the knee (with a little extra psychic force), and then call the knife back in time to stab him on the way to the floor. If she fights half-physical half-psychic that means neither battery gets depleted too quickly, and she could take down an entire squad of npcs and walk away with nothing but a light nosebleed. Also, 2. It would look really cool. Like really super fucking cool. Go ahead and imagine how cool it would be. Listen, the stand-still hhnng-ing really hard psychic fights are cool and all but I mean, we can do better than that. She does already do the hand thing most of the time, but I want like full-body motions here. Big dramatic sweeping martial arts motions that perfectly match the force she’s applying to objects. Her powers are clearly emotion/perception-based, so by that logic, anything she does to make it feel like her attack should be stronger will actually make it stronger. i.e. she should swing her body around harder, and coincidentally land in really cool anime poses while doing it. 3. It would demonstrate mastery over her powers. Having to stand still to concentrate is really giving training wheels vibes. Although, I do have a theory on why she does that: I imagine her powers require her to use either her whole body or a part of it as a sort of anchor that she moves the thing she’s telekinesis-ing in relation to. Or alternatively, she can apply more force to an object the more of her body she’s using as a conduit for her powers. So like, standing still to concentrate while moving a heavy object is still easier, especially if we aren’t using the physical motion augmentation method. When she’s got her arm outstretched she’s directing the power from her brain down through her arm, making it stronger and easier to direct, which make it actually feel like the power is flowing out through down her chest into her arm vs if she uses her powers without conducting them it feels like they flow straight out of her brain, which is harder to control because it's completely thought based. When she really has to use 100% power it fills up her entire body, which makes it harder to her move in any way that isn’t related to whatever she’s doing with her powers. Does that make sense? Let me know if that makes sense. Anyway, I don’t think she would ever stop needing to stay kind of still to use her powers, especially while expending huge amounts of energy, but that urge could be mitigated as much as possible to allow for her to dodge a little while in combat.

Learning to move herself with her powers, in order to do things like jump really far or dodge out of the way really fast, or break her fall from a really high jump.If my power anchor theory makes any sense (or even if it doesn’t because whatever), El could learn to direct her powers back towards herself by using something solid in the area as an an anchor and then instead of moving that thing, pulling herself towards or away from it. This might lowkey be canon already since that seems like what was happening when she started levitating while closing the gate in s2, also s4 did mention her having to learn to fly so...I guess we'll see 👀.

Gaining/honing the ability to sense things within a radius through passive diffusion of her powers. So, in the show its demonstrated many times that El can move/feel things she can’t see with her powers, like in all the times she unlocks doors from the outside. So I’m thinking, we take that ability, amplify it, and make it a passive thing that only requires a very small use of energy that she can keep it up to feel everything that's going on around her in a room-sized radius. It wouldn’t be something that she can do permanently—like it would still take some degree of concentration to keep up, but her powers could become strong enough that some part of her is always feeling around just a little. Like regular human perception, she could be more likely to notice any sudden movements when not concentrating at all. Basically, she would become immune to being snuck up on, and she could also specifically train to get good at stopping any projectiles (or otherwise) that enter a 3-foot or so radius around her. She could also use the power to see in complete darkness or into rooms from the outside, and not have to rely on sight or hearing to locate any threats in fights, allowing her to attack enemies behind her without having to turn around, anticipate attacks, etc (in my mind, there's a scene where El practices this blind-fighting by sparring all the boys at once, who only have the goal of hitting her once with any attack, which they fail spectacularly after she takes them all down in like 5 seconds lmao). She could also specifically use proficiency in her voidwalking ability to passively sense any humans in an even larger radius, without knowing what they are doing exactly but maybe being able to vaguely sense whatever emotion their feeling. Also, speaking of sensing emotions: it’s just canon that El can feel/manipulate people’s organs, so she could totally sense when people suddenly get nervous in a conversation…or literally anything else physical going on in someone’s body. Kind of a disturbing thought, actually. It’s shit like that that makes me want her to lose her powers at the end of the show lol.

Gaining the ability to perfect parry. Alright we’re entering pure self-indulgent gamer ideas now but—While practicing her projectile catching and throwing one day (with a pitching machine), she accidentally deflects a ball so precisely that it goes flying back in the opposite direction without losing any force, with the deflection itself taking almost no mental energy at all. She’s surprised by this, and then spends a couple scenes trying to do it again, but can't figure it out. Until, of course, the climatic scene where she manages to do it again in a last act of desperation and is able to save the day against impossible odds. Or something something.

Getting a bunch of knives. If I could make Duffers do one thing in s5, it would be to give El a bunch of knives that she floats around to fight with Irelia League of Legends-style. This is a fantastic idea ok listen. As I mentioned already, they would take minimal effort to fight with, and also be super deadly, work against the demogorgons, look cool as hell, and also they could make menacing halos behind her head when she gets angry at people. Is this too anime of an idea for the 80s monster show? Who cares, give El a bunch of knives. Other random cool shit she should do:

Matrix a bunch of machine gun fire from a bunch of soldiers that were finally ordered to just kill her before she takes down the entire government (or whatever other reason), creating a giant cloud of bullets around her and pushing her back from the sheer force of the momentum she's countering. Then when they finally empty their magazines she sends all the bullets back in an epic display of raw power, fucking murdering every solider at once and emerging unscathed and unbothered. I just think that would be cool.

She hasn’t done the psychic power cyclone thing yet. There’s still time to fix that.

I think it would really enhance her powers if she had some kind of like dirty, smudged eyeliner look going on. You know like its makeup irl, but styled to kinda look like its apocalypse grime, but it still looks really cool and menacing. idk it's an idea. character design.

Insane this hasn't happened yet but she should at some point like absent-mindedly spin something above her hand with her powers. Like a bunch of marbles or pen or something. Just to flex a little.

Anyway hope you enjoyed reading leave a comment and make sure to like and subscribe for more s5 pipe dreams :)

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

Into the Woods

The path to its depths is deep and dark and dangerous.

This is part 14. We’re almost three quarters of the way through this long and winding story.

The Tale of the Cursed Raven:

Part 1 I Part 2 I Part 3 I Part 4 I Part 5 I Part 6 I Part 7 I Part 8 I Part 9 I Part 10 I Part 11 I Part 12 I Part 13

Dire,

When this letter finds you, time will have started ticking for me again. I will be gone, and the girl will be at your doorstep.

As per our arrangement many moons ago, I am entrusting you with the care of my apprentice. She is a mild-mannered little thing. She will work well and work efficiently if left to her own devices. All you need do is provide her with the basic necessities—food, water, clothing, shelter, and, of course, paper, quill, and ink.  

But I am not writing to you out of kindness, nor as a courtesy. I am writing to you to give a warning: there is something unsettling about that girl.

Her stare wakes me in the dead of night. She’s sleeping by then, but I feel her gaze piercing me all the same. Those big, curious eyes, always wondering, and always wanting to know more. When she looks at me, I feel as though she is scraping talons across my mind, seeking a way in to steal away my thoughts.

She watches for fun. People, animals. When I take her into the town, she observes and asks questions. Too many of them.

Strange things started happening.

Rats infested our pantry, nibbling only at the pumpkins. The neighbors would mysteriously vanish. My eyes would spontaneously water.

I do not cry, Dire.

I thought her to be a child favored by misfortune.

Then I read her stories, and I knew it was no coincidence, nor a string of bad luck.

When she told of vermin seeking out a pumpkin carriage, she summoned the rats to her. When she wrote of people dying of heartbreak, they did. When she wished for sadness or anger or happiness, they would manifest and lead others down her desired path.

The weather, the world—they would not bend to her, no matter how often she described dark and stormy nights. Time and space are not hers to wield—but minds? Of that, I am uncertain.

She plants seeds that take root in the heart, then fester in the head. Drives people mad.

That girl has the capacity to be dangerous, Dire. The stories she spins can will people into serving as mere playthings.

I do not understand how it works myself. I believe she doesn’t yet know the full extent of her powers, either. She is too young, too naive. Perhaps that is for the better. For her, for us, and for all of Twisted Wonderland.

But even a storyteller cannot stop the hands of time.

One day, she will cultivate those powers. Whether they are used for good, for evil, or for something inbetween...

That is in your hands now.

Farewell.

I shouldn’t have let her out of my sight, Crowley worriedly fumes, chiding himself. He flies down a corridor, harshly raking fingers through his hair. It was foolish of me to think she would not act rashly.

He should have noticed the warning signs sooner. The loneliness, the mounting frustrations, the constant push to pursue higher heights, the blot.

What had happened that night? And what had been the missing piece that had fallen into place, the part required to make her magic work? What had stopped it all those times she had practiced?

He recalls the color of Nostalgia—a pleasant pink, rosy like the fondest memories. It had been fuzzy, but tingly and warm, if only for a few seconds before it escaped him and burst like firecrackers into the world. She could never quite get it to concentrate, to collect, and to stay that way.

But if she did… there’s no telling what she could drive a man or a monster to do.

Crowley shivers, batting the thought away as he descends upon the Mirror Chamber.

As usual, it is dim, darkness illuminated faintly by the flames set in sconces and crystalline lights. Floating coffins in a circle around the perimeter, and a grand mirror in the center. The Mirror of Darkness.

Crowley steps before it, bowing his head in reverence.

Please don’t come looking for me, Raven had pleaded in her note. This is something I have to do alone, and by my own hand.

Her voice had permeated in every letter, in each stroke of her pen. He could almost feel her leaping off of the page, could almost see her peering into him, silently pleading. Curious eyes, the sort that stared into his heart and soul.

Seeking something.

Please, Uncle.

A ghoulishly green face emerges from the depths of the mirror. Its features are carved from marble, eyes adorned in an intricate, swirling black lattice.

“Speak,” the Mirror of Darkness booms.

Please.

Crowley shakes his head.

… Forgive me.

“Show me Raven. Tell me where she has run off to.”

The face in the mirror pauses, silently searching for the answer. Moments later, his lips move, the reply falling from them heavy as stones. “... Impossible.

“What?”

“It is impossible to ascertain her location at this time,” the Mirror clarifies.

“Well, try again. Try harder!!”

“I have reached, and I have found nothing. Her presence is unknown to me.”

Everything in Crowley goes cold. His heart and his blood slow to a stop, his limbs turning limp and frigid. Goosebumps prick up on his flesh.

“Th-That... That cannot be. If her presence is unable to be detected, then that means she is...”

No longer a part of this world.

“... Alive. The raven is still alive.”

The headmaster jolts, jump-started again by sparks of hope. He practically seizes the Mirror by its frame, but—miraculously—restrains himself.

“The presence is faint, but I feel her,” it continues. “There is a great wall of magic, a force preventing interference. I know not how it was deployed, or by whom. It does not belong to Night Raven College. But she has fled beyond that barrier, beyond the boundary.”

“Beyond!”

The word carries in the cold quiet of the chambers, rattling the crystals on the grand chandelier hanging overhead. The dancing flames flicker, shuddering at the suggestion.

“Beyond,” the mirror confirmed. “Where exactly, I cannot say.”

“If that is all the information that you can provide…” Crowley doesn’t finish, letting the hopeful lilt in his voice speak for him. To his dismay, the mirror offers no more clues. The green faces fades into oblivion, leaving the headmaster alone.

Gears in his head turn. Spinning and spiraling as fast as they can.

It’s far too large of an area to scope out by my lonesome, he muses. I need more bodies to cover such an expensive swathe of land, but to endanger the students is… No, there’s no time to waste. A small elite team will do.

Crowley twirls his walking stick—an elongated, sleek ebony key, with a golden head and teeth. Magic spills out from it, emitting a faint glow.

Speakers all across campus come to life.

Crowley clears his throat, bringing his mouth close to the head of his walking stick—to his microphone.

“Ah-HEM!! Good morning, all. This is your oh-so-very kind headmaster, Dire Crowley, speaking.” He can already feel the collective, unanimous groans shared by his students and staff through the intercoms, but he presses on regardless. “I am here today with an important announcement.

“All classes are cancelled. This is a not a drill; this is a campus-wide lockdown. Students, please return to your dorms until further notice.

“Dorm leaders and staff, assist students to their rooms and ensure that the grounds are free of loiterers. Report to the Mirror Chamber when all your students have been filed away and safely accounted for.”

We’ll be going on a bird hunt.

Deep in the heart of the woods, someone rests by a great lake. The lake’s face shimmers and reflects the sky, a giant mirror throwing light and colors and shapes back from whence they came.

“Breakfast for you, my pretties,” they croon, their trill filling the forest.

Crouching, hand outstretched, they set bits of bread into the grass and bobbing upon the water. Wild birds collect around them, taking turns pecking at the morsels. Blue jays, robins, ducks.

Swans and doves.

Fragile and pristine little things, creatures yet to be soiled by the cruel world.

They chuckle, tossing their final chunk of bread into the lake.

“... Have you heard the Tale of the Cursed Raven?”

They whisper the question, which skips across the waters. The swan and the dove closest to her perk their heads up, keen on listening.

“Long ago, a loveless king was cursed to storytelling. That man would pass his burden unto another. Now a bird bears his legacy, making his story into her own.” They looked across the lake at something that none of their bird companions could see. “... It has yet to be finished, but I believe I know how it will end.”

Stories are set to repeat themselves, after all. And if that cowardly man failed to redeem himself, then...

“What do you think will become of her?” They weave their fingers through the water. It ripples, rings overlapping in the lake. The swan and the dove stare back at their visitor with curious eyes. “Straying from the path as she has...”

Defy the story, and the story will snap back, baring its teeth and claws to correct itself.

To put you back on its path.

“Do you think her deserving of a happily ever after?”

Rook had seen this scene play out before; countless renditions of it, in fact: Raven, a basket in hand, delving deep, deep into the woods.

So why is there such dread collecting in his stomach this time? Things writhing and twisting into chaotic knots. His huntsman’s intuitive is on overdrive, screaming danger, danger at him.

Yet as far as he can tell, this is nothing more than her usual stroll for ingredients for a new batch of enchanted inks. As quaint and as mundane as a sleepy Monday, a return to the norm.

He tenses from his hiding place, letting the cool shadows swathe his skin and conceal him from view. His heart stills in spite of his racing thoughts and the accumulating worry.

Rook waits.

From not far off comes faint rustling, then a whoop.

“Found some!” Broad-capped mushrooms, colored a startling shade of blue, are tossed into a basket.

Raven looks worse for wear.

Her feather shawl and impossibly black clothes are stained with dirt and smears of chlorophyll. Hair either clings to her face, which is damp with sweat, or sticks up, frizzing in the humidity. She’s dusty and haggard--but a single drop of joy lights up her entire face.

Raven leans against a tree trunk, producing a quill and a small booklet from within her shawl. The gemstone inlaid in her writing implement is still foggy with remnants of last night.

“Inky milk caps... check,” she murmurs, crossing it off of her list. The bird glances into her basket, taking quiet inventory of her collection.

A scattering of navy berries, a few cerulean wildflowers, a single stone that was tainted the faintest periwinkle, and then the mushrooms. Some vials of crystal clear water, not blue but a base in which to suspend it. Altogether, not a lot of ingredients to pick and choose from.

Raven bites her lower lip, nervously dragging her tongue along the back of her teeth.

There weren’t many natural sources of blue in nature. It was as though the sky had claimed most of the pigment for itself, leaving the rest of the world to scrounge for its scraps.

Think, think. Where else can I find this color?

Raven scrunches her brows, delving deeper and deeper into her brain to pull at budding suggestions. Alas, she comes away empty-handed, the residual frustration gnawing at her, and discarded ideas laying at her feet.

“.. Tch.”

She casts a forlorn look out upon the glistening lake. At first glance, it looks as blue as the sky—but she knows that it is only a trick of the light.

You just had to pick the hardest color, didn’t you? she scolds herself.

But nothing else would have been appropriate. Nothing else could encapsulate all the sorrow and the joy, could adequately tell her tale.

Maybe there’s something deeper in these woods.

Raven tucks her book and quill away, looping her basket of ink ingredients on her arm. She begins her shuffle around the perimeter of the lake. Her reflection in the water follows perfectly.

Every wobbly, uncertain movement.

This is where I was, once upon a dream.

Picking flowers with Rook. Floating in a boat with Jade. Flying freely, doing as she pleased and going wherever the wind took her. A dream so wonderful she never wanted to wake from it, and wished to chase it when she did.

She sets her jaw, determined.

“I can do this.”

She says it out loud, willing the dream to become reality.

“I can.”

Raven takes another step, and the forest exploded with shrill shriek. She yelps, slapping hands over her ears to block out the noise. It comes to her muffled, but stays just as desperate.

That’s…

She slowly lowers her hands—and sound slips through her fingers.

“… lp………………..”

Words spoken in bird tongue. High-pitched and frightened, young and confused.

“… elp….! Help me!!”

Raven’s spine stiffens, her head snapping in the direction of the call. The opposite way of the path she had been treading on.

Ignore it.

She bites her lip and wrenches away, guiltily shrinking into her shawl.

“… hurts… I-It hurts…”

Her foot crashes down on the spot.

“Mommy…! Daddy…! Where… where are you?”

She spins around, her ears straining to pick up more, her pupils pinpricks.

“Someone… A-Anyone…!!”

Raven is flying before she even knows it. There are no thoughts in her head, no hesitation in her gait, as she tromps through the forest, drawn by the cry.

“I’m coming…!! I’m coming for you!!” she shouts back. Raven is just as frantic and as lost as they are, voice warbling unnaturally. “Keep calling, keep singing—I’ll find you!”

The bird’s call is weak, but it grows in volume as she approaches. A vague murmur becomes a whisper, and the whisper, a sob in an empty room.

Distinctly there.

A feeble coo weaves through the thickets. So small that it would shatter from a sigh, fragile like a glass slipper.

With voice as her guide, she stubbornly presses on, fueled by foolish wish. To cradle and to mend, to restore what was lost.

“Here. I’m here.”

She pushes aside the last of the shrubs in her way. “I hear y—”

Raven stops when she finally sees it. Her stomach tightens into a knot.

“Oh… Oh no…”

Raven crumples to her knees.

A handsome baby robin small enough to fit in her palm lies in the grass. Its belly is a deep orange, bright against the dark feathers on the rest of its body. The bird watches Raven with wide eyes—round and dark, lit by a faint spark.

Its wings are askew. Twitching and tender, set at unnatural angles.

“They’re broken.”

“It hurts, it hurts,” the robin babbles, fighting back tears.

A million feelings seize her at once. She blurts out a hastily cobbled response, held together by pins and tape and patchwork.

But it is a binding promise, a vow.

“I-It’s okay!! Leave it to me, I’ll figure something out!”

Raven slams down her basket and hurriedly digs through it. Her mind is suddenly blank, as though all of her thoughts were notes torn out and crumpled into a ball, then discarded.

Plants, a rock, some water. All useless. No medicine, no first aid kit.

Think, think. What else is there? What else can I do?

She grits her teeth.

Gripping her skirt and anchoring it in one hand, she tears with as much force as she can muster with the other. A loud RIIIIIIIP resounds as a piece of cloth comes loose, then a second one.

“I’m going to reorient your wings, then bandage them. Please bear with me, it might be… uncomfortable.”

The robin flails against her as Raven scoops it up, her finger firmly holding the bird down. Fear and distrust flash through its eyes, spiking when she comes upon a wing. She holds her break and snaps it flush to the robin’s body.

A bloodchilling scream tears through the forest.

Raven winces, but wills herself to work quickly, while the robin is still stunned by pain. She weaves a cloth of her skirt fabric in a criss-cross on the wing, securing it with a bow at the end.

The same was done for the other wing—and by the time both sides were done, the baby robin was in shambles, more tearful than it had been to begin with. Pain barks through its small body, plunging talons into what remained of its calm.

“My wings,” it chokes out, “I can’t fly…!! I can’t go home!! I’m… I’m going to be left behind!!”

“No. No, that’s not true! Your wings… They’ll heal over time. You’ll be back in the sky in no time! Your family will come looking for you…!”

She reaches for the robin, laying a hand on its head, smoothing the feathers back. It kicks and screeches and bites, snapping at the air until its beak cut clean through her glove.

“My wings, my wings…! It hurts, it’s over, it’s over…”

The robin is delirious, speaking nonsensically and in circles.

Raven’s hopes sink, and she pulls her hand away, gently setting the robin back on the forest floor. It continues to wail, staring up at the sky through the crevices in the tree leaves.

A sky so blue and so beautiful.

You’ve done what you could, a part of her reasons. Leave it. You can’t afford to exert yourself any more than you already have.

Raven’s chest aches, pushing back against the thought. He’ll be easy target for the predators. And… this is no way for him to live, either.

A little bird that knew nothing of the world. Dazed, afraid, and lonely. Longing for something now far out of reach.

Hadn’t this been her own position not too long ago? Wasn’t it still where she stood now?

Bird and bird, soul to soul.

Herself reflected back in the face of a mirror.

… No. That’s not me, not anymore.

Raven harshly balls her hands, creasing her skirt. Dirty, disheveled, and distressed, she’s the pauper in any fairy tale—but the sweat upon her brow sparkles like a tiara, and she wears the muck like proud armor.

Her spirit shines as brightly as her eyes.

She draws her magical quill. Its gemstone lacks clarity, the color shrouded by black blotches.

“I won’t go,” Raven declares. “I won’t give up on you.”

“I don’t believe this.” Riddle angrily swats at a low hanging branch with his staff. It flings away from him before recoiling, almost claiming his head on the rebound.

“For classes to be cancelled,” the redhead grumbles as he stomps over a log, “and the dorm leaders to be sentenced to busy work…!! The headmaster’s priorities are all out of line. A tardy student should be located and disciplined, but surely it isn’t necessary to deploy this many…”

“Riddle-san.”

A little ways ahead of him, Azul has craned his head over his shoulder. His mouth is twisted into a wry smile.

I don’t like that look.

Riddle bristles, but allows his tirade die down into an inquisitive quiet. “… You seem oddly unperturbed by this turn of events. This is wouldn’t possibly be Octavinelle’s doing, would it?”

“Perish the thought. What could I possibly hope to gain from forcing a campus wide lockdown? The Mostro Lounge will receive no customers in these circumstances.” The sunlight catches on his lenses as he pushes them up, but obscuring his eyes.

“I understand how to keep calm in stressful situations. Why, you saw it for yourself. The headmaster was simply beside himself with worry at the emergency meeting.”

“This matter is hardly urgent,” Riddle scoffs. “Even if Raven is the headmaster’s relative, a single missing student does not make or break Night Raven College.”

“That was not the case for your Overblot, now was it? Nor mine.”

He twitches, riled by rage. “That is a different matter entirely. That was Overblot. We were… out of control. Out of our minds.”

“… Permit me to ask you this, then.” Azul makes a full turn to face his fellow dorm leader. “Do you believe there is a unique magic that is capable of controlling the world?”

“What sort of a silly question is that? Of course there is no such thing.”

Azul laughs airily. “Impossible, yes? No one, not even Malleus-san, has such power. But… what of the living beings that inhabit the world? Then it would be an entirely different story.”

“That would be in the realm of possibility.” Riddle pauses, narrowing his eyes. “… Where are you going with this?”

“You recall Jamil-san’s unique magic, don’t you? It can seize the mind of another person, turning them into little less than a puppet.”

“I am aware.” Riddle grimaces at the grim reminder. “How does this relate to our mission?”

“What if I were to tell you that Raven-san’s unique magic is just as dangerous? Through it, forcing one’s will is possible—for if one speaks to the heart, the mind will follow shortly after.

“Thoughts don’t always disappear. They will linger and influence us well after the magic has faded.

“Unending rage that reduces all to ashes. Sorrow so deep it floods the earth and drowns its people. Joy strong enough to lift the sun and the moon on its shoulders. It would be a rewritten world with us set upon paths predetermined, for emotion is the impetus which compels us to act.”

“You don’t mean…”

“That’s right.”

Hers is a unique magic that rewrites one’s emotions.