#toby turning everything into some evil plan as always

[guaxinimraccoon]

Does giant Brad purr?

He does!!

[pardy-dardy]

some thoughts on Kris

DELTARUNE SPOILERS DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVENT CAUGHT UP YET!!!

TLDR: Kris is a lonely second-child who has lived in the shadow of their brother their entire life, causing them to act out on occasion to get attention. They somehow gain the power to create the Dark Worlds (which allows them to become as important and loved as they feel they should be), alongside the curse of us, the “Player,” which can influence their decision-making to a certain extent.

    Depending on how you, the “Player”, choose to proceed, you are either working against Kris’ natural inclination toward mischief and cold-heartedness (pacifist), or working with and actively feeding it (genocide thru the manipulation of others).

        It’s not hard to see that Kris has some problems. When playing thru Deltarune, it’s told to us that Kris is known to pull some pretty mean-spirited pranks on folks (eggnog/mayonnaise swap, for instance). Some of the dialogue options given to us are mean as shit as well, and I have a feeling that if the “Player” wasn’t there to push them toward better choices, they’d be meaner than Susie, easily. Also, they carry a fucking knife with them everywhere, and Chapter straight up starts out with a fake-out slasher scene. C’mon now.

    But they’re not all evil! After all, they’re shown to deeply care for their brother (going as far as googling when Asriel will be home on summer break), as they seem to be one of the few people in their life who treated them like someone normal. I would not doubt it being the situation that Kris was given the “oh, you’re Asriel’s sibling, right?” treatment all their life.

    They love Asriel so much that I’d bet you Ralsei is a manifestation of the goodness he impressed upon them. After all, Ralsei mysteriously isn’t affected by the same worldly rules as other Darkners (with the turning to stone thing), and physically appears just like the Boss Monsters we know from Undertale. Ralsei is always pushing Kris toward the path of light if he can, and I’d say that’s a reflection of the love they have for their absent brother.

    In light of their parents’ messy-sounding divorce, a town full of people entirely physically unlike them (right up to the fact that they cannot use magic while everyone else seems to be able to), a natural difficulty making friends, and a massive hole in their heart where Asriel used to be, Kris has become a bitter, cold teen who finds themself lapsing into their own imagination just to escape their melancholy reality.

    Somehow, this imagination turns into real, tangible power. Kris finds out one day that the worlds they create are just as real as anything else, and that they can be brought into existence anywhere they please, so long as they strike the earth with their knife. In these worlds, Kris is able to live the ultimate escapist fantasy-- they are the one true protagonist, the unequivocal hero of every story they would ever want to tell (no matter how nasty their actions during said story). They are important, they are at the center of it all, and they will save every world they create without fail.

    And you know what? Everyone else who is able to be pulled into Kris’ Dark Worlds agrees! Being a hero and saving a crazy, wacky world is far better than the bitter realities they live with. Berdly says it, Noelle says it, Susie says it-- and though Kris doesn’t appear to say anything, it’s pretty apparent that they agree (dialogue options point toward Kris being in the same boat). The only person who doesn’t agree at all is Ralsei, and that’s because he understand something more about the nature of the Dark Worlds than we, the “Players”, do (but perhaps not Kris).

    But by the end of Chapter 2, we are given in-game confirmation that it’s Kris who is making the fountains. Why would they do this, given that there’s a good chance they know everything Ralsei seems to know?

    It’s as I said-- Kris wants to make their fantasy real, however twisted that might be. They get the attention they feel they deserve, and as we play through the story, Kris also realizes that they can make friends that way, too. It becomes the strongest social tool they have, to a point where if you go Pacifist, you even befriend BERDLY of all people. And, as icing on the cake, everyone agrees with Kris that the Dark Worlds are a better alternative to the real world. They are going to continue the cycle as both creator and savior at the very least, so that every day can scratch that psychological/emotional itch for them.

    Even if you go the new Genocide Path, the “Player” validates and feeds the nastier part of Kris’ nature. It, again, makes sense that Kris would want to floor the world in Darkness. They can continue to act out their nasty fantasies, hurting who they please and turning worlds to ruin because in the end, they will be the master of the world.

    And when they forcefully rip us from their body, Kris is reminding us of who is ultimately in control. No matter what we do, what direction we help push Kris toward, it all feeds into their end goal. 

In the Pacifist route, it can be interpreted as something they have to do, something they do in opposition to the “Player” so that they can keep feeling important. Hence why they let us back into their body once they’ve done the deed, instead of leaving us out to dry.

In the Genocide route, it can be interpreted as them asserting dominance over us, since we clearly also want more worlds to decimate. Even though we’re willing to aid them in their plan, they want us to know, again, who ultimately decides what happens. Again, they let us back into their body once they’re done (and can make sure that there’s no risk of interference) to show that we’re in on it together, but that they see us as a variable they can’t fully trust.

God, this story is getting so fucking interesting. Toby Fox you god damn fuck head let me pay you for these chapters already bastard dog

[animeyanderelover]

I'd love to see prompt 116. “I love you more than planned.” with Tobirama and a Uchiha darling. Maybe where Hashirama insisted that Tobi should spend some time and befriend some of the Uchiha clan members for the betterment of the future of the village?

Uchiha darling and Tobirama is quite loved in here.

Warnings: Yandere themes, blackmailing, bribing, threatening, possessive thinking

Prompt 116: “I love you more than planned.”

“I think I heard you wrong?! Did you just insist on that I should give him a chance?! That guy just insulted when confessing! I mean, I didn’t expect anything else, it’s Tobirama after all. But Mito! That could never work! My family would never allow it! They still hold a small grudge against the Senju clan!” The red-haired woman listened calmly to your words. “And you? What do you want?” You gave her a quirked eyebrow. “What I want?” “(y/n), I understand that this situation might be a bit conflicting right now and for Tobirama it was a surprise as well. But he can’t change his feelings and decided to try to accept them. I think to break the cycle of dislike between his and your clan an Uchiha and a Senju would be a perfect example on that things can be different.” You scoffed. “Yeah, sure. If his brother wouldn’t have forced him to befriend a few of my clan that guy would have avoided us like the plague.” “And you knew that and still became friends with him?” You bit your tongue. She did have a point. “Okay. Maybe I like him. But only as a friend! Nothing more! I deserve better than his sassy ass and big mouth! This guy is too...too much! I don’t wanna keep hearing his remarks about my clan! And also, I-I just can’t really believe that he fell supposedly in love with me. To be honest, when we sometimes start arguing and get all heated up I can’t help, but feel like we’re being too harsh on each other. But no one of us really stop because we want to be mean to each other. That’s a distorted way of friendship. And I don’t wanna imagine how it would be if the both of us would be in a relationship. That could end in a massacre. Sorry, but I want things to stay as they are right now.”

“For goodness sake! Tobirama! Let it go!”, you yelled angrily at him, ruffling your hair frustrated which was by now all messed up due to grabbing it so often. You felt like ripping it out due to frustration. “Then listen to what I have to say! You’re just avoiding me since that talk you had to Mito!”, he shouted back, looking just as livid as you. This was so frustrating. Why did you have to have this conversation with him? You did admit that you had started to avoid him after your talk with Mito, wanting to sort your feelings out and needing time about how to handle this new information. But of course Tobirama’s string of patience had worn fast thin. And that had led you to this situation. Shouting and cursing at each other. “Don’t you get it?! I just don’t feel that way! Get that through your stubborn thick skull! Give me space!”, you angrily pushed him away, wanting to run out of this situation. You had already gained enough worried and amused looks from the passengers and weren’t willing to start throwing a show just because this man couldn’t handle a rejection. “Stop acting like a sulky boy and handle this like a man! That’s ridiculous Tobirama! It would never work! And you should know that too. You’re the one who never liked my clan in the first place and now you have the authority to tell me you love me? You gotta be kidding me.”

He was seething, you knew that. Sometimes you had troubles believing that he and the Hokage were brothers because they were like two different sides of a coin. Hashirama was peace loving, friendly and energy whilst Tobirama was impatient, temperamental and harsh. And that was the reason why you didn’t think it would work. Put someone like him with a hothead like you together would make an explosive combo, one for which you didn’t have the patience to endure. But he stayed quiet, clenching and unclenching his fist. “This is stupid.”, you cursed under your breath and turned around, wanting to let a little bit steam off. “Is it so hard for you to believe that I love you?” That made you stop in your tracks, slowly turning your head around. He had sounded polite. Well, he still sounded angry, but he didn’t shout anymore. “You seriously ask me why I have troubles believing that? Reflect on your actions to my clan and you might be able to understand why I have a hard time believing you would fall for me, an Uchiha.”

“Do you think I’m happy about this? Do you even know how I felt when discovering my feelings? I thought that something was wrong with me. Our clans used to kill each other on the battle field before this village was built. And I never fully trusted your clan. Never. You won’t even believe how pissed off I was when my brother insisted on me befriending some from your kind. But I guess he didn’t see it coming that I would end up falling for the damn Uchiha who I managed to become friends with. No one did. Me neither. But I can’t get rid of it. So if you would just put your pride away for a moment and try to understand how I feel this might have not to be that hard.” You didn’t know what to respond to this, giving him a doubting look whilst crossing your arms in front of your chest and tapping your finger against your biceps. As weird as it sounded, you could somewhat sympathize with him, understanding what a blow for his ego it must have been for him when falling for you. He was just confused on how to act on his feelings. You let out a sigh. “Listen Tobirama, I admit that I feel flattered by all of this. But try to see it from the logical side. Our clans wouldn’t handle it too well if we should ever start dating each other, not to mention that I don’t think we would have our peace. We’re too similar to each other, too prideful. I just feel like the dynamic between us could be either very good or very shaky. And I’m not in the mood to endure a constant up and down, not to mention that constant shouting sessions would give me too much of a headache. We both deserve someone who can help us calming our ass down a bit. That’s what I feel at least.”

It became quiet between the two of you, Tobirama glaring with a mix of anger and hurt at you. “I’m sorry Tobirama. I just feel like staying in a friend zone is the best for both of us.” You slowly stepped backwards, not breaking eye contact with him, hoping to be able to leave him here without him trailing behind you again. “You know...Brother knows how much I love you. That’s why he and Mito convinced me in the first place to confess to you. Not to mention that I had enough trust in you to open up about my feelings.” He had mumbled those words more quietly out, making you almost feel a bit bad. “You’re lucky to have someone like him and Mito in your life. They’re both great people.” You tried to sound as comforting as possible, not wanting him to have another outburst of emotions. “And I hope that you’ll be able to get over this someday. Even though your an asshole, our friendship is still important to me.” With these words you finally turned around and quickly walked away from the scene, leaving a silent Tobirama back. “Hopefully Hashirama will be able to help him digesting this. If not I’m in trouble.”

That same night Tobirama couldn’t really fall asleep. He had never been someone who had slept much due to preferring to work until late at night. He just couldn’t, the argument between you and him playing over and over again. You were right, he could understand from where you were coming from. He himself had almost felt disgusted in himself when finding out his feelings for you. How couldn’t he after everything that had happened? He had killed your kind back in the days of war and had never trusted your clan, especially after Madara had left the village and had tried to kill his brother. It had been another proof for him that your clan was possessed by the evil. It had been a miracle for him that he had managed to make friends with you in the first place. You were the only one from your clan who had endured his outbursts, fighting fiercely back to defend your clan and push him back into his place. You had proved to be quite the challenge for him, never backing down from his threats and insults and instead always standing tall. He guessed that this was one of the things he seemed to hate and love on you at the same time. You always stood for what you loved and believed in. You were passionate, strong, smart and stood true to your ideals and words. You were stubborn, snarky and always had a sharp comment which you gladly spit out. Tobirama didn’t even know when it had happpened. When he had started being more mean simply because he didn’t know how to act on his feelings.

In the end it hadn’t mattered anyways. You had rejected him which stung more than expected. He hadn’t expected that this would have such a big impact on him. He had drowned himself in work today, trying to get his mind off. But it hadn’t been from much use and Tobirama couldn’t remember the last time when he had felt so...wretched. This wasn’t like him at all. He had seen death so much back in the war, he had seen his friends and family die and had managed to somehow stand strong. It had been his duty to stay strong and avenge all the people he had lost. And you weren’t even dead. You were still here. But you were lost for him in another sense, still here, but out of reach. That was a new way for him to lose someone. And he didn’t like that. Whom should he blame for drowning in such a pathetic state of his mind? His brother? You? Or himself? He could almost hear your mocking voice if you would see him like this. For some reason he needed to think of something you had told him one time before when the both of you had talked about the topic rejection before. “Drowning in self-sorrow is no way to handle a rejection. You gotta take it like a shinobi does. If I would get rejected I wouldn’t give up. I would fight for their heart until they realize that I’m the only one for them. I would do everything in my power to change their mind. I won’t accept it if someone would miss me. Not like someone would ever reject me.”

Fight for them...Do everything in your power...Not accepting it. And with one swift movement Tobirama was suddenly up, your words still swirling around in his mind whilst he walked to the small office in his house, pulling out a few files he had in one of his drawers. Files about you and your family. He didn’t even know why he had those in the first place in his house but in that moment he didn’t care that much. What mattered was what stood inside of them. Informations. Informations which could be used against you. For a brief moment he stopped, reflecting on what he was about to do. This was actually wrong. Criminal. What would his brother think if he would find out about this? This made for a short moment hesitation wash about him, slowly retreating his hand which had been about to grab the file. “Don’t you get it?! I just don’t feel that way!” He froze. “Get that through your stubborn thick skull!” His hand twitched, feeling a bitter feeling raising up in him and the still so fresh stinging of your reaction tingling up inside his core. What he was about to do wasn’t fair, it was downright wrong and would ensure huge troubles for you if he would use something against you or your family. But you hadn’t played fair as well. You had rejected him and not even given him a chance. In some sense he actually only did what you had said yourself to do in case of a rejection. Doing everything in his power to help you realize your mistake.

He almost felt amused whilst reading the file about your family, taking greedily every information in he hadn’t known so far and already starting to plan possibilities about how to use those informations against you. If someone would have told him a few years ago that he would go as far as being ready to blackmail an Uchiha just so he could make them stay by his side he would have labeled that person as crazy. But now he was there, sitting in his office and going through every information he possessed about your close ones. You would come back to him. You would realize that he was your only option. And if he had to reach that goal by ruining your whole life and those of everyone you loved so be it. “Well little Uchiha,”, he spoke to himself in a slightly amused, slightly angry voice,”I love you more than planned.”

[cafeinthemoon]

The Senju brothers finding out their little sister is going out with Madara 💥

Lately I’ve been into family drama and such, so when anon requested this I couldn’t say no lol Btw thank you, anon, for this scandalous incredible idea 😘

In this scenario/list/idk we have the Senju brothers finding out their younger sister and Madara are seeing each other. As you might expect, the news provoke different reactions in each of them, but the main point is how she will deal with this situation.

So I’m gonna shut up now and leave you with this:

Fandom: Naruto | Senju Brothers

Warnings: none, just a heated argument and a looong list ahead

Symbols: 💙 | ◻ | ▶▶

Hashirama

Being Hashirama and Tobirama’s younger sister, of course you and Madara were known to each other, but being more than just a friend to him wasn’t in your plans… until now 😳

You used to admire and respect each other, not only because of the alliance between your clans, but mostly because you both were worthy being praised. Plus Hashirama has always been talkative about his best friend’s qualities, which slowly transformed the way you saw the Uchiha leader, but you only noticed this a few weeks ago

During a meeting/party/whatever at your brother’s house, Madara and you spent more time than usual talking to each other. Turned out that you discovered many things in common beyond the fact that you two were shinobi, including your views on life, politics, etc.

If Hashi noticed something, you couldn’t tell, but it was strange that during all the time you were there together he didn’t come to join you (not that you complained about it)

You and the Uchiha saw each other a few times on the next days, and the feeling of familiarity between you only grew. You weren't sure of how to call it. You were fond of each other, but saying that you were just friends didn’t seem to be enough now

You both agreed that it was too soon to name it as a date or something, so you didn't tell anyone, not even your brothers

You wanted to be sure of your own feelings before making a statement. Were you still friends? Were you really in love? Was it just a crush, a superficial attraction? You wanted to understand what was going on

During this time, Hashirama didn’t make a comment or anything that suggested that he was aware of this situation, so you were a bit surprised when one day, he came to talk to you about it

“So you and Madara are engaging in a secret romance and you dared leaving your big brother out of this, y/n? Where did you learn such behavior?!”

“Don’t you really know?”, you smirked

“Excuse me?!”

“Am I the first person in this family to keep secrets that involve Madara, Hashi?” 😑

THE REDNESS ON HIS CHEEKS WAS PRICELESS LMAO

Hashirama was your elder brother aka the person who has been taking care of you since your parents left this world, so not only his worries were valid, but he also had the right to know, so yeah, he was a bit disappointed that you didn't tell him first

Now, I think his feelings about this were not as plain as some can imagine. In fact, he had a mixture of contradicting feelings and ended up talking about them more than demanding an explanation from you

On one hand, he was happy because he loves you both, so finding out that his little sis and his soul brother might have started a relationship was exciting 💖

On the other hand, he was worried because you were even younger than Tobirama, while Madara was not only older but more experienced than you and he knew his friend’s flaws better than anyone else

However, Hashi was an understanding person and was willing to listen, so you explained your feelings and your reasons to him, as well as part of your conversations with Madara, pointing out that making things this way was a mutual decision, for the best of you two and the people you knew

He pointed out that despite not calling your meetings a date, you two were already thinking as a couple 😏

You blushed and asked him to keep quiet, at least for a while

He promised you he would not say anything, but not before hugging you tight and crying about how his lil sis was growing up so fast saying how much he was happy for you two 💓

Tobirama

Prepare yourself to get your ass smacked and burning for an entire week lmao

Okay, so as you can easily imagine, it didn’t take much effort from Tobirama to find out that something was going on between you and Madara

It wasn’t that you two were reckless, it was just that your second brother was not stupid an observing man (and tbh how hard it must be to keep a secret from a smart sensor shinobi, uh?)

Unlike Hashirama, who took some time to connect the dots, he noticed small changes in your routine and behavior since the start

Why have you been so quiet, distracted lately? What has been occupying your mind? You were spending more time alone and/or out, and (yeah, he noticed that) you weve more concerned about your looks and manners than usual. Of course you were up to something 

Besides, you’ve suddenly became too defensive towards Madara and the Uchihas in general. Anything Tobirama said that sounded slightly negative about them was promptly refuted by you. You seemed to have a deeper understanding of their ideologies now, as if you were having long conversations with their leader

So, it was with no surprise that you saw the storm coming ⚡

One day, Tobirama came to your room without warning and just by looking at him you knew he figured it out 

How did he find out? Hashirama and his big mouth, probably. Or did he follow you and saw you two together? Well, he could have simply traced your chakra and once he sensed Madara’s close to you, the riddle was solved. But did it matter now?

His first words: “What is it?”

You don't need an explanation: you little sis + Madara Uchiha problem™ + maintaining your privacy keeping secrets from him

And now you were a brat possessed with the Uchiha evil, and not just with any Uchiha evil but with MADARA’S Uchiha evil 🔥🔥🔥

There was no way for you to have a normal conversation in the current circumstances. You had a heated argument, and I’m sure you’re capable of imagining what it means to have a heated argument with Tobirama

“Tobi, listen to me, I-”

“No YOU listen to me you brat possessed with the Uchiha evil”

Your brother didn’t even let you speak. He stated that not telling anything to your elder brother was not only wrong, but some sort of betrayal, then started remembering serious sh*t from the past when you were so young that you couldn’t even carry a sword the right way and everything you’ve already heard from him countless times before

But now you were done with his incapacity of simply listen, so you just stated that your elder brother Hashirama already knew it and that it was you who asked him to keep it a secret just for a while

“Hashirama is our leader, and if he knows and approves it, that’s enough for me and that should be enough for you too!”

“Hashirama is too soft with you, and this is why you behave like this!”

“Like this how? Living my life without asking for your permission? Is that what you mean?”

“Being unnecessarily connected with a man with whom we need to be careful in our treats, that’s what I mean. Our elder brother purposely ignores the fragile spots of this alliance and you know it, so there’s no excuse for your attitude!”

“Speaking like this about our ally could be considered some sort of betrayal, Tobi. If I was you, I would be careful!”

“Why? Are you going to tell him in your next date?”

“GET OUT OF MY ROOM!”

“Yes, I’m getting out and having a serious conversation with our brother about this!”

“Tobirama, the war is over! We all have to move on, whether you like it or not! So instead of wasting your time with something that’s none of your business, you should go and live your life as well!”

Yes, you lost your temper, and you only realized it when your brother fell silent and lowered his tone

“You are right, lilttle sister. But let me tell you something. My way to show that I care about you might not resemble Hashirama’s, but my feelings towards you are not less deep than his”

You were heartbroken after he left, yes, but you had to stand your ground. Tobi could be very controlling if he was given space to, so you had to learn to deal with this early in your life. In this point you were better than Hashi, who was too easygoing for his own good, so you felt like you had to be strong on your resistance for both of you, otherwise Tobirama would dominate every aspect of your life without even realizing. You loved him as well, but your decisions didn’t have to always gravitate towards him

Still, you weren’t proud of your words about the war. That was a sensitive matter for Tobi. Despite his silence about it, you sensed he was offended. You knew you went too far 💔

The conclusion

Later, Hashirama came to mediate the conflict, and he had some words for both of you. When Tobirama and you found ourselves in the same room, you were about to start a new argument, but your eldest brother elevated his chakra and demanded you to be silent, bc now it was his time to speak

“Brother, I understand you are worried about our sister and I am sure she acknowledges your efforts to protect and guide her, but that doesn’t give you the right to interfere in her decisions regarding her own life. She’s right to remind you about our alliance with the Uchiha clan and to say that we need to move on. If moving on means starting a relationship with Madara in her case, things are what they are. It is her life, not yours. And do not think I haven’t talk to her about this. Y/n is no longer a child, Tobirama. She’s aware of the challenges of maintaining such connection with the Uchiha leader”

“Little sister, I understand that our brother’s way to express his worries uses to irritate you. It happened many times when you two were little. But that doesn’t invalidate the honesty of his intentions. He loves you and cares about you as much as I do. Besides, I’ve already talked to you about thoughtless mentions of the war. That was a though period for all of us, which includes your brother. You were not with us at the battlefield, that’s true, but you weren’t immune to the dark consequences of what happened at it. You mourned our siblings with us, but you were too young to understand everything that was involved. That was not Tobirama’s case. He doesn’t talk about it, but he has his reasons for that, and this must be respected”

Hashirama left you two hoping you would be capable of getting along again, which eventually happened, but at its own pace

The next day you found Tobirama working at his desk. He already acknowledged your presence, but that didn’t discourage you. You hugged him from behind and said you were going out to the river, and he could come with you if he wanted to fish. His first response was a groan

“Is there more people coming with us?” = “Is there any possibility of Madara showing up?”

You kissed his bristly hair

“No. Just us. I promise. And when we get back, I’ll cook fish for you”

Your brother’s next groan meant many things at once, “I agree”, “Thank you” and “I apologize” being some of them 😜

[slashingdisneypasta]

Hi! If you don't mind could you write me some headcanons about being bff with some female cp's? Like Jane, Nina, Clockwork, Nurse Ann...?

One of my best friends is called one of these names so it was odd to write XD Some headcanon’s were totally true about her as well, and some definitely were n o t. XD

Anyway I’m not sure how comprehensive this is since I just kinda spewed it all out so, uh… I hope you like them! 😅

~~~

Clockwork:

·         Natalie stays at your house all the time and eats all your food. Girl has a FAST metabolism so you cannot tell, but she eats e v e r y t h i n g.

·         She doesn’t even have a key to your home, you just come home from everyday activities and she’s slumped in your couch cushions watching TV and there’s a pool on your bathroom floor from her shower and- oh, she has also ordered pizza so get your wallet out.

·         You just squint/glare at her before flopping on the couch beside her. She hands you the remote and gets comfier by you.

·         Even when you have a romantic interest over, she is there at your house, comfortable on the couch playing games on your phone as you walk your ‘friend’ to your room.

·         It’s not all frustrating though, she’s always there to protect you. There have been multiple burglaries that she has intercepted and ‘taken care of’. She’s honestly like a guard dog who also has an excellent sense of humour.

·         And don’t think she just wants you around for your apartment and money. Nay nayyyyyy nay. She tells you all about the Creepypasta drama and what’s going on at the mansion, even though you aren’t apart of that life.

·         And she calls when she’s away. Just calls up to talk to you.

·         You two are the kind of friends that don’t need to talk to each other all the time. In fact, you agree that talking to people all the time is annoying and too much trouble, and you could totally go without each other for days (Weeks even) if either of you were busy! But… without either of you even realising, you always end up contacting each other in one way or another every day, anyway. Its easy with you two. No romantic relationship could compare.

·         She was the groom and you were the bride in your make-believe weddings and mums and dads games as kids.

·         On Toby: “Okay Nat, I like Toby but I hope you know, if he hurts you… well there is absolutely nothing I can do to wreak revenge on your behalf, as he is a duo hatchet wielding psychopath, except maybe give him a stink eye. … When he is looking away and therefore cannot see the stink eye.”

·         More on the Toby subject: Clockwork once took you to Slender Mansion (Cuz you were targeted by a botched victim of hers because she cares about you and she wanted you close by to keep you safe until she could, like, finish killing the guy and all. Whatever though, no biggie. Pft, At least that’s how she made it out to be.) and she had to leave you for a moment so she handcuffed you and Toby together because he’s the only one she could trust to watch you.

·         It was very awkward for the two of you, but definitely a bonding experience. You were both very happy to see Clocky come back though.

·         HORROR. The world of horror is your favourite genre together. Supernatural horror, slashers, basement dwellers, vampires, werewolves, the blob, stalkers, murderers, psychological horror, black and white, colour, movies, tv shows, books- whatever. You two get so excited to experience new fictional horror.

Jane The Killer:

·         If you’re into boys, let me tell you right away- Jane is very critical of their actions. She was at a very influential time in her life (Especially concerning boys and girls and romance) when she met Jeff and Liu. She met those boys, thought ‘Oh, they’re cute. Maybe budding crush?’, and then Jeff killed her family, burnt down her home and ruined her life and Liu became an asshole, and now the male species has been, sorta… tainted. She knows there are good ones (In fact, m a n y boys are lovely, of course.), but one’s that you’re in romantic cahoots with are always going to be under her very watchful eye anyway so she doesn’t really bother to hold back her fear (Which translates into dislike… or hate) with them. So if you have boy problems, be careful. Provided you like this/these guy/s, at least. If you don’t like them, then she’s the perfect person to go to!

·         If you are a boy, then- of course, none of this applies to you. She loves you. Don’t worry. You’re her best friend!

·         Girls are an entirely different situation though of course. Jane drinks that love women juice every single day.

·         Jane is really good with altering clothes, so she’s the one you go to when you need help hemming something or taking something in. She likes to do it, too. Quality best friend time while not being lazy.

·         Speaking of her hating to be lazy… This does not apply at night. Nighttime is a whole other ballgame. Its bedtime by 7 for her if you don’t lock her into plans a week in advance. If she is braless and in her P.J’s, you will not be able to peel her from her home. Except for snacks, but even if she goes to the grocery store, she’s not getting changed and she’s going to wear her bunny slippers.

·         You two watch so many cartoons together. Gravity Falls, Star Vs The Forces of Evil, Over The Garden Hedge, Villainous, Looney Tunes, Ducktales, etc. Any and all that you can get your hands on.

·         You two are prepared to get platonically married, for any reason. Like, you need to stay in the country? Married; You’re staying. You’re the only one who can testify against hr in the court of law? Married, so by law you don’t have to. One of you accidentally planted yourselves with a kid and (Cuz you’re ride or die for each other, obviously), you’re gonna parent the child together and cuz of religious beliefs one of your would feel better about raising them together with a wedding band? Married.

·         Jane doesn’t drink, so when/if you get drunk she’s always there to keep you safe.

·         Jane also gets friend-jealous, a lot. Like, that bitch just called you her best friend, Y/N. Is she your best friend? I thought I was. So who is it, Y/N? Me or her? HM? (She is prepared to turn up to wherever you and this person are hanging, all glamorous and cool as she is, and show off. Prove she’s a way better friend then this new person so they back off).

·         When you were little, she was the bride and you were the groom in your wedding/marriage/mums and dads games.

Nina The Killer:

·         You have known her for both your entire lives and there have been iffy, and dark times but through hell and high water you have stuck with her. You love her. She’s your girl, you are her person too. You will be with her, and protect her from anything.

·         You are the only one in the world that loves her, really. You may not quite understand her weirdness, but you stick with her anyway because you love her.

·         Just like- baseline of your friendship is being ride or die for each other.

·         You were also really into Jeff, but at a more… healthy? Level? Like, you were still romantically interested in a real-life murderer, but you wouldn’t have done anything about it. You wouldn’t hurt anyone (Except to protect others) or victim blame, or contact the victims (Dear God) or whatever, but you would take peaks at fanfiction and gab with Nina about it. I mean, it’s not grand, but in comparison to Nina, hah… you were harmless.

·         Now though, that you’ve met him and he is the reason your bets friend is so hurt and broken, you are not the fondest of him. I mean, you still have a place in your heart for the version of him you and Nina made up in your heads (The version that Nina still believes is real) but that isn’t the real him. Jeff Woods is an ass. You need to keep your friend safe from him.

·         And uh… so nowadays… occasionally, you will find out where Jeff is (You keep an ear out) and, you know, just… lie your ass off to Nina. Yep. You tell her you heard that he’s in the opposite direction than he is so that she’ll unknowingly put more distance between him and her.

·         Yes. It’s a lie, but… its for the greater good! It’s for Nina’s mental health and physical safety.

·         Anyway, moving on to lighter things.

·         In your make believe mums and dads/’grown up’ games that you would play together as kids, you were a single parent and she was the dog.

·         She will lie for you in an instant. She’s also really good at it.

·         You walked into a room once and saw she was drawing something, and it turned out to be your joint tombstone. She has not let this go- you will be buried in the same plot together, if it is the last thing she does. This is slightly concerning, but… also kind of cute. You can roll with it.

·         “What if I get married or have kids?”

·         “They will need to apply with me to join. There will be an interview process.”

·         ‘What about pets?”

·         “Oh, they can come in! No fee!”

·         Do not underestimate her weight. If she doesn’t want you to leave, she will hold onto your leg and go deadweight, and you will s t r u g g l e.

·         Nina talks to herself, but she acts like the person she’s talking to is another person, inside her mind. You both know its not, but you refer to the other girl as Agnes anyway. Super casual.

·         Follows you when you go on dates (At least the first one with someone)to make sure all goes well and texts you rapid fire when she smells something fishy. Even the smallest thing.

·         You two really love dystopian teen fiction. Divergent? Matched? Hunger Games? Maze Runner? Ugles? Alllllll. You consume them and then watch the movies/tv shows too.

Nurse Ann:

·         Live-in medical services! This means you can get really cheap life insurance and not worry about it to much.

·         And on the topic of insurance… Ann is super smart, and organised, and just really awesome at practical stuff like that. Insurance, bills, mortgages, any kind of forms and receipts. And she’s happy to sit down and help you go through it- and, as we all know, everything is better when it’s with a friend you feel comfortable with.

·         You can tell Ann anything and she’ll just roll with it. No judgment. Either she takes it and lets you talk about it or she just acknowledges it and moves on.

·         Like Jane, Ann has very little patience for boy problems. In fact, she has zero time for it. Boys? Girls? No thank you. So if you’re into boys, I have some bad news for you.

·         Best friend maintenance. Occasionally, Ann will over work herself (with murder) and you will need to guide her to relaxation. Gently persuade her to sit down at the dinner table and just make idle chit chat with her every now and then as you make her a good, hearty meal (Or as good as you can do XD Anything between Beefy stew and a Cheese toastie will work fine, don’t worry. She’s not picky at all), and then watch some movies with her. No phones, no knitting, no drawing, no… whatever. No other activities except TV watching! She needs to rest. I’m always shocked at how relaxing just sitting and watching TV can be. There’s a big difference between doing that and multitasking.

·         Ann will call you to pretend there’s an emergency if you want to get out of social engagement.

·         A thing that two enjoy together is science fiction. Star Trek (Including the animation), The War of Worlds, the world of Star Wars, Dune, a Handmaids Tail, The 100, Eureka, etc. She loves the brainy stuff.

·         Ann is the logical friend, who tries to give the most practical advice and make pros and con lists and everything. And then you go ahead and do the crazy thing, the thing she said definitely would not work and would probably make things worse, and she just face palms and says she’s never getting mixed up in your mess again. … Until the next time, when she totally does.

·         “I love you Y/N, but I am not about to walk into a police office and bail you out of jail so do not do that.”

·         You trap her into resting by painting her nails (Hands and feet) in her sleep right before her alarm is about to go off so she has to take the morning SLOW or the paint will mess up. She just wakes up, you hold up a sign in front of her face that says ‘NAILS’ and she stops immediately. “You bitch.”

·         As kids, of course, the two of you would play make-believe family games and you were both mums (/ or you were the dad). She was the working mum and you were forced to stay home take care the baby (large container of vitamins with a face drawn on).

[fantasy2739]

A Douxie story where he appears in Trollhunters or 3Below with Archie and is just like, yeah, so I'm a wizard, this is my dragon-cat, you're the Trollhunter, you have shadow stuff, you have a big hammer and you two are from another planet, can we deal with the attack now?

Hi, thank you for the ask. I’m sorry I didn’t quite quite know where to go with this. I decided to go with Trollhunters and the battle against Morgana. So less 3Below, more Trollhunter gang. I hope that’s okay and you enjoy it.

Canon divergence/ slight AU:

Douxie just wanted to chill. Participate in battle of the bands. Maybe grab some food after. A nap. The sky turning a weird orange was not in the plan. Gumm-Gumms marching on the town was also not. After taking out the ones attacking Mary and Darci, he started to head through town. He passed Krel and Aja, who were with another couple of people that were distinctly blue. He just kept going, not particularly interested in the aliens. By the looks of it they were protecting Arcadia. He saw the girl in purple armour, Claire fighting with a shadow staff. Morgana’s shadow staff. He tried not to shiver at that. She was fighting the Gumm-Gumms, along with someone in orange armour. Toby, he thought his name was. He had a hammer that was covered in something. Made it lighter clearly given how it was being swung around like mad. He blasted a few Gumm-Gumms himself. Archie flew over to him, probably coming from the bookstore.

“Douxie, I see we’ve had an invasion.” He said with a wry look. “Judging by what it is. I’m guessing Morgana.”

“No doubt. Only she would summon up Eternal Night.” Douxie said. He remembered Morgana before all of this. She’d been nice. Caring. Then everything had changed, almost as if overnight. He hadn’t been privy to everything going on.

“If she’s awake, then someone must have gotten the Staff of Avalon.” Archie said. Douxie’s eyes widened.

“Merlin.” He breathed. “He could be awake.”

“900 years in that crystal tomb.” Archie said. “I wonder if it’s done anything for his sense of humour.” Douxie shot another blast of magic. As they made their way through the rubble of town, they saw the Trollhunter. He looked different.

“Is it just me, or is he half troll?” Douxie asked, hitting yet another Gumm-Gumm.

“Oh this has Merlin written all over it.” Archie said. “Excuse me, Trollhunter person.” The Trollhunter stared at Archie as if debating wether to eat the cat or just let him talk.

“Jim right?” Douxie greeted, making his way over. “We met at the cafe. Thanks for tipping by the way.” Jim stared at him. Toby and Claire joining them with two trolls.

“You have a talking cat.” Jim said.

“Actually I’m a dragon.” Archie corrected.

“Okay.” Toby said. “Maybe now isn’t the best time. The evil lady beat Merlin.” Douxie and Archie shared a look.

“This evil lady, gold armour. Green hand. Goes by Morgana?” Douxie asked.

“You know her?” Claire asked.

“We’ve... met.” Douxie said eventually. “Any idea where she is?”

“I’m guessing near the the big glowy thing in the sky.” Toby suggested.

“Good guess.” Archie said. “Shall we get on then?”

“Who even are you!?” Toby asked. “Like aren’t you a waiter?” Douxie blasted a Gumm-Gumm, smiling as their jaws dropped.

“Oh I’m a lot more than that.”

Morgana was at the bridge over the canal because where else would she be. The whirlwind of magic poured into the sky next to them. He floated down, smiling mockingly.

“Ah Little Douxie.” She said. He hated the way she said his name. It used to be an endearment, sweet. Now it was mocking. “Still trying time please Merlin?”

“Still pretending we didn’t kick your butt at Killahead?” Douxie replied. Morgana glared at him.

“Why don’t you drop dead?”

“You first!”

“Uh when you two are done could we maybe have the battle, stop the apocalypse?” Jim asked.

“Sorry.” Douxie winced, selecting a shield spell on his gauntlet. Just in time, as Morgana threw magic bolts at them. Douxie blocked while Jim charged towards her. He slashed daylight at her quickly but she managed to avoid each blow. The trollhunting team was good. Claire summoned portals quickly, keeping everyone out of danger. Toby swing his hammer hard. Jim moved with speed and accuracy. The two trolls slotted themselves in seamlessly. Distractions. Shields. Attackers. Whatever the kids needed. Claire opened a shadow portal, letting Douxie get behind Morgana.

“Your weak magics are nothing compared to mine.” She jeered at Claire and Douxie.

“Tenebris Exilium!” Douxie yelled, his own sky blue magic clashing violently with the gold of hers. He could feel himself being pushed back. She far outmatched him. “Nope.” He dropped the spell, nine hundred years of training kept him alive as he ducked and rolled. It was still a narrow miss as a jet of gold flew over his shoulder. He saw another troll appear. Duel fiercely with Morgana, grabbing her. The Trollhunter stabbed them both. And for a moment it looked like they won. And then Daylight vanished.

“Angor!” Toby yelled. Douxie watched the troll die.

“Arch, light me!” Douxie yelled, enchanting the flames to surrounded Morgana. It gave everyone time to get clear of her. Jim has managed to call daylight back. Douxie ended up near Claire.

“We need to stop her, seal her away or something.” Claire said, clutching her staff. “We can’t overpower her.”

“The shadow realm.” Toby suggested.

“Yes Toby! That’s a great idea.” Claire said. “And then we lock the staff away. Trap her forever.” Douxie thought that was a little idealistic. Morgana always seemed to find a way back. But at least they’d have a reprieve. And he’d probably still be around to enjoy Morgana trying to kill him again.

“Could you make another shield?” Jim asked, landing next to them. Douxie nodded, making one.

“It won’t hold for long.” Douxie warned. “Whatever you’re going to do, do it now.”

“Jim.” Claire said, sharing a look with her boyfriend. Jim nodded, running to Morgana. Claire opened a portal and instead of Jim going through, she and Toby pushed Morgana into it. Jim had been a distraction. And it worked. Briefly. Morgana had Claire in her grasp, pulling her in. Claire grabbed them edge of the portal. “Jim!”

“Don’t worry Claire.” Jim said, jumping and grabbing her. “I’ve got you.” Douxie cast a rope spell, tying it around Claire’s wrist.

“A little help here?” Douxie panted as he tugged on the magic rope. Toby grabbed his waist, while the two trolls grabbed him. They all pulled as hard as they could, yanking Claire free. She tumbled onto her boyfriend while Toby whacked the shadow staff into the portal. Morgana was gone. For now.

Merlin landed on the bridge after dispelling Morgana’s magic to a group of worn out teens. Douxie watched the wizard who was his mentor curiously as he approached.

“Well done young Trollhunter.” He said before pausing and staring at Douxie. “Hisirdoux what are you doing here?” Douxie rolled his eyes.

“Oh not much, just protecting the realm. Same as I have been for the past 900 years.” He said with a shrug.

“Ehehehe yes.” Merlin acknowledged.

“You’re name is Hisirdoux?” Jim asked with a frown.

“Wait did you say 900 years?” Claire asked.

“Give or take a century.” Archie added, jumping onto Douxie’s shoulder. Douxie shrugged again.

“Why didn’t you contact me?” He asked Merlin. “With the Queen of the Apocalypse turning up and all.”

“I didn’t know you were here.” Merlin said.

“So much for seeing the future.” Toby muttered.

“I heard that chatty.” Merlin said, turning to Toby before looking at Douxie. “There wasn’t enough time.”

“Enough time to turn Jim into a Troll and construct armour.” Douxie said bitterly. He was being a little petty but it had been 900 years. “Morgana was out here, where were you?”

“Morgana took my magic.” Merlin said with a sigh. “I couldn’t fight her without it.”

“We managed without you.” Jim said, crossing his arms.

“Yes I see that.” Merlin said, giving him an equally petulant look. “But I was right. You needed to be more.” Douxie didn’t roll his eyes. He didn’t. It was so like Merlin to do a his way or the highway speech.

“You could have called.” Douxie interrupted. “Smoke signal, texting, magic memo.”

“Hisirdoux, if I’d known you were around I would have said. But I didn’t so can we let it go.” Merlin said firmly, ending the conversation. “The heartstone is dead so we need to look for a new one...”

[graysmiles-world]

The Kissing Tree

Okay, so this is based on my last post. It basically answers the question of: when and how did the initials get carved in the tree? Takes place after 3x05, The Exorcism of Claire Nunez. 

Fandom: Trollhunters, Tales of Arcadia

Pairings: Jim Lake Jr/Claire Nunez

“Jim!” Claire’s voice bounced off the lockers as she hurried over to him. Her eyebags have faded over the last few days and the constant redness of her nose seems to have ceased to exist. In other words, she looked healthy. Which was great, because when an evil witch takes over your body, it’s hard to get the 8 hours of sleep that doctors recommend. 

“Hey, Claire,” Jim greeted, closing his locker. “How are you feeling today?”

“Much better, it’s like..” she thought for a moment. “Like there was a hot nail in my forehead, and I didn’t realize notice it until it was gone, you know?” 

“You have such a way with words, Juliet,” he teased. Claire rolled her eyes and knocked her elbow against his. 

Jim looked over to his girlfriend and frowned. “Hey,” he started. “Before you, you know, got possessed and stuff - it was a good date, right?” 

Claire shrugged. “I could have done with less of the nervous Spanish-” cue Jim’s flushed cheeks, “but other than that, it was alright,” she looked up at him. “Why do you ask?”

Jim shrugging, trying to appear nonchalant. Based on the way that she was looking at him though, it did not work out. 

“Jim..” she started, looking at him with a raised eyebrow. And that, unfortunately, was all it took for him to crack. Jim halted and took a deep breath.

“Okay, before the date - Tobes made me realize that we never actual been on a real date, you know? It was always trollhunting or something to do with trollhunting, and I don’t want everything we do to be because we were running for our lives, you know?” 

Claire laughed. “I do know, trust me. But if is your way of asking me on a date, you need to get a whole lot better at it,” she got an evil gleam in her eye as she grinned. “Just keep it crispy.” 

Jim groaned as she walked away. “You promised you would stop bringing that up!” he yelled after her. “But is that a yes?” 

-

It was, in fact, a yes - as after school she pecked him on the cheek and said that they would go out that Friday. The Friday that was two days away. Fuck. 

“I have no idea what to do Tobes! You were right, Claire and I have nothing in common except for the fact that we’re Trollhunters!” 

Toby stopped his bike, causing Jim to fly right past him. “You need something that you don’t have to talk a lot. Like a movie! A scary movie!”

Jim shrugged. “It’s worth a shot.”

“Just remember Jim,” Toby pointed his finger at the taller boy. “She can’t break up with you if you don’t give her a reason to.”

Jim shrugged. That was a solid point. 

-

“Murder House 2?” Claire asked. Jim nodded.

“Double the House, double the murder,” he said in a serious voice. 

“Wasn’t this the movie we were supposed to see with Darci and T.P.?” 

Jim nodded again. “I wanted to make the last date up, and what better way then seeing the movie we were planning to?” 

“Toby got in your head again, didn’t he.” 

“Oh definitely, yeah.” 

Claire rolled her eyes, but she couldn’t stop the urge to grin. “Oh, come on,” she said - grabbing Jim’s hand and pulling him to his Vespa. “I have somewhere else we can go.” 

Jim shrugged and got on, smiling as he felt Claire’s arms wrap around his torso. He knew that she was still a little hesitant about using the staff, so he wasn’t about to say anything, and plus - this was romantic. 

Claire pointed out instructions as they rode through town. Buildings became trees as they followed the roads out of the city.  “Where are we going?” he asked over the roar of the wind.

“You’ll see!” she answered back, her voice light. 

Soon enough, Claire had stop his Vespa and park it in the treeline. They made the rest of the way on foot. 

The trail was small, but well-traveled. New and old old footprints littered the dirt, along with empty beer cans, half-smoked blunts, and a few moldy sandwiches for some reason. 

But Claire walked confidently, holding Jim’s hand tight in her own. They made it to a bed of logs, most of them burnt to ash. 

“Awh, for me?” Jim teased. Claire just snorted and continued past it.

 A meadow soon appeared. It was small and there was hardly any moonlight through the thick tree branches, but there was enough to see the heart caved into the large tree on the opposite end. 

“What is this place?” Jim asked, walking forward and tracing all the initials that littered the bark. 

“The Kissing Tree,” Claire answered, stepping up next to him. “You’ve never heard of it?” 

Jim just looked at her, “I don’t know if you know this Claire, but Tobes and I are not the most popular guys in school.” 

She shrugged. “Far enough.” She grabbed something from her pocket, and flicked it open. In the limited moonlight, Jim could see it was a pocket knife. 

“Woah, where’d you get that?” he asked. 

“My dad gave it to me because I told him that we were going out on a date.” 

Jim choked on his breath. “Wh-What?” 

Claire laughed. “Kidding. I bought it like a year ago. Now take out your phone flashlight so I don’t cut myself.”

He did what she said, taking out his phone. Now that the tree was lit up, Jim could now see how there were many more carvings than he originally thought. 

Claire carved JLJ x CN into an empty space inside the heart. Jim grinned. 

This totally proved Toby wrong. She wouldn’t have done this if she wanted to break up with him. 

Claire flipped the knife close and tucked it away. However, before could Jim tuck his own phone away, she grabbed him by the collar and dragged him down - pressing her lips against his own.

Her lips were cool due to the chilly air, but Jim didn’t feel cold at all. He felt warm, a low flame burning in his heart. His hand went to the back of her head, running his hands up into her hair. His phone fell onto the grass, along with some of her hair clips - but who cared?

She was wearing strawberry chapstick, he noticed. Her breath smelled like mint toothpaste. 

They stayed there a moment longer before drawing back and taking a breath. Jim couldn’t help the smile that overtook his face. 

“Our night’s not over yet, Romeo,” she told him, stepping back and turning back towards the tree. Jim picked up his phone shined it up the trunk. There was a low branch that looked more weathered than the rest. He paled.

“No-”

“Yes,” she interrupted - grinning at him. Before Jim could speak, Claire had jumped and pulled herself up onto the branch before moving to another. 

“Are you coming?” she called down. Jim sighed and tucked away his phone, jumping up and grabbing the branch. He followed her footsteps, making sure not to stand anywhere too far from the trunk. 

They ended up on a thick, wide branch that had pushed through all of the other tree branches. It offered up a perfect view of the night sky.

Jim couldn’t help but gasp. “You can’t see stars anywhere like this in the city.”

“No, you can’t.” 

Jim sat next to his girlfriend, smiling softly as she scooted so her side was pressed against his. 

“So, good date?” she asked, leaning her head on his shoulder.

“The best.”

And it was. 

[sanderssidesfanfiction]

If There’s a Place I Could Be - Chapter Seventy Five

If There’s a Place I Could Be Tag

November 22nd, 2000

“Toby!” Remy exclaimed, running to his brother and hugging him tight. “Oh, God, Toby, am I relieved to see you!”

“Hey, Rem!” Toby exclaimed, turning from where he had been talking to Vanessa to hug Remy. “It’s so good to see you! How’s college been?”

Remy’s stomach churned and he groaned. “Oh, God, I don’t want to talk about it,” he complained.

“Fair enough,” Toby laughed. “I feel the same way after midterms. Have you made any friends, at least?”

“I mean, I guess...” Remy said. “Although he made me his friend more than I made him my friend.”

“Still! A friend! That’s progress!” Toby said excitedly. “What’s his name?”

“His name’s Emile, and he’s—”

Remy was cut off as his mother called them all to the dinner table. “You can explain about him more after dinner,” Toby promised. “I’ll love to hear all about him.”

  November 22nd, 2002

“Oh, my God, Emile, hon, breathe,” Remy said with a little laugh, placing his hands on Emile’s shoulders and gently shaking him.

Emile was not, in fact, breathing like Remy requested. Emile was bawling on the couch having just watched the finale of Courage the Cowardly Dog. “I-I-I don’t want it to be over!” Emile wailed.

“Want it or not, it’s over, hon, you’re gonna pass out at this rate. Please. Breathe,” Remy requested.

Emile took in one deep breath, then another, and Remy gave him an encouraging smile. “Good. That’s good, hon.”

“I feel dizzy,” Emile breathed.

“Yeah, well, you hyperventilated for a good fifteen minutes, I’m not surprised. Should I get you some water?” Remy asked.

“Please?” Emile asked softly.

Remy kissed Emile’s temple and went to the kitchen, grabbing him a glass of water. He walked back over and Emile took the water with a small “Thank you,” taking small sips as his hands ever-so-slightly shook.

“Are you like this when any cartoon you like ends? Because if so, then I might need to get you a designated sobbing corner in our apartment,” Remy teased.

“No, I’m not like this every time,” Emile huffed. “I’m just like this with the ones that mean a lot to me.”

“So, all of them,” Remy filled in.

Emile stuck his tongue out at Remy but Remy just grinned shamelessly. “Listen, I don’t freak out over every last cartoon I’ve ever seen,” Emile said.

“Oh, I’m sure,” Remy said. “You have your calm moments, totally.”

“Remy!” Emile laughed. “I’m trying to be serious.”

“I’m trying to be realistic while also being lighthearted,” Remy said with a shrug. “You get really obsessed with all things cartoons, Emile. I would not be surprised if this happens again.”

Emile pouted, but Remy counted that as better than a scowl, and therefore a win. “I’m not a child, Rem,” Emile said.

“Of course you’re not a child,” Remy said, blinking. “You’re my boyfriend, and a wonderful man, and a massive geek, but you’re not a child.”

Emile was continuing to pout and Remy sat down next to him on the couch. “Is this post-cartoon withdrawal or is this a serious self-esteem issue about you being seen as a child?”

“Probably a mix of both,” Emile said reluctantly. “I just...everyone likes to joke about me getting obsessed with cartoons, and just being...like a giant puppy, or something. And yeah, most of the time that doesn’t bother me, but is that all people see me as? Do they only see me as an overgrown child who just needs to...grow up?”

“I can tell you right now that’s not the case, Emile,” Remy said with absolute certainty. “I mean, sure, cartoons are generally made for children. But liking them doesn’t make you a child. You’ve seen what happens in the adult world, and you’re training to become a therapist to help people with the real world being far, far too much for them to handle. You know exactly how depraved the real world can be. And you use cartoons to remember that good can triumph over evil, that at the end of the day, friendship and family make everything better, and that even in our darkest moments, there’s hope. You don’t simply use them as an escape from the real world, you use them to look at the real world in a different, more positive light. And that’s...honestly, that’s one of the most mature things I can think of. Proving to the world that you won’t be beaten down, that you’ll keep looking for the good in everything. You’re not a child. Sometimes, you like childish things, but liking childish things doesn’t make you a child. I should know. I’m a grown adult who lives vicariously through comic books.”

Emile laughed. “I guess you’re right,” he conceded. “It’s just...hard to remember sometimes. And I know my family always means the teasing about me loving cartoons in good fun, but after a while...it wears on me, and then something happens, like one of my favorite cartoons being cancelled, and I cry over it, and I ask myself, am I really that child that everyone says I am?”

“No, hon, you’re not a child,” Remy said. “Think about it this way: everything my mom says is wrong, and my mom called you a child and ‘stuck in the past.’ Still feel like that has any basis in truth?”

Emile blinked. “...No,” he admitted. “But I really don’t think I can use your mother as the basis for making me feel better most of the time. Usually, she just makes me mad.”

“That’s fair, she drives me up the wall too,” Remy said with a grin.

Emile laughed, only slightly hysterically. “You know, we’re having Thanksgiving here this year,” he said.

“Yeah?” Remy asked. “With your parents. What’s your point?”

“What if your mother comes back?” Emile asked. “Are you ready for that?”

Remy shrugged. “If she comes back I’ll refer to your mom as my mom until she gets the message to leave, and we don’t let her through the door for literally anything,” he said. “Like, my mom scares me, but your parents have gotten her to back down without too much trouble before. If worst comes to worst I can hide behind your dad.”

Emile laughed. “That doesn’t sound like a very solid plan, Rem,” he said.

“Well, I mean...I don’t have a solid plan. I’m not, like, getting nightmares over Thanksgiving but I am admittedly anxious enough that I don’t like thinking about it if I can help it,” Remy admitted. “I’m not really ready to go head-to-head with her. Your parents can act as a buffer, at least a little bit, and I know you won’t put up with her hanging around the apartment, but like...I’m still nervous.”

“That’s understandable,” Emile said with a nod. “Are you ready for Thanksgiving otherwise? I mean, my parents agreed to get the turkey, but do we need to go grocery shopping?”

Remy blinked. “I completely forgot! That’s what I was going to do before I found you sobbing your eyes out on the couch. Emile! We need to go grocery shopping.”

Emile laughed and nodded. “All right, good to know. Should we head out now?”

“Um. Yeah. We have six days, so everything we need should be there and not bought out, with the benefit of it not going bad before Thanksgiving.”

“Then we’d better head out,” Emile said, finishing his water and standing up. “We don’t want to miss out on the cranberry sauce because I was bawling my eyes out about Courage.”

Remy laughed, but his mind was whirring as he grabbed his coat and shoes. His mother was probably going to show up on or around Thanksgiving again, to try and take him back to her house. And much as he would like to see Toby again, he didn’t have his own car that he could use to drive away once he got contact info, so he had no chance of leaving if he went with his mother. And not coming back home, never seeing Emile again, that wasn’t an option. In fact, if Toby found out Remy had left the love of his life just to see Toby again, he would probably be calling Remy bone-dead stupid for the rest of time.

Emile brushed his hand against Remy’s as they left the apartment complex and headed to the grocery store. “What are you thinking about?” he asked.

“Toby,” Remy admitted. “I just...miss him and wish I could see him again. Not enough to go with my mother anywhere, of course, but I still miss him.”

“We’ll find him,” Emile promised Remy. “Dice said he had a couple leads last time we met, remember? It’s not much, and it will probably take some months to get everything figured out and find out which lead is going to lead us to him, but we’ll find him. We’re closer than ever before.”

“Yeah,” Remy said, but he wasn’t feeling as confident as Emile sounded.

“Remy,” Emile said. “We will find him. I know you’d love to see him by Christmas, or your birthday, or someday soon, and it bums you out that isn’t possible. But one day, we’re going to find him, and he’s going to give you a big hug, and you’re going to give him one back, and you two will keep close. Like, I can’t see a time where he isn’t a phone call away, once we find him. Even if the two of you didn’t talk for months, I have no doubt you could just pick up the phone and chat again like the two of you had never stopped talking in the first place. Just from what you’ve told me of him, he wouldn’t throw away his second chance. He would hold it as close as he could, and he would never, ever let go.”

Remy nodded with a sad smile. “That does sound like him,” he sighed. “I just...I don’t know. I wish he could be here for the big things, and the little things. Like, Christmas is going to be a pain, just because I’m going to think about him no matter what with all the emphasis on family and friendship and camaraderie and staying together no matter what. Like, I’d kill to just have the option of calling him, even if I didn’t actually do that. And it feels like Toby is just...a huge focus on our conversations nowadays, and I don’t mean for that to happen, but it just kinda...does.”

“Well, the holidays are coming up, which means you miss him more. That’s normal, Rem,” Emile said, placing a hand on Remy’s shoulder. They walked into the grocery store, and Emile grabbed a basket. “We’ll talk about him as much as you need to, and when the hurt ebbs away a little bit, like it usually does after the holidays, we’ll have room to talk about other things.”

“Like what?” Remy asked. “What do we normally talk about when I’m not obsessed with Toby?”

“Normal life stuff. Work, school, friends. Whatever crazy project you want to try whenever you have the time. Whatever small thing has gotten into my hair and refuses to let me go free until you help me work through the knots.”

It felt like Emile was trying to hold something back from him, though. “What aren’t you telling me, Emile?” Remy asked, his eyes squinted.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Emile lied.

“Emile,” Remy insisted.

“Remy, trust me when I say it’ll be much better as a surprise, okay?” Emile said. “I’m working on something for your birthday, and it’s taking a while so I started early, but I’m getting everything set up, slowly but surely. And it’ll be ready in time for your birthday, and you’re probably going to be chattering about it non-stop when it comes to pass. But right now, it’s not ready, and I want to surprise you. So can we talk about something else?”

Remy groaned. “Oh, you’re no fun, Emile. Fine. What boring thing do you want to talk about that doesn’t involve my birthday?”

Emile looked around the store. “Where do we go first? What ingredients do we need for Thanksgiving dinner?”

Remy hummed and said, “Well, we need the cranberry sauce, and stuffing, and ice cream. I talked to your dad, and he’s bringing a pie over—”

“—Because of course he is,” Emile finished.

“—So we don’t have to worry about that,” Remy said. “I think we should pick some rolls up, or at least some dough and bake the rolls ourselves, just because that’s always a nice add-on, and then we need to figure out the gravy.”

Emile nodded. “Sounds good,” he agreed.

Remy started pulling Emile around in the search, but in the back of his mind the gears were still whirring like crazy. What exactly did Emile have planned for his birthday? What would take so long that he’d have to start in November?

And would it ruin Remy’s plans to go out and buy a ring for Emile?

[theshadowedqueen82]

what you’ve kept hidden (i’ve always known), 7.2k words, Marinette Dupain-Cheng/Jim Lake Jr.

My Jimari Secret Santa gift to Aly (let me know if I should tag you!) combining the prompts for a confession with angst and a cute first date. Also on Ao3.

The video is blurry, filmed from a cellphone camera just behind a nearby building, but it's the best they have. There aren't any news crews in the area, but Toby is diligently looking for any other coverage on his phone. Jim doesn't think he could be watching this without him.

The camera is shaking as it shows the back of a man in a purple suit, holding up a girl with one hand and reaching for her earrings. Ash falls from the sky around them, and there are sirens in the distance.

It can’t end like this, is all that Jim can think. Ladybug's too strong, too skilled, too smart to be caught like this. She must have some sort of plan, some kind of power that can fix this. He’s seen her do it before.

Reports of magical heroes in Paris had slowly made their way to Arcadia a year ago. While most people had thought it fraudulent or some kind of publicity stunt, Jim was far less likely to dismiss claims of magic these days. He’s followed her rising career through a few blogs and home videos, watched a couple of newscasts, and found some comfort in the idea that he's not the only hero out there. He almost envied Ladybug for being able to go public with her identity, being able to see and communicate with the public she was protecting. At the moment all he feels for her is cold dread.

Hawkmoth makes a quick movement, and there's a shimmer of pink light. Jim wants to look away, grant her the privacy he knows is being violated, but can't seem to make his eyes move. As the costume falls away revealing a very familiar looking face, his jaw drops.

“Marinette?”

—

Jim doesn't quite remember when it started. Somewhere on the forums for one of the many games they both played, teaming up to defeat virtual monsters and chatting only through text. Over the years they’d grown closer, started voice chatting and then video chatting, beginning to share a little more of their lives and themselves. Their relationship had lasted far past the usual expiration date of online friendships and they were still going strong. She was the only reason he still spoke French, and he helped her with her English homework. They had fallen into an easy pattern of late night gaming marathons in middle school and homework sessions in high school, calling each other to chat during the time zone window where neither of them were sleeping to chat and swap baking tips and laugh over bad jokes.

She was the first person he’d told about Claire, back when he had time for things like crushes. She’d encouraged him to ask her out, and Jim had countered asking when she was going to do the same for Adrien. He wanted to tell her about the amulet, but knew that there wasn’t a chance. Besides, what would she be able to do? She was an ocean away, and even if she was here it wasn’t like she could grab a sword and fight Bular for him. Or so he’d thought.

“Is it Steve again?” she’d asked one afternoon, when training had gone rather poorly and he’d signed into their video call exhausted and with the beginnings of a rather sizable bruise on his shoulder. She couldn’t see it, but she was perceptive enough to notice the wince every time he moved.

“It’s not him,” he promised. “I’m doing some… extra curriculars. After school credit stuff.”

“Oh?” Marinette asked, her eyebrows rising. “Like what? I thought you had to turn down culinary club.” It felt like almost a lifetime ago, when he’d been occupied with trying to keep his grades up and take care of the house, when the fee for participation had been enough to make him put off joining until he could find a summer job and pay for it himself.

“Yeah, I joined… wrestling,” he decided, racking his brain for what kind of extracurricular could involve physical injury. “Trying to get my phys ed mark up, I haven’t been doing so great.” Which was true, due to a lack of attendance rather than ability but Mari didn’t need to know that.

“Wrestling?” she echoed, confusion in her expression. Jim had wondered if she was going to press, felt a cold knot form in his stomach at the thought of lying more to her. But to his relief she’d only frowned and accepted it, saying that it sounded dangerous and she hoped he’d try to be safer before changing subjects.

Now his mind is running through those old conversations, wondering if he’d missed any of the same signs from her. Any sprained ankles or healing cuts, any sign of a burden they could have shared.

“Marinette is Ladybug? Your Marinette?” Toby is saying, but Jim can hardly hear him over the buzzing in his ears.

Hawkmoth has dropped her, and she's coughing. Jim realises that he’d been strangling her, that she’d have a necklace of bruises marring her neck tomorrow. If she makes it that far, a nasty voice in the back of his mind whispers, one Jim immediately shoves away.

“Come on, Marinette,” he whispers, leaning closer to the screen like he could reach her through it. Hawkmoth has grabbed her arm and is starting to drag her away, but another figure strides forward and stops him. Chat Noir, Jim thinks with a rush of relief, and then anger, because how dare he let this happen to her? How could he let it come this far, let her be unmasked on live video, let her stand up to a supervillain by herself?

He redirects that anger, since Chat Noir has been trying to protect her, is probably taunting Hawkmoth right now trying to get him to release her. They're too far away for the video to pick up on their audio, but not far enough to keep Jim from seeing how he raises a hand, threatens to slap her. And how she flinches.

Then Chat Noir moves, lunges forward and there’s a flash of light that turns the video into a blur of static. They sit there in horrified silence for a moment before the feed shuts off completely, leaves them staring at a dark screen with an error message.

“NO!” Jim screams, and Toby’s scrolling through his phone but he’s not fast enough, Marinette is in danger RIGHT NOW and Jim doesn’t know what’s happening. Can’t see if she’s hurt more, can’t see if she’s gotten free, can’t see if she’s even still alive and nothing matters in this moment except the fact that there’s an ocean between them keeping him from helping her and he’s terrified.

It’s the longest two minutes of his life until they find another video, but this one’s only Rena Rouge. “-all okay,” she’s saying to the reporters who have finally showed up, far too late to catch anything other than a repaired and empty street with their cameras. “Hawkmoth has been defeated and turned over to the proper authorities, and everybody is safe.”

The reporters are falling over themselves asking questions, most about Ladybug ( what’s her name , like it’s not going to be all over the internet within the hour), and Rena declines to comment. “There will be an official statement released in the future,” she says before leaving, a pale and shocked reporter taking her place in front of the camera. She can only repeat facts Jim already knows, so he turns off the television and sits there in silence.

“She must be okay,” Toby finally offers, and Jim nods. Marinette has to be okay, not because of the reporters’ questions or Rena’s composure or even because she’s Ladybug, but because the alternative is too terrible to think of.

“Do you ever feel like you need to be perfect?” Marinette had asked him once, when Jim had noticed the dark circles under her eyes and the flat tone of voice, dulled from her usual vibrancy. “Like everything’s depending on you, and if you aren’t enough then people will get hurt?”

All the time, was his answer, but he couldn’t say why so he didn’t say it at all. “Do you feel that way?”

“Sometimes, yeah,” she said, and he knew that she too really meant always. “It’s just a lot, you know? With school, and the bakery, and…”

“And the akumas,” Jim guessed. The previous day had been a particularly drawn out fight between Ladybug and an akuma, and while he’d been confident Ladybug would win he still worried. This was Marinette's home, her friends, her school. And although they hadn’t discussed it in detail, Marinette trying to change the subject whenever he asked questions until he figured she simply didn’t want to discuss it, he knew the akumas fed off emotion. What was that like, being unable to let yourself be truly angry or afraid, with the constant threat of being weaponized hanging over your head?

“You don’t need to be perfect,” he’d told her. “You just need to be you. That’s all anybody can expect.”

“And what if I’m not enough?” Mari had asked, and Jim had wished that he could place a hand on her shoulder.

“You’re always enough,” he’d said.

Now he's wondering how many other conversations they’d had that were really about Ladybug, and wondering if there was anything he could have said that would have been better. Encouraged her more, made her job the tiniest bit easier. He can't remember saying anything monumentally stupid like let Ladybug handle it, but he wouldn’t put it past his memory to be a bit faulty on this matter.

How had he not known? How had he missed all the signs? Him of all people, who knows exactly what it's like to be fighting evil in between classes, how it feels knowing that you're the only person standing between genuinely evil beings and your home, what it's like keeping everything secret as you attempt to live a double life without either side crumbling.

He’d messaged her as soon as he got home, a quick are you okay before he realised that her phone was probably turned off if she wanted to have any peace. If Jim was exposed as the Trollhunter, everybody would be too busy with the underground secret society of trolls to really bother him. Ladybug was a national figure, and she’d just been unmasked on live television.

So Jim starts stress baking, because while he can’t make sure that Marinette was okay he can make sure that this pie crust stays perfectly golden brown. It doesn't help much, Marinette and baking being permanently linked in his mind after too many nights spent on the phone trying out new recipes together, but at least he’ll get some muffins out of his anxiety instead of just a sleepless night.

“What happened?” his mother asks when she comes home to a kitchen filled with assorted baked goods. She knows him too well for him to pass it off as nothing, and besides he’s tired of lying, but he doesn’t want to tell her about Ladybug. Maybe she’ll find out, but it’s not his secret to give.

“Marinette’s in trouble,” he says. “I haven’t heard from her, and I can’t...” he trails off, unsure what to say. Can’t stand not knowing, can’t help her from here? Can’t breathe properly until he hears her voice, hears from her that everything will be okay? All true, but saying it won’t change it.

“Oh honey,” his mom says, and she’s hugging him and Jim lets himself fall into the embrace. He hopes Marinette has her parents with her right now, hopes they’re hugging her and letting her melt like he is now, hopes more than anything that she’s safe and happy because she deserves to be.

If she were here nothing would keep him from getting to her house. He’d scale the wall and meet her on her balcony, wait by the back door until somebody let him in, do whatever it took to see her. But all he can do is wait for her to reply.

His phone is ringing. In the moment it takes for his half asleep mind to register the noise he’s already reaching for it. The ringtone is a familiar rock song, one he associates with Marinette before Jagged Stone, and a shot of adrenaline clears all the remaining drowsiness from his mind when he remembers why this call is so important.

“Marinette?” he says, the words tumbling out of his mouth as soon as he presses the button and lifts the phone to his ear, and he hears ragged breathing on the other side.

“Jim,” she gasps, and he feels as though a weight has been lifted from his shoulders.

“Are you okay?” he asks, standing and starting to pace.

“I’m fine,” she says, and then she’s crying. “I wanted to tell you. I’m so sorry.”

“Mari,” he says, wishing that he could be next to her, wrap an arm around her shaking shoulders and hold her close. “I don’t care about that, I’m just glad to hear that you’re safe. You don’t know how worried I was.”

“I didn’t mean to,” she replies, and he can still hear the tears in her voice. He hates the sound, hates her choked gasps as she cries, but would take them any day over not hearing from her at all. “I wanted to tell you, I just couldn’t. Hawkmoth... “

“I know,” he says. “I understand.” And he does, more than she knows, and a knot of guilt forms in his stomach. He knows how it feels to want to tell, to share this incredible burden with your best friend, and he understands exactly what prevents that. “I’m just glad you’re okay. You don’t know how scared I was.”

“I know,” she says, and she sniffles. Her tears seem to be running out, and Jim takes a deep breath.

“What happened?” he says, and then it all comes spilling out. She talks about the plan they had, how she was going to be the distraction, how it all went wrong when they found Hawkmoth’s identity (and something in his chest clenches at that, the scar of an old betrayal aching again), and how the ladybugs repaired all the physical damage but they couldn't undo the unmasking. All of Paris knows who their hero is, after she’s worked so hard to keep it a secret.

“I was so worried you’d be upset,” she says. “It’s been such a big part of my life, and I wanted to tell you, but… ”

“I understand,” he says. “Superheroes always have a secret identity.” She gives an embarrassed laugh at that, and he could picture the blush spreading across her face. “Marinette, would you promise me something?”

“What?” He had been sitting down but now he stands, walking over to the window as he decides how exactly to make his request.

“Please, don’t do this again,” he says. “I know you’re a hero, I know you’re smart and capable and strong, but please. Don’t put yourself in danger like that again.”

“Jim… I don’t think I can promise that,” she says, and Jim nods. It’s part of the job, and he can’t make the same promise back. Though she doesn’t know it he's been as much danger as she was, if not more. And he probably will be again.

“I know, I know,” he sighs. “Just… be careful. Seeing you in danger, and I was too far away to do anything, and I… I haven’t even gotten to tell you…” he trails off as his mind catches up with his words. Tell her what? That she makes him smile more than anybody else, that hearing from her always makes his day better, that when he thought she might have been killed the world felt wrong until he heard her voice? All true, but not what he’d been about to say.

“Jim?” Marinette prompts, and he mentally shakes himself.

“We haven’t even gotten to meet,” he says. “In real life. And you’re not allowed to be hurt before that happens.”

“Right,” she says, a bit of a smile returning to her voice. “But all bets are off after, right?”

“It’ll be different after we meet!” A smile begins to tug at the corners of his mouth. “I’ll be able to protect you.”

“Which one of us is the superhero again?” And just like that they fall back into their usual easy banter, and it feels like nothing has changed. It’s like he always knew, like no secrets have ever hung between them, because more important than her being Ladybug is her being Marinette. Yet woven through it all is a pattern of relief, a whispered we’re here and we’re safe as steady as a heartbeat carrying their conversation.

They talk well into the early hours of the morning, and when his alarm wakes him Jim finds the phone fallen on the pillow next to him. They must have fallen asleep talking, as the phone informs him they spent far more hours on call than he remembers, and there’s a text from her. Goodnight Jim! Thank you.

He holds his phone to his chest and stares at the ceiling, eyes stinging from not enough sleep, and wonders just what he had been about to tell her.

—

They parked a news van outside her house. She kept the curtains drawn and couldn’t go out, communicated to her friends and other heroes over phone calls and video chats. The official press release had been delivered by Rena Rouge and Carapace. Chat Noir had vanished; Marinette told him that his identity wasn’t her secret to share, but he was safe and recovering. But Paris still wanted to hear from Ladybug, and she just wanted to be left alone.

Chloe had surprised both of them by hiring a full bodyguard detail to guard the shop. Marinette thought it was her way of apologizing for some of her earlier behaviour at school, but she was mostly grateful that she hadn’t asked any questions. Her parents were trying to run the shop but kept getting people who just wanted to meet her, and had ended up resorting to mainly doing deliveries to keep gawkers out of their house. Marinette couldn’t leave, and although she tried to stay positive Jim knew she was feeling trapped.

“Come stay with me,” Jim had said, the words out of his mouth before he could think them through. But it made sense. In America less people knew or cared about Ladybug’s secret identity; she could take a vacation and wait out the media storm, return when she could take a walk outside without needing to worry about paparazzi.

It had been a whirlwind of planning, dates and phone calls from both their parents, but the day has finally arrived. Chloe lent Marinette her private jet; her parents will follow in a few days once they can close down the shop and move into a small condo they’ll be renting. So Jim has prepared a spare bedroom, given what little Ladybug memorabilia he has to Toby with threats to keep him from showing her any of it, and warned the trolls that he’ll have a houseguest. He has not informed them that he’ll be telling her about being the Trollhunter. It’ll be easier to ask forgiveness than permission, when they don’t know Marinette like he does. She can keep a secret, and she deserves to know.

He had thought about bringing a sign, but was worried it might call unwanted attention so refrained. Now he wishes that he brought one, if only to have something to hold. What’s he supposed to do with his hands? It’s ridiculous, this is Marinette, but it’s also the first time they’ll be seeing each other in person and he can’t help but feel suddenly uneasy, like something will go very wrong the moment she steps off the plane. What if he steps forward to greet her and steps on her foot? Or trips and falls into her? And that breaks her nose? Or maybe he’ll knock her over completely, and...

His catastrophic thoughts ground to a halt the moment he sees a flash of hair so black it’s almost blue, and suddenly he’s running forward and so is she. They have never met each other before but they’re flying into each other’s arms, and she fits so perfectly it’s like they’ve done this a million times before.

“Hey,” he says, a little breathless as he pulls back to look at her in the eyes, and he’s smiling so broadly that his cheeks hurt. Marinette’s smile is even more beautiful in person.

“Hi,” she replies, and they stand there for a moment in each others’ arms only to jump apart when his mother clears her throat.

“Marinette, it’s good to meet you,” she says, pointedly ignoring the blush spreading across Marinette’s face. Jim can feel his own cheeks heating and suddenly finds the floor very interesting as he attempts to gather himself, to concentrate on all the words he was planning to say instead of only thinking of the way she felt in his arms.

“It’s lovely to meet you too Ms Lake,” Marinette says, composing herself quickly and holding out her hand.

“Please, call me Barbara.” His mom shakes her hand with a warm smile. “How was your flight?”

“It was good, thank you,” she says.

“First class treatment! What was it like?” Jim asks, and she grins at him.

“I saved you some of the pretzels,” she says, pulling out a package of them from her pocket. 

“And this is why we’re friends,” he says, and she laughs.

“Because I give you food?”

“No other reason,” he says.

“Glad to hear your friendship is so easily bought,” she teases. “A single pack of stale airline pretzels?”

“Private jet pretzels,” he says. He returns her grin and then their smiles soften. “It’s really good to see you.” The words aren’t enough, can’t convey the sense of rightness he feels at having her here, but she seems to understand anyways.

“You too.” Marinette blushes and tucks a strand of hair behind her ear. The moment is broken by a man clearing his throat, somebody who looks like he just walked out of a Men in Black movie which is contrasted by the pastel pink suitcase and duffel bag he’s holding.

“Excuse me ma'am, we can bring your luggage to the vehicle,” he says, and they’re both stepping forward in tandem.

“Oh, thank you but that’s okay,” she says, while he’s saying “I can take that for you,” and thankfully the man doesn’t fight as they pull the luggage from his hands (her with the duffel, him with her suitcase) because even with his Trollhunting-obtained muscle Jim’s not sure he would win a tug-of-war with him.

“Shall we?” his mom says, leading them out to the car, and Jim feels a rush of excitement as it begins to sink in that he can finally show Marinette his home.

“It’s not a limo, but I hope it’s fancy enough,” he says, and she rolls her eyes.

“I’m sure I’ll manage.” Then her mouth quirks up in a grin that he recognizes, and she takes off after his mom. “Race you!” she calls.

“You don’t even know which one is ours!” Jim shouts back, while trying to convince the wheels on her suitcase to maintain a pace they were never built for. They fall into the backseat with flushed cheeks and racing heartbeats, and he spends half the drive home pointing out things for her to finally put an image to and the other half admiring how much better she looks in person compared to a video feed.

—

The creaking floorboard wakes him up. Not that he’d been sleeping too well anyways, his dreams a confused muddle of anxiety he's thankful didn’t break out into a full nightmare. He considers rolling over and trying to go back to sleep, but then remembers that Marinette is here and there’s a chance Draal has ignored all of his warnings and decided a midnight snack is appropriate right now. It takes a moment to locate his house robe and shrugs it on over his pyjamas before creeping into the hallway. Marinette’s door is also open.

He finds her in the kitchen, softly opening cupboards. She’s already located a mug and it’s waiting on the kitchen island, and her eyes go wide and she winces an apology at him when she sees him.

“I didn’t want to wake you,” she says, and he shrugs as he heads for the drawer where they keep their tea bags.

“It’s fine,” he says, holding them up for her to inspect. “Chamomile?” She nods and he starts the kettle boiling. “Jet lag? Or something else?” She looks away, and the dark rims under her eyes are too pronounced to come from one night.

“I don’t think I want to talk about it right now,” she says, and Jim nods. He pours them both a cup and beckons her over to the couch.

“If we use subtitles we can watch something,” he says. “Unless you’d rather be alone.”

“No,” she says, sitting down next to him. She’s wearing a blanket over her shoulders and pulls it up, tucks it around her until only her head and her hand holding her tea are poking out. “Company is good.”

They don’t say anything else as Jim pulls up Beauty and the Beast (the Disney animated one, she’d told him years ago it was her comfort film) and sets the subtitles to French. They’d been speaking English all day with only occasional slips into French, but he thinks she might need something familiar right now. Halfway through the villagers singing about how strange Belle is she shifts and her free hand creeps out of the blankets to the couch cushion between them.

“I keep seeing their faces,” she whispers, the words solemn and heavy. “There were casualties when we fought him.” He hasn’t heard anything about casualties, probably because Lucky Charm always fixes everything at the end of the battle. Everything but the guilt in her voice, the fear in her eyes, the way she flinches when he reaches out and takes her hand in his.

“It was his fault,” he says. “Not yours.” Her breath hitches a little, and he knows she’s on the verge of tears. “You saved them. You did everything you could, and you won.”

“Are you disappointed?”

“What?” He turns and looks at her, the movie forgotten as he tries to figure out what on earth he has to be disappointed about.

“I know you admired her,” she says, her eyes flicking over his face. “Ladybug, I mean. And to find out that it’s just me, and that I’m…”

“Marinette, you’re amazing,” he says honestly, squeezing her hand. “You’re brave and selfless and kind, and the only difference between you and Ladybug was that she had superpowers. You’re a hero with or without them. I could never be disappointed.”

Maybe she moves towards him or he moves forward first, but however it happens they’re bundled together in a hug. She’s shaking, and Jim wishes more than anything that he could take this from her. She doesn’t deserve this burden even if she is strong enough to carry it, and it’s a tragedy she has to.

She pulls back a little and they watch Belle sing about adventure, still wrapped in an embrace made mostly of blankets, and when Maurice heads into the castle he shifts slightly and reaches forward for the box of tissues, silently offering it to her.

“Thank you,” she says, grabbing a few.

“I wish I could help more,” he says, and they both know he’s not talking about the tissues. She looks at him, eyes still a little too wet, and gives him a smile.

“You did,” she says, quiet conviction in her voice. “Jim, you were my rock. Some days the only thing that kept me sane was knowing that I’d be able to talk to you afterwards, even if I couldn’t tell you the details.” He tightens his arm around her shoulder but says nothing, and her face scrunches up in a frown. “It’s true, you know,” she says. “I didn’t need you fighting beside me. I just needed a friend. And you were always there, no matter what time it was or how little I was saying.”

Their minds are likely both flashing over other midnight conversations, texts sent in the middle of classes and calls made by sneaking out of study hall, and although they were sparse on some details like names and events they certainly hadn’t hidden how they were feeling.

He still feels guilty, still wishes that he could have been next to her in that final battle and all the previous ones, but he has to trust that whatever little he was able to offer was enough.

The movie goes on and he feels something in his chest tighten at the library scene, as all the characters sing about something there that wasn’t there before. But was it really, he wonders? He always wants to protect his friends, always wants to help people, but sometime when he wasn’t looking Marinette quietly claimed a piece of his heart that he only just realised was missing. Falling in love with her was so easy, so natural, that the landing was soft enough to go unnoticed.

“I think I’m in love with you,” he whispers as Beauty and her Beast dance through the dazzling ballroom, and his stomach falls at her silence until he looks down and realises she’s drifted off to sleep, head using his lap as a pillow and hands curling around the blanket. 

I’ll tell her soon, he promises himself as his own eyelids start to droop. But they have time, and right now they both just need to rest.

—

It was an awful fact that whenever one promised to do something tomorrow the fated day never arrived, forever shoved aside in favor of endless todays until it's suddenly Marinette’s last day staying with him. She still likely has a few more months in Arcadia, but the packed suitcase in the hallway makes him feel like his window's closing. It was so easy to let their conversation be light and easy, to spend their days biking through the town and introducing her to his friends, that he’s managed to put it off until now. But today would be the day.

They’d planned a picnic. Just the two of them, and if he’d actually had this conversation before this could be their first date. She’d insisted on finding a red checkered blanket to spread on the ground (they’d eventually found one in a thrift store) and they’d made each other weird sandwiches (peanut butter, bacon, and banana for him, pear walnut for her), and everything was loaded in his picnic basket. The amulet was in his back pocket.

Maybe it’s better this way, he thinks, staring at his bike like it'll offer some sage wisdom for the situation. If she doesn’t feel the same it would be awkward if she was still in the same house. Or if the trolls freak her out he supposes she won't mind moving, but he can’t help but feel that confession will be the easier out of the two. After all, he’s met Tikki, and kwamis seem a bit more shocking than trolls.

“Ready to go?” Marinette asks, closing the door behind her, and Jim nods and smiles as she mounts her bike.

“No earrings?”

“I think Ladybug deserves a day off,” she says, and he wonders if Tikki knows some of what he wants to say and has decided to give them alone time. “Let’s go!”

She’d memorized the layout of the town very quickly, something she credited to years of biking being her main transportation through Paris. She also had a bad habit of looking for cars driving the wrong way while crossing the road, and he was trying to at least get her to look both ways before darting out into the street. His caution has sadly not yet caught on, and she’s quickly outpacing him as they ride towards the woods.

They dismount and leave their bikes behind a bush before walking further into the woods, Marinette admiring the surroundings with wide eyes.

“No forests in Paris?” Jim asks, and she shrugs.

“There’s some parks, but nothing this size,” she says. “And this is just here. You can walk in any direction and run into more forest.”

“Maybe we can go camping,” Jim suggests. “When your parents have gotten settled in, we can spend a weekend at Yosemite or something.” He hasn’t gone camping in years, but he’s learned plenty of wilderness survival skills from Blinky. Granted he was fairly certain only a few of them applied to humans, but it would still be fun. He’d probably find trollish lessons fun if he was doing them with Marinette.

They plan their camping trip as they cross a river, and Marinette’s laugh distracts Jim enough that his foot slips off a rock and ends up drenched in river water. She’s concerned at first but soon enough they’re both laughing over it, and they finally reach the clearing. Buttercups and daisies dot the grass between dandelions, and they spread the blanket and lie down, looking up at the cloudless sky.

“I bet the stars out here are beautiful,” Marinette says. “We have to come back some time at night and stargaze.”

“I can try and borrow Toby’s telescope,” Jim agrees. “Have you gone stargazing before?”

“Not really,” she says. “You can’t see too many in Paris from light pollution, and my nights were usually too busy to stop and look. You?”

“Same,” he says. “I’ve tried to pick out constellations a few times, but I’m terrible at it. They all look the same to me.”

“You just have to start with what you know!” Marinette says. “Find Orion’s belt or the Big Dipper and go from there.”

“So you have gone stargazing!” He props himself up on an elbow to look at her, and she shakes her head.

“No, I’ve just used star maps,” she says. “I was making a skirt design that used constellations and I wanted it to be accurate!” 

“You know you could probably just make random dots and nobody would know the difference, right?”

“I would know the difference!” she says, sitting up. “Haven’t you ever taken pride in your work? Done it right for the sake of doing so?”

“Of course! I used to drive my mom crazy by insisting on making pie crusts from scratch.”

“They taste better that way!”

“Exactly! But I never had time to make them, so we went without pie for a while until I caved and went store bought.”

“Jim!” she gasps, her hand covering her mouth in faux horror. “Never let my parents hear you say that, they’ll never let us speak again!”

“Scandalous, I know!” he agrees. “But if I have you to ask for help I won’t need to resort to such desperate measures in the future.”

“You can spend all day baking with my dad, he’ll love it,” she says. “He thinks that’s the best way to get to know somebody, so expect an interrogation while making a layer cake.”

“An interrogation? Don’t they already know me?” Marinette blushes and looks away.

“They do, but not as well as they want to,” she says. He sits up, but she still refuses to meet her gaze. “After all, they think… well…”

Tell her now, his mind screams at him. This is the perfect time! But suddenly his tongue is made of lead. “Marinette,” he says, and it’s a wonder she can hear him over the sound of his suddenly too loud heartbeat. But hear she does, and her head turns towards him maybe a little too quickly.

“Yes?”

“I…” And despite how much he wants to tell her, for whatever reason the only words he can force out of his mouth are “Would you like a sandwich?”

“Oh,” she says, deflating a little. “Yeah, sure.” His hands tremble a little as he opens up the picnic basket and passes her the food. He grabs his as well; the plan is for them to take the first bite at the same time, but he’s not sure if he can manage to eat anything from the way his stomach is twisting. “Ready?” Marinette says with a grin, but it’s not as wide as it was before.

“Wait,” he says, and she wrinkles her nose at him.

“This is a bad time to tell me you’re allergic to peanut butter,” she says, and he smiles.

“Not that,” he says. “I was actually going to tell you… well, I…” She doesn’t say anything, just stares at him with eyes bluer than the sky, and Jim wonders why this moment is harder than leaping into the Darklands.

“Marinette, you’re a great friend,” he says, and he wants to kick himself as he sees her face fall. “That’s not what I meant!” he says, and now she just looks confused. “I mean, I wanted to say that while I love our friendship, I also… I might think of you as more. More than a friend.” HIs cheeks are ablaze and he can’t meet her gaze, instead choosing to focus on his sandwich. The pickle juice will make the bread soggy, but eating it is the last thing on his mind.

“Jim, is this a date?” Marinette asks, and her voice is soft enough that he can’t discern her feelings.

“Maybe,” he says. “It can be, if you want it to be.” And he’s so ready to hear her gently turn him down (he knows she likes Adrien, and he’s just Jim! He can’t hold a candle to an actual model) that he almost misses her reply.

“Yes.”

“What?”

“Yes, I’d like this to be a date.” He looks at her, and he’s never seen anybody look as happy as she does in that moment.

“You mean you-”

“Yeah,” she says, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “I think I’ve liked you for a while now. I just wasn’t sure how to bring it up.”

“Me neither,” he says. “I thought Adrien-”

“We’re friends,” she says. “And Claire?”

“Friends,” he says. They went on a date once and it was terribly awkward, and at the end they agreed a platonic relationship was better. But he doesn’t want to think about Claire right now, not when Marinette is there and she apparently likes him too. “I figured it out when I was watching the battle,” he confesses.

“Because you learned I was Ladybug?” she asks, and he shakes his head.

“Because I realised I couldn’t lose you,” he says. “It was more of a catalyst than a deciding factor.” It’s not Ladybug he fell in love with, it’s Marinette and all the little things about her that make her extraordinary.

“I figured it out on the plane ride over,” she says. “Alya told me to tell her all the details about ‘my new boyfriend’ and I spent the whole flight thinking about that.”

“Oh,” he says, and his cheeks are beginning to hurt from his smile. “I should have told you sooner, shouldn’t I?”

“Yes!” Marinette agrees with a laugh. “We could have been dating this whole time!”

“It’s only been a few days,” he says. “And besides, I don’t think we would have done anything too different.” Now that he thinks about it a lot of their excursions around the town could have been dates: going to the museum, petting the dogs in the pet shop, eating at his favourite cafe, visiting the library.

“I could have done this sooner,” she says, and she leans forward and kisses him. It’s a quick peck on his cheek, but he feels as though a shock of electricity has gone through him. “Sorry,” she says, pulling back. “I should have asked first.” But he puts down his sandwich and reaches out for her, slowly cupping her cheek.

“May I?” he asks, and she nods. And he lowers his lips to hers. 

It’s not like a dream, or something magical. It’s better than that because it’s real, he’s really and truly here with Marinette and they are kissing, and when he finally pulls back he can’t help but marvel at the flushed and beaming expression she’s wearing because of him.

“You’re lucky I did that before I ate the sandwich,” he says, and she laughs.

“I’d let you even with pickle breath,” she says, and not even the strange food combinations they’ve made can cause their smiles to dim. They eat and exchange the second half of their sandwiches, and drink lemonade and eat apples and toss the cores as far as they can (he’s got more strength, but yo yo throwing has made her accuracy unbeatable). And as the shadows are beginning to lengthen he doesn’t want to leave, exit this perfect afternoon and go to the next moment where he’ll have to let the rest of the world into this new and wonderful thing, but decides that since the future will hold second and third dates and hopefully many dates after that it won’t be so terrible letting this one end.

“I'm really glad that you finally told me,” she says as they pack up the picnic, shaking the crumbs off the blanket before folding it. “Despite how hard it was to get the words out.”

“Next time I’ll just use Romeo’s speech,” he says. “But soft! What light through yonder window breaks? It is the east, and Marinette is the sun.”

“I’ll need to brush up on my Shakespeare if I want to keep up,” she says, and he shrugs.

“If you want, but I can’t think of anything better than you,” he says. “The words you speak, I mean. And the way you say things.” His cheeks are burning again, but she smiles at him and gives him another kiss.

“Sometimes you talk too much,” she says, and he nods and kisses her again. All good things must come to an end, as kisses are limited by lung capacity, but he can’t bring himself to mind now that the prospect of many more kisses await both of them in the future.

“If this is the result, I don’t think I mind being unmasked,” she tells him, and he nods. “Plus, we don’t need to play the awkward secret identity game this way.” With a flash he remembers that there were two things he wanted to tell her about, and while he doesn’t think this will be a dealbreaker he’d much rather get it out of the way sooner rather than later. He’s learned his lesson about hiding things from Marinette.

“Actually, there was one more thing I wanted to tell you about,” he says, reaching into his pocket and pulling out the amulet.

[extraordinarilyirrelevant]

50 shades of kakuhida pt 1

A self imposed challenge in which I recommend 50 fanfics of my fav pairing. Can range from ooc as fuck to hardcore, it’ll probably be mostly mature in nature as I take to that more than fluff, but who knows? In no particular order so have fun choosing

1) https://m.fanfiction.net/s/10688020/1/More-Bitter-Than-Sweet Summary: Kakuzu has been in prison for five years and now he’s out. He’s got a lot of time to make up for and Hidan better be ready for it! PWP. KakuHidan. Oneshot

Kicking off this list with nsfw! As you can get from the summary, it’s a modern/prison type au. I remember really enjoying it my first read through, and mostly just smut

2) https://m.fanfiction.net/s/3201746/1/Say-Hello-To-Your-New-Partner Summary: Kakuzu was told he’d receive his seventh and final partner in a week. He wasn’t sure he liked the evil, conniving glint in the Leader’s eyes when he told him that his new partner would be special. Crackfic!

Not really smut as I don’t recall them doing the devil’s tango. But has violence and is a pretty good read. It was inspired by canon so they feel pretty in character

3) https://m.fanfiction.net/s/5345195/1/Kakuzu-and-Hidan-Alphabet Summary: Two adjectives for every letter of the alphabet that describe and unfold a story about Kakuzu and Hidan’s love. Yaoi. KakuHi. For Lecture, as a birthday present. Enjoy! M for implied naughties and Hidan’s mouth.

A pretty neat way of writing fanfiction, and a neat concept in general. Props for their creativeness and I liked reading it from start to finish wondering how the two adjectives would connect etc., Definitely a fun read

4) https://m.fanfiction.net/s/6495320/1/How-to-break-a-habit Summary: Hidan wants change. Kakuzu doesn’t. KakuHida. Warnings: yaoi pairings, explicit language, sexual themes, Kisame is very OOC, Tobi and Sasori are in the Akatsuki at the same time.

I absolutely love this as it’s pure smut. The writer even made the porn the plot! Brilliant

5) https://m.fanfiction.net/s/3777073/1/A-Stronger-Kind-of-Addiction Summary: The pain he gave him, the touches he received he hated himself for it, but he loved him still. [KakuHidan] [Kakuzu x Hidan]

A short pwp. Nothing to say except good shit I love a needy Hidan

6) https://m.fanfiction.net/s/6979182/1/Yuuwaku Summary: “About the only time losing is more fun than winning is when you’re fighting temptation.” -Tom Wilson. Kakuzu is tempted. Kakuzu x Fem!Hidan, very M.

I’m not usually one for genderbending characters as I’m a fujoshi at heart, but I rather enjoyed kakuzu resisting temptation, made the smut that much better

7) https://m.fanfiction.net/s/6918534/1/Blasphemy Summary: Convicted criminal Kakuzu is in Death Row. A certain Jashin priest is sent to give him spiritual advice in his last days on Earth. WARNING: pointless smut and a little bit of asphyxiation. KuzuHidan

Another kakuhida prison au. I remember liking this, but it’s been some time since I’ve read it, might have to reread this one

8) https://m.fanfiction.net/s/4598939/1/Gives-you-Hell Summary: Hidan, a successful writer, has to face a fate worse than death: meet his ex boyfriend at a high school reunion. But don’t worry, he has a plan… KakuHidan, AU

9) https://m.fanfiction.net/s/4135743/1/Routine Summary: Hidan loathed Kakuzu. Kakuzu thought Hidan was amusing. And whatever they tried to do, they just can’t keep from falling into their four-step routine of fighting. A particular incident in the gold vault. KakuHida

Might be oc since the author stated that they read the Chinese manga adaptation of the zombie combo

10) https://m.fanfiction.net/s/5257229/1/Matchmaking Summary: Deidara is fed up with Hidan and Kakuzu fighting all the time, and has gotten an idea to end all the fights

Although I don’t care much for crossdressing as it reminds me of my early days of yaoi *shudders* I liked this. A fun read with a funny ending

11) https://m.fanfiction.net/s/3827161/1/Persuade-Me Summary: [KakuHidan] Hopefully SOMETHING can make Kakuzu pay for it…

Sneaky lil shit Hidan is best lil shit

12) https://m.fanfiction.net/s/4152820/1/Glaring Summary: Short fluffy oneshot with Kaku/Hida. They’ve gotten used to working with each other, but there’s still something about Kakuzu that bothers Hidan

The smut is implied as it skips over the details, but I like the concept of kakuzu’s masks having a presence in fics

13) https://m.fanfiction.net/s/4955346/1/More-Than-Fifty-Cents Summary: Hidan is a editorial columnist. One day, Kakuzu, a reporter, implies that Hidan is not even worth fifty cents. Since then, Hidan spends more time with Kisame instead of Kakuzu and the latter gets jealous. Will Kakuzu humble himself and say sorry? AU

Jealous kuzu best kuzu. Also I ship pretty much every akatsuki member with Hidan so I appreciated the kisahida despite it being purely platonic, that’s how I like it anyways (kisahida and hidadei are brotps of mine)

14) https://archiveofourown.org/works/9369665 Summary: At an age where you’re too young to have control of your body (or your thoughts) but you’re old enough to act on them, Hidan finds his control slipping away from him. It’s Kakuzu’s fault, most things are. But, did the jerk really have to walk around like that?

Love how nonchalantly we roll into smut, and love how Hidan isn’t the typical uke type

15) https://m.fanfiction.net/s/13343494/1/Catkuzu

Summary: Hidan has been talked into adopting a cat, and it seems to hate him.

A little drabble about Kakuzu as a cat, turns out the last fic wasn’t the one I was thinking of, so I figured I’d change it to this one

16) https://archiveofourown.org/works/17391395 Summary: When you want someone to talk to your fellow Hufflepuff and his weird scary boyfriend about their – late night enthusiasm – who do you ask? A prefect, of course.

I just love this entire crossover series

17) https://archiveofourown.org/works/14873444 Summary: Hidan is a textbook sadomasochist. He loves the bite and the sting of pain during sex and finding Kakuzu was honestly a miracle because no one else could handle him. So why does he suddenly feel so jealous of Itachi and Kisame? The world’s most disgustingly adorable couple?

18) https://archiveofourown.org/works/1622795 Summary: They aren’t necessarily in love, but they’re the best they have

No smut at all, I don’t even think it’s implied. But I loved this

19) https://archiveofourown.org/works/18580348/chapters/44046472 Summary: Kakuzu, having killed yet another of his partners, is forced to tag along with Itachi and Kisame. While he’s less than thrilled by the frequent stops at tea shops, he has to admit slight intrigue when the owner of this one tries to sacrifice them all to his god.

(In which literally everything is the same except that Hidan runs a tea shop.)

Not really smutty either. But I love their form of flirting here and how Kakuzu always goes back

20) https://archiveofourown.org/works/14685198 Summary: There are strange moments between them, strange moments where things are almost gentle. —- Only 20 today as I need sleep and this is already long enough as it is

[raendown]

Pairing: MadaraTobirama Word count: 5646 Chapter: 22/? Summary: Not all wars are fought on the battlefield. Some are fought at the conference table, with whispers in the shadows, or even in the bedroom.

In a world where the Senju and Uchiha traditional lands were too far apart to have ever made them enemies, Butsuma and Tajima are the ones who come together and sign a treaty of peace. Madara isn’t happy to have his life signed away for him in a political marriage to strengthen the bond between their clans. He is even less happy to have Tobirama make assumptions of him from their very first night together. What follows from there is a journey of healing, of learning, and finding the places to belong in the places least expected.

Follow the link or read it under the cut!

KO-FI and commission info in the header!

Chapter 22

Madara woke up feeling an odd mix of complete relaxation and anxious anticipation. It took a few minutes of lying in a little puddle of contentment for him to remember what he was anticipating but when he did both eyes sprang open to stare at the bedroom wall. His vision was slightly hampered by the entwined hands situated right in front of his face, pale on paler skin, and Madara wondered if he should be freaking out at the moment.

They had kissed. He thought most people would probably agree that the wedding didn’t count, a forced gesture required by ceremony and with no feeling behind it. But now for the first time they had kissed because they wanted to, because they chose to, and the moment was only slightly marred by the fact that Tobirama had been so drunk he nearly passed out before reaching the bed. Luckily he hadn’t and, lying here now, Madara was able to look back over the past few weeks and months and see little bits of evidence that Tobirama returned his interest, small things he had passed off at the time as a fluke or unremarkable.

Now here they were waking up together all cuddled up like a real couple and Madara almost killed himself choking back the laughter when he lifted his head to look down at the man he’d been sleeping on top of.

“I’m dying,” Tobirama whispered. If he spoke any louder Madara had the impression he thought his head might explode.

“Are you?”

“Why would anyone ever choose to put themselves through this? How does anyone deal with this?” His eyes were bloodshot, his white skin turned a sickly ashen pallor, and the sound of his voice was so rough it was barely recognizable.

Madara sort of resented that he still looked cute.

“They don’t,” he said, carefully shifting his weight so as not to disturb the hungover zombie in bed with him. “I think most drunks just start drinking all over again before the hangover can get too bad.”

“I would like all of them murdered very quietly.”

“Got a headache?”

“Headache. Stomach ache. Throat ache. Everything ache. Just kill me too while you’re at it.” Tobirama closed his eyes very slowly but Madara noted that his grip had not loosened even the smallest bit around the body in his arms.

This was not a man ready to get up and go to work, he thought. Another careful shift allowed him to bring his hands together and create a clone, which he sent off to the kitchen while he himself settled back down as though he intended to fall asleep again. It would have been nice to, if he were honest, getting to sleep in with his head on Tobirama’s chest – even if that chest did smell just a bit like beer still.

When the clone came back it laid a cool cloth across Tobirama’s forehead, earning a quiet moan of appreciation. Then it held up a tall glass of water with a straw in it.

“You don’t even have to sit up,” Madara teased gently.

Tobirama glared at the straw for a few moments, obviously weighing his pride against the pounding in his head. In the end Madara nodded for his clone to look away and closed his own eyes. Hangovers were never a very dignified experience and he wished there had been someone around to treat him gently for his first one instead of Izuna bombing in to the room to babble excitedly about a new jutsu he’d finally perfected. Being a petty man, he’d already taken his revenge for that incident only a few years afterwards when it was Izuna’s turn to learn the evils of drink, slamming in to his brother’s bedroom at the crack of dawn as though entirely oblivious to the whimpers asking him not to speak so loud.

He had, of course, spoken louder.

Only when he heard the straw slurping up the last of the water and Tobirama whining in protest of the sudden noises did Madara peek his eyes open to see the clone pulling the cup away. He waved for it to take the cup back downstairs where it should disappear.

“You’ll probably feel better if you go back to sleep,” he suggested.

“Probably. Just for a little bit though.” Breathing deeply in and letting in back out slowly, Tobirama turned his head to hide his face in the messy hair on his shoulder much as he had the night before. “Just…a little bit.”

Madara hummed low in his throat and tried not to laugh. It took several minutes of waiting but eventually the body under him went lax with sleep once more and the breathing against the top of his head evened out. Wriggling out of that iron grip took a bit of doing but he didn’t feel the need to be anywhere near as careful with his movements now. Tobirama wouldn’t wake again for another several hours at least.

After he made it up he did pause and take a minute just to stare down at the sprawled lump of a fool in the covers, face completely relaxed though still a little sickly looking, limbs all tucked in where they had been curled around each other fairly tightly. If not for the smell it might have looked like he’d caught a cold or something of the like and Madara had to turn and leave when he started imagining that pale nose all red from sniffling with droopy eyes looking up at him with glassy confusion. No deadly killing machine should be allowed to look so cute even if it was just in his own imagination.

Leaving seemed like the right thing to do. If he didn’t he was likely to crawl back in to bed and that would get absolutely nothing done so instead Madara forced himself to go for the closet to pick out some clothes and start his day.

Breakfast was quiet and strange, feeling Tobirama’s chakra upstairs yet still eating alone. It made him wonder if this was what it had felt like for his husband back in the beginning when Tobirama had been forcing himself in to sleep deprivation just so their paths would cross as little as possible. He put his dishes in the sink and left the house before he could think too deeply about how stupid they had both acted back then, letting the chilly morning weather empty his mind.

For most of the day he kept close tabs on Izuna’s chakra and the way it would drift close only to veer off again, running away like a coward instead of facing him. When he’d shown up the night before to tell on Tobirama for supposedly talking to some floozy in the bar he had done so with the attitude of someone vindicated after a great wrong against his person. Seeing Madara around today in a perfectly happy mood seemed to have thrown him off and it was obvious he understood by now that he might not have seen what he thought he saw.

Hashirama, on the other hand, was much more spry than any man who’d spent the night in a drunken stupor had any right to be. He greeted Madara with a brilliant smile and loud hellos that probably echoed through to the other side of the village. The start of their day was filled with an unholy amount of energy from him, bouncing out of his seat at a moment’s notice, interrupting every train of thought almost as soon as it had formed only to derail it in whatever direction the wind had blown his madness with each time.

“Why aren’t you spewing your guts all over the floor?” Madara demanded after a while.

“Huh? Oh! Tobi told you we had a few drinks, didn’t he? It’s no big deal, my metabolism is sort of off the charts because of my kekkei genkai so by the time I wake up I’m always fine!” The paper he pulled towards himself was one he’d tried to concentrate on several times already only to get distracted with a new thought and go off on some tangent again.

“That explains why your brother doesn’t know how to handle a hangover,” Madara grumbled under his breath. When Hashirama blinked at him he sighed. “You should really figure out how to share that gift of yours around. Other people would appreciate waking up fine the next morning, I’m sure.”

After a round of blinking Hashirama shrugged. “Wanna go out for lunch? The café I went to with Mito last week serves these great little sandwiches.”

“No, I was planning to head home for lunch. Go on ahead without me. Take your wife or something.” Madara waved him off and checked the clock to see that it was indeed almost noon, just around the time a certain someone should be opening their eyes again. Perfect.

Although usually he enjoyed a leisurely stroll to wherever he was going on his lunch hour, today Madara slipped out the window and hopped across several roofs until he was past the village center where the hustle and bustle of midday crowds would have taken him three times as long to fight his way through. Slipping down at the edge of the residential areas left him with a much clearer path that he was free to wander along at his own pace and without fear he would accidentally terrify some old lady pushing past her with his habitual scowl.

The house was quiet when he entered, though that was hardly a surprise. Before anything else he took his time making a couple of sandwiches and enjoying one of them himself. When his belly was full he poured a cold glass of water and brought the drink along with the sandwich up the stairs and in to the bedroom where he set both of them of the side table on the far side of their bed.

Bleary eyes were watching him when he turned back to look down at the misshapen lump on top of the mattress.

“Mgguhh.”

“Good morning to you too. Or good afternoon, I should say. How are you feeling?”

“Better.” Tobirama took a deep breath and closed his eyes to let it back out slowly. “Happy to report that I am no longer on the brink of death.”

“You never were,” Madara noted with amusement thick in his voice.

He got a hot glare for his troubles, though the effect was lost entirely when it came from under a thick quilt bunched up just below his chin. Such a sight was too much to resist. Not bothering to lift the blankets in case he didn’t have the willpower to crawl back out of them later, Madara slipped on to the bed and shifted across until he was stretched out on his side right up against Tobirama, propped up on one elbow while he lifted the other to feel his partner’s forehead.

“Temperature’s gone down. You don’t look like you’re going to bring up everything you ate yesterday. And that sandpaper voice is gone, thank the gods. Feel up to eating anything?” He nodded towards the sandwich he brought with him and Tobirama followed his gaze with a mild look of surprise.

“Is that for me?”

“Well I’m certainly not going to each lunch twice.” Taking his hand back, he patted his belly. “Not if I want to keep this fantastic physique.”

Tobirama rolled his eyes but cracked a smile nonetheless and began the process of fighting his way out of the blankets to sit up. “What time is it?” he asked, pulling the plate over and lifting one eyebrow when Madara flopped down on to his back.

“A little past noon.”

“Should I not be at work today?” For such a high-strung man he seemed fairly calm at the prospect of not being where he was supposed to be.

Madara waved the question aside like he was swatting a fly. “I told people you were sick and left it at that, no one’s expecting you in until tomorrow ���as long as he’s feeling better by then’. It’s like they care about you or something. Gross.”

“Actually I was thinking of the council meeting later today, which I will need to attend no matter what state I’m in. If I’m supposed to be out sick then I suppose I should do my best to look haggard and tired. Loose clothing, barely put together, that sort of thing. We wouldn’t want you to be made a liar.” He hummed and nibbled on the end of his sandwich, pausing to look at it a little more closely, peeling the slices of bread apart before shrugging as he apparently deemed it acceptable.

“Why Tobirama. Is that the sound of a rule being broken that I hear? And here I thought you didn’t know how to do anything except behave.” Madara snickered at his own joke until Tobirama’s face leaned over his own with a playful scowl.

“Be careful or I will show you all the ways I know how to not behave.”

“You have a crumb on your chin,” he helpfully informed his husband.

Huffing as though offended Tobirama sat up straight again, trying to be subtle about wiping the crumbs away. “I’m not entirely convinced that my head won’t explode when everyone starts arguing but I do think I should be there this afternoon. What time was it again? Two o’clock, yes?”

“Mm. Plenty of time if you wanted to take another nap first.”

“Speaking of time, how did you know when I would wake up again? The moment I opened my eyes you were right there with a glass of water.”

Humming, Madara rolled on to his side to affect the most innocent face he could, channeling as much of Kagami as he was capable. “Are you suggesting I somehow planned for you to wake up again only when I would be available to come check on you?”

Tobirama narrowed his eyes thoughtfully.

“Your clone drugged my water this morning, didn’t he?”

“He absolutely did.”

“Breach of trust.”

“A favor, I would say.”

Squinted a little harder, he relented after a few moments. “I don’t think I’ve ever thanked anyone for drugging me before but I suppose there’s a first time for everything.”

Madara waited but no actual thanking happened. He considered a good swift kick as retaliation but the residual hangover was probably retribution enough no matter how bravely Tobirama was managing to hide the pain. After how sauced he’d been the night before it was a miracle that only two glasses of water and some extra sleep had him sitting up and chatting like everything was fine.

Both of them lounged on the bed until Tobirama had finished his sandwich and then Madara left the room so he could have privacy to change and tidy himself up a little. He wandered downstairs in to the office space they barely used and dug out some of the documents he remembered bringing home ages ago that might help him put together a report he’d been working on for several weeks. It took a few minutes to remember where the hell he’d shoved the damn things but by the time he spotted them on a nearby shelf and marched back out in to the living room Tobirama was only just coming down the stairs looking a little more like his usual put together self, though still a little rough around the edges.

With only a few minutes left of his hour lunch break Madara decided that both of them could bend a few rules today and opted for a leisurely walk back to the office with Tobirama at his side. Instead of napping for a little longer he said he would rather ease himself in to the hustle and bustle of the tower so it wouldn’t hit him like a wall when he came in later.

He wasn’t fooling anyone. A workaholic to the bone, he obviously wanted to read over his notes a few more times and probably jot down a couple new thoughts as well. There were always too many thoughts running around in that massive brain of his.

To his shame Madara was a little surprised by how many people stopped to ask Tobirama if he was really feeling well enough to come in to work once they wandered in to the vicinity of the tower. During work hours they didn’t interact very much and neither of them were terribly social. Madara had somehow crafted the assumption in his mind that not many people were very fond of his husband and he was almost glad to be humbled by the realization that he was wrong. It seemed the man was actually quite popular with those of his birth clan and the allies he had helped bring in over the years.

They parted ways on the stairs once they reached the tower, Tobirama branching off to sequester himself in the quiet of his office until it was time for the meeting. Madara let him be for the hour or so in between. He was grateful that Hashirama seemed to have let off some of his energy during the break, sitting still enough now for both of them to get some work done while they had the time. Council meetings tended to drag on for ages as every clan head wanted to throw their two cents in on every issue to make sure everyone else still remembered how important they were.

When the clock neared two, however, he made a point of leaving his desk in time to scurry down the stairs before Tobirama had even stood up from his own. Although his husband didn’t say as much out loud it was obvious he was at least a little touched by the gesture and Madara decided he would have to put in a little effort to do more nice things in the future. Everyone deserved to be pampered on occasion.

Only a few of the council members were already present in the massive board room that took up half of the top floor but more people began trickling in only a few moments after they arrived. Clan heads, each of them leading at least one heir, secretaries from minor clans to record the minutes in a neutral voice, all of them chattering and filling the room with a low-grade buzz that had Tobirama pinching his face irritably in just a few minutes. Whatever headache was left from his hangover was likely to come back doubled by the time the meeting ended.

As they usually did, Tajima and Butsuma sat at opposite ends of the room, both of them positioned in such a way to appear as though they were at the head of the table, equal forces of power keeping the room hemmed in. While they may have all agreed that the village would be ruled by the council as a whole, most recognized that the two men who started it all stood just a little above the rest of them.

They knew it, too, both of them trying to lead as many discussions as possible and take over any debates they could swing towards themselves. A large portion of the meeting was filled by their voices, as per usual. Despite his position as heir to the Uchiha Madara had chosen to sit further down the table by Tobirama’s side and he was grateful less than an hour in that he had done so as he discovered his own headache forming just from listening to Tajima and Butsuma posture back and forth. He envied Tobirama his neutral position, not required to show more support for either Uchiha or Senju due to his unique connection with both, present at the meetings merely for his intellectual input.

Discussion that day covered many topics of varying import but it wasn’t until they were winding down their debate over whether or not to fortifying the outer wall that Tobirama finally perked up and forced the tense muscles of his jaw to unclench.

“Speaking of defenses,” he murmured. “If I might interject, I believe Tajima-sama has come up with an excellent idea with great potential for further development.”

“I have?” Tajima asked after a moment of glaring, trying to figure out what he was talking about.

“Yes, the specialized team you’ve been putting together. I think it’s an excellent idea but you’ve only just begun to reach for the true potential of it.” Completely oblivious to the frantic light growing in Tajima’s eyes, Tobirama carried on as he leaned back in his chair. “Right now the team is small; we should expand it, diversify, perhaps even create an entire new branch of their own if we can work it in to the budget. Each clan hones their own special skillset and each of them have their own elite within those forces. If we gather the best of the best and they dedicate themselves to an even stricter training regimen just imagine all the things they could accomplish.”

“Very interesting.” The Nara clan head brought one of his hands up to stroke at his chin. A man of few words, even that much was enough to announce a deep interest from him.

Nodding in thanks for the recognition, Tobirama went on. “And jumping further off of that: if we have a branch of specialized forces it would only make sense to evaluate the rest of our manpower as well, determine their skills relative to each other. If we introduce ranks denoted by a certain level skill we could assign incoming missions based on those ranks and save some of the lives that are lost when a shinobi is sent on a mission they’re not equipped to handle. Not to mention save time when assigning missions in the first place.”

“You have a lot of thoughts on these ideas, I take it,” Butsuma noted from his end of the table. His chest was puffed out with what looked like pride but Madara thought it was more likely to be arrogance that it was his son gaining such favor today.

And indeed most of the gathered heads were nodding along or perked up with interest.

“I do indeed,” Tobirama agreed. “Unfortunately I haven’t had time to draft any outlines or preliminary proposals but I welcome the council to brainstorm suggestions. If each head of clan could bring with them to the next meeting a list of their five most elite fighters and note which skill they specialize in, I think by then I will have a more comprehensive plan to put forward. Taking in to account what suggestions the council puts forth today of course.”

“Of course,” Tajima ground out from between his teeth, clearly upset though Madara wasn’t sure why. He should have been happy to have an idea recognized that originated from him. He should have been crowing with smug pride the way Butsuma was but instead all he did was twitch and continue to glare down the table at his son-in-law.

“We owe you many thanks for your contribution to this matter,” Tobirama noted, always the dutiful one.

Tajima waved his words aside and allowed the rest of the table to take up the discussion without him – more strange behavior. Watching him sit the entire conversation out and not once make a point of reminding people that this concept had originally been his was strange enough that Madara had trouble paying attention to anything else as he puzzled over the anomaly. It wasn’t until he noticed the way his father was rattling stiff fingers against the arm of his chair, a nervous habit that only came out in times of particular distraction, that an idea occurred to him so ridiculous he nearly blurted it out right there for the whole room to hear.

Had this idiot really thought he was going to wrest control of the village entirely to himself with his little force of Uchiha snoops? That he would undermine Butsuma with Uchiha spies without seeing any backlash for using only his own clansmen who could easily be accused of having a bias towards him? And for all his planning – getting the little squad together, keeping his actions and intentions quiet so as not to attract attention to himself – somehow he’d still thought it was a good idea to mention this to his son, married to the son of the same man he was trying to spy on. It seemed ridiculous that someone so smart could have made so many rookie mistake.

And yet here he was all but pouting with his arms crossed and his eyes set firmly in the side of Tobirama’s head as he visibly tried to drive holes through the bone.

The meeting lasted for more than an hour after that and Tajima did manage to pull himself together eventually, always determined to present himself as a figure of authority and a leader to be respected. No one truly respected a man who sat on his ass while others did all the work. Madara noticed that he made a point of being the one to make closing remarks, neglecting to mention anything about the idea of a specialized force of elite fighters from all clans, the Inferno Squad as they were already being called. When the room slowly began to empty he was one of the first ones out the door but he did so with a long look over his shoulder at the man he had once approached with peace held between his hands.

How a single taste of power could change a man, Madara thought.

Since it was so close to when they usually set off for home anyway Madara talked his husband in to doing so after they had stopped to chat with Hashirama about some of the questions he hadn’t had a chance to ask with so many people all talking over themselves. Tobirama seemed all too glad to escape the noise of the tower and go home where he could nurse the remains of his hangover in peace, away from the judging eyes he seemed to believe were staring at him from around every corner.

It felt like the meeting had passed by in a rapid blur but Madara knew it was only because he hadn’t paid attention to less than half of what he should have, zoning out to disappear in his own thoughts for large portions of conversation. There were some things he always zoned out of, things that were so far out of his purview that he knew he would have no suggestions for. But for the most part as an heir he should have been listening to everything going on around him to prepare for the day when he would sit as the head of the Uchiha clan and make decisions with actual weight behind them. Some days he managed. Other days he got lost in wondering if Tobirama was also thinking about what happened last night or staring down the table and trying to imagine what would happened between them if Tajima somehow did get his supposed ‘revenge’ on the man who hadn’t actually wronged him in any way.

So distracted was he just thinking about his own distraction that he barely even noticed where they were until Tobirama was closing the door behind them and asking him if he was alright. Madara flushed and nodded, slipping off his shoes to pile them neatly in the genkan. Then he opened his mouth to ask something that immediately slipped his mind as another question entirely popped out without thought.

“Do you remember last night?”

Tobirama paused where he was about to flop down on the couch, lowering himself slowly instead with a cautious express as he replied, “Some of it.”

“What all do you remember?” Madara asked.

“Everything at Anija’s house, leaving to go to the bar, I remember seeing my cousin. Most of what we talked about it is pretty vague. I do remember her laughing a few times, although she may have been laughing at my unusual behavior.” His nose wrinkled with distaste.

“Okay. What about when you came home?”

Covering his mouth to cough uncomfortably, Tobirama admitted, “I might remember some parts of what happened after I returned home.”

As he spoke he looked down but when his sentence was finished he peeked back up through snowy lashes and Madara was pretty sure his heart may have stopped inside his chest. Something in that look drew him in, pulling him across the room to sink down on to the couch as well. Once he was there, however, he realized that he had absolutely no idea what he was supposed to do with his hands. For lack of any other ideas he folded them loosely and let them hang in his lap at the ready. What he wanted to be ready for he had no idea but knowing that he could react as their conversation moved on made him feel better at least.

“So you probably remember us disagreeing,” he noted.

“Disagreement isn’t really how I would have described it,” Tobirama said in a lightly teasing voice. “But yes, I do remember that part.”

“Then you remember…” Courage deserted him at the last second and Madara found himself trailing off as he wondered how other people managed to date and flirt and actually get through all of these emotional twists without going mad or embarrassing themselves.

Mercifully, Tobirama seemed to know what he was trying to get at.

“I do have a bit of a fuzzy memory of what may have been you kissing me, although I wasn’t sure if I could trust that it actually happened or if I should just put that down to a dream.” He smiled and Madara decided he was jealous of how little tension the man held in his body right then, as though he had nothing in the world to be worried about.

“Right. Well. It wasn’t a dream. But you said something to me afterwards that–”

“I asked you to do it again once I was sober.”

“Yes.” Madara cleared his throat. “You are, ah, you’re sober now,” he pointed out.

For a few moments Tobirama simply looked at him but just as Madara realized that he was the one who was supposed to move first in this situation, he was the one who was expected to go in for the life changing moment between them, apparently Tobirama got tired of waiting on him. With an exasperated little puff of air he leaned over and slid fingers along Madara's jaw, cupping one cheek before dipping his head and then they were kissing again almost like they had the night before.

Almost. This was different than the explosion of emotions last night when everything spilled over until it ended with his back to the wall and lips moving against his own in ways he could barely keep up with. None of that was present now. This was slow, unhurried, exploratory without being hesitant. Absolutely nothing about the way Tobirama kissed him was hesitant. Within moments Madara felt like he was the one who had been consuming alcohol now as he almost felt like his body were floating straight up in to the air. Butterflies exploded in his stomach in such a way that he finally understood what that phrase was supposed to mean but it was hard to concentrate on bodily fluctuations with that strong hand on his jaw guiding him where to tilt his head for sharp teeth to catch his lower lip oh so gently.

To his own mortification he whined when the kiss was over. And this time Tobirama had no compunctions about chuckling at him until Madara used one of the hands he had kept so free and ready to smack the man across the ribs.

“Stop laughing! It’s not funny!”

“You’re right, it isn’t.”

“Then why are you laughing at me?” he demanded.

He was unprepared for Tobirama to stroke the cheek still held in one hand and level him with a gaze soft enough that it surely belonged on someone else entirely. “I suppose I’m just happy.”

Immediately he felt his entire face puffing up and getting ready to splutter as he always did when he couldn’t figure out how to process his feelings. Tobirama was, thankfully, smart enough to cut him off with another kiss that curled his toes against the carpet.

This was nice, he decided. Of all the possible ways to head off an argument he decided that he was a fan of this one since he got something in the end no matter what. He could see them enjoying moments like this for the rest of their lives and although that was sort of terrifying in a way it was also thrilling. For months he had looked forward to the years ahead of him with dread and an aching empty sadness in his chest but now the future looked bright and happy and Madara only wished he could find which god had blessed him with the patience to reach this moment he was able to experience right now. They deserved a thank you.

Not, of course, that he had any intention of communicating such disgusting sentiments. He would much rather shuffle a little sideways to fist his hand in Tobirama’s shirt, keeping them as close as possible while he let his husband show him some of the things they could have had this whole time. From the surprisingly tender way Tobirama held him Madara gathered that there were many things he had been missing out on and most of them had probably been waiting for much longer than he would like to think about.

[godandanime1104]

The Analyzing of Ticci Toby by Timothy Wright Entry #1

My name is Timothy Wright, otherwise known as Masky. This is the first entry in my analysis of the individual known as Tobias Erin Rogers, aka Ticci Toby.

I suppose I should start with what I, and probably you, know already.

Ticci Toby is many things. He was a son and a brother, and he was a mentally unstable person.

Is a mentally unstable person.

He is a boy with scars and a stutter. He is a person with issues, but who isn't? He can't feel pain, it makes him a danger to himself and others. It's a wonder he hasn't snapped his own neck yet, whether by accident or just by being as crazy as he is. But, still, he's more.

Toby is not all there in the head at times, he has delusions on his worst days and voices in his head on his best. He's fucked up, we all are. He is someone worthy of being hated and loved all at once, an opinion I had barely come to terms with. Trust me, it was a hard won battle to see past all the annoying shit Toby has hassled me with on a daily basis for as long as I've known him.

He's a friend, something I haven't always agreed with. Only recently have I found it easy to refer to him as such.

He was annoying, is annoying. Only, now that I'm less irritated by everything he does, do I see the difference between his annoying nature and his endearing attitude. God he's still such an ass sometimes. His endless calls of 'Hey Masky!' and whatever else he chose to annoy me about at any given moment of the day were easily overused. But, I had moved past it. Mostly.

He is a proxy, another thing I didn't particularly like a one time.

He was better than me at my own job at one point. Slenderman made him second in command instead of me at that time and, as unprofessional as it was, I did not take it well. But, I did come to terms with it, begrudgingly, and eventually wormed my way back to being a respected proxy instead of acting like a child more than I already had been.

Toby. Tobias. I can't say he's a good person, granted I can't say that about any of us. Not even Sally, despite her kindness. But, he's not evil. He's overly childish, brash, and a bit spiteful at times, but he could be kind. He has his moments, most of them with Sally and EJ, but he still had them.

I witnessed him cry before. I wasn't a friend to him yet, but I believe it to be a moment that led us to the friendship we have now, however unstable it may be. He'd broken down about his sister, Lyra. It came to my attention after that about just how frequently he fretted over his loss of her, despite having had time to move on. Of course, I understood it well enough. Some people take longer, and, when combined with his disorders, it made sense Toby was taking more time.

His bipolar disorder was one of his most frustrating parts when we first started the road to becoming friends. I didn't blame him for his emotions; I couldn't. He wasn't in control of that, but I can't say it made it any easier. I'd get close to having an actual conversation with him and he'd switch up everything in seconds, leaving me in the dust with no idea what had happened.

It never got easier, he refused any medications or any kind of help for any disorders. We doubted they'd work anyway. But, it wasn't impossible to see past the disorder. EJ was his first friend, and he helped me see past my childish jealousy when Toby was the number one proxy, and again when I found it difficult to hold conversations with him. I never properly thanked him, perhaps I'll do something after this for him.

Our friendship is...unsteady to say the least. It's not as bad as it was before, he still trips me in the halls and calls my name while I'm working simply to annoy me, but it certainly isn't best friend level either. I do wonder if we'll ever make it there.

Brian and I are close to that level, I suppose. I certainly find it easier to communicate with him rather than Toby, but Toby seems more alive than Brian sometimes.

His tics and twitches were what first caught my attention about him. Of course, most people noticed them as it's not deemed normal and often surprises you when movement shifts suddenly in your peripheral vision. The point is, it brought him to my attention at any given point of the day where he was even remotely near me.

It was about a month after we first transitioned to the stage of friends when it happened. He became less likely to scream my name from across the house than he was to walk into my room, uninvited, and plop down on my bed like it was his rightful place in the world. The first time it happened, I was very unnerved. Toby not shouting, but instead walking in and calmly greeting me? It wasn't normal.

It happened again and again in different ways until it became normal and he was in my field of vision while I did anything around the house. It wasn't in a stalker way, though it wouldn't surprise me given who all lived in the house. It was more of a comforting presence. Like he lingered to let me know I wasn't alone.

I guess it was his way of doing something people hadn't done for him.

I always knew he was there, given the twitching, but I learned to pick up on his sudden, and often deadly silent, approaches in other ways. I learned which footsteps belonged to Toby, amongst other things. He was always doing something to appear normal, making food he picked at instead of wolfing down or striking up a meaningless conversation with whoever else happened to be in the room. But, perhaps he just wanted to be close to me. I would understand that, after all it did still feel odd to have even slightly normal conversations with him. Occasionally, we even had the most serious ones I'd had in months. It feels unbelievably weird saying that even though it's true.

Toby had also been a victim, could still be considered one in certain aspects. He told me about his father one night, locked away in my room near midnight. I saw this as our official start of the friendship we shared.

I'd been sitting in my chair at my desk, reviewing a news report from the town outside the woods, and Toby was sitting cross legged on my bed. Any other time I'd be on him about the way he was wrinkling my sheets and dirtying them with his shoes, but this time was different.

Toby had entered my room after I'd finished dinner downstairs. He'd been watching television with LJ when I'd started up the stairs, catching my eye as I did. He hadn't said anything or even made any movement besides turning back to the screen, so I'd went to my room as planned. Minutes later, my door opened and closed, Toby now inside and clicking the lock in place before choosing his spot on the bed.

I had barely looked at him, he didn't like being stared at, but I knew something was wrong. No comments or annoyances came from him at all. I didn't say anything, and continued rereading the same passage over and over again so I wouldn't cause him to switch up unexpectedly. It alarmed me that I was aware of how to approach him despite not having been in many situations like this.

An hour later, I was still reading the paper I'd nearly memorized by then when he decided to speak. It was...unexpected to hear my actual name rather than Masky from Toby, but I made no comment at the time.

He told me everything, some of which I already knew from others as well as the occasion detail from Toby himself mentioning it, but I hadn't expected him to open up like this. Toby was unexpected.

Toby wasn't completely malicious, unless you only viewed him while he worked. He told me once about how he'd been interviewed several times at the mental hospital, when he'd been asked about seeing Slenderman. Toby had tried to warn people against looking into it, going against what he knew was true and lying to them about it being fake. It hadn't saved them, curiosity had gotten to those people. They kept him locked up and ended up dying despite him trying to protect them.

I asked him, once, if he thought of trying medication again. He wouldn't talk to me for a week, something I found more uncomfortable than I'd like to admit. Sally joined him in the vow of silence and I quickly apologized before they converted the entire house into shunning me.

Toby had vicious nightmares, something common in creepypastas. He often woke half of the house with them until we went out for ear plugs in town so nobody would try murdering him from their lack of sleep. I could never wear them, I felt too guilty despite it not being my fault. By that point, I already knew about his father and couldn't stand the idea of blocking out his pain just so I would feel better. So, I awoke every time he did when they were bad enough to warrant screams, and I listened.

He found out about it a week later and that was when he began the almost stalking I mentioned before. He'd found me in the kitchen, a cup of coffee in hand while I sat at the table, and asked why I was awake. Lying to him had become harder since I'd seen him cry, so I told him the truth. He'd scoffed, a childish mockery following about how I didn't need to worry about him so much, but I told him that was an uphill battle.

He hadn't believed me at first, but he'd found me again the next morning, awake after he'd come downstairs to once again drown his sore throat in cold water. I repeated that I felt guilty and would be awake if he needed me before returning to my bed. After that, he was everywhere I was.

Looking back on it, my previous assumption seems accurate. He does appear to want to offer something in return for my guilt. I never mentioned it, but he knew I was aware of what he was doing. He kept up his attempts at acting like it wasn't his intention to be there in the corner of my eye at any given moment, but I still never stopped him. It was achieving its purpose of being comforting, so I allowed it.

He's just entered my room again. This is the third time today. He's a silent as ever, making humming noises and attempting to distract me. If only he knew just what I was writing, hm? I wonder just how he'd react to that.

He's lurking behind me, attempting to read what I'm writing over my shoulder, but I'm blocking it off. There's a reason I never let him know I have a notebook like this, he'd tell everyone what I wrote in seconds and I didn't want that.

There was one time I considered sharing the notebooks with others, not including Slenderman. He was aware, he was always aware. I considered showing people, or maybe just saying the things I thought about them, but I decided against it. Not everyone likes being analysed.

I consider again if telling Toby would further progress our friendship. It might, but, then again, Toby was about as subtle as a horse kick to the face. If I said something wrong or he misunderstood, I'd lose the second closest person I had.

Toby is gone now, but he still lingers here. My bed is wrinkled and my door left cracked open, but it's more that I feel him than see him. I still feel his goggle covered eyes glued to me, watching me.

I'd asked EJ before if he ever felt like Toby was watching him, but he hadn't answered. I assumed it was a no. Perhaps I shall bring it up again.

~~~~

A/N - I don’t own the characters, just my story plot. Find them at HeyItsHoot on AO3 or owlgirl121 on Wattpad

[charonaraccoon]

Bridges: The spider incident (Maxiel drabble)  21. „I’m not gonna let you get yourself killed!”

It’s different this season. Max could have never imagined Daniel wearing anything else but the dark blue clothes on a race weekend. Still Daniel stands on the other end of the press pen talking to the Italian press in a bright yellow polo shirt. And above that he manages to look as perfect as always, the friendly colour underlining his tanned skin, his bright smile and his sunny personality. Max tears his eyes away and smirks before asking the Interviewer in front of him to repeat her

Things changed since Daniel left the team but in a different way than Max had expected them to. They are even closer now rather than farther away from each other. They talk more openly about racing and life in general now that they aren’t direct rivals anymore. Max muses how Daniel changing team at this specific point in both of their careers might change things for the future as he returns to the garage.

He nods at Marko before turning to Gianpiero. “How’s it going?” “Pre-heating is almost done. You should get ready.” Max pats his back and turns around to the car, running his fingertips over the shiny blue surface of the chassis for a second. Suddenly he notices something huge and pitch black and hairy out of the corner of his eyes. “Jesus fucking Christ, there’s a spider!” Max jumps backwards, clenching his helmet in both hands staring at the plate-sized animal sitting nonchalantly in his driver’s seat like in a throne, looking up at his objectives out of what seems like eight billion razor-sharp eyes. “What? Where?!” Gianpiero asks carefully peeking out from behind his clipboard. Max whines in disgust. “In my car, on the seat! Oh my god!” Max shivers, sheer panic in his face, when the spider fucking clicks at him.

“What’s going on?” Daniel enters the red bull garage, a yellow sun sinking into all the oceanic dark blue and frowns at the scene. “What happened?” he asks as he takes in Max’s frightened and pale face and the nervous distance all the mechanics and staff seem to maintain to the RB15. “Spider!” Max whispers as if trying not to offend the new ruler of the car worth millions of dollars. Daniel cocks his head and murmurs a simple “Welcome to Australia.” before approaching the car. Max instantly grabs his arm to stop him. Daniel meets icy blue eyes, wide with fear and disgust. “I’m not gonna let you get yourself killed.” “Trust me, I can handle it.” Daniel radiates so much self-assurance and confidence that Max slowly loosens his grip.

Daniel peers inside the car, mutters a soft “Hey, you obviously took a wrong turn, because you’re absolutely lost, mate. Let me help you.” Max watches in terror as Daniel looks around for some tool to help him move the beast. He grabs one of the huge screw-wrenches that are attached on the drills for tyre changes and carefully pushes it beneath the spider. Max hides his face in his hands as Daniel lifts the spider up and carries it out of the garage. “Curiosity killed the cat” he murmurs before following the Aussie past the Farrari and Mercedes garages. Daniel sets down the animal in the grass lane next a neat pile of tyres and waves it goodbye. “Alrighty, mate, there you go. Stay safe!” When he turns around he flashes Max a mischievous grin. “Are you alright?” “I guess so. Thanks.” “You’re welcome.” They part in front of the Red Bull garage with a side hug that lasts a second longer than necessary. Daniel pats Max’s back. “It’s okay, Max. See you on track. Have a good one.” Max lets out a shaky laugh and quickly takes in Daniel’s scent before returning to his garage and disinfect his chassis.

After the race Daniel sits in the corner of a local pub, when Max slumps down on the opposite bench. They sit in comfortable silence for a while, both dwelling on their thoughts, sighing occasionally and drinking from time to time. Until Max sighs. “I’m sorry about the race. I know, how important the home races are to you.” “Jesus, they’re important to everyone, Max!” Daniel sighs and shakes his head. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to snap at you.” “It’s okay, honestly. It seems like we both act kind of girly today.” Daniel snorts at that and chuckles before licking his lips and drinking from his beer bottle. Max can’t hide the pride of being responsible for that positive expression after a shitty DNF in the first race of the season. “It was just too much work this week, way too much. I was exhausted before the weekend even started. I should have handled it better beforehand.” Max shrugs and fumbles with the bottle label. “Australia means a lot to you. And I don’t mean just the race as itself. You love this country and you want to represent it as well as possible.” Daniel looks at Max and his ebony eyes display everything he feels for Max in that very seconds when his lips curve upwards into a tender smile. Max nudges his shoulder for he doesn’t dare to take Daniel’s hand in public – not yet, at least. “Although I honestly don’t get why you love that country so much. It sucks!” “Why?” Daniel looks like someone stole his chocolate, irritated, on the verge of pouting. Max spreads his arms in a defying movement. “Ahm, hello?! It tried to kill me today?!” Daniel huffs and laughs, making Max grin widely. “Jeepers, Max, it was just a spider…” “A huge, definitely deadly spider.” “You’re such a whiny hard-ass.”, complains Daniel shaking his head at Max, who instantly pouts. “Should have let the spider eat me then.” “Max, spiders don’t eat people. They’re not piranhas.” “This one would have…”, insists Max and Daniel sighs in what sounds like defeat. “Not even in Australia… and my continent really is home to some dangerous creatures, I give you that. This one wouldn’t have killed you, though. It probably was as frightened of you as you were of it.” “Are you seriously defending the spider?!” Daniel groans and wipes his eyes before nodding at Max’s empty beer bottle. “I’ll get us another round.” “Try not to befriend any spiders on your way!” Max murmurs and gets pinched in the arm for that. “Jerk!” Daniel’s grin is too wide to make the insult sting. While he waits for the drinks he looks at Max, who sits at the table, deep in thought with his eyes fixed on the table surface and bobbing knees. Although the disappointment of the race stings and he’s tired and weary to the bone, the sight of Max waiting for him at that table makes it somehow bearable.

It’s a couple of days later on one of their rare free weekdays when Daniel hangs upside down the high bar in the far corner of the gym for some crucial sit-up exercises and Max enters the room. “You’re up early.” “A hero needs to stay in shape.” “You’re not planning on letting that spider thing go for another decade, are you?” Max comes closer after dropping his towel on the weight bench. Daniel’s fuzzy and sweaty curls dangle in the air cheekily. He can see the tattoo peeking out from under his shorts. The toned muscles of his stomach and chest under the shimmering and tanned skin make Max swallow. He pushes a wet strand from Daniel’s face and gets on his tip-toes so they are on eye level. He instantly drowns in Daniel’s ebony eyes that look at him curiously and open and loving. “You are a hero, but you’re too good looking for a mask to be honest. My personal spider man.” He crooks his head and presses a gentle kiss on Daniel’s lips. He takes in his scent, sweat, sunshine, warmth, and smiles running his hand through his hair and over his heated cheeks. They part and Daniel’s grin is the wrong way around but its beauty remains unscathed. “Be my Mary Jane then.” Max huffs and pinches Daniel’s sides. “Don’t get cheeky. But yeah, I’d choose you over Toby McGuire. Andrew Garfield is more my type.” Daniel makes the last sit-up, grips the bar and lowers himself until his feet touch solid ground again. He shakes his head and clicks his tongue. “Garfield is alright, but I don’t know, whether I should thank you for the compliment or punch you for even considering a comparison between McGuire and me.” “You could as well just kiss me, you know?” Max grins and is met by Daniel’s warm embrace in the middle of the room. “I’ll always protect you from evil spiders and snakes and Christian Horners.” “What about sharks?” Max presses his nose into the crook of Daniel’s neck and feels him laughing against his chest. “Well, I need a few more training sessions, but I’ll get there to even face my fear of sharks.” The joke fades a little, as Daniel combs his fingers through Max’s damp hair. “For you, I would.” And despite the joke, despite Max being tired already of being teased because of the spider incident, he knows in his very heart and soul that Daniel is telling the truth – because that’s what heroes do.

[beyondthetemples]

Multimuse RP questions!

{{ I couldn’t figure out which RP blog to stick these on (since I have like. nine), so I figured I’d just skip to the Answering Part over here. =w=

Found here: https://memesfortheroleplayerssoul.tumblr.com/post/163688858676

is there a muse that you wish gets more attention? Honestly? Dove. There are a couple of people who've said they love reading about her, and I'm so absolutely eternally delighted for them, too deeply appreciative for words! A couple friends I met via rping her, and a couple friends I met in Certain discord servers, but that's about it anymore. But she's my baby, you know? I love her, she's amazing, and I wish more people took the time to write stories with her, because she just has so much potential! I mean, yeah, for angst of course, but also for healing and comfort, for action and fantasy, for mystical and mundane plots alike. She's so multi-faceted and fascinating to explore, I just... well, maybe it's more selfish in that I need help exploring some of the more mundane stuff with her. Because if it doesn't really Have Relevance to a Particular Plot, I generally won't wind up writing it, let alone publishing it. :P But this answer's already too long; I could rave about Dove for hours! All I'm trying to say is, I wish more people cared about OCs.

if you HAD to choose, who’s your favorite muse? Favorite to RP with? Far and away, Dove! Favorite for crack RPs, Srentha or Leyla. Favorite canon character is a GIGANTIC toss-up between Raven and Lapis. Favorite characters to explore for personal reasons are Ryou Bakura and Blue Diamond, but I have a hard time bringing myself to actually WRITE about them, for some reason...

is there a muse that not a lot of people roleplay with? (Besides the ones I haven't advertised? ^^';;) Maybe Phobia? She has only ever existed in comic canons-- though she WAS in the Teen Titans Go comics too! (The original series, not the... bastardization). Anyways, she's a much lesser-known muse. And my muse for her is wildly unreliable, she's a volatile and abrasive character, and my inspiration for her has run dry for awhile now...

if you HAD to choose, who’s your least favorite muse? Phobia. o_o See above, actually.

which one of your muses have you been playing the longest? Prooobably Dove? She was the one I started rping with, of course!

which one of your muses has the most ships? Ships in their canon, or ships in my rps? Because you're talking to a demigray here; I don't really do romance? But in my stories, Dove has 3 ships (all at different times in her life). In rps, Dove has been kinda-contemplating-it shipped a couple times, but never got to the point of, you know, kissing... and in fandom, Lapis probably has the most.

what is each of your muses’ otps? notps? ~ Dove and Srentha together~ (Don't have notps for them.) ~ Kary: food? sleep? Her canon boyfriend Eric ~ Leyla has a qpp named Toby in the stories. ~ Raven: I'm demonbirds trash. I don't even know how that happened, honestly. (Notps include B|BRae and, while not as strong of a NO in the jlvtt canon, ter/raven.) ~ Lapis Lazuli: OTP with Peridot! Intensely notp with jasper. ~ Blue Diamond: OTP with Yellow hardcore, no notps to speak of. ~ Phobia: Utterly unexplored??? I think she voluntarily abstains. ~ Ryou: OTP with Joey (thank my girlfriend for that one)! Notp with Yami Bakura, it’s absolutely 100% possibly my most violently-disgusted NOtp yet. Also with Diva because... What The Fuck??? But I won't rant about that just now. ~ Jess: I haven't really done much shipping, though Mistress and Trick are a hella canon, deeply bonded breeding couple. ~ Evangeline? Sorta-OTP with my gf's character Taex, though it's not exactly a ~romantic~ dynamic. Notp with Srentha, probably, considering she'd try to kill him, given the chance, and she’s pissed at Dove for marrying him.

why were you drawn to each one of your characters? Okay, listen, you can't just ask something like this and expect an easy answer! I could write an Actual Legitimate Essay on EACH ONE, because I only write a character when I'm Extremely Highkey Personally Emotionally Inspired by them!

UPDATE: I tried to summarize, I really did! But there's just so MUCH, and it turned into an essay on its own. --> https://beyondthetemples-ooc.tumblr.com/post/189837029682/why-were-you-drawn-to-each-one-of-your-characters

Summaries go like this: Dove is brave, complex enough to delve deeply in and constantly discover new facets of, and inspiring enough to create a positive experience while doing so. Srentha is fun, positive, and passionate, and legitimate ADHD representation. Leyla is a chill miracle child of creativity and quiet passion. Raven is the reason I'm still alive and perfectly reflected me at about age 14, so I have a very deep personal connection to her. Kary is so fun to explore because she's my polar opposite, as a temperamental pyrokinetic who revels in chaos and really just wants to have a good time. Evangeline is everything Dove suppresses, brought to life, so she's fun to explore as an extension of Dove! Lapis has a lot of struggles to explore and has done a lot of healing and growth that I'd like to expand on someday. Blue Diamond and Ryou Bakura were basically literally me, so I can explore the trauma and healing from their perspectives in a safe space. And Phobia? I just wanted to put characters' mettle to the test honestly, and see what would happen.

which muse is the most fun to write for? Oh, Srentha, absolutely hands down! Dove does have the best close-friends casual-fun kind of rp relationships, though. And Mistress the Mismagius has this sardonic teasing sense of humor that always makes me smile, especially with Murky (Murkrow).

is there another muse you’ve been thinking of adding or writing for? who? Oh stars, I don't need another one. =w= I've been... struggling to get my Ryou blog actually up and running for a long while now. Nobody new has inspired me lately, but I'm pretty stuck in my fandom ways.

what is something everyone should know about your muses before interacting? I stick it all in their bios! But, let's see... Dove: Even though she's Raven's half-sister, she keeps it DESPERATELY hidden, and nobody IC is supposed to know about that. Srentha is very deeply rooted in Azarathean pacifism and won't do much in battle besides help people retreat. Leyla has her father's heart condition and can't do anything too active. Kary will rarely use her powers, as conjuring even a simple spark stings her scar badly. Lapis is more than her toxic relationship! Blue Diamond is NOT the dictator she once was! Ryou does NOT want the spirit of the millennium ring in his life anymore! Jess just... sticks mostly to Sinnoh and rarely ever leaves. And Evangeline has a palpable evil aura about her; she makes SURE of it.

what’s a weird headcanon you have for each of your muses? Dove hates pie. Srentha loves colorful things. Leyla will cover everything in glitter if you let her. Kary will do anything for some good food and/or a nap. Ryou's hair is untamable. Lapis doesn't guard her gem as carefully as she should. Blue Diamond may be more emotional, but she won't sing about it as frequently as other Gems. Raven... doesn't wear underwear?

which muse has the most aus or verses? I mean, the Lapis I was writing for was 97% canon divergent. Evangeline only exists as her own person (and not merely a partition of Dove's mind) in a DCUO-compatible timeline. But I don't really do aus or verses otherwise; it's just more stressful for me.

can you sort your muses from youngest to oldest? Sorting based on the ages I'll generally play them: Leyla (8-14), Dove (15-25), Kary (18+), Ryou (19+), Srentha (20+), Jess (22+), Phobia (23+), Lapis (5k+), Blue Diamond (10k+).

which muse is most willing to fight another muse? Oh, definitely Kary. (She won't fight Dove or Leyla, even if there's a really good reason. And Srentha has this weird power of defusing her. But anyone else, she can easily be provoked to fight on a dime.) Or maybe Evangeline, who will fight anyone at any time for any reason whatsoever?

do your muses get along with each other? Evangeline gets along with nobody. Dove/Srentha/Leyla are all a very tight-knit family, and Kary considers herself Dove's sister and Leyla's aunt. I've thought about what might happen if Lapis met Blue Diamond, but I don’t have the faintest idea of how that'd go? I did start an RP once where Lapis met Dove, and I planned to have them bond over homesickness and purpose-seeking, but then I lost the ehd I had that prewritten on, and never had the heart to try rewriting it. Ryou and Jess kinda exist in their own universe's bubble. (Jess has a whole cast of Pokemon creature muses she very much gets along with, though~)

would you ship any of your muses together? who? Dove and Srentha are hella-canon endgame already, that's been decided for like 12 years!

for each muse, is there a character you wish had a blog so you could interact with them? You know, I've never really been one much for wishing like that. I do wish Dove had a stable Raven again, since both of my all-time favorite Raven rpers have left the rp circle... but that's about it, really.

have you ever considered making a multimuse/is it easier having a multimuse? I mean, my Pokemon blog has like 19 muses built into the breeding center... 8F But no, I prefer to keep my drafts, rps, and tag systems for each muse on separate sideblogs. Tumblr's tags break WAY too often to shove them all in one place. (And with a sideblog, I don't have to log in and out every time I want to check for replies!)

which muse is the most problematic towards other muses? Toss-up between Phobia and Evangeline, obviously. Blue Diamond is a reformed Gem, the way I play her. (I don't care what anyone says, THAT'S CANON as HELL too!) But Evangeline actively goes out of her way to hurt and/or sacrifice people to her own ends,

which muse is most likely to make new friends? Probably Leyla, though now that SU has sent out a message across the Gem universe that Gems are welcome on Earth, Lapis could wind up meeting quite a lot of new acquaintances. It's much harder to befriend her, though. Srentha has a lot of charismatic energy too, and he’ll go out and make friends with anyone, given the chance.

which muses’ fandom do you like the best? Ahhh, don't make me CHOOSE like that! ;; Fandom like being a fan of them, or fandom like, liking the other people in the fandom? Because Steven Universe, Teen Titans, and YuGiOh all have incredibly special places in my heart, while having Their Issues amongst the fandom... Pokemon seems to be the best mannered fandom though, especially amidst the RP community.

is there someone playing the same muse/s as you and you really look up to them? Ohgosh, well there's a blog called, I think, melancholeyes?, that plays Blue so well, it's like reading canon scenes. I did see a blog that played a Ryou I respected, but I can't remember their name... and of course Larissa and Pix played great Ravens, but each a different version.

which muse do people send the most asks for? Probably Dove, thanks in large part to Caleb!

which muse is most likely to have kids? Leyla is already Dove's kid, so... 8F

is there a rule that someone keeps breaking for your muses? Not to my knowledge, but my rules aren't strict anyways.

can you sort your muses from weakest to strongest? ...Oh, stars. How am I supposed to sort them? Well, let's try this.

Weakest to strongest in combat (based on their style of choice): Ryou, Leyla, Srentha, Phobia, Evangeline, Jess, Kary, Dove, Lapis, Blue Diamond, Raven. ( * i switched raven and blue diamond around SO many times. both are immensely powerful with god-like abilities, but raven can literally destroy reality itself. so...)

Weakest to strongest by strength of heart and character: Phobia, Evangeline, uh... Kary? Srentha...? Uh... frICK THIS ONE'S HARD. Because they're all so strong in their own ways. Probably Leyla? Next tier is probably Blue, Lapis, and Jess, and Dove, Raven, and Ryou are highest tier.

which muse are you considering deleting? Phobia, and maybe sometimes Blue. (I actually... never got a single RP or follower on Blue. I'm still debating if I really WANT to rp as her, at least on Tumblr, knowing how toxic the fandom can get around the Diamonds...)

most importantly, are you having fun playing each one of your muses? Pretty much! Especially Dove, Srentha, Leyla, and Raven!~ Raven's wit and clipped verbiage can be tricky to for me sometimes, but all it takes is a little tlc on her dialogue, and it doesn't slow down my enjoyment one bit. :} And when I'm in a Pokemon-hyperfocus mood, writing the Pokemon team is ALWAYS a blast! (Especially the Pokemon; their personalities are so dynamic together.) With muses like Lapis and Blue, and even Kary, the mood for their emotionality waxes and wanes, but I don't write for them unless I'm in The Right Frame of Mind to KEEP UP with them, you know? I never push myself in an rp until it's not fun anymore; at least I know where my writing burnout limits are.

Phobia and Evangeline are both sadistic, and when you're a compassionate person, that can be very hard to write out in the painstaking detail of my style. But sometimes my mind just Won't Shut UP about 'Vangie unless I WRITE IT OUT. Which is a good exercise of course, stretching my horizons and all that, and I do love writing the drama and conflict they stir up.

But beyond the momentary discomforts, I'm just so eager to explore their lives and minds and adventures, so yes, I absolutely DO have fun writing for each and every one!

[proxylynn]

Lynchtale: File Name Game of Death #3

Chapter 3: Know the rules, so you can break them.

WARNING: THIS IS A MATURE STORY THAT WILL HAVE BLOOD, GORE, PSYCHOLOGICAL SURVIVAL HORROR, HEAVY CURSING, AND LIKELY SEXUAL THEMES/BONING. I DO NOT OWN UNDERTALE, THAT BELONGS TO LORD TOBY FOX. I DO NOT OWN DEAD BY DAYLIGHT, THAT BELONGS TO BEHAVIOUR DIGITAL INC.. I DON'T OWN THE AU'S THAT SOME OF THE CHARACTERS COME FROM, THEY BELONG TO THEIR RESPECTIVE CREATORS. I DON'T OWN THE IDEA FOR LYNCHTALE, THAT BELONGS TO PUNNYSIDEUP (AKA. SANSFULPUNS). WHAT I DO OWN IS MY SELF-INSERT OC ANOMALY LYNSIE AND THE LOVE OF FAN PARODY. IF YOU'RE STILL READING THIS, THEN CONGRATULATIONS ON EITHER BEING ONE WITH STRONG DETERMINATION OR AN ENDLESS WILL TO OVERCOME THE CHALLENGE OF STOMACHING WHAT I HAVE IN MIND. EITHER WAY, IF YOU LIKE THIS AND/OR MY OTHER CONTENT, SIT BACK AND ENJOY THE ETERNAL PUNISHMENT. HAVE FUN SINNERS. ^_^

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[Elsewhere: Killer Shack]

*CLANG-CLANG*

"Tra la la. The meeting will now come to order."

Wraith materializes and gets the other killers attention.

"As we have been doing for the last five feed cycles...Tra la la...We will now see if anyone has encountered the new Survivor. Show of hands?"

The room is very still. Till one hand goes up in a cocky way.

"YOU'VE GOT TO BE JOKING."

Trapper says bitterly.

"IF ANYONE SHOULD'VE GOTTEN TO HAVE A STAB AT THE NEW MEAT IT'S ME. I AM THE FIRST CHOSEN. IT IS MY RIGHT TO SPILL THEIR PATHETIC BLOOD UPON THE NEW HUNT."

This is indeed true. While not technically oldest killer, by place in time that's no doubt Plague as she's from a time between 1895-539 BC and by age that is up for questioning as time has no effect on them thus they haven't aged nor have they cared to ask what any of them were, but Trapper does hold the title of first taken by the Entity so he is the senior killer. In order of their arrival there was Trapper, Wraith, Hillbilly, Nurse, Shape, Hag, Doctor, Huntress, Cannibal, Nightmare, Pig, Clown, Spirit, Legion, Plague, and the latest one recruited being Ghost Face. But screw this seniority hierarchy bullshit! Legion's grin is wide, full of bravado, and no one likes it.

"Legion, is it true? Did you come across the human in your trial? Tra la la."

"ah, what's the matter? can't stand that it wasn't any of you that got to have fun with the new meat? well, suck it! that was one of the best hunts i've had ever! *manic laughter*"

Ghost Face creeps his way nearby.

"My my...Two of us now has had her all to themselves. Tell us, darling, how did it go? Was she as Wraith told us? How did you kill her? Details. They are important. Do share."

Feeling like the cock of the walk, Legion puts his hands in his pockets coolly.

"now i'm not one to kill and tell, but since you asked...i didn't kill her."

This gets some odd looks his way.

".........?"

"The Shape is right, deary. How did you not kill her?"

Plague asks legitimately.

"heh...i'll tell you, but i want something in exchange."

"✡⚐🕆 ⚐☠☹✡ 👍⚐☠❄✋☠🕆☜ ❄⚐ ✌💣✌☪☜ 💣☜ 🕈✋❄☟ ❄☟☜ ☜✞☜☼ ☝☼⚐🕈✋☠☝ ☹☜✞☜☹💧 ⚐☞ 👌⚐☹👎☠☜💧💧 ✡⚐🕆 ☝☜❄ ✌💧 ❄✋💣☜ 🏱✌💧💧☜💧📬" (YOU ONLY CONTINUE TO AMAZE ME WITH THE EVER GROWING LEVELS OF BOLDNESS YOU GET AS TIME PASSES.)

The Doctor remarks with a thought they all shared.

"trust me. the info i got is worth it. all i want is a gruesome gateau. and i know at least one of you still has one. you give me that, and i'll tell you every single thing that went down. every...last...little...detail."

"For the Entity's sake! Someone pay the man! I can't take this tease!"

Ghost Face is a needy one. But as a recently recruited killer, it's not like he had the item of request.

"How do we know what you have to say is worth it? For all we know, you're just playing us like a fox with a hare."

Huntress makes a valid point.

"fine. if you really need a sample...she helped me kill the other humans."

This little snippet of what he knew is just tempting enough to win over the majority.

"I shall deliver the offering to you after the meeting, dear."

Nurse says politely and Legion rubs his hands together deviously.

"alright. thank you kindly, lady. now gather round papa legion, kiddies, for i got quite the story to tell."

And he wasn't lying. Legion tells them everything. From her unique terror radius, to her resentment leading to betrayal, and her bizarre behavior before he stopped it from getting worst, to then letting her escape through the hatch. The only things he didn't mention are the small joke moments and the personal torture time. Somethings are just to enjoyed by the ones involved. Not like she enjoyed it. But he certainly did.

"T-This human is an odd one. They n-normally don't t-turn on each other unless w-we're going at them hard."

Pig stutters in thought.

"I'LL GIVE HER CREDIT. SHE DIDN'T STAND FOR THEIR BULLSHIT."

Trapper says with a smirk.

"Come on. she's just a messed up Human. quit sucking her dick like she's the god of all Humans."

Nightmare spats unimpressed.

"hAG thought human was she?"

Oh, Hag, you special bundle of try. Nightmare just glares and shakes his head, he's not one known for his patience.

"What do you think, Doctor? Tra la la."

"✋ ❄☟✋☠😐 ❄☟☜ 💣⚐☼☜ ✋☠❄☜☼☜💧❄✋☠☝ ✌💧🏱☜👍❄ ⚐☞ ☹☜☝✋⚐☠🕯💧 ✌👍👍⚐🕆☠❄ 🕈✌💧 ❄☟✌❄ 💣⚐💣☜☠❄ ☠☜✌☼ ❄☟☜ ☜☠👎📬 ✋❄ 💧☜☜💣☜👎📬📬📬⚐👎👎☹✡ ☼☜💣✋☠✋💧👍☜☠❄📬" (I THINK THE MORE INTERESTING ASPECT OF LEGION'S ACCOUNT WAS THAT MOMENT NEAR THE END. IT SEEMED...ODDLY REMINISCENT.)

"You mean the part where she was TURNING?"

That got them to look at Spirit.

"What? You can't tell me it's not OBVIOUS."

"*cough* Would you care to explain? *hack*"

Clown snarkily questioned through his smoker's lung-like coughing.

"I mean, I don't know if any of you remember, but I know the ENTITY likes to do things to the ones IT LIKES. You can't believe we LOOK LIKE THIS ON PURPOSE."

She brought up a good point. They didn't remember much about their pasts, but they knew most of them weren't as disfigured when they first were claimed by the Entity. Trapper didn't put the iron rods and hooks into his bones. Nurse didn't choke herself with a pillowcase over her head. Hag didn't cake herself in muck and deform her hands. Spirit didn't impale her body in shards of glass and she didn't sever her arms or implant a sword in one. Legion didn't merge with other people because they wanted to. Doctor didn't strap himself into his electroconvulsive gear to pry his eyes and mouth open, nor did he stream the wires into his bones. Wraith didn't lose it's form and identity because it felt like doing so. These were things the Entity did, taking what it knew of them and adding to them, sometimes as a punishment. Sure, other killers didn't go through such visible changes like them. Huntress and Clown only seemed to have blackened out eyes, like a creepy doll or a monstrous shark. Shape, Pig, Ghost Face, and Cannibal were unknowns as they wore masks and tended to don fully covering outfits. The hardest to tell if the Entity did anything to were Plague, Hillbilly, and Nightmare. All three were brought in with some sort of disfigurement so its really hard to say what was done to them if anything.

"SO WHAT YOU'RE SAYING IS...THAT HUMAN, FOR WHATEVER REASON, WAS BECOMING A MONSTER?"

Trapper has a totally non-asshole sounding tone.

"That's my IDEA at least."

It is just an suspicion Spirit had and nothing concrete.

"...THAT'S JUST STUPID."

Never mind, Trapper is just an asshole.

"You shouldn't dismiss it so soon. Tra la la. Nothing is beyond reason when it comes to the Entity."

A very good point made by Wraith.

"✋☞ ❄☟✋💧 ❄☟☜⚐☼✡ ✋💧 ❄⚐ 👌☜ 👌☜☹✋☜✞☜👎📪 🕈☜ 💣🕆💧❄ ☼🕆☠ ✋❄ ❄☟☼⚐🕆☝☟ ✌ ❄☜💧❄📬" (IF THIS THEORY IS TO BE BELIEVED, WE MUST RUN IT THROUGH A TEST.)

Doctor being doctor, always wanting to experiment.

"..........?"

Good question asked by Shape.

"✋ 🏱☼⚐🏱⚐💧☜ ❄☟✌❄ 🕈☜ ✌☝☼☜☜ ❄⚐ ☼🕆☠ ❄☟✋💧 ☟🕆💣✌☠ ❄☟☼⚐🕆☝☟ ✌ 💧☜☼✋☜💧 ⚐☞ 💧❄☼☜💧💧 ❄☜💧❄💧📬 ☞☼⚐💣 🕈☟✌❄ ☹☜☝✋⚐☠ 👎☜💧👍☼✋👌☜👎📪 ☟☜☼ ☜💣⚐❄✋⚐☠✌☹ 💧❄✌❄☜ 💣✌✡ 🏱☹✌✡ ✌ ☼⚐☹☜ ✋☠ ❄☟✋💧 🕯❄🕆☼☠✋☠☝🕯 👌☜☟✌✞✋⚐☼📬 ✌☠✡ ⚐☞ 🕆💧 ❄☟✌❄ ☝☜❄ ❄⚐ ☟🕆☠❄ ☟☜☼ ☠☜✠❄ 💧☟⚐🕆☹👎 🕆💧☜ ❄☟☜ 💧❄☼✌☠☝☜ ☼✌👎✋🕆💧 ❄⚐ ☞✋☠👎 ☟☜☼ ✌☠👎 💣✌😐☜ ❄☟✋☠☝💧 ✌💧 ✋☼☼✋❄✌❄✋☠☝ ✌💧 🏱⚐💧💧✋👌☹☜📬" (I PROPOSE THAT WE AGREE TO RUN THIS HUMAN THROUGH A SERIES OF STRESS TESTS. FROM WHAT LEGION DESCRIBED, HER EMOTIONAL STATE MAY PLAY A ROLE IN THIS 'TURNING' BEHAVIOR. ANY OF US THAT GET TO HUNT HER NEXT SHOULD USE THE STRANGE RADIUS TO FIND HER AND MAKE THINGS AS IRRITATING AS POSSIBLE.)

Toxicity works on both ends of this twisted game.

"What of the other Survivors, deary? Surely they won't let a fellow human go attacked for very long."

Crud, a flaw pointed out by Plague.

"*scoff* those idiots? after that trial and the stunt she pulled, they're going to be looking for reasons to let her get hooked."

A very sad but true fact stated by Legion.

"✌☹☹ ❄☟☜ 👌☜❄❄☜☼ ☞⚐☼ ❄☟✋💧 🏱☹✌☠📬 🕈✋❄☟ ☟☜☼ ❄☜✌💣 ☞🕆☼❄☟☜☼ ✋💧⚐☹✌❄✋☠☝ ☟☜☼ ✌☠👎 🕈✋❄☟ 🕆💧 💣✌😐✋☠☝ ❄☟✋☠☝💧 👎✋☞☞✋👍🕆☹❄📪 ✋❄ 💧☟⚐🕆☹👎☠🕯❄ 👌☜ ❄⚐⚐ ☟✌☼👎 ❄⚐ 💣✌😐☜ ☟☜☼ 💧☠✌🏱 🕆☠👎☜☼ ❄☟☜ 🏱☼☜💧💧🕆☼☜📬" (ALL THE BETTER FOR THIS PLAN. WITH HER TEAM FURTHER ISOLATING HER AND WITH US MAKING THINGS DIFFICULT, IT SHOULDN'T BE TOO HARD TO MAKE HER SNAP UNDER THE PRESSURE.)

Cue the dramatic evil music score followed by the rumblings of thunder and lighting.

"Oh man, this is gonna be awesome! That punk is going down!"

Huntress needs very little reason to hunt humans.

"oH! hAG have question!"

A simple one is the Hag, questioning things is her specialty.

"Yes? Tra la la."

"WhaT happENS when the hooman sNaps?"

Not a bad question really.

"The darling does bring up a fair point. If and when the human does crack, what then?"

As curious as he is, Ghost Face is a cautious one and thinks ahead when it comes to his methods.

"don't know. i didn't let things get that far. she was hurting herself to make it stop when i stabbed her."

The mystery continues to mystify.

"☟💣💣💣📬📬📬❄☟☜☠ 🕈☜ 👎⚐ ☟✌✞☜ ✌ 💧💣✌☹☹ 👍☹🕆☜ ✌💧 ❄⚐ 🕈☟✌❄ ❄⚐ 👎⚐ ✋☞ 💧☟☜ 👌☜👍⚐💣☜💧 ✌ 🏱☼⚐👌☹☜💣📬 💧☜☹☞ 🏱✌✋☠ 👎☜☹✌✡💧 ❄☟✋💧 🕯❄🕆☼☠✋☠☝🕯 👌🕆❄ ✋❄🕯💧 ☠⚐❄ ✌💧 💧❄☼⚐☠☝ ✌💧 ❄☼🕆☜ ☟✌☼💣☞🕆☹ ✋☠❄☜☠❄📬 ❄☟☜☼☜☞⚐☼☜📬📬📬✋☞ ❄☟☜ ☟🕆💣✌☠ 👎⚐☜💧 ✋☠👎☜☜👎 💧☠✌🏱📪 🕈☜ ✌☼☜ ❄⚐ 💣⚐☠✋❄⚐☼ ☟☜☼ ✌☠👎 ☹☜✌☼☠ 🕈☟✌❄ ❄☟✋💧 💧❄✌❄☜ 💣☜✌☠💧 ☞⚐☼ 🕆💧📬 ☟⚐🕈☜✞☜☼📪 ✋☞ 💧☟☜ 👌☜👍⚐💣☜💧 ✌☠ ✋💧💧🕆☜ ❄☟☜☠ 👌✡ ✌☹☹ 💣☜✌☠💧 👎⚐ 🕈☟✌❄ ✋❄ ❄✌😐☜💧 ❄⚐ 😐☠⚐👍😐 ☟☜☼ 👌✌👍😐 ✋☠❄⚐ ☟☜☼ ☠⚐☼💣✌☹ 💧❄✌❄☜📬 👎⚐☜💧 ❄☟✋💧 💧⚐🕆☠👎 ☼☜✌💧⚐☠✌👌☹☜ ❄⚐ ❄☟☜ ☼☜💧❄ ⚐☞ ✡⚐🕆✍" (HMMM...THEN WE DO HAVE A SMALL CLUE AS TO WHAT TO DO IF SHE BECOMES A PROBLEM. SELF PAIN DELAYS THIS 'TURNING' BUT IT'S NOT AS STRONG AS TRUE HARMFUL INTENT. THEREFORE...IF THE HUMAN DOES INDEED SNAP, WE ARE TO MONITOR HER AND LEARN WHAT THIS STATE MEANS FOR US. HOWEVER, IF SHE BECOMES AN ISSUE THEN BY ALL MEANS DO WHAT IT TAKES TO KNOCK HER BACK INTO HER NORMAL STATE. DOES THIS SOUND REASONABLE TO THE REST OF YOU?)

A general sound of acceptance is let out. It's settled.

"hey!"

Oh? Seems something is still on Legion's mind.

"let's get something straight before any of you get ideas when dealing with her. she's mine. so don't go thinking you can have any fun times with her."

This declaration gets their attention.

"Yours?"

Hillbilly is befuddled.

"ARE YOU TRYING TO CLAIM OBSESSION RIGHTS TO THE NEW MEAT?"

Trapper sneers.

"trying to claim? no. i already staked it. i sliced my name into her chest. that human belongs to me."

Obsession rights are not easy to get among killers. Currently, only three had them. Shape claimed the human named Laurie, Nightmare claimed the human named Quentin, and Pig claimed the human named Tapp. They were able to do this because they were brought here along with said humans. Sure, other humans have been brought from spots where the killers came from, but this didn't count as there is no direct affiliation. Legion would have to make a very strong case to pass this before the others.

"Did he just say...?"

Cannibal can't even finish.

"You cocky little shit!"

Ghost Face grabs Legion and pins him against a wall.

"What gives you the right to mark the human before bringing up your claim? Do you want me to kick your ass?"

Before things escalate, Shape comes and parts them from each other.

".........."

"But he broke the rules!"

"....."

Ghost Face huffs in annoyance and backs off, leading to Shape turning to Legion.

".........?"

"don't make it sound like something it's not. she's just a quirky human that happened to make killing more interesting. that's it. marking her was a heat of the moment thing. but i figured, what the hell, this might lead to more fun in the future. so i did it."

".............?"

"*scoff* please. don't give me that crap. if you three can handle your unwilling toys, then i should have no trouble with a plaything that actually will play back."

".......?"

"what? no, i'm not going to stalk her. why would i?"

"See?! He can't even fill the role! His claim for obsession rights are trash!"

Ghost Face is clearly sour over this as stalking prey is kind of his thing. Shape is also a stalking killer, as is Nightmare and somewhat Pig. Hell, nearly all of them were stalkers in some way or another except for a few that couldn't help but make very obvious noise without the help of add-ons to quiet them down.

"geez, man. what crawled up your dress to make you such a bitch?"

"This isn't a dress! It's a shroud! For the killer that needs concealment, but craves attention. Black fabrics help give cover, white glossy textures provide fashionable accents. The long jacket helps to keep the rest of the clothes dry as blood splashes with each stab of the knife."

"whatever, weirdo."

"Fuck you!"

Aggravated with the both of them, Nurse slaps them both on the back of the head as a ticked off mom would do.

"Both of you quit this nonsensical squabbling. Honestly...Half the time I cannot tell you apart from babbling children whining over who took the last cookie from the jar."

"But he..."

"No buts. What is done is done. If Legion has marked his claim, I think he should keep it."

Nurse's words take a few back, though none could see the cunning smirk hidden behind that clothe hood.

"What say you, little man? Can you show us that your bite is as strong as your bark and actually do as you claim? Or will you prove the naysayers right by continuing to boast like a pitiful whelp starving for attention?"

Legion snarls.

"i am so sick of everyone talking down to me like i'm some sort of joke. well, you know what? fuck you! fuck all of you! i'm just as ruthless as you assholes, if not more so! i don't need your stinking approval. that human is mine. and i'm going to show you all that i'm not to be fucked with!"

Legion shows that he's a mature person by storming out of there like a fed-up kid going to brood in their room.

"You didn't have to goad him like that. Tra la la. You know how unpredictable he can be."

Nurse shrugs dismissively at Wraith.

"Funny. Because he reacted just as I predicted. Like a child."

"N-Now that he's gone, c-can we discuss his claim p-properly?"

Fairly asked by Pig.

"IF THE RUNT THINKS HE CAN HANDEL THINGS LIKE A MAN, THEN FUCK IT. LET HIM TRY. IT'LL BE HILARIOUS WHEN HE FAILS. AND IT'S NOT LIKE IT'LL ITERFER WITH US IN ANY WAY."

Ghost Face is not taking this line of talk from Trapper well.

"You can't be serious? What if I went out and claimed a human as my obsession? How would you react to that?"

"I'D BEAT THE SHIT OUT OF YOU AND TAKE YOUR OFFERINGS."

"But...That's hypocrisy! Why can he get away with it and not me?!"

Trapper growls lowly.

"FOR ONE, HE'S BEEN HERE LONGER THAN YOU. YOU'VE BEEN HERE FOR ALMOST THREE MONTHS WORTH OF FEEDING CYCLES WHEREAS THIS WILL BE HIS NINTH. SECOND, YOU DON'T EVEN HAVE A TERRITORY WHERE YOU CAN CONDUCT YOUR BUSINESS. YOU'VE BEEN LOITERING IN ALL OF OURS LIKE SOME BUM. AND THIRD, IT'S NOT AMUSING WHEN YOU FAIL. YOU ACTUALLY KNOW WHAT YOU'RE DOING AND ENJOY IT. HIM ON THE OTHER HAND...?"

Trapper folds his arms and shuts his eyes.

"LEGION MIGHT HAVE BEEN CHOSEN BY THE ENTITY, BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN HE'S A NATURAL KILLER."

Ghost Face is confused.

"What do you mean?"

"*SIGH* IT'S LIKE SPIRIT SAID, JUST LOOK AT US. WE DON'T LOOK LIKE THIS FOR NO REASON. THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU TRY TO REFUSE THE ENTITY'S OFFER OF SERVITUDE. IT DOESN'T TAKE REJECTION WELL."

"*cough* Typical woman. *hack*"

Clown is glared at venomously by the females for that.

"MY POINT BEING, SOME OF US ARE HERE BECAUSE THIS IS LIKE A PARADISE. ENDLESS SLAUGHTER AND NO REAL CONSEQUENCES. SO YOU PROBABLY TOOK TO IT WITH NO ISSUE. BUT FOR THE REST OF US, THE ONES THAT SAID NO AT THE START...WELL...YOU SEE WHY WE THEN SAID YES WHEN ASKED AGAIN."

"But what does that have to do with him?"

"BECAUSE HE SAID NO TO ALL THIS. HE MAY KILL BUT IT'S NOT SOMETHING HE WANTS TO DO. HE HAS TO DO IT. HE HAS TO PROVE HIMSELF. TO THE ENTITY, TO US, AND HIMSELF. IT SHOWS THAT HE KNOWS HE CAN DO BETTER. I RESPECT THAT DRIVE EVEN IF HE'S A LITTLE SHIT. AND AS ENTERTAINING AS IT IS TO SEE HIM FAIL, I'D BE LYING IF I SAID I WASN'T LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING HIM SUCCEED."

This doesn't seem to help Ghost Face at all.

"So just because I'm new, good at my job, and like it, I don't get to have the same rights as that jackass? That's bullshit!"

"NOT TO MENTION, YOU'RE ALSO A WHINY LITTLE BITCH THAT PISSES ME OFF."

"Fuck you!"

The sudden sound of bone on metal bashes when Trapper rushes over and punches Ghost Face's face, knocking the shrouded killer across the room.

"KNOW YOUR PLACE, NEWBIE. YOU WANT RIGHTS? RESPECT? POWER? THEN FUCKING EARN IT! DON'T BITCH ABOUT LIKE YOU'RE ENTITLED. TAKE TIME TO PROVE YOU SHOULD AND THEN WE'LL TALK."

Ghost Face sneers yet relents...for now. He'll have to bide his time and find some other way to play things his way.

"Um...Other than this stuff, are there any other matters that need to be brought up? Tra la la."

Wraith queries to which Huntress raises her ax up high.

"Oh! I have noticed the signs of an upcoming Blood Hunt."

"Hmmm...Tra la la...This is twice now one has come around All Hallows' Eve."

"☟⚐🕈 ✌🏱🏱☼⚐🏱☼✋✌❄☜📬 💧☜☜✋☠☝ ✌💧 ❄☟☜ ☟✌☹☹⚐🕈☜👎 👌☹✋☝☟❄ ✋💧 ❄☟☜☠ ✌💧 🕈☜☹☹📬" (HOW APPROPRIATE. SEEING AS THE HALLOWED BLIGHT IS THEN AS WELL.)

This gets some odd looks from Plague and Ghost Face.

"I will explain. Once a year for two weeks worth of feedings, the Entity undergoes a purge. During this period, the Entity is infested with blight. The cankers bloom into a strange type of flower that spurts putrid nectar. A thick fluid that oozes like pus from infected wounds."

Nurse explains.

"YOU FORGET THAT IT'S ALSO THE TIME WHERE THOSE OTHER ASSHOLES LIKE TO MESS WITH US. FUCKING HUMANS."

Trapper spits venomously.

"How are the humans trouble during that time, deary?"

"✋☞ ✡⚐🕆 ❄☟✋☠😐 ✋🕯💣 ❄🕈✋💧❄☜👎📪 ❄☟☜☼☜ ✌☼☜ ❄🕈⚐ ☟🕆💣✌☠ 💣✌☹☜💧 ❄☟✌❄ 🏱🕆❄ 💣☜ ❄⚐ 💧☟✌💣☜📬 ❄☟☜✡ ☟✌✞☜ ☜☹🕆👎☜👎 🕆💧 ✌☠👎 ☜✞☜☠ ❄☟☜ ☜☠❄✋❄✡ ☞⚐☼ ✈🕆✋❄☜ 💧⚐💣☜ ❄✋💣☜📬 ❄☟☜ 👍☹☜✞☜☼ 👌✌💧❄✌☼👎💧 ☹✋😐☜ ❄⚐ 👌☜ ☜✞☜☠ 👌⚐☹👎☜☼ ❄☟✌☠ ☹☜☝✋⚐☠ ✌☠👎 ✌👌👎🕆👍❄ 💧⚐💣☜ ⚐☞ 🕆💧📬" (IF YOU THINK I'M TWISTED, THERE ARE TWO HUMAN MALES THAT PUT ME TO SHAME. THEY HAVE ELUDED US AND EVEN THE ENTITY FOR QUITE SOME TIME. THE CLEVER BASTARDS LIKE TO BE EVEN BOLDER THAN LEGION AND ABDUCT SOME OF US.)

That's something they weren't expecting to hear.

"✋❄ 💧☜☜💣💧 ❄☟☜💧☜ ☟🕆💣✌☠💧 ☟✌✞☜ 💣✌👎☜ 💧⚐💣☜❄☟✋☠☝ ☞☼⚐💣 ❄☟✋💧 👌☹✋☝☟❄☜👎 🏱🕆💧💧📬 ✌ 🏱🕆❄☼✋👎 💧☜☼🕆💣📬 ❄☟✋💧 💧☜☼🕆💣📪 👍✌🕆💧☜💧 🕆💧 ❄⚐ 💣🕆❄✌❄☜ 🕈☟☜☠ ✋☠☺☜👍❄☜👎 🕈✋❄☟ ✋❄📬 ❄☟✌☠😐☞🕆☹☹✡📪 ❄☟✋💧 🏱✌✋☠☞🕆☹ 💣🕆❄✌❄✋⚐☠ ☹✌💧❄💧 ⚐☠☹✡ ✌💧 ☹⚐☠☝ ✌💧 ❄☟☜ 👌☹✋☝☟❄ ✋❄💧☜☹☞ ☞⚐☼ ❄☟☜ ☜☠❄✋❄✡📬" (IT SEEMS THESE HUMANS HAVE MADE SOMETHING FROM THIS BLIGHTED PUSS. A PUTRID SERUM. THIS SERUM, CAUSES US TO MUTATE WHEN INJECTED WITH IT. THANKFULLY, THIS PAINFUL MUTATION LASTS ONLY AS LONG AS THE BLIGHT ITSELF FOR THE ENTITY. )

"Who's been blighted before?"

To this question, five hands are put up. Trapper, Wraith, Hillbilly, Doctor, and Huntress.

"*cough* To their credit. It's not like they haven't tried on the rest of us. *wheeze* Nurse nearly got the stuff but only was messed up a little bit. *hack*"

"I had a pumpkin for a head. I would not call that a little messed up."

So this is a thing. A thing that no one thought they'd picture.

"Should we tell Legion about this? The dear is also not one that knows of this event or it's hassles."

"NAH. HE'LL FIND OUT ONE WAY OR ANOTHER."

"With that said, is there any further business in need of addressing? Tra la la."

No one has anything further after all of that.

"Very well. Tra la la. Meeting adjourned."

*CLANG-CLANG*

With that, Wraith vanishes and takes its leave among the other killers.

[Elsewhere: Survivor Campsite]

"'ow she doin'?"

David asks Claudette and Quentin, both of whom are tending to Lynsie who inexplicably collapsed after returning from the last trial.

"It's odd. There are no signs of anything physically wrong with her. Yet she seems to be suffering from Hypovolemia, a state of decreased intravascular volume. This may be due to either a loss of both salt and water or, the more likely culprit, a decrease in blood volume."

Claudette's so smart. It's no wonder she's the top healer of the group.

"She mentioned that Legion 'ad a bit of fun with 'er. Probably roughed 'er up pretty good. But the Entity should've fixed that. Right? The damn thing always does when we finish trial."

"I was thinking about that..."

Now for Quentin's evil theory of the day!

"From what Dwight said, the Entity was turning her into a killer. And from what we've found in those pages of Benedict Baker's journal, the Entity will punish killers that either don't perform well or downright refuse it. I think this was her punishment, a small warning, for refusing the Entity."

"And just 'ow would the big nasty in the sky know that?"

"Because that son of a bitch is everywhere."

Detective Tapp joins in on the conversion.

"I've been looking at this place like I would a crime scene. Trying to make some sense of things. It ain't easy. But some things are and the Red Stain is one of them."

"'ow do you figure that, ol' man?"

"Boy, I will slap you if you call me that again."

David rolls his eyes.

"Now from what I've gathered, I suspect that the intensity of the Stain is directly linked to the range of the Terror Radius the Killer has, meaning that Killers with a shorter Terror Radius have a fainter Stain and Killers with a larger Terror Radius have a stronger Stain."

"Makes sense so far."

"I also suspect that the Stain works as means for the Entity to watch over the trials directly through the Killer's eyes. An indication of this being the case is the of that Killer ability Beast of Prey, as the Stain is gone because the Killer momentarily loses their connection to the Entity and is free to roam due to their bloodlust being so strong."

"So the moment her eyes made the Stain..."

"The Entity knew. Probably saw through Legion's eyes why it wasn't working on her. Nutty kid for thinking she could fight off something like the Entity."

"Then what do we do?"

A not wild Dwight appears.

"About her I mean."

The group looks at the unconscious member with uncertainty.

"As much as I hate to agree with Nea, she does make a point. If at any moment for any reason a team member can suddenly start attacking the team, that does make her a liable threat."

Claudette makes a point.

"But it wasn't for just any reason. She only snapped because she was angry. Angry that we didn't even treat her like she was on the team."

Dwight says somberly.

"*scoff* Severs you fuckers right then. It's about time there was somethin' to put douchebags in there place around 'ere."

Judgmental eyes are cast onto David.

"What?"

"You have an annoying habit of trying to fight the monsters."

"So?"

"You end up dying 96% of the time."

"'ey, you 'ave the respect my 4% chance of doin' anythin'."

"Maybe if it was actually helpful."

"Says the twat that spends 'is 'elpful time 'indin' in lockers."

"Hey!"

"Will you both shut it. You're bickering isn't helping anyone."

Dwight huffs and David mutters curses under his breath.

"So getting back to the point, we've covered the whole she'll hulk out when angry. But what do we do when she does get in smash mode?"

Quentin's age really shows sometimes.

"The kid makes a good point. A silly one, but a point none the less."

"Thanks?"

"But what do we do if she does become a killer? It's not like we can take down a normal monster."

"The same thing we do to every other monster..."

Nea shouts.

"Bash them over the head with pallets!"

Nea's guide to toxicity rule #1: If there is a chance to smack something with a pallet, do it!

"Yeah...No. That just pisses people off more."

"We're lookin' for ways to not make 'er mad. I think bein' bashed in the 'ead contradicts that."

Nea folds her arms uncaring.

"I don't care if it makes her mad. The goal is to make what's chasing you stop the chase."

"By pissin' them off even more?"

"It's called tactical frustration, dingus! You make the other person so mad that they want nothing to do with you anymore."

"So bein' a cunt?"

"Fuck you!"

"Fuck you."

*CROWS CAW*

Fluttering shadows morph from the trees and scatter across the ever glowing gloom of the sky. This garners attention above all other matters.

"The crows..."

"Damn it! The Entity was listenin'."

"It's always listening, dork. It just normally doesn't care about what it hears."

"It cared now."

Meg interjects.

"The real question is...Why?"

"In my experience, it's never a good thing for when a supernatural interdimensional elder god takes interest in anything human-related."

Ash rings in with blunt truth. When something beyond human understanding meddles in human affairs it rarely ends without great suffering of some kind. But who would suffer? One of them? All of them? Humans? Monsters? Who bloody well knows?! That's the terrifying aspect of it. Fate's unpredictability.

[Elsewhere: The Void]

My eyes slowly open to fog. Nothing but dark thick fog. The kind of fog that doesn't just blind you but fucks with your other senses. There's this weird floating feeling even though I know I'm touching the ground. Or what I assume is ground. It's something solid and I just choose to believe its ground because I don't want to think of what it could be otherwise. The air has no smell to it, it's dull and messes with my nose. It even has a faint charred smoky taste to it like you've just licked some burnt charcoal. And as for sound, there is none. There's nothing but this weird dead silence that is just eerie enough that I can sense something is around but again all there is quiet. Moving around to explore is not an option. Not that I can't move, I just choose not to because fuck you, I don't want to be automatically killed by unknown danger like the last time I went off into obvious danger zones.

[The Entity sees that you are learning, little worm. No longer running off into the unknown. Very wise.]

Well, that doesn't make me feel better about the situation.

"Look, I'm not gonna beat around the bush here. You can easily mess me up in ways I probably wouldn't begin to think of just for giggles and I'm not dumb enough to piss you off to do so. So in the bluntest way I can think of asking...What the fraggle happened to me and where/why am I here, oh mighty Entity?"

My attitude started to kick in near the end so I figured a little cuteness will keep me from being turned inside out or something else fucked up.

[My, the Entity forgets how bothersome you worms can be. It is no wonder why we do not speak so often. But it is understandable that a worm would be confused by what the Entity does.]

It is at this moment that I come to believe the Entity speaks in the third person and yet in a way that is still grammatically fitting. I guess ego is next to godliness.

[You, you odd and yet interesting little worm, are a strange creature even by what the Entity knows. The Entity has brought you here so that things would be...well...less of a hassle.]

"Sounds reasonable so far. Yet where is HERE exactly?"

[This is the Void. Or that is what you worms tend to call it. It is a different plane of existence. A place where the Entity stores the broken worms that are no longer of any use.]

I remember being told about this place. The Survivors that have given up and lost all hope end up here as they aren't useful food anymore. That explains the feelings this place is giving me.

"Wow. One trial and you deem me Void worthy? Must be a record."

This earns it a bit of a laugh.

[Amusing. No, little worm, you have not warranted a spot of permanence here...yet. The Entity has brought you here for two reasons. The first, to tell you of your role and personal skills in this delicious game. The second will come later.]

I got skillz!

[These skills or Perks are abilities that the Entity is generous enough to allow you to have. Each side is given three, so you worms are just as capable as the beasts. You may choose to share these perks with the other worms or keep them to yourself and hone them to make yourself better. The choice is yours and yours alone.]

So I can either be a decent person and increase the whole team's chances of living or I can be a dick.

[Your first perk is named after that clever move you pulled in the trial...Snowball's Chance.]

This orange diamond or square standing on its points pops up in front of me and it depicts a glob being thrown.

[Snowball's Chance: Activatable Perk. While within the Killer's Terror Radius and in a Chase for 45 seconds activates Snowball's Chance. Once Snowball's Chance is activated, you may be able to scoop whatever you can grab from the ground to throw at or away from the Killer. Choosing the away option will create a loud noise notification for the Killer at a distance of 10/15/20 meters and provides a helpful distraction provided the Killer goes for it. Choosing the at Killer option, if hit in the face, will momentarily blind them as well as stun them, whereas a normal body hit merely provides a stun. Snowball's Chance deactivates once it has been used.]

"That...sounds badass."

Honestly, it kind of feels like an RGP game where I made up a move for my character and some game developer thought it was just cool enough to put the character/move into their game. I'm a fucking nerd and love this shit! The image in the diamond changes to a pic of me crawling with a sneaky grin.

[The second perk is called...Skulker's Instinct.]

Sounds ominous.

[Skulker's Instinct: Always Active Perk. Years of isolation and distrust have taught you a thing about the benefits of paranoia. You crawl close to the floor instead of crouching, this prevents you from leaving Scratch Marks and gives you faster movement speed compared to crouching by 90/95/100%. This level of stealth allows you to avoid alerting Crows but does spook other Survivors if you bump into them, making them yelp and alerting the Killer. Also, if injured, you know better than to make a sound, you hold in the sounds of pain for the first time at least. Any future injuries will cause you to whimper.]

"I suppose that's fair. And I can be creepy as hell, so the random spooking seems about right."

[The third perk is quite delightful. It is called...Breaking Point.]

That one doesn't sound so good and the image of me looking unhinged doesn't help either.

[Breaking Point: Triggered Perk. Due to your mental toughness, you can handle most stressful situations that would cripple a normal person. But you are only human and even you have a limit where things start to get under your skin. The more your team screws around and the Killer attacks you or hinders your progress, the frustrating stress will begin to pile on until you can take it no longer. Resentment Tier I: Your annoyance level begins to grow, you are more agitated and on your guard. Your speed is reduced by 15% and preforming Skill Checks gets hard to do. Resentment Tier II: All effects of Tier I. The continued stress is not helping you, you can not trust your teammates with even the simplest task and the Killer is not making matters better either. Your frustration makes performing Skill Checks extremely difficult as you are not as focused. You aren't sure how much more you can take. Resentment Tier III: All effects of Tier II. You can no longer take it. Everyone is against you. They want you to die. You have no choice. You must kill or be killed!]

This has me disturbed, to say the least.

"Uh..."

[Which leads into your special ability. The Entity has dubbed it...The Anomaly State.]

"Special ability?"

[Yes, special ability. All Killers have one.]

I'm not liking this anymore.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa...Whoa! I am no killer."

[Oh sure. And what you did to Jake was merely some aggressive affection.]

"I didn't want to hurt him!"

[Yes you did.]

"No. I didn't!"

[Yes, you did. You wanted to hurt him for disrespecting you and talking down to you like some lowly worm. And how dare he do such a thing. He does not know you or your hardships. He lived a life of wealth and comfort. How dare he talk to you like he is superior.]

I know what it's doing. It's trying to talk to me like it's on my side. Like it cares. Appealing to me to make me believe in this false sympathy. It is cruel and manipulative...I fucking hate that It's worming into my head!

[And Dwight...He thinks he is so clever, telling you bits and pieces but not whole truths. If he was not willing to tell you everything before, what makes you think he will tell you anything now? Now that he has seen the beast in you.]

It's getting to me. I'm growling softly and making fists.

[Let us not forget David. Surely even you can see that he is merely using you. Pretending to be interested in something more when all he wants is your body. Do you believe that he will remain friendly once he had taken what he has wanted?]

Stop it! Stop making so much sense!

[Face it, little worm. It is as you have always known. You can not rely on others. They have their own motives and desires. No one will help you out of innocence. There is always something others want from you and will do anything to get it. Even if those means include toying with your very heart.]

"And why should I believe you? You have your own motives too."

[That is true. Yet my motive is very clear and the Entity can not lie. The Entity gains no matter if the beasts or worms are successful. The Entity is neither your friend or foe, though you may believe otherwise.]

Damn it! I hate it when something obviously bad makes incredibly good points!

[Now, if you will allow the Entity to continue, the Entity will explain further.]

I bite my tongue. Nothing I say matters to this thing anyway. It's only humoring me for the time being.

[Each Killer has a very unique Power. Each is distinct and stands out from the others. You are no different...and yet you are. This is due to your soul.]

"My soul?"

[Yes. That soul of yours is not natural for one of your kind. It is...rather delectable.]

Creepy.

[But its oddness is why we are speaking and why the Entity sees fit in gifting you such rare power.]

Dare I ask?

"And what be this power that you would bestow upon me?"

It's freaky in how I can almost feel it smirk. The diamond thing changes to a gray square and now shows a split shot of my face. One side is normal. The other side is like Batman villain Twoface.

[Special Ability: Anomaly State. Upon Breaking Point's Resentment Tier III activation, you will undergo a notable mental breakdown and such a snap opens you up to the Entity. The touch of the Entity leaves burning scars and blisters of light. Is it a gift or a curse? That's up to you as you become the Corrupted Survivor. This tainted essence is always within you, giving off a radius that Killers can pick up on and use to track you down similar to the one you can hear to know when a Killer is close by. As the Corrupted Survivor, you only have one goal...Survive. Your team is a liability, holding you down and keeping you in harm's way. Killing them will increase your odds of making it out alive. The fewer there are, the fewer things they can get in the way of. These actions will please the Entity but the real Killer might not be happy about you stealing its prey. True Killers can still attack and kill you in this state, so even they are just another obstacle in your way. You can not kill a Killer. But you can incapacitate them for a short time and allowing you to finish what you have started. Taking down a Killer grants you immeasurable Bloodlust, making your movement speed increase to 10.0 m/s and letting you see the auras of any remaining Survivors for 3 seconds.]

Not gonna lie, that both is blood-chilling and thrilling at the same time.

[However...]

Oh?

[Just as there are ways to trigger this False Killer state, there are ways to prevent and reverse you back to normal. So long as your team performs as you think they should and do not mess up often, Breaking Point will not activate. If Breaking Point is activated and only at Tier I, the effects can be undone by your team avoiding injuring for 2 minutes or repairing 1 generator. If Breaking Point is activated and at Tier II, your team will need to do better by avoiding damage for 4 minutes or repairing 2 generators. If Breaking Point is activated and at Tier III, Anomaly State will activate. If Anomaly State is active, your team can try to revert you to normal by either proving their worth in doing tasks needed to escape or cause you enough pain to regain some clarity. Proving their worth can be done by restoring generators, healing teammates, hindering the real Killer, and unlocking the gates. Clarity through pain is done by blinding with flashlights, being stunned with pallet drops, being disoriented by firecrackers, and being stabbed by carried victims. If Anomaly State is undone, there is a cooldown time of 4 minutes before Breaking Point can trigger again. Killers can also use pain to revert you to normal, with enough damage from clashing with the real Killer you will be back to being just another piece of meat waiting to be hooked.]

The square thing disappears but not the imprint of what has just been told to me. I am now a living version of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. At any point in a trial, I can be driven into such rage that I will start to kill my team.

[What say you, little worm? Do you like the gifts the Entity has given you?]

Don't be a smartass. This is basically a god you're dealing with. Pissing it off will only add more salt and acid to this wound I call existence. Though it could do without the condescending tone.

"Though I'm not sure why you've done so, I am flattered you've went to such trouble. Thank you, oh mighty Entity."

Why is it now that I realize I'm talking to a voice in my head? And why does it feel normal? I am strangely okay with this and I am not okay with that.

[Good. Very good. The Entity appreciates this version of you. Perhaps you are now more willing to play by the rules and will not have to be punished for very long.]

This confuses me.

"I'm sorry?"

[Oh, you will be. There are consequences for disobedience, little worm. And the Entity does not like it when others try to deny that which is meant to be.]

The ground beneath me rumbles for a moment before I lose my balance and end up impaled through the gut by something that has my heart stop. A spidery-like claw is jutting from my insides and weirdly enough there is no blood. Yet there is pain. Lots and lots of pain! My roar is harsh and hurts my throat. But the claw is merely the beginning. The ground pushes up more and more claws protrude out, making like I'm in the palm of a massive hand.

"Holy shit..."

The claws crush around me, twisting my torso to the side and pointing me up towards what I guess is a sky.

[You will be a good little worm and embrace the power given to you.]

"Yes! I swear I'll be good!"

The claws tighten, my bones ache in pain, and the claw coming out of me twitches slowly down to etch its tip against my head.

[And you will no longer harm yourself.]

"I promise! I promise!"

[Good girl.]

The claw's tip beings to force itself into my skull.

[While you do say the needed things, the Entity believes you should still learn from your defiance. It will be some time before your body regenerates the blood you lost during the trial and allow you to fully wake up. So till then, the Entity will happily make sure you know just how things work here. Your first lesson, what happens when you bring the displeasure of refusal and failure to please the Entity.]

It inches painfully deeper into my brain. My howls are deafening yet have no echo in this place, the fog damping all sound.

[Yes. Wail all you like. Suffering adds such flavor to the soul. And the fear...Tasty, tasty, beautiful fear. Truly it is the spice of life. You worms all taste so much better when you are afraid.]

This is merely the beginning of a very long and agonizingly drawn-out torture. Since this is basically my spirit/mind in this Void, any harm done is all going to further fuck over my mental health and probably going to make it easier to break when under similar stress. All I know is I'm not coming out of this unscathed.

(UNKNOWN AMOUNT OF TIME LATER)

With a loud gasp and violent bolt upright, I finally cast my eyes on something other than the claws of the Entity exploring new ways of doing awful things to me. My body is shaking. Ears ringing. And there's a searing burn coming from my chest. My senses are so dull that once I register that there's something on my shoulder I throw myself halfway across the camp in fear that the claws have come back and I hold myself in sheer fright. Of course that's not really the case. It was just David. Yet this does little to calm my panicking heart and rapid breathing.

"Whoa now. Take it easy, Luv. It's only me."

He takes a few steps towards me before stopping at the blocking arm of Jane.

"Oi, what's your deal?"

"Look at her. She needs a moment. Just give her a bit of space before you go over there."

He grumbles to himself but listens to the woman. Allowing me to regain some semblance of normality. My brain catches up to what is really around me and very slowly settles down from the adrenaline that comes from being fucking terrorized by the Entity for who knows how long. Speaking of which...

"H-How long?"

Did...Did my voice just crack? Geez, I'm messed up if I can't even control that basic function.

"How long what?"

Laurie comes near but keeps a fair distance from me.

"How long was I gone?"

This question has them looking at me funny. I don't like how they're looking at me.

"Gone?"

"Luv, you never left camp."

Granted, they have no clue what I meant by "gone". Still, telling me anything else like "we're not sure" or a number of trials that went by while I slept would be much better. Instead, this dumb answer feels like they're talking to me like a child and it pisses me off.

"Don't talk down to me and tell me how long I've been out!"

My head throbs, both in lingering pain and frustration.

"A while..."

Adam's input is made.

"At least ten or so trials past since you blacked out."

Okay, but what does that mean? A day? Two days? A week? Why haven't these numbnuts found a way to measure time?!

"Too long...Too god damn long..."

I move to stand but find my legs a bit wobbly. Claudette brings a medkit over.

"Try not to move around too fast or so much. You don't want to hurt yourself."

I huff a slight snarl.

"Don't waste that kit. Just teach me Self-Care so I can take care of myself."

Her face, among the others, is shocked.

"How do you know about...?"

"Your Perks?"

I cut her off merely to shut her up so I can explain. Otherwise, we'll be here playing 20 Questions till trial starts.

"I know your Perks. I know ALL of your Perks. It wouldn't let me leave without knowing everything. Forcing each and every bit of information you all failed to tell me so deep into my skull that I'm sure it erased what little childhood memories I had left to do so."

I point at her.

"Your three Perks are Botany Knowledge, Empathy, and Self-Care."

"I don't understand. We never told you..."

"Are you ignoring me or just stupid? It told me EVERYTHING. The Entity told me the things none of you ever bothered to. Like seeing Auras, Scratch Marks, Add-ons, Sabotaging Hooks, Cleansing Totems, and some weird-ass shit called the Bloodweb. Which, by the way, thank you all for being so nice in telling me. It really means a lot that you are all so nice and caring. Oh, wait, no you're not. You're all a bunch of bastards!"

My head pangs harder. A foreboding sense of dread tingles my spine.

"Easy now. Please calm down."

Dwight's voice seems almost distantly muffled in my ears.

"I know you're upset. But you don't need to get worked up over it."

This almost has me seeing red.

"Worked up? You haven't seen worked up. This isn't me upset. This is me after the Entity has had it's fun! Punishing me. Doing god awful things to me...Being killed by the monsters is a dream compared to the nightmare I suffered!"

Nea scoffs.

"Geez. Overly dramatic much?"

My eye twitches and the pain in my head is getting worse. I roar out in agonizing discomfort.

"Stop it! Stop pissing me off! I can't control the beast at Tier III!"

The mentioning of something like a tier gets attention. Though my throbbing head isn't helping me in trying to concentrate. Suddenly, mostly because the pain made my eyes shut, David surprises me by grabbing hold of my face and forcing me to lock eyes with him.

"Look at me. Ignore them, Luv. I got you. Block everythin' else that ain't me. Do that for me, Luv. I know you can."

His eyes. Dark brown and intense yet soft. Why can't I look away?

"That's my girl. Focus on this mug of mine and know it's gonna be okay."

It takes a moment before I regain the memory to blink. In this state, it's easy to get lost in those eyes of his. His smirk is also strangely reassuring.

"Heh. Trippy."

"What?"

"Did you know that your eyes change color?"

"Yeah. Not sure why or when it happens."

"They were kinda red-orange before and now dullin' to light brown."

"Normally they're ether light brown, hazel, light green, or some mix of those. Any other color is rare and just tends to happen."

He smiles.

"So...Feelin' better?"

"A little bit."

"Anythin' I can do to make that little bit bigger?"

I bite my tongue.

"Come on. You can tell me."

I start to blush.

"...Hug?"

He surprised yet I'm the one more shocked that he actually does it. His embrace has me feeling so weak. I tremble, wanting to give in and break down. To cry and let this pain out. But I don't. I won't let myself be so open. Not around them. Not even him.

"'ow about now?"

I just nod against him.

"Do you...I don't know...Wanna talk about stuff?"

[You may choose to share these Perks with the other worms or keep them to yourself and hone them to make yourself better. The choice is yours and yours alone.]

The Entity's words come back to me like a whisper on the wind. Part of me really wants to make them suffer as I have. But I don't want to be like them.

"Okay...But only because there's important stuff to tell you guys."

"Do you want me to stay by your side?"

"...Maybe."

He merely chuckles and musses up my hair playfully. While it is true, what the Entity said about him is something I've thought of when it comes to David's intentions, he sadly is the only one at camp I trust. That and he's not that bad of a guy to be around even if his flirting can get a bit tiresome.

With little coaxing, the others gather around the fire as I tell them what the Entity told me. I do my best to explain my three perks. Though it's the special ability that interests them the most. And can I blame them? Now they have confirmation that a team member can become a killer and attack them if things aren't going so well. It's a downright terrifying idea. One that I'm sure the Entity loves. Still, even though I am telling them these things, I refuse to share with them just how to use my perks for themselves. My faith in these people is nearly non-existent, not including David who's the one keeping me sane after all this crap. Plus, I'd rather understand these perks better myself before passing anything along to them. Frankly, the only ones they could use would be Snowball's Chance and Skulker's Instinct. Breaking Point would be useless to them as it serves no purpose other than to trigger my killer side which is exclusively a me thing. However, my reluctance to share my perks is not taken kindly.

"What kind of crap is this? You want us to share our perks but you won't share yours?!"

Feng beats Nea to the punch on being pissed off.

"I just found out about these things. Let me understand how they work."

"What's there to understand? You throw shit and you're stealthy. There. I did it for you."

Now Nea says her bit.

"If it's so simple then why can't you do it?"

Meg sticks up for me.

"Because fuck you, that's why."

"Cunt, would you shut up. Luv's not askin' for all our perks. Just one. And it ain't even yours."

David is right. I've only asked for one perk and it's Claudette's Self-Care. It unlocks the ability to heal yourself without a Med-Kit at 50% the normal Healing speed and increases the efficiency of Med-Kit self-heal by 10%, for Claudette herself this is 20%. I asked for this skill so that damage wouldn't bother me as much and trigger my killer side. But I guess assholes can't see the big picture what with their head being so far up their butts.

"Call me a cunt again, you Limey bastard! I fucking dare you!"

"And your lot wonders why the rest of the world hates ya."

I tug on David's ear and he whines.

"'ey, what was that for?"

"You don't need to keep throwing logs on her fire. Just ignore it and eventually the heat will die down."

He looks at me funny before draping his thick arm around my shoulders.

"Ah, Luv, 'ad we ever met outside of this place I don't think we'd go very far."

"Oh? Why's that?"

"Because you'd be tryin' to talk me out of fightin'. And me not bein' able to fight just ain't right."

I simply smirk.

"Fair enough. But...We'd still be cool otherwise, right?"

"A rockin' bird like you? Oh yeah. I'd be a right proper git to not be interested in keepin' you around."

"Heh. You're not such a bad bloke yourself, Scrappy-Doo."

"...I was goin' to say it's sexy when you use English, but you killed it by callin' me that cartoon dog."

"Yet the resemblance is uncanny."

"Hey!"

Oh right, Nea's still here and being annoying.

"Don't act like I'm not here."

"Nea, just stop it already."

Ace speaks up.

"The kid has a right to learn her skills before giving them away."

"Up yours, old man."

"Know what..."

Bill interjects.

"I seem to recall a time when you flat out told us to 'shove it' when we asked about your perks."

"Yeah...well...*scoff* Fine! Do whatever. I don't care anyway."

She storms away to be as far from the fire and me as possible without leaving the safety zone.

"Geez, she can be such a bummer for a kid."

Kate remarks as she tunes up her nice acoustic guitar. And that gets my attention.

"Um...Where did you get that from?"

She looks at the guitar.

"Oh, this? I bought it off the Entity."

I look at her funny.

"What?"

"Seems the Entity told up about the mechanics of trials but not the rewards for doing them."

Jake states with a tone that lets me know he's still ticked at me for getting him killed.

"What do you mean 'rewards'?"

Jeff clears his throat to get my attention.

"So the Entity told you about the Bloodweb, right? How that it uses Bloodpoints to get Add-ons and that you gain Bloodpoints during the Trials by performing certain actions."

Dear lord don't tell me it's another long as fuck exposition rant.

"Yeah?"

"Well, aside from Bloodpoints, there are two other forms of currency. Iridescent Shards and Auric Cells. Iridescent Shards can be used to bribe the Entity into gifting you a copy of someone else's perk but that's super expensive. Typically like 2,000 or 2,700 shards. Depends on the Entity's mood. Auric Cells are super rare and are a pain in the ass to collect, but they're worth it. With enough Auric Cells, the Entity will make things a lot more entertaining by letting us get new clothes and items that make living here just a bit more bearable. You get both these things in varying amounts as rewards for how well you did in Trials and you might not even know you have any if no one tells you about it, but you can check how much you have when you go into the Bloodweb."

I just stare at him and soak this in.

"And the cool part is, once you get these things, you can have them permanently. No need to re-get something if you've decided to change. Just think about it and pesto. New duds and stuff."

My brain is starting to fail at taking this information.

"You alright there, Luv?"

"Just...I can't seem to understand the logic of the Entity."

"Don't bother trying..."

Dwight chirps.

"We've been here for what feels like ages and we still have no clue when it comes to that thing."

"I just think it's a little weird. The Entity wants us to die so it can feed off of our souls. It wants us to be afraid of it and die. That's how it gets the best taste out of us. Yet it gives us a place to relax? Then grants us items of comfort? Granted, this is probably to make us last long as a source of food as the useless are sent to the Void. But still...If it can already pull people from different points in time and across other timelines, then why not amass a large city's worth of humans to compensate for any that break easily and not cater to the needs of said humans?"

I like to think this is a well thought out point. I mean, I don't understand beings of alternate realities nor do I claim to. But when I'm hungry, I don't go out to a restaurant and get only some water. Sure, drink enough water and eventually, you'll get full. Yet it's nothing compared to an all you can eat buffet. So why is it content with the few random stragglers that wander in? It doesn't make sense to me.

"It doesn't waste..."

Tapp mutters before hammering his fist into his palm.

"It doesn't waste us. It may feed on us slowly over time. But it will feed until there's nothing left. Like sucking the very last drops of juice out of the box."

"So then the longer we last and keep our hope up..."

Quentin needed to interject for some reason.

"The longer it can continue to feed on a smaller number of victims without too much effort or attention. Like a small-time crook getting away with petty crimes because of a larger more noticeable syndicate has the cops focus."

Could he not refer to his law enforcement career? We get it. You were a cop. That shit doesn't matter here, Tapp!

"You know, for a group of people that don't try to understand the Entity, you understand it more than you think when someone questions things."

Again, I like to think I make good points. And their expressions only further this thought.

"We can increase insights by exposing ourselves to lots of different ideas that might help us form new connections."

All eyes look at Nea who randomly spouted that rather insightful quote.

"What? I know shit too. Douche turds think I can't be smart or something?"

I would crack some remark if I gave a shit. Frankly, I'm sick of letting that bitch piss me off so easily. I should take the advice David and even myself gave earlier, ignore her. Ignore everything that ticks me off. I can't become a killer if I don't let things get to me.

"So..."

Claudette moves over to me.

"I know you told us how your perk works. But do you know if it's only applicable in trials?"

I merely tilt my head in confusion.

"Beg your pardon?"

"She means can you go nuts in camp."

Jake spits and I just shrug.

"No clue. As chatty as the Entity was, it didn't tell me that."

"Figures as much."

"Still, you can never be too safe. Best not get on my bad side."

Probably not the best thing to remotely joke about. Though David tries to play this tension off by yanking me into a headlock and nuggying me till I'm surly growling.

"Awww...Such a big bad killer you are. So threatenin' with that cute face."

"*snarls* Will you quit fucking with my hair?!"

"Oh? And what'cha gonna do about it, Luv?"

I bite his forearm yet he merely laughs. This leads into some mildly aggressive horseplay on both our parts. Despite the oddity that this interaction is it does serve to show that while I am now a threat, that it doesn't mean I'm not human. I'm still me. A nutty weirdo goon that got stuck here just like they did. They can die and so can I. We are all prey. My power in the grand scheme of things changes nothing.

Still, something feels uneasy. While things return to normal and the occasional chat, I get this odd sense of being watched. Well, a different one from the feeling of the eyes of the other survivors. No, this one feeling is off. Predatory. A feeling I once felt long before I had my trial. There's a monster in the woods. The question remains of who it is and why is it skulking around? Is it Legion? Did he come to see me squirm? Or is this someone else? Someone I haven't met yet? I have so many questions!

[Elsewhere: Survivor Campsite Woods]

He watched from his spot as he had done so for quite some time since that fateful meeting. He wasn't going to miss any chance to prove the others wrong. To show that he was worthy. And he was going to use the new meat to do so. His patience paid off this time, as the human was once more up and about after many hunting cycles of just lying still like a corpse. Luck was even further on his side as he intently listened in on their ramblings and learned that the others weren't that far off in their theories on her strange power. This human, if provoked enough, will become a killer just like him. The thought of seeing such a sight made him excited. Such a moment needed to be preserved for posterity. With some careful hand placement, he makes a bold move and readies the shot that will mark his road to respect.

*CLICK*

The small camera's flash was obscured but there was nothing to stop the shutter sound. A few of the humans picked up on it and dismissed it for normal odd noise. Though the new meat is less swayed to ignore the sound. Her eyes search for any hint of something different lurking in the foggy shadows.

lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...lub-dub...

He could hear his heartbeat. Strange, as he didn't think he had a heart to begin with. One of the other humans pulls her attention from investigating further and a sudden thrill has him. He's never been caught before yet his stealth nearly failed him here. This was exciting. Turning the camera around, he looked at the image capture and smirked to himself. Yes...Things were going to be fun for Ghost Face.

[zombeamik]

i had a realisation about something and wanted to write a theory.

spoilers below the line

—————————————————————

Kris is our vessel, we are the red soul, it saves as us when we are in kris’ body and then i mean no wonder chara/kris rips the soul out of their body at the end because they dont want us in there, they don’t want us in control as we would ruin it for them.

of course i don’t know if this is true until the next part but i mean if it does save as kris or chara instead of us ima be like oh shit

i mean what it seems like to me is that now that our soul is gone from their body we really shouldn’t have control over it anymore like at all.

like this poor kid no wonder why their side of the room is so bland, they’ve probably never had anytime to do anything for themselves as we don’t know how long kris has had this soul, but they had to get it from someone. ((toby, temmie, rest of the crew))

they are emotionless, empty even with our soul inside as their original soul is gone, never to be seen again.

Even some of the monsters in the Dark World/Overworld pick up on it throughout the game. Puzzle Piece Goon says why aren’t you afraid of susie running around rampant? Toriel says we are acting strange and should sleep earlier. That girls dad in the hospital says did your mum make you come do this? Which most likely means either Kris or whoever was in control of Kris body before this, never went out of their way to see people, they never took any interest in joining Asriel in any of his after school activities except for going to the diner for hot coco after Mum and Dad got divorced, only went to church for fruit juice instead of anything else there and definitely won’t take up singing even though they may sound great. ((well i mean fruit juice is great so i don’t blame them)). The reindeer girl when she got locked out and forgot her keys to the gate even she said we weren’t acting like ourselves, i mean calling someone nice after they nearly ate your face off is probably a big shock. They pulled pranks on children to scare them half to death, we can’t tell if that was Kris or The Creator.

Even when fighting in battles, the one i’ve seen mainly is the secret boss ((won’t spoil it)) but their first initial attack before the battle starts everyone backs away, Susie and Ralsei as probably scared from the sudden move but Kris just stands then and walks back like nothing happened. I’m sure there are more but these are the main ones.

i mean there was no point for them to look straight at us when they were turning evil or going back to normal? i feel like they’ve finally snapped and said i’ve had enough of you people taking control of my/their body, you always want them/me to do stuff i/they don’t want to do and now you’ll never be in control again. they literally lock us away to get rid of us because we just won’t leave them alone.

It doesn’t seem like the first time as it has happened as there is most likely dried blood next to the bird cage. So they probably rip out the soul of the creator, missed the first few times and then after they throw it out and when they think they’ve got control over everything again, some other creator decides to shove their soul back into their body and take over again.

I mean no wonder The Narrator at the start of the game said our creation will be discarded as they already had a vessel planned for us, it doesn’t matter who they are or were because they just want to fix the world, they don’t care what happend to this child and they won’t try to fix it either.

Also Side Note: Do we actually know if there are any other humans?? Well yes there might be in other parts of the world but did Kris move to another town?

We don’t know a lot, all we know is that we are them and they’ve lived in this same town most of their life with monsters.

EDIT: so it i decided to replay it and i noticed that whenever something BIG happens like when the floor collapses and when ralsei is revealed at the end Kris shows nothing so i was thinking that they’ve been through the same thing probably a few times by now to not be surprised or something. So do they relive that day when a new soul makes it home in their body or?