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nellasbookplanet · 1 year ago

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Book recs: black science fiction

As february and black history month nears its end, if you're a reader let's not forget to read and appreciate books by black authors the rest of the year as well! If you're a sci-fi fan like me, perhaps this list can help find some good books to sink your teeth into.

Bleak dystopias, high tech space adventures, alien monsters, alternate dimensions, mash-ups of sci-fi and fantasy - this list features a little bit of everything for genre fiction fans!

For more details on the books, continue under the readmore. Titles marked with * are my personal favorites. And as always, feel free to share your own recs in the notes!

If you want more book recs, check out my masterpost of rec lists!

Lagoon by Nnedi Okorafor

Something massive and alien crashes into the ocean off the coast of Nigeria. Three people, a marine biologist, a rapper, and a soldier, find themselves at the center of this presence, attempting to shepherd an alien ambassador as chaos spreads in the city. A strange novel that mixes the supernatural with the alien, shifts between many different POVs, and gives a one of a kind look at a possible first contact.

Nubia: The Awakening (Nubia series) by Omar Epps & Clarence A. Hayes

Young adult. Three teens living in the slums of an enviromentally ravaged New York find that something powerful is awakening within them. They’re all children of refugees of Nubia, a utopian African island nation that sank as the climate worsened, and realize now that their parents have been hiding aspects of their heritage from them. But as they come into their own, someone seeks to use their abilities to his own ends, against their own people.

The Scourge Between Stars by Ness Brown

Novella. After having failed at establishing a new colony, starship Calypso fights to make it back to Earth. Acting captain Jacklyn Albright is already struggling against the threats of interstellar space and impending starvation when the ship throws her a new danger: something is hiding on the ship, picking off her crew one by one in bloody, gruesome ways. A quick, excellent read if you want some good Alien vibes.

Dawn (Xenogenesis trilogy) by Octavia E. Butler*

After a devestating war leaves humanity on the brink of extinction, survivor Lilith finds herself waking up naked and alone in a strange room. She’s been rescued by the Oankali, who have arrived just in time to save the human race. But there’s a price to survival, and it might be humanity itself. Absolutely fucked up I love it I once had to drop the book mid read to stare at the ceiling and exclaim in horror at what was going on. Includes darker examinations of agency and consent, so enter with caution.

Midnight Robber by Nalo Hopkinson*

Utterly unique in world-building, story, and prose, Midnight Robber follows young Tan-Tan and her father, inhabitants of the Carribean-colonized planet of Toussaint. When her father commits a terrible crime, he’s exiled to a parallel version of the same planet, home to strange aliens and other human exiles. Tan-Tan, not wanting to lose her father, follows with him. Trapped on this new planet, he becomes her worst nightmare. Enter this book with caution, as it contains graphic child sexual abuse.

Rosewater (The Wormwood trilogy) by Tade Thompson

In Nigeria lies Rosewater, a city bordering on a strange, alien biodome. Its motives are unknown, but it’s having an undeniable effect on the surrounding life. Kaaro, former criminal and current psychic agent for the government, is one of the people changed by it. When other psychics like him begin getting killed, Kaaro must take it upon himself to find out the truth about the biodome and its intentions.

Do You Dream of Terra-Two? by Temi Oh

Young adult. A century ago, an astronomer discovered a possibly Earth-like planet. Now, a team of veteran astronauts and carefully chosen teenagers are preparing to embark on a twenty-three year trip to get there. But space is dangerous, and the team has no one to rely on but each other if - or when - something goes wrong. An introspective slowburn of a story, this focuses more on character work than action.

The Best of All Possible Worlds by Karen Lord

After the planet Sadira is left uninhabitable, its few survivors are forced to move to a new world. On Cygnus Beta, they work to rebuild their society alongside their distant relatives of the planet, while trying to preserve what remains of their culture. Focused less on hard science or action, The Best of All Possible Worlds is more about culture, romance and the ethics and practicalities of telepathy.

Mirage (Mirage duology) by Somaiya Daud

Young adult. Eighteen-year-old Amani lives on an isolated moon under the oppressive occupation of the Valthek empire. When Amani is abducted, she finds herself someplace wholly unexpected: the royal palace. As it turns out, she's nearly identical to the half-Valthek, and widely hated, princess Maram, who is in need of a body double. If Amani ever wants to make it back home or see her people freed from oppression, she will have to play her role as princess perfectly. While sci-fi, this one more has the vibe of a fantasy.

An Unkindness of Ghosts by Rivers Solomon

Life on the lower decks of the generation ship HSS Matilda is hard for Aster, an outcast even among outcasts, trying to survive in a system not dissimilar to the old antebellum South. The ship’s leaders have imposed harsh restrictions on their darker skinned people, using them as an oppressed work force as they travel toward their supposed Promised Land. But as Aster finds a link between the death of the ship’s sovereign and the suicide of her own mother, she realizes there may be a way off the ship.

Where It Rains in Color by Denise Crittendon

The planet Swazembi is a utopia of color and beauty, the most beautiful of all its citizens being the Rare Indigo. Lileala was just named Rare Indigo, but her strict yet pampered life gets upended when her beautiful skin is struck by a mysterious sickness, leaving it covered in scars and scabs. Meanwhile, voices start to whisper in Lileala's mind, bringing to the surface a past long forgotten involving her entire society.

Eacaping Exodus (Escaping Exodus duology) by Nicky Drayden

Seske is the heir to the leader of a clan living inside a gigantic, spacefaring beast, of which they frequently need to catch a new one to reside in as their presence slowly kills the beast from the inside. While I found the ending rushed with regards to plot and character, the worldbuilding is very fresh and the overall plot of survival and class struggle an interesting one. It’s also sapphic!

Chain-Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah*

In a near future America, inmates on death row or with life sentences in private prisons can choose to participate in death matches for entertainment. If they survive long enough - a rare case indeed - they regain their freedom. Among these prisoners are Loretta Thurwar and Hamara "Hurricane Staxxx" Stacker, partners behind the scenes and close to the deadline of a possible release - if only they can survive for long enough. As the game continues to be stacked against them and protests mount outside, two women fight for love, freedom, and their own humanity. Chain-Gang All-Stars is bleak and unflinching as well as genuinely hopeful in its portrayal of a dark but all to real possible future.

Parable of the Sower (Earthseed duology) by Octavia E. Butler*

In a bleak future, Lauren Olamina lives with her family in a gated community, one of few still safe places in a time of chaos. When her community falls, Lauren is forced on the run. As she makes her way toward possible safety, she picks up a following of other refugees, and sows the seeds of a new ideology which may one day be the saviour of mankind. Very bleak and scarily realistic, Parable of the Sower will make you both fear for mankind and regain your hope for humanity.

Binti (Binti trilogy) by Nnedi Okorafor

Young adult novella. Binti is the first of the Himba people to be accepted into the prestigious Oomza University, the finest place of higher learning in all the galaxy. But as she embarks on her interstellar journey, the unthinkable happens: her ship is attacked by the terrifying Meduse, an alien race at war with Oomza University.

War Girls (War Girls duology) by Tochi Onyebuchi

In an enviromentally fraught future, the Nigerian civil war has flared back up, utilizing cybernetics and mechs to enhance its soldiers. Two sisters, by bond if not by blood, are separated and end up on differing sides of the struggle. Brutal and dark, with themes of dehumanization of soldiers through cybernetics that turn them into weapons, and the effect and trauma this has on them.

The Space Between Worlds (The Space Between Worlds duology) by Micaiah Johnson

Multiverse travel is finally possible, but there’s a catch: No one can visit a world where their counterpart is still alive. Enter Cara, whose parallel selves happen to be exceptionally good at dying. As such she has a very special job in traveling to these worlds, hoping to keep her position long enough to gain citizenship in the walled-off Wiley City, away from the wastes where she grew up. But her job is dangerous, especially when she gets on the tracks of a secret that threatens the entire multiverse. Really cool worldbuilding and characters, also featuring a sapphic lead!

The Fifth Season (The Broken Eart trilogy) by N.K. Jemisin*

In a world regularly torn apart by natural disasters, a big one finally strikes and society as we know it falls, leaving people floundering to survive in a post apocalyptic world, its secrets and past to be slowly revealed. We get to follow a mother as she races through this world to find and save her missing daughter. While mostly fantasy in genre, this series does have some sci-fi flavor, and is genuinely some of the best books I've ever read, please read them.

The Women Could Fly by Megan Giddings*

In an alternate version of our present, the witch hunt never ended. Women are constantly watched and expected to marry young so their husbands can keep an eye on them. When she was fourteen, Josephine's mother disappeared, leveling suspicions at both mother and daughter of possible witchcraft. Now, nearly a decade and a half later, Jo, in trying to finally accept her missing mother as dead, decides to follow up on a set of seemingly nonsensical instructions left in her will. Features a bisexual lead!

The Prey of Gods by Nicky Drayden

South African-set scifi featuring gods ancient and new, robots finding sentience, dik-diks, and a gay teen with mind control abilities. An ancient goddess seeks to return to her true power no matter how many humans she has to sacrifice to get there. A little bit all over the place but very creative and fresh.

The Summer Prince by Alaya Dawn Johnson*

Young adult. Young artist June Costa lives in Palmares Tres, a beautiful, matriarchal city relying heavily on tradition, one of which is the Summer King. The most recent Summer King is Enki, a bold boy and fellow artist. With him at her side, June seeks to finally find fame and recognition through her art, breaking through the generational divide of her home. But growing close to Enki is dangerous, because he, like all Summer Kings, is destined to die.

The Blood Trials (The Blood Gifted duology) by N.E. Davenport

After Ikenna's grandfather is assasinated, she is convinced that only a member of the Praetorian guard, elite soldiers, could’ve killed him. Seeking to uncover his killer, Ikenna enrolls in a dangerous trial to join the Praetorians which only a quarter of applicants survive. For Ikenna, the stakes are even higher, as she's hiding forbidden blood magic which could cost her her life. Mix of fantasy and sci-fi. While I didn’t super vibe with this one, I suspect fans of action packed romantasy will enjoy it.

Babel-17 by Samuel R. Delany

1960s classic. Rydra Wong is a space captain, linguist and poet who is set on learning to understand Babel-17, a language which is humanity's only clue at the enemy in an interstaller war. But Babel-17 is more than just a language, and studying it may change Rydra forever.

Pet (Pet duology) by Akwaeke Emezi

Young adult novella. Jam lives in a utopian future that has been freed of monsters and the systems which created and upheld them. But then she meets Pet, a dangerous creature claiming to be hunting a monster still among them, prepared to stop at nothing to find them. While I personally found the word-building in Pet lacking, it deftly handles dark subjects of what makes a human a monster.

Bonus AKA I haven’t read these yet but they seem really cool

Lion's Blood by Steven Barnes

Alternate history in which Africans colonized South America while vikings colonized the North. The vikings sell abducted Celts and Franks as slaves to the South, one of which is eleven-years-old Irish boy Aidan O'Dere, who was just bought by a Southern plantation owner.

The Sound of Stars by Alechia Dow

Young adult dystopia. Ellie lives in a future where humanity is under the control of the alien Ilori. All art is forbidden, but Ellie keeps a secret library; when one of her books disappears, she fears discovery and execution. M0Rr1S, born in a lab and raised to be emotionless, finds her library, and though he should deliver her for execution, he finds himself obsessed with human music. Together the two embark on a roadtrip which may save humanity.

Womb City by Tlotlo Tsamaase

Lelah lives in future Botswana, but despite money and fame she finds herself in an unhappy marriage, her body controlled via microchip by her husband. After burying the body of an accidental hit and run, Lelah's life gets worse when the ghost of her victim returns to enact bloody vengeance.

Orleans by Sherri L. Smith

Young adult. Fen de la Guerre, living in a quarantined Gulf Coast left devestated by storms and sickness, is forced on the run with a newborn after her tribe is attacked. Hoping to get the child to safety, Fen seeks to get to the other side of the wall, she teams up with a scientist from the outside the quarantine zone.

Everfair by Nisi Shawl

A neo-victorian alternate history, in which a part of Congo was kept safe from colonisation, becoming Everfair, a safe haven for both the people of Congo and former slaves returning from America. Here they must struggle to keep this home safe for them all.

The Splinter in the Sky by Kemi Ashing-Giwa

Space opera. Enitan just wants to live a quiet life in the aftermath of a failed war of conquest, but when her lover is killed and her sister kidnapped, she's forced to leave her plans behind to save her sister.

Honorary mentions AKA these didn't really work for me but maybe you guys will like them: The City We Became (Great Cities duology) by N.K. Jemisin, The Lesson by Cadwell Turnbull, The A.I. Who Loved Me by Alyssa Cole

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anim-ttrpgs · 3 months ago

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Wolfman Player Character Rules in Eureka: Investigative Urban Fantasy

Eureka has six playable "monster" types, and about ten total supernatural character options all together. Each supernatural trait is taken basically as if it is a normal trait like the ones you have been seeing us post. You cannot give a character more than one supernatural trait--and from what you are about to read, you probably wouldn't want to. Playing monsters is recommended for "advanced" players only, people who like a lot of "crunch" in their games, as require you to keep track of a lot more mechanics than playing a normal human.

Here is the Wolfman Trait. This is going under a Read More because it's long as hell but we really hope that you will check it out and comment. This is, like, the whole entire ruleset for playing a wolfman in Eureka.

Wolfman/Loup-Garou (Monster Trait)

[Snoop: A snoopette with wolf ears and tail. snoopette so that people will not think that a wolfman has to be a man literally.]

The wolfman, or loup-garou, is a creature often referred to as a werewolf. While this is not an incorrect assessment (the term “loup-garou” just means werewolf, and in fact the term “werewolf” just means man-wolf), Eureka: Investigative Urban Fantasy uses the terms to make a distinction between two similar but different variants of the legend. The “werewolf,” found on page XX as a Mage Power, refers to the werewolf or warwilf of ancient and medieval Europe, while we use wolfman or loup-garou refer to what most people from the present day think of as a “werewolf,” a societal conception which owes a small part of its origin to legends from French Louisiana and Quebec, and the rest to Hollywood films.[1]

[1 off to the side in the final formatting] Despite the misnomer, most wolfmen will probably just call themselves werewolves.

Like with other monsters in Eureka, becoming a wolfman is not as simple as just being bitten or scratched by one. It may be something which runs in one side of the family, or for some a whole new affliction which one will have to learn and deal with on their own. In the worst of cases, it is both.

Transformation

Every wolfman has three forms, which they can shapeshift to and from at will when not debilitated by a weakness. This counts as a supernatural ability and in combat it takes an Action.[1]

[1 off to the side in the final formatting] Inside you there are two wolves...

Unless forcibly transformed by the full moon or total loss of Composure, the wolfman still remains in control of themselves while in any form.

Human Form

This is the default, “normal” form of the wolfman. They appear to be a regular person. The only abnormality is a +1 Contextual bonus to Senses rolls involving smell.

When the wolfman is in this form, in each new Scene, the wolfman’s player rolls a hidden D6. On a 6, they will privately message or signal the Narrator, and the Narrator will call for “The Creeps” at the next available opportunity, without revealing that it is the result of having a wolfman present. Players and investigators alike will wonder what is so anxiety-inducing about this clean office building or peaceful elevator ride. Add +1 to any The Creeps Composure roll by investigators who are friends with the wolfman and are aware of their wolfmanism.

Anthropomorphic Wolf Form

During character creation, choose one of the following four options. This will always be your wolfman’s anthropomorphic form.[1]

[1 off to the side in the final formatting] A deadlier form has many advantages, but also means deadlier rampages when the wolfman inevitably loses control.

Anime Wolfgirl

This form most resembles a “normal person,” except for the wolf ears and tail. They also have claw-like nails[3], and sharp canine-like teeth inside an otherwise normal-seeming mouth, allowing them to deal Penetrative Damage with unarmed melee attacks.

In this form, the wolfman is considered to have superhuman strength, has a +2 Base bonus to Athletics, a +1 Base bonus to Stealth and Close Combat, a +4 Contextual bonus to Senses rolls involving hearing, and a +2 Contextual bonus to Senses rolls involving smell. Superhuman strength, and the Athletics, Close Combat, and Stealth bonuses are lost when debilitated by a weakness, though they are still capable of dealing Penetrative Damage with unarmed melee attacks due to their claws.[1][2][4]

[1 off to the side in the final formatting] This form allows the wolfman to walk around in public while still reaping the benefits of transformation. Most people will just think they’re a bit weird. They can wear a hat and tuck the tail into their pants if they want to attract even less attention.

[2. Off to the side in the final formatting] Small children or particularly childish adults may try to pull the tail.

[3 off to the side in the final formatting] A steel file is required for filing these nails down, they tear up lesser files.

[4 off to the side in the final formatting] One disadvantage of this form is that, should the wolfman rampage like this, their crimes could be more easily linked back to them, since they maintain their identifiable human face.

In this form, the wolfman can keep their lupine features, such as their wolf ears and wolf tail, hidden under clothing such as under a hat or tucked into their pants. Whenever a wolfman in this form has a meal, or is on the receiving end of a successful Comfort roll, they must make a Full or Partial Success on a Reflexes or Stealth roll to suppress the urge to noticeably wag their tail.

The pointed teeth are quite easy to spot for anyone looking directly into the wolfman’s mouth, especially when they speak. Wolfmen may want to cover their mouths when they speak directly at someone, disguising it as scratching their nose or some other innocuous action.[1] Of course, they could also easily pass them off as well-made dental prosthetics.

[1. Off to the side in the final formatting] The wolfman’s player should mention this in descriptions but not draw too much emphasis to it.

Buff Anthroform

This is your more typical Hollywood werewolf. A wolf’s head, hair all over, but otherwise mostly human body structure. This form will typically be at least a foot taller than the wolfman’s human form, and cannot speak human language.

This form has 9 Penetrative and Superficial HP.

In this form, the wolfman is considered to have superhuman strength, has a +4 Base bonus to Athletics, a +2 Base bonus to Close Combat, a +1 Base bonus to Stealth, and a +4 Contextual bonus to Senses rolls involving both hearing and smell.

The wolfman also has claw-like nails in this form, and a large and powerful jaw. The wolfman can use their jaw to make Grab attacks. So long as the target is grabbed by the wolfman’s jaw, they automatically take 2 Penetrative Damage each time it is the wolfman’s turn with no roll needed. The wolfman can still perform other actions while Grabbing a target with their jaws and, so long as the target is smaller than them, their movement is unimpeded.

This form maintains opposable thumbs, and can manipulate objects and use tools and weapons just as a regular human could. However, the shape and size of their hands confers a -1 penalty to Firearms and Close Combat when using weapons.

Lupine Anthroform

This form is more grotesquely proportioned than the Buff Anthroform, and more closely resembles a human-like wolf than a wolf-like human. In this form, the wolfman primarily moves on all fours, but is still capable of walking upright if necessary. This form will typically be at least a foot taller than the wolfman’s human form when standing at full height, and cannot speak human language.

This form has 9 Penetrative and Superficial HP.

In this form, the wolfman is considered to have superhuman strength, has a +3 Base bonus to Athletics, a +2 Base bonus to Stealth and Close Combat, a +4 Contextual bonus to Senses rolls involving both hearing and smell. Due to their lengthened tendons and legs, they also have a +4 Acceleration bonus.

This form maintains opposable thumbs, and can manipulate objects and use tools and weapons just as a regular human could. However, the dramatically altered shape and size of their hands confers a -2 penalty to Firearms and Close Combat when using weapons.

Monstrous Anthroform

This form resembles and moves like the Lupine Anthroform in shape, but at a massive scale. Were they to stand upright at full height, they would measure at least twelve feet head-to-toe, and cannot speak human language.

This form has 13 Penetrative and Superficial HP.

In this form, the wolfman is considered to have superhuman strength, and has a +6 Base bonus to Athletics, a +2 Base bonus to Close Combat, a -2 penalty to Stealth, and a +4 Contextual bonus to Senses rolls involving both hearing and smell. Due to their lengthened tendons and legs, but also their tremendous weight they have no Acceleration bonus.

The wolfman also has claw-like nails in this form, and an enormous and powerful jaw. This form’s claws deal 2 Penetrative Damage rather than 1, and 4 Penetrative Damage when superhuman strength is factored in. This form can also make a Vehicle Attack using their Athletics divided by 2 (rounded up) instead of Driving.

In this form, the wolfman can use their jaw to make Grab attacks. So long as the target is grabbed by the wolfman’s jaw, if the wolfman chooses, they automatically take 4 Penetrative Damage each time it is the wolfman’s turn with no roll needed. So long as the target is human sized or smaller, The wolfman can continue to perform other actions while Grabbing a target with their jaws and their movement is unimpeded.

Rather than deal the 4 Penetrative Damage, if the wolfman is Grabbing a target of human or smaller size in their jaws, they may make a Hold attack to simply eat them whole.[1] For a target swallowed alive, depending on the context and circumstances, the Narrator may simply declare them as good as dead and not make any rolls. If a wolfman tries to shift to a smaller form with a whole person in their stomach, the person is just dead if they weren’t already, and the wolfman makes an Athletics roll. Don’t worry about this if it’s been more than 4 Ticks since ingestion.

Full Success: Wolfman takes 4 Superficial damage per person.[2]

Partial Success: Wolfman takes 8 Superficial damage per person.

Failure: Wolfman takes 4 Superficial damage per person.

[1 off to the side in the final formatting] If you’re wondering how many whole human bodies they can stomach at once, the answer is several, but also within reason.

[2 off to the side in the final formatting] If the wolfman is shifting into a form that has damage reduction, then this damage can be reduced. Otherwise, if they shift into regular human form, they take the full damage.

If it makes the most sense to actually roll this out, apply the Drowning/Suffocation rules to the swallowed target. While in the stomach, they count as Held. If armed with a small piercing blade or a small firearm, they can attempt to attack the wolfman from inside, dealing normal damage. In this case, a Partial Success on a Firearms attack will still hit for full damage, and a Failure would fail to correctly operate the firearm and pull the trigger under these conditions. To escape, a victim will have to succeed at two Escape attempts, the first to reach up to the wolfman’s mouth and count as Grabbed, and the second to escape the jaws. Attacking or trying to Escape will count as exertion for the purposes of the Drowning/Suffocation rules.

This form maintains opposable thumbs, and can manipulate objects and use tools and weapons just as a regular human could, at least if that regular human was gigantic. However, they gain no benefit to damage from utilizing melee weapons that are meant for human-sized hands, and cannot operate human-sized firearms at all due to their size. Apply a -3 penalty to any attempt to use weapons.

Full Wolf Form

During character creation, choose one of the following four options. This will always be your wolfman’s full wolf form.

Ordinary Wolf

This form is an ordinary wolf, standing about 3 feet at the shoulder. This form has no thumbs, and can not speak human language.

In this form the wolfman has a +1 Base bonus to Close Combat, a +4 Base bonus to Stealth, and a +4 Contextual bonus to Senses rolls involving hearing and smell. This form also has +4 Acceleration.

This firm’s only effective means of attack is with their jaws. The wolfman can use their jaw to make Grab attacks. So long as the target is grabbed by the wolfman’s jaw, they automatically take 2 Penetrative Damage each time it is the wolfman’s turn with no roll needed.

This form does not have superhuman strength, but their bonuses are not lost upon being debilitated by a weakness.

Bigger Wolf

This form resembles an ordinary wolf, but much bigger than is natural, standing about 5 feet at the shoulder. This form has no thumbs and cannot speak human language.

This form has 9 Penetrative and Superficial HP.

In this form the wolfman has superhuman strength, a +2 Base bonus to Athletics, a +2 Base bonus to Close Combat, a +2 Base bonus to Stealth, and a +4 Contextual bonus to Senses rolls involving hearing and smell. This form also has +4 Acceleration.

This form’s only effective means of attack is with their jaws. The wolfman can use their jaw to make Grab attacks. So long as the target is grabbed by the wolfman’s jaw, they automatically take 2 Penetrative Damage each time it is the wolfman’s turn with no roll needed.

Even Bigger Wolf

This form resembles an ordinary wolf, but far, far larger than is natural, standing about 7 feet at the shoulder. This form has no thumbs and cannot speak human language.

This form has 13 Penetrative and Superficial HP.

In this form the wolfman has superhuman strength, a +4 Base bonus to Athletics, a +2 Base bonus to Close Combat, a -2 penalty to Stealth, and a +4 Contextual bonus to Senses rolls involving hearing and smell. This form also has +2 Acceleration.

This form has two effective means of attack, a Vehicle Attack using their Athletics divided by 2 (rounded up) instead of Driving, and their enormous jaws. The wolfman can use their jaw to make Grab attacks. So long as the target is grabbed by the wolfman’s jaw, they automatically take 4 Penetrative Damage each time it is the wolfman’s turn with no roll needed. As long as the target is smaller than them, their movement is not impeded.

Biggest, Baddest Wolf

This form resembles an ordinary wolf, but enormous, standing about 9 feet at the shoulder. This form has no thumbs and cannot speak human language.

This form has 17 Penetrative and Superficial HP.

In this form the wolfman has superhuman strength, a +6 Base bonus to Athletics, a +2 Base bonus to Close Combat, a -4 penalty to Stealth, and a +4 Contextual bonus to Senses rolls involving hearing and smell.

This form has two effective means of attack, a Vehicle Attack using their Athletics divided by 2 (rounded up) instead of Driving, and their enormous jaws. The wolfman can use their jaw to make Grab attacks. So long as the target is grabbed by the wolfman’s jaw, if the wolfman chooses, they automatically take 4 Penetrative Damage each time it is the wolfman’s turn with no roll needed. So long as the target is of human size or smaller, the wolfman can continue to perform other actions while Grabbing a target with their jaws and their movement is unimpeded.

Rather than deal the 4 Penetrative Damage, if the wolfman is Grabbing a target of human or smaller size, they may make a Hold to simply eat them whole.[1][2] For a target swallowed alive, depending on the context and circumstances, the Narrator may simply declare them as good as dead and not make any rolls. If a wolfman tries to shift to a smaller form with a whole person in their stomach, the person is just dead if they weren’t already, and the wolfman makes an Athletics roll. Don’t worry about this if it’s been more than 4 Ticks since ingestion.

Full Success: Wolfman takes 4 Superficial damage per person.[3]

Partial Success: Wolfman takes 8 Superficial damage per person.

Failure: Wolfman takes 4 Superficial damage per person.

[1 off to the side in the final formatting] If you’re wondering how many whole human bodies they can stomach at once, the answer is several, but also within reason.

[2 off to the side in the final formatting] Wolfmen who have been eating people while in any of their larger forms should think about the contents of their stomachs before they revert back to a smaller form. Shifting straight from the massive wolf form to the basic human form with a bunch of half-chewed bones and body parts inside could cause massive damage to the wolfman’s insides! Better to at least spend some time in the partially transformed state, which has the muscular strength and resiliency to handle such contents taking up so much space inside.

[2.1. Off to the side in the final formatting] Crunch!

[3 off to the side in the final formatting] If the wolfman is shifting into a form that has damage reduction, then this damage can be reduced. Otherwise, if they shift into regular human form, they take the full damage.

Scent Tracking

While in any form except Human, wolfmen are capable of Scent Tracking. (See p.xx “Scent Tracking”.)

Just Built Denser

The weight does not seem to entirely add up, but wolfmen are still a whole lot of wolf wrapped up in a human package. In any form including Human, once per Scene, the wolfman may “no-sell” an incoming attack (or some other source of damage), reducing the amount of Superficial Damage they take from any source by 6. Alternatively, instead of reducing Superficial Damage, they may instead choose to ignore an effect that would physically move them (such as a shove). This does not protect at all against Penetrative Damage. If a wolfman “no-sells” an attack by an investigator, that investigator must immediately make a Fistfight Composure Roll. For an NPC, this would be -1 Morale. Being the biggest person around does have its drawbacks, though - in any situation where weight or size would be a problem (such as squeezing through a tight passageway or crossing a delicate rickety bridge), this character automatically fails (e.g. they can’t squeeze through the passageway or cross the bridge without breaking it).[1] In addition, this density makes them liable to sink like a brick in water. Apply a -3 penalty to any roll that involves trying to stay afloat in water.

[1. Off to the side in the final formatting] A wolfman with the Just Built Different Trait can do these things twice per Scene.

Super Sniffer(?)

In all forms including human, wolfmen gain +1 additional Investigation Point for any Investigative Roll involving the smell of something.

Additionally, in any form except Human, the wolfman is able to engage in Scent Tracking. (See p.XX) [move the scent tracking stuff from vampire into chapter 7 later]

Unstoppable

In any form except Human, wolfmen take half-damage from all damage sources, the only exception being HP that results from loss of Composure. If a wolfman wears armor that protects against whatever is dealing the damage, this damage is halved again, for one quarter damage, rounding up. Apply a -2 modifier to attacks against the vampire from 1-damage weapons.[1]

[1 off to the side in the final formatting] A wolfman’s Flesh is extraordinarily dense and durable.

Healing

Unless the person performing first aid is a veterinarian or something, apply a -2 modifier to any Medicine rolls to heal any wolfman form except for Human and Anime Wolfgirl.

In any form except Human, so long as they are not debilitated by a weakness, a wolfman’s flesh will regenerate.[1] They recover 1 point of Superficial and Penetrative HP once a day, so long as they are not debilitated by a weakness.

[1 off to the side in the final formatting] They also regain 1 Superficial HP per night of rest just like mundane characters.

Additionally, so long as they are not debilitated by a weakness, in any form except Human, if they took damage to either HP type during an instance of combat, they restore 1 HP of the same type as soon as the combat is resolved.

So long as they are not debilitated by a weakness, in any form except Human, a wolfman may take 1 Action to reattach a severed body part at the stump and have it work again good as new after 1 turn.

So long as they are not debilitated by a weakness, in any form except Human, if a wolfman’s Penetrative HP is full, instead of recovering Penetrative HP from any of the above rules, they recover from one Grievous Wound, permanent or not.

So long as they are not debilitated by a weakness, in any form except Human, a wolfman may spend 1 Eureka! Point to instantly recover all Superficial and Penetrative HP, and from all Grievous Wounds. This takes 1 action.

Unkillable

So long as they are not debilitated by a weakness, in any form except Human, if a wolfman is reduced to 0 Penetrative HP, they do “die” instantly, but they will not stay “dead” permanently, barring specific circumstances. (See: How to Kill a Wolfman p.Xx) Their body will regenerate within a matter of days or weeks. A “dead” wolfman investigator is removed from the current adventure same as a regular dead investigator, but may return and be played in any subsequent adventure.

A wolfman whom has been reduced to 0 Penetrative HP does not heal from first-aide or any of the other rules mentioned under “Healing.”

Revival

So long as they are not debilitated by a weakness, in any form except Human, a wolfman that has been reduced to 0 Penetrative HP and “killed” for the adventure may spend 2 Eureka! Points to revive with 1 of both types of HP, but only once a minimum of 5 Scenes have passed. A wolfman may instead spend 3 Eureka! Points to revive instantly, so long as they have been “dead” for at least 1 round.

That Time of the Month (Wolfman True Nature)

[Snoop: A snoop with wolf ears and wolf tail hunched over transforming beneath a full moon.]

Wolfmens’ sleep is not particularly restful; they regain no Composure Points from sleeping. However, they will still take Flat Composure Damage if they do not sleep. Wolfmen will take Flat Composure Damage normally if they skip meals, and eating three meals a day will still regain them Composure Points like normal.

Flat Composure Damage from Skipping Meals = Yes (lose 1 extra Composure)

Composure restoration from Three Meals a Day = Yes

Flat Composure Damage from Skipping Sleep = Yes

Composure restoration from Full Night’s Sleep = No[1]

[1. Off to the side in the final formatting] Disruption of regular sleeping patterns can bring out the worst in people, and greatly exacerbate existing mental conditions.

The wolf inside wolfmen has a ravenous appetite and a taste for human flesh. While in any form except Human, whether voluntarily or not, making a meal of a human will restore 1 point of Composure. This will restore 2 points of Composure if the victim is alive for all or most of the ordeal.[1] All or most of the body must be consumed in one sitting in order to restore this Composure, otherwise it doesn’t do any more than normal food.

[1. Off to the side in the final formatting] Wolfmen may also voluntarily transform and hunt humans if they want to sate their hunger and avert the risk of a random rampage, or if they just enjoy it.

Normal Food

If a wolfman skips a daily meal, they lose 1 additional point of Composure. Additionally, in any form, wolfmen must eat an exceptionally large amount of food to sate their hunger. Apply a -2 modifier to any Wealth roll to buy food for a Wolfman. Food budget for a wolfman costs 2WP instead of 1WP.

Rampaging

When a wolfman reaches 0 Composure under any circumstances, they will involuntarily transform and go on a rampage, repeatedly attacking and devouring any living thing in their path. The wolfman will feel the need to constantly be on the move and seeking out new prey. The Narrator makes the decisions on where the rampaging wolfman goes and what they do, but it is the wolfman’s player who will describe it and roll any necessary dice.[1][2][3]

[1. Off to the side in the final formatting.] This is really more like a Weakness but we are putting it in the True Nature category just to even things out.

[2 off to the side in the final formatting] They may unconsciously attempt to seek out familiar places.

[3 off to the side in the final formatting] This is one of the only times where it is appropriate for a Narrator to determine the actions of an investigator. However, for any attacks or skill checks made, the player of the investigator must still roll the dice.

While rampaging, all Base bonuses granted by the wolfman’s current form become Contextual bonuses.

Involuntary Transformation

When the wolfman is involuntarily transforming, regardless of what form they are already in, roll a D6. On a 1-4, the wolfman will rampage in the larger of their two wolf forms. On a 5-6, they will rampage in the smaller of the two.[1]

[1. Off to the side in the final formatting] If you aren’t sure which form is larger, consider the Full Wolf Form to be larger.

Resisting Rampage

For any Skill check rolled while the wolfman is rampaging, 1 or more of their Eureka! Points may be spent, adding an extra D6 for each Eureka! Point spent. Drop all but the two lowest dice instead of the highest.

For 3 of their Eureka! Points, a wolfman may force themselves to run in a particular direction of their choice.

Snapping Out of It

Wolfmen will rampage non-stop for a period of 24 hours or 20 Ticks, until they are restored to 7/7 Composure, or until they are Fully Incapacitated. Afterwards they will pass out, and wake up in Human form. They will have only a hazy recollection of what they have just been through, but will have to make a Death Composure roll with an exacerbating factor if they killed anyone.[1]

[1 off to the side in the final formatting] Don’t worry about how much human meat a wolfman can stomach in one rampage, the answer is a lot. They have very fast metabolisms, which go into overdrive when transformed.

Full Moon

Once per Scene, when their eyes are exposed to direct moonlight,[2] the wolfman must make a Composure roll with a modifier decided by the phase of the moon and intensity of the exposure.[1]See the chart below.

[1. Off to the side in the final formatting] Most people are very sensitive to changes in ambient light levels at night. It can affect one’s quality of sleep.

[2 off to the side in the final formatting] It is very unlikely that wolfmen have any magical connection to the moon, but very likely that they assume they do.

Add +1 to this Composure roll if the wolfman is wearing something to shield their eyes, such as sunglasses.

Add +1 if the night sky is cloudy.

At the start of the adventure, roll 2D12. This will be the number of nights until the full moon. The full moon will last for 3 nights in a row.

Nights Until Full Moon

25-27 Nights -3

22-24 Nights -1

19-21 Nights +1

16-18 Nights +3

13-15 Nights No Composure roll.

10-12 Nights +3

7-9 Nights +1

4-6 Nights -1

1-3 Nights -3

Full Moon -5

Wolfing People Down

If a wolfman’s forms include one or more of the following forms, at the start of each adventure the wolfman’s player may choose to roll 3 times on the Monster Stomach Contents Table.

Buff Anthroform

Lupine Anthroform

Monstrous Anthroform

Bigger Wolf

Even Bigger Wolf

Biggest, Baddest Wolf

The results are leftover objects accidentally swallowed while ravenously devouring their last several victims. Write these items in the wolfman’s inventory but mark that they are in the stomach. In any form except Human, the wolfman may attempt to spit one of these objects out with a Full Success on an Athletics roll with a -5 penalty applied. Regardless of success or failure, this causes the wolfman 1 Superficial Damage and takes an Action.

Bane of Wolves (Wolfman Weakness)

Silver

In any form including Human, silver causes burning and irritation to the wolfman’s skin on physical contact, as well as weakening and debilitating them, rendering them unable to benefit from any power or ability denoted so above. They also have a -4 penalty applied to all Skills.[1]

[1 off to the side in the final formatting] Remember that while transforming is a supernatural power, merely existing in a transformed state is not. Contact with silver does not cause a wolfman in a transformed state to suddenly become human, in fact, it means they can’t.

Silver Bullets

Silver is a particularly soft metal. A bullet made of silver, or even just plated in silver, when penetrating a target at high velocity is likely to shatter within the body and leave small pieces of silver residue behind.[1] Each time this character is shot with a silver bullet, look at the physical dice that were rolled. If they are both odd numbers or both even numbers, the bullet does leave a bit of silver in the body and the character is considered to be in physical contact with silver for all rules purposes until these pieces are dug out.[2][3]

[3 off to the side in the final formatting] Silver can also kill a wolfman. See p.XX “How to Kill a Wolfman” below.

[1 off to the side in final formatting] At the time of writing this, a single, fireable, professionally manufactured silver bullet costs $150+Shipping.

[2 off to the side in the final formatting] To be perfectly clear, this is not about modifiers or cumulative value of the dice. If you roll the dice and see two odd numbers or two even numbers on the physical dice, that is when there are bits of silver left in the body. For D12s, silver is left in the body if any D12 in the roll shows an 8 or a 9, even if that specific die did not cause a hit–so long as another D12 in the same group did cause a hit.

Silver Hollow Points

Silver hollow point bullets will always leave what counts as a single piece of silver stuck in the body.

Silver Pellets

Silver shotgun shell pellets, flechettes, or other weapons which hit with numerous pieces of silver at once will always leave silver stuck in or clinging to the body.

Silver Melee Weapons

Silver melee weapons must be stuck in and left in the wolfman’s physical body in order to fully debilitate them.

Digging Silver Out

Silver lodged in the wolfman’s physical body will obviously be in contact with them and debilitating them indefinitely until it is removed. These can be carefully surgically removed with professional medical aid, or dug out hastily by the wolfman (or someone else) on the spot. For a wolfman to rip or cut silver out of their body on the spot, they must take an Action and cause 1 Penetrative Damage to themselves to remove a single piece, or 2 Penetrative Damage to remove every piece at once in the case of multiple pieces, such as silver shotgun pellets.[1]

[1. Off to the side in the final formatting] This damage is not reduced by their innate damage reduction, the values present already account for that.

Wolfsbane

Aconitum, also known as aconite, monkshood, and wolfsbane, is a poisonous purple flower which is dangerous to humans but particularly potent to wolfmen. In extremely, extremely low doses, it may have minor therapeutic benefits, but anything more can turn deadly. If ingested or added to the bloodstream, it will cause Lethal Poison to regular humans and wolfmen alike, but wolfmen will take 1 additional point of damage per instance of damage from the poison, and the damage is not affected by their damage reduction.[1]

[1. Off to the side in the final formatting] Wolfsbane may also cause Non-Lethal Poison if a small dose is absorbed through the skin.

Irritant Weapons

Irritant weapons, such as pepper spray, will immediately impose a (Superficial) Injury roll upon Wolfmen, regardless of the actual damage done. The result of this Injury roll will always count as one degree of success lower than the actual result.

How to Kill a Wolfman

While in Human form, anything that would kill a normal human will also permanently kill a wolfman.

In any form, poison from wolfsbane can permanently kill a wolfman.

In any form, if the final blow to a wolfman’s Penetrative HP is done with a silver weapon, or done while the wolfman is otherwise in physical contact with silver, then death will be permanent.

Decapitation will kill a wolfman permanently.

Total incineration or otherwise complete destruction of the body will render a wolfman permanently dead.

A wolfman with the Not Finished Yet Trait will die permanently at the end of the adventure if they go below the Penetrative HP threshold as stated in the Not Finished Yet Trait.

Misc. Tells

Smell

Wolfmen will have to go to great lengths of hygiene to not always smell like a wolf.

Tapetum Lucidum

A wolfman’s eyes will appear normal at first glance, but under low-light conditions, they will reflect light like an animal’s eyes.

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loveriotss · 5 months ago

Note

Yo! I was wondering if you could do some headcannons for Shigaraki, Aizawa, and Dabi with a male reader? I also thought it would be cool if reader had a quirk that had the abilities of a wendigo or skinwalker, and he would be really tall (around 6”6 or 7ft maybe?). I think it would be cool to see them with a guy that has a creepy quirk and personality, but really he is a gentle giant.

Anyway, have a great rest of your day/night! Thank you!!

HIM WITH A SKINWALKER QUIRK USER ⸻ tomura shigaraki + shota aizawa + touya todoroki

# tomura shigaraki + shota aizawa + touya todoroki INCLUDES — male! reader, fluff(ish), headcannons

main masterlist — mha masterlist ༊*·˚

[🎭] TOMURA SHIGARAKI . . .

when you both first met, he thought you were some kind of nomu.

was surprised to find out that you're a human but he respects you nonetheless.

he's intrigued by your quirk's eerie and supernatural nature.

very very curious about the details of your quirk but he won't ask you about it, he will just stare at you a bit creepily.

as you two grow closer, he's drawn to the contrast between your menacing appearance and your gentle demeanor.

he’s used to being misunderstood and understands the feeling of being seen as something to fear rather than to be understood.

he likes how your personality doesn't undermine your abilities.

if you're in the lov with him, he will rely on you a lot.

he trusts you, even if he doesn’t always express it verbally.

when it comes to missions or plans, shigaraki values your input and abilities.

your quirk’s versatility and your understanding of the darker side of things often make you a crucial ally in his schemes.

he respects your contributions and sees you as an essential part of his plans.

despite your imposing stature and fearsome quirk, you have a way of creating a soothing environment.

shigaraki treasures the quiet moments you share, where you can both escape from the chaos of the world and simply enjoy each other’s presence.

he's an odd guy who likes odd things and trust he will yap to you about it.

you just stare at him like '😀' while he casually talks about some gruesome thing that he's hyperfixated on.

[💤] SHOTA AIZAWA . . .

when you and aizawa first met, he was a bit cautious of you.

the appearance your quirk gave you was something he had never seen before.

that paired with your personality began to intrigue him.

feel like it would be funny if he had a pet cat who never really warmed up to everyone but the first day you visit his house he finds his grumpy little cat on your lap in minutes as you happily pat it.

will apologize on your behalf if you accidentally startle someone.

(which is like everyday 😓)

however if anyone tries to be rude to you because of your appearance he will defend you firmly.

has tried erasing your quirk which takes away whatever additional abilities you have but you appearance remains as towering as ever because of it being a physical quirk.

aizawa finds your quirk fascinating and is eager to understand it better.

will occasionally request training sessions with you where he will face you with scenarios that challenges you to use your quirk in different ways.

he values the calm and thoughtful conversations you two have.

you're one of the few people who can match his vibe since he is mostly surrounded by loud extroverts 🙏 (a/n: looking at you present mic).

if you were a hero, he would be one of your biggest supporters and will not tolerate any disrespect towards you from other heroes or even civilians.

[🔥] DABI . . .

when you and dabi first met, he was intrigued by you but still kept his distance.

your towering height and the unsettling nature of your quirk made him cautious.

if you were introduced to him through the lov he wouldn't really speak to you much in the first few days, opting to just observe you from the sidelines.

your personality was bit of a surprise to him.

it made him suspicious of you as he thought you were hiding your true personality and whenever he tried to bring it up with the other members they just laughed at him.

eventually he decided to 'investigate' you on his own and found his assumptions about you terribly wrong.

as you two grow closer and become 'friends', he starts teasing you.

will call you the most oddest nicknames but it's okay because you call him odd things back.

friendly fire between the two of you is common but a very fun sight to see as whenever the argument get's a bit heated, dabi tries to look menacing but compared to you he looks like a little kid throwing a tantrum.

despite his jeers and sarcastic remarks, he genuinely respects you.

he acknowledges your strengths and doesn't doubt your abilities.

he is a horror/supernatural freak so seeing someone who looks similar to the creepy books he snags from corner bookstores in front of him makes him fanboy internally.

he occasionally lets his guard down around you, sharing bits of his past or personal thoughts.

is also a very good listener. during your rooftop conversations he will patiently listen to your stories or whatever struggles you've faced.

NOTE — posting this embarrassingly late, really sorry to the anon who requested this 😓😓.

#loveriotss #anime #mha #bnha #my hero academia #boku no hero academia #shigaraki #tomura shigaraki #tenko shimura #aizawa #shota aizawa #eraserhead #dabi #touya #touya todoroki #x reader #male reader #x male reader

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blackleatherjacketz · 8 months ago

Text

Shadow and Sin: Chapter 6

Klaus Mikaeslon, Elijah Mikaelson x Female Reader

Summary: Having just recently moved to New Orleans, you get intimately acquainted with both Mikaelson brothers, but don't find out who they truly are until it's too late.

This Chapter: You wake up in Klaus’ bed and evaluate your newly finished masterpiece. Your brother has been doing some serious digging on your new mentor, which might get him into trouble.

Warnings: (NSFW), 18+ Only!, Rough Sex, Vaginal Sex, Biting, Marking, Scratching, Choking, Manipulation, Sadism, Masochism, Blood Drinking, Panic, Fear, Violence, Spot 'The Mummy' Reference

Word Count: 3k+

Read the rest of the story HERE

Klaus watches you sleep in the bed he has tucked away in the corner of his studio, the paint his body helped smear across your chest now in various stages of drying as you dream in between his sheets. He brushes a strand of hair off your face as you sigh heavily, slowly tracing his fingertips over the curves of your lips as if to memorize them for future reference, pulling them away only as you roll onto your other side, smearing what’s left of the wet paint onto the black comforter.

He had originally bought this bed in case he got too caught up in his art, if the stress of fighting for the city or his family became too much for him that he no longer had the energy to drive back to the compound. He hadn’t used it for any of those reasons just yet, but seeing you here, asleep in it amidst your post-coital bliss serves as an even better purpose, knowing that you felt safe enough to rest your eyes in his presence. Or maybe he’d just worn you out.

He can’t get over the look he saw in your eyes when you finally let him in, when your slick walls practically melted around him as he pushed deep inside, holding you up against the brick wall with his restrained supernatural strength. He’d grabbed onto your throat instinctively, snapping his hips flush against your thighs as you moaned his name again and again. Only fear never graced your sweaty features, not even once, not even for an instance. Instead you gave him a look of recognition, a deranged glare of daring as if you expected him to choke you, as if you wanted him to do it. He was right about the darkness he saw in you, the fact that he didn’t have to compel you to stay or to forget any of it only further proves his point. You’re just like him… for the most part.

None of his past human lovers were able to match his animalistic needs the way you had, ripping his clothes off just to get your mouth on him a little bit quicker, to taste the salt of his skin as if your very life depended on it. None of them had dug their nails quite as deep into the skin of his back, drawing a fair amount of blood before the wounds began to heal as he growled into your shoulder. None of them had whispered his name so beautifully, encouraging each blinding burst of ecstasy he thrust up into your viscera to make you moan, groan and scream it out loud enough for it to echo off the empty walls of the open floor plan.

None of them were like you. No one could compare.

He sees the signs in you, the potential to accept him, to embrace him for who he is… for what he is, warts and all. If he actually is right about who you are and what you’re willing to accept, then the two of you will have an eternity to explore all of that together. The best strategy for now is to keep feeling you out, get you hooked on the oxytocin bond and dole out a little bit of his truth each and every time you see each other.

But it won’t be long, now. He can feel it as he grins to himself.

“Mmm, what time is it?” You wipe the sleep from your eyes before you realize that you aren’t in your own bed, flashes of the night quickly rushing in. The muscles in your thighs and core suddenly ache from the hours the two of you had spent mixing your fluids together amidst the paint, unsure of what was dripping off your body before finally collapsing onto the mattress in the wee small hours of the morning.

You turn onto your other side, greeted by the ethereal view of Klaus lying naked beside you, the sunlight illuminating his golden curls in a heavenly glow reminiscent of a Rembrandt painting. You wonder how someone with such an angelic face could bring out the absolute devil in you.

“Just after ten, love.” He runs a hand over your hip, his eyes greedily taking in the sight of your bare body. “Sleep well?”

“I did.” You let him massage your muscles for a few moments before the fatigue kicks in. “You wouldn’t happen to have any coffee in this multifunctional studio, now would you?” You sit up on your elbows and try to collect yourself, noticing the bite marks on your breasts, belly and inner thighs, grinning in acknowledgement. You could have sworn that you bit him back in similar places, scratched him even, but the only marks you notice on him are the paint and tattoos on his shoulder.

Huh.

“I hope you don’t mind a bit of chicory in it.” He stands up and walks over to the wet bar, giving you an eyeful of his perfectly shaped ass before putting a few scoops of coffee into a fresh filter and pressing the button. Klaus couldn’t get over how much easier coffee became to make over the centuries, remembering how utterly astounded he was when he used a Keurig machine for the very first time.

“It wouldn’t be New Orleans without it.” You grumble as he watches you rummage for your phone and clothes out of the corner of his eye, smirking to himself as he gets to enjoy the view before you finally find them.

“Oh, I don’t suppose it would.” He calls back, making sure you’re looking away before biting into his hand as a few droplets of his blood fall into your cup.

The marks he had left on your body were something he normally took pride in, a way to claim you as his if any other man dared to touch you in his absence. But he had gotten a little carried away and bitten you in a few places on your neck that you couldn’t see just yet. He hadn’t drawn any blood, but it was enough to break the skin and bruise the flesh in places that would draw too much attention no matter what you did to cover them up. A little bit of his healing blood would make sure they’d disappear in a matter of minutes, the chicory serving as a red herring to conceal its bitter flavor.

Problem solved. He’d be more careful next time.

“I actually prefer it,” you let him know, clasping your bra and slipping back into your shirt. “It gives it more of an earthy taste.”

“Is that so?” His heart skips a beat, hoping you aren’t so used to the taste that you’ll notice the metallic notes of his blood. “I myself prefer tea, but I remember when the people of New Orleans used chicory as a complete substitute back when the ports were closed…”

“During the civil war, right?” You pull your jeans on and zip them up. “They chopped up its root and brewed it instead? Then eventually, some of the people just couldn’t shake the habit after the ports opened back up?” You finish his thought for him, swiftly padding toward him and taking the mug with a grateful smile. “Thank you.”

“You know your history.” He smiles in return, pleasantly surprised as he carefully watches you take your first sip before he can relax his features into a look of genuine satisfaction.

“I know my coffee.” You correct him, taking in more of the hot liquid before spying the final result of the painting the two of you had ‘worked on’ last night.

It’s like nothing you’d ever done before, the chaotic streaks of black contrasting against magenta as different shades of red and white remain splattered across the bulk of it. If you would have told yourself a week ago that you were going to create something as wild and abstract as this, you wouldn’t have believed yourself. You smile again and take another sip as you let the image sink in, staring deep into it as it stares right back at you as if you’re trying to link yourself with it somehow.

“What do you think, love?” Klaus traces his knuckles down the back of your arm as you both look at it together, making you shudder all over again.

“It’s growing on me,” you admit, turning your head to the side to see it from a different angle before taking another sip. “I think. Can I take it home?”

“I’d much prefer to keep it here, so I can look at it whenever I want and remember just how delicately it was made, how much raw emotion went into each and every euphoric brush stroke.” He kisses your shoulder with a grin. “But you’re welcome to visit it whenever you like.”

————————

Your aches and pains seem to slowly disappear as the day goes on, as if you hadn’t just spent the night getting your back scraped against exposed brick as Klaus repeatedly buried himself inside you. Your muscles no longer contain the aching memory of being stretched and strained beyond their normal limits. Even the marks he’d left on your skin seemed to fade away to nothing by the time you met your brother for dinner that evening.

Huh.

“Well, it looks like you’re in a good mood.” Austin’s words come out like venom as he sits across from you at the restaurant, looking you up and down with somber eyes. “Staying out of trouble, I hope?”

“Nice to see you, too,” you shoot back at him, scooting your chair closer to the table before glancing over at the menu even though you already know what you’re going to order. “Why are you always so judgmental, anyways, huh? I’m your sister, you should love me despite my flaws.”

“Occupational hazard, I’m afraid.” He shrugs with his almost comical sense of moral superiority. “Just like you, only you’re always trying to fix people who are too far gone. I’m not sure you can help it anymore than I can.”

“Thanks, dad.” You roll your eyes.

“I finally had time to look up that name you gave me.” He leans forward with a worried tone, quickly changing the subject to grab your attention. “Klaus Mikaelson?”

Your cheeks flush with the shame of your recent encounter, having nearly forgotten that you’d asked your brother to look into him over a week ago. It was a little too late for words of warning if that’s what he had for you, but you suppose you’ll hear him out anyways.

“And?”

“He’s not on the list of benefactors for your art gallery, or any other gallery in the city, for that matter. He doesn’t have a job, own any property, have any assets or any kind of record in the police department or legal system. All I could find on him was some ancient newspaper clipping from the thirties that matched his description.” He pauses, looking around to make sure no one else is listening. “But that must have been his great grandfather or something because that would make him over a hundred and twenty years old.”

Of course he was too good to be true.

Your insides turn to quicksand as you hear the news, forcing you to lose all semblance of an appetite as you blink about a dozen times, staring at your brother dumbfounded as he tells you the ugly truth about the man you just spent the last twelve hours with, the man you shared a bed with.

“What do you mean there’s no record of him?” You practically laugh, leaning forward as beads of sweat form at your temples, ignoring the waiter as they bring fresh ice water to your table. “Surely he has a… a driver’s license or a state ID or a passport, or something? Anything?”

“What I mean is that he’s either given you a fake name, or he’s using a pseudonym for all of his legal endeavors. Both of which are pretty concerning, sis.” His dark brows knit together as he sighs, thanking the waiter for his glass of water.

“Well maybe I spelled his name wrong when I texted you, maybe…” your sense of denial has you spinning.

“That’s not all,” he cuts you off. “After I came up with nothing as far as the paper trail goes, I started asking the people around the quarter, seeing if anybody had heard anything on the streets that could point me in the right direction.”

“On the streets?” You chuckle. Your brother is much too formal to use that term seriously.

“Shut up.” He gives you a look, annoyed. “Whenever I mentioned his name, people got a look like they definitely knew him, like they were scared of him. But then their faces suddenly changed, and they told me they didn’t know what I was talking about, that they had never even heard of that name before. One older woman told me not to mention him again if I knew what was good for me. She was practically shaking.”

Shit. You remember the way Marie had acted when she saw Klaus the other night after your tarot reading.

“So you’re saying, what, exactly? That he’s a ghost? A mafia boss? A con artist? That my ‘by the book’ brother finally believes in something that can’t be explained by logic?” Now that you think about it, it is a bit odd that his studio is so far away from the quarter that he claims to know and love so well. Were those paintings even his? Had he stolen them and pretended to be a painter this whole time just to earn your trust? Just to get you into bed? And for what? It’s not like you have any money or own any property for him to con you out of. It just doesn’t make any sense.

“Look, I’m sorry, I know you liked him, but does it even matter at this point?” His eyes soften as he watches you work through every possible scenario in your head. “He’s clearly hiding something.”

“Yeah, I guess not,” you sigh, reluctantly accepting this new truth before taking a sip of your ice cold water, hoping it’ll shock you into thinking about something else.

“You didn’t sleep with him, did you?” He teases, picking up the menu.

“Shut up.”

————————

The night grew dark as you mulled over the whirlwind of a week you’ve had with your brother, laughing so you don’t cry at your poor choice in men over your shrimp and grits. You missed nights like these after he chose to move away so many years ago, leaving you to finish out your nursing degree in your hometown without your best friend at your side. It’s not that you were mad at him or jealous, you just wanted something, anything to stay the same once your mom had passed away, so you followed him out here the first chance that you got.

The two of you lazily walk down the sidewalk side by side, heads dizzy with alcohol as the food you ate does little to absorb it, an odd sense of relief washing over you as you begin to let go of the idea of keeping Klaus in your life. You’re disappointed, sure. Sad, even, at the loss of someone who seemed to really see you for who you are underneath it all. It didn’t help that he was obscenely attractive either, but there was something else, something refreshingly honest about him that you’d never seen in anyone else before. But you assume that it’s better to cut ties with someone early on before getting too attached to them, right?

At least this is what you’ll tell yourself tonight and the night after that, and the night after that, and so on and so forth. God, why did he have to be so fucking hot?

Before you can even register what’s happening, you see a man step out of the crowd and grab your brother by the shirt, pushing him into an alleyway quicker than you can logically explain. You start to call after him until you feel a pair of hands grab onto you in turn, pushing you into the same alley and lifting you up against the aged bricks as if you didn’t weigh a thing.

“We thought we had a deal with you guys.” One says to your brother, the man’s eyes darkening to a deep red as fangs appear to extend from his canines. “Don’t scream, don’t move.”

Wait a minute, fangs? What the hell? How much did you drink tonight? Panic paralyzes your body as you watch your brother go limp and docile once he locks eyes with his assailant, his muscles seeming to relax and his breathing slowed. What the hell did he just do to him?

“Don’t go asking questions you don’t want the answers to. Forget the name Klaus Mikaelson, forget Marcel Gerard, they’re just businessmen serving the quarter in ways you aren’t privy to, understand? Maybe hurting your little lady here will keep you in line… ”

“No, she doesn’t have anything to do with this!” Austin lies in a desperate plea for your life, the spell that this creature has cast on him unable to erase his love for you.

In a heartbeat, the man that holds you tightens his grip, barely giving you any time to react before leaning forward and biting into your neck. His fangs pierce your skin where Klaus had kissed you just the night before, the pain searing hot as your blood spills out onto your chest until they’re immediately ripped out of you just as quickly. His hands let go of your shirt, forcing you to fall onto the ground with a jarring thump, a jolt of pain shooting up your tailbone into your spine as you watch both of the men get ripped to shreds.

With jittering hands, you manage to grab onto the bottom of your shirt and hold it against your wound, applying pressure in an attempt to slow the bleeding. You can feel your body growing weaker by the second as your vision begins to blur, but you’re pretty sure that you recognize the man who now holds both men’s beating hearts in his hands.

“Elijah?”

#klaus mikaelson #niklaus mikaelson #klaus mikaelson x reader #klaus mikaelson smut #joseph morgan #the originals #the vampire diaries #vampires #niklaus mikaelson smut #elijah mikaelson

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m-jelly · 10 months ago

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Demon Huntress Reader x Incubus Levi. Incubus!Levi tempts and seduces Reader to have fun with him (they are secretly lovers)

@2moth-anon2 requested

Irresistible lover

Incubus Levi x fem!reader

Supernatural AU, magical AU, fluff, romance, being a couple, flirtatious Levi, sexual language, teasing, touching, oral, monster loving.

While on a journey to hunt down a dangerous demon, Levi temps you over and over with delicious words and touches. You give in to temptation and allow your lover to fawn over you.

Lore: Some demons help hunters hunt down bad demons. Levi offered his services to help because a demon killed his two friends. As a result of helping you, he fell madly in love with you and you fell for him and you became a couple.

@ladycheesington @levisbrat25 @nyxiieluna @li-anne @galactict3a @youre-ackermine @thebobaprincess @2moth-anon2 @cypidity @nbinairyn @bts-spnlvr12 @darkstarlight82 @emilyyyy-08 @notgoodforlife @demonic-bird

You released a long sigh as you grabbed the magic scroll on your next target. You were tired, exhausted and frustrated. Work had been non-stop for you and it had meant less couple time with Levi. As a demon, Levi had a large and deep hunger for you. So, it was hard to get the balance right between doing your job as a hunter of demons and being dedicated to Levi.

Even though Levi was a hungry demon, he was very patient and sweet with you. To him, you were worth the wait. Every inch of you was delicious and your heart was so beautiful. The love he had for you was unmeasurable.

The stress and exhaustion were just rolling off you and Levi could sense it. Levi wanted to fix this, he wanted to get you to relax, he wanted you to smile, he wanted you to be happy and to do that he had a plan.

As soon as you walked into your study at the hunter base, he locked the door and used his powers to make the room darker - it was mood lighting. It appeared you didn't notice, so Levi was going to pull out all the stops.

Levi changed his human appearance to more of his demon one because he knew how much you loved it. His horns grew large on his head, scales appeared on the corners of his face, up his neck and all over his body. His hands turned into strong claws that looked like they had been dipped in tar. His long tail whipped to the side as he growled in pleasure. His tongue was long and pointed for perfect reach and lastly, his shirt peeled off his body to show off his muscles.

He pushed his raven hair back and slowly slinked his way over to you. The way he called your name was sensual like it was pleasurable to call out. He dragged a claw across the table and growled. "You seem...stressed."

You whined a bit as you kept working. "I am. This needs to be done. He's a high-ranking demon on the loose. I need to stop him."

"That will happen. I know you will." He grabbed the magical scroll making you pout and protest. "But you need a break."

You stood up. "He doesn't stop so I shouldn't."

Levi tossed the scroll right as a flying little imp appeared and took it away. "Darling sweetness, he will rest, trust me." He stared you up and down. "You look good enough to eat."

You blushed. "You say that all the time. Call your imp back and give me the scroll."

He reached over the desk and pressed a claw into your shirt right between your breasts. "I will, but after you've been a good girl and relaxed. I'm worried about you." He pulled his claw down and slowly ripped your shirt open. "You are so arousing."

You shivered as your warm skin was met with the room's cool air. "Levi."

He eyed your breasts in your bra. "So supple, plump and delicious."

You pulled back and yanked the shirt closed. "Y-You're distracting m-me."

He leapt over the desk and sat on the edge right in front of you. "My intention."

You tried to move away but Levi's wings burst from his back, and one of them moved and blocked your path. You turned and tried to escape the other way, but his tail wrapped around your thigh. "Le-Levi."

Levi looped his claw finger around your belt loop and tugged. "You work so hard. You're so strong. You're so inspiring." He ran his lips right between your breasts and inhaled deeply. "A darling love like you should be worshipped and rewarded." He delicately kissed your skin. "Such a magnificent love."

You mewled in delight and tangled your fingers in his hair. "You're too sweet to me."

He looked up at you. "You deserve your body to be worshipped every day and night." He licked his lips to show his long pointed tongue. "Say yes."

You could feel the yes on the tip of your tongue, but your senses came to you. You had a job to do and you shouldn't be playing with your demon boyfriend. You turned in his arms and mewled. "I need a new shirt and to start working."

Levi ran his hands up your body as he spoke against your ear. "You work so hard all the time. You need a break. Everyone takes breaks. Everyone needs to relax and unwind." One hand massaged your hip as the other gripped your breast. "So many knots in such an alluring body. It must be so hard for you."

You leaned your head back and relaxed against his touch. "Mm, it is."

"A good night's rest and some good loving with work all the knots out and help you think fresh."

"You're right."

He nipped your earlobe between his sharp canines. "Just a night off. One simple night off won't do any harm."

You leaned against Levi, your weight now fully on him. Legs now weak, you sat between Levi's legs on the edge of the desk. A blissful sigh escaped your lips as Levi continued his touches and massaging. Every move he made was electrifying to you, it always was.

You turned your head and gazed deep into Levi's eyes as they glinted with power. "Do you love me?"

Levi smiled softly at you. "More than words can describe. You have my whole heart and immortal soul. I love you, forever and more."

You welled up as your heart swelled with adoration. "I love you too."

He leaned closer. "I know. I can feel it through our bond. It is...breathtaking." He crashed his lips against yours as his fingers plunged down into your underwear and began caressing your clit.

You felt a shiver run through you as two long clawed fingers pressed deep into your pussy and pressed you in every perfect way. The palm of his hand stimulated your attention-seeking clit. Each soft and intentional movement was hypnotic and pleasurable to you.

Levi's long pointed demon tongue was blazing hot inside your mouth. The way he moved was soothing and yet arousing. You felt safe, calm and relaxed, but also like your body was on fire. All you could do was cling to your lover as he moved and worshipped your mortal body, which in time he would make immortal like him.

A light whimper came from you as soon as he pinched your nipple. A throbbing of pleasure pumped through you from your chest to your heat and back. The danger of it all added to the sexual pleasure. If anyone knew about the undying love between the two of you, or that you took part in the pleasure of the body with each other, you would be shunned and banished from your people.

Most would have accused Levi of tempting you to love him, but Levi would tell you otherwise. Levi's intention was to make a deal with you to take revenge. However, your heart, body and soul lured him in and he was hopelessly in love and yours. You were Levi's master and he would do anything for you. Although, when it came to sex, he was always the tempter because he was a demon of sex.

Levi pulled from your lips as your moans heightened in pitch. The light in Levi's eyes brightened. "That's it, my darling. Cum against my hand and enjoy the pleasure that is your body."

You threw your head back and cried out in bliss as you felt a pleasurable pop. "Levi."

Levi moaned in pleasure as you fed him with power. "Good girl." He dragged his fingers from you and licked them clean. "Delicious meal."

You leaned against his chest. "Mm..."

He lifted you up and laid you on your desk. "Worry not, my darling." He licked his lips and moaned. "I will help you relax more." He clicked a clawed finger against your trousers and panties causing them to slice off. "I will plunge my tongue deep into your pussy and enjoy the flavours of your arousal." He knelt before you and shifted your legs over his shoulders. "I must kneel before my altar."

You reached down and gripped his horns. "I'm all yours."

His long pointed tongue dragged up your lips and clit. He smirked as you whimpered. "Relax. Let me take care of you."

You threw your head back as his long, thick and pointed tongue plunged deep into you. Your thighs clamped around his handsome face. Your back arched as he moved and rolled his tongue. A shiver ran through you as his clawed hands ran down your body. You knew very well that this was not going to be something short, it was going to be an all-night loving.

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sel-enha-phile · 1 month ago

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A Symphony of Midnight

✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩

✩ Enhypen x Fem!Reader ✩ Word Count: 3.3k ✩ Warnings: Mentions of Alcohol, Death, Blood, War ✩ ✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩ When an ancient relic shatters and the treaty safeguarding peace between humans and vampires is broken, Y/N Valerian finds herself accused of the unthinkable—the murder of her father and the destruction of the relic. Thrust into a perilous world of supernatural intrigue, she becomes entangled with the Seven Vampire Princes of the Anaima bloodline.

Amid rising tensions, political machinations, and the looming threat of war, Y/N must navigate a labyrinth of deception while grappling with a forbidden love that defies centuries-old laws. But the greatest revelation lies within herself: her blood holds the power to either doom the world to annihilation or offer its ultimate salvation. ✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩

The grand chamber of the Valerian Estate gleamed with lavish splendor, its polished marble floors reflecting the soft glow of countless candles suspended in crystal chandeliers. Every surface seemed to catch the light, amplifying the grandeur of the occasion. The air was alive with a symphony of voices- human and vampire mingling in a precarious sort of harmony.

For two centuries, the Luminis Accord had upheld an uneasy peace between the two races, and tonight’s bicentennial celebration was meant to further solidify that fragile coexistence.

You lingered at the very edge of the crowd where your existence went unnoticed; a goblet of wine resting idly in your hand, its deep crimson swirling as you moved your wrist absently. It wasn't that you preferred to drink all that much. In all honesty the stench of liquor of any sort made your stomach churn and your head quite a bit dizzier than one's normal state of tipsiness. So, a lack of sobriety is not something you often found yourself aiming for, lest your mind needed clearing.

Tonight was one of those nights. For some reason your senses were on high alert, and it brought an ostentatious unease to you as if you were apart from yourself. You stand to be around vampires tonight; but oddly enough it bothered you even more to be around your own kind.

Your eyes traced the room before landing on your father, Lord Callan Valerian. He moved through the sea of dignitaries with a confidence that seemed effortless, his silver hair catching the chandelier's light as though it were a crown.

It would make sense if it were. He was what could be equivalent to royalty in your world. His great- great grandfather had been the one to present the Luminis Accord to the vampires; so to the current assembly and those before, anyone of the valerian blood was a symbol of unity, the architect of a treaty that had held firm against decades of doubt and mistrust- a leader in the simplest sense.

For decades there was only men born to the Valerian blood- the product of what many believed to be a curse used in the making of the treaty- seven sons to a family to mirror the seven Princes. Your father's only heir was you.

At first many questions your father's lineage due to only you being born- a female. The first since the making of the treaty. Had your father went against the rules?

The rules were simple. Any women born the same year as the one of Valerian blood were for selection- as long as they were pure.

It was a rather stupid rule you felt, in the times you lived in. But your mother was the same age as your father. And to everyone's knowledge had been celibate up until her betrothal. Did he have relations with someone other than a woman you had called your mother?

It didn't seem that way at your mother's deathbed. Your young self-remembered vividly just how loud your father had wailed. As if he was grieving even beyond your mother's life.

After her death he put so much into leading, even the Ambassadors and Council members who used to be against him vied for his attention, their deference a testament to his influence. He was their savior.

To you, he was simply Father- a man of uncompromising principles and even stricter expectations, whose shadow you had never fully stepped out of.

Yet tonight, something about him was different. His expression, always composed, carried a tension that was hard to ignore. His smiles were fleeting, forced, and his words to the assembled guests felt more measured than usual. Beneath his polished exterior, a weight pressed on him, and you could feel it in the fleeting glances he cast across the room, the wrinkles in his face, the crease in his brows, as if anticipating a threat no one else could see.

"Y/N, my lovely child," he had said earlier, his hand firm but uncharacteristically warm on your shoulder. "Stay close tonight, alright?"

The request had surprised you. He rarely spoke to you so directly during public events, much less asked for your presence. Usually, your role was ceremonial- a silent reminder of the continuation of the Valerian lineage. You were no diplomat, no tactician, no leader- even if one day you were expected to be one. You were a historian, content to study the echoes of the past rather than shape the present. That was your passion. A choice your father had long viewed with quiet disappointment, though he had grudgingly accepted it.

You had nodded, offering no protest, as he pet your head- the first he had done since you were a child; but now his words lingered in your mind, heavier than they had felt earlier. Standing alone amid the thrumming energy of the room, you couldn’t shake the feeling that they carried a warning you hadn’t understood.

He hadn’t smiled. Not even once to anyone else. But the small smile he gave before strutting off set in your heart like a heavy stone.

The unease in your chest deepened, and you found yourself wishing you had pressed him for more. Why tonight of all nights? What had he seen- or feared -that made him act so unlike himself? The question lingered, unanswered, as the crowd swirled around you in blissful ignorance.

Was it perhaps what you had confronted him about? The truth behind the Luminis Accord? How it wasn't offered as peace but more so-

Your thoughts were interrupted by a sharp crash of breaking glass. Subtle, almost imperceptible to the human ear, but distinct enough to snag your attention. You looked out at the crowd, no heads turning save for a few miscellaneous councilmen from the vampiric side. And even the vampires playing in the string quartet.

You turned, your frown deepening, knowing you didn't imagine what you heard. Maybe no other human was close enough? So you made your way in the direction of the noise, which led towards a small antechamber that led to the diplomats' counsel room.

Then came the scream.

It was high and piercing, cutting through the air like a blade, causing you to rush. The music stuttered into silence for a split second; but you barely register that as you pushed through the door, recognizing the scream all too well. Dread coiled in your chest as your feet moved of their own accord, heart pounded, each step quickening until you reached the room. The sight before you stole the breath from your lungs.

Slumped against the polished wood of his desk was your father, his body framed by a pool of blood that seeped into the intricate weave of the ornate rug. His skin, once so full of vitality, was pallid and waxen, his eyes fixed on nothing as he coughed out blood. At his feet lay the shattered remains of the Relic of Luminis Accord; its crystal fragments glinting like cruel stars in the dim light.

“Father?” The word left your lips as a whisper, trembling and fragile. You dropped to your knees beside him, hands hovering, useless and shaking, over his stilling form. He had a slit in his throat, accompanied with two small puncture marks. And a large wound in his abdomen.

The coppery scent of blood was thick and cloying, turning your stomach as tears blurred your vision.

"Listen." Your father sputtered, his blood landing on your dress. "I broke...long ago." His eyes were wide. "The treaty. It's my fault. You're in danger." He coughed once more, slumping against you. Your eyes were frantic as you tried to cover the bleeding.

Do I cover his abdomen or this cut in his throat-

"Father-"

"Don't. Trust them...my child-"

“What have you done?!”

The voice jolted through you like a whip crack. Sharp, accusing. You spun to see Prince Sunghoon standing in the doorway, his silhouette stark against the flickering glow of the main hall. His hand rested on the hilt of his blade- as if he couldn't finish someone with his bare hands. His expression, usually so unreadable, was etched with tension as his gaze flicked between you, your father, and the shattered relic.

Before you could speak, Prince Jake stepped into the room, halting abruptly as the scent of blood hit him. His face twisted, fangs elongating involuntarily. A hand shot up to cover his mouth, his breaths ragged and shallow as he tried to wrest control from the primal hunger clawing at his senses.

“I’ve never craved like this before,” Jake muttered, his voice muffled and hoarse. His shoulders shook, his darkened eyes fixed on the blood soaking into the rug.

Sunghoon’s jaw tightened, his own fangs pressing against his lower lip as he fought the same battle. The stench of death was undeniable, but beneath it was something else- something potent and intoxicating and delicious that set his instincts ablaze. He forced his gaze away from your father’s lifeless form, focusing instead on the relic’s jagged shards.

“The relic is destroyed,” he said, his voice low and steady, though his mind reeled. The relic had been more than a mere artifact. It was a safeguard, a delicate tether holding the balance between human and vampire. Its destruction wasn’t just a tragedy- it was a declaration of war.

But it's not as if a human- regardless of political positioning would know that.

Should, know that.

His gaze snapped back to you. You, kneeling in the blood of Lord Callan, with the relic’s shattered remains glinting at your feet. The image was damning, undeniable.

Footsteps echoed behind him, hurried and insistent. The other princes arrived, followed by a flood of nobles and guards, their collective presence suffocating the room. The murmurs swelled into an uproar, a sea of voices crying out for answers, for retribution.

You looked up, your eyes connecting with the one damning you.

“Seize her!” The command rang out from the eldest prince, sharp and unyielding.

Hands closed around your arms, hauling you to your feet with a force that left you reeling.

"FATHER-" You thrashed instinctively, panic surging as the weight of the accusations pressed down on you. Grief twisted into raw, frantic denial, but the faces around you were cold, unrelenting.

The room blurred as you were dragged towards the center of the ballroom, where the party had now stopped, your please not even being allowed to be swallowed by the tide of voices. Silence happening in almost an instant.

It was happening too fast, a nightmare spiraling out of control, and no one would listen. The truth was trapped in your throat, smothered by the crushing weight of grief and the suffocating certainty of your father’s death.

The princes- all seven of them -stood in a line, their presence commanding even amidst the chaos.

Heeseung stepped forward, his expression unreadable as his gaze swept over you. He held up a hand, and the room fell silent.

“Y/N Valerian,” he said, his voice cold and measured. “You stand accused of breaking the Luminis Accord and the murder of the human Lord Callan Valerian. An act of treason not only against both your kind and ours; but your own blood. What do you have to say in your defense?”

“I didn’t-” you began, but your voice faltered. You looked around the room, at the faces of those who had known your father, who had once treated you with kindness. Now, their eyes were filled with suspicion, their expressions hardened with fear. "I didn't kill him! Why would I-"

“Enough!” Heeseung’s voice rang out, slicing through your protest like a blade. “The evidence is clear. Lord Callan is dead. The relic is destroyed. And you were the only one found at the scene.”

“It wasn’t me!” you cried, desperation choking your voice. “I would never- he was my father, for the sake of all that’s holy!”

“You stand to gain the most from his death,” Jungwon said, his tone steady yet cutting. The younger prince’s gaze bore into you, calculating. “Not only do you inherit his political influence, but you also gain unrestricted access to…further your historical pursuits, do you not?”

"Thats not...that's not true." You wavered.

“And yet, here we are,” Sunghoon murmured, his voice quieter but no less condemning. His eyes lingered on you, heavy with an unspoken question, as though searching for cracks in your resolve.

“I desire none of his power!” Your voice rose, firm and unyielding, despite the tears stinging your eyes. “My father knew that- you all knew that!” You thrashed against the iron grip of the guards holding you. “I have no wish to be a pawn in your games. I have no wish to be used by you or anyone else!”

The air in the chamber grew taut, the princes exchanging glances as murmurs rippled through the room like a brewing storm.

“You think I don’t see it?” you spat, eyes blazing as they darted from one prince to the next. Sunoo blinked slowly at you, and in an instant his face changed as he mouthed something that made Jay and Ni-ki's head turn and Sunoo made the movement of coming towards you. “The imbalance, the lies, the convenience of all of this. Don’t you vampires have the most to gain from this farce? Why don’t you tell everyone the truth about what the relic really was-”

In a blur of movement, Sunoo was in front of you, his hand clamping over your mouth. His eyes gleamed, something you couldn't place harbored in them, as he leaned close. “Not another word.” he growled, his voice a low, dangerous rumble. Nearly inaudible. "Or else I can't help you." He said, his voice softening. You looked up with a questioning gaze, everything feeling like it was happening in a matter of seconds. Slowly, he withdrew his hand, the look in his eyes and the gaze he then threw towards Jungwon making your jaw twitch.

“What do we do with her?” Jake’s voice broke the silence, tight and strained. His eyes avoided yours, focusing instead on the bloodstains still marring your clothes. You saw the flicker of hunger in his expression, quickly smothered, but not before it chilled you to your core.

At least he had the audacity to look ashamed.

“Hand her over!” a voice from the human delegation rang out. It was your father’s advisor, Sir Chetaire- the man you’d once called uncle. His wrinkled hands wrung together as he addressed the princes, his voice trembling with poorly disguised fear. “Let the princes deal with her. Surely that will…quell the unrest.” He got onto his knees, as if ready to worship the ground the princes stood on.

One of the vampire guards stepped forward but not before Jungwon raised his hand, cocking his head as if considering the propsal.

Your heart twisted, the betrayal cutting deeper than you thought possible. “You can’t be serious.” Your voice shook, disbelief and fury clawing at your composure. “You know me, Chetaire! You’ve known me my entire life. You know-”

“Silence her!” another voice hissed, igniting a flurry of accusations.

“Hand her over!”

“Murderer!”

“She killed her own father!”

Glasses began to be thrown and in an instant the humans were in upheaval that even the Vampires didn't know how to calm.

The cacophony of voices merged into a deafening roar. But you still heard Jungwon's steady voice: "Take her."

Your knees wavered as the guards tightened their grip and dragged you forward, your heel getting caught in one of the indents of the tile, allowing your foot to be bare; the world around you tilting and distorting into a surreal nightmare.

Your mind raced, desperately grasping for explanations, for anything that could piece this madness into coherence. But there was nothing. No reprieve. Only the cruel, unyielding truth:

Your father was dead, and they had cast you as the villain in a tragedy not of your making.

The celebration was long over now; humans being escorted towards the entrance- you into what you could only assume was something much more damning then the winter cold outside.

As you were escorted out before the entirety of the guests, a murmur of unease rippled through the hall, though none dared voice it aloud. Somewhere within the depths of their variant eyes, you glimpsed something fleeting in few- a flicker of doubt, or was it pity? Whatever it was, it held no power to alter your fate.

You were being offered to the ones you once called enemies. Whether as a pawn for interrogation or a sacrifice for execution, the outcome remained uncertain.

What was certain, however, was the terror etched into the faces of your people. You knew better than anyone why you had been given up so easily- when you knew no one would have dared under revere for your father.

They stood silent and trembling, a stark contrast to the unyielding resolve glimmering in the eyes of the vampires of the council who bore witness.

The princes carried an aura of dominion so profound it felt oppressive, a quiet power that all recognized but none dared acknowledge aloud.

Your people had surrendered you in the hopes of appeasing these ancient forces, of forestalling the inevitable clash of fangs and steel.

Yet deep down, you knew the truth: the pact was a farce. The treaty had always been for naught.

These beings were utterly insatiable, their hunger not only for blood but for dominance eternal.

As you were whisked away into the depths of their domain, you couldn’t ignore the strain etched into the faces of the seven royals. Something primal lingered beneath their regal façades, a predatory edge sharpened to a blade’s whisper.

Your gaze locked on two of them- Jake and Jay, who were like statues hewn from moonlight, even in movement. They had always been the most composed according to ancient record, even now they were the ones humanity trusted most, yet even their eyes betrayed an agony that cut to the bone.

Sunoo and Heesung were the only ones fully in front of you, the tension in the eldest shoulders telling you a tale you weren't sure you wanted to know the extent of. Sunoo seemed to be saying something to him.

Behind you, Ni-ki and Sunghoon and Jungwon flanked your steps, silent as specters. When your eyes met the youngest's, a flicker of something indefinable passed between you. Recognition? Regret? It was gone before you could grasp its meaning.

You longed to cry out, to scream a warning to the humans who had sent you here. But your voice remained caged, like a bird caught in a storm.

The implications of Sunoo's earlier words felt like hands around your throat.

"Not another word. Or else I can't help you."

Still you wish you could say. Warn-

Run.

Run as far and as fast as you can.

The relic your ancestors had eagerly handed over centuries ago was no symbol of peace. It was a shield. A shield forged in desperation- a desperate protection against the very monsters they had now chosen to appease. A shield those same monsters had agreed upon accepting in times of comradery. Those times had long passed.

Now that the relic was destroyed they were free to do as they pleased.

And your poor, ignorant kind- in their blind hope to avert a war, they had likely sealed their doom.

With the shattering of the Relic and the death of your father, the line had been crossed.

War was not just inevitable.

It was destiny.

✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩ Ahh! First post ono my sideblog! It might take a little bit longer for me to upload this story- since as I mentioned this is my sideblog :)! But I will be doing my best to update this story as fast as possible! I hope whoever reads this enjoys! ✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩✩

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suppose-i-was-worm · 10 months ago

Text

Like the Beat of a Drum pt 2

**I'm not entirely happy about this, and have NO clue where it's going next, but we'll see!**

The Red Hood clocked Danny as not all he seemed as soon as they were alone together. After some negotiation (Danny threatening to vanish into thin air and Hood threatening to tell Red Robin), they came to a consensus.

Danny would be in human form unless one of the other bats were around, and Hood would keep his big mouth shut.

“No spooky supernatural stuff in my borough, kid.”

Danny decided not to tell the other man that he himself had a fair bit of spooky supernatural stuff going on.

He should probably keep an eye on that- Corrupted ectoplasm was never a good thing, and Red Hood was crawling with it.

Living in Crime Alley was easy. Hood had put him up in a dingy little apartment, fully stocked with anything he might need- and no surveillance equipment. Danny had checked. He spent his time while he finished the healing process taking the toaster apart. And the microwave.

Hood visited while he was arms deep in the oven and put a kibosh on larger appliances, but he started bringing small broken appliances around for Danny to fix. It was nice, having another undead hanging around. Someone who understood the constant itch under Danny’s skin to keep moving, keep working, keep reminding himself he was alive.

He even was finally able to see his soulmark! It was a name, somebody called Timothy Drake-Wayne. Hood had seen it and made some sort of choking noise, and when Danny asked, he was told that Drake-Wayne was publicly markless. Weird.

Danny was pleased that the wounds to the area had healed completely though, not marring the text at all.

The wound on his chest, not so much. It stood out, inflamed and sore against his otherwise pale chest. Its presence reminded him a little of the lichtenberg scars that crawled down his arms in his ghost form.

Maybe the Drs. Fenton had somehow killed him again, and now he was a halfa twice over? This was his penance, he supposed, for trusting them after everything.

~~~

Tim’s favorite coffee shop was packed, save for one table with a lone occupant. Once he’d gotten his deathwish coffee, he made his way over to the table.

“Excuse me, do you mind if I-“

The table’s occupant, a young man with dark hair and piercing blue eyes, nodded toward the other chair before Tim could finish his sentence.

“Feel free, man. It’s a busy day today.”

Tim couldn’t help but wonder where he’d seen the other before- his face was familiar in a strange way, and he felt- he felt surprisingly attracted.

His soulmate heartbeat thing had been unusually quiet since the night Phantom arrived, whereas before it sounded loud and clear in his head at least a few times a day and long into the night.

He was allowed to talk to cute people while his soulmate was still young, right?

“Spend a lot of time here?”

The stranger shrugged.

“Here and there. Haven’t run into you before, which I think I would have noticed. I’m Danny, by the way.”

Tim didn’t think much of the name. This young man was far too old to be his Daniel.

“Nice to meet you, Danny. I’m Tim.”

He reached out a hand, and Danny shook it firmly, giving him an odd look that quickly passed.

The two of them sat and chatted for a while, and Tim found himself wondering how he’d missed this person around Gotham- he was well spoken with a soft accent, whip smart, and gorgeous.

Tim’s watch buzzed, reminding him he had a meeting- he could have sworn he had two hours between his coffee run and his meeting, but perhaps he’d been chatting too long.

“Shit! I have to go- it was nice meeting you!”

He chugged the rest of his now-cold coffee and darted out of the coffee shop.

It wasn’t until after the shareholder’s meeting that he realized he hadn’t asked for Danny’s number.

~~~

“Hood!”

Jason looked up from his desk as his office door was flung open, and then watched in amusement as Danny scrambled out of the grasp of the goon trying to pull him away.

“Sorry Boss, he slipped by us! I’ll- OW! He bites!”

“Stand down, Marcus, he’s a friend. Head over to medical if you need to- the little shit’s feral.”

Grumbling, the goon let go of a smug looking Danny and made his way to the other door while Danny swanned into the office and made himself comfortable on Hood’s guest chairs.

“How did you find this place?”

Shrugging, the kid pretended to inspect his nails.

“You know, just followed the scent of daddy issues and rancid ectoplasm- not hard. Didn’t peg you for the office type, though.”

Jason leaned back, crossing his arms.

“What do you want.”

“Timothy Drake-Wayne is Red Robin, yes?”

Trying to keep his posture casual and unconcerned, Jason tilted his head.

“What makes you say that?”

“I met a guy named Tim at the coffee shop and he’s got the same ghosts as Red Robin.”

Danny slapped a newspaper down on the desk between them- the cover page was Tim, looking very CEO and businesslike.

Jason was pretty sure Tim and Danny would get along like a house on fire, if Danny had already figured him out.

“Also, I felt his heartbeat when we shook hands and it matches the beat of my soul.”

Pausing, Jason parsed the information he now had about Danny.

“Wait, you can see ghosts that follow people?”

“You can’t?”

Jason stared incredulously at Danny for a few beats, and then the younger man sighed.

“Right. Your ecto is all screwy. Remind me to fix that. Yeah, I see ghosts attached to people- not everyone has them, and not all of the ghosts are actually, you know, dead people, but yeah. I don’t normally think about them because they’re everywhere, but same ghosts often equal same person.”

Danny slumped further into the chair after he finished talking, letting out a small whine.

“What now?”

“Jason, he’s cute.”

With a sigh, Jason pointed over at the newest handful of appliances he needed Danny to fix for the residents of Crime Alley.

“Take that and get out of my office.”

~~~

“Timberly~”

Tim sighed and let his pen drop- if Jason was here and looking for him, he probably wouldn’t get much work done. Not that he was getting work done now- balancing a pen on his nose wasn’t really work.

Jason rounded the batcomputer, idly tossing his helmet from one hand to another, a massive grin stretching across his face. It was a scheming face, a face that said he knew something Tim didn’t, and Tim hated not knowing things.

“What.”

Jason’s grin stretched wider.

“You’ve been keeping secrets!”

With a sigh, Tim turned his attention to the computer. Of course he kept secrets- the entire family had secrets. Hell, the secrets that the entire family kept probably also kept secrets.

Undeterred, Jason shoved his head (read: his entire upper body) in between Tim and the computer.

“So, where is it?”

Tim raised an eyebrow at the other man, hoping he looked as judgmental as he felt.

“Where is what, Jason? My spleen?”

The grin on Jason’s face faltered for a moment before returning with full force.

“Your soulmark!”

The weights Dick had been working with in the training area hit the floor with a loud thump, and Tim could only assume their oldest brother was storming over to berate Jason.

“Jason!”

Heh. He was right.

Jason pulled away, grabbing the arm of Tim’s chair and dragging him along to be a human shield as Dick approached.

“Nu-uh, Dickie- I’ve got good info, here. Timmy has been hiding his entire soul from us!”

Tim would like it to go on record that he hated everything, everyone, and especially Jason. He tuned out Dick’s raised voice and Jason’s responses, trying to figure out how the other could have found out.

He almost always kept the patch on- it’s not like a civilian camera could have caught him without. Even when he took the patch off to wash or to tend a nearby wound, he made sure to do it in his Nest without any recording devices nearby.

The only way Jason could have- Maybe he’d met Daniel and seen Tim’s name? Some poor kid down in Crime Alley? A four year old at best. Eurgh.

He tuned back into the still heated conversation.

“-kindness isn’t hard Jason, and you can’t just use the excuse that we’re siblings to bully Tim for being markless! I never thought you had it in you, you-“

“It’s under my sternum. How’d you find out?”

Dick’s tirade stopped short as Tim answered, his mouth dropping open comically. Jason pumped his fist triumphantly.

“You handed him to me on a silver platter, Timbo.”

Tim did not gape, that would be unbecoming and Janet Drake would never allow a son of hers to be unbecoming.

“I’m sorry?”

Jason grinned, an evil, evil grin.

“Daniel Fenton. You gave his case to me.”

“Case?”

Dick’s voice was high and reedy, and Tim looked over to see that he was looking distressed and probably a little faint.

Jason snickered. Rude.

“I do not have a case for my soulmate.”

Jason snickered again, and pointed at the batcomputer.

“Then what’s that?”

Both Dick and Tim turned to look- it was just the file on Phantom- but by the time they turned around again, Jason was roaring out of the cave on his bike.

Tim flipped him off, just because he could.

Dick collected himself before Tim did, whirling to face him and yanking Tim’s shirt up before desperately scraping at the bare skin, trying to find the patch.

With a sigh, Tim pushed Dick’s searching hands away and peeled off the patch himself.

He felt bare without it- completely exposed to his brother’s sharp eyes.

“You never told anyone?”

Shrugging, Tim slapped the patch back on, pulled his shirt down, and turned back to the batcomputer.

“Came in late- didn’t want some poor kid to get saddled with me.”

By the hitch in Dick’s breathing, Tim could tell the older man was about to get sentimental on him, or berate him for talking bad about himself.

This day couldn’t get much worse, could it?

The Arkham escape alarm sounded from both boys’ phones, and Tim sighed yet again. Way to jinx himself.

~~~

Phantom floated invisibly above the Red Hood, filtering away the ectoplasm that rolled off of him in waves as he stood with the other bats.

“Nightwing and Robin, you’re looking for the Joker.”

The ectoplasm spiked at Batman’s growl, and Danny sighed soundlessly. Keeping Jason away from his vengeance was not the right way to go about things.

“You want another dead Robin if they find him?”

“I do not want a dead Joker, Hood, and I know there will be one if I let you after him.”

Red Hood crossed his arms with a snarl, and Phantom settled closer to the man’s shoulders, keeping a steady wave of calm floating from his core.

The beat of his soul was pounding with excitement, and he took a moment to glance over at Red Robin, who was glaring in Red Hood’s direction. Danny couldn’t begin to fathom why.

Once the bats scattered, Phantom brought his head closer to Hood’s. The older boy was muttering mutinously under his helmet.

“What if we found him first?”

Hood’s head shot up to look in Danny’s direction.

“I could help, and then we could go home and finish Jenga.”

“Help do what?”

Danny dropped his invisibility long enough to flash Jason a grin.

“Payback.”

~~~

Red Robin and Spoiler crashed into a warehouse, weapons at the ready, only to find half the rogues they were looking for tied up and watching a fight going on in the center of the room. Tim’s heart was beating a mile-a-minute with adrenaline, and so was his second heartbeat. He had been rushing to find the Joker at least, especially after Red Hood went off comms.

It took him a minute to identify the people in the fight, if it could really be called that. From what he could tell, it was a mostly unilateral beat-down of the Joker by Phantom.

“What the fuck.”

Stephanie was watching with wide eyes from his side, and Tim caught a glance of Jason watching from the other side of the warehouse, helmet off and a green glow about his face.

“We need to get to Hood and make sure he doesn’t do anything.”

Spoiler nodded, but before she could move, a shadow shifted next to Hood and Black Bat slipped from the shadows, putting a hand on the man’s arm. Hood turned his head in her direction, nodded, and then went back to watching the show.

Black Bat stepped away, seeming satisfied with Jason’s response.

Phantom smacked Joker with a backhand slap loud enough to startle Tim, and the psychopathic man went flying back into the wall, crumpling into a heap at the base.

Tim watched as Phantom floated over to Hood, chest heaving despite no sounds of breathing.

“Are you Avenged, Bat of Gotham? Feel it in your Core.”

The greenish glow to Jason’s face flickered and then floated up and away from his face, dispersing in a thin mist.

“I am Avenged, Phantom.”

Phantom landed with a smile.

“See? Killing him wasn’t necessary- just a little beatdown.”

The second heartbeat in Tim’s sternum began to slow as Phantom held out a hand to Red Hood.

Jason took it and shook, smiling grimly.

“Red Robin?”

Spoiler was at his shoulder, but Tim couldn’t tear his eyes away from Phantom’s face.

“Red, we need to get Joker to the hospital.”

Black Bat moved from beside Jason and punched Tim on the shoulder.

“Ask him out.”

Tim startled.

“I- what?”

She made the sign for soulmate discreetly, and Tim felt his face flush. Phantom couldn’t possibly- but then he thought about Jason’s cryptic wording about Tim’s soulmate the other day.

Surely not. Surely.

#dp x dc #dp x dc fanfic #dp x batman #dpxdc #dp x dc crossover #brain dead #mild violence #soulmate fic

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selfishdoll · 1 year ago

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❛favorite groupie...❜ ━━ ft. vamp! sukuna

SUMMARY ೀ ׅ ۫ . ㅇ

the last thing you wanted to do was go to a vampire bar just because your best friend’s favorite fanged band was playing. but you did.. and met a certain pink haired drummer whose way too cocky for his own good. luckily, you just love matching energy.

CONTENT WARNING ೀ ׅ ۫ . ㅇ

NOTE ೀ ׅ ۫ . ㅇ

this story is heavily inspired by the old show “true blood” that i am currently obsessed with. that’s where i get the idea of a vampire bar & the term “fang-banger.” you will see several vamp fics because they’re literally my favorite supernatural creature. also, sukuna is gonna be ooc cause i’m sensitive & can’t make characters too mean 😞. also this got longer then i wanted it to so it’s like 5k+ words. as always please excuse any typos & grammar mistakes.

Arabian Night burned upon the decorated holder rested on your vanity, the subtle notes of hyacinth and carnation tainting the atmosphere— warming the area around you. Your dark eyes were glued to the mirror, staring back at yourself delicately gliding the tube of mascara along your lashes, careful to assure no product got into your eye.

“I can’t believe you’re really making me go to a vampire bar.” The words left your glossed and lined lips in a hiss, eyes rolling the moment you heard your friend attempt to defend herself on facetime. To be frank you didn’t hate vampires. There weren’t many differences between them and humans. They were both beings that simply fed on other things to survive.

A hamburger to a human was no different then blood to a vampire.

But, you still did your best to avoid them. Which was easy since they were limited on when they come out and most establishments didn’t allow them in. Your friend knew this, knew your justifiable fear of being some vampire’s next meal— yet urged and lowkey manipulated you to going to a vampire bar.

“They’re only here for a week! We’re the first place they’re touring— we have to go!”

Through many days of urging, guilt trips, and puppy eyes you caved; declaring it would be cool to see a vampire’s world or even interact with them. You were still scared but the fear was sure to melt, right?

You rose from the plush pink chair, stepping back into the view of the full body mirror pressed against your wall. Placing your glasses back on, you looked over your form, searching for any imperfections. The outfit was simple; a red cropped edhardy jacket, your lacey white bra poking out from underneath. You wore dark blue jeans with a red belt, white thong straps resting high on your hips. You pursed your lips a bit, gliding your fingers through the honey brown lace you wore, watching the curls bounce perfectly. With another glance over and a push of your glasses you were satisfied, sliding your sock covered feet into some white sneakers— grabbing your other necessary belongings shortly after.

You exited your home locking up behind yourself and heading towards your car. You would have driven with your friend but there was a chance she would end up under the arm of some hot vampire.

“Fang-banger..” Was the simple word that escaped your glossed lips, grinning just a tad as you turned the engine over. She would be pissed to hear you call her that.

After about fifty minutes of driving you arrived to the bar, the entrance surrounded by people. You bit the inside of your cheek, feeling the anxiety rose. Sure humans were welcome and you’ve heard relatively good things about this particular establishment.. but there were still vampires.

A being that could end you in a single bite.

The thought alone caused you to shiver, shutting your car off and squeezing the steering wheel. You gave yourself a few moments before pulling your hands away, releasing a deep breath and opening your car door. Exiting it, you closed and locked the vehicle; turning in time to see a bubbly woman rushing towards you.

You instinctively opened your arms, eyes rolling as she practically tossed herself into them. You grumbled as kisses were pressed to your cheek, your best friend thanking you over and over again for coming.

“Yeah, yeah— whatever.” You mused, ignoring her hands groping your ass. Your hands lowered to her shoulders, pushing back a bit. “The band is gonna start soon, right? Come on.”

“Oh, right!” She grinned, pulling away whilst locking her hand around your wrist. You were then tugged towards the bar entrance, your free hand gripping your sleeve nervously. Your eyes peered up at the woman beside the door, her red colored lips pulling into a tiny grin at the sight of you and your friend.

A very toothy grin.

“IDs?” She questioned in a velvety tone, eyes focused on you for a split moment— as if sensing your nervousness. You breathed, reaching into the handbag you carried and grabbing your wallet. There you grabbed your identification, passing it to her while your friend did the same.

The woman glanced over the cards for a moment before nodding, passing them back to you two. “You’re all set, have fun girls.” She winked, stepping to the side to let you both inside.

Your friend giggled excitedly as you entered the bar, your eyes dancing around the area. It was a normal bar really; regular tables, a medium sized stage, and a dance floor. People of many different ethnicities — and species — danced and conversed, enjoying drinks and each other. Seeing a vampire feeding in real life was completely abnormal to the point you couldn’t look away.

“Don’t stare so much, it’s rude.” Your best friend whispered, stealing your attention from the scene. You went to apologize, her only smiling and shaking her head. “Here, let’s get some drinks.” She led you over to the bar, the two of you sitting down as she gained the bartender’s attention. She ordered two simple shots, the man nodding and getting right to them.

“I just.. never expected something like this.” You murmured, eyes dancing about. You did your best on not focusing too hard on a vampire sinking their teeth into someone’s neck or a couple basically humping on the dance floor; instead finding interest in the gothic decor and paintings that depicted the bloodsuckers. You turned back to your friend after the once over, giving a nervous smile. “I expected something bad, I guess.”

Your friend shrugged, flashing a gentle smile— thanking the bartender once your drinks were placed down. “A lot of people do. They hear vamp bar and think the worst.” She spoke softly, grasping her shot glass, watching you grab your own. “Even though I forced you.. I’m really happy you came.”

You rolled your eyes playfully, clinking your glass against hers. “Whatever slut.” You downed your drink, listening to the small snort that escaped your friend before she downed her own.

During this the lights on the stage flicked on, members of the bar shouting in excitement. Your friend did the same, turning in her seat at the bar with the widest grin. “They’re here!”

You could only smile at her excitement for her favorite vampire band known as Malevolence. You forced yourself to listen to their most recent music to appease your friend and while you didn’t hate the songs, it just wasn’t something you could get into.

Sigh.. the things you did for friendship.

You rested against your palm, watching as four individuals trudging on stage. Your eyes traced their forms, not overly impressed until you moved onto the last member. The drummer. He was.. better looking then the other three. Tall with pink hair and a black undercut. He wasn’t slim but wasn’t large either, right in the middle. Along with his physique were tattoos along his arms, the rest of his body covered in a black muscle shirt, baggy pants for bottoms.

“Who’s the drummer?” You questioned, eyes glancing at the bartender and requesting another shot. Your friend blinked as she turned, flashing a smile.

“His name’s Sukuna!” Her smile morphed a bit, a little coy now. “He’s not well liked by the media. He’s a little mean.”

You believed her, given how he scowled at a few fans that shouted his name. Even snapping at his bandmates for something briefly. Any interest you had melted away in that instant.

You straightened as they finished setting up the stage, the guitarist stringing his instrument a few times. You smiled at the bartender as he passed your shot, thanking him and taking a swig.

Soon enough, Malevolence started its first song of the night— the bar singing along to the rough voice of the band. You had to admit, it was nice to hear live and see humans bond over their shared love for the music.

You didn’t totally regret coming here.

The band played for about an hour and a half, fans close to the stage attempting to touch and or be touched by the fanged members. It was all entertaining to see, you and your friend taking several videos for your social media.

They closed out their show around ten o’clock, thanking the audience. You cheered along with the others, grinning and turning to your friend. “That was a lot of fun. They sound so good.”

“I know right!” She giggled, completely geeking out about the band. You listened to her ramble intently, the buzz of the alcohol lighting your senses. During her words, however, she suddenly placed a hand onto her stomach. “I’m sorry, I’ll be right back!”

“Take your time.” You waved the girl off as she rushed over to the bathroom, body turning to face the bar. You unlocked your phone, scrolling through your social media for a moment, simply waiting.

That was until you heard the chair two seats down be moved, followed by an annoyed voice.

“Piss off already. I’m not interested.”

It was no surprise your nosy self turned to spot the one and only Sukuna sitting at the bar, waving off a few girls that surrounded and attempted to touch him. The dejected expressions that clung to their featured nearly saddened you, if amusement didn’t interrupt the emotion.

You took a long stare at the man, watching as he instructed the bartender to pour him a glass of some liquid in a tall dark bottle; not even thanking him once he was served. You hadn’t realized your eyes were still on him until the man turned in his chair, facing you.

“You need something? I already said I’m not interested.”

You blinked a bit, snapping out of your trance whilst placing your arm against the bar. You sucked your teeth, turning. “Do I look like a fang banger to you?” You questioned, tone a little rude. From the corner of your eye you spotted the man taking a sip from the glass, tongue gliding across his bottom lip.

“No.” Sukuna started softly, fingers tapping against the short glass. “More like some needy groupie.” His tone was mocking, watching in amusement as you turned to face him with a subtle snarl.

It took a moment for you to reply, raising your shot glass and downing the rest of the alcohol. The burning sensation covered your body, melting your usual filter away. “Even if I was a groupie, I would try to fuck the singer— even the guitarist.” You murmured, knowing his inhuman ears would pick up each word. “Not some vamp that beats on the drums.”

His eyebrows rose, releasing a breathy chuckle as he took another gulp from his glass. You watched carefully, breathing the moment you noticed the hint of red staining his fangs. How his tongue glided to collect the residue, clearly enjoying the liquid you now realized was blood. Sukuna’s eyes landed on you once again, the glass clinking against the bar the moment he placed it down.

“You got a lot of mouth.. defending yourself pretty hard too.”

“And you’re implying?”

Sukuna gave a crooked grin, tapping the counter to which the bartender stepped over to fill his glass back up. “You’re just trynna convince yourself you don’t want me. Scared of being a fang banger?” The vampire’s tone was mocking again, enjoying the way you glared and snarled.

“Please.” You hissed softly, shifting in your seat, ignoring the warmth flooding through your body. “Ain’t shit to be scared of. Vampires are no different from a human man.”

To your surprise the man began to laugh, hunched over the bar with his forehead nearly pressing against the brown wood. You felt your cheeks flush with warmth the moment eyes turned to your spot at the bar, sinking into yourself.

“Sweetheart—“ He begun, laughter ceasing into nothing more than a snort. “I assure you I’m different than any other human man that you’ve been with.”

“Why, because you’re cold with no beating heart?”

“No, cause I’ll fuck the attitude out of you permanently.” Sukuna responded far too quickly, watching you gape like a fish for a moment, finally deciding to keep your mouth shut and turning to face the bar. He smirked at this, leaning on his elbow and tilting his head. “Cat got your tongue?”

You closed your eyes, breathing softly. You weren’t a fang-banger, you tried to convince yourself; attempting to ignore how much you were closing your legs together— avoiding his eyes that just highlighted he knew what you were abstaining from.

But as a moment of silence passed you felt that restraint dwindle. Whether the alcohol, Sukuna, or just you being fucking reckless— any logical part of your brain was rendered useless.

So, while pushing your glasses up you turned to face his awaiting gaze. “Prove it.” You dared softly, tilting your head at him.

Sukuna’s mouth quirked, tongue running along his bottom lip as he turned to the bartender. “Put it on my tab. Hers too.” He spoke, rising from his barstool. His hands found his pockets, motioning for you to follow with a tilt of his head. Rather quickly — embarrassingly so — you grabbed your things, following close behind him.

“My name is (Y/N), not her.”

“Think I like sweetheart better.” Sukuna spoke, leading you towards a door stationed beside the stage. You shouldered your bag as the two of you entered backstage, coming to a hallway. Three doors rested on the walls, you following the vampire who lead you to the one at the end of the hall.

He turned the knob, pushing open the door to reveal a simple room. A black vanity, a red sofa, with a black coffee table in the middle. Sukuna closed the door behind you, watching you for a moment as you bent to place your phone and purse down.

You turned, breathing softly the moment he stepped close to you. Your eyes traveled from his chest up to his face, licking your lips nervously. The man tilted his head with a little smirk.

“You were so damn cocky at the bar.. thinking of backing out?”

The nerves seemed to melt in that moment, stepping a bit closer, rising up to allow your lips to brush. “Sukuna.. are you gonna fuck the attitude out of me, or are you gonna keep talking?” Your eyes flicked between his lips and his dark eyes, gasping the moment you felt a cool hand rising to the back of your neck.

Wordlessly he leaned down, planting his lips against your own. His kiss was rough, stealing your breath away all while his tongue bullied it’s way past your pretty glossed lips. The wet, long muscle curled and slid against your own, licking into your mouth and claiming it as his own. The messy sounds of your lips surrounded the room, your soft moans following.

Sukuna’s hand moved to rest on your throat, thumb pressing against it just to feel you gulp. You pulled away for air, hissing the moment his fangs dragged across your bottom lip, nicking the sensitive skin. He chased your lips for another kiss, licking away the little droplet of blood whilst moving you backwards.

Your hands rose to grip his body, feeling your back press against a wall. You gasped in his mouth as you felt his hand slide down your body, catching the zipper of your cropped jacket and pulling it down your body. The cool air brushed your cleavage, moaning softly the moment his fingers found your hardened nipple under the thin fabric of your bra.

You pulled back, head resting against the wall; whining the moment he pinched your covered bud. “Sukuna, quit fucking teasing.” You hissed, chest rising into his hand for more. The vampire grinned down at you, removing his hand from your breast to instead trail down your body, flicking the belt you wore; buttons of your jeans following.

Now with enough space his hand was entering your pants, two fingers pressing against your wet, covered slit. “Already a fucking mess and I barely touched you.” The drummer commented, face pressing against your collarbone, dragging his fangs across your warm skin. You whined as his fingers found your clit through the fabric of your panties, legs widening and hips rising for more friction. Sukuna chuckled at this, fingertips pressing against the swollen bud, rubbing harsh circles upon it. “Opening your legs for a vampire like this— oh, what a minx you are.”

“Piss off.” You mustered, attempting to keep your resolve in tact. You cried out however, the moment he pinched your clit, the light pleasure and pain melding together.

“Still mouthing off huh?” Sukuna spoke, pulling away from your neck, hand rising to grab your cheeks. His thumb pressed against your lips for a moment before pushing into your mouth, pressing against your tongue all while his fingers entered your panties. The man didn’t tease this time, covering the digits in your slick before sliding them into your damp entrance. He wasted no time in curling the digits inside you, pressing against your gummy walls and growing closer to allow his palm to grind against your clit. A toothy grin was sent your way the moment he felt and heard your muffled moans, fingers scissoring inside your messy pussy, the wet squelches entering the room.

The muffled gasp of his name escaped you the moment he added a third finger, thrusting the digits quickly; stirring you up inside. Your hand fell to his wrist, pretty acrylics digging into his limb, clawing up tattooed skin. Your legs shook as the moments of pleasure continued, eyes pinched close as you felt your orgasm approaching.

Your toes curled, stomach tightening as you grew closer and closer; pussy spasming around his fingers so intensely, he actually added effort to his thrusts.

“Su—sukuna, fuck—!” You whined against his thumb, drool trickling down the corner of your mouth, gagging the moment he pushed the digit farther into your throat. You were so close, squeezing him so harshly that it hurt.

And yet, you weren’t pushed over the edge. Because just when you felt like you would break, the man stopped; withdrawing his fingers before you could even think of finishing yourself off.

Your eyes flew open, glaring at the shit-eating grin plastered across his face. The moment he pulled his thumb from your mouth you were hissing;

“What’s your problem? I was so cl—“

“Did you think you could mouth off like that and I’d would reward you with an orgasm?” Sukuna questioned, head tilted, eyes sweeping your form. The man’s hand rose, fingers pressing into your cheeks and pushing; watching your messy lips pucker. “Fucking needy, looking at you whining just for my fingers.” Sukuna released your cheeks to instead grasp your waist, moving you over to sit on the couch.

The moment your ass met the cushion you felt the heat rise around you, watching in excitement at his hands tugging on the waistband of his pants. Thumbs hooking on the elastic, the vampire pushed them down, black boxers following. His dick escaped the confinements easily, resting tall and thick, beads of precum resting deliciously on the tip.

You bit your lip a little, breathing the moment you felt his strong hand grab the back of your head. “Gonna use that pretty mouth of yours for something useful, yeah?” Sukuna grinned, watching how easily your lips parted, tongue sticking out. His other hand grabbed his shaft, inching closer just to side his tip across your wet tongue. The moment you tried to wrap your lips around his dick, he was pulling you back by the hair— ignoring the whine that you released.

“Impatient brat.” He murmured, instructing you to lay your tongue out. You obeyed, groaning the moment he tapped his dick against the muscle, shallowing fucking your open mouth with just the tip. After a few moments of the teasing, Sukuna was flicking his hips forward; enjoying the way tears sprung to your eyes, hands rising to press against his hips. With no care for your well-being, the vampire began to thrust in your wet cavern, your soft hair spilling through the gaps of his fingers as he gripped it.

Your tongue dragged across his shaft with each thrust into your mouth, eyes closed as you breathed heavily through your nose. The sound of your saliva, gagging, and wet thrusts carried in the room; your hand falling between your legs to rub your clit, moaning around his cock. Your jaw began to ache from the relentless thrusts, the combined mess surely tainting the bottom half of your face— concerns that you could care less about.

Sukuna watched you carefully, gripping your hair, enjoying the way your cheeks would puff with each thrust. The moment he noticed your hand however, he was shoving his cock deeper, leaning to snatch your wrist. You went to whine, the noise coming out as nothing more then a wet, jumbled mess. He grinned above you, continuing to fuck your throat; “Gonna cry about it? Go ahead.” Sukuna snickered, gritting his teeth the moment he felt his orgasm getting close.

His head tilted back, breathing as pink strands rested against his forehead. Sukuna’s hips never stopped, heavy balls slapping against your chin as his grip on your hair began to ache. “Fuck.. such a good fucking groupie, letting me use your mouth like this.” Sukuna teased, feeling the vibration of your moans around his length. He looked back down, pacing increasing, strings of groans and swears escaping him.

The vampire pumped inside your wet mouth a few more times before he was pulling out, making a mess on your face. His come covered your lips, cheeks, and glasses; you quickly sucking up air greedily, tongue gliding across your lips to lick away his mess.

You breathed as his hand found your chin, raising your face to get a good look at you. Sukuna was truly satisfied with his work, grinning down at you. His thumb wiped some of the milky liquid left on your cheek, moving over to your mouth and watching you lick and suck his digit clean. “Mm.. that’s a good girl.” He praised, withdrawing his thumb and pulling your glasses off shortly after.

His hand slid to your throat the moment he pressed your lips together, rising you up a bit while you held onto his wrist. Sukuna’s tongue invaded your mouth once again, making it an even bigger mess. Soon he pulled away, staring down at you.

“Haven’t even fucked you yet and that attitude is no where to be seen. Maybe I shouldn’t..“ Sukuna was pulling away before you could even respond, reaching as if going to pull his pants up. “— looks like I already proved myself, right?” You quickly shook your head, reaching over to grab his wrists. The vampire laughed at this, coming closer to trap your form between him and the couch. “C’mon use your words, sweetheart. What exactly do you want?”

You bit the inside of your cheek, staring into his eyes. You were sure if you didn’t say anything in the next few seconds he would turn and exit the room, leaving you high and dry. You swallowed your pride, rising up higher to rest your hands onto his chest. “You. I need you so bad, Sukuna— please.” You gasped out, crumpling his shirt into your hands.

Sukuna listened to your pleas greedily, a permanent grin painted across his face. Just when you thought it didn’t work he was grabbing your shoulder, turning and pushing you to lay across the couch. Your heart beat fast against your chest, feeling the cushion dip as kneeled behind you. In one swift motion he was pulling your jeans and panties all the way down, revealing yourself to him.

The moment you tried to close your legs, his palm slammed against your ass; causing a cry to escape you, pressing your face into the cushion. “Don’t even try that. Wanted this so bad, you better fucking take it.” Sukuna hissed, grasping his length as he lined up with your fluttering entrance, carefully pushing in.

The stretch teetered between pleasurable and painful, rising onto your hands and gripping the cushions underneath you as you could do nothing but whine, body shaking. Sukuna sneered at your withering form, gripping your hips tightly. “‘M not even all the way in and you’re already losing yourself..” With a final thrust he was all the way in, resting deep inside your messy pussy, stretching you so pretty. You cried out the moment his fingers gripped your hair, pulling you into a deep arch whilst hovering over body, lips brushing your ear.

“Still think I ain’t no different then a human man?”

“Fu..fuck you.” You whimpered out, breathing heavily the moment he adjusted his hips.

Sukuna snickered softly, “You already are, princess.” With the continued grip on your hair he was pulling his hips back until only the tip was inside, slamming back in. The movement caused your body to lurch forward, gasping out and greedily sucking the air back up. You opened your mouth to speak, shutting up the moment another thrust racked through your body.

And another.. and another.. and another—

His pace was relenting from the start, fucking you so harshly your body bumped against the arm rest of the couch; nails digging into the cushions as shameless moans escaped you. Each time you attempted to pull away, to run— he was grabbing you back, slapping your thighs, ass, anything he could reach. All while speaking to you in that mocking tone, ridiculing you.

“Had so much to say yet you’re running..”

You opened your mouth to defend yourself, the thought melting away as his thrusts ruined you. His cock dragged against your walls, fucking each and every thought out of your mind; replacing them with him. Your eyes were pinched close, drawls of his name and moans escaping your swollen lips. “Su—sukuna, fuck..!” You cried out, feeling yourself get close.

Sukuna’s hands kept a tight grip on your hips, bottom lip caught between his sharp fangs the moment you began to fuck back against him. Your ass shook with each bounce, the man zoned in on the erotic display. Fuck, you felt so good, way too good. The man sucked his teeth, hand falling to your ass cheek and slapping one, thrusting harder than before. “Greedy fucking pussy, clenching me so damn tight..” He dragged, a groan rumbling in his chest.

Tears sprung to your eyes, head going slack as a loud cry escaped you, creaming all over his length. The mess trickled down to his balls and the couch, soaking the cushion. Your tired body went slack against the furniture, feeling his thrusts slow, but never stop. A sudden tight grip on your hair had your reeling, whining as he pulled you back.

“I’m not fucking done with you.”

The vampire wasted no time and flipping you onto your back, pulling you down by your thighs and pushing them up to sink deeper inside you. Your hands clung to his wrists, crying out at the slight burn the stretch left you. You were given no time to think, the man resuming his fearsome thrusts at a completely different angle, ramming agonist a spot inside you that caused you to completely lose your mind.

Your hands went slack, lips agape as babbles and moans escaped your raw throat. Your eyes were meeting the back of your skull, makeup a mess with wet dark streaks running down your chubby brown cheeks. Sukuna enjoyed the sight completely, eyes flicking between your face and the way his cock slid inside your pretty pussy, the white foamy mess coating his length.

He leaned over your body, legs now held up by his shoulders as he continued to fuck you. “What a mess you are.” The man hissed, hand reaching to grab your chin. “Can’t even think straight can you? I’m fucking you too dumb huh?” He mocked, your sweet moans music to his ears.

Your hands rose to his back, gripping his shirt for leverage as you came again, painting his lower body with your mess. Sukuna laughed softly at this, still fucking you despite just orgasming. “Claimed you weren’t a fang-banger yet here you are, coming all over my dick. Such a liar, (Y/N).”

Your whines didn’t go unnoticed, the man’s hand falling to your waist and lifting you up a bit, drilling into you. His cock pushed against your cervix, the pain melting with each thrust inside. You barely even registered his fangs pressing against your skin until they entered your collarbone, a strangled whine escaped you.

The man sucked the crimson droplets that released from the wound, blunt fingernails digging into your skin; Sukuna slowly getting drunk off your taste. When he had his fill he was pulling away, licking up the residue and sealing the wound. His other hand grabbed the back of your neck, lifting your head from the couch to lock lips; the metallic taste of your blood causing you to groan— all while continuing to jackhammer into you.

The vampire was right, he was fucking the attitude out of you. You so pliable, gripping onto him as if he was a lifeline and you were in the open sea. Your legs were trembling, pussy clenching and clenching, as he swallowed the sweetest moans with his lips tainted with your blood. A fucking mess you were.

His mess, obviously.

A different type of clench entered your stomach, one that caused your eyes to fly open. You pulled back from the kiss to cry out, gripping him tightly. “Wa—wait, Sukuna— hah…— please slow down!” You somehow managed out, hazy eyes staring up at the clear distaste resting on his features.

He didn’t listen, slamming into you roughly, swatting the hand away that went to press against his hips. Sukuna tutted at the whine that escaped you, drilling you deeper and deeper into the furniture. “Make another mess, ruin this fucking couch.” He hissed, feeling his own end growing close.

You tried to hold it back, back arching from the cushions as black filled streaks continued to glide down your cheeks. Soon enough you could no longer contain yourself, the band snapping inside you as you screeched in pleasure; drenching the cushions underneath you, making a complete mess of the both of you.

Sukuna grinned at this, far too caught up in his own pleasure to release a snarky comment. Instead his face fell to your neck, thrusts becoming uncoordinated before he shoved himself deep, flooding you with his come.

The sound of your pants entered the space, your hands continuing to hold onto Sukuna. Your head fell back against the couch, eyes pinched closed and focused on regaining your breath.

Moments passed before the vampire rose, pulling his hips back, shushing the sensitive whine that escaped you. Once no longer inside, Sukuna’s hands dragged down to spread you more, watching pearly white beads trickle from your opening and down to your taint. The man smirked just a tad, eyes carrying back to your tired face.

“Looks like you’re a fang-banger now.” Sukuna spoke, watching you attempt at a frustrated face which melted away the moment his thumb slid across your slit.

“Fuck, Sukuna.. I’m too sensitive right now.” You whimpered, shying away from his touch. You gasped as he gripped your thighs however, dragging you farther down the couch.

Sukuna leaned over your body, resting on a forearm placed above your head. “You have seven minutes sweetheart.”

You rose an eyebrow at his words, adjusting yourself, “For what?”

The vampire grinned, curling a piece of hair around his finger. “If you thought I was gonna stop there, I fucked you far too dumb. I’m getting rid of that attitude permanently, remember?”

Your eyes widened, excitement and fear bubbling inside you. The man leaned down, stealing your lips in a deep kiss.

You were thankful you thought to send a text message to your best friend to leave when she wanted, given you didn’t leave the room until the bar closed.

reblogs & comments are appreciated <3

#mani writes ━━ ★#black!reader #jjk smut #jjk x black reader #jjk x fem!reader #mdni #vampire #cw blood #tw blood #x reader #x black reader #sukuna x reader #sukuna smut #sukuna x black reader #sukuna x fem reader #sukuna jjk #sukuna jjk smut

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iolaussharpe-24 · 5 months ago

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Barbie in the Mojave - Chapter Two

Thank you to everyone who supported chapter one! You're all lovely!

❤️Taglist❤️

(Let me know if you want to be added or taken off for chapter three. No feelings will be hurt.)

@waywardrose, @my-secret-shame-but-fanfiction, @lunar-ghoulie, @ominoose, @reallyrallyauthor

@steven-grants-world, @clemdango04, @have-you-seen-my-sanity, @missdictatorme, @angelitawings

@outey-spacey, @autismsupermusicalassassin, @mandytrekkie

Feel free to ask questions about anything as well. I'm happy to talk about my process with anyone that's interested.

Chapter Two: Bad Smells and Worse Ideas

Barbie and Ken stopped and sat down, exhausted. Both of them were tired and panting. Both of them had sore feet (though Barbie’s were considerably worse because of her heels). Both of them were soaked in water despite never being anywhere near water. Both of them were mourning their perfectly styled hair. Ken’s was drenched and stuck to his forehead, dripping in front of his eyes. Barbie’s had gotten frizzy and wild, sitting on her head like one of the dried out brown bushes they walked past. Her headband wasn’t doing much to keep it under control either. Each and every blonde strand had gained sentience and turned against her.

They had walked a long way. The car wasn’t anywhere in sight anymore. It hadn’t been for a long time. The sea of sand had slowly but surely started to become solid rocky ground with dry plants sprouting from split stones and small animals and bugs scurrying into little holes at their feet as they came near.

The sun was setting behind them, making their shadows stretch out several feet in front of them as the air turned cold and the sky began to change colors overhead.

“Barbie, shouldn’t we have found the speedboat by now? This place is like an endless beach without the beach!”

“It’s called a desert.”

“Are you sure this is the right way?”

“I think so.”

“Well what did Weird Barbie say?”

“We’re doing what Weird Barbie said.”

“Wandering aimlessly?”

“For the last time, she didn’t give me directions! I was told to drive a sports car to a speedboat to a rocket ship to a tandem bike to a camper van to a snowmobile to roller blades and then I’d be in the real world where I’d find my kid by equally unspecified means! I don’t know what I’m doing or how I’m supposed to do it, but I want to get it done so that we can go back home and everything can go back to normal.”

He contemplated that for a minute, then smiled brightly. “And then, when we can do boyfriend girlfriend things together. Right?”

She nodded, just to make him stop asking questions. “Sure Ken…. It’s getting late,” she added with a sigh. “We should probably camp out… somewhere. Get some rest so we can keep walking in the morning. I was hoping to be done and home by now, but nothing’s been going right, has it?”

It was annoying. Very, very annoying. All of it. She felt like she was going crazy. She knew that there were going to be differences between Barbieland and the Real World. She did. It was a logical inevitability that only made sense. After all, they are two different worlds. Different realities that were affected by one another, but still very much separated from each other. It sounded absolutely insane, but it did, for some bizarre reason, make a weird amount of sense. Like old sitcoms with a supernatural or otherworldly element that everybody treated like a completely normal thing.

Ugh.

Ken was crouched down with a pile of sticks in front of him, hitting two rocks against each other repeatedly. Trying to start a fire. Fair enough. Just like how the sun had seemed hotter than they were used to in Barbieland, the night air, in turn, was colder. Even in the winter, when everyone tended to bundle up in thick coats and fuzzy boots, the cold never really affected them. This did. It was making Barbie’s skin break out into a thousand tiny bumps that gave her a weird tingling sensation as they appeared.

Must be another human thing. Another problem to fix. Like the cellulite on her legs. She shivered at that thought. Would this spread too? At least the cellulite was easy to hide. It was just on her thighs and was easily covered up as long as she wore longer shorts and skirts.

Their clothes sat in a heap near the place they’d decided to call their campsite, despite not having a dream camper or a tent or a backpack or even a sleeping bag – which was the absolute barest minimum of camping gear they could have possibly had on hand. They’d been forced to carry everything while they walked who knows how far for who knows how long and when they finally decided to stop, they’d just dumped everything unceremoniously in the dirt and used their skates, pads, helmets, and Barbie’s hairbrush to hold down their clothes.

She reached up and felt her frizzy tangles. Felt like a bird’s nest. Probably looked like Weird Barbie’s hack job of a haircut. So, just to feel like she had some control over something, she picked up her brush and started trying to tame the beast on her head.

“I think I saw a spark!”

Ken did not see a spark.

Barbie didn’t have it in her to tell him though. Instead, she praised and encouraged him to keep trying. Saying, “You’ll get a fire in no time,” and genuinely hoping that he would. Maybe that was what was so wrong with everything. Fear and negativity. Maybe, if she just tried to keep a positive attitude, and kept smiling, and tried to go on like her world wasn’t turning upside down, she’d manifest that reality and everything would go back to normal on its own. Or, at the very least, they might get lucky.

It took hours before either one of the two dolls could start a fire. And, by the time they did, it had already gotten cold. To keep warm, the two of them mixed and matched the clothes they brought to cover up as well as they could since they tiny flame they made wasn’t providing them with any kind of warmth whatsoever.

Barbie was in a pair of hot pink ankle boots that didn’t match her pants, and a baby blue long-sleeve shirt that didn’t match anything. Ken had closed his jacket, put on a pair of low waisted jeans, and swapped his sandals for his neon yellow roller skates, though he removed the neon pink wheels from the bottom to make it easier on him to walk in the morning.

After a few moments of sitting side by side to keep warm, Ken lifted his head and sniffed the air. “Do you smell that?” he asked, his brows furrowed.

“Smell what?”

“I don’t know. Something smells… bad.”

Automatically, Barbie turned her head away from her friend, breathed into her hand, and sniffed. Not great. Not terrible. But not great. Think that this wasn’t what Ken was smelling, she lowered her hand and sniffed as well. That’s when she noticed it. A sour smell in the air.

She scrunched up her nose at it at first.. and then realized that it seems awfully close.

For no real reason at all, Barbie lifted her arm and smelled the underside.

Oh. My. God.

She retched and lowered her arm so fast she was impressed that it didn’t snap clean off at the joint. Ken looked at her, confused, and she forced herself to smile and pretend that it was nothing. Even as she dug her nails into her biceps just to make sure that he arms stayed down in an attempt to keep the smell from coming out.

She didn’t understand what was happening to her. Why was her body doing all these things it wasn’t supposed to? First, she was leaking water, her hair was messed up, then she started getting bumpy, and now she smelled?! And that wasn’t taking the fact that she got lost or the wrecked car into account, or any of things that happened before she left Barbieland. This was all in the past few hours.

What could possibly be going on in this little girl’s life to change her like this? It didn’t make sense. How could anything be so wrong with a human that it punched its way through to another world just to drastically alter a Barbie in so many awful ways? It was like time and space and fate had it out for her or something! Worse than Raquelle at her most infuriating. Worse than-

Her thoughts were cut short by a sound in the distance. It was loud and shrill and, like so many other disembodied noises in the dark, was both familiar and strange. It sounded like a dog’s howl in the middle of the night, but it was twisted. It was wrong. And it wasn’t alone.

More howls accompanied the first like a choir singing a chaotic chorus together. One by one they sounded off, the noise echoing in the distance. Barbie looked out into the darkness ahead, unable to see anything at all. Ken did the same, though for a very different reason. He started walking away from her.

“What are you doing?!”

“Dogs! I want to pet the dogs!”

She stared at him, incredulous. “Ken! We don’t know anything about this place! And that doesn’t sound like Skipper walking a group of dogs to me. There’s no one around. We’re out in the middle of nowhere! This is a bad idea.”

“Hey, when it comes to petting dogs, there are no bad ideas.”

“If we were still in Barbieland where we know all the dogs!”

He wasn’t listening. He was just marching off blindly into the dark, his silhouette growing darker and darker. Blending into nothing.

“Don’t go too far! I don’t want you to get lost!” she called out desperately.

Ken didn’t answer. He might have been too far already.

Despite how annoying he could be, Ken was still her friend. She cared about him. Didn’t want him to get hurt. As of right now, he was the only piece of home she had with her. Well, him and a small pile of stuff she had been forced to carry since the car crashed, but she couldn’t talk to a cute skirt the way she could Ken.

She hoped that he had enough common sense to stay close.

Despite poor Barbie’s warning, Ken couldn’t see any harm in wanting to pet a dog. Or a cat for that matter. Or a horse. He loved horses. More, he suspected, than Western Stampin’ Ken did. Animals in Barbieland were always friendly and cute easy to handle. Always. And the Real World counldn’t be that different from Barbieland. It just couldn’t. Their world was made to resemble the Real World. To fix all of the problems the humans faced. That’s what the Barbies and Kens were made for in the first place. An unfriendly animal, especially a dog, felt nothing short of unnatural to him.

She was just being paranoid. Had to be. He’d never known her to be paranoid before, but he’d never known her to have any malfunctions either. This must be one of them. Yeah, that made sense to him. In fact, it made so much sense that it might have just been the reason why Barbie wanted to do this alone. She didn’t want anyone to see how bad this problem could get! He could understand that. If there was a chance that she could end up like Weird Barbie living away from everyone else in the Weirdhouse with all of the recalled Barbies and Kens, it only made sense that she wouldn’t want anyone to see that. In her position, Ken wouldn’t want that either.

Another howl sounds as he walks. That’s a good sign, right? Means he’s getting close. Like how being far away from something made it look smaller. But in reverse.

Excited, Ken walked faster. He thought about all the dogs he’d met in Barbieland and how cute they were. With their big eyes and black noses and little smiles. He even loved the old Taffy dog with her three puppies. Two of them had bobble heads, and the third one needed to be potty trained. That’s why the Barbie that owned them all always had a few newspapers in her dreamhouse. She always let him pet and play with them when he saw her.

Just as he was starting to smile from the memory, he stopped in his tracks. There was a dog in front of him. A little puppy.

It had tan fur and a cream colored underbelly. Big black eyes that stared straight at him. It wasn’t smiling though, that was weird. But the same black nose he always loved nuzzling his own against. It stood perfectly still, watching him as he watched it.

“Hi there,” he said softly, sinking down to his knees. He slowly held out his hand and cooed, “It’s okay. I’m not gonna hurt you. My name’s Ken.”

The puppy stared at him, then stepped forward, sniffing his hand. It yipped at him and two more puppies came out from around the corner to join the first.

In that moment, he just knew that Barbie was going to be jealous. He’d tell her that he found puppies and that he got to play with them, and she was going to look at him and say, “I wish I’d gone with you.” He just knew it. What else would she say? He was right. There’s absolutely no way that petting a dog can be a-

Grrrrrrrr…

That wasn’t a good sound.

Looking up at the rocky side of the plateau, Ken saw two more dogs. Fully grown ones. Their teeth were showing as they growled at him. The blond stood up straight, still smiling. “Hi! These little cuties must be yours.”

One of the dogs jumped down, still growling at him, it’s ears low, teeth bared. Then the other dog jumped down to join the first. And a third came from behind him.

His smile fell at bit as he watched. They reminded him of something… unpleasant. Something he’d seen in some of the older movies while at the theater with Barbie. Maybe she was right… maybe this actually was a bad idea. He hadn’t thought that was even possible until now.

Oh no.

Ken took a few steps backwards as one of the dogs started to snap at him, still snarling while it did. He raised his hands, showing the dog his empty palms. “Woah, woah, easy. Easy. I’m not going to hurt you. Or the puppies.”

A loud BANG! sounded from the darkness, echoing through the valley that Ken had been walking in. Almost immediately after, one of the dogs let out a pained whine unlike anything Ken had ever heard in his life. The others turned and ran away while the one that cried fell to the ground, a thick red liquid soaking its fur on one side. He’d never seen anything like it before and… wow… he was thinking that a lot lately, wasn’t he? The Real World was so different from Barbieland. Even the things that were familiar were different.

He looked down at the dog lying at his feet. It wasn’t moving. Wasn’t making any noise. It was more like the dogs back home that way. But in a bad way. A way that made him… not happy. Very not happy. It was like how he felt when Barbie turned down his attempts at doing boyfriend/girlfriend things to have a party with the other Barbies but it wasn’t that. This was different. Like everything else in this world.

He knelt down beside the dog and put his hand on it’s snout. It didn’t react. The fur was coarse and warm. But… it was getting cold. Fast.

He didn’t know what to do. He didn’t even know what was happening. All he knew was that he didn’t like the way it made him feel.

Dirt crunched under heavy boots behind the blond while he knelt over the animal. He looked up to see a man wearing a long coat and a hat standing there. The first person he’d seen aside from Barbie since they left home.

“You lost, brother?”

#barbie 2023 #mojave 2015 #crossover fic #margot robie barbie #ryan gosling ken #barbie and ken #stereotypical barbie #beach ken #jack jackson #john jack jackson #the fic is still alive!!#cross posted on wattpad

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ireadyabooks · 7 months ago

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Summer Full of Shivers ☀️☠️🩸

Summer scaries have arrived! This time of year is for spooky stories around the campfire and spine-tingling books that you maybe shouldn’t save for right before you go to bed. But hey, that’s part of the fun, right! We can never get enough horror in our lives and have some chilling reads for you to sink your teeth into in the summer heat! Check out some of our recent favorites below, and don’t forget to keep an extra light on at night! Or don’t . . . we leave that up to you . . .

The Getaway by Lamar Giles

Jay is living his best life at Karloff Country, one of the world's most famous resorts. He's got his family, his crew, and an incredible after-school job at the property's main theme park. Life isn't so great for the rest of the world, but when people come here to vacation, it's to get away from all that.

As things outside get worse, trouble starts seeping into Karloff. First, Jay's friend Connie and her family disappear in the middle of the night and no one will talk about it. Then the richest and most powerful families start arriving, only... they aren't leaving. Unknown to the employees, the resort has been selling shares in an end-of-the-world oasis. The best of the best at the end of days. And in order to deliver the top-notch customer service the wealthy clientele paid for, the employees will be at their total beck and call.

Whether they like it or not.

Yet Karloff Country didn't count on Jay and his crew -- and just how far they'll go to find out the truth and save themselves. But what's more dangerous: the monster you know in your home or the unknown nightmare outside the walls?

Start reading The Getaway now!

Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Raven Boys, the haunting and original supernatural romance returns in a new edition

For years, Grace has watched the wolves in the woods behind her house. One yellow-eyed wolf--her wolf--is a chilling presence she can't seem to live without. Meanwhile, Sam has lived two lives: In winter, the frozen woods, the protection of the pack, and the silent company of a fearless girl. In summer, a few precious months of being human . . . until the cold makes him shift back again.

Now, Grace meets a yellow-eyed boy whose familiarity takes her breath away. It's her wolf. It has to be. But as winter nears, Sam must fight to stay human--or risk losing himself, and Grace, forever.

Start reading Shiver now!

The Deep Dark by Molly Knox Ostertag

From Molly Knox Ostertag, writer-illustrator of the New York Times and ABA Indie bestselling The Witch Boy trilogy and The Girl from the Sea, comes a darkly beautiful story of identity, family, love, loss, and magic.

Everyone has secrets. Mags’s has teeth.

Magdalena Herrera is about to graduate high school, but she already feels like an adult with serious responsibilities: caring for her ailing grandmother; working a part-time job; clandestine makeouts with a girl who has a boyfriend. And then there’s her secret, which pulls her into the basement each night, drains her of energy, and leaves her bleeding. A secret that could hurt and even kill if it ever got out -- like it did once before.

So Mags keeps her head down, isolated in her small desert community. That is, until her childhood friend Nessa comes back to town, bringing vivid memories of the past, an intoxicating glimpse of the future, and a secret of her own. Mags won’t get attached, of course. She’s always been strong enough to survive without anyone’s help.

But when the darkness starts to close in on them both, Mags will have to drag her secret into the daylight, and choose between risking everything . . . or having nothing left to lose.

Start reading The Deep Dark now!

A Darker Mischief by Derek Milman

The Honeys meets The Secret History in a work of dark academia like no other -- a boarding school thriller about a queer teen from Mississippi who finds himself swept into a world of old money, privilege, and the secret society at the heart of it all.

When Cal Ware wins a scholarship to an elite New England boarding school, he's thrilled to leave his past behind. Back home in Mississippi, he was the poor, queer kid who never fit in. But at Essex Academy, he'll be able to reinvent himself. Or so he hopes . . .

But at Essex, Cal's classmates only see his cheap clothes and old iPhone. They mock his accent, and can't believe he's never left the country, or heard of The Hamptons. Cal, at his breaking point, is about to give up and return to Mississippi when he learns about a secret society on campus -- the key to becoming Essex royalty.

Cal knows he's not exactly secret society material, but to his surprise, he finds an unlikely champion in the handsome, charismatic, and slightly dangerous Luke Kim. As they get swept up in the mystery and glamour of the Rush process, Cal finds himself falling in love for the first time.

But as the initiation rituals grow riskier -- and increasingly nefarious -- Cal must decide how far he's willing to go, and how much of himself he's willing to sacrifice, to save everything and everyone he cherishes most. Because nothing at Essex -- not even Cal's first love -- is quite what it seems.

Start reading A Darker Mischief now!

The Other Ones by Fran Hart

A beautiful and unputdownable story about love, friendship, and the ghosts that grief can leave behind, The Other Ones is a heartfelt, contemporary romance with a haunting twist . . .

Salem Amani is a world-weary sixteen-year-old living with his mother and older sister in a haunted house. But all Sal really wants is to be ordinary, which is hard to do when you live in a house full of ghosts. And when a strange boy arrives on his doorstep asking more questions than he’s at all comfortable with, Sal’s efforts to be ordinary are put under even greater strain. Until Pax makes his offer: “I could help you with the hauntings . . . I’m good with ghosts.”

But despite his initial dislike of Pax, Sal can’t help but find himself unexpectedly drawn to the boy. And as the two grow closer, and Pax offers to help Sal scare away his ghosts for good, Sal finds himself sinking deeper into a lie concealing the truth about his family.

When the true nature of the “hauntings” is revealed, Sal must confront reality – or risk losing Pax for good.

Start reading The Other Ones now!

#ireadya #ya books #The Getaway #Lamar Giles #Shiver #Maggie Stiefvater #The Deep Dark #Molly Knox Ostertag #A Darker Mischief #Derek Milman #The Other Ones #Fran Hart #summer full of shivers #horror

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sungbeam · 1 year ago

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𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐞

demon!ji changmin x reader

birthdays have never mattered to him—until it was yours.

1.7k words, fluff, supernatural/demon au, minimal swearing, est. relationship au, a night terrors hc

read night terrors / peruse the collection post

a/n: continuing to expand their story for my own sanity :') istg i will go back to writing their snarky banter at some point (i just like soft romance 🤕)

JI CHANGMIN HAD ALWAYS THOUGHT OF BIRTHDAYS as insignificant, trivial matters. Perhaps that was because that was how he was raised to think of them as; hardly anyone in Hell cared for such a frankly human celebration of life. Even when he ended up on the mortal plane, he never seemed to fully grasp the concept.

There were always, within the couple years he knew your sister, days she would refuse to take on a client or work if it was your birthday. It could be the end of the world, and she would turn an adventure down to be at your side to celebrate your birthday. Despite being gone from home so often, she never failed to remember.

Maybe that was part of the reason he was freaking out now.

“What's all this?” He asked to the room as he munched on a blueberry pancake from the kitchen. When he walked into the pack house for breakfast this morning, he'd been greeted by the sight of Kevin and Jacob working together to string a Happy Birthday banner in the foyer. Balloons and streamers dangled and dazzled about the stair banister and around the walls. Lily had even recruited the little ones to help make about a thousand and one cupcakes.

Kevin and Jacob's heads both snapped over to him. “You're shitting me, right?” Kevin asked. Atop the ladder he stood on, he placed a hand on his hip.

Changmin blinked. “I know it's someone's birthday; I can see it on the banner.” He threw his free hand in the direction of said item.

Kevin and Jacob exchanged looks with each other. Jacob was next to speak: “Changmin, do you seriously not know who's birthday it is?”

“No, am I supposed to?”

“Did you guys say Yn likes the firefly lanterns or the sparklers?” Juyeon waltzed in through the front door with his arms piled full of a smorgasbord of lighting arrangements. He nearly dropped one of the glass firefly lanterns (currently devoid of fireflies, luckily), and he just managed to fumble it between his fingers before it hit the ground and shattered.

Why would he ask what you…

The dots snapped together.

“Shit.”

The night had swelled into a symphony of merriment and mirth. The party everyone had thrown for you had sailed smoothly, with Eric and Haknyeon having dragged you back from your hike through the forest only to return to everyone's welcome and well wishes. Along with lovely songs, so much good company and food, and a massive cupcake with a candle staked in its frosting, the night simmered out with music and games in the town center as always.

But by the end, your energy was fizzled out, and you found yourself shoving your face into the mass of a familiar body.

His chuckle was warm as he cupped the back of your head, cradling you and pressing something sweet to the side of your head with his lips. “Tired, sweetheart?”

“Mmh,” you hummed, eyes fluttering closed. After a long day full of activity and energy, it was time to recharge. The two of you stood upon the inn's front porch where you usually shacked up when you weren't on the road for Changmin's job. At some point, you figured you would settle down somewhere more permanent, but there was a part of you that figured your counterpart's skin crawled at the idea of putting roots down somewhere.

Forever was permanent and long, but you were patient.

You heard him—felt him—clear his throat above you. “You—you’re not super tired, are you?” But as soon as he said that, he seemed to backpedal. “If you are, then it's okay. You need the rest.”

“What is it, Changmin?”

“It's nothing, I—”

You pulled back from him and arched a brow high. “Tell me.”

He winced to himself, cupping the back of his neck. You hadn't seen him so nervous before. “I—” he huffed as if he was working up the courage to say something, “Can I show you something?”

“Yeah, sure,” you said with a nod. You offered out your hand to him with a cheeky smile on your face. “Where to?”

Changmin's eyes darted from your face to your extended hand, then back up to your face. He slipped his hand into yours, fingers interlocking until your entwined hands hung between your bodies. “Upstairs,” he said, inclining his chin in toward the inn.

So upstairs, you ventured.

Instead of splitting yourselves up into two separate rooms like the very first time, you both shared a bedroom at the end of the second floor corridor. It wasn't like Changmin slept much anyway, so most nights you got free reign with bed space.

You didn't know why your heart began kicking up in speed as you approached the door. There wasn't anything out of the ordinary—no cliché rose petals strewn over the path, no candle light coming from beneath the door. You didn't expect anything of that sort from him, and frankly, you would have been suspicious if you ever witnessed something of that sort from him.

Changmin still hadn't said anything when you opened the door and let yourselves in. The bedroom was dark with only the light from the courtyard outside streaming through the slitted shutters on the window. There didn't seem to be anything new for him to show you here…

You sighed, letting go of his hand so you could massage your temples with the tips of your fingers. “I'm glad I didn't drink a lot tonight,” you mused, “I think I'm gonna need to train my tolerance back up again or something.”

“Yn,” he finally said, voice low.

You turned to face him, eyes wide as they adjusted to the darkness better. “Yeah?”

“It's on the nightstand.” Changmin shoved his hands into his pants pockets and if you weren't mistaken, there was a jittery energy about him.

“Right, okay.” A part of you became giddy at the thought that he got you something for your birthday—because that was what this was, right? Of course, you neither expected nor required something from him; you weren't even aware demons knew what a birthday celebration was.

Yet, you moved toward your side of the bed, leaning over to twist the lantern on to give the room a bit of warm light. Just as he said, there was something sitting on the nightstand beside your phone and the lamp.

Your heart stopped clean in your chest for a long second.

It was a ring.

There was no studded jewel at its apex; it was a band made of a dark material that gleamed like the color of mercury in the light. There seemed to be some kind of engraving on the side, but from where it sat, you couldn't make out exactly what it read.

You suddenly didn't know how to use your hands. Your fingers froze midair, unable to decide what to do with what sat there, waiting for you, calling out to you, for you.

“Changmin—” Your fingers miraculously managed to thaw and carefully pluck the ring into your grasp. You swiveled on your foot to face him, holding it up. He still stood where he'd been before like his feet were glued to the floor. “What… what is this?”

The organ in your chest hammered so hard against your chest that your ears were filled with the sound of rushing blood.

He swallowed. His dark irises flashed in the dim lantern light and you crossed the room to stand in front of him again. “It's—it’s a birthday present.” Changmin unconsciously scratched his bicep then gripped his arm. “I don't really know how birthday presents work, but you know, it seemed like an important thing, so it must call for something important in return,” he murmured, now cupping the back of his neck and trying to avoid your eyes.

It was interesting seeing him so flustered and grasping for an explanation.

“And I remembered that I—” When he raised his eyes to meet yours again, they searched your face. He lost his voice for a moment, all sense of thought. You still didn't know what he saw there to make him pause. A sigh fell from his lips. “When demons are born, they're given a naming ring,” he said quietly. “The stone used adjusts to the wearer's finger, so it can be worn all throughout their life. I guess it's kind of like a birthday celebration, just at the beginning of our lives.”

He motioned to the ring in your possession. “That's… that's mine. My name's in Latin on the side.”

Your thumb ran along the grooves carved into the stone, and though you didn't know Latin, you would commit the feel of his name to memory.

“Why are you giving this to me if it's so important to you, hm?” You asked softly.

“You're important to me.”

And if only every question between two people could be solved with so simple, yet so powerful an answer. You were positively devastated. “Oh, Changmin—”

He was quick to add, “If you don't want it and it's weird, then that's fine. I—”

“Changmin.”

“Yeah.”

“I love it. Thank you.”

“Oh.”

A smile curled itself onto your face and you saw it slowly reciprocate on his. You held up your hand, inspecting your fingers and wondering which you should wear it on. “Y'know,” you murmured, “Sena told me that the jewelry on each finger represents something.” You couldn't remember every one specifically, but you didn't have to doubt either of the ring fingers. Though this was no wedding ring, your right ring finger would do nicely.

“What does that one mean?” He asked quietly as you slid the band over your chosen digit. The stone was cool and smooth to the touch, and it seemed to fit exactly right, just as he said it would.

“Not really sure,” you confessed as he took your newly adorned hand into his. His thumb immediately went to feel his name curled around your finger. “Something that describes what you mean to me though.”

The light in Changmin's eyes was tender, warm, happy. He cupped the side of your face with his hand and brought his lips to your head, mouth lingering there for a second longer. “Happy birthday, sweetheart.”

a/n: it's not an engagement ring, so don't look at me like that. i'm Not Delusional, YOU ARE— (for those who need to know, the right ring finger is love and trust :'))

night terrors fic / collection

permanent taglist: @flwoie @vatterie @seomisaho @hqrana @ja4hyvn @tinkerbell460 @kaaimins @hyunjaespresent-deobi @otterly-fey @zzoguri @floatingpluto @winterchimez @ethereal-engene @gyulfriend @polarisjisung @jaehunnyy @shakalakaboomboo @loveliestfelix @bless-311 @zhaixiaowen @leaz-kpop-life @amourdsr @pxppxrminty @kqyutie @sseastar-main @kxthleen14 @fluorescentloves @mosviqu @justalildumpling @jaerisdiction @super-btstrash-posts @jundundun @http-gyu @mvvnsseul @outrologist @vernonburger @maessseongs @ericlvr @mars101

#deoboyznet #the boyz x reader #ji changmin x reader #the boyz fanfic #the boyz fluff #the boyz imagines #the boyz oneshot #the boyz drabbles #the boyz scenarios #ji changmin imagines #ji changmin scenarios #ji changmin drabbles #ji changmin oneshot #changmin x reader #q x reader #changmin imagines #changmin oneshot #changmin drabble #changmin scenarios

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onyourowndaisymae · 1 year ago

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an unofficial pact mark

content + warnings: fluff, implied romantic simeon x reader but can be read as platonic, minor mentions of jealousy, mc has visible pact marks, mc is tattooed, simeon and mc decide that simeon needs a pact mark too

word count: ~ 800

an angel's wings were always a sight to behold.

there's a fluffiness to an angel's wings that a demon could never quite have. not even lucifer, birdlike as the remnants of his fallen angelhood were, could compare to the sheer weightless charm of the fluttering appendages.

simeon's boyish giggle rang through the open field. a breeze blew through the celestial realm, rustling grass and clothes alike. his cloak was draped over your shoulders, ornamental jewelry clanking like windchimes as your chest shuddered with laughs. the two of you shifted again to put his back to the breeze.

"oh dear, this wind certainly isn't helping."

"don't worry! we'll get the photo!"

you lift the camera up to your eye again. like a sunset or twinkling stars through stacked lenses, the camera can't ever truly capture the radiance of his wings.

they're large, much bigger than you anticipated, fitting for an archangel like him with it's imposing wingspan casting an equally impressive shadow among the wildflowers. rows of fluffy feathers stack on top of one another to create a bountiful expanse of pure white beauty. they rustle unconsciously against the wind. they are such a graceful extension of the angel you loved-- although he was a little bashful to have such interest for a part of himself he usually kept tucked away, simeon lets you gawk as much as you wanted between attempts to get the perfect reference shot.

but back to the issue at hand.

it became apparent to you somewhere along the line that simeon was a bit jealous of your pact marks. something about the brothers having a sort of claim over you made the angel frown, gaze tracing over the visible marks with displeasure when you sat together watching movies at purgatory hall. it was even longer before he voiced this to you. it wasn't so much that he didn't want you to be close to the others-- although sometimes maybe it was like that, even if he didn't say it-- simeon was jealous of the way they all got to leave their mark on you without him. angels didn't make pacts like demons, so there was no physical proof of simeon's devotion to you.

seems unfair. he'd never complain to you about it, though, because there wasn't anything you could do about it. ... right?

silly supernatural creatures. their minds always went to extraordinary solutions of magic and sorcery. never once did they consider some of the more "primitive" solutions to their dilemmas, but that's what you were there for.

click!

the shutter snaps loudly. you pull back and glance at the screen. it's blurry, like all the others, but that's not anyone's fault. the radiance of his supernatural features is hard to capture on film, magical or not-- there was simply no way you'd get a clear shot... but the one you got was pretty cute.

he's grinning, hand up to cover his eyes from the sunlight permeating each inch of the heavenly realm. his wings are outstretched into the empty field, blurred by angelic magic on the camera, but clear enough to recognize as his own. you can't help but smile. it's a good picture. you can already picture your tattoo artist filling in the blanks with delicate shading and shapely linework.

"i think we've got it."

simeon wades through the field to curl up against your side, resting his chin on your shoulder.

"it's a little blurry... will that be good enough?"

"we'll make it work."

a call, a wad of cash, that blurry reference photo, and a quick visit to the human world later-- you had a makeshift pact mark to show your favorite angel.

the pain of the needles had long since ceased, leaving your skin to heal through time and various unscented lotions. the pain was not new to you, yet each new tattoo always drew "ooo"s and "ahh"s from those closest to you. this time, it's simeon gawking over you, gloved hands carefully holding your arm and grinning at the delicate lines embedded in your skin.

"gorgeous," he murmurs.

the tattoo didn't capture the full grandeur of his wings. that wasn't the artist's fault-- nothing could replicate the vision of seeing his beautiful wings in person. but the inked image on your inner bicep clearly pleased the angel next to you.

"now i always have you with me, too," you coo quietly, not wanting to interrupt how deeply he's admiring the art on your skin.

"did it hurt?" he asks.

"a little. but nothing i can't handle."

his thumb rubs against the nearby skin. the grin on his face is contagious-- now you're smiling, too.

"thank you for this," he murmurs, eyes glittering in the warm light of your room. "i can't tell you how much it means to me."

you can't help but press a soft kiss against his temple and nuzzle in close, rubbing your nose against his cheekbone to make him laugh.

"anything for my favorite angel."

#the simeon brainrot is starting to chip away at me #he deserves the world and i intend to give it to him #i just love wholesome simeon #obey me #obey me shall we date #obey me swd #obey me nightbringer #obey me nb #obey me simeon #obey me simeon x reader #obey me fluff #otome

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beyondflashpoint · 11 months ago

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Yoooooooo.

I’ve been bitten by the bug, and ye olde nostalgia got me thinking about Danny Phantom again, so I decided to play into that. I recently found the Show’s Pitch Bible, and it got me thinking about how I’d handle the reboot. On top of tweaking Jack and Maddie to make them less bumbling morons and more eccentric geniuses, I’d be aging up the crew, and settling Amity Park in Arkham County up New England way.

Danny, as you can probably tell from his human design, would be somewhat milquetoast, with grungy alternative leanings. Good at science, bad at math. Danny is, at his core, a good kid who loves his family. But he is still a kid.

I’ll probably go into them more as I work on the other characters, but I want to give Tucker, Sam, Jazz, and the Fenton parents more to do, even if it is just in the background. But for now, the Fenton parents definitely have only recently started Fenton Works. It’s been a lifelong dream, and between the two of them they’ve reached a point with their savings that it’s now a possibility. Maddie is a respected physicist, and Jack is… a bit of everything really. Test pilot, super spy, but mostly he’s an engineer. Maddie figures out how a thing works, and Jack can build it. The world of academia was… shocked when the most prominent scientific super couple announced they would be devoting the rest of their lives to pursuing superstitious pseudoscience, and this announcement has called their previous credibility into question, but no one can deny that Dr and Mister Fenton get results, if anyone can prove the existence of the supernatural, it’s the Fentons. Both are haunted by a supernatural experience from their youth.

Tucker Foley would probably have escaped the nerd label by his sheer programming and tech repair skills alone, if it wasn’t for the fact that he’s also a total anime geek, and a self proclaimed furry. Tucker is an unabashed nerd, and not the suave tv friendly type. Cosplays, ttrpg, mmos, comic and action figure collecting, you name it, he does it. Proudly. And he’s been Danny’s best friend since they were in diapers. Inevitably some of that has rubbed off on Danny.

Sam Manson is relatively new in town. She moved in with her grandmother midway through freshman year after things finally came to a head with her super conservative parents. Falling somewhere between socialist and anarchist, classic goth and punk, Sam is a rebel, an activist, and everything your parents warned you about. She’s also the coolest person Danny and Tucker know. Sam has a borderline obsession with the occult, ghosts, demons, witches, you name it, she can’t get enough of it. Which may or may not have something to do with a family secret relating to why certain members of the Manson family have purple eyes?

Jazmine Fenton is Danny’s smarter, prettier older sister. Fascinated by psychology, and obsessed with figuring out the inner workings of the mind. In high school she was a geek. In college she is thriving. Fortunately, Fenton Works is close to the university she’s attending, and that means she’s never far from home, and more importantly never far from her family. Though her relationship with her parents is rocky, she’s been trying to mend fences after getting some perspective on the world. She and Danny were close growing up, and shared everything, so his recent trend of playing everything close to his chest is unnerving for her. She doesn’t understand when she stopped be Danny’s best friend.

That’s alls I gots for now. Maybe I’ll play around with writing a fic, or maybe a comic or something. We’ll see how this all develops.

#danny phantom #danny fenton #dp #phandom #Danny phantom redesign #Danny phantom reboot

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foxglovegames · 1 year ago

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DEV LOG: 2023 Recap!

We wanted to post this update at the end of Dec, but time got away from us! We have a lot to look back at in 2023...

❁ We released Trouble Comes Twice!

We're very proud to have released our first game as a studio!

There were some rough patches, so we are forever thankful for the support from our players, backers, patrons, family, friends, and the talented freelancers who helped this project become more than just a dream.

Although we couldn't be more grateful for the positive reception, we're also noting down feedback and criticism for future projects. We're confident that our experiences working on TCT will help us make even better games in the future!

❁ Trouble Comes Twice: Bonus Stories!

Trouble Comes Twice: Bonus Stories is a DLC we've been working on for the past months and it's also going to be our last major public update to the game before we bid goodbye to these characters.

This DLC isn't a sequel or anything major, it's more like a collection of short bonus stories (hence the name) so it'll be relatively inexpensive. We mostly recommend it to players interested in more than one of the couples, that way you'll get the most out of the content! We don't dare to promise an exact release day yet, but we're currently wrapping up coding and should begin testing before the month's up. So probaaaably February for the release?

❁ Burn the Midnight Oil

Towards the end of 2023, early production began on our next visual novel Burn the Midnight Oil. You can catch a small sneak peek at two of the six romance options above.

Starring vampires, demons and other horrors of the night - it's a supernatural neo-noir romance drama set in a fictionalized version of 80s England. The player steps into the shoes of the vengeful private detective Circe, a vampire infamous for hunting her own kind and the reluctant cop Dante, a short-tempered half-demon torn between his human side and the world of the supernatural.

We're excited for everyone to meet Circe, Dante and the rest of the cast when we officially announce this project later this year!

❁ Plans for 2024

We have a handful of goals for 2024, some bigger than others.

★ Releasing the DLC for Trouble Comes Twice!

★ Burn the Midnight Oil Announcement + Kickstarter

★ Other things and secrets...?

Thank you for an amazing 2023 and here's to a great 2024! ✨

#trouble comes twice #foxglove games #burn the midnight oil #visual novel #monthly update

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thevampiremarie · 6 months ago

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treehouse chapter 33

Dream of the Endless | Lord Morpheus x reader pregnancy fic

Johanna Constantine comes bearing drinks and hard truths (ao3 link here if you prefer to read there)

Trouble finds you a couple days later in the form of a dark-eyed magician in a stunning white coat, twice as lovely as the Devil and three times more mischievous.

“Knock knock, princess,” Johanna Constantine declares as she raps her scarred knuckles against the open door of your bedchamber.

You were hoping for company - not Morpheus’s, but perhaps Matthew to giggle over Morpheus’s habit of making an ass out of himself, or Lucienne to show you another book or open another archive in the great library for you…

But you had not yet had the opportunity to talk to Johanna since her dramatic entrance into the throne room and the various things that happened after. “Johanna!” You greet her, trying to suppress the blush in your cheeks as you recall what all did happen after you last saw her.

It’s not her fault that Dream chases you into your thoughts even when he’s not present.

She hugs you tightly and her long hair tickles your nose. “M’glad to see you’re still…” Johanna’s gaze darts to your messy hair and your skin warm with living blood and something like relief settles across her face.

Johanna’s chest rises and falls with breath the same way yours does. No one else in the Dreaming inhales. “Still me?” They have no need of it, of course, but it unnerves you all the same, highlighting even further the deep sense of wrongness that you do not belong here.

Even as you find reasons why you might want to stay.

Johanna smiles crookedly, showing a chipped tooth and another encased in gold. Another comfortingly human thing about her. “Still you. And as lovely as ever. Let me in, hm? We should talk.”

The bottle in her left hand is marked by a hand-drawn label and contains some sort of wicked-looking clear liquid that sloshes with a different viscosity from water.

“Over a bottle of Kentucky moonshine?”

Johanna pulls another bottle out of her coat with her right hand. “And some sparkling apple cider for you and the wee one.”

“How’d you know? I didn’t think I was showing that much…” You murmur, instinctively resting a protective hand over your mostly-normal stomach. Only you and Morpheus had truly been able to tell the difference between the soft curves of your body before and slight additional roundness now.

“Please, love. The whole supernatural world has been buzzing about what sort of mess Dream of the Endless is in now.” Johanna raises a finely arched eyebrow. “Or if you will, who Dream of the Endless is in now,” She quips with a smirk.

You brace yourself against the doorway, your knees suddenly feeling weak. “Gross! Blegh. So everyone…” You trail off. Your face is cold and pale. Mortification thrums through you like you’re a guitar string being plucked and played with.

“Is paying attention to you? Well, when two Endless go head to head over the life of a puny mortal like you, who can blame the lot?” Johanna replies with no small degree of pity. “Morpheus and one of the Others had some sort of fight not more than two weeks ago. The Fair Folk are notorious gossips, and demons even more so. I put the pieces together from there.”

No doubt the various dreams, nightmares, spirits, and whatnot have less regard for privacy compared to your fellow humans.

You’re nothing to them, after all. A blip in the great immortal life of Dream of the Endless. A few seconds in the grand scheme of time.

You sigh and step back from the doorway, allowing Johanna entry to your room.

It must have been the biggest joke in the known universe, and all at the expense of your ignorance. “It feels like I’m the only one who never got the news.” There are countless myths written mocking mortals who attempt to consort with gods, are there not? You fear that one day, your life will join the ranks of those stories.

Johanna’s face sours, her eyes glinting with a rage that makes you want to put a few paces between you and her. “He’s a right tosser for that one, love,” She mutters under her breath.

As Johanna holds out the sparkling apple cider for you to take, she unscrews the top of her Kentucky moonshine with her teeth and takes a swig so prolonged that it’s a miracle she doesn’t choke. When Johanna comes back up for air, her cheeks are reddened and her eyes are as jovial and friendly as usual. “Bottoms up,” She says, gesturing to your own bottle.

You gesture silently to the cap and she pries it off with her teeth again, spitting the metal out into some remote corner of your bedchamber for the dreams that tidy up your space to find.

The acrid scent of alcohol carries across the room, making you wrinkle your nose as you try to suppress the faintest pangs of nausea.

Some of the apple cider helps settle your stomach to the point that you’re confident you won’t vomit if you open your mouth. “I bet this melodrama must seem so ridiculous to you,” You say softly, bowing your head and contemplating the dark green glass bottle in your hand. A warped distortion of your face looks back at you. “Johanna Constantine, great magician and legendary exorcist. I’ve done some research of my own.”

You sneak another wary glance at her bottle, then back again at Johanna getting well on her way to sloshed with an ease that speaks of habit.

Drunkenness in yourself and others stopped being amusing a long time ago. Probably around the first time you had to mop your mother’s vomit off the floor. But at least you can manage a drunkard. It’s a regular sized task, not a Herculean feat involving things humans have no business being involved in. And here in the Dreaming - the only thing that could hurt you is Morpheus.

“And human. Can’t forget that bit. That’s the most important part,” Johanna replies.

In spite of her inebriation, you soften the tiniest bit to Johanna. Even you lost sight of that when you found out her reputation, and the reputation of her illustrious family.

“While I can’t say I was expecting for you to pop up, especially not in the throne room, it’s nice to see a friendly face.” You truly mean the sentiment, and some of the built up tightness in your chest at being in this confusing dimension for as long as you have eases in Johanna Constantine’s company.

“I’m sorry I wasn’t more… forthcoming when we first met. Was hopin’- perhaps foolishly- you’d have the good sense to leave this world well alone. I see now that was futile.” Johanna means it too. Her good intentions and resulting regret practically flow off her words. Silently, Johanna makes another dent in her liquor bottle, this time out of a misplaced sense of guilt.

“No need to apologize. You helped plenty. I would’ve never known otherwise. Morpheus was fixing to drag this out as long as he could, maybe until the end of my life. I merely forced his hand.” You have to stop and laugh at the irony of it all - the choices other people have made for you to try and stop you from knowing, and how they were futile in the end.

All for nothing besides pain, grief, and betrayal. For you and him, and you, your family that you miss desperately, and Johanna.

The otherworldly beauty of your surroundings pales in comparison, unable to enchant your feelings away.

Johanna stares at you for a long moment before holding her hand out.

Next thing you know, she’s hugging you and you’re crying into the collar of her jacket that smells like laundry detergent and cigarette smoke. It’s hard to explain how a virtual stranger makes you feel so safe. You miss your friends so desperately and if you concentrate enough, you can pretend Willow is the one hugging you. Humans are pack animals, after all.

When you finally let go, Johanna presses the bottle of cider into your hand from where you had set it down on the floor. “Magical bullshit has a habit of taking innocent people, chewing them up, and spitting them out broken and unrecognizable. Dream of the Endless is the last being on this Earth or any others who should be given a gift such as yourself to care for,” She says with iron-clad conviction.

So Johanna’s grievances are deeply personal, then. “Tell me. Tell me what he did to you,” You ask, even though a small part of you doesn’t want to know.

For the first time since you’ve met her, the dark haired magician hesitates. Her face pales and she presses her lips together in a thin, tense line. In the absence of Johanna’s words, you guide her to sit with you in a pair of upholstered chairs in a small room adjoining your bedroom, a fancy reception salon of sorts.

Johanna takes her jacket off and folds it over the back of the chair before dropping heavily into the seat. “Not so much what he did to me. It’s what he did to Rachel.” She scrubs her face with a hand, drawing your attention to the dark bags under her eyes and the stress lines in her forehead.

Johanna tells you everything. The sand won from a demon, the kind woman who’s sweetness singed Johanna’s skin, how Johanna ran from Rachel’s sunlit eyes because all she’s ever known is fighting, not living. In her hurry to break that bond, she left every possession behind.

That is until Morpheus burst into Johanna’s life looking for that sand, a tall pillar of shadow and starlight who brought only destruction with him. And then the end.

“I’m so sorry. I- I don’t know what to say.” Your voice is barely above a whisper. You hunch slightly, crossing your arms over your stomach, holding back a reflexive apology for Morpheus’s actions. Not to justify why you care for him, but because his hurts have somehow become your own. You bear his guilt.

“Do you know what it felt like to find her there? Not so much broken as she was… disintegrating. Rotting. His magic rotted her from the inside out. Morpheus’s sand left nothing of Rachel behind. She was a fuckin’ wraith,” Johanna spits out venomously. She’s too drunk to stand so she slumps even further into her chair, a tear gathering in the corner of her bloodshot eyes as she stares at the ornate ceiling.

Johanna roughly rubs it away with the long sleeve of her tight, plain charcoal black shirt. “I share most of the blame, of course. If it hadn’t been for me, for bringing the sand into her life and then abandoning her… Rachel would still be alive. There’s many, many people who would still be alive if not for my magic and I.” Her gaze flickers to you, bright with pain, as if she sees all of her ghosts stand shoulder to shoulder with you.

She takes another drink and the burning smell of alcohol grows like a specter haunting her narrative.

The bottle is halfway done. “You’re like Rachel. You’re innocent. I can fuckin’ smell the goodness coming off of you.” She’s so, so angry. “You’ve done nothing wrong and here you are. Tangled up in the supernatural, the enemy of one Endless and the obsession of another, your life forever changed. Because of one god and his carelessness and his urgent need to get his dick wet,” Johanna finishes in a mumble, her expression marred with bitterness.

“Johanna… Tell me about the others,” You urge.

“You know, I spend so much time watching good people die, and then drinking so I can forget about the sounds they made as they died, that I sometimes forget how perceptive sobriety can make you. Her name was Astra. Astra Logue.”

Your chest suddenly feels weighed down, like something’s squeezing your heart. Maybe it’s the hormones. “Astra’s a pretty name for a girl. Unique.”

Johanna wipes her nose on the edge of her sleeve, and then rubs away the tear tracking down her cheek. “And she was just a girl when she died. When I- I killed her. Just as Dream should’ve safeguarded his corrupting sand from Rachel, kept it from ever hurting her, I should’ve protected Astra. I thought, in my hubris, that it was an easy thing to fight a demon. Summon another demon, they cancel each other out, I win. Astra survives.”

“But it didn’t work out like that.”

Johanna shakes her head and you just… shatter. A sob builds in the back of your throat. You hold it down as this is not your grief, not your place to mourn.

“It didn’t. And she lost- Astra lost her soul. Do you understand? Her soul. My demon, that I brought into this plane, dragged her soul to Hell. I have to live with that for the rest of my days, knowing there’s a little girl being tortured from here ‘till eternity because of my mistakes. You think there’s blood on my hands? Dream of the Endless is absolutely covered in it.”

You could not be more bereft if you had been the one to birth Astra, to raise her, love her, and braid her hair everyday before school. And to know what happened to this little girl you never even met, to know that she’s in pain that will never end and no one can save her from it, no one is there to comfort Astra and tell her it will be alright…

Will it be your baby that pays the price next? You’re an adult. You know the risks of being here and with Morpheus. You consented. But bringing an unborn child into this-

Is that something you can live with on your conscience?

“Mortals and immortal things should never mix. It’s our lives they play with, and we alone suffer the consequences.” Johanna turns away from you for privacy to compose herself. Her dark red painted nails fiddle with the St. George medallion hanging around her neck, sliding it up and down the chain.

You let the quiet stand uninterrupted. A moment of silence for Astra Logue and Rachel.

Johanna breaks it first. The grief has passed and she can breathe freely now. “What are you thinking right now, love?” She asks. Her eyes are dry, if a little red still.

You’re struck by the strength that radiates off of her. The sheer force of her presence envelops her like armor. Her limbs are strung with sharpened steel, not ordinary flesh and bone.

“Can I be honest?” For all that she’s given you to think about, you know yourself. Your compass has always been pointed due North.

“By all means.” Her dark eyes are as warm as a cup of hot tea.

“I love him. I can’t not love him. I’ve tried. But I… I will never be anything other than myself. I want you to know that. You don’t have to protect me. You can forgive yourself for Astra and Rachel. I absolve you, Johanna.”

Your words pierce through her armored countenance sharper than an arrow.

“He’s not going to chew me up and spit me out. I swear it. Thank you for coming for me. Thank you for helping me to understand. He wronged Rachel and who knows who else, I don’t doubt that for one second.” You reach out to gently rest your hand on Johanna’s arm. Her body temperature runs hotter than you expect.

You have to blink away the memory of cool skin warmed by the heat of your skin and eyes the color of ice and blue flame, all at the same time. “But I’ve walked away from him before. My liberty is my beginning and end. You know when you get frostbitten, and you lose your extremities first because your body agrees to sacrifice anything to keep your organs alive? Like that. That’s how I fight, to the very last cell. If I decide to stay here, that decision will be made freely and without duress.”

Her gaze searches you for any small fracture or chipping paint in your resolve. She finds no such weakness.

“My goal was that I might convince you to walk away. But I understand. Though I won’t force you from here unwillingly, I also know you’re not here willingly.” Johanna raises one of her dark eyebrows knowingly. She’s seen this before, perhaps, seen countless other humans walk deeper into the abyss instead of returning to safer shores.

Who are you to flout convention? “I’m not, unfortunately. I wish we could’ve met again under better circumstances.” The pressure on your chest lightens as you take in Johanna’s soft, proud smile, despite how badly she wants to disapprove, and how the stress lines that signal her burdens disappear when she thinks of softer things. Like you.

It gives you pause. Perhaps in another world, another time, another universe…

Or perhaps not, as long as there were dreams to be had in those alternate realities and a dark haired lord to dream of.

Her brow furrows. “Don’t you worry. You can’t get rid of me that easily. I’m bound by honor to fight for you. To protect you, so you can truly decide if this is what you want. You’re not alone here. I will be your sword,” Johanna declares. She’s a knight with dented, tarnished armor, sure, but a knight all the same.

You’re simply unsure if you’re in need of rescue. “I don’t want you to get hurt. Not over me,” You tell her.

“You think I can’t hold my own against him? Really? Love, I’m hurt, crushed. You’ve wounded me with your doubt,” Johanna quips, dramatically holding her hand to her chest with a fake gasp. She only holds the pose for half a second before succumbing to giggles.

“My apologies, Lady Knight.” You summon all the poise you can and incline your head with the affected, overdone elegance of some queen from a storybook.

Johanna’s giggles turn into hiccups, no doubt from the prodigious quantity of moonshine. “‘S alright, princess. You’ll see.”

“Why do I have the strangest feeling you mean that literally?” You sigh as you gently pry the empty bottle away from her, feeling half like a mother already.

Her eye teeth, unnaturally long and sharp like twin daggers, poke out of her parted lips stretched into a thin smile. “Some things are still for me to know and you to find out.”

You nod as if that platitude is enough, as if lies from Johanna Constantine’s mouth are easier to swallow than lies from Morpheus’s. But you know instinctively that if you went to Morpheus and asked outright, he’d tell you the truth. “Alright, I’ll leave it be. For now. But don’t be fooled- I’ll find out whatever it is you’re plotting eventually.” Johanna has underestimated you.

Morpheus doesn’t. He told you he loved you after you slit a man’s throat for him.

She pats your hand gently before pulling herself to her feet and stretching her wiry, muscular arms above her head. “I have no doubt about that, princess. Get some rest. No offense but you look…” Johanna gestures to the marks on your face left by sleepless nights, the hollows of your eyes so dark they almost look like bruises.

And the sallow tinge to your skin, and how you grimace every now and then, painfully reminded by your swollen joints and overworked muscles that you were not meant for this environment. You were not born to thrive here, without real sunlight. There is only the impression of sunlight dreamed by billions, and the air is not the air of the atmosphere of Earth. Your lungs don’t know how to process the memory of air in place of the real stuff.

“Sometimes it’s hard to sleep here. I can’t tell the difference anymore when I’m asleep and when I’m awake,” You admit, tucking your chin into your collarbone, feeling a sudden rush of shame at the weakness bred into your genes.

No. You should not be ashamed. If you looked hard enough, you would find your own dreams built into the foundation of this great palace.

Johanna’s face twists with sympathy. “Traversing realms is difficult even for the most experienced sorcerers. Don’t be too hard on yourself. I will go to Dream of the Endless and see what we can do to make you more comfortable,” She says. She leaves with a drunken stumble, steadying herself on the doorway before making it out into the hall.

The bouquet of flowers that stands on your bedside table draws your attention. Morpheus picked them himself for you from the meadows of Fiddler’s Green. He asked you to point out the ones you liked so you wouldn’t have to bend down to gather the violets and daisies and chicory yourself. You remember how his eyes fluttered shut in contentment when you touched his cheek in thanks.

A fevered urge stirs in your breast, taking control of your shaking hands and disoriented mind. You recognize it as a desire for unveiled honesty and the comfort that can only be found in someone else’s arms.

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