#“yeah humans are kinda chill like we say we are so cool but they certainly give us a run for our money”

[muchmossymess]

Wrath is literally the baby sibling who can do no wrong

[kpop-cakepops]

I will gladly read any Wonwoo fluff you would give us be it snuggle donation or otherwise! But if I can be more specific in requesting, how about a missed connection sort of thing? Like the reader and Wonwoo have similar circles of friends who think they’d hit it off, but somehow they just never manage to be at the same events, but then they end up meeting separate from their friends and do hit it off, only to be a couple before their friends even know they’ve met? If that’s too specific, totally do whatever you want with the idea. Welcome to Wonwoo brain domination (my friend incepted my mind last year too and it’s been all Wonwoo all of the time since!)

omg this is actually such a good prompt?!?!?!!? What the hell?! Thank you anon!!!

So this one actually took way longer than expected because I knew what I wanted to do but I didn't know how to not make it confusing? So the best I could do was use time skips in this one, anything in italics are flashbacks.... I HOPE IT'S NOT CONFUSING! Anyhow, I had so much fun writing this! Enjoy! (PS. I didn't edit so excuse any grammar mistakes LOLz)

Warnings: None

Genre: Fluff

Word Count: 1,863

Meant To Be// Jeon WonwooXfem!Reader

"There he is again... I wonder if he's single." your older sister said as she struggled to keep your baby nephew from running away from the bench the two of you were sitting at.

"Probably not," you told her as you bit into your popsicle. "He's handsome. Probably has a bunch of girls lining up to get his number"

"He's playing video games at a park, I seriously doubt that" your sister added.

"I think it's kinda cute. At least he comes out because he wants to" you looked over at your sister who was now too busy chasing after your little nephew to even listen to you. "Aaaaand I was talking to myself. Cool."

You huffed and looked over at the man sat two benches over. He seemed to be having fun on his Nintendo switch and you were sure you weren't having fun babysitting your sister while she tried to babysit her own son... so you took matters into your own hands and walked yourself over to the man.

"Hey, mind if I sit here?" You asked.

The stranger looked up from his game and moved to the side making space for you to sit down. He didn't talk at all but didn't show himself to be rude either. You took the chance to take out your own console.

"What are you playing?" You asked.

He turned around and looked at your hands, his eyes widening a little but the look of surprise was replaced by a smile almost instantly. "Super Smash Bros."

You didn't know what you expected his voice to sound like, but it certainly hadn't been the deep tone you had just received. "Damn, nice voice" you blurted.

He let out a laugh, "what's your name?"

"I'm y/n" you introduced yourself putting your hand out to shake his, "and you?"

He took your hand cautiously, "I'm Wonwoo"

***

"How does this dress look?" You asked as you twirled in front of your now boyfriend of 3 months, Wonwoo.

He smiled approvingly, "baby you look just as amazing as you did in the last dress. You really don't have to worry too much about impressing my friends, they're all a bunch of idiots."

"Well, yes, but... what if they don't like me? I'm the reason you refused all those blind dates they kept setting you up on." You told him.

"And I'm the reason you refused yours, the time will come when I have to meet your friends, too. I promise you there's no reason for us to be worried." He pulled you close and kissed the top of your head.

"I'm just excited to finally meet your friends," you told him. "I want to make a good impression."

"The way you make me smile should be impressive enough, no?" He brushed a strand of your hair behind your ear.

"Getting a little cheesy there, aren't we?" You poked his stomach and pulled away. "Anyways. We should get going or we're going to be late!"

***

"You should come up. Some of my friends are still up there. We could hang out" said Wonwoo as he pushed his hands deep into the pockets of his jeans. His tall frame rocking back and forth as he watched you wistfully.

"I really wish I could, but I actually have to go back to work in a bit. I just didn't want for your birthday gift to get to your hands after your special day" You shyly admitted. He held his hand to the necklace that was now hanging from his neck. The pendant hanging from it depicting the Smash ball from the game's logo. Something about him immediately putting the necklace on making your heart race.

"I really wish you could stay, but I guess, you'll just have to make it up to me some other day." He said.

You reached out your pinky and he wrapped his own with yours. "I promise" You told him.

He smiled and you waited expectantly for his nose to scrunch up like you'd learned it would in the last 4 months of knowing the guy. It was weird how after fighting off cheesy romance and dates, you ended up developing a crush on some random guy you'd met at the park.

The both of you stood there for a moment, pinkies linked together as you let the sparks envelope you both. It was obvious you liked each other, however, neither of you seemed to know who should make the first move... nor did you know when.

***

You and Wonwoo arrived at the large hotel his friends had told him to meet them at. A shiver ran down your spine making you take a nervous deep breath. Your boyfriend grinned at your cuteness and squeezed your hand softly before guiding you towards the entrance.

"Oh, God... Maybe I should've brought a gift?" You grumbled as you followed Wonwoo into the hotel. A sudden feeling of guilt taking over you as you remember your own friend, Jihoon, was having a graduation dinner that you couldn't go to because of this. You'd managed to drop off a gift for him days before, but it still bugged you. Jihoon was one of your closest friends after all.

"Honey, it's totally fine. I promise Jihoon won't mind that you didn't bring him a gift" he assured you as he held the door of the fancy restaurant open for you.

"Wait, what did you say?" You asked as you stopped in your tracks. Your boyfriend shooting you a confused look.

"Y-N?"

***

"I don't know, I think my favorite has to be biographies. I'm just nosy" you laughed, Wonwoo following along.

"Hmmm, I mean, biographies are nice, but I've been into humanities lately. It's interesting" He shrugged and licked at his ice cream cone happily. "I used to hate it in high school but I think as I grew up a grew more interested in the way people live... outside of just myself."

"Wow..." you mused.

"What? Was that sexy?" he joked.

You shook your head, "No, you're such a nerd" You teased.

"Hey!" he quipped bumping his shoulder into yours.

"Watch it! I almost dropped my ice cream cone!" Your attempt to seem angry failed by the big smile on your face. It seemed that was all you did around Wonwoo anyways. Smile.

"What flavor is that?" he asked as he eyed your cone curiously.

You put the cone up to his lips, "Butter pecan" You didn't know what exactly you were expecting when you put the cone up to his lips, 75% of you had thought he'd playfully push your hand away while calling it a grandma flavor as he usually did, while the resting 25% of you thought he'd just ignore it and keep walking... but both assumptions were wrong. Wonwoo grabbed your hand with his free one holding the cone in place before getting a taste. It was absolutely insane how much that made your heart race. "Hey! what was that all about?"

"I want to get a taste... but I can't... taste it... maybe I should-" He froze mid-sentence. Wonwoo was nervous. His face was a deep pink as he eyed you closely.

"W-Wonwoo. Are you trying to kiss me right now?" You asked. You wanted to scream and run away but you also wanted to stick around and see if he would.

"I was supposed to be at a blind date today" He admitted.

"Me too," you told him.

"But all I could think of was you" He continued.

"Me too," you agreed once again.

"Y/N, I like you."

***

"What the hell is going on here?" Jihoon's face was twisted in confusion as he stared between the two of you.

"You know each other?" Asked Wonwoo.

Jihoon blinked hurriedly before finding his voice again, "Uh, I think I should be the one asking you that!"

"My head is about to explode" You murmured.

"Yah, Jihoon, Dokyeom just spilled- Oh, Y/N? What are you doing here... with Wonwoo?" Yet another one of your best friends walked out of the restaurant, Jeongyeon's large eyes looking at you and your boyfriend with the same confused expression as Jihoon.

"They got here together," Jihoon announced.

"You two know each other?" Asked Jeongyeon.

"Yeah, Wonwoo's my boyfriend"

"Yeah... we're dating" Wonwoo agreed.

"WHAT?!"

***

"Y/N, pleaseeeeee? I promise you're going to love this guy. He is such a sweet person, he will literally blow you away, and he's handsome! Did I mention he's handsome?!" Jeongyeon's hands were clasped together in front of her chest. It was once a month that she begged for you to go on a blind date with that guy she always talked about, but you shook your head.

"No."

"Why not?! What is it this time!?" Your pretty friend exclaimed as she crossed her arms across her chest.'I have a boyfriend now' You thought, a small smile coming to your lips at the thought of Wonwoo.

"I'm not interested in dating Jjeong. Please, can't we just let it go?" you asked with a soft huff. "We have better things to do anyway. Come on, why don't you let me take a look at your thesis so far."

Jeongyeon huffed and started to pull out her laptop from her book bag. "I can't wait till you meet him. You're gonna regret it"

***

"Wait, pause... so you mean to tell me that we spent ALL THOSE MONTHS trying to set the two of you up... only for you two to meet at a random park and fall in love?!" Soonyoung was being his usual dramatic self again as he glared at you two from across the table.

"I mean, we didn't fall in love right off the bat... but yes. You could say that" Wonwoo answered.

"Wow! I just got chills. I JUST GOT CHILLS!" Dokyeom added as he dramatically hugged himself.

"I just don't understand why neither of you guys told us you were dating! Like... How did we miss it? Where did you hide each other?" Asked Jisoo with a confused frown.

"We didn't. We were friends for about 4 months before we started dating. I even went to drop off his gift at his apartment on his birthday."

"The necklace! I knew I'd seen it somewhere!" Seungcheol exclaimed with wide eyes. "You sent me a picture of the thing and asked if you should get it black or purple!"

"I also asked you for tips on how to confess to a girl over ice cream and got me laughed at." Wonwoo huffed under his breath.

You laughed and shook your head. "You were right, Woo. Your friends are indeed a bunch of idiots"

"Wow... You guys are meant to be. You guys are seriously meant to be. There is no doubt in my mind. I guess when soulmates are meant to meet, they will." chirped Jihoon who kept picking at his plate. "Now that that's all out, I'd like to take a moment to talk about how if Y/N hadn't been dating Wonwoo, she would have missed my graduation dinner for a man. What have you got to say for yourself, traitor?"

"Uh..."

[katierosefun]

convoluted superheroes but make it disaster lineage au, some thoughts on their origin stories and how they would become a team: 

“caroline shouldn’t you be writing or reading for your irish lit class” 

“yes but i had a thought” 

no, this isn’t necessarily a marvel au because i feel like crossing.......the mcu and star wars, which are already big franchises, just messes with my head? plus,,,,the mcu just has such distinct character archetypes that i can’t really fit neatly with the clone wars, so here’s just a super convoluted au that could honestly just work as an entirely different story on its own and probably only has enough in common with tcw by like,,,,a thread, but ANYWAYS I AM HERE WITH MORE THOUGHTS OF AN AU AND YOU JUST HAVE TO SUFFER WITH ME!

okay, so anakin’s story is kinda bizarre: 

i mean, he’s the chosen one in star wars and all that with all these freaky far-reaching abilities with the force so i’m not gonna take that away from him--so idk in this universe i’m just gonna say that he’s gonna be like....a mimic. i feel like he would be the kind of person who just steps into a room and absorbs / can mimic the abilities of any other powered human in the room, only like,,,amplify it. he’s tricky to catch because of that, because no one knows what power he might absorb next. 

but i feel like while anakin can certainly show off with this, i think he’ll also at least attempt to be a little private about this? (lmao we know he’s gonna fail though, because  ily anakin  but you’re the worst at keeping secrets). i feel like he would compensate for all the fancy gadgets + stuff, or sometimes just swing into rooms and be like “anyways guys i came up with a new thing” and everyone always stares at him because for some reason, everyone forgets that anakin skywalker is, in fact, a genius who doesn’t necessarily need his powers to be extraordinarily powerful. there’s more to him than just his weird powers, you guys. 

right, so obi-wan: 

every superhero team needs the wise intellectual, and i feel like obi-wan will always be that one person. i feel like his powers would have to complement anakin’s rather well though, since they’re,,,y’know. the team. oh wait shit-- 

okay okay okay (sorry, this is me really just kinda liveblogging my stream of consciousness), but like?? if anakin can amplify powers, i think of obi-wan being the one to muffle them. like, i feel like just touching someone and suddenly boom, no more powers. you’re now forced to fight obi-wan on even ground (lmao). obi-wan doesn’t necessarily absorb the powers like himself, he just...knows how to quiet them enough so that for the next little while, the opponent is absolutely useless. 

i feel like a lot of people wind up underestimating obi-wan that way,,,at first. everyone makes that mistake, but then everyone realizes that oh yeah, anakin skywalker? dangerous dude. but obi-wan kenobi? if you don’t catch where you’re looking, you could very well end up dead if he wanted. 

our feral gremlin ahsoka: 

well, every team needs the youngster who everyone on the team loves, right? idk maybe it’s because of the togruta biology and something about togruta being more balanced than like,,,humans that makes me want ahsoka to be the ultimate stealth person. when i say this, i mean like duh she’s got incredible balance, but i think it would be super cool if she was able to just like.........move through walls. no one ever sees her coming because first of all, she’s kinda small, but second of all,,,,again: you could just be chilling at your computer and suddenly there’s a short girl standing behind you because she just phased through the wall what the-- 

like most teenage superheroes, ahsoka def. seems kinda excited about being the superhero? also mildly exhausted. idk dude, you try doing calc homework and writing a history paper when you’re also trying to keep the world from being taken over by....robots or zombies or whatever. 

some other thoughts that i have but have yet to flesh out because i should probably actually get back to work now: 

rex also absolutely has superpowers, but don’t you dare call him a sidekick. idk why, but i kinda want rex to be one of those people who creates literal earthquakes, kind of like quake from agents of shield. 

cody’s sole superpower is putting up with all the bullshit the rest of the team has. he doesn’t really care he doesn’t have powers, and tbh, everyone’s mildly terrified of the day cody ever gets hit with a freak accident that might make him have powers. 

well, every superhero story needs some reporter of some kind, right? ceo of some big news company padme amidala, who occasionally talks to anakin skywalker and absolutely knows his secret identity within like 2 minutes. 

actually, i totally forgot about whether the superheroes in this world would have secret identities.

i’ve decided. they all have secret identities. 

anakin’s the disaster engineer research person. no one really takes him seriously at work because he’s so freakishly young, but joke’s on them, because he’s saved everyone from evil robots at least ten times now. 

obi-wan by default is always going to be the tired english professor. he knows anakin because anakin’s research facility is literally within the same radius of the university campus. 

ahsoka goes to the high school nearby the school. she absolutely did not mean to meet anakin and obi-wan and rex, but okay, she just saw the fire in the school library and someone had to pull the students out, so it had to be her, and she might have tried to pull obi-wan and anakin out before obi-wan accidentally muffled her powers and then anakin got her powers, and then they were all SCREECHING AT EACH OTHER BECAUSE 

“WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO” 

“I DIDN’T DO ANYTHING” 

“WAIT YOU HAVE POWERS?” 

“WAIT DO YOU?” 

“CAN WE DO THIS LATER???” 

[nattikay]

So I saw this post while browsing toa tags the other day. While I don’t think being obsessed with the school mascot automatically makes Toby a furry (though it is funny to joke about lol) since “being a furry” actually just means “being a fan of anthropomorphic animals” and doesn’t necessarily require any form of costuming or interest in such, it did get me thinking, hmmm...if he was a furry, what would his fursona be? 🤔 And from there I started wondering what Jim’s and Claire’s would be as well because y not ¯\_(ツ)_/¯  

BUT WAIT, I hear you say--haven’t you already drawn the trio as werewolves and wolfwalkers etc.? Wouldn’t those be their fursonas??

Well yes....but actually no.

I guess it’s a little hard to explain, but there’s a nuance between “[person] but as an animal” and a proper “fursona”. While a fursona is an animal character used to represent its person, it doesn’t have to physically resemble them at all as you would expect [person]-but-as-[animal] to. For example, if you were to design me but as a cat, you’d probably give it light brown fur and green eyes like I have irl. But my fursona, unlike my human self, actually has blue fur and purple eyes. You can give your fursona matching physical traits to your own if you want to, and some people do, but most use only a pinch of their irl appearance, if any at all.

The choices people make when designing their fursonas vary wildly from “it looks like me irl” to “it looks like who I want to be”  to “I just really like this color scheme” to “this particular color/marking holds deep personal meaning to me” to “this particular pattern represents a particular defining moment in my life” to “idk it looks cool and i vibe with it” etc. etc. etc. Everyone has different reasons of varying depth for the decisions they make in designing their fursona.

Therefore, to design a fursona for Toby etc., it’s less a question of “what would this character look like as [insert species here]?” and more of “how would this character choose to present himself with his own [animal] character?”

And that’s a much trickier game than just transferring a character aesthetic to a new species. ^^; We have to kinda dive into the characters and makes some guesses about how they, if given infinite creative freedom to design an animal avatar with no rules or limits, would choose to present themselves.

So all that said, here’s what I came up with:

Starting with Toby because he’s the one who inspired the post. I think Toby might choose a wolfdog fursona. A lot of people who choose wolves as fursonas consider themselves to be overwhelmingly loyal to their friends, a trait that fits Toby very well. However, while Toby likes to be “cool”, I don’t think he really thinks of himself as much of an “alpha” type--he’s more of a sidekick, and he knows that, and he’s ok with that. He’s the wingman. So what better way to incorporate that than to add dog into the mix? Man’s best friend=Jim’s best friend. Sociable, humorous, and unwaveringly loyal. Wolfdog it is!

With the species decided, we can move on to the design itself.

I can’t imagine any form of Toby in anything other than warm colors. This is extra emphasized by the flamelike patterns on his legs and tail, which both speaks to his desire to be totally awesome-sauce as well as acts as an allusion to his flaming warhammer. It’s fairly common (not universal, but common) for people to give their fursonas a more “ideal” physique than the person actually has as a sort of way to live by proxy physical goals or fantasies they’ve been unable to attain irl for whatever reason. Given that we’ve seen Toby struggle with fitness from time to time, it wouldn’t shock me to see him take this route. His wolfdog self is still relatively short and stocky, but it’s all muscle, babey. 

This fursona is strong, fun, boisterous, and generally just kicks butt. Concentrated awesomesauce flows through his veins. Just don't mess with his friends, or you’ll feel the flames!

.

Moving on to Jim. Jim was the hardest to nail down, and most definitely the hardest to keep my personal biases out of oof. Which I may have failed to do anways because yes, ok, I made my favorite character a blue feline, sue me ¯\_(ツ)_/¯  But hear me out first!

For Jim I ultimately settling on a cheetah/lion hybrid.

Cheetahs, in a way, are sort of the underdogs (er...cats?) of the feline world--at least, in their local ecosystems. They are built wholly for speed, not strength--and as such, just about every other large predator in their environment has them beat when it comes to raw strength. Remind you of a certain Trollhunter? plus the long lanky legs. don’t forget those lol

However, because of this disadvantage, cheetahs...usually surrender. They know it’s not worth it to defend their kill from larger, stronger opponents, so they’ll give it up and just catch something else. This aspect doesn’t quite fit our protective, selfless protagonist all too eager to risk everything to save his loved ones--so a pure cheetah may not be the right choice.

So what animal is brave and protective? That’s where the lion part comes in, of course!

Why not just make him a pure lion? Well, a little similar to making Toby a wolfdog instead of a pure wolf. A straight-up lion feels a little too “chad” for our sweet Jimbo. Too much of a jock. 

Jim has the humble underdog nature of a cheetah as well as the bravery and fierce protective drive of a lion. Cheelion? Leetah? idk, but let’s design it!

Like Toby and warm colors, I don’t think I can possibly associate Jim with any color but blue. While it’s never directly stated, given that we’ve never really seen him wear any other color (with the exception of the Eclipse armor), I think it’s pretty safe to assume that that’s his favorite. Blue sweater, blue jeans, blue shoes, even his backpack and bedsheets are blue. So naturally, his fursona would be predominantly blue as well! Plus some yellowish accents to (somewhat) match the natural colors of his chosen species(s).

I imagine he originally designed the character without horns, but then added them after becoming the Trollhunter, since it became such a major and impactful aspect of his life.

His lion’s mane also continues down his back in imitation of the “mantle” found on baby cheetahs. This youthful feature could subtly represent the fact that he’s been forced to grow up too fast and take on so much responsibility so young--so his fursona can still be young and carefree as long as he likes even while his real self struggles with the weight of the world on his shoulders.

This fursona is relaxed, calm, and confident. He’s not just cool--he’s crispy!

.

Lastly but not leastly, we have Claire. Out of the three, I think Claire was actually the easiest to choose--or at least, I had the clearest idea of what I thought she might go for.

Claire is a bit of an interesting duck, because while she’s shown to be fairly popular at school, she’s definitely far from the stereotype of The Popular Girl™. Yes she’s smart and pretty, but she’s also a little spunky or even a bit quirky--she’s a theatre kid, she’s a huge fan of hard rock band Papa Skull, and while I wouldn’t quite call her “rebellious” per se, she’s certainly willing to bend some rules if she feels the situation calls for it (not telling her parents that she was going to the concert with Steve, literally sneaking into Jim’s basement to try to find out what was up with him, etc).

That said, I think Claire might go for a hyena fursona--something a little out of the box, but not totally out of left field. (she also shows a slight Gurl Power™ streak here and there “the staff was not meant to be wielded by man--” “I am not a man!!!”) and if you know anything about hyenas...well, yeah lol)

I think Claire would lean into her punk-rock “rebellious” side with her fursona design. This character is completely free of the pressure of being the councilwoman’s daughter and having to maintain her mother’s public reputation, and thus allows Claire to express a less restrained side of herself. She has a bold semi-edgy color scheme with bright accents (and some earrings to match her person’s hair clips) while still remaining feminine and (her own brand of) fashionable. 

This fursona is spunky and sassy; she’s spicy and sweet all rolled up into one. She knows what she wants and she’s not afraid to chase it down. She lives her own life and she’s dang proud of it.

.

....sooooo yeah there’s my take on what Toby’s, Jim’s, and Claire’s fursonas could hypothetically be. And I guess since this post was inspired by a joke about Toby’s infatuation with the school mascot, here’s just some quick thoughts on how they might approach fursuiting to end us off:

Jim I don’t see as much of a suiter. He might try it once or twice if given the opportunity, but at the end of the day it’s not really his cup of tea--he’d rather act as the “handler” for his friends, if anything.

Toby and Claire, on the other hand, I could definitely see as suiters. In fact, with her interest in acting, Claire would probably particularly enjoy it--she’d be one of those suiters who really gets into character, absolutely refuses to break the magic publicly (outside of any actual medical emergency), and popular at cons because she just performs so well. 

Toby, meanwhile, would be the more chill type--uses his normal voice in-suit, isn’t really too stressed about “breaking the magic”, just kinda hanging around like he would normally except “look I’m a talking dog, cool right?”. 

also while I was typing this it occurred to be that since Eli is canonically a cosplayer then he could be a fursuiter as well; in his case i imagine he actually made his own suit it’s a protogen and it’s full of little LEDs and other electric gadgets, it’s not the prettiest thing ever as sewing is not his forte but boy did he try!! good for him. good for him

[mysterytickingegos]

I’ve Created a Monster

Pairing: Darkiplier x Clairvoyant!Reader

Genre: Hurt/Comfort

Word Count: 2,480

Summary: After a bad date, you made a rather interesting friend. But better yet, you discovered something just as interesting about yourself. This something leads to a very exhilarating part of your life, but you learn the hard way that it’s not quite as glamorous an adventure as it may seem. The last person you’d expect is the one to bring you back to reality.

Anonymous Request: If I may request! :) Can I have a darkiplier x fem!reader fic with the prompts 37, 44, 45? After the events of wkm? Just some hurt and comfort to give me dem feelz 😀👍 Maybe Dark is the one saying it please? Much thanks!

Authors Note: Probably not what you were going for with the prompts but I hope you still enjoy it!

Want to read more?

[Image Description: A Gif of Darkiplier from the “horror” branch of “A Date with Markiplier,” speaking to the viewer at a table, while another image of him leans away and yells. End Description]

Junk mail, bill, wrong address, junk mail...

The usual. You weren’t sure what ‘cool thing’ you were expecting to get in the mail in 2020 but the disappointment was there anyway. Just as you shut your mailbox you heard somebody coming down the stairs and cringed, bracing yourself as you hoped it wasn’t who you thought it was. But of course it was.

Your upstairs neighbor, AKA the worst date ever. “Ah, hey Y/n.”

“Hi Mark...” You gave him a sad attempt at a wave, and he gave you a nod, walking over to his own mailbox.

‘How’s it going?”

“Great, yeah...you?”

“Good.”

And with that the room dissolved into awkward silence, and you took your leave back up the stairs. Funny enough these moments used to be filled with dumb jokes and flirting, that was until he finally asked you out. You had been overjoyed, happy that someone had taken an interest in you and glad that something was breaking your dull everyday routine. Little did you know the highlight of the date would be the end. He had taken you to an expensive restaurant only to reveal that he had ‘forgotten’ his wallet (which ended up falling out of his pocket in front of you in the theater.) Then he had been upset with you for accidentally falling asleep to what must’ve the most boring Rom-com you had ever been subjected to. You both seemed to be in silent agreement that this should never, ever happen again.

But unbeknownst to you and Mark, somebody else had been lingering around. That was the first time that specific somebody had decided to visit you, making a sucky date the least of your concerns. You spent the rest of your night watching compilations on YouTube and eating chocolate Ice Cream. You kept going from sad to angry over your horrible day in your head.

Were you only worth asking out for a free meal? A meal that for you took about half your grocery budget. You should’ve given that ass a piece of your mind.

You sniffed, wiping your eyes and scarfing down even more ice cream. “Damn it.”

“Aw, don’t cry, darling. It wasn’t that bad.”

You screamed and nearly jumped out of your skin, scrambling away from the man now next to you on the couch. The moment your feet hit the ground you grabbed your phone and locked yourself in your bedroom. “Who the fuck are you?!”

“Let’s say I'm a... friend of a friend. I thought I’d check up on you after that train wreck.” He spoke through the door. You heard a laugh layer over his voice, and wondered if somebody else was there.

“I’m calling the police!” You shouted back.

Then you heard the same voice just in front of you, clearly amused with the situation. “You’re welcome to do so, though I’m not sure they’d believe you.” It was the same man from the couch, smiling at you. You noticed how he seemed to be glitching, and how as his head tilted to the side his figure had duplicated in blue for a split second. “As I’m sure you can tell by now, I’m not exactly human.”

“What do you want from me?”

“I’d like to get to know you, Y/n. Is that so much to ask?”

The first few nights that you had stayed up a little too late and wound up speaking that deranged spirit again, you had been terrified. But soon enough you learned to enjoy his company. Sure, he could be a little unsettling at times, particularly when he was irritated and got...cold. Not just figuratively, which he was, but literally. The temperature in your apartment would drop a significant amount and you would change subjects shivering. But all in all, from what you could see behind that wall he had up, he was simply lost at worst, not exactly evil. And it was nice to not have to be so lonely all the time.

But during one of these visits, early on, you had decided to ask why.

“Why me, of all people?”

The man you had come to know simply as ‘Dark’  leaned in, lighting up as though he had been waiting on you to ask that this entire time. “Oh, Y/n. Don’t you know?”

“Why would I ask if I already knew?”

He let out an impatient sigh. ‘That’s...I was being...” He glanced up at you just in time to catch the smile playing at your lips after successfully ruining his aesthetic. “You know what? You can stay in the dark.”

“No no no, I’ll shut up, just tell me.” You turned to face him on the couch, tucking your legs under yourself.

He left you in suspense for a few moments, before dropping his voice down low when he spoke so you would have to lean closer in just to hear him. “Let’s just say you are...spiritually attuned to my world.”

“Spiritually attuned?”

“Yes, you are psychic, a medium, clairvoyant. Whatever you want to call it.” He explained. “You are a magnet to things outside the realm of the natural. A strange pair, aren’t we?”

And that was all it took, so many unexplained events from your past were now explained, and a world of possibilities was opened to you. You must’ve spent weeks researching how to harness your abilities, starting the second he left. Sure, most sites and blogs were absolutely full of it but you got the gist. With that and some common sense, how much could go wrong?

You started to take silly jobs on the internet, from old women who thought something was off with their mirrors to amateur ghost hunters who wanted a ‘consultant.’ It took you a while to gain some confidence that you weren’t just pulling this stuff out of thin air, that you hadn’t lost your mind. But after a few months, once you hit that learning curve, man it was fun.

Your latest job was a little more hardcore, a young family wanting help to push a poltergeist out of their new home. Their stories had chilled you to the bone, but you were happy to help. Your evaluation at the house went fine, nothing too far past what you were used to. Except, the entire time you were there you felt as though you had weight sitting on your chest. You could barely listen to the poor couple tell you what they experienced due to a faint scratching feeling at the back of your mind. You weren’t an expert yet but you could tell that whatever this thing was, it did not welcome you there. Worse yet, the feeling of being drained that the couple mentioned was certainly affecting you as well. Perhaps worse.

But all that accomplished was making you even more determined to rid the house of it. You took notes for your research later, tried to communicate in the most active part of the house (with no results,) and gave the couple the best advice you could at the moment.

“Until this thing is gone, it’s best you stay somewhere else.”

A few nights later, you had just finished packing your bag and begun heading for the door when you heard Dark just behind you. “Good evening, Y/n.” His voice was layered, followed by a subtle echo bouncing off the walls of your small apartment. When you turned to face him you saw he was already frowning, having realized you were on your way out. “Where are you off to so late?“

“I’m going to hang out with some friends. So I’m sorry, you’ll have to find some other way to entertain yourself tonight, instead of ya know, slowly but surely turning me into a nocturnal hermit.“ You joked, adjusting the tote bag on your shoulder.

He chuckled, bringing his hands behind his back. “I hate to break this to you my dear, but you were there well before we met.”

“Ha ha.” You turned to leave but were stopped short when you saw that he had apparated directly in front of you.

“What’s in the bag?” He asked, starting to reach for it curiously before you stepped back.

“Nothing.” You said, a little too quickly. “Just some party supplies, alright?”

He raised his brow, no longer amused. “...Convincing. Is it really so difficult to be honest with me?”

“Oh don’t even try and pull that card, you won’t even tell me why you’re haunting that jerk upstairs.”

His jaw clenched, and he looked away from you. “That’s different. Bringing such things to light would only do more harm than good.”

“Well, I may be wrong but...my thing is kinda the same. And I like what we’ve got going on so just let it go. Please?”

Dark stayed quiet, peeved off and clearly even more curious than he was before. Finally, he side-stepped out of your way, “Just be careful.”

When you got to the house, you were careful. Keeping lights on and keeping quiet while you did everything your research said you were supposed to. As you did, the spirit was also quiet, too quiet. And on your way home, you kept waiting for that heavy feeling on your chest to fade away.

Your apartment was freezing when you stepped out of the bathroom after your shower. Cold air brushed over your shoulders as you wrapped your arms around yourself. “Dark?” You called out, looking around for him. This wasn’t like him. He usually made you aware of his presence as soon as he showed up. You walked into your bedroom and when you locked eyes with another in the mirror, you froze.

This wasn’t like Dark, because it wasn’t him.

Instead, the person standing behind you was a very decrepit and very angry old woman, seemingly fading in and out of reality as she glared at you. “Y̸o̵u̶ ̴s̴h̷o̵u̶l̶d̸ ̸h̵a̵v̷e̷ ̵l̸e̴f̷t̶ ̷w̶e̶l̵l̶ ̸e̴n̵o̷u̶g̷h̶ ̶a̸l̶o̴n̸e̷.̴“

The mirror shattered and you whipped around to face her, but she wasn’t there. The air whirling around the place started to pick up, and picture frames flew off the wall at you, then other objects that had decorated your room. You tried to flee but your front door wouldn’t budge. You started to bang on it, crying in fear and praying that anyone would hear you. Next thing you knew though, you were flung towards the wall.

Finally, everything settled. The weight was off your chest, but there was plenty of pain there in it’s place. You slowly pulled yourself into a sitting position, then wiped the tears off your face with one hand and held the other over your ribs. You weren’t sure how long you sat there, waiting for something to happen and your heartbeat overpowered the ringing silence in your ears. You wanted to get your phone, to call for help but you were terrified of gaining attention again. You didn’t even really stop shaking until you heard a familiar voice.

“...Y/n?” Dark didn’t see you when he first showed up, just the disaster area that was your living room. Once had seen you, he was beside you in a blink of an eye. You didn’t even think about it before you wrapped your arms around him. He only gave you a moment of comfort before he pulled back, looking over you in concern. “What happened? Who hurt you?”

You couldn’t really get much out between pained wincing as he scooped you into his arms. “It was a -Ow- s-spirit.”

He laid you down on the couch as gently as he could, and you could see his face change from confusion to recognition to irritation. “Why, pray tell, would a spirit be here?”

“I may have taken a job to get rid of it...” You muttered under your breath.

“Unbelievable.” He shook his head, about to say something else before he stopped himself. Instead he moved his focus to your hand, moving it to reveal the dark bruise over your ribs.

“See, I knew you weren’t gonna like it.”

“You going off and messing with things you haven’t even begun to understand? Of course I don’t like it.” His figure glitched and layered itself in different colors before he got up and went to the kitchen.

You scoffed at his remark, trying to sit up. “Hey I understand more than you think, I’ve been doing this crap for months!”

He came back around the corner with an ice pack from your freezer in his hand. “Months?” He apparated in front of you, gently placing the pack down on the bruise, allowing you to squeeze his free hand until the shock wave from the pressure passed over you.

“I started looking into all this after you told me the truth.” You confessed. “I mean with the internet it wasn’t difficult, and I do my due diligence alright? I don’t know what went wrong.”

The aura behind him flashed pure red for just a moment, he approached his next words much softer than usual. “You can’t navigate things like this using the internet, Y/n.”

“Well I didn’t think you’d want to help me help everyone else get rid of their ghosts.”

He scoffed at you, beginning to raise his voice as the aura swapped back to blue. “You were right! I don’t understand why you would want anything to do with this, anyway. Why would you do this to yourself??” 

“I thought...I thought it’d be fun-”

“This isn’t a game!”

“You know I really don’t get you, why-”

“Of course you don’t! Do you even know what I am?”

“Well, no...”

“Neither do I.” He growled. His words truly sunk in once you saw the pain behind his eyes. He collected himself, taking a deep breath before continuing, “What I do know, is that I was human once. And people screwing with things that they shouldn’t have for selfish reasons is what turned me into this. Over the years I’ve had to see other terrible things happen to well meaning people. I’ll be damned if you throw yourself into the fire for fun.”

You nodded softly, breaking the intense gaze between you to look as your hands. “...Okay.” You opened your mouth to speak again after that, but decided against it.

“What is it?” Dark asked, trying and failing to hide the impatience in his voice.

“I just didn’t think...well I really didn’t think you’d care. Well, about this part I guess-”  You sighed, cutting yourself off this time, rather than rambling.

He was quiet for a moment, placing his hand under your chin and tilting your head up to look at him. “I care...more than you know.” It was the silence after that, that spoke volumes, and even more so the way he moved forward to press his lips to yours. “Now, if you’ll excuse me I have a poltergeist to take care of.”

[obeiii-mee]

Hi I hope you're fine! Can you make the reaction of the brothers to a Mc who managed to overtake Salomon and made 100 pacts, the 100 th being ... Diavolo himself ?! (idk if it is really possible) Thank you love on you

I don’t really know if it’s possible either but I gave it a go anyway! I love this concept tho because MC, being the powerhouse they are, now has absolute control of 100 demons one which is actual prince of hell. Idk why I find that funny tbh.

I hope you’re well too and that you enjoy reading these HCs!

————————————

The Brothers Reacting to MC who made 100 pacts:

Lucifer:

-*Surprised pikachu face*

-I’m sorry, w a t?

-Not only did an average human,with no magical capabilities whatsoever, beat a spectacular sorcerer in the span of just one year and managed to make 100 pacts before him

-But they also made a pact with Lord Diavolo as a grand finale??? (MC knows how to leave DevilDom with class holy shit)

-If you look closely enough, you can see Lucifer’s wheels spinning inside his head

-And here he thought you were going to get eaten in the first few days

-He needs to sit down for a few moments, his fucking logic has decided to take a walk

-He really went 0-0

-And on one hand, he’s totally impressed and actually very proud of their little exchange student

-But on the other hand, when tf did you have the time to make 100 pacts??

-You talked with at least 92 other demons and didn’t get murdered?

-Are all humans this hard to kill off or it just you?

-Taking aside his confusion and the way he worries like a middle aged parent, he’s actually pretty boastful about your situation

-Pride on another level, I’m telling you

- Pretty smug about it to Solomon too which is concerning because he isn’t really supposed to have favourites in the exchange program

-But he totally does

-“MC, you’re full of surprises aren’t you? You’re ability to adapt here is very impressive. Just don’t get too reckless, I don’t want you getting hurt.”

-Aw your tsundere and arrogant boyfriend actually really cares about your well being

Mammon:

-“But I’m still your first man, right?”

-Literally the first thing that leaves his mouth when he finds out

-Doesn’t matter how many pacts you make, he’s always going to insist he’s your first and therefore your best pact of them all

-He may freak out a bit at first because he doesn’t like the idea of you possibly chatting it up with other demons but he’s pretty chill

-Until you tell him about Lord Diavolo

-“Guess who just made a pact with Lord Diavolo!!”

-“Is it someone famous?”

-He’s a bit scared because the price you have to pay to be in a pact with Lord Diavolo is pretty damn high

-But if you keep insisting you will be fine, his worry will subside

-He’s a bit smug, like Lucifer, knowing you beat a powerful sorcerer in a non existent contest that he just made up in his mind

-Like “In your face Solomon, MY HUMAN got to make 100 pacts before you had the chance. Haha what a loser.”

-I feel like the brothers sometimes wish to just abandon Mammon somehowere so they don’t have to deal with this

-Dude doesn’t care how many pacts you have or with who as long as you remember ‘he was your first man.’

-Of course you of all people would be able to attain such a significant achievement

-You were his human after all

-No matter what you do, he will be even more smitten with you than before

Levi:

-“That’s cool. Will you pass me my headphones.”

-“....”

-“Wait....you did whAT?”

-You’re telling him that he barely has the courage to step outside the House of Lamentation but you can go right ahead and start making pacts with demons like it’s nothing???

-Did he just get beaten at life by a normie?? His normie even??

-He’s really panicking because the shit you’d have to deal with when making that kind of bond with Lord Diavolo is apparently very terrifying and he’s scared something bad will happen

-Pacts also mean markings on your body, so his whole jealousy thing kinda sparks here

-Because ‘it’s not fair you have all these people’s pact marks on you while mine is barely visible!”

-Even though his is like, really obvious too???

-Other than that, he just feels like you’re gaining EXP and getting stronger, like a video game character which is cool

-I want him to show up whenever MC gets in a new pact and just shout ‘Level Up!’ at the top of his lungs lmao

-He doesn’t have that much of an opinion on Solomon, besides his cooking, but he’s impressed and a bit scared that you can outdo a human like him in something as dangerous as this

-Lololololo, Solomon got wrecked by a human normie what a noob XD XD #badassnormie #solomoncanteven #gameoversorcerer

-The brothers seem pretty adamant at rubbing the salt into Solomon’s wounds, can we get an f in the chat for our white haired wizard boi

Satan:

-He knew that humans were capable of a lot of things but what the fuck?

-How is that even possible???? What is the likelyhood of a random human managing to make 100 pacts???

-He is probably the most unsettled because he relies on probability and logic to get him through his day to day life

-And that shit don’t make no fucking sense

-He’s not agitated, just very shocked

-And then he realises the potential threats you’ve been exposed to considering all the demons you’ve had a chat with

-So now he’s just thanking Lord Diavolo that you weren’t eaten alive by some lower level demon scum

-Don’t be surprised if he asks you how you went about when you started making pacts with demons

-You were always a bit of a special case and you certainly stood out from the very beginning but this was something completely different

-For a human like you, that is a very respected achievement you’ve unlocked

-Satan figures that since you made pacts with him and his brothers, you would try to do so with Lord Diavolo too

-But he actually accepted?? You just kinda gave up part of your soul to the demon prince and now you have full control over him???

-It’s amazing how easily you could make demons of all things to trust you

-He respects that and also appreciates your tactical approach to this as well

-It’d be pretty easy to summon a demon to get your ass out of danger if the need arises

-He has no idea what you do to him but it’s strange he would rather let you ramble on about the backstory of every pact you made in the past year than read his collection of books

-Wrath certainly isn’t the only thing in his heart right now

Asmo:

-#conflicted

-His partner beat his ex fuck-buddy at making a pact with Lord Diavolo

-Asmo knew you were special ever since that retreat at Lord Diavolo’s palace when you managed to summon him with such power

-But he definitely wouldn’t have guessed you would be capable of something like this

-Your bravery when it comes to this sort of thing endears him a lot

-He will probably want to see all of your pact marks now (haha you’re in danger)

-Unlike his brothers, he knew damn well why you had managed to make around 100 pacts in just one year

-Demons aren’t used to anything genuine or with good intent

-So, it makes sense they would be attracted like magnets to you and your approachable, kind nature

-After all, demons can’t deal with temptation very well

-Solomon is cunning and ominous, not that different from anyone else down there and it’s a fact the brothers don’t even trust him that much

-But Lord Diavolo?

-“MC honey you hit the jackpot! Tell me every little detail!! What happened? How did the topic of a pact come up?”

-He’s not worried about you overall

-Not because he doesn’t care but he believes that if you can survive for a year with the seven avatars of sin and also convince 93 other demons to make a pact with you, then you can handle whatever Lord Diavolo throws at you

-He probably buys a bunch of revealing clothing you can show off all of your marks because they look ‘fabulous’

-It’s the only think he’s gonna talk about for a while because how many other humans can say they have control of the prince of Hell???

-Asmo also acknowledges that Diavolo must have trusted you a lot for him to agree to this which he thinks is incredible

-He will definitely listen if you have any stories on the pacts you made because he finds them very thrilling and he loves the sound of your voice!!

-Again, he doesn’t need human souls, just a mirror, some skin products and drama to survive

-And you, if I had to guess

Beel:

-The calmest our of the seven about it

-You made a bunch of pacts? Cool, it just shows how strong and independent you are

-Which made him respect you even more to be honest

-He flinches a bit when you tell him about Lord Diavolo because he knows that the prince isn’t the type to agree to anything without being given something in return

-Even if he knows you can handle yourself, he will be right there beside you to help you out

-Also, uh, don’t tell Belphie about the pact thing Diavolo. He might blow a fuse

-You guys work out together sometimes and he is usually utterly mesmerised by all the pact marks you have on your body

-He kinda wishes you would have asked him or one of his brothers to come along with you when you made your pacts

-Just in case things went wrong

-He regrets a lot of things that had happened until now, but one thing he absolutely cherishes is the pact you made with him

-Beel is aware that his brothers think the same and if you think you can deal with the pressure of having some many demons under control, then he won’t nag you too much about being careful

-As for the Solomon thing, he doesn’t have much to say

-I mean, yeah, he is a sorcerer and you’re just a human but if you could make a pact with Lord Diavolo in such a small time frame before he even had the chance to?

-It means you’re just as special as he is

-And definitely a better cook

Belphie:

-ok maybe humans aren’t as stupid as he originally thought them to be

-Making pacts with so many demons is something that takes strength and intelligence, so props to you

-He would never admit it, but you being able to do all this shit without batting an eyelid is seriously restoring his love for humans and their culture

-might take a while tho

-He also wonders when you had the time to make so many bonds, considering he spends most of the day with you at RAD and at home

-Eh, he was probably asleep

-His view of you before the incident did a full 180 degrees

-This sort of thing in DevilDom is something worth praising, especially for an average human like you

-And ‘I guess you don’t look all that bad with so many pact marks on your body *angy boi blush* but I still like mine best!’

-It might be best not to mention the Lord Diavolo thing, otherwise his brain might snap in two

-But turns out, he seems pretty relaxed about it

-Too relaxed, I would say

-“Hey do you think you could use your pact with Lord Diavolo to do something that would tarnish his reputation and maybe embarrass Lucifer while you’re at it, idk.”

-Ah, so that’s what it was

-He’s such a mischievous, spoiled brat

-“No Belphie shush.”

-“I’m just saying-“

-Despite him hating humans way less nowadays, he still holds somewhat of a grudge against them

-Old habits die hard I suppose

-Especially for Solomon whom he never liked in the first place

-He finds it very amusing when he figures out you just beat Solomon at his life’s work in under a year

-He has a good chuckle about it but never actually brings it up in front of him

-Because he knows you’re gonna flick him over the ear for it

-Belphie is the youngest sibling and therefore the spoiled child, can’t change my mind

(Ok so poor Solomon, I kinda want to give him a hug now lol. Hope I didn’t make these too repetitive or short. Thank you for reading!)

Al~

[moonlitceleste]

straight up villain (Villain AU)

This is a songfic based on “Villain” by K/DA ft. Madison Beer and Kim Petras. There’s really no plot to it; I started with a vague idea and just went along with whatever my brain told me. It kinda jumps around and I didn’t proofread this at all, so sorry if it’s confusing!

I’d suggest listening to the song and watching the visualizer video because it’s honestly such a vibe. If I could animate I’d totally make a video full of epic fight scenes, but unfortunately I don’t have that talent learned yet.

This version of the song is a little more chill, so if you find the original too intense you can always listen to the slowed one instead.

On the low Only love myself, no more Take you to the grave, I'll ghost I know I can be so cold In the dark Where I like to keep my heart Know I'm all bite, no bark Like to catch you way off guard

A shiver ran down the crime boss’ spine.

His eyes darted around the room, searching through the darkness.

Shadows flickered. He swore he could see movement in them.

The night was crime’s time to rule; people feared the darkness it brought.

Now, he was the scared one.

I'll stay so deep inside your brain And take you somewhere far away

“Who’s there?”

A bead of sweat trickled down his forehead, revealing his false bravado.

Shaking hands gripped the gun around his waist, knuckles turning white with pressure.

Creeeakk.

The man whipped around, heart hammering in his chest.

Who—or what—was lurking in the shadows?

A snap echoed through the air as he fired a round.

Silence.

The only sound came from distant echoes of Gotham’s nightlife and the frantic beating in his throat.

He swore he had seen something sweep out in the corner of his vision, if only for a moment.

Perhaps it was the paranoia.

He slowly lowered his gun, shoulders relaxing—

Only to whip around when he felt a phantom hand brush his shoulder.

A pair of eyes flashed in the darkness, gone the next second, but he knew what he had seen, what he had felt.

Icy fear seized his body, taking hold of his limbs.

Something was watching him.

Time to roll the dice, you know I'm the type Type to risk my life, not afraid to die Type to make you cry, type to put a price All up on your head, do just what I said I'm a straight up villain, straight up villain Yeah, no feeling, yeah, no feeling Straight up villain, straight up villain Yeah, no feeling, yeah, no feeling

“Stop toying around.”

The gravelly voice was met with a cackle, almost cat-like in nature.

That was his only warning before it stepped from the shadows: a creature out of his nightmares, shrouded in darkness like part of the night itself.

Sharpened black claws glinted under the streetlights, and dark black orbs pinned him in place as it slunk forward. He couldn’t move, frozen like a deer in headlights.

The thing was so human-like in shape, but it was too monstrous to be one.

A wicked smile spread across its face, and his face blanched as he caught sight of the fangs protruding from the top.

The creature stalked forward like a predator chasing its prey.

Then, it pounced.

I'm alive, but I'm dead Hear my voice up in your head Watch it fill you full of drеad 'Til you go pow

It was common knowledge within Gotham’s criminal underworld that the Arkham Knight worked alone. He played by his own rules, merciless in his distribution of justice.

But lately, it was rumored that the Knight had an ally.

There was no proof of this, no sightings to go by, but there was a subtle shift that could be felt—an underlying sensation of imminent danger.

Gunfights and confrontations lessened, and the Knight’s enemies started disappearing without a trace. No blood, body, or evidence of struggle could be found; it was as if they had simply ceased to exist.

Whoever this new player was, they were dangerous.

Is it really a surprise if I'm playing with your mind And I treat you likе a prize, then I throw you to the side? And am I really that bad if l love to make you mad? And get happy when you're sad, only care about a bag

Jason shook out his hair, metal helmet in his hands, and leveled a glance at his companion.

“Did you really have to take so long to kill him?”

The two were in one of their few safe houses, recuperating after their long night of fighting.

“It’s the thrill of the chase.”

Marinette, no longer transformed, stated this as if it were obvious—which it was. Jason had been with her long enough to understand her concept of fun. She leaned forward and stretched, looking much like the animal after which her magic ring was themed.

“We can’t waste time playing around. There are more important things to be done,” he growled.

Marinette simply giggled, bounding over to bat her eyes at him with mock innocence.

Jason’s eyes narrowed. “You know what you’re doing.”

Her smile grew wicked, arms darting out to wrap around his waist.

“You look so good when you’re mad,” she purred.

Jason leaned down, and their lips met in a kiss.

In control That's how I like it and I'm never letting go, nah Never had a soul (soul) So you ain't taking nothing from me when you go, nah

Crack.

Marinette smirked as her staff made contact with the target’s skull.

Normally she would use Cataclysm for a more swift kill, but the remains were needed in order to send a message to Arkham Knight’s enemies.

They were growing more volatile, more desperate to expose whatever they thought she was.

Phantom Killer, they called her. The name sounded like something out of a badly-written horror movie. Marinette much preferred the one she had already: Reine de L'ombre.

Of course, she didn’t need a title, but Jason had come up with it. She was pleasantly surprised by his naming skills—it meant Shadow Queen, for she was a queen, and Jason her knight, as he put it.

She didn’t feel any remorse as the pile of bodies below her grew. Perhaps this made her soulless, but she didn’t need one anyway.

Marinette had all she wanted right beside her.

I'll stay so deep inside your brain And take you somewhere far away

“...you do what you gotta do, am I right?”

Marinette nodded at the man standing across from her, a smile on her red-painted lips.

He had been leering at her from across the bar the whole night, and although that was the goal, she was still disgusted. He had to be at least twenty years older than her. Heck, he was old enough to be her dad.

The intel she and Jason had acquired said the businessman had a thing for younger women, which was apparent. According to the same source, the company he ran was also a front for trafficking and drug rings.

Marinette wanted to see him bleed.

“How about we take this to my room?”

The comment was abrupt, and Jason would probably kill her for her indiscretion later, but she was getting tired of the man’s blabbering.

Her hand moved up his arm, the expensive material of his suit cool against her fingers. She bit her lips seductively, which seemed to convince him.

Bingo.

Time to roll the dice, you know I'm the type Type to risk my life, not afraid to die Type to make you cry, type to put a price All up on your head, do just what I said I'm a straight up villain, straight up villain Yeah, no feeling, yeah, no feeling (yeah, yeah) Straight up villain, straight up villain Yeah, no feeling, yeah, no feeling

Marinette gritted her teeth as the man tried to reach for her butt again. 

She attempted to stop him by saying she wanted to wait until they entered her room, but he was persistent. She couldn’t wait to get rid of him.

As soon as she opened the door to her hotel room, she shoved him inside and up against the wall. He seemed to be expecting a kiss, but she punched him hard. For a crime lord he certainly wasn’t a good fighter. Maybe it was the drugs she slipped into his drink earlier that contributed to his quick defeat.

Marinette cuffed his arms behind his back with a pair she had stashed earlier. She could have waited for the man to undress so she could ensure he didn’t have any weapons, but she had gone through enough torture already. Her eyes didn’t need to see that.

She turned him around, giving him a smile that promised warmth and kindness, before pulling out a dagger and pressing it to his throat.

“Now talk.”

I'm alive, but I'm dead Hear my voice up in your head Watch it fill you full of dread 'Til you go pow

“Claws in.”

Marinette’s black suit faded away, revealing her now blood-spattered red dress.

She flopped onto the couch, not bothering to remove her shoes or dirty clothing.

After hours of trying to get information out of the businessman, she only managed to wring a few coded phrases from him. He seemed to only be a figurehead of his shady organization rather than its actual leader.

A Cataclysm later and here she was, back to the drawing board.

“Jay?” Marinette called.

It was unusually quiet in the safe house; usually after solo missions they’d greet one another with a kiss. Now, he was nowhere to be seen.

“Jason?”

Silence.

Marinette huffed. She knew exactly what this was about.

Bang, bang You can do anything No fear, no pain Listen to your brain go Go stupid, go dumb, go stupid and Then we go insane, woah Just do what I say Follow me, I'll lead the way

“Are you jealous?”

Jason whipped his head around, caught off-guard by the appearance of his girlfriend in his doorway. It seemed as if she wasn’t wasting any time.

“I’m not jealous. That guy couldn’t get you if he tried.”

“Then why are you mad?”

His jaw clenched.

He wished he hadn’t agreed to let Marinette extract the information alone; Jason almost wished he was there to see the man in pain.

“He was putting his hands all over you.”

“It was for a mission. Besides, I thought you said he couldn’t get me even if he tried?”

Her last words were said with a lilt, and Jason knew she was riling him up. He couldn’t stay mad, anyway—she had a point.

He deflated and leaned forward to brush his lips against her. Marinette smiled into the kiss, then pulled away. She looked him up and down, a glint in her eyes.

“I guess I’ll have to make it up to you, hmm?”

She paused, then wrinkled her nose.

“After I take a shower. I don’t want this guy’s blood on me any longer.”

Maybe they acted stupid sometimes, but the two always followed one another in the end.

Time to roll the dice, you know I'm the type Type to risk my life, not afraid to die Type to make you cry, type to put a price (Woo-ah) All up on your head, do just what I said I'm a straight up villain, straight up villain Yeah, no feeling, yeah, no feeling Straight up villain, straight up villain (Yeah) Yeah, no feeling, yeah, no feeling (Woo-ah!)

Marinette panted deeply, adrenaline coursing through her veins.

A mass of bodies surrounded her, but she wasn’t paying attention. This wasn’t just a battle. It was war.

It was a fight for her life, and she wasn’t going down now.

Reine de L'ombre tore through her enemies like a terrifying force of darkness, one after the other. The Arkham Knight fought by her side, fueled by pure destruction.

Maybe they wouldn’t make it out, but they wouldn’t go down without a fight.

I'm alive, but I'm dead Hear my voice up in your head Watch it fill you full of dread

'Til you go pow

A week later, a couple rose hand-in-hand from the ranks as new rulers of the Gotham Underworld.

Reine de L'ombre and the Arkham Knight—a queen and her king.

-

PERMANENT TAGLIST @avengerthewarrior @enternalempires @freesportspalacesalad @h1sss @nathleigh

[meltingangels]

As it’s been up on AO3 for a while now, I am making my first Cyberpunk fic available to read on tumblr!

Fic Title:

It's Not a Shrine

Fic Summary:

"What the fuck, V?" (I made a post on tumblr about how funny it would be if V was some kind of Samurai/Silverhand superfan. And how Johnny would react if he walked in and saw all these posters and shit on the wall. And I needed some serotonin, so here we are)

So I made this random post on tumblr and someone said they’d like to see it ‘made canon’ so here I am with this. Whether it progresses or stays as a oneshot depends on the reception.

Basically, I thought of what would happen if V was into older/indie rock music, and a big fan of Samurai- Johnny Silverhand’s group. And how he would react (if he didn’t show up in V’s apartment like he does that first time) if he walked in and there was this huge-ass poster of him on the wall.

Just have at it, lads. This starts off kinda serious, to set the scene. Also because I feel starting off serious makes the end part all the funnier.

Also because I don’t know how to do a short oneshot.

V figured that whatever was on that fucking relic had to be a pretty big deal, if Dexter Deshawn and Evelyn were willing to up against Arasaka to get it. Sure, it would have been nice to know exactly what that was, but given how much time and planning had gone into every other aspect of this insane heist, they’d just shoved any thoughts about the relic itself to the back of their mind. 

They just had to focus on somehow pulling this off, which...even with all the planning...was going to be a fucking miracle. Any aspect of the plan could end up getting fucked up, or someone could end up fucking them over, but the fact that a successful heist would propel them into the fucking stratosphere of Night City’s underworld- with a paycheck to match- was just...well.

Too much to resist. Who wouldn’t want to take up that sort of opportunity? They’d be insane not to try. Anyone who was worth anything in the sprawling underground network of the city’s gangs would know who they fucking were. 

It’d come with it’s drawbacks of course, but once people know they’d gone up against fucking Arasaka and stolen a relic from right under Yorinobu’s hands? 

Most wouldn’t even dare to touch them.

Yeah, the idea of ‘making it to the big leagues’ as Jackie had said it, was too much for either him or V to resist. Sure, they’d talked about it a hell of a lot, going over the risks and all. Which outweighed all their past jobs put together. What they’d done so far was small-time stuff. Just general merc business, nothing to be overly proud of. Certainly nothing to attract any big names. Truth be told, V still wasn’t sure how Jackie had managed to get them the gig in the first place. 

But they hadn’t questioned it. Just like they’d stopped questioning the heist when presented with Dexter’s plan and the hefty reward they’d negotiated. Which, again, was more than most of their past jobs put together. Given how much money and time was going into the heist, despite the fact it would take a miracle to pull off without a hitch, it seemed almost foolproof.

But it had gone wrong in every possible way. Despite claiming the plan was pretty much bulletproof, and he had some of the most reliable sources for all his information, Dexter had still somehow missed the fact that the fucking Emperor had come to talk to his son. A huge factor that had turned everything upside down. Not only had they been made unwilling witnesses to the heir of Arasaka murdering his own fucking father, the entire hotel going up on alert had sent literal shockwaves through their oh-so-foolproof plan. 

V and Jackie couldn’t get back out through the elevator and ended up shimmying along the literal edge of the balcony, with a fucking glass roof on one side, and a sheer drop on the other. And because everything had gotten completely screwed, they’d had to take the glass roof option. The rush of adrenaline and fear coming from sliding down the tilted roof, with dozens of bullets raining down way too close to their backs, was nothing compared to having pain ripple through them as every last breath was knocked out of them.

Then there had been the sense of terror, sending chills down V’s spine, when they turned to Jackie and saw the blood seeping through his white-collar shirt. The knowledge that they somehow had even less time than they thought. That was...honestly...V didn’t think anything could have been worse than that. Looking up from the scarlet red, to the sudden paleness of Jackie’s face. A face that looked more in shock than anything else, eyes hinting at the fear he quickly tried to hide behind his usual jokes and bravado. 

V had barely taken her eyes off of him the entire time, terrified that every time they looked over, he’d be dead on the floor. But, somehow, against the odds of that stomach-turning injury- and the countless waves of Arasaka guards armed to the teeth, they’d made it. Made it out, the chip safe and secure in Jackie’s head, to the relative security of the Delamain vehicle. Where V had almost let out a laugh at the fact they’d made it.

Only for Jackie to bleed to death in the back seat, while she was powerless to stop it. The feeling of his blood seeping out over her fingers, bunching her jacket up against the wound, had somehow been fucking nothing compared to how he’d reached out to touch her face and smile. That same crooked, warm smile, eyes shining like this wasn’t the last time they’d be doing so. Or how her heart had finally shattered into a million pieces when that hand fell down, and his body went slack. Honestly, no amount of alcohol or drugs that Night City could offer would ever get that out of her memory. 

V knew it would haunt her nightmares for years, if those ever stopped. Then there was those first moments without Jackie, with her stumbling out of the car covered in her best friend’s blood. With the scarlet fucking covering her up to the elbows, staining her own white shirt the same way it had ruined Jackie’s. 

She could remember stumbling into the motel, and before she had it in her to find her way to Dexter’s saferoom, there had been a thought just as terrifying as the idea of Jackie’s body being back in the car waiting for her. 

The thought of having to take Delamain round to Mama Welles’ place and show her that her son was gone.

And as if that wasn’t enough of a clusterfuck for her mind to deal with, she’d then been left reeling with the bitter sting of betrayal. Panicking in a way that showed the exact opposite of the slick, cool gangster he always portrayed, Dexter had shot her in the fucking head. After his goon had beat her to a fucking pulp. Which, of course, V assumed would be the end. A world class beating and a bullet to the brain did tend to bring an end to someone’s life. Well, the bullet would do that by itself. All the implants in the world couldn’t save you if your mind was completely fucked. 

But somehow she’d fucking made it through that. Left in a pained daze as confusion overrode any sense of fear or anger. Jackie had died. Why hadn’t she? There was a bullet in her head, so why the hell wasn’t she wherever you went when you died. If there was ever any such place, that is.  Why had she somehow survived, not only through said beating + bullet, but through the insane fucking car chase after? 

That had ended in a crash that almost took out the guy who pulled her through all that.

As if all of those events weren’t consecutive, metaphorical and literal hits to the heart, there was then the mind-fucking revelation that followed. That the relic wasn’t just any piece of fancy tech. No. Well, sure, it was a fancy piece of tech. But it was also so much more. As were the memories V had previously believed were some kind of hallucination. This piece of tech, buried in their own fucking head, was a digital construct. Something that was almost like a human soul . Which was mind blowing as it was. 

But then there had been the moment V realised the truth of what Viktor was saying to them. 

They had Night City legend Johnny Silverhand in their head. His construct had been what Dexter and Evelyn had risked everything for. What Jackie had given his life for. 

Yeah, the guy was no doubt a terrorist. But there had been some kind of method to the guy’s madness. And even with that, they couldn’t work out how to feel. Yeah, the idea of being wiped clean was fucking terrifying, but the fact that neither of them would be able to do anything about it? That changed things. V thought the tech was conscious in its decision to take over her body. But it was just that. A piece of tech, going on what it had been programmed to do.

Of course, they were still terrified. They’d beaten death once, only to have it looming at their back again. But there was some sliver of hope. The guy who saved them, Goro Takemura, had ultimately saved V because they were the only other living witness to the Emperor’s murder, but their first meeting had given V that hope. He’d given them some leads to follow, promising more information if V helped out on his end. 

And that had been just enough to keep V going. Whilst they’d yet to see any sort of physical manifestation of Silverhand’s construct, what they were dealing with outside of that was still more than any sane person would want to deal with. They’d found out, in the absence of her return, Delamain had returned Jackie’s body to his family. 

Meaning some strange, shot up car had arrived on Mama Welles’ doorstep, carrying her son’s broken and bloody body.

Facing the woman after that had been almost as terrifying as staring their oncoming death in the face. But she’d shown V compassion they still didn’t believe they’d deserved, including them in every part of Jackie’s memorial celebration, letting them contribute to the ofrenda and speak of just some of the many fond memories V had of her son. Who had been taken from the world far too fucking early, right when they’d really started their climb to the top. 

Then there had been the sucker-punch of emotions that resulted when the woman gifted Jackie’s motorcycle to her. The piece of hardware he’d saved up for months to get, buffing it up and tweaking it every chance he’d got. The one vehicle he never, ever, let V drive. 

God, that...that had been something else. Picking up the keys, turning them in the ignition, and being sent to their knees by the rush of memories that resulted. Memories that turned into an agonising blur, sending spikes of pain into their head, leaving V unable to move from where they’d knelt against the unforgiving ground.

That, of all places, had been the first time Johnny Silverhand had showed up. In the flesh, so to speak- standing before V almost as clear as a real fucking person. It was also the time they learned that a hell of  alot of the stories about the guy were true. If she had his memories, he had hers, so he’d no doubt have known the sequence of events that brought him here. 

But he’d still gone into some kind of rage, taking control of V’s body for a few terrifying moments, scattering some of the clutter that Jackie had clustered in every corner of his garage. Slamming her head against the fucking wall . The guy had been fucking terrifying, all but holding V by the throat, going off on some tangent about how he now had a chance to end the shit he’d started with Arasaka half a decade ago, with that fucking bomb that wiped out damn near all the tower- the blast of orange light shattering every single window in a several mile radius. 

A blast that had been powerful enough to shake the foundations of the buildings around the tower, in a way that signalled the start of something. Or what Johnny wanted to start back then, at least.

V shouldn’t have expected much more from someone who was a known anarchist, but they did. Because in a way they’d been dodging talking about, they knew a hell of a lot more about Silverhand than they were letting on. How he’d not seen certain memories, V wasn’t sure. But they were grateful to that twist of fate. Because yeah, they knew way more than they should. That was an understatement. When they’d been tossed from foster home to foster home after their parents died in an armed robbery, one of the few things V had been able to do to escape it all had been through getting into music. 

One of the handful of friends she had at her last home, before turning 16, had saved up from this little waitressing job they had at some tiny diner- all so they could gift V with a retro music player she’d been coveting. It was second hand, perhaps a few times over, bought from some old rocker- but it was one of the best gifts they’d received.

At first, they’d thought about using the tech skills they’d learned in their research outside of school to wipe the device clean. But something had stuck out. The device showed up the album covers on the screen, but would also play a holographic image of the main performers via a tiny projector in the device itself. And, bored of waiting for other music to download through the home’s crowded, outdated internet, they settled in to scroll through what the old rocker had left on there. One particular album had stood out to them amidst the black and silver of metal and old rock. 

It was a dark cover, upon which was set a distinct logo. A black and red Samurai-type mask, eyes seeming to be set ablaze even as a still image. When they’d selected it, they saw the projection. Admittedly, it was a bit fucked up- blurry and glitchy in places. Not in as high quality as the rest; clearly recorded by a fan in the audience. 

Patched together. But patched together in a way only a devoted fan could. 

That, and the bright-ass logo, convinced V to listen.

And that had been it, pretty much. They’d gone through the entire album in one sitting, and that was all they listened to for three days straight. At first, it was just the general tune and the lead singer’s voice that drew her in. But then she started really listening to the lyrics, and that’s what truly started her down that twisted rabbit hole. She started digging into who Samurai were, and, more specifically, who their lead was. They were a proper, kind of old school rock band, who had a pretty decent and dedicated following. 

But they never went mainstream. Which, given their lyrics and what happened with Silverhand, made sense. When V first read about how Johnny Silverhand started a one-man war against Arasaka, the figurehead of the monopolising corporations that had taken over the world, they were hooked pretty much instantly. They saw and heard way too many stories growing up on the streets, of shops being taken over and homes being demolished for shiny skyscrapers and luxury hotels. 

Of how the streets became laden with neon logos and signs blaring into your vision as far as your orbital implants could see. How they held a terrifying amount of control over the NCPD and major leadership positions. That the city was basically a monopoly board for the ultra rich to play in. To fuck with in whatever way they saw fit.

So yeah, like any sane person (or angsty teen) would do, V found themselves in Samurai’s music. And as the years went by, and they learned more about Silverhand and how he’d somehow managed to bring down Arasaka’s own fucking tower in Night City- at the cost of his own life now less- for the chance at bringing down the megacorporations ruining people’s lives, they found it being a part of themselves. Especially as they got into the mercenary gig at 18 and started working their way up, seeing the deepest and darkest parts of Night City’s underworld. 

Ok, it was kind of an obsession. 

But it wasn’t only an ideal that V could get behind, it was also an escape from the chaos of her life. 

Fucking hell, she even spent a huge chunk of her first well-paying job on tracking down and obtaining one of Silverhand’s original guitars. Sure, him and Samurai weren’t the only band with posters and memorabilia decorating her apartment walls (which she carefully took down and carried with her as she moved from place to place), but they were definitely the majority of it. There was even an original poster, taken and edited by a photographer who got into one of Samurai’s last concerts. 

A photo of Silverhand all but screaming into the mic, one hand on said microphone, and the other on a gun that gleamed as silver as his cybernetic arm. The crowd reaching out to him amidst a haze of blazing lights and dense smoke.

Which, after all that and a string of events that were like something out of an old Hollywood action movie, left V where she was now. After spending 3 days hopping around Night City, taking on job after job, and switching between motels, they’d finally gotten the courage to go back to their apartment. Because yeah, they were definitely still scared shitless about the idea of their brain essentially being wiped clean. But the immediate issue was that, in the few days she’d had with him cropping up everywhere, she’d gotten to know Silverhand a bit. 

The guy still scared her half the time; not that she’d admit that to his fucking smug (and annoyingly good-looking) face, but the other half of the time? He was pretty interesting. Definitely still holding on to a metric tonne of anger towards Arasaka, and more blunt and abrasive than any person she’d ever met, but interesting. Beneath the layers of anger and resentment, as well as more cockiness than one person should ever fucking possess, there was hints at the shit beneath all that. 

Of who Johnny was, beyond the legend attached to his name.

So yeah, that left them stuck outside the door of V’s apartment, Johnny crossing his arms as he leant back against the wall with a huff- the former being more than a little afraid to open the door. They’d lucked out with the memories of hers that he’d seen so far, but that was going to run out sooner or later. Especially with the both of them being on borrowed time. So it was better to get this shit out of the way sooner, rather than later. 

Didn’t make the prospect any more appealing, of course. She knew how Johnny felt about the so-called fanatics and groupies. Good for a one night stand, but nothing else. 'Just following the slightest sense of fame' as he put it. So V could only imagine how he’d react to not only seeing a room half full of Samurai memorabilia, but also the knowledge he was stuck in the body of the owner of said memorabilia. 

One of the ‘wild fans’ he’d said he despised. Sure, V wasn’t exactly ashamed of liking Silverhand’s music (or him, because fuck) but having your teenage hero seeing a room full of his band’s shit was on another level.

And she couldn’t even duck away afterwards. They were literally stuck together for the foreseeable future.

Fuck.

Fuckfuckfuckfuck fuckfuckfuck.

“Any reason you’re stood there with your eyes wide as hell, like your fucking brain already got wiped?” Johnny spoke up, abruptly bringing her back to the present.

“No. No reason.” V shrugged, hoping to appear nonchalant whilst internally screeching.

“Something in there you don’t want me to see?” Johnny showed up in the corner of her vision, leaning against the wall. “Can’t be any worse than the shit out here.”

“You that interested in seeing my apartment?”

“With the alternative being stuck in your head staring at a fucking door, yeah. I am.”

Okay, he was definitely getting more and more pissed off as the seconds ticked by. To be fair, she had been staring at the door trying to gather the courage to open said door...for about...five minutes. Truth be told, she was surprised Silverhand lasted that long. Guy wasn’t exactly one for being patient. 

Which was the understatement of the fucking century. But the idea of him fucking her up for making him wait was somehow, somehow, worse than the idea of who was basically her (he was an anarchist asshole, but damn if the guy didn’t make a good point sometimes) idol growing up, seeing her apartment plastered in his band’s memorabilia. There was already an onset of cringe overtaking V’s system, grimacing as she anticipated the barrage of fucked up questions that would be coming her way- but somehow she finally got in in her to swipe the key across her door. 

At least she hadn’t left it in a fucking mess like she normally did. 

That would be something.

When Johnny casually walked through her to examine the apartment, V stepped in after him, the door sliding shut agonisingly loud behind her. Those first few seconds were some of the longest of her life, and given all the shit that had happened recently, especially what got her to this bizarre fucking moment in the first place- that was saying something. Saying something. Which was, V realised, something that Silverhand wasn’t doing. 

In the few days they’d spent together, he rarely shut up. So this was about as miraculous as her rising from the fucking dead. Of course, the silence had it’s drawbacks- V could practically feel the tension rising...as Johnny scanned the room. As he no doubt saw the countless Samurai poster variations amidst the swathes of rock memorabilia. And, of course, landed on the huge fucking poster of him on the opposite wall. 

Which went literally floor to ceiling, beaming out amidst the cluttered apartment like the fucking neon lights of the city outside.

Something that made the silence all the more-

“Hey, V?” Johnny spoke up abruptly.

“...yeah?” V braced herself.

“What the fuck?”

V opened her mouth to say something, but all that came out was a nervous laugh. Sure, she was mildly terrified, but the way he just said it so deadpan and blunt as he slowly turned halfway- eyebrows raised so fucking high you could see it above those trademark sunglasses...it was honestly one of the funniest things she’d ever seen and heard. 

It somehow sounded simultaneously unlike him, without any of the usual spite or anger, but so much like what she’d expected all the same. He sounded a mixture of disappointed, and outright freaked the fuck out. Which was...understandable. The guy had been brought back from the dead, stuck in some random ass stranger's body, only to walk into their apartment to see half of the wall was like some fucked up poster shrine to him and his band. 

Yeah. V could understand his reaction. Didn’t make it any less hilarious. (Or make her any less scared of the inevitable fallout, but hey)

“You gone deaf or something? Relic malfunction?” Johnny tried getting her attention. “I said...what the fuck, V?”

“I...uh...can...explain?” V spoke hesitantly, hands raised in mock (no, totally real) surrender.

“Uh huh. Really?” Johnny didn’t look or sound convinced, arms crossing in front of his chest as he turned to fully face her. “Going to make this worse and tell me what I think is going on?”

“What...do you think...is going on?”

“This shit isn’t in bad condition, but I can tell its old as fuck.” Johnny gestured to the wallpaper-like swathe of posters. “And not because its Samurai shit either.”

“So…” V wrung her wrists together nervously.

“You’ve probably had it since you were like, what? A fucked up hormonal teenager?”

“I…”

“Great.”

“Look, this-”

“Is somehow worse than waking up in your body?”

“Hey!”

“How would you feel if you rose from the fucking dead and found a shrine to yourself?”

“It is not a shrine- ”

“Sure looks like it.”

“Don’t flatter yourself-”

“Says the asshole with a huge fucking poster of me on their living room wall.”

“How am I an asshole?”

“Because this shit is weird, V!”

“Liking a band is a bad thing?”

“No. Having a fucking shrine is-”

“IT’S.NOT.A.SHRINE!”

Yeah, V was definitely considering that she was going crazy. Here she was, after almost pulling off the most insane heist Night City in years, the death of her best friend- and rising from the dead...arguing with the digital construct of the guy she’d looked up to for half her fucking life. Over whether her (admittedly kind of oversized) poster of said idol made up the centerpiece of some kind of shrine. If you’d told her this was what her life would amount to, trying to defend her teenage-borne obsession with an indie rock band to their resurrected anarchist/terrorist lead singer, she wouldn’t have believed you. 

Not even after overdosing on every fucking drug Night City had to offer.

God, worse than the insanity was how fucking embarassed she felt. Because even she was starting to realise how weird it would be for Silverhand to wake up in someone’s head, only to walk into their apartment and see said person was pretty much obsessed with him. Because yeah, she had to admit to herself it was an obsession.

 How could you blame her? The guy’s music was pretty fucking awesome, he had somewhat understandable views on corporate overlords... and he was probably one of the most attractive guys to ever walk the streets of Night City.

But he hadn’t seen every poster yet. He’d turned back round, talking about something V couldn’t hear over the rising mix of terror and cringe running through her veins, fixated on that huge-ass poster of him on the wall opposite them. And he’d yet to almost crack his voice with another what the fuck , meaning yeah. He hadn’t seen every poster. 

Namely, the one she’d stuck on the square wall behind her bed. Which was worse than the gigantic one taking up a quarter of one of her living room walls. It was some reporter’s photo from a backstage venture at one of Samurai’s concerts. (Taking up that whole section of wall) Silverhand was sitting on top of an unused amplifier, looking at someone outside of the camera’s point of view. Signature vest top nowhere to be seen, leaving him shirtless. In those stupid tight leather pants and boots combo. With his trademark sunglasses on. Smoking a cigarette, smirking, skin shining-

Possibly the thirstiest fucking image that photographer could have taken.

“V?” Johnny snapped her out of it.

"What?" V bit back.

Shit, she’d gotten distracted by the somewhat spicy photo. (Another thing she’d take to her fucking grave) She had to move while his attention was still on the other poster. Because if she could just cross the few feet over to her bed, unnoticed, she could carefully pull the poster down and stash it under the bed. She could say some shit about how yeah, it was pretty fucking weird, and take down the other one after.

Yeah, if V could just make it across the floor, she’d get through this with at least a shred of her dignity intact.

However, Fate (the bitch) seemed to have even more fucked up plans for her.

Because today, of all days, in this one shitty moment…

Her foot landed on the creakiest fucking patch of flooring in the entire goddamn apartment.

Johnny instantly turned to face her, downed eyebrows raising once more when he took in her almost cartoon-like sneaking stance. Even though she knew she looked fucking ridiculous, V couldn’t quite bring herself to move. She was literally frozen in fear, knowing that any second now...

“The hell are you-” Johnny started, before turning his head.

As he started to follow her line of sight, V relaxed her cartoon pose and started slyly backing away, (Like that would help her. The guy was literally stuck in her head) following his gaze. When his eyes finally crossed over to her bed, V felt herself get struck with the hugest fucking sucker-punch of cringe she’d felt since she was the angsty teenager that had inadvertently gotten her into this mess.

But then Johnny finally fixed his eyes upon the shirtless photo of him, stuck up next to her bed of all places.

“Oh for fuck’s sake-”

[frostsinth]

She groaned, raising herself slowly up from the rock where she lay, cradling her throbbing head. What happened? The last thing she remembered was reminiscing along the rocks by the water; a place she had spent most of her childhood. But now where was she? She could hear the soft sound of lapping water, and the air smelled cool and damp. But it was hard to see; there were only a few thin shafts of light coming down from overhead. How had she gotten here? And for gods’ sake! Where were her clothes??

She wrapped her arms tightly around herself, staring wide eyed around what seemed to be a cave. The soft lapping of water suddenly turned to a louder slap, and a cold chill ran down her spine. As if something was moving through the water, and she definitely got the distinct feeling of being watched.

She spun sharply, and the soft glint of light flickered off the surface of the cave water. It rippled towards her, licking against the side of the shallow rock ledge she was on. She peered out, trying to make out the edge of the cave, or an opening somewhere, her heart thudding in her chest.

Something gold flashed just above the water’s surface.

She gasped as a large mass suddenly slithered forward through the water, slowly gaining on the rock. As quick as she could, the woman scrambled backward, skidding and slipping on the wet boulder.

The huge creature grabbed at the edge of the rock, yanking itself up. When it raised out of the water, it looked almost human. Save for a bulbous brow and large, glittering golden eyes. But the more of it that slithered from the water, the less human it became. Where there should have been hips and legs, there were tentacles; eight of them, grabbing and pulling and sliding the creature out of the water. It grinned, and sharp, pointed white teeth glittered in the faint beams of light.

She screamed, falling back, kicking out with her legs to fend off an impending attack... But it didn’t attack. Just perched at the edge of the rock and frowned, cocking its head to the side. 

“Stop that.” It gurgled, and its voice sounded like it was speaking through a mouthful of water.

The woman jerked in surprise, slipping over herself as she tried to sit back up. She blinked a few times, but she was sure that creature really was sitting before her. It wasn’t her imagination. And it had definitely just spoken.

“Wh-wh-??” She stammered, absolutely dumbstruck.

The creature grinned again, and inched closer. She stifled a gasp, sliding a little further to find her back hitting stone. She was cornered, and her eyes went wide, her heart racing wildly in her chest.

“What, you don’t recognize me?” It asked, and then it seemed to pout, slowly stretching out on its humanoid stomach and propping its square chin on its hands. It’s long tentacles twitched and curled in the air behind it. Much less frightening than before... she frowned. There was something hauntingly familiar about it. Though she couldn’t imagine she would have ever forgotten meeting a creature like this.

It only stayed like that for a moment, but quick as a wink it was back up, stretching up to tower over her. Reaching out with hands and suckers. She winced, jerking back, her mouth dropping open. It stopped, then cocked its head to the side again, letting long, seaweed green locks of hair pool in wet piles about its shoulders. Sinking lower to the rock, back to her eye level.

Its grin returned. “You’ve changed a lot too, you know. We were just kids the last time I saw you...”

His golden eyes caught the light, glinting mischievously. Familiarly... Her eyes shot so wide, she thought they might just fall out of their sockets, and she gasped again. He grinned wider as the realization filled her face.

“...Guppy?” She breathed.

He spread his arms magnanimously, as if presenting himself to her, and smirked. “Hey, little Gull.”

“Oh my GODS! GUPPY!” 

Forgetting herself for a moment, the woman flung herself forward, wrapping her arms around her childhood friend. Imaginary friend, she had come to believe. She had completely buried the dozens of summers she had spent playing on the rocky shore with the mysterious little boy with blue-green skin and sticky suckers for feet. Those had been lonely times for her, after all. Of course she would have made up a friend to play with! Even such an odd one. But those eyes... she would never ever be able to forget those eyes of his.

He seemed surprised at her sudden hug, but quickly recovered. It all came flooding back to her as he wrapped his arms around her. His briny scent filled her nose, and she remembered many long days under the sun and waves. She could hardly believe it, and found herself overflowing with a hundred competing emotions at once.

He laughed, giving her a gentle squeeze, seeming quite pleased that she had remembered him. She felt his tentacles curling about her as well, and a sudden shiver ran down her spine. “You’re the only one who’s ever called me that. Not many would dare now-adays.” He mused as she leaned back to look up at him. “Most just go with the full ‘Gupslessiano’. But you never could say it.”

She quickly realized her mouth was still dropped open, and clamped it shut. “I.. I thought I’d made you up!” She gasped, shaking her head in disbelief. “I.. I can’t believe you’re real!”

His grin returned, and she jumped as one of his tentacles brushed her short hair back out of her face. “Honestly... I kinda thought I dreamed you up too. But when I saw you on the beach earlier-”

“The beach?” She echoed, then looked around, “How did I... Did you bring me here?”

He shrugged, leaning back on one hand. Another tentacle plopped lazily across her lap, and she stared down at it in surprise. “I was thinking about calling out to you, but you slipped. Hit your head and started sinking below the waves.” He smirked at me. “Luckily I happened to remember you couldn’t breath underwater, so fished you out. Still haven’t learned how to swim, little Gull?”

Another of his many tentacles began snaking around her hips, and a hot blush suddenly ran up her cheeks as she remembered her current state.

“Umm, Guppy? Where exactly are my clothes?”

“Clothes?” He replied, frowning. “You mean those strange fishing nets you were all tangled up in? Didn’t seem very comfortable. I got rid of them.”

She stared at him, and the hot flush spread to her ears. Her childhood friend had grown; he was nearly double her size, not counting his many thickly muscled limbs, and his chubby cheeks and rounded baby fat had given way to a chiseled jaw and matured torso. What had once been little specks of yellow on his skin were now sparkling scales that looked like gold inlaid atop his deep emerald tentacles. She watched the flash of red as the gills at his neck sucked greedily for air. He grinned under her scrutiny, baring sharp, predator teeth instead of the tiny rounded little nubs she recalled teasing him about. Especially when he had started to lose them. This was certainly not the little Guppy she remembered.

He slowly stroked her hair back with the tip of one long tentacle again, and she leaned away from him with her breath catching in her throat. She resisted the urge to jump as another of his eight limbs slowly began wrapping around her wrist. But she couldn’t keep her heart from racing as yet another gently curled around her hips.

“Wh-what are we doing here, Guppy?” She stammered, glancing nervously about the dark cave. “Why did you bring me here?”

One big hand reached out, cupping the back of her neck. “I forgot you existed, little Gull, but when I saw you on that beach-” She reached up, placing her hand on his chest nervously “-It all came back to me. And I remembered the promise I made to you.”

“Promise?” she repeated, shivering as his tentacles wrapped a little tighter around her. “What promise?”

He’s toothy grin grew wider. “Why, to take you away with me, of course!”

Holy shit, its not an orc xD Had to repost this because it got flagged for inappropriate content or something. This should be better, yeah? Damn, maybe I should put my less savory stuff on Ko-Fi or BuyMeACoffee instead.

Pose credit HERE. Almost at 500 followers, and I’ll be doing a little something something for you all. As a thank you for all your support thus far!

Enjoy!

[fizzingwizard]

Ep 38 is another good one! We are on a roll. I have some thoughts on why and whether I could still end up whining in future episodes again... but for now let’s just enjoy the moment.

We are finally catching up with Yamato (and Jou) who has the sort of episode you’d expect from the brooding lone wolf of the group. I wish they’d pushed it just a liiiittle further than they did and I’ll tell you why below. Still, the point is we learned some things we needed to about Yamato, and with some higher than usual stakes (for a side plot) than usual.

Pic of the day, though, is all about his highness, our lord and savior, JOOOOOOOOO.

You will bow before him, peasant!

More below.

Like I said, the stakes are a bit high this week:

Right off the bat, Gabumon’s been beaten, captured, and tied to a cross...

... where Mephismon (this guy) is apparently planning to kill him in ritual sacrifice.

In other words, this episode is: Yamato and Gabumon Go To Digimon Hell

:P

I mean... Mephismon even looks scary. Very Satanic. Gives me chill, lol. Probably not as scary for kids who didn’t grow up being hit over the head with a Bible every day by evangelicals, though. Sometimes I look back on my childhood and just think “wtf?”

That being said, Mephismon is the sort of lackey you’d expect Millenniumon to have, much more in the vein of Devimon or DarkKnightmon. Aka, pretty darn scary. I was so frustrated for so long by all the small fry Digimon Taichi “struggled” with by himself for no apparent reason - they felt like filler episodes, tbh - filler for a show that has no reason to have filler!

And I STILL do NOT understand why we got WarGreymon’s evolution over a totally forgettable nobody Digimon, but these recent episodes with Koushirou, Mimi, and Yamato have all been serious crises where the characters put everything on the line, and yet nobody evolves. It’s not that I think they HAD to evolve here - I can see they’re leading up to it and since that guarantees more focus on them in the future, I’m totally down for that. What I don’t understand is why Taichi DIDN’T get that. Why play WarGreymon so early? The episode itself did involve Taichi challenging himself, but it all felt so setup. And so unmemorable that it’s just hard to care.

Anyway... I’m ranting about things that didn’t happen in this episode. Rant over xD Back to Yamato.

His desperate play to rescue Gabumon by himself goes as well as you’d expect.

Yamato: I’m too cool for this shit

He is chased by those gas mask-wearing Digimon whose name I forget. But they are conveniently blown back by the gush of a timely geyser. Geyser, you say? That means hot springs must be nearby. If hot springs are nearby...

Jou: Now I know what it feels like to be Team Rocket!

Jou falls out of the sky and right into Yamato’s path. Dressed in nothig but a towel, he looks to Yamato like a scrawny, nerdy, guardian angel.

Yamato: You’ve gotta help me, Clarence. Fly me to the top of the mountain.

Jou: I can’t, I haven’t got my wings.

Yamato: Yeah, you’re about what I’d expect my guardian angel to be like...

So, Jou immediately starts to chatter at Yamato, and it looked to me like Yamato might be getting annoyed. If this were 99 Adventure, he’d had snapped and said something like, “Can’t you see Gabumon’s gone? Aren’t you even going to ask about that or do you only think about yourself?”

But this is 2020 Yamato, and 2020 Digimon Adventure, where the kids are all Very Nice and don’t have much in the way of flaws. That’s my number one complaint about this show so far. So Yamato just waits for the moment where Jou needs to take a breath to break and ask for his help rescuing Gabumon.

(Gomamon reminds Jou to get dressed first, thankfully.)

Up on the mountain peak, Mephismon sacrifices the Data of poor blue!Elecmon to the fragment of Millenniumon he is guarding.

At first I was like, why do Yamato and Jou know about these crystals?? But then they’re like, we heard from Taichi over the digivice. Ah, of course. I kind of miss the old digivices that pre-date smartphones :P

Yamato explains how they ended up in this situation, and I REALLY like this. They came across Mephismon sacrificing innocent Digimon on their journey to reunite with the rest of the team, and it was Gabumon who insisted they had to stay and save them. Gabumon!

So this is not the first time we’ve seen the Digimon partners take initiative this season. The lack of personal flaws and personality clashes are my least favorite part of the reboot, but the increased agency of the Digimon themselves is probably my favorite. When DanDevimon swallowed Taichi, it was Agumon’s pain that caused his warp evolution. Not saying Taichi had nothing to do with it, but the focus was certainly way more on how losing his partner sent Agumon over the edge. Now we’ve got Yamato actually arguing with Yamato because he feels so passionate about rescuing the captured Digimon.

Yamato’s not heartless, of course - he just prioritizes the people closest to him first. And I have no idea if we’ll see much more of this sort of willpower from Gabumon - it’s partly there for convenience, since no one else is around. (Last time, it was Sora who wanted to help others at their own risk and Yamato clashed with her over the same thing.) The other reason is, this is the episode where we find out how Yamato and Gabumon became friends - which is especially important for the guy who gets the Crest of Friendship - so they needed something a bit more meaty than “the proof of our friendship is I follow you wherever you go and do whatever you want.”

But I love it because it really makes them feel like partners.

Of course, Yamato can’t say no in the end, so he and Gabumon go to save the Digimon. But they’re overwhelmed.

The vision of his partner’s bony ass shrinking into the distance as bullets fly overhead will haunt his dreams always ;^;

Yamato: Once a psychic read my palm and said I have an unusually short life line. I guess she was right. But she also said I’d marry Emma Stone and have eight children.

Jou: are you sure she wasn’t just playing a game of MASH?

While Yamato and Jou plan their strategy, we switch back to the rest of the team, where the girls are having tea time.

I know I complain about this every time but WHO DA HECK decided Sora and Mimi should wear the same color scheme look what you did now they both blend into the couch

The boys talk a bit of shop, then Takeru reveals that he and Yamato don’t live together because their parents fight and don’t get to see each other because they both work so much. He doesn’t really come out and say “they’re divorced” but he says he and his brother are separated. Even though Yamato calls Takeru to talk a lot, Takeru still feels sad that there are things he misses since they live so far apart.

Taichi assures Takeru that Yamato will be fine, pointing out that Yamato had already been adventuring in the digital world for an unknown amount of time before Taichi’s group ever got there. Wow, haven’t referenced that in literally ages. I’m glad these things are finally relevant again. Also like how it seems to confirm Taichi still kinda holds special admiration for Yamato. That seemed like the route they were going way back when Yamato joined the group in episode 8, but then it wasn’t touched on till now.

Then we get the long-awaited Yamato & Gabumon origin story! Yamato appears to have arrived in the digital world in a similar way that Taichi did. He looks the same, so probably it wasn’t a huge time difference (in human world time anyway).

At first, Yamato’s like, “leave me alone. I don’t have any interest in the digital world. Where’s the exit?” And Tsunomon says, “Fine, then I will just protect you whether you want me to or not.”

Yamato: Reeeeeally wishing Ikkakumon could fly, lol

Yamato recalls how, despite his chilly behavior, Tsunomon still jumped to his rescue.

(The rescue involved Ikkakumon shooting torpedoes up the mountainside so Yamato can grab them and climb to the top. What I don’t get is why this didn’t draw Mephismon’s attention :P I guess he figured his gas mask lackeys would handle it but uh.)

Past!Yamato rescues Tsunomon, who is so touched that he is able to evolve. Yamato makes an attempt to remain aloof...

... but in the end he turns into Taichi :P

So that’s the origin story! It’s more or less what I figured. Kind of surprised we didn’t get any scenes of them in the digital world proper, since I got the impression Yamato was familiar with that world as well as this plane that seems to be a sort of interface between worlds. But maybe not, who knows.

What they try to do here is set up that Yamato is an aloof type who tries to avoid relationships. But he snaps out of it and warms up to people so fast that it’s hard to really appreciate it. Plus he doesn’t really do much to push them away other than say “leave me alone.” Eh.

Lol it’s funny because he’s strapped to the cross but because his leg fur hangs like that, from behind it looks like he’s just standing there....

Mephismon starts to sacrifice Gabumon!

A power blast of dark energy starts to pulse from the mountain, sending everyone to their knees. Jou thinks fast and hides inside his bag. Nylon is good at blocking out satanic chanting after all.

His eyes fall on... his textbooks! Social studies, chemistry, the periodic table, Japanese history memorization textbook... these useless books! Could they actually be useful?!?!?!

no.

no they couldn’t

Yamato: Ahh! That’s it, I have got to start lifting more.

But wait - Jou gets an idea. There’s something that calms him when he’s stressed and that’s... chanting passages from his rote memorization technique books x’D So he sits down and... it’s basically a throw back to the Bakemon episode in 99. I believe he’s chanting things from the Japanese history book, but as I’ve never been a Japanese kid, I’d have to do more research than I want to to figure out for sure.

He then switches to chanting the numerals of pi! He has pi memorized! x’D I don’t know why that should surprise me. He soon begins to glow with the Zen energy of a cram school trance.

Jou: 3.14159265359... 3.14159265359...

Gas mask Digimon: 3.14159265359.... 3.14159265359...

These bright ripples emanate from Jou, counteracting the evil ripples coming from Mephismon’s mountain. It soon pulls the gas mask Digimon into the trance as well.

Ikkakumon: ... I have no effing idea what is going in this episode on anymore

Jou comes out of the trance to discover the gas mask Digimon ARE NOW HIS OBEDIENT SUBJECTS. WHAT.

(see I told you you’d bow)

seriously what just happened! XD is this Jou’s mutant power

or is this something all Japanese children who survive juku can do as a result of spending so much time memorizing shit

Ikkakumon then is able to shoot a bunch better pathway of torpedoes for Yamato to climb and MEPHISMON STILL DOESN’T NOTICE

Yamato finally makes it to the peak!

Mephismon’s like, “nice try, but what were you planning to do now? You left your friend at the bottom of the mountain and I’ve got your partner. And I doubt you’ve memorized all the numerals of pi.”

He kindly creates an evil burning vortex to increased the hellishness of the landscape. He understands that a Yamato episode needs the proper ambience.

Gabumon’s about to be sacrificed to Digi-Satan lmao

Yamato steps into the pentagram and get shocked. But he presses on despite the difficulty (and the hellfire), thinking about how much his partner means to him.

He drops to his knees while Gabumon begs him to save himself.

Yamato: “You’re my... friend!”

The power of friendship destroys the pentragram and also frees Gabumon from the cross.

The Crest of Friendship glows...

Gabumon is strengthened and becomes... WereGarurumon.

:P

Yeah... seemed like a good time for MetalGarurumon but whatever.

After a cool but brief fight, Mephismon is defeated.

He appears frozen? Can Gabumon freeze stuff? Whatev. Anyway he’s frozen and then disintegrates.

Gabumon is tired but happy. Their bond is now even stronger.

Cute Takeru on Pegasusmon flies down to his brother at last.

And the others wave up to them from Komondomon. Aw. So finally the team is back together! ;__; Please let it last this time, please please please....

Kay so, overall... I liked this episode. The whole “You’re my friend!” bit would have been stronger if we’d seen more of Yamato resisting that though. I don’t really know why but the reboot seems to pull its punches a lot. I really wish they’d let the kids be mean to each other like 99 Adventure did sometimes. Being mean doesn’t mean you’re a bad person and a terrible influence on children watching your show. It just means you are human and your viewers can learn from watching your mistakes and seeing your growth. Try to understand that, showrunners :P

A missed opportunity in this episode: Yamato and Jou. I was excited that they were gonna be together because they often clashed in 99. And in the reboot as well, it was established that Yamato is annoyed by Jou, although he’s much more polite and hadn’t said anything about it till now (just stayed away from wherever Jou was until he fell asleep lol). So I thought, in this ep, we’d see them butt heads and learn to work together, something like that. But aside from the very first moment where Yamato might look a teensy bit annoyed, they just get alone fine. Idk. Not interesting.

In the end, though, the ep was clearly meant to be Yamato only and Jou was just there as a matter of convenience so the whole group would be together at the end. Since the team is finally reunited, I hope we do start to see all of them interacting in different ways that show their personalities more. Might not be the same as 99 (or, I should say definitely won’t be, at this point), but just something more than “look how well we all get along.”

Next week...

Looks to be a light and funny episode. The Burgermon were one of my fav bits of Frontier. But I’m a little nervous about this being a Jou epiosde. It’s his turn, I know, but everyone else got something meaningful. Even Mimi - though there was lots of humor in her episode, she was also major league cool the entire time. Maybe that will be the case with Jou here, but I’m not sure because 2020 Jou is a little different - more scatterbrained, more open, more talkative, less serious, less likely to act sullen... he’s quite different, now that I think about it. So I’m actually having difficulty imagining what his personal test will be in this episode. Guess we’ll have to wait and find out. Maybe it won’t even be that kind of episode anyway.

Also, just a guess, but next week is ep 39. So ep 40 maybe will be the start of something big again. It would be good timing: the team’s together and everyone’s had a chance recently for an episode to themselves...

See y’all next week! As usual didn’t check for typos :P

[godsofhumanity]

GODHUNTER by AMY SUMIDA | REVIEW

okiee this was recommended to me by @inkleaves ^-^ uhmm so i have a LOT to say about this book. spoilers under cut.

OVERVIEW: “Godhunter” is the epithet given to a young woman named Vervain who uses witchcraft and magic to go around committing deicide in order to save humanity from gods who drain their energy to gain immortality and other godly attributes. However, when Vervain is recruited by the Norse god Thor, she finds herself in an alliance with the people she originally considered her enemies, as they work together to save the world from the maliciousness of the Aztec god, Huitzilopochtli.

RATING: 2/10. i’m giving it a low rating because it doesn’t really have too much to do with mythology, but i did like its general portrayal of most deities even though this book was insanely cringey and dumb.. now, even though under the cut, i’ve kinda bashed the book quite a bit, i still have to admit that i’d be lying if i said i didn’t have fun reading it. i stayed up to 1 AM trying to finish it because i had to find out what the protag’s next stupid decision would be,, all in all, if you like trash/cringe fiction- this is for you.

WARNING: even though this book is a YA novel, I’d say there’s a definite emphasis on the adult part of “young adult”... Certain scenes and themes are inappropriate for minors.

AVAILABLE ON: pdf link here ^-^ ((i think it downloads immediately if you click))

THINGS I LIKED:

the book is cringe.

great diversity in terms of the god cast. i learned about some new deities that i was previously unfamiliar with, so that was cool

Brahma (Hindu deity) wears a Gucci belt as part of his attire ^-^

whatever Estsanatlehi and Tsohanoai (Native American deities) had going on.... they were really cute and wholesome

THOR-HORUS BROTP AGENDA!!!!!!!! everyone who follows me already knows how keen i am about this idea of all the war deities hanging out together (fite club), and this novel served up exactly that. disappointing that Huitzilopochtli wasn’t a part of it, but i am settling for Thor and Horus’ several centuries old friendship.

Horus’ falcon tattoo detail.. i LOVE the idea of the gods having their sacred animals tattooed,, it’s so awesome!!!

Pan... i liked the way he still had his little horns, and he was kinda chaotic and fun.

in general, the descriptions of the gods were so pleasant and so cool.. i really liked the way that pretty much all the gods were beautiful,, this is very much in line with my own idea of how the gods look, and i think it makes sense, because they’re meant to be charismatic, compelling beings- beings that you worship, beings that you praise- why would they be anything but beautiful? and even if they were considered ugly by other gods, that’s only in comparison to other deities.. from a human perspective,, i just can’t see how any mortal could consider a god to be anything less than perfection,, idk

in particular- i really enjoyed the descriptions of Huitzilopochtli in his debut. i know he’s a piece of shit in the novel, but i LOVED the way he was described with his war-frenzy being triggered by blood, and the way, as god of the sun, his body almost glows, and heats up as though you’re looking into the sun itself, and the only way he can cool it down is by bathing in blood... WOWOWOWOW it’s just such a neat and fantastic visual description. his physical appearance really paid tribute to Huitzilopochtli’s original domain and attributes.

i also liked the linking between Huitzilopochtli being the Father of Vampires.. links between Aztec culture and vampirism is a trope that i didn’t originally suspect, but have become exposed to quite a bit as of late,, and i think that it’s quite a clever little plot. i liked that Huitzilopochtli also debunks superstitions about the sun, garlic, crosses, holy water etc.

Huitzilopochtli as the villain. the man makes a BRILLIANT villain- his motives are very clear and also, i thought, justified, albeit unoriginal. his presence is quite terrifying, and the reader does worry for Vervain’s safety whenever she’s with him- which is good! this means that he fills out his role as a villain well. tbh,, i did love Huitzilopochtli from the moment of his debut, but he got knocked out of my books during a certain temple scene and i have some thoughts about that in the next section.

when Vervain wakes up after the temple dream with Huitzilo, and she relaxes because it was just a dream, but then she looks into the mirror and sees bite marks on her neck!!! CHILLS! now THAT was good writing- it was unexpected, and served well to navigate into the next part of the plot.

Odin and Huitzilopochtli holding a ted talk on “how to create panic and discord among the humans”, and the gods having to bring certain meals depending on what the first letter of their names were.

Vervain’s pop-culture references, and her weaponry- especially the gloves that have blades in them that get released when she swings her hand downwards. very cool, i want them.

casual appearances from Vladimir Putin (yes, i said Vladimir Putin)... i couldn’t stop laughing when i read that Huitzilo was trying to kill Putin’s daughter to instigate a war...... asdhshajdhasdjfhjdhf insane

also i know Vervain was trying to mock Huitzilo when she nicknamed him “Blue”,, but like.. that’s a really cute name and it wasn’t even insulting.. yeah, that one backfired on you Vervain... if anything, that just made it seem like she actually had affections for him and i feel like probably in part is the reason why he felt encouraged to pursue her.

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE/THINGS THAT DIDN’T MAKE SENSE AND/OR CONFUSED ME:

the book is cringe.

it reads like a 15 year old’s fantasy AU where she’s a humble young woman, unextraordinary- yet somehow, she is the muse of every man’s desire. handsome, ripped gods who never wear clothes are laying themselves down at her feet,, and she is just overwhelmed by the choices before her; and all the while, she has to balance a complicated love life with her duty to save the world (since she’s the only one who can).

Vervain as a protagonist. idk how old she’s meant to be, but since the book is in first-person, and the reader is exposed to her innermost thoughts,, i’ve gotta say- she’s incredibly immature. as a protagonist, i just feel like she’s rude, pretentious, snobby.. she has no idea what “respect” even means. in every scene, she’s either fighting someone, or lusting after them (when Teharon told her off for having lascivious thoughts about him, and she simply responded with “well stop being so sexy then” i wanted to die.... WHAT is wrong with her)

i hate the way she looks down on the gods- even if you didn’t worship them, or even believed in their existence, surely you wouldn’t have the gall to lecture Hades and Persephone on how to be a good couple (especially when your advice is shit). surely you wouldn’t have the gall to say to Thor what Vervain says to him on pg 227, 4th line from the bottom, that i will not repeat here. Vervain is just too self-absorbed. i don’t hate her, but i definitely think her character is a bit,,, iffy.

relating to Vervain as the protagonist- everything just seems to happen to her.. and i know that she’s the protag, and things are meant to happen to her, but it all happens to her one after the other in succession, no breaks. it’s so easy for her... oh? Huitzilopochtli is going to kill Putin’s daughter? no worries, Vervain can read Huitzilopochtli’s thoughts! oh? the gods have never been able to transform more than half their body into their animal form? no worries, Vervain is so powerful she can force a god to change against their will! oh? Vervain is being attacked by blood-thirsty wolves? no worries, she saved the life of one werewolf and now he’s indebted to her and will literally kill himself in order to protect her! everything is easy, and nothing is a problem.

the way every male deity ever sees Vervain once and immediately wants to take her to bed. why was that a necessary aspect of her character? and also, why are the gods portrayed as such lustful beings?? it really wasn’t necessary.

Horus throwing a fit about how December 25 is his birthday and that it was stolen from him by Jesus... to quote:

“No big deal?” Horus puffed up. “I was called the Lamb of God. I had twelve apostles, and my myths spoke of my crucifixion and consequent resurrection in three days. His stories were my stories first!”

it’s fine that Horus is angry about his birthday which was i think, historically celebrated around this date- but the rest of it isn’t even true???? Horus didn’t have 12 apostles, i’m pretty sure he was also not called “Lamb of God”, and he wasn’t crucified!!! aghhhh even Thor says “It’s been so long that even you don’t remember things accurately.”

anyways.. my beef with this is the way it’s phrased so as to imply that “oh christianity just stole everything from the pagans” when this is so incredibly false and sounds like something an ill-informed person would say. you can read more about christianity, paganism and christmas here

kinda related to the previous point- the jokes about Jesus’ skin colour. i quote:

“... when Christ first became a god, he looked Jewish because those were the people he chose to align himself with. However, the Jews didn’t want him, and when Christianity spread, the white people wanted Jesus to look more like them. With the change in belief, Christ’s appearance changed. ... We used to tease him about how he looked whiter every time we saw him... Kind of like Michael Jackson...”

what the FUCK??????? seems like Sumida doesn’t understand that various ethnic groups illustrate Jesus as appearing as the local people do. Yes, obviously in a Western country, Jesus is going to look European, he’s going to look white. If you go to Japan, you will see Jesus and the rest of the gang looking pretty fucking Japanese. the point of this is NOT to erase Jesus’ Jewish ethnicity, and it is certainly not because of something like “the Jews didn’t want him”- it is because it is a way for followers to better relate to the Divine. including Christ in this story isn’t the problem- i’ve seen others do it very well. the problem is how uneducated her writing comes across.

all the gods have human jobs so that they can earn money and stuff,, which is fine- Thor, for example, owns a line of boats, which makes sense. but Pan? his job is making p*rn. now even though it’s true that everyone associates Pan with sexuality and stuff,,, this isn’t his primary role, and making Pan out to be just a playboy who has his mind in the gutter 24/7 i think is a bit of a mockery. Pan is, first and foremost, a god of the Wild. why Sumida elected to make him a p*rn manufacturer and not a wildlife conservationist is beyond me... i’m not even pagan, and i thought this creative decision was distasteful and stupid, especially because his character is actually quite light-hearted and cool.

the temple scene with Huitzilopochtli and Vervain. as i said previously, i really really liked Huitzilo’s character. he made an excellent villain. but this part?? i understand why it was done, but i HATED that it had to happen... not just because it was horrible for Vervain, but Huitzilo seemed so powerful and godly right up to that point- after which he seemed pretty pathetic- going back after Vervain after she’s rejected him countless times. she is JUST a mortal!!! c’mon Huitzilo, give it up!!! you are degrading yourself at the expense of achieving one mortal’s “love”.. the fact that he had to hypnotise her to get what he wanted AND had to achieve it through her dreams (when’s she can’t protect herself) was sooooo pathetic and disgraceful.. IMO, he committed the worst sin any person could ever commit and i just... AGHHHHHHHHH SMH WHY?!

speaking of morons- Thor. Thor just comes across to me as extremely possessive, and over-protective,, and idk how Vervain was NOT creeped out by the fact that Thor had literally been stalking her for two years before she even met him. wtf? god or not- that’s creepy. actually, i think it’s creepier because he is a god. 

Sif. i am still waiting for good media representation of thunder god Thor and his beautiful golden-haired wife Sif- i want them to be HAPPY, and i want them to be in love the way they should be! 

Persephone. i like the idea of Persephone being sweet-tempered, and kind- but in this book, she’s such a wimp??????? she totally just lets Vervain be rude to her, a goddess who’s name means “Bringer of Destruction”. also- her relationship with Hades seems toxic.. i mean,, he like tracks her? she starts stuttering when she talks to him, and gets nervous when people so much as mention his name. not to mention the fact that Persephone says that when she does go back to him, all he demands from her is a certain horizontal dance so much so that she is “sore” (<- quoting from the book here) every time she returns??????? WHAT IS HAPPENING?????????? and no one even questions it. Vervain doesn’t even question it! instead she suggests that Persephone MOVES IN with Hades permanently???? and that Hades should just start verbally saying how much he loves Persephone instead of “showing” her how much he “loves” her.....??? there are SO many issues with this.. i can’t even- *screams*

the Aphrodite-is-madly-in-love-with-Huitzilopochtli side plot. it could have been really good, but then it ends so abruptly,,, i mean.. why’d Aphrodite get done so dirty like that? Also summary of Hephaestus’ first and final scenes:

Hephaestus, entering the room: Right, what’s all this then? Vervain: Your wife is cheating on you (again) Hephaestus: Aight, i’m out *leaves and never comes back for the rest of the book*

what the HECK was the ending with Trevor?? i hate Vervain so much i can’t... okay first of all- WHY did Trevor decide to have a wolf-marriage with Vervain?? he kept on going on about how she’s so beautiful, and kind, and caring... NO SHE ISN’T TREVOR!!! i’m so mad that he would pledge himself for all eternity to this girl who doesn’t even like him in that way!!! you played yourself son

also- Thor accepts the fact that Trevor is going to have to be close by to Vervain because the terms of the marriage state that Trevor will literally die without her touch, which is VERY GENEROUS of Thor... but Vervain?? ooooh i HATE her.. she has the audacity to look at Trevor with her lecherous eyes thinking about lustful things IN THOR’S OWN BED!!!!! and then she thinks to herself “oh whoops i shouldn’t be thinking that”- yeah you’re darn right you shouldn’t be thinking that!!!! whatttt is wrong with her............. 

also- where tf did Huitzilo go??? he just gave up on trying to instigate a war and vanished?? the plot was so unresolved?????? AGH!

[bluepenguinstories]

Remoras Full Chapter XLI: Here Comes the Sun

We ran through the tunnels, unsure what we would encounter next. There was an unsteadiness about it all which threw the rhythm of my heartbeats off balance. It both startled and excited me; that we were all together again and working to put an end to the things that have caused us such suffering for well over a year. Of course, there was no guarantee that we could, or that our answers would be found, but just knowing that we were together again and all felt a grain of hope, of purpose, made all the difference to me.

Our path was illuminated by dim lights set up along the walls of the tunnel. Little lanterns with stained glass casings and small crescent bulbs which produced a gentle glow. Each thud our footsteps made as we ran, the click-clacks, felt like we were that much closer. Of course, there were several miles of tunnel and Ray and I knew that the end was supposed to lead to an entrance to the airport. This felt different somehow. Like we were on a treadmill and the gap between the start and the end widened with every step.

Look at me. I’m contradicting myself. First I’m saying how we’re moving forward, and then I’m saying how we’re not moving at all.

Yes. It was confusing, and maybe it was more of a sense of swimming against a current than anything else. Funny, that: there was a strong chill down there. Maybe not a breeze or even a heavy wind, but a dead chill all the same.

“You know, I kinda missed it at first, but I swear, any minute now I’m going to complain about how freezing it is,” Ray slowed down and grumbled.

Compared to Tigershark and I, Ray wasn’t used to running long distances. Demetria slowed down as well.

“Come on, why’d you stop? It takes more energy to stop and start back up than it does to keep up the pace!” Demetria berated my husband, something which I really should have scolded her more over.

“Newsflash: we’re not exactly dressed for the part of running underground in below zero temperature,” Ray pointed out.

I think I was most surprised by the fact that Demetria didn’t seem the least bit tired out. I remembered back when we had our adventure together, she had trouble just walking up a mountain. Now she was complaining about Ray, who’s probably walked up plenty of mountains of his own, not keeping up.

“Yeah, it is a problem, but...are we really about to head back to grab our jackets?” She countered.

“This stinks!” Tigershark complained.

Everyone started to bicker among themselves and I began to shiver with a great intensity as well.

“G-Guys!” My arms and legs shook and I shouted. They all looked my way.

Good, good. You’ve got the floor, Sunny. Now to make yourself look cool. Don’t fuck this up!

“This is unpleasant,” I began. OK, not a great start, but I knew I could pick up momentum, “but we’ll have to make do! We’ll just have to get that blood flow! If we need to take breaks, that’s fine, but we still need to do all we can to –” I stopped myself as I realized what I had on me.

I reached into the inside of my jacket pocket and pulled out an unlit torch. Looks like I may have been more prepared than I thought.

“Hun, wanna do the honors?” I smiled and held the torch up to him. My heart skipped to the tune of ‘Skip to my Lou’, as something as simple as that felt like a grand romantic gesture. There was a slight hesitance to it and not one defined by the natural chill, but by the passage of time itself. For Ray’s part, he looked up and into my eyes, and they looked watery, a possible result of the chill. He shuffled into his pocket and he looked like a timid little rodent all the while.

“I can’t see very well,” he croaked and his words almost crashed into themselves bit by bit as he went on, “but you still shine so bright.”

If words alone could keep me warm, those most certainly would have.

“You do as well. Even faint, that light is still there,” I replied.

He pulled out his lighter and flickered a little flame. After the torch was lit, he looked away, perhaps in shame.

“I’ll admit, everything that’s happened up to this point still affects me. It’s hard to think that anything can get better, but...I’m trying.”

Demetria tapped her foot against the stony ground.

“Can we put the flirting on hold and get a move on?” Her impatience was characteristically hers. Even if other things about her may have changed, that little childishness remained. It kept the smile that was already on my face intact.

“Who says I can’t do both?” Ray chuckled and he sucked in a gulp soon after, his eyes wide in shock that he could even manage to do that.

We started walking on and huddled close together as Ray held on to the torch. In the midst of it, Tigershark jumped up and whined.

“Guys! Guys! I’m still cold!”

“How old are you now? 11?” Demetria scoffed.

“Be nice!” I scolded Demetria.

“Fine, sorry.”

“You’re never too old for a piggyback ride!” I told Tigershark, then swooped her up and got her up on my shoulders.

“I’m going to have to remember that one,” Ray commented under his breath.

Now, with Tigershark on my shoulders, we ran forth once again. Ray had a bit of trouble keeping up, but he was still doing a good job. A+ for effort. All was going well and we were filled to the brim with a heaping helping of determination.

“Hey Ray,” Demetria turned to him while running.

“Yes?”

“I know you didn’t want me to come back here, so you’re probably mad that I did so anyway.”

Ray shook his head.

“Right now we’ve got more pressing matters. Besides – I’m actually quite proud. I didn’t think you had it in you to do something so crafty.”

That all came to a head, however, when the ground before us began to shake. I wobbled and held onto Tigershark’s legs, struggling to keep my feet on the ground. Ray wobbled as well and almost fell while Demetria stood her ground, only bending her legs ever so slightly.

“What’s going on?!” Tigershark poked her head in front of me and looked around. “Is it an earthquake?”

I looked around as well. Her question was soon answered when the walls in front of us began to crumble, or rather, chunks of it slid out and what emerged were three creatures made of stone in the shape of large, human figures. My eyes were fixed on the holes which once made up the wall. Those human-shaped holes.

It’s their hole. It was meant for them.

My thoughts would have gone in all sorts of zany directions if not for the fact that one of them slammed their rocky ‘fist’ into the ground and knocked us all down. I managed to catch Tigershark in my arms as I fell, but it still wasn’t such a smooth landing. Meanwhile, the other two of those rocky beings blocked off the path forward.

“Gah. Just a distraction,” Demetria groaned before helping Ray up.

“Thanks,” he took Demetria’s hand and pulled himself up, then brushed off his pants.

One of the animated stone figures hurled a rocky arm my way and I swerved to the side. As I watched the stone fist fly by, I tried to raise a leg up and kick them down, only for my leg to slam in and feel a surge of pain rise from the heel of my foot up to the top of my leg.

“Dammit,” I hissed. Of course that wouldn’t have worked. That would’ve been like kicking a boulder.

Still worth a try.

One of my jacket pockets contained a thick pair of steel gloves. As I fastened them on, the stone figure once again readied their fist my way. In unison, our fists connected and I had to hold on with my other arm as well just to hold my ground. My legs slid back and I had to kneel just to hold my ground. That said, cracks began to form in the boulder-like fist of the figure.

Just a little more...just a little more…

In my periphery, I caught one of the other stone figures stomp their way over to Tigershark who was frantic in her avoidance of them, as the third alternated between trying to hit Demetria and trying to hit Tigershark. With two, there was a greater chance of her being hit. I couldn’t let that happen. But as I started to shift my attention, so did the stone construct as they noticed Ray, caught in the middle.

“He’s hurt enough already!” I grunted as I skidded across the smooth floor and almost fell in the process, but in a cool move from yours truly, I landed just in time to react to two fists slamming down. I raised my arms up and struggled to get up.

“Hun,” he gasped.

“Don’t worry,” I reassured him, “to me this is just another adventure. I can hold these things off. What matters more is everyone else’s safety.”

“Ha,” he scoffed and I could tell there was a smile about to form even without looking his way. “You’re beginning to sound like how I was. There’s no need for that, y’know?”

As I held my ground, he spun around until he was beside the construct and I, then pulled out several needle-tipped threads of razor wire. I noticed them wrap around the stone figure’s fists and he yanked forth, tugged with all of his might until the animated pile of stone had no choice but to yield and even if it was just a few centimeters away from my own fists, it was all the distance I needed to get an opening.

“Now!” He yelled.

“You don’t have to tell me that, silly,” I replied, all coy as I swung my fist right into the ‘head’ of the construct and watched small cracks form.

It’s not enough.

Faster, I jabbed the ‘head’ several more times, using greater force with every pounding of my fist until the cracks deepened and finally the stone head shattered into many misshapen pebbles.

“HA!” I spat into the figure, and I was taken by surprise once I realized that the thing was far from defeated: they swung from the side and on instinct, I held up both arms to block it, but the jab struck me right in the side of my abdomen and I was knocked back and fell right over Ray. We both hit the ground and my landing was somewhat smoothed with me being over him, but even then, I knew I must have been bruised pretty bad.

We both got ourselves back up just in time for the two stone constructs to stomp our way, one on each end. Ray’s back was to mine and we worked to protect the other.

“I thought you weren’t equipped for a fight,” I commented as I huffed between words.

“That doesn’t mean I don’t have anything to work with,” he replied. Our sly grins matched each other’s and it felt good to stand beside each other against an obstacle once more.

Just the other day, I didn’t think we would be able to fight alongside each other at all. He had kept to himself in that diner for the most part. With Aurora’s crew huddled in the diner, the place was even more cramped. Worse, she wasn’t exactly the most well behaved.

“Mutiny! I call mutiny! Avenge me, my crew!” Aurora shouted as her and Ray emerged from the kitchen. She looked enraged and threw a fit. Ray was making shooing motions and looked ever so annoyed.

“We hardly have any food at all and where do I find you? On the floor with a jar of cookies in your hands! How do you think that’s fair to the other occupants?”

As Ray dragged Aurora out into the dining hall, she looked back and stuck her tongue out, then stormed off and sat across from me at the table I was seated at.

“I’m going to have to side with my husband on that one. That was a dumb move,” I commented. Really, I know I could’ve just said hi, but it wasn’t like she said hi to me, either.

“For real, boss,” Allison, one of her crew members leaned over from one of the other booths to add her input. “I want a cookie, too!”

Aurora closed her eyes and slumped over, her lips folded down into a stubborn frown. She reached into one of her (what I assumed to be) many pockets and pulled out a cookie, then held it up with the tip of her fingers. One small, crisp chocolate chip cookie, made courtesy of Tigershark and meant for a small dessert after everyone’s dinner. Oh, if only. Allison took the cookie and munched away.

“Thanks boss!” She chirped while nibbling down on the cookie.

“Hey! I’m hungry too! That’s no fair!” Other denizens of the diner began to raise a ruckus. I knew such a thing would happen, and I was sure Ray knew as well. There just wasn’t a lot of food to go around and portions were getting smaller by the day. Despite such an uproar, Aurora just remained quiet. After a while, it died down.

With how deathly quiet it could get when everyone was hushed, even the slightest noise could return the place to chaos. Case in point was when a strained shriek let loose from the opposite end of the dining hall.

From then, I heard Ray’s defeated groan as he shuffled out from the back with bandages in one hand and hydrogen peroxide in the other.

“Poor Todd. His wounds must have reopened,” I made note.

“Todd?” Aurora asked.

“He’s a newcomer. I’ve tried to make him feel as welcome as possible, reassure him that things would get better and that he was in good hands here. It’s been hard, since he arrived with pretty deep gashes all over his skin.”

“Huh. I’m just surprised you know his name. Didn’t seem like you or Ray cared for stuff like that.”

“I try, just a little. I can’t say I know everyone much, and some haven’t been interested in telling me much. Maybe moral support isn’t much, but I don’t know what else I can offer. It seems like both he and I help out, but only at a distance, and at different intervals. Sometimes I provide medical attention, but mostly I just check up on folks and try to make them as comfortable as possible.”

“So this has affected you as well.”

“Of course,” I smiled, my voice turned warm and airy, “I never claimed I didn’t. Just that I need to have hope that things will get better.”

“That’s all well and good, and it better end, but hope without action will only get us so far,” Aurora argued.

I didn’t know how to state my case, if I even had one, so I changed the subject instead.

���I heard Russell died. It must be hard for you,” I tried to offer condolences.

“Yeah, it sucks, but what can ya do?” Aurora shrugged it off.

“Huh. You’re taking it rather well. I’d have thought you’d be more broken up about it, considering how much you cared for him.”

“Are you kidding? He was the best. Well, right next to Allison, of course. But I can’t afford to be sad. He’s too good for that. It would be disrespectful.”

“So you didn’t grieve? Nothing like that?”

She waved it off once again.

“I don’t really identify with those five stages of grief or shit like that, but I suppose if I had to pick one that resonated with me, it would be anger. None of this – none of this should have happened. Yes, environments out here can be harsh, brutal. People die from the cold all the time. This is different. It’s not natural. So yeah. I’m pissed.”

“So if it was the cause of nature, you wouldn’t be?”

“Hell no. This unknown force we’re dealing with? Or, rather, I should say, this cowardly force. I don’t care if it’s some supernatural bullshit or not, it’s cowardly that this thing kills with blatant disregard and then brings him back just to make him a monster, make us kill him again. It’s torture, I don’t care what you say. It’s not some unknown or uncaring force, it’s got intent, malicious intent. See, I may not have a formal education, but I get nature. It’s not always pretty and it can be dangerous, outright deadly, and I don’t know the inner workings, but it’s there and we live with it. If he was taken by a blizzard, or caught in an avalanche, hell, anything else, I could make peace with it and move on. This, I can’t. Not from him, but from what was done to him.”

“I see. That all makes sense. I’m just worried that even if we find out the cause of all this, we might be too powerless to stop it.”

“I thought you were hopeful.”

“I am, by necessity. Nothing is meant to be permanent. Not the good, not the bad. So I just have to hope that we can see it through and see the good again.”

At last, she opened her eyes and turned to me with a toothy grin.

“So you’re planted firmly in the denial stage,” she remarked.

“I’m not in denial!” I got on the defensive. “I’ve been acknowledging how bad things are this whole time.”

“Ha! It’s not the lack of acknowledgment that makes you in denial, it’s that you think everything will return to normal on its own. That if we all just clap our hands and believe hard enough, then poof, happy days are here again. Go ahead and tell me I’m wrong.”

“You’re not…” I hung my head. “What do you propose we do, then?”

“I don’t know…”

We sat in silence for a moment and I kept my ears open, listening in for any possible conversation. There were some here and there, but nothing I could make out, as they all bled into other conversations being had. I had no choice but to throw in the towel. Unsure what else to do, I brought out a deck of tarot cards.

“I’m hoping for a good omen…” I muttered. It was like I was playing poker or something, a sort of spiritual game of poker.

As I shuffled the deck, I was brought to a fright by none other than Astraea herself.

“Hello, Sunny,” she blew forth those two words.

“Hey, kiddo. All done bringing everyone their orders?” I turned to her, still shuffling my deck.

“Yes. For now. Until the next one. Amen.”

“Hey! Look who it is! It’s Astraea!” Aurora chortled in excitement, nudging Allison along the way.

“Hello, human named Aurora,” Astraea greeted Aurora right back.

“Please, I’m begging you, just call me Aurora.”

“Very well, Aurora human,” Astraea closed her eyes and breathed life into her words.

“C’mon! How come Sunny is just Sunny? What about me?” Aurora began to whine.

“Because I wanted to annoy you. Yes.”

Tigershark must have taught Astraea about little tricks like that. I admit, it’s quite amusing.

“Dang, OK. I see how it is,” Aurora crossed her arms and pouted.

“What are you doing?” Astraea turned her attention to me and the shuffling of my cards.

“I’m doing a tarot session for myself,” I explained.

“What is ‘t-arrow’?” Astraea tilted her head.

“It’s sort of like fortune telling,” I tried to explain. “Each card is meant to represent something, and I’m curious as to what the future holds.”

“As am I. How interesting, then, that you can find that out through cards.”

“Ah, ha, I think it’s more complicated than that. It may show you a version of the future, but it’s still up to the reader to interpret its meaning.”

“May I watch?”

I nodded.

The shuffling continued until I felt a little spark, a spot of contentment, like a satisfying drop of water on my tongue. Then, I set the deck down and drew five cards and laid them out on the table. One by one, I flipped them face up.

“Let’s see...three of swords, the hanged man, the star, the hermit, and the world.”

As individual cards, I could tell each one in relation with the past, present, and future. However, I couldn’t say what it all meant when connected. I studied each one and just felt a murky, insatiable feeling. Maybe I could tell what it all meant, what everything was leading to, but at the same time, I refused to give myself the answer.

“Ha,” I laughed, “maybe it’s better not to know the future.”

“Why is that?”

“Well, I could say I have a pretty good idea...but I think it’s best not to tell.”

“I still don’t understand.”

“Let’s just say that right now, we’re in the middle, and the world is at the end. It should be a good thing, but I don’t know if I’m ready to face the world just yet. I’m still looking for that star.”

“I’m the star,” Astraea stated with great confidence.

“You sure are. Makes me wonder what role you play – if you are the middle, what is the hermit that will lead us to the world?”

Astraea shook her head.

“If it was me, every card would be the star.”

“Nothing else?”

“The stars are vast.”

“So past, present, and future?”

“And everything in between.”

I put the cards back into the deck and reshuffled, then put the deck back into the box. You could say that I made peace with the results. There were still other things that I hadn’t made peace with. Like the fact that I couldn’t see anything when I looked outside. No, it wasn’t a pitch darkness, but instead a thick buttermilk gravy-like shade.

“You know, something’s been bugging me,” Aurora brought up.

“Yes? What is it?”

“When this all first started, what did you mean when you said you could hear ‘voices of the dead’?” Aurora sounded like she was in disbelief that I would even say such a thing, but I remembered saying as such.

“Ah, you heard about that?” I chuckled.

“I’m not saying it’s a wrong assessment, but it just seems odd.”

“Now I’m curious as well,” Astraea chimed in. “I’m still new to the fact that humans die, but isn’t it known that a human must be alive to have a voice?”

“Oh, Astraea! I forgot you were still there!” Aurora gasped. She then gasped again when Astraea plopped down on the seat next to Aurora. That time, however, was less a surprised gasp and more of a pained gasp, as Aurora had her legs stretched out across the booth and now they were crushed under the weight of Astraea’s tush.

“Now you may remember,” Astraea spoke as if to comfort Aurora, then turned to me, “go on, Sunny.”

“Well, about the voice thing...not necessarily,” I corrected.

“What do you mean? Like, ghosts?” Aurora asked.

“What are ghosts?” Astraea also asked.

Hmm...I didn’t want to have to go back and forth answering two people’s questions, and the one using Aurora’s legs as her throne was the type to be full of nothing but questions.

“I think I can answer both of your guys’ questions. First, I think what I said back then may have been misleading. It wasn’t the dead that I heard, but rather something that felt devoid of any life.”

“Uh...no shi...i…” Aurora stopped herself from cursing, peering over at Astraea, who was bobbing her head and smiling. “...indig. No shindig. If somethings devoid of life, then it’s dead, isn’t it?”

That’s the best non-swear you could come up with?

“Please don’t interrupt,” I raised my index finger. “Anyway, it felt void of life. Like there was nothing in it. It was a voice, a noise, sure, but there were no words. It was like an imitation of words without a connection to them.”

“I see. I don’t get it at all, but I see,” Aurora replied while nodding. Astraea nodded as well.

“But this is why I’m not in denial, like you said,” I continued, “because nothing lasts and everything is in a constant state of change. Yes, when something ends, something else takes its place. But even that doesn’t have a true end. My childhood is gone, but my parents could remember moments of my childhood. There are places that I’ve been to that I’m not at right now, but I can still picture them through my memories. It’s through our memories that we are able to preserve things that have long since gone.”

“I recently learned what sleep is, but I don’t remember how I came to know it,” Astraea observed.

“But you remember sleeping now, right?”

Astraea nodded.

“And I remember watching others sleep, too.”

“Even if it’s not in our immediate consciousness, we remember things. We remember people, even long after they’re gone. Sometimes memories of a person can be fleeting, but to just remember at all, to just have them in your thoughts, gives them that much more life. In that sense, it could be said that no one really dies, because there’s someone out there to remember them.”

Aurora scowled. Maybe I had hit a touchy subject, given her lost crew members. But then again, it could have been possible that she lost others in the past as well. At last, she opened her mouth.

“Hm. Yeah. That tracks,” she said, all nonchalant.

“There’s a belief that says ghosts are just memories. Little flickers and images of someone who has since left. I suppose I subscribe to that belief as well. See, even if someone never knew them, wasn’t there to remember them, their spirit remembers. Little memories, like routines. That’s why it may appear like they pass through walls or show up in places they shouldn’t. It’s because that specific instance of memory is being played out. Those voices in the fog, they sound...forgotten, or detached from memory.”

“Mm. Living through memories. It would appear that you too are interesting, Sunny,” Astraea commented. By all accounts, I took it as a compliment.

“One possible interpretation of the death card in tarot is a form of change. How one thing ends and another begins. That’s not the only card to instigate change, but it’s the one I want to focus on. I didn’t draw it, but it’s what I’m looking forward to the most: the death of this fog, and for something new to take its place.”

Astraea hopped off and stood back up. Her gaze fixed on me, a focused endless chasm emanated from her pupils. As I stared, it seemed like the chasm grew wider, deeper, and darker.

“But if you remember the fog after it’s gone, wouldn’t you say that it’s lived on in your memories?”

“I…” I was stunned and speechless.

“I’m just wondering: how do you separate the memories that live on and the reality that you want?”

I should have had an answer. I shouldn’t have just let her walk away in wonder, but I too in that moment wondered what the answer was. It seemed so simple, right? Everything affects everything else, and even if the past doesn’t leave, it’s still possible to create new memories from the present and future, right?

It could have been fear. Not a fear of change. Many people had that fear, but that was one of the things I embraced, even sought out at times. But what I had a fear of...oh, I wasn’t even sure. Even if I knew, it would have been best not to say what it was.

Whatever stopped me from answering, I knew that the fog had affected Ray. He was worn down, torn, both on edge and out of energy. Kept him from smiling. Our lives were in upheaval and it seemed like I was the only one smiling. Or smiling for the both of us. But that wasn’t fair, was it? Should I even have been smiling at all?

On the off-chance we succeed and things got better, he would still be affected, and then the question would be: how much would he change at all? Or would there still be that little piece, somewhere in the back of his mind, always jaded and weary?

Still, I couldn’t help but be excited in that moment. The two of us, back to back, fighting those stone figures and us getting beaten up together. I couldn’t have asked for anything more.

As the one on his end readied for a punch, he tossed some more threads at the stone ‘fist’ and once the threads connected, he tugged the large rock right off. On my side, the other figure readied a fist as well.

“Hun, I’ve got an idea,” he proposed.

“OK, but first, here’s an idea: duck!” I shouted and we both ducked down as the animated pile of rocks shot their ‘arm’ forth. We just barely missed being hit. Thank goodness.

“Now, take the rock and get smashing,” he voiced his idea.

From my eyes formed an invisible line which connected to the large rock in front of me. Then, it registered.

“Right!” I snapped my fingers.

I grasped the large rock in both hands, then lifted it up and in a swift series of motions slammed it down against the rock creature on Ray’s side. The other, the one who wanted a piece of me so bad stormed over and Ray swerved out of their way. I too maneuvered around, then thrust the rock down upon their head and slammed it down a few more times in successive motions, each one harder than the last, until the figure before me shattered into pieces.

I huffed. What a workout. It took a moment of catching my breath to realize that there was still one more of those figures and they were targeting both Tigershark and Demetria.

“How are you holding up, you two?” I called over.

“Bad!” Tigershark yelled as she jumped out of the way of the stone creature’s fist.

“All I can do is dodge,” Demetria replied, more collected, though visibly frustrated, “my knives are no good against these things.”

Makes sense. They’d have to be some really sharp knives to have any hope of piercing through such large rock formations.

“Don’t worry about it!” I assured her, “I’ve got something to break them now!”

My attention then turned to Tigershark.

“As for you,” I dug inside my jacket. Not the pocket, but buried between my usual top and the inside of the jacket. It was the last item of use I had on me and it was a wonder it could fit at all. I tossed it over beside Tigershark. “Here’s that makeshift weapon you made, dear!”

They were two thick wooden stakes connected together by several layers of thread. I didn’t know how effective it would be, but Tigershark was strong, and something was better than nothing.

“Ooh! You remembered!” Tigershark looked down and held onto the threads in between.

“Go nuts, kiddo!” I raised my thumb up and grinned. She did the same back to me.

As I got ready to join in, two more of those figures emerged from the walls in front of us.

“God damn it, we just can’t catch a break,” I cursed.

“There’s more?!” Tigershark freaked out, although by now at least she was having fun alternating between jumping around and whacking her foe. “I hope Remora’s doing okay right now!”

“Jeez, you had to bring her up now?” Demetria sounded annoyed.

“Well, these things are tough and I’m worried about her,” Tigershark cried out, agitated.

“She’s probably fine. She’s tough,” Ray tried to reassure her as we prepared to fight more of those stone figures.

“Yeah, but that other her looked scary!” Tigershark cried out further, rather than her worries be allayed.

“Other her...ugh,” Demetria scrunched up her face. “When it comes down to it, she really is the self-sacrificing type.”

“What do you mean?” I asked.

Demetria looked back behind us through the low light of the tunnels. She turned back to us and shook her head.

“No. I need to stay here. You guys are more important.”

I couldn’t help but let out a little laugh.

“Go to her,” I sounded like I was giving her permission. Maybe I was.

“But –”

“You said so yourself: your knives are no good against these things.”

“But will you guys be okay?” She looked distressed, conflicted.

“Oh yeah! These things?” I pointed my thumb over. “I’ve faced worse.”

Once again, Demetria looked back, looked at us, then back again.

“I’m going to regret this, aren’t I?” She asked, deadpan and dreadful. Yet all the same, she turned back at last. “OK. But if I go, you guys better still be alive when I come back, got that?”

I nodded.

“Got it, dear.”

With that, Demetria ran off, back into the nightmare that was the basement of the diner. Once she was out of view, I looked forward where our enemies greeted us with open fists (well, closed, but seeing as they had no fingers, I had to play fast and loose with my metaphors).

“Now with her gone, it’s just us,” I looked over to Ray as I cracked my knuckles.

“I’m here too!” Tigershark jumped up and jabbed her stone enemy in its ‘head’, causing them to knock down.

“Right! It’s just us three!” I proclaimed. “And the three of us are going to kick butt, aren’t we?”

Really, I couldn’t have asked for more.

[herstarburststories]

Something About Pride

Summary: It's Pride Month! Dean tries to make sure you feel celebrated today, while Sammy has an inner dilemma about Castiel.

Pairings: Bi!Reader x Dean Winchester, Sam Winchester x Castiel

A/N: I had more alternative titles for that one (too in love to think straight and the gay angel), but this one fits a lot! A bit late, I know.

"Shouldn't you buy him a gift or something? It's like a full on gay Valentine's Day," Dean said in a husky voice, barely functioning in the light of morning as he prepared the daily coffee for him and Sam along with your cold lemon tea.

His little brother didn't bother giving him an articulate answer other than a mild glare at his back. (Y/N) simply rolled your eyes at your boyfriend's statement, a small grin on your lips. Dean could be simultaneously clueless, dumb and cute sometimes.

‘’I doubt Cass knows what pride month is, honestly.’’ You glance at Sam, resting your hand on his arm with a friendly smile. “But I think it would be cool if you somehow celebrated with him.’’ 

‘’Wait,’’ Dean interrupted the conversation, placing the coffee pot and your cup of tea on the table. ‘’Do you want to celebrate it?’’ he asked, suddenly worried about somehow being negligent on something important to you.

‘’Nah, I'm good. Being myself is all the celebration I need right now.’’ You grinned at him, withdrawing your hand arm to grab the cup full of chilled tea. It was adorable how caring Dean was. ‘’Besides, your gift this morning was good enough.’’

The wink you offered, followed by Dean's double-meaning smirk caused Sammy to huff lightly and purse his lips. ‘’Leave the weird kinks for the bedroom, guys. And more silently. I can hear.’’

His elder brother rolled his eyes and claimed the seat next to you. ‘’And I thought he would get some after he got with Cass.’’

‘’I think he would like it,” you continued after taking a sip of your tea. ‘’Maybe you could bring him to a parade?’’

‘’And explain him that pride month happens because people were killed and tortured for loving someone?’’ Sam replied, a hint of harshness in his voice. It was obvious he didn’t want to snap, but it could be a delicate situation when the brunette male thought about it. Castiel clearly knew that love has no boundaries regarding to gender — his angel nature and the fact that he had various vessels through the ages made him indifferent when it came to sex — but he probably wasn't aware that it hadn't been always like this on earth. Part of Sam didn't want to explain too much. For once, he wanted to make himself believe that not knowing could be a blessing.

You laid your eyes on him, a frown on your face. Dean was silent like he usually would be during conversations like this. Rather, he was pouring coffee for him and Sammy.

Sighing, the taller man tried to reason with himself. "I'm sorry, it's just — "

‘’It's okay. I get it,” you said, refusing further explanation. You remembered how nervous Sam was to tell Dean and how broken he was after realizing that John would never know part of what made him who he was. He was paralyzed, even, spine chilled with horror as he’d considered how his father could react. ‘’The accumulation of history, this heteronormative society. it’s buried deep inside everyone. It makes coming out necessary and scary, and even sometimes it backfires as if we were doing something wrong. Some people even tell us it’s something wrong, but that doesn’t make all that we have achieved any less important or beautiful.”

Dean's hand found your high under the table. It’s a soft squeeze and not in the teasing manner that you’re used to. His own little way of supporting you, of saying I'm here if you want to talk or drink about it. I have your back. He has been always supportive when it came to your bisexuality and his brother's sexuality. You pecked his cheek.

‘’I know, it is just…’’ Sam shrugged, his hazel eyes getting puffy. ‘’What Cas and I have — It's innocent. It's good. I don't want him to doubt it or something because of what a bunch of ignorant people think. Does that make sense?’’

‘’Cass has had the hots for you for years, dude. He didn't run away from us when he had to go against Chuck, go to the purgatory or when you offered him rabbit food. He won't leave anymore.’’

Although he coated his tongue with a humorous truth, it broke Dean's heart to hear the fragility in his little brother's voice. For as much as Castiel was his best friend, he was ready to punch the grace out of that angel if he hurt Sammy.

‘’He is right, Sam. Castiel wouldn't doubt your relationship for that. It's Pride Month. History isn't known for being pretty, but victorious. And we won.’’

‘’Sometimes I just wish we didn't have to fight,’’ Sammy said quietly, shrugging while he grabbed the cup of coffee to bring to his lips.

You gave him a solidary glare, an empathetic smile adding in your expression. You held his huge hand in yours, rubbing your thumb into Sam's palm.

‘’I know.’’ What was left to say? It was unfair as most things in centuries. It was revolting. But above all, it was changing. Love was finally being seen in every way. Things were slowly getting better. ‘’But we keep fighting, right? And we get something good.’’ You pulled away, drinking more of your lemon tea. Sam nodded, sniffling a bit while he recomposed himself. ‘’You could keep it simple if you explain, like…’’ 

‘’Tell him it is a full-month of exclusively gay Valentine,’’ Dean suggested, smiling genuinely at his idea and wiggling his eyebrows.

Sam sighed and you scrunched your nose, but had to agree with your boyfriend. That would be a good way to describe it to Castiel. 

‘’You could bring him to a parade or give him one of those tiny rainbow flags, like Captain Holt’s. It's cute!’’

Dean grimaced. ‘’Don't be that chick flick, Sammy.’’

‘’How is that chick flick, Winchester?’’ You arched your eyebrow, almost challenging him to continue.

The long-haired brother just chuckled at you two, rising from the chair with his cup in hand. He needed to think about Castiel and the whole month's explanation deal.

‘’All right, I'll let you two argue alone.’’

Sammy could hear the words that grow more quietly as he stepped away from the kitchen.

‘’Are you sure you don't want to go to a parade or something?’’

It brings an amount of pride that he didn't think he would feel, just like the joy.

Sam Winchester wasn’t the kind of man to get nervous mincing words, especially near his family. That was why he almost felt ashamed when the faint tremble in his voice became noticeable enough for even him to detect when he spoke to his boyfriend.

‘’So, Cass, I wanted to talk to you about something.’’

The hunter wanted to scream stupid at himself for the tiny frown on Castiel's usual tranquil expression. When Sam said similar words to the angel, it was most likely to be a life or death situation, or a Dean becoming a demon situation, or a Chuck about to destroy the world situation.

And he certainly wasn't this anxious when he first brought it up to his brother and you.

‘’What is this about?’’

‘’Full-gay Valentine's Day, but it's a month.’’ Dean arched his eyebrows, pursed lips parting into a proud smile. You slapped his arm. Unbelievable. ‘’What? You agree!’’

You held his arm and dragged him out of the room. Sam needed privacy. As you and his brother walked away between whispers, he let out a breath that he didn't even notice the holding. 

For a split of second, Sammy almost followed you two to bring Dean and his stupid jokes back to the subject.

The hunter coughed, but his angel lover just remained standing there; calm blue eyes waiting for his next speech, head subtly titled to the side because of his curiosity.

‘’Uh, Pride Month.’’

For his surprise, Castiel answered with a nod, ‘’The month of love, I believe? It is very colorful to see.’’

‘’You know what it is?’’ Sammy frowned in confusion, approaching his boyfriend with a soft smile. It was a weird relief. He wouldn't dare to tell Cass how some humans saw their relationship. Not that they mattered, anyway. But it'd haunt him how his lover could react. After all, Castiel was still considerably new to the human world as a dweller.

‘’Yes, I do. A month to celebrate romantic relationships,” the blue-eyed man said. Once he saw the look on Sam’s face, he quickly added, ‘’I saw it on the television.’’

‘’Yeah, it's, huh, kinda like that. But not fully.’’ He gave him a tight smile. Sammy was close enough to hold his hand, and so he did. God, it was possible to feel his body relax just with that mere touch. If Samuel didn't know any better, he'd theorize that he could sense Castiel's grace. But no, it must've been love in its purest form. ‘’It's important for relationships too, but it is mostly about self pride. Like accepting and praising part of who you are.’’

Cass intertwined their fingers, enjoying the way Sam's soul shone brighter to his closeness. It was such a majestic view.

‘’I was thinking, maybe we could go to one of them. Or just have a date. It's kind of our special month on earth. Well, the backstory isn't that nice, but — ’’

‘’Many things in humanity aren't, Sam. You are not a harmonic kind. Like bees,’’ Castiel said, butting into his human's babbling as he noticed how agitated his aura became. As if he was scared for some reason. Sam gulped, the prior anxious feeling crawling back in a bigger form. ‘’Although, it is an honorable celebration for a great cause. I would like to enjoy this with you.”

Sammy's mouth was open in a perfect shape of an O. Features echoing his mixed feelings of intrigue and shock, he had to make sure of what he heard by asking: ‘’You would?’’ 

‘’Yes, Sa — Honey.’’ The graceful being was still learning the perks of being in a romantic relationship. Pet names were a new thing to him, but honey was his favorite. Mostly because of its association with his favorite insect. ‘’We could go for one of the group walks on the street? The sensation to be there seems — ’’

“Freeing?’’ He smiled, pulling Castiel closer to his taller figure with a free hand. Not a worry in earth, hell and heaven catching his mind now.

Castiel curved his lips into a smile. It was tiny, but it was there, just like the hold on his waist. Would every move of his angel make him experience this peaceful embrace? He believed so. Perhaps that was the happiness that he found in the chaos of his life. That his brother found. And it was good. God, it was amazing. Heaven in one angel, just for him. 

‘’Exactly, like pride.’’ Sam's words come only to be soon replaced by his lips pressing against Castiel's in a kiss.

He felt so proud to love him. No one could take it away.

And they wouldn't.

Masterlist

Dean's Sweetheart: @akshi8278

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[iknowiknowiknowtheend]

as I lay in my bed unable to sleep I bring you more au garbage.

someone somewhere is going to say “oh bad ur such an angel.” because he’s so sweet n shit and he’s gonna be like “haha literally!” the angel joke will be made it’s been in my head ever since I went “yeah, bad=angel”.

bad and skeppy both wear bandanas around their necks and they swap them out sometimes, it kinda f’s up their set color pallets thingies but whatever it’s for the sake of platonic cuteness it can slide.

the au is has elements inspired to stuff from supernatural because I unfortunately like that show, I’ve already mention how schlatt’s deals are akin to demon deals and I figured I’d also mention au angels are like supernaturals angels. that being that they don’t float around with harps, they have stabby stab sticks and also generally don’t care about humans. with that being said any angel other than bad that might make an appearance would most likely be a huge asshole.

bad does have a sword but he gives it to skeppy at some point because skeps should probably have something to defend himself with and bad can just resign himself to throwing knives because haha cool.

bad and skeppy are kinda like wonder and silvia from the Disney (not) hit show Wonder Over Yonder, where they go around making friends/helping people.

okay okay I’ll stop talking about bad and skeppy now- I just haven’t touched on them as much as I have for the others so it was info dump about them time.

minx is a cool demon lady with a liiiittle too much power but whatever it’s chill (no it isn’t).

schlatts always had weird knowledge over magicy stuff- people born with sigils (things that help them do magic) are just born with it randomly and aren’t often gifted with knowledge of how the magic all works. like sure they can throw water around but that’s about it.

sigil magic can be conducted through runes, which can be carved into things (ex. schlatt carving tunes into his swords so he can do more fancy stuff with his fire powers)

the rune swords r good anyway for schlatt because he could really only do fire stuff through his hands/palms more specifically, and when you’ve got swords in hands that’s kinda hard bro.

anyway now we get into the ~old times~ with young schlatt who was a sword fighter because I guess he had nothing better to do with his life. he was good at it, like Coliseum fight people to the almost death and win way too often all the goddamn time good. and that was just for shits n giggles really.

so the good fighting skillz were what got him into the god killer bunch. minx probably picked him out, looked down at him and went “oh aye look at that guy down there he’s really good at this let’s get em-“

currently unsure of how to say schlatt got his immortality, he certainly wasn’t born an immortal ram guy. I’m thinking of maybe like minx curses him or something- maybe it’s just an all of the bunch thing that happens on some weird outing.

minx has always been immortal though, she’s a timeless demon.

anyway at some point schlatt fuckin drowns and wakes up on an island coughing up gallons of water because you can’t fucking breath if ur lungs r filled to the brim with salt water. (worth noting that was not a pleasant experience)

it’s part of my weird immortality rules- direct murder only is the singular way ur getting outta this mess. pretty much anything else under the sun goes as a “nope ur still getting to live, have fun.”

like charlie- charlie wasn’t part of the god killer bunch he came up years and years after, but schlatt gave him an apple that granted him immortality. charlie ate that apple as a regular human person and ended up (as seen in the immortals mini-reunion comic)one slimey boy in one slimey pit of despair. he fell in it and just became slime which would’ve normally killed him but hey it’s my bat-shit immortality rules so he’s fine. well, as long as you count still being alive but as a weird slime creature fine. whatever he’s alive- that’s the point.

anyway the immortal drowning rules are drowning, then passing out for a good while only to regain conciousness (hopefully somewhere dry) and coughing up the water in your lungs. not breathing can’t exactly kill you but you shouldn’t live with water in your lungs it’s not cool.

jeez I’m a terrible au god aren’t I?

*note to self stop saying anyway all the goddamn time*

as we’re on the topic of water I suppose I should discuss fundy a bit more. as much as I love both fundy and wilbur I’m not exactly sure what I’d be doing with them. they’d be minor characters that would stick around for a while and then get back to whatever it is they do most likely..

fundy should never be in the middle of a deep body of whatever because if he falls off he’s probably gonna fall to the bottom of said body of water and die. ironically if you’ve seen fundys impossible difficulty videos you’ve probable seen the feature where any water you come into proximity with just fuckin disappears, and that’s pretty much what fundys water powers are. he gets close to water and the water just disappears. although I might fix that to where instead of it being a passive always active thing, it’d have to be something he’d bring about himself. or could have it be that it is a passive always active thing but he’d have to concentrate to make it go away— that might work. cuz you know you can’t just NOT have water. okay long fundy paragraph cool I guess.

on to dream and george then-

dream and george grew up in the same general area. they were friends as kids n shit because why the fuck not, they would play in the forest and fight with sticks and be dumb because that’s what kids do. one day dream goes out (probably without George I haven’t decided 100% yet) he’s probably like 5 or 6 and he gets attacked by like a jackass monster or whatever and he gets this weird kinda freaky scar thing. so that’s why he wears the mask- it was at first because the wound was pretty bad and then he just had grown accustomed to it.

I’ll leave it at that because I can’t think of anything else + I’m hungy.

[oneweekoneband]

a hugely inexpert, absolutely correct examination of The Planets and their role in taylor swift turning out to be such a freak

Astrology is real. Astrology is made-up nonsense. Made-up nonsense is real. One person’s chosen organizing principle for living is no more or less stupid than anyone elses. All of this is true or maybe it isn’t. Don’t roll your eyes too hard, but Joan Didion wasn’t lying—we do tell ourselves stories in order to live. It’s about all we do. I don’t understand the stars and planets because I don’t believe it’s my business what happens up there, plus I’m a little dumb, but I, like any blubbering narcissist, enjoy being told something about myself, and what is a horoscope but an opaque little love note designed to be interpreted by the reader in whatever way suits them best. There are astrologers who write beautiful, empathetic horoscopes that are a balm whether you believe them or not, and in this way astrology has a cultural value which makes any dubious scientific purity irrelevant. I don’t understand the stars and planets, but I have friends that do, and I like hearing whatever they sort out. Certainly, I’m not immune to believing in spurious little rituals; I was raised Catholic. Thinking that your star sign is responsible for certain aspects of your personality is no more impractical than keeping a Saint Christopher medal in your car to protect you from danger while traveling. These days I do both. Astrology is possibly real or possibly is not and maybe it matters what “real” means or else it might not, yeah, but the philosophical questions recede in the face of one fact upon which we can all agree: Taylor Swift has a profoundly upsetting birth chart.

Right off the bat, just from an aesthetic standpoint, this image (above) is not inviting. I don’t like to see it. When I wrote about Taylor Swift on this site in 2013 I didn’t know my moon or rising signs. This knowledge was not yet mandatory for trying to date girls and/or understanding jokes online. I was, at that time, far from even the semi-astrologically-literate state I am in now, yet even then if you’d have shown me this image, I know I’d shudder. It doesn’t take a scholar of any kind to see this and feel a chill down your spine, the itch of cold, spectral fingers closing around your wrist. Look at it again. The painful bisection by those angry blue lines. If you found this painted on a cave wall you’d turn and run back towards the fresh air of the opening, blinking back tears, certain some undead beast was following in your wake. This is a birth chart that says I am capable of writing songs like “All Too Well” but sometimes what I like better is to name a cat after the worst David Fincher movie and do a anti-homophobia music video that actually is so bad it felt somehow like it itself was homophobia. This is a birth chart that says I am going to release my new album, Red (2012), with a promo wherein Papa John’s will bring you a copy of it along with your pizza. This is a birth chart that says yeah, I used to do a fake twang as a teenager, and then I dropped the fake twang, but I can bring it back with no notice sometimes so all the girls (mentally ill adult women who have a Pavlovian response to anything that kinda sounds like “Hey Stephen”) go wild.

Taylor Swift is a Sagittarius. That’s the one with the arrow. It’s one of the good signs, theoretically, because it’s one that I have a lot of in my own chart, and because it’s in November and December, which are months where you can wear all your coats. Some other Sagittarians include Brad Pitt, Britney Spears, Janelle Monae, 8th US President Martin Van Buren, Jane Fonda, my friend C., who, in fact, happens to share all three major placements, sun, moon, and rising, with Ms. Swift, but I still don’t think she’s murdered anyone, and, of course, Jake “Twin fire signs / Four Blue Eyes” Gyllenhaal. So we have basically a lot of hot people and one guy who died of asthma, but who did manage to get the highest ranking job in the country first, though the country was a lot smaller then, and didn’t even have McDonalds yet to serve to teams that win college football tournaments. All in all, seems okay. Her moon is in Cancer. I think this connotes something about the watery depths of her emotional self, and it’s the only astrological placement which gets a shout out in the Joni Mitchell song “Little Green”. Her rising sign is Scorpio which is, like... Well, Scorpio to me is Halloween and Blair Waldorf from Gossip Girl. Medically speaking, I think that influence is how the stylings for the reputation era turned out so very Hot Topic. My moon is in Scorpio so this is a self-own as much as anything else.

Now look at this. What does it mean? Impossible to say, but that will not stop me from concluding that whatever it does mean is definitely bad. It will not stop me from extrapolating that probably a “multiple planet opposition” is the kind of thing that makes a person go to Stonewall during Pride for a surprise appearance but perform “Shake It Off” instead of any of the actual really good and sexy songs. But then, I bet it probably also factored into her developing into the kind of creative mind who would write something as weird and funny and vital as “And I’ve been meaning to tell you / I think your house is haunted / your dad is always mad and that must be why,” so possibly bad is good and good is bad and the various astrological signs just signify the different ways we relate to death. I don’t know. I’m scared.

In the documentary Folkore: The Long Pond Studio Sessions, released on Disney+ last month to accompany the record, because this daughter of three generations of bank presidents is nothing if not a money-maker, Taylor wears a terrifying outfit that I started to like rather than recoil from by about halfway through, and while wearing it espouses a belief that we are all monsters, which I happen to figure is correct. In Madame Clairevoyant’s Guide to the Stars, essential book on astrology and, importantly, the vagaries of the human heart, the incomparable Claire Comstock-Gay writes, “For Sagittarius, the desire is shifting and undefined. This is a drive, above all else, to see, to learn, to experience, to continually seek knowledge. It’s a drive to live a life that never asks or requires that you cede your freedom and never requires you to stop searching.” Certainly, this is the kind of internal compass which would lead to making the unusual, dramatic, and frankly very cool decision to entirely re-record your first six albums when ownership of the original masters has fallen into the hands of a little creep named “””Scooter””” who refuses to relinquish this morally, if not actually legally, false claim. For years I have speculated that actual murder of a human would not be outside of Taylor Swift’s capabilities. This is a statement made with neither praise or criticism attached. It’s a clinical observation from a sterling mind. What I feel with equal conviction, but admit more grudgingly, is that, if it happened, she’d have a perfectly logical reason. (Note: Taylor, if you’re reading this, I am not the type who’d rat anyway. It’s fine. Please don’t sue me.) I’m positive the astrological facts support my findings on this, and if I’m wrong, fortunately I will never find out. Anyway, the next full moon is in 22 days. I always want to look at it and then I forget. There’s a lot going on in space, and while I do feel that any cosmic forces which would put me and Taylor Swift on Earth at the same time are sort of inherently malevolent, I guess it’s been pretty fun, too.

[notsoharsh]

Let’s Grab a Bite || Miriam & Harsh

Timing: A week ago Location: Eluria Cemetery Participants: @meflemming​ and @notsoharsh​ Summary: Harsh and Miriam skip out on a party to find common ground over a late night snack. Content warnings: Quick medical blood mention

Eluria Cemetery was almost like a tourist trap as far as Harsh was concerned. Maybe he was getting old, but there was something about the ragers that new vampires threw that just seemed exhausting now. They didn’t have the same shine as they used to when he would dive right into the middle. He had come by to get a couple drinks, but his attention had started waning before he had finished his first solo cup of spiked blood. Waving off a few enthusiastic hangers on, he wandered his way out of the large crypt. The night air was still and cool away from the stuffy tomb. Cup still dangling from his fingers, he found a headstone to lean against as his eyes drifted over the cemetery. A solitary figure caught his eye. A woman, but an unfamiliar one. She didn’t look like the rager type either. Idly, he pushed himself off the headstone, slowly sauntering over. “Don’t think I’ve seen you around here before. If you’re here for the party, I should warn you, it’s pretty lame.” 

Being around others of her “kind” always made Miriam a little perturbed. It wasn’t that she disliked other vampires. She simply didn’t care to get to know them. She had better things to do than go to Teeth or the Bloody Stake to indulge in blood with the rest of her cohorts. In fact, she had never been particularly attracted to the idea of sharing a meal with someone. Her meal tended to be long and messy, and she didn’t have time to share. So… she didn’t particularly understand why she’d been drawn to the party going on in Eluria. She’d been hunting magic users when she’d stumbled across it, the noise with a distinct lack of heartbeats catching her attention. She decided to watch a bit on the outskirts, intrigued and a bit disturbed by what was going on inside the crypt. They all seemed to be having fun, certainly. But she didn’t feel a part of them. She didn’t feel a part of anything. She noticed the gentleman walking towards her, though, and she gave him a charming smile. “I’m not one for parties, I’m afraid. Keep to myself, you know. And, well, if you say the party’s lame, darling, then I’m inclined to believe you. You seem like the type to know.”

“Oh, I do. I can spot a boring rager from a mile away.” Harsh offered his hand. “I’m Harsh, by the way. Are you new in town?” He couldn’t remember ever seeing her around, but then again, it wasn’t like he had been there particularly long either. There were always more vampires crawling out of the woodwork. He could probably live in White Crest for a hundred years and never quite meet all of them. Still, it never hurt to make a few new friends. Hanging around humans always posed a risk. There was a chance they might notice just how chilled his fingers were, or the smell of their blood might get a little too enticing. Though the music drifting from the party was on the edges of his awareness, he couldn’t pick up a heartbeat from the stranger. But, in White Crest, that could mean a whole mess of things. 

“Pleasure to meet you, Harsh. I’m Miriam,” she said, taking his hand. She gave him a wide grin. “Not new, no, I’ve lived here my whole life, actually. I just… had to leave for a bit.” Not that she could really leave town, a fact that embittered her every time she thought about it. She thought about the mausoleum on her property, of all the years she spent willingly trapped in there, not conscious but not sleeping, either. “What about you? Have you been in town very long?” She looked at the party going on a short distance away and gave a slight snort. “Besides being around long enough to tell a bad party from a good one, of course.” She felt uncomfortable even being within this proximity to the party. Not that she didn’t love parties; at least, she had when she was alive. There was just something that she didn’t really connect with when it came to supernatural ragers. They distracted her from her goals.

“Oh yeah? A local huh. Well, I’ve only been here for a little while, but I can’t blame you for needing to get away for a bit. This place is… kind of a lot,” Harsh said, with a little chuckle. Though he had only arrived some months ago, it felt like a few years worth of insanity had happened in that time. “Nah, not too long, well… actually, I think I’m getting near to six months now, so I guess that’s a decent while.” Following her look, Harsh nodded. “Well, that’s something I picked up way before White Crest. That one’s going to fizzle out fast. Y’know, I was thinking of going for a walk, I wouldn’t mind some company if you don’t have anything else going on tonight. How about it? Maybe we could even find something to eat?” The wink he added on was probably unnecessary, but if never hurt to tack on a little extra charm. 

“A lot is a terrible understatement,” Miriam said, smiling at this stranger. “But it’s home. Nowhere else I can ever hope to be. You get used to it.” She cocked her head a bit and nodded. Yes, she’d been awake for about six months, give or take. “I think the last six months have been the weirdest I’ve ever experienced in my time living here, which is saying something, truly.” Of all the witches and vampires, werewolves and fae, none of them had ever caused as much trouble as the last six months. It was as terrifying as it was exhilarating. Miriam cast her eyes back to the party that she’d had no interest in to begin with and then back to the vampire in front of her, one of the few she’d met that she actually found interesting. She grinned. “Well, when a gentleman like you ask, how could a lady possibly say no? A walk and a bite to eat would be lovely.” She wasn’t even particularly thirsty. Maybe she just craved the company. “Tell me, Harsh, what’s your favorite flavor?”

“Fair enough,” Harsh said, with a little chuckle. He definitely couldn’t argue with that. “Huh, I wonder if it’s just gotten extra weird recently. I’ve kinda traveled a lot and I’ve never been anywhere with as much weird as White Crest. It keeps things interesting at least.” As exhausting as the place could be, Harsh couldn’t recall the last time he was bored. Between the killer mimes and all the other nonsense that seemed to make the front page every few days, there was always something to keep busy with. Smiling, he moved to fall into step at Miriam’s side. The smell of death was everywhere, pretty normal. Somewhere past that, toward the edge of the graveyard, there was something a little more lively. Maybe a jogger or someone out walking their dog. Whoever they were, it probably wasn’t their lucky night. “Hmm, depends what I’m in the mood for, I guess. I like spicy things most of the time… but I don’t mind a little B positive now and then. What about you?”

“It wasn’t this strange, when I was growing up,” Miriam said, though she frowned. “Or, if it was, it was a lot easier to ignore. You’re certainly right, though. Never a dull moment around here.” She looked at him, interested and curious. “Where all have you traveled to? I haven’t been out in the world too much.” She regretted that, now. She should have traveled when she was alive, before she was stuck here, forever a prisoner in the place she’d always called home, haven. She supposed there were worse places to be trapped. At least White Crest was familiar. She glanced towards the sound of life, a heartbeat, a quickened pulse. It didn’t stir her appetite so much as remind her that she could go for a bite, if she were so inclined. And, looking at the gentleman beside her, she felt inclined. “Spicy things are nice, the stronger the better. Just so that it has any flavor at all. I find I’m not particularly picky, though,” she paused, “magic users. I think that’s my particular flavor of choice.” Miriam laughed, keeping her tone light. “ Of course, I know it’s just my mind probably playing tricks on me, but, I don’t know. I like to imagine that the magic in their blood gives it an extra kick.”

“Huh, I wonder if something’s changed,” Harsh said, frowning. It would make sense. If a place was always as weird as White Crest, why would anyone still live there? “Oh, all over. I cruised around Europe for a while, spent a couple years in India, then Australia. I’m, uh, a little older than I look. I sort of get this itch when I’ve been in one place for too long, y’know?” There was also the fact that… by the time Harsh left a place, he usually wasn’t exactly welcome there anymore. “Spellcasters huh? They do have a little kick to them sometimes, you’re not wrong. I remember this one guy I ate--he said he was a warlock or something, what a nerd--but he was the best I’d had in a while.” It was freeing, talking about eating people without worrying that he was about to get staked. He spent so much time, too much, trying to be normal, to pretend like he fit in with boring old humans. Not having to constantly watch his words, play the sweet little goody goody, it was a massive relief. The heartbeat was getting closer, a bouncing, healthy thrum. Harsh licked his lips. “So, do you wanna do the honors, or do you want me to grab dinner?”

“Maybe it’s aliens,” Miriam mused. “That used to be a big theory for some of the weirdness back in the eighties. Or maybe someone opened a portal to hell and let all the monsters out.” She grinned a bit. “More fun for us, huh?” She listen to him talk about where all he’s been, fascinated and more than a little jealous. “What’s your favorite place, that you’ve been? The place that makes you the happiest, or that you think is the prettiest?” It had been stupid, in her youth, to not enjoy the world while she could. “We’re all a bit older than we look, I suppose, though I’m only,” she paused, trying to remember, “sixty? Not old, by our standards, I suppose.” Though, how the hell was she supposed to know? Her interactions with vampires were limited, to say the least. “Spellcasters. My husband was one. Technically, I suppose he’s still one. A very dead one, along with the rest of his wretched family. The blood’s nice. The screams are better.” Miriam could so rarely talk about this. Morgan would judge her for it, hate her for it, and Evelyn… Miriam didn’t want to bring Evelyn into any of this at all. Both of them knew about her preferences, but they couldn’t understand it. Not like Harsh possibly, hopefully could. “Oh, you do the honors, darling. I wasn’t expecting a meal, anyway, so this is a real treat. I’m following your lead.”

“Could be. I feel like aliens would want to land somewhere a little more interesting though. Hell portal sounds about right though.” With all the strangeness Harsh had seen, that actually didn’t seem all that far off. It would explain some of the things he had seen at the hospital. “My favorite, oh that’s tough. Probably Paris, I hung out in the catacombs for a while.” He glanced over her, nodding a little. She didn’t look sixty, but then, he didn’t look over a hundred. The whole not aging thing definitely had its perks. “That’s not bad. I’m a little older than that… just take sixty and add a hundred. Or two.” It was weird saying it out loud. He had been telling people he was just twenty-eight for more than two centuries, it almost felt wrong. A little smile curled onto his face. “So you like it when they scream? Y’know, I gotta say, a little background noise makes it even sweeter. I usually try to keep them quiet, but sometimes, it’s nice to know you can still scare the shit out of people.” People were so desensitized these days, especially here. Grin growing, Harsh nodded. He didn’t need much more encouragement than that. They were closer now, enough to make out the jogger. The poor idiot was headed right for them. Bad night to try to get some exercise. Harsh let his pace quicken. Two beats of their heart, three. Harsh struck the second they were in reach. He jabbed sharply, catching their throat, leaving them stumbling and wheezing, momentum still carrying them a few more steps. Harsh was there in an instant, the jogger’s leg crunching soundly as he brought his foot down. They were still coughing, struggling to scramble away when Harsh’s teeth sank into their arm. 

“What?” Miriam asked with mock-indignation. “You don’t think that White Crest is just the most interesting place in the world?” She smirked though, not truly invested in her words. She was far more interested in his. “Paris always sounded lovely, and I once heard about how lively the catacombs are, all things considered.” She couldn’t remember the last time she’d had a conversation with a vampire, much less one so old. She wondered, for probably the first time, about her maker. How old were they? Were they still in town? Did she actually care? “Well, I think we both look good for our age, don’t you?” She smiled back at him, showing her teeth. Her fangs. “I think the screaming, the fear, that’s the best part. Probably better than the blood, sometimes,” she said, a bit quietly. It didn’t matter. With his hearing, she knew he could hear her. She followed him, let him go in first. Hesitated, momentarily. This was… a new experience. Was this what their kind was supposed to do? Hunt together, feed together, a sort of twisted community founded on the blood that others provided. She found that she wasn’t against it, exactly. She rushed forward herself, taking the jogger’s other arm. She ran the tips of her fingers over the flesh near their wrist before digging her nails in, savoring the agony it brought them. She could almost imagine she felt magic inside them and wondered if it was real or not. Whatever it was, it felt heady as she brought her mouth to their already bleeding wrist and drank.

“I mean, it’s got it’s upsides, but I think that it leaves something to be desired.” Harsh didn’t have quite the hatred for White Crest that some of the locals seemed to, but… it didn’t take a genius or even a soul to see why they wanted to be anywhere else. “They’re great. I had a couple buddies there, we’d hang around and pick off tourists who got lost.” Maybe not the most noble way to hunt, but it was fun. Sometimes being the villain in a horror movie scenario was a pretty sweet gig. He nodded. “The fear makes it better sometimes. It’s a rush, isn’t it? Seeing that panic and knowing you did that.” A little sadistic maybe, Harsh had the awareness to see that at least, even if it wouldn’t stop him doing it. It felt good. Why should he hold himself back from one of un-life’s greatest pleasures? He watched, almost gleefully as Miriam sank her teeth in. This was how it should be. Eating, doing whatever they wanted without worrying about some damn slayer giving them crap for it. He drank deep as the struggling slowed and stopped, wiping his mouth as he pulled away. “Not as good as a witch, but I bet we can find one… maybe later on, if you’re already full.”

Snorting, Miriam said, “It leaves quite a good bit to be desired, one finds, especially when it’s impossible to leave.” She loved this town, the way it inspired a childhood nostalgia in her, but she wished she’d seen more of the world when the door had been open for her. Now she was held in this town by some sort of curse or strange happenstance, and there appeared to be no way to fix it. “Sounds delightful, darling. Fine dining, certainly. I’d imagine France is known for all that.” She liked this man, his understanding of her, his lack of moral high ground. They weren’t the same, but they understood each other. “It really does. Gives the whole experience a nice kick.” Perhaps he didn’t feed off of it the way she did, but that was fine. She’d never enjoyed feeding like this, but maybe that was because she’d never tried to share the experience. This was nice. It was far more than she needed, bloodwise, but it was nice, and it felt good, and, really, what need did she have to curb herself? What want, what desire, would make her stop? As the jogger took their last breath, there was none. Miriam licked her lips, grinning at the other vampire. “No, but it certainly hit the spot.” She checked her watch, making sure the sun was nowhere near rising. She should get back to her home, to her guest, but… this could be more satisfactory, if they found a witch, if she could properly feed and not feel so hollow. “Why the hell not? I wouldn’t mind a bit of an overindulgence, myself, and we’ve got a bit of time.” She raised an eyebrow. “Only if your interested, though, of course.”

“Impossible to leave? Are you trapped here?” Harsh frowned. White Crest was fine for a visit, but being trapped here or anywhere sounded like a nightmare. He would’ve staked himself years ago if he had been stuck in his hometown. Staying in one place had never suited him. “Right? That panic, I always like that.” It had been a while since he had really let someone get nice and frantic before he had bitten into them. That wasn’t a good look for his attempts at good deeds. But that didn’t matter now. He could take things nice and slow, make it last, really revel in that fear. And now there was someone to enjoy it with. Bending, he grabbed the body, hauling it up and tossing it over his shoulder. “Oh, I’m very interested. Let’s get rid of this guy and then we can go find ourselves a witch. I’m thinking we maul him a little then drop him in the woods. Works every time.” He offered his free arm to Miriam, grin wide.

“Yes,” Miriam said, bitterly. “I can’t go past the damn town line. It’s a bitch.” She’d never truly forgive her younger self’s foolishness, thinking that she’d have all the time in the world to explore and live. She made do, though, and it wasn’t like there wasn’t plenty of hunting to do in White Crest. For better or worse, there was just about always a spellcaster waiting in the wings to snack on. “I’m glad someone else gets it,” she told him with a smile, using her thumb to clean the last bit of blood from her lips. She knew he probably didn’t exactly get it. Harsh, though a vampire, most likely couldn’t truly understand her plight. Still, this was nice, to have a meal with someone like herself and properly enjoy it. “Marvelous,” she said, taking Harsh’s arm. For a man with a name like that, he was an absolute gentleman. “I absolutely agree. That’s a perfect way to get rid of a body. Let’s get to it, then.”