#((and if there's anyone whose got the power to bring it back; it'd be him!))

[theheadlessgroom]

https://www.tumblr.com/beatingheart-bride/716100665025445888/theheadlessgroom-beatingheart-bride

@beatingheart-bride

“Oh...”

The look on her face said it all, and Randall found himself faltering in response: A part of him was afraid that that would be her answer, and her expression only confirmed it. She was ultimately alone in the world-no family, no friends, no one. 

In a way, he could relate: Outside of his parents, he didn’t have any friends...the one he’d had as a boy he’d lost contact with when his parents sent him away to boarding school, and it wasn’t like he was all that chummy with his coworkers, who tended to ignore him and keep to themselves, and his boss was no better. He didn’t have any friends outside of work either; his life just consisted of getting up, going to work, and going home. Again, he was fortunate to have his parents in his life, and was grateful for them, but even so...

Swallowing hard, Randall still managed to put a smile on for her (understanding how she felt, in a way, and wanting to remedy that feeling for the both of them; in a way, he supposed, they already were, given the time they’d been spending together, however brief, and he was grateful for it), suggesting in a hopeful tone, “Maybe...we could be friends? You and I?” 

He gestured between the two of them to underscore this, before adding, his tone as gentle as his gaze as he said, hoping she would understand and accept, “I...I would like to be your friend, Emily.”

[atoriv-art]

What's your favorite Nejigaa headcanon?

love when i get these so i get to ramble. thank you so much

well i started to be fond of them as a pairing from the idea of neji finding some solace from his clan issues in suna! he initially started going there as just as extra protection sent by konoha for gaara in whatever diplomatic business he might be on, but eventually gaara starts requesting him specifically because

it gives neji some space from konoha as he knows it stresses him out, and gaara post-chunin exams is someone who really wants to offer others a helping hand when he can

he's fond of him :3 there's some brief panels in chunin exams where you see gaara appearing to be a bit fixated on neji (like he got fixated on sasuke, just to a much lesser extent) and i think that would morph into fondness as he chills out and no longer sees people whose anger he relates to as 'prey', so to speak!

the whole 'you almost killed my teammate' thing wouldn't just go away immediately even if gaara Is friendly with lee, imo neji is the type of person to hold onto those grudges even if lee himself might not, but he's also someone who is very easy to disarm with like... honesty and empathy. and as much as gaara is stone-faced, he is also very much someone who has a lot of both! his Tone initially rubs neji the wrong way because it's just So unfiltered, but it also gets to him because it's impossible to dispute gaara's sincerity when he puts everything so bluntly, yknow? and as someone who grew up hiding or otherwise obscuring many of his true feelings (majorly by necessity, but later on also out of sheer habit), it's a trait that neji finds very very admirable — its part of why i like him with sasuke too, i think neji is drawn to people who are very openly themselves, people whose ideals are impossible to ignore

this got so long (as youd expect.) and definitely strayed from the initial ask so here's a read-more <3

neji fusses over him a lot id say, he comes to think of gaara as a very noble person — someone with power and who is trying to make the world a better place with that power — and he gets protective over people he considers so fundamentally Good. i think it's nice for gaara to have someone like that around (esp divorced from his past, a bond that he's managed to build on his own by his own merits) and it gives him a lot of fondness for neji in return :)

a lot of their rs progression is this back and forth of finding out like, how much the other Feels and how gentle the other can be when not forced into situations that bring out the worst out of them.. i Love the idea of gaara's disposition softening up (being more outwardly sweet, more playful) a lot as he grows closer to people, it's why i like drawing him being so affectionate even though he's so introverted... i think the contrast is cute :-)

i'm also super fond of the thought of them unpacking some of their family troubles together lmao, i think it'd especially be good for gaara as he has a lot to retroactively think about once he's not on survival mode 24/7 and he might benefit from a detached third party as a listening ear — his siblings have their own baggage attached to their father, their mother, and their uncle, after all. and well if anyone knows what it's like to have a complicated family history it's neji :P

also as a bonus. imo temari+kankuro would get along with neji (…after a bit. everyone involved here is a bit of an asshole but that's part of their charm ok.) but kankuro treats him like he's his secret extra sibling. meaning he really likes the guy but also meaning he will not know peace under their roof. they argue about anything and everything

hinata and gaara also get along pretty well despite gaaras Past. mostly because i think hinata should be friends with every autism boy there is (shino. sai. etc) but also because i think the thought of her being like "i know he used to be a serial killer but let's hear him out people can change 🥺 he's so sweet he likes plants" is really funny

[angelthemanspanker]

my most tinfoil hat AtS opinion is that legit straight up canon spangel was like RIGHT beneath the surface of season 5, like the show was ready to pivot in the direction of them being at least friends with benefits at a moment's notice despite fate and the censors' best efforts

Season 1 had shit like Angel's first power walk shot set against a pride flag and him awkwardly telling guys he wasn't hitting on them, going for a kinda Adam West Batman kinda gay thing where people assume that about him bc it's the early 2000s and his clothes fit VS Season 5 in the premiere alone giving us Angel correcting a guy who calls him a "little fairy" with "I'm not little" and the legendary, blog-inspiring "I have no problem spanking men" (one of which he says to a guy he's about to kill and one to a guy he knocked out, almost like Angel lets gayer behaviour slip if he's around people who can't bring it up later hm) followed by the only man we KNOW Angel has fucked literally appearing from thin air in his office

then you get Life of the Party where Angel's Whacky Magic Antics are set off by Lorne telling Angel and the person he's having sexually tense arguments with to get a room, causing him to have ill-advised hate sex he ordinarily would not have with someone he is reluctantly attracted to. and I believe in my BONES that at SOME POINT in the scripting process that that person was gonna be Spike. Even setting aside my admittedly subjective opinion that Angel and Eve had even less sexual chemistry than Xander and Willow, it just... scans. Angel and Spike have their "I need to get our faces within an inch of each other or I'll die" arguments in front of EVERYBODY in literally every episode of the season, so I feel like if Lorne was gonna say it about ANYONE it'd be about them. I will never budge from my belief that Spike still being a ghost at this point and early 2000s tv politics caused them to abandon the Angel And Spike Magically Fuck At The Party plot early in the writing process for the episode and slot Eve in there instead while Spike gets the easy-to-write-into-existing-scenes positivity thing.

and THEN. AND THEN. it becomes a plot point that the show Angel's friends are suddenly really on board with him getting back out there dating-wise (the unperson-ing of Cordelia helps here. whee.), with us all suddenly being in agreement that there is little to no danger of his curse being triggered by sex (even though both times he's lost the soul since his curse, real or imagined sex played a significant role in the moment of happiness). Like, Nina is one of the more one-dimensional characters in the Buffyverse and her midness seems to be for the purpose of setting the audience at ease that Angel's soul ain't going anywhere from hooking up with her.

WESLEY is all for it! Wesley "Most Paranoid and Prepared For The Return of Angelus" Wyndam-Pryce is saying look man we're all rooting for you go have a relationship with a girl whose only flaw that I can come up with is that she's a werewolf. Like sir??? How can you be sure the Beautiful Engaging Young Woman Who Actually Wants You won't accidentally make Angel happy with her extremely inoffensive flavour of Nice?

Whereas if, say, there was a beautiful, engaging blonde who actually wants Angel and Angel wants but comes with the caveat that THIS beautiful blonde not only drives Angel up the fucking wall but recently had magical sex with Angel at the office party in front of the whole main cast, proving that as much as Angel gets off on screwing Spike that he is Not happy about it? I can see Wes giving the all clear on that one ngl

bonus points that Angel and Nina got the Official Couple upgrade in Smile Time which comes right before the Illyria tragedy forces Angel and Spike into the... maybe not friendly but LESS hostile dynamic they keep for the rest of the show, so the season structure of their relationship still follows a lot of the same beats. honestly besides getting a lot more moments of David Boreanaz and James Marsters trying to out-six-pack each other in their post-coital shirtless scenes the only thing you'd need to do is change the world-shattering "Me and Angel have never been intimate. Well except that one..." to something along the lines of "Me and Angel have never been intimate, I just shag the bastard"

[skrunksthatwunk]

somebody's probably already talked about this but i cant get that fucking mountain goats post outta my head and ive been talking to myself about love as a central theme of frankly most art but especially the art i love the most and i got to undertale and i need to talk about it

god it's all about love. wanting love, not wanting to lose it, grief, hope, determination, it's all fucking love in like 8 different hats. it's the monsters' love they show you (the mercy they show you) that allows frisk to help them get their freedom, it's the player's love for them that brings mercy in the first place, it's all fucking love.

flowey only got his power to reset from dying with his sibling after an act of love for them and you know what he did? he spent years of his life interacting with the people and world as much as he could, in as many ways as possible. he loved being with them and wanted to experience everything because everything was worthwhile to him because of love. and that greed for love led to oversaturation, led to boredom, led to him hurting people to feel anything in that absence of love. he never stopped loving chara, y'know? he was always looking for someone else to play with, someone who could make him feel like nothing had happened. so much so that he follows frisk throughout the underground, insists on keeping them and you there as much as possible, both bitter and needy. and he has to admit that frisk isn't chara to move on. you're not them. they're gone. asriel's gone, too, or will be after this. it's love for chara that leads him to break the barrier, as it was for asgore to try and stop you, and for toriel to take you in at the beginning and the end. it was the desire for love that kept him from letting go, and that caused him to harm so many, as it was for alphys, undyne, asgore, toriel, etc. him, arguably more than anyone else, hurt people out of desire for love and grief over it. and it's him acknowledging that desire and letting it go when it hurts people that sets everyone free.

it is love that makes you go back through the underground, calling papyrus and undyne and toriel in every room just to see their different responses. it is love that leads you to check everywhere before finally ending the game. it is love that leads you back to where your friends are standing, talking about how they've been changed by you, about how the love between you has led to this. it's love that makes you end it to see them happy, and curiosity (which in this case is often just greed for love) to some extent.

and it is love and greed for it that brings you to the reset screen. and flowey, whose desire for love almost consumed everything, that kept the people he loved from their happy endings, from their futures, that asks you to reconsider. having seen all you have, having seen his mistakes, and how happy your friends are now, are you willing to put your desire for love above their happiness? above their freedom? will you make the same choice as him after seeing what harm it caused, after finally getting what you wanted? because whatever reason for resetting you have, it'd probably boil down to love in some way. love for the characters, for the game (experience or lore), etc.

flowey's downfall, to some extent, was in the apathy that came from overconsumption. instead of cherishing the life he had, he had to know the rest. he couldn't let it lie, couldn't find peace about it and move on. he had one life, as do you, as do (in theory) these characters, one you would at that point snatch from them by resetting. flowey's asking you to think twice about whether or not you want to control them, to play with their lives for your own happiness. even if it is out of love.

because it always is.

[starshiningsirius]

Lone fae (Yandere Malleus x reader)

To my favorite lonley dragon fae happy birthday!

Malleus had been told about a fae living in a town of humans for quite some time now. At first he had become angry seeing as he was King and someone would dare ally themselves with the enemy. He'd punish them himself. As if any traitor could stand against him and live was a mistake that'd cost them their lives. He told his advisor and guardian Lilia that'd he'd be back after dealing with said traitor.

Only to get to said town and notice a woman with pointy ears, beauty beyond belief, picking berries within the forest that surrounded the town. At first he kept his composure watching for a moment maybe a bit longer considering she acknowledged his presence.

"Ah, hello sir."

She didn't know who he was? That was surprising literally everyone whose anyone knew the Fae King and would tremble at the mention of his name. Yet this naive little fae knew nothing about who she spoke to. How cute.

'A fae in the village? How strange do they not know about our hatred towards humans?'

"Hello." He had his arms crossed and came out into the open.

She noticed the ears and instantly became curious.

"Our ears are similar." She murmured it under her breath, but Malleus still heard it. She noticed his horns too and realized that she must have been a bit different since she lacked them.

'So she hasn't met her own kind before?'

That was how their first encounter went. They chatted for a little while exchanging names as Malleus wanted to test if she knew him by that but got no reaction. Malleus watched her go back all the way to her house in secret of course. From high up in the air. As soon as he saw where she lived he went back home.

'This so called "traitor" would require a bit more inquiry.'

* * *

He decided to find out himself, her background by asking a different question to gain some information.

"Y/n do you have a family?"

"Hm? I have a little brother named Aiden at home but that's about it."

"What about your parents?"

"I can't recall when I was kid all I remember was waking up in an alley with Aiden crying in my arms. There was a- .... lot of blood about the place my dress that was once white had been stained. Anything before that isn't anything I probably want to remember considering that scene alone." She trembled for a second before continuing to pick herbs and berries from bushes. Malleus sided eyed her reaction feeling slight guilt towards it.

"I see, my apologies for bringing up troublesome memories." Malleus wasn't hard of hearing considering how she paused as if she didn't want to recall the gory scene. Yet still she smiled without much effort it was small but it did make him feel some what relieved.

"It's fine your the only person I've told. No one else talks to me in town and I'm not ready to tell Aiden yet with his innocence, I'd rather not taint. He's all I've got and I don't want to lose him."

* * *

He understood quite a bit now pertaining to their situation. He had to admit though, he had become fond of the female fae. Someone so innocent and docile couldn't be a traitor. Lilia saw that the situation was taking longer than expected and decided to accompany Malleus this go around.

He wanted to see for himself if Malleus was being fooled, though he doubted it. Not only that but for the sake of his own boredom in the castle and to satiate his own curiosity.

"Y/n this here, is a comrade of mine." Malleus stood next to his comrade, a short cheerful looking child with bright magenta stripes of hair under the black side. Two pointy ears stood on the side of his head too.

She was happy to say the least to know two new similar people to her at the very least. Today happened to be the day Malleus was going to meet Aiden. She didn't mind Lilia tagging along of course.

"Lilia Vanrouge, Ms. a pleasure." He looked rather young in her opinion but his voice signaled to not be fooled by his appearance. She shook hands with the male who brought a pleasant atmosphere with him.

* * *

"So your Malleus huh? My sister speaks very fondly of you sir. She's been talking about you for centuries!" The little boy exaggerated making Malleus's eyes widen and at first he felt an overwhelming amount of happiness with how he had made a good impression.

Both him and Lilia chuckled to themselves as the girl who had been in the same room blushed furiously from embarrassment. Taking her brother by the arm she glared at him.

"Aiden you know that isn't true, you asked where I had been and I answered." She strained her voice to try and put emphasis on her truth only to receive laughter from the boy.

Lilia came up to him patting his head with a smile.

"Fondly and centuries such large words for a child so young." Lilia had felt a slight connection to the energetic youngster. He thought it'd be fun to get to know him better.

"Sis is teaching me to read and write words from the dictionary! I'm very ingenious!" He was smug about the new words he was learning with a proud smile causing Lilia to laugh.

Malleus had a smile on his face small and affectionate but a few other thoughts came up to his mind upon thinking about the boys words. He looked toward his sister who was now in the kitchen making dinner.

"Aren't there schools about here he could go to?" His concern for the child was showing.

"There are but with his ears, I'd rather not take chances until his hair grows out, not to mention his abilities are still uncontrolled, and we're kinda barely keeping this house, so school isn't much of an option at the moment." She looked down chopping vegetables but was still focused. Until her brother spoke again.

"Look I can do magic!" He was so enthusiastic, but the dread look on his sister's face said it all.

"No! Don't you dare we can't hope to fix the ceiling!" She yelled but Lilia stopped her seeing as she yelled she covered her mouth in realization.

"Worry not my dear, let me see this young lad do magic. I'll make sure he doesn't damage anything." He was calm and collected which was shocked her but she let him do as he wished.

Aiden whose excitement had been on the rise at the thought of showing someone else raised his hand and emitted a large slew of green flames rising fast. Of course it actually shocked both Lilia and Malleus to see the color itself and how big the flames he conjured were.

Lilia had regained his composure for a split second and created some wind to dispell the flames before they could reach the ceiling and burn a hole. Malleus and Lilia looked at each other knowingly for a moment before Lilia showed a smile toward the young boy with his fangs gleaming in the light.

"I see the problem your letting out all of your mana at once young one, still your mind and channel the flow to ignite a single flame." He advised carefully with hand on Aiden's shoulder.

Malleus felt as if he was watching a younger version of himself seeing his guardian teach another. The young fae had followed Lilia's teachings to a tee and a small green flame became lit in front of him.

"Sister! Sister! Did you see I got it! I did it!" He was jumping up for joy at his achievement.

"Yes I see thank you Lilia. You thank him too Aiden." She was happy to say the least, it was as if good fortune was brought with them to have met these two.

"Thank you Lilia!"

"Your welcome dear child you can learn with me anytime. You have a lot of potential that shouldn't be wasted." That made his eyes light up in pure unadulterated excitement.

"Sister did you hear that!"

"I did." She was just relieved someone could teach him besides all her past failed attempts.

"So does that mean you can use magic too then?" Malleus had wandered closer to her without her knowledge it made her flinch. Seeing the anticipation of her answer in his eyes, she answered him.

"Yes though mine's is a bit more controlled. I can conjure wind and green flames. As well as levitate a multitude of things toward me at once but that's about it. I haven't had too much time to practice." She waved her hand with a slight glow and brought a couple of ingredients in cupboards down on to the counter letting them shut on their own again.

Holding put her hand she conjured a small green flame that wouldn't cause any damage over the palm of her hand.

"Seems like your well taught." Lilia mentioned.

"That's only because before we got this house we lived in the forest and magic made things a bit easier, but otherwise while we live here we don't have a use for it. Aiden still wants to learn but my teaching can only go so far as I don't know much on the subject." She looked somewhat frustrated at her own uselessness. Malleus could tell she wasn't lying about what she could do that's for sure.

* * *

After dinner both fae left the home walking out but saying goodbye to the siblings. At first they walked away from the house, but soon to prevent from being seen by any late night walkers they teleported to the castle.

"A pair of fae with royal blood is rare. I do wonder how the both of them ended up in that human village though." Lilia started off by saying.

Green flames were the insignia to regal blood for fae even Malleus knew that fact. Known to be the most powerful of all faes. Yet two were living in a human town right within the heart of the enemy and neither knew.

"Yes but from what I've been able to tell whoever had taken care of them is probably dead. Slaughtered by humans most likely. She said she wasn't able to remember anything before that. I'm assuming her and her brother come from some line thought to have been killed when the war against the humans started." Malleus recalled all he learned about her over the past few weeks he came to know her.

"Such a shame those two don't even know their own kind. Living their life in solitude as outcasts when they could be a lot more free if they lived here." Lilia did actually feel pity for the pair of souls having grown an attachment toward the younger sibling as he had taught Malleus when he was young as well. Those days were reminiscent for him. Aiden just happened to be similar to young Malleus in that regard.

"Malleus, if any humans discover royal fae over in that village they'll be killed. It's only a matter of when." He stated that matter of factly considering he was a general during the aforementioned war and many fae had been chased out of human villages. The ones left had been unfortunate to be victims that were sacrificed.

"I know, I won't let them lay a finger on either of them. Get Silver and Sebek have the staff prepare two rooms in the castle for our guests." Malleus walked away from Lilia without a second thought after saying what he wanted done.

"I was hoping you'd say that. Seems you've gotten attached to her in a different way. Ah, I'm so glad to see you chasing after someone, it feels like ages since you've been small so long ago. I'll have little Aiden to teach all the stuff I once taught you. What a joyous occasion to think someone will finally sit on the throne next to you." Lilia smiled feeling eager and chipper at the future ahead.

He went to go get the two knights that would always await orders from their master. Skipping down the halls all the while humming an unknown tune.

* * *

Something has been different with Malleus as of today. He was fiddling with his fingers a bit more often than usual. He didn't want to meet her gaze at the time either.

"Malleus is there something wrong?" Worry laced in her tone for the man sitting next to her.

"Yes." He replied rather swiftly but ended it there.

"Would you like to tell me what about?" She at least wanted to try and comfort him however she could.

That's what made her different than most fae, most feared him, she didn't of course she and that oblivious little head of hers didn't. Before she could even grasp how much power she could have held it was taken from her.

Malleus had turned his head and looked her directly in the eye.

"You."

"Me?" She was surprised and confused about what he meant by that, lowering her head for a second to think.

Of course it didn't last long, as Malleus directed her chin to gaze at him instead of the forest soil.

"Y/n, my alluring little darling, would you do me the honor of staying with me?"

He said with a gentle smile. The proximity and his words had her face red within seconds. She still had to give him a reply and sadly she didn't want to upset him but she didn't have much of a choice.

"I'm sorry Malleus I can't. This place is all I've ever known. Going somewhere else with all that could happen, ... It's not that I don't like you but my own fears are holding me back." She was trying to come up with the right words so he'd hopefully understand.

It stung, it truly did. The rejection wasn't something he hypothesized but it was still an option. It was fine though, all would be well. That sheltered mindset of hers would just have to broken a bit. She'd come to rely on him, she'd have no other choice afterall.

She hadn't experienced much of human cruelty, he'd just have to show her how cruel they could really be and then she would have to seek his aid.

* * *

Everyone in town today had been on edge it seemed. She left Aiden at home sound asleep, while she went out to go and buy veggies and meat she couldn't get in the forest. As she walked toward a thrifter many people side eyed her. She was the only person to walk with a hood on. In fact many people generations before this one too when asked had seen her.

As she got up to the vegetable thrifter the man in front of her had scowled. She saw this but just thought he was having a bad day. That's when someone came behind her and pulled her hood down abruptly.

"A fae! A fae in the village!"

"She's the one who cursed the crops! If we kill her the curse will end!"

"Someone grab her!"

Before she knew it she ran, someone did lay a hand on her but she pushed them away with wind magic. It wasn't on purpose, but fear overtook her person and magic required self control.

She wanted to run back to her house but with how fast the mob was chasing she couldn't put Aiden at risk like that. Maybe just maybe if she went back to the forest, he'd be there. He could help her, or Lilia either would do.

* * *

She didn't see him. Maybe her words struck a cord. She should have agreed. A stupid decision on her own part, he could've probably taken them somewhere where people like her were accepted. Where magic was used and no worries to be had.

She just narrowly dodged an arrow fired at her. It seemed the mob had caught up. Turning her attention back toward their screeches, what could she do?

In a last ditch effort attempt she called his name.

"Malleus!" The crowd closing in on her arrows knocked and aimed. So this was it huh?

Suddenly something slithers around her body, her waist to be more precise and holds her in a vice grip.

A tail? Of long reach with a purple scales of a dark pigment.

Before it pulled her into the darkness of the forest behind her. Until she felt a chest that placed her gently to the ground freeing her from the grip the of the tail that had once gripped her tightly.

She saw a light emitted from where she had once been, green flames took its place in her stead.

"I do hope you'll accept my offer to stay with me now, my love." Malleus's voice brought her out of her stupor, a frown seeing her in such fear. He didn't want to go so far but he would rather have liked her to willingly agree to living with him as his Queen. She wouldn't have any worries should she live her life on the throne worshipped by everyone.

"Wait! Wait! Please let me bring Aiden I can't leave my brother behind!" She had gripped his clothing turning around desperate tears spilling.

Speaking of said boy who popped his head from behind the fae that stood in front of her, smiled and ran to hug his sister.

"Y/n! Malleus let me up on his shoulders he was so tall! Wait why are you crying?" Her brother's happiness went away for a moment at the tears he saw from his older sibling.

She was shocked, since when had he been here. He was asleep before, she was sure. It didn't make any sense.

"Aiden how, ... why are you here?"

"Lilia offered to teach me more magic! He said it was dangerous to teach me inside the house so we came out here." For a second she thought it was a dream. A bad dream turned good.

"Were you worried? Sorry, I'll tell you next time I promise." Aiden hugged her after finishing his sentence trying comfort his sister from her state of fear. It worked a little having her shoulders relax.

Malleus had stroked her head to sooth her worries as well. A small smile graced his lips at the scene before him.

"Worry not my dear, I'll accept all parts of you. Of course I'd never forget your dear brother. Will you accept my proposal now?" He was awaiting an answer, the same look in his eyes akin to when he asked if she could use magic.

"Yes I do, it was my mistake for denying your offer in the first place. I'm sorry Malleus."

He was happy that the situation had caused her to regret her answer. Of course he didn't outwardly show it. But he was internally pleased. His new queen and energetic little brother would make a wonderful addition to the Draconian line.

As they disappeared instantly to where their new home would be, Malleus left behind some what one would call fireflies by the looks of it. They were just traces of his magic to other faes. It was a calling for someone else though.

The town the two faes once called home was being destroyed as soon as they left. Screams upon screams could be heard one after another. Flames of red and orange to destroy and have no one alive to recall the prescene of two royal clan faes.

All done by three, one wise fae, and two knights that served to do everything their master asked of them. It would all be gone while Malleus would help them settle into their new lives, the one they deserved from the beginning, if humans hadn't taken it from them.

Masterlist

[edanablack]

Obey Me!: Satan/MC (soft fluff, short fic.)

There was nowhere MC really felt safe in Hell, but Satan's room was kinda nice. The books, the silence, the darkness. It made them forget that there was anybody else in the world, except them and, sometimes, Satan. That world was always a bit nicer when he was there.

He said he didn't like MC in here, though, said that they attracted too much trouble for him, probably referring to his ridiculous brothers. They could cause an insane amount of chaos within a matter of seconds, like some kind of room-contained tornado. If they weren't calling Satan out for tricking MC into hanging out with him, they were pulling books off the shelves to disparage them. Not much fun, especially not for Satan, who they just wanted to like them. A-As a friend, of course.

So they could usually only be alone in here, for a few minutes when they were sure he wouldn't notice, just until they could get their senses back. However, today wasn't quite a usual, as they were sitting on the floor near Satan's chair, their head resting on their knees, waiting for him to return. They shouldn't be here, Satan would be so mad, he'd tell Lucifer or just pick MC up and carry them out. But ... they needed some place to hide.

The door opened, and they could hear him hesitate, probably sensing MC. What was it that Satan always noticed when they were in his room? Some demons said scent, and some of them said it was their unique magic. Satan always refused to explain it. Either way, he stayed by the door, not drawing closer to the small reading area where you hid. The distance was soothing. "MC, I'm back. You need a few more minutes?" He asked, obviously uncomfortable. 

Letting out a sigh, they shook their head. Of course Satan didn't want them here, they knew that well enough. He couldn't read with someone else around, much less MC, whose mere existence caused so much drama. But, come on, to make them leave right away? That sucked. "Just a bit more time, Satan, I'm having a rough day," they grumbled, feeling annoyed that he was in such a hurry to get rid of them. Everyone else thought they were awesome, so why couldn't Satan? "You can stay, though, I won't bother you."

That totally wasn't true. They wanted nothing more than to be a bother, to have Satan be irritated by their presence. Bring up some of that supposed wrath, at least make him react to them. "A rough day? Is something upsetting you?" He questioned with a trace of concern, suddenly closer, his hand resting against his chair. Looking up, MC couldn't help but be surprised by how worried he seemed. That wasn't usually a side Satan showed to them, and ... they liked it. 

"Ah, it's ... you know, being a human in Hell! Wasn't ever going to be easy," they explained nervously, having already been told by Lucifer that they wouldn't receive any special treatment. Besides, it wasn't like they were being specifically targeted. Being a human meant they were weaker than the rest, physically, mentally and magically. So some teasing was to be expected, even if it really, really fricking sucked.

Satan put his hand on top of MC's head, gently and reassuringly, as he crouched down to look into their eyes, his own reflecting back with comforting peace. They couldn't hide how touched they were, and all the negativity of the day came back, yielding to Satan's kindness. Tears rushed forth, and for a moment, they thought they might break down. Then, Satan spoke. "I'll kill anyone you want for me, you know that, right?" He assured them with an icy calm. 

Would be nice if he could kill them, MC thought depressingly. With a nervous smile, they tried to do their best to cover up the awkwardness that was surely emanating from every pore. It was nice Satan would offer stuff like that,  but ... once MC got strong enough, they could kill their own enemies. The pat was really all tbey wanted, just knowing he cared enough to worry was awesome. "It's fine. I'm gonna ... I'm gonna get as strong as you," MC stated with a quiet determination, looking down at their feet, gripping their hands into fists. Whatever it took.

There was a moment or two of silence, and they thought maybe Satan was mad. Comparing yourself to a demon, especially one you had made a pact with, was ridiculous. After all, MC's power came from him. For all they knew, Satan didn't want a human to be as strong as him. The longer the quietness went on, the worse they started to feel, and the more they wanted to run out of here and hide some place where Satan could never find them. 

Then, they felt his hand move away, and for a second they thought he might yell at them. It was deserved, sort of. But there was a soft rustling, and when MC glanced back up, ready to see Satan glaring down at you with that familiar look, they saw he was holding a book out instead, a very relaxed expression on his face. "You can punch and kick and scream - which is actually pretty fun, may I add - but you'll find most people can be defeated by simple logic," he asserted, seemingly happy to be able to offer this to them. 

A book? But they still couldn't understand most demon scripts. Nevertheless, they took it from Satan, not wanting to turn down any gift he gave them. It was heavy, and the front of the book was glossy, not like the typical books in this library. When they looked at the front, it all seemed to be in a foreign language, one they only had a passing knowledge of. "It's a human book! I asked Diavolo if we could find something for you to read, though he suggested you might not enjoy reading..." he explained with a slight nervous blush on his face. 

They always liked reading back at home, but ... this would be strange. They couldn't exactly read this, but there certainly wasn't a better time to learn a new language. And Satan had put aside his attitude to find it for them, so of course MC wanted to read it! "I love reading! But ... I don't exactly have a quiet place to read, is it okay if I bother you in here sometimes?" They wondered, maybe just a little bit interested in spending more time with Satan. It was a nice room, and sitting next to him, the two of them wrapped up in the same, glorious peace, it'd be so wonderful.

He definitely picked up on their other interest, though, and a sly smirk came over Satan's thin lips, like he might just tease them. Please don't, MC had a terrible day. "If you really want. I don't talk much when I read, and if my brothers show up to bother us, I'll have to lock the door, keep the annoying people out," he told them, sounding like he honestly didn't mind the idea. And, to be truthful, neither did MC, giving Satan a soft smile in response.

[cockabeetle]

Haunting

Got inspired to do something with Talia's ghost powers again

It's on AO3 as well, here

But here it is too, at least the beginning

~○~

Talia had figured that her ability to see the dead would be kind of moot on Earth. She was rather certain, due to the documented cases of other people who'd developed the ability, that it was intrinsically tied to Ephedia and the magic permeating the air there. And... for the first couple years or so... she'd been right. Even when Auriana brought it up, despite Talia's complaints and reservations, it hadn't really been... relevant. There were no ghosts she could perceive here. And that was more than fine by her, she had other problems to deal with and focus on. Iris even had the decency to let the whole thing drop and be forgotten after seeing Talia's reaction to Auriana blabbing about it. Sometimes... Talia felt like Iris was too good to be a Halphas. But perhaps that's her best quality.

So... when, several months later, Talia feels the tugging of a spirit just waking up, and starts to hear them coalesce into the ghost they would become... she couldn't help but be concerned. They hadn't lost anyone, as far as she knew, and aside from a few close calls with the Twins and Iris, no one had seen anyone die, she was sure. So... whose spirit was she hearing? Was she finally attuned to Earth's spirits? That didn't seem likely.

There isn't much Talia can do, if she wants to know what is going on. If she were pragmatic, she'd send the little whispers on to the afterlife, or wherever Ephedian spirits went when they were banished. But... she was so achingly curious. Talia knows there are other things to be focusing on, but with the whispers getting louder as they grow more conscious, and the weird fact that those whispers almost seem centered on Iris, Talia can't seem to bring her focus away from this mystery spirit for want of love or glory.

She knows she's messed up, once Carissa somehow breaks the spell that had turned Iris and herself to stone. Because Talia should know better than to let herself be distracted during a battle. During the war. And yet... no one calls her on it. And the spirit is almost ready to show himself. He's been muttering a little louder about things being unfair, and Talia has heard him grumble about 'a guy' being unable to 'catch a break'. She's sure she's heard both Earthlings and Voltans say expressions to that effect, so she's really unsure who this mysterious ghost is going to be. But he'll finally be able to introduce himself soon. Talia can't quite keep the pep out of her step. Auriana asks if Kyle messaged her, and while he had recently, Talia's not sure why Auri cared. Perhaps the Voltan had moved on to crushing on him? Talia didn't think it would be a bad match... but whatever. Not her business.

Things are quiet. The ghost is taking his sweet time, and if it weren't for his increasingly petulant whines, she'd think she'd imagined him. Talia puts his visibility out of her mind, and focuses on their newest song. She's still getting over her insecurities, the ones instilled by not one but two plots from the twins, so she's been a little obsessive with remembering her chords. If she can't keep her dancing fluid and such, she can at least make her music perfect. Precise. Every note in its place, every chord plucked just--

She played a wrong note. So terrible, she broke the guitar string and pulled another out of alignment. Out of tune. She couldn't control her fingers, and they clenched and then released all at once, guitar falling from her lap with a clatter. Auriana and Iris were probably yelling at her. Asking what was wrong. But her ears weren't working. The ghost was fully realized. And he wasn't some nobody she'd never met. He wasn't human, either. He stared right back at her, from where he'd scrambled back across the floor when she'd made her guitar scream. Iris waves a hand in front of Talia's face, and her concentration breaks.

"Earth to Talia??? Oh my god, what's gotten into you???" Auriana griped, one hand still hovering near her ear, as if it were still ringing. Iris just looks concerned, eyebrows knit together, blue eyes dark with worry.

"Are you alright? What happened?" Talia frowned, and stood up to pick up and use a spell to fix her guitar.

"I... I'm not feeling that great, actually. Would you two mind if I cut practice short?" She glances at Auriana, who looks startled before grinning and jumping in excitement.

"That sounds great!" Iris was... still concerned.

"Do you need anything? You could have mentioned you didn't feel well..." Talia sighed.

"It's nothing bad, Iris, I just... didn't think it would be this distracting. I'm alright, just a little tired. You and Auriana should go have fun." As she flicks her wrist in the direction of the door, she uses another spell nonverbally. It severs the ghost's ties to Iris, and instead tethers him to something of Talia's choice. She chose herself, and willed the others to miss the half-second flash of blue light in the corner where Lev was still huddled. He'd sat up a little more when she'd lied, and was now eyeing her in distrust.

Auriana grabs Iris and breezes out of the room, calling out that they were heading out shopping and probably going to the smoothie bar. Talia sighed in amusement, and then turned her attention to the ex-thief. He eyed her right back.

And then he smiled, shifted his position so he was leaning back luxuriously, as if he were posing for a portrait, and crossed his ankles almost demurely.

"I suppose it's just you and me, now, Princess." Talia frowned a little, and breathed out through her nose.

"Perhaps it is, thief. You're the ghost I've been hearing."

"Those rumors about you are true! By the Melzors themselves, the way you'd talked I thought they were full of cadda dung!" Talia huffed, and shook her head.

"Some of it was absolute klatznik. I can't use ghosts to attack people, or read minds, or anything else. I can just... help the dead. That's all. If you have unfinished business, I can send you onto the afterlife or help you finish your business, whichever's easier. I'm not going to make zombies or do anything weird with this power, either. I just... have it." Talia crossed her arms, and bit her lip. Lev stared at her, a little startled from the vitriol.

"Woah... so that's a sore spot, then?"

"...don't."

"Fine, fine, I won't bother you with inappropriate questions. But... what's your plan, then? You already did something to me, but I don't seem to be moving on anytime soon." Talia shifted her weight, still looking away.

"I just made it so you'd be tied to me instead of Iris. It'd be easier to keep an eye on you if you're not dragged away by her." Lev sat still, for a moment. Talia twisted her armband around her wrist.

"I'd have sent you on already, but I was too curious. Now I have to help you finish whatever might be keeping you from moving on." He stiffened, and Talia closed her eyes in preparation for his displeasure.

"What if I don't know why I'm stuck here?"

[bulgariansumo]

Galactimato Big Brother Week 2

<<Week 1 | Week 3 >

In the first episode, Emil succeeded his first mission of getting Aiden nominated, but when it came to eliminating his own brother, he was simply outnumbered! How will he explain this betrayal?

--

"It was actually easier than I thought it'd be?" Emil recounted. "I meeean, we're pretty well off already--I don't even know if I'm gonna keep the money I win--and Aiden doesn't really have a steady place to live, sooo, I told Lorie I was thinkin' of that. He seemed to buy it."

--

Week 2 has officially begun with 1 down and 13 remaining!

I made a couple of custom pictures for this week, and since tumblr only allows 10 images per post now, I'm going to describe some of the events in text, like now!

Week 2's HoH contest kicks off with a game of Majority Rules!

In this game, the Houseguests stand in individual booths in the backyard. Benji Baker will ask a question and they must answer it the way they think the rest of the house will respond. Those who answer with the majority advance to the next round; those who don't are eliminated. The last Houseguest remaining becomes the new Head of Household.

Toni wins Head of Household! And now for the nomination ceremony.

--

"Hey Toni, you're a sweet kid, so I know this choice might be rough on ya," Benji reassured, "but don't think too hard about it. Just pick whoever!"

"Oh no, I know exactly who to pick." Toni smiled.

"Oho~ Why don't'cha tell us, then?"

"Okay!" Toni hovered a finger at the crowd. "I pick you," he stopped on Mia, "annnd you!" with a mischievous twinkle in his eye, he pointed at his brother.

"WHAT?" Maxy exploded. "What gives??"

"You ate my chocolate bar!"

"It didn't have your name on it! ...After I took the wrapper off." he admitted.

--

Just as one brotherly conflict resolved, another began! Yet one question still remained...

--

"Why Miaaa?" Roxie hugged the freckled nominee.

Toni folded his hands behind his back. "I don't not like her... but she won against me in the cutest freckles contest!"

"The what?" Higgy quirked an eyebrow.

"A tally chart posted in the kitchen earlier this week." explained Jun. "It's also rigged. I never voted, yet there's 13 tallies."

"Whoa, huh??" reacted Emil.

"I couldn't choose, so I never voted either!" Roxie chimed in.

"Until now, I didn't know it even existed." Higgy folded his arms. "Who set it up, anyway?"

Angelo made eye-contact with Emil. "I th-thought I saw..."

"Who did you see, Angie?" Leon asked his brother.

With all eyes on him, he lost confidence. "No one... Nevermind."

"Should I pick someone else?" wondered Toni.

"Sorry kiddo, no do-overs!" Benji cut in. "On with the show!"

--

The second veto challenge begins. Toni, as HoH, and Maxy and Mia, as nominees, compete along with Angelo, Nicky, and Mai, who were also selected to play.

Cutthroat Christmas is the name of the game, a Christmas-themed curling competition where the player whose puck is furthest from the center gets eliminated. Eliminated contestants get to choose a prize, including the Power of Veto, but it can be taken by the next contestant who gets eliminated. Whoever holds the PoV at the end of the game wins it.

Maxy won the Power of Veto, but Mai would like to have it on record that she won the actual curling challenge, despite not taking the PoV for herself.

--

"I'm gonna use the veto on myself!" Maxy didn't wait for the Veto Ceremony to properly begin.

Benji chuckled. "Love the enthusiasm, but you gotta state why you need to be saved first."

"Does it matter if he has the veto?" asked Mia.

"...I guess you're right!" The host shrugged.

Maxy stuck his tongue out at Toni and walked back to the rest.

"You got someone lined up?" asked Benji.

Toni's eyes darted around the floor. "Um, Leon?"

"Me?" He pointed to himself. "Why?"

"Angelo told me about the time you made him give up his arcade tickets. It's not nice!"

"T-Toni? I-I-I didn't mean--!" Angelo sputtered. "That was years ago!"

"Ohhh!" Leon remembered. "Are you still mad about that?"

"What? I-I could never--! Toni, please! I-I don't want him to go!"

"Oh. Sorry." Toni looked pitiful. "Can I pick someone else?"

"Nope!" answered Benji.

--

Through many misunderstandings along the way, the final stage for Week 2 was set! Another star will fall from the Celestion-5 crew. The question is, will America keep its sights on Mia, or will Leon be the new target? Stick around for the voting to find out!

The votes have been cast, and America kept true to its original target. What do the houseguests have to say about their decisions?

--

"I-I'm sorry it ended up this way." Angelo couldn't bring himself to look at the camera. "Th-This is all my fault, but I need Big Brother to know I'd never betray him."

"Leon's easy to impress." was Mai's reasoning. "He's a better audience."

Higgy gazed disdainfully to his side. "He lacks rhythm. Even Maxy has that much going on."

Lorenzo sat prim and proper. "Summers has passion for the Interstellar Forces, but Wattson abides by rules more consistently."

The video feed cut from the other contestants' interview rooms back to the front of the house where the host stood.

"You know what time it is!" Benji pointed at the camera. "Time to check in on Emil! How ya doin'?"

Emil exhaled, sitting in his own interview room. "Ange nearly got me back there."

"Ha ha ha! Sharp eyes on that kid. How ya feel about the votes?"

"Sorry Mia," He lowered his head, "but it's what America wanted."

"Another thing." Benji pursed his face. "For someone claimin' to not need money, why are you playin' along?"

"I don't wanna ruin the show!" Emil laughed.

"C'mon, is that it?"

"Wellll. There's a chance I miiight need a new place to stay soon." He lost his smile. "But that's all I can say."

"If ya win the house, you'll have that all set!" Benji explained. "Good luck, kid!"

"Thanks!" Emil winked at the camera. "Catch ya later!"

--

The whims of America have been delivered by Emil's hand. Mia Wattson is a houseguest no more. What does she have to say about this?

--

"I can't really think of anyone I would've won against." Mia shrugged.

"Aww, that's a shame." Benji frowned. "What are your plans now?"

"I can probably get more reading in with less people around."

"Hey!" Benji gave her a hearty slap on the back that nearly knocked her over. "Atta girl, that's the spirit!" He pointed to something off camera. "There's also some people who wanna say goodbye! Last one walked off before anyone could."

Roxie slammed into Mia for a hug. "I'll miss you, Mia!!"

Mia attempted to choke out a thanks.

Leon waved. "If I wasn't also nominated, I probably would've voted to keep you in."

"Thanks."

Toni stepped up shyly, bowing toward Mia. "Just so you know, I voted for you on the freckles thing."

"Really?" She seemed surprised. "You didn't have to."

"I really think yours are cuter! Anyway, I'm sorry for picking you. "He bowed to Leon. "You too."

"No big deal!" Leon smiled. "You were just looking out for Angie!"

"I made him really sad, though..."

"Knowing him, he'll forgive you." He reassured. "Just like forgave me! I still kinda owe him for the ticket thing... Thanks for the reminder!"

"Toni," Higgy called, "it's time for dance rehearsal."

"I'll be there!" Toni bowed to everyone. "Sorry, but I have to go. Bye bye, Mia!"

"Good luck, Toni." She smiled. "I voted for you too."