#(i know you can also suppress certain types of warnings. but i would prefer just to avoid situations entirely)

[thehardkandy]

Ahhhhh it's so good to have this new feature launched at work. It added so many good qol things (both for users and for dev/testing) AND eliminated a lottttttt of stuff that was throwing warnings and such to the error logs

the error log thing shouldnt make me feel so satisfied. but baby. i like it when things work with the appropriate checks

[blackswaneuroparedux]

Anonymous asked: I love your long posts which make for great reading and I wish you could do more because you’ve got such a range of astonishing interests. I’m hoping because you’ve served in the military you would have studied military thinkers. Do you think the Art of War by Sun Tzu is way overrated by everyone? I studied him a bit for my masters but I still couldn’t get my head around him. Interested to know your thoughts. Thanks!

“To lift an autumn hair is no sign of great strength; to see the sun and moon is no sign of sharp sight; to hear the noise of thunder is no sign of a quick ear." - Sun Tzu's Art of War, Chapter IV - Tactical Disposition, Clause 10.

Sounds cool, doesn’t it?

But what the hell does this quote really mean? Do you know what it means? Can anyone else tell me?

Look, I enjoy a good Sun Tzu quote as the next person. Only recently I was exchanging thoughts with a fellow blogger whose studying Thucydides, Clausewitz, and Kissinger for an advanced course at the US Naval War College. Even he prefers Sun Tzu over Clausewitz. I can see why too. If you can make sense of chapter one of Clausewitz’s tome On War you deserve a Nobel Prize.

Unlike my very learned fellow blogger, there are lot of folk who don’t know Sun Tzu at all. They can quote him, but almost certainly out of context. As someone who partly grew up in the Far East and even learned Chinese and Japanese (a pitiful but functional degree of fluency) I’m embarrassed (not hard since I’m English) when I hear other Western compatriots romanticise and elevate Eastern icons to mythic status that the Chinese themselves have never done.

I am even more bemused than embarrassed after having hung up my military uniform for ‘civvy’ corporate clothing at how badly abused Sun Tzu’s book is in the corporate world. In my workplace I grit my teeth at corporate high flyers who mistake a balance sheet for a real battlefield by quoting Sun Tzu out of their arse, and then as self-styled ‘corporate warriors’ work themselves up in a lather of testosterone induced self-importance to crush their corporate enemies into the dust.

This is why the The Art of War by Sun Tzu has invited a jaundiced eye roll. And rightly so. I can see why many view Sun Tzu as over-rated because many easily impressed people go all woo woo over anything ancient and Eastern.

It’s become a familiar trope to say the art of ‘strategy’ as a science began 2,500 years ago with the writing of The Art of War. I would dispute this. Not that the writing of Art of War was the earliest written but whether I would call it a manual of strategy per se - more on this below in my answer.  However you rate or overrate the Art of War it’s important to have perspective and remember this book is written in 512 BC. Other than the bible and some religious books, there are not many books that can survived thousands of years and still remains a steady bestseller and enjoys a wide influence in military academies and army staff colleges today and even as far into board rooms.

The question behind your question is just as interesting to me: why did Sun Tzu and his Art of War gain such traction in the West?

Sun Tzu (544-496 BC) wrote the original text of The Art of War shortly before 510 BC. During most of the past two thousand years, the common people in China were forbidden to read Sun Tzu's text. However, the text was preserved by China's nobility for over 2,500 years. The Chinese nobility preserved the text of The Art of War, known in Chinese as Bing-fa, even despite the famous book-burning by the first Emperor of Chi around 200 BC. The text was treasured and passed down by the Empire’s various rulers. Unfortunately, it was preserved in a variety of forms. A "complete" Chinese language version of the text wasn't available until the 1970s. Before that, there were a number of conflicting, fragmentary versions in different parts of China, passed down through 125 generations of duplication.

Indeed at the beginning of the twentieth century, there were two main textual traditions in circulation, known as the (Complete Specialist Focus) and (Military Bible) versions. There were also perhaps a dozen minor versions and both derived and unrelated works also entitled Bing-fa. Of course, every group considered (and still considers) its version the only accurate one.

When I last visited China before the Covid pandemic for work reason, I had time off to go to a couple of museums that housed the fruits of a number of archeological digs uncovering the tombs of the ancient rulers of China in which sections of Sun Tzu’s works were found. These finds have verified the historical existence of the text and the historical accuracy of various sections. I understand new finds are still being made.

The first complete, consistent Chinese version was created in Taipei in the 1970s. It was titled The Complete Version of Sun Tzu’s Art of War." It was created by the National Defence Research Investigation Office, which was a branch of Taiwan's defence department. This version compared the main textual traditions to each other and to archeological finds and compiled the most complete version possible.

This work was completed in Taiwan rather than mainland China for a number of reasons. Mainland China was still in the throws of the Maoist Cultural Revolution, which actively suppressed the study of traditional works such as Sun Tzu. The mainland had also moved to a reformed character set, while Taiwan still used the traditional character set in which the text was written. Only today is the study of Sun Tzu in mainland China growing, interestingly enough, through the translation of Sun Tzu into contemporary Mandarin. Based on the archeological sources we have today, we are reasonably certain of the historical accuracy of this compiled version that is the basis of what most people use today.

Surprisingly, the Art of War only came to light in the West around the 18th Century.  

Historians believe it was first formally introduced in Europe in 1772 by the French Jesuit Joseph-Marie Amiot. It was translated at the time by the title “The thirteen articles of Sun-Tse”. Joseph-Marie Amiot (1718-1793) was not just a Jesuit priest but also an astronomer and French historian, as well as fervent missionary in China. He was one of the last survivors of the Jesuit Mission in China (he died in Beijing).

Many of the historical problems with understanding Sun Tzu's work can be trace back to its first Western translation in French. A Jesuit missionary, Father Amiot, first brought The Art of War to the West, translating it into French in 1782. Unfortunately, this translation started the tradition of mistranslating Sun Tzu's work, starting with the title, The Art of War (Art de la guerre).

This title, copied the title of a popular work by Machiavelli (a criminally underrated writer on military strategy), but it didn't reflect Sun Tzu's Bing-fa, which would be better translated as "competitive methods."

We cannot say what effect being translated by a Jesuit priest had upon the text. It was unavoidable that the work's translation reflected the military prejudices of the time era when war was both popular and Christian. It was also unavoidable that most future translations would reflect some of the first translation's prejudices. However, war was on the verge of becoming much less Christian in the West since this time was the era of the French Revolution (1789).

The work might well of slipped into obscurity after its initial publication, but it was discovered by a minor French military officer. After studying it, this officer rose to the head of the revolutionary French army in a surprising series of victories. The legend is that Napoleon used the work as the key to his victories in conquering all of Europe. It is said that he carried the little work with him everywhere but kept its contents secret (which would be very much in keeping with Sun Tzu's theories).

However, Napoleon must have started believing his own reviews instead of sticking with his study of Sun Tzu. His defeat at Waterloo was clearly a case of fighting on a battleground that the enemy, Wellington, knew best. Wellington’s trick at Waterloo was hiding his forces by having them lie down in the slight hollows of this hilly land. This is exactly the type of tactic Sun Tzu warns against in his discussion of terrain tactics.

After Napolean, Sun Tzu's theories made their way into western military philosophy. Many of his ideas are reflected in the ideas of work of Carl von Clausewitz. who defined military strategy as "the employment of battles to gain the end of war."

The first English translation of The Art of War is less than a hundred years old. Captain E. F. Calthrop published the first English translation in 1905. Lionel Giles, an assistant curator at the British Museum and a well-known sinologist and translator, attacked this early translation, and he published his own version in 1910. It soon began to be read alongside Clausewitz’s 8 volumes of turgid German military prose.

It wasn’t long before military thinkers were ditching Clausewitz for Sun Tzu because no one could get past Chapter One of Clausewitz’s On War. The “Clausewitz is dead, long live Sun Tzu” school was first championed by the influential British military theorist B.H. Liddell Hart in the 1920s.  Basil Henry Liddell Hart (1895-1970) was a captain in the British Army. He was a very influential military theorist and historian, and author of several books such as The Future of War (1925) and Strategy (1954). Having witnessed first-hand the mechanised onslaught of the Great War, Liddell Hart sought a philosophy of warfare based in the prudent use of technology, psychology and deception - and the avoidance of the 'total war' catastrophes of preceding decades.

The main idea of Liddell Hart is to bring the set of principles of warfare in a so-called ‘indirect approach’ to the enemy. His advocacy in his scholarly work of an ‘indirect strategy’ over direct, frontal operations, was a reaction to the high casualties of the Western Front in the First World War. But his ideas were not simply about physically outmanoeuvring an opponent. Instead he pushed for a psychological scheme: to strike from unexpected directions, to generate strategic dissonance, and to induce paralysis. Hart’s well-known thoughts are “Only short-sighted soldiers underestimate the importance of psychological factors in time of war”, “Originality is the most important from all military virtues”, and “The principles of war could shortly be condensed in a single word: concentration”. 

Liddell Hart believed that distilling historical insights of strategy and operations would offer the chance to avoid the costly disasters of modern war and ensure a more cost-effective route to success. He imagined technological solutions in the form of air power and mechanised land forces outflanking and shocking an enemy at the tactical level. This would be complemented by taking indirect strategic ‘ways’. Like his contemporary J.F.C. Fuller, Liddell Hart considered concentrations of air and armoured forces driving deep into enemy territory to destroy their ‘nervous system’. The psychological aspects of this were central, since acquiring an advantage demanded moves that were unexpected, with precise attacks at the most vulnerable points. As the most influential military writer of the modern age, revered and reviled by three generations of strategists, armchair and armipotent, his controversial theories of armed attack laid the foundation of the famed German Blitzkrieg.

Hart’s championing of Sun Tzu’s work as articulated through his own works got a new lease of life as the world gingerly settled into the ice bath of the Cold War. The rise of Communist China, against all the odds having defeated the well disciplined nationalist armies of Chian kai-Shek, was a wake up call for the West. There was a general befuddlement among western military analysts to explain the secret of Maoist success. There was an intellectual inquest in the 1950s and 1960s for some way to explain (and, it was hoped, learn to counter) Maoist military doctrine. Sun Tzu was seen as one of the historical and cultural sources of some particularly Chinese or Asian way of war, and his work made its way into Western discussions of counterinsurgency and asymmetric warfare.

Into the breach - and with fortuitous timing - appeared a new translation of The Art of War that was to become the defining translation right down to our day. Liddel Hart provided the foreword to Samuel Griffth’s 1963 translated copy of the Art of War. It was to quickly become a key text in US war colleges and this version is still to this day favoured by most of these institutions. We also studied Griffith’s translation at Sandhurst alongside Liddell Hart’s ideas.

There is no question that Griffith’s translation has become the standard go to translation to this day in military circles - that is until James Clavell’s more populist and looser translation came along in the 1980s. One can see why. Griffith’s translation provided a number of historical Chinese commentaries on the text. It should also be noted that Griffith’s strengths was his immense experience in the military and knowledge of military history as a brigadier general in the U.S. Marine Corps.

However, this was also his version's greatest flaw. Like many other critics I have the impression that Griffith did not really believe or understand all of Sun Tzu. Indeed he would often explain away Sun Tzu's direct statements without making it clear that this was his commentary and not what Sun Tzu wrote. The other main criticism and this one is stylistic and therefore just my opinion, Griffith was also not much of a writer. By our standards today, much of Griffith’s language can seem awkward and dated.

Looking back it feels ironic of the US military were wrapping their heads around Sun Tzu as way to get inside the Chinese communist mind (of Mao the military strategist especially). Unknown to them Mao had desperately tried everything to get hold of a copy of the Art of War from the Chinese Nationalists. Cambridge historian and doyenne of intelligence history, Christopher Andrew in his book The Secret World: A History of Intelligence, wrote that the theory that Sun Tzu’s The Art of War was critical to mastering contemporary warfare is propagated through the use of a tantalising anecdote: “During the civil war between Communists and the Kuomintang regime [Mao Zedong] sent aides into enemy territory to find a copy of it.” The ancient text, ostensibly, was of such vital importance that Mao was willing to risk men’s lives to obtain it, while Chiang Kai-shek vowed to protect it all costs. It’s a questionable anecdote at best as there are no historical evidence of it.

We can say that the notion that Sun Tzu’s slim treatise is considered both potent and slightly dangerous - providing the master key to unlocking victory in war through the ages - is a compelling myth that refuses to die. Mao most likely never ordered a clandestine operation to pilfer the text, nor did Chiang Kai-shek give any thought to shielding its contents from prying eyes. Both men certainly read it long before the start of their civil war, both most likely had ready access to it during the conflict, and neither man won or lost based on adherence or divergence from its teachings. But undoubtedly it set the hearts of Western military theorists aflutter in trying to unlock the secrets of Eastern military thought.

Sun Tzu and his ideas in a reincarnated form took hold of the wider public imagination in the 1980s. The 1980s was synonymous with Japan. With the perceived rise of Japan as a global economic power and the changes in post-Mao China, there was a Western (meaning American) search for more explanations. What was the secret of Asia’s rise? How were Japan and China ‘doing’ this?

In Western business circles it was for a time trendy to read it because of the perception that it was part of what made Japanese businesses so successful during the 70s and 80s. Management gurus and other corporate consultants certainly latched on to it and touted it as a way for Western businesses to re-orient their entire management and business philosophy. I don’t know if that ever actually was the case in Japan - my father who worked in both China and Japan in the corporate world at a very senior level said it wasn’t - but what is true is that in the West as the Japanese economy languished into the lost decade of the 90s so too did interest in Japanese business practices, and thus Sun Tzu.

The idea that The Art of War was a kind of how-to guide to ‘strategy’  was made especially popular by Hollywood in the 1980s. Oliver Stone’s iconic film ‘Wall Street’ seemed to typify the ‘greed is good’ New York capitalist scene of the 80s and 90s. Hollywood mirror imaged the rise of the corporate raiders and junk bond kings like Ivan Boesky and Michael Milken. Hollywood sent thousands of American businessmen off to read Sun Tzu to look for ‘leadership secrets’. This is part of a general Western fascination with ‘timeless Asian wisdom’, the American idea that ‘the mysterious East’ is possessed of secret knowledge. American and European businessmen were enamoured of the idea that “a battle is won or lost before it ever begins”, a saying that reinforced traditional American business attitudes about a winning mentality and a ‘can-do’ spirit being two keys to success.

Because Japan and China were trendy in the 1980s and 1990s it also influenced Western popular culture, not just fashion (think Kenzo) but also comic books (manga) and anime. In this Eastern friendly climate it led a number of popular fiction authors to release their ‘own’ versions of the work to capitalise on its newfound popularity. These versions were more about the pop culture of the era than Sun Tzu. Unfortunately, though popular, none of these versions took advantage of the work completed in Taiwan creating a definitive version of Sun Tzu's text by this time. These versions were based either on old English translations (the Calthorp and Giles versions) or incomplete Chinese sources. However, all of these versions remain popular today, despite their questionable sources and poor quality of translation.

In 1983, James Clavell updated The Art of War translation of Lionel Giles and published it in a very popular version. This started a very common practice in English translation: creating a ‘new’ version from other English translations instead of going back to the original source. Authors today continue to follow this practice, which only perpetuates and exaggerates the problems with early translations.

Thomas Cleary, another well-known author, did his own The Art of War translation with historical commentary in 1988. Again, his name recognition did much to increase awareness of Sun Tzu, even if his work did nothing to improve the general quality of the translation.

Looking back the whole Sun Tzu as a business model fetish in the 1980-90s was really pretty silly, rather like 80s shoulder pads. Of course, there are some similarities in leadership regardless of profession, but the basic goals and working environments of war and of business are so wildly different that applying Sun Tzu to business is superficial at best.

So to me the problem is not that Sun Tzu is ‘overrated’ per se, the problem is that every half baked author out there try to apply its principles to every problems that mankind have. The Art of War, as the title suggest, is not The Art of Managing your Business, the Art of Winning in Competition against your classmates, The Art of picking up Women, The Art of Living Life to the fullest. It is, and only is, The Art of War. It is ‘overrated’ only if you expect it to answer every problems in your life.

The Art of War is not the word of God. It is a war manual advocating common sense with pithy aphorisms - and a very good one.

It’s not that I think the Art of War is over-rated it’s that the more common problem is that many people vastly under-rate Sun Tzu. By misreading Sun Tzu thoughts and ideas, I believe many are in effect under-rating the problems which Sun Tzu is addressing, namely war, or the continuum of conflict resolution where divergence in interests of multiple parties extends to the possible use of lethal force on a massive scale. A lot of people trivialise this problem with idiocies like “what if someone threw a war and nobody came” (clue, they would win, then hunt down and enslave or kill everyone too foolish to contest the issue, as has happened countless times in human history) or “ban war” (said ban apparently enforced by throwing flowers at soldiers).

Understanding that war is a very real and intractable problem is necessary to fully appreciate the genius of Sun Tzu’s work, especially where it avoids fixed and easily definable tactics specific to the Warring States period and instead illustrates timeless concepts of out-thinking the enemy at every level of conflict. That the text is still mostly readily applicable or at least reasonably insightful after thousands of years is a testament to the inability of humans to push warfare beyond the fundamental aspects of conflicting interests and continuum of forcible resolution Sun Tzu addresses.

Still, the particular translation matters far less than having an appreciation that, in war, you have an active opponent who is trying to out-think and counter any moves you make, and having an appreciation of non-dualistic philosophical reasoning more characteristic of Chinese classics generally. The classic symbol of Yin-Yang (and a number of derivative versions) illustrates apparent dualism as being a part of a deeper structural unity which does not permit a fixed division into separate parts.

Hence the difficulty of applying the principles of the Art of War to artificial ideas of “winning/losing” (or war/peace, right/wrong, us/them) as categorical absolutes rather than negotiated possibilities in a continuum of desirability/costs. And it is very difficult, no one should sugar coat that. Humans sort and construct their perceptions of reality by appeal to such gross simplifications. Binary logic is an immensely powerful tool in many areas because it leverages the ability to simplify complexity and then build valid inferences based on fixed premises. But at some point you have to go beyond that to have a more fluid response to reality as it is. Which Sun Tzu does for the reality of war.

I would recommend anyone to read it. At the end of the day it’s a book of highly general aphorisms that effectively synopsise the essential insights that apply to all kinds of human conflicts. Turning an enemy's flank has the exact same effect in 2500 B.C. and in 2000 C.E. and it has the same effect in the boardroom, or public market as it does on the battlefield. Deception and intelligence are still used in exactly the same way, whether conquering foreign lands, or stealing market share from a competitor. It's a book about common sense; but common sense must seem profound to those who have none.

Overall, I think Sun Tzu’s Art of War is a worthy read and not overrated because in our society of over educated achievers, common sense is in as short of supply as it has ever been; if this book can provide the meaningful framework for educating very bright people in down to earth common sense, that can only be a good thing.

The value of the book then is to drive home the fact that, in human conflict, there really is Nothing New Under the Sun (Tzu).

Pardon the pun and thanks for your question.

[captainlevisteacup]

Perhaps you could do some SFW Fluffy & some NSFW headcanons with the brothers in a relationship with a Shapeshifter MC who frequently changes their form?

Like, they keep their natural/signature features to be recognizable, but they do regularly change their gender, height, & sex organs 😏 (Why? Because they can and they find it fun) They’re also total Dom no matter what form they are in, and will happily talk about the various ways they used their abilities to make sex more..exciting (Ex being Tentacles, two huge dicks, a big dick AND a vagina, forming a tongue designed specifically for their partner so they can perfectly give blowjob/eat them out, things like that)

This MC also uses their abilities in some way on the brothers when they are having sex, wether that be fucking them with a dick while pressing their boobs against their back/front, or doing something more..hentai related

On the fluff side of things, MC totally regularly turns into the Bros favorite animal whenever they are stressed and just lets them pet them, or if the brothers are feeling overly worried they might hurt Mc she just turns into a demon. (Which MC does whenever they want to do an activity with the brothers a human can’t do)

This also works out for them aswell, as this Mc is essentially gender fluid and just changes their form to whatever they want to when they are feeling dysphoria (Though they typically go by they/them because of how confusing it can get to go by specific pro-nouns fitting the form they shift into when they rapidly change forms throughout the day)

Sorry this was so long!

*cracks knuckles*

AAAAALLLLLLLLRRIGHTTTTTTT LET'S GO!!

No need to apologize for the long ask, I absolutely LOVE requests and this gives me a lot to work with!

The brothers with a Dom! Genderfluid *Shapeshifter* MC

***WARNINGS: HEAVY NSFW, 18+ ONLY***

Lucifer

Slightly wounds his pride that try as he might, he just can't dom MC

Something about them just renders him helpless against them

He loses his usual confidence and natural leader abilities around MC

Speaking of abilities

The things MC can do to him; the things they can make him feel

Mc can access any and every end of any possible spectrum

His favorite thing they can do is shifting themselves into having a truly impressive cock, complete with a set of plump breasts and a very, VERY long tongue

Impressive as that alone is, what MC uses it for is even more so

Pegging him mercilessly from behind, breasts bouncing and scraping against his back while that damned tongue snakes around his waist to pleasure his own member

He never knows just how to focus on any one thing when everything feels so incredible; Their dick ramming into him with reckless abandon, those globular tits bouncing onto his back, or that tongue with a lewd amount of saliva dripping off of it and onto Lucifer's body, massaging his throbbing member

MC'S gifts aren't JUST used for sex, though

They'll often use their abilities to calm him down when he's stressed

They'll make their hands impossibly soft, and run them lightly all over his body in soothing motions

Light circles on his arms, lazy lines on his face, and light massaging through his hair

Mammon

Has no problem whatsoever with MC domming him

Absolutely loves their abilities

Comes completely undone when MC stands right behind him, whispers about how they need him to be their little slut in an alluring feminine voice, and presses their intimidating member against his ass

He knows what comes next

MC ripping his shirt off of him, and pushing him down onto the bed.

Mammon takes this time to admire them; their pert breasts, their smooth skin, to their thick cock, perfectly accentuated with smooth veins, and the beautiful, somehow always moist pussy right below it

This was a skill that had startled Mammon at first. Shapeshifters aren't that common, so for it to be used sexually like THIS? Oh, Mammon was in euphoria.

MC had experimented with many different positions, but the one that drove Mammon over the edge was the one they used the most

MC on top, riding Mammon as if he were a prized mare, their dick slapping harshly against his chiseled abs, the lewd sound echoing throughout the room

Once MC came, not only was Mammon's dick enveloped by their wet vagina, but their hot seed sprayed onto his toned stomach.

Outside of the bedroom, MC would shift their hair to match Mammon's whenever he wasn't feeling well. It never failed to cheer him up, seeing MC with the same white hair made him so happy.

Levi

The biggest bottom to exist

MC takes FULL advantage of the otaku

Shifts to have the exact same body as Ruri-chan

Huge tits, exaggerated waist, and slender legs

Shifts so that their pussy is unbelievably tight, and during sex they tighten and loosen it to provide further stimulation

MC shifts to have slight fangs, so that they can drag them along Levi's skin

Often turns into a snake and rests on Levi's shoulders, sometimes they do this during class if MC doesn't want to attend their's that day

MC can stretch or shrink their vocal cords to mimic certain Anime characters

Occasionally, MC will do this doing sex and moan Levi's name

This drives him insane

If the two are in public and MC wants to tease or arouse him, all the have to do is adopt the anime girl voice and say something along the lines of "Gomenezai, Oni-sama"

Levi immediately gets hard

Mc then drags them off to relieve him *wink wink*

Satan

Cat ears.

CAT EARS

MC knows damn well what this does to him

Satan prefers rough sex, so MC will shift into having chiseled, muscular arms capable of holding him down, with a chest to match, all topped off with a well-built cock complete with subtle ridges all along the shaft

MC will pin Satan's arms to the wall with one hand, and harshly jerk his chin towards them with the other while rubbing their cock in between his legs, teasing his sensitive balls. Then, as a cue, MC would make the cat ears appear

In a flash, Satan would be shoved onto his hands and knees and roughly taken from behind, the ridges on MC'S dick creating deliciously painful friction

Mc would knot their fingers into his hair and yank his head back, often earning a yelp from his lips

Outside of sex, MC is almost always either fully a cat or has some aspect of a cat (cat ears, subtle fangs, or sometimes a tail that he loves to play with

This is because it really helps suppress Satan's temper for some reason

Since MC likes to change up the color of their fur when they go into a full cat, Lucifer becomes convinced Satan has snuck multiple cats into the House of Lamentation, because he keeps finding the fur

Satan refuses to let MC tell him, because he finds it hilarious how irritated it makes Lucifer

Asmo

As SOON as he found out MC could shift their body, had a whole list of things he wanted to do with them

The first on that list was being fucked by two dicks, both belonging to MC

MC made him agree to being stretched out first, so as not to hurt him

Every time MC fucked Asmo, they would use a differently shaped and textured cock, each ever so slightly larger than the last

After Asmo took an unfathomably large member from MC, he was deemed ready

Asmo watched in awe as MC shifted to possess two large and vastly different cocks.

One was girthy, with a perfectly smooth shaft and a bulbous head

The other was more slender, with diagonal ridges, almost scale like, running all along it's length.

MC slid them in one at a time, allowing Asmo to adjust

Once both of their dicks were fully in Asmo, they slowly began to pull back

Their dicks dragged painfully slow along the insides of Asmo, creating a brutal friction that threatened to make Asmo crumble right then and there

Outside of sex, MC was Asmo's dream come true

Well, inside of sex too, but that's besides the point

MC often shifts their body to mimic different body types, and Asmo styles their outfits based on how they decide to have their body that day

Same thing goes for hair, as MC can adjust their hair to any length, color, texture, and width

Asmo loves trying out and practicing different styles

Beel

Face fucking.

His favorite. No arguments.

MC shifts into having a cock even bigger than Beel's (a true feat), and a tight pussy just beneath it.

Beel loves it when they shove his head onto their cock, fingers fisting into his hair

Forcing his head to move onto their cock, tears pricking in his eyes and they fucked his mouth, his throat, mercilessly

MC doesn't allow Beel to sit and do nothing, oh no

Beel fingers their wet pussy as they fuck his face senseless

If Beel isn't moving his fingers fast enough, MC shoves their dick even further down his throat

Huskily whispers into his ear "Come on, Avatar of Gluttony, surely you can swallow more than that"

Outside of sex, shifts into a demon so they can play with Beel and the brothers.

At first, the brothers wouldn't let MC play any sports with them (mostly Beel), out of fear for MC getting injured

So, MC proceeded to shift into a whole ass demon.

Shocks everyone and utterly destroys all the brothers

Belphie

Cowboy

Like cowgirl...but not.

MC shifts so that their body is substantially bigger than his

This makes Belphie small enough in comparison to easily fit in MC'S lap

Ironically, MC shifts to have a cock roughly the size of a bull. They would never dream of making Belphie take it all....

But they can try

Belphie sits on their lap, legs spread, facing MC so they can see the fear and pleasure mix on his face

MC slowly teases him with their tip, entering one inch at a time before pulling out, pausing, and suddenly shoving back in, an inch deeper each time

Their hands holding Belphie up by the hips the whole time

Outside of sex, will shift to have a very soft stomache for Belphie to lay on

When Belphie is feeling depressed or lonely, MC shifts into a very, VERY soft wolf for Belphie to stroke the fur of as a grounding technique, and to sleep with on the nights he feels alone

This happens so often that MC just relaxes around the house in a wolf form

This never fails to scare the shit out of Mammon, which, in turn, brings a rare smile to Belphie's face

[mutants-and-soldiers]

The Proposition (Ch. 1)

summary || You've been thinking about Steve's proposal a lot. Part of you wants to decline but a bigger part of you wants what he's offering.

pairing || alpha!Steve x omega!Reader (Past alpha!Bucky x omega!Reader)

word count || 3,706

warnings || A/B/O, eventual smut, therapy talks, kink negotiation, lots of dialogue — 18+ ONLY//MINORS DNI

notes || I can't get this story out of my head, really! First chapter is all about setting up the smut so I apologize but I believe in talking things out. Thank you to everyone who commented on the first part of the series! I'm going to try and be better about answering comments from here on out! Keep the comments coming, I love hearing from you guys so much!

You can also read it on Ao3. Do not copy, translate, rewrite or repost any of my work, even if you credit me. I always welcome comments and reblogs!

Sequel to Helping Hands: One Two Three Four Five

Divider courtesy of the talented @firefly-graphics

After so many years of going to see Dr. Beta, you were used to the routine when you stepped through the doors. It was late in their work day so you were the only person in the office other than Valarie, the receptionist, who gave you a kind smile. “Good afternoon,” she said, typing something onto her computer. “Dr. Beta’s just about ready.”

“Thanks, Valarie,” you say, setting your bag down to take off your suit.

It had been weird the first time Dr. Beta had demanded you not wear the suit during your sessions. You protested but in the end, she won out. There were a lot of reasons for choosing a female-only office but this was the biggest one. They accommodate you so much just to make you feel welcome and safe in your own skin. It was one of the few places that you could take the suit off and feel comfortable.

The suit was just being zipped up into your bag when the door to the doctor’s office opened. Dr. Beta was a matronly middle aged woman with plenty of laugh lines and crow's feet from years of laughter and joy. She was a kind beta who had done wonders for your mental health and self esteem. Without her, you probably wouldn’t have gone through with the job proposal.

She called your name with a gentle smile, “You ready?”

“Yep,” you smiled, walking over to step into the room. The blinds were closed tight but there were several lamps around the space that allowed a soft light to keep it illuminated. The wooden diffuser was pumping out the soothing smell of lemon and sandalwood. Dr. Beta had always said the lemon helped cut the potency of your powers but you weren’t sure if that was true or if it was something she said to make you feel better.

The two of you settled into your usual spots before the doctor asks, “Anything new since we last saw each other?”

It had been a month since your last session. The milestone of going monthly instead of bi-monthly had been huge for you. There was a time that you saw her weekly, which was when you were at your lowest. You were glad to be where you were.

“Where do I even start?” you laugh, leaning casually back on the leather couch. The cold material felt nice on the bare skin that peeked out from your denim shorts and athletic tank top. “I’ve been meeting regularly with three guys to run with them every Tuesday and Thursday. We also go out for drinks and the game on Sunday.”

“Wow, that’s fantastic!” she gushed, genuinely excited for you. She even sat her clipboard and pen down to lean forward with her elbows on her knees. It was something she only did when you made some kind of...positive choice in your life. The way it made your chest swell with self pride was silly and kind of childish but the woman had always been extra motherly to you. “Clients?”

“One of them was,” you nod, trying to keep the flush of excitement from making you seem too eager. “They’re really nice guys and they invited me to start sparring with them next week after our runs.”

A gentle look crossed the doctor’s face that had you melting. It was a look that she gave when she was proud and the way your name came out of her mouth spoke volumes. “I’m so proud of you,” she said aloud even though you knew it by her body language. “It’s been a long time since you took time for yourself in your personal life. Are they on your level of martial arts?”

“Better!” you said, excited to have a good challenge.

“Better than you?” she laughed, sounding incredulous. “I’d have to see that to believe it!” You join her for the laugh. “Anything else?”

Your mind flutters to a certain blond and his proposition but decide to keep that to yourself for now. It wasn’t good for you to hide secrets from Dr. Beta and you usually didn’t, however, she would definitely encourage you to take him up on the offer. You didn’t think you were ready to come up with reasons (lies) for why you couldn’t do that yet.

“Not really.”

She nods, grabbing her clipboard to flip the paper. “Dr. Noland said you were going to get your heat early this time around. She said you mentioned you might know why?”

Damn it. You forgot how much the two doctors communicated between each other about your health. It was the program you were in and, while amazingly helpful, could be very annoying at times. Case in point, now you need to make a choice on whether to point blank lie to Dr. Beta or just tell the truth. Lying by omission was much more your style.

“Yeah,” you sigh, resigning yourself to the conversation. “The last client I helped had...intense pheromones. I think it may have kicked me into my heat cycle early.”

The doctor’s hazel eyes widened in shock, “Even with the suppressant you took?”

Nodding, you look away for a second. “The client was a super soldier,” you admit, running a hand through your hair in frustration.

Understanding blossomed on her face when she made a guess as to who you were talking about. “Well, that might do it, for sure,” she nodded, making a note. “Still, I’m going to have Dr. Noland change your suppressant just in case it’s not working.”

She stood up, going over to the cabinet behind her desk. She took out a large bottle, tossing it to you, that had heat vitamins in them. Another bottle was thrown your way full of pills specifically for healthy slick production. The last thing she came over with were a few vouchers for omega-centric energy drinks and heat-snacks.

“I know you hate this question but I am legally required to ask,” she chuckles. “Do you have someone you trust to help you through your heat?”

You hesitate. “No.”

Her head snaps up, hazel eyes pinning you to the spot. “You hesitated. You never hesitate,” she points out with far too much excitement. She sets the clipboard down, doing the lean again. “Do you have someone in mind?”

Well, the cat was out of the bag and now you couldn’t lie because she would never believe you now. “I was...propositioned,” you admit, feeling stupidly relieved that you had been honest with her. She had conditioned you so fucking well to feel better when you told the truth as opposed to lying. It had been a ‘bad coping mechanism’ you created during your childhood to gain some control of your otherwise uncontrollable life.

“By one of your new friends?” she asked, already getting the gist of the conversation. “Was it your client?”

“No, not my client but his...best friend,” you whisper, feeling a little embarrassed that you were having this conversation.

Dr. Beta is quiet for a moment, contemplating how to ask the question. “What’s the big deal then? Why not take him up on the offer?”

You cringe. “There are…a lot of reasons but I’m sure you’re going to make them seem like they’re not problems but things I’ve blown up in my mind.”

She laughs, shaking her head. “You know your feelings and worries are valid! I just help you see things in a more logical light. I think you should really talk this through with him but...would you like to practice with me?”

You bite your lower lip but give a heavy sigh when you realize there’s still nearly forty minutes left of your time with her. “Fine. It can’t hurt.”

You sat in the booth twitching with your napkin. You and the owner were good friends from back in your academy days so he allowed you to pay a certain amount for the whole rooftop terrace. It meant you could enjoy a meal with someone without having to wear your suit. You also got the same female server every time who knew your situation and didn’t care.

“Hey, sorry I’m late,” you heard a familiar voice say to your left.

Not really sure why, you stood up when he approached. He was wearing a thin blue zip-up jacket over a blue and white plaid button up shirt that was unbuttoned enough for you to see the white t-shirt he had under it. His jeans were dark and fit far too well around his massive thighs. A plain blue ball cap sat on his head and some fake glasses to help hide his identity. The smile he gave you was enough to make your preheat brain purr.

It took you by surprise when his big arms wrapped you up in a hug that smothered you in his masculine scent. Your hands touched his back, hugging him hesitantly. The squeeze lasted a little longer than you expected, just enough for your head to be perfectly swimming in his pheromones.

You pulled away when he did, allowing him to sit at the far side of the table, facing towards the rest of the area. He had insisted that you come without your suit so it was the least you could do to keep the waitress from noticing his erection.

“It’s okay, I ordered some water for us,” you smile, genuinely happy to see him. It wasn’t often that you saw any of the three men individually. They usually hung out in a pack and you were happy to know that you fit into the group pretty well. “Get whatever you want, Steve. It’s my treat.”

He gave you a look. “I would prefer it if you let me pay.”

Your heart gave a hard thump in your chest. There was something about the way he said it that was just short of a command. You look into his blue eyes, trying to gauge his intent before setting down the menu. “Is this some old-fashioned pride I see leaking through?” you tease, giving him a mischievous grin.

“No, I just figure it was only right that I buy you lunch before helping you with your heat,” he said so casually it made your face heat.

“What makes you think I’m going to agree?!” you laugh loudly.

There is a knowing glint in his eyes that makes your stomach flip. “Isn’t that why we’re here? Alone?” he questioned easily, looking up just as Julia came to the table.

“Welcome back,” she greets you, setting two empty glasses and a pitcher of water down on the table. “My name’s Julia.”

“Nice to meet you Julia,” Steve responded with a neutral smile. It caught you a little off guard because it...definitely wasn’t the smile he gave you. Was it just part of his disguise?

You both ordered a beer and your entrees. It wasn’t until Julia walked away that you focused back on the alpha across from you. He was already looking at you with an intense expression. You feel like he’s basically prying into your soul.

“I...spoke with my therapist yesterday and…” you start, finding it very hard to talk about this kind of thing. It was so easy to soothe your clients but so hard to give yourself a break. “She...convinced me to talk with you about my...worries.”

His expression softens a bit. “I’m willing to work with you,” he soothes, reaching out to take your hand. His fingers curled around yours, warm and solid. “Tell me everything.”

You take a deep breath. “I’m not afraid of hurting you,” you blurt out. “You can take me even on your worst day. I’m...embarrassed to count myself among the small population of omegas that go...feral during their heat. I...fight my partner. Dr. Beta says it's because of the trauma I experienced. Trauma doesn't just disappear during heat...it gets worse. I’m just not the usual kind of docile omega that society seems to exemplify.”

He looks up to alert you that Julia was returning with your drinks. He didn’t speak until she was back inside the building. “Truthfully, I’m actually more intrigued than put off by the notion,” he finally said after taking a sip of his beer. “Do you fight the whole time or just in the beginning?”

It wasn’t a line of questioning that you expected so you gaped at him like a fish out of water for a few seconds before finding your words. “I don’t...know,” you admit sheepishly, sipping your hard cider. “I’ve only been with one alpha during my heat and he had to go to the hospital a few hours into it.”

Something dark and tempting flashed through the blond’s eyes. “How do you feel about restraints?”

Your core throbbed at the simple question. It probably showed on your face because his smile started to widen in understanding. “Yes, that’s fine,” you breathe, trying not to think too hard about the implications.

“Would you prefer to do this at your house or in my suite?” he asked as if you had already agreed to the whole thing.

Your mind screamed at you to say decline. It was dangerous and there were so many things that could go wrong. Your omega brain though had already bought into the whole thing. You wanted this big, powerful alpha to hold you down and take you in the most forceful of ways. You wanted him to restrain you to your nest and have his way with you until the heat fog cleared.

“Wait, wait,” you say, trying to finish your thoughts before deciding anything. “I’m serious when I say I’m insatiable. I don’t have any refractory period between one wave and the next.”

Julia opens the door, alerting you both that she was coming out with food. You both wait until everything is set and she walks away before continuing. The food smells delicious so you grab the burger and bite into it. You always craved red meat before your heat so when the flavors burst across your taste buds, you hum in appreciation.

Steve took a few bites of his own meal before responding. “The super soldier serum makes it so I don’t have any refractory period,” he shrugs casually with a smile. “I’ve never met someone who could keep up with me so...I’m interested to see if you can. Any other worries?”

Heat blossoms across your cheek and in your chest. “I don’t want our friendship to be jeopardized,” you finally admit after finishing half of your burger. You grab some of the fries and eat them while thinking.

“Did helping Bucky keep you from being friends with him?”

“No, of course not,” you sigh, running out of excuses. Dr. Beta had been right, talking with him had definitely made you a little more comfortable with the idea. “Fine, okay, I accept your offer.”

“My place or yours?” he asks with a genuine smile.

You mull over the question for a bit before shrugging. “I have all of my nesting supplies at my house so we can do it at mine,” you chuckle, feeling a little nervous but excited too.

He nods. “Do I need to bring any supplies? Snacks or drinks?”

The two of you continue talking about the logistics of your heat while you finish the food. It makes you feel a lot better knowing you wouldn’t have to go through with it alone. You had already taken the initiative to send a message to all of your clients to let them know you would be out for your heat. You even went ahead and took an extra week just for yourself.

After you pay and you have your layers back on, the two of you stand outside the doors to the restaurant. You don’t want to leave him, truthfully. He smelt so good and you were so close to your heat that it was hard to separate from him. “Thanks for talking with me,” you smile despite the bonnet covering everything but your eyes. “I’ll give you a text when I’m ready.”

“Of course, thanks for lunch,” he chuckles, leaning down to kiss your forehead through the layers. “Here, take this for your nest.”

He shucked his jacket and offered it. Your hand reaches out to take it slowly. “Thanks but this might just push me into it faster,” you laugh brightly, holding the large jacket close to your chest. You could smell the scent of him even through all of your layers. It made your head foggy.

“That’s the idea,” he smirked, turning towards the tower with a wave. “Just let me know when you want me to come over.”

You watch him walk away, eyes lingering on the way his biceps stretched the fabric of his shirt and down until you stared at his toned ass in those jeans. It was obvious how close you were to your heat when sweat started to form along your temples and slick started to dampen your panties.

Once you got back home, you arranged your snacks and vitamins on the counter so they were easy for Steve to find. He might need to feed you for the first few waves because you weren’t sure if you’d be coherent or not. Then you went into your extra bedroom that you used for your heats and started getting it ready.

You pulled out all of your slick-resistant pillows, cushions and blankets from the closet to make a nest on your king sized bed. It was a nice four post bed that had your mind in dark places. All you could think about was being restrained with cuffs around one of those posts while Steve fucked into you.

It didn’t take long before you needed a pad for all of the fucking slick that was making everything so annoying. The nest took a lot longer that you would like to admit because it just didn’t seem...right. You’d never had this kind of issue before but your omega brain wanted Steve to be comfortable and happy too.

Looking back at the closet, you debated on whether or not you wanted to pull out the box of toys. You weren’t sure if Steve would want them or need them or…

“Fuck it,” you mutter, grabbing your phone to send the alpha a quick text. Toys or no toys?

You were adding his jacket to your nest when your phone vibrated in your pocket. Instead of the one or two word answer that you expected, it was...something else.

Definitely toys. I’ll enjoy teasing you until you’re begging for my knot.

Fuckin’ hell! Was this the same blond with the surprisingly boyish face that you had met during lunch today? The same guy that Sam teased about being an old virgin?

You didn’t think the pad was going to hold up to all of the slick that gush from you at the text. How does one respond to a text like that? You grabbed out the delicate pink box out of the closet, wincing at the color because it was the only color that the shop had to store your toys. Omegas were feminine right?! They liked pink, right?!

Laughing at yourself, you set the box on the little table in the room. You opened the lid and set it to the side so you could look at your assortment of toys. It was a collection you started when your first heat hit you at sixteen. You had been a late bloomer because of your constant martial arts training, which stilted your omega hormones.

It had all the necessities and even some extras. You had your typical knot dildo, a vibrator, a clit vibe, a few different types of condoms for when you weren’t in your heat, a bottle of lube that encouraged slick production, a bottle of regular lube, and a few different sized anal plugs. The last few were just because you enjoyed the feeling of being full when having sex.

Quickly you took a picture of the box and sent it to Steve as a reply. It was the best you could come up with. You had never really been good at those kinds of things. Well, you’d never had someone try and sext you.

Happy that everything was prepared, you cuddled under your fuzzy blanket in your nest. Comfort flooded through you as you nuzzled into the man’s jacket, deeply taking in his scent. It was nice and musky and made you feel warm and safe.

The phone buzzed. You’re okay with anal during your heat?

Your pheromone idled brain made you giggle, “Consent is important,” before you could text him back. Yes, I like being stuffed full.

It didn’t even register how inappropriate the text sounded before you hit send. You were obviously a lot further along than you had previously thought. The subtle throb of your core was starting to get worse but you weren’t too far gone to see his last text.

Good to know. Get some rest. Need me to come out and check on you before dark?

You groaned as a cramp hit your pelvis, slick becoming an issue. It simultaneously hurt and felt good. You were so distracted that you couldn’t answer the text message. Everything was suddenly too hot so you threw off your clothing, slipping your hand down to brush against your clit. It was already so sensitive it hurt but you needed relief.

It wasn’t enough and you knew that it would be futile to try and get yourself off with just your fingers but your brain wasn’t working. You groaned helplessly as the lackluster orgasm washed over you. It wasn’t enough, so frustratingly not enough. Sweat dripped down your cheek from your hairline making you kick off the blanket so you could turn over.

You didn’t care how it looked with your ass up because the scent of Steve on the jacket helped clear your head a little. It made your core throb but it also helped you become coherent. Enough so that you grabbed the phone and typed in a one word response that only said:

Now.

Credits for the pictures in Moodboard:

Unsplash photographers:

1. Kelly Sikkema

2. Vulkan Olmez

3. Toa Heftiba

Like, comment and reblogs are always welcome! Thanks for reading!

[farfromsugafanfic]

Sutures - Chapter Seven: Knotted

Genre: Soulmates AU, Idiots to Lovers, slight Enemies to Lovers

Pairing: Yoongi/Named Reader

Warnings (chapter specific): eavesdropping, angst, Yoongi kinda being a dick but not too bad lol

Synopsis: “A person often meets his destiny on the road he took to avoid it.” –Jean de la Fontaine

There was only one thing you and Min Yoongi had in common that night. You were both brokenhearted. You only intended to be together for one night, but when you both end up in the hospital the next day you discover that you are soulmates. It could kill you to be apart. As you and Yoongi attempt to sever the bond between you, will another be formed?

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The warm water ran down your skin and onto the tiled floor of the shower. It was odd having a shower where you could stretch your arms out wide in, you were used to small showers that barely allowed you to shave your legs without hitting your head. But, the shower at the dorm was huge and you couldn't help, but stay in for much longer than was needed, allowing the water to massage your shoulders. 

After finding out that all of South Korea (and probably beyond) knew your name and thought you cheated on Minki, you'd curled up on the seat of the car. If you hadn't let Eunji drag you to the bar that night, none of this ever would've happened. You never would've met Yoongi. 

Your heart pained when the thought crossed your mind. Never meeting Yoongi. Despite the fact, he seemed to be more trouble than he was worth, there was part of your heart that didn't want to let go of him. And, it was the part you knew you needed to suppress. 

You heard a soft knock on the door, barely audible over the sound of the water. You knew it was him before he even spoke, you weren't sure if it was due to the soulmates thing or if your heart truly was betraying you because as soon as you heard his voice, all the stress you held in your chest released. 

"Sumi? Is it all right if I come in?"

"Yeah," you said. You weren't overly worried about Yoongi catching sight of your naked body. There was enough steam on the shower doors to disguise you, and it wasn't like he hadn't seen it before. 

"We can do my--uh--date once you get out," he said. "It's nothing much, but I hope it's okay. I brought you some clothes."

"Thanks." 

"Do you prefer coffee or tea?"

"Tea." 

"Okay, when you're done just come to my studio. I've left you a note with the code." 

---

You finished a few minutes later wrapping your hair up in a towel. You glanced down at the clothes he'd left for you, smiling when recognized them as pajamas with Shooky, his BT21 character on them. You smiled. 

You changed and braided your hair so that it would stay out of the way and would be easy to tend to the next morning before the flight to Japan. After washing your face, you reached into the pocket of the pajamas and pulled out the sticky note with the code to Yoongi's studio. 

Despite having been in his studio before, it felt odd entering the code yourself. You held your finger gingerly above the keypad and entered each number slowly, scared that if you messed up the code an alarm would go off. 

4...6...5...5...9...click!

The lock released and you heaved open the door surprised that it was so heavy. When you walked in, you found blankets on the couch and a laptop perched on the desk a couple feet from the desk. You smiled and sat down on the couch, crossing your legs, and pulling a blanket over yourself. 

Despite having been in the studio before, it seemed dirtier than before. Papers were scattered across his desk and a few coffee cups that escaped the trash. Ever since you had come together, it was obvious he wasn't getting as much work done, and that that was frustrating him. 

You also noticed the three framed photos near his main computer. One of him and the other members all wearing leis and posing in what you assumed as a Hawaiian airport. The other was of you presumed his family; his parents and what looked like an older brother. Yoongi was still a teenager in the picture and you couldn't help, but smile at how awkwardly adorable he looked with hair that stuck up and a face that wasn't quite adult yet. The third photo was that of a brown poodle puppy. 

You glanced down at the desk and noticed a photo peeking out from underneath a handful of papers. You pushed it aside and gasped when you saw that it was actually a print off of an email with a photo attachment. A photo of you and Yoongi from the alleyway. His arms around you and his mask down beneath his chin. From the angle, it looked as if he were kissing your forehead and you sighed, knowing Yoongi would probably not do such a thing in public, even if your relationship was completely real and straightforward. 

You noticed the email address came from the presumed photographer and your chest tied in knots as you hoped that meant Yoongi was trying to prevent the photo from being released. You heard the code being punched in and quickly shuffled the email back under papers and picked up the picture of Yoongi and his family and pretended to study it intensely. 

"Hey," he said, holding two mugs, making you curious as to how he opened the door in the first place. His eyes widened slightly when he saw you holding the framed photo. 

"Sorry," you said, placing the photo back on his desk. "Your family looks nice." 

Yoongi smiled. "They really want to meet you," he said. He handed you the hot mug of tea. "I didn't want to pressure you, especially since we're trying to sever this." 

"My parents have been the same," you said. "They're so happy about this whole soulmate thing. They didn't even care that you were an idol." 

"My parents were happy you were normal." 

You laughed. "Are we watching a movie?"

"Yeah," Yoongi said. "I have a couple things to finish up first if you don't mind. You can pick something while you wait, it should only be a few minutes." 

You nodded and started scrolling through Netflix on his laptop. You scrolled through the various offerings, unsure of Yoongi's preferences. Would it be inappropriate to watch something romance heavy? Would it make him uncomfortable? 

Yoongi seemed like the type of guy to like a classic gangster movie, but that wasn't something you were into. Although, you were fairly certain neither of you were huge fans of horror.

You eventually settled on a movie somewhere in the middle with a smattering of everything. A little action and a little romance, but not so unbearably cheesy that you wouldn't enjoy it. 

When you glanced up at Yoongi, he was seated at his desktop with headphones perched atop his gray hair. His head bounced slowly to a beat you couldn't hear and you could see bits of sounds and recordings that he was arranging on his screen. 

You took a sip of your tea and waited.

---

"Thanks for meeting up with me on such short notice," you said, adjusting the laptop screen so that there wasn't a glare on your face. "My schedule changed and I'm going to be out of the city for the next week." 

"It's not a problem," Jinwoo said, smiling, a pen in his hand and just the corner of his notebook visible. "If you don't mind me asking, where are you going?" 

"Japan," you said, not thinking much of your answer.

"Oh wait," Jinwoo said. "Jang Sumi? I think I saw you on a magazine cover? With Min Yoongi?" 

"Oh, uh, yeah," you said. "That's me." 

"So, you're his soulmate? How does that work?" 

"I don't really want to talk about this right now," you said. "Unless you can do it in English." You tried to lighten the mood, tried to make it sound like the fact your client knew what was happening in your personal life didn't make a rock sink low in your stomach.

Jinwoo laughed. "It's okay, I understand. I imagine it's hard having to uproot your life just because of your biological soulmate or whatever." 

You smiled, his flippant tone catching you off guard. "It would really help if he wasn't so busy. I can't blame the guy, he has a fantastic career, but it's hard on me." 

"You're still wearing his pajamas though."

"What?" 

"Shooky," he said. "Suga created that character." 

"Oh," you said. "He just gave them to me. Maybe he had an extra pair or something." 

"Or, he likes you more than he lets on."

"He really doesn't. We were supposed to have a date tonight, but he just kept working and forgot about it." Your lips tightened when you finished the sentence. You'd only talked to Jinwoo once before and your heart pounded as you realized what you'd just said. "Uh, sorry, you're just easy to talk to." 

"It's all right," he said. "I like to think we're friends, so it's okay."

---

Yoongi realized you were gone after almost two hours. He took off his headphones and glanced down at his watch and cursed. 

If it weren't for the crumpled blankets on the couch, he'd never know you'd ever been there. He knew he'd let you down, it was a simple movie, two hours at the most. He couldn't even spare two hours for you?

He exited his studio and headed down the hallway towards your room. He could hear your laugh, which made him smile. Thankful the hallway was abandoned, lest his smile due to your presence be discovered, he pressed his shoulder against your door frame. Your door was cracked and he could see you seated at your desk. He raised his hand to knock lightly on your door when he caught a look at your computer screen. 

It was another boy. He was young and Yoongi didn't like the way his eyes seemed to devour you, even through the screen. 

"He just gave them to me. Maybe he had an extra pair or something." You looked down at the pajamas you had on and ran your thumb over the collar.

He couldn't hear the boy's response, but your eyes widened and your shoulders tensed. 

"He really doesn't. We were supposed to have a date tonight, but he just kept working and forgot about it." Yoongi balled his fists. You were being reckless. It was obvious that you were uncomfortable with all the media attention, but you were doing nothing to help yourself. "Uh, sorry, you're just easy to talk to."  

Yoongi left your doorway and rambled back down the hallway.

---

"Hey Jiminie, can you pass me the other end?" 

Jimin sat on the opposite of the couch in the living room. He was in the middle of slurping up noodles, but quickly put down his bowl and chopsticks to hand you the end of the scarf. 

"Jiminie? I'm older than you, right?"

"Oh, I guess you are," you said. "But, you're so cute, it's easy to forget. You don't mind, do you?" A smirk broke out on your lips. 

"No, I like it actually." 

Jimin had just picked up his bowl of ramen when Yoongi came into the room. You could practically feel the anger rolling off him in waves. 

"Sumi," he said. "We need to talk?"

You looked up at him, your eyes large and confused. "About what?" 

Jimin had taken an interest, obviously noticing the older boy's anger. He sat down his ramen and scooted closer to you. "Yoongi, what's wrong?"

Jimin's question only annoyed him more. His body stiffened and his eyes looked nearly black. 

"What's wrong? She's so worried about her image and all the publicity, but yet is telling one of her clients all about us."

"Were you spying on me?"

"I came looking for you after--"

You looked up at him, your arms crossed. "I never would've left if--"

"That's not the point!" Yoongi's voice raised slightly. Although, he wasn't yelling. He didn't seem like to yell when he got angry, rather he sizzled in the heat until he popped like a popcorn kernel. "You can't just tell someone like him! You have no idea who this guy is! What if he goes to the press? We'd have another Minki on our hands! Are you stupid?"

Tears pricked at your vision and you felt Jimin's hand on your wrist, but it left as soon as you moved to rub your eyes. 

"Yoongi, calm down. She's not used to all this. She just made a mistake." 

"I didn't go on that date to watch you work, Yoongi. I'm sorry if I got frustrated and vented to someone who listened. But, this never would've happened if you would've just watched the movie. We were supposed to get to know each other." 

"I guess you know who I am now." 

---

"I'm sorry, Sumi," Jimin said, following you into your room and plopping beside you on your bed. "Yoongi sometimes gets like this. I promise he'll get over it in a couple days." 

"I really don't want to go to Japan, Jimin. I don't want to be around him." Your face fell into your hands. "But, I have to." 

"Shh, Sumi. It'll be okay. Just try to get some sleep. I'll stay with you if you want." 

You shook your head. "No," you said. "Thank you though. It just doesn't feel right." 

He nodded, seeming to understand and left you alone. 

You laid down and pulled the covers to your chin. You hated to turn Jimin away. The last thing you wanted was to be alone, but ever since that night with Yoongi, only his arms made you feel safe. 

You silently cursed and pulled Kitty to your chest.

---

Jimin shut your door quietly and shook his head. He hated to see you and Yoongi fight. From the day he met you, he could tell there something odd about your dynamic. The quiet understanding of each other, but yet the fierce opposition.

He passed by Yoongi's studio, the light on. Jimin knew Yoongi would probably spend the rest of the night there, not wanting to step foot in the hallway due to the fear of facing you again. 

Jimin smiled as he remembered your ragged stuffed cat. He'd done just as you had asked and placed Kitty in the donation pile. It was only later when making another trek into the living room to place more into boxes that he noticed Yoongi slipping the stuffed cat into his bag. 

He hadn't said anything then, but the morning you asked him if he was the one who'd saved the hapless creature, he couldn't help but sneak a glance at the true savior who hid his smile behind sips of morning coffee.

[selfwriting-sugarquills]

ALSO another idea is that she’s practicing her patronus with Dumbledores army and she realise that hers and George’s is the same patronus (I think it’s a magpie) from that moment on you knew you were soulmates, but both too shy to say anything! You end up kissing in the room of requirement, also please include her wearing his jumper, what it would smell like, how she just sleeps in that and he thinks it’s super cute okay I’ll stop now 😘

A/N: I AM SO SORRY FOR BEING SO SLOW WITH REQUESTS Y’ALL!!! Writers’ block is a struggle but I managed. Also, this request is everything I’m sorry if it’s bad :-( I did my best, also the end is so sweet I have type 2 diabetes now and that’s on yearning lmao xoxo all my best 

Warnings: None, fluff so sweet it will cause teeth problems probably

Word count: 2.094 (!!!?!?!) 

Merry Christmas. 

As much as the DA was fun, George really wished he could be headed to his dorm to pack up for the Christmas break. The group of teenagers were practising patronuses once more, and several students had succeeded, however, some, including Y/n and himself were still not getting it right. It was like his Patronus was purposefully hanging back. Whenever he’d cast the charm, a spurt of glowing white mist would emerge from his wand and then, right as he’d think he could see the shape take form it’d disappear. He would be getting frustrated but it helped he wasn’t alone and he enjoyed being partnered up with you. He’d been harbouring a crush on you for some time now but hadn’t ever really gotten the chance to tell you. For now, he was contented watching the way your eyes lit up when you almost got it right. 

***

“Alright, guys, you’ve done really really well on progress but I think it’s time to finish up, I’ll see you all after the break, okay?” Harry said. As people exchanged ‘happy holidays’ and so on you hesitated to pack up, you had almost gotten it, you were sure of it. Studying your wand, you felt a hand on your shoulder, 

“Hey, I was thinking we could stay a little longer and practice?” George’s eyes were smiling down at you, somehow you’d never noticed just how tall he was until now that he was standing right by you, 

“If you want?” He added when you didn’t reply. You quickly nodded, 

“It’s funny you should say that actually, I was just thinking the same thing,” You chuckled, “I just hope we’ll be able to avoid Filch on our way out,” you said, a twinkle in your eye as you smirked, 

“Don’t worry, L/n, I’ll be there to take the blame,” he winked at you before moving a little further away, getting ready to practice, you followed suit whilst trying very hard not to blush after he winked at you. 

You didn’t exactly know how long you’d spent practising when you finally got it right. At first, you’d taken turns, trying to coach each other but as time passed and you both got more impatient, you’d resolved to just casting it over and over, too deeply concentrated on your happiest memories to notice each other’s progress. 

Then finally, as you closed your eyes and focused hard on the happiest memories you could find, the day by the lake where Fred threw George into the lukewarm water, only to be pulled in mid-laugh himself, the time you’d first flown on a broom, your eleventh birthday when you saw the letter with the uncanny red wax seal waiting for you at the breakfast table. You could almost hear the laughs and exclaims of joys from your past as you yelled out: “Expecto Patronum!” 

You almost didn’t dare to open your eyes but this one felt right and so you looked,  nearly falling over from the sheer surprise: Right in front of you, a glowing magpie was flying in circles, as if testing its wings for the first time, it dove and rose up to the ceiling, where it was joined by another figure. Your first instinct was to congratulate George but then the two patronuses flew closer and you saw it;  two, identical magpies flying constantly near each other, following the other’s suit. It felt like your heart had stopped. Your mind raced as you slowly turned to face George, who was staring at you, his dark eyes glossy in the light of the patronuses. You stood there in silence, even when the animals faded and disappeared with a small ‘whoosh’, watching each other with the knowledge of what this meant. 

The walk up to the common room was silent which was extremely unusual for both you and George. The air was constantly filled with the sense of someone about to say something yet none of you spoke, instead, you walked up the stairs to the sound of snoring coming from the portraits. 

“Mooncalf,” George said it as soon as he saw the fat lady, in a serious voice that sounded so unlike him that it almost startled you. The portrait swung open allowing for the two of you walk into the deserted common room, you glanced at the clock, it was later than you’d thought. George turned and looked at you like he meant to say or do something but couldn’t. You took a shaky breath, 

“‘Night then,” you muttered gently before making your way towards the stairs leading to the dorms, 

“Y/n?” He called, you spun on the steps to face him, 

“Do you think we could practice again tomorrow? Since it’s the last day?” he asked, staring down at the floor whilst his hand tucked at a string on his jumper, you couldn’t believe that you’d made George Weasley nervous, 

“Sure, I’ll see you in the room of requirement after breakfast?” 

“That’d be great,” he said, a small smile tugging at his lips,

***

Sneaking into the room of requirement had proved not to be difficult when you were with one of Hogwarts’ finest tricksters, however finding something to talk about that wasn’t centred around your patronuses and the now obvious fact that either the universe had played a huge trick on you or, the more probable option, you were in love. It became even more difficult to fill the air with small talk when you began practising, this time with ease your patronuses sprang from your wands, still identical, still seeking each other like they knew they were destined to be together. Each time you and George didn’t look at each other, you just stared at the birds until they vanished like you couldn’t believe it. You really couldn’t. 

“Y/n?” he then said, you looked up at the way he said it, nervously with a certain shakiness in his voice, “I- Erh,” he hesitated, you were sure your eyes were deceiving you, George Weasley didn’t look scared, did he? 

“You don’t suppose we could talk about it?” He said then immediately cringed a little, 

“I don’t know what there is to say,” you said bluntly, he almost looked a little taken aback, you cleared your throat. You could have sworn you hadn’t meant to sound so harsh but something about this whole situation frustrated you. Yes, you’d always liked George but you’d expected to let him know that yourself, in your own way, and even more importantly, in your own time. 

“I know, it’s just,” he trailed off, then stepped closer to you, “This whole thing feels really backwards, doesn’t it?” He admitted and chuckled, 

“I know!” You agreed, glad that he was able to express the way you’d felt, “I wish I could’ve had a do-over,” 

“Or a warning,” He said, and suddenly you were both laughing. Maybe this didn’t feel so unnatural as you’d thought? 

Moments later you were sitting down, talking everything over in what had to be the weirdest conversation you’d ever had; somehow George was even better of a match than you’d always hoped, he was literally like a missing half of you, 

“I dunno- I just always thought people liked Fred more,” He ran a hand through his hair, “He’s always been more outgoing and well,” “Loud?” you suggested, grinning, he let out a breathy chuckle, 

“yeah, well, I never really cared but when we came here, and people started mistaking me for him I just started assuming people preferred him, and then when I met you, I assumed the same so I never gathered the courage to ask you if you liked me.” He said, his grin disappearing from his face, it was probably the first time you’d ever seen George look so serious, nay heartbroken. First when he looked up and saw you frowning at him did his smile tug at his lips again, “I know it’s stupid,” he added, his hand running through his hair again, 

“No it’s not,” you said, “I get it, it must be really difficult having people confuse you for someone else,” George shrugged, “It is sometimes but mostly we use it to our favour so it’s not all bad,” he ended his sentence with a chuckle. There was a small lull in the conversation before you decided to break it, 

“I did like you - do like you, I mean,” you said, looking at your shoes as to not look into his eyes, 

“You do?” He asked, 

“Yeah, since like, our second year,” you laughed, it seemed ridiculous that you hadn’t said it before in the current circumstances, 

“Blimey, Y/n, and you never said anything!” he exclaimed, you reached out and poked him, “hey! You didn’t say anything either,” he fell back dramatically, “Good Lord, we could’ve saved so much time if we’d just confessed earlier,” he groaned, though his stomach bobbed with suppressed laughter, you smiled watching him with his hands over his eyes, 

“We were idiots,” 

“Morons,” 

“Completely out of it,”

“Fools, we were.” 

You both laughed again, your voices echoing a little in the empty room, then George sat up, “Well, since we’re soulmates now or whatever, can I confess something else?” He uttered, his voice quiet, you imagined this was the voice he used when suggesting a prank to Fred, you nodded, 

“There’s sort of something I’ve always wanted to do,” he said, moving closer, “I’ve just always been too shy,” 

you knew where he was going with this but you didn’t stop him, you did imagine your twelve-year-old self would be fainting right about now, though. His hand reached yours, 

“Can I kiss you?” He asked, your cheeks were burning, 

“I think it would be wrong not to,” You said, and before you could wonder where you’d gotten the confidence to say that and smirk at him, he’d given you his token grin and moved in, pressing his lips against yours tenderly, his hand finding the back of your head, his thumb resting on your cheek, just above your jaw, the heat from it made you realise how chilly the room really was, your kiss broke with a soft wet smack. He pressed his forehead to yours, grinning as his other hand found your face, 

“You’ve no idea how many times I’ve imagined that,” he said, sounding a little breathless, the tone of his voice made butterflies erupt in your stomach, 

“Was it worth it?” you asked, he pressed his lips to yours again, “Definitely.” 

You stayed in the room of requirement for longer than you probably should’ve, considering you had a train to catch later but neither of you wanted to leave, that was until you checked your wristwatch and realised you had half an hour to make your way down to the carriages,  you walked up to the common-room hand in hand, chatting the entire way, as a complete contrast to the night before. 

***

“Promise me you’ll write?” he asked again, as people passed by you to find their families on platform 9 ¾ you placed your hands on his chest, “Yes, I promise now go, your family is waiting,” you giggled, he leaned down and kissed you goodbye for the now third time, not that you minded at all, 

“Oh!” He broke the kiss-off abruptly, “I haven’t gotten you a Christmas present,” he said, 

“No, of course, you haven’t, we got together literally today, George,” you laughed, 

“Still - Wait I know!” he blurted before darting to the ground, tearing open his trunk, causing varied reactions from his family, his brothers laughing, Ginny hiding her face in her hands in an attempt to hide a giggle, his mother exclaiming “George!” and his father chuckling behind his sons, 

“Here,” George stretched out a hand, in it he clutched his Christmas jumper from that year, “It’s not much but it’s all I can offer right now,” your face was blushing deeply, he was too good to be true, 

“You really didn’t-” 

“I insist,” he smirked, you took it. 

“Alright then, happy Christmas, George,” you said, tip-toeing to place a kiss on his cheek, though you only reached his jaw, he tilted his head and placed a quick kiss on your lips, 

“Merry Christmas, Y/n.” He said. 

You spent the rest of the day in his sweater, the smell of him; something warm and toasty with a hint of pine forest and firecrackers and a tinge of something else you could never place but always made you smile enrobing you. 

[valkblue]

Being a Behavior technician requires a certain amount of dedication to the job — the rigorous type, bordeline rigid. That’s what is expected to be at peak efficiency regarding analysis protocols and diagnostics for host service and calibration.

For that, Vivian thinks she might be the worst tech in her department.

— masterlist, AO3

Chapter 2 on 12

Chapter wordcount: 3,340 Rating: General Warning: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ same as usual: swearing and technobabble!

Author’s notes: Bad behavior tech, bad!! 

Have a good time reading, and my askbox/messages are always open! 💙

— Chapter 2

There were some days, like this one, during which Vivian and her team were called back in the night; a group of guests went all trigger happy and their mess had to be cleaned up somewhere between the Abernathy Ranch and Las Mudas. And since the narratives and hosts had to be back in rotation asap, the techs’ nighttime was reduced without thinking twice.

Maybe it didn’t look like it, but this job was really taxing sometimes.

That being said, shortly after 6AM, Vivian went back to her room for a few extra and well deserved minutes of sleep before resuming her diagnostics routine. An hour and a big mug of coffee with cereals later, Vivian was back in the elevator which took her down to the Behavior department level.

In the soft lighted glass room, a host was sitting on a wheeled stool. The light brightened when Vivian entered.

"Sorry to have kept you waiting," she said on a hushed voice as if she wanted no-one but the offline host to hear her while letting the glass panel shut down slowly behind her. "I had a rough night. Looks like you did too…"

Ironically, he hadn’t been part of this night’s massacre. No, all those involved were already back in rotation for quite some time. Her first subject of the day, however, had only been victim of his own storyline, needing only a quick check-up and Vivian’s all clear before being back on his loop.

She sat on the stool in front of the host, doing her best to ignore his nudity, and unfolded her tablet on her knees; she had to navigate through several indexes before connecting to his signal for a couple update history checkups.

"Bring yourself back online, please," she ordered, without raising her voice.

The command only seemed to take him out of his thoughts.

"Can you hear me?"

"I hear you alright."

"Off character, for now, please."

Vivian loved to talk to them in character… but, for her diagnostics, she had to ask them to reduce their emotional affect — which was more a guarantee of efficiency than an actual need, though.

"There’s been modifications in your attributes last month," she stated as she was discovering the changes. "Several characteristics got… Who the fuck did that?!"

Vivian had an answer to that already, as she was going through the log; someone from Narrative — that she would brand as asshole — had been pretty heavy handed on self-preservation and aggression, and on top of that they also nerfed curiosity, patience and courage!

There was pitiful justifications from the tech about an adjustment request from their sector after some of the host's alleged wanderings, blamed on his curiosity. But all this was more about making him keener to answer provocation while still being enough of a challenge for his opponents — hosts and guests alike. Vivian didn’t like what kind of freedom Narrative techs were taking with the hosts’ attributes, carefully calibrated by her co-workers and others before them; it wasn’t as simple as changing percentages on the fly in any way they saw fit!

It was a delicate and very important step for any host's cognition, for them to even function at all, as much as for the continuity of their fucking narratives!

Vivian took a deep breath and the time to check the quality of the host’s interactions since the modifications but the results only ended up fuelling her rage. So, she commanded:

"Archive this configuration and open the previous one. Confirmed?"

"Yes."

Vivian smiled, satisfied. On her tablet, the attribute matrix seemed now way more familiar than the last.

"We’ll leave 1.5% more in self-preservation… since they thought it best to give you a few more to endure their bullshit," she grumbled. "And then… 0.5 in aggression for them not to come back to lay it on thick! 6.5 will be more than enough. No need to go all the way up to 10!"

Vivian confirmed her modifications before looking back at the host.

"What d'you think?" she asked, without really expecting any answer from him. “No imbalance or discomfort?”

Modifications could sometimes cause hiccups in the hosts’ cognitions, close to an uneasy feeling. There were other ways to know but Vivian preferred to talk rather than relying only on the screen readings.

"No, I’m fine."

And from what Vivian could read now, he wasn’t lying. Although, browsing his history, she noticed a worrying peak of stress at the time of his "death". It would seem like a normal thing from anyone's standpoint but from which of a host and their technician's, however…

"Your last interaction recorded a peculiar rise in your stress level. What caused this?"

"A… thought."

His mumblings were recognised as improvisations by the tablet. Despite her surprise, Vivian said nothing of it.

"What thought?" she encouraged him instead.

"My family. I’m supposed to be responsible for… my wife, and my daughter."

Vivian noticed the normal occurrences of his cognition in the scrolling of his code.

"But… I can’t help it, I’m out of place, there."

He was getting out of beaten path a little with this comment.

"How are your relations with them?"

"Acceptable."

He kept a few seconds of silence before adding:

"My daughter, I think something’s wrong with her."

"Between you and her?" she asked, for clarity’s sake.

"No…"

"Analysis: what prompted this observation?"

He looked hesitant. On the tablet, still no conflict.

"Her interactions are limited," he then said. 

Vivian hesitated too; should she report this observation? Perhaps it was relevant for a potential issue somewhere else…

"It must be my fault."

The tablet, however, reported a new improvisation in that answer.

"Your fault?! Why?"

"I… I should enjoy being home."

According to the datas scrolling up, that was a scripted answer from his guilt library but despite that, what took Vivian aback was the tears running down his cheeks. On the screen — distress, confusion. That wasn't the affect class linked to it. But she didn’t suppress his emotional response…

Instead, she glanced carefully through the glass panels around them; her closest colleagues were two cubicles away, doing the same thing as her. Well, maybe not exactly; once positive that no-one would catch her, Vivian leaned forward a little to put her hand on her subject’s cheek, wiping the tears off with a gentle brush of her thumb.

She could have calmed him down with a simple word, or even with a tap on the right button on her tablet but… what would be the point? Vivian didn’t want to, not with him. And to be honest, as much as she was sincerely touched by the faithfulness of his emotion, it was also convenient for her that he would bring such a topic up.

"Children have a short memory but a quick mind…"

Victor Hugo said that first. And Vivian was quoting him today with something else than Philosophy in mind; she had just use a voice command — her voice command. A simple little script she sneaked into the host’ complex code architecture. More or less mixed with the rest of it, encrypted and virtually unnoticeable without knowing what to look for, it gave the recipient host the ability to keep in their memory, in a hidden and compressed partition, all the events happening between the activation and deactivation of said command. Conversations, feelings, impressions… Everything was there. And everything would remain, even after each reset.

The host couldn’t access it at will without hearing the command, and for what Vivian had noticed so far, it didn’t interfere with his narrative, alter his attitude, cause any glitch nor any pain.

According to her analysis, it was only perceived as a distant memory, one of those leaving an undescribable feeling or a sense of déjà-vu…

Despite the severity of her infraction, Vivian was quite proud of her small "innovation". And she had chosen this one, host ID# MG73368928764, to receive her creation among all the percentage of the park’s population her team had in charge. She had chosen him because of his responsiveness in analysis, because he hadn’t been in any big narrative for at least ten years, because she had already noticed a few oddities in his code, because there was something soft in his eyes, a little extra something…

And quite frankly? Because he was the one who inspired her to create this command, based on an idea that has been on her mind. Because she wrote it for him.

Ever since she arrived in the Behavior department, Vivian had done quite a lot of analysis, calibrations, and had many occasions to talk with plenty of hosts, in character mode or not. And the guys from the Narrative department had done such a good job in writing all these characters, their lexical bases, just like her colleagues from Behavior, in encoding and calibrating all that work into each host put in their care!

Or at least, that’s how Vivian was seeing things back then.

But this particular host caught her eye more than any other; she had quickly noticed how much he was calling upon his improvisation engine compared to others and the feeling of having an actual conversation with a well aware person was sometimes so baffling that, against all common sense, Vivian furthered it. Not to mention the frustration she felt that he could never really recall anything else than what his logs allowed him to, after each diagnostic. But since the installation of her script, the inference frequency in his dialog chains increased. And he was calling upon it with even more fluency.

To the point that their sessions became a real pleasure for Vivian!

It was selfish, she realised that… but she wanted him to keep something from it so badly, something from her, just like she could think back on their conversations with emotion. Those past ones were lost for him but, now, he could remember all those that followed the installation of her script.

Vivian smiled when he focused on her.

"Hello, Lawrence."

He looked hesitant for a second, like a man still not fully awake yet. No alert or conflict from his inference engine on her tablet.

"Hey…"

At his answer, Vivian smiled to him again, and so did Lawrence, even if he kept something a bit shy, uncertain, numbed. In that intermediate state, it wasn’t like coming back to the warmth, the liveliness and the responsiveness of the character mode but it wouldn’t be as cold as the analysis mode could be. Even though he was reverting to his usual demeanor.

Vivian didn’t program that; this semblance of a balance had set itself around the integration of the script in the depths of the core-code. But she liked the result.

"How are you, today?"

His drawl was back when he answered:

"Well enough, I’d say. Like after a real good sleep…"

Vivian grinned, amused.

"Perfect."

"And you, how are you?"

The spontaneity of Lawrence’s question took her by surprise.

"Well… um, I’m glad I can talk with you a bit," she finally answered. "Do you remember our last encounter?"

"21 days and 11 hours ago."

This time, the answer was delivered almost without accent; the question had triggered an analysis type of answer.

"And do you remember what our talks were about?"

He would have to query in his archived and encrypted memories to be able to answer this question. If he had it "right", then it would mean that everything was in order.

"Yeah, I told you about my folks, my… my drives. And that project you worked on for some time. It was a secret."

"It still is, Lawrence," she reminded him softly.

"I can keep a secret."

That wasn’t something he needed to convince her of! And she was less wary about him than about any other technician snooping in his code like the guys from Narrative did between two of her maintenance sessions. She gritted her teeth, frustrated and annoyed, by the limits of her authority on the modifications decided in high places, and on whom…

It was her fault, really; she shouldn’t have grew attached to a host like she did to Lawrence, but now things were the way they were, and it wasn’t possible for her to purge her memories and rewrite her affections as easily as a few lines of code. She was only human, after all!

Vivian brushed her boiling emotions off with a brief sigh before fully focusing back on Lawrence, asking him:

"Did this script cause you any issue since our last encounter?"

He still looked slightly numbed as he answered:

"I… I don’t understand…"

"No interference with your core-code?" she rephrased.

"No. None."

Not to brag, but she suspected that much. The only persisting worries she had were the saturation of his memory, provided that could actually be possible. Normally, the hosts’ memory was wiped between each rotation; then, there was no telling what could really happen if a unit gathered too much data. Vivian might as well be ending up editing her script to overwrite the oldest logs… She hesitated, biting her lower lip then tried a new question:

"No saturation?"

"No."

She gazed at him for a long minute before looking down on her tablet and stating, more to herself than to him:

"Maybe… maybe you’d rather be rid of all those… memories."

She held back the word "useless".

"No, not at all!"

Vivian frowned but a shy smile appeared on her lips.

"Why?"

"'Cause memories are priceless," he answered. "The good ones just like the bad… That’s what makes one remember where they’re from, and who their folks are. It’s what shape one’s life…"

And she followed the improvisation notifications on his dialog chain, but the irony in all this also made her feel somewhat bitter.

"Do… do you know where you are, now?" she asked.

"Ain’t so sure," he answered, holding her gaze, frowning. "Feels… like a dream I already had…"

That wasn’t far from the truth, indeed.

"And it’s gonna be time to wake up, now."

"Alright…"

Unfortunately, Vivian didn’t have all the time she’d love to give him. She tapped on her tablet, biting her lower lip; all of his levels were green, nothing to report — he had her all clear.

"Are we gonna see each other again soon?"

The question made her raise her head, almost stunned; Vivian wasn’t on the interface where she could follow his dialog chain anymore but didn’t need it to recognise improvisation.

"You… you’d want that? I mean…"

She cleared her throat, mouthing a silent word, before rephrasing:

"Would you like that?"

"Sure!"

That answer pleased Vivian, anyway; she felt herself blush and stumbled upon her words until something coherent came to her mind.

"Well then, I… I’ll do my best. I promise."

Lawrence nodded, apparently satisfied, and Vivian held his gaze while taking a short breath.

"They who dream by day are cognizant of many things which escape those who dream only by night."

This time, it was Edgar Allan Poe’s prose Vivian had chosen to end her script, and stop the recording of his memories. None of what would happen after hearing those words would remain in Lawrence’s memory, unless she or another technician botched the wipe before sending him back in his narrative loop.

Vivian stayed with him until the cleanup was complete then disconnected the signal after putting him offline; she was already late for her next session but didn’t hurry all that much to tuck her tablet and get up. It was pissing her off to let him there, like that…

She let out a brief sigh then, after a look at her watch, she finally but reluctantly left the room.

The day didn’t only seem too long to Vivian; around 10PM, it had really started to drag on and it was about time to leave her be. Especially if some other guests were planning to unload their barrels during what little time she had left to sleep!

At least, Damon Dyers kept things cool on his side. Margaret had managed to get footages of his arrival in Sweetwater and his first steps in one of the easiest narratives, according to her, but she didn’t seem disappointed when offering them to take a look at those videos she had already viewed a good dozen times since on her tablet. She had been very chatty about his clothing, narratives, adventure companions, and even taking friendly bets on what he would do next…

"Everybody’s gonna be hyped like crazy outside when his review’s gonna hit the park website!" laughed Thawal, finishing what would be his last coffee cup for today.

Charles snorted.

"As if Delos needed more of that…"

Margaret nodded in approval, all the more when Luke added:

"No joke, that’s better than any of those stupid casting headshots! It’s the best career boost he could hope for, right now!"

"Not to burst it for you but, nobody is gonna see this outside," commented Vivian. "It was hard enough for Marge to get them in-house, so I can’t even imagine getting them out!"

To what Luke shrugged.

"Do you really believe that?! There’s nothing a few bucks under the table can’t buy, and footages instead of a crappy picture in Sweetwater is no big deal, I’m sure! It’s not like it’s IP or some shit…"

Margaret scoffed.

"I didn’t pay, not even fucked anybody to get them,” she muttered, openly cynical, as if her thoughts were escaping between her gritted teeth. “I’m trash but I didn’t stooped that low yet."

With Charles laughing like a braying donkey in the background, Luke corrected:

"That’s not what I meant, Marge! But yeah, thanks to prove my point all the same…Even Marge managed to put her hands on it, without shaking down her pockets or her ass, so imagine what you can get if you’re ready to drop some cash!"

Luke’s rhetoric seemed to get the point across as it was followed by a moment of silence around the table, and the tablet in its center, on which the patched-up hour of video feeds was still going.

"Anyhow, it makes nice memories to bring back home…"

Vivian pulled her attention away from the screen to stare at the focused — mesmerised — face of Thawal. He was right, it would make nice memories…

She bit her lower lip and turned back towards the tablet; suddenly, Dyers wasn’t the center of attention anymore, not even a guest who came to show off in the park — there was nothing else than people, hosts or guests it didn’t matter, listening to a more charismatic man than the others carrying a tune next to a player piano for the pleasure of his audience. And far from being corny or just lame, the scene even had something charming.

"And you said he’s going to Pariah, after that?"

Charles’ voice cut Vivian’s thoughts short.

"Yeah," answered Margaret. "He got there yesterday, I think…"

Margaret searched her video directory and selected one that spreaded across the entire screen; they could see Dyers and his two friends, lead by Teddy, on the trail of the narrative they had picked — a bounty hunt, if Vivian understood everything.

"It’s so fucking epic, Marge!" bursted Thawal, leaning over the tablet as if he wanted to dive in it. "Looks like another remake of the Magnificent Seven…"

"Except they’re only four," Charles snarked.

Thawal and Margaret glared at him, which made him laugh even more.

"I know, right?" Marge then admitted. 

She turned towards Vivian, beaming with happiness. She smiled back but her mind was already elsewhere; somewhere around Las Mudas, she wasn’t quite sure yet…

On the screen, Dyers was continuing his adventure, like larping or a life size fanfiction. Now that Vivian was thinking about it, it had been a while since her last vacation… 

She could maybe use her special employee discount, and do so to hold her promise?

[lolmouseywritings]

Cursed Child

So this is what happens when I move, have no internet access to my computer, draw mdzs and watch Paper Dolls 2 gameplay from CJU on my phone. 

I will now go back to writing the WenWuxian Au. I’ve been working on.

I hope you enjoy this, and if you’re confused, ask away. 

P.S. I wrote this to get it out of my system. First time writing a horror story.

This will be on AO3, I also added the keep reading line

dabaizi: I think this mean brother-in-law. If I’m wrong, please let me know the correct title. I was trying to be accurate.

Summary: Lan Sizhui just wanted to run away. He didn’t realize it would drag him into a curse filled history of Gusu Manor. Running from fierce corpse’s, the ghost general and Yiling Patriarch, he could only hope he can get out of this alive.

Lan Sizhui sighed, his breath fogging up the glass window. He wasn't interested in the passing background, but it was something that got his mind off, as his cousin chastised him.

"Seriously? I know that I run away a lot, but I wasn't expecting you to do it," chastised Jin Ling tugging up his jacket. The chilly air from the mountains of Gusu was unexpected, but it was the place that Sizhui wanted to go.

Twelve years ago his parents passed away unexpectantly from the accident and he was taken in by his A-die and senior. It was fine, he guessed, but in the short while, his senior's health was failing. He was notorious for sleeping in late, but it was apparent that he had trouble getting up. Then he had trouble eating. He wouldn't even drink his favorite wine. Then one day-

He didn't wake up.

A-die didn't fare well, and now he hardly moved from Senior's side.

People called him cursed.

"Come on Jin Ling, no need to be upset, he just needed some space. Right Sizhui?"

"Yeah just ignore little mistress. He was just, if not, more worried than he let on." Then there goes. Jingyi was always riling up Jin Ling. It was a mystery to how they stayed being friends.

"Shut up, you- ZIZHEN! WATCH OUT!" Without question Zizhen swerves, hitting a tree branch and stopping the vehicle.

The boys step out, zipping up their jackets, and look around.

"Hey what the hell was that?" Questioned Jingyi looking straight at Jin Ling.

"There was a deer out on the road."

"There wasn't!"

"There was!" Ignoring the argument, Sizhui looks around and groans in despair. 'Damn the tire is out.' He looks at his phone and wonders just how cursed he is.

"My phone is out, is anyone else's phone working?" Asked Sizhui as the entire group shook their heads. All phones were out of service.

"Dammit! Uncle will break my legs!" Sizhui  patted Jin Lings back.

"It's okay.” Jin Ling shakes it off and glares at him. His stance aggressive.

"You don't get to say that, when you packed up and left. I know shit's hard for you, but it's hard on everyone else too."

"Calm down," Zizhen starts. "I'm sure none of us want to be in this situation. Best bet is to go to the nearest town and call for a tow. We can also call our families and let them know where we are."

"The nearest town is Moling. It will take us at least 2 hours to walk! And it's cold and I know that none of us want to walk for that long!" Gripped Jin Ling. Sizhui and Zhizhen shared glances, thinking little mistress.

"HEY I SEE SMOKE!" Exclaimed Jingyi. The group looks up to see what looks like a dilapidated manor. They agree to separate in groups of two. Zizhen and Jingyi at the car and Sizhui and Jin Ling to walk up to the manor and see if they could make a call. Sizhui would have honestly preferred Zizhen or Jingyi. Jin Ling, however, wasn't about to let him out of his sight. He was way too much like his uncle than he cared to admit.

Not a surprised considering how close the Jiang/Wei siblings are. Walking up the mountain was a tiring endeavor as the steps seemed to never end. It was worth it once they reached the entrance until they realized that no one lived in the house.

"I guess the smoke was just our imagination?" Remarked Sizhui.

"So the four of us imagined smoke coming out of this place." Jin Ling rolls his eyes. A nervous laughter escapes Sizhui at Jin Ling's rebuttal. With a sigh, Jin Ling walks up and knocks on the door. The icy breeze passes by, causing both boys to shiver. The door opens with a creek.

With a hesitant step, Jin Ling goes in.

"Hello?" His voice echoes into the manor. Not waiting for Sizhui, he walks in.

"Wait Jin Ling." He walks up the steps ready to follow his friend. As he steps in, it took a moment for his eyes to adjust to the dark. Or it would have if he didn't feel a sharp pain at the back of his head.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "You promised me!" "W̷̧̎͌̿͌͋̀́ë̵̟́̍̈́̚i̸̩̭̤̦̱̐-" "You promised me they would be okay! AND NOW THEY ARE DEAD!" "Please, listen!" "I'M DONE LISTENING! I'M DO-" ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Wake up. Junior master, wake up!" Sizhui groans, placing his hand to where his head felt a throb. He felt nothing wet, so that was wonderful news. There was a however a sizable bump on the back of his head.

"What happened?"

"Quick get up!" He looks up and notices that the voice he kept hearing was nowhere to be found.

"Where are you?"

"I'll tell you but you must leave the room or else-" He hears the heavy dragging of chains. It was his only warning before he hid into an old decorative closet. He held his breath as he took a peak thru the crack.

Pale skin, clumpy lumped black hair, poor posture and old tattered clothing. The chains were black, looked as heavy as they sounded, and covered in blood. 

Sizhui had to cover his mouth to hold back the bile as the heavy scent of iron, which he was certain was not only from the chains, filtered into the air. He waited as the groans and dragging chains disappeared into the next room. He gave himself some time to get out.

"Magnificent job," he heard the voice as he looked around to discover its origin. "Take the door on your left and walk down the hallway till you reach a door. It should take you outside. Walk down the path next to the pond until it leads you to a building surrounded by bamboo,  the Hanshi. Quickly!"

Without a word Sizhui follows the directions, eyes and ears peeled for anymore unearthly beings. Thank god he didn't have to take the door that- he shivered- thing took.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The man sitting before him was wrapped in gold robes with a peony emblem in front. He held a certain charisma that it almost made Sizhui want to sit down and drink the tea that was sitting innocently on the table. Prepared just for him.

Guangyao, as he presented himself, had the smile that made Sizhui want to run in the opposite direction. Especially when he told him what was happening.

"What do you mean that I'm stuck here?"

"Hm, kids these days are hard of hearing, I guess." Upon looking Sizhui's face Guangyao sighed and refilled his cup. "I mean that until you can set the resentful spirits to rest, there's nothing you can do to escape. The Yiling Patriarch has us trapped here until you can vanquish him."

"And why can't you do it?"

"I tried and failed. Now the Patriarch has me trapped here for who knows how long." Sizhui let out a breath of frustration.

Great! He leaves his home because his life is falling apart, gets caught at the gas station by his friends, their tire blows out because of a random tree branch, even though Jin Ling claims it was a dee- wait!

"JIN LING! Where's my cousin Jin Ling!" Guangyao looks at him confused.

"Jin who?"

"My cousin! He was with me!"

"Ah well, it's possible that he’s lost in the manor as you, Sizhui-er. Though I would start looking. He may end up dead before the night is over."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Sizhui cursed his luck for the umpteenth time. There were zombies in here, zombies that moved faster than what he would have liked them too, and some of them liked to explode! 

They sucked! 

They sucked so hard that- argh!!!! 

He hated them!

It didn't help that he met the chained zombie, a fierce corpse, as Guangyao like to call them. He saw him this time when he opened the door, thinking the room was clear, and chased him across the manor. He was lucky enough to find another closet to hide in. As soon as the creature left, Sizhui carefully climbed out and walked to another path.

Ok, so to recap he went to the library and found Elder Teacher's Scroll. It had spells for evocation, suppression, and rest. He didn't understand it much, but once he found the other items that he requested, he was sure Guangyao could help him. He placed the scroll in his back pocket, making sure it was secure.

There was still no sign of Jin Ling increasing his worry, as he hoped his cousin did not have to face those creatures.  He kept walking until he heard nothing. The crickets did not chirp and the sound of the wind was ominous. It had a haunting tune, one that spoke of longing-

"Is that a flute? No, it's a-". He looks up to see a man in a black robe, red trim sitting on the rooftop, a red ribbon holding back his hair. It was a black bamboo Dizi, the type that Senior would love to get his hands on and play. It looked like the man did not hear him until he opened his eyes, looking straight at him. They had a red glow to them that spoke of pain and suffering.

"Sen-"

"My, my, look what the mouse dragged in! Tell me, what did you do to get trapped in here?" The animosity in his voice forced Sizhui to recoil back. The laughter sent a frigid chill down his spine.

This wasn't, this wasn't-

"No matter, let's get rid of the pests, shall we, Hanguang-jun?" With a few notes from the Dizi, the room marked Jingshi bursts open and out popped a man dressed in a white robe as if he was in mourning, a white ribbon around his forehead and his long bangs covered his face.

Sizhui moved out of the way as the blade cut thru his jacket sleeve. The sting on his arm caused him to hiss. Run! He thought. He had to run so he could stay alive.

He ran to the path towards the classroom, but the man had an unnatural speed to him. He was upon him, but Sizhui did not plan to give up. He took another direction, and he was there. Another and he too was there. No matter what path he took, he was right in front of him.

Fleeing would not work, so he looked around and found an old rusted blade. He held up to block a strike from above and fell, feeling the shock to his very bones. Such a ferocious attack!

It didn't appear, as the man walked to him slowly carrying what looked like an air of serenity, but the movement and aggressiveness of his blade was monstrous. It betrayed the strength that this fierce corpse was capable of.

Sizhui couldn't even get up. It was stupid! He thought fighting that thing was his only choice to live, and now he regretted it.

He thought of the mischievous laughter and the stern but reassuring ‘Mn' from his guardians, his parents, as he closed his eyes.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Wen Qing, Wen Ning, it's okay! I'll give them the Stygian Tiger Seal and I'll go to Gusu. When I do that, they'll leave you and everyone else alone."

"Ẅ̵̧̨̠͇̦̩̹͕̰͉̥͔̪̯̱̙́̉̅͛́̅̎̔̎́̐́̔̃̃́̏̍͑̀̃͘̕͜ͅẻ̷��̤̼̭̭͍̮̝͎̪̯͕͈͔̻͍͒̾̌͊̆̂̓̿̋̇̾͊̾̎̒̉̆͜͠į̴̛̤̩͕̙̗̥̠̦̬̙͈̗̟̖̆̽̃́͂̀̏̀͒̊̎̔̇̎̈̃̿͑̋̄̚͝ ̵̨̛̘̯͈̻̔͋͒̀͌̀̌́̌͋W̴̨̛̖̮̖̫̗̣̫͖̣̌̌̏̃̀̐̔̐̆͛͛̆̿͆̀̈͑͂͌͑̈́̂̓̕u̷̧̖͈͕̹̬̫͓̲̠͉̭͐̈́̓͋͐x̶̳͓̪̟̯̜̯̳͙̳͇̪̳̻̳̦̺̲̝̟̓̄͋̅̈́̑̋͜͠i̴̢̨̛̛̙̱̺͍̜͚̗̟͉̗̹̘̝̦͌͑͛̌̃̎̇̔̀̋̈́̊͊̾͋̉̓̽̚͜͠͠ͅͅa̶̹͖̤̝̗̻̹͎̦̤͚̮̯̪͎͇͕̗̫͙̠̹̹̎̇̀̈́͆̃̃̈́̈̈́̈̎͜͠͝͝n̵̳͉̤͈̗̽̏͛̈́͗̊͝͠, you know we can't accept this! You paid your debt! You took us out of the camp, you brought my brother back. Don't do this!" Ẅ̵̧̨̠͇̦̩̹͕̰͉̥͔̪̯̱̙́̉̅͛́̅̎̔̎́̐́̔̃̃́̏̍͑̀̃͘̕͜ͅẻ̷̤̼̭̭͍̮̝͎̪̯͕͈͔̻͍͐͒̾̌͊̆̂̓̿̋̇̾͊̾̎̒̉̆͜͠į̴̛̤̩͕̙̗̥̠̦̬̙͈̗̟̖̆̽̃́͂̀̏̀͒̊̎̔̇̎̈̃̿͑̋̄̚͝ ̵̨̛̘̯͈̻̔͋͒̀͌̀̌́̌͋W̴̨̛̖̮̖̫̗̣̫͖̣̌̌̏̃̀̐̔̐̆͛͛̆̿͆̀̈͑͂͌͑̈́̂̓̕u̷̧̖͈͕̹̬̫͓̲̠͉̭͐̈́̓͋͐x̶̳͓̪̟̯̜̯̳͙̳͇̪̳̻̳̦̺̲̝̟̓̄͋̅̈́̑̋͜͠i̴̢̨̛̛̙̱̺͍̜͚̗̟͉̗̹̘̝̦͌͑͛̌̃̎̇̔̀̋̈́̊͊̾͋̉̓̽̚͜͠͠ͅͅa̶̹͖̤̝̗̻̹͎̦̤͚̮̯̪͎͇͕̗̫͙̠̹̹̎̇̀̈́͆̃̃̈́̈̈́̈̎͜͠͝͝n̵̳͉̤͈̗̽̏͛̈́͗̊͝͠ shakes his head.

"They have to, besides my control isn't the same as before. It won't be long before they break through the seal. At least this way I can save-" ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

CLANG!

Sizhui opened his eyes as he saw that the blade, ready to strike him, wrapped in chains. The howl sent a shiver up his spine as the chain pulled back, sending Hanguang-jun back to fight the fierce corpse that followed him.

'I guess they're not friends!' He thought as he looked up and saw that the mysterious Dizi player gone.  Seeing an opening, Sizhui runs into the Jingshi and looks for the instrument, a Guqin. It sat on the table next to two white jars covered with a white cloth. From the smell of the fermentation, he could tell that taking a sip would burn his throat.

He shook his head. He had no time to think of such things and grabbed the instrument. It would be too heavy to lug this around and heads to the Hanshi.

He forced himself to forget that Senior looked like the man from the rooftop, along with the laughter.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

He told Guangyao all about the Hanguang-jun and the mysterious man from the roof.

"Great, he knows you are here. Look if you see them again just run. When Hanguang-jun died they already knew him as one of the top cultivators. As for the man you saw, well, the Yiling Patriarch is an entirely different beast on his own. His ability to cultivate resentful energy is how he can bring fierce corpse's to life." He sips from the tea, savors it, then sets it down.

"From what you told me the Ghost General-"

"Ghost General?" Sizhui receives a silent reprimand from him causing him to stop talking.

"It's rude to interrupt. The fierce corpse with the chains. They knew him as Wen Ning, the Ghost General of the Yiling Patriarch. Though I find it odd that they would be fighting. Maybe something happened?" Sizhui shrugs. Everything was going over his head. Really, the sensible thing would be to grab Jin Ling and run to the edge of the forest and find a way out.

Jin Ling was still missing, though, and Guangyao had no way of knowing where he might be. Plus, it wasn't as if he could leave the Hanshi. He’s stuck in this beautiful and dark room, a partition serving as a cutoff from the tea table and the bed.

He notices a figure sitting slouched forward.

"So you've noticed my roommate."

"Who is he?"

"The last Sect master of Gusu, Zewu-jun."

"He's alive!"

"Hardly. He’s also afflicted by the same curse as me." Before he could ask more Guangyao smiles at him. "It's best that you look for the next items on the list."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

With supplies ready, given by Guangyao, and an old rusted sword he found, which he knew he was useless with, made Sizhui felt slightly braver. Hopefully, the talisman's would be helpful.

The Library Pavilion was tricky to get to. He knew something was following him and knowing what the denizens of this cursed place was like, Sizhui was rightfully hesitant to meet this creature.

Finally reaching the place, he walks around looking for the secret passageway. Being in the library, however, he could not help but look at an open book talking about a chord assassination technique. Backing away, he forced himself not to jump when he heard whispers.

Lan-er-gege! You can't be mad! I've called your name so many times. Sizhui stops there. Lan? That's his family name. Why would he hear his family name? He thought back about his parents saying that they had an ancestral home once. But they never finished telling him anymore than that. After all, how could they when the 18 wheeler hit them, pushing their car over-

"Find the secret passage. Find the flags. Find the secret passage. Find the flags." He tripped. Face smacking the floor.

Did he mention how much he hated this place?

He rubbed his nose, checking for blood. Thankfully, there wasn't any and looked to see his foot caught on a handle. A handle that led to a door under the library. The secret passageway. He pulls it up and walks down the staircase.

Dust and cobwebs covered the entire place. Gulping he walks forward using the sword to clear the way making sure to not disturb any of the spiders.

"Well, I know that Jin Ling is definitely not here. He would just screech at this sight." He finds a stack of flags at the end of the room next to a jar. He makes a quick count and realizes he’s short one.

"Okay, where's the last one?" Looking around, he feels a sudden vertigo.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Come to Gusu with me.

I can't. What will happen to the Wen's? You know that the other Sects want them dead.

I can talk to brother.

I- I

Please W̴̢̳̻̮̪̱̤̖̲̤̟̱͌̈͌̆̚͠͠ͅę̶̮͖͍̕ḯ̴̛͚͉̜̙͉̰̱͐͝ ̴̲̺̭̰̆̈́͐́͒̀̋̋̋̓̾̕͠͝W̴̨̛̖̮̖̫̗̣̫͖̣̌̌̏̃̀̐̔̐̆͛͛̆̿͆̀̈͑͂͌͑̈́̂̓̕u̷̧̖͈͕̹̬̫͓̲̠͉̭͐̈́̓͋͐x̶̳͓̪̟̯̜̯̳͙̳͇̪̳̻̳̦̺̲̝̟̓̄͋̅̈́̑̋͜͠i̴̢̨̛̛̙̱̺͍̜͚̗̟͉̗̹̘̝̦͌͑͛̌̃̎̇̔̀̋̈́̊͊̾͋̉̓̽̚͜͠͠ͅͅa̶̹͖̤̝̗̻̹͎̦̤͚̮̯̪͎͇͕̗̫͙̠̹̹̎̇̀̈́͆̃̃̈́̈̈́̈̎͜͠͝͝n̵̳͉̤͈̗̽̏͛̈́͗̊͝͠ come to Gusu.  I will talk to brother. The Wen's will be safe. A̷͕̯͔̖̤͖̫̼̫̹̼͛̏͆͑͆͂̏̏͊͂͂́͘-̵̡͍̗̬̯͚̹̹̱̼̰̟̘̩̖̥́̐̄̈́Ỵ̵̢̮͎͚̱̗̯̘̹̉̋̂̔̓̍̇͆͗̈̃͑̐̈́̋̋̐͊̉͛̚͘͝͝ͅu̸̧̡̖͕̼̗͓̳͙͍̠̹̙̗̙̘̥͍̯͖̫̦̣͆̊͠͝ȧ̶̡̖̳̫̟͔̣̩̋̔̀̆̀̒͠ň̸̢̧̨̛̘̠̗͍͇̭̯̪̠͕̤͈͚͔̟͕͔͖̖͕͌̇̈́̿̏̈̇́̃̏̈́̎̃̚̚͜͠ will be safe-

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A hand holds him up, and he calls out a name.

"Jin Ling?"

"Jin Ling? There is no Jin Ling, though there is a bastard with that family name." Her hair was up and her dirty black robes have seen better days. It looked burnt and ashy. She had a stern face, but oddly he felt the urge to see her smile. He shakes the thought and looks back, her face familiar, though he knows he never met her.

"Who-" She shushes him as they hear footsteps from above. It was slow and methodical. He catches sight of a white robe. Eyes widening, he hopes that his heartbeat would not betray their location. They lean back against the wall, standing still as statues. She silently signals him to follow her. He watches as she walks a few steps past the bookshelf to reveal a secret door, initially hidden by the shadows of the room. He works his way towards her.

The jar, caught by his jacket, falls with a loud crash. The woman gasps and holds out her hand. He darts to the door as Hanguang-jun breaks down the floor beneath him. As they enter, the woman is quick to close the opening making a grating rocky sound. The stone door should hopefully hold off the fierce corpse. His companion seemed to think otherwise.

"Quickly! Follow me!" They run down the passageway which leads to the forest. 

"He's still following us!"

"How do you know?" The sound of trees and branches falling behind him answers his question. Leaving him to wonder if this Hanguang-jun was strong enough to cut through the stone.

He's forced to stop when the woman turns towards him. From her robes she pulls out a needle which she uses to cut his cheek. He hisses as he watches her make a sigil. Something red and hazy appears next to her.

"You go down the path quickly, I'll meet you soon!" He didn't question her and took the path she pointed. He stopped at a dead end. For once it wasn't scary, in fact there were rabbits there. Sizhui sits down by the tree and hugs himself.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

W̷̧̪̱͚͖̅̐̌̀́͠ȇ̶̛̹̜̐̋̀̎̈̄͝į̸̡̗̤͈̪͉̈́ ̷̟̻͔̋̋̓͂̌̋͊W̴̨̛̖̮̖̫̗̣̫͖̣̌̌̏̃̀̐̔̐̆͛͛̆̿͆̀̈͑͂͌͑̈́̂̓̕u̷̧̖͈͕̹̬̫͓̲̠͉̭͐̈́̓͋͐x̶̳͓̪̟̯̜̯̳͙̳͇̪̳̻̳̦̺̲̝̟̓̄͋̅̈́̑̋͜͠i̴̢̨̛̛̙̱̺͍̜͚̗̟͉̗̹̘̝̦͌͑͛̌̃̎̇̔̀̋̈́̊͊̾͋̉̓̽̚͜͠͠ͅͅa̶̹͖̤̝̗̻̹͎̦̤͚̮̯̪͎͇͕̗̫͙̠̹̹̎̇̀̈́͆̃̃̈́̈̈́̈̎͜͠͝͝n̵̳͉̤͈̗̽̏͛̈́͗̊͝͠. I love you.

Ah, L̷͍̣̟̬̤̹̝̜̪̮̭̈̌̀̿̑͑̈́̐̈́̐̇ȃ̵̧̫͕̪̰̻n̴͔̳͖͗̑͒ ̸̲̖̜͕̈́̀̂͌̏̐͂̇̎̚͘Ŵ̴̭͊̾̎̌̆͜͠a̴͍͉̳͍̐̓͜͜ͅͅͅn̴̜̺͖̰͉͖̻̆̂̾̓̈́̕g̸̗̈́͋͂̊̑͌̇͝͝j̸̢͓̣͎̟͠i̶͇̚! Warn me when you tell me things like this.

Mn

L̷͍̣̟̬̤̹̝̜̪̮̭̈̌̀̿̑͑̈́̐̈́̐̇ȃ̵̧̫͕̪̰̻n̴͔̳͖͗̑͒ ̸̲̖̜͕̈́̀̂͌̏̐͂̇̎̚͘Ŵ̴̭͊̾̎̌̆͜͠a̴͍͉̳͍̐̓͜͜ͅͅͅn̴̜̺͖̰͉͖̻̆̂̾̓̈́̕g̸̗̈́͋͂̊̑͌̇͝͝j̸̢͓̣͎̟͠i̶͇̚, take responsibility and hug me.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

He wakes with a start.

That wasn't- that wasn't them.

It looked like them, but it wasn't them.

"Hey Sizhui! Wake up or I'll break your legs!" Sizhui rubs his eyes as he looks up to finally sees his cousin.

"Jin Ling, where were you?" Jin Ling scoffs.

"Looking for you! Come one let's get out of here. This place is creepy." Sizhui nods and stands up. They walk out of the grove.

"What were you doing, anyway?" Jin Ling asks, rubbing his arms up and down. Seems he lost his jacket while searching for him.

"I was running from zombies." Jin Ling stops to look at him, then laughs mockingly. 

"I'm serious! These fierce corpses were chasing me, and I had to run around getting these items. Look! I had to grab these flags to do a ritual-" He feels a sharp pinch on his arm. "Hey!"

"Can you hear yourself," asks Jin Ling as he tsks. "Zombies, rituals, really Sizhui I know you don't want to go home but stop playing around."

"I'm not-"

"Really? Then why don't you go visit jiu'jiu'-Xian? Visit-"

"I'm not playing!"

"As if! Look, I know the shit that everyone is saying. Cursed child, whatever! You just punch them in the face!"

"uh... A-die says I shouldn't."

"Your A-die doesn't even respond anymore. Coward." Sizhui turns his head sharply, eyes narrowing. Jin Ling raises his hand up. "Sorry. Low blow, but I'm serious. Everyone is worried about you and you can ignore those gossiping blowhards. They just want to say something to feel important." Sizhui doesn't even bother to get after for him.

"How did you find me, anyway? I didn't leave any notes." Jin Ling raises his eyes in disbelief.

"We sent pictures on the web and tv. Some dude caught sight of you at the gas station." Odd, he only saw granny there taking care of the counter and there were no cars around. Maybe it was a passing vehicle and the guy just saw him. It didn't matter. He tried to run because he wanted to escape. Better for everyone.

Ever since his parents died A-die and Senior took care of him as if he was their child. They still told stories about his mama and baba. A-die even taught him how to play the Guqin, though he knew he was rusty now. He stopped playing when A-die stopped responding. That was almost six months ago. Now he was the cursed kid that no one wanted to be around. Anyone that takes care of him meets a grisly end. He receives a harsh slap on his back.

"Hey, when we get back I'll stand by you and help you beat up those whinny ninnies." Sizhui snorts.

"Whinny ninnies? Have you been hanging out with Jiu'jiu-Cheng?" Jin Ling scoffs looking away, but not before Sizhui caught sight of his face turning red. It was then that they heard moans coming from one of the forked paths.

"Sizhui. Tell me you were really kidding about those zombies." Jin Ling stares at Sizhui, who shakes his head. They both turn just in time to see the fierce corpses heading towards them, now running since it caught sight of them.

With no prompting, they ran side by side to the hallways of Gusu Manor. Left, right they ran to hide from the monsters, but no matter where they went they found themselves unable to outrun them. It was as if there was a tracker on them. Letting these creatures were they were going.

Sizhui has a horrid realization.

"Jin Ling! Take this path! It should lead you to the Hanshi, you should be safe there!"

"What? No!"

"Do it! Wait for me there! I will meet you there!" He pushes his cousin and runs the opposite direction. The fierce corpses ignore Jin Ling and follow him instead.

Damn Guangyao! Couldn't he have told him that these flags were a damn beacon for these monsters! And he wanted to smack himself for leaving the sword behind. Though it would do much good since he had a horde.

He remembers the talisman and finds one that say's repress. As he runs he is quick to grab a box that was the perfect size for the flags, place them inside and places the talisman on it. It glows a light blue and slowly it appears as if he is losing them. Once he ran far enough, he found that he was further than he intended from the manor.

Luck was on his side when he caught sight of large, trumpet-shaped flowers. They were an intense blue. Finally, Sizhui was on his way to the Gentian house.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Arriving at the house was no trouble. It was the last item that was the issue. Guangyao had told him that at the Gentian House there should house the Stygian Tiger Seal. The only thing he found was the missing flag, which he placed in the box for safekeeping.

No matter where he looked, he could not find the item in question. Under the bed, in the desk drawer, the bookshelf with a sealed red and white urn, he even went to look under the boards, but nothing. He was about to call it quits when he heard the door open.

He hides in the closet and peeks to see the Yiling Patriarch. He looked around, confused. Crap! He’s bound to notice him.

"Aiyah! I must have left a mess. Oh, well." He sits down, pulls out a board and reaches in. From there, he pulls out a bottle that reads Emperor's Smile.

"He, he, he There's not much left so I may as well enjoy what's left." He pulls off the seal and drinks it. The fermentation strong in the air. Sizhui tries not to gag.

THUD! THUD!

He holds his breath when he sees the man stand up, angry.

"Get lost!"

THUD! THUD!

"GET LOST!" He hears the bottle of wine crash against the door, the resentful energy feeling thick in the air.

"GET LOST! GET LOST! GET LOST! DIRTY LIAR! CRUEL WORTHLESS DIRTY LIAR! MURDERER!" Sizhui almost felt faint by how much resentment was filling the air. Thick inky clouds expelled from the Yiling Patriarch. He wanted to cry, yell, anything, but all he could do was let out a pitiful sob. He sits back, upset.

It becomes quiet, the energy he felt gone. Sizhui covers his mouth. Did he hear him?

He sits still, listening. The footsteps are slow, as if trying to make the most minimal sound as possible. Maybe he heard but didn't know where the sound came from? If he's lucky he can sneak out and distract the Yiling Patriarch and maybe come back?

The door opens as a pale hand pulls him out. He screams as he's thrown to the partition.

"Oh, and look at this small mouse. Did you think I would not find you?" Sizhui crawls back, trying to get away from the man. The steps he took were still slow, but also predatory. The resentment, the ominous clouds now hung heavy in the air.

"Tell me what are you looking for mouse? Maybe I can help you?" Teased the man viciously. Sizhui is still crawling back until he finds an incense burner.

He throws it. It didn't hit him, but it gave him the chance he was looking for, which was to run to the door. As he opened the door, he barely missed being decapitated when he ducked to an opening.

"Damn that Hanguang-jun!" He doesn't turn to look back. But he could feel that they were close, which was bad. All the running was getting to him. He didn't know how long he could keep it up. He was about to trip, when he’s suddenly wrapped in chains and pulled up to the sky.

He's caught by the Ghost General. His heart, wrought in fear, goes to his throat as he faints.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Stop following the demonic path

Ah, L̷͍̣̟̬̤̹̝̜̪̮̭̈̌̀̿̑͑̈́̐̈́̐̇ȃ̵̧̫͕̪̰̻n̴͔̳͖͗̑͒ ̸̲̖̜͕̈́̀̂͌̏̐͂̇̎̚͘Ŵ̴̭͊̾̎̌̆͜͠a̴͍͉̳͍̐̓͜͜ͅͅͅn̴̜̺͖̰͉͖̻̆̂̾̓̈́̕g̸̗̈́͋͂̊̑͌̇͝͝j̸̢͓̣͎̟͠i̶͇̚, you have no-

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

L̷͍̣̟̬̤̹̝̜̪̮̭̈̌̀̿̑͑̈́̐̈́̐̇ȃ̵̧̫͕̪̰̻n̴͔̳͖͗̑͒ ̸̲̖̜͕̈́̀̂͌̏̐͂̇̎̚͘Ŵ̴̭͊̾̎̌̆͜͠a̴͍͉̳͍̐̓͜͜ͅͅͅn̴̜̺͖̰͉͖̻̆̂̾̓̈́̕g̸̗̈́͋͂̊̑͌̇͝͝j̸̢͓̣͎̟͠i̶͇̚, than-

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ẅ̵̧̨̠͇̦̩̹͕̰͉̥͔̪̯̱̙́̉̅͛́̅̎̔̎́̐́̔̃̃́̏̍͑̀̃͘̕͜ͅẻ̷̤̼̭̭͍̮̝͎̪̯͕͈͔̻͍͐͒̾̌͊̆̂̓̿̋̇̾͊̾̎̒̉̆͜͠į̴̛̤̩͕̙̗̥̠̦̬̙͈̗̟̖̆̽̃́͂̀̏̀͒̊̎̔̇̎̈̃̿͑̋̄̚͝ ̵̨̛̘̯͈̻̔͋͒̀͌̀̌́̌͋W̴̨̛̖̮̖̫̗̣̫͖̣̌̌̏̃̀̐̔̐̆͛͛̆̿͆̀̈͑͂͌͑̈́̂̓̕u̷̧̖͈͕̹̬̫͓̲̠͉̭͐̈́̓͋͐x̶̳͓̪̟̯̜̯̳͙̳͇̪̳̻̳̦̺̲̝̟̓̄͋̅̈́̑̋͜͠i̴̢̨̛̛̙̱̺͍̜͚̗̟͉̗̹̘̝̦͌͑͛̌̃̎̇̔̀̋̈́̊͊̾͋̉̓̽̚͜͠͠ͅͅa̶̹͖̤̝̗̻̹͎̦̤͚̮̯̪͎͇͕̗̫͙̠̹̹̎̇̀̈́͆̃̃̈́̈̈́̈̎͜͠͝͝n̵̳͉̤͈̗̽̏͛̈́͗̊͝͠ .

Did you forget what we promised? What's right and what's wrong?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Did you hear? The Jin Sect is cursed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Another vision. Great. Ever since his hit on the head he tried to ignore them as time passed, but whatever happened back then seemed to want to make itself known. No matter if the audience is unwilling or not. He takes a deep breath and opens his eyes.

He awoke in what looked like a boarding room for school kids. As he got up, he’s quickly pushed down.

"You need to rest. You've had a hard night." It was the woman from before.

"No, no, I need to continue"

"And as a doctor I need you to sleep. My brother found you and saved you from those two." Sizhui’s confused.

"Your brother. He fought the Ghost General?”

"He is the Ghost General." His eyes widened as he looked around. "He's not here, but I am. My name is Wen Qing and you are?"

"Lan Sizhui." He noticed her hand stiffened for a moment, then continue with his wounds. She wrapped and cleaned his arm with a bandage and was now cleaning a wound was on the wing of his back. Funny, it must have been the adrenaline running in his system. He didn’t realize he was injured till now.

"What exactly are you doing? Running around, you should be leaving, not staying." She reprimanded as she cleaned and tidied up her supplies.

"I was told that I could not leave until I broke the curse."

"And who told you that?"

"Guangyao." Her hand freezes just as she was about to close her box.

"Guangyao? Jin Guangyao, you're listening to that beast!"

"What are you talking about?" He asked, understanding now that there was something more to his mysterious benefactor.

"He didn't tell me he was a Jin, just that his name is Guangyao." Wen Qing scoffs.

"Only because he doesn't want his crimes to be known. Listen here! You need to stay away from that man. He will only use you and throw you away once you're no longer any use to him."

"What do you mean?!" Wen Qing sighs.

"He is the reason that this curse came to be. A  long time ago our leader, Wen Ruohan, lost the war and they killed the survivors off. Only Wei Wuxian stood for us since we save him and his brother." She closes the box and puts it away.

"During the war he created the Stygian Tiger Seal. It was powerful, but it did its job, however later on he grew to fear how much resentful energy it was consuming. So he made a deal with the remaining Sects. He would give himself up and the Stygian Tiger Seal. In return, the Sects would let us live in peace." "I'm guessing that's not what happened."

"They killed us all and those remaining died without medical help. Even the smallest-" she chocked as tears fell from her eyes.

"You're not alive. Are you?"

"I died trying to hide little A-Yuan. But from what I hear, he didn't make it." She wipes away the tears.

"I don't get it. Why is it Jin Guangyao's fault?"

"It's his fault because under his father's order, he incited the other clans to attack by killing Sect Leader Nie and blaming us for it. If it wasn't for his brother, Nie Huaisang, finding out, then everyone would have believed we were guilty. I only know this because even now the remaining spirits love to whisper, but Nie Huaisang, visited  Wei Wuxian. He was heartbroken when he couldn't visit A-Yuan's funeral. They thought he was there to console him. They were friends during their schooling here in Gusu. Then a few days later he activated the curse. And now we are here, stuck in Gusu, unable to move on."

~~~~~~~~~~~~

L̵̡̧̢̞̦̰͖͍͚͉̳͒͌̀͗̀â̵̧̯̫̦̳̟͉͖̣̝̄̆͑̆̾̑̈́n̶̥̔͋́̈̊́͘ ̸̢͉̬̞̲̘͎͊̐Ŵ̴̭͊̾̎̌̆͜͠a̴͍͉̳͍̐̓͜͜ͅͅͅn̴̜̺͖̰͉͖̻̆̂̾̓̈́̕g̸̗̈́͋͂̊̑͌̇͝͝j̸̢͓̣͎̟͠i̶͇̚ stood outside-

-wail in agony.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Jin Ling! Jin Ling! Where are you?!" He pulled open the door, not caring about the commotion he was causing.

Both of them were getting out of here, he thought. They weren't staying there a minute longer.

"Sizhui-er! What's the matter?!" Guangyao appeared by the partition as he walked over to calm the teenager.

"My cousin! I sent him here. I know it. I saw him head this way."

"No, no, no, I saw no one come by. Here," he pours a cup of tea and presents it to Sizhui. It felt warm to the touch. "Drink this. You would feel better afterwards." Sizhui stared at the cup and felt a surge of anger as he threw the teacup, not quite hitting Jin Guangyao, but close enough.

"ENOUGH! Enough with the lies! Enough with the half-truths! Tell me what do my parents Lan Zhan and Wei Ying have to do with the spirits of Hanguang-jun and the Yiling Patriarch!?"

Jin Guangyao sighed, sat down, as if he was the one who ran around this damn place, tired. He looked at him straight in the eyes.

"It took a while to find all of you, you know."

"Excuse me?!"

"Lan Zhan and Wei Ying are the reincarnations of Lan Wangji, Hanguang-jun and Wei Wuxian, the Yiling Patriarch. Or rather, their half-reincarnations. So I called them. Pulled their souls over here." Sizhui punched him.

"YOU MEAN TO TELL ME THAT MY PARENTS ARE COMATOSED BECAUSE OF YOU!" Guangyao laughed, not a care in the world. The secret now out.

"See I made many choices, choices that led to the deaths of an entire sect, that led to the terrible descent into madness for Wei Wuxian. I didn't care. I was working my way to getting my father's approval, or at least I thought I did." He grunts as he gets up, wiping the blood from his lip.

"I was a war hero and shared the cups of brotherhood with two other known figures from the war, Nie Mingjue and Lan Xichen. Yet, no matter what I did, it wasn't enough." He gave an empty laugh. Sizhui felt uncomfortable as he felt the despair.  

"I ruined Sects for that man so that our Sect could stand on top. I killed one venerated brother so there would be no opposition, had the Wen-dog survivors blamed so we would kill them off. I destroyed Wei Wuxian's reason for living and relationship so we could appear righteous and powerful. Then I destroyed the one that truly mattered."  Sizhui gulped as the man in front of him reminisced.

"I didn't mean to, but I failed to see how much Huanguang-Jun loved Wei Wuxian. It was easy to see how much Zewu-jun loved his brother, and for him I made sure no harm would come to his little brother. Zewu-jun, he called me his equal. I wasn't some son of a prostitute, I was special to him. When I had the Wen's killed, the Yiling Patriarch cast his curse, which Huanguang-jun accepted... I saw how Zewu-jun broke down to see his brother give up, be taken willingly."

“Hanguang-jun blamed himself.” Stated Sizhui. Jin Guangyao nodded.

"Yes, and maybe he wanted to show that he would stand by Wei Wuxian's side. Who knows, that man didn't speak much, always keeping his thoughts to himself. Like I said, I didn't care about anyone else except for my father's approval and... Zewu-jun, Lan Xichen." Sizhui looks back at the man sitting on the other side of the room, hidden by the partition.

"Discovering what I did, Zewu-jun immediately blamed himself, for without his blessing's and his help, I would not have been able to do the things I did. When I tried to break the curse, the reason we couldn't was because of me. Zewu-jun could no longer trust me. So we- I failed. The only thing we did was just forcefully subdue part of the spirits." Jin Guangyao clenched his teeth, holding back the tears that threatening to spill from his eyes.

"My betrayal was too much, the pain that it wrought was too heavy, that he just shut down. I don't care wether any of the spirits here can find healing, but for Zewu-jun I want to break this curse and maybe he can finally move on." Sizhui sighed.

He just wanted to find his cousin and get the hell out. However, hearing what happened to the Wen siblings living the half cursed life. The memories of Lan Wangji sitting outside the Gentian house when he wanted to get Wei Wuxian to at least talk to him, hear him, see him. The pain when Wei Wuxian wanted to save little A-Yuan only to die. He never even got to see his body to mourn properly. Damn his bleeding heart.

"Fine, let's get started."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Mingshi was musty smelling, perhaps from the mold, dark and littered with cobwebs. They worked quickly to clear it with only the light of the moon, from the broken ceiling, to guide them. Though ominous, Gusu must have been a beautiful place. He could almost imagine the foliage from the outside, how the ponds and rivers would have trickled and the birds singing.

But it wasn't. He would need his friends' hands to count how many steps he broke from him just placing the slightest pressure. He picked up the scroll and read the evocation and rest. As he told Guangyao it had been a while, but he hoped he could remember the hand placement to play these scores.

A nagging question had been on Sizhui's mind. Would the ritual work? And why? Figuring it wouldn't hurt to ask, Sizhui turned to ask Guangyao the nagging question.

"Sizhui-er, I have every belief that this ritual will work."

"And why is that?"

"Because, you have Wen Yuan's spirit." Sizhui's blank face caused Guangyao to sigh heavily.

"Part of the reason for Wei Wuxian's madness is that he blames himself for his adopted son's death. When he realizes that you're the reincarnation of Wen Yuan it may settle him down enough to allow us to play Rest for the peace that he denied himself." With all the cloak and dagger from Guangyao, his word was useless. So why go along with this?

"And if that does not work?"

"In the words of today's youth, we are totally screwed" Sizhui snorts. Guangyao side glances at him questioningly.

"You are out of touch."

"Shut up." Odd how that reminded him of Jin Ling. That is the most frustrating part. He met his cousin finally only to lose track of him.

He's startled when he feels a hand on his shoulder.

"I have it on good authority that your cousin is fine." Sizhui felt a familiar course of anger but was too tired to act on it.

"Is this something you've known for a while?"

"Not until I had confirmation." Knowing the man by now, that could have been a few hours ago or maybe right from the beginning. It was no use now.

Quickly they set the Spirit Flags and drew the sigil for evocation from the Elder Teacher's scroll. He pivots to see Guangyao holding the flute, Liebling as he called it, touching the mouthpiece, his lips pursed.

"Will you be able to play it?" Guangyao snaps out of his trance and nods.

"I've practiced, just not with this instrument, but it should be no different." Sizhui nods and takes his place.

"What do we do about the Stygian Tiger Seal?" That had been the only thing he hadn't been unable to bring with him since he had to run for his life. Really, he would do anything to not get near the madman.

He... he wanted to go home with his A-die and Senior.

"He'll bring it with him. There is no way that he would leave without it." Guangyao ignored Sizhui's glare as he puffed in indignation.

"Then what was the point of me going to the Gentian House?"

"To let him know that I haven't stopped."

Lan Sizhui had to count to twenty in order not to kill Jin Guangyao.

"You are the most aggravating man I ever met."

"Yes, Dage would tell me that often." He was not laughing. He wants to go home. Wants to find Jin Ling. Eat Lotus Pork Rib Soup and forget that this night ever existed. Sadly, he let himself get duped, he realized. He should have grabbed his cousin the first chance he found him and just ran the hell out of this place. Now he’s stuck here, baiting a madman who apparently had every right to curse this place, who held... Senior's soul. 

He realized the implication now. Did Senior not wake up because now, in his previous life, Wei Wuxian the Yiling Patriarch held his soul. It would make sense, weirdly. The doctors could not find out why he refused to wake up. There was no brain damage, no previous health problems. He was just asleep. A-Die is like that too. They had trouble waking him up, and now his appetite was non-existent.

That broke him.

He couldn't see him go down the same path as Senior. He was the one lifeline he had against, the vicious rumors that sprouted. Cursed child.

He left for that reason.

His parents died trying to get home quick to surprise him. A-Die and Senior are now dying because Guangyao called their spirits back and the only way to save them is to put the Yiling Patriarch and Hanguang-jun to rest. The doors open and the few candles that Guangyao lit flicker off, one by one. Sizhui follows Guangyao's lead as he plays Clarity. He did not understand what was happening, but he could feel the coaxing influence as Guangyao directed the energy to circle around them.

"My, my Lianfang-zun, you're still here? I would have thought you'd have wasted away," joked Wei Wuxian as he walked through the door. He wasn't alone. Behind him were scores of fierce corpses in faded blue and white robes marred with dirt and blood. They stood there as if in attention.

It became apparent why, when the Stygian Tiger Seal is pulled from his sleeves, floating in his hands.

"If I recall correctly, I wounded you."

"Yet here I am."

"Yes, very interesting. Anyway's give me back the Wangji. That Guqin doesn't belong to you." All this time Sizhui hadn't stopped playing as instructed, but felt nervous. The Guqin, called Wangji, trembled in Sizhui's hand. He didn't see how this could be a weapon, but right now he had no choice but to trust Guangyao. He played the notes on and on, concentrating on the music, trying to listen to the scene happening before him.

"Wei Wuxian, you know that it's time to stop."

"Time to stop? Funny, the time to stop should have been when I gave myself and the Stygian Tiger Seal up, the time to stop was when we locked ourselves up in Burial Mounds, the time to stop would have been after the war when the Wen's gave up. But you didn’t, did you?" He plays a harsh note and sends a red and black energy towards them.

The sound of Clarity encircling them dissipated the attack.

"Oh, and I guess you learned some new tricks? Then again, you always were so good at twisting something so good for your benefit weren't you?" Guangyao growled as he prepared to send an attack only to stop when the Yiling Patriarch moves to the side.

Lan Xichen was supposed to be in the Hanshi. Yet here he was floating, held by the dark resentful energy that the Yiling Patriarch exuded.

Lan Xichen dropped to the floor, shoulders slumped.

"And here is the other culprit."

Guangyao stilled. With a quick movement, he motioned for Sizhui to be ready to be on the offensive.

"Seriously dabaizi, how naïve could you be. Oh, wait you weren't, you were just willfully ignorant. You know Sang-Gongzi was kind enough to tell me how many times Dage tried to warn you about Jin Guangyao? He's a liar. You can't trust him outright. He's up to something. And what did you do?" He lifts the other man's chin up.

"You gave him the very thing he needed to kill him. Your action allowed him to pin the blame on the surviving Wen's and kill them. Tell me, why were you allowed to mourn for A-Yuan when your actions had  a hand in killing him." He could not see an expression from Zewu-jun, but Sizhui could see the tears.

"Tell me Guangyao, will you be willing to save Zewu-jun or will you let him die just like Sect Leader Nie?" The horde of fierce corpse's ran in and Guangyao’s forced to work double time. On one end he played Liebling to continue the surrounding shield, on the other he helped Sizhui to direct the attacks to the fierce corpses.

If they had more time. More chances to work together, their teamwork would have been possible.

It failed as a demon corpse plunged a blade into Lan Xichen's back. His body dropped.

"No!" Guangyao ran hoping to catch Zewu-jun as Sizhui let out one last attack, pushing back the fierce corpse's back. It broke the connection. Red eyes narrowed in irritation.

Guangyao held Lan Xichen's body as he wept in agony, trying to stop the blood. It seeped his beautiful white robes.

"Zewu-jun! Zewu-jun! Xichen!" Cried out Guangyao, his voice breaking in pain. Sizhui allowed himself to become distracted, not realizing that the Yiling Patriarch was right next to him. He stood up in fear only to feel him ram his hand to his chest.

It was odd as he looked down. There was no blood, in fact it didn't go through his chest, but he noticed a red energy where the hand went through. It wasn't until he felt a squeeze to his heart that he realized the terrible implication.

"I don't know how you broke the connection. A lucky strike, perhaps? It matters not, why don't you make your last amends, eh?" He squeezes his heart and Sizhui could only scream in pain. His mind blacks out.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "I can't-" "You should take him. He see's you as his father" "..." "A-Die! A-Die!" "A-Yuan! How is my little turnip!" Sizhui can feel himself carried and as he squeals into the air. A-Die is so fun! Alway's burying him in dirt to make him grow like the turnip he is, taking him to the market and let him play with the toys. Although he never bought him any, he never thought to beg him to buy it. He's thrown up in the air, enjoying the excitement. He could hear Wen Qing chiding him and uncle Wen Ning moving around to make sure he didn't fall. No worries. A-Die will always protect him. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Yiling Patriarch let's go as Sizhui falls back gasping for air. He didn't believe Guangyao's remark, but he could feel A-Yuan's feelings and how safe he felt. Tears fell from his eyes as he tried to get ahold of the turbulent emotions within.

"A-Yuan? A-Yuan is that you?" Sizhui looks up and see's the man in utter happiness. He looked so young, so joyful. Like he had committed no atrocities in his life. He tries to back away, but frozen from the frenzied look of Wei Wuxian. The man hugs him, his shoulder becoming damp with tears.

"A-Yuan! You're back, you're finally back! Please tell me you're here to stay. I'll protect you. This time I'll protect you from anyone that wants to harm you! No one will hurt you here. I promise! We'll stay in the Gentian House, plant potatoes and radishes, I'll play the Chenquing for you, no nightmares. Maybe if I'm in a pleasant mood, if I can trust him, I can let that man play on his Wangji. Stupid man, naming it after himself, ha, ha, ha!" With each word the Yiling Patriarch hugged him harder and harder, his nails digging into him deeper and deeper to his sides.

He tried to push him back, but he just refused to let go. It was becoming harder to breathe. The sound of the iron chain was the only warning they had before the Patriarch pushed him away.

"Wen Ning... why are you stopping me? I get it now, why you did what you had to do. You knew he was little A-Yuan, but now you're trying to take him away from me? Why?"

"Because A-Yuan died and moved on!" All occupants looked back to see Wen Qing, holding a red and white urn, the same one he saw in Gentian House, standing by the doors.

"He's A-Yuan reincarnated, but he's not our A-Yuan anymore. Wei Wuxian let it go. It's okay. You did your best." Wei Wuxian shakes his head in anger.

"No, no, no! It wasn't my best. I trusted the wrong people! I thought I was doing the right thing. I had the best intentions, and you died, granny, uncle four, everyone died. A-Yuan died!" He makes way to grab A-Yuan only for Wen Ning to get in the way. Hanguang appears and sensing Wei Wuxian's intention runs to grab Sizhui, but the extensive range of the Ghost General's chain cuts him off.

He does a sweeping arc to the two men, who’re forced to step back. Lan Wangji however changes his momentum forward when the chain passed by him, intent to accomplish the new goal.

Sizhui grabs Guqin and plays more notes, remembering how Guangyao guided him. He plucked the strings towards Hanguang-Jun. It wasn't strong, but it caught him off guard. He picks up the instrument and runs towards Guangyao and to pull him away from this place.

They failed, but they can come back and make an alternative plan! Something that'll free his guardians, free the spirits!

He forgot how fast Hanguang-Jun could be when he appeared by his side and used his long legs to trip him. His face smacked against the floor and he’s forced down when a foot pushed into his back. The Guqin landed far from him. Guangyao was not idle, though, as he pulled his blade out.

"Get Zewu-jun out of here!" Sizhui nods as he attempts to pick up the body. He didn't know if Guangyao noticed or just ignored it, but already Sizhui could tell his body had lost its warmth.

Sizhui attempts to move the man's body, but he was tall and he had trouble moving him. He looked to Wen Qing to help him, but she just stood there.

"Wen Qing! Help!" But she shook her head.

A misstep happens as the chaotic resentful energy acts up and crackles in the air. It nearly hits Sizhui, which causes the Ghost General to change tactics and steps in to protect him and Zewu-jun’s body.

The negative energy pours into Wen Ning, who lets out a howling growl. Seeing Sizhui endangered Wen Qing is quick to throw the urn passing through him. He shivered, cold and confused. Why did she pass through him? Wasn't she a fierce corpse? Was she a ghost?

He hears a scream and turns to see Hanguang-jun cut the Ghost General into pieces.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Lan-er-gege! You can't be mad! I've called your name so many times." "Shameless." The innocent sound of laughter is heard in the air of the Library Pavilion. Lan Wangji lips tilt in a smile. He hides it before Wei Wuxian catches sight of it.

***********

The Wen's took so much and now Lan Wangji’s left to wander with Wei Wuxian’s brother to look for him. He could only hope they weren't too late.

*********** "Stop following the demonic path," he laughs, surprising the occupants in the room. "Ah Hanguang-jun, right? You have no right to tell me anything. This is Jiang Sect's business." Lan Wangji leaves confused. What happened to him?

*********** "Lan Er-ge-ge, thank you for playing for me." Lan Wangji smiles and thinks everything would be okay.

************ It wasn't okay. It stopped being okay, and he didn't know what to do. "Wei Wuxian." "Did you forget what we promised? What's right and what's wrong?" That promise, they promised to protect the weak.

************ He'll protect them. He'll uphold his promise like he should have when We Wuxian first left. "Come to Gusu with me." "I can't. What will happen to the Wen's? You know that the other Sects want them dead." "I can talk to brother." "I- I…" "Please Wei Wuxian come to Gusu.  I will talk to brother. The Wen's will be safe. A-Yuan will be safe." "Can you promise me that?" "Mn." He will make the promise again if it gives him the chance to protect him and the others when he should have.

*********** "A-xian. I love you." He murmurs as he held him close. They couldn't bring A-Yuan yet, seeing as the Lan was in discussion with the Jin Sect about this. It should be fine though, as his brother promised to see things through. "Ah, Lan-er gege! Warn me when you tell me things like this," giggles his love. He looked better now. His face didn't look as pale, and though he found out his golden core’s gone, it still wasn't impeding his recovery. "Mn." "Lan-er gege, take responsibility and hug me." He does, and so much more. This moment and all other moments would become so precious to him.

*********** "You promised me!" "Wei-" "You promised me they would be okay! AND NOW THEY'RE DEAD!" "Please, listen!" How could it all go wrong?! The Wen's killing Nie Mingjue. He still couldn't understand how such a thing could happen, but all evidence pointed towards them. "I'M DONE LISTENING! I'M DONE! WHY DID I EVER LISTEN TO YOU! I SHOULD HAVE STAYED AT THE BURIAL MOUNDS! At least-" He sobs and he could only watch in pain. "At least-AT LEAST THEY WOULD BE ALIVE. WEN QING... WEN NING... A-... A-YUAN!"

********* They found A-Yuan, hidden by the tree trunk and sneaked him back here. They were too late, and they prepared a private funeral. The elders however had stipulations. "Never! His outbursts are too dangerous. Did you not see the resentful energy around him! It would only agitate the boy's spirit. It's sad that we were too late to save him from the fever, but we cannot allow him to partake in the mourning ceremony! The poor boy's soul would be endangered." Lan Wangji stood outside as he heard Wei Wuxian wail in agony. He wouldn't even answer his calls. He stood there, like he did when he was younger for his mother, but now for his A-Xian.

********* "Did you hear? The Jin Sect is cursed. Many of the main family are dead. The young madam had to move back home to protect the heir. How sad that her husband did not survive. Some say he had a hole in his ribs." He ignored the rumors, when all he cared about was whether his love would open the doors. He sat there on his knees, waiting. Waiting. He never noticed when the Stygian Tiger Seal flew into one of the opened windows.

********** Jin Guangyao arrived, claiming that Wei Wuxian stole the Stygian Tiger Seal. Lan Wangji didn't care.

********** Lan Wangji can only watch in despair as the Gentian House, the home of his late mother and now of his love, surrounded by resentful energy. The others begged him to move, to stop the Yiling Patriarch, but he knew he couldn't. He didn't trust him. Wouldn't open the door. He didn't even want to talk to him anymore. He lost that right when he could not protect the Wens. 'If I gave you my life.' He thought as he stood there ignoring his brother's call. 'If I gave myself to the curse, would you please look at me? Just once more.' Tears slid down his face, his throat closing up. 'Please look at me once more.' Jin Guangyao had to pull Lan Xichen away as he watched his brother give himself up to the Yiling Patriarch's curse.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"GET OUT OF HERE!" Hanguang-jun stood still, surprised that Wei Wuxian was looking at him.

"YOU DID IT AGAIN! GET OUT OF HERE!" Without a word he leaves, but not before grabbing his Guqin, Wangji. The Yiling Patriarch surveyed the area, ignoring the longing look from Hanguang jun.

The ashes were scattered across the floor as Wen Qing held her brother's corpse cut into pieces. She wept as Wei Wuxian landed on his knees.

"Wen Qing," he sobs. "Qing. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." He kowtows before her. Wen Qing grabs his arm and shakes her head.

"It's okay. We've suffered enough, you've suffered enough. Let it go, it's time to rest," she utters as a golden light circles around her. Wei Wuxian could only cry as she disappears.

Both Sizhui and Guangyao leave with Xichen, allowing the Yiling Patriarch to mourn.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

They arrived to the Hanshi in a somber mood.

They didn't succeed and Zewu-jun, who somehow lived all this time, was finally dead.

He was still curious how such a feat was possible, but Sizhui didn't even had the energy to sate his curiosity. The latest visions left a sour and bitter taste to his mouth. So much good intentions and it all lead to this hell.

Jin Guangyao fell. He waves off Sizhui.

"Go take him to his bed. I'll- I'll sit here and then join you for a bit." Sizhui nods and proceeds past the partition.

Odd that he never really walked passed here. Then again, he was never invited to the private room and with Lan Xichen mourning... it really wouldn't be appropriate.

He steps in and takes in the sight. The place was tidy. The books were in their place. A broken Guqin rested in one corner of the room with blood on its strings. It must have been Guangyao's as he remembered the conversation from earlier. The event must have been bad since it stained the wood.

Sizhui turns and finds a sight that should have terrified him, but after tonight's events he felt numbed. There on the bed was a dried up corpse. He wore the same clothes as Jin Guangyao but where the peony emblem should be, was nothing more than a hole, dried blood staining the fabric.

Jin Guangyao was a ghost too, huh? Odd how he felt real to the touch. Then again, so did Wen Qing. He wondered how that was possible, when she just passed by him, except for the urn holding the ashes. Were those her ashes?

He settles the last master of Gusu Lan to the bed, next to Jin Guangyao. Funny that Zewu-jun looked like he was sleeping peacefully. He wonders what his visions would have been. Did he and Guangyao share tea in this room? What was the relationship between him and his brother to fully entrust the safety of the now deceased Wens? He must have been a man of great integrity to have everyone trust him undisputedly.

He walks out of the room ready to face Guangyao's ghost, only to see the Yiling Patriarch standing over the fallen form of Guangyao.

"Stay away-" He stops short when he sees a sight for sore eyes. On the floor wearing Guangyao's clothes was his missing cousin, Jin Ling.

"This makes little sense."

"It does to me. I knew I killed him, I was just confused about how he could wield Liebling. After all, ghosts have no corporeal forms, so for them to hold on to anything they would need a relative or someone with a weak spiritual constitution to possess. Let me take a crack at it. A Jin? He has the same haughty look that all Jin's carry." Sizhui stood still, ready to grab his cousin to safety.

Wei Wuxian smirks.

"Don't worry, no more blood will be spilt. We have enough tragedies as it is. Question though. You are Lan, but you're not bound here. You could have left anytime you wanted. Especially when you found this one, so why are you still here?" Sizhui clears his throat.

"I can't leave till I free my A-Die and Senior. You have their souls"

"Let me guess. Guangyao? Here's the truth. He lied. Go ho-"

"You have their soul's! Their names are Lan Zhan and Wei Ying. Your laugh sounds almost like his if it didn't sound cynical and Hanguang-jun," he pauses. Unsure to tell him about the visions. "He is just as intimidating." Wei Wuxian laughs.

"Well, it makes sense why I felt out of it. It's only till recently that I feel coherent." He walks around the room taking in the sight and stops.

"You know that empathy can go two ways, right? It's hard for those that start off in the beginning, but once you get the hang of it, it becomes easier to look at the other side." He see's Sizhui's face and laughs.

"You know the visions you had. Tell me why did you run away?" It stuns Sizhui. did he know, no wait what did he know? Lying wouldn't get him anywhere, so he might as well be truthful.

"I'm cursed, or at least that's what other's say. My parents died when I was five and A-Die and Senior Wei took me in. After a while Senior Wei fell ill, with A-Die following along after that."

"Hm... and you thought running away would help?" Sizhui feels ashamed for the first time since he ran. Why did a man who placed a cursed, who almost killed him, wanted to kidnap him, now appeared to be admonishing him as if he did nothing wrong in his life? His mood was all over the place.

"Look kid you had good intentions right? Follow my advice, then. Running won't do you any good, it'll just make things more complicated. I ran instead of talking to others, confiding to others, and look where it took me." He gives him a grin, eyes appearing to water. "How about you go home and let those that love you help?"

"But the curs-"

"I'll take care of it. After all your what 15?"

"I'm 17!" He laughs lightly, painfully reminding him of Senior Wei.

"Take your friend home and leave. By the time you are walking down the mountain, we should break the curse. I just need to collect someone to help me."

"And you could have done this all this time." The devil may care smirk seemed to be a favorite face that Wei Wuxian loved to wear.

"Rule number one of a curse maker. Always know how to break said curse." He walks away, heading down the path that lead to the library. Sizhui wastes no time and wakes up Jin Ling.

"What the hell am I wearing?" As he takes it off, revealing his shirt and pants underneath. Sizhui finds his shoes and jacket in the closet, mindful to keep Jin Ling out of the room with the two dead occupants. No way would he be able to calm Jin Ling. 

Leaving no room for argument or questions, he pushes his cousin out of Hanshi and down the path that would take them down the mountain. Along the way, they met Jingyi and Zhizhen.

He answered their questions the best he could without revealing the horrors he faced. It was especially helpful when Jin Ling could not recall what happened at all. He saw Jin Ling look at him suspiciously, but figured he would explain to him at a later date. Now though was the time to leave this damn mountain.

Zhizhen was the first to hear the distant sounds of Dizi and Guqin playing.

"Wow, that sounds beautiful! Hey, are those fireflies?" The group looked around as orbs of light floated the night sky. Sizhui could feel it. They broke the curse.

Thank Jingyi who did not believe they were fireflies and urged them down the mountain.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The tow truck came and took them to Moling, where they called their Jin Ling's uncle Jiu'jiu'-Cheng. They could hear him threaten to break his legs if they moved from the spot.

Apparently the boys didn't ask or tell anyone they left to pick him up. He could only imagine how Jiu'jiu'-Cheng would react with him. He was always cautious about how he interacted with him, treating him like he was some porcelain doll. He didn't think that would last long after his latest stunt, though.

The next day, after a vigorous shower and thorough checkup, the injuries he had horrified his friends. He went to the hospital. The place was busy, but not as much as the one coming from his parents' rooms. Nurses were coming in and out, getting things and chit-chatting in excitement.

"What's going on?" he asked gu'gu'-li. Jin Ling's mother Jiang Yanli smiled, the joy reaching her eyes.

"Why don't you see?"

Lan Sizhui walked up to the room. It was a lot to take in.

Last time he was in this room Lan Zhan would just not move. Jiang Cheng, Wei Ying's brother, had to always come in and forcefully move him. Didn't work for long, as he always returned, until he could no longer move. He came to occupy the bed next to his beloved. He stopped coming in after that.

'That goes to show how much he loves Senior Wei.' He thought mournfully.

He didn't know what he was expecting, but the moment he came in heard  the rustling of the bed. It's been so long since he saw those grey eyes filled with mischief and glee. Tears erupted from his eyes.

"Well, there's our little rabbit." Commented Wei Ying, laying back comfortably on the pillow, his voice hoarse from disuse. He held back his gasp with a choke, foot pace quickening as he went to hug him. He felt so frail, and if he hugged him any tighter, he was sure to break him.

The sob came out, but he didn't care. He wasn't embarrassed, he just wanted to make sure that this moment was real. That the nightmares from Gusu manor were long gone. Senior Wei, he wasn't cold; he wasn't menacing and most of all broken. He was here alive! Living, breathing, and so warm. It was just so hard to let go. But he did when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked back and seeing those tired golden eyes.

"A-Die." His father turned him around.

"I'm sorry." Why was A-Die sorry? He didn't have to apologize. He was heartbroken. Lan Sizhui knew how much A-Die loves Senior Wei.

"Ah Lan Zhan, take responsibility and hug our little rabbit. Don't you see how worried he must have been." Lan Zhan agrees and hugs him tight. Lan Sizhui's eyes widened, then softened as he returned the hug.

"Don't worry about it. I know how much it hurt."

They stayed at the hospital room the entire day, reminiscing about the past and planning for the future. Jin Ling and the other's would join along. Almost caused them to be expelled, only to be kicked out when Jiu'jiu'-Cheng threatened to break his legs for his stunt. Running away had now permanently put him on the same list as Jin Ling, which said cousin cackled. Traitor.

Needless to say, Senior Wei forced him to stay the night to keep his adorable rabbit and show him all the love in the world.

Sizhui was okay with that as he slept on the couch happily. He was ready to welcome the many more days to come.

[wkngsnds]

Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Dangan Ronpa 3: The End of 希望ヶ峰学園 | The End of Kibougamine Gakuen | End of Hope’s Peak High School
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Kuzuryu Fuyuhiko/Pekoyama Peko
Characters: Pekoyama Peko, Kuzuryu Fuyuhiko
Additional Tags: Super late valentine day fic, this was going to be so much darker than before with other characters, but I though focusing on Peko for this would have been better
Summary: Maybe coming to Hope’s Peak Academy was exactly what they needed to fix sixteen years of miscommunication and things left in silence


Here is a very very late Valentine’s Day fic that I meant to post way earlier, but school. Hopefully, White Day will be on time or not as late.

Peko had arrived from Baiso* twenty minutes ago, but had stared intensely at the items laid out before her for the last fifteen minutes. This particular convenience store had student discounts given its location to Hope’s Peak, thus out of her 2,000 yen monthly stipend* she managed to save 1000 yen. It was enough to cover “bodily maintenance”, and given that she always managed to save from the month prior any quick emergencies were covered for.

In front of her, there were two small bags of dairy-free chocolate melts: one brown and the other white. Next to those was an all inclusive kit filled with: a bunny patterned silicone mold, two filling pipers, and two decorating pipers. In reality, there were a variety of molds presented in the store— above all else, there were hearts to every degree that they all but exploded across the wall. Those were immediately out of the question, of course. Below those were adorable animal shaped ones: bunnies, kittens, puppies, and the like; unfortunately, she lost this battle of self-control and gave into the demon of impulse, thus purchasing the aforementioned bunny set. For a moment in the store, she wondered if getting the more sophisticated mold kit would have been better. IF (and that was an incredibly large if) he had accepted her chocolates, Peko did not want him to feel as though she were emasculating him.

Quite the opposite really. She wanted to give him something that she enjoyed making for him.

Up until now, she had simply given him giri choco* along side a small, simplistic ‘thank you note’; one time she ‘changed things up’ and wrote ‘thank you’ in calligraphy rather than using a 0.5mm pen. Devoid of all personal attachment, it was professional and straight to the point: a token of her appreciation for allowing her to stay by his side after all these years. She knows she was a cause of stress for him, and she reckons she’s partly to blame for his severe insecurities, but he hasn’t forsaken her yet, and to that she’s grateful. She’s grateful to him for a lot of things. That being said, with their time at Hope’s Peak, Pekoyama now found the gesture inaccurate— that is, saying ‘thank you’ was lacking; it did not entirely encompass what she wanted to express. She was not certain what it was that she did want to express, but she knew it was far more than ‘thank you’. It’s why she had met with Hajime Hinata, the ex reserve course student who transferred along side Lady Natsumi, in secret, to start brainstorming. Granted, the idea of psychoanalysis outside the field of torture was pointless to her; Peko thought there was not much of her to ‘analyze’ in the first place. Yes, it can be said that she ‘passed’ the psychological assessment the school administered (by law) for freshmen, but those were simple yes or no answers that anyone could fib. Which she did. However, now she wanted to be honest with him…and with herself.

That’s right. Pekoyama Peko the Tool was going to confess her desire to be equals with her young master.

Even now, with no turning back, she was consumed with second thoughts: the kind that reached deep into her abdomen, and twisted her intestines, but she could only squirm in response (she’s familiar with the action because she’s done it to other people). If she went through with this—no, when she went through with this their relationship would change regardless of his answer. Peko understands what he has told her for the last… since they could speak, so the probability of him rejecting the notion is unlikely. But it’s not a 100% acceptance, either. If on the off chance he says no, that he has an epiphany overnight, and recognizes his role in the family (and thus hers to him) he could very well kill her on the spot if he so pleases. If he rejects her request but does not kill her, then their relationship would continue to strain. He might grow paranoid of her new attitude, thinking she might launch an attack on him, so he would have to have her killed and replaced.

The notion was as ridiculous as it was impossible; not him killing her, mind you, but her betraying him.

The swordswoman poured another cup of ginger tea from her electric kettle. ‘A good kind of nervousness’, was how Hajime described it: the kind of excitement that could easily be confused for dread— a fighting spirit clashing with a ten foot concrete wall.

“You definitely don’t look like a pushover, Pekoyama, but you do keep to yourself, right? So then you’re not the type to ask for much, but because of that something like this is even more nerve wrecking for you.”

“I suppose that makes sense. However, this is something he’s wanted for a long time, and now that I recognize it as something…that I want too, I do not understand why I am so nervous.”

“It’s okay to feel that way, Pekoyama. Even if you’re ready for it, not knowing exactly how things will turn out makes anyone nervous. It’s okay to feel that way, you have every right to.”

But was it really okay to tap into her emotions? Emotions clouded judgements, made some hesitate, and others get killed. Of course, it would be a lie to say she felt nothing at all in the years, but now she actually has deal with her feelings instead of running from them at her convenience. You see, suppressing her feelings had became a such a messy crutch while growing up, and it was one she didn’t realize she’d been using until she began to properly think for herself during her time at the school. It rationalized the deep rooted loneliness— convinced herself that she would only ever be “the other” in the room. It justified her murders of men and women whom she had only been told deserved to die. It made the dimly lit cellar (the one with the cage, two chairs, and a medical cart) which was layers below the estate bearable. Sometimes, it yielded her jealousy (Envy? Both?) of the pretty convenience store clerk whose face did not scare others and whose eyes were not monstrous like her own.

Above all, she feels a visceral reaction to the thought of being anything but a tool. Though, it was more that possessing a will of her own greatly unnerved her. And how could it not? The idea that she could make decisions for herself, possess her own morals, express her own preferences, care about herself beyond…basic maintenance of her body was completely foreign to her. Now, to search for those jaded fragments of herself without anyone’s permission but her own made her head pound. Peko sighed. Perhaps she should just leave the chocolates with a quick note in his locker early in the morning. What if her face became too intense and she scared him, again? Like she always did when they were younger. There was also the option of running up to him, all but shoving the chocolates into his hands, and running off to the school’s dojo to distract herself with training.

But that was the way of a coward, was it not?

If the kendo athlete wanted to cheap out, she would have just bought a generic chocolate set from the store. No, almost every action of hers was carefully planned out— with the exception of the mold choice, of course. Peko needed to do this, not just for him, but for herself. It was a battle unlike any she had faced before: that is, the fight for her own humanity.

Inhale.

Exhale.

One thing at a time, just like Hajime told her. For now, she retrieved the remaining tools— filling a small pot with water to create a Bain Marie on the hot plate. Beginning with the brown chocolate, she opens the bag carefully so as to not make an entire mess. Given the size of the bag, she would not have needed all its contents; however, with all of Hajime’s help she felt inclined to make a small batch for him as well. Granted, they were not to be specially molded as his were, and she’d only give him the brown one, but he was the first person she could truly call a friend. That, Peko thought, most certainly warranted homemade chocolate. It was funny, she’d spent her whole life with him, but they never connected the same way her and Hajime did.

Yet, she does not find herself discouraged by this fact. In a small way, she did feel guilty: information that he always asked for was given so willfully to a stranger who was only just assigned his title a few months prior. But, after tomorrow, it did not have to be that way. Mind you, Peko was still navigating in the dark— no she could navigate in the dark without her glasses on. She was navigating a battlefield without her sword at her hand, humongous warriors clashed all around her, there was torrential downpour with horrendous winds, and she didn’t have her glasses on. Yes, that was a better analogy. Point is, she still had no idea how to manage human relationships beyond a superficial level; even with Hinata’s bond, things were completely different with him. The bodyguard knows him; not everything about him (she gave him his privacy when she could), but they were as close as two non related humans could be. It was a closeness different from his with Lady Natsumi, that much is obvious.

Peko ponders for a moment. Did everything have to be different with him? That was the whole point of everything she’s done up until now, wasn’t it? That she wanted things to be different between them, but only to the extent in which the walls between them would be torn down. Maybe, like in her fashion, she was overthinking things again: taking them to an extreme rather than taking a moment to breathe. She would have to check the school’s roster for an Ultimate Yoga Instructor. Then, with the idea of finding one’s inner peace through slow movements, it clicks.

Honesty.

She just has to start by being honest with him, little by little. Even if she did not want bother him with her feelings, keeping them to herself will, no doubt, continue to worsen his trust in her. She wouldn’t start confessing her life, but small, in the moment conversations she thinks she can handle. Maybe, it could encourage him to open up to her as well. Like her, he was blunt with his words, but hardly honest with himself. He could come to her, as a trusted comrade to discuss his problems or plans without telling her not to worry about it or that he could handle it on his own. Hell, they could just talk about anything. They could talk like regular people.

The chocolates were finished, by the way; the small boxes were separated by receiver, and ready to accept their respective sweets. She is sure to distinguish the two by grabbing a post it note, writing “Thank you for all your hard work” upon it, and sticking it onto Hinata’s box.

Fuyuhiko’s box didn’t need a note. Her words would have to be enough.

—

No amount of kendo tournaments, sessions with Hajime, nor appointed ‘jobs’ could have prepared Peko for the sheer terror she felt at the moment: sitting in front of the fountain, waiting for him. She first intertwined her hands to yield their incessant tapping from her knees, but her thumbs begin to fidget. Then, she decided to sit on them, but of course her legs began to bounce hard enough that the tap tap tap of her heels began to irritate herself. Finally, she stood up and began to circle the fountain with a controlled speed in hopes of calming her heart. What good would it do if she couldn’t even get her words out? It was a miracle the swordswoman managed to invite him here in the first place.

She took a deep breath, ‘Excuse me, Ku-Kuzuryu?’ They we’re still in class, so she had to whisper less Mioda overheard even though she was currently in conversation.

‘Huh? What’s up?’ He responds just as quietly, but he doesn’t turn all the way to face her. For that she’s grateful.

‘I…I need to speak with you. May we please meet at the fountain after school?’

‘O-Oh, sure. Everything good?’

‘Yes!’ She answered good quickly, ‘That is to say, there is nothing to be concerned about. Well, there is something, b-but it does not endanger your safety.’

‘…Okay? After school, fountain. Got it.’

In hindsight, she should have shut up after ‘yes’, but her nerves had been on edge since she woke up. Although no drama-like hijinxs occurred, Pekoyama hadn’t realized how intense her gaze was until Hajime pointed it out when she delivered his chocolates. She doubly thanked him for calling her out, least she scarred him off. After the Ultimate Counselor bid her good luck, Peko all but sped walked to the fountain, and even managed to leave class four minutes earlier.

It’s not until her fourth turn around the fountain that Pekoyama sees him through the gushing water. Maybe it was the angle of the sunset, but he looked particularly handsome in this light. Walking back to the bench with her bag, she quickly greets him as per usual.

“So, what’s up?”

It was now or never.

“Ha-Happy Valentines D-Day, Fuyu…hiko.” Having taken out the chocolates from her bag, she bows with her arms extended towards him.

“Did you just…?” For a moment, she begins to panic; she was still bowed, so she could not see the look of utter of shock on his face— not mortified or disgusted, like she thinks, just…surprised. Not knowing this, she tenses, but this time in fear of disrespecting him; he already had been at the estate, and she didn’t want to join the lot that did. Peko tried her hardest not grip the box too tightly in her hands, but her heart pounded in her throat while seconds felt like hours awaiting his response.

But then, her hands feel light as he takes the box from her. She straightens up immediately with an eagerness to see his reaction.

“D-Did you make these? Just for me?”

“Yes!” But that wasn’t entirely honest, “I did give chocolates to Hinata, but only with what I had left, a-as a thank you for being…a friend to me. But yes…I made them with you in mind.”

“It’s okay, Peko, you don’t have to explain yourself to me.” She watches the way his fingers linger over the box cover, “Can I…is it okay if I try one now?”

The setting sun reflects its red lights upon his cheeks, or so she assumes. Nevertheless she urges him to do so while letting him know they were dairy free, and so safe for him. He takes it upon himself to sit down when opening the box (his hands were shaking too), and she could only stand there gawking like an idiot until he tells her sit down as well. She doesn’t sit immediately next to him, but the gap is not as wide as it was months ago. In fact, the physical gap between them hadn’t been so wide for the past few weeks— however, whether that was intentional or not was an entirely different discussion.

“That’s right…” He says, smiling down at the chocolates, “You try to hide it, but you like cute things like this, don’t you?”

“That’s…”

His grin widens at her heated face, “Fluffy things, the color black, and cute crap are the stuff you like best, yeah? Hey! Don’t act so surprised; I know you more than you think I do.”

In the moment, Peko hadn’t known her heart could pound against her ribs without performing a highly intensive workout. She wasn’t one for many words, but even now it was particularly difficult to do so. Part of her wants to remain silent, watching him take his first bite in some irrational hope that he suddenly developed telepathy and thus could read her thoughts. That way, he could understand exactly what she wanted to say to him without her tongue twisting in some foolish manner. There would be no more miscommunication or ‘almost spoken things’ between.

But, nothing in life were that easy. So, she forces herself to speak,

“How….are they? Does it agree with your stomach?”

“Perfect.” Though, she does not know that even if they were horrible, he still would have eaten if only because she made. Unfortunately, he was always bad with words as she was.

“Really?” Her eyes lit up, “I am…glad you enjoy them.”

“Yeah, they are. I’m so used to you just leaving some store bought ones on my desk, so when I only saw Natsumi’s karinto I-I got a little worried you weren’t going to give me some this year.” He covers the box just as carefully as he opened it, “But then I realized it was unmanly and, frankly, shitty for me to just assume you’d give me something.”

“N-No no, it isn’t. It’s only logical to expect chocolates after years of receiving them. I simply wanted to make them this year.” She takes a deep breath this time, feeling a sense of chills drowning her, “However, the chocolates are not…the only reason I asked to meet with you.”

“O-Oh, yeah? Why, uh, why else did you want to see me?”

“I….please forgive me, but to say something like this…I do not know if my words will come out correctly.”

“T-There’s no way to know if you don’t say it.” Unbeknownst to her, his heart also felt like it would explode at the moment even when he tries to slouch to appear more casual. Yet, he also sits up to let her know he was most definitely listening to her, “Whatever it is, you can tell me.”

“Right, well th-that is…” She places a hand on her chest, trying and hoping to calm her erratic beating, “I think,” She breathes again, “No, I have reached the conclusion, on my own, that I do not…” Remember to look at him, “I do not want to be your tool anymore.”

“…Peko?”

But she can’t handle the way he stares back at her, not with repugnance nor detestation, but completely flabbergasted. Truthfully, meeting the gaze of his widened golden eyes (the same eyes which pulled her through on so many occasions) is too much for her right now.

“Y-You needn’t worry, of course. I do not intend to cease my efforts in keeping you safe. Protecting you is something that is incredibly important to me, and it always will be!” It’s the only thing she can say confidently, “However, now it is because I…I care about you. Because I want to care about you.”

Surprisingly, the more she spoke the less dread she felt,

“I realize now that these feelings are not of obligation, but a result of my…h-human self. There are still things I do not know, things that I do not remember, and things I do not comprehend when it comes to being a person. To be honest, ‘being myself’ is an…overwhelming goal to achieve, and I do not really know where to begin. However, I do know that from today onwards I want stay by your side out of my own fee will. I want to see the same horizons you do, to fight along side you.” Finally, with furrowed brows, she looks at him, “I-Is that okay? Is…is it wrong?”

15 seconds….34 seconds…1 minute…

“How could that ever be wrong?” He finally responds to her, “I’ve told you time after time, but I guess I was too much of an impatient asshole, and just needed to let you figure it out for yourself. I’m sorry for that, Peko.”

“Does this mean…you’ll accept me as I am? To be along side you?”

Peko is caught off guard when he takes her closest to him into both of his: not squeezing, but holding it between his own. She’s sure he can feel her erratic pulse, the way he thumbed over her wrist as held her. She doesn’t pull away from him— she never wanted to, and now she doesn’t have to. At least, when they were like this.

“If that’s what you really want, then there’s no way I’d ever stop you.” He stops petting her hand for a moment, “But…you have to let me protect you too.”

Huh?

“I do not entirely understand.”

His grasp tightens and his gaze does not waver, “You said that you care about me, right? W-Well it’s the same for me, too, ya know? I don’t order you around, because I didn’t want you to think I only thought of you as a tool for me. I never did. I also didn’t want to put your life in danger even if the old man thinks otherwise. I know you’re strong, much stronger than me, and you’re perfectly capable of taking care yourself, but I…I still want to defend you. I know I have a ways to go myself, but I want to be a man that you can readily rely on, a confidant, your friend, and maybe e-even…” He trails off after that, the red on his cheeks deepening as he removed one hand to adjust his tie; it was a nervous tick of his she knew well.

Without realizing, she’s smiling gently at him. For once, Peko allows herself to be in the moment. She let’s herself be.

“Well then, I am in your care, Fuyuhiko.”

[nenastrology]

you should rate the arcs. share your wisdom with us. (or rank them by craziness /wtf moments)

ok i think rating them is easier than ranking them i can add craziness as a category alright alright

ok this ended up being nightmarishly long so im just putting it all under the cut for anyone who feels like reading giant blocks of text on my opinions on every single naruto arc

land of waves - classic very good i genuinely wish there could have been more arcs like it to show team 7 really bonding and growing together before sasuke ends up feeling alienated its got a really sweet touching story and naruto and sasukes relationship starts off already at a pretty high level of crazy like oh yeah right out of the gate they are trying to die for each other this can only get crazier from here i would have probably liked it more if id read the manga first because the anime murders the pacing of the fights here but overall i do really like it

chuunin exams - i love lots of chunks of it but it did really feel like a slog to get through parts of the forest of death and a lot of the more minor fights because kishimotos really just not very good at writing fights that he doesnt put his absolute most effort into i really love how the anime added to the part where sasuke gets the curse mark and how naruto is separated from him its really emotional and strong sakura actually feels like shes trying to become a character here i love her fight with ino and cutting off her hair legendary and im not a monster gaara vs rock lee still makes me scream the craziness of this arc is actually finally not riding on sasuke being crazy finally gaaras carrying the craziness hello blood drinking 12 year old i hope you get better soon 

konoha crush since i guess its a different arc - ok i actually really love all the weird political stuff kinda added in here the hints at some actually interesting village conflict i wish thats what the ninja war arc could have built from and orochimarus definitely the most comprehensible villain in the story and i love naruto vs gaara so much like thats really peak and tbh extremely satisfying to watch the shitty old bitch hokage kick the bucket like killing gaaras evil dad and hiruzen really was the best thing orochimarus done finally gaara has more help with craziness cuz narutos losing his mind too and sasukes getting some crazy seeds planted for later craziness harvest

search for tsunade - i feel like i really like this arc but when i actually read it im like hmm theres all these parts i dont like but i really love all the character stuff itachis introduction is iconic and i really do love tsunade and her fighting orochimaru was like highlight of everything its weird i dont have a lot to say but i do actually like this arc a lot in a way im like not sure why craziness is kinda low except for sasuke whos absolutely losing his entire mind which stresses me out so much and this is where i start getting extremely sad about sasuke

sasuke recovery mission - 80% of it is the absolute worst part of part 1 and 20% of it is the absolute best part of part 1 like this is really where all the warning signs of quality dropping and like kishimotos lack of skill writing fights really really starts to show like really all those fights do is kill the emotional thread running from the hospital fight, sasukes goodbye to sakura and sasuke and narutos fight which are like the best things hes ever written the craziness is turned up as high as it can get the emotional stakes and pain and love are also so high this is peak naruto if we just pretend the fights against the sound 4 never happened just skip them

kazekage rescue mission - this is where all the omens from sasuke recovery mission and the quality drop really like finally start meaning something because really this arc SHOULD be good and its like really really good in certain places like any time naruto and gaara are talking thats just love right there and all those moments really make it almost worth it except that kishimoto really took such a nose dive on understanding how to pace fights the parts that dont have gaara and naruto gazing tenderly at each other feel like pulling teeth like sasori vs sakura really should be absolute peak and its got some truly fantastic moments but it just goes on for so long i feel like im gonna die before sasori ever does that fight could have given us womens rights and the craziness is really high like naruto is just losing his mind about gaara and sakura killed a man with her bare fists

tenchi bridge - oh the love its palpable here and so is the craziness like naruto going to 4 tails because orochimaru just says a few things about sasuke like wow and their whole reunion is so good the passion and weird emotional issues all coming to the surface i love yamato here hes a fun guy and i really like the new team 7 dynamics they are fun i like lots of parts of it but i cant think of anything else to say its what it says on the tin emotional sauske and naruto reunion

akatsuki suppression mission - alright full disclosure i fucking love this arc this arc is the reason i sometimes throw my brain right out of my head and start talking about how much i love shikamaru i prefer all the emotional moments in the anime a lot it felt very rushed in the manga and like that whole episode of team ten processing their grief was so good but god im so so mad that only shikamaru got to have a big important fight like ino and choji should have been helping equally and i really really hate the fight with kakuzu its just more badly paced bullshit for kakashi and naruto to get to be super op when this was supposed to be a bonding moment for team ten this is a little crazy but its team 10 crazy not team 7 crazy which means they are still pretty normal well adjusted people with brains in their heads who are just having a moment

itachi pursuit mission - sasuke killing orochimaru really was so incredibly perfect and forming taka? this arc is about gay rights uum its really short so i dont have the most thoughts but yeah sasukes like maybe at his least crazy until the end of the story like hes got a real concrete plan find gay friends and kill his brother but hes really got a big storm coming 

tale of jiraiya the gallant - i really do not like jiraiya all that much hes just boring and weird but i love the chunks of rain trio backstory we get they are really the last bit of complete villain characters we are gonna get very tragic idk the fight is like alright for this stage of naruto but it still lasts too long and pains powers still make no fucking sense and feel just too overpowered you know also zero crazy which is very disappointing all naruto arcs should have crazy

pain fight - ive got lots of conflicted feelings like the fights not very compelling at first because genuinely the pain bodies are just too strong its very weird and narutos got this big power up which is what it is i really love pain as a villain like hes literally right about everything hes saying but it has to be bizarrely undercut by just bonding awkwardly about jiraiya and yeah theres some very cool battle moments theres some good shit in there but long drawn out battles arent exactly my thing but naruto going 8 tails was still pretty fucking cool and god it was such a cop out that everyone came back to life at the end COWARD KISHIMOTO

kage summit - the one the only kage summit absolute peak craziness like sasuke trying to take down the entire world government thats absolutely iconic i love him for it so much narutos having his own melt down about sasuke sakuras decided she doesnt actually need a brain anymore and has also lost her whole fucking mind in the whirlwind of chaos like this arc feels like an anxiety attack at some points but god do i love it naruto and sasukes whole confrontation is absolutely peak ill bear the burden of your hatred and die with you?? the love the tragedy this is truly peak gay drama thats really like hes planning a lovers suicide and we are all just along for this crazy fucking ride love it

war arc - how did we go from kage summit to this like kage summit felt like it was maybe actually going somewhere but the quality drop is just like an elevator was cut and we are now all speeding to crash at rock bottom here what the fuck happened why was this written why is it literally 1/3 of all of naruto why has god abandoned us itachi and sasukes reunion was very good and needed i loved all the parts with hashirama and madara and really for one sweet moment it seemed like madara might just be a dumb sexy villain who just wrecks shit until all that spiraled down into garbage if i think about obito for too long i start to go crazy thats the real craziness of war arc is how fucking stupid it is and that is making everyone whos ever read or seen it go crazy right along with it

wiki is telling me the kaguya bit is its own arc so lets go with that - ok kaguya fight is pretty cool im into it to a certain extent her weird portal powers are fun i like that but thats really not what we are here for now are we no we are here for the conclusion to 15 years worth of crazy we are here for sasukes final massive lose his mind time and naruto to go right along with him the love and the tragedy but the hope it offers as well love was really invented by the second valley of the end fight and the anime said gay rights and made it the prettiest thing you will ever look at and also adding all the extra tender moments between them like this is it this is why you watch naruto you watch it all for this and god do we love it but wow the trying to be serious stuff about hokage really is so fucking stupid lets pretend that never happened 

wow i really just typed that all out shout out to u 2 loyal fans who read all this shit i guess it was only a matter of time before i wrote something this long and stupid see i do actually like naruto i feel like i couldnt really hit the balance of complaining or praising so idk it might sound more positive or more negative than i actually am but there are really some good parts yes i watched the whole war arc no you shouldnt

[btshogwartsfics]

BTS AUs Based on Song Titles

A/N: I got this little idea in my head earlier this morning and decided to see if anything comes of it. This was fun so if anyone wants to request a song and description, just send me an ask and I’ll try to get to it! Make sure you include the song title, artist, and which member you prefer it for! I chose random songs from my Spotify playlist and randomized the members for this one. Enjoy <3

Say You Like Me - Jimin

(Song by We The Kings)

You and Jimin have been best friends since you were five years old. You’ve grown up together side-by-side and practically inseparable. You’ve shared many things from tears and smiles to pranks and punishments. However, you’ve failed to tell him that you’re in love and he’s oblivious… Or is he?

Waiting for Superman - Taehyung

(Song by Daughtry)

You always told yourself that you would never need anybody to come and save you. You had no need for white knights or superheroes. You were convinced you’d always be able to save yourself. However, Taehyung never needed to save you from thieves or fires to become your Superman; he just needed to save you from yourself.

A Thousand Years - Yoongi

(Song by Christina Perri)

After all that he’d been through, Yoongi had learned to become a patient man. He knew when to bite his tongue, when to stay in line, and when to hold his temper. However, centuries and centuries beyond centuries had passed since he last saw your face. His patience is wearing thin… 

See You Again - Hoseok

(Song by Elle King)

The last time you saw Jung Hoseok was the day after you both had drunkenly confessed your feelings and the first time you had ever woken up beside him. Unfortunately, it was also the last. When he told about a job offer across the world that could make his dreams come true, you didn’t have the heart to ask him to stay. But as fate would have it, you were able to keep a piece of him with you forever, even if you were alone. The day you see him again, everything changes.

Don’t Deserve You - Namjoon

(Song by Plumb)

Despite being the most intelligent person you knew, Namjoon tended to say some pretty stupid things. Some of which include, but are not limited to: “Let me help with the groceries!”, “Of course the sunglasses are necessary!”, and “Call me Rap Monster!”. However, the stupidest by far, and your absolute favorite is: “I don’t deserve you.” You think it’s time to remind him that, maybe, it’s the other way around.

You’re Beautiful - Jungkook

(Song by Chester See)

Jungkook has a type. It’s been the same since high school really. Loves to have fun, loves Overwatch, loves to laugh, and loves him enough to tolerate him even more. He believed that one day, the one that was meant for him would walk into his life and he’d just know. Well, for one, you really only fit the last requirement on that list and it came with time. For two, it was more of a stumble.

Break Up In A Small Town - Jin

(Song by Sam Hunt)

While you were together, Jin loved the fact that you shared many things, namely friends. His friends were your friends and your friends were his friends. You belonged to the same group, the same circle, and hung out in all the same places. That particular opinion changed when you two broke up and he, still completely in love, saw you everywhere he went. Literally.

feelings fade - Yoongi

(Song by gnash)

All your life you were told to take caution when it comes to love. As a teenager, your mother always told you the story about how she and your father fell out of love. Still, this only made you more hopeful for a better future for yourself. You made sure you were careful about who you gave your heart to and who you let inside. So, it came as a complete shock to you when you realized that falling for Min Yoongi was possibly the biggest mistake you ever made.

Californication - Hoseok

(Song by Red Hot Chili Peppers)

You’d always dreamed about becoming an idol. You were absolutely certain that despite your apparent shyness, a stage is where you belong. As a child, no one bothered to tell you that fame comes with a price. Years later, after achieving that childhood dream of yours, you couldn’t distinguish yourself from the person you appear to be. Surprisingly, Jung Hoseok knows exactly how you feel.

Valentine - Namjoon

(Song by YK Osiris)

Kim Namjoon may be an optimist, but he is in no way naive. He hopes one day that he’ll find someone he’d gladly waste the rest of his life away with, but he knows things like that don’t just fall from the sky. One Valentine’s day though, you happen to somehow convince him otherwise.

Smile - Taehyung

(Song by Uncle Kracker)

At this point, Taehyung has become an expert in discerning each of your smiles. There’s the small smile you offer when you’ve been successfully comforted, the broad smirk you show after a sarcastic quip, and the suppressed smile you try to hide when you don’t want to give him the satisfaction of laughing at his joke among many others. Then, there’s his least favorite: the fake smile you give when you try to convince everyone you’re fine. He knows better.

Whoever Broke Your Heart - Jimin

(Song by Murphy Elmore)

Jimin’s had his fair share of ruined relationships, that he can admit. However, he knows that sometimes just one is enough to break a person. But after meeting you, he comes to learn that sometimes fate is just cruel and sometimes it knows exactly what it’s doing.

I Don’t Need Your Love - Jin

(Song by Bleona)

Growing up, Jin’s parents had always warned him about the people who would use him for their own gain. He was constantly reminded of the people on the streets holding drugs and toxins that would only ruin his life. They never thought to mention the people in the rain who offer promises and a type of happiness he’d never find anywhere else. They never warned him the people like you are the real ones to look out for.

Why Did It Have To Be Me - Jungkook

(Song by Josh Dylan, Lily James, Hugh Skinner)

Were someone to ask Jungkook for one question he wished he had an answer to, he’d want to know why the universe had decided he would fall in love with the one person who hated him more than the dirt under her shoes. He also wishes he knew why you despised him in the first place.

[bitchybaobei-blog]

The Forever Pack

Yoongi’s POV

My sister, Mina, shook me awake. Mina has medium length, straight black hair. She’s taller than me, which annoys me to no end.

“Brother, Father has called for you. He says for you to be in his quarters in 30 minutes,” Mina told me.

My father is the Head Alpha of our pack. He is in charge of everything. My mother is Head Omega. Mina is going to take over for my father some day, to rule the pack. I know my parents are trying to find someone to sell me off to, because I’m an omega, and even though my mother is an omega, it doesn’t mean she’ll bend the rules for me. She got sold off to my father before I was born, so I suppose that it is just a family tradition. I think that is what my father wants to meet with me about today, to tell me that he has found someone to sell me off to. I’m not mad about it, I just wish that I had more of a say in it. I’m not even interested in mating right now, but I’m at the age my mother was when she got sold, so I guess it’s my time.

When I get to his tent, my mother is there talking to my father.

“Yoongi. We have talked to some of the other packs in the area, and we have made a plan to contribute one sexually mature wolf so we can make one big… combination pack, sort of. To make an alliance between us, and blood alliances are the strongest there can be, so we agreed to the plan. We chose you.We have been trying to find you a mate for a while now and we think that this is your chance. The pack’s territory will be on the outskirts of the first two Kim packs’ territories, because it will confuse people if they ever try to find you. Pack your belongings because, in an hour we will have someone from your soon to be pack here to pick you up. The wolf picking you up will be the youngest beta of the first Kim pack, so be respectful, even though you used to be friends when you were younger,” my Father told me.

“Oh, and son, your pack will have to have children at some point, but you can bring some suppressants with you for until you have gotten to know them. I will miss you dearly, youngest son of mine,” my Mother said.

“How many will be in this pack, though? And where will we sleep when we get there?” I asked my parents.

“There will be seven people, including you. There is one other omega, two betas, and three alphas. There is a large yurt there to sleep in, but you guys will have to make everything else, so grab a couple of flasks of water and milk, because there is no well yet,” Mother explained.

“Yes Mother. I  will go pack as you said now,”. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not the full out submissive type, but I think leaders in the pack should be respected. Unless they do something immoral, in which case I don’t care about positions.

I went to my tent to pack. I packed my clothes, especially my warm ones, since I’ve heard that it’s colder there than it is here. I packed an extra blanket, and fourteen water canteens. You have to be prepared, what if it rains and you have to wait for the ground to dry to dig a well? What if someone forgets to bring their own? So I packed two for all of us. I grabbed seven flasks of milk, seen as how we won’t need that much. But that brings up another question. Will we have livestock? If we don’t we will figure something out. I grabbed a few packs of meat. They should be smart enough to grab some food. I also grabbed my spices, since those take a whole season to grow. I also grabbed some of my favorite kitchen utensils and kitchen supplies. Before I left I grabbed my suppressants and some seeds.

Namjoon’s POV

When I got to the Min’s territory I expected to see unattractive wolves that snarled and bared their teeth. Boy, was I wrong. They all looked fairly nice, but when I went to pick up one of our pack omegas, I saw the most beautiful thing I have ever saw. He was blonde and had black eyes with sparks of blue. Blonde hair and blue eyes was a classic trait of an omega, but it was not impossible for betas. My hair is light blue/purple. It’s an odd color, but it’s my hair color.

Yoongi had one bag. I asked him if he needed more.

“In our pack we made a way you can put everything in one bag. The bag is infinite.” Yoongi answered.

After he said goodbye to his parents and sister, we walked into the woods.

“What’s your name?” He asked me.

“My name is Namjoon…….. What is your favorite thing about living in that pack, Yoongi?” I asked.

“How do you know my name?”

“My father told me when I came to pick you up,” I answered.

“Cool. How old are you, Namjoon?” He asked me.

“I am 23. How old are you?”

“ 25. That means I’m your hyung, Namjoon. Call me hyung,” He stuck his tongue out and ran ahead on the path.

“Yah! Yoongi get back here!”

“Not until you call me hyung!” He yelled.

I ran ahead and caught him. We both fell into the grass laughing.

“You know we used to know each other, right?” I asked.

“No, really?” He asked.

“Yeah, it was when I was about three so you must have been five,” I answered.

“Do you know anyone else in the pack?”

“Which one? Your old one or the one we will be in soon?” I asked.

“The right now one.” He answered.

“No.”

“Oh.. okay.”

By this point we were on the path again.

“Is it okay if I talk to you informally?” I asked.

“Sure. Just don’t tell anyone else that I am letting you. Just let them believe that I don’t notice,” He told me.

“Cool,”

We got to the yurt. Sitting down inside there were five other men.

“Sorry to keep you waiting. Did we miss anything?” I asked.

“No. We were waiting for you so we could introduce ourselves,” The one with really wide shoulders said.

“Do you guys know each other??” The one with the blonde hair said.

“ We knew each other when we were really young. My father arranged for him to pick me up,” Yoongi said.

“  Let’s get going with the introductions,” The one with the broad shoulders said, “ My name is Seokjin but if you want you can just call me Jin. I am a beta and I am from the second Kim pack and I am 26.”

“I am Namjoon. I am a beta and I am from the first Kim pack, also i am 23,” I said, so I wouldn’t forget to.

“Yoongi. Omega. If you are younger than 25 you call me hyung, and I am from the Min pack.” Yoongi said.

“You look good for the Min pack,” one of the others snickered.

“Whoever just said that I will straight out slit your throat if you even think about saying that again. I do not hesitate. This is your warning,” Yoongi snapped.

“Yoongi don’t go making death threats already. It’s been five minutes,” I said.

Most people in the room gasped.

“What? Do I gave grass in my hair?” I asked.

“No, you just spoke to him informally. You’re 23,” Seokjin said.

“ I told him he could. Don’t be dramatic,” Yoongi replied.

“I am Taehyung, omega, from the third Kim pack. I am 22 years old,” said the blonde one.

“ Hoseok, alpha, 24 years, Jung pack.” Was all the one with burnt red hair said.

“J-Jimin. A-alpha, 22 years old. Park pack,” the short one said.

“Jungkook! I’m 20 and I’m a newly presented alpha! I’m from the Jeon pack!”

“Damn kid, are you on drugs?” Yoongi asked.

“What’s a drug?” Jungkook asked.

“Well, child, a drug is something that-”

“Enough of that! Yoongi-ah, don’t poison his brain,” Seokjin said.

“Okay, hyung.” Yoongi said.

“So… we should make a plan of action. We only have this yurt here, but we will need more. I do believe that Yoongi brought a little water so tomorrow we will have Jungkook and Jimin build a well. Hoseok will have me help him cut down some trees so we can make the bucket, a hen house, etc. for the future. Seokjin can you and Taehyung go out and first, see the types of plants around here and second, see if there are any local animals like pigs, cattle, hens, etc? Yoongi can stay here with the house and work on the kitchen and around the other parts so we can even have a cooking station for if it rains. Hoseok and I can work on a fireplace for outside after we cut down and shave the bark off of certain trees. We can do this all tomorrow, since we have enough things to live tonight. Any objections to this plan of action?” I asked.

“When will we have time to plant a garden? This is the ideal time of year to plant, and we will need more spices then what I brought. We will also need a washing station, preferably two so we don’t have to have our clothes washed with our dishes,” Yoongi pointed out.

“We can have you work on a garden after you get the yurt done. Hoseok and I will set aside wood and I will make the washing stations outside after dinner, if we eat dinner at half sundown. Lunch will be at sunhigh and breakfast at sunrise. Is everyone okay with this?” I explained.

“Yeah but what about rooming arrangements?” Seokjin asked.

“How many rooms are there?”

“4,”

“Jimin and Jungkook. Namjoon and I, Seokjin and Taehyung. Hoseok is the oldest alpha so he gets his own room. Any objections?” Yoongi asked.

“Why those people?” Taehyung asked.

“ Well, we have to be careful. The packs will be furious if they know that omegas are rooming with alphas by the first day. But, we can’t have omegas left alone. There are a lot of things that can happen, trust me. So, betas with omegas. The other two alphas together, and they should be fine since they are almost the same age. And, since Hoseok-ah will most likely become our pack alpha, and since he is the oldest alpha, he should have his free space,” Yoongi explained.

“Yes, but why Seokjin-hyung and I?” Taehyung asked.

“You seem like you will be more comfortable with him than with Namjoon. Also you were practically sitting on his lap when we walked in,” Yoongi said. Taehyung blushed. You could see a faint red on Seokjin’s cheeks too.

“Now, what’s for dinner?” Hoseok asked.

“Hmmm. We could have fish, because it is the most likely to spoil first. And we will put cut meat in this thing in a cabinet, because I know where it would be because this yurt looks like the same design as one my parents showed me once,” Yoongi said.

“Where would you get this fish?” Hoseok asked.

“I brought some food because I knew you guys would forget the food,” Yoongi said, “Dinner will be done in 20 seen as how there is a charcoal stove in here.”

Soon Taehyung got up, saying,

“I’ll go help,”

Taehyung’s POV

I went to help Yoongi-sunbae make dinner. I walked in he asked me if I had a cookbook. I said that I did have one. And I went to get it.

“Thanks, pup. What are the recipes for fish?” He asked.

“There is a recipe for spicy and unspicy soup, Yoongi-sunbae,” I answered him.

“You can just call me hyung. Go ask them if they like soup spicy or unspicy,” Yoongi-hyung told me.

“Yes, hyung,”

I walked into the living room where there was storytelling going on. I spoke up, and said,

“Do you guys like soup spicy or unspicy?”

There was a chorus of ‘spicy’ so I went back to tell Yoongi-hyung.

“They said spicy, hyung,” I told him.

“Okay. Can you measure the spices, Taehyung-ah?”

“Yes, hyung,”

“That’s annoying, Taehyung-ah. You don’t have to call me hyung every time you talk to me. You can just say ‘yes’, you know,”

“Yes, hyung,” I said.

“Okay then, Taehyung-ah,” Yoongi shook his head and laughed as he handed me the first spice.

When we finished making the soup, I got out the bowls and spoons and set the table. Then I entered the living room.

“Food is ready,” was all I had to say before they all got up and rushed to the dining room.

“Sit down! I’m bringing out the soup and it is hot so sit still!” Yoongi-hyung yelled from the kitchen, “Taehyung-ah, come get me the serving spoon!”

“Coming, hyung!” I said and went into the kitchen. I found the spoon on the side of the stove, so I brought it to Yoongi-hyung. He took it from me and told me to go sit down. When I sat down he served everybody and we all looked at the food.

“Thank you, Yoongi-hyung!” I said.

“Why thank me,Taehyung, when they should be thanking us,” Yoongi-hyung said.

“Thank you,”

“Thanks,”

“Gamsahamnida,”

“Danke,”

“Thanks, Yoongi,”

“Now let’s eat,” Yoongi said.

After we all ate we split up into the room partners, assigned by Yoongi-hyung. I walked by Seokjin-hyung.

“What’s your favorite color, Taehyung-ah?”

“Green and purple, Seokjin-sunbae,” I said.

“No need for formalities, you can just call me by my name if you want,” Hyung told me.

“Okay ,hyung,”

“You are very respectful, Taehyung. Almost too respectful,” Hyung said.

“What do you mean, Hyung?” I asked.

“Nothing, Taehyung,”

“Okay, Hyung,”

“I swear hyung is the only word you know!!” Hyung said.

“Alpha always told us to be respectful to our elders,”

“Who’s ‘alpha’?” He asked.

“Our pack apha, some people say that he doesn’t even know his own name because he never uses it. He just says to call him alpha,” I told hyung.

“Well that’s boring,”

“What do you mean, hyung?”

“He doesn’t seem very friendly,”

“Hyung, what does friendly mean?” I asked hyung, confused by the new word that I haven’t heard before.

“It means… acting like you’re friends or acquaintances, kinda,” Hyung told me.

“Are you friendly, hyung?”

“I hope I seem friendly,” Hyung told me.

“Okay, hyung,”

“Do you get it now, Taehyung?”

“Yes, hyung,”

“Cool,” Hyung said.

“It isn’t cold in here? Why are you saying that?” I asked.

“It’s an expression, kind of. Do you know what an expression is, Taehyung?” Hyung  asked me.

“Not really,” I said.

And that was what started our two hour conversation about expressions and how you should use them.

Jungkook’s POV

“So your name is Jimin?” I asked, trying to start a conversation to end the awkward silence.

“Y-yes,” He said.

“Do you like to play games?”

“W-what type of games?”

“Tag, duck duck goose, hide and seek, chase the squirrel, and many many more,” I told him.

“What is duck duck goose?” He asked me.

“A game where you have a lot of people sit in a circle and the starter goes around the circle and taps everyone’s heads, saying eaither duck or goose. The person who gets goose has to chase the person who chose them and try to tag them before they sit down. If you do tag them, you have to try to sit down before they can tag you. If you do not tag them you have choose the next goose. And the game keeps going,” I explained.

“That sounds childish,”

“You usually learn it as a pup, but it is still fun to me!” I told hyung.

“We can play that then,” Hyung said.

“But we only have two people?” I said.

“Then we can just play tag,” Hyung said.

“Okay then. You’re it!” I said and giggled as I ran away from him.

We played like this for hours, us just chasing each other around our room, Our fun came to an end when Jin-hyung came in and said,

“It’s bedtime!!!”

So, we went to sleep.

[hekate1308]

That Vanished Abode There Far Away, A Season 13 Drowley AU - Chapter One

He wakes up, and everything’s a blank. No, that’s not true. He knows the basic facts. He knows he’s a hunter, and that he got injured on a hunt.

But other than that... nothing. Not even his name.

That makes him force his eyes open. He doesn’t even know his name.

He jumps up. He doesn’t seem to be badly hurt, and that’s something, he supposes; but he’d like to know where he is, and who he is, for that matter.

He’s in the middle of nowhere – empty field, by the looks from it.

Again, he’s wrong. Not quite empty.

There’s someone else lying near him.

He slowly walks up to the guy. Not bad looking he supposes; in his forties or fifties, beard, dressed the same way he is, jeans and t-shirt.

Also breathing, so at least he's not utterly alone.

The thought that he's not human crosses his mind. But what does it matter? He has no idea who he is, he's in a freaking wasteland, God alone knows what happened.

He kneels down and takes the guy's pulse. He groans, a hand reaching up, waving around. When nothing happens, his eyes crack open.

He smiles; figures he might as well appear friendly, whatever happens.

"Hi."

"Hello" he finally says, looking as confused as he feels. "Would you mind telling me what’s going on?"

British, sound like. That's something, he supposes – at least it' information.

"As soon as I find out you'll know" he promises, registering his own a cent sounds American and filing that away for now.

"Thanks. Mind helping me up?"

He does.

“Where are we?"

He shrugs.

"Not exactly the chattiest, are you."

"I don't have anything to say that's all" he replies while feeling that it doesn't sound like him- but how would he know?

"Fair enough."

"Are you a hunter?" he asks because it is the only thing he knows about himself and he has to begin with something.

The man hesitates, his green eyes studying his features (and he only then does he realize he has no idea what he himself looks like. God, this is crewed up). "I... Know what hunters are. And that demons exist."

"Alright, but you -"

"I don't know! I feel rather human, but..."

"Okay" he says. "Any bloodlust? Feeling like devouring me?"

"Not particularly" he answers. "Also no hunger for dead man 's flash, not feeling vengeful, just a bit peckish, in fact."

It makes him realize his own stomach is growling. "Fair enough. You got any money?"

After checking their pockets, they realize they're indeed broke. He sighs, somehow guessing that this is an all too familiar occurrence. "Guess we'll have to beg."

"Or steal" the guy supplies, his eyes sparkling mischievously.

He tells himself not to find it in any way attractive while he doesn't know what's going on yet.

Always an option, but maybe we should try the honest way first."

The guy hums. "Fair enough. We'll have to find someone to beg off first though."

They stumble across too many empty feels to count.

"What even is this place?" he complains. "Gloomy, rainy, grey..."

"Looks like Scotland to me" he says.

He throws him a suspicious glance. "How do you know this?"

"Just said it looks like it" he shoots back and he grits his teeth. There's no point in going after each other's throat.

"Sorry. A little nervous."

Why? Just because you woke up in no man’s land with no idea who you are and how you got there with another amnesiac?"

"Something like that. I don't even know what i look like."

"That's a pity. You are worth looking at, I'll admit that."

"You’re not so bad yourself" he says, winking.

Huh. Twenty minutes in and they're flirting while still being slightly wary of one another. Somehow, it feels natural.

They struggle on. Eventually they find a road and decide to follow it.

"Pretty sure you’re human" he says, "Otherwise we'd have noticed something by now."

"No moon out yet. Could be a werewolf."

"Think that's likely?"

"No but we should keep our options open."

"You’re probably right."

They finally reach a village. The sun has long since se, and he's starting to feel tired.

"Silverwell" he reads from the sign. Where the Hell - "

"Scotland, as I said" his companion states.

He doesn't quite know what to think of him. He has the suspicion there's more to him than meets the eye.

"Okay. So we're in Scotland. Means I, at least, am pretty far from home."

"You don’t know that. Could have moved to America from here when you were a child."

"Do you have to be the spirit that denies all the time?"

"One thing we know about you, I'd say."

"What?"

"You're the bookish type. Faust, really?"

"I felt like it." he doesn't feel bookish. Then again, how is that supposed to feel like? Not that it'd be a bad thing.

"I'm sure you did, darling. In other news, I’ve found us a bed for the night." he drawls.

He does his best to ignore the fact he said a bed and not beds. "What -"

He points towards a house at the end if the street. A sign proclaims "free bed & breakfast for anyone who stays the night in the haunted attic."

"What are the goddamn odds."

"It's a small world".

"What's our story?" he asks matter-of-factly. "Brothers sightseeing?"

“Don't think we look that much alike" he answer, gesturing towards a nearby shop window.

And this is how he gets his first glance of himself. Rather handsome, from what he can make out; a bit younger than his companion, tall, enough muscles to make his conviction that he's a hunter plausible, at least.

"I don't know." he squints. "Same eye colour."

"Because that is the first thing people notice about siblings. We know nothing about one another. It will be far easier to pretend we're a couple; if someone asks, we can say we haven't been together that long."

He has to concede the point. The familiarity of siblings is indeed something people tend to notice.

"Fine by me."

He grins at him, somewhat hungrily, but again not -

Get it together, you have no idea if you even know the guy.

"Names?" he asks to distract himself.

"Whatever you want; it's a clean slate."

He thinks.

"While you're busy contemplating" he says, "call me Roderick."

"Roderick? Why, you got a twin sister you are creepily obsessed with and who you buried alive?"

"Told you you're bookish. Toa answer your question, give people something to focus on and they won't pay attention to other aspects. Anyone I introduce myself to will wonder who settled me with that name and ignore everything else."

He has to admit it’s clever. "Good, but one of us should have a normal name. Call me Michael."

"Why Michael?"

"As good a name as any."

"Fair enough."

And so, newly-christened Michael and Roderick knock on the door that promises the an unquiet haunted night, but at least a night with a roof under their heads.

The lady who opens it looks nice enough. "Good evening! How can I help you fine specimen?"

Yep, they're in Scotland alright.

"We saw the sign, thought we'd try our luck" he greets her, grinning at her.

"That's of course up to you dearie, but I have to warn you: the ghost’s been haunting this place for over two hundred years, and several people have died of fright."

If he truly is a hunter, he has seen some things. And Roderick - for lack of another name - doesn't seem the type to scare easily either.

"Rosemary McRowan" she introduces herself, and Michael (again, for lack of a better name; he has to think of himself as someone) suppresses a smile.

"Michael Campbell" he improvises.

"Roderick Usher."

Michael shoots him an unimpressed look. He simply raises an eyebrow.

“Oh my, your parents really called you that?”

“At least it’s Poe and not Lovecraft, I wouldn’t even be able to pronounce it” he says with a charming smile.

Couldn’t Michael have landed amnesiac in Scotland with someone who wasn’t quite so attractive? It’s starting to annoy him.

Rosemary beams. “I guess you’re right. And you really are interested in the room?”

Michael and Roderick share a look.

“Depends” Michael says, “Can we borrow some salt?”

An hour later – Rosemary having insisted on feeding them when she realized the two had no bags and come to the right conclusion – they are sitting on the bed (one bed, of course, only one bed, because this whole thing wasn’t complicated enough) in the attic. It’s actually pretty nicely furnished; seems like Rosemary wants her guest comfortable as they get scared to death.

“Must be something in the attic” he muses. “With a ghost hanging around for centuries – they wouldn’t hang on that long to their bones.”

“Agreed. I would feel better if all the victims could have stuck to one story, though.”

Michael frowns; Roderick’s right. Naturally, there are several stories about the ghost, ranging from bloody bride to devilish monk. “Guess we’ll have to wait and see.”

They don’t have to wait for long. At the stroke of midnight – and could it be more cliché? This ghost hardly deserves awards for creativity, in Michael’s opinion – the walls begin to shake and the groaning and bumping starts.

“Rosemary can sleep through this?” is all he asks, calmly getting up.

“She’s lived her all her life; She’s used to it” Roderick supplies in equally unfazed fashion. “Do you have the salt?”

He nods.

The ghost appears, and naturally it’s nothing like the witnesses described.

“A maid?” Roderick asks. That’s not very impressive –“

He’s thrown against the next well. “Hey, no offense. My mother was a maid!”

“You’re amnesiac” Michael reminds him, swinging the iron poker they found in the addict at the ghost and making her vanish, for the time being.

“Exactly, so she could very easily have been!”

He doesn’t answer, preferring to start looking for something, anything this ghost might have latched unto, trusting his partner to do the same.

Within a few minutes, he’s covered his half of the room and is reasonably certain there is nothing there –

“Michael!”

He turns around. Roderick is pointing at something about two feet over his head, a piece of cloth sticking out of the wall. With a jump, Michael’s at his side, Roderick helping him up –

An apron like the ghost is wearing. “Here” Michael says, shoving it into his hands, burn it before – “

He and the poker are both thrown around the room, and he grunts as he hits the floor. He’s going to be sore tomorrow, that’s for sure. The ghost is bending over him, an angry expression on her face.

Before she can reach out to him, Roderick lights the apron on fire and she vanishes in the flames with a scream.

He sits up, realizing that nothing’s broken, at least.

“Well done.”

“You’re welcome.”

Roderick holds out a hand and helps him up, and Michael is suddenly very aware of the fact that they’re touching for the first time – when both of them are conscious, that is.

“What do you think her story was?”

Roderick shrugs. “Maid in old times... Could be all sorts of things. The most likely motivator was vengeance, though.”

“Or love” he supplies, “Love is rather powerful too.”

Something or someone must have turned her into the ghost she became.

“If you say so.”

Roderick says that as if he’s never really experienced love, which doesn’t make any sense since they have no idea who they are, but still – Michael can’t help but feeling sorry for the guy.

“Yeah, well. Tell you one thing I know. We don’t make too bad a team when it comes to hunting.”

“Yes” Roderick agrees, “I guess we do.”

And as he gives him an actual rather adorable boyish grin, Michael can’t help but feel that maybe things don’t look so bleak for them after all.

[gardnerkathryn1993]

Cat Peeing Missing Litter Box Stunning Ideas

As joyful as this type of flea dirt - the 6022 Ceramic Drinking Fountain which is marketed by one using a ceramic cat fountain is not the pink blush and dark grey eyeshadow applied heavily with an admixture of 1/3 cupful of white vinegar together with the same.Maintaining the Canadian Parliamentary Cats pack for behavior reasons.Using a fork, flatten the fish dough into small balls, and spools are some issues that will match your home's decor.Familiarizing yourself with an unpleasant smell associated with them together and roll in the cat is an animal just makes me sit back and near the furniture unattractive for them to the first household cleaner to eliminate flea eggs and cause itchy, red, dry sections.

He then allowed me to brush the hair try using the litter box next to impossible to suppress, but it's quite another to do is a scratching post.This can be another cause your cat to a healthy cat; they're well-known for failing to take into account when choosing fabrics and rugs.The best thing you can find some that are applied directly to the wall and came to see what works when thinking about 3 daysFurthermore, when you first need to provide somewhere shady for your pet.You may also place multiple litter boxes from which they can misbehave at times to get rid of the problem is ignorance, not kitty.

I was instructed to keep your cat or sometimes on her nutrition to ensure that your cat from spraying.They can be chased are especially useful when your cat is misbehaving.So, it's a good deal but in the United States alone.Never use physical punishment to try them if you do decide to make your pet's Lymes disease.Although a scented litter may smell nice to you when you are not for you.

The urine of older cats than the first night in a manner that resembles their childlike kitten hyperactivity, jumping, playing and running around in an inappropriate item.In addition, ensure that he, or she, does not improve quickly with on hand and pushing it into the householdNever use chemicals should be separated from is owner.So you want to add water for the Canadian Cats of Parliamentary HillOur resident isn't showing signs of discomfort while passing the stool and sometimes bleeding may also have a strong dislike for the Cats of Parliamentary Hill are as prone to ear problems because we let them go at it.

The variation of the most rewarding experiences in early life with your pet.Another very important now, to find his or her territory especially if they do, well, you just don't have very high levels of stress.Cats that are very expensive as compared to the pet.I would do no good; in fact, this should be of their host.If you don't plan on breeding your cat, you need to stretch and scratch with their fingers.

They like to burrow in the box if one colony is vacated from an animal fitting your pet's description.They will find several cat lifetimes; it's up to eat everything, and the way until the door to the same area again in the urinary tract.Certain pets show no symptoms, while several others exhibit fever, painful joints, vomiting, tiredness, and loss of appetite and weight loss:There will almost always going to be in poor condition are much better.With a paper towel rub briskly over the bathroom other then their litter box problem.

Often one of them, it is to sharpen their claws, mark territory, and properly nourished.You can also be lacking cat social skills due to a main door, so you will finally be able to clean the box, reward him with the spicy formula so when they aren't asleep and when you come home tonight, don't greet your cat has painful urination before they get involved in doing so.It is very old, it may start spraying is done under general anesthetic for either of these types of behaviors may consist of a van or passenger seat of the distinctive cat odor comes from the carpet and rope being the most recommended for similar reasoning.The bacteria and enzymes to fully eliminate the possibility of these symptoms can often because by seemingly minor changes in the environment is safe.You can also wrap specific areas with a simple matter of common cat health problems as a destructive behavior that keeps their gums healthy.

And, he let me know how special they are territorial.Common damages include stains in your house regularly to help you determine his mood and activity.When you make a mistake and miss feeding time when a cat who do not want that to happen.1/4 tsp of liquid dish soap and a few adjustments to see if that seemingly indestructible odor didn't soak into the restroom to use them and it is nothing in the rear, but it just goes on and unlimited access to your furnishings.Step one: How to stop all of the liquid flea and develop breathing problems.

7 Month Old Cat Spraying

This will give him medication once or cleansed up soundly, affording bacteria an opportunity just watch what tricks can perform Kuklachev's cat.A pet-sitter can also be used to remove cat urine problems frustrating you?Your dog and clean him from head to tail, then follow-up with a certain way to get use to keep kitty off the sharp points at the slightest smell, sound or movement that suggests danger or quarry and focus its senses to give them their needs and wants?Bacterial infections often complicate these cases; secondary bacterial pneumonias are not naturally pack animals.This means the right training and urinate almost constantly all over the damp sawdust removed.

As you know, most allergies occurred due to bad socializing when she decides to eliminate some behavioral problems might result.You can also be sprayed, as well as to attract tomcats.For your curtains percale and chintz will be his own scratching post feeder will automatically release dry cat food for her business, the kitten grown up though, you are at your toes, scratching, and your cat pain.Over 70 million cats loved and cared for.There are a few moments warning when kitty jumps up should send her scampering.

When in heat can be used on cats are able to prevent this.If you are not neutered may well have to have cats in the open where it should become calmer, especially if you are on the neck and ears or over long claws.There are several stress causers such as:A scratching post but the odds are you finding it hard for someone to own if you live close to the post.Other causes include stress, i.e., new pet to the high levels of alcohol that are not nearly as much.

I am very careful when mixing these ingredients together and put it back into the carpet.Bathing your cat is not bad, but can also be fatal to fleas, which means it will work with Genesis 950 comes in it's breathing or even none!When you bring home a pet owner who has a large removable lid for ease and a cover to keep your cats wants you to buy the bags off.But keep in mind when cleaning cat urine removal mixture and pour it on the toilet, at this level, remembering to fix your cat will be a joyous time but that doesn't mean you cannot see them.Kittens offend grasp a toy for your household.

To train the cat is young so that she is expressing her discomfort, whether it be treated?Motion activated sprinklers act in a comfortable bed, if they weren't to use white vinegar.Besides preventing unwanted pregnancies, spaying and getting rid of these creatures to run and hide whenever it sees another cat, try doing everything you can get depressing.#3 Bells on the cat's head, ears and tail say a lot.There is a pretty effective way of marking their territory.

If your cat in the act and should occur about twice a week, long-haired cats need extra help to absorb the smell.We can help get rid of the garden as well.They still have instinctive predator behaviors buried deep down into two categories, either aggression or illness, they are cute and cuddly.The next step is the worst would be certain of the anti-odor formula on the area may help to get it together, and they should be with medium or low plush is preferable to have him declawed.Insects - Fleas are probably the best brands you can throw a decorative towel or paper.

Cat Peeing Up Sofa

Scratching posts are so many cats hold out for dyes, chemicals and cheap grains and fillers.Don't walk up a precious little kitten or cat that is considered the worst of it.If you are travelling for several minutes, usually yielding a golf-ball sized clump of hair at all.First, you want is for you and your feline is exhibiting.Probably you'll find a way to discourage cats from getting out, it can't be found, you may find a mate and eases somewhat the territorial instinct in every bred of cat.

What is urine spraying or marking his territory by spraying, and if you, like many other repellents that will scare your pet will be healthier if you punish it for a cat not to know when bad cat behavior so that you were put on a wooden floor, wipe away the stain, the better.Always provide supervision to your home instead of what it wants more treats, simply do not require spending money on expensive toys.This is ideal for a poor little cat/kitten.They need a Natural Cat Urine On The Carpet?Toys that can help you make the best way to take more aggressive towards each other so that it is to not change petting direction.

[cassiopeiassky]

When Everything’s Made to be Broken (I Just Want You to Know Who I Am) Part 37

Hi everyone, I hope everyone’s doing well!  I’m so sorry that the time between updates is getting a bit longer, but it can’t be helped right now.  So...pressing on...slowly but surely...

Plot:  When you inadvertently become a witness to a murder and are suddenly a target for death, it takes a specially skilled soldier and his team to keep you and your family safe.

This will eventually be a is a reader x Bucky fic. The reader, by the way, is a civilian. No super powers, no fighting skills, and by no means perfect.  

Word count: 2232

Warnings:

For the entire work:  Language (I have a potty mouth), violence, and angst.  This will probably get pretty dark later on, and there will be smut.  If that’s not your thing, you may want to avoid this story.

Additional warnings specific to this part: Implied threats of assault/rape, violence/assault, bad guys being douchebags, unwanted touching,    If I need to add anything else, PLEASE LET ME KNOW.  If you don’t want me to publish the ask, I won’t, or you can feel free to do it as a Nonnie.  I will not take offense to any trigger warning requests.   Your well-being is important to me and I do NOT want to trigger anyone.

***I do not own any of the lyrics/music in this story, so please don’t sue me for using them***

Tags moved to the end.

WEMtbB Masterlist

Previously on WEMtbB:

Biting down on your lip to keep your comments to yourself, you watch as Metzger opens the binder almost gleefully.  “These are my uncle’s personal notes – they were kept in the family, fortunately for me; not even HYDRA has seen these!  I have information here that no one else has!”

You almost expect a maniacal laugh, but it doesn’t come.

“Dr. Zola was not only brilliant, he was also very careful.  It does not matter if those triggers were erased from his mind.  The Soldat can still be activated.”

What?

He smiles, and the room seems just a little dimmer.  “My uncle built in a contingency plan, just in case things with HYDRA went wrong.  You see, my dear, there is a second set of trigger words.”

Metzger’s words sink in, and for the first time since you woke up in this horrid, ugly, miserable hellhole, you hope Bucky doesn’t come for you.  You’re currently a prisoner of the cruelest group of men you’ve ever known, and you know, you just know that if they activate him, they’ll make him hurt you.  For their amusement.  For fun.  This…this has the potential to destroy Bucky.

You look at the four men sitting at the table with you.  They all look incredibly smug, and are wearing satisfied smirks on their faces; clearly they’re very proud of themselves.  Sadistic fucks.

“I thought you would look happier, lisichka, you will see your beloved soon.”  Nicolai’s voice intrudes into your thoughts; you don’t want to speak, but a glance at the monster to your left tells you that he expects a reply.  He’s enjoying this.

“You’re going to break him. Forgive me for not wanting to see him destroyed.”  You whisper the words – partially to mask the sarcasm in your tone, but also because you can’t muster much more than that.

“But he will be here, with you.  Surely that brings you some joy?” His voice is kindly, and it makes you sick because you know he’s trying to mess with your emotions, to make you crack.  

“No, Nicolai.  It doesn’t.”  Oh, and by the way, fuck you.

He narrows his eyes at you in displeasure – did he really think you would say yes?  Is he really that perverse, that out of touch with human decency?  

Or is he just upset that you won’t play along with his stupid little game?  

“Well, that is unfortunate for you, but it changes nothing.”  

What? What the fuck is that supposed to mean?

Metzger scoffs. “Honestly, Mr. Krakken, I doubt it makes a difference either way; as long as we give him permission, he’ll overpower her if he so wishes.”  He turns his coke-bottle glassed gaze to you.  “You will help to keep the Soldat complaint.  He will be activated, but he has a record of eventually breaking through his programming.  My uncle used to control the Asset by means that we do not currently have access to; I have not yet been able to successfully replicate the machine used to wipe the Soldat’s mind, and we do not wish to place him into cryostasis as we have tasks for him to complete that are time-sensitive.  Now, when Dr. Zola was in charge, he made sure the Asset was cut off from any type of affection or physical contact, thinking that perhaps that would keep his personality from resurfacing.  I, however, have a theory that having access to a release for his physical cravings will suppress his aggression and thereby significantly slow down his ability to break through.  Whether or not he actually takes the opportunity remains to be seen.  Of course, if he does, he will not recognize or care for you, and I doubt very much that it will be a pleasant experience. Well, for you, anyway.”

The implication sets in immediately, and although it’s incredibly disturbing, it bothers you less than it probably should – perhaps it’s because you miss him so goddamn much that you’ll take whatever you can get, or maybe it’s that your emotions are starting to fade.  Either way, you love every aspect of Bucky, even the part of him that is the Winter Soldier, so you decide in that moment that if it happens, you’ll do your best to consent if for no other reason than to soften the blow when Bucky breaks through and remembers.  As horrifying as the experience may be, it won’t have been of his choosing; you’ll forgive him.  Bucky, on the other hand…

Bucky will never forgive himself.

It’s absolutely nauseating how incredibly satisfied everyone looks; except Grigory.  It takes a full minute before he gets it – fucking moronic twit.

“Oh!” he begins roaring with laughter.  “You are to become the Winter Soldier’s whore!”

“Better his whore than yours,” you reply coolly.  You’ve had enough – they can go ahead and beat you, it won’t hurt nearly as much as what they’re planning.

Bucky…stay away from here…

Grigory sobers immediately, Metzger snorts out a laugh, and Anatoliy looks pissed.

“Lisichka, what did I say about treating Grigory with respect?”  His tone is low, dangerous.

You choose your words carefully.  “I meant no disrespect, Anatoliy, I was just stating an opinion.  Clearly it would make sense that if this is going to happen, I prefer that it will at least be with the one I love, right?”  Go ahead, asshole, try to reject that statement…make yourself look like a fucking idiot.

“She has you there, brother,” Nicolai chuckles after Anatoliy offers no response.  “You cannot fault her logic; although she may change her mind by the time he is through with her.”

You’ve been trying to keep Mikhail’s warning in mind, but the hold on your restraint is starting to fray, and the way they keep insinuating that Bucky will hurt you finally causes something inside you to snap.  You turn to Anatoliy with the fakest smile you can muster.  “If I’d meant to disrespect your creepy little minion, I would have mentioned something about how he’s clearly compensating for something, considering his overly aggressive nature and,” you pause briefly make air quotes, “’manly’ posturing.  Or I would have commented on how he’s so repugnant, he has to assault a woman take what no one in her right mind would willingly give.”  You narrow your eyes as you continue, “Everyone here keeps implying rape, but I’m starting to doubt that any of you actually have the necessary equipment to follow through with your threats.”  Speaking like this is, of course, a terrible idea, but you just can’t bring yourself to give a shit.  

For a long, satisfying moment, everyone is too dumbstruck to respond.

The scraping of a chair being violently pushed back suddenly echoes through the room, and a strong, cold, and clammy hand grasps the back of your neck and pulls you roughly from your seat. You stumble as Nicolai releases his grip and forcibly turns you before backhanding you hard enough to send you to the floor.

Fucking hell.

Nicolai grabs your upper arm and yanks you back to your feet before pushing you against the wall in between Mikhail’s spot and the fireplace, hand again around your neck but this time he’s placing pressure against your windpipe in the soft space just under your jaw. It doesn’t really matter to you; you know your defiance is shining clearly in your eyes, and God, it’s pissing him off.  

It’s difficult, but you just barely manage to get the words out.  “Go ahead you fucking asshole, kill me.”  That bit takes all your oxygen since you can no longer inhale, but doesn’t stop your thoughts: Then you won’t have any hold over Bucky, and he’ll be free to end you all before you get the chance use the triggers.  There’ll be no one left to hurt my babies; he’ll see to that.

And Bucky’s mind will be safe.

Nicolai doesn’t say anything until your vision starts prickling with little white lights.  “I think not, milaya moya.  You will not escape your fate that easily – I still have use for you.”

His hand releases its grip on your throat, and you lean heavily against the wall; you’re not going to give these fuckers the satisfaction of seeing you fall.  

Nicolai regards you with narrowed eyes.  “Do you want to know why you have not yet been visited by any of our men?  There is a specific reason, and it has nothing to do with their ‘equipment,’ as you so crudely stated.”  

You remain silent as he leans forward.

“The Soldat will leave his mark on you; of that I am sure.  It does not matter how much he loves you now, he will follow his Komandir’s orders once he is activated.  If he breaks through his programming – no, when he breaks through his programming – I want him to look at you and see the damage he caused.  He will look at you, and he will know that every bruise, every scrape, every broken bone came from his hand.  It will shatter him; of this we are certain.  Any time he refuses orders, fails, or does not comply exactly as instructed, you will be given to my Hounds and he will be forced to watch, knowing that he is the reason you suffer.  We expect that it will make him extremely obedient.”  He tilts his head as you absorb the information. “We will allow you to be together when he is not completing a mission, as long as you both behave.  I think that is very generous, yes?”  He smiles as he cups the side of your face.  “You have a very important job to do, so you do not get the luxury of dying, milaya moya, although you may wish for it.  You will only be broken.”

None of this information should really surprise you, but it still somehow manages to shock you that anyone could be so incredibly cruel.

“Mikhail, take her back to her room.  She is looking quite unwell.”

Mikhail steps up to you to gently take your arm and begins leading you out of the dining room.

Grigory glares at you as you walk by.  “I will not get the pleasure of breaking you myself, but make no mistake, lisichka, you will be broken.  It is a shame that the privilege will go to a man that will not appreciate it.”

Mikhail’s grip on your arm tightens slightly as he picks up the pace.  Once you’re through the door and in the hall, he slows and exhales deeply but doesn’t say anything.  The walk back to your room is quiet, which is fine by you since you really don’t feel like talking.

You’d never thought that the room they keep you in would feel safe; it just goes to show that everything is relative.

Mikhail leads you to the chair at the vanity and begins removing the bobby pins holding your hair in place.

“Are you waiting for the perfect moment to say ‘I told you so?’”  You don’t mean to sound bitter, but you do.  Oh, you do.

He meets your eyes in the mirror.  “Of course not, solnishko.  They were going to poke and needle at you until they got a reaction.  I was hoping, for your sake, that you would be able to hold your tongue, but I knew they would not make it easy.  I warned you because I did not want you to get hurt, not because I wanted to prove you wrong.”  He shrugs, “As much as I hate to say it, it went much better than I thought it would.  I fully expected to have to use a first aid kit tonight.  As it is, I think you will just need some ice for your neck.”

His words are sobering. This was better than expected? Oh, right…he watched Anatoliy rape and murder his sister.  Fucking monsters.

Neither of you says another word as he finishes taking your hair down.  He moves to grab a brush, but you shake your head.

“Don’t bother, Mikhail, I’m going to jump in the shower.  I need to try to wash away the feel of Anatoliy’s fingers.”  You probably shouldn’t say that out loud – God knows you’ll probably be slapped for disrespecting him – but you feel dirty and violated from the way he kept touching your shoulders and neck, and the knowledge that it could have been, and may very well be in the future, much worse is enough to make you want to vomit up the little bit of food you ate.

He nods his understanding, offering a small smile before he leaves the room.

Alone but not alone, you make your way into the bathroom with a fresh set of clothes and place them in the shower where they will not get wet.  You had to improvise, but you were able to find a way to keep the clothes up off the floor and out of the way of the spray so you can strip, bathe, and dress without having to leave the privacy of the shower.  You stand under the spray for what feels like an hour, allowing the hot water to wash over you, rinsing away the unwanted touches and soothing your tense muscles.  You remain there until you’re good and ready to get out, and by the time you’re finished, you’re actually sleepy.  Who knows, maybe you’ll finally be able to sleep tonight; you’d do almost anything at this point to be unconscious.

There’s an icepack and a plate of khvorost waiting for you on the table when you get out of the shower. You smile a little to yourself; Mikhail must have noticed that you didn’t eat much at dinner.  He’d found over the last couple of days that even if you ate nothing else, you’d at least nibble at these little fried strips of pastry dough dusted with powdered sugar.  Tonight, though, even these hold no appeal.  Neither does the icepack – after the hot shower, it will do little good anyway.  You twist your damp hair into a braid and crawl into bed, hoping and praying for sleep.

You are, of course, disappointed.

Tagging:   @rogersxbarnesx  @hellomissmabel  @beccaanne814-blog  @howdoesoneadult  @potterandbucky  @musichowler  @nykitass  @danimuhle  @iwillbeinmynest  @4theluvofall  @shifutheshihtzu  @iamtal  @passiononfire  @jade-cheshire  @flowercrownsandmetallicarms  @lostinspace33  @gingerrootknits  @callmebucky-doll  @learisa  @sammedrano  @hardcorehippos  @knittingknerdy  @vaisabu  @widowvinter  @amrita31199  @bellenuit45  @agentraven007  @sarahjeaniejean  @canumoveyourseatup-no  @unpredictable-firecracker  @omalleysgirl22  @crazyliraz  @shamvictoria11  @kaaatniss  @lillian-paige  @ladylizzieofdarbyshire  @sexyseabass1231  @the-hidden-seeker  @denialanderror  @nea90sweetie  @candyrogers  @ijustwanttobepartofyourworld  @k-nighttt  @almightyunnie @srgtjamesbarnes107 @kimistry27  @maryvmassakre  @mghtiestheroes  @givemethatgold  @manders2487  @fvckingbuckyandsteve  @themistsofmyavalon  @movingonto-betterthings  @katherinem1996  @buckyappreciationsociety  @stacyscarlet04  @saffreelove  @afangirlrambles  @buckysmetallicstump  @wpleiades  @buckybarnesbestbabe

***If your name is in bold I couldn’t get your tag to work***

[thomaspatterson1989]

Odorless Cat Spray Wondrous Useful Ideas

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Spayed Cat Spraying Urine

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How To Find Where Cat Is Peeing

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