#Here are Three Simple Things You Can Do When Everything Starts to Slide to One Side

[thatsbelievable]

[briseroyawritingsblog]

𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏 𝒚𝒐𝒖

𝒍𝒐𝒈𝒂𝒏 𝒉𝒐𝒘𝒍𝒆𝒕𝒕 𝒙 𝒇𝒆𝒎!𝒓𝒐𝒃𝒐𝒕!𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒆𝒓

• +18 minors do not interact. fluff, growth, feelings, pains, living in 2051, domestic things, marriage thinking, kissing etc.

𝒇𝒖𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒄 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒎𝒂𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒍𝒊𝒔𝒕 / 𝒎𝒂𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒍𝒊𝒔𝒕

dividers by @anitalenia & @cafekitsune 🤍

“Somebody help!!” Logan rushed through the sliding double doors holding you in his arms, tears in his eyes. “Help, nurse I need help!” He called as she rushed over to him checking you over. “We.. we were at home.. and she started to cough up blood, not blood! Fuck.. I don’t know what the fuck it is just help her” he placed you down on the bed. The nurse opened your eye lids to check your eyes. When she saw your sclera black pupils she gasped. “She’s not human Sir, how can I help her we do not have specialist here on robotics!” She called her team quickly cutting down your maid dress and apron. She removed your shoes and your socks. “Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!!!” He growled following the doctors to the room. “Sir you cannot be here! Please! Wait outside we will check her over I located the pulse.” She held two fingers on your neck.

“Seems like her heartbeat is normal. What were you doing exactly?” Logan shot the doctor a glare.

“We were at home. And she was cutting some vegetables for dinner and then suddenly she touched her stomach and cough up blood. Check her over! Fuck!!” He growled—

That night when you grew a human heart in your chest, everything changed. You felt things which humans were supposed to— your brain was not as fast as you once knew. Three months had passed since that night. Logan watched you as you slid into the tunnel for a scan.

“How old is she?” The doctor approached him standing next to him while the machine started to take pictures of your body.

“She was made few months ago.” Logan answered feeling his heart squeeze in his chest. God his hands trembled—

“That can’t be. She must be older” Logan shook his head signalling a no.

“She’s not. She was made few months ago—”

Logan paced in the waiting room anxiously, the nurse approached him several times but he kept looking in the window watching the nurses take care of you do so many necessary things like tests. The doctor then walked out the x ray room holding several photos in his hand.

“How is this possible?” The doctor slammed a photo on the table in front of Logan. It was an x ray of a brain.

“What the fuck is this?” Logan asked him touching the photo.

“That’s your girlfriend’s brain. I see that she’s been using hundred perfect of her brain, and the brain is not as human as it looks. It’s made of a different substance. Now look at this. She has a human heart, but not lungs. How is that possible? How is that even possible she is alive with adamantium skull, limbs, spine and human bones in her legs! How?”

Logan pushed the photos away from him taking a deep breath trying to calm his breathing.

“Who is she?” The doctor asked him sitting in front of him.

“I was there, when she grew the human heart. It lighted the whole room.. I could see the wires under her skin she was transparent for a moment before it disappeared.” Logan rubbed his cheek anxiously so worried about you.

“Now I can see she’s growing every single organ in her body, because some parts of them are already inside of her but trust me she’s in a lot of pain. Growing bones or simple things like humans usually do— this one is twice as painful”

Logan gazed at the doctor furrowing his eyebrows. “Will she..please don’t tell me that I will lose her. I can’t..” Logan shook his head giving the doctor a hopeful look.

“No I think we have something extraordinary here, she will live.”

When Logan heard him say ‘extraordinary’ he groaned pushing his claws out grabbing him by the collar slamming him against the wall beside the window.

“Listen to me, bub. If anything happens to my girl—I will come for you and rip you apart. I will be here all day everyday watching your fuckin step— I will be watchin you taking care of my girlfriend. You will handle this with extra confidentiality. No media. And she’s not a fucking experiment do you fucking hear me?” He snarled. The doctor nodded rapidly listening to every word.

“Yes, but it’s going to cost you” he freed himself out of Logan’s grip.

“I don’t fucking care.” He snarled pressing his claws right to the doctors throat.

“Calm down please I shall do everything in my strength to help your girlfriend. I promise you” logan let go of the doctor and walked out the room. Halting his steps in front of your room— you lied there so peacefully almost as if you were sleeping again. The nurses were there with you running some more tests before your eyes fluttered open. Logan immediately opened the door walking over to you kneeling beside the bed touching your hand.

“Lo..” you whispered wincing in pain.

“Sir she needs to rest. If she won’t— we have to sedate her” Logan groaned.

“Don’t you fucking dare.” You cupped his cheek tracing it with your little fingers tears rolling out of your sclera tearducks soaking the pillow under your head.

“Shhh, don’t speak princess I’m here..” he whispered kissing your palm.

“I feel so much pain..” you breathed out.

“I know but it’s all right okay baby? The doctors will help you because I can’t lose you”

“I want to be in your arms..” you sobbed feeling something cold rolling out of your eyes.

“You’re crying..” he then noticed wiping away your tears with his thumb.

“Don’t leave me..” you let out a broken sob touching his hands pulling him closer so he adjusted to slide his arms underneath you to hug you close to his chest.

“Hurts everywhere..” he kissed your mouth tenderly hearing those words come out of your lips.

“I know princess you need to stay here and I’m going to watch over you.” Confirming holding you in his arms you sobbed out softly kissing his lips again and again until he responded kissing you more. Your tongues touched and you moaned pulling him closer to you.

“I love you”

“I love you with my everything” you responded touching your own forehead with his own.

It was like part of you was missing when Logan left the room. Your test results were coming back positive and negative at the same time because of the growth of your human organs. Logan would rest next to you at night sitting in an armchair a book spread lying on his chest. You wanted him so close to you, you only held his hand. The growing was painful, yes it was.. especially your legs. The bones alone was the worst— you didn’t count days, or weeks or how long you stayed on that hospital bed.

“Your lungs..” Logan smiled softly giving you the x ray results.

“They are beautiful..” you looked up at him with awe in your eyes.

“And your heart.. look at that.. it beats just like mine” he whispered pulling a chair close to your bed. Turning your head to look at the heart monitor.

“Few more days.. and I’m able to take you home.” Kissing your cheek you turned your face to kiss his lips instead and he immediately cupped your cheek eagerly covering your mouth in kisses. “I’m missing you everyday” he breathed. “Me too— so much” it was time for your blood work to be done by your favourite nurses. They were giving you extra, and then taking some of your blood for more testing. It turned out you had a certain mutation which they weren’t familiar with.

“Your husband is a keeper” one of the nurses smiled.

“If only I had a husband like that” the other nurse giggled.

“He’s my boyfriend..” you blushed. “And I hope one day he will become my husband”

“He’s here everyday and spends nights here watching over you my dear. He’s definitely going to be your husband.” One of the nurses confirmed. You giggled at their little talk fantasies spreading in your brain as you let them do their work.

“Oh my my.. it’s positive. You’re a lucky woman” another nurse entered the room showing you a positive result of something you didn’t quite understand.

“Looks like you will welcome womanhood every month” she touched your lower belly.

“I can? Is that possible?”

“Of course it is. You have everything what a woman is supposed to have to create children” she smiled at you.

“Children?” You asked her parting your lips looking at the rest of the nurses who stopped doing their job approaching you.

“Yes, children.. well first, you know— you and your husband will make love and then if you’re lucky enough to catch most of his seed. You will carry a baby” one of the nurses explained making your heart race.

“You have done it, before all this haven’t you?”

“Yes.. we did but it was always protected I wasn’t human.” You breathed replaying all of the moments of you and logan made love.

“Oh ladies he’s definitely a keeper.” They giggled making your face twist in curiousness but you couldn’t hide your elation. You wanted to be a human so much and now.. it was happening. You were real for him.

Overnight you lost your love mode. You welcomed your new vision although your eyes did not change. Your vision was so colourful it stunned your heart. Finally you were able to see Logan like a normal human being. He walked inside your room bringing you flowers, biting your lower lip you asked motioning with your arms up to cuddle. “Hi Princess” he kissed your cheek before dragging his mouth over to yours, licking into your mouth kissing you passionately. You mewled, feeling so many emotions at the same time. “They said I’m already fit to go home” you clung to him he held you in return burying his face against your neck. “I know I just spoke to your doctor.. your test results were all positive.” You smiled cupping his cheeks kissing him. “Take me home please” your fingers running through his hair and he nodded nuzzling his nose to yours. “I will take you home princess. I will carry you in my arms if you want to.” You giggled and he smirked. “I can see all of the colours and my vision is not pink anymore.. I’m human” you whispered looking over his face leaning in to kiss him. “And I love you so much” you breathed removing the heart monitoring device off your finger climbing to his lap. Logan hummed kissing you feverishly sticking his tongue in your mouth and you couldn’t feel safer. “And I love you” he breathed planting kisses on your collarbone and your chest. “I can’t wait to have you to myself when we come home” he smiled and you blushed thinking of the nurse talk.

“She’s good to go. She will get nurse visits twice a week.” The doctor handed Logan your health records and said his goodbyes. You wore new clothes, a pair of black sweats, fluffy socks, a matching hoodie, and a backpack and black sneakers. Linking your hand with his you walked to the elevator. Taking out your glasses putting them over your eyes in case people would judge you because of your sclera pupils. “You don’t have to wear them princess.. you’re different. People are used to it now” you nodded snuggling to his side his arm wrapping around you holding you.

When you walked inside your home, you sighed with a relief. Taking a deep breath. “Finally home..” letting go of his hand approaching the kitchen. It was a mess everywhere— you didn’t blame him. You were gone for months. Removing your back pack you placed it on the couch and rolled your sleeves up.

“You don’t have to clean this.. you just came home.” He caressed your sides. You kissed his shoulder “Sit down.. I’ll get you some beer Just relax..” you smiled. Logan nuzzled his nose to yours “Okay sweetheart.” Picking up the laundry off the floor you walked to the bedroom— the bed was made, but no signs of him sleeping there. “You haven’t slept in the bed?” You asked carrying the laundry basket in your hands and Logan shook his head. “No, I couldn’t so I slept here..” he admitted sleeping on the couch. Putting a load of washing on, you joined him on the couch giving him a beer when you heard the strangest noise coming from your belly. “What is happening to me.. in hospital they fed me something, it was liquid it didn’t taste nice.. I can’t stop thinking about food.” You touched your belly and Logan chuckled. “That’s because you’re hungry for food. Not the awful hospital shit” you nodded “it was quite awful that’s true” he nodded pulling out his phone. “How about some pizza?” Suggesting with a smile you nodded immediately “yes please any kind.” He ordered some pizza and you touched his hand. “I can imagine it costed everything.. you know for keeping me in the hospital. I’m so sorry” you breathed eyebrows furrowing in worry. “Money can’t buy my happiness princess, but you can. You’re my happiness. I want to provide for you even though we will have to downgrade to a normal one bedroom apartment soon.” He whispered softly. “I lost my job.. well I sold the company. Your treatment was fucking awful and I was this close to kill everyone” he sighed. “It’s okay, I will find a job. We will figure it out..” you kissed his knuckles “I am so sorry..” he shook his head “No princess.. I am so sorry. I will make it all right.”

Walking inside your new home felt like taking a deep breath of fresh air. It was new.. it had a large kitchen, one large bedroom, opened living room with the joined kitchen, a balcony, one space closet, and a large bathroom. Logan carried the boxes inside your new home with the necessary new things and you watched with awe. Your heart was blazed on fire with love for him. He took care of you— he promised you the best and he did the best. He managed to buy a new car as well.

“All done..” he sighed with a relief putting your new couch together meanwhile you wiped down all the surfaces, cleaned the bedroom and put away your both clothes in the closet. Your bed was supposed to arrive in few days so a mattress was doing just fine. Pulling new sheets on the mattress, changing the pillows and the covers you suggested to cook dinner. Putting your hair in a messy bun Logan caught a glimpse of you being so normal. Just like an ordinary human being. Switching on the lamp you turned to look at him with a smile on your face.

“Come here..” he whispered.

Walking over to him you captured his mouth in a soft kiss.

“You’ve done so much for me already. Caring for me, I can’t thank you enough” his words caused your heart to swell with joy. Yes, you felt lots of happiness with him.

“You did everything for us too. You did so much Lo.. give yourself some credit.” You smiled cupping his cheeks

“I love you”

-

[gothicflowers]

Can you write Ghost only use reader for her body and she shows that but in love too deep with him. She always begs him to take their relationship seriously but Ghost always replies like "I know you love me, that's why I use you, lovie." That's so cruel but I love that, maybe I need a therapy right now!!!

(MDNI) +18

Ghost x F!Reader

“Just sex” he grumbled as he towers over you.

“Fine” you say with a smirk. Arrogantly thinking you could make him fall for you.

Unfortunately after every roll in the sheets it ended the same way. You offer him food, stay to watch a movie, rub his tired shoulders, but he always leaves right after.

Time after time you tell yourself he’s just putting up a front, and deep down he’s a soft gentle man like you think he is. Wrong again. He’s just a tall, arrogant, selfish jerk who only cares about his job.

Which lead to this conversation between you two in his room.

“You know what, I don’t get it” you fumble with your belt as you frustratedly put it back on. Ghost texted you asking if you wanted to stop by but right before you two were about to lay on the bed you asked him if he felt anything for you. Anything at all. To which he promptly said “talk about it later” which was his way of saying drop it. But of course you persisted as asked if he wanted to get dinner later. And it slowly spiraled into a half clothed argument.

“What” he asks with a slight annoyance in his tone “let me guess… you really did fall for me”.

“Yeah. And for some fucking awful reason I agree to this shitty sex deal thinking it would change things but fuck… you’re just shitty”you slip on your shoes and sigh “You know most people have the common courtesy to at least ask if they need some water or help clean them up”.

His props himself up by his elbows and sighs “we agreed, It’s just sex”.

“Oh fuck off. You knew what you were doing. And even if it’s just sex have some basic human decency. And you’re the one who approached me mother fucker don’t forget that, you desperate horn dog” you sneer at him.

Ghost laughs “Oh don’t call me the horn dog when you were practically chasing me around wanting some”.

“Fuck you, then why on earth did you decide to sleep with me if you knew I’d get attached” your hands rest on your hips as you await his answer.

“Simple, the other two women here have some arrangement with Gaz and Soap. I’m not particularly fond of sharing. And they’re really not my type, and you’re the prettier one of the three”.

You could feel your blood start to boil. A this time you had been trying to convince yourself he was everything you wanted… and he was just using you.

“So all that time I thought you just wanted to get to know me you were just trying to get into my pants” your expression turned ice cold.

“Was rather easy darling” he smirks.

“You’re telling me” you laughed trying to compose yourself “that I thought I was falling for you and put up with some mid grade dick because I was the prettiest”.

Ghost was slightly taken aback when you said mid grade dick. “The fuck does that mean” he asks.

You slowly reach for his door handle “Oh come on ghost… did you really think I was actually cumming from two ish minutes of missionary sex with no forplay”.

His sits up with confusion plaster on his face “you’re lying” he scoffs.

“I mean like you said it’s just sex. You never said you’d make me cum, and this little arrangement where one of us leaves works out pretty well so I can have some quality time with my vibrator” your open the door and walk out grinning. But once you reached your room every ounce of emotion released itself.

You gave yourself one night. One night to mourn the idea of what you wanted with him. One night to be upset over his attitude and behavior. One night to cry and let your heart break.

Ghost sits speechless on the bed. There was no way you would lie about faking an orgasm… right? He picked you because you’re pretty and gullible, but now he feels like the fool.

Ghost slides back into his boxers and slowly paces his room. “She’s a little lying minx” he grumbles to himself. But as much as he tries to reassure himself his mind goes back to every encounter.

He realizes he never did ask you if it was good for you. Did you actually cum? Granted he had to use lube a few times but that’s normal, right? Well maybe he did just kinda rush into the sex, never giving you any proper warm up. Was he actually giving mid grade dick? Impossible. But then again he cant remember you saying once that you did come, nor did he ever remember you cumming. He’d surely remember the expression on your face if he ever did see you cum, Was the one and only Simon Ghost Riley really dishing out mediocre dick?

It’s been about a month since that night. Yours and Ghosts work relationship remains unchanged. Professional. But of course now that Soap and Gaz noticed a change in Ghosts behavior towards hookups, they have been dying to ask you what happened.

“Because you’re the prettiest” Gaz repeated your words.

“That’s so fucked up that he’d prey on you like that” Soap said with a disgusted expression.

You simply shrug “I know, but I think I might have given him a taste of his own medicine”.

“How” Soap asks taking note of your smirk.

You lean back in your seat trying to gather the right words “Well you see… he’s not exactly gifted in the skills department”.

“Oh please do elaborate” Gaz scoots in closer. He’s oh so deeply invested now.

“He’s as vanilla as a cake, can’t find the clit even with assistance, and let’s be honest… a minute and a half isn’t getting most women anywhere when you just shove it in” you look between the two men and a greeted by the look of horror.

Soap was the first to speak “A minute and a half”.

“When you say just shove it in you mean he wouldn’t ya know…” Gaz tries to say politely unlike Soap who is now mumbling in Gaelic.

“As in quite literally just dropping pants and hitting it in missionary. No warm up”. You can’t help but speak bluntly.

“Fuck that sounds bloody awful” Soap chimes back in.

“It was, but I thought I actually liked him and it was just something I figured I could deal with. thank goodness that’s over though”. You laugh at your own words because it’s the truth. A horrible honest truth.

Granted the actual damage Ghost caused to your confidence and self esteem is greater than you’re willing to admit. Knowing you were used just for your body and beauty was the most gut wrenching experience.

But at least Ghost looks miserable. The man hasn’t tried to hook up with anyone that you’ve noticed. His cocky arrogant attitude has been turned down. Life finally gave him some of the most humbling lesson.

1. Don’t manipulate people for your benefit when they truly care about you.

2. Don’t be a selfish lover.

3. There are videos on how to actually find the clit,

[that-ari-blogger]

Father, Help (Thanks To Them)

Context is everything. In the case of Thanks To Them and more broadly the third season of The Owl House as a whole, this is the production history.

Put simply, there was a third season, then there wasn’t, then there was again but under the proviso that there was less of it. As a result, thanks to them is fourty four minutes long and contains enough material for about four hours of story. This is a dense episode of television. A mini picture in its own right.

Which adds a bit of complexity to my blog. I take things one episode at a time and have strategically chosen series with short episodes because my feeble ADHD mind is equivalent to a Tuna with a ball of string in everything but name. So, this post is going to be in three sections, because there is a lot to talk about.

Let me explain.

SPOILERS AHEAD: (The Owl House, Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous, Critical Role: Campaign 2, The Odyssey)

Part 1: "Within every man and woman a secret is hidden, and as a photographer, it is my task to reveal it if I can."

Thanks To Them was released more than two years ago, and in that time, one element has stuck with me more than any other. Not something substantial or moralistic or showstopping. A single element that confused me. Willow’s Camera.

You would think that this is an insignificant little detail, but this episode doesn’t have those. Luz schoolbook is the Odyssey, the Giraffes are exiles, Cosmic frontier is used as a metaphor so blatant the characters within pick up on it. Everything in this episode has at least symbolic relevance to the story at hand or is a callback to previous moments. Everything, except the camera.

If you squint, the camera might be a reference to Understanding Willow, but as I discussed in my post about that episode, that isn’t about Willow, it’s about Amity and her guilt. The photographic memories don’t come up again in relation to these two, and this version of that metaphor doesn’t directly interact with Amity at all.

Nonetheless, it’s a good place to start.

That episode establishes a clear metaphor for the photograph. Memory. As such, the imagery can be examined here through the same framework.

I think it is crucial to start at the beginning, the first photograph that Willow takes.

Joy and love in the face of hopelessness. Absurdity, comradery, companionship.

It’s a tender moment. The abrasively upbeat intro music dials back for a second to show the rain. Simple to us, but in the boiling isles, rain is terrifying. The rules are different here, and our characters are showing joy in the moment. Not everything here is trying to kill them, not everything here is antagonistic, and if you don’t celebrate the little moments of good, you will only remember the bad. Hope keeps you going, light do not faulter.

This isn’t the first time photographs have been shown in this episode, it’s just the first time that Willow has taken them. If we look back a few moments, we see Luz’ coming out presentation, and we see this:

Again, joy and friendship and love. The photographs ground our characters and keep them moored in reality.

That’s why the intro cinematic is so janky. It doesn’t fit with the tone because life goes on anyway. You aren’t going to get anywhere sitting on your laurels. You have to look on the bright side. Sometimes that is the simple joys of companionship and laughter, sometimes that is the spark that will get you home. Both have their place.

Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous is a series that I love and the next on the chopping block when I finish The Owl House. It is a series that thrives on dissonance, and part of that is its tone. JWCC operates on a sliding scale of humour and drama, and other than the first episode, never misses out on either. It is a series about balance, hope, and human horror.

The reason I bring it up, is because during the last episode of season three, the characters reminisce about times gone by, and one of them does this:

“Now smile, you two!”

This is Sammy, a character who exists to tacitly disprove every single statement any bad guy makes. She doesn’t mess with philosophy personally, but she is undoubtedly the heart of the group. Both emotional and moral.

Sammy has also had possibly the worst time of the main cast. The argument could be made for Yaz, but Sammy got blackmailed, shot at, bitten and stung more than anyone else in the series, and was mortally wounded four episodes prior to this scene. But when she is taking photographs, she remains upbeat.

“Do you really want my mental picture of this place to have you with your eyes closed?”

Treasure the good times, especially when they are dwindling.

Light, do not faulter.

I started this section with a quote from Yousuf Karsh, who, as implied by said quote, was a photographer. Born 1908 in what would become Turkey, he immigrated to Syria and then Canada. I guarantee you that you have seen at least one of his works before.

This is Yousuf Karsh. Or more accurately, a photograph taken by Yousuf Karsh of Albert Einstein, and I want you to take note of the defining characteristic of this piece.

Light.

Yousuf Karsh’s understanding of light was incredible. He used it to guide the eye and reveal, but he also used it for detail. In monochrome, the only contrast is between different shades. Everything is affected by the light, it controls how you see the image.

But the darkness, that was key. Darkness exists as contrast. For the light to be special, it must have something to be shined upon.

“Character, like a photograph, develops in darkness.”

But there is something else. Photographs are a history. They say that we are here, they provide evidence.

In the context of The Owl House, which was cancelled for (in my opinion) suspicious reasons, this is evidence of queer folk. We have always been here and are here, even when people try to pretend we are a fad or a social experiment. We are history, and history is still happening.

Yousef Karsh died in 2002.

Shrek and Monsters, Inc. both came out in 2001. Yousef Karsh and Mike Wazowski existed at the same time.

This man photographed Winston Churchill, Ernest Hemmingway, Martin Luther King Jr, Marian Anderson, and George Bernard Shaw, amongst many others. All of whom shaped modern life but are icons of history gone by. The eyes that shone a light on them were still seeing that light in 2002.

Willow’s photography exists to show that life kept moving, and continued to do so. But it shows what she chose to remember. Small moments of joy and light.

Light, do not faulter.

Part 2: “It is a unique and exquisite complication, family.”

Thanks to Them doesn’t start with Thanks To Them. It starts with the end of King’s Tide.

Those opening shots are mostly a replica of the final moments of the previous season. We miss the zoom out to the rain and Luz opening and reopening the door, but other than that, these are those shots.

The first piece of new story that we get in season three of The Owl House is this:

I would like to use this to frame a conversation about family as it is presented in this series.

Not every story has a moral, and that isn’t a bad thing, but The Owl House does have a thing or two to say about what makes a good family unit. In this context, good family is defined by acceptance, bad is control. Empathy is paramount.

For example, Camilla’s first response upon her daughter’s return isn’t victorious or reprimanding, there aren’t any thoughts about what will happen next, it is immediate “my child is in pain, I must do something about that.” There’s that empathy.

Acceptance is letting people be who they are, control is the opposite of that. But this isn’t a binary, and Camilla spends this episode and the series at large moving along the spectrum.

Camilla’s first response to the kids is to seek understanding, and it’s clear that she is always far from her comfort zone in this episode. Her response to Bellos is bafflement, she reacts to the summary of the previous season with the exact same energy as anyone having a show explained to them, and she has a clearly overstuffed book explaining how to keep track of the kids.

I will get back to that book.

But she was introduced in season one as a controlling figure. She was the antagonistic parent who inadvertently kickstarted the series. Summer camp.

Not counting Grom, because that was Luz’ fear, Camilla’s next appearance was in season two, when she evolved significantly as a character.

I wrote a post on that episode, and in it I mentioned the dichotomy of this character. She was someone who was fundamentally kind and accepting, but who was antagonistic to Luz because of the perceived lack of that kindness.

Camilla also inspired in Luz’ guilt character development in the previous season. She begged Luz to stay back because she blamed herself for sending Luz away. Although, looking closely, Luz’ memory of that is faulty.

Nevertheless, Camilla controls Luz, intentionally or not, and that control has a negative impact on her.

Then we get the dream, which establishes Camilla’s angle, and it’s the same as her emotion now. Uncertainty.

Camilla was out of her depth, so she made decisions based off advice she was given by people who refused to understand. She has seen the consequences of that, so she changed. She learned.

Knowledge and ignorance are another key theme in the series. Camilla plays into that here.

Interestingly, this is where she contrasts with Eda. Both are maternal figures for kids from a different world. But Eda’s journey was a downward spiral brought about by the stress of the end of the world. Her strategy for finding food for Luz was sticking with what she knew, Camilla has evidently been experimenting and learning, as shown by the number of notes in the book.

Eda wilfully stayed with what she thought she knew out of a desire for safety. Camilla sought to understand fully.

Pictured here, a man who believes he can do no wrong because he is human. Look at the eyes though. He has so many eyes, but he can't see what is directly in front of him. He cannot see that he is wrong.

Contrast Camilla with the two main negative parental figures in the series, Odalia and Bellos.

Odalia isn’t in this episode, so I won’t dwell on her too much. But her main motif in the show is a desire to control and command her children and husband. She wants to be in charge and is used to power, so she limits Amity’s choices down to those she may spend time with.

Symbolically, this is expressed through Amity’s choice of hair colour and the fact that Odalia has such a large say in this.

In addition, Alador’s path to redemption starts not just when he stops being complicit in Odalia’s behaviour, but when he starts making an effort to understand and empathise with his daughter.

Bellos on the other hand, possesses his child.

For all intents and purposes, Bellos is Hunter’s parental figure. They have a familial relationship that is nominally uncle and nephew but gets more complicated when you factor in Grimwalkers and generations thereof. So, for the sake of argument, Bellos is Hunter’s parent.

I don’t believe it is controversial, however, to say that Bellos is a pretty awful parental figure. He is blatantly cruel and manipulative. He’s also just bad at it in relation to competence.

The control thing is obvious. He literally possesses his child, taking their body and using it as a tool. He literally overrides Hunter’s freedom over his own actions and changes the boys’ appearance to do so.

“You know what I'd like, Belos? I'd like to leave the Emperor's Coven and never step foot in that throne room again. I'd like to study wild magic, and learn how to carve palismen. I'd like to attend Hexside as a regular student and play flyer derby with my friends. But most of all, I'd like to make sure you never hurt anyone again!”

There are three things to note here.

First, Hunter expresses his rebellion against Bellos by asserting his will. He is expressing that he is, in fact, a person.

Bellos exists on dehumanisation; his power is a claim that free-will doesn’t exist. Hunter’s way of breaking free from this is simply pointing out that free will does exist. Absolute statements crumble with a single outlier.

Which is another theme of the series, the dichotomy of nuance and simplicity. Bellos represents simplicity, Luz is the personification of nuance. I will come back to this.

Second, this is a weirdly soldierlike way of dealing with the problem. Even weirder, it evokes fairytale and mythological imagery.

“I miss knowing who I’m supposed to be.”

Hunter is a character who is almost always scared out of his wits, but he is an impeccable tool in Bellos’ arsenal because of his ability to focus. Repeatedly, when Hunter is given a single objective, he blocks out any fear and gets that objective done. He is efficient, and competent, when he knows what he is doing.

Eclipse Lake and Hollow Mind show Hunter at his frailest because he doesn’t know what he is supposed to be doing. He has relied upon others telling him what to do for so long, that an unclear objective leaves him floundering.

But in both cases, he shows his own resourcefulness and strategy for adapting. He finds a small-scale objective. He is struggling to win the favour of the Emperor, so he finds a thing that the Emperor needs and objectively clears every obstacle through guile or brute force to claim that. He goes on the run from the Emperor and is shown to have turned that focus to surviving and finding food in Labyrinth Runners.

In Thanks To Them, Hunter reutilises that strategy. He decides upon a goal and shuts out everything else. He finds his coping mechanism and weaponises it. He wants to stop Bellos from hurting people, so he removes Bellos’ goal from the equation. It is that drive that frees him.

But, who gave Hunter the skillset to accomplish this feat? Who trained the child as a soldier? Who taught him to shut out the fear?

Bellos. The Emperor created his own weakness.

In world Mythology, this is a common trope. King (or parent of some kind) hears prophecy of doom surrounding his close relative and, in his attempts to avoid said prophecy, accidentally gives the relative the exact skillset and motivation to defeat him.

Here, that descendant is Hunter, who is a clone. Every clone before Hunter has rebelled against Bellos, but he keeps going because… maybe this one will be different? Like I said, Bellos ain’t good at this.

Bellos created someone he knew would one day rebel, then gave that person the exact skillset necessary to subvert his magic. Then he abused the kid and forced him to try and escape.

Although, there is a cruel twist to the formula. Bellos, when he realises that Hunter is winning, decides to take the both out together. He won’t let Hunter escape, even when he does. It is cruelty, and it’s needless.

Bellos has shown that he is cunning. He could have tricked Hunter into opening the portal or he could have WAITED FIVE MINUTES FOR LUZ AND CO TO DO IT FOR HIM.

But no. Once again, Bellos chose to be cruel, and it nearly got him killed.

Nearly.

The third element of this sequence is how quickly Camilla reacts, and how similar that reaction is to Hunter's. She has been out of her depth, but she sees something she can do, and she dives in. Camilla doesn’t understand magic, but she understands drowning and how to save a kid from that.

Bellos tries to kill Hunter, and Camilla stops that. The good parent prevails.

But family isn’t just about parents and children. Hunter has a found family in Flapjack, who also sacrifices himself for the boy, as well as in Luz and co.

“Gonna make sure you're safe too, Hunter. You're family now.”

I want to point out that, as I have stated, Hunter’s confidence doesn’t come from the mask, it comes from having a clear task ahead of him.

More importantly, however, is the fact that this scene breaks him. Family looks after each other, and Hunter is receiving that love and compassion and understanding from those in the Hex Squad.

He has a kindred soul with Gus, he has a sibling dynamic with Luz, and he has the romantic connection to Willow. He has people who show him empathy, and behind an expressionless mask, we see him cry.

The title of this section comes from the second campaign of Critical Role. Specifically, the episode entitled The Threads Converge.

The episode builds up to a meeting between one of the protagonists, Jester, and her mysterious father figure, known as the Gentleman.

To be clear, the two have met prior, but have been unaware of their connection. Then the information was made available to both of them, and tension ensues.

Jester runs the situation through with her friends repeatedly, scenario after scenario, unsatisfied with all of them, while the Gentleman avoids the subject entirely.

Until who should step up to the plate but Caduceus Clay, humble cleric and wise man.

“My family had to... I don't know where they are, and I don't know if they're okay, and it's been a long time, and there is a part of me that is very lonely.”

You won’t always have your family. So, treasure them while you have them.

The conversation revolves around a rare tea only found in one place. It’s delightful and a thing to share with people, and the only place it can be found is the Blooming Grove.

On the one hand, the Blooming Grove is a graveyard, and the tea comes from flowers on those graves, perhaps hinting at hindsight as a blessing and a curse.

On the other hand, the rarest of tea comes from a place Caduceus calls home. It comes from the symbol of his family, and they have run out, maybe soon, so too will the tea.

Again, treasure your family.

In The Owl House, family is explicitly not a guarantee. The Hex Squad is trying to get home, but they don’t know if they will. But also, they don’t know if there will be a way to keep getting through. Either Luz will have to say goodbye to them, or to Camilla.

Part 3: “My Name Is Nobody”

The book that Luz is reading in school is The Odyssey, and it is important to me that she misses the point entirely. Yes, yes, it’s technically called The Plight of the Mariner. But come on. It’s The Odyssey.

The Odyssey is the journey of an eejit who is the smartest man in Ancient Greece by process of elimination. I say the smartest “man” because there are women in the story who I would argue are more intelligent than him, and there aren’t any non-binary friends in the book to my knowledge.

Nevertheless, Odysseus is a trickster trying to get home after he made the brilliant decision to directly annoy the god of the sea while firmly in that gods domain, dooming him to arrive ten years late.

The point I am making is that Odysseus is a betrayer who makes mistakes constantly and yet is still able to come home. He is a doofus, but he learns, and he evolves, and he finds a way to succeed.

Luz’s reading of the story is a little different.

“Who cares about the ripple effects? He was just a pawn in someone else’s game. And he was never smart enough to realise it. If his friends and family knew about his mission, they’d know that their lives would have never been in danger if it weren’t for him. They should hate his guts, and it would have been better if he literally never existed!”

Clearly, The Plight of the Mariner is slightly different to the Odyssey. The Odyssey doesn’t have a clear mission given by an external force. But it does have a few other things.

I find it very funny that the chalkboard has the themes of the story written on it. “Fate vs free will. The _ of the hero”. I know authors who use subtext, and they are all cowards.

Interestingly, the blank left by the teacher’s head. It’s a pretty key part of the sentence. The something of a hero. The peril? The destiny? The choice? The path? All different meanings of the book.

Which leads to the open ended nature of Luz’ story here in her mind. There is a dichotomy of free will and fate, and she has been conned, but the meaning is clear. The teacher has written up the thesis for everyone to see.

Luz is just obscured by where she is sitting. Her view of the theme is changed by her perspective.

This part of The Owl House is the most traditional when it comes to storytelling. It is the darkest hour, so it leans really hard into the depressive feeling.

A large part of The Owl House is that sense of freedom and expression. It deals with archetypal storytelling through subversion. Wizarding school? Witch school. Rival? Love interest. Protagonist? Bisexual.

I have stated before that every character has an analogue in the Harold Potts books. Willow is the troubled student and friend who specialises in plant magic, Eda is the mentour inflicted with therianthropy, etc. The only character who doesn’t have an analogue is Luz.

Luz is fundamentally her own person, that is her greatest strength. She is someone who cannot easily be defined.

So, in her darkest hour, Luz becomes like everybody else. She even wears a costume that literally dresses her up as another person. She leans into the depression, she gets all sullen and declares that she knows what must be done before the scene cuts away. These are stereotypical darkest hour beats, and they are being played straight. It’s jarring. We have seen this story before.

Luz feels like she is a traitor. She helped Bellos, she was conned, she got manipulated. It is her fault for being weak. Bellos does his best to reenforce this when he confronts her at the end of the episode.

“See, this is why you're so useful, Luz. You're so desperate to help people, you even helped me meet the Collector.”

I want to stress something. Being kind is not a flaw. Luz got conned, the emphasis is on the got. Someone conned her. Someone manipulated her. Someone very specific.

Bellos is deflecting the blame here, and we have seen him do this before with significant success in Eda.

Eda blamed herself for getting cursed and getting captured and exiled, instead of the people who cursed her and captured her and exiled her. It is a shifting of the blame from the abuser to the victim. How dare you stand where I was swinging my fist.

Camilla kept the snakeskin, specifically storying it in the form of an ouroboros. Symbolically, this is rebirth and renewal, which corresponds with Luz' take on the conversation.

“Mom, why aren’t you mad at me?” “Oh baby. Come here. I’ve been terrified, sure. But believe it or not, I do understand what it’s like to want to run away.” “I’m so sorry.” “But the point is, you came home, and everything is okay now.” “But it’s not. It’s my fault that everyone’s trapped here. And I don’t even know if King and Eda are okay. I wanted you to meet them so bad. But I keep messing up.” “Hey, everyone makes mistakes. What matters is that you learn from them.”

Luz misinterprets this conversation as well, taking the “learn from mistakes” to mean “stop trying”, which is not at all what Camilla was saying.

But also… you don’t think there was anyone else more responsible than you for what happened? Not one person who’s direct fault it might be for everyone getting trapped in the human realm?

Bellos is right there, girl, you can just point at him.

There’s a distinct sense of powerlessness on display here. Bellos has convinced everyone that they are responsible for their own hardship and that nothing they can do will escape that. But he is wrong, and not to be trusted.

Odysseus gets home.

Luz can find a way to get back to the Boiling Isles, and her friends are finding that as we speak. Willow has been taking photographs of all the happy moments, but Luz is too worried about what they might say when they find out she got tricked.

“I couldn't hate you, Luz. The fact that you still stand up for us means enough to me.”

Amity doesn’t care. Love prevails. She brings a different perspective to Luz’ mental block and helps find a way round.

But it is Hunter who returns the favour. Luz saved him, so he points out what I have been saying this entire time.

“You were tricked. That's what Belos does. He tricks people. But if it weren't you, it would have been someone else, and then there'd be no one left to fight back. So let's do that. Let's fight back. Please? For Flapjack?”

There is hope. It is feint, but it is there and will always be so. It is in the very fact that time keeps moving on. Luz is still here, look on the bright side. Think positive thoughts. Grit your teeth and keep going.

Light, do not faulter.

Final Thoughts

To pull back the screen here, I usually take two days to write a post. I set out time a week in advance so I have a buffer surrounding my work and ADHD, but overall, two days is enough.

I started writing this post a week before it went up, and as I write this, it will go live in just under eleven hours. I am yet to put in pictures.

I have so many thoughts about the final season of The Owl House, and especially Thanks To Them, but I think my next posts are going to be even longer than this one.

Specifically, because my next post, that of For the Future isn’t going to be analysis per say. Stick around if that interests you.

Previous - Next

[tastelikeglttrr]

excuse me, um, i love you {7.2}

ian smith x influencer! reader

authors note: ello!! i had some extra free time so i decided to write some more!! i have the flu so im sorry if theres any typos or any inconsistencies. i dont think there is but i apologize if so. also! please lmk if you have some ideas or requests! likes and reblogs are greatly appreciated.

warnings: N/A

word count: 1,513

iaaannnn posted on their story!

You’re mindlessly scrolling when Ian’s story pops up.

You stare at it longer than you should. It shouldn’t bother you. You and Ian aren’t together at all—but something about the picture makes your jaw tighten.

Before you can stop yourself, you text him.

You: Didn’t know you had company tonight.

A few minutes pass before he responds.

Ian: Didn’t know I had to check in.

You roll your eyes.

You: You don’t.

Ian: Then what’s the problem?

You: No problem. Just curious.

A pause. Then—

You: She looks comfortable.

You know you don’t actually want an answer, but you wait anyway, heart beating a little too fast. Three dots appear, then disappear. Then—nothing.

You sigh, tossing your phone onto the bed. Typical.

You go into you in Egypt's text conversation, typing about this outrageous situation. as you hit send, A notification pops up.

Not a text—an email. Your stomach twists as you open it.

Subject: LAX → JFK

First-class. Departing tomorrow morning. One-way.

Your fingers tighten around your phone as you switch back to messages.

You: Seriously?

No response. Just silence.

The flight is smooth, but your nerves aren’t. You spend most of it staring out the window, overthinking every possible way this conversation could go. You barely reall know Ian You’ve spent time together, sure, but this? Flying across the country to see him? It’s a leap, and you’re not sure where you’re going to land.

When you land, your phone buzzes.

Ian: Car’s outside. Don’t take all day.

Short. Direct. Like this is just another casual meeting and not a situation he practically forced you into. You hesitate for a second before grabbing your bag and heading out.

The car is sleek, understated. You slide into the backseat, expecting at least some kind of reaction from him. Instead, Ian barely looks up from his phone. He’s slouched in the corner,, fingers tapping idly against the screen. If he’s surprised you actually showed, he doesn’t show it.

"You look tired," he says, finally glancing over.

You let out a short laugh. "You look very unbothered.”

He smirks slightly, locking his phone. “I am.”

You study him, trying to read past the easy nonchalance, but he’s hard to pin down. The car pulls away from the curb, the silence stretching just long enough to feel heavier than it should.

"So," you start, shifting to face him. "You really flew me out just to address me haphazardly?"

Ian exhales, like this is already exhausting him. "Nah. We’re getting food first."

You raise a brow. "You think feeding me is gonna make this go down easier?"

He shrugs. "Couldn’t hurt."

You exhale sharply, shaking your head. He’s too calm, too collected. Meanwhile, you’re still trying to figure out what, exactly, you’re even doing here.

The tension lingers, thick with all the things neither of you are saying. You don’t know him well enough to read between the lines, but something about the way he watches you—casual, but intent—tells you that this conversation isn’t going to be as simple as he’s making it seem.

The drive is quiet. Not awkward, but heavy. Ian’s hands stay on his phone, eyes fixed on the screen, he’s got nothing to say, and you—well, you’re not going to be the first to crack. Not after everything.

Not after that post.

Not after Dominic.

You catch yourself exhaling a little too sharply and shift in your seat, staring out the window. It’s easier to focus on the neon blur of the city than the tension sitting between you. Ian doesn’t fill the silence, doesn’t even look at you, and you don’t know if that’s just who he is or if he’s doing it on purpose.

The car slows in front of a small restaurant, the kind you wouldn’t find unless you were looking for it. Low-lit, tucked away— Without a word, he thanks the driver and steps out.

You follow, catching up as he pushes the door open.

“This is cute,” you say, more to get something out of him than anything else.

Ian shrugs, shoving his hands into his hoodie pocket. “Yeah. It’s chill.”

Inside, it’s warm, dimly lit, the kind of place where you can disappear if you want to. Ian leads you to a booth near the back, sliding in without looking at you. You sit across from him, watching as he scans the menu like he hasn’t already been here a hundred times.

You lean back, crossing your arms. “So, what? We sit here, eat, and then you tell me why you pulled me across the country?”

Ian doesn’t look up. “Something like that.”

You scoff, grabbing the menu just to have something to do. “You could’ve just called.”

Now he looks at you, expression unreadable. “Would you have answered?”

Your lips part slightly, but nothing comes out. He’s got you there.

!author's interjection! while i was writing this all i could think about is that one dhar mann scene thats like "ok, you got me there, but that is not a crime." ok sorry.. proceed

Before you can figure out a response, the server appears. Ian orders like it’s second nature, while you barely skim the menu, choosing something at random. When the server leaves, Ian leans back, fingers tapping idly against the table.

“You saw your ex.” His tone is flat, like it’s not even a question.

You match his energy. “Yeah. And?”

His expression doesn’t change, but something shifts. “And you sat there with him. Talked to him.”

You arch a brow. “Would’ve been rude to just walk out.”

Ian hums, clearly not buying it. “Right.”

The way he says it gets under your skin. Like he already made up his mind about what went down, and your explanation doesn’t change anything.

You exhale, fingers tightening around your glass. “You wanna tell me what this is really about?”

Ian’s gaze flickers over your face before he sits back, casual as ever. “I don’t know. Maybe the fact that you seemed really comfortable talking to him.”

You scoff. “That’s funny, coming from you.”

His brows lift slightly, like he’s inviting you to go on.

So you do. “That girl.” You tilt your head. “You seemed pretty comfortable yourself.”

Ian’s jaw tenses, but the rest of him stays relaxed. “She was just there.”

“So was Dominic.”

He exhales through his nose, shaking his head slightly. “Not the same.”

“Isn’t it?”

A pause. Just long enough to mean something. Then Ian picks up his drink, takes a slow sip, and shrugs. “Guess that depends.”

You don’t know what pisses you off more—the fact that he doesn’t care, or the fact that he does but refuses to admit it.

The silence stretches between you, thick and charged. Ian is unbothered, picking at his food like this is just another meal, another night, like he didn’t just fly you across the country after posting some random girl. Like the weight of this entire situation isn’t pressing down on both of you.

You cross your arms, leaning back against the booth. “So since youre mr fucking know it all tonight. what now?”

Ian doesn’t even look up. “eat.”

You huff. “And then?”

Now he looks at you, eyes slow as they drag over your face. “we talk.”

Your jaw tightens. “I thought that’s what we were doing.”

Ian smirks—barely, but enough to make your stomach tighten. “Nah. You’re just trying to win.”

You roll your eyes, but your pulse picks up anyway. “Win what?”

He tilts his head slightly. “Whatever argument you think we’re having.”

bitch please

Your fingers tighten around your fork. “Oh, so you flying me out here wasn’t about proving a point?”

Ian just watches you, like he’s waiting for you to figure it out on your own. You don’t break eye contact. You won’t.

Finally, he exhales, leaning forward, forearms resting on the table. His voice dips just enough to make your breath catch. “You mad?”

You lift your chin. “Are you?”

His gaze flickers to your lips, just for a second. “You saw your ex.”

“And you posted some girl.”

His expression doesn’t shift. “So?”

Your fingers drum against the table. “So, why the fuck am I here, Ian?”

His smirk is slow, calculated. “You tell me.”

You inhale sharply, willing yourself to stay still under the weight of his stare. He’s waiting for something—for you to admit why you came, why you boarded that flight without hesitation.

You won’t give him that.

Instead, you tilt your head, matching his energy. “You bought the ticket.”

His eyes darken just a little. “Didn’t think you’d take it.”

Your pulse betrays you, but you keep your expression cool. “Maybe I shouldn’t have.”

Ian’s tongue flicks over his bottom lip, slow, like he’s amused. Then he leans back, adjusting his position in his seat. “Maybe.”

Neither of you move. The food is forgotten, the restaurant noise fading into the background.

You shift in your seat, suddenly warm. Ian notices. Of course, he notices.

His gaze dips down, then back up. “You look like you're about to run”

You don’t know if he means from this or from him, but you refuse to give him the satisfaction either way.

Your chin lifts. “You’d like that, wouldn’t you?”

Ian’s smirk deepens. “Nah,” he murmurs. “I like you right here.”

And god help you, but you do too.

xoxo

korie

[bonny-kookoo]

Hello! I’m sure you’re busy with a million other things, but I absolutely love the IT XJK story that unintentionally happened. I love all your other works as well.

Could we get a short of IT oc getting asked by a superior at the company to talk to her about something and JK sees and misunderstands thinking she’s getting in trouble because of him?

Sending over love and good vibes always

First part: here Second part: here

You and Jungkook try hard to keep things professional at work, no matter the circumstances. No one seems to guess that just last night, you'd almost slept over at his place because it had gotten so late that you almost fell asleep on his couch after watching a movie together- only his hand shaking you awake and a cup of coffee able to somehow bring you back home.

Even though he asked multiple times for you to stay.

You're currently busy trying to identify a problem with the recording software on one of the pc's used to monitor the cameras filming, when someone Jungkook recognizes as a pretty high ranking manager taps your shoulder, and gains your attention. He can't hear what he's saying, but he also spots other staff behind the man looking rather serious- as you're led away by them, into a different room, away from everyone else.

His blood runs cold. Nothing happened between the two of you yet- but have they already found out? How so?

Maybe they monitored your phone, have found images he'd sent to you. Nothing too scandalous- simple mirror selfies he'd taken after working out, mostly dressed even, no big deal in his eyes. But now in hindsight, it could pretty much serve as damning evidence for something going on between the two of you, even if in reality you're just walking babysteps towards one another.

Fuck.

Or maybe they read your chats? He's been pretty heavy with the flirting lately, has been reaching out to you whenever he can, almost constantly checking in with you. He wants to have you around after all, all the time, but he also understands that down the line you've got a job to do, and can't just jump around to the tune of his demands whenever he wants you to. Have they read the rather suggestive messages he'd been sending you? He can think of a few.

God, he really fucked up.

"Are you okay?" Jimin asks from the side. "You're really pale." He worries, garnering the attention of Seokjin and Namjoon close by, who also now notice the rather spooked expression on the maknae's face.

"Y-yeah.." Jungkook mumbles a bit uneasy, standing up. He can't let you be fired- he's promised you he'd fix things if he screwed it up, and he plans on keeping his word. He doesn't know how they would even monitor yours or his phone, but it doesn't matter- he has to at least try and protect you somehow. "I'll be right back." He tells his bandmates, before he gets up to walk towards the room you've disappeared into with the others. He can glance inside between the halfway opened blinds, can see you sit down on a chair, while the other three men are standing, two with crossed arms while one talks to you. You look confused if anything, not scared, just bewildered, occasionally giving answers.

He can't have you fight this alone.

Two men leave the room, are surprised to see Jungkook on the other side of the door, and bow politely to the idol. "Jungkook-ssi?" The manager asks from inside, your eyes on him as well as you watch Jungkook enter the room, closing the door behind him. "Is everything alright?" He asks, and Jungkook nods.

"Yeah- just.." He starts, unsure. Especially when he looks at you and finds a look of sudden realization. "It's not her fault. I promise, I'm not just saying that to protect her or anything." He starts, and your eyes widen, the manager leaning his head to the side a little in question.

"What do you mean?" He asks, and at that, Jungkook becomes a bit uneasy.

"Is.. wait, what's.." He starts, and you just sigh, putting your face into your hand to hide yourself as you slide lower into your chair. Jungkook himself swallows hard, realizing that he might've misunderstood the situation, suddenly feeling like a cornered animal.

The manager looks between you and Jungkook for a moment, before his eyes sharpen. "Is there something I should know?" He asks, and you both stay silent at that, not daring to make eye contact. "I honestly though you were more professional than this." The manager sighs towards you, and you clearly want to just disappear.

"No, fuck, it's-" Jungkook tries to rescue this desperately. "-Aish.." He curses to himself, crossing his own arms. "It's my fault. I reached out to her first. I take full responsibility for whatever might happen." He says.

"It doesn't matter who reached out to who first." The manager declines. "What matters is that apparently, something inappropriate has been going on between the two of you, am I correct?" He demands to know.

"Nothing happened-" You start, but you're cut off.

"I'd be very careful with your actions and words right now, considering the situation you're in." The manager scolds you.

"She's right, nothing happened-"

"Yet!" The manager cuts him off, too. "Jungkook-ssi, imagine the scandal! World-renowned Idol has an affair with a staff member! Just imagine the chaos!" The man rants, running his hands over his face. "I don't care what you've been up to. I'll be setting up an NDA right now, and you better not leave this room until it is signed!" He barks at you, and you want to just cry.

You knew this was a bad idea.

"Consider your contract terminated. I'm sure we can find someone else to do your job who won't try and fuck-" He begins, but Jungkook is the one to talk suddenly, voice awfully serious.

"She didn't do any of that.!" He explains, arms crossed. "I reached out to her, she wanted to stay professional, I convinced her anyways because I genuinely feel a good connection to her." He says. "I don't care if you fire her, or have her sign an NDA- but I will neither let you talk like this about her, nor will I cut contact with her and before you ask, I know that that's what you'll be demanding of me." He says, and you look at him with concern, silently observing the two men staring at each other like wolves ready to fight.

"Does the rest of your bandmembers know how you're acting?" The manager demands to know. "I don't care if she's good entertainment, you're first and foremost an Idol, a brand, and if this spills out to the public, you'll taint the entire band and label with it!" He argues, but Jungkook shakes his head.

"Have her sign the NDA. Then she'll have no reason to talk." He explains calmly. "Or are you more worried that someone else might talk? That you might be tempted by the money this could make you if you were to sell that info?" He asks, and it clearly makes the man in front of him nervous. "I want you to sign one as well. Secured under the same amount of money as hers." He says, blocking the door.

"I won't be doing that." The manager declines. "I already signed one when I started to work here."

"So did she, I have to imagine." Jungkook responds.

"You're really protecting her? She will want money eventually." The manager says. "And your little adventure into the adult world isn't worth everyone's good reputation." He sneers.

"We have been seeing each other for months." Jungkook says. "And yet no one noticed. Curious. If I didn't say anything, you would've never known." Jungkook says.

"That's not the point-" The manager argues, but Jungkook won't have it.

"It is exactly the point." He argues against him. "Seokjin's relationship of what, five years now? Yoongi dating the hair stylist that joined two years ago. None of it has ever come out, has it?" He threatens. "Why is it suddenly so scandalous when it's me, I wonder?"

"That doesn't matter!" The manager scoffs.

"It does!" Jungkook says, angrily now. "It does to me! I'm not a child, and I believe it's time to make that clear!" He says, pulling out his phone.

"What are you doing?" The manager asks, and you're equally as confused.

"Calling a lawyer." Jungkook says, lowly so, like a threat, holding out his hand towards you, helping you out of your chair to pull you close to him as he opens the door, and turns around once to make one last comment to the man pale and frozen in place.

"I won't let you take this from me."

[candiedcoffeedrops]

Cloud Gazing

Ring Schwarz x Reader (no pronouns used)

Notes: I just wanted to write something sweet and fluffy to take a break from trying to write three other things all at once and this came out. Not a lot to say here, just fluff!

WC: 674 CW: None, but it is written from Ring's perspective. Also, tooth-rotting fluff, but that's it that's all I can think of.

Oh yeah, still no beta. We die like mne.

“Ring! That one looks like a crocodile in a sun hat! See look, that part there is the snout, right? See how it’s open like it’s smiling? Then-”

I sit on the grass beside you, the sun's warmth soaking into my skin as the clouds drift lazily overhead. Your voice, light and full of laughter, fills the air as you excitedly point out shapes in the sky. My gaze follows your outstretched finger, tracing the contours of a particularly fluffy cloud that might indeed resemble a crocodile in a sunhat—if I squint. But my attention inevitably drifts back down to Earth—to you.

I try to focus on the clouds, really I do, but my gaze keeps sliding back to you. Something about the way your eyes light up when you spot a new shape, the way you smile as if you’re discovering a treasure in the expansive blue above, draws me in completely. My chest tightens with a mix of comfort and a kind of yearning welling up within me as I become acutely aware of your proximity. My eyes dart downward, noticing your other hand is splayed on the soft grass, fingers pointed towards me, and my own twitch with the suppressed urge to reach out and touch them. Surely, that wouldn’t be too forward, right? After all, we’re–

Your attention turned to me and I immediately refocused on the cloud, hoping you didn’t notice me staring. But the warmth spreading across my cheeks betrays me, and I silently curse my traitorous face.

Your giggle bubbles up beside me, and I feel the flush intensify. I turn my head, my lips thinning as I try to hide it.

“Caught you looking,” you tease, another laugh escaping your lips. “What’s so fascinating? Do I have something on my face?”

“I–wasn’t…I mean, I was, but–”

Before I can finish, you shift closer with a soft hum, and warmth envelops my hand. I glance down to find our fingers intertwined, your gentle squeeze a soothing balm to my nerves. It’s a simple, sweet gesture, but one that never fails to ground me. “It’s okay. I look at you like that sometimes, too. So, I don’t mind.” Your voice is warm, and your smile is bright. I breathe a small sigh of relief, the tension ebbing away as my own lips curve into a smile.

A silence passes over us, though not uncomfortable and I’m grateful for the chance to collect myself. You return to cloud watching but I remain focused on you. Every once in a while I’ll see your eyes shift to me and a subtle pink graces your cheeks as you point out new shapes in the sky. You bring so much light to everything, even small things like this and it makes me so immensely grateful I found you. You put the sky above to shame.

Your voice becomes a soothing rhythm, lulling me into a sense of calm. I hadn’t realized how tired I was, but now, with the sun warming my skin and you beside me, the tension I’ve been holding onto starts to slip away. My eyes grow heavy, and despite my best efforts to stay awake, and spend time with you, I feel the need to rest.

“Hey,” I begin, drawing your attention to me again with a curious tilt of your head. “May I…lean on you?” I ask, and I know it comes out as more of a nervous murmur than an actual question, but still, you smile softly at me and nod, offering your shoulder. The warmth of your body against mine is comforting, grounding me even as sleep pulls me under. I nuzzle closer, the scent of your hair filling my senses. A soft sigh escapes me as the tension begins to melt away.

The last bit of consciousness I have allows me to hear you hum softly, your fingers threading gently through my hair. “Sleep well, Ring.” You say and I can’t help but smile as I let myself fully relax into a sweet sleep.

Cloud dividers by @drinkthesky

Banner done by me.

@drachonia

[beanghostprincess]

*holds you by shoulders*

WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE THING ABOUT 1082 I WAS SURE IT WAS SHIPPY THING AND NOW I NEED TO KNOW

*starts sobbing while slowly falling to my knees*

…….please

I SAW THIS YESTERDAY NIGHT WHEN I WAS ABOUT TO FALL ASLEEP AND I JUST WOKE UP EARLY TO REPLY BECAUSE I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR AGES FOR THIS QUESTION I AM GOING TO KISS YOU ANON-

I do love and adore the shippy part of 1082 because I am a very intense Shuggy shipper and I had been waiting to read their break-up for sooo long. But it's not exactly what made the chapter life-changing for me, tbh.

Buggy's speech is... Is incredibly beautiful and encouraging. It explains so much about his character, the dynamic he has with Cross Guild, and why he's so resentful toward Shanks. Throughout the manga, we've seen him in serious moments, yes, but usually, Buggy is pretty much used for comedy relief more than anything. This is one of the first times we've seen Buggy realize the position he has now and say "Fuck it. Already on the verge of dead for these two, might as well do something with this shitty situation because for once, I have the opportunity to be brave and be more than what people think of me". There's literally nothing stopping him right now, and he prefers to risk his life enraging Crocodile and Mihawk than letting this opportunity of showing who he truly is slide.

And tbh, we haven't seen them ever since (I am starving please-) but I am really hopeful his speech somehow makes Crocodile and Mihawk have a little tiny itty bitty of respect for him at least. Because out of the three? Buggy is the one who deserves the title of pirate more.

Mihawk and Crocodile don't have dreams or ambitions and see pirating as a business. Even when Crocodile did have ambitions (remember when the silly rubber guy destroyed all of his dreams that was a funny arc haha) his whole personality has always been more of a mafioso than anything. Mihawk is a simple man and is bored with life being at the top of the top, he clearly wants something interesting to happen but doesn't see any use in looking for it himself. They care about their commodities and wealth. But out of the three, Buggy is the one who had to give up on his dream and now he has the opportunity to fulfill it.

"How can you call yourselves pirates with schemes like that?! You're doing it all backwards!! [...] Way back when... What did you guys want to be?! [...] I wanna be king of the pirates!! Wealth? Power? Why stop there when we can have it all?!"

This is something a real pirate would say. He talks like Roger here, I am going to curl up and cry don't look at me-

What I like about One Piece is the constant use of themes like dreams and freedom etc, etc... That's something we all know. But you wouldn't expect it coming from Buggy, of all people. And I think I'm pretty fond of him being brave and finally acting upon what he truly wants to do. What makes it great is that you have this comedy relief character standing up for his dream in front of clearly two other antagonists that have control over him in, well, strength and everything. But Buggy has something they don't and it's so, so much ambition and a dream that could be considered childish but it's the representation of freedom and doing things because you want to follow your heart. This is kind of why I always say Luffy would be more fond of Buggy if he knew the whole story and would probably support him a lot--

What I like the most about this chapter is both Buggy's character development through a speech + flashback and Mihawk and Crocodile being completely stunned by it because they weren't expecting this to happen from Buggy of all people. I know I sound like a broken record but I really, really, want them to respect Buggy a little bit more after this. Also, Buggy doesn't do this only to announce he's going to follow his dream now that he's on equal footing with Shanks. He does it because the other two mention needing overwhelming power over the rest. Buggy isn't stupid and knows how manipulating people works. The thing that makes pirates work harder isn't money, it's a dream. And there's nothing a pirate desires more than the One Piece, so that's kind of why he announces it publicly. First, to establish power, and second, so that way Mihawk and Crocodile don't get rid of him because seriously, Buggy is a better boss than these two because their followers appreciate him and don't feel forced to follow him.

Not to mention that the whole thing also shows more of Buggy's relationship with Roger and how left out he felt because people thought highly of Shanks instead of him. But Buggy, even if he was jealous, was willing to follow Shanks despite his feelings because he accepted being less worthy of respect than him. Shanks shone brightly and Buggy decided that, even if he wanted to be seen like that too, he'd give up on his dream and support Shanks instead because at least they'd do this together, just the way they did everything back at the time.

But then Shanks hesitates, and I think that's Buggy's last straw because he sees giving up going for the One Piece as something disrespectful to their captain (dad) and thinks it's unfair that Shanks is so respected by everyone even though the one wanting to follow their captain's steps right away is him. It's honestly frustrating. And then you understand better why Buggy is angry at Shanks-- Yeah, he made him eat the devil fruit and lost the map because of him (not really but whatever), but the way I see it that's just a metaphor for the real reason why Buggy is so resentful. Shanks' existence, even if it was not on purpose, made Buggy feel so powerless he gave up on his dream. And eating a devil fruit means the sea hates you and you can't have any independence in the pirate world, and losing the map is kind of like losing the only thing that guides you. He left Buggy with nothing and let him carry the burden of a lost dream.

This is funny because Shanks did absolutely nothing wrong and everything is a product of jealousy and miscommunication, but I understand why Buggy blames Shanks and this chapter makes it clearer and explains it perfectly.

Basically, it's such an amazing chapter for Buggy's character and it's definitely my favorite for him specifically. Although the flashback does wonders for my Shuggy heart.

Also, adding more points for the revolutionary plot in the end and Sabo showing up because I adore him <3

[morganski-19]

Things I Won't Say When I'm Sober Part 4

part one, part three, part 5

In the morning Steve wakes up like he fell asleep. Eddie still lying on his chest, wrapped up in Steve’s arms, deep asleep. Steve doesn’t quite know what to do. If he had to choose, he’d stay here until Eddie woke up. Assure him that he doesn’t judge him for what happened last night and that this was okay with him. That in fact, he wouldn’t care if every one of his mornings started like this. Watching Eddie wake up, feeling the deep inhales and heartbeats as he was wrapped up in Steve’s arms. The quiet moments in a relationship that make Steve’s heart flutter. 

He can’t choose that though, because he knows what’s actually going to happen. Eddie will wake up and immediately jump out of Steve’s arms, apologizing for what happened last night even through Steve’s reassurance. Then Steve would slip out that he liked it, that he wished it would happen more often. Eddie would look at him in disgust and kick Steve out of his bed. Kick him out of the trailer and never want to see him again. Steve would lose Eddie because he was stupid enough to catch feelings for his friend. 

Even though those feelings were probably the easiest thing Steve had ever caught. It was so simple and easy to fall for Eddie. And it would be so simple for Eddie to dismiss Steve and cut him out of his life because he felt this way. 

Steve has to get out of the bed. Not just to evade the inevitable, but also because the discomfort in his bladder can’t really be ignored. Slowly, he unwraps his arms around Eddie and lifts him slightly, moving him off of Steve and back on his side of the bed. He’s really lucky that Eddie sleeps like the dead, otherwise, this would have been a lot more awkward. 

He closes the door softly behind him, looking at Eddie again before he leaves. Robin is still asleep on the couch, curled up with the blanket that Eddie lent her. He remembers the promise that he made her last night. Knowing that she’ll ask pretty much as soon as she wakes up. That he’ll finally have to tell her what he’s been too afraid to even speak. She’ll be supportive, of course, but she might encourage it. Give him hope that Eddie might actually like him back even though he knows that’s not the case. 

Even if Eddie liked guys too, who’s to say that he would choose Steve out of all people? Steve wouldn’t blame him if he didn’t.

When he walks out of the bathroom, Robin sits up, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. “Steve,” she mumbles. 

“Sorry, did I wake you?” he whispers across the room. She shakes her head. He walks over and sits on the ground, his back leaning against the couch. “How’d you sleep.”

“Fine, I guess.” She rubs the goosebumps away on her arms. “How was sleeping with Eddie?’

Steve shrugs, unsure if he should tell her about what happened last night. “You know him, he’s the deepest sleeper I know. So it was fine.”

“So,” she drags out. “Anything you want to tell me?”

“I thought you were going to take longer to ask,” he sighs. 

Robin slides off of the couch and sits next to him. “We don’t have to talk about it now if you don’t want to. You did promise me though.”

“I know. Just … scared of him overhearing.”

“I mean you said it yourself, he’s asleep. Is it really that bad if he does?”

Steve nods, staring down at his fingers. “It could ruin everything, Rob. I-I’m just so scared that this-”

Robin grabs his hand. “Steve, look at me.” He does, the worry in his eyes meeting the soft comfort of hers. “You know you can tell me anything right?”

He nods, remembering the simple space of trust that they formed that day in the mall on the bathroom floor. Robin bore a part of her soul that she never told anyone else, the fear in her eyes that this small fact about herself would make him hate her. When in reality it only made him love her more. Because with the small amount of time they knew each other, she decided that he was safe enough to place her trust in. And now the roles are reversed, but that didn’t make it any easier to say. 

“I know. It’s just-,” he looks down at their joined hands. “Do you remember when you told me you liked girls? You were so scared to even say the words out loud that you almost didn’t say them at all.”

“Yeah, that was the first time I ever admitted it to someone else. But what does that have to do with this?”

He looks back up at her, hoping the small reference is enough for her to read his mind. “Robin.”

She squints her eyes before they widen with realization. “Oh.”

Steve nods, swallowing hard. “Yeah, oh.”

Robin bites her lip, looking at him with a small sense of sadness. “And the reason he can’t know is-”

“Yeah, 'cause I don’t know how he’ll react if he figures out I like him.” There is it, the words that have taken so long for him to accept out in the open. Free-floating in the warm comfort that is Robin’s presence. 

It isn’t long before Robin is hugging him, gripping him tightly and not letting go. Steve buries his face in her neck, letting the stress of the situation finally take over. Letting go of everything he’s tried so hard to keep in. 

“It’s going to be ok,” Robin assures, rubbing a hand up and down his back as the tears start to fall. She lets him cry on her for some time, not caring that the tears stain her shirt. Slowly, the tears start to stop and relief spreads through his body.

“Is this what you go through all of the time?” he asks quietly.

Robin scoffs. “Yeah. Sucks right.”

Steve lets out a wet laugh, sitting up and wiping away his remaining tears. “It really does.”

“Your situation is better than mine though. I think you have a good shot of him liking you back.”

“I don’t think so, Rob. How are you even sure that he likes guys?”

She shrugs. “I just have a feeling.”

“Like my feeling that Vicky liked you back.”

“Yes, except my feeling is correct,” she says with a roll of her eyes. 

“Did you,” he clears his throat. “Did you have that feeling about me?”

She gives him a smug look. “I might have guessed it.”

“Really?”

“Have you seen the way you’ve looked at Eddie recently? And the whole thing with his hair yesterday. The fuck was that?”

He laughs. “Ok, fair.”

Robin's face softens again. “What are you going to do?”

“I have no idea,” he looks forward again. “Just wait for it to go away I guess.”

“You really think that can happen?” she leans her head on his shoulder. 

Steve sighs. “Not really. Not soon at least. I haven’t felt like this for anyone in a while.”

“And you’re sure he doesn’t like you back?”

He presses his lips together and takes a second to think. “No, I’m sure.”

“Why are you sitting on the floor when there’s a couch right behind you?” Eddie asks, standing by the kitchen

“Uh,” Steve starts, trying not to panic. “How long have you been standing there?”

Eddie crosses his arms and squints his eyes. “I asked you first.”

Robin stretches next to him. “Cause the floor is comfortable and I got tired of sitting on your couch. Your turn.”

“I just walked out of my room and you two were just staring at my wall, so not more than thirty seconds I guess. You guys want some breakfast?” he walks behind the counter.

“Ugh I would, but I should really get home before my parents freak out.” Robin stands, using Steve’s shoulder as a balance. 

He follows, thankful for the easy out. “What should I do with these?” he gestures down to the clothes Eddie lent them.

“I don’t know, just bring them back the next time you come over. We can call them Stevie’s high pajamas. Nice bedhead by the way.”

Steve’s hand jumps to his head, immediately trying to smooth out his hair. “Is it bad?”

“Nah, it’s cute. Eddie turns away, pouring cereal into his bowl. 

“Well uh, bye. See you around I guess,” Steve jumbles out, feeling his face flush. 

He all but pushes Robin out the door as she yells goodbye. When they get to his car, he grips the steering wheel so tight his knuckles turn white. 

“You’re hopeless,” is all Robin says before he starts driving.

another part coming soon!! (it may be the last but depends on the length. it is wrapping up soon though.)

Tag list (lmk if you want to be added or removed): tag list: @imfinereallyy @estrellami-1 @paintsplatteredandimperfect @overhillunderhill @renaissan-vvitch @ashwagandalf @sirsnacksalot @lorelei724 @emly03 @super-cosmic-library @rozzieroos @dolphincliffs @henderdads @abyssal808 @evergreenprose @demolvr @steddiehyperfixation @stedumpsterfire @ent-is-indecisive @steddierthings @makeadealwithdean @kas-eddie-munson @extra-transitional @lunaticmarunatic @steveharringtonmilf @cardboardqueen @imhereforthelolzdontyellatme @panicatthediaz @ellietheasexylibrarian @hallucinatedjosten @awkwardgravity1 @imhereforthelolzdontyellatme @its-a-me-a-morgan @messrs-weasley @dreamlandforever @stevesbipanic @inmoonywetrust @sani-86 @aellafreya @lorelei724 @punkprettyboyprincess

[depressedhouseplant]

Cops & Robbers Read Along: Chapter 7

You can read the chapter here

I’d say not a lot happens in this chapter, but I guess that depends on your definition of action in a story. This chapter is a bunch of little things until we get to the next chapter which is basically 3000 words worth of smut. I was also very unhappy with my main pairing by this point. If you’re a writer, you know that your characters don’t always agree with you. They needed to get it on again, goddammit.

Younghoon knew Juyeon was sitting outside the room. He’d heard him arguing with Eric earlier. Younghoon was surprised the youngest hadn’t caved when Juyeon started all but interrogating him about Younghoon. He hadn’t talked to Eric per se, but Eric had taken it upon himself to make sure Younghoon was eating and Bori was getting walked. Otherwise, Younghoon refused to open the door. He was in horrific pain because he’d gone three days without pain medication. Eric offered to bring some, but Younghoon didn’t have the stomach to inject himself. The rib pain was the worst. He got winded even walking from the bed to the bathroom.

I feel like this is both an accurate representation of Eric as a person - quietly helpful to those he cares about. It’s also an accurate representation of what happens with a rib injury when you go too long with no pain management. I was a complete monster without it. And did get winded walking to the bathroom a few times.

“Then I would very much like to kiss you,” Juyeon smiled so his eyes crinkled. Younghoon didn’t reply, instead slotting their mouths together. He felt Juyeon’s hands slide up into his hair. He didn’t realize how touch starved he was until he felt Juyeon’s bare skin against his own. 

“I missed this,” he breathed. 

“Me too,” Juyeon agreed, moving his lips down Younghoon’s neck. 

“Mark me up,” Younghoon knotted his fingers in Juyeon’s hair. 

“Of course, darling,” he replied, nipping and sucking

The beginnings of me like “OMG would you two just fuck again already???” My characters never listen to me, I swear. I could comment on my writing of smut, but that’s coming (pun intended) in the next chapter.

“It’s always been black and white. There’s good guys and bad guys. There’s cops and robbers. The rules are simple,” he didn’t look up.

“Sometimes good guys do bad things and bad guys do good things. In case you didn’t notice, we don’t exactly follow rules,” Hyunjae put his hand on Changmin’s shoulder. Before Changmin replied, Sunwoo’s laptop dinged.

Where the title came from and also the author’s commentary on how she can’t write a consistent character to save her life.

“Well we aren’t going to start with the bamboo shoots under the fingernails until we know he was involved. Which means you have to identify him,” Hyunjae said. One of them was still alive. At least, that’s what the other three thought. Younghoon didn’t want to come face to face with his potential kidnapper. He knew it was necessary. He had to do it for Chanhee even if he didn’t do it for himself.

“I assume Juyeon doesn’t know,” Younghoon said.

“We collectively decided to let him sleep. You happened to get up first,” the other man replied. Younghoon looked back at Bori walking around the yard.

“I’ll do it,” he agreed.

MoRe FoReShAdOwInG (albeit accidental)

“Of course not. I need you to make sure that there’s nothing anyone can question on the paperwork. Am I clear?”

“Yes, sir,” he replied.

“Very good. Take Jongho with you. Let me know when everything is complete,” 

“Yes, sir,” Yunho nodded even though he couldn’t see him. The voice on the other end didn’t reply. He simply ended the call.

“Fuck,” Yunho swore under his breath. He never should’ve agreed to this.

More trying not to say Hongjoong’s name without saying Hongjoong’s name. But I did it! And I surprised you! (Right?)

[gleefullypolin]

Dating Lady Whistledown by GleefullyPolin

Read on AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/57046732/chapters/145081255

Summary: Eloise always thought that her idiot brother was merely a distraction for their shared friend Penelope, always in her ear and never allowing her a moment to venture out on her own. But when Penelope begins online dating and finally meets a man who starts to slowly win her heart, was fate truly at play all along?

Chapter 2: Lonely Traveler

“You can be lonely even when you’re loved by many people since you’re still not anybody’s one and only.” Anne Frank

Colin stared at the sea from his balcony as it hit the shore, crashing into the rocks below as the sun was rising. He took in a breath, inhaling the air as he let his eyes fall closed, his feet tapped the table beneath his toes. He let his eyes slide open and gazed down at the laptop perched against his knees, the curser flashing brightly against the white background of the empty page.

He often wondered how writers block could find someone in a place so beautiful and full of wonders when it should be able to form nouns, verbs, and adjectives into even the most uneducated of minds. Yet here he sat, Colin Bridgerton, twice published author, unable to form even a simple sentence.

He wanted to call Pen. She would be able to talk him through whatever was plaguing his mind, she was always able to lift the fog that troubled him when his mind clouded him like this. He looked at his phone, realizing that calling her would mean rousing her from a sound sleep. He knew it wouldn’t matter; he had called her like this before. Her timid small voice on the other end of the line always eased his mind as she woke from slumber, he wasn’t sure if that was his favorite Pen sound, but it was easily one of his top five to be sure.

He wasn’t exactly sure when he started ranking Pen sounds, it was probably not appropriate to have a ranking of favorite sounds your best friend made, yet he noticed that he started collecting them sometime in the last three years.

It had started after he had come home from Paris before setting back off for the South of France on another assignment, he had joined one of Eloise and Pen’s movie nights.  They were five hours into a Harry Potter marathon when Eloise gave up and retired to her room, leaving the two of them to continue on their own. Two hours later, Pen was snoring quietly next to him, snuggled into the crook of his arm, her hand nestled under her cheek as she rested on his chest.

His arm was fast asleep, and he was doing everything he could to shake it back awake when she stirred beside him, the smallest sound escaping from her lips. It sounded like a bird he had heard in a rainforest in Brazil during one of his tours. And it was in that moment that he started his list of favorite Pen sounds which he kept etched on his heart.

He picked up the phone and opened his contacts, Pen’s number showing at the top of the list with the red hearts bookending her name. His finger hovered over it until he groaned, clicking instead onto the message he had received last night from his sister.

Helloise: Pen and I are busy tonight. I’m calling dibs!

“Get it together, Bridgerton.” He moaned. He really needed to stop being so co-dependent on his best friend.

Colin should be happy about his life. He traveled to some of the most amazing places in the world, he was able to see things that people would beg to view with their own eyes just once in their lifetime. And then he got to write about them and share that information with the world. Colin knew he was lucky. He was living his dream.

And yet he was plagued with something that was making him physically ill. Something that had him sitting on a balcony with a million-dollar view, a blank page that should be filled with words about a gorgeous city, and yet the only thing he could think about was the one thing he could do nothing about.

Colin Bridgerton was lonely.

It was ridiculous really. It sounded stupid, actually it sounded selfish and spoiled. Rich kid with everything he had ever wanted, crying about loneliness. He knew all he had to do was get out of his room and head to any club in town and he could bring any local he wanted back to his room. It would take nothing for him to attract one of the very gorgeous women he saw on the streets daily. He knew he was an attractive man; he had been blessed with the Bridgerton genes.

Yet, he was tired of meaningless sex that amounted to nothing more than pleasure and beauty. He wanted more. He wanted to know someone’s mind, he wanted to know their wants and dreams. He wanted to know what made a woman tick, what made them smile. Most of all he wanted to know that he was that person’s everything, not just their one-night thing.

He tossed his phone onto the table and laughed loudly. “You’re being a fucking pussy, Bridgerton.” He swore. His brothers would have a field day with him right now. Colin knew he wasn’t like his older brothers. He was always more sensitive than Anthony and he didn’t have Benedict’s free spirit.

Maybe it was the scotch coursing through his veins, or maybe it was the influence of the ethereal orange sunset tonight, but Colin decided he was done bringing gorgeous nameless women back to his room in random cities, it wasn’t going to bring him intimacy. It wasn’t going to bring him warmth and it sure as hell wasn’t going to cure his emotional loneliness.

He focused back on his laptop and closed the blank document that was continuing to taunt him. He opened up his browser and tapped his fingers against his keyboard.

“Ok internet, how do you cure loneliness?” He punched his question into the google search, shaking his head in disbelief that he was even doing this exercise. The entire thing was idiotic.

He was overwhelmed with all the results, most of them referring him to some sort of mental help or therapy. The fact he was even searching this up sure felt like he needed therapy, but maybe he was searching for the wrong thing. He deleted his search and tried again.

“Ok, let’s try, lonely people looking to...” well shit, what was he looking to do? He didn’t want to hook up with someone. He could do that right where he was in the city without the need of an internet search. Besides, he could download Tinder for that honestly. He didn’t want some girl falling over him because of his Bridgerton name either, or his looks. He just wanted to connect with someone emotionally, something that could rely on his anonymity.

He deleted his search again. “Lonely people looking to chat. Maybe?” he inquired to himself with a chuckle as he clicked enter. Another overwhelming search result popped up onto the screen. He bit his lip as he thought about what he wanted. “Loney writers looking to chat.” He smiled at himself and clicked enter. The smile grew bigger as he saw the first result that popped up. Finally, something that made sense.

LonelyTraveler has entered the chat

He looked at the server set up in front of him and quickly found the list of channels to find the one where he could make his introduction. He settled into his chair and thought about what he wanted to say. Did he want to be honest? He didn’t exactly want to say he was Colin Bridgerton; he was purposely wanting to avoid advertising his family name and wealth. Perhaps being vague would be more advisable for the time being.

LonelyTraveler: Hello everyone, I’m LT, a male in my mid 20’s, currently traveling the world working on a novel, though I’m sure that doesn’t make me very special around here so I guess that shouldn’t have been the first thing I brought up. I suppose I’m here because it’s hard to connect to people when you don’t stay in one place for a long time so I figured I’d try this out but now that I’m typing all of this out it sounds really stupid so, I might delete later, who knows. So yeah, hi!

Colin read his intro four times before simply giving up and hitting enter, deciding this was the stupidest decision he had ever made in his life. He was never going to tell another soul about this for as long as he lived.

He scanned through the introduction channel to see if there was anyone interesting that stood out to him.

SexOnThePage: Simone, 25, I’ll cut right to it; I’m looking for someone who wants to get busy with a sexy sentence all night long.

Way too honest, Colin skipped on, that felt way too pointed and forward for what he was looking for.

TimidRomantic: I’m Chrissy, 23, Looking for a bad romance? Let’s write one together, I’m usually quiet and shy but I’m looking for someone to take me out of my shell. Maybe I just need a good spanking or a...

Shit, that did not feel timid or romantic at all. Colin quickly skimmed over some of the other entries in the channel, but he was starting to feel like maybe this was a really bad fucking idea. And then he stopped.

LadyWhistledown: Dearest Gentle Reader, or I guess Discord reader? I’m LW, female, in my 20’s, and honestly, I’m only here because my friend won’t get off my back about me putting myself out there and meeting people. So here I am! I hope you are glad to meet me! I fancy myself a writer, but I have yet to actually finish anything, but I’m working on it. Just looking to chat or connect or whatever it is you do on this thing, honestly, I have no idea what people do here? Some of you guys are kind of scary and intimidating honestly! So yeah, maybe say hi, I guess!

Colin found himself comforted knowing that there was someone else on this site that seemed to be just as uncomfortable as he was. He clicked into her intro and decided to reply to her.

LonelyTraveler: Happy to know I’m not the only one here who is feeling perhaps a little terrified of what I’m doing here and maybe a little intimidated? I guess we are both Discord Virgins? Or maybe even Extra Virgin? However, let me be the first to tell you I am glad to meet you and to maybe not feel so alone here.

He shut his laptop and pushed his chair away from the table. This was a stupid idea. He should have just called Pen. She would have known what to say to him, would have at least given him a reason to smile instead of leaving him to lie in his bed staring at the ceiling with a frown on his face, an ache sitting in his chest that clearly wasn’t going away. His phone lit up on his nightstand and he pulled it against his chest before finally opening it to read his notification.

<3 Pen <3: Good morning! Just got up and wanted to make sure you don’t forget to send me that chapter before this weekend. You seemed tired yesterday, you sure you’re ok? Anyway, call me later! Ignore what El said, you know you’re my favorite person to talk to! <3

Colin smiled at his phone, all it took was a text from Pen and he already felt better. So much for not being co-dependent.

[werecat1234]

Merging Timelines Chapter Fifteen

Killer opened his eye sockets, looking up at the ceiling, and Horror appeared next to the bed, his glowing red eye staring down at him. Killer looked over at him, looking him up and down before sighing quietly. He got out of bed, stretching, popping his vertebrae and cracking his knuckles.

"what're ya hungry for, big guy?" Killer asked, looking up at him.

'food.' Was Horror's simple answer.

"like pasta, or?..." Killer trailed off.

'i just want food.' Horror repeated.

Killer sighed.; looks like he gets to be creative, then. He snapped his fingers, teleporting to the kitchen, the body not completely awake yet, and he opened the fridge, grabbing some strawberry jam, caramel, whipped cream, and he saw some premade pancakes buried under some spaghetti. He grabbed three of the pancakes, closing the fridge before grabbing a pan, putting the pancakes on it, and put it in the oven. He waited for a few minutes, crouched down to watch the food, and he saw Horror's head right next to his, watching the cooking food.

Killer grabbed an oven mitt, turned the oven off, and grabbed the pan, sliding the pancakes onto a plate, stacking them up as they slid off the pan. He waited for a minute, arms folded on the counter as he leaned against it, waiting for the food to cool before grabbing a spoon, popping the strawberry jam open. He scooped some up in the spoon, then held a pancake up, spreading it on the pancake below it in a thin layer before repeating the process again. He threw the spoon up and into the sink before grabbing another one, opening the container of whipped cream, plopping some on top, before drizzling the caramel over it. He glanced to his right, and Horror was drooling a black goo, staring at the plate, and Killer threw the second spoon up and into the sink.

'it's a little something the human from my world taught me, but everything was chocolate. they're also the reason i can't stand chocolate, but hey, i can adapt.' Killer told him. 

He grabbed a fork, holding up his hand, fingers prepared to snap, when something caught his eye. In the reflection of the fork, he saw something move, and he stilled. He turned around, seeing Undyne, Papyrus, Skyler, Alphys, and even Toriel in the living room, a deck of cards spread out across the floor, the five of them sitting in a circle, all turned around to watch him. Damn, he was getting rusty.

"... what are all of you doing here?" Killer asked after a moment.

"WE'RE HAVING A SLEEPOVER! I SUGGESTED IT, AND AFTER YOU WENT TO BED, EVERYONE CAME OVER!" Papyrus announced.

'killer, the food..' Horror reminded him, his voice almost a low growl. 

"getting there.." Killer muttered, before saying louder, talking to them, "alright. well, have fun, then."

Killer prepared to teleport, but Toriel said, "Wait! Would you not like to stay, child?"

"Yeah! Come on, dork! Get over here!" Undyne encouraged.

Skyler looked at him nervously, knowing him enough to know he wasn't too fond of peaceful interactions. Papyrus looked at him hopefully, and so did Alphys. Killer couldn't care less. 

'you can eat with them. just please, whatever you do, eat.'

Killer sighed, eye sockets narrowing a bit as his shoulders sagged. Damnit. He teleported to lean against the wall by the TV, and said, "fine, i'll stay here and watch you guys play."

"YIPPEE!" Papyrus cheered. 

Killer sighed quietly, and he started eating so Horror would leave him alone. Horror appeared next to him, watching every movement of the fork despite sharing Killer's perspective. Horror immediately looked relieved as soon as the first bite of food was swallowed. 

'that's the best thing i've tasted in years...' Horror told him.

'damn, you really were starving, then.' Killer smirked a little, teasing Horror as he took another bite.

'i didn't eat for seven years, but even before that. just... wow.' Horror said, still kind of stunned. 

'well, you're welcome, then.' Killer replied.

'... killer?' Horror asked after a moment of silence.

'what's up?' Killer asked after taking another bite. 

'thank you. this... thank you. i appreciate this...' Horror told him.

'this is nothing. i didn't feel like choking down pasta, and i wanted something different.' Killer said.

'you like things changing, huh?' Horror asked.

Killer subtly shrugged, getting more comfortable against the wall, and replied, 'i was stuck in a loop where nothing changed for years. i'm kinda obsessed with mixing things up.'

Horror nodded in understanding. 'i used to wish i could go back to how things were with frisk. the resets... i used to dream about them. everyone usually got along, undyne wasn't a tyrant, everyone had food, we weren't starving or crazy or dusting from hunger, we weren't having to resort to... you know... for food...'

Killer understood a little, taking a bite, 'but you could've ended up like me or dust. not every loop has things changing. i.. i would be fine in your situation, honestly. with how detached i am, i would be just fine, but uh.. yeah, you wouldn't have held up well in a genocide loop. me and dust are exhibits a and b of that.'

'never said i would have. maybe the loop here will end one day?' Horror asked, and Killer's fork stilled. 

'... not with chara in charge of the resets. i know them, they're not going to let it end.' Killer said, staring at the plate. 

'killer, they might be different here.' Horror said.

Killer scoffed quietly, and he started eating again. 'doubt. chara's chara. they're not gonna be different.'

'from what sans told me, you hate being treated as though you're like him, and yet you're treating that chara like they'll be the same as this one. hypocritical, much?' Horror pointed out, and Killer glared over at him. 

'that's different. chara turned me into this. they were already... you know.' Killer told him.

'then how come this timeline isn't a genocide loop?' Horror asked him.

'i don't know. false sense of security? seems like them.' Killer replied. 

'killer, they died trying to free us from the underground. why would they want us dead or to torture us? torture you? don't you think something must have happened in your and dust's timelines before they started killing? besides, my timeline kept going.' Horror said. 

Killer was silent, staring down at the fork thoughtfully. He started eating again after a moment, 'maybe. don't know, don't care.'

Horror went quiet, and as Killer took the last bite, said, 'i think you do...' before going quiet. 

Killer teleported into the kitchen, on his knees on the edge of the sink, washing the spoons, the fork, and plate, and went to grab the pan, only to see Toriel holding it up to him. He hesitated for a moment, muttering a thank you before grabbing and washing it. 

"Are you alright, my friend?" Toriel asked him in concern.

"yeah, i'm fine. just tired." Killer replied. 

"Told you you'd crash!" Undyne shouted from the living room. 

"BROTHER! WOULD YOU LIKE TO JOIN US IN A GAME OF CARDS??" Papyrus asked. 

No. No he did not. He would rather put on a snow suit and go swim in lava in Hotlands. 

"I think Sans is just tired, guys.." Skyler said.

"Exactly. No sleep!" Undyne grinned, running to him and picking him up from off the sink.

"hey!" Killer yelled, squirming as Toriel shut the water off.

"Nope! Come on, Sans! We have plenty of candy and sweets to keep us all awake! Including you, you little brat!" Undyne told him, a toothy grin on her face as she carried him over to the group, putting him down between Papyrus and Skyler before sitting down next to Alphys. Toriel came back over, sitting next to Skyler on their other side, and they adjusted where they were sitting so he couldn't see their faces. 

"Do you know how to play, dear?" Toriel asked him, and Killer looked at the game they were playing. Poker.

He grinned a little at her. He knew how to play alright. 

"are snowmen made outta snow?" Killer asked, and she smiled a little. 

"I BELIEVE I'M GETTING BETTER AT THIS! WHAT DO YOU THINK, BROTHER?" Papyrus asked, and he had half of the regular amount of chips left. Odds were the others were folding and giving him some chips so he didn't go broke.

"looks like it." Killer said instead. Right, he had to act like Lucky. This would be fun...

'hey horror, any ideas on how to act like lucky?' Killer asked him.

'just... i don't know, don't be insane and psychotic? try and relax a little, and don't do anything stupid?' Horror suggested. 

'what about a tired sans? can i at least be a little chaotic? me and lazy don't mix.' Killer asked.

'... don't overdo it. try and be somewhat laid back.' Horror said.

'but laid back is boring...' 

'you wanna get caught or not?' Horror asked. 

'.... i could make undyne think i was a clone made by the powers of anime...' Killer realized with a jolt of gleeful anticipation.

'don't.' Horror sighed. 

'buzzkill.' Killer sighed. 

"Sans? Wh-where are y-your e-eyelights?" Alphys asked him after a moment.

"too lazy to make them appear." Killer replied, "besides, they're good for a poker face."

"That is a good point." Toriel pointed out.

"That's so unfair, though!" Undyne groaned, "Fine, punk, if we can get your eyelights to appear, you gotta keep them lit while we play!"

"by all means, go right ahead and try." Killer told her. 

Undyne grinned at him, jumping at him, and he ducked down. Undyne went flying over him and careening into the couch, and he snickered a bit, turning around.

"nice try, undy-" Killer was cut off by her grabbing him, flipping him upside-down, "hey!" He protested, glaring at her with empty eye sockets, "put me down!"

"Nope!!" Undyne replied, holding him up, and whispering, "This is for the pranks, brat.." Before flipping him right-side up again and shaking him.

"Undyne!" Toriel scolded.

"UNDYNE, BE CAREFUL! HE HAS LOW HP! YOU CAN'T BE ROUGH WITH HIM!" Papyrus reminded her.

"Yeah, yeah, I know..." Undyne sighed, and she reached a hand for his ribs. Nope.

Small, faint, white rings unknowingly appeared in his eye sockets, a thin outline of Sans's usual eyelights, but much smaller. He swatted at her hand, not looking to be tickle tortured today. He'd already done that to Dust, and he let him tap out. Undyne wouldn't show that mercy. Besides, he despised being tickled. 

"Hah! Got ya! Well, kinda, but hey, they're good enough!" Undyne grinned, and he looked at her in confusion before he sensed them lit. Damn it. 

Undyne put him down where he'd previously been sitting, and he huffed. Undyne sat next to Alphys again, watching him. 

"T-That's d-d-different.." Alphys said after a moment. 

"Those are probably his tired ones. Don't even think about making them vanish, punk! We gotta see where you're looking at!" Undyne told him.

"fine, fine..." Killer sighed, concentrating on keeping them lit, and Skyler glanced over at him. 

'if only undyne knew i could kill everyone here in a split second...' Killer thought to himself, and Horror sighed. 

'killer..' Horror sighed, warning him. 

'i know, i know, but seriously! i could kick. her. a-'

Killer was distracted by Toriel dealing out new cards since Undyne had messed up the old one when she'd leapt at him. Skyler put a white chip into the Pot, the white chips being worth one G each, and Killer put two white chips in the Pot. Killer looked down at the cards, glancing at them and seeing what they were. 8 Souls and 9 Souls, and the Flop contained 5 Spears, 10 Souls, and Queen of Souls. This could work... 

'how do you know how to play this game?' Horror asked.

'i got bored. i read a book on all of this.' Killer replied, 'i practiced it occasionally, got good, and pissed chara off with it.' Killer suppressed a grin, 'they threw the deck and proceeded to try stabbing me again after losing all their chips.'

'they do that often?' Horror asked. 

'we used to try breaking each other's bones for fun. of course we did. i just always killed them before they could kill me.' Killer told him, and Horror snickered. 

"I'll call." Skyler said. 

"I'll call, too." Toriel said, putting two white chips in the Pot, each worth 1 G.

"I'll call!" Undyne declared, putting two white chips in the Pot too. 

"F-Fold." Alphys said, sliding her cards away from her. 

"I'LL CALL ASWELL!" Papyrus piped up, also putting two white chips in.

"i'll call too." Killer said. 

'what are you doing? i thought this was a good hand? why don't you raise it?' Horror asked.

'two more cards still get dealt, and i need the heir of souls specifically, otherwise my hand is useless. i don't know if someone else has it, or if it's still in the deck. besides, someone else could still win. i don't want to waste chips. just using enough to stay in the game, but not ramping it up.' Killer answered.

'smart...' Horror admitted as Toriel dealt the next card, the Turn being Heir of Flowers.

'damn..' Killer cursed internally, but his face didn't give anything away.

The bets went around, Skyler now betting one blue chip, which was worth 5 G, and everyone called it. Toriel dealt the River... and it was the Heir of Souls. Perfect. Undyne bet a yellow chip, which was worth 10 G, but Killer looked at her expression. She was bluffing, she probably barely had anything, and had only bet because she'd thought she'd get a card she needed.

Papyrus called it, and Killer called it and raised it 15 G with a dark, playful smirk on his face as he closed his eye sockets half way. Skyler looked him up and down, and, likely thinking he was bluffing, called it. Undyne called it too, Papyrus looked between them before also folding, and Toriel also folded. Undyne placed an Ace of Souls and Queen of Spears. Knew it. Skyler placed a King of Flowers and Heir of Mountains. He was home free.

"Alright, short stack, enough waiting! Let's see what you got!" Undyne told him challengingly.

Killer smirked a bit more, turning his cards face up, and Undyne's face dropped.

"WOWIE! GOOD JOB, BROTHER!" Papyrus praised him as Killer grabbed the Pot, adding it to his chips.

"thanks, papyrus." Killer thanked him, smirking cockily, and Skyler sighed.

"This is gonna be a long night..." Skyler muttered quietly, and Killer snickered, grinning at them. 

Toriel collected the cards, shuffling them as Killer summoned some vertical bones from the floor, leaning against them with his arms folded behind his head.

"How'd you get so good at that, punk?" Undyne asked him after a moment, and he looked over at her.

"what makes you believe this wasn't my first time?" Killer asked, joking.

"W-Well, you used str-strategy a-and im-imm-immediately knew h-how to pl-play. Y-you w-waited until you k-knew you w-won before b-betting, letting ev-everyone e-else add t-to the Pot b-before betting, i-increasing t-the Pot... N-New p-players w-wouldn't do that..." Alphys spoke up.

Killer looked her up and down, and smiled a little, "not bad, alphys, not bad."

"Th-Thank you?.." Alphys replied, slightly uncertain.

"Don't worry, Alphys! We'll kick his butt this time!!" Undyne grinned, determined.

'hey horror? how bad do you want me to beat her?' Killer asked.

'a lot. might be bias though.' Horror replied.

Killer chuckled quietly, getting an idea.

"What's so funny, Sans?" Undyne asked.

"Oh boy..." Skyler muttered quietly from next to him.

"oh nothing, just the fact that i'm gonna kick your butt this time too." Killer replied.

"Hah! As if! I know your trick now, Sans! You aren't beating me!" Undyne told him.

"I DON'T KNOW, UNDYNE. SANS IS ALMOST AS GOOD AT THIS AS HE IS BEING LAZY." Papyrus spoke up.

"Considering what he did last night, that implies he sucks at this." Skyler said.

"What did he do, my child?" Toriel asked, and Killer snickered quietly.

"He... wasn't lazy, I'll say that much..." Skyler sighed.

"I see..." Toriel said after a moment, dealing out the cards.

"Hey, Sans, you want some candy or anything?" Undyne asked, holding some candy bars, lollipops, and more specifically, chocolate bars out to him. 

Killer tensed ever so slightly at the sight of the chocolate bars, and he shook his head no, and replied, "nah, i'm good."

"BROTHER, BECAUSE IT ISN'T GRILLBY'S JUNK FOOD, DOESN'T MEAN YOU CAN'T EAT IT." Papyrus sighed.

"it's not that, i just had a chocolot of chocolate lately, so i uh... i don't exactly want any of it." Killer said. He scooted back from Undyne's outstretched hand a bit. 

'killer?' Horror asked, feeling the tiny bit of unease that was creeping up in Killer's mind.

"U-Undyne, ma-maybe leave h-him alone a-about it?..." Alphys suggested to her.

Killer's eyelights were locked on the chocolate bars, watching them warily as she reached out a bit more. He saw his vision flicker, Undyne's hand turning into a human hand with a green sleeve, and his breathing hitched.

"'Come on, Sans. It won't kill you.' " Undyne's voice was replaced by a child's, a very familiar child's, and Killer felt Broken Determination starting to form, ready to spill out, and his soul twisted painfully.

Killer teleported out of the living room instantly, teleporting into Sans's room, back against the wall.

'killer!' Horror yelled at him as he blinked his eye sockets rapidly, rubbing at them as Broken Determination started seeping from his eye sockets. 'killer, what the hell was that?!'

Killer's hands trembled, panic forming in him as his soul continued to twist and turn in his chest, hidden from view before he finally let it out to float in front of his chest. He could taste the sickeningly sweet taste in his mouth, magic pooling in his throat, Broken Determination joining in with the overly sweet taste, turning it a mix of sweet and bitter. Killer swallowed the Broken Determination back. He wouldn't throw up. He wouldn't throw up. He wouldn't throw up. He wouldn't throw up. He wouldn't throw up. He wouldn't throw up... He was gonna throw up.

Killer dived for a trash can, throwing up the inky black liquid as it rushed from his mouth, running down from his eye sockets rapidly, dripping into the trashcan. Killer took a deep, shaky breath, the black liquid dripping from his mouth, splattering quietly in the bucket. He looked to his left after a few moments of dry heaving, seeing Horror crouched there.

'don't.' Killer glared at him, wiping at the liquid with the balled up sheets on the bed as his eyelights vanished.

Horror was silent, watching him with his glowing red eyelight. After a minute, Horror asked anyways, 'what was that about?'

Killer grumbled under his breath, giving up on wiping the liquid away for now. 

'it was nothing.' Killer replied as he glared at the black stains on the sheets.

'that was not nothing. that was... that was a flashback by the looks of it. i see from your perspective, pal. i saw what you saw.' Horror said.

Killer glared off to the side, away from Horror with a frown on his face.

'killer.' Horror said sternly.

'chara used to force-feed me chocolate. after some routes, they wanted to celebrate, and they'd grab as much chocolate as they could, and uh... well, they'd make me eat it til' i puked. they did it over and over until i uh... i avoided it like the plague, to say the least... after a while, they just grabbed a piece, held it up, and that's all it took to have me on edge. they enjoyed the hell out of it every time.' Killer explained with an auditory sigh.

'... they traumatized you and you just had a flashback.' Horror summed up, looking at him.

"yup." Killer muttered, spitting a bit of it out. 

'are you going back down there?' Horror asked after a minute.

'yeah, just waiting for the broken determination to stop.' Killer replied.

'... it looks kinda like my drool.' Horror said after a moment.

'because it might be it. i mean, it's not a completely impossible. your determination might've broken as some point during your timeline, or at least, some of it probably did.' Killer replied. 

'huh... you know they're gonna be worried, right?' Horror said.

Killer shrugged a bit, and he wiped at the Broken Determination upon noticing it'd slowed down enough to wipe at it to clear most of it away. He doubted it would fully stop for a while.

'so what?' Killer replied.

'so, you're gonna have to explain what just happened, or at least find an excuse for it...' Horror pointed out.

'i could also just say i don't want to talk about it and i just want to get back to playing poker.' Killer replied, and Horror sighed. 

'fine... you're still an idiot.' Horror told him. 

'but i'm smart enough to win at poker.' Killer said, and Horror chuckled quietly.

Killer wiped at the rest of the Broken Determination, feeling some of it trickling halfway down his face, and he sighed. Best he was gonna get. Killer snapped his fingers, appearing where he'd been sitting before, and he scared the crap out of everyone, earning some startled shouts, a gasp from Toriel, and a squeak from Alphys. 

"SANS, ARE YOU ALRIGHT?!" Papyrus asked. 

"yeah, i'm fine, just uh... remembered i had to do something." Killer replied.

"Child, we heard you throwing up..." Toriel said, reaching past Skyler to put a hand on his shoulder, and she looked at him in concern. 

"that wasn't-"

"Sans..." Toriel moved her hand, tilting his head towards her; she looked at the Broken Determination curiously, removing her hand, and he looked away, "Were you crying as well?"

"Those aren't tears, he had that stuff coming from his eye sockets before. Not really sure what it is..." Undyne said, before looking back as Killer, "Sans, I uh... I'm sorry. I shouldn't've done that. You clearly said no and I didn't listen. I'm uh... sorry for whatever because of that..." 

Killer looked up at Undyne, before saying "it's fine."

"No, it's not!" Undyne said firmly, "I screwed up, let me apologize, damnit!"

"Undyne, language, please." Toriel said.

"Sorry, your majesty..." Undyne apologized, quieter.

"It's alright, and please, just call me Toriel." Toriel requested. 

"so uh... wanna get back to poker?" Killer asked after a minute, and Undyne's jaw dropped. 

"You're seriously just shrugging all this off?!" Undyne asked, "We heard you throwing up there, Sans!" 

"yup, so will you let me take my mind off of what just happened?" Killer asked flatly, looking right at her remaining eye, making her tense. 

Undyne sighed, relenting, "Fine..."

Toriel shuffled the cards, Skyler putting two white chips into the Pot, with Toriel putting one white chip. 

"BROTHER, ARE YOU SURE YOU'RE ALRIGHT?" Papyrus asked him.

"yeah, i'm perfectly fine." Killer replied, keeping his tone relaxed. Horror appeared across from him, behind Undyne and Alphys, and he noticed Alphys giving him worried glances, though she seemed to shiver once she sensed his gaze on her. 

'killer, your eyelights. for the game.' Horror reminded him.

'damn...' Killer muttered, concentrating a bit and trying to summon them.

He felt them flickering in his eye sockets, trying to light themselves but fizzing out a few times. He narrowed his eye sockets as he focused, feeling them ignite, and he was able to get them to stay lit. Toriel dealt out the cards, and Killer wiped the Broken Determination on his sleeve before he quickly glanced at his cards. 2 Flowers and 2 Spears. Risky, but the Flop could be... promising.

'this hand is crap.' Horror said.

'just wait a sec, horror. one of the most important parts of this is knowing how to be patient.' Killer told him.

'like trapping a human?' Horror asked.

Killer bit back a chuckle, 'exactly.'

The Flop contained 6 Mountains, Queen of Flowers, and 3 Spears. Damn.

Toriel called it, and so did everyone else.

'what are you trying to get with two twos?' Horror asked him, looking curious.

'four of a kind or a full house. need two identical cards either way to win this.' Killer told him, watching the cards as Toriel dealt the Turn, which was a Queen of Souls. Now all he could get was a full house or two pair.

Toriel passed, and Undyne bet a white chip, while Alphys bet a blue chip, raising it by four. Papyrus called it, and Killer thought for a moment before folding, pushing his cards away from him.

"fold." Killer said, looking at the others as they glanced between each other. 

Toriel and Skyler each called it, and Undyne looked between them before also folding.

'why'd you fold?' Horror asked, 'you could've had a full house.'

'because it's too risky. pocket twos are effective if there's a chance for four of a kind, but in terms of full houses or pairs, they're not a good choice. based on the way everyone's betting, they have something better than i do, and it'd be stupid of me to bet when i'll just be wasting chips.' Killer explained to him.

'gotcha. smart.' Horror said.

'sometimes.' Killer smirked a little.

Toriel dealt the River, and it was a Queen of Mountains.

Toriel bet a blue chip, Alphys calling it while Papyrus folded, and so did Skyler.

Toriel turned her cards upwards, which was pocket fives, and Alphys had a Ace of Mountains and 6 Spears.

"Well done, Alphys!" Toriel praised as she collected the Pot.

"Congrats, Alphys!" Skyler smiled at her.

"WELL DONE, ALPHYS!" Papyrus gave them two thumbs up.

"Good job Alphys!" Undyne grinned, giving her a side hug as the yellow monster's face reddened in a blush, giving everyone thumbs up.

"good game, alphys." Killer said.

'told ya. i would've lost.' Killer said, 'and nothing is more humiliating than losing to alphys.'

Horror chuckled quietly at that, and Toriel grabbed the cards, shuffling once again.

'we should play this in the subconscious at some point. dust likes strategy, right? he'd probably get a kick outta this.' Horror suggested, and Killer perked up, looking up at him.

'that's... actually a pretty good idea, pal. yeah, poker there would be great.' Killer replied. 

"What're you looking at, punk?" Undyne asked him, looking behind her. Oh right, he has eyelights right now.

"nothin'."

Undyne narrowed her eye at him in suspicion, and he heard Skyler sighed next to him.

He was about to say something, but was cut off by Toriel dealing the cards out, and Killer glanced at them. Snake eyes. 

'well, this could be good or bad. it's snake eyes.'

'snake eyes?' Horror asked.

'it's what you call pocket aces. you almost never want two of the same number or rank. same suit, yes, same rank? it's risky.' Killer explained.

'so high risk, hi return?' Horror asked.

A smirk tugged at the edge of Killer's mouth. 'you got it.'

He was drawn out of the conversation upon seeing Toriel had dealt the Flop. Ace of Mountains, Queen of Flowers, and King of Spears. Killer saw Undyne's face slightly light up, and he eyed her carefully. She's got something good, but not good enough...

'if there's another ace, we win.' Killer told Horror.

'how can you be sure?' Horror asked as Alphys called the blinds.

'because the only thing higher than four of a kind is a straight or royal flush, and those aren't options.' Killer explained.

'gotcha...' Horror said.

Everyone called the blinds, and Killer waited patiently for Toriel to deal the Turn, which was a King of Flowers, and Undyne grinned ever so slightly. She had at least one other King, or she had pocket Queens and saw a potential full house. He needed another Ace, now. 

Alphys passed, so did Papyrus, and Killer decided to up the stakes a bit, trying to see how many chips he could get from Undyne. With her feeling confident about her potential victory, he could see how this could be promising.

"i'll raise it fifteen." Killer said, putting a blue and yellow chip in the Pot, looking around at the others.

'how come you're not waiting until it's a guaranteed win?' Horror asked.

'because i did that last time, and they'll see it coming and fold. of course i could bluff, but i don't need to. undyne can never back down from a challenge.' Killer explained.

'and i thought dust was a good strategist.. jeez...' Horror muttered. 

'battle strategies, yes, he kicks my tailbone, but cards? well, i know what i'm doing, and i know how these guys think.' Killer replied.

"I'll call." Skyler spoke up, pushing a blue chip and a yellow chip into the Pot. 

"C-Careful, Skyler..." Alphys advised them, and they nodded.

Toriel folded, and Undyne raised it ten. Alphys folded, and Papyrus and Killer called it. Skyler looked between them before sighing and folding.

Toriel dealt the River.... an it was the Ace of Flowers. Oh this was perfect!

Killer expertly hid his expression, and looked over at Papyrus, who passed. Killer looked down at his chips, a smirk on his face as he grabbed five yellow chips and tossed them into the Pot. The others in the circle exchanged wary looks, and Skyler looked at his face, sighing, and imitated Dust by pinching the bridge of their nose. Undyne counted her chips, grinning toothily before putting them all in the Pot. 

"I'll raise you fifty on that, punk!!" Undyne grinned wider.

"P-Papyrus, get o-out of th-there!" Alphys told him worriedly.

"Papyrus, dear, I highly recommend folding." Toriel advised. 

"BUT I HAVE ENOUGH TO CALL IT..." Papyrus said.

"Papyrus, please fold. This won't end well..." Skyler told him.

Papyrus looked between everyone, and sighed and folded. "ALRIGHT..." 

Killer grinned darkly, and pushed all of his chips into the Pot. "all in, fish sticks~"

Undyne gaped at him, before glaring, "All in!" 

Undyne pushed her chips into the Pot. 

"ready~" Killer asked, a smirk on his face.

"Yes!" Undyne replied.

"count of three?" Killer asked. 

"Fine, if you wanna delay being beaten for a few seconds!" Undyne replied.

"one..." Killer started.

'horror, make sure you remember this...' Killer told him.

"Two!" Undyne added.

'sure thing.' Horror chuckled.

"This is gonna be horrible..." Skyler groaned.

"Y-Yeah..." Alphys agreed. 

"three."

Killer flipped over his cards, revealing the pocket Aces, and Undyne revealed pocket Kings. Her face dropped.

"NO!!!!" Undyne cried as Killer burst out laughing.

"N-No way!" Alphys gasped.

"Oh my god..." Toriel looked on in shock.

"WOWWIE!! GREAT JOB, BROTHER!" Papyrus congratulated him. 

"thanks, papyrus." Killer grinned, pulling the chips over to himself.

Undyne was quiet, before sighing, smiling a little, extending her hand to him, "Good game, Sans. You did good."

Killer blinked at her, before shaking it, "thanks. not bad yourself. you almost had me there."

Undyne laughed, nodding, "Fufufufufu! Yeah, I really thought I had you there!" 

"yeah, you kinda did. that was close." Killer told her.

"Right?!" Undyne replied, "I'm still getting you back for the stunt you pulled, punk." 

"aww, you upset you can't pay for your and alphys's honey moon?~" Killer teased, and Horror burst out laughing.

Alphys turned bright red, and Undyne glared at him.

Skyler sighed, turning to him with an annoyed expression.

"Sans..." Skyler sighed.

"I WASN'T AWARE YOU TWO WERE MARRIED? DID I DO SOMETHING TO NOT RECEIVE AN INVITATION?" Papyrus asked, getting worried at the end.

"No, you didn't, Papyrus. There wasn't a wedding or anything, your brother is just being annoying because he's sleep deprived." Undyne reassured. 

"i only haven't slept for at least two days except for however long before, i doubt that qualifies as sleep deprived." Killer said, Skyler facepalming while Alphys squeaked in surprise.

"SANS!" Papyrus cried.

"DUDE, SERIOUSLY?!?!" Undyne yelled.

"Child, that isn't healthy!" Toriel told him, looking at him in concern. 

'now ya went and did it...' Horror chuckled. 

'shut it, horror...' Killer sighed.

"S-Sans, that i-isn't healthy. A-At all..." Alphys told him, looking at him in concern.

"i'm fine. toriel, you shuffling?" Killer asked.

"Actually, I believe we should all get some sleep. Particularly you, dear." Toriel said, putting the deck of cards in the box.

"Yeah, me and Alphys should get some sleep too, probably stop at the Snowdin Inn." Undyne said, Alphys nodding.

"just don't be too loud." Killer said, and Alphys turned red again as Horror chuckled.

"Child!" Toriel scolded him as Papyrus looked confused. 

"I-I don't th-think h-h-he m-meant it l-like t-that..." Alphys said, stuttering nervously, "I-It's just th-that U-Undyne sh-sh-shouts a l-lot.."

"Yes he did..." Skyler muttered. 

"i bet she does." Killer smirked, ignoring Skyler.

"OF COURSE SHE DOES, UNDYNE IS KNOWN FOR BEING LOUD." Papyrus said, and Killer and Horror both burst out laughing, Alphys turning the shade of a cherry, and Undyne groaned into her hands.

"Dude, stop!" Undyne yelled, extremely flustered as Killer cackled. 

"Sans, there's younger children present, and I wish to preserve their innocence!" Toriel scolded.

"S-Sans, go t-to s-sleep!" Alphys begged him.

"why? i'm wide awake." Killer grinned, holding back his laughter and wiping watered down tears of Broken Determination from his eye sockets.

"How do they put up with you?" Skyler muttered.

"with some difficulty most of the time." Killer snickered quietly, and Skyler groaned.

"Remind me to never encounter a sleep deprived Sans again..." Undyne muttered, and Alphys nodded in agreement.

"Sans, please, for our sakes, sleep." Toriel requested. 

"Y-Yeah. Y-You're not y-you wh-when you're t-tired..." Alphys said. 

Killer snickered, "did you just quote a candy bar commercial? how sweet of you."

"SANS, DON'T EVEN START!" Papyrus glared at him.

"start what?" Killer asked, as though he didn't already know.

"OH YOU KNOW WHAT!" Papyrus glared. 

"you make puns too, y'know." Killer pointed out.

"YES, BUT WELL CALCULATED ONES! YOU... YOU JUST BLURT THEM OUT! THERE IS A TIME AND A PLACE, BROTHER!" Papyrus sighed.

"G-Guys, p-please.." Alphys sighed. 

"Yes, please!" Skyler pleaded. 

"hmmmmm..... nah, i'm good." Killer replied.

"You're such a-" Killer cut Skyler off.

"a what? the worst insult you knew was a 'butthead', kid." Killer pointed out.

'seriously?!' Horror laughed.

'yup!' Killer replied, smirking a bit.

"That's... actually adorable." Undyne said.

"I THOUGHT CALLING SOMEONE A BUTTHEAD WAS FORBIDDEN?" Papyrus asked, and Killer sighed.

"لا أصدق أنني عالق مع هؤلاء الأغبياء الساذجين..." Killer muttered under his breath, earning confused looks from everyone.

"What?" Skyler asked, and Killer chuckled.

"ما الأم��؟ لا تستطيع فهم بعض اللغة العربية البسيطة؟?" Killer asked with a grin.

"Crap, he's sleep deprived to the point he's speaking another language!" Undyne panicked. 

'what the hell are you saying?' Horror asked.

'it's a language chara taught me.' Killer replied, looking up at him.

Undyne looked over her shoulder, "WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING AT?!?!" 

"jeez, sorry, papyrus, didn't know i could look somewhere in my own home." Killer taunted.

"RYYAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGHHH!!!" Undyne looked like she was about to go outside, pick the house up, and yeet it.

"Everyone!" Toriel spoke up loudly in a, what Killer could only describe as 'Queen voice', "Stop this this instant!"

". . . ماعز كيلجوي..." Killer muttered.

"Sans." Toriel said sternly, and he shut up. 

Undyne sighed. "Sans, get some damn sleep. Come on, Alph." Undyne picked up Alphys, opening the door before heading outside.

"Language, Undyne!" Toriel called after her, and she sighed, "Child, would you like to accompany me to the inn?"

Skyler looked over at an exaggerated Killer and a confused and annoyed Papyrus, before shaking their head, "I'm ok, but thank you."

Toriel nodded, "Alright. If you change your mind, I'll let the Innkeeper know that if you stop by, to tell you my room number, ok?" Toriel bent down, patting their head fondly.

"Thank you." Skyler thanked her, and Toriel nodded, exiting out the front door. 

Skyler got comfortable on the couch, and Killer was about to teleport to Sans's room, but Papyrus distracted him.

"SANS?" Papyrus asked him, gaining his attention.

"what's up?" Killer asked.

"ARE YOU FEELING OK?" Papyrus asked.

"yeah, i'm fine." Killer replied.

He felt like he was forgetting something, something that used to be important, something Dust did recently...

'bedtime story.' Horror supplied.

'... thanks.' Killer thanked him.

"you want a bedtime story?" Killer asked him.

"YOU DON'T NEED TO TONIGHT, BROTHER. YOU NEED TO GET SOME REST." Papyrus told him.

"nah, because otherwise you won't sleep. come on." Killer said, teleporting them both up the stairs.

Papyrus went into his room, and yelled for him when he was in bed. Killer went inside, Papyrus tucked into bed with his pajamas, and Killer sat on the edge of the bed. This was extremely nostalgic. Killer looked over at the shelf, before sighing.

'horror, do not say a word of this to dust or lucky.' Killer told him, tone laced with an unspoken threat.

'ok?...' Horror replied, appearing across the room to watch him.

Killer sighed, and he said, "i'm gonna tell you a story not in the books again, just like last night. this one's extremely important, so i need you to remember this no matter what, ok?"

"OK?" Papyrus replied, looking at him attentively.

Killer took a deep breath, thinking of a story, before saying, "there once was a little mouse... let's call it... mousey, and mousey had an older brother named ratty. well, mousey and ratty were real close, and mousey always saw the best in everyone, and i mean everyone. well, one day, there was a mean fox that found mousey and ratty, and ratty told mousey not to near the fox, that the fox was dangerous, but mousey didn't listen. mousey walked up to the fox, and said 'hi fox! how do you do?'.

"the fox replied, 'i am well, thank you, but i believe i have something stuck in my teeth, do you think you can check for me?'. 'of course, replied mousey, and the fox lowered it's head and opened it's mouth. mousey felt his fur stand up and he was intimidated by the teeth, but he shrugged off his worries, thinking the fox was harmless. mousey leaned in to look, and the fox grabbed mousey and ran away before ratty could get to him."

Papyrus gasped, and Horror eyed Killer warily. 

'killer, tone it down. he needs to sleep, not have a nightmare.' Horror advised.

'give me a sec, i'm not done yet.'

"anyways, ratty searched high and low for mousey, and managed to find him just in time, but mousey was badly hurt. ratty managed to get him away from the mean fox and heal him up, but he was super worried about him the whole time. mousey had really scared him. from then on, mousey always listened when ratty told him to stay away from someone. do you know why?" Killer asked Papyrus.

"BECAUSE THE FOX HAD MOUSEY SCARED?" Papyrus asked.

"yup. not everyone out there is your friend, not everything has a happy ending. sure, this story did, but it could've ended much worse. the point is... don't trust everyone you see, papyrus. they might have bad intentions, and sure, they can change, but you don't want to have something bad happen to you before they change, do you?" Killer asked him.

"NO..." Papyrus replied.

"that's what i thought. just... don't forget that, ok? never forget that." Killer told him sternly, and Papyrus nodded. 

"MOUSEY WAS OK THOUGH, RIGHT?" Papyrus asked.

"yeah, he was ok." Killer replied, getting up from the bed, and heading to the door, and he muttered, "and you will be too if you don't forget that." 

Killer exited the room, closing the door behind him, and he teleported to Sans's bed, flopping down on it, arms folded behind his skull.

'you do care...' Horror said quietly, appearing at the end of the bed.

'no, i don't. i just don't want him to get himself killed and get the other two upset. you didn't see dust when the brat killed him last reset.' Killer told him, glaring at him as he laid down. 

Horror sighed, mumbling something before going into the subconscious. Killer stared up at the ceiling for a while, closing his eye sockets, eventually drifting off to sleep.  

Discord server: https://discord.gg/wQfvxyEuvj

[nikolai-alexi]

“Animal”

Tags: modern uni au, secret musician James, late night radio host Regulus, James keeps sneaking into a recording booth when he thinks Regulus is gone for the night, regulus thinks he’s lost the plot until he investigates

Regulus is pretty sure he’s going crazy. Well — no, he’s already pretty sure he’s gone crazy, but now he thinks he might be haunted.

He typically gets off work around three in the morning these days; he’s been running the university’s nighttime radio station for the last few months and he really does enjoy it. It’s a perfect gig for an insomniac business student who hates his major and wishes he could change to musical theory but has no choice in the matter.

However, the last two weeks have been testing his patience. Every single morning when he’s closing up the studio, the light in one of the back recording rooms is on. Which wouldn’t be an issue, if he didn’t know for fact that he turned it off. So when he sees it back on again, he growls under his breath and works his way back through the shelves of records and CDs and radio equipment to deal with it once and for all.

His key slides into the lock and he twists the knob, only to open the door and see someone inside. Someone who is not only very much alive and not a ghost, but someone who is also unfortunately very, very familiar to him.

Lo and fucking behold, James Potter is standing with his back to Regulus in the doorway, clunky headphones over his ears, soundboard in front of him on the table, mic by his mouth, and a bring red electric guitar slung over his shoulders.

He has no idea how the hell James managed to get in here, and he knows he should kick him out, but his curiosity is boiling in his veins. He absolutely has to hear this. His brain refuses to accept that James bleeding Potter has any other talents than being an annoying prick that steals people’s brothers.

Regulus can hear James humming a melody he doesn’t know under his breath as he sets up, occasionally picking at his guitar strings, but not plugging it into the amp yet. He checks his watch for some unknown reason, then whatever he sees seems to spur him into actually plugging everything in. Regulus ducks out of the door and goes into the soundbooth where he might be able to hide a bit better. He flips the sound share switch and raises the volume inside the booth so he can hear what James is doing.

Finally, James hits the recording button and starts.

He starts with the melody from earlier. B F# E G#m and F# chords are looped with the soundboard. Then a soft beat gets laid down behind it. There’s a beat up notebook laying open beside the soundboard that James peers at while the simple loop plays in his headphones and inside the booth. He has to admit, he’s already somewhat impressed. He wouldn’t have expected James to get even this far around a sound board. The melody is quite catchy so far as well.

He watches as James steps to the mic and waits for the loop to start again. He’s wholly unprepared for the slightly raspy, sweet voice that comes out of his mouth.

“It’s an empty shell I’m livin’ in,

The doors are always closed,”

The riff he does on the word “closed” makes Regulus smile a bit, it’s not overly showy, it doesn’t quite feel like a “James Potter” type of thing. He’s strumming the same chords softly over the looped ones, but using them as singles. Regulus likes the effect they make. It almost sounds retro-ish, tinny in a way.

“And I spend my weeks,

Losin’ my head, restin’ my bones,

And they say that nothin’s given,

So I guess I’ll get nothin’ at all,”

The lyrics make no sense to him coming from James Potter. He should be talking about how great his life is, or how he “rescued” his best friend from his shit one, or something of the sort. Regulus doesn’t understand where these lyrics are coming from.

“And I’ll accept defeat,

Cause you can’t swing,

When the fight’s lost,”

A matching riff on “spend” and “accept” and Regulus likes the choice he makes there. The beat he laid down earlier comes in, and the music is deceptively upbeat for the lyrics so far.

“You know,

Can’t see the grass getting greener, cause

out here ain’t nothin’ but blue, and your eyes

Blood red, the high helps a little, but

Everyone you meet’s just passin’ through,

White lies take all of the colour from you,

Most nights you don’t sleep at all,

And you black out blind and hide,

Is there any wonder no one ever really tries to call?”

Regulus hates to admit it, but he’s a bit awestruck with the way James’ lyrics flow. The use of colour analogies in reference to, what Regulus assumes, emotional states and reactions. The lyrics and backing music are so diametrically opposed, it almost makes no sense, but it feels like the song is almost speaking separately from James singing it. Like it’s almost mocking the happy person singing it with its helplessness.

“And you say,

Ooo, sometimes I feel like an animal,

Ooo, I climb so high,

Just to feel the fall,

And let it go,

So,

Look me in the eyes,

Am I someone else?

Ooo, sometimes I feel like an animal, an animal, an animal,”

And that strikes a visceral pang deep in Regulus’s chest. How often has he felt the same way? Licking his wounds from behind the bars of his gilded cage, feeling like he has no more bodily autonomy than that of a pet. He wonders why James knows that same feeling.

The beat phases out with a push of a button on the soundboard. James is back to strumming single chords like he did in the beginning, and the second verse rolls off James’ tongue.

“And I always have a vision,

But I always let it go,

And then I feel too weak,

And it’s too much,

And it’s too close,”

The beat comes back again, but this time James adds some snare into it. He’s bobbing along with the beat with his entire upper body, bending over his guitar. The loop petal gets pressed and he’s back on his guitar as the pre-chorus rolls in again.

“Can’t see the grass getting greener, cause,

Out here ain’t nothin’ but blue, and your eyes,

Blood red, the high helps a little,

But everyone you meet’s just passin’ through,

White lies take all of the colour from you,

Most nights you don’t sleep at all,

And you black out blind and hide,

Is there any wonder no one really tries to call?

And you say,”

Regulus finds himself nodding along with it, humming the melody under his breath as he goes into the chorus. James is somehow dancing around the booth, still strumming, still singing, and managing not to trip over the cords on the ground. Regulus can’t help but grin at the silliness of it all.

“Ooo, sometimes I feel like an animal,

I climb so high,

Just to feel the fall,

And let it go,

So look me in the eye,

Am I someone else?

Ooo, sometimes I feel like an animal, an animal, an animal,”

This time when he goes into the pre-chorus, the beat and melody stays, but he brings the volume down on it, and slows it down to the same tempo and cadence of the first and second verses. Regulus can feel that this one means more to the song, like the first two allowed the listener to get caught up in the upbeat vibes, but now they had to come back to Earth and hear what he was saying.

“Can’t see the grass getting greener, cause,

Out here ain’t nothin’ but blue, and your eyes,

Blood red, the high helps a little,

But everyone you meet’s just passin’ through,”

There’s a up stress on “meet” in this one, and it pulls at the raspiness in James’ voice. Makes it sound raw and exposed, despite being in the studio. Regulus refuses to acknowledge the gooseflesh rising on his arms at it.

James cuts the beat entirely, holding his guitar and getting closer to the mic guard. He strums slowly and quietly, letting his voice hold the remnants of the melody. It’s soft and slow and quiet.

“You say,

Ooo sometimes I feel like an animal,

Ooo I climb so high,

Just to feel the fall,

And let it go,”

James builds the beat back up with a slow slide of a leveller, then let’s it cascade back in.

“So, look me in the eyes,

Am I someone else?

Ooo sometimes I feel like an animal,

An animal, an animal,”

James plays the recording back, listening intently to it, before nodding and beginning to pack his stuff up. Regulus makes like a bandit and rushing out, barely remembering to lock the door to the building behind him. He wants to stick around to see where the hell James is managing to get in from, but he doesn’t want to get caught snooping around business that is decidedly not his own.

As he’s walking back to his dorm, he realises he’s humming James’ song under his breath. The lyrics leave his lips in little puffs of white air in the cold night. He knows that song is going to be stuck in his head for at least a week. He wishes he could play it on the station on his next shift. He’d probably indulge himself and play it a few times.

He thinks nothing of the scene he’d witnessed the night before during his classes, spares no thought of being caught in his observation, convinced he’d been quiet and quick enough to avoid detection. But when he sits down at his station, ready to start his 11pm broadcast, a redbull, blueberry muffin — his go to snack for work from the student centre — and a flashdrive with a note sits on his desktop. The handwriting is sloppy, but undeniably familiar from the letters Regulus had seen sent to his house over the years before Sirius left.

Regulus, it reads.

Seemed like you enjoyed this one last night. You can play it if you want, Track 4 is the one, just don’t mention it’s me who made it, if you don’t mind. There’s a couple others on there if you’re curious. Come out of the booth next time.

- JFP

P.S. text Sirius back, would you? He’s driving us all mad with all his whinging about you hating him again.

Regulus can’t help but laugh at the post script. He wasn’t aware that his brother’s friends were even aware of his existence, let alone his reemergence into Sirius’ life now that his parents aren’t aware of his every moment and breath. Nevertheless, he shoots a quick text off to his drama queen of a brother before he sets up to air.

As the “LIVE” light flicks on, his radio persona slips over him like a second skin, “Good evening, everyone,” he says quietly into the mic, “Welcome to Hogwarts University’s late night radio channel. My name is Leo and I’ll be your host for the night. Whether you’re headed to bed, up late studying, or trying to avoid the inevitable doom of exams coming up by starring into the void, we’ll have something for you.”

He can pretty much see Evan and Barty rolling their eyes at him from their dorm room, both of them some of his daily listeners along with the rest of their friend group, but he thinks he’s clever. At least he finds himself funny.

“I’ve got a bit of a treat for you all tonight. A new indie artist on the block to get us started, this is “Animal” by The Deerest Marauder. You’ll have to let me know if you like it as much as I do. As always, leave your feedback, song requests, and late night brain rot on the Instagram at HULateNight_Leo,”

It had taken him a bit to come up with a clever artist name for James. JFP was too obvious, Prongs was a dead giveaway seeing as Sirius wouldn’t know what an inside voice was if it hit him in the face and the entire campus knows James’ nickname. Regulus remembers Sirius calling their little band of chaos “the marauders” back in year ten. So from there, he’d come up with his own stupid pun. Again, at least he thinks he’s funny.

Flashdrive inserted into his laptop, Regulus clicks on Track 4, realising belatedly that he’d accidentally named James’ song for him, and presses play.

If he plays “Animal” and the other four tracks on the flashdrive several times throughout the night, and leaves the light on to the back recording booth before he leaves that night, it’s no one’s business but his own.

[whispersafterdusk]

Heart of Stone - ch 15

"I might make a tiny one to join the quartz and heart on my shelf."

"Really?"

Dawn grinned at him from over a shoulder; she'd been walking in slow circles around the natural rock stack, studying it from every angle. Unsuur had sat down in the sand a few feet away, letting his attention wander between her and the stack as it wanted to. It was great having two things he really liked both in his line of sight at the same time.

"A bit of clay, some paint, some texturing... Might take a few tries to get it perfect but, yeah, really."

He smiled; she came over to sit next to him, leaning her head against his shoulder. She liked being in contact with him as much as he did with her whether that was holding her hand or having an arm around her (and it was both fun and comforting to rest his chin on top of her head - he could do that whether she was sitting or standing in front of him. It was easier when her hair was down but she still laughed every time he did it).

"Can't wait to see it, then." ((Continued below cut. Very mildly spicy part warning))

She hummed happily before lifting her head and looking out across the landscape. "I'll definitely show you once it's done - not sure when that will be since I'll be starting work on Catori's sandrunning stuff sooner or later."

"Sandrunning?"

"Have you ever gone sledding?"

Unsuur shook his head. "Sandrock barely gets a dusting of snow in the winter and it's always gone the next day. I've seen sledges that haul things across sand but those were pulled by animals or people, not really ridden. Something the size of a sledge sounds kind of dangerous to let slide down a hill too."

"Well, Catori wants to build sleds - NOT big ones! - and have people go sledding down the dunes along marked courses. She mentioned something about races and times and prizes too."

"How would that work?

"A race, or sliding down a dune?"

"Both, I guess. I've never thought of sand as slick. I've definitely rolled down dunes before but not usually on purpose. At least it'd be a soft landing if someone falls off."

Dawn laughed and trailed her fingers through the sand in front of them. "Something flat and polished enough should zip down a hill pretty well. Weight might be an issue but I'm not the one building the sleds so I don't know what Catori has planned for those. I'll be building everything else - the sign-up kiosk, the banners, the boundary markers... She's planned out several courses for people to try their hand at so after I get it made I then have to go install everything. That part will probably take longer than actually building them."

Unsuur turned to sweep his gaze across the surrounding area; that was a lot of desert out there to build in. "That sounds like a lot to do."

"It is. It'll mostly be a lot to move but it's all simple to assemble once I get it out here. I'm still waiting on the final blueprints since the whole idea isn't completely finalized with City Hall yet."

"I'll help. And if I'm not around to help you can borrow Boulder to help you carry things." At his name the horse lifted his head from a patch of scrub grass, flicking his ears toward them. "-not right now buddy, sorry to interrupt your graze."

Boulder huffed and went back to nibbling on the grass. Dawn smiled over at the horse. "I'll keep that in mind but I am seriously debating getting a horse for myself. Elsie said Cooper would be willing to sell me one if I got a proper stable built. --oh! That reminds me! Did I mention that Heidi's got me officially penciled in to start on expanding my house?"

He shook his head. "You hadn't, but I was assuming now that the bridge was done that that wouldn't be too far behind. Same plans as the ones you showed me before?"

"Yep! She thinks they can get it done in three or four days since they don't need to worry about any sort of plumbing. Once they're done I'll add on a stable myself -- it won't need to be very big, just enough to hold two horses."

Unsuur looked back to her. "Two horses?"

"My horse and Boulder, just in case you have him with you when you're visiting," she answered, gently nudging him with her shoulder. "He should have a spot to rest and unwind too."

"I'm sure he'll appreciate it, and he can have more than just Truth as a friend then."

"And I can sneak him treats," she added, with a sly grin.

Unsuur smiled and leaned back so he could slide his arm around her, then he brought his other arm over so he could seize her around the waist; she squeaked in surprise as he lifted her over his thigh and settled her in front of him between his legs. "Not if I keep you right where I can see you."

That got him a light swat on the arm but she leaned back against him contentedly.

---------------------------------

"And he bought everything? That's impressive."

"Just as expected! Soon Amirah and I will have what we need -- she can fully embrace her craft and I'll have access to BOTH my hobbies again."

"What glass stuff do you plan on making first?" he asked as he sat down on his stool at the jewelry bench, reaching out to slide Dawn's out for her.

"I haven't decided yet. Normally I'd discretely scout out what's selling but it's just Arvio here, and...my personal feelings about him aside, I know his profit margins have to be razor thin with Sandrock's economy being what it is. My main source of income is basically guaranteed since builders are always needed." She came over and sat down while twisting her hair up into a messy bun.

"So competing with him wouldn't be fair," he concluded, and she nodded as she turned the little light on over the bench.

"Right. That won't stop me from making things but whatever I make will be because I felt like it, not based on any market research." With the light on she pulled out a notebook from the cabinet by the bench and flipped it open to a page with an elaborately wire-wrapped and polished amber pendant drawn out - front, sides, and the back - in dark pencil lines. "For tonight though, this--" They both flinched slightly as the little tin timer went off - it seemed much louder than usual considering how quiet the evening was otherwise. Laughing, Dawn stood back up. "Hold that thought, I need to put in the next batch of fiber."

"Still making rope?" he asked, a little amazed at the sheer amount he knew she'd already made and here she was still making more.

"Yep," she sighed, picking up the top bundle of plant fiber off a small pile and loading it into one of her machines. "Believe it or not we're using a fair amount of fencing too -- we pulled a lot of scrap wood out of Gecko Station for it but there's a limit to how much wood we can use on this project. If it doesn't take off then that's...basically a lot of wasted lumber."

"I don't think it'll be wasted," Unsuur said. "If even one person enjoys themselves then it was a good use."

Dawn came back and flopped down on her stool. "True, I guess. Anyway, like I was about to say, this is tonight's plan -- I probably won't get it done in one sitting but what do you think?"

Unsuur looked the sketch over - it seemed like it'd be about the size of the top joint of his thumb when finished. "I like it, it reminds me of a bird's nest. Where'd you find the amber?"

"In among some lapis lazuli near Gecko Station -- it was wedged in and I wouldn't have seen it if I hadn't, by pure coincidence, quarried that particular outcrop. I'm not sure if someone dropped it or purposely hid it there but I guess it's mine now."

"I'd just call it a lucky find then and not wonder about it too much."

She grinned over at him and moved the notebook to a clipboard hanging from a hook attached to the wall in front of them. "Very lucky. Would you like any of the lapis lazuli? I only meant to take a small amount but it cracked and broke apart more than I was expecting."

"Sure. It'll look great next to my painite."

"Wha- you have painite?"

"Yes. It's not very big though."

"That's still really rare!"

"Do you want to see it sometime?"

"Yes!"

----------------------------------------

"It's all about focus and balance." ...both of which were hard to concentrate on since Dawn was sitting across from him watching as he delicately settled a fifth rock on top of a new stack. "Along with a steady hand and quiet mind."

"I'd like to think I have both...usually, depending on how my day is going," Dawn laughed softly. "Some days you don't need 'steady' or 'quiet,' you need 'sledgehammer.'"

Unsuur very slowly backed his hands away from the rock and held his breath for a moment; it stayed balanced - not even a wobble - and he exhaled silently through his nose. "Luckily you don't need a sledgehammer, or a pickhammer, or even a regular hammer to make a rock stack. Just your own hands and imagination. And rocks, but that goes without saying."

Dawn laughed again. "And good company?"

"...yeah, the company is definitely making this way better than usual," he answered after a moment. "Do you want to try?"

"I..." she started, drawing the vowel out as she pulled her pocket watch out of the top pocket of her overalls. "-dang it. I would love to but I have to meet Mi-an over at the old outpost in twenty minutes."

Wow. They'd come out here two hours early for a walk and some rock stacking...had it already been that long? "That's ok. We can come back to this another day. Will you two need any extra hands?"

"We're just doing final measurements and putting out some color-coded temporary posts to mark where the courses are definitely going. Need to make sure our numbers are right and there's no unexpected obstacles that've been unearthed since we were last out here," Dawn replied, standing up and brushing her knees off. "Tomorrow is when we'll be hauling everything out for the final set up. You can help then if you'd like."

"Count me and Boulder in."

"Does Boulder know how to pull a wagon?"

"...I'm not actually sure. I bought him from the ranch a few years ago so I'm not sure what Elsie or Cooper might have taught him aside from getting him used to a saddle and rider. He can carry things and people on his back though."

"We'll figure it out. I'll see you tomorrow." She stepped over and, once he was back on his feet, hugged him tightly, then tilted her head up toward him.

Unsuur bent slightly and kissed her, then before she could pull away kissed her a second time for good measure, absolutely adoring how it felt to feel her giggling against his lips. Little surprises like that never failed to make her laugh. "Bright and early?"

"Unfortunately," she said, tone flat, but then she smiled and headed off across the dunes.

------------------------------

"I...am done...building...in the middle...of a desert," Dawn wheezed as she threw herself down in the sand, flat on her back with her arms and legs spread.

Unsuur understood the sentiment well; they - meaning her, Mi-an, Unsuur, Elsie, and, surprisingly, Catori as well - had all met up at sunrise, packed all the sandrunning pieces into a wagon that Belle was pulling (Boulder toted all the water along with a satchel of snacks to keep them going) and headed out into the Eufala to install everything. Unsuur and Elsie had been mostly muscle, Catori had been 'supervising' and Mi-an and Dawn made sure everything fit together and was secured, and though he felt like he'd not done much actual work (...to be honest, he didn't really consider what Catori did to be 'work' either compared to everything everyone else was doing) his hands, arms, and feet were aching, he was hot and grimy, and a little hungry as well.

Mi-an dropped down on Dawn's left, fanning herself with the folded remains of a blueprint. "No kidding! Whew! After all this...wanna dunk my head...in a bucket of water," she panted.

Unsuur moved over to sit next to Dawn on her other side. "Don't let Burgess catch you."

"I was joking! ...mostly," Mi-an said with an exhausted smile, moving to lay down in the sand as well. "I wouldn't waste water like that - no dunking unless it's in my bathtub!"

Catori ambled up to them, writing rapidly on a clipboard in her hands. "Oooh, I can't wait to let Matilda know we're ready for business! Opening day is going to be big! BIG big! I'm advertising in every city, town, and village in the Free Cities! If it's got people, I'm sending it flyers!"

...that sounded like a lot of people. Could Sandrock even host however many 'a lot of people' ended up being? Hopefully Matilda had a plan of some kind. "When did you plan to open?"

"Soon," Catori chuckled. "I'm aiming for one week, maybe sooner if the flyers get made and mailed out quicker."

Unsuur glanced down to Dawn, noticing how sand was beginning to cake itself to her arms thanks to the sweat. "So a week before you get to see people enjoying what you've built. -- and you too, Mi-an. Those sleds look fun."

"Heeeeeeey!"

They all looked up at Elsie's yell - she was about twenty feet away with Belle and the wagon, waving at them, and didn't seem to be in danger or anything, just needing their attention; Unsuur relaxed a little, leaning back on his hands behind him and stretching his sore legs out.

"If y'all want a ride back then c'mon!"

"Guess that's our cue. Let's get home," Catori said, tucking the clipboard under an arm.

Mi-an sat up with a groan then stood and offered Dawn a hand up. "Coming?"

Dawn shook her head. "I'll walk. I need...to rest a bit before I try moving."

Mi-an giggled some and looked to Unsuur; he shook his head. "I'll stay with her. We can ride back on Boulder."

Dawn offered up an exhausted wave as the other two headed off; Unsuur got up and headed over to Boulder to retrieve a canteen of water and bring it back over to her, sitting down again with a quiet grunt he couldn't quite suppress. "Thirsty?"

She shook her head; Unsuur took a few large gulps and braced the open canteen between his knees, leaning back on his hands again. They were sitting in direct sunlight but there was a decently strong breeze blowing up from the canyon and over the dunes so the heat wasn't outright terrible but he was looking forward to heading home and sitting in front of a fan for awhile. Along with the aches from all the physical work he had a heat headache forming behind his eyes and starting to pound in his temples.

"I don't really like how worried she was."

"...huh?" Unsuur said, turning to look down at Dawn. "How who was worried?"

"Catori. She might have been acting excited but I think when she thought no one was looking at her she didn't seem all that confident."

"She's been trying to find a big success for awhile now. Sandrunning seems pretty fun though -- if you aren't afraid of crashing into those big rock formations. I'm surprised she didn't try to avoid those more. No matter how politely you ask, a rock isn't going to get up and move out of your way."

Dawn laughed quietly and rolled over to lay on her stomach, letting a handful of sand trickle through her fingers. "I'M just hoping no ruins or scrap or anything dangerous like that gets uncovered by a storm or something between now and opening day."

"Oh, yeah. That would be bad. We can check for that sort of thing before the big day though."

"Mmhmm," she hummed, nodding. "Do you need to head back soon?"

"Not really. I told Justice I wanted to help set things up and he agreed, mostly because he wanted me here to protect you all from any monsters or bandits. I might need to write up an official report stating everything went ok and we weren't attacked but he gave me the entire day to help."

"I have some time to kill before heading home -- they're putting the roof on the addition today and I don't want to be in their way."

"Are they almost done?"

"Just about. There's the roof and the flooring inside to finish up."

Unsuur reached over to rub a hand across her shoulders, which switched to brushing sand off her back. "Considering they kept pushing their start date back I bet you'll be glad to have them out of your space."

She groaned. "You have no idea. If I'd known sooner that they were having supply issues I would have gone out and gathered all the materials myself so I wouldn't be trying to do all THAT-" she gestured toward the sandrunning kiosk and courses beyond "-with people underfoot all day." After a pause she planted her hands on the ground and shoved up, pushing herself to her knees. "I think I've recovered enough to head back. Want to get a drink at the saloon?"

...he sort of did, but that headache... "...I want to, but I think I got a little too hot today and need some time to cool off first. I've got a headache starting but some rest and maybe a few painkillers ought to keep it from getting worse."

Dawn blinked at him then took him by the arm. "Let's definitely get you home then. I can get Boulder settled in the stable for you."

"Thanks but that's all right - I can manage that before I rest."

It was a short walk over to Boulder; Dawn did finish off the water in the canteen and Unsuur helped her fully brush off before hopping up behind her in the saddle. After a quiet ride back to town Dawn helped him get Boulder unsaddled and rubbed down; as they were working Amirah spotted them and hurried over and had a quick conversation with Dawn - too quiet for Unsuur to overhear so he didn't have to feel weird about eavesdropping - before heading off, then he frowned as he realized whatever they'd discussed had left Dawn frowning too.

"What's wrong?"

She let out a loud huff then put on what he could only describe as a brave face. "Nothing, it's... It's nothing. Don't worry about it."

He usually hung Boulder's saddle from a large wooden peg in the wall and missed it twice since he was looking over at her and not at what he was doing (or trying to do). "-are you sure?"

"Not yet," she answered quietly. "...I'll tell you about it later if-- if it turns out to be nothing, I'll tell you."

"...that sounds like if it DOES turn out to be something then you won't."

The smile she gave him was strained. "I won't keep it from you but it might take me awhile to calm down enough to talk about it. -- anyway, you should head home before your headache gets any worse. I'm sorry that helping me made you sick."

He came out of stable and pulled her into a hug. "It wasn't just because I was helping you -- every so often I get overheated and don't feel good for awhile. Rest always helps so you don't need to worry about me."

She momentarily knotted her fingers into the loose fabric of his jacket at the small of his back, crushing herself in against him, then inhaled deeply and stepped back. "Have a good nap. I'll drop by later to check in on you."

"Ok. We can go get that drink then."

Her parting smile was a bit more genuine but he still felt a twinge of concern as she walked away; what had Amirah said to her? Hopefully it wasn't bad news about their arrangement with the Mysterious Man...Dawn had been so excited at the prospect of blowing glass again. The thought of her being disappointed made him a little sad but there wasn't anything to gain by theorizing on whatever news Amirah had shared - she'd share when she was ready.

He ended up sleeping longer than he'd meant to but he felt much better afterward - no headache, normal body temperature, still hungry but that was to be expected since he'd technically napped through his lunch and while he'd eaten breakfast all he'd had since then was a few pieces of jerky. There were still some aches and pains, and a few new blisters on his hands from all the work, but overall he felt good -- time to go get that drink with Dawn, if it wasn't too late. It was at least nice out now that the sun had set and the walk over to the workshop was a short but pleasant one, but the pleasantness was dashed when a red-eyed Dawn opened the door and immediately stepped back to half hide herself behind it.

"H-hey. Um, feeling better?"

"I'm fine. What's wrong?"

There was a loud sniffle; she didn't look sad, more...angry, and was trying and failing to hide it. "It's-"

"-clearly not nothing. I can tell that much. Is Amirah backing out of your deal?"

She let out a sharp exhale and pulled the door open fully, gesturing for him to come inside and sniffling again. "No, it's not her - she actually warned me that-- stupid Arvio-"

Unsuur frowned; anything to do with Arvio was proving to be bad news. He wanted to ask - really badly - what he'd done, but considering their earlier conversation it was probably better to let her decide when she wanted to talk about it, whether that was right now or later.

The smell of fresh varnish and tar washed over him as he stepped through the doorway and she closed the door behind him. Off to his left was the new addition to the house; there was a curtain hung across the doorway that covered the top half of the opening and revealed bare floor studs beyond it. There was also a broom and dust pan leaning against the wall beside it with a small pile of sawdust pushed up against the baseboard -- the construction work crew hadn't been in the yard so he assumed they had finished for the day and would complete the flooring tomorrow (and, hopefully, wouldn't have left until the roof was done).

"Sorry but I don't really feel like getting a drink now," Dawn went on after a moment. "I'm just...ugh, I'm so -- I shouldn't have believed him!" She punctuated that with a little stomp of her foot, before plodding over to drop onto her couch. "He's no different from any other ass that just wants a pretty girl on their arm..."

"Wait, so did he... He knows you and I are a couple, doesn't he? I thought the entire town knew at this point." Unsuur went and sat next to her, fighting against the annoyance rising in him -- surely, surely, Arvio hadn't tried to ask Dawn to be his girlfriend knowing that she was Unsuur's?

"Oh he knows. That's why he was trying to- and why Amirah warned-" she cut herself off and grabbed one of the throw pillows from beside her and pressed it against her face, growling loudly into it before continuing. "He had some grand plan of inviting me to a fancy party under the pretense that there'd be a small group. In reality, I would be the only one there so he could convince me to give him a chance."

Her voice was muffled thanks to the pillow but Unsuur could hear her clearly enough that the annoyance bloomed into anger; not only had Arvio lied to him, to try and hinder his shot with Dawn, but now he'd lied to her too and was openly trying to steal her away? The man had always struck him as young and lacking life experience (not that Unsuur was much older or more experienced) but...he wouldn't have thought the shopkeeper capable of such actions.

"I...don't know what to say or do about that," he said (once he was certain he had his tone under control). "Lying and trying to steal someone's girlfriend isn't technically illegal so all I can do is be mad at him."

Her hands visibly clenched the pillow harder and a breath later there was another frustrated growl, or maybe it was a quiet scream - it was hard to tell. "Little rat." Slowly she slumped over onto her side, her legs gently bumping into his as she shifted. "Uggh...and I can't even choose to just avoid him! He owns the only general store in town!"

"Yeah." Again, no idea what to say, especially now that he was angry too; a cramp in his thumb drew his attention to his hands - they were clenched in his lap and he hadn't noticed he'd done that. He flattened his palms against his thighs and closed his eyes, slowly inhaling and picturing a few of his favorite rock stacks, mentally going through their creation step by step and feeling his anger gradually fading away to a deep disappointment.

When he was certain he was calm he stood long enough to put one knee up on the couch to support himself so he could lean over Dawn and gently pry her fingers off the pillow and move it away. There were twin damp spots on the side that had been pressed to her face and her eyes and cheeks were wet. With the pad of his thumb he swiped away a few tears and smiled down at her, getting a weak one in return, and he bent to gently kiss her.

When he went to straighten she grabbed him by the collar of his jacket, keeping their faces close; vaguely he was aware of her shifting under him, turning and bringing her legs up on the couch and scooting a bit so she was laying on her back under him, then she was pressing in with hungry kisses - way more passionately than they'd ever kissed before. It kind of knocked every conscious thought out of him, leaving him acting on instinct alone and his instincts seemed to know exactly what was needed for the situation; he slid his knee back so he wasn't so hunched over and switched to using a hand to hold himself upright as they kissed. One of her hands left his collar and moved, coming to rest firmly on his shoulder and drawing him down further a couple more inches so he shifted to brace himself with an elbow instead, to allow himself to be pulled down but not leave his full weight on her smaller frame.

When they finally came apart Unsuur sucked in much needed air; their noses were just grazing one another, her breath hot in his face, and he could feel as well as hear the little whisper:

"Stay?"

Stay? Stay. Here. Tonight. That thought managed to make it through and it was exciting, and scary, but mostly exciting (which was embarrassingly obvious by now - his pants felt three sizes too small at the moment). Wordlessly he brought his other knee up on the couch so he was straddling her thighs and slid his free hand under her at the small of her back, and nodded.

They didn't spend much more time on the couch; the walk to the bed was more of a stumble full of roaming fingers and tossed clothing. Neither of them had actually planned for this happening tonight so they had to stop just short of full intimacy but builders had very talented hands and Unsuur was very good at following directions. After tonight he would need to start carrying around protection--

...which he would need to buy from... Oh, damn it.

Well, whatever. Let Arvio really see just how out of reach Dawn was to him, and maybe he'd stop pursuing her and making her upset.

(Or maybe Fang would have condoms - that seemed like the less petty option).

Though Dawn's bed wasn't any bigger than his they still fit comfortably together, like they'd been made for one another; he did wake up once and was confused about where he was for a moment, then remembered and smiled and buried his face into Dawn's hair and fell back asleep. The next morning they woke still curled up together - it didn't seem like either of them had moved - and had a slightly embarrassing scavenger hunt to find where they'd tossed all their clothing.

He ducked into her bathroom long enough to wash his face and run his fingers through his hair - it would at least look passable until he could get home to comb it properly come lunch time. Dawn was over near the stove with the kettle on a burner when he came back out and she offered him a shy smile as she grabbed the tin of coffee grounds out of a nearby cabinet.

"Want breakfast before you go? Coffee?"

Unsuur glanced at the clock on the wall near the bookshelf -- 9:15. "Actually, I should get going before Justice comes looking for me."

"Early start today?"

He silently pointed at the clock; she looked over and he saw her eyes widen. "Ahh! I didn't set my alarm last night -- forget Justice, it's Yan who'll come banging on the door!" She hurriedly put the coffee grounds away and emptied the kettle back into the pitcher of water in the fridge, then began frantically pulling her hair up while jogging for the door. Chuckling quietly to himself - he was in a really great mood that not even the prospect of Yan could ruin - he followed her out and kissed her at the gate before she went rushing off toward the Commerce building.

Unsuur jogged that way as well but continued on to the Civil Corps building where he found Justice inside at his desk filling out a form.

"Sorry for being late, sheriff -- anything different today?"

"There you are, I was starting to wo-" Justice looked up as he started talking, took in Unsuur's appearance, then snorted and shook his head. "-never mind, not worried now and I don't need details. And, nah, just...get to your usual patrol. Try not to be too distracted today either, all right? We're expecting an uptick in tourists with that sandrunning thing planned and I'm hoping we don't have any trouble with them."

"Yes sir."

He turned to head back out the door then paused as a thought occurred to him - one that he felt bad for not having thought of it last night. "Hey, Justice. Exactly where does behavior cross over into harassment and how are we allowed to handle it?"

Justice stopped writing mid-word and looked up, looking equal parts confused and suspicious. "Uh, well, it's -- why? Who's harassing who?" He paused, then frowned. "Is someone harassing Dawn?"

"I'm not sure if it fully counts as harassment yet. Which is why I'm asking where the line is."

"Well, the definition of harassment is any behavior that threatens, intimidates, or demeans, or just plain isn't invited, welcome, or causes alarm without a legitimate reason. --not that there's many reasons to legitimately harass someone in the first place. What's going on?"

Unsuur hesitated - he didn't want to come across as 'the jealous boyfriend' so he needed to word this plainly and directly. "In that case it is, and it's...Arvio. He's bothering Dawn, the forced romance type of bothering, even though he knows we're a couple."

Shaking his head Justice stood, tossing his pen onto the desk. "Not again... I'll go have a friendly chat with him-"

"-wait, again?" Unsuur interrupted. "He's done this before?"

"Yeah, to a few girls that have since left Sandrock. Pretty sure one of them left because of him but also her shop wasn't doing so hot at the time either...last I heard she's got a successful little boutique out in Walnut Groo-- uh..." he stopped and took a breath. "So, uh, anyway, you head on out to patrol and I'll take care of it."

"Thanks, sheriff. I'll see you later."

With Justice following behind Unsuur went back out into the heat, walking together until they reached the stairs where Unsuur broke off to go up toward the temple and the sheriff continued on toward Arvio's.

So Arvio had done this sort of thing before, huh... It must have happened before Unsuur had arrived in Sandrock, or something. He couldn't think of anyone who had left in recent years that had ever mentioned being bothered by the shopkeeper. And, it was a good thing Justice was handling it; he hadn't wanted to seem like a jealous boyfriend in front of the sheriff but...he also didn't want to come across as a vengeful or possessive one either, and Arvio would probably listen if it was Justice giving the talking to instead of him. It was still going to make things very awkward between them all but if the guy couldn't learn when to stop then he sort of had it coming.

...oh, yeah, he needed to stop by Fang's today. He should really remember that.

---------------------------------

"And then tuck that end - no, the silver end - into that last loop you made."

Dawn was sitting behind him and casually draped over his shoulders, occasionally taking his hands in hers to show him how to thread or loop wire, and her voice was low and gentle and right at his ear as the wire heart knot - a smaller one, so she could wear it around her neck - steadily took shape in his hands. He'd chosen primarily copper with some silver threaded through, with a waxed leather cord; this was his third night working on it and Dawn assured him he'd get it done tonight (maybe...he was starting to get sidetracked) and that any lopsidedness he kept insisting was there was all in his head -- she was the builder, and this was a tinier version of what she'd made for him, so...he was going to trust her on that.

He stuck the silver wire through the last loop he'd made, grasped it with the padded pliers to pull it tight, then gently slipped it through to the backside of the heart. "All right... Now what?"

She pressed a kiss to his temple. "Now you're done. Twist the end with that extra copper tail and then pull it up toward the top where you're going to curl it into a loop, and then you'll attach one of the spare jump rings I brought and that's that."

His hands still felt hopelessly clumsy with the wire (it looked more fragile than it actually was) but with the needle nose pliers he managed an even twist and a narrowed loop at the top. Dawn took the heart and pliers from him, tightened the loop just a bit to keep the pointy ends secured, then stuck the ring in place and threaded it onto the cord; she shifted around to sit on the bed next to him and held it up around her neck.

"How's it look?"

"Better than I thought it would. You're a good teacher."

Laughing she clicked the clasp into place and craned her neck to look down at it. "Now this I can and will wear without worrying about damaging or losing it somewhere."

He had a sudden, and very vivid, mental image of her wearing the knot and nothing else, and felt himself flush from his hairline to his shoulders - if that was even possible. Without a mirror he couldn't tell for sure but knew he'd gotten real hot rather quickly.

"Uh, um, yep. It looks nice on your shelf. The stone heart, I mean. Because it's sitting on your shelf still, safe and sound," he said, standing up and taking his jacket off. "Sorry, it's hot in here. Want me to turn on a fan?"

Dawn giggled and leaned back on her elbows, fluttering her eyelashes at him. "I'M fine."

He tossed his jacket over a chair at his table and came back to sit next to her. "Whew, better... Tomorrow's the final check for the sandrunning courses, right?"

She nodded. "So far as I know - Catori wants to head out there around 10."

"Ok. Justice said he wanted to tag along for this one so I'll let him know in the morning."

"All right. And, so we don't accidentally oversleep again, I should probably get going."

Sad, but true. Unsuur helped her pack up the wire and the few tools she'd brought over, made sure there weren't any tiny slivers of wire left in the bed or on the floor, then walked her to the door and kissed her goodnight. He stood out on his front stoop until he saw her walk into her own house then went back inside and sat down on his bed, closing his eyes and inhaling deeply, directing his words over toward the wall to his left. "-no offense Wilson but whenever she spends the night here I'll have to cover your eyes, or I can put you in the wardrobe if you'd be more comfortable in there. ...yeah, I'll think on it some more, you live here too but we also don't need an audience for, um. That."

After some time to cool down he finished doing the dishes and got into bed, letting his mind wander (but not TOO far - he didn't need to cool off again) and morning seemed to come too quickly. He made and ate breakfast and was in the bathroom when his entire house shook with a massive blast accompanied by the sound of a shattering window and a lot of water rushing...somewhere.

He hurried out of his bathroom and looked around; one of his front windows was broken and there were smoking, twisted metal pieces sitting on the floor just beneath the sill, with an acrid smell starting to fill the room as shouts and screams came from outside.

Barreling through his front door he came out to a scene of chaos: the water tower was a smoking and busted wreck, the water inside it had flooded this end of main street, and Justice and Pen were shouting back and forth at each other as they-

-chased Logan. Logan was here in town!

Or, he WOULD be in town for another twenty seconds, maybe. Astride his goat he was already galloping away, with Pen chasing him on foot and Justice trying and failing to saddle Truth, settling for just reins and riding bareback as he took up the chase too. Unsuur knew he wouldn't have time to even get Boulder out of the stable so he took off on foot as well, sprinting down the street -- he didn't think for an instant that he could catch up to Logan but maybe he could keep him in sight long enough that they could finally track him to his hideout.

The tracks had just come into view when the warning whistle for the train blared -- Unsuur couldn't be certain whether the train driver either didn't see Logan coming or actually intended to hit him with the train but as Logan neared the tracks the train was beginning to pull away from the station; ahead of him he heard Justice yelling for Logan to stop, for Truth to go faster - just yelling in general - as he pulled ahead of Pen who still stayed close behind him, and they all got to watch as Logan raced across the tracks and the train separated them.

Unsuur's heart dropped right through the soles of his boots when, as the train got out of the way, he saw Logan had slowed and was approaching Dawn, who was standing rigidly at the corner of her yard - still IN her yard, thankfully, so there was a fence between them even if it wouldn't do much to stop Logan from--

From...

He didn't want to think about it; instead he pushed himself into the hardest sprint he could manage. Even though it was just a handful of seconds it felt like forever, and he was immensely relieved when Logan finally turned his goat away and thundered off down the tracks away from Dawn (and them, but at this precise, specific moment in time, Dawn was all he cared about).

Justice and Pen kept going, chasing and hollering at Logan; Unsuur skidded to a halt and partially plowed into the fence, knocking the top slat loose on accident.

"Are...you...all right?" he panted. It felt like he was inhaling fire with every breath.

"Y-yes, I-- what happened?! That was Logan, and--"

"I'll be back," he interrupted, turning to rush off after the others.

Dawn was ok. He could safely leave her here in town and do his best to finally bring Logan in. Keeping Logan in view was now not possible for him or Pen, slow as they were on foot, so hopefully Justice could keep up and keep eyes on him but all Unsuur could do for now was run.

[cross-armageddon]

guess who

back with the pjo x prsk

i only managed to figure out An and Haruka + beginnings of Tsukasa and Ena, so uhhh

STALLING TIME, NO VBS TODAY

Prima Vista (1/2)

I was thinking which ones I should start with to be fair. I have powers for all of Prima, but I didn't knoe whether to split them for camps, or do mixed pairs or whether to start with Hayato/Kaii or Ranmaru/Ikuo, but I decided for Hayato and Kaii in the end, since you've seen them before in the pjo au posts

Hayato

He was the last one to be admitted to the camp, out of everyone (including the normal characters), but he's known there was "something wrong" with him already. Only after learning about demigods, he realized all those things he's seen over the years are simply because of his godparent, which was obvious to him that it was Apollo. He has no control over his powers and that gives him trouble most of the time.

His side power is that art thing - what's that mean is basically that he can pick up any art form and have it easy. Of course he won't be perfect in anything, unless he practices, but he will have an easier time learning. If you had read the Prima stories earlier, you know that Hayato knows how to play multiple instruments, violin being his most beloved.

His main power is connected to his dreams and that is the ability to see into the future in dreams. Now, it's actually kind of natural for demigods to sometimes have visions inside dreams, but the issue with Hayato is that he sees them every night and they show how the next day will play out. It won't show anything directly, instead it will look like a scene from an anime or a game (personally imagining it like Genshin gameplay and cutscenes). Nothing is fully clear in those dreams - he can't see how he looks like, because a mirror never appears. The people inside the dream only share some features with the real people in his life. The actions are very vivid and at times blurry or simply too fast. It's never clear, so Hayato has to decipher what could possibly happen, but since fate is unpredictable, his judgments end up being partially or completely wrong.

He avoids everything to do with the future-seeing powers - tries not to get claimed by Apollo, wants to escape the fate that he sees and at times he tries going days without sleeping (which actually ends up being worse, because then he sees prophetic hallucinations instead of dreams. He will still not sleep.)

(i swear he is so fun to draw, his hair is so fucking satisfying to draw, so simple yet fun)

Oh yeah. He has never told anyone he knows his godparent. Toya is blissfully unaware that suddenly his new classmate is also his half-brother.

Hayato also hid himself away from the camp when he saw a claim sign in his dream, fearing it would be him. It was Kaii's Neptunus claim and Kaii was pretty bummed out that Hayato was nowhere to be seen at that time. Once Hayato heard though, he was very relieved (that it wasn't him) and tried to make it up to him.

Speaking of Kaii

I don't know which Poseidon/Neptunus quirks I vould give him to not make him too OP. As one of the big three, he probably should have something more, but on the other hand - manipulating the water tension is already OP in itself. It all actually comes down to how he uses it and how creative he gets to be with the ideas. At first he finds this unnecessary, since he wasn't able to control it freely, but once he actually started training, he started thinking differently. Here are a few ideas I have for how he could be using his powers:

The most useful one is definitely the ones relating to mobility. He definitely had a LOT of troubles trying to walk on water, because it was as slippery as ice, due to the surface not having traction. In the end he came up with the idea to slide/skate on it like ice and yep, that sure fixed it.

The "walking on rain" idea came from Jojo's Bizarre Adventure, specifically Steel Ball Run. The Stand Catch The Rainbow had the stand user standing on raindrops. I am pretty confident that with some natural water bending and Kaii's tension manipulation, he could freely run on raindrops, but it would most likely be difficult and require TONS of training.

If we're talking about other inspirations for the powers, I like to think that water not breaking tension on him is so funny... He's like a duck if he wants to stay dry... 🦆

As for the not letting enemies outside of the depths, it was inspired by that one twitter comment being like "What if the water just doesn't let you out one day"

I mean, fuck, what IF it doesn't let you out

It would definitely be brutal coming from Kaii, since he can just not let the water break tension around him like if he was in a bubble, but... Well, he is capable of drowning something in self defense. He's pretty desensitized to most physical things and if it's against a monster, he would do it no questions asked. If it was against another (enemy) demigod and he'd let them stay down there for a bit too long... Yeah, he'd have to process this with himself. You can expect him using the water trap very sparringly, last resort even.

If you have any MORE ideas for how he can use these powers... You can share ofc 👀

(bringing this gem back)

Also, one more relating to Ichika and Kaii - in the Prima canon I did make them cousins. Kaii's mom is one of Ichika's parents older sister. I have no clue which one, so... If someone claims a godparent for her, they would still work out as cousins.

I guess even if they ended up not being related in the end, their relationship would still stay as cousins, just... different blood.

As an additional fun fact, in my Prima add-in, Ichika and Kaii entered the camp together. Both of them found it a bit crazy that the other cousin also had the same issues with dyslexia and the "demigod specific" type of neurodivergency and it was incredibly awkward. They have each other's backs tho.

As a bonus: The Big Three of each camp

Getting sneak peaks for others early woa woa woa

although the Nene/Saki designs might change according to their powers when I do in fact figure them out

you cant tell me Tsukasa wouldnt wear the wreath all the time btw, he got it fair and square and he WILL wear it ‼️‼️

[thatoneguy031]

Okay, some things happened this morning that I'd rather not get into, but everything's alright now, so let's ffffriggin' go!

First things first:

A guide to my favorite Tetris openers, by Guy

Okay, so a thing about Tetris that people will have to understand first.

The Super Rotation System: It's basically the new way that Tetris functions, regarding how piece rotation works.

In all honesty, I have no real way to explain it other than the fact that it's the only reason why T-spins exist. There's a site I know that goes further into it, but these are some of the core concepts:

This is how pieces rotate in modern Tetris(Basically Worlds and after). It probably looks complicated, but here's the basic gist of it:

If there's a wall next to the piece you're rotating, it'll push itself away from the wall on the next rotation, causing a "kick". You'll see it if you rotate the T piece clockwise next to the rightmost wall and then rotate it counterclockwise. By the way, peep how the T piece in particular rotates. It's essential, I assure you.

(The O piece is the exception, since it's basically stationary in its rotations.)

Here's another few paragraphs from the site that explains how that stuff works.

With that sorta settled, I can show you guys how T-spins work... Kind of. It's not hard, really, but it's something that I don't understand perfectly yet.

Okay, so T-spins are really easy to do, at least the simple ones. If you're fast enough, you can even do one in the '89 Tetris for NES and all that(You can only do T-spin Doubles, and they don't give you a point bonus).

First, there's the Mini T-spin. It sounds hard, but you only really need one piece to do it if you have a wall.

You see that hole that the S piece makes? Try to get the T piece to slide into it while it's facing left, and rotate it clockwise once. Simple, right? Fill the space in on the left of the S piece, and it would be a Mini T-spin Single.

(These techniques are universal, and can be flipped on either side of the board. Just make sure to use the opposite pieces for it, for this and the other strategies to come.)

It doesn't do damage unless you have the Back-to-Back bonus, but it's great for setting up Back-to-Backs, since it's technically still a T-spin. On occasion, it can even fix a simple misdrop.

Just make sure the wall is two blocks high, or the T piece'll just rotate itself in place. The wall is there to set up the kick the T piece makes, forcing it to slide into the slot. And... Don't rotate too early. It's painful to witness.

Next, the T-spin Double, the one everyone's used to.

There's a million and five ways to set this one up, but this is the most consistent way if you're just starting a match or just got a PC:

This one's a little different in execution, but the same concept applies. Make sure that the T piece is facing right when it's in the hole, and rotate it clockwise once. Just like that, bam, you understand like 50% of competitive modern Tetris. If you want to make it a Double, make sure that two lines on the left are filled.

Now, here's where things get a little complicated.

The T-spin Triple. It's also not too hard, but you have to practice how to spot them in a wild match, and you'll need to learn heavy risk-and-reward stuff, 'cause it can really mess up your board if you were already stacking for a Tetris or something.

Again, you can do it virtually anywhere, but this is a start-of-game setup if you just want big damage.

I screwed up a little, but the I piece can be one space away from the T and J contraption. It doesn't have to be an I piece. It could be a L piece, for instance. It could be an O with an upside-down J on it.

But, whatever you do, make sure that there's an overhang on the wall right of the T and J pieces, like this:

What pieces you use for the right side of the board aren't specific, but just make sure that the bottom three lines are filled completely.

With those concepts sorta settled, and the wiki on your side, let's talk about my setups.

Fun fact, you've actually seen two of them already: The T-spin Triple, and what's called the TKI(I think).

There's also this one that's called the STSD, or the Super T-spin Double. It's called that, because of the way it's formatted. It's made with the intent to get to consecutive T-spin Doubles, the second one being stronger thanks to the Back-to-Back bonus.

First, do the same rotation that you'd do for the T-spin Triple. It gets the same wall kick I mentioned earlier, so it'd still count. Don't worry about what happens after, it's supposed to only clear two lines this time.

By the time you're done with that, the board should look something like this:

From there, do the same thing you'd do for a normal T-spin Double; Spin the T until the flat part is facing upward. Once again, how you fill in the board on the right doesn't matter.

The STSD can also be extended for more T-spin potential, but I'm gonna pretend that I know how to do that.

Okay, now here's time for my go-to strategy:

The PC, or Perfect Clear.

A bit of a disclaimer first: It's not very consistent, having only around a 70% success rate. But, the payoff is so worth it: If you get it to work, you'll send a whopping 10 lines of damage to your opponent, or half the friggin' board.

To understand how this works, you need a bit of a grasp on the 7-bag randomizer that modern games use.

Piece generation isn't totally random. Instead, the game guarantees that you'll get one of every piece every seven pieces. Basically, if you've gotten an I piece, you'll get another one within the next six pieces, guaranteed.

Anyways, the PC requires an understanding of the 7-bag to work properly. I'm gonna show you how to use the Center PC setup.

First the J, L, O and I pieces have to be set up so that they make a square. Also make sure that the square is on a far edge of the board.

Next, place the T piece on the opposite wall of the square you've made, making sure that the flat side is on the wall.

Assuming that the T is on the right side of the board, place the S piece flat on top of the T, and slide the Z piece under the T.

By the end, it should look like this:

Now, here's the fun part!

You can technically fill the middle section however you want, too many to list off. It's like a puzzle in that sense: There's multiple ways to get a Perfect Clear, but it's all dependent on what pieces you get. Again, it's not a guaranteed strategy, but I'm confident that you guys can turn a failed PC into a T-spin of some kind. I believe in y'all!

And, with that, those are the main openers that I use when I'm playing Tetris with someone else. I'll probably make a part 2, covering more complicated things like the DT Cannon and Imperial Cross. And...

...

Maybe I'll teach you the forbidden Jutsu that is the 4-wide. But, you have to promise to keep it a secret, alright?