#I can’t stop drawing snakes in that one specific pose

[drawingdragonfly]

Hey, just letting you know, October 21st is Reptile Awareness day. I am aware that you love reptiles and have a pet chameleon, so I thought I'd give you advance warning so you can celebrate. Also:

snek.

THERES A REPTILE HOLIDAY?!? AND NOBODY TOLD ME?!????! this is absolutely outrageous. Reptile day needs to be recognized by the world.

Also this beautiful Snek has awakened some deep instinct in me

I must draw

May eternal glory be to the scaly boys!!!!!!! ✊✊✊

[guqin-and-flute]

[You know how there’s a set of fics I promised to work on first? Apparently that was a lie! 😘 This is just epilogue, Post-Reconciliation fluff with teenage Jingyi--he’s probably 15-16 CW: Moderate descriptions of dead bodies and injuries in reference to a game they’re playing]

[3zun Raise Jingyi AU] [Main Fic][Ao3 Link]

“Are you you cold?”

“Oh yeah, very.”

“Are you animated?”

“No.”

“Do I know you?”

“Nope.”

“Hmm.”  Yellow-Father flipped the page of the book he was examining, eyes still on his work. “Are there obvious wounds?”

“Yup, my organs are all chewed up, throat torn out, and...let’s say my nose is gone.” Jingyi thumped his chin into his hands, sticking his legs straight out under the low table in the middle of Yellow-Father’s office, idly waggling his feet. 

Next to him at the table, Gray-Father looked like he was falling asleep, his cheek all smushed against his propped up fist, eyes mostly closed, but he still grunted, “Shape of the teeth marks?”

Jingyi squinted into space and wrinkled his nose, considering. “Oblong?”

Yellow-Father twitched a half smirk without looking up from what he was signing. “Oblong teeth?”

“No, oblong...jaw shape or whatever,” Jingyi waved his hand dismissively, wiping away his previous words before drawing a long, thin U-shape in the air with his index finger. 

Gray-Father cracked one eye open to take in the sketch, then closed it again. “Not a fierce corpse, then.”

With an air of exaggerated mystery, Jingyi shrugged, then sprawled backward on the floor so he took up the rest of the walkway in front of the door. “Whoooo’s to say? Is that your guess?”

“Boy, I said it wasn’t a fierce corpse, why would that be my guess?”

“Well, you’re trying to fish for unauthorized information, Chifeng-zun, you gotta play by the rules,” Jingyi shot back sternly, jabbing a serious and admonishing finger in his direction.

Though his eyes were closed, it was very clear that Gray-Father rolled them.

Yellow-Father heaved a sigh and drummed his fingers idly on his desk, gaze roving over the piles of paper as he sucked on his teeth in thought--though, Jingyi had to admit, probably not just about their game. Yellow-Father seemed to operate on several levels at once at all times. “Are there deep puncture marks?” 

“Uhhh...sort of?”

Finally, Yellow-Father looked up to shoot him an amused glance over his desk edge.  “’Sort of?’ That’s hardly fair or specific.” Rising, he gathered a stack of scrolls and came around his desk, stepping easily over Jingyi’s supine form before rapping smartly on the door with his knuckles. 

“Like...teeth marks are technically puncture marks.”

After a moment, the door slid open and a harried looking Jin courier took the pile without a word and disappeared down the hall. Yellow-Father closed the door and turned back. “Yes, I suppose. I’m asking specifically about fangs.”

Lolling his head over, Jingyi watched as he stepped back over him without even looking, robe hem brushing over his belly. He barely fought the sudden urge to grab his ankles as he might have when he was younger. He managed not to--but it was definitely a close thing. “It’s not a snake.”

“What?” Gray-Father demanded, sounding offended.

Jingyi lolled his head back to see his eyes open, glaring at him in mock reproach. “You’ll tell him it’s not a snake but you can’t confirm it’s not a fierce corpse without threatening to take away my guess? How is that playing by the rules?”

“Aha,” Jingyi raised his finger straight into the air again as he proclaimed, “But it is.” Then, he pointed back down at himself. “Because I make the rules.” 

Gray-Father gave a derisive huff through his nose, but smiled. “Yeah, that was cute when you were 5. Not so much anymore.”

“Um, whatever, I’m adorable. Dieeee, are you done yet? I’m bored. When is Blue-die done with his meeting? I wanna gooo.” 

“Patience, Jingyi, I need to clean up. And he’s coming.” Yellow-Father rustled about on his desk, neatly packing everything away into drawers and piles that Jingyi thought were a little excessive--like, why did it need to be that clean? “Where did we find you, again?”

With an exaggerated scoff, Jingyi shook his head slowly, feeling the hard floor beginning to dig into the knob at the back of his skull. He’d have to sit up soon. “Wooow, you find a dead body and you don’t even care enough to remember your surroundings. This must be just any other day to you.”

“In the woods, he said,” Gray-Father betrayed him easily, so Jingyi raised his head to shoot him a glare, but his eyes were closed again. Wriggling closer, he punched the side of his rock of a thigh, earning him a chuckle and Gray-Father leaning down to flip the ends of his fanned out hair over his face.

“Woods, thin, oblong jaws, deep tooth marks, throat torn out, organs and nose gone--or at least chewed on,” Yellow-Father ticked off precisely down an imaginary list as he turned from shelving to continue puttering around. “I’m guessing; wolves.”

Heaving himself upright, Jingyi crashed his hands together just as the gold, white, and blue painted door slid open once again and he bellowed. “GUAAAUAUAUANG!” 

Framed in the doorway, Blue-Father stopped short and blinked at the sudden noise but smiled in amusement. “’Guaaaung?’” When Jingyi thrust out his hands demandingly, he stepped in and obligingly gave him custody of one of his arms. “Hello.”

“Almost done, Er-ge,” floated Yellow-Father’s voice from the closet.

“Clearly, it’s a gong noise.” Jingyi used his arm to haul himself to his feet--Blue-Father didn’t even sway. “They won; I was murdered by wolves.”

At this pronouncement, his blue father cocked his head down at him, smile turning quizzical as Jingyi dusted off the seat of his robes. “...Ah?”

Gray-Father blew out a breath and shook himself awake, unfolding slowly from the table.  “We were playing Dead Body while we waited for you and A-Yao to be done,” he explained, then gave a hugely expansive stretch, scrunching his face up. “I was thinking it was wolves, but I was waiting for the usual twist.”

Yellow-Father emerged from the closet with a smug smile and murmured, “Mmm, of course you were,” to which Gray-Father leaned over the desk and swatted at his butt--he easily dodged. 

“The twist was that there was no twist, this time,” Jingyi said sagely, hands on his hips. “Are we good to go? Finally?”

“I...yes.” Blue-Father still had on that ‘I still don’t know what’s going on here’ smile as Yellow-Father closed the shutters against the streaming sun and joined them. “How does one play Dead Body, exactly?” he asked curiously as he leaned down to let Yellow-Father kiss his cheek hello just before they made their way out into the hall.

Pretending to hold back barf was something Jingyi did less because he cared about them kissing and more because it was his job as annoying teenage son to do things like that. In any case, he was rewarded by Gray-Father wrapping him in a casual headlock, then ignoring him when he flailed to escape as Yellow-Father locked up his office. “You mean you’ve never played Dead Body with him?”

“Mm, not that I recall--and I feel like I would remember something like that.”

From his chaotic and squished vantage point, he saw Yellow-Father look down at him--all captured and partially strangled and sputtering under Gray-Father’s arm. He rolled his eyes, and fondly scolded, “Let him breathe, Da-ge.”

Easily, Gray-Father complied. Wonderful, blessed air flooded back into Jingyi’s lungs--which he immediately used for retaliation by leaping onto Gray-Father’s back like a monster spider and wrapping him in a headlock of his own. Yellow-Father winced and hissed, “Mind Baxia, Fufu, for gods’ sake--”

“Dead Body isn’t a Lan game,” Jingyi panted dismissively, tightening his grip and bracing himself when Gray-Father planted his feet to take stock of the situation. 

His other 2 fathers continued to walk on, out of range of Such Antics. It was a good thing, too, because in a whirl of walls and ceiling, Gray-Father managed to very neatly flip him over his shoulder onto the ground. With a smack, all the breath stuck in his lungs for a few agonizing moments while his horrible, rotten Gray-Father grinned down at him and laughed, “You little ass. What did you think was going to happen?”

“Vengeance,” Jingyi wheezed back several seconds later when he could breathe again again. The ring in his ears hadn’t completely left, yet. 

“--and then you have to diagnose what killed him. It was very popular back when he was around 7 years old,” Yellow-Father was explaining to Blue-Father ahead of them, ignoring the intense drama of betrayal and revenge happening just up the hall. “Though, what on earth makes it not a ‘Lan game’ is beyond me.”

Staggering to his feet with the grudgingly accepted hand of his gray father, Jingyi caught up to them 2 of them. “Right, like shu-gong would want me lying around shouting about my limbs being torn off. He doesn’t even like me yelling about normal things; I would get so many lines.” He flopped down onto his yellow Father’s shoulders and leaned as they walked, even though he was just a little taller, now (and oooh, didn’t Yellow-Father hate it).

 Automatically, his father reached up and pet his head, even as he said, “You’re crushing me, Fufu.”

Transferring over to Blue-Father, he hung from his shoulders when he patiently slowed to allow him to do so. “You find a body,” Jingyi intoned, dramatically. “It’s Lianfang-zun.” He spread his other hand wide as if painting the scene. “He’s folded up like a letter in the halls of Koi Tower! Cause of death?”

“A ridiculous son,” Gray-Father chuckled from behind them, and Jingyi twisted to kick up a foot and stuck out his tongue.

“Wrong.”

“Usually, there was a lot more posing, as a child,” Yellow-Father informed Blue-Father in a heavy tone over Jingyi’s head. “And props. It was a whole ordeal. I’m forever grateful it’s now entirely theoretical.”

“Ahh, I see,” Blue-Father shook his head and put a steadying arm around his shoulder as Jingyi hopped along on one foot, waggling his other one behind him as bait for Gray-Father to take amused, cursory swipes at. “Is there a reason I never got to play Dead Body?”

With exaggerated patience, Jingyi put both feet on the ground and reached up to pat his blue father’s cheek, smiling sympathetically. “Die, whenever I wanted to play war, you always asked if there was a peaceful solution--and I just wanted to stab people.”

All 3 fathers burst out laughing as they rounded the corner of the hallway, the sun shining warmly over their sides from the garden windows. “Oh, so you decided that I just didn’t have the stomach for it, is that it?” Blue-Father asked with a grin.

Jingyi heaved himself off, spinning around to walk backward in front of all of them. “I mean, sort of? I think maybe I figured it would make you too sad to imagine me dead?”

At this, Gray-Father’s eyebrows shot up with a sharp, incredulous laugh and Yellow-Father reared his head back in offended bafflement, demanding, “Oh, and for some reason we wouldn’t be sad to imagine you dead?!”

Shrugging aggressively, Jingyi held up his hands in defense. “I dunno! He seemed like he would handle it worse! I was 7, what do you want from me? It doesn’t have to make sense, I was an idiot!”

“Oh, you were not an idiot,” Blue-Father protested, tilting his head and crinkling him a smile. “You were wonderful.”

“You were 7,” Yellow-Father agreed with Jingyi’s first statement, darkly. Apparently, he was still highly offended, because he muttered, “’Handle it worse’...” under his breath before saying, “You’re about to run into a vase, Jingyi, turn around.”

Instead of obeying, Jingyi just veered away from the obstacle and continued to shrug at him when he sighed and looked to his blue father for help. Before it could come, Gray-Father nudged Blue-Father with his shoulder, teasing, “Congratulations on being the only one to actually care about our son, apparently.”

“Holy hell, fine, if it’s going to be A Thing, we’ll all play and mourn my death together. Happy?” As he rolled his eyes, Jingyi nearly ran into the wall as the last corridor before the outside door ended, but Yellow-Father caught his sleeve and steered him right with feigned annoyance in his pursed lips.

Blue-Father laughed, the light sparking off his spikey guan when he shook his head fondly. “Alright, I’ll play if you turn around. What do we find?”

Obediently, Jingyi spun back around and waited to fall into step with them, pondering the details of his gruesome demise. Beside him, Yellow-Father rolled his eyes to the ceiling with one dimple showing and Gray-Father shook his head with a grin. Then, Jingyi snapped his fingers and spread his hands theatrically just as they all rounded the corner of the hallway. “Alright, so, I’m face down in a river and I’m covered in boils--” 

[fakeloveaskblog]

Yay lasertag!!! Janus you should totally go visit Remus on the weekend and hang out! Also, maybe invite Remy too, if they wanna come. Then (specially if they don't show) you can plan with them both to maybe go on another hangout with Remus but to somewhere you like and let Remy tag along for the ride if they wanna while u're at it.

(Words: 3153 words)

Janus: "Ah yes! I will let you know that after hanging out with Remus I managed to use my incredible totally very good texting skills to ask the Rems if they wanted to go to an art museum and they both for some reaosn, maybe they are being blackmailed, said yes! I hope it will go g-"

He cut himself off as he saw the two Rems come towards him. He had been waiting outside the museum. (Honestly half the reason he had choosen it was because he knew Remus liked art)

Remus waved at him while grinning. He had on sweatpants, a way too large t-shirt and a necklace made out of animal bones. Remy had their arm swung around him. Even though they had sunglasses on their eyebags were still visible.

“Aight gamers! Are we ready to do an epic art heist!! I got my sunglasses ready!” Remus exclaimed. He didn’t, he was planning on stealing Remy’s sunglasses.

“Partner you’re forgetting that we must first observe the security measures of the museum before we can even start to plan the heist” Janus replied.

“Oh!!! That’s what we’re doing today isn’t it??”

“Correct partner!”

“Babes I dunno why you gotta steal art when I’m standing right here” Remy added while posing.

“Good point. Good point” 

Janus had on a yellow bowtie he’d gotten from Logan, a loose purple shirt and black dress pants. People had to look fancy when they went to museums right? Remy had a skirt short enough to fool god and their boyfriend’s hoodie on (it looked oversized on them but with how skinny they were Everything looked oversized on them).

As soon as they got in Remus started to bounce up and down as he looked at the posters showing all the different exhibitions. There was a modern art one, classical and one smaller exhibition for specifically mosaic works.

“So whatcha you wanna look at Snakey?” Remus asked.

Janus was caught of guard “Why are you asking me?”

“Well you chose how we would hang out. C’mon you deserve to choose this too”

He looked over to Remy who shrugged “Uhm okay. Well. The classical paintings would proably give us the most money on the black market so lets look at those”

“Yay!” 

Remus quickly took on his noise canceling headphones and a chew necklace before doing thumbs up. He firmly took Janus’ hand in his. He sent him a soft smile which made Jan’s heart spin before dashing of with him into the exhibition.

A few big paintings from the renaissance hung on the wall. Remy came a little later since with the cane they walked pretty slow. Remus eyed the paintings from a distance before squinting at them up close. He flapped the hand he was hoding Janus with around.

"Oh!!! This is so cool!!!! This is from the renaissance but it's not using the chiaro oscuro technique like everyone did 'cause Da Vinci would eat their newborn if they didnt!”

"Is that why it's looking flatter than me?" Remy asked.

“YEah!! Augh I love the renaissance!!! Mostly because they were dissecting bodies so much!! sometimes for the sole purpose of drawing anatomy better!! I wanna do that! Or watch someone do that! Getting to see one of those old classrooms where they dissected corpses would be so awesome!”

“Huh good way to get rid of bodies. Great time for serial killers” Janus commented.

He let out a dreamy sigh “It truly was. They’re doing serial killers dirty nowadays”

They went through some more rooms of renaissance paintings. Janus made sure to hold Remus back a bit so Remy could keep up with them. The duke kept rambling about different shading techniques.

They stepped into another room and the style changed. Remus continued to flap his hand nonetheless. Janus was definitely going to have pain in his wrist tomorrow. It was worth it if he could hold his hand though.

Remy leaned their elbow on top of Janus’ head “This is like the baroque time right?”

“YEah!” Remus’ eyes went huge “Bean you didn’t tell me you were into art history??! Do you know about Ruben too?? I like how he paints butts!”

“What? Nah. I just- I can like see it on the clothes in the paintings. Can’t you?”

“Do I look like a time traveling fashiong guru” Janus replied sarcastically “That is honestly impressive”

Remy sunk in on themself and a hint of red appeared on their cheeks “No. Nah. I’m like a total airhead! Completel idiot! hehe I’m like tots sure everyone knows this stuff. Y’all are just bad at fashion. I uh anyway Rem you were gonna rant?”

“I was?”

“Yeah!”

“Oh....Okay!!” He looked around the room before getting caught on a small painting in the corner. He dashed over to it “HANds!”

The painting depicted 2 bloody hands over a table. They were holding onto each other. the red stuck out against the dark background. It was hard to see if they were supposed to belong to two people who were fighting or in love.

Remus looked down at Janus’ hand while playing with his fingers “I think my favorite body part are hands” He mumbled “I mean they’re horseshit to draw but they can do so much”

Janus looked away from the painting as well. He let his crush do whatever he wanted with his hand as long as he kept holding it. the way he held him so lightly but kept rubbing his thumb up and down his skin made him melt.

“Yeah they can do a lot of fucked up shit” Remy butted in. Jan nearly jumped. He’d completely lost himself in adoring his crush.

“Well hands can also be used to give snakes small berries! And to make coffee!”

“Girl I wasn’t starting an argument. But you sure did won it!”

Remus was staring down into the floor as he said “When I become a cannibal I would wanna try eating human fingers first. I’m sure they would be tasty”

“Why was there a when in there?” Jan asked in a small amount of terror.

“Oh yeah babe totally. I will like actually eat a dick” Remy agreed.

“Why is there a will in there? What kind of time tenses are you people on?? Does english grammar mean nothing to you heathens!?”

Remy got a smug look on their face. They poked their finger right into Janus’ chest “C’mon say what you will eat when you become a cannibal”

“Yeah Snakey” Remus squished his cheeks “Say it! Say it! Say it!”

The two of them kept going on while Janus looked like a sour lemon until he finally caved in.

“Fine. I would either eat the stomach or....the buttocks since they would have the most fat and sustain me the longest”

The Rems looked at each other before bursting out into laughter. “He said butT!” Remus cackled out. The other Rem nodded along and pretended to wipe away a tear from laughter.

“Aight babe let’s put the guy out of his misery” 

They motioned for Remus to go ahead. He happily skipped into the next room and grabbed Jan’s hand to take him with him. The snake couldn’t help but notice how Remy stayed behind for a monent.

“Oh cool!! We’re onto impressionism! The first real art style!” He sighed “From impressionism to cartoon furries. How magical the journey of art is” 

(Jan who had a scaley phase in high school chose to not reply)

“I love the music as well. Crazy lads. My favorite lad?” Remus snickered “De bussy!!”

“That’s my porn name” Remy instantly replied, coming up behind them. “Hey that paint lady kinda like looks like Terra” They pointed at a painting.

“....Hey YEaH! I guess my art is timeless!”

Janus looked between them “who’s Terra?”

“Well girl” Remy playfully ruffled Remus’ hair “She’s just Rem’s tots cool like cartoon character. She’s like all over his sketchbook. Makes it look kinda straight if you ask me but she does have like a very cool design so I get it!”

“Oh......Yes...Sounds very....cool”

The group kept going around looking at art. While it felt like lead was filling Janus’ chest. He’d never heard about Terra. He’d never seen his sketchbook. Meaning they had spent time with each other without him.

He pierced his nails into his palms to stop the thoughts. He refused to be some jealous person who didn’t allow his friends to hang out without him.....Still he wish he could have seen the drawings as well....seen them smile together...heard their shared laughter....

Oh. Oh what if they thought he was annoying. What if they preferred being without him. What if he’d forced them to come here today. What if-

“Hey snakey wanna look at the modern art as well?” Remus interrupted.

“What?” 

Without realizing they’d gone through all of the classic art. Now they were in the last room with not much more than a giant painting the size of one of the walls and a bench.

“That sounds horrid!”

“Yay!”

Remus quickly continued of into the next exhibition. Janus still had the taste of lead filling his throat as he went to follow. Until he realized Remy wasn’t there. He turned around and saw them sitting on the bench in front of the painting. They were leaning their arms on their cane.

“It would probably give us a lot on the black market” Jan said while sitting down beside them.

“Mhm. It’s pretty. I just like wanted to look at it some more” They lied.

“Understandable” 

The painting was pretty much a big flower field with a summer sky shining down on it. Janus noticed how Remy forced deep breathes through their gritted teeth. Their brows were furrowed and their hands kept shaking.

“Are you alright?”

“Of course!” 

“I have some painkillers with me. Would that help agains the pain you’re totally not in?”

They glanced over to him “Girl what you doing walking around with painkillers?”

He looked at them with the most deadpan expression “Remy I’m overweight. You can not phantom how often I get knee pain" He took out a pill and held it out to them "Here"

"There's really like no need! I can like handle it"

Even more deadpan "You shouldn’t have to ‘handle it’. It's 1 painkiller dear. I'm not exactly becoming a saint because of this"

They hesitantly took it "Thanks"

He did fingerguns "No problemo"

They stayed sitting for a bit so the pill could kick in. Jan shuly glanced over to admire them every now and then. Remy kept looking down into the floor while picking at their skin.

“I’m sorry” They said it in a much quieter voice than their usual high pitched one “I tried to do everything right so I wouldn’t ruin everything. I even went to bed early so I wouldn’t get tired....I...I really looked forward to getting to be with you two”

Janus heart beat faster. He pulled himself together to comfort them “You haven’t ruined a thing”

They hid their face in their hands “I’ve been tired and out of it all day. I keep like slowing you down. Don’t think I haven’t like noticed how much you have to hold Rem back from going faster! I’ve just been making this all much worse than it should have been”

“Well you’re here aren’t you? I for one appreciate you simply being here. You don’t have to do anything to make me appreciate you, don’t even have to talk. I hope you know that”

“....really?”

“Oh no darling I totally expect you to win the nobel prize while in a kind of pain I can’t even imagine being in on a daily basis”

Remy chuckled “Thanks”

“There’s really no need for that. I am at any and all times doing the absolute minimum to be counted as a decent human being”

“Sure snakey-babey” They had a soft smile on their face.

They moved to hug him. Their arms wrapped around his back and they muffled their head right between his man titties. Janus sat still for a few seconds, too flustered to think before moving his arms around them as well. A hand on the back of their head, another on their lower back. Their skin felt so cold against his.

Remy closed their eyes and let themself calm down. They could feel Janus’ breathing against their hair.

“I think my fav like human part is the chest” They mumbled out “‘Cause I can hear the heart beat. It reminds me I’m- we’re still like alive”

“Like a bloody biological seashell”

“Exactly” They pressed themself closer. “I like being with you” It was nothing more than a whisper, like it was a secret “When you’re here I feel a bit less like a rotting corpse”

Janus held onto them harder “Well I-I try my best”

“I know babe”

His heart was beating out of his chest. The people around them must think they were a couple. He closed his eyes and focused on Remy’s touch, on Picani’s words from their last session. He managed to push enough of the shame away and focus on the happy butterflies in his stomach instead.

Remy moved away. The moment broke.

“We should probs go find Rem before he starts like eating the art”

“haha yeah” Janus did thumbs up but kept sitting. He’d gone full idiot.

It wasn’t until he saw Remy straining to stand up even with the cane his brain kicked back in.

“Is there some way I could help?”

They didn’t answer. But they did lean their arm around his shoulder to let him carry some of their weight. They slowly but surely made their way to the modern art exhibition.

Remus was sitting crosslegged in front of a weird statue, he was doodling in his sketchbook but shone up into a smile when he saw them.

“There you are! I was starting to think that either the zombie apocalypse had started or you were making out somehwere”

“Oh yeah babe. Full tounge” Remy joked back. Jan let out an inhumane noise.

He closed his sketchbook “I think we’re done here. You’re looking tired beanie. We can come back some other day”

Remy held back the urge to lie that they were fine. Instead they weakly nodded.

The gang left the museum. Right beside it was an ice cream shop. Remus got 3 scoops of a worryingly weird mix of flavors. Janus got 1 scoop of lemon. Remy didn’t feel like eating.

They sat down on a couple of benches right outside. Remy laid down with their head leaned onto Remus’ thigh. He chewed his ice cream while calmly moving his hand up and down their back.

Soon enough they were deep asleep. Janus quickly laid his jacket over their legs. He didn’t want to accidentally see anything under their skirt without their consent.

Remus stared at him like a blood sucking eagle while smiling “Soooo now when beanie is in dream land.......Do” He stopped to giggle “Janny. Janny. Do. Do you like someooooonnneee??”

Janus just blinked at him for half a minute. This was too much. This whole day was too much. He was a wreck. His crush was asking him THis?! While his other crush was laying in his crush’s lap?!?

“Why- Why- What- Who are you working for?! The fucking FBI??? Are they after me?” He desperately tried to joke it away.

“No. No. But seriously JanJan!” He wiggled his shoulders around in a stimmy way “Do you happen to like anyone with a name that starts on R????”

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

Janus kept glancing between his two crushes while his blushing could be seen out into space. He wanted to lie but his mouth wouldn’t move.

Remus leaned closer and whispered “You’re into Remy right?”

He nodded. A breathe of relief went through him. At least Remus didn’t know he liked him.

“OH I KNEW IT!” Remus yelled out in excitement while flapping his hands.

“Shh! Shh!” Janus scrambled to cover his mouth as Remy stirred for a moment. “Shhhh!” They cuddled closer to their friend and fell back asleep.

“I knew it!” He giggled “Or I mean Remy knew. They told me they thought you were into them”

“WHAT?!” 

Now it was Remus that covered his mouth. He was full on cackling “Yeah! They said it was really obvious! But good for you snakey! I’m sure if you murder their boyfriend you can get them in no time! Or you can become a fab homewrecker!! I can help you buy a nice sexy dress and all!!”

Janus paled in terror “How- In- What- In what way did they say it was obvious?”

“Oh y’know-”

The notif on his phone went off. He checked and his eyes went wide. He carefully moved Remy’s head onto the bench before standing up.

“Sorry snakey! Ro needs super duper emergency help! Gotta go!! See you later! Don’t die!”

Remus left him just like that.  Right after dropping THAT bomb on him. Janus sat unmoving. His mouth was slightly agape in shock. His thoughts were runnig around screaming nonstop.

He sat like that for over 20 minutes until Remy let out a yawn and slowly woke up. They took off their sunglasses to rub their eyes. Just seeing their vibrantly green eyes made Janus panic even more.

“Did Rem disintegrate?” Their voice was hoarse from sleepyness. Janus pinched himself to hold back the uhm feelings.

“He- he uh he went he went he sure did went yeah”

“....Cool!”

They stretched their joints, they all cracked. They looked to Janus and moved closer. He couldn’t breathe. They knew. They knew. They knew.

“Girl are you feeling okay?” They pressed their palm to his forehead “You’re like super hot. In both ways! Maybe you should like go home and rest. I gotta get home before my boyf gets home anyway”

“Y-yeah” Was all Janus could get out.

“Cool. OH! By the way! Girl!!! We haven’t like hung out just the two of us right?? We should tots do that! Just like tell me whatever you wanna do and we can do it!”

“Yeah”

“Awesome! Well I’ll see you on that hang out then”

They hugged him for just a few seconds but for those seconds Janus felt like he was in heaven.

They got up and left. Janus slumped over on the bench. His heart was going crazy. They knew. They knew and now they wanted to hang out alone with him. He turned to you. His eyes were wide and panicked.

Janus: “W-what am I supposed to do? I don’t know any good hang out plans! Do you know any??? I’m- this is all- how did they even know I like them! Oh I’m sounding like an overdramatic 13 year old.....This totally isn’t really overwhelming. I would hate getting Logan cuddles right now!”

[beardedhandstoadshark]

what are your fav art to draw and what are the ones you didn't quite enjoy drawing?

I‘m not sure if you meant what I like to draw in general or which one of my drawings is my favorite one, so uhh

Here’s both

Generally: I like to draw Kirby (surprising absolutely no one), videogames I enjoy in general, and characters/designs, be it my characters, coming up with random designs like from those character challenges, or just already existing characters in different settings/clothes. Bonus points to any of these if they’re drawn in a cute way. (And If I could finally figure out how anatomy and expression works then characters interacting with each other would also be on this list). Also flowers, trees and scenery of those two, but weirdly enough only when drawing with a pencil, for some reason? I absolutely hate drawing them digitally but it’s really fun to do with your average HB pencil, idk why. But backgrounds, complicated poses and perspectives my beloathed

And if you meant specific drawings: (can’t choose so it’s just names)

my Kirby drawings were all pretty fun, as well as the second danganronpa request, the Shinx request (it’s just so cute <3), Howard the snake, and the quick doodles I sometimes post. Then there’s the ones that started fun until I hit a complete roadblock halfway though, stopped working on them for like half a year, and then bs-ed my way through said block until they were fun to work on again, aka all my Etrian Odyssey drawings, merchant oc shop, and the first danganronpa request

Tbh the only ones that I absolutely didn’t enjoy to draw were the futurama, nick jr and Preminger requests because I have zero present or past attachment to the first two, but mostly because they‘re all uncanny to me (especially the nick jr one, I tried so hard to not be weirded out by that one. Also the person that made that request was slightly rude, which isn’t really great motivation.). But yeah.

…I also really love drawing "uncanny thing that barely still looks like something positive but it‘s actually a monster that wants to eat you“ which are all very much not wholesome and I have *no* idea why this is or where this comes from

[fenheart87]

Trading Circle of Hell

@semi-slaughtomatic happy belated birthday doll! I will be cross posting to AO3 later as well but I wanted to get this out there now that its done!

-start-

"Welcome welcome! Females to the left and males to the right! Look for anyone with a purple butterfly mask to make your purchase or ask for more information on our unique invenitory! Rumor has it our esteemed kings shall be here today, make your selection quick for I fear even I wouldn't dare say no to them...."

Viperion scanned the room in disgust, cages with humans, demons, various kinds of fae and more supernaturals were lined and spaced very strategically. Only one or two people could view a 'selection' at a time and there were plenty to choose from.

"This is not what I was expecting." Chat Noir spoke up, teeth bared in rage at what he was seeing. They had been tipped off there was an underground market, an illegal one even by demon standards, and here was the proof right in front of their eyes.

"Easy Plagg, we have time to browse and choose carefully from the... Inventory."

"Yeah yeah Sass, kumbyyah and all. I want one with spirit."

"I want one with some brains, the traps keep killing people." Sass responded, sharing a smirk with his companion and drawing his hood closer to his face. The last thing they needed was for someone to recognize them as they were investigating this horrid black market before they could shut it down. The problem with the recon mission was that they needed to be stealthy and being the Snake and Black Cat made them the best choice, even if they had more favorable morals and senses of justice within them unlike many other demons. It was the secret that made them good rulers and their following loyal to them and them alone.

"Welcome gentleman! Forgive me I have spent too much time topside lately, is there anything specific you happen to be looking for? Someone for manual labor or more physical labor in the place of rest?" The Showrunner as he chose to title himself wisely decided to not touch either of them like he had for many of the other buyers.

"I need someone with a firey spirit and tough enough to withstand the Hell Fires."

"Oh, you must live under our illustrious leader Chat Noir then, pray tell would a dragon suffice good sir?" Beady eyes were shining in glee as Plagg exchanged a glance with Sass.

"Depends on the age and gender, perhaps you can direct me where I could find such one?"

"Of course, in the front row at the very end of the left side. A Longg follower that is quite the spirited miss. And for you fellow good sir?"

"I need someone smart and cunning, quick as a mouse if you will,"

"Ah I wish we could've acquried a Mullo follower but alas not this round... I do however have a special quiet thing that could fit the bill if you're interested?"

"Perhaps, show me your inventory and I may still need to browse, I have other stations that could be filled if I do not find someone to my liking." Sass followed the leader and hid his disgust with all of his being, he wanted nothing more than to poison the man with a quick strike. The cages had various states of captured folk in various stages of distress or anger, the collars adorning their necks were equipped to restrain their unique talents and powers, preventing any type of escape from their cages. Guards and hired demons of lower levels were mingling around the crowd should someone get lucky enough to successfully escape from behind the bars.

"Here we have a pretty little thing but awfully quiet. she does have a voice but her glare usually speaks for her, I have had some issues with one so she is at a discounted price, only 150 thousand."

Sass raised a brow at the price, many of the others were easily going for ten times as much for a starting bid. Either she was too much to handle for the ring leader or she was damaged in some way. Finally looking at the cage, his breath caught. He would know those blue eyes anywhere and was glad that his self control was damn good. Her resemblance to her parents was uncanny, even if they had not been seen by a single eye in over 200 years.

"She's a looker but anyone who dares to get too close suffers, unless that's your type of ah, fun shall we say?"

"I'll take her, she'll make an excellent addition to the baker's guild. If she turns out she can't bake well, I'm sure she could plead to Tikki for help before she became the next meal."

"Very well, as with everyone else I'll collect the payment before the next round and after inventory has been checked and secured, you can take it home with you. If anything else catches your eye, please let me know." With that, the Showman left to prey on other prospective buyers and Sass glanced around, noticing only a few other demons looking at the few cages with interest. It was safe enough he supposed.

"Tell me little one, do you like sweets or cheese?" Pulling carefully on his power, he let flow enough to touch his eyes, making them turn mint green and seeing her eyes flash a pale pink, drawing a gasp from that luscious mouth. "So you are a true Mullo follower then."

"Snake." She murmured and smiled sweetly, eyes flashing once more.

"Black cat is here too, the Longg follower is coming with us and this place is done for." Sass whispered, directing his gaze towards the other side where he could see Plagg was prowling and looking at everything with a calculating gaze, casing the entire space.

"Kagami?" She whispered so softly he nearly missed it, drawing his attention and she flushed pink as she shrunk down.

"Well then, even better. Plagg, if you're ready I am. Nothing else has caught my interest."

"Good, let's find the Showman and collect." The green of his iris was gleaming, a yellow tint coloring them acid and the barely concealed rage shining. Their aura made everyone scurry away from their path as they followed the twists and turns through the cages.

"Ah, is there a problem, good sirs?" The Showman was on guard, eyes narrowed and watching carefully for any signs of aggression.

"Ah, he's a devout follower of Lord Viper himself, very covetous this one is. Terribly sorry but it would be in everyone's best interest if we were to collect and leave the place in one piece." Plagg smiled, fangs fully on display which kicked up the tension a few notches.

"Ah we can certainly make an exception but the prices do change for those in a hurry to get to the breaking in part. Do you have your own collars for your purchases?"

"Now now, it's not nice to insult paying customers, good sir." A black gloved hand produced two simple collars, the scent of ash faintly stirring the air.

"Ah, this way then." With a couple of gestures, two lizard demons who posed at security moved through the crowds and collected the cages, going down a different hallway then the trio did. The lanterns glowed eerily with the Hell Fire flames, Plagg and Sass having to bite back their power to prevent a surge in the flames and revealing themselves to the scum they were forced to follow.

"Alright, very simple to do. I'll deactivate the collars and you can place yours, once secure then I'll remove the standard ones. Precautions you know…"

Sharing a glance they split and stood in front of their chosen. The slimey demon brought over two charged stem crystals and with a small fizz of power the collars were deactivated. Sass noted the little mouse seemed upset but not scared as expected, carefully he stepped closer and leaned down slightly to secure the 'collar', a small whisp of smoke puffed to signal the lock was in place. Taking the other charged stem, the Showman waved it nearby and the slave collars fell off into his hands.

"Thank you for your time and interest gentleman, enjoy your investments!" Waving them to follow one of the guards and the other bringing up the rear, the four made their way out of the illegal catacombs market. Continuing on for a few tense miles until they were sure the guards had indeed returned, they stopped.

"Alright, introductions! I would happen to be Chat Noir, ruler of all the darkness and destruction. For stealth purposes please refer to me as Plagg."

"Viperion, Lord of Time and Incubi. Code name Sass."

"Kagami, a devout Longg follower. I work under the name Ryuoko." The dragon dusted herself off nonchalantly, eyes piercing in their intent to gage how much of a threat the two lords were.

"Multimouse, a converted Mullo follower."  Viperion ignored the sly grin and everything that it said from his fellow demon lord.

"So what's the plan?" Ryuoko asked, smirking.

"Well, do what we do best…" Blue eyes turned a shimmering green and emerald green took on an acid yellow green shine.

"Destroy those who break the Seven Hells contract." Each collar shifted into a choker, a reaction to the sudden leak of power from demon lords, this would boost both female demon's powers as well as protect them. The time of reckoning was at hand.

[dailyusuk]

Red Line: Chapter 3

https://archiveofourown.org/works/23335624/chapters/72675669

“Hanako?” Alfred cried, incredulous. “What are you doing here?”

“I could ask the same of you, Alfred,” Hanako replied, her eyes glinting in the late afternoon light. “I came here expecting that I’d encounter mages from American blood lineages, but I did not expect I’d see you specifically. How unpleasant that you have intruded on a sacred ritual with your interloper of a Servant.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Alfred waved his hands around. “The Gallofields have a right to the leylines in the area! I live here! And Rider isn’t an interloper, whatever that means!”

“Well, I never suspected that you had the potential to summon a Servant, much less a National Spirit of Rider’s caliber,” Hanako said. She covered her mouth with her sleeve and giggled. “I suppose the Grail works in mysterious ways. Doesn’t it, Saber?”

“I am well aware,” Saber said mildly. He adjusted his grip on his katana. “The Einzbern ritual in Fuyuki some years ago is one example of that. The presence of other National Spirits in this current Grail War is another.” 

“Alfred, be careful,” Arthur hissed just loud enough for him to hear. “Don’t let your past feelings distract you from the threat she and her Servant pose to our victory.” 

The solidified gold nuggets in Alfred’s sweatshirt pockets melted and snaked up his arms, forming a thick layer of Volumen Hydrachrysauem around his forearms and hands. He stepped forward and balled his hands into fists, ignoring the expression of dismay on Arthur’s face.

“Hanako, you’re a better person than this! I know you are! Don’t you remember our time together at the Clock Tower? We knew each other, right? We trusted each other, right? So why can’t we work together?”

Hanako laughed like the tinkle of wind chimes. “Oh, you poor boy. You think that I’m not your Hanako because I’m not the pleasant young girl from the Astromancy department. No, this is who I’ve always been, and you were simply too short-sighted to see me for who I am.” 

She pressed her fingers to her lips and smirked. “And working together? There’s nothing I would gain from allying with you that I wouldn’t gain by getting rid of you instead.”

“Don’t call me a boy!” Alfred snapped. He stomped his foot. “And I’m not pitiful! You’re pitiful! How can you talk to me like this? I thought we were friends!”

“Alfred,” Arthur hissed. “There are more important matters to attend to than your sore ego.”

Hanako slid an iron folding fan out of her sleeve and flipped it open, fanning herself delicately. “Rider understands! Oh, what a sensible man you have here, Alfred. You should listen to him.”

Arthur pointed his cutlass at Hanako. “No more small talk. What reason did you have to blindly attack my Master?” he snarled. “You do not seem like a woman who would act on impulse.”

If Hanako felt threatened by the provocation, she didn’t show it on her porcelain-perfect face. “Because removing your Master would also remove you from the Holy Grail War, no?” she said. “Every obstacle in our path to the Grail is a troublesome anomaly. You two are no exception.”

She flipped her iron folding fan closed and pointed it at Arthur. “Saber, go forth. Dispatch Rider now.”

“Yes, Master,” Saber confirmed. Without hesitation, he launched himself at Arthur and slashed downward. 

Arthur blocked his strike with his cutlass. Sparks flew from metal meeting metal.

“Why are you doing this, Saber?” Arthur asked, parrying another slash with the flat edge of his cutlass. “You died in peace without a wish for the Grail. What is in this bloodshed for you?”

“You know my motivations already, just as I already know of yours,” Saber said, deflecting Arthur’s return jab with the edge of his blade. “I fight for my people’s everlasting prosperity, while your wish for the Grail is entirely selfish. Is that not why you fight at his side?”

Arthur drew his lips back. “Why, you…!”

An upward slash of Saber’s blade disarmed Arthur with a resounding clang. His cutlass flew into the air in an arc and clattered to the ground several meters away. 

Before Arthur could lunge for his weapon or summon a new one, he narrowly dodged a slash that otherwise would’ve cleaved his midsection in two. 

He darted forward again but was thwarted by an onslaught of stabs and slashes that kept him at a distance from Saber.

“Your loyalty to him is your greatest weakness,” Saber said between attacks. “And yet, you fight while wearing that weakness on your sleeve. You’re no different from the man I once knew.”

“Arthur isn’t weak!” Alfred cried. “If anything, he’s really strong!”

Saber’s eyes flickered from Arthur to Alfred. He readjusted his grip on his katana and rushed forward.

“I won’t let you hurt him!” Arthur shouted, sliding on his heels in front of Alfred. 

Saber’s katana sliced into Arthur’s shoulder and then pulled back in a smooth motion, bringing forth a spray of blood. Dark stains dripped and bloomed from the wound. 

Arthur grunted and jumped backward, now slightly unsteady. With a twirl of his fingers, he summoned a pair of flintlock pistols in his hands and fired them at Saber. 

Saber blocked one shot with his katana but winced as the other grazed his shoulder. 

“Heh,” Arthur said. “You underestimate me, Saber. It’s been a long time since our alliance, hasn’t it?”

“Indeed,” Saber agreed, readjusting his grip on his katana. “But the past means little in this world. I humbly suggest that you remember that.”

This time Arthur lunged forward with his pistols blazing before jumping back a step when Saber swung his katana between them. With each approach, Arthur slowly backed Saber towards a heap of trash and an overhang. As soon as he was in position, he dashed forward and bounded up onto the rooftops with Saber following in pursuit.

The increasingly distant sounds of Arthur and Saber’s rooftop clash jolted Alfred out of his shock. He turned to meet Hanako’s steady gaze. 

“It doesn’t have to be like this, Hanako,” Alfred pleaded. “It’s not too late yet. Tell Saber to stop fighting already!”

Hanako tapped her finger to her chin as if she were thinking about Alfred’s offer. “I will only do that if you agree to hand over your Command Spells and Servant, thereby forfeiting your right to fight in the Grail War.”

“No!” Alfred shouted. “Then you are as good as dead to me,” Hanako said, taking a measured step forward across the alleyway. The dull blue-green of her eyes intensified into electric blue as her Mystic Eyes activated.

Alfred held his arms up in a shaky defensive position, uncertainty churning in his gut. Since when did Hanako have Mystic Eyes?

Before he could make another move, Hanako materialized in front of him as if she’d been standing in front of him all along.

Alfred grunted in surprise and tried to throw a punch, but Hanako sidestepped easily. With a graceful twirl, she jabbed him in the side with the butt of her iron folding fan. The blow carried so much force that Alfred lurched backward and choked on his own saliva. 

Before Alfred could recover, Hanako grabbed him around the neck with a single hand and pinned him to the wall with an impossible amount of strength.

“How...?” Alfred gasped, weakly kicking his legs back and forth in midair.

“First of all, I possess the Mystic Eyes named Connection,” Hanako explained. “With this power, I can cross any amount of distance as long as I can visualize my destination in my eyes.”

“Let me go…!” Alfred hardened the molten gold enveloping his fists and punched at the hand secured around his throat to no avail.

Hanako dug her fingers into Alfred’s neck, drawing beads of blood to the surface with her sharp nails. “Struggling like a half-dead hare won’t work against me, I’m afraid.”

The sudden jabs of pain from Hanako’s nails broke Alfred’s focus. Without a constant flow of mana, the solid gold reinforcements on his hands liquified. His arms fell limply to his sides.

“That’s not the only power I concealed,” Hanako continued. “This strength comes from the Eastern martial arts that you Western maguses see as beneath your kind. That ignorance will be your downfall.” 

She dragged her iron folding fan along the length of Alfred’s forearm, easily parting the molten gold coating his skin. “Not even a strength-enhancing Mystic Code like your Volumen Hydrachrysaeum can compare to a body trained in Breathing and Walking.”

Hanako’s Mystic Eyes gleamed and flashed. 

Before Alfred knew what was happening, the narrow alleyway melted around them into an indecipherable rush of iridescent colors. 

With another flash of Hanako’s eyes, the colors solidified into a grassy field somewhere outside the town. The din of gunfire and metal hitting metal became soft and distant. 

Now that there was no longer a wall at Alfred’s back, Hanako held him aloft by the neck without showing even a hint of exertion.

“You are very inexperienced, Alfred,” Hanako said breezily. “A Servant as powerful as Rider is a waste in your hands. Rest assured that I will sever your contract with him as painlessly as possible. That is the one mercy I will grant you.”

Alfred grit his teeth. “I still… want… to save you,” he managed. “I don’t… want… your dumb… mercy.”

Hanako curled her lips upward into a wide, thin smile. “No matter what you think of my mercy now, you will beg for it once I’m done with you.” 

She then raised her iron folding fan in the air and unfurled it, displaying a red sun that glinted in the sunlight. “Saber, come to me!”

Pale smoke from some kind of smoke bomb poured into the open field, concealing the nearby buildings and foliage from view until all Alfred could see was a small patch of ground around him and Hanako. 

Alfred strained against Hanako’s grasp as he turned his head towards the noises he could hear growing closer and closer.

Somewhere in the smoke, yellow and orange gunfire popped and crackled from Arthur’s flintlock pistols. A blade -- Saber’s katana -- hummed and whistled through the air, dispelling smoke around it.

Then, silence. 

Alfred unconsciously held his breath. Had Arthur won?

His heart sank when he heard soft footsteps rapidly approaching. 

Saber emerged unscathed from the smoke with his back to Hanako and his katana raised in an attacking position.

Arthur followed close after, emerging from the smoke with his flintlock pistols pointed at Saber’s head. His breathing was heavy and labored as the bloodstain on his shoulder crept down his arm and torso.

“Watch,” Hanako commanded. “With a Master as weak as you at the helm, Rider is no match for my Saber.”

Hanako tightened her grip around Alfred’s neck, holding him steady. With her other hand, she flipped her iron folding fan between her fingers and jabbed Alfred in the side of his body forcefully enough to pierce flesh.

The sudden searing hot burst of pain made Alfred shriek with pain. Blood spurted from the stab wound and soaked through his torn sweatshirt, turning the iron folding fan red and slick.

As if pulled by an invisible string, Arthur wheeled around toward Alfred and cried out in anguish.

“Alfred!”

Saber’s katana hummed through the air. With an artful slash, he sliced a line of blood across Arthur’s chest, then another, and another. 

Arthur dropped his pistols and staggered backwards in shock. Blotches of crimson seeped through his wool uniform joining the stain around his bleeding shoulder. 

As Arthur gripped at the deep wounds marking his torso, Saber lunged forward with his katana raised to deliver the final blow.

“Arthur!” Alfred screamed, thrashing within Hanako’s grip. 

Alfred desperately shut his eyes and visualized the flow of mana through the Command Spells engraved on his right arm. 

Please, don’t die! Stay by my side! 

With a flash of red light piercing through molten gold, the stripes faded from Alfred’s arm. 

Saber’s katana sliced through empty air where Arthur once stood. 

Arthur, now bathed in a red glow from the power of Alfred’s Command Spell, manifested next to Alfred. He kicked Hanako square in the gut with his heel, knocking her backward with enough force to break her grip on Alfred’s neck. 

Suddenly freed, Alfred fell to his knees and coughed blood onto the ground. He could feel his mind slowly refocusing on his surroundings as he continued taking deep breaths. After one more inhale, he unsteadily got to his feet.

“Alfred!” Arthur cried, his body firmly planted between Alfred and Hanako. “Give me as much mana as you can!”

Without any hesitation or fear, Alfred placed his gold-coated hands on Arthur’s back. The mere contact filled Alfred’s body with burning heat, an impossible amount, as mana flooded through Volumen Hydrachrysaeum like a flood bursting through a dam. Blue-green Magic Circuits crackled to life across Arthur’s body emanating outward from Alfred’s hands. 

As Arthur raised his hand in the air, the atmosphere thickened with golden light and mana, dispelling the pale smoke shrouding the field.

“The ocean is my strength, my royal domain, my very blood,” he chanted.

“No!” Hanako hissed, but a blast of pressure emanating from Arthur’s feet knocked her back before she could use her Mystic Eyes. 

Saber immediately leapt to her side and wrapped an arm around her while holding his katana in a defensive position. Despite his firm stance and defiant gaze, there was visible fear in his eyes.

“All the treasures that lay on the Earth's surface will one day rest in my hands.”

A cool, pungent sea breeze filled Alfred’s nostrils. He watched in awe as an array of cannons manifested from the light that enveloped him and Arthur. He recognized from the pages of maritime history books the cannons of the HMS Dreadnought, the Golden Hind, the HMS Victory, and many others.

“I call upon the brothers-in-arms whose essence has returned to my soil. The glorious sun shall never set on our conquests.”

The cannons glowed with a gold luster as they accumulated mana from the atmosphere. The sea wind intensified.

Arthur pointed his outstretched hand at Saber. 

“Rule Britannia!” Arthur cried.

Rays of concentrated mana exploded forth from the cannons in a deafening series of blasts. Saber leaped into the air with Hanako cradled under his arm and broke into a run across the open field. 

Each cannon blast sent a shockwave through the earth wherever they struck, sparks and smoke flying forth. 

Saber narrowly dodged each impact as he zig-zagged between fiery explosions and the resulting craters.

Then, one of the mana blasts grazed Saber’s back. Flames and smoke engulfed his blue-green haori. He stumbled from the shock, leaving himself vulnerable to the oncoming onslaught.

“Saber!” Hanako screamed. The red light of a Command Spell flashed through the smoke and dust. “Shield me and remain manifested in this world!”

“Rho Aias!” Saber shouted. A four-petaled pink flower unfurled from his hand, forming a defensive shield between him and the barrage of cannon fire. 

Mana blasts pummelled the shield in pink and gold explosions. Each impact sent Saber and Hanako backward several yards, but the shield held steady. 

Still, the shield wouldn’t hold forever. An especially powerful blast smashed into the shield, shattering one of the petals into dust. 

Another blast hit, and another, and another. Two more petals shattered under the strain.

After one more blast, the last petal of Saber’s shield shattered. Golden light and flames instantly swallowed him and Hanako where they stood.

“That’s enough,” Arthur muttered under his breath. “I won’t drain any more mana from you, Alfred. Your body isn’t trained for this yet.”

Arthur stepped away from Alfred, breaking the flow of mana between them. The vast array of cannons constituting Arthur’s Noble Phantasm faded away into nothingness, leaving behind a cloud of smoke and a crater in an empty field. 

Volumen Hydrachrysaeum shrunk and solidified back into a gold nugget in Alfred’s palm. Without mana flowing through it, it felt cold to the touch as he slipped it into his pocket.

With the connection between him and Arthur now broken, Alfred felt kickback reverberate through his body from temporary mana loss. He stumbled and only found his footing when Arthur silently wrapped an arm around him, keeping him upright. 

For a long moment, the only sounds Alfred could hear were his heavy breathing and a persistent ringing in his ears. The heavy smoke from the impact of Arthur’s Noble Phantasm obscured his view of the crater. 

When the smoke finally cleared, Saber was kneeling in the center of the crater while supporting his weight on his broken katana. His haori and sections of his kimono had been completely burned off his body by the cannon blasts, making him look far smaller than he had seemed in the alleyway. Blood dripped from shrapnel wounds across his face and hands.

Next to Saber, Hanako got to her knees, her resplendent kimono in tatters. Her eyes were their natural blue-green without her Mystic Eyes activated. 

“This isn’t the end of this, Jones,” she spat, then turned toward Saber. “We’re making a strategic retreat, Saber!”

“Yes, Master,” Saber affirmed. He dissipated into his spirit form with a burst of pale smoke.

In a flash, Hanako’s Mystic Eyes reactivated. This time, she looked at a point beyond the decimated open field and blinked into nothingness, leaving behind nothing but the crater and tattered scraps of silk.

“Arthur, we won!” Alfred shouted. He pumped his fists in the air. “Arth--”

A frigid breeze swept over the open field. Snow and ice pelted the ground as a sudden bank of thick fog rolled in. 

Arthur’s face suddenly morphed from relief to barely concealed fear. “Alfred, get in my arms,” Arthur said, his voice measured and even. “I’m getting you out of here. This isn’t a fight we can win right now.”

“A-alright,” Alfred stammered, nervously placing his hands on the sides of Arthur’s body. He could feel his body heat up when Arthur lifted him into his arms in a bridal carry. 

Several hundred yards away, a dark wraith clad in Soviet military robes materialized from the gathered fog. It towered over the distant treetops, resembling a Phantasmal Beast more than an actual humanoid.

At the sight of the wraith, Alfred clung closer to Arthur’s bloodsoaked body and shivered with fear that settled deep into his bones. Frost began to gather at the tips of Arthur’s coat and Alfred’s sweatshirt.

“Russia,” Arthur growled. “You’re certainly not a sight for sore eyes.”

“Long time no see, England,” a soft yet distinctly masculine voice called from somewhere within the frigid fog. “You have grown soft in old age, no? In our day, you would have turned poor Japan into a speck of dust without a second thought. Now, look at you. Your strength isn’t what it used to be after the world ended. How pitiful.”

The dark wraith turned its glowing eyes towards Alfred and Arthur.

“I am more impressed by your little Master over there. He is very strong for a small one, yes? But strong is still not strong enough.” 

A smile spread across the dark wraith’s face.

“Remember this next time you come running into town with your little Servant, human. General Winter will be watching.”

A million thoughts raced through Alfred’s head. Russia? The country? Was every Servant in this Grail War a National Spirit? And who the fuck was General Winter? Whoever he was, Alfred wanted to fight him. 

But more urgently, exhaustion was rapidly setting into Alfred’s body as the adrenaline rush from seeing Arthur’s Noble Phantasm in action faded away. Dark spots encroached on his vision.

The blizzard suddenly intensified. A wall of snow obscured the dark wraith from sight, with only the wraith’s distant glowing eyes piercing through the void. 

“Don’t worry,” Arthur said. “I’ll keep you safe. We’ll retreat and face this threat when we’re stronger, A…”

Arthur’s lips moved for a few more seconds and then curved into a soft smile. His words had been drowned out by the howling of the winter winds. Then, he burst into a run, easily carrying Alfred in his arms through frozen fields and forest cover.

As Alfred’s head lolled against Arthur’s lean chest and strong arms, he weakly tried to blink the fog out of his eyes. In his half-conscious haze, he saw Arthur with blood caked on his face, eyes determined, Arthur wrapped in deep crimson, then in strange green khaki, then in unfamiliar dark leather, then in thin threadbare wool, then Arthur looking at him with an unreadable expression, Arthur...

“Arthur!” 

Alfred jolted upright with a cry of his Servant’s name before bending over into a coughing fit. Blankets and what felt like a hot water bottle weighed down on his legs as he dry heaved. 

When he finally inhaled a deep breath, he felt a hand on his chest holding him steady.

“Arthur…?” Alfred whispered, turning to look into bright green eyes. 

“Everything’s alright, Alfred,” Arthur murmured soothingly, rubbing circles into Alfred’s sternum. “You’re in your bed after you slept through the night recovering from that battle. We’re safe behind your estate’s defensive barriers. I tended to your wounds with the help of your maids and watched over you. You have nothing to worry about.”

“I dreamed of you, Arthur…” Alfred said. Arthur suddenly grew very still. “I saw you. You were wearing some kinda green khaki uniform, and then you were looking at me really intensely, and…”

Arthur coughed. “Ah, well, occasionally Masters may dream of their Servants’ past lives. Seeing as our connection is practically soul-deep, as you might say, there’s little wonder that you may have glimpsed flashes of who I was in another time. I do say that green was a fine color on myself, though I’m still quite fond of the brown uniform I wear in this form.”

Alfred frowned and turned to look at Arthur, wondering if there was something Arthur wasn’t telling him.

At the very least, he could see that Arthur’s wounds had all healed after Alfred had cast his first Command Spell to strengthen him. Having evidently cleaned himself up while Alfred was unconscious, Arthur now wore a simple outfit of a white shirt and jeans that he somehow managed to look rather handsome in.

“I’ll let you sit up,” Arthur said, gingerly removing his fingers from Alfred’s chest. He turned around and rifled through the top drawer of Alfred’s stout little nightstand before holding up a spoon containing a questionable liquid. “Here’s a medicinal mixture that will aid your healing. Drink up.”

The stench of the medicine made Alfred wrinkle his nose with disgust, but he trusted that Arthur had good intentions and wouldn’t poison him with weird British medicine. 

Probably. 

Alfred closed his eyes, leaned forward, and let Arthur tip the medicine into his mouth. As the bitter-tasting liquid slid down his throat, he felt his memories of the altercation with Hanako, Saber, and the mysterious evil Servant come back to him in an intense rush.

“What was that?” Alfred asked once he finished swallowing. He waved his hand around in a vague circle. “You know, all the cool shit you did once I gave you some mana.”

“That was one of my Noble Phantasms, Rule Britannia,” Arthur explained. “While it didn’t quite finish off Saber, a lesser Heroic or National Spirit would stand no chance of survival against the combined might of my Royal Navy. I was only able to summon a Rule Britannia of that caliber because of the mana infusion you gave me through your Mystic Code as well as the Command Spell you cast on me.”

Alfred nodded. “And how come you and Saber knew each other? I thought Servant identities were supposed to be these whole secret identity things, but you guys recognized each other, like, on the spot.”

“Yes, that is the case usually. But this clearly isn’t a usual Grail War.” Arthur cleared his throat. “Japan -- or, rather, Saber -- was someone I knew during my lifetime. While he manifested in a form earlier than the one I befriended, he still remembered enough about me to exploit my weaknesses. That is the danger of fighting an enemy who knows your True Name.” 

Arthur pursed his lips. “And if my current suspicion that this is a Grail War of National Spirits is correct… every Servant we’ll face in this Grail War will know my True Name.”

“So every fight will be like that,” Alfred said flatly. He bunched the bedsheets up between his fingers. “Arthur, I--I think I’m a burden on you. You should do this without me. I’m not strong, or smart, or capable, or…”

Arthur placed his hands on Alfred’s shoulders. “Alfred. Listen to me.”

Alfred made an undignified noise when he felt the warmth and softness emanating from Arthur’s hands. Still, he looked up and maintained eye contact with Arthur’s determined gaze.

“I swore an oath that I’d protect you as your Servant. I recognize you, and only you, as my Master. My strength is your strength, and your strength is also mine. Understand?”

“Y-yeah, but--” “That means that I have one request for you: don’t place yourself in harm’s way for my sake ever again.” Arthur tightened his grip on Alfred’s shoulders. “I am your sword and shield. A weapon should protect his master, not the other way around.”

“But that’s not true!” No matter how Alfred felt about himself, he didn’t want Arthur to speak about himself like he was an object and not a beautiful, strong man. “If we’re each other’s strength, then we should protect each other! We beat Saber when I gave you mana, right? Then I just need to keep giving you mana in battle! And since knowing someone’s identity gives you an advantage, and you and Saber knew each other, we’ll be on equal terms with any National Spirit we run into!”

Arthur smiled gently. “You are right about that. Your optimism is rather admirable. As you said, I will also know the True Name of every National Spirit we encounter. And not all of them will know of your own capabilities, which is why we must train your Magecraft as quickly as possible.”

“Yeah!” Alfred agreed, moving to get out of bed. But as he did, he felt a jolt of pain deep in his gut. “Agh!”

“Careful there, lad,” Arthur immediately pressed Alfred back into a reclining position in the bed. “You’re not fully recovered yet.”

“I-- yeah, yeah, right,” Alfred agreed. His face was warm from the skin-to-skin contact. “I’ll be careful. Very careful.”

Arthur patted Alfred’s chest. “That’s a good lad. If there is anything this day has taught us, lad, it is that this is not a normal Grail War. Whoever wins a Grail filled with defeated National Spirits will undoubtedly possess enough mana to remake the entire world in their image. It is up to us to put a stop to that and take the Grail for ourselves.”

Alfred didn’t respond, transfixed by the faint light glowing in Arthur’s impossibly green eyes. Had Arthur been this handsome the whole time?

“But before we do that,” Arthur continued. “I’ll head downstairs and help Layetta in the kitchen. Kitchen work is perfectly dignified work for a gentleman such as myself, before you say anything to the contrary.”

“Wasn’t gonna say anything,” Alfred chirped innocently. 

Arthur smirked. “I do hope you weren’t. My punishment for dishonesty aboard my ships was cutting out the offending bloke’s tongue. Rest well tonight, lad.”

“I sure will!” Alfred replied.

Arthur closed the bedroom door behind him with a smile. 

Alfred spent the next half hour snuggled in his blankets replaying images of handsome, strong, and cute Arthur in his head.

(Please leave a kudos and comment on Ao3 here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23335624/chapters/72675669)

[therainbowwillow]

When Hell Freezes Over AU: Part 6

Apologies for the wait. I honestly did not have an idea for what, exactly, I wanted to happen. Then I found inspiration! And then Tumblr deleted my draft. So... overall, this took far too long. Enjoy! There will be an epilogue shortly.

As Hermes approaches the bar, he notices the air has already begun to warm. People trickle into the streets to witness the miracle they’d played no role in causing. How many of them had refused to help search for Orpheus? How many deaths could’ve been avoided if they’d found him sooner? How much of this had been his fault? As he’d run home, Hermes had seen so clearly every mistake he’d made. Every one of them could easily lead Orpheus to his death.

At a glance, the boy looks dead already. Orpheus’s faint heartbeat and shallow breaths remind Hermes that he still has a chance, a slim chance, to survive. He spares the bar no more than a glance, instead turning towards the train station. The cars are always pleasantly heated, another of Hades’s attempts to appease his wife. He lifts Orpheus inside and gently lays him across a booth.

Hermes finds a stack of blankets under a seat. He drapes them over Orpheus, bundling him up like a young child. He brushes the young man’s wet hair out of his eyes and takes a seat beside him. Orpheus tosses in his sleep, draws in a shaky breath.

Orpheus gasps and sits bolt upright. Hermes catches him before he falls back against the booth. “Orpheus?”

“We... we need to go,” Orpheus stammers. 

“We don’t need to go anywhere. Eurydice will be here soon.”

“I can’t let them hurt her,” he pleads. “The Furies will come for us.” 

“No, Orpheus, we’ll be fine.”

“Take me to Hades. Let him decide what will become of me. But if he lays so much as a finger upon Eurydice, I swear to the Styx-”

“Orpheus...” Hermes warns.

“I swear to the Styx I will end him.”

Hermes pulls him closer. “Hades has kindness in his heart. You’ll both be alright.”

“I’m sorry,” he whispers. “I didn’t mean-”

“Hush. I don’t want your apologies.” Hermes pops the cork out of a nearby bottle, its contents still steaming. “From the River Phlegethon. It’ll help.”

Orpheus takes a sip. He winces. “It’s hot.”

Hermes nods. “But it will help. Get some rest.” Hermes gently lays him back against the booth. 

...

The doors roll open and Persephone steps inside, half-carrying Eurydice. Almost immediately, the train begins to move, willed forwards by some unseen driver.

“Is he alright?” the young woman asks, her voice trembling. Persephone lowers her into a booth. 

Hermes hands her a stack of blankets. “Fine. He needs rest.” 

“What happens now?” she wonders. 

“You won’t be separated from Orpheus,” Hermes says. “You will be spared from the worst of your punishment.”

“How can you be certain? Orpheus...” she lowers her voice. “You saw the chaos he caused.”

Hermes nods. “My agreement with Lord Hades stands.”

“And what was that agreement, exactly?” Persephone inquires. “The terms. Specifics. I know my husband.”

“Eurydice was to stop the winter,” he explains. “She succeeded, which spares them from the worst possibilities. The Furies were... not satisfied, but Hades’s deal was final. I ensured Orpheus’s safety, as well as Eurydice’s. Your husband will decide his terms, but there will be a reward for Eurydice’s success. And like I said, the worst is ruled out.”

Persephone half-smiles. “You always were a good liar, Hermes.”

He glances at Orpheus. Afraid, Eurydice thinks, for her lover or of him? “Persephone?” He almost sounds offended. 

“Not a lie, I suppose, but certainly not the whole truth,” Persephone corrects herself. “My husband did not let you off so easily. What did you sacrifice? What did you sign away?”

“Nothing,” he snaps, anger flaring in his eyes.

“Hermes... After all these centuries, I’d have hoped you would have more trust in me.”

“Seph...”

“Give me the truth.” Her voice is firm.

“That’s the trade, I suppose,” he mutters. “Your trust.” She narrows her eyes, says nothing. “Stop him. By whatever means necessary. That was the deal.”

“If I failed...” Eurydice begins.

“You wouldn’t have gotten the chance,” Hermes tells her. 

“The knife.” She reaches into her pocket and draws out the blade she had so desperately tried to rid herself of. It had returned. It had always returned to her pocket. She examines it now, up and down. Two metal snakes weave their way up the hilt. “Take it,” she growls.

He does. In his hands, the blade transforms into a staff, wrapped up with the very same serpents. “This was my only choice.”

“A 50/50 shot to kill Orpheus?” 

“The alternative...”

“What the hell did you agree to?” Eurydice snarls.

He looks away. “The knife. You wouldn’t have been given a choice. You... still belong to Hades. He would have guided your hand and Orpheus...” his voice trails off.

She smiles, as if admiring his madness and she laughs, soon cut off by sobs. Hermes seems to consider giving her some gentle touch of comfort, but Persephone is at her side first, shooting him a sharp glare. “You...” Eurydice wipes her eyes. “You would’ve watched me murder him.”

“Would you have preferred the furies?” he asks, not rhetorically, Eurydice realizes. She remembers the screams of disloyal workers. Thieves who had stolen from the work lines. Shades who had dishonorably killed men in life. 

“Yes.” Her answer is almost a gasp. Would she really prefer his pain over... What? Her guilt? She knows it is selfish, but to kill him would have been torturous. No amount of Lethe water could wash away ingrained horrors. And oh, how desperately she would have tried to forget.

The rest of the train ride is silent. Hermes sits as far from Eurydice as he can get, never taking his eyes off of Orpheus. Persephone speaks under her breath, as if preparing an argument. Eurydice stays at her lover’s side, half wishing he would wake. 

She remembers what she had seen in the woods. The road to Hadestown. But the underworld hadn’t taken her. She had woken, Orpheus in her arms. He’d been so cold. So helpless. He hardly looks any better now. His wounds had been bandaged, but he would bear scars. The madness of his attackers would survive by him. 

...

The train lurches to a halt. If Orpheus notices, he makes no motion to show it, still deeply asleep. Between Persephone and Eurydice, he’s easily carried. Orpheus had never been heavy. Always slender, light as a feather. His time in the woods hadn’t done him any favors. 

Hades meets them at the station. “Persephone.” 

“Husband.”

“Once again,” he remarks, “mortals prove themselves more capable than one might expect. Take the boy to my office.”

Persephone scoffs. “What now?”

“It is warm, Seph,” Hermes says.

She whirls, dropping Orpheus into Eurydice’s arms. She catches him with a grunt. “And who asked you?” Persephone snaps.

“He is my son. I haven’t forgotten my love-”

“Love?” she mocks. “You would have let him die. Not a word to me. Not a word to the girl who would’ve killed him.”

“He lives,” Hermes reminds her.

“For how long?” Eurydice asks under her breath, quiet enough that the others don’t hear her. Orpheus looks terrible. His hair is matted and his skin is still cold to the touch. She’s reminded, painfully, of her journey back to Hadestown after he had turned. She feels him slipping, just as she had. She speaks up now, louder this time. “Something’s wrong.” 

Hermes checks Orpheus’s pulse and presses a hand against his forehead. “He’s too cold. Listen to Lord Hades. I know it seems... well...” He lowers his voice. “Eurydice, he’s your shot at a future. Both of you. Even if Orpheus doesn’t survive.”

She flinches at the proposition, but rises to her feet, aided by Hermes, who takes the burden of Orpheus’s weight. Persephone rolls her eyes, but Eurydice waves her away. “The office,” she agrees.

Hades guides them down the thin streets of Hadestown, beneath high rises, where thousands of souls reside, and finally to his own office building. The first twenty-five floors, Persephone had explained once, over a bottle of wine, make up his bedroom. And the other seventy-five are his office and personal library. Eurydice had assumed it was a joke. But now the building stretches up before her and she’s sure there must be more than a hundred floors.

Persephone pulls open the doors. “Welcome to the castle,” she says, sarcastically. Hades steps inside, letting his hand brush against his wife’s as he moves past her. Persephone guides them to a lounge room where Hermes lays Orpheus across the over-sized couch. Eurydice strikes a match and the fireplace instantly roars with flames.

Hades takes a seat in the stiffest chair in the room. Persephone drags her cushy armchair beside his nearly solid seat and sinks into it. “A deal,” Hades begins.

Persephone groans loudly. “You’d think the God of the Dead would have a little more empathy,” she emphasizes the word, “for the sick and dying.” 

Hermes just about collapses into his seat, across the room from the others. An argument, he remembers. He needs to pose some argument. The room is spinning. He blinks, trying to force the spots out of his vision. He’d felt like this since his first venture into the woods. He’d considered mentioning it, but he’d never found the chance. 

“And I don’t just mean Orpheus,” Persephone adds. “Hermes?” He glances up at her. 

“I’m sorry,” he mutters.

“Go find yourself a blanket,” she tells him. He doesn’t move. If he stands, he’s pretty sure he’ll pass out. 

“Can we just... get on with it?”

“You want a drink?” He shakes his head slightly. He hadn’t eaten or drunk much at all since Orpheus had disappeared. It made it easier, somehow, to know exactly how his son felt. It was starting to wear on him. Hunger, thirst, his lack of sleep... but a god should be able to bear it, and so he does.

“I will not waste time,” Hades continues. “It appears that our poet...” Hermes almost smiles. When had Hades begun to consider Orpheus anything more than ‘the boy’? A phrase he said as if the young man was a bag of dirt. The King of the Underworld continues: “May not have long to live.”

Eurydice squeezes her lover’s hand. Hermes hadn’t dared approach them once he’d set Orpheus down, but even from across the room, he sees how shallow Orpheus’s breaths have become. 

“If he dies, he is mine. No amount of willing otherwise will change that fact, so we must come to an agreement before he does,” Hades says, matter-of-fact. “Eurydice,” he flicks the young woman a coin. “He may need it. Bodies fade far faster the nearer they are to the Styx. You won’t have time for a funeral rite.”

She nods numbly and slips the coin into Orpheus’s hand. “Now, our deal,” Hades goes on, “Your achievements are admirable, Eurydice. As are your lover’s. I will not keep you apart from him. Still, he cannot simply go free. Orpheus killed at least a few dozen mortals by his own hand and many more by the power of his storm.”

Hermes tries to say something, but he finds no sound comes out of his mouth. Persephone fills in. “Hades... he’s a boy in love.”

The King of the Dead nods. “I have no desire to punish him. To the dismay of The Furies, that is. However, I must keep an eye on him. This will ensure his safety, to some degree, for our relatives on Olympus may not find him here.”

“Their terms then?” Persephone says, bluntly. 

Hades sighs. “Nothing harsh. He has suffered the loss of his lover twice over and he will contend with the horrors he saw for the rest of his days.” Eurydice strokes Orpheus’s tear-stained cheek. 

Hades continues: “The underworld is overpopulated. I had not planned for so many new shades. I have no housing or work for them, so they will be sent to the surface to live out their lives as they deserve. Hermes, you will guide their souls to the overworld. Slowly. Do not disrupt the flow of Hadestown.”

Eurydice smiles, solemnly. Her lover will appreciate that, she knows.

“As for the both of you, Orpheus will remain underground for the time being, as will you, Eurydice. Do not think of this as cruelty,” he quickly adds. “You will be safe and provided for. Your stay will not be forever.”

“How long is ‘not forever?’“ Eurydice asks carefully.

“For now, let us say ten years. You signed a contract, Eurydice, so you are legally mine,” he reminds her. “Orpheus did not. One of you is bound to this realm, the other is not. Thus, once I deem Orpheus ready to leave or our ten years is up, you will together spend six months on the surface and six months underground. Half the year for your death, half the year for his life.”

“That’s all?” Persephone asks.

Hades groans. “Don’t sound so surprised, my love.”

“Do we have a deal?” he asks Eurydice.

"And if he dies?” she mumbles.

“The deal stands. He did not sign a contract, he is not bound to this realm.”

“Then I accept your terms,” Eurydice says. “And in the name of Orpheus, I accept your terms in his place.”

[hurtfairchild]

Clary/Jonathan, 3k, Rated E

Tags: Canon Compliant, Explicit Sexual Content, Vaginal Sex,  Drug Use, Drugged Sex, Sibling Incest, Mildly Dubious Consent, Post-Episode: s03e19 Aku Cinta Kamu, Bone Chandelier, Morgencest, Public Sex

@bannedtogetherbingo2020 prompt: Sexy & No Good

Read on AO3

Clary just sent Jace back to the Institute after he betrayed and now she wants to have fun.Somewhere in between, fun turns into wanting to fuck her brother so badly she can't help but give in.

The dust settled behind the portal.

The sour odor of Seelie blood overwhelmed Clary suddenly. The music was still pounding, restless, in the background, someone having forgotten to turn it off.  She closed her eyes for a moment. In her veins, the angel blood alight with power was burning like a drug. She was so annoyingly sober…

She turned back towards her brother, her eyes locking on him. Blood seeped from where the Seelie Queen, that bitch, had bitten him. Clary hissed. No one touched her brother. No one, not even Jace.

Jonathan’s face was distorted with a mix of pain and pride. She could understand why. She’d just gotten rid of Jace. And though she knew she should probably be sad about it, the only thing she could feel right now was relief…and…arousal?

She paced towards Jonathan, smiling at him and reaching for her stele. Gently, she reached up, her fingers tangling into his hair as she pulled his head aside. His hair was soft under her fingers, the blue lights of the club making strands shine like blood. Her stele glided over the iratze on his throat, and he shuddered sensibly.

“Are you alright, big brother?” she whispered. “Did the bitch hurt you?”

She sent a glare at the Seelie Queen who was still standing there looking righteous as ever. How easy it had been to defeat her, she who posed herself as the biggest threat in the entire realm. She who had until this very moment instilled fear into Clary. All she could feel now was anger at how cruel and sadistic the Queen had always been, and a great burning desire for revenge.

Jonathan’s hand rested on her arm then, bringing her attention back to him. His eyes were darker than usual, pupils a little blown. She’d never seen him looking like this before. Hungry.

“I’m okay, sister. Your iratzes are powerful.”

Clary knew they had to go but all she wanted was to stay in this place a little longer and enjoy the moment. She and Jonathan hadn’t really been able to let loose much, and she was craving to dance with him, to be close to him as the beat of the song resounded through their bones.

“I don’t want to leave this club just yet,” Jonathan whispered, a perfect parallel to her thoughts. “I want to have some fun, now that buzzkill Jace isn’t there anymore.”

Clary nodded. “I…” She looked over at the Seelie Queen. Immediately, an idea of a plan to keep the party going blossomed in her mind. “Take care of her, I’ll take care of the doors.”

She walked away from him, and she could feel his eyes on her like trails of fire, down her back, onto her ass, down her legs and back up again. She felt a wet warmth pool in her groin at that feeling and she swallowed. Usually, it was Jace that made her feel like this. When he was training with her, or when they were in bed together. She shook the thoughts away and focused on the great wooden doors of the club.

She slammed them shut, grabbing her stele. Without thinking, she started drawing. A deflect and locking rune mixed themselves in her mind and on the wood, sealing the two panels together. Golden light surrounded the edge of the door as well, until there was no difference between door and wall. Until everyone in the club was trapped there until Clary and Jonathan were done.

Clary swallowed. Her pussy was getting wet. She shifted a little before walking back towards the main room of the club.

Jonathan had strapped the Seelie Queen down on a chair, thick and sturdy-looking chains snaking around her entire body from neck to feet. There was no way she was getting out of there without them cutting her out. Good.

Jonathan stood, leaning against the pillar. People had started dancing again, probably ordered to by him. His gaze on her was heavy. She could feel it like a weight as she walked through the crowd. He was staring, almost unblinking. Though they stayed on her, they didn’t seem fixed to any specific point of her body. His eyes flicked between her face, her chest and her legs, almost without stopping. Clary felt more of the wetness in between her legs.

He wanted her. He’d wanted her since she’d had the knife up to Jace’s throat, and maybe even before that. His eyes had been on her for days at this point, watching, mapping the curves of her body as much as he could without her undressing. She remembered the way he’d watched her change back in Paris. It seemed like forever ago but the awe and hunger were the same.

Her heart started beating a little faster when she neared him. The club was hot and sweaty still, even more so now that people had started to dance again. She felt hot too, her dress tight and a little too warm with its long sleeves. Why had she decided to wear this to a club?

She stopped in front of him, smiling. Jonathan responded with a smirk, and his eyes were still alternating between staring at her cleavage and her face. Clary tried to look at him and see something she wanted too. She was wet but he wasn’t very attractive to her. The way he looked at her was burning her, was making her feel hot and desired and made her want to get closer to him. But he wasn’t hot.

He wasn’t hot the way Jace was, he looked a little too much like her reflection in the mirror, he wasn’t as tall as Jace. His face was strangely angular. His lips were a little too pouty. And they were siblings. Yeah, they didn’t know each other, and was it really that different from her story with Jace? Back after Valentine had told them they were related. But…

She wanted him too. At least she thought she did. Those lips on hers, on her breasts, his hands on her body. She could almost feel it.

Jonathan reached for her, his arm snaking around her waist and bringing her to him. Their bodies collided, the strong lines of his body fitting against hers in a surprisingly seamless way. Where her head usually fit right under Jace’s chin, Jonathan and her were almost eye-level.

She could feel his breath on her upper lip, could see the dark need in his eyes. It made her body ache.

“Let’s dance, Clary,” he whispered.

Clary swallowed, letting herself be pulled into the moving and writhing mass of bodies. It was hot, it was sticky, it made her feel like she was going to implode. His hands on her waist were heavy and warm, and she couldn’t stop thinking about his body against hers.

They stopped where the crowd was a little thicker, where people around them pushed them closer together, and they started dancing. Jonathan kept her close, too close, and she wanted to push him away just to be able to breathe a little deeper, just to avoid for a moment the pull of desire. The closer she was, the more she wanted him.

It was magnetic. His hands moved down from her waist to her hips, pulling her closer to him from there, pushing his hips against hers. She shifted, grinding against him without meaning to. She felt something rub against her crotch, something hard and thick and his gasp made obvious that it was his cock. He was hard. Hard for her.

Heat burned through her veins suddenly. Wetness pooling in her pussy and she knew her panties were getting soaked by her arousal, but she didn’t care. His fingers were holding onto her so hard it almost hurt, and he was still staring, hungry.

Clary rolled her hips against his, grinding in hard, gasping as she felt his hardness against her pubic mound. He growled low in his throat. She was too empty and too sober and she needed something to make her feel high. Her mind was zeroing in on the feeling of his hard cock against her crotch, their clothed hips grinding against each other on beat with the pulsing song around them.

She gasped for air as he rutted against her particularly hard. Suddenly, he flipped them over. His clothed erection slotted in the crack between her asscheeks, as he kept her so close she thought they would fuze together. One of his hands left her hips and reached up. He pulled down her cleavage and grabbed her breast through her bra. Clary moaned. She hadn’t been touched like this in so long.

Jonathan was rough, pulling on her breast and twisting her nipple. She cried out, hips bucking against his. Jonathan growled again at that. He pressed kisses against the back of her neck, sometimes licking at the sweat shining there, drunk on her scent.

Clary rolled her hips almost continually now, Jonathan rutting up against her.

She tilted her head back, groaning as he twisted her nipple again. People were staring. She didn’t care. The chandelier over her head shone briefly silver before it started dripping seelie drugs onto her, like a warm silver rain on her face, her hair, her skin.

She opened her mouth. Drops landed on her tongue, bitter and sweet. Her senses were easily overcome by the taste. Jonathan’s lips were still on her neck and he was alternating kisses and nips, hard teeth against her heated skin. It made her shiver every time. Made her move back against him.

The drug worked fast. The world looked like she was seeing it through a prism; a bit broken and definitely hazy around the edges. His body against hers was hot, firm, demanding. He rutted against her again, his cock hard against her ass. An aching need suddenly overwhelmed her.

Need for him, for his touch, for his voice in her ear, his cock in her pussy, his body over hers. Need for release, for pleasure, for him to please her. She could have chosen anyone in this club, demanded they fuck her, and they probably would have; drugged up and maybe afraid of her. She didn’t want to ask anyone else.

The wetness in between her legs was only for her brother. A small part of her, still sober, screamed at her that it was wrong. Jonathan was her brother, her flesh and blood, wanting him was wrong, fantasizing about how his cock would feel inside of her was wrong. Needing him like this was wrong. She should be needing Jace, if anyone, but she wasn’t and it was wrong and disgusting and-

She licked her lips, catching more of the bittersweet drug. The voice stopped talking.

Clary turned around. Jonathan’s face was alight with desire, his eyes dark, the silvery drops of Seelie drug dripping from his dark red hair like rain. He was beautiful. He was the most beautiful man she’d ever seen.

Clary leaned in suddenly, kissing Jonathan hard. He was almost hesitant at first but soon he was kissing her back, bruising and deep. His hands roamed over her body hungrily, mapping every inch of her. He grabbed her ass, massaging it roughly. Clary moaned against his lips. She reached up, her hands tangling in his hair.

They stumbled back, Clary walking backwards. The crowd parted for them until her back hit a pillar. It was rough, made of skulls and bones that dug into her back painfully but she didn’t care. Jonathan’s hands, Jonathan’s lips, his teeth, his tongue, his cock hard against her crotch…

He’d been hard for what seemed like forever now… They couldn’t keep rubbing on each other like this, or he would come outside of her, and she couldn’t have that. She couldn’t have him come and then get soft and not fill her, not fuck her. She needed him so badly. She couldn’t think about anything but how it would feel to be fucked by him.

“Clary,” he whispered against her lips.

Her name was like music to her ears right now, said in that husky, desire-saturated voice of his. She loved the way he said her name, whether it was cajoling or begging, whether he was happy or mad.

Clary let go of his hair. She reached down under her skirt, pulling down the lace panties she was wearing underneath. She shimmied a little and they fell to the floor. She stepped out of them and grabbed his belt. Jonathan’s mouth was sucking hickeys into her neck as she worked to undo his belt, his pants, and take his cock out. Drugs and desire made her motions uncertain and she struggled for a moment, but soon she could push his clothing down enough for his cock to spring out.

Jonathan groaned loudly, teeth digging into her skin, when she wrapped her hands around his cock. It was long and thick, hard and leaking over her fingers. In the dark and in her haste, she didn’t even think of comparing it to Jace’s or Simon’s.

She leaned back against the pillar, a skull digging into her side. She picked up her left leg, wrapping it over his hips and bringing him closer. She guided his cock to her folds. Jonathan grabbed her hip as soon as he felt the head of his cock find her entrance. He thrusted in.

Clary let out a cry. She was wet and ready and it didn’t hurt, but the thrust was hard and deep. His cock filled her completely. She wrapped her arms around his neck as he shifted. He pulled back slightly and thrusted in again. Clary’s cry of pleasure disappeared in the beat of the music.

“Fuck me,” she groaned against his ear. “Fuck me, Jonathan.”

He didn’t need to be told twice. His beautiful face was almost distorted with pleasure and drive as he started to fuck her. The pace was hard and fast, barely leaving time for her to comprehend the motions.

The pillar’s skulls and bones were an uncomfortable background. She knew she would bruise from them. Good. She’d have even more reasons to remember this moment.

“You feel so good, sister. It’s like you were made for me,” he said. Shame and disgust threatened to overwhelm her for a second but his pubis ground into her clit and she just moaned. “I’ve wanted this for so long,” Jonathan continued. “Dreamt of how your pussy would feel. I know I shouldn't have but I couldn't help it. And this... It’s like heaven.”

Clary hadn’t wanted him before. She’d even been disgusted by the idea to the point of nausea. And yet… Right now, she couldn’t imagine anything better than being fucked by Jonathan, her brother, in the middle of a crowded dance floor, high on Seelie drugs.

Her eyes hazily turned to where the Queen was sitting, staring at them with an unreadable expression. Clary smirked. She pulled on Jonathan’s hair a little, tilting his head back so she could kiss him. She closed her eyes, let her mind focus on the way his lips felt against hers. The way his cock felt inside of her, pounding into her tight pussy, driving her against the hard bones of Shadowhunters killed by Seelies.

She came suddenly. “Jonathan!” she screamed, her eyes rolling back at the thundering pleasure. She’d never felt anything like this before. She was on fire, and Jonathan was fucking her through it just as punishing as before.

Clary’s heart beat so loud she could hear it over the music and Jonathan’s grunts and hard breathing. She felt empty, weak, wet with sweat and her own spend. She melted against Jonathan’s body, limp and pliant from her orgasm. He could have done anything to her.

Jonathan’s fingers dug into her skin, nails in deep enough to draw blood. Clary yelped at the sudden rush of pain and the pleasure still coming in waves from her oversensitive pussy. Jonathan slammed in as deep as he could.

He screamed her name as he came inside of her. She felt his semen hot and wet spill inside of her; his cock twitching, his hips thrusting a little to ride the shockwaves of his orgasm. She held onto him.

Clary was dreading the moment he would pull out, and it came too fast, leaving her achingly empty. She wanted more, needed more. Jonathan didn’t seem to want to give her much more right now.

He put her leg down and let go of her. Her knees were weak and she almost toppled over. Her entire body ached.

She watched as he put himself back in his pants and straightened up his clothing. Her skirt was still bunched up slightly, semen trickling down from her pussy. Jonathan’s fingers tucked her sweaty red hair behind her ear.

“Look at you, sweet sister,” he said. “You’re wrecked.”

Clary felt wrecked.

“I would activate your iratze, but I want you to feel me for a while,” Jonathan pointed out. “Let’s go back to the apartment now.”

Without meaning to, she nodded and stood up a little straighter. They unchained the Queen and she broke the rune keeping the doors locked.

Clary’s thighs were sticky with Jonathan’s semen as she walked. It was uncomfortable. Her panties had been forgotten on the floor of the club. What had she done?

Drugs were dissipating and so was the glow of her orgasm and… Clary’s nausea came back. Not at the idea of what Jonathan might want to do, but at the memory of what she’d just done with him, how much she’d wanted it, how hard she’d come. Much harder than with anyone else before.

They arrived at the apartment quickly, and Jonathan immediately moved them to the other side of the world to evade capture.

Clary showered the sweat and semen off. Bruises from the skulls and from his fingers were already blooming on her pale skin. She went to bed, in the giant bed she had felt terribly alone in before Jace’s brief visit.

She tossed and turned, sick to her stomach with the knowledge that her pussy still ached; a deep desire for Jonathan’s cock. If he was to come barging in the bedroom now, she’d let him. She’d let him climb in bed and fuck her again.

Three knocks resounded at the door.

[killersolo]

OC ask games but instead if reblogging the asks I answer them myself for Eugene's development

put under a read more cause this is....long [also i couldnt answer all questions oops]

dnd character ask meme by gendermybeloved

what kind of clothing does your character like to wear? do they have a style? anything they avoid wearing? Eugene wears button ups, a lot, with funky little patterns on them. Usually they are blue, turquoise, green and pink. He usually just wears blue denim pants, however if his shirt is blue he tries to avoid wearing blue pants under them. As for shoes he just wears, usually white, sneakers.

what's their current hairstyle? has it changed? do they change it often? Eugene's hair is short, but the long kind of short. He usually wears it with a small crest, but sometimes he lets it down too. During Mann Co. it was a lot shorter because Soldier demanded they'd all keep their hair short. In his mid-teens [15-16] he started off with a bit of a mullet that eventually grew into longer hair that he'd keep in place with a headband, [think Your Worst Nightmare kind of long] he cut it off at around 17.

is your character more articulate in their thoughts than their words? if yes, do they do anything about that? do they care? Eugene is more articulate in his thoughts, he tends to have very rambled thoughts that make sense to him but when he has to out those words it can be a little chaotic/rambly as well. But if he has to prepare text it comes out a lot more structured. He doesn't do anything about it cause he enjoys being a little chaotic like that.

would your character sing along to a vaguely familiar song, even if they messed up the lyrics as they went? No, Eugene will only sing along if he knows the words. If a song is vaguely familiar he'll only hum along with it.

if they wear any, how does your character go about applying makeup? Eugene doesn't wear makeup.

do they usually sleep in a certain pose? does it change? Fetal position is the go to but not a necessity when sleeping.

how would they react to eating something that was spicier than they expected it to be? Tears would form in his eyes and he'd cough a little but he's too stubborn to admit he can't handle it/it's too spicy.

are their hands steady? Yes, absolutely. Thanks to sniper training they got steadier than before.

if someone gave them flowers, what would they do with them? He'd be very confused. Eventually he'll accept them but it's very uncomfortable and awkward for him. If something like this [affection and/or something so confronting and unexpected] happens to him he'll be the type to say no out of discomfort even though he'd want to say yes.

would they sneak out at night to look at the sky? how long would they stay there looking? Absolutely, he'd use his dogs as an excuse to go outside and he'd just stay there for as long as he or his dogs like.

how do they feel about casual endearments? (babe, etc) Uncomfortable, he'd need to get used to them a lot.

what colour would they paint their room? would there be a design on the ceiling? He'd be too undecisive to choose colours or patterns. On the ceiling there are those green and purple glow in the dark stickers.

what helps them fall asleep when they're having trouble doing so? ASMR or watching those YouTube documentaries.

do they tend to run hot or cold? do they do anything to deal with that? xx I'm not sure what this question means

what's a sound they can't stand? The sound [and sight] of people eating.

would they draw patterns in frosted windows/fogged up mirrors? what would they draw? He'd draw smiley faces and dogs [and male genitalia when it's appropriate.]

do they fidget? how and/or with what? A lot! He has multiple fidget. He scratches his neck a lot, he scratches his thumbs a lot too, and he rubs his knuckles over his chest sometimes [ this also because of the scar itching].

would they sing a lullaby, if the opportunity arose? Nah, not a fan of lullabies.

do they see patterns in the world around them? do they point them out to people? All the time, but he barely points them out because more often than not people look at him weird for either not seeing the pattern or confusion.

do they like to keep plants/growing things in their space? His favourites are cacti and succulents, though most of them are fake because he forgets to take care of them a lot.

do they touch or mess with their hair/horns a lot? Usually only the hair on his neck thanks to his neck scratches, and a hand through his hair once in a while but that's it.

when they speak, do they have a default tone of voice? if yes, do they try to change it? why?

do they wrap their arms around their stomach when it hurts?

what kind of bookmarks, if any, do they like to use? No bookmarks, only memory. When it's a book they read in class, he uses colour coded sticky bookmarks for discussions in class.

do they keep books on their person? what kind? Only when he needs to bring them to his job, or when he plans on reading them [for example on a long train ride].

do they write in their books? do they mind other people writing in their books? what do they write? Yes, he writes in his books mainly for things he notices or for discussion points in class [like foreshadowing or patterns or smth similar]

do they write often? why/what about? Not really, Eugene sometimes tries to write down what he feels, because he has troubles expressing emotion and he hopes it may help him.

if they can fly, how do they feel in the moment their feet touch the ground again? n/a

if they wear any, where did they get their jewellery? He has matching sword necklaces with Demoman, but he only rarely wears it. He doesn't like jewellery too much as it feels bothersome to him.

have they ever tried to count their own freckles? do they count other people's? n/a, no freckles.

did they climb all over/onto things as a kid? Only in trees.

can they play darts? would they? He can easily play, and win, darts thanks to his aim as an ex-sniper but he doesn't because he just thinks it boring.

where are they in a group hug? (dead center, outside, etc) Nowhere, group hugs are too overwhelming [too much touching]

what's the first thing they think when they hear an alarm? what's the first thing they do? His ears perk up and he looks around to try and figure out what is going on.

do they sing with their head voice or their chest voice? Chest voice

(if they have hair that needs to be brushed) how often do they do so? do they do it gently? n/a

how would they pass the time on a train? Either reading, listening to music or playing puzzle games [like picross or I Love Hue].

do they bother to clean ink/chalk/gunpowder/etc off of their fingers? are they likely to forget it's there and smudge their nose? im not sure how to answer this one

do they keep working even when their wrists start to cramp? if they do, do they give themselves a break when the work is done? He does keep working because, once he's started something and is in the right mindset he doesn't want to stop and once again he's too stubborn to stop as well.

if their mattress became uncomfortable as time passed, would they notice it? would they do anything about it? He wouldn't notice because he already gets barely any sleep anyway.

20 assorted OC asks by pieniharmaakani

Why did you pick their name? I blame Eugene from Animal Crossing.

Why did your character get that name in-universe? I haven't thought about this yet tbh.

How do they talk in a formal situation?

How do they talk with close people?

If they got a tattoo, what kind? If they have tattoos, what would their next one be? He's got an aboriginal kangaroo tattoo on his upper right arm/shoulder. A crocodile tattoo from his lower back to his stomach, and a snake tattoo from his knee, going around his leg and ending at his foot/ankle. For his next tattoo he maybe wants something small on his hip or collarbone, but he isn't sure what.

Alpine skiing, cross-country skiing, downhill tobogganing/sledding, or ice skating? Ice skating, as it's most similar to roller-skating.

Their 2020s AU quarantine craft of choice? Music, and trying to cook but failing poorly.

Which era of historical fashion do you think would fit them?

What's their most annoying trait? His stubbornness and struggle to let go [inflexibility].

What makes them nice to be around?

What do they look for first in another person?

What do other people often notice first in them?

Their cliche YA novel scent combo? (Like 'X smelled like rhododendron and dewdrops and the pages of a 100-year-old library book 😩')

Good or bad at math? Bad/average.

Likes studying languages, yes or no? Yes!

Kitchen catastrophe or gourmet home cook? Catastrophe

What's their breakfast like? Boring, just the regular cereal with milk, and if he's late just the nearest thing he can get his hands on.

Do they have a favourite accessory / item of clothing? If yes, why that? Nope not at all.

What cute thing were they into as a tween that they cringe about now? (Let them know I love it!)

What kind of people are their type that they find most attractive? (Either platonic, romantic or sexual attraction.)

Oc Asks Game by inky-duchess

What is your character's reaction to a minor inconvenience? Such as getting their jumper caught on a door handle? Normally he wouldn't mind but when he's having a bad day he'd lose his mind.

Tea, coffee, hot chocolate or other? Tea is the usual hot drink! The other two only in specific situations.

What does their safe space look like?

What do they consider to be an unforgivable action? Why?

Do they have any nicknames or pet names or other aliases?

What kind of books comfort them? What books help them heal after a hard day?

Are they a naturally assertive person or are they painfully shy? Usually a bit assertive but when a situation is unfamiliar he can be a bit taken aback/shy, but he can adapt quite quickly.

Do they consider themselves a friendly person or aloof? He considers himself friendly, but he can come across a bit aloof at certain times.

What is your character's trigger point? What makes them angry, sad or makes them go off?

What kind of jokes make them laugh?

Do they enjoy pranks or do they hate them? Are they likely to fall for a prank? If the prank is harmless he enjoys them. He falls for pranks a lot because of his obliviousness/naiveté/whatever that thing that autistic people have is called.

Are they an overall healthy person? Do they make for a good patient or a terror?

Describe your character's typical wardrobe for the regular day. Button up, jeans and sneakers.

Are they a simple person to please or difficult?

What is the first thing people notice about them?

What do they look for in a friend? A love interest?

Who are they soft for? Do they find being soft easy or difficult?

Describe your character through a Brooklyn 99 gif or line.

What does your character consider to be their lowest point?

Does your character have a comfort item?

What would be one item that they would hate to lose most?

What are their eating habits like? Do they snack throughout the day? Or do they eat sparsely? Sparsely, he forgets to eat quite a lot and even when he does it's not really enjoyable.

What is your character's favourite food and who cooks it best?

What are your character's special skills?

What are somethings they find difficult to do? Or say?

Are they an animal person? Do they have pets? Eugene loves animals more than anything in the world, he absolutely melts at them. He's got 2 dogs himself as well.

What are their opinions on children? Do they view children as sweet angels or evil crotch goblins? He really doesn't like kids,,,at all. He doesn't want kids either.

If your character was in today's world, what social media platforms would they avoid? Or be prominent on? He'd try to avoid facebook, instagram and twitter, though he would post to instagram or twitter just once in a while. He uses discord for friends and even 1 class for the pandemic. WhatsApp is used mainly for contact.

Are they an organised person? Or more laissez-faire? It's organised chaos. He's got everything organized but only in a way that he knows where everything is.

Do they dwell better in chaotic situations or more linear situations? Linear

Your character has been invited to a masquerade ball. What mask do they wear?

Your character is having a prom night/debs. What kind of outfit do they wear?

How do they act around people they don't know? Are they shy around strangers or dismissive of them?

Can your character drive? If so, what kind of driver are they? If not what's their preferred manner of transport? He can drive just fine, he's a very relaxed driver but can't focus when other people in the car talk too much.

What attracts your character to another person? What kind of person do they do for?

Tell us something about your OC that doesn't make it onto the page? He's got quite the bit of trauma/ptsd. The reason I haven't talked about this yet is because I'm not sure how to write it accurately, yet.

Your character has been kidnapped. Who has kidnapped them and how do they escape?

How does your character unwind after a long day?

What's your character's guilty pleasure?

Your character's friend has just been mugged. What's their reaction?

Your character has been punched into the face. What's their reaction? He's not a huge fan of violent/physical confrontations, so he'd just get angry with whoever punched them. If they punch a second time, Eugene will gladly return it.

Does your character celebrate their birthday? If not, why? Yeah

What is the DND alignment? Chaotic Neutral

Hogwarts House?

Star Sign? Leo

Does your character believe in anything? Religion? Superstition? He's neutral on it, but he find it fascinating and interesting to talk about.

What is your character's reaction when someone does something nice for them? Discomfort.

Is your character easy to make cry? Or angry? Or annoyed? Not angry or annoyed but frustrated.

What is your character's biggest fear? Most irrational? Being forgotten.

How does your sleep at night? Are they a heavy or light sleeper? Do they dream or have nightmares? Do they find it easy to sleep or are they more a night owl? He's more of a night owl, but when he sleeps he does have nightmares quite often. He only sleeps when he's completely exhausted.

[nairil-daeris]

Holly Hell

continuation to my fanfiction that you can read here https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12280276/1/Holy-Hell

I need to thank to amazing and absolutely incredible the-foxes-fangs for beta

I was also heavily inspired by otohe’s story. As they say, really good art inspires others to do their own.

............................................

Annoying.

“It’s all absolutely annoying“ Neji decided while sitting under his favourite tree in heaven‘s orchard.

The sun was slowly setting on the horizon and birds were chirping their evening songs. The peaceful atmosphere invited him to relax and have a nice session of meditation.

Or not.

Where was his favourite moment of concentration without any necessary thoughts?

In hell apparently.

He had decided to forget his little experience with the she-devil as the unimportant incident it was.

But it was not to be. Tenten seemed to remain on the angel’s mind that evening and the many that followed. It was upsetting, to say the least.

Neji decided that he hated the little demon. She drove him crazy even after so many days. The memory of the challenge in her gaze alone was enough to make his blood boil. With rage of course.

Which was one of the many reasons that the existence of this… dream was more than a little irksome. It implied that there was something beneath that hatred, which just simply couldn’t be true.

The Dream, as Neji called it, came just when he thought he had banished all thought of her.

Even if he wanted to recall the curves of her body, or the fullness of her lips– which he didn’t – he certainly wouldn’t. She was disgusting, filthy demon trash. A mere plebe and a tramp compared to him and his status as an angel.

It didn’t matter how much the thought of dominating her appealed to him in his dream

– how much he’d love to pin her down and force her into submission, make her squeal and moan while he told her of the myriad annoyances, she had given him, for which she must now be punished.

He had become so obsessed about the demon, that he was hallucinating about her right now.

She was standing in the clearing before him, hand on one hip cocking her head at him with a too-glib smile. The fact that he found her attractive was ridiculous.

“I didn’t expect you would be here again.” He said to his imagination.

“And whom did you expect?”

“Not you.”

“I’m hurt.”

Wait. Fantasies weren’t supposed to talk back. They weren’t supposed to talk at all!

It took several seconds before reality dawned on him.

“How dare you! How did you even get here without me noticing!?”

“I got here without you noticing the first time as well.” She said and shrugged.

That was quite a blow to his ego. And it made him furious.

“Go back to the depths of the hell that you came from, you pitiful creature!” Neji roared.

But there was no answer. The she-devil was watching him thoughtfully.

“No.” She said finally, staring him down, “I don’t think I will.”

“And why not?” The words escaped him through gritted teeth. His gaze fell on her slightly exposed cleavage and he tore his eyes away before his thoughts could run away with him.

 “Because you want me to. And I enjoy irritating you, angel.”

He pictured himself kissing her like he did last time. He couldn’t help it. It was … irritating indeed. Thinking of the swell of her bottom lip was one thing. Thinking of how much more swollen he could make it with his teeth and his mouth was another thing altogether.

He was paralyzed by contradictory desires, both to kiss her and throw her out of his sight. So he chose to converse instead and see where it took him.

“So you do.” He replied carefully.

“I’d almost dare say that you feel the same way.”

“No, I can’t say that I enjoy it when you irritate me. I know this must come as a great shock–”

“But you do enjoy irritating me, if our last encounter is anything to go by. But you’re absolutely dreadful at it right now.”

Now, she had gone too far. Neji stood in one fluid motion, rage winning out for now if only to cover up reality. The sight of Tenten’s smug, self-satisfied face had exhausted his patience.

”Why are you here, you vixen?“

“I want what I came for before, the apples.”

He crossed his arms in front of his chest, sneer appropriately fixed on his face before he even bothered to open his mouth. “Yes? Didn’t I teach you a lesson?”

But something felt off. As though he were disappointed that she wasn’t there because of him specifically. For no other reason than to torment him.

Which apparently would be a good prospect now? What on earth was the matter with him?

“Oh? Were you expecting another fucking? Not gonna happen!” The she-devil said in a mocking sing-song voice.

Bratty minx! He was going to show her that fucking was definitely not on his mind when he sent her right down from heaven’s clouds. Literally.

The darkness descended.. Oh, the old trick won’t work twice on me, thought the angel.

“I don’t suppose you enjoy being left in the dark.” He could hear her mocking. 

“That’s a shame...for you.” A part of him couldn’t believe he was wasting his time on her. The other part… he refused to acknowledge.

It was easy to locate her position now when she spoke. One good flaming arrow was enough to interrupt her dirty spell.

“Because I do so enjoy annoying you, as you said yourself” Neji continued.

The two of them stared at each other now, sizing each other up. 

 “Do you? You’re so cruel. Am I that bad to look at? Am I unnerving you?” She answered while making seductive pose. 

Bold, bratty, and annoying. It would have been so delightfully easy to shut her up with a kiss, searing enough to make even that she-devil melt. He knew he could do that now. It would be even easier with his cock between her lips, but that was…  dangerous territory. How…unsettling. He hardly even recognized himself anymore.

A staring contest wasn’t a good idea. 

He caught himself staring at Tenten’s mouth and righted his gaze, doing his best to look as bored as possible. As bored as he truly didn’t feel at all.

 Tenten used his moment of absent-mindedness to bolt behind the trees.

Off he went after her. 

Ugh she is fast, that little shrew, Neji thought. How irritating.

By the time he caught up with her she was already holding an apple in her hand.

“That’s as far as you got the last time” he said with a smirk “you’re not going to get any further now.”

He expected her to put the apple into her bag but to the angel’s surprise she bit into it instead.

Just like that. In front of him. Such audacity! And while wearing such a smug grin, munching on the apple, like she had won first prize in a lottery.

But her smile changed. It crumpled into a grimace as Tenten started coughing.

That’s curious, thought Neji as he stopped through drawing his flaming sword.

The she-devil landed on all fours, coughing and sputtering violently. 

The angel just stood there, unsure how to react. Had his prey suddenly turned into a victim?

That was … troubling. Confusing.

Downright alarming, the more he saw her writhing in pain.

He wanted her writhing, but beneath him with pleasure, not like…this.

Gingerly he came closer, anticipating another of her tricks, only to see that her distress was genuine. This was his second time seeing Tenten with an unguarded expression, but this time he wasn’t enjoying it a bit. 

At last she went still, her consciousness leaving her. Neji checked her pulse, she was alive but passed out. 

As he bent down toward the little devil, he felt powerless in more ways than one. Neji had no idea why the perfect apple from heavens orchard had caused her so much pain. He blamed himself for having let this happen at all. It was his job to protect the garden from creatures like her anyway, but he had let his cravings get in the way.

And now he felt completely thrown off. How vexing. Not that he could fault her, but– still. He’d very much like to fault her. Agony of bliss suited her much better that this. He wanted to help her, he realized.

But how? 

”Angel wantssss to help hissss little friend?”

The Snake. Neji had almost forgotten that he wasn’t the only inhabitant of Heaven’s Garden.

„She is not my friend!“ He said with a glare at the Snake.

„Sssory than, a lover perhapsssss?“ Now if only there was some hole he could crawl into, because the Snake was, in fact, right.

Neji decided to swallow his pride and ask, „Do you know what happened to her?“

„Well of coursssse I do.“ Snake answered a little moodily.

„Than do tell me!“ The angel shouted.

The serpent’s eyes narrowed in pleasure and he stalled for a few more excruciating moments before answering: “She issss a creature of darknesss, she belongsss to Hell.”

“And here I was, hoping you would tell me something I don’t already know” Neji sights.

Not bothered by his interruption, the Snake continued “All of usss supernatural beingsss have delicate balance of power in our bodiesss. But now she hasss heavens essence inside her organsss and itsss slowly but surely killing her. Her balance isss disrupted.”

She is really dying, Neji thought. And he felt … remorse. It would be a pity to never see that smug smile again, he realized.

“Isn’t there any way to help?” He asked, internally cringing at how miserable his voice sounded.

“Well there isss and an easssy one no lesss.” Snake hisses.

Neji waited for him to continue but it looked like that was it. A new emotion rose within his chest and he was surprised at how utterly livid he felt. Now he knew there was hope. He was going to set things right.

“I have no idea why you are even allowed to stay in this holy garden! You, disgusting serpent, tell me how to cure her or I’ll make sure you are thrown out of this place for good!”

“Yesss, I can help, that being sssaid, I will be asssking for sssomething in return, I hope you realize.”

The problem was, that Neji couldn’t just kill the serpent on the spot or torture him no matter how delightful that might be. The Snake was under direct protection of God himself, only God knows why.

“How can you help her and what can you possibly want?” Neji asked apprehensively. 

“You sssee, I can bite her.” 

“What the hell?”

“Yesss, Hell that’sss exactly where I came from, therefore I’m filled with it’sss esssence…. My poissson won’t affect her and it restoresss the balance within her. But my help comesss with a price.”

“Out with it, you slug.”

“Don’t call me namesss, lassst time I checked you needed me to sssolve this little situation with your darling over here. I’d hate to caussse any problemsss in your budding relationssship,” Snake said sounding awfully insincere. 

Hmpf, and what a relationship it is, the angel though while trying to look as scornful as possible.

“Luckily for you I can be sssatisfied with a little.” Neji can almost see him sneer “You’ll be owing me a favour, nothing more. A good bargain if I sssay ssso myself.”

There really wasn’t much Neji could do other than accept. He nodded. 

Delightful,” the Snake hissed, and bit Tenten’s pale arm. “Ssshe needs to ressst now.” He added before slithering away.

The She-devil lay there on the cold ground, as cold as death herself. Neji’s stomach clenched at the sight. It made him angry…at her…not at himself, that he was so utterly invested in her well-being. Neji tried not to look too closely at why in the first place. 

He wanted to tell her how it was all her fault, but it seemed unfair, since she was still unconscious. There would be plenty of time to school her on how not to behave later.

He picked her body up and charged to his garden house, impatience to keep her safe winning out over courtesy.

He was almost certain he’d regret it, but... Apparently her idiocy was catching.

It was a strange feeling, with the devil collapsed in his arms. He felt protective of her even though she was enemy not long ego. She is his enemy still, he chided himself.

Fortunately, she seemed a lot warmer by the time he laid her on his bed to rest. 

 “Not even going to change? Take your shoes off?” he joked, knowing full well she couldn’t hear him in her sleep.

She looked … good like this, on his bed, he decided. 

And since there was nothing to do other than wait, he laid next to her to rest as well. His bed was more than big enough, after all, for the both of them, with plenty of room to spare in between.

It was, however, rather nice to wake up next to her some time later. Next to a demon. How low had he sunk?

He crouched over her to check her temperature, only to be met with a small but definitely hard fist. 

They were both out of bed in seconds.

“Aww and you looked so comfy in my pillows, I thought you liked it there.” Neji said with a smirk. He was just riling her up. But– he had absolutely no interest in looking at why he wanted to rile her up so much in the first place.

“You perverted kinky angel, you wanted to take advantage of me! You took me to this…this”, Tenten looked over his Hellenistic style chambers “….lair of yours!” she snarled at him.

And now he regretted it, he thought as he rubbed his temples.

“Well thank you, would be more appropriate, considering I saved your life and all. I owe a favour to the garden’s Snake, too. But what could I expect from ill-bred low life like you.” Neji fired back.

“I have no idea how I got here, but I’m definitely not going to thank you for all those insults. Although coming from an idiot like you, I guess I don’t need to be offended!”

“Yes,” 

He said slowly, taking a step toward Tenten and utterly delighting in the sight of her immediate retreat. “I daresay I just might be, seeing as I have spent the last several hours completely–” Another step. “– and utterly wasting my time on your well-being, which–” Step. “– would be bad enough already, but then I’m forced to take ingratitude from you, filthy witch, which would have already been more than bad enough–” His last long stride is enough to have her backed into the wall, Neji growling his words through his teeth, eyes flashing furiously. “Only to learn that it was an entirely stupid idea?!” He said, grasping her arm firmly.

She didn’t say anything at first. He wondered at his disappointment about that.

 “You were worried about me.”

He wasn’t sure which was more infuriating– how absolutely certain and sure she was, or the way she let her gaze fall to his lips after saying it.

And how he couldn’t help but allow his own to follow.

“It seems I was wrong,” he says, the words leaving him achingly slowly through clenched teeth. It was almost distracting how good she smelled. Of pepper. It brought unwanted memories. It should have been a warning– he was too close. “Between the two of us, it would seem that I am not the greater idiot after all.”

“You’re worried about me,” Tenten said again. It was just as infuriating to hear as the first time, as it turned out. “And right now…” she licked her lips, drawing his gaze for a split second too long, “… you want to kiss me.”

She looked good like this, he decided for the second time, wide eyed from fear or thrill. He wished it were easier to resent her for that instead of himself.

It was as though she’d seeped into his skin, planted a seed and watched it fester. He pictured her lips kiss-swollen, and tried to decide if it would be worth it to prove her right if it meant getting to push her into the wall and leave her breathless and wanting.

“But that’s not going to happen.” she said with a smirk, using his moment of distraction to free herself from his grasp. 

The she-devil leapt on the top of his of bed’s canopy with a laugh, a bright and happy sound that stirred something in his chest. It was … uncomfortable. Not entirely terrible, though. He’d rather not look too closely at that. 

“Tsk, Tsk, how easily you lose your composure around me, Mr. Angel.” She mocked him again.

“You are utterly insufferable.”

Insults. As if those could possibly restore his dignity to him now.

 “I do try.

Her smug smile was provocative enough to make his stomach churn, an undeniably… unacceptable feeling, he decides.

All right, so maybe he couldn’t refute that. How extraordinarily annoying of her.

Cheeky trollop.

“You brought all of this on yourself trying steal. I should give you a lesson, so you never try to do something that outrageous again.”

Neji frowned. she didn’t look nearly as concerned by that as she should have. If anything, she looked delighted.

How strange.

“Ooooh, noooo I’m so scared of your empty promises!” She said, and actually winked at him.

Ridiculous creature.

“It’s getting boring here. I’ll be leaving then.” The she-devil said, making a mock-bow that gave him a good view of her cleavage.

Neji forced himself not to stare. This simply wouldn’t do.

She flapped her wings, but he caught up with her by the Hellenistic-inspired arches near the marble ceiling.

They exchanged a few blows, but ultimately she was no match for him. She bolted to the stained glass window, but before she could make it there, he threw her against the huge library wall.

“You’re a completely insufferable demon–” Neji growled as he pinned her hands to the wall.

They were still in the air as Tenten tried to kick him with her free legs. He was glad that he was so much bigger than her when he pressed his body to hers to stop her from kicking and writhing out of his grasp.

She stopped kicking. But she was still writhing and his mind helpfully offered him some very suggestive ideas.

How… deeply… unsettling.

She was breathing rather heavily now, tired from her futile struggle.  It wasn’t helping.

Tenten noticed him staring and the fire building between them. The tension was palpable.

The angel tried to turn his eyes from her, his attention solidly unfocused on the books atop the shell mantle before him. His expression turned carefully blank.

He lowered them to the floor and stepped back. 

The demon was obviously beside herself with humiliation over her defeat. At least that’s what he thought until she actually threw a book at him and yelled “One single apple and you make it look like a capital crime!”

The insolent bitch.

He had her backed against a bookshelf with her hands pinned above her head in less than a heartbeat before he said “It’s not about one apple, it’s the principle I’m stressing here. You were stealing, and you don’t feel an ounce of guilt about it! Such a shameful vixen deserves to be punished.”

But his treacherous mind showed him the kind of punishment that involved kissing that defiant expression off her face. He wanted her to beg. To submit to him.

And the she-devil seemed to read his intentions. Tenten’s eyes widened, she opened her pretty mouth and yelled “You fucking perverted angel! You kink-starved deviant! You have some twisted idea of justice, you-“

“I might as well have” Neji interrupted, and when she inhaled to yell at him again, he wondered why he didn’t shut her mouth a lot earlier.

Suddenly he was kissing her. He was crushing her mouth, her loud, warm and quite intoxicating mouth. The pleasure of the feel of her had him seeking more and she was now resisting a lot less he noted smugly. 

She tried to say something but instead, he cut her off with another searing kiss, her lips parting willingly against his. The feeling of her becoming pliant against him like this was nothing short of ecstasy, bringing him deep gratification.

He took her lower lip in his teeth and slowly, slowly moved it between them. When he freed her, she whined for more, licking at the air until he found her mouth again.

He moved to the crook of her neck, biting and nipping, sucking on the skin. The action drew several moans and gasps from her before he was even somewhat satisfied. Neji wanted more. She offered him moans of pleasure and soft hisses of pain whenever he sucked too hard. He didn’t want there to be a single spot of her body left unmarked by him, but he’d settle for the few marks he has littered her with now, ones that no scarf could ever possibly cover up. He allowed his free hand to run up her body, to cup her breast and tease her nipple through the dark swimsuit– the same clothing that she wore the last time they were doing this.

“Neji–” He wasn’t sure he could ever tire of that sound– his name, half-whimper, half-submission. “Are you going to kiss me again?” “I was going to. I’d hoped to leave your lips just as bruised as your skin–” Pinning both her wrists with one hand was effortless work, the angel delighted in drawing back and allowing his fingertips to ghost over the bruise-riddled path dotting her skin. “But then you became impatient and greedy.” “What do I have to do, then?” She said, with a flirtatious tilt of her head. “Beg me.” But still, she did little more than give him a level stare.. “I believe I told you to beg.” “And if I don’t want to?” “Then you won’t be rewarded.” He caught the way the corner of her mouth quirked up. “No reward? That hardly sounds like the proper punishment for someone so impudent like me, angel.” “You should learn that I am not so gentle when provoked, she-devil.” He said, returning her level stare. “Try me,” Tenten said testing his patience. “I hope you realize that only good, obedient demons get punished in such a way as would delight them. If I’m to punish you, I can guarantee that it won’t be enjoyable for you.” “Are you trying to scare me?” “If you are the type to be scared by that, then yes.” “I’m not.” “Good.” Admittedly, he was hoping she wouldn’t be. “I will not repeat myself, Tenten.” Silence descended, heavy and pregnant between them. “… please,” she finally says, visibly swallowing. A veritable treat for his eyes.

“Please what?” “Please kiss me– punish me– I don’t really care anymore, honestly, I just want it–” 

If there was more coming, he didn’t allow her to finish her thought, not when her words lit a desire in his gut that was impossible to shake.

He was ravishing her gain after what felt like months– years– of waiting. It hadn’t been even remotely that long– even claiming weeks would be genuinely pushing it, but his desire for her had been considerable. Neji wanted to tell that brazen minx, that the fact that she was still wearing clothes was an injustice, but that would require ceasing his kissing of her, and he wasn’t sure he was physically capable of it now, not as utterly drunk as he was on the pepper taste of her. So he let his hand do the work for him, ridding her of her clothes as agonizingly slowly as possible. He didn’t stop until she was left nude. He looked her up and down. She was utterly lovely like this, with a flush colouring her cheeks. Trailing a path up to her hip, Neji allowed the tips of his fingers to explore her body, pausing only with the discovery of her folds. Parting her with few fingers, he drew his thumb up to her clit and waited  for another inhale, another gasp or another moan– anything to sustain him a little longer, to hold off and spur on his desire all at once. It came  alongside the buckling of her knees, the sweetest moan leaving her parted lips before he could capture them again, sliding his knee between her legs to both hold her up and offer friction.

The demon took his offering as the gift that it was, and let herself rut against his thigh, eager hips seeking out his thumb over and over. He had done this before, of course, but it hadn’t felt quite like this, as though the stakes were so high. He wondered why, and slid two fingers inside of her only to find her wet and wanting.

Smiling at the sensation, Neji leaned closer to her ear. “You lustful thing,” he teased in a whisper, knowing he was at least as wanton for her. She was close now– he could tell. It would be hard to miss. Her kisses had become less messy, finally stopping altogether, movements directed– if not by him– then by instinct alone, as she arched her body, yearning for her peak– He pulled his hand away just as his teeth found her earlobe, a loud whine escaping her at the lack of satisfaction. “That, my witch,” he whispered, lips ghosting along the shell of her ear, “is punishment.” Not a spanking. Not the myriad ways he could tie her to his bed. Nothing that could have her moaning deliciously for him.

He studied his slick hand, her juices dripping over it.

“I didn’t realize you wanted it that bad“ “Beg,” he ordered, and was met with another whimpered whine. “Please–Neji, please–” “Please what?” “P-please let me come–” “That’s better,” he purred into her ear, the reward he offered almost instantaneous. He had her back on the brink in moments, the feeling of her clenching around his fingers enough to make even him shudder at the prospect. He removed his knee from between her legs only once he was convinced that she could stand on her own again. It wasn’t surprising– the way she quivered in his grasp had him genuinely concerned for a bit. Finally satisfied that she could stand, he released her wrists. She staggered for a moment, but remained upright. Good enough.

“You seem to be holding up, but we’re only getting started. I haven’t even fucked you yet. 

Now. On the bed – don’t make me wait.” he commanded.

He could see how her gaze cleared and watched her eyes get their defiant glint again.

“You-“ she started to protest, but was cut off when he unceremoniously dropped her onto the bed on her knees.

She squealed, taken by surprise, and before she could recover, he landed a smack on her ass before his fingers sought out her cunt to slide inside once more. 

It was enough stimulation that her body gave way to another moan. He pumped his fingers and curled them inside of her almost lazily as her fingers dug into the sheets beneath her. She felt nailed down to the bed, unable to move, only concentrating on the pleasure he was giving her.

He withdrew and grabbed her opposite leg, effectively flipping her onto her back in the process. Neji renewed his assault on her pussy, pumping his fingers rhythmically. “Look at you,” he drawls, feeling very smug. “You’re a mess.” She just mewled and gasped for air.

“You can’t even speak. Heh…” 

He gripped her jaw and moved her face until their eyes were locked.

“You’re shaking,” he said, fingers pressing into her clit now and moving just enough to draw a whine from her, “Mm, cute. What a face…now you’re getting me excited.”

The angel leaned in for another kiss, hard and hot and just as intense as all the rest had been. She wrapped her legs around his waist without even so much as a comment, grasping hold of his cock between their bodies before he caught hold of her wrist and pulled it back with a chiding look. “Eager, are we?” “I want to feel you; I can’t help it.” she managed. “Demanding…You sound so good when you beg for me.” He muttered, glancing down at her. He pulled back seemingly just to undo his robe and rid himself of his undergarments, but it was for far more than that: It allowed him an excuse to look at her, to drink in the sight of the stunning body he was about to ravish, properly.

Then again, she seemed to be doing the same thing, judging by the way she was staring at his cock and licking her lips. Not that he didn’t want to know what it felt like to have her mouth wrapped around him, but– Right now, he had greater priorities. “Do you want it?” he asked, his tone suddenly serious. He still thought of himself as a gentleman somehow. “Yes.” His hands found her wrists once more, and left him marvelling for a moment. “You must be a considerable idiot to want to sleep with the enemy.” “That makes two of us.” He didn’t keep her waiting anymore after that, instead recapturing her lips. His tongue teased  at the seam of them until she granted him entry, and he offered a reluctant freedom to one of her wrists to position himself at her entrance. She ran her newly-freed hand through his silky hair to pull him down into another kiss. He thrust into her– not all at once, but slowly at first, until she moaned and tightened her grip on his hair, the heels of her feet pressing into his ass to urge him on and deeper, and he knew  he didn’t need to hold back.

Still, there was no harm in making her wait for the rest of him. Especially not when she was being so delightfully needy.

„That’s right, ah, do you want to take me even deeper?” “Please?” “You’ll have to be more convincing than that, Tenten.” “Of course I want it, you idiot. Will you please just–” Her words dissolved into a moan as he cut her off with a thrust into her tight, wet heat. “I’m not going to be gentle” he warned her again, and started to thrust, hard, holding her legs open with his free hand perched just beneath the inside of her knee. She looked delicious like this, a wanton, mewling mess of a thing, wet and barely intelligible at all. Then again, even he was struggling to keep his cool entirely. He knew he was flushed, knew that she has him riled up to a point that no others are ever privy to seeing, and, what was more, he had no regrets. How… incredible. “Ne– ji-”

Every syllable of his name that came from her luscious lips was met with a thrust of his hips, pressing her harder and harder.

‘What a pretty sound ….let’s hear more of that, shall we? You sound just right when you scream my name.” He released her other wrist, the angel guiding it to hold her knee up and keep her obediently open for him while the other was tangled desperately in the sheets beneath her. It was all in the name of a good cause, of course. He needed his free hand to touch her again, to bring her to another climax. As if he could ever be satisfied with only one orgasm from her. “Will you come for me again, demon? Or must I wait forever for the feeling of your release around my cock?” “I’ll–” She gasped, whimpered, panted. It was a breathtaking sight to behold. Tenten arched deliciously, Neji not once letting up his thrusts or his thumb’s attention on her clit. Her expression was a feast for the eyes that he wasn’t about to take for granted, not when he knew it would dissolve right before his eyes, and quickly, the very moment that she finally lost her control. She quivered. The tremors started in her feet, muscles tightening, before moving up her body in a crawl. All of her slowly drew taut. He whispered to go ahead and come just seconds before he knew she was about to, and she followed his command, perfectly obedient, clenching and throbbing around his cock as she cried out, loudly. He didn’t dare cut off her cries, but the desire to kiss her again, to reclaim her even whilst buried inside of her completely, was too strong to ignore. So he returned to the darkest welt he had left on her skin, right at the crook of her neck, hoping to make it even darker as his thrusts sped up into a barely-controlled frenzy. Her skin swallowed his own groans of release when he came, throbbing inside of her for what felt like an eternity. All bliss, all contentment. A strange feeling. She let out a fluttery sigh by the time his cock finally stilled its frenzy, and he decided that he liked the sound, annoyingly. She was playing with his hair, which would have been utterly unacceptable in anyone else’s hands, but… he’d tolerate it with her. It might even be somewhat nice. “If you do something to my hair, there will be consequences,” he told  her, and she had the audacity to laugh. He supposed he should be used to it by now.

 “Don’t get too cocky, only because it feels so good to fuck with me.” She replied dreamily.

It was … strangely comfortable, this rapport between them. Natural, even. The angel thought to his astonishment. 

There was a calm in his chest that he hadn’t felt in years, a sort of effortless weightlessness. Neji felt … content. And sleepy.

Tenten watched him thoughtfully while he dozed off in the sheets.

She had to admit, she kind of liked him. He was a good fuck, she knew that already, but he was also….something she couldn’t put her finger on. For now.

“The Snake made me eat the heaven’s apple because I owed him a favour.” She thought.  

“It was the serpent’s plan from the start wasn’t it? It’s easy to have indebted hell’s creatures, but hard to get an angel within one’s grasp. What is he going to make him do?”  

For some reason it irked her a lot. Since when did she have a conscience?

[platonic-plots]

Vulnerable. [ii]

Request/Summary: After almost a month of tireless searching, the team have finally found where y/n is.

Pairings: daughter!reader x tony stark, platonic!reader x steve rogers

Words: 1464

Warnings: guns, cells, hospitals, swearing

Specific time/Important info: ‘***’ = p.o.v. change [3rd person to 2nd]

part 1

28 days. 

Almost a month had gone by without his daughter by his side. Almost a month had gone by full of sleepless nights and indescribable worry. Almost a month had gone by before they finally located y/n.

The team was on a jet, suiting up and preparing to do whatever they had to in order to get the youngest Avenger back. They kept to themselves as they waited impatiently to get to the Hydra facility where they'd finally find y/n - she was their missing piece. Tony walked up to Steve, who was staring out of the window in deep thought.

"I want you to get her." Steve snapped out of it and sent a confused look to his teammate.

"When we get there, I want you to find y/n. I want you to bring her back. I'll be in the suit, a-and I don't want the metal to scare her, or make her think of what she's just been through, y'know? She trusts you the most, and between you and me, you're her favorite. Will you do that for me, Rogers?"

The super soldier could see the pain in Tony's eyes. He'd been through hell in the past few weeks - y/n was his world. To see Stark in such a way would've thawed the heart of anyone.

"I'll guard her with my life."

***

There had been... 'stages' that you'd been through whilst you were with Hydra. At first, it was fear. Which was understandable, given the circumstances. Then, when you realized he wasn't going to kill you (you knew you'd be used as some form of currency for Crane to use to get whatever he wanted from Shield), your mind transitioned into defiance. You were stubborn. You weren't going to keep giving him the reaction he wanted. But then... came the emptiness. For the better part of a month, you'd barely eaten or drank, you'd been locked away wearing next to nothing, in a cell owned by Hydra, your every move live streamed and document for the world to see. No matter how strong you pretended you were, the neglect and the torture and the loneliness and the despair - they were enough to make anyone feel the way you did. Wrists shackled and knees to your chin, you tucked yourself as far into the corner as you could, and just sat there, motionless.

You thought this day would be the same as the others - you'd wake up and silently wait for whichever man Hydra had decided would join you. Only, he never came. Instead, his presence was replaced with the echo of shouting men and an exchange of gunfire. You sat unfazed.

Your eyes stared straight ahead, even as the shouting grew louder. Your eyes stared straight ahead, even when shots were fired outside your cell. Your eyes stared straight ahead, even after the door was thrown off its hinges.

"Y/n?"

You recognized his voice - or, at least, you thought you did.

"Y/n? It's me, i-it's Steve. We're here to bring you home."

You shook your head.

'This isn't real,' you thought to yourself, 'it's just a simulation'. Hydra had been trying to brainwash you, but they hadn't been as successful as they'd hoped to be. They wanted you to behave like The Winter Soldier; you weren't as cooperative as they'd planned. Still, from time to time, when you were at your weakest, it worked. This must have been one of those times.

"Y/n?"

"G-go away." You found your voice. "You-you're not Steve. Y-you're not here. None of this is r-real," the tears fell down your gaunt cheeks as your arms snaked around your legs, your body becoming as small as it could. "This, all of this, it's i-in my head."

You could hear him shuffling around: he placed down his shield and his weapons, and walked towards your corner. With each step, your chest tightened and you tried to push yourself further into the wall, to no avail.

He sat beside you. "Hey, y/n/n, shhh. It's okay, you're okay. I promise, it's me, I'm here. I'm not going to hurt you," he laid his hand, palm up, on the ground between you so that you could see it in the corner of your eye.

Your mind shifted; what if it was him?

"H-how do I know th-that you're you?" His ears perked up at your voice. He paused in thought.

"You've always been scared of storms. Even if there was just a spark of lightning, you'd always go climb into your dad's bed. You still do, and if he wasn't there, you'd come and find me. I still remember your face when you found out who Thor was," he smiled fondly. "And you love to draw. There are at least three drawers in Tony's workbench alone that are overflowing with doodles from when you were a kid. You love movies, and the first thing we did together was watch Jurassic Park."

You placed your hand in his. "Steve." The corners of your lips turned slightly; you could feel the relief washing over him.

"I think it's time to go home."

He held you tightly against his chest as he carried you through the compound, Clint and Wanda, who had been guarding the cell just moments earlier, ready to take out anyone who posed as even the slightest of threats. As the Captain brought you closer to freedom, your body drifted closer to unconsciousness. The weeks of little food or sleep had truly taken a toll. But it was only as the doors opened, and your eyes finally met with those of your father, that the world turned dark.

The bright lights blinded you as you struggled to open your eyes without squinting or flinching. After a few minutes of adjustment, you realized that you were in some sort of hospital, but these walls were foreign to you. If you weren't at Stark tower, where were you? If you weren't at home, then what if...

No - you couldn't be back at Hydra. You couldn't.

The thought was a seed: as soon as it had been planted, the roots engulfed your body and sent you into a panic.

Your hands shook as you frantically tried to take the IVs and wires coming out of your arms. Within seconds, two doctors entered the room and hurried towards you.

“Wh-who are you? Wh-where am I?”

“Y/n, you need to calm down.” They started to take hold of you, despite your protests.

“S-stop, please. I want my dad, wh-where’s my dad?” With every word, your voice grew louder and your heart beat quickened.

They asked you to calm down again, but you refused to comply. They were ignoring your questions, and keeping any and all information from you. When they realised you weren’t going to do what they asked, one of them held you down whilst the other picked up a syringe.

Through your protests and tears, you noticed the door swing open once more and a man enter the room.

“Sir, you can’t be in here.”

“And you can’t do that to my daughter. She has just been through hell and here you are treating her like shit. Are you not professionals?”

Silence.

“Y/n has been thrown around by complete strangers for the past month. She’s been tortured a-and injected with god knows what. So what do you do to her? Exactly that.”

“B-but sir-“

“Get the fuck away from my daughter, and go find someone who can actually do their job.” They left promptly.

“Dad,” your voice was barely above a whisper. Upon hearing that one word, you could almost see your father’s heart break. As soon as he was at your side, he held you tighter than ever before.

“I-I was so scared, I-I thought that-“

“I’m here now. It’s okay. You’re okay, baby. You’re safe.” You’d forgotten what it was like to be held like this - to be loved. The tears didn’t stop pouring from your eyes, and before long, Tony joined you.

You moved over, giving him space to sit with you on the bed. “We flew you to the closest Shield base we could find, you were so weak we were scared you wouldn’t make it.” He took your hand in his, pausing so his voice wouldn’t crack. “I’m so, so sorry it took us this long, kid. I promise you we spent every single second trying to find where you were. God, I wish we could’ve found you sooner, y/n, I-I”

You interrupted him: “You’re here now.”

He gave you a sad smile, but his eyes glistened with a sense of relief and happiness (as well as, of course, tears). He kissed your forehead and pulled you closer. “I love you, y/n.”

THANK YOU FOR WAITING!!!! i really hope this hasn’t disappointed any of you lol (also i’m sorry this is so short, it just felt right??? idk)

tags: ( if ur name isn’t here then tumblr wouldn’t let me tag u :(( )

vulnerable: @beaubatns @xotaku-baekx @purplekitten30 @ran-randomness @topjean @nagynomi98 @josislife @enchantedrhoses @kettnerjanea @alina-barnes @gemineez @alina-barnes @snapplejuice @celestialshawn @reganmarler

forever: @phonegalhelp @pointlesscasey @unicorn-sparkles123 @pinapplequeen16

[sparklyjojos]

[Disco Wednesdayyy part 13/?] ---Disco illustration overload edition, in which we learn what Hongou’s reasoning was. Somehow it involves a Natsukawa, the Cube House, and Urashima Taro. [tw: murder-case-typical-gore]---

Last time we’ve seen him, Hongou Takeshi Takeshi has just stabbed himself after getting his reasoning wrong. Fortunately the doctor reacted fast enough that Hongou could be still kept alive if unconscious, in a room next to the one with Sakurazuki.

Fukushima, the leader of the Angel Bunnies, tells our leads more about Hongou. It seems the Angel Bunnies have a tendency to get involved in murder cases in Nishi Akatsuki, and Hongou solved some of them. As it turns out, these old cases may be relevant to the problem at hand. Let us go 7 years back in time...

1) March 1999: The first case, in which Hongou figured out that the giant plate on which the victim was positioned was cooled with ice to make everyone think the body was kept in a freezer.

2) April 1999: The body was moved back and forth between two buildings with use of wire and a Bell Rocket Belt.

3) Summer 1999: One of the Angel Bunnies, Kawabe, witnessed a murder being committed and the culprit escaping, but when he tried to give chase it turned out the culprit had fled in an entirely different direction. The murderer had put a mirror between two buildings, which fooled Kawabe’s sight. The incident took place on site of 9 cube-shaped bungalow-like houses, which were treated like one connected community building and called the Cube House. [Lore note: Yep, like the Cube House from Jorge Joestar!]

4) September 1999: The victim was cut to pieces like in the pic. Apparently the victim had killed himself, and then another person cut him to “fulfll his wishes”.

5) In Tanokura district, four people were killed like in the picture, each one with just one slice of a katana.

6) Winter 1999. The victim’s dying message was altered to show an unrelated sentence (“stop AIDS”) instead of the culprit’s name, にしの (Nishino)

After that, the Angel Bunnies moved their headquarters to Tokyo and Hongou couldn’t do cases in Nishi Akatsuki anymore. This next one was solved by Daibakusho Curry.

7) January 2000: An interchange murder (ie: A wants to kill B and C wants to kill D. The two wannabe killers A and C copperate, so that A kills D giving C an alibi, and C kills B giving A an alibi). A copycat murder happened later, though the situation was a little different. Daibakusho Curry drew these Amidakuji diagrams to figure out who could kill who (details don’t really matter, the pic is important):

8) Soon after that, Daibakusho himself became a victim of another case. He was struck in the head and pulled along a hallway leaving a bloody trail behind (sounds familiar?). It was this head injury that first caused his mental health problems to manifest. The incident happened in the Pine House... or rather, in the building that stood here before the Pine House, called Natsukawa Cottage [!!!], that Mitamura was the only inhabitant of and eventually bought and rebuilt in 2000. Natsukawa Cottage had 12 rooms on each floor, much like the Pine House. Before Mitamura bought it, it belonged to a certain politician by the name of Natsukawa, who apparently really liked to put a lot of weird buildings in Nishi Akatsuki -- among others, he also built the Cube House. [Lore note: Natsukawa Maruo and Natsukawa Ichirou were both politicians in Smoke, Soil and Sacrifices. Okay, something interesting’s going on here...]

The person telling our heroes the details of the last case is the doctor currently busy keeping Sakurazuki and Hongou alive. The doctor was apparently the specialist taking care of Daibakusho after the attack, but they knew each other in private too -- the doctor, Daibakusho and Mitamura were all classmates many years ago.

The doctor finally reveals that his name is *drumroll* Taniguchi Tooru. [Lore note: His name is spelled 谷口透 and not 谷口徹 like in Closed Rooms. Note that in this book the name of the person who allegedly kidnapped Mitamura is still given as 谷口徹]. Taniguchi claims he didn’t kidnap or kill Mitamura. He was born as Aoki Tooru, and only took the name ‘Taniguchi’ after marriage. Since it was Mitamura who introduced Tooru to his future wife in the first place, Tooru thinks that maybe Mitamura was just trying to create a real ‘Taniguchi Tooru’ to go with his fake story. Mystery writers are just weird like that. ...maybe weird enough to attack their own best friend, Daibakusho Curry, just to be able to leave the bloody trail on the floor?...

As Hongou’s reasoning went, all those cases we just learned about were orchestrated by Mitamura in order to create a certain message... [marvel at my paint skills]

...a set of numbers counting down (9; 8; the kanji for 7; the kanji for 6; a tally mark meaning 5; an old way of writing 4; Roman numerals for 3, 2, and 1). If you numbered the crime scenes accordingly and marked them on the map of Nishi Akatsuki, you could put them in a grid like this (the winding line is the river Hoshinogawa):

As soon as Nils sees this, he yells “Oh, Urashima Taro!”. Since Disco (and the reader) can’t grasp the ultra-quick association of symbols that Nils did here, Fukushima explains.

That grid is a magic square -- the sum of numbers in each row and column is equal 15. To be specific, t’s the Lo Shu Square, found on the carapace of the magic turtle in an old Chinese legend. The turtle symbolism brings to mind the concept of a World Turtle carrying the world on its shell, as well as the Japanese folk tale in which Urashima Taro rode a turtle to the underwater Dragon Palace. [Lore note: In Jorge Joestar, Hakkyoku’s body was posed on a stuffed turtle to symbolize Urashima Taro. I have no idea if this is important.] You could say that the grid symbolizes Nishi Akatsuki being carried on the back of a giant turtle, maybe something to do with universal harmony? 

Either way, the numbers are clearly a countdown to something. The last number, zero, is found in the current case -- it’s the round hallway of the Pine House. After Mitamura built it in 2000, he changed his penname to Anbyouin Owaru, “owaru” meaning “to end”, which is quite suspicious in hindsight. What’s more, Hongou suspected that Daibakusho Curry hadn’t really been a good detective, but that Mitamura was the one solving the cases -- he had created his own great detective much like he helped create a ‘Taniguchi Tooru’.

What happened yesterday according to Hongou: Mitamura visited Daibakusho Curry and stabbed him in an attempt to cure his mental health problems via lobotomy [yeah uh, I don’t think it works like that, mate]. Maybe Mitamura wanted to apologize for that 2000 attack, both by mitigating the effects of the resultant injury, as well as renewing Daibakusho’s reputation as a great detective by giving him a splendid case to solve right afterwards. Maybe even it was Mitamura who asked Daibakusho Curry to shoot the killing arrow, thus ‘creating’ a case...

But wait, didn’t we already establish that it was Mr. Tanaka who first shot Mitamura out of ‘mercy’? Well, Fukushima says, errr, it’s a little awkward, but... The Angel Bunnies lied.

In reality, Tanaka didn’t shoot anyone. They didn’t move the body in a circle either. The behavior and lines of the Angel Bunnies during Kiyuu’s reasoning were just a performance, which is what they’re best at.

They lied because Kiyuu had asked them to -- because Kiyuu intended to purposefully give a wrong explanation to lure out Esesuneinpina and give the other great detectives a chance to catch it, his own life be damned.

[Excuse me while I tear up for a moment.]

So what actually happened, according to Hongou: Daibakusho Curry shot Mitamura. Then he pulled the body through the hallway, or maybe Mitamura managed to crawl through it, to draw the ‘zero’ and end the countdown. Since Daibakusho Curry had been injured, he ended up dying, which lured more great detectives to the Pine House and resulted in the situation evolving into a giant important case. Just like Mitamura wanted.

We know, of course, that Hongou had to be wrong somewhere. But where?...

---

It’s now 11:25 PM -- a day and a minute to the time in the Pine House horoscope, or maybe just a minute to Ragnarok? -- and Mikami Nils, the last great detective in the Pine House, takes the snake-snake-staff Caduceus in his hands once more to continue his explanations.

[the-gedonelune-times]

The Fear Of Losing You ch. 4 pt. 1

Hello my lovelies~ part one of chapter four is officially up! Part two should be done within a few days~ I just wanted to say that in the future there will some yuri scenes, so if you’re uncomfortable with that, then this a heads up :) .

I also want to take this time to say thank you to those who have read and even reblogged or loved the series so far! It makes me so happy to know that you all have enjoyed the series so far! It’s given me to courage and motivation to write more and I just can’t thank you all enough for that *blush*.

So without further ado, I give you chapter four, I hope you all enjoy and as always, comments are always accepted! xoxoxo

After the terrifying events that took place the day before, a lot has been weighing down on not just Nadia’s shoulders, but her friends’ shoulders as well. With a lot on their minds already, graduation and the near future could prove to be rather difficult for them all, can they all remain as strong as they have been? Or will they crush under the stress and chaos that is soon to come?

How long had I been running? I wondered as I continued sprinting towards a faint light in the distance. I had to get out of here, or else that thing would capture me. My body wouldn't be able to take much more, my legs were turning into jelly and I found myself traveling at a slower pace than before.

Thankfully the light in front of my was drawing closer and closer.... however. Just as I reached out to touch it, something wrapped around my arm, the force was so strong that it sent me flying into my back. I tried to sit up, but was pushed back by a heavy force pushing down on my chest, causing to cry out a little. I tried resisting the force that was being set upon me, and that's when my arms were held down by these tendrils of black clouds. 

They slithered up my body like a snake and were used as restraints, from there, one wrapped itself around my neck like a boa constrictor. I found it hard to breathe, the scenery around me began to spin as I tried fighting and gasping for air.

My eyes flew open and I screamed at the top of my lungs, my hair was stuck to my face, so I knew I had to have been sweating. In front of me stood Amelia, Professor Schuyler and Sigurd. They all had a worried expression on there faces "Miss Water, you look as pale as a ghost. You do not need medical attention as well, do you?" Schuyler raised a brow as he asked. I replied by shaking my head before I spoke "n-no... I...I just had a bad dream, I'm alright, I promise."

Folding his arms, he gave a serious and stern look, "I see, well, perhaps you need to lie d some good to get some proper rest, considering you and a few others will be putting on a farewell performance for the graduates." Schuyler then turned to look at Amelia "Miss Nile, I expect you to safely escort Miss Water back to your dorm." It was all he said before turning around and heading down the hallway, the clicking sound of his footsteps trailing farther away in the distance.

I pushed myself off of the sofa and had to stand for a second, the room seemed to be spinning a little and my vision was a bit blurry. Amelia grabbed my arm, as did Sigurd "how's Melody?" "Oh, she's doing well, they managed to stop the bleeding and stitched her up. The wound was so bad that not even magic could help heal it all the way, but they took care of the worst part. They said within a day or two, she'll be able to move around." Amelia smiled as she spoke, which caused me to smile too. I was so happy and relieved, to know that Melody was going to be alright, she gave us quite a scare, especially for Nova.

After our brief encounter with Nova, we walked in silence for a little while "I wonder what could have caused it." Sigurd spoke up as we walked to the end of the hallway, and down to the entrance of the courtyard. "I'm not sure, but whatever it was seems extremely hostile against humans" "Yes, which makes it weird, sure there are some hostile creatures that roam the woods, but I've never seen a wound quite like the one Melody had. It was much to big for a wolf to make and it was a clean mark, which means it had amazing accuracy."

Hearing Sigurd talk, made me wonder more about it myself, he had a point...most of the creatures that reside in/or near the spring and woods are docile, but even the hostile ones don't have such clean precision. It was like the monster that attacked Melody, had intentions for hitting one specific mark and Melody is the best wizardess for her class. The fact that she barely put up a fight against that thing, means that this was definitely something to worry about.

"You seem quite lost in thought Nadia, care to share?" Sigurd gave me one of his trademark smiles as he spoke. "It's just that....this could be more of a problem, than what we initially thought..." I replied softly to his question, my eyes piercing the ground. "I agree, maybe Klau--" "absolutely not! He may be a very talented wizard, but he isn't invincible to everything. I don't want to risk putting his life in danger." I didn't mean to snap at him, but I did and I felt guilty as I looked down at the ground, attempting to avoid all eye contact with him.

"So...what are you going to do then Nadia?" Amelia, whom had been quiet for a while, finally spoke up. "I'm going to inform the Headmaster about this, if he doesn't already know. We both saw how Melody nearly died.... whatever this thing is, it poses as a severe threat to all of us. We can't risk more lives being out at stake." I spoke as confidently as I could, but my voice was still a bit raspy after experiencing the recent nightmare.

For the rest of the way, we walked in silence until we reached the girls dormitory. From there, Sigurd let go of my left arm and Amelia steadied me a little. "Sigurd....I wanted to apologize, for how I snapped at you. I truly didn't mean to, it's just that..." Sigurd let out a small chuckle and smiled "you didn't want to see Klaus get involved in something, that could result in him getting injured, right? It's understandable, so don't feel like you have to apologize for something like this."

I gave a soft smile and gave a soft “thank you”, before turning around and heading for the entrance to the dormitory.

~~~~~oOo.Sigurd.oOo~~~~~ After waving off Amelia and Nadia, I spun around and took my leave. Of course I was heading to the place where I had been spending most of my days, the prefect's office. I wonder if Klaus and Randy already knew about the situation that had occurred, if they didn't, it was for the best I at least let them know a little bit. Graduation for us was this afternoon and I for one didn't think that mentioning everything was a good idea.

I took my time making my way to the office, taking in all the sights and smells one last time, but something was off. The daisies, Azaleas and Sakura that grew around in this area...it didn't have the sweet smell, in fact, it smelled damp. I shook my head of any weird thoughts and just continued onwards. Once there, I knocked on the door twice "come in" I chuckled, hearing that stern voice of the prefect himself.

When I opened the door, I was greeted by the faces of both Klaus and Randy and one more. Her soft facial features and silver haired bob-styled hair which reached just a little past her neck was a dead giveaway, not to mention her silver bangs which split off in two, and were longer than the back of her hair itself. "Nova" I gave her a smile, she had been pacing back in forth in the corner, she did stop when I called out her name, but she did not answer. "She's been doing that ever since she came here" Randy's voice rang into my ears. "Taffy even tried snapping her out of this trance, but I guess he's not cute enough" "whaaa? M-masterrrrr!". Taffy's voice rang out and he looked like he was pouting at Randy's recent comment.

Randy of course just laughed and patted his head, assuring him that he was indeed cute and that Nova had a lot on her mind. Which I could completely understand, she almost witnessed the death of her best friend, anyone would be in a trance if such a thing had recently occurred. "You guys heard what happened then?" I asked curiously, while I grabbed a mug and began making a hot cup of coffee. Klaus stuck up his nose and distaste and muttered "disgusting" under his breath, but I still heard it and it made me laugh.

"What are you talking about Sigurd?" Klaus then spun around in his chair and looked at me. Disgust was written on his face clear as day, when he saw the mug. "Well, about Melody?" I asked while taking a sip of the contents in my mug. Klaus raised a brow and Randy shook his head while saying "nu-uh". Nova, who had been pacing back in forth stopped dead in her tracks and looked directly at me. "Hm, I see, so Nova didn't tell you" I said while taking another sip, "Nova, should I tell them, or would you like to?"

Nova took a few steps closer and Klaus spun around in his chair, only this time to face Nova, who now had a few stray tears, falling down her cheeks. "Melody....she...she was attacked in the woods. She left on the day of the finals and I went looking for her--" "so you broke curfew, to go into a restricted area" Klaus intervened. Nova came up and looked at him directly in his eyes "you bet your sweet ass I did, I did it for her! I was worried sick about her and I had to find her! I couldn't let Melody, the one I care about the most, end up hurting or even dead!" Nova's fist hit the top of Klaus's desk hard, making Randy and Taffy jump a little.

Nova then turned around, her back now facing Klaus as she began to speak again. "When someone you love could be in danger, you'd do anything to protect them....if Nadia had been in trouble, you wouldn't have thought twice about jumping into action and breaking rules." Her voice trailed off as her sleeve reached up to her face as she wiped away what I suspected to be tears. Klaus sighed heavily and put his hands over his face, when he let them drop, he spoke in a softer tone "you are right Nova, I apologize, now tell me, when you found her what did you see?"

Nova slowly turned around to face him, her eyes were a little puffy and her hands trembled, but her voice was clear and crisp as she spoke. "When I got there I heard her screaming and I sped towards her. By the time I reached her, she was on her back, her hand over her stomach and....and...there was this massive gash. Her whole uniform and hands were covered and blood and when she tried to speak...she just gurgled and more blood came from her lips. Whatever attacked her was brutal.... she's a top student, she could have put up a distraction and left...but this...this thing must have been quick and relentless to have almost killed her was such ease."

Silence filled the room after she had finished speaking, then Nova put her mouth to her hand and more tears fell from her cheek "I though I had lost her..." her voice was trembling this time and Randy took the box of tissues from the the nearby shelf and handed it to her. "So she will be alright?" Klaus asked and Nova nodded before blowing her nose, "they had to give her actual medicine along with the magic. The magic wasn't even enough to heal her completely." We continued to talk among this topic until Klaus stood up from his chair and looked at me.

"Sigurd, I want you to escort Miss Thorn, to her dorm. Graduation is upon us and I think it would be for the best that she went somewhere to calm down a little. Take a few breaths and recollect herself." I nodded and replied with an "alright" as I went over to Nova and put my hand on her shoulder reassuringly. She looked at me and gave me a soft nod as we walked out of the door and headed down the hallway.

~~~~~oOo.Klaus.oOo~~~~~

I let out a sigh and looked at Randy, "can you please do the most simple of tasks, and shut the door?" To my astonishment, Randy actually follwed directions and did as I said. "I'm impressed, you managed to actually do something productive" I gave off a smirk, as I saw Randy's face turn from that idotic happy face if his, to something filled with a little distaste. "Hey, I do productive things around here!" I let out a scoff as I walked to my tea set "just the other day, you caused an explosion, which filled an entire classroom with melted bubblegum. I don't see how that is productive, in fact it's more of an hindrance than anything." I added as I brewed my tea, adding a few sugar cubes to the mix.

Randy folded his arms and looked at me "for your information it is productive, Now I know not to add too much gummy oil extract the next time I try that experiment." I sat down and gave him a glare. "I'm very thankful that today is the day we graduate and head our separate ways. Looking at you just makes me feel sick and nervous to my stomach." Randy gave off a loud laugh and he held his stomach, "now come on Klausy, you don't mean that." I rolled my eyes at his latest remark before taking a sip from my cup.

"Now listen to me Randy, what I'm about to say is serious and I'm concerned it won't process through that jelly bean sized brain of yours." "Hey! Now that was uncalled for" he pouted and put his hands on hips. "I'm serious Randy, listen I need someone to keep an eye out on Nadia for me. I'll be stuck in my office until graduation ceremony finishing up the rest of my work, since I know you're too lazy to do any of the work yourself". Randy was about to open his mouth to say something, but I raised my hand up to shut him up.

"As I was saying, I will lend you my familiar, as I can't be there to protect her from her reckless tendencies. I fear she may get curious and go searching for things that are not to be found. Also, my familiar will be watching your moves as well. If you try to touch her or flirt with her and I find out about it, just remember that I can hide a body." Randy was about to say something but instead gave a nervous chuckle "alright, alright Klausy, I'll follow your orders.

Randy then grabbed Taffy and ran out of the room "Dammit Randy! Stop calling me that!" However my voice must have seemed like a distant whisper to him by that point. "That cotton candy head, he will be the reason for my death" I sighed and then rubbed my temples before taking another sip from my cup.

~~~~~~oOo.Nadia.oOO~~~~~

I sat on the edge of my bed, my left hand was outstretched in front of me, hovering right above it was a small orb of water. I had been practicing for the performance that Elias, Yukiya, Cerim and I were going to put on. We were the ones chosen for our class and we had decided to do it in pairs. Yukiya would work with Elias and I would work with Cerim.

I rolled the water orb around my hand before I threw it into the air, as I did I tried my hardest to concentrate my power, on it, making it hold it's shape even in the air. I did this for about a minute, before I moved my hand. The water orb followed the movement of my hand and before long, it started falling apart into a line, which was now under my control. I couldn't help but smile while watching the water dance around to my movements, It filled me with happiness to know that I was capable of doing such things.Â

"Ooo! look at you go!" a sudden voice made me lose my concentration for a second, I tried to stabilize the water once more, but sadly, my efforts in do so, were futile. "Randy! You can't be here!" I turned my head and shouted at the figure, who now stood on my dorm's balcony. "It's not like I'm actually inside the dorm. Besides, I wanted to see what you were up to."

I watched him as he sat on the balcony railing while giving that innocent smile of his. "Oh hey Nadia, I wanted to ask you something." "what is it?" I asked while going and grabbing a rag, cleaning up the mess from the water. "It's about Melody...did you see what it was?" Randy's usual cheerful tone was now sullen and serious, I glanced up only to notice that his eyes held a firm gaze, one that meant business.

"I wasn't there when she got attacked...but...I did have this weird dream. I saw this shadow and it was chasing me, but I didn't know where I was or how I ended up there. All I knew was that something was chasing me and my instinct told me to run away as far as I could. But...." I stopped my dream talk right then and there. I thought it would be best not to talk too much about the dream, especially when I knew Randy was sent by Klaus. I also knew that Klaus' familiar was most likely around and would let Klaus know of everything I say, which I didn't want to happen, especially when it's the day of his graduation. He should be happy, not worried about a dream I had, which could actually be "prophetic" and somehow come true.

Randy let out a sigh and stretched his arms out wide "well, whatever it was, it seems to have caught the attention of some people. I guess Headmaster himself has put in a word to the Ministry of Magic, to send a representative down here and have a look." I had just finished cleaning the spot on the floor when suddenly my vision became blurry and the scenery around me began to spin and the world around me became black.

When my vision returned, I was back in the same place, like before, back when I was being chased, this time however, it was a bit different. I looked around, noticing at how the scenery had changed, I also took note that this time, someone else was with me. A tall muscular figure stood almost a hundred feet away from me, of course, my curiosity took over and I was compelled to make my way over to the man.

"Excuse me? Who are you? What are you doing here?" I had asked while walking closer. It seemed that he couldn't hear me and when I tried to poke him and get his attention, my hand went right through him.

I quickly put my hand to my heart, knowing that this was in fact a vision I was having. "You! What do you think you're doing here, don't you know that this site has been subject to hostility?" The man shouted at someone, at first it looked like he was screaming at me, but how could he? I wasn't really here, I was just looking into the future from a distance. It was at that moment I turned around and that's when I noticed it...the same dark figure that had chased me in the forest previously, was now slowly stumbling towards me and the man.

"Oh no....he has to run...." "w-wh-what the hell are you?" the man took out his wand, but as he did, the shadow unleased a black tentacle looking spear, which aimed at and then impaled the man's chest, impaling him to a nearby tree. I screamed at the top of my lungs, at the scene that I had just witnessed. My legs turned to jelly and I fell to the ground while tears started to spill down.

I began slapping my cheeks, trying to make this horrible vision end, I wanted to be back in my dorm, I didn't want to spend another second in this terrible place. Just then, my eyes came into contact with something shiny, it must have fallen off the man when he was so brutally murdered. When I picked it up my eyes widened and I dropped it immediately.

It was a badge.....a badge that people in the ministry wear, which meant....that the representative that Headmaster would send, would be murdered. It was then, that the scenery began to fade and I was once more in my dorm room. "Nadia!! Wake up!" Randy's frantic voice snapped me to reality. "I'm....I'm awake" I said softly "thank goodness!" Don't go and scare me like that again! Have you not been getting enough sleep or something?" My legs trembled slightly and so did my voice "I-I think I must have used up too much energy, while I was practicing for the performance." I hated that I had to lie to him, but I wasn't going to worry anyone, especially since today was a big day. "Alright, just please take it easy next time" Randy gave a soft smile as he spoke, before letting out a sigh "I should probably head back to the prefect office, before he gets mad".

Randy began to laugh and that caused me to smile, I knew right away who he was talking about, and just thinking about my Emperor, made my heart beat rapidly. "Oh, hey Randy? Can you give this to Klaus?" I began to rummage around in my school bag, pulling out a cutely wrapped box, moments later. "Sure, but what's inside?" Randy asked curiously, before shaking the box a little, trying to figure out its contents. "It's some homemade sweets, I thought he might like something to eat, since I know he hasn't left his office for quite some time."Â

"Ooo! If it's sweets, then I don't know how safely the box will get to him! I love your sweets sooooooo much!" Randy beamed, a big bright smile formed on his lips, while he looked intently on the box. "Don't worry Randy, I have some for you too!" I quickly rummaged in my bag and brought out a small bottle with a ribbon. Inside, was an assortment of different homemade candies "oh, wow! Look at how colorful they are! Thanks Nadia!" Randy quickly grabbed his sweet gift and opened it, plopping one of the candies into his mouth.

A hum of delight could be heard and a smile, followed shortly after "it's so savory and sweet!" Randy said before closing up the bottle and putting it in his cloak's pocket. Randy didn't stay long, he left a few minutes later, and at around the time he left, Amelia had entered the room, and relief washed over me. "Amelia, thank goodness you're here" "oh? Is everything alright?" She asked curiously while removing her cloak and heading over to her desk. "I have a lot to tell you...."

~~~~~oOo.Randy.oOo~~~~~

As I walked back to the office, I couldn't stop eating the sweet candies that Nadia had made for me. Speaking of Nadia, I still kept wondering about what had happened in the dorm, she said that she overworked herself, yet something inside, made me question it. All I remember was that she was talking and cleaning up her magic mess, then the next thing I know, I hear a gasp and she collapsed right there on the spot.

What was even more concerning, was that her eyes had changed colour as well, they weren't that pretty emerald green, they were gold....like a rose gold. "Masteeeeer!" a cry snapped me out of my thoughts, and my faithful familiar came skipping towards me. He had his usual smile as he approached "Taffy! I told you to wait in the courtyard while I went to see Nadia". "Klaus big meanie, he sent me to find you or else, then he call me name!" Taffy looked like he was in the verge of tears, so I grabbed him and placed him on my shoulder.

"What did he call you?" "he call me a furball and a pest" I frowned slightly, yeesh, Klaus seems to always have his trousers on too tight! He doesn't have to be so rude "well that wasn't very nice of him, but hey! I have something that might make Klaus be a little bit nicer." As I said that Taffy burst into a smile "cure meanie Klaus! cure meanie Klaus!" he began chanting happily and I had to laugh.

We continued walking and once we reached the prefect's office, I opened the door and headed right in "hellloooo Klausy". I heard a groan and Klaus looked up at me annoyed "just once, could you be less annoying?" His gaze then returned back to the stack of papers, where he was carefully organizing everything and putting them in specific boxes. "Woooow look at you! You work hard!" I laughed as I said it.

A piercing glare was shot in my direction "yes, it's something you're not familiar with" Klaus growled "what am I not familiar with?" I asked, knowing that I was slowly but surely making him angry. "Work and doing anything useful around here, you imbecile!" Klaus nearly shouted at me, his eyes not moving from the task in front of him. "Oh okay, so I guess delivering the baked sweets, that Nadia made for you, isn't useful."

I smirked as I said that, already assuming what reaction he'd have, to hearing that. Sure enough, I was right, Klaus stopped dead in the middle of his task, and looked at me, turning his chair around to face me. "Nadia made sweets for me? Give them here." "What's the magic word Klaus?" "Dammit Randy! Give them to me!". I quickly reached in and grabbed the box from my pocket "yeesh, here take it" I said while pouting and handing him the box.

Klaus quickly took the box and delicately unwrapped it, a smile curled on his lips and he took one of the sugar cookies from it and liked it on his desk, he then got up and went over to where his tea set was, specifically, one that was given to him by Nadia, for Christmas one year. Once he set up his tea, he sat back down and took a sip. "Tell me, while on your visit, how was Nadia behaving?" Klaus asked before taking a bite of the sugar cookie.

"Well....Nadia got really tired, she had been practicing really hard and collapsed" Klaus dropped his cookie and got up from his seat, after I had said that. "But don't worry Klaus! She's alright and plus, Amelia would there soon and would make sure she's alright. You know how those two are, they watch each other and make sure one another is safe.”

That is not the point, the point is that she has yet again worked herself into exhaustion, I swear, no matter how many times I tell her not to do something, she does the complete opposite. Klaus let out a heavy sigh and put his hands on his temples. “But Klausy, she was practicing for the ceremony, she’s doing this all for you, can’t you show a little appreciation? Or at least some other emotion besides your grumpiness?”

Klaus shot a piercing glare after I spoke, but then turned his head to the side, I the light from the window hit his face and indicated that he was blushing. I couldn’t help but smile, sure he was terrible at saying romantic things, but deep down I knew the love he had for Nadia was deep endless. You know, we should probably start practicing for the ceremony. I suppose you’re right, though hearing those words come out of your mouth almost gave me a heart attack

Klaus got up and carried the remaining papers in his hands and headed out the door. “There’s no need to be so rude!” I called out before running him down. The trip was so agonizing with his lecture, but for some reason I felt sadness at the fact that he would no longer yell at me. I kind of liked pissing him off...

[hopefulbagelboi]

AX2222 - Woodland Creature

Come up with ideas for a woodland related creature - it doesn’t have to be an actual animal as long as it is related to the woodlands somehow. Blogging the creative process along the way.

To do: - Sketch up characters for the ideas I scribbled down (4/4) - Turnaround boards? (Oh joy). - Sketch up some related backgrounds (one or two might only be needed) - Research related to the characters and their environment. - Pick a forest type and possible location. - Photos of related character materials may be needed. - Write about why I’ve chosen the character I have and what marketplace value it has. - A bloody powerpoint presentation (3 mins)

(Pics of current character drawings and their relavent research)

Idea 1: Was thinking more about the objects in a forest rather than the animals, and their role within a woodland area. The litter layer was an interetsing concept to me and so I focused on that; everything on a forest floor that one tends to forget about. I was reminded of ants and the way they collect things, so I came up with the idea of these collection piles coming to life - a small creature is created and composed of the objects around them.

So a sort of caretaker of the forest, made up of the forest itself. It’s job could be to keep an eye on the litter layer and ensure that insect populations are thriving (as most insects contribute to the recycling process of the litter layer and returning nutrients to the soil). This character could be composed of items such as leaves, bark, plant matter, shedded insect carapaces, grit, dirt, worm castings, feathers etc. Its prop would be a stem of wild garlic with a bulb on the end to aid with walking as the character will be rather old and wise. Once his life comes to an end he will drop the stem/ staff and it will root itself, able to use his body for nutrients.

Perhaps it could take a younger caretaker of the forest under it’s wing? One that is composed more of actual litter than the natural matter like the one before it, providing a background narrative of people littering and a dying forest.

The actual animals of the forest are responsible for keeping it alive and repairing damage, but the intrusion of humans has scared off or killed most of the forest animals.

(^The research I did into the forest litter layer (detrius) in order to understand what objects the first character could be composed of. I also helped me to understand the importance of the litter layer and inspired me to give the first creature the role of forest overseer/ caretaker.)

(^My scribbled down ideas as I was creating both the first and second creatures.)

Idea 2: Mini leaf tornados are great and look even better with petals mixed in. The idea of a wondering forest spirit comes to mind. They manifest as petals and leaves in the wind to form a female figure. Thier movements would be delicate and graceful, similar to a dancer’s. Their purpose would be to guide the lost to safety and to watch over the spirits of all creatures that had died within the forest.

Was debating whether or not I should include a heart within the figure in the form of a taproot (main provider root of some plants), it would represent the soul of the creature so that it isn’t just a hollow shell of leaves moving in the wind. However, a taproot heart would be heavy and unlikely to be budged by the wind - also where would it come from should the petals manifest anywhere?

Undecided on if the petals themselves are a sentient being once they form the figure (thanks to the taproot heart) or if it is the wind that is alive. I personally prefer the wind idea, but that would be a difficult thing to animate and a difficult idea to show in a still clay figure.

(V Below is the first and second idea. Only text that I thought would be relevant to the character was done in pen so that the scanner would pick it up. The other text is merely me jotting down ideas in an incoherent, non-chronological manner.)

(^Looking more into the second idea and planning out some designs for the creature’s heart - which might end up being it’s prop.)

Idea 3: Once again coming back to the idea of the litter layer. Its job within a forest is to keep the soil healthy and return nutrients to trees. This could be played with and I like the idea of a litter layer being like a sort of hivemind; the floor is alive. The lungs of the forest are the trees and breathe with the litter layer.

The main issue with this idea was that it took absolutely forever to draw just a small portion of this creature - due to all the leaves. So I think I’ll leave it there.

Idea 4: Tree sap as the lifeblood of the forest. It is already known to be the ‘blood’ of trees, but what if the health of a large amount of tree sap in one area could affect the health of tree sap in nearby/ other areas? The tree sap of all trees pulses ever so slightly to the Earth’s rhythm, creating a heart for the whole forest - hence the domino affect with the health, if one area of the heart starts to die then the other areas will suffer.

Some trees that naturally leak sap could be ‘cleanser’ trees, it’s their job to cleanse the blood/ sap of impurities so that saplings and ancient trees can provide new, healthy sap for the system. When a tree is cut it ‘bleeds’, hence why one is able to kill a tree by cutting out a ring of bark and letting it bleed to death. One tree death won’t bring the whole system to a grinding halt, but the surrounding trees would have to work harder to make up for it until a sapling comes around. Deforestation would seriously hinder the system.

Sap exposed to air would harden, but until it did it would be alive and able to be transported via the birds of the forest to nearby saplings where it could nourish them. Once the sap hardens it slumbers for eternity, not truly dead nor alive.

The sap wouldn’t make much of an animateable character though, which is the main issue - as it stays still most of the time.

(V Below is the hivemind leaf litter idea and the tree sap idea).

Idea 5: My friend Daisy mentioned Russian Nesting Dolls and how I could create a character similar to that but with acorns. I drew up a quick sketch and decided that their role in the forest would be to guide the tree’s seeds to where they need to be so that the forest could continue to spread and grow. I don’t have much to go on for this idea but I’m glad I gave it a go anyway.

(V Some quick reference for this idea. ^ How the drawing turned out.)

Idea 6: Moving on from object orientated creatures I decided to include some based more around actual animals. For whatever reason the idea of a hell hound sort of creature popped into my mind - to have something menacing looking in a forest that was so far full of friendly creatures. I used reference for the hound’s head design, using a picture of a ‘Death Hound’ from ‘Skyrim’, though this was more just to help me with the jaw shape as I often struggle with that.

To more associate the creature with the woodlands I made his body out of scorched stone specifically, so that these creatures could be created in forest fires. Their task was to keep the cycle of life and death continuous, only killing once an animal/ tree/ creature’s time had come, and they would be guardians of the forest whilst not doing that. It’s job earned it the name ‘Harmonic Death’.

(^ My drawing of said creature. V Below are the pictures I used for reference. A Death Hound for the jaw shape, Krypto the Super Dog for the paw style and the sharp manner in which he is drawn as it matched my creatures rock-like profile, and ‘Odahviing’ the dragon from ‘Skyrim’ as I wanted to draw Harmonic Death’s back spikes in a similar way to the dragon’s, but changed my mind as I drew them.)

Idea 7: I really wanted to do something concerning a river that runs through a forest, as it reminded me of a capillary system - brancing off and reaching every quadrant of the forest. However, you can’t do much with a river animation-wise, so I gave it the ability to morph into a gigantic water snake should it be angered and should it need to move location or protect the forest. I named it ‘The Great Water Snake’ and ‘The River of Change’ as the river would be connected to time itself, since it flows like time does. Should the river dry up and stop then so would time - and thus the world would be frozen in its perilous state for eternity.

(^ My river creature. V Reference images. I couldn’t decide on if I wanted a snake, salamander or a school of fish to be what the river morphed into but it dawned on me that it would be much easier to sculpt a snake than anything else.)

(^ The above water snake was what I based the creature’s pose on).

[rumongray]

How does one draw beautiful lizard men?

Ah, the eternal question. XD

So first off, if you’re not aware, I’m not an artist. I never had the patience to try, I suppose. My forte has always been writing, and any art of my character has been generously given to me by some amazing friends of mine.

I suppose though, that writing beautiful lizard men is the same as drawing them, in some circumstances.

I guess the first thing would be to just...find qualities you would find appealing physically. You like buff? Make them buff. You like thin and lithe? Make them thin and lithe! At it’s basic, basic, BASIC core, it’s about pasting a lizard head on a body and adding scales, but of course that’s the most simplistic answer possible, and again, I’m not an artist, so there’s a lot lacking in this description.

Of course, I could always tell you “practice, practice, practice,” but if you’re determined to get this down, you know that already, right?

So I’d have to turn you over to real artists you might be able to help!

Of course, the #1 answer is going to be @tomis-jb, since he basically came up with my persona’s design, and not just artistically. It started as an Argonian from Elder Scrolls, with goggles, but when I joined up with @sinquest, his design changed and evolved, and while he still has some Argonian qualities, his overall look has become something quite more original.

It didn’t stop there, though. During a time of heavy inspiration, Tomis streamed the creation of other lizard-man tribes, which I then wrote some extensive lore about later on. Now, I can’t get into his head 100%, I can only surmise what I gleamed, both from what I watched and what he directly said. He took a lot of inspiration from actual reptilian species, and to that end, gave them human features that would match, and I also assume, would be more fun to create. Crocodile-inspired lizard-men are huge and bulky. A snake-like lizard-man that’s very tall and thin. Gecko-inspired lizard-men would be smaller in stature, and so on.

Also, the lizard-men he designed were also based on several nations in Sinquest that we were all working on at the time, that have their own specific climates, so certain lizard-men matched up based not only on lore, but the original species’ natural ecology.

So yeah. He’s got this shit down pretty good. XD

Another artist I feel I should add to this though is @fox-babi, who did these amazing pieces over here.

Now unfortunately, I can’t really help in describing her mindset for the creation of those pieces, but I did witness her drawing Ken’pai and slowly adjusting her style of drawing him to make something that felt more in line for the character. In fact, she came to the realization that giving him proportions similar to Trolls from World of Warcraft, and I’d say things really took off from there. That first piece is actually one of my absolute, all-time favorites, because as I said before, it looks like a portrait one would see in an RPG instruction manual for the character. I love that style, and those stoic, contemplative poses. :D

And at the end of the day, it is all about your own style, too. You absolutely don’t have to emulate these two in order to create beautiful lizard-men, it just takes time and perseverance. And hey, you want to know something?

A few artists have said that my character’s head is difficult to draw. Others didn’t have that problem, and I realize that the ones that didn’t have the problem tended to stick to their own style, and not worry about whether or not it was “correct,” although I’m sure that crossed their mind from time to time. @bibibug is a good example of this.

I also made it blatantly clear that I don’t have a...smug, overly-picky way of saying my character has to be drawn in a particular way. I don’t have a “correct,” because I’m always flattered, and I recognize that different artists have different styles and use their tools in different ways.

...boy that turned in to a long, rambling essay. I hope it helped!

Sorry about not being much help myself, but since I’m not really a practiced artist, I feel like I’m barely qualified to tell you how to draw a circle, much less something complicated and beautiful like lizard-men!

Take care, and have fun!

[sentrava]

A Beer-Filled Idaho Weekend: How to Spend a Perfect Four Days in Boise

Before we moved from California seven years ago, we spent our final months bopping around the Western states, trying to cram as many national parks, scenic vistas and new states in as humanly possible. This was our introduction to Idaho, a dream world of a place we immediately became enamored with as we arrived in Coeur d’Alene on a sunny, hot afternoon after six straight weeks of freezing, spitting rain. The brief three days that followed encompassed a lot of lake exploration and teaching Ella how to swim, and we tried to figure out how we could swing back down to Boise on our way home.

The travel gods worked against us, though, as we were on a schedule to depart San Francisco and move back across the country, so we shelved that idea. But Boise has always been on the back of my mind ever since I felt like I missed out on it the first time.

There’s a happy ending to this story, of course, if you can’t already tell by the title of this post, as Boise finally happened many, many years later.

And boy did Boise deliver! A progressive city posing as a large college town—population 225,000—it’s brimming with craft beer and rainbow flags aplenty, and many people told us it was “the next Portland” or “Denver lite.” I’d go one step further and say I prefer it to both of those places—by now, you know the cities that speak to me: just large, convenient and manageable enough without the true hassles of urban life—so whatever you’re doing, Boise, keep it up.

For those of you looking to plan a trip to Idaho, here’s how our long weekend in Boise went down.

Thursday

Much to my delight when booking our tickets, I found that Southwest flies to Boise, so we hopped an early morning flight out of Nashville, connected in Phoenix, then touched down in Idaho just in time for lunch.

Our first stop was an obvious one for anyone who has known us more than five Internet seconds: Bardenay. If there’s anything I love more than a good distillery, it’s one that also has a top-notch restaurant, and Bardenay bears the distinction of being the country’s first distillery restaurant. We liked it so much—specifically, for me, the vegetarian options—that we came back for a second meal over the course of our weekend, despite Boise having so many delicious restaurant options. Bonus: Our parking garage across the street was adorned with murals! But that was just the start.

When we got back to our car, we headed less than half a mile down the street to check into our hotel, but not before stumbling upon even more murals, including one that was being installed! Boise, it’s like you know us already.

It was completely finished by the time we left, too!

As it turns out, our hotel, Inn at 500 Capitol, also looked onto a brand new mural painted across an apartment building. I don’t know what I expected from Boise, but murals around every turn was not it! (I was quite pleased by these discoveries, clearly.)

I also wasn’t prepared for how truly artsy and adorable the Inn at Capitol 500 would be. From the moment we checked in, and they gave us a local craft beer as an amenity until we stepped out on our floor that had—you guessed it!—a mural staring back at us, I felt right at home.

I came to find this was just the beginning of the Four Diamond hotel’s extensive art collection. Throughout the course of our visit, we checked out every floor, each of which was decorated with its own custom drawing and other bold, whimsical art. Color me thrilled!

Our room itself was a Premier King decked out in a swanky-cool Rat Pack theme and its own furnished balcony, too.

While the hotel offers a complimentary shuttle service, it’s also very central and the first thing we do in any new place is hit the ground on our own four feet, so we walked toward the capitol, through Freak Alley and over to Hops & Bottles to sample the local water.

Immediately after entering Hops & Bottles—which it bears noting, is hopping any day after work—we got to chatting with owner Mark Sieber, who spent nearly a decade up in Seattle, then moved back home to Boise with his wife at which point they decided to start their own bottle shop.

Hops & Bottles opened this summer and already has more than a dozen beers on tap, in addition to 300+ in cans and bottles. The refrigerators at Hops & Bottles stock some of my favorite West Coast beers that I haven’t been able to track down in years, so SVV and I put together our own six-pack—you can pick and choose as you wish—to enjoy throughout the rest of our stay. And naturally now we’re wondering how we can replicate Mark’s model back in Tennessee!

One of the toughest parts of our trip was narrowing down our long to-eat list to just a few key meals. We’d been told newcomer The Wylder was one not to miss, so we made this our first dinner, chowing down on a charcuterie board, craft cocktails and some bomb pizza, the crust of which was made from a 50-year-old sourdough starter. Setting the stage for one excellent weekend indeed.

Friday

A friend who went to school in Idaho absolutely raved about Downtown Java, so we got up, walked toward the capitol, and dropped in for a healthy breakfast and the signature “bowl of soul” before continuing our aimless wandering.

At 11:30, we headed over to the Basque Market to get in line for Paella on the Patio, which takes place at noon on Wednesday and Friday of every week and dinner on Thursdays. Did you know that Idaho boasts the largest population of Basques outside of their native region? The area is a must-visit for history-lovers and the paella party a can’t-miss for epicures who find their way to Boise. It’s first come, first served, though—and when it’s gone, it’s gone—so you best get there early! The market has been thriving since 2000 and under its current ownership, Tony Eiguren (pictured below) and his wife Tara, for just over a decade. If you don’t care for paella, the market also sells various tapas inside.

After that, we had a bit of time to kill before our next activity, so we checked out the locals’ favorite, Bittercreek Alehouse, for a flight of regional brews.

If you’re not a beer lover and art isn’t your thing—to which I say, girl, you’re crazy—there is still one major reason to visit Boise: the World Center for Birds of Prey.

This world-class facility serves as the headquarters for the Peregrine Fund (established in 1970) and is located just 25 minutes from downtown; it not only serves as a research center and sanctuary for raptors but also an educational facility teaching people why they shouldn’t fear these gorgeous creatures. I learned SO many things about birds of prey during our three hours exploring the grounds; for example, did you know that as recently as the 1950s, the government placed a bounty on the head of many birds of prey, in particular the bald eagle? How insane is that! Or that not very long ago, there were only 22 California condors left on Earth, and 35 years after starting to breed them in captivity and release them into the wild, there are now around 500?

Or how about this one: The main culprit of death for condors is lead poisoning (i.e. humans hunting animals whose carcasses the condors later prey upon). It’s mind-blowing, the amount of information available at this facility.

The six-month-old Milky eagle owl was by far my favorite raptor to observe, but my Potter-loving self squealed when I got to meet Buckbeak’s doppelgänger (from the other side of the glass, I might add!). Those visiting the center in late-September through early-November should definitely sign up for one of the weekly flight demonstrations.

Those who want to further their knowledge on raptors should drive down to the Morley Nelson Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area in Murphy, a near half-million acres managed by the BLM about an hour south of Boise. We didn’t have time to squeeze it in on this trip, but a visit to Dedication Point Overlook will be the first thing we do next time we’re back.

After our time with the birds of prey, we headed back into Boise to make a dent in the local brewing scene, each stop impressive in its own right (and most of which had a resident food truck, which we took advantage of, as well!). Among our favorites are:

Payette Brewing Company — one of the best taproom backyards I’ve ever seen

Woodland Empire Ale Craft — a more intimate tasting room with an ace staff 

Barbarian Brewing — a heaven for sours lovers

At 7pm, we drove to the Idaho Shakespeare Festival, which isn’t so much a festival per se as a series produced by a local theater company that runs in the outdoor amphitheater from May though September each year.

We already had lawn chairs reserved, nabbed a picnic dinner from Cafe Shakespeare and brought in our six-pack from Hops & Bottles. Gotta love a venue that’s BYOB (or wine)! There’s a pre-show concert to listen to if you arrive early. The play during our visit was Pride & Prejudice, and it was hands-down the best rendition of the classic Austen tale that I’d ever seen. Photos are not allowed during the production, which made me sit back and enjoy the three hours uninterrupted for a change, but let me just say this: I’ve never witnessed such professional-caliber talent in a community production before!

Saturday

We’re early risers these days, particularly when on mountain time, and we were up with the sun and ready to cruise around town by bike. As if our hotel could get any more desirable, they also offered complimentary cruisers that guests could take out in three-hour increments. Even better is the fact that the Greenbelt is just two minutes by bike from the hotel. Sold!

The Greenbelt spans 25 miles of park and trail along the Boise River, and it’s definitely well-used and well-loved by its residents, from runners and bikers to fishermen and canines.

Keep your eyes peeled for giraffes as you clip by—no, really, the giraffe quarters at Zoo Boise overlook the Greenbelt so if you feel as if you’re being watched, there’s a good chance you are!

On our way back from our ride, I was in need of a caffeine drip, so we dropped into Form & Function, just a couple blocks from the hotel, and fueled up.

After our bike ride, we returned our cruisers to the hotel, then walked over to Boise Farmers Market, a thriving public market with so much to look at and all sorts of delicacies like tamales cooked on site and jalapeño wine lemonade to taste.

Also taking place on Saturday mornings and early afternoons from mid-April through mid-December is Capital City Public Market up near the capitol, which is heavier on the arts and crafts than the farmers market.

While in the heart of Boise, we took the opportunity to peek inside the capitol itself and check out its fantastic collection of marble before our stomachs directed us to Bardenay once more for a meal.

Following brunch, we returned to our hotel to kick it for the afternoon, only to discover there’s a hidden gem of an indie theater tucked behind it. Suddenly the cinematic theme of our room made perfect sense! Having not seen a movie all summer long, we grabbed tickets to see a matinee of Eighth Grade in a theater that was born one year before me (that’s to say, it’s been around a lot of years). There was a bar and a restaurant, and the experience was peppered with nostalgia. Boise peeps, you need to be seeing movies at the Flicks if you aren’t already!

When we came out of the movie in broad daylight, the force of the Boise summer heat hit us full force so we ventured across the street from the hotel to a collective of concepts comprising Gas Lantern Drinking Company, White Dog Brewing and LongDrop Cider Company. This grouping of libations also dishes up eats from a local food truck, Smoke and Thyme, which has a permanent location out back.

I’ve never been a huge cider fan before but that’s clearly because I’d never had LongDrop’s creations, as we sampled a full flight and I found myself wanting to come back for more; it was the perfect respite from the Idaho heat. LongDrop was the first cidery in the whole state, and they also sell select products in bottles and cans.

We left LongDrop quicker than we would have liked—just one flight? who are we even?—but that’s because we were racing the sun and wanted to make it to Camel’s Back Park before dark.

There are two ways to get up to the top of Camel’s Back ridge: the longer, windier way with more solid footing or the near-vertical climb up Sand Hill.

We took Sand Hill, though I only recommend doing so if you’re wearing sneakers with good grip as that hill is steep, particularly at the top. I felt like I was going to topple down it as I dug my toes into the sand for stability.

It was a hazy evening, which almost prohibited us from making the trek up, but I’m so glad we did as the smoke made for a dramatic sunset. Moon, too.

Next time we’re in Boise, we’ll bring a picnic to eat at Camel’s Back Park first as there’s a nice, grassy stretch of 11 acres at the bottom of the ridge.

Sunday

Lazy Sunday? Ha, not in our world! But like any good Sunday, ours started with mimosas and brunch at Fork, a downtown staple that luckily takes reservations because we had tried to go Saturday during the market only to find a near two-hour wait. Book your table in advance, as you don’t want to miss Fork.

After brunch, we walked around the sleepy downtown before the collegiates were up and at ’em for the day, then headed 45 minutes north to Horseshoe Bend, stopping along the Payette River to take photos on the way.

It was a bit hazy from the California wildfires, but a gorgeous day for rafting. Idaho gets hot in the summer, and I can’t think of a better way to cool off than a rafting trip down the icy Payette!

We arrived at Cascade Raft and Kayak to find one of the most polished outdoor outfitters I’ve ever seen; in addition to all the usual equipment rentals and shops, there was an outdoor grille, a riverfront patio, a grassy lounge area, a smoothie bar, a cafe, and plenty of space to hang before and after your trip.

We waited until our color was called, then boarded up the bus to drive the 15 minutes to the starting point of our trip.

Given that I have been rafting all of five times in my life, I’ll admit: I was nervous. When the guide told us we’d be on Class III and IV rapids for much of the time, I wondered if it was too late to back out of our trip down the Lower South Fork of the Payette.

Three hours later, I’m so glad I didn’t. This was by far the highlight of our time in Idaho, and that’s saying a lot, as there’s nothing from our trip I’d take off the itinerary.

SVV even “rode the bull” right after we finished Staircase, the most epic series of cascades on this stretch of the South Fork. We had opted for the half-day “rush,” but next time I’d love to do the full-day “plunge” and really soak up the beauty of the region.

We were tired when we returned to Boise, but that didn’t deter us from a couple of brewery stops, followed by a nightcap at the STIL Ice Cream Shop. This brand new ice cream shop not only scoops up booze-infused ice creams, but also serves beer and spirits pairings. Talk about my dream concept!

Monday

Monday morning rolled around, and we knew we’d saved the best breakfast stop for last: Guru Donuts. Better yet, they’re gluten-free (not that I needed an excuse to indulge)!

We didn’t do much shopping while in Boise—primarily because we were too busy tasting all the beer in town—but while driving to Camel’s Back had stumbled upon Hyde Park in the North End and mentally bookmarked it for a little window-shopping. It was just a bonus then that we also spotted a mural that spanned an entire co-op wall on the drive over.

Sadly, our noon airport departure approached far too quickly, and we’d only managed to check off a half-dozen breweries and taprooms throughout the weekend. So we made that one more by heading over to the local outpost of 10 Barrel Brewing Co. for lunch and kiwi sours before we officially bid Boise farewell.

I’m a list-maker (shocking, right?), and I’ll admit we didn’t manage to make it through my entire eat/drink list, specifically to Waffle Me Up, Boise Fry Company, BACON or Wild Root Cafe & Market, because there are only so many meals in a day (or so I’m told…). But all the more reason to return next summer, as if the art and beer and outdoors weren’t already enough of an excuse!

Have you been to Boise? Did you find it an unexpected Mecca of culinary and artistic delights? What would you add to my weekend itinerary for next time?

This post was sponsored by Visit Idaho. All opinions are my own.

  PIN IT HERE

A Beer-Filled Idaho Weekend: How to Spend a Perfect Four Days in Boise published first on https://medium.com/@OCEANDREAMCHARTERS