#I think it works better if he’s basically only mentioned in passing with his fate only alluded to by her and Entienne

[vickyvicarious]

Ooh any thoughts on the pairs chosen and their tasks, for the final hunt?

I actually think I have a half-written post about exactly this lurking in my drafts from last year, though I will warn you that it contains spoilers for the journeys. Let me see if I can find it and finish it/clean it up a smidge... Ah. Yes. Here it is:

So, let's take a look at our travel arrangements. The team almost (but not quite) split up into the exact three options Mina listed for Dracula to follow. The only difference being that instead of "by road" we have "along the river." But still it's pretty close.

Each group has a sort of designated scribe who has historically been one of the main writers of the novel (more a meta necessity this, but given the heroes making such use of records it is still helpful to them if they wish to compile an account afterwards as well) as well as someone who will probably take the lead on vampire hunting, though where they can everyone will surely assist. They also have at least one person per group who can presumably make themselves understood by locals. I also added a 'caretaker' category because they're all running low on steam and it is an important consideration character-wise.

Basically this is just me taking a look at how each team is divvied up and why/what meta we could get out of it.

By Rail: Van Helsing and Mina

Scribe: Mina

Fighter: Van Helsing

Languages: Van Helsing

Caretaker: alternating

The two leaders. The brains if you will. They are heading straight to the castle. Van Helsing wants to kill the vampire women, and if he can get the jump on them/ambush them in their coffins it makes sense for him to do so rather than the younger men, whose strength is better saved for a possible direct confrontation with Dracula. And if anyone dies doing this, Van Helsing basically says better the old man who has already lived a long life. Keeping Mina further away from Dracula for as long as possible makes sense too in order to minimize what influence he can have upon her. Having her along to help find the castle as well will be useful, though it does mean she'll be brought in closer contact with his seat of operations and other vampires. But they've planned not to bring her into the castle itself.

The mode of transport is fitting for both of them. Mina of course IS the train fiend and so it's perfect for her to ride a train there. But Van Helsing too has spent a lot of time riding trains back and forth in the book to acquire information that can save a woman from becoming a vampire. Now his last train journey is in an effort to put that information into practice as he tries to save Mina from becoming a vampire/stop the spread by killing the other vampires. Not to mention of course Mina isn't really well and he is older so letting them take the relatively less taxing forms of transportation (train then carriage) makes sense. They both express concern for one another and work together to make sure the other is doing as well as they can throughout the journey as well.

Mina specifically traveling this way makes for a really cool transition from her utilizing the ultra-modern method to then traveling into the past almost as she echoes Jonathan's journey from the beginning of the book and also becomes more and more connected to vampirism/the vampire ladies (and by extent the ancient opposite of the modern civilization that the train represents). This rush to get there first also could reflect the two of them, but especially Mina, outthinking Dracula as they are ready to ambush him upon arrival.

Finally, Van Helsing was the most concerned over Mina's fate and was the one she put most in charge of deciding when she be killed... but he was meant to ensure Jonathan did the deed. So it makes for a really interesting pairing to put him there to make that final judgement but his own promise inclines him to put off action even if he thinks she's passed the point of no return. That said he still is trying really hard to have faith in her despite his doubts and fears, not just because of the promise.

By Land: Quincey and Jack

Scribe: Jack

Fighter: Quincey

Languages: Jack

Caretaker: none

Quincey volunteers early for this job. And Jack speaks up to join him because they work well together and have done things like this before. This actually makes them the only team to both do that, as Van Helsing argued for where Jonathan and Mina should both go. They are also the only pair who already know one another well pre-vampire hunting together.

While this is perhaps the least likely route to meet vampires (second-likeliest route to encounter Dracula, but the other group will almost certainly meet the vampire ladies) it is probably the most physically taxing. They're riding all day. Jack could theoretically be the caretaker here, as he is the doctor, but in reality they both are pressing on really hard and neither one is shown to be making sure the other gets enough rest or whatever. It kind of seems like they're setting a pace where they're both tired enough to just drop off when they get a chance.

Quincey is the leader among the two of them. He's the first to volunteer, and he seems very comfortable with horses and leading a hunt. However, in the larger context of his role in the group as a whole, he is very much the support, and while Jack has had a much larger role, when in the group he's generally support as well (though his trust with Van Helsing means he is usually more involved in discussions than Quincey). So it is fitting that these two are taking the "just in case" route - especially Quincey, who often does this sort of filling in where needed. Also fitting that they are bringing along horses for the others should they be needed. They're being the support team.

One more kind of interesting detail... this is the only group to actually travel with other people for a while, but also the group who talks to locals least. No meta point to this, just noticed it.

By Water: Arthur and Jonathan

Scribe: Jonathan

Fighter: Jonathan

Languages: Jonathan

Caretaker: Arthur

This list of roles makes it sound like Arthur isn't doing much. But that's far from true. It's quite possible he can communicate with locals as well (I just put Jonathan down as we know for a fact he can, though stiltedly) and he's proven himself in defeating a vampire in the past. Jonathan however is the main fighter, shown multiple times not to hesitate to attack Dracula. In fact though, Arthur's most important role here is as the caretaker and transport. He ensures that Jonathan gets the rest he needs, and he's the one not only to acquire the boat but the one who knows how to operate it. Not flawlessly, as we are told when there's a crash, but he's still essential in getting them up the river.

These two men following what seems to be the specific route Dracula took makes for some really interesting continuation of Jonathan's book-long acquisition/mimicry of Dracula's traits. The boat in the first place and then their impersonation of Romanian officials also is another instance of the repeated contrast of Arthur as the good (vis)count using his money and status to help, as opposed to Count Dracula or his alias De Ville using his status and money for evil.

It also is really fitting to pair Jonathan and Arthur together as the two husbands of the women Dracula has attacked. Arthur's reality could become Jonathan's future if they don't succeed here. There's some psychopomp imagery that got talked about a few years ago which can add another fun layer. The linked post there is focused mostly on Greek mythology, and talks more about this, but these two being the ones to travel up a river into a symbolic land of the dead (Dracula's land) is fitting in a couple ways too.

When convincing him to go with Arthur, Van Helsing invokes Jonathan's right to revenge as well. Mina aside, both of these two are the ones who have the most 'right' in that sense, as they've been most personally harmed by the Count. Arthur has gotten some measure of closure when staking Lucy at least, but Jonathan hasn't had anything of the sort. They're both "young and strong" and highly motivated.

.

Not to be reductive, but there's kind of a fun thing going on with head/hand/heart here if you want. Mina and Van Helsing are the new/old brains and each leaders in their own right. Quincey and Jack are both more supportive characters at least by this point in the book and one is shown to be a protector physically while the other is literally a doctor. Jonathan and Arthur are the lovers of the women attacked by Dracula, and also represent two different approaches to the idea of said love becoming a vampire (though again it's never fully realized in Jonathan's case, so presumably he could have gone either way should he be forced to actually make the choice).

Another fun detail when comparing all three... In each case, one person or another takes the lead at least some of the time. Mina and Van Helsing are the ones who alternate that role most. They both take turns looking after one another, driving the horses, and we even get written accounts from both of them. Jonathan and Arthur both take turns on watch but Arthur is the one who knows what he's doing on the ship and looking after Jonathan who is totally focused on leading the hunt. We don't hear much from the other two on their journey, but presumably Quincey is mostly in the lead - I say this because he historically has been in such circumstances (which Jack specifically mentioned when agreeing to go with him).

[petalstem]

Finished the second graphic novel! The pacing was QUITE fast again, which definitely hurt it in some places (The battle between Brokenstar and his rogues VS ThunderClan felt HORRIBLY paced with how it just suddenly ended, and warrior names being gained happening either off-screen or mentioned in passing I wasn't huge on), but unlike the first one, I do think it had the benefit of the ENTIRE book being the same breakneck pace, whereas the first book started slower and then suddenly SPED through the final third. Ultimately I won't hold it TOO hard against the graphic novels though, given that they have a LOT of material to cover and can't go on forever, but I do feel there's some aspects that could've been done a bit better.

The ableism is almost entirely fixed! This is a MASSIVE boon and makes things SO much better to read. They wouldn't have been able to reach the levels of ableism of the originals ANYWAYS just thanks to the change in medium, we can't spend a million paragraphs on Fireheart's inner monologue about disability being the worst thing that could ever happen, but beyond just that, they made an active effort to make Cinderpelt her own person and have her own agency in her life, and I MASSIVELY appreciated that! Cinderpelt chooses what she wants and she is ACTIVELY given that choice, with Fireheart being an active member in making sure she knows she CAN choose, as opposed to original Fireheart who sees Cinderpelt enjoying her job and cries about how she can't be a full person. Thank God Fireheart is no longer the worlds most ableist cat on the planet

Unfortunately, they didn't change Princess's weird dialogue about wanting to "choose Cloudkit's fate", but it's both not as bad as the original in my opinion, but also gets contrasted later on with Sandstorm saying how Cloudkit could choose to become a kittypet if he wants, just as Fireheart chose to become a warrior.

I really like the contrast between Silverstream's death and Brokentail's, I love Yellowfang repeating the line about not being able to save everyone, with the extremely clear visual indication that she actively killed him. Works super well!

I think the condensing of Cloudpaw's arc actually served itself well. Given how fast these books are and how much there is to tell, shortening Cloudpaw's arc down to just a few pages benefits in that it still gets the point across, but doesn't take up time from other important story beats that need to be hit

As per usual, the ThunderClan fire remains my favorite scene in the first arc. While, thanks to the change in medium, the fire itself was foreshadowed as much or in the way I absolutely adore from the originals, I think it was still absolutely great, I love the ThunderClan fire for how tense and dramatic it is without relying on battles, it really feels like the absolute calamity that it is

The ending was, by far, the best part of the book. I think the book as a whole WAS quite good, but the ending, with Bluestar yelling against the background of dogs, is VERY well done foreshadowing and a way to integrate the prologue of the next book seamlessly, and I think it also really works to sell the emotion of Bluestar, while also not being SOLELY metaphorical, given that we know the dogs will be relevant next book.

As per usual, art was fantastic! I think they have some issues with pushing expressions just a tad too far in some places, there's one in particular of Fireheart yawning that just feels a bit too much, but as a whole, I'd rather they be too expressive over not expressive enough. And even with that said, the too exaggerated expressions are not that prevalent, and I actually think the book does the more somber, subdued expressions quite well, basically any scene where a character expresses closed mouth or mostly closed mouth shock really is done quite well

As a whole. I loved it! I think these graphic novels are basically the only piece of genuinely good warriors media in an extremely long time, and I'm excited to see how they handle the finale of arc 1!

[ciginatree]

This Place is Haunted - Ricky Olson x fem!reader

Summary: When a group of friends decide to perform a seance in one of the most haunted spots in eastern Pennsylvania, things take a dark, bloody turn.

Content warnings: language, gore, death, Ouija board/seance, mentions of sacrifice, murder, suicide, child death; fluff

Word Count: 5.4k

Author's Note: Sorry this took so long to finish! Thank you all for being so patient, it turned out a lot longer than I expected and took a long time to edit. Shout out to my sister for being my beta tester. Enjoy!

This story is a complete work of fiction portraying the likeness of a real person or persons in a fictional situation.

Ricky POV

“I don’t think this is a good idea,” I say, breaking the silence in the van. At my feet is a backpack stuffed with flashlights, gloves, a first aid kit, candles, and to top it off: a Ouija board. I had dabbled in the paranormal before, I live in a haunted house for fuck’s sake, but I had never thought to take it this far. I mean, breaking and entering into the most taboo spot in this part of Pennsylvania? There’s no way in hell it can end well.

“Seriously, Rick? You’re gonna back out now? This was basically your idea,” Angelo groans.

“Yeah you literally won’t shut up about this place and how much you’ve been wanting to ‘check it out’,” Balz emphasizes with air quotes, momentarily taking his hand off the wheel.  

“I didn’t mean I wanted to actually break into the place!”  

“Whatever man it’s too late you’re not getting out of this van.”

I sigh, sinking into the seat of the car, accepting my fate. I look down at my watch: 11:13 pm. The only people out in this podunk town now are druggies and night shifters. Moving here from Seattle was a drastic change, a welcome one, but drastic nonetheless. I left my hometown to join the band a few months ago and I have to say, I got some nasty culture shock. 

“Wait, why are we going to Chris’s? I thought he wasn’t coming,” I say as we turn onto the familiar street.

“He’s not. Y/N is,” Balz remarks smugly. 

“What?!” Y/N has been helping out with some of the more local shows since before I joined the band, she’s Chris’s neighbor so we’ve gotten to know her pretty well outside the shows too. And it’s no secret to the band that I’ve developed a bit of a crush on her. I groan, dragging my hands down my face and slumping into the seat. Goddammit I really can’t back out now. Balz pulls into the driveway and honks twice. A few seconds pass before Y/N exits her house. She turns around and locks the door before bounding down the steps towards the van. She slides open the door and settles into the window seat to the left of me, giving a quick greeting. 

“Oh Y/N, that seat belt is broken, you'll have to sit in the middle seat,” Balz says looking in the rearview mirror. Bullshit. I meet his gaze in the mirror, glaring at him briefly. I know exactly what he’s doing. 

“Oh. Ok.” Y/N replies nonchalantly, sliding over into the seat next to me. I scoot over a bit so she has room to buckle. I meet her gaze, giving her a small smile before looking out the window. Balz pulls out of the driveway and starts heading down the backroads towards the abandoned house. I feel stiff. I can sense her right next to me, our knees practically touching. I try to keep my breathing steady to not give myself away. “So…what exactly is the story behind this house?”

“Why don’t you tell her Ricky? You’re the one who’s obsessed with the place,” Angelo jokes. My cheeks heat up a bit and I pull my lips into a tight line. I neutralize my expression and turn towards Y/N to respond. 

“Long story short, a bunch of culty shit happened in the 1960s. Sacrifices, mania, suicide; that sort of thing,” I mutter out quickly.

“C’mon you can do better than that. Seriously, give me the details,” Y/N looks at me, eyes full of curiosity. 

I sigh, exhaling through my nose. “The Banes family moved into the house in 1962, the house was newly built. Emily Banes, the mother, started getting into the occult and paranormal pretty soon after they moved in. She believed there was some sort of spirit in her house that she needed to please, she basically worshiped it. In ‘63 she gave birth to Henry, who was born with his limbs all twisted up. The doctors did their best to fix him, but it didn’t work too well. Emily believed that the defects were because the spirit was angry with her, but the truth is she took thalidomide during the pregnancy to help with morning sickness which caused a malformation of Henry’s skeletal structure. About a month after he was born, she ritualistically sacrificed him in the living room in an attempt to ‘please the spirit’. She buried him in the wall and claimed he died from the defects,” the car is dead silent now as I continue,.”Emily went manic, blaming her husband, Robert, for Henry’s death. She tore into the wallpaper and brick, ripping up her fingers trying to find her baby. The neighbors found her roaming the neighborhood at night muttering to herself and digging in their bushes. She ended up stabbing Robert 34 times in his sleep before tying an old curtain around her neck and jumping off the balcony that overlooks the front room. The house has been lived in a few times since then, but has been abandoned for decades. Rumor has it that if you light candles in the shape of a pentagram in the living room, close your eyes, and listen you’ll hear a baby shrieking faintly in the walls.”

The silence was thick in the car, suffocating as we drove over the gravel backroads. I bite my lip, pushing the lip ring with my tongue as I wait for someone to speak.

“Jesus,” Y/N finally breathes out. I look over and her eyes are wide with shock. “We’re seriously doing a Ouija board here in the middle of the night?” There’s more than a hint of fear in her voice. 

“Don’t worry, Rick will protect you, won’t you Ricky?”

I roll my eyes at Angelo’s jab before turning my attention back to her. “Seriously though, it’ll be fine. I’ve got a pocket knife if things get tough.” I tap my pocket, smiling.

She chuckles, “Oh boy, ghosts watch out Ricky’s got a pocket knife.”

I laugh as the van slows to a stop. The run down house looms into view of the window. Taking a breath I grab the backpack in front of me before sliding the van door open and hopping onto the gravelly, dirt filled terrain. 

***

Glass crunches under my feet as we enter the house. A curved staircase shadows the entryway, what’s left of the musty carpet hanging loosely on the wooden stairs. I follow to the right of the staircase, the grained wooden floor of the front room coming into view. It’s littered, the sharp odor of urine assaults my nose and my chest heaves. I bring the sleeve of my sweater to my face and cough into it, holding it there in a feeble attempt to mask the smell. “Oh my god, I can taste it,” I wheeze.

“Christ!” I swivel around in time to see Balz coughing and swatting frantically at a cobweb caught on his face. I laugh maniacally into my sleeve as he hacks up half his air supply. When he’s regained his composure I sweep my hand out in front of me, gesturing for him to lead the way. Shuddering, Balz smacks my arm out of his path glaring as he speed walks past me. I snicker, falling into step behind him with Y/N behind me, and Angelo bringing up the rear.   

 Dust sparkles in the rays of our flashlights, the wood protesting beneath us. I sweep my flashlight over the area, taking in the decay. Clink. I aim my flashlight down in front of me, searching for what I kicked. A slim cylinder, caught in a notch of the wooden floor. A needle. Like I said, druggies. I swipe it over to the wall with the toe of my shoe and continue into the room. 

“Woah, is that…?” Y/N’s flashlight points up, the light bending off the ancient crystals of the chandelier. The broken light casts a speckled spotlight onto the twisted iron railing lining the balcony that overlooks the living room. The mangled railing leaves a gaping hole; a mouth filled with rotting iron teeth and a gruff wooden tongue. Mutilated shards of metal angle down the overhang, beckoning us to join it in death, just as Emily had.

“Yeah.” I say simply. I try not to imagine what her body would’ve looked like swinging below the chandelier. I slip the backpack off my shoulder with a jangling thud and crouch down to remove the supplies. Y/N brushes dirt and leaves away from the gear with the side of her shoe, taking a seat across from me. Legs crossed and hands folded under her chin she watches as I set up the seance. I pull out the candles and the Ouija board, furrowing my brow I rummage through the fabric. “Shit, I forgot a lighter.”

“Here,” Angelo paces back from the chipped wall he was inspecting, plunging his hand into his pocket to remove an old lighter. I take it from him, stowing it away in my hoodie.

“Thanks. Balz get over here!” Balz whips his head away from the dusty window and trods over to us. “Ok, here’s how this is going to work. We’re gonna set up a pentagram with the candles and us, the Ouija board, and the final candle will be in the center. Do not blow out any of the candles once we have started the seance, do not taunt the spirits, and absolutely do not end the session or remove your hand from the puck without saying goodbye. Or I will kill you. Got it?” Everyone murmurs some form of acknowledgement, looking around at each other. “Good. Everyone grab a candle and start setting up.”

The candles aren’t fancy, just small unscented tea candles found at the convenience store on Main Street. My back shivers and I take a breath as Y/N sets down the last point of the star. She, Balz, and Angelo rejoin me in the center as I unfold the board, placing the planchette in the center, and the final candle at the head of the panel. “Ok. Everyone turn off your flashlights.” Clicks echo throughout the room, and we are blanketed in an inky darkness. I stand up, withdrawing the lighter from my pocket and flick the metallic gear once, twice, the third time sparking a flame to life. Warmth dances across my fingertips and illuminates a burning orange under my face. I walk the perimeter of the star, igniting the candles one by one until the only one unlit is in the center of our little group. I tilt the flame, charring the pure wick of the final candle. Extinguishing the light in my hand I return the lighter to Angelo and cross my legs, filling the final gap on the sides of the Ouija board. Y/N sits fidgeting with the hem of her shirt to my left, Angelo to my right, and Balz across from me. I bring one knee up to my chest, folding the other beneath me. I grin in the lowlight. “Alright, let’s begin.”

Each person in the group places the first two fingers of their right hand on the planchette. We drag the puck along the perimeter of the board in three stalking circles, thinning the veil between worlds with each scrape of the cardboard. The planchette comes to rest in the center of the alphabet and I hesitate. “Shit, what are we even going to ask?”

“Probably should have thought of that before we started,” Balz hissed.

“Ok, ok just-” I sigh. “Hello?” Silence. I glance around, the flames stand still as unmoving soldiers. A lighthouse to whatever could be lurking here. I feel a chill skate along my back and I repress a shudder. A thud sounds from the back of the house and we whip our heads around, holding our breath. A small creak follows, then nothing. We all wait, turning back to stare at the unmoving puck expectantly. Nothing. “Must’ve been a rat or something. Somebody else try asking something.”

Y/N inhales, biting her lip before speaking. “Um, is… are there any spirits here? God I feel stupid.”

“You’re fine, let’s just wait a minute. See if something happens,” I tell her, eyes remaining fixed on the board. We wait, silent, for thirty seconds.

“Holy fuck!” Angelo panics suddenly. The planchette twitches, dragging itself with a scraping sigh along the board. “Is anyone moving it? Rick, are you moving it?”

“No, I’m not moving it! Now shut up!” The deformed heart shaped piece advances slowly towards the left of the board before coming to a rest. B. My heart is pounding in my ears, filling the silence between us all as the planchette resumes its movement. A. Another drag, quicker this time. B. One last scrape. Y. 

“Baby?” Y/N whispers.

“Damn. Baby? Like the baby, like the one in the walls?” Angelo hisses.

“Are we talking to Emily Banes?” I ask, ignoring both Angelo and Y/N. The planchette moves swiftly across the board. My eyes widen, startled at how quickly it responded. It barely stops at each letter before jolting to the next one. D.E.A.T.H.

“It’s not even answering the damn questions!” Balz exclaims. The planchette hasn’t stopped moving as it spells out another word. D.E.C.A.Y.

The puck whips wildly as it spells, possessed by an unseen force. My fingers tingle as my arm jolts to accommodate the movements of the piece. S.H.I.F.T. 

“Ricky, I don’t like this. I- I don’t feel good,” Y/N pants out next to me. 3. I turn my head to look at her. Fuck. Her face is flushed and strained, her head bobbing slightly as her eyelashes flutter. P.D.Q.L.Q. At this point it’s spewing letters faster than we can register. W.K.H.K.R.X.V.H.

“I’m calling it. We’re done.” I say shortly.

“Dude, we’ve only been doing this for like 5 minutes,” Angelo argues.

“I don’t fucking care, we’re done!” I shout across the board. “Circle the board three times and say goodbye.” But the second we try to move the planchette it plants itself in the center of the board. “What the fuck?” I push as hard as I can with my two fingers. The flames are flickering like flags in a hurricane, and the top point blows out and another creak sounds from behind us. I smack everyone’s hand off the planchette before curling my fingers around it and ripping it from the board. I stand up, hurling it across the room with a shout. It clatters into the wall before ricocheting and skidding across the floor. Momentary silence. Perplexed breathing huffing into the empty space. 

“Now what?” Balz hesitantly asks. I look around at everyone, silently questioning. 

“What if we explore the rest of the house?” Angelo proposes. I look at Y/N, raising my eyebrow slightly. The color has returned to her face, but she looks unsettled. 

“Sure, might as well,” she shrugs her shoulders. Balz and Angelo move to blow out the rest of the candles, gathering up the Ouija board. I turn to her as they walk out of earshot.

“Are you sure? We don’t have to,” I don’t want her to feel pressured into doing this, but curiosity is sprouting steadily in me. 

“Yeah I’ll be fine,” she gives a small half smile, but her eyes look uneasy. I nod warily, walking to the backpack to pack up the rest of the supplies. We decide to leave the candles where they are to cool off.

“What if we split up?” Balz suggests, side eyeing Angelo with a glimmer in his eyes that I don’t really like. 

“Yeah, I’ll go with Balz, you two go upstairs and look around,” Angelo replies, grinning evilly. Figures. 

“Sure, works for me. Everyone meet back at the candles in 30 minutes?” Everyone agrees, and I pull two flashlights out of the backpack. Angelo and Balz click their lights on and start walking towards the back of the house, down the corridor towards the kitchen, leaving me alone with Y/N. I hand a flashlight to her and tilt my head towards the staircase. “Let’s go.”

We make our way to the musty set of stairs together, the wood damp with rot. I take the lead in case any of the stairs give out. The planks creak and moan with every step of our feet on the curled carpet. When we reach the top I look out over the banister, pointing my flashlight down into the room and I sense Y/N step beside me as she peers down past my shoulder. 

“Jesus, that’d be a nasty fall,” she mutters, “Shall we?” She sweeps her flashlight dramatically over to the end of the hallway.

My mouth twitches up in a half smile. “We shall,” I respond just as dramatically. We laugh, making our way to the last door of the hallway. I nudge it open with the end of my flashlight, coughing at the unsettled dust. It’s a bedroom. A metal framed bed sits in the left corner, opposite from a closet with sliding wooden doors. I walk over to the bed, inspecting the stained mattress that lays upon it. Crouching down, I direct my beam of light under the bed. I wrinkle my nose at the empty beer cans and stand up. 

“Hey, Rick? Can I ask you something?” I turn towards where Y/N is inspecting the dirty, steel framed window. 

“Yeah, sure. What’s up?”

“Why’d you guys invite me?” I pause.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean this kind of seems like a guy’s trip sort of thing, so why was I invited?” I bite my lip, toying with the ring as I try to think of what to say. I sigh, folding my arms and averting my eyes, a heavy knot forming in my stomach. 

“Balz and Angelo think I have this… I dunno, a thing for you or something. So I think they invited you to try and get us to spend time together,” I mumble quickly, toying with the sleeve of my hoodie.

“A ‘thing’? What, like a crush?” 

I can feel the heat rushing to my cheeks as I stammer out a response. “I guess? I dunno, it was their idea.” 

“Do you have a crush on me?” She takes a few steps towards me and I can feel the humiliation burning me alive. “Do you like me like that?”

I lift my eyes to look at her fully, expecting disgust written all over. However, she looks curious with a glimmer of hope in her eyes. I search her face before giving a small answering nod, nerves eating away at my stomach. Before I can say anything else she grasps the front of my sweater, crashing our lips together in a messy kiss. I inhale sharply before closing my eyes and leaning into her. My heart swells and beats like it’s trying to escape my chest and I bring one hand up to cup the back of her neck as the other snakes around her waist, pulling her into me. She tastes heavenly. She tilts her head, deepening the kiss as our lips move against each other softly. Finally, we break apart, gasping for air. 

“I like you too,” she whispers. I break into a smile, huffing out a breathless laugh before pulling her back into me. I kiss her passionately, groaning at the soft noises she makes against my lips. I brush my tongue against her bottom lip, pushing it into her mouth when she parts them. She gasps and threads her fingers into my hair, tugging softly. I groan, squeezing her hip as I lick into her mouth and work my tongue against her own. 

I stumble us both backwards until my calves hit the bed and I sit down, tugging her down beside me. Not caring about how filthy the mattress is, I wrap my arms around her again, dipping my head down to kiss and suck her neck. I caress just below her jaw, sucking and gnawing at the tender skin, reveling in the way she tilts her head back. I pull away, grinning, and in the moonlight streaking through the window I can see the forming mark. I rest my forehead against her own, massaging her cheek with my thumb. “Be mine? Please?” 

She pecks my lips and I can feel her smile into the kiss. “Of course,” she chuckles lightly. I smile, pressing one last kiss to her cheek and sighing before checking my watch.

“Shit, it’s been almost half an hour we should get downstairs,” I clamber off the bed, grabbing my discarded flashlight. I take Y/N’s hand and lead her out the door when we hear a bloodcurdling scream. Balz. I freeze, squeezing her hand, and peer around the corner, praying to god that this was some sick prank he was pulling. Peering out I see a man, thin and tall dragging Balz by his ankle into the living room. There’s a dark trail following beneath his body and it’s then that I register the knife. Adrenaline shocks through me and runs my blood cold. I eye the front door gauging how fast we could get there. My head snaps back down to see the man on all fours, drooling, and scrambling for the staircase, Balz groaning on the floor long forgotten as he clambers right towards us. His hand hits the bottom step and I backpedal as fast I can, yanking a terrified Y/N with me back into the bedroom, making a beeline for the closet.

I slide the wooden door closed as quietly as I can. Circling one hand around Y/N’s mouth, and the other around her waist, I back us up into the closet as far as we can go. Moonlight bleeds in through the wooden slats and spills onto the floor before us. I can feel her hyperventilating against my palm and a lone tear drips onto my wrist. Without saying a word I turn her around and pull her into my chest, stroking her hair as I shush her gently. 

“I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry you got dragged into this. Baby, I need you to calm down, or he’ll hear us,” I whisper shakily into her temple. I try to remain calm for her sake, but I’m sure she can feel my heartbeat rapidly pounding in my chest. I can feel her near silent tears staining my neck as she bites down on my hoodie to muffle her breathing. I lower us down to a crouch, minimizing our appearance. Y/N clings to me harder, shaking, eyes shut tight against my neck. I keep one hand on the back of her head for comfort and bring the other to the pocket of my jeans, drawing out my pocket knife. I flip it open slowly, looking down to adjust my stance.

My heart drops and my breathing stutters to a halt. The moonlight is gone. My gaze trails up to see a bony figure, staring through the slats of the closed door. My grip tightens on Y/N’s head and I press her further into my neck. She tenses, holding her breath with me. A croaking, throaty chuckle rises into existence.

The motherfucker is laughing on the other side of the door. Deranged. That’s the only way to describe this corpse of a man. The laughing melds into a gurgling cough, the fit ending in a deep, guttural groan. “I know you took my baby,” he sing-songs in a hoarse moan. His gaze is at the wrong angle to be looking at us. He’s talking to the goddamn door itself. “You put him in the walls.” He giggles before giving a wet sniff. He trails his wet knife across the slats like a child playing a xylophone. A drop of blood oozes off the knife and in between the slats of the wood. Balz’s blood. It drops off the grain and dribbles next to my foot with a soft patter. I jerk my leg towards my body and stare at the crimson droplet in horror. 

I snap my gaze back up in time to see the man slam his head into the doorframe, the force of it rattling the sliding doors. “I KNOW YOU TOOK MY BABY, GIVE ME BACK MY BABY,” he bellows, repeating each phrase with every bash of his head. Y/N jumps, gripping the back of my jacket so hard I think it might tear. Through the slats I can just make out the outline of a syringe sticking out from the crook in his arm. He cracks his skull against the wall once more before stumbling across the room to the window with a low groan. “Why’d you take my baby?” he sobs, before smashing his head through the glass with a shriek. 

Now that he’s away from the door I jump up, bringing Y/N with me. She’s trembling, her eyes red from tears. “Ok, on the count of three I’m going to open the door, and we’re going to run like hell to the front door, got it?” Another crash followed by an unearthly howl and glass shards tinkling to the floor. She shakes her head frantically, eyes wide.

“No, no, no, no, no. He’s right there he’ll get us-”

“Hey, it’s ok I’ve got you, I promise,” I grasp her shoulders and plant a quick kiss to her forehead, sliding my hand down to clutch hers, the other one gripping my knife in front of me. “One… two… three!” I slide open the door and hurdle out of it, Y/N right behind me. I fling my arm out to turn the corner out of the room, when I’m suddenly wrenched backwards, Y/N’s hand leaving mine as I stumble. The force of it all sends the knife flying out of my hand and into the hallway. I whip around to see Y/N on the floor, the man gripping her by her hair. She cries out, sending elbows and fists backwards as she tries to regain her footing, but the man is just out of her reach.

“Get the fuck off her!” I shout, diving at the man. He yells, letting go of her to claw at me. I punch at his face blindly, landing any hit I can. “Y/N, go find Angelo!” 

“What about you?” 

“Go!” The word ends with a wheeze as a hit to the stomach knocks the wind out of me and I slump to the floor. The man starts after Y/N again and I scramble up, tackling him to the ground just outside the door. I look over to see her reaching the staircase before I’m hoisted up roughly by my arm. Up close, the man is more rancid than I could have previously thought. There are missing patches of hair, replaced by gummy scabs; his pupils are extremely dilated, the surrounding whites cracked with streaks of red. His lips are chapped and bleeding and his sallow face has numerous cuts from the glass he smashed himself through, the blood smeared across his puckered face. 

He slams me into the wall and I gasp as my head rebounds off of it. He chuckles leaning in close to me and I can smell his putrid breath. He mumbles croaky nonsense into my face and I bring my knee up to his groin. He lets go of me with a grunt and I punch him again as he stumbles back towards the railing. I heave against him with a final shove and his foot slips, catching the empty air between the disconnected pieces of mangled iron. He tumbles backward over the edge and I feel myself lurch forward. He’s caught my wrist.

My heart falls to my stomach as my feet leave the ground. I lock eyes with the man as an iron bar catches him, sliding through his spine and out his stomach with a gurgling choke. But I don’t stop. I pass the iron bars and freefall over the banister and past the mouth that caught the man in its teeth. For a moment it’s peaceful. Until my head cracks against the floor and my entire body goes numb. My vision blurs and I can just barely see the man skewered above me, hanging like a repulsive, mounted beast. Like Emily. 

I hear Y/N scream my name through the fuzzy haze before everything fades and I’m falling once again into darkness. 

***

Beep

Beep

I slowly wake to the feel of sheets over me, a steady light beating down behind my eyelids. My head feels like it’s going to explode. I blink my eyes open, shutting them again quickly at the burning of the sterile white lights. I try again, blinking and squinting as my surroundings slowly come into focus. I could hear the steady beeping of machines, each short sound stabbing my skull like a knife. There’s a warm weight on my hand, and I anchor myself to it. I turn my head slowly, gasping sharply at the splitting pain. My whole body aches, I feel like I can’t move.

I pant from the effort it takes to turn my head, tilting my eyes down and I see her. Y/N. Her hand is wrapped around mine, her head resting on our conjoined hands. Her hair cascades down on the hospital bed, her breath fanning gently across my fingers. She doesn’t look hurt and my chest heaves a collapsing sigh in relief. I attempt to curl my fingers around her hand, but pain shoots through my arm the second I try to move it. I hiss in pain, dissolving into a coughing fit that feels like it’s going to tear me open. Y/N snaps her head up, standing to lean over me. The light blurs around her, giving an angelic effect I wish I could admire more, but the strain in my eyes prevents me. 

“Hey,” she says softly. Her voice sounds tired, trembling slightly. “How… how are you feeling?”

“I feel like shit,” I rasp. She brushes a piece of hair back from my face.

“Yeah, falling from a balcony will do that for you,” she chuckles nervously. “You’ve been in and out of consciousness for a while now. Um, they said you have a couple fractured ribs, most likely a concussion, and a hell of a lot of bruising. They gave you an IV and some pain meds,” she gestures to the needle sticking in my hand. She takes a shaky breath and her voice breaks as she talks. “Scared the fuck out of me, Ricky.”

“I’m sorry,” I whisper, tears starting to well in the corners of my eyes. I’m exhausted; mentally, physically, emotionally. I just want to go home. Y/N laughs shortly, sniffing wetly as she wipes the tears that fell from her own eyes, before brushing away the one that fell down my cheek.

“Don’t apologize, you saved my life.”

I gasp a stuttering breath as my eyes widen, muscles tensing. “Balz- oh my god what-”

“He’s ok. He’ll be ok.” She interrupts, placing a hand out to steady me. “He had to have surgery, so he’s recovering in a different room. Angelo’s alright too. I found him barely conscious and dazed in the kitchen before you fell. He’s a little beat up but there’s no sign of a concussion or other injury. He’s in the waiting room right now.” I slump back against the pillow, relieved once again. I take a deep breath and try not to think too hard about everything. 

“Do you… need anything?” She asks quietly. My gaze darts to her lips before resettling on her eyes.

“Kiss me. Please,” I whisper desperately. “I just-” She cuts me off by softly pressing her lips to mine. I close my eyes and melt into her. Her cheeks are still wet from her tears and I wish I could move my arms enough to wipe them away. She squeezes my hand before pulling away just a bit, her lips brushing mine as she speaks.

“You can rest now, it’s ok. We’re all ok.” She kisses my cheek and sits back down in the chair she had pulled next to my bed. I can feel my eyes drifting and dozing as she takes my hand again, kissing each finger as I drift back to sleep. I squeeze her hand the best I can, knowing she’ll be here when I wake up.

Tag list: @rumoured-whispers @thewarmisice @black-damask-1999 @skulliecadaver-blog @bloody-delusion-expert

[kenisle]

(free of spoilers until the read more)

i like how deadpool and wolverine was able to work with audiences’ associations of actors + characters.

it’s not something that can really be done with comics, where between changing artists (or just each artist’s evolving style/human inconsistency), so many characters having the same base design (eg how almost all the robins, bruce wayne, and clark kent are just White Guy With Short Black Hair and Strong Jaw), and the same distinctive costume getting passed around to various characters (eg the captains america).

if you want a comic reader to know who a character is, you almost always have to explicitly introduce them, or else it could be damn near anyone under all the layers of ambiguity listed above.

with movies/tv though, aside from a few recasts, actors’ faces aren’t subject to nearly the same degree of variance that a drawn character is, so if an audience member recognizes the actor from a previous film, they automatically know the character on the screen. any explicit introduction of a returning character is for the more casual viewer but usually isn’t necessary as long as the character’s basics are established up front.* the smaller, contained scale of established movie/tv show canon compared to the amorphous behemoth that is comics canon helps a lot as well.

this means reintroductions are short and sweet, if present at all (and in this film can be explained easily by dp’s fellow fanboy enthusiasm when necessary, rather than just the writers blatantly using him as a mouthpiece), and simply the face of a returning actor affords a ton of depth to a character that couldn’t be developed in this installment. it doubles as a way to devote more time to other things in the movie and a way to reward returning viewers.

DP+W SPOILERS BELOW THE CUT

*in dp+w, seasoned viewers recognize pyro from X2, but we also get a refresher of his deal, both new (his allegiance in the void) and old (he has fire powers), so while his trajectory is a bit more clear with the wider context from X2, nothing he does is totally out of left field/unsupported by the text in this film.

so, while previous marvel movies have taken advantage of this shortcut to reduce weighing down the runtime with exposition, dp+w also snatched the golden opportunity to play a prank on the audience with it which i adored.

see, while there have been many cases of the same character being recast with different actors during marvel’s long run, very rarely was there one actor who played two DIFFERENT (major)** characters.***

**looking at you, stan lee.

***the only other example i can think of atm is oscar isaac, but he was basically unrecognizable under all the makeup and costume for apocalypse, so this trick wouldn’t have really worked with him anyway. hence “golden opportunity.”

so when chris evans’s cloaked form strode onscreen, audiences (and deadpool) were already well familiar with the cameo game and reasonably assumed he’d be reprising his more recent, more popular marvel role of steve rogers, only for the rug to be pulled out from underneath them at the fateful “flame on!”

not that there weren’t hints, of course (ie evans’s hair its natural brown rather than rogers’s more blond, the uncharacteristic taunt of “dick-for-brains” that even caught dp a little off guard, not to mention the total lack of signs outside the movie that evans and rogers would be returning to the mcu, or the illogic of doing so in a movie about deadpool and wolverine of all things), but the filmmakers know their audience and their expectations very well, resulting in what i found to be a hilarious and effective bait & switch. it was also, in my opinion, a much better direction to take the movie.

instead of nonsensically reviving such a central character that has already been given a complete arc almost as an aside in this movie that had little to do with him in the first place, they brought back a relic of movies left unfinished, remembered fondly but distantly (if at all) under the barrage of newer, flashier franchises. AND they did this knowing the old fantastic four films would soon be replaced (again), so it’s not like this johnny was ever gonna stick around. this was simply a lovely homage — a bid not to forget that we cared for those movies, too, and they’re still important to us even when the story gets rebooted.

instead of doing the same mcu bullshit we’ve grown tired of, they fed another line back to a central thesis of the movie: dying timelines (old, discontinued films) who have lost their anchor being (popular interest, production, etc.) shouldn’t be cut short (forgotten, discarded, disregarded) just because they’re not the prime timeline; there are still people living there (fans and creators caring about them) and value to be found in them.

and they were able to execute it in such an exciting, funny, and memorable way because of this connection between actors and characters that doesn’t exist in comics.

[confoundedluna]

thinking about TUA s4 again and the ending

and I know it's been long enough now that most people have said their piece and other people have probably said what i'm gonna say but it's just. argh

things worked about this season! remove them from the wider context and they make sense! Diego and Lila struggling in a regular world regular marriage because neither are used to that life? yes! the fuck ass way they went about that? no!

the ending in particular, people have pointed out how shitty the overall message ends up being of 'you are the fault/cause for your trauma and the pain you've inflicted on others across your lifetime and it's better you never even existed so at least they can be happy' but like. a bittersweet ending with the group sacrificing themselves Could have worked! it's just. the entire tone of the season needed to be different for it to work.

the group needed to have Got their happy ending and gotten to be happy for Once, so even if they were leaving it all behind, it happened! they got what they had all been looking for this whole time! and they got to leave the world a better place!

instead we get Luther reduced to a stripper joke, basically no mention of his wife (or most of the Sparrows at all), and his body mutated again even though that had No link to his marigold powers, living in a condemned building and trying pathetically hard to keep what he has left of his family together and cared for only to lose them all again in the end

Diego gets reduced to a fat joke when his actor is in Insanely good shape, he gets turned into a guy who would dump his problems on his family even after his own upbringing and how good a dad he was last season (at least from what i remember), and a guy who loses the family he finally got through his wife cheating on him with his brother and not being able to properly say goodbye to his children, dying not knowing whether she would choose him or them

Allison's husband walks out on her again, her kid that has been her main motivator seems to have a better connection with Klaus than her, her career has barely gone anywhere, and she dies having just sent her daughter alone to an unknown fate and not knowing if anyone would remember her

Klaus just Has to be reduced to a junkie that gets kidnapped and used and ignored by the rest of the group, except this time with no impact on the main plot, he doesn't have his connection with Ben anymore, and his fairly reasonable turn from immortal to paranoid germaphobe seems played as a joke, plus there's only just a Passing shot of the dog tags, no mention of Dave or his time at war

Five seems the happiest of the group at the CIA (LOW bar), but even then he's stuck back in another organisation like The Commission, and he gets absolutely character assassinated into some pathetic lovesick puppy who would enter an affair relationship with his brother's wife and hide a way home to the family he spent Decades in an apocalypse trying to get back to, and almost abandon them in the end because his BROTHER'S WIFE would dare to choose her family over him

Ben loses all sense of character and becomes only 'I love Jennifer', doesn't really have any real moments with the Umbrellas and barely mentions the Sparrows, eventually mutating beyond recognition and not even getting to die with his new makeshift family that he probably hasn't seen in the years he was locked up, beyond maybe Luther

Viktor distances himself from his family and can't hold down a relationship with anyone after Sissy, is forced to forgive Reginald for the abuse he went through because 'that wasn't me! it was the Other me!' and barely gets any moments with his family that has finally welcomed him before dying

Lila gets watered down and her character assassinated into some housewife that would cheat with her brother in law that she has seen looking like a child, no delving into the dynamic between her and her now-living family, and dies showing affection to her affair partner in front of her husband

making their lives miserable and then having the solution be that they all die and everyone else gets a happy ending is Not a good way to end a show like TUA - imo, it should have been either they're miserable throughout and finally get their happy ending, maybe getting to live just normal lives either separately with their 'birth' parents not knowing each other or what their lives used to be, or all together either with or without memories, OR they get to be happy, just for once, so that they can leave the world behind knowing that even if no one else remembers them, they got to experience happiness

Luther should be the definition of a perfect marriage with Sloane, living that stereotypical dreamlife

Diego should be doing Some kind of active work, maybe martial arts or self defense classes or Something, and getting to come home to his family happy and fulfilled with the life he has

Allison should have her husband and her child, and a career that, big star or not, she's happy in

Klaus should be in THERAPY, and he should be with Dave, finally independent from his family and not needing them to save him but sticking around anyway because he loves them and they love him

Five should be either alone romantically or with some Delores substitute, getting to live out his old man life in peace surrounded by the family he Platonically worked so desperately to keep together

Ben could be with Jennifer or not, but either way, he should have the Sparrows And the Umbrellas, with connections to all of them, even if he is still a bit of an ass - they love him anyway

Viktor should be with Sissy, finally fitting in to the family dynamic, finally in a relationship that's healthy, that he gets to keep, not sidelined or isolated but just another part of the gang

Lila should be a working mom in some way, either doing something like Diego or as part of an organisation, but still coming home Happy to her family at the end of the day, no cheating

whether that's their ending, or just what they get temporarily and have to choose to sacrifice for the greater good of the world, these characters that have spent So Long being traumatised and fighting for a sliver of happiness should get to experience it properly, not spend every minute tired and sad and even hating each other before they have to die no matter what

[sports-on-sundays]

football in the rain / Antoine Griezmann / Part 2

Summary: Antoine x female!Spanish!reader - A lost opportunity follows you wherever you go. Link to part 1!

Warnings: slight parasocial relationship, slight obsession, misfortune, mention of fate, a bit of Spanish

Requested?: Yes! By @remghosts ! Thank you so very much for the part 2 request, and I hope you really enjoy it! Again, I'm super proud of this.

You wouldn't say it haunts you, but it almost feels like it does. Your dreams play different versions of the scene constantly, better versions, worse versions, dream versions that mean absolutely no sense. But every night, you're transported back to that table where he signed your jerseys, and something else happens that didn't happen in real life. And then your brain transports you back to nearly two decades ago sometimes, in the middle of the night, and you replay the scene where you played football with him in the middle of that one rainy night. But it's never exactly the same; it's never exactly how it went.

There's always a little something that's just not quite right.

You need to get over it, and your waking state would be able to if your sleeping state didn't cling to it.

You're not special. Just because you met him once (well, technically twice, now) when he was some random teenage boy doesn't mean that you're special. It doesn't mean you're any more deserving of knowing him than any other huge fan of his. It just doesn't work that way.

But do you even want to know him?

What is it you even want? You have absolutely no idea. It just feels like you need resolution of some kind, but have absolutely no idea in what form that would come in.

Your friends- the few that you even have- can tell something is wrong. Not because you act particularly down. You're just completely, utterly, stuck inside your own head.

It's like your mind can't stop dwelling on it.

Are you insane? Sometimes it feels like you might be a little out of it.

Why do I feel this obsessed?

It's just Antoine Griezmann.

Yeah, right. Just Antoine Griezmann. You don't think it's likely for many people to ever be saying that.

It's like you cling to every goal, every interview, every article, and let yourself be mad.

It's just a missed opportunity, that's all. A missed opportunity that I just can't seem to get over.

Is fate on your side? Because all it is is a battle with the fates.

It wouldn't be long that you realize for whatever reason, the only reason why these things come to pass is because of fate itself.

It's a night much like that first night. Dark, rainy, and feeling terribly like anything could happen, considering anything has already happened.

Your boss wanted you to stay late at work today, which you did, because, honestly, anything you can do to stay out of the tomb of your own empty home, you do. Those are opportunities you take.

So you ended up staying an hour late, though you planned for just a half an hour. It didn't really bother you too much, anyway. By then, the rain hadn't started yet, and all you cared about was getting home and relaxing with a plate of dinner and your favorite show. You, in fact, were looking forward to your breezy nighttime bike ride home.

That is, until your bad luck struck like a slap in the face.

Your bike tire popped, which caused you to pretty much leave any thoughts of a nice night cuddled up on the couch with your dinner. So that thought completely left your mind, a small hope erased. And then the rain started, and on top of it all, you realised you'd have to lug your bike around the entire city of Madrid to get to your flat on the other end of the city in the rain, too, soaking wet.

You found a little bit of shelter by a closed up shop to check the weather on your phone, just to find the rain should keep up for the rest of the night, basically, but decided, regardless, to try waiting it out at least a bit, in hopes for it to maybe let up just enough to make your walk home just slightly less miserable.

Well, you stood under there for another half hour, shivering, before finally letting yourself accept the fact that there's really no hope, and you might as well just get walking in the rainstorm.

So now you walk, rolling your bike, the rain beating on your head, taking all the little shortcuts you know and taking every opportunity you can to slip underneath at least a little bit of cover. You go through the poor areas and the rich, simply taking the quickest route home.

No one could pick you up. You have no one. Your family lives out of town, and your uncle is too sick right now for you to ask him to pick you up. And your friends are from out of town as well.

But for one moment in your miserable life, you're not thinking about the past. In fact, you're so caught up in how utterly sucky your situation is right now that you don't even consider how painfully similar this rainy night is to that one so many years ago. You don't even stop to consider how the last time you felt perfectly this soaked through, cold, tired, but somehow still determined feeling was then, when you were fifteen, running away from home.

Soon, you come across a football field, which you assume is public, but know that even if it were private, you wouldn't care. It's not like there's going to be anyone out right now to shoo you off their property. As you cut through it, you come across a lone ball laying there, abandoned in the soaking wet grass. In your brain, an image of the rain starting as suddenly as it did appears, and a bunch of kids squealing and running to get back home as fast as they could, the the ball they had been playing football with getting completely left behind.

You stand there, staring at the ball for a few seconds, before feeling a sudden wave of pure, simple, reckless abandon. And you take your soaking hair band to tie back your soaking hair and drop your soaking bike and throw your soaking jacket on top of it and for some reason, you pick up the soaking wet ball.

And stare.

And all the sudden, though you're in your thirties and have work tomorrow and are completely alone in the rain, and though it's not your ball and possibly not even your field at all, all you want to do in that moment is play.

So you kick off your wet shoes and peel off your wet socks, because it is easier to play without them, and you forget every reason why this is stupid and you shouldn't be doing this, and you do play.

Me, myself, and I. But it's simply perfect.

Time runs away from you in the constant darkness of the rainy night, so you don't know how long it takes for you to tire out, but after however long, you plop down on the wet grass with a long sigh, now not only covered with water, but also sweat. But it feels good.

In fact, it feels like just exactly what you needed.

You spread your legs out in front of you, putting the ball down next to you, and let the rain fall.

Time holds itself in that little bottle, and somehow, you love it.

Soon enough, you hear a car pull up on the street nearby. You glance back to see it's a pretty nice car, though you can't really see it much in the dark of the night. A man steps out of it, but you turn around, figuring he's just off to do whatever he's going to do, that has nothing to do with you whatsoever.

So you don't even realise it's you he's walking towards until you hear a voice behind you say, "¿Disculpe, señorita?"

You flinch and immediately turn around, and stare in absolute awe as you see who's walking towards you, only meters away.

It's Antoine Griezmann, and you're absolutely speechless.

No, it's not. I must be dreaming. I must be...

"¿Señorita?" he asks, concern in his voice as he nears.

You gulp and barely gasp, "H- Hola."

He bends down right next to you, right in front of you. It is Antoine. "Are you okay?" he asks in concern.

You open your mouth. Close it. Hesitate. Before saying exactly what comes to your mind first: "I was just playing football in the rain."

He stares, and you watch as the realization hits him again, just like it did back at the signing table, which happened now months ago. "My God... You're not- are you...?"

"Y/n," you finish with a little gasp.

"You were- I signed your shirt."

You nod slowly. "Fernando Torres."

"Exactly," he breathes, those blue eyes growing wide.

Your head spins, your heart pounds. How is this happening?

He swallows, before saying, "You're soaked. Here-" He reaches in his coat pocket and pulls out a little compact umbrella. You watch as he pops it out and holds it over the two of you.

You find yourself laugh a bit, "I think I'm wet enough now; that won't do anything."

He smiles and shrugs a bit. Antoine Griezmann, right in front of you, does that. He looks you up and down, before saying, "You still play in the rain, huh?"

You smile. "I didn't know I did, until tonight. Just found this ball here and started playing."

Suddenly, he grins. "That's my ball. My kids left it here on accident playing with friends, I was just coming back to pick it up."

You stare, eyes wide. "Oh- I- I'm sorry-"

"No need to be," he interrupts, picking up the ball. "I'm glad you could use it..." he trails off, before saying, "I'd ask you if you wanted to 1-v.-1 again, like you and I did years ago, but I'm sure you wouldn't-"

"Well, you'll slaughter me!"

He grins and says, "I didn't years ago. And besides, I could go easy. But I'm sure you're too tired and wet-"

"Well, then you'll get soaked, too!"

"It would be worth it."

You sigh shakily, before nodding slowly. "Well... alright. Why not, hm?"

"You know what they always say? You only live once."

And with that, you hop up, and nearly two decades later, just like you did years ago, somehow, the stars seem to exactly align, and there you play, once again, with Antoine Griezmann in the rain.

When you're all tired out and he's beaten you but not slaughtered you, you begin to gather all your stuff and say, "Well, I've still got to get home."

Antoine eyes your bike and asks, "You've got to still bike home?"

You chuckle ruefully. "Ah, no... Tires popped. I've got to walk."

But his eyebrows immediately crinkle up, and he says, wiping water and sweat from his brow, "No, you don't. Do you really think I won't give you a ride?"

"What?"

He laughs. "Why are you so shocked? Of course I'll give you a ride."

"I- Thank you."

"It's my pleasure," he smiles with a nod as the two of you head to the car.

The car ride is mostly silent, but for some reason, your head isn't spinning, the car is warm, and with the radio very softly playing, you feel completely calm as you softly tell him how to get to your building.

Soon, he pulls in, and picks up the ball, saying, "Just one second, Y/n." He reaches in the glove compartment for a Sharpie, grabs one, and scribbles something on the now dry football. He then hands it to you, saying, "Here, you can keep it."

"Oh- Are you sure?" you respond, assuming he might have just signed it or something.

He grins, nodding. "I'm sure."

And with that, you head inside with all your stuff, take a warm bath, and once you're sitting on your couch in soft pajamas, thinking over in slight disbelief over what really just happened tonight, you suddenly think to have a look at that ball.

You get up and spin it around in your hands, and are shocked to see instead of just a signature, he's also written a phone number and these words,

If you ever need support, me and my family will always be willing, financial, relational, or whatever else.

We kind of went full circle, didn't we? I'm glad we got to play again, even if it was in the rain

-Antoine

As you sit there in your silent, lonely home, your heart pounding in your ears, all you can think is that really, the only thing it can be is fate.

And maybe fate is on your side after all.

[themerriweathermage]

Rules of the Baron's Court

Summary: Wanting someone to be there for him the way Sunny is to his sister, Bren agrees to open up a Baron's Court for his hand

Pairing(s): Gen, Sunny X Nix, Quinn X Bren (It's Complicated)

POV: 1st Person POV (Bren), 3rd Person (Gen)

Warnings: Angst, Quinn being a toxic POS (but what else is new)

Co-creator: @i-drink-and-i-write-fics

Divider Credit: firefly-graphics

Not even a few days had passed for us to get settled back home when Lydia came into the office and presented me with a book I wasn’t familiar with.

“What’s this?” I asked.

“Rules of the Baron’s Court.” She tapped the faded gold embossing on the hardcover. I raised an eyebrow slightly, waiting for her to elaborate. “You mentioned to me once that you’d give anything to have a man like Sunny, the way Sunny is to Nix. Someone to help you rule the barony.”

“Yes, I can recall the rest of that conversation as well. Specifically, the part about needing a man like Sunny, but wanting a man like Quinn.” I retorted.

“So arrange a baron’s court.” I opened the book, thumbing through the pages and skimming the chapters.

“A court... of suitors?”

“Open it up to all the baronies, to be fair.”

“I’m not sure I follow.” I murmured.

“The court is a game of skill. But courting the baron is serious, and with the title of Lord of Nost Bronadui on the line, there are rules that a suitor must follow, for one.”

“And for two?”

“I suggest you make yourself familiar with your new reading material. And of course as the Baron, you’re welcome to make your own house rules.” I grumbled quietly at her, taking the book and settling down on the couch.

She came back a few hours later to find me still engrossed and jotting down notes.

“I take it you like it?”

“I... know this is better than letting my impulsivity run wild.” I replied. “Where did you get the book?”

“I don’t think there’s a soul in the Chau family who’s married for love. This is how it was once done, but I think most of their marriages are arranged these days.” Lydia replied. 

“I pity the person that does get an arranged marriage with Juliet Chau.” I muttered.

“And I pity her.” Lydia remarked back. I raised an eyebrow slightly. “I wanted children, but Quinn didn’t give a rat’s ass about children. Chau will be expected to carry on the line, whether by her will or not.”

“Ugh.” I shivered. “Not a fate I’d wish on my worst enemy.” Lydia sat down on the edge of the couch.

“So what are your thoughts?” I closed the book, setting it aside and sitting up to go over my notes.

“I like the basic rules. Open up the court to all the baronies, Broadmore, Chau, Quinn’s included. Let them offer up suitors, and show off their exports. That way it’s fair across all territories. Our first court can be a night court.”

“A dinner party?”

“Something of the sorts. And I... well I expect everyone to be in no less than their best.” I replied. “The barons can show off their exports; I won’t deny them that, but I want suitors to bring a gift themselves, something personal. It’ll be their ticket into the event, so to speak.”

“And the ones that think they’re the gods’ gift to men?” Lydia teased.

“You have my explicit permission to deny them at the front door.” 

“He’s not a smart man, Bren.”

“I guess I’d better start praying that he wises up then.” I replied. “I have a list of things in a general vicinity that I like, but I’m not encouraging explicit hint dropping either. And if anyone puts a toe out of line, I’m sending them home, baron or not.”

“So, fancy dress, a set of manners, and a tailored gift? I think I can work out some polite invitations that capture that.” Lydia sighed softly, taking my notes.

“Do be sure that Waldo gets an invitation with information that he can disseminate to the rest of the barony.” I added. “We all know that invitation won’t ever leave Quinn’s desk.”

“It sounds to me like you’re saying Quinn’s not the baron.” She stated but it was still a question. I snorted.

“He is baron in title only, like Chau. Arrogant enough to think he still has mastery of his own empire, and stupid enough not to realize that it’s already been poached from under him.” She raised an eyebrow. “Waldo took the oath. I knew before Gideon’s. There is a reckoning coming for Quinn.”

“Well, well, well, if it isn’t my favorite Regent come knocking on my door.” Waldo teased, opening the door and seeing Lydia standing there. “To what do I owe the occasion?” Lydia simply smiled and handed him a fancy invitation sealed with the wax crest of House Enduring. “Fancy. Not a social call then, I take it?”

“A sort of social call. The invitation is for you and for you to provide to the rest of the barony.” Lydia took a seat when Waldo gestured for her to come in.

“I don’t suppose there’s one on Quinn’s desk too, is there?” Lydia shrugged.

“I don’t know. I couldn’t be assed to deliver it to him.”

“Given you’re here to hand-deliver this to me, I take it you’re out there hand-delivering these to all the barons?” Waldo asked. “Just not to Quinn.” 

“Our staff will still deliver it one way or another. They can just deliver it a day or two late.” Waldo raised an eyebrow, opening the invitation.

“My oh my. Bren is hosting a baron’s court?”

“He’s... he’s lonely, Waldo. Can you fault him for wanting something like Sunny and Nix have?”

“I don’t fault him for wanting companionship; I just know he has proclivities towards Quinn.”

“And now you know why the invitation will be a day late getting to him.” Lydia replied.

“Ah, alright, you’re not just here for the invitation. Spit it out, Lydia.”

“Bren knows about the coup.”

“Yeah.” Waldo wasn’t surprised. “Considering he all but called me Baron before he went to Gideon’s.”

“And he still went to Gideon’s, with that knowledge?”

“Bren got Quinn out of the barony for a few days, while I looked for a capable Regent among the Clippers.”

“Does he...”

“Does he know? Kid’s smart. Sure, he might have been holding out real hope for Quinn, but he knew what I was doing behind his back, sure enough.” Waldo replied. 

“Well,” Lydia sighed and stood. “I have a few more stops to make and you have a barony to attend to.”

I looked out the window, letting out a long sigh, watching our staff run my errands.

“Quite the sigh.” Nix murmured. “Are you going to tell me what happened out there beyond the Wall that’s got you planning this?” She held up the invitation. “Not that Lydia didn’t run it by me first and get my approval, but...”

“But Quinn?” I asked. “He’ll never be someone for me like Sunny is to you. Much as both their pasts might be written in blood, there is a goodness in Sunny that Quinn doesn’t have.”

“But could you ever love someone else?”

“I... I don’t know.” I finally replied. “I found answers out there, not the ones I wanted or the ones I expected. And I found family out there, family in Lydia, which I suppose is why I’m so much more willing to take a step back and--”

“Listen? You?” Nix teased.

“Let her help.” I finished, giving Nix a look. “I am tired, Nix, and I know that tiredness comes from chasing Quinn down. I love him so much it hurts, that the thought of letting him go is unfathomable, but I can’t... I can’t live like this. If he wants a relationship, his so-called prize, and he wants to work for it? I won’t turn him down. But I can’t keep giving and giving with nothing in return.” 

“I read the rules of the court.” Nix started. “And noted that suitors without a gift will be turned away at the door.”

“Yes,” I sighed. “Yes, you have my permission to throw him out.”

“Am I allowed to use force if he retaliates to being told no?”

“If he storms the gates like the raging bull he is, just let him pass. I’ll throw him out myself. Maybe that will be a rude enough awakening for him that this isn’t a game to me.”

“And if it isn’t?” I couldn’t look her in the eyes or entirely keep the warble out of my voice next I spoke.

“Well that’s Fate, I guess.”

[dancing-dawn]

(@mikayuumouse, I started writing this in the replies section but it became too long so i move here, this is ranty as heck im sorry, i have thoughts)

Fr and they better find a way to capture the way light filled his eyes in that moment of recognition (almost impossible in the anime style but let's just trust) (pls no fisheye plsplsplsplss). Now let's see where it all went wrong:

I feel like the Aku death fiasco was caused by inconsistency and misunderstanding for the mood for the scene. I am a big big fan of the way they ended the previous episode on Tensu no Ori with Atsushi screaming and panicking and Aku getting sliced on a cliffhanger, that was marvelously portrayed. Also ep.3 in general was amazing, with the music synched with the rewinds in time -*chefs kiss*.

Now I'm gonna be a little meta here and assume the problem was the pacing and episode stucture they went for. Aku's romantic ass gaze just doesn't work in the beginning of an episode where they wanna get into the Bram plot as soon as possible. That leads to the sacrifice not being taken seriously, barely brushed aside as an "oh look another character being stabbed in a show where everyone gets stabbed amd miraculously lives afterwards". The whole intro of ep.4 made me feel absolutely nothing and that's a shame. And I was an anime-only at that time so I didn't believe Aku was dead for a second, the possibility didn't even pass my mind. And I hear from people here that the manga readers at the time actually cried believing Aku was dead or were at the least worried for the uncertainty if he's coming back. It's an insane divion of experiences.

(Funny side story I have to tell as a person who started with the anime but having been 'spoiled' by the floating manga panels of the first "away with you...you fool", I was watching season 5 and it reached *that* point and I was like "nah it doesn't happen like that, I've seen that manga panel, sir, this ain't it." Then I proceed with the thought "ok maybe in the next episodes," but then the episodes finish, and I'm confused when it was supposed to happen. My delusional brain thought "oooh maybe it's a whole another thing in the manga after the anime finishes ye ye," and then I went on reddit, and the realization dawned upon me ahahah. The whole time I was waiting for that smile and didn't even register it's the same moment ops :') So yea what they did was just plainly unbelievable and served no character development purpose, only plainly narrative, which is not at all what bsd is about.)

Another major problem - the music. THE LACK OF MUSIC AND ANY (atmospheric/heartfelt) SOUND EFFECTS AT THAT. The soundtrack of the Fukuchi fight episode literally carried the tension on its shoulders, it was beautiful and it elevated the moment of immediate trust between Atsushi and Akutagawa, the strike and the payoff. The heavy metal in the end also I think worked wonders for the cliffhanger. But then - absolutely nothing, just the disturbing sound of blood spraying everywhere and a badly directed line of dialogue that holds no heart and no care. They cut off every possible animation flourish and sound that could have made the scene memorable and meaningful. And it's even sadder when you realize they have the skill and the taste to do it, as evident by the soft Fuku^2 flashbacks with the cherry blossoms.

And the most obvious flaw of course was the camera position. Simply. Criminal. Unreasonably far from Aku's face which should be the only thing that matters in this scene. Again playing more at the shock value rather than the emotion behind it. And it doesn't work either way because, as mentioned above, I was not shocked or impressed in any way.

Soooo, basically after all of those 'what NOT to do' things, here's a wishlist for the fated Atsushi mirror sacrifice: touching soft music or a sudden crushing silence that just hits right, proper lighting and frame composition that accentuates Atsu's eyes and the progression of Akutagawa's reaction including all of its multitides - from pure panic and rage, to genuine worry and care for the person that he's grown to love the most (without realizing or ever admitting it of course).

On a brighter note, I feel like Bones has realized how much they messed up the scene (or it was just unfortunate circumstances and time restraints as it often happens with those things) because otherwise we wouldn't have gotten that beautiful post-credits "just the two of us" with Atsushi smiling fondly. I'm just worried how they're going to do the flashback, but best case scenario they reanimate Aku dying with the proper camera position and smile and worst case they just cut it off and the parallel is only left to the knowledge of the manga readers. Not so bad in the grand scheme of things. And now that both anime and manga are very dear to me, I am just left to pray and believe I won't end up in bitter tears at the end of it.

Specifically talking about this panel, okay one, I really hope Bones doesn't fuck this whole scene up. Atsushi better "die" as graceful as hell, they messed up so badly with Akutagawa's death 😭

But also I'm excited to see what the eventual season six brings with this scene (although season six is like more than a year away) because hearing this scene and watching it move is going to amaze me all over again

Also, Akutagawa has said that he doesn't hate Atsushi (source: 55 Minutes), and then there's this. The gayest cherry on top in existence and I love it. He's worried and concerned about Atsushi, he's *desperate*

This panel shows how Akutagawa truly is on the inside. He's not a vampire, he's not a killer, he's not a knight at this moment. He's simply Akutagawa Ryuunosuke and he's watching the boy he loves die for him. He's being hit with all of his emotions and memories at once while making a new memory; one that will live with him forever even if Atsushi comes back

It's just

So insane to see Akutagawa like this for once

God this chapter is amazing

I'm screaming crying and throwing up for the millionth time since 121.5 dropped because Akutagawa *cares* about Atsushi. Atsushi, the person who sees him for who he is, the person who understands him without words, the person who makes him feel like he's worth something. He cares about him.

[campmurderparty]

vikram & charlotte.

Vikram didn’t find charlotte. Worried sick, he had to eventually stop his searching when he reconciled with himself that he couldn’t catch her scent or hear her anymore. He had to assume she made it back home, just for his own sanity. Just so he could return to the meadow where the rest of the pack were sleeping after finishing the moon-forced hunt.

Giving up on finding charlotte, he turned around and jogged back to where he knew the pack would be. Quietly, though he knew there wasn’t such a thing as quiet around his fellow werewolves, he lowered himself to the ground near a tree stump and tried to even his breathing so he’d eventually fall asleep, like all wolves did after shifting.

When he awoke several hours later, morning sun replacing the moon, vikram rose from the ground and walked over to the table where his packmates were cleaning themselves off with wetwipes. No one paid attention to him, no one mentioned the scent of a human on the wind, no one called him out for allowing a human to witness their hunt. They mostly ignored vikram, except for audrina and her awful smirk. Even when he finished wiping himself of blood and dirt, just enough to pass as a human and not a werewolf that killed woodland creatures all night, and then redressed, he could still feel audrina staring him down.

Fast-forward…

Finally returning to their home, vikram sat in his corolla for a good hour before making himself get out and go inside. He didn’t know what to say, how to explain it all to charlotte. He was so scared, and then sickened by how scared he was. Audrina kilgore held not only his fate in her hands, but charlotte’s.

When he eventually made it to their bedroom, he heard the shower running. He debated joining her, but decided against it. Maybe she didn’t want to see him. Maybe she was disgusted by what he did under the light of the full moon. Instead, vikram flopped backwards on the bed.

Just as he was about to drift off to sleep again, feeling even more exhausted now compared to how tired he generally was after a shift, charlotte got out of the shower. He scooted up the bed until he was laying against the headboard, watching as she moved about the room in only a towel. On a normal day, he’d tell her to forget getting dressed and grab her wrist to pull her into bed with him. He wished it was a normal day. He saw her own exhaustion on her face, the tension in her shoulders. He wished he wasn’t the cause of it.

Vikram sat still when charlotte made her way to their bed. Her questions weren’t unexpected, but he dreaded hearing them anyway. “Don’t worry about me.” he whispered, desperate to hold her hand but afraid to reach out. “Audrina isn’t trustworthy, but I don't really have a choice. I think she values blackmail more than snitching, so basically she has me by the balls until she decides what to do with us.” vikram sighed, clenching his jaw. Even if audrina was horrible, it might’ve worked out better for them in the long run that it was her to catch them instead of some other packmate—some wolves were rule followers and no doubt would have alerted their alpha immediately.

He didn’t want to answer her last question, but he knew that he had to. Even if audrina was willing to keep a secret for a short while, they weren’t safe for forever. “You’ve gotta understand, there’s a lot of bullshit rules in our world. Our kind have been around for a very long time—lots of wolves are born that way, they’re called natural wolves, and then the ones like me are turned wolves. We have to keep our existence on the downlow for our own safety, so that usually means not having relationships with humans… obviously I didn't adhere to that one. So, when a human finds out about our kind, it’s really important that the secret doesn’t get out.” vikram swallowed dryly, looking down at his dirtied fingernails. “The protocol for human discovery, especially seeing us on a night like last night, is to either turn you into one of us or kill you, charlotte.”

[sammydem0n64]

know its late/early, but how many characters DO you plan on adding to literary smash?? just curious lol,, do you have a list of them all, are you only adding the one's you like from stories you like orrrrrrrrrr, something else maybe?? :]

Thank you for this alpaca yippee

This question really depends on circumstance! Right now, the only criteria for characters is that they either come from a gothic/horror novel (ie Frankenstein, The Man-Wolf, Jane Eyre, etc) or a fairytale/fable (ie Little Red Riding Hood, Hanse and Gretel, etc), there are currently two exceptions (technically three) that I’ve yet to put on Toyhouse but they still fit into the fairytale criteria technically!

I haven’t read any of the books currently in LS besides Jane Eyre and The Man-Wolf, so I don’t necessarily think it comes down to “what I like” since I generally don’t have a proper feel for any of these characters outside of what my pals show/tell me or what sparks notes or Wikipedia can tell me

Though I tend to add the characters I think have the most potential! Like, I’ll tell you that I plan on adding Bertha Mason to Toyhouse, but basically all of the other Jane eyre characters aside from Jane herself, Adelè and Bertha aren’t going to make appearances on Toyhouse. Rochester won’t be added (tho this is a cop out since his faith is left ambiguous), neither will other alive characters like Jane’s cousins. Yes they may technically show up in the story or are at least mentioned, but I don’t really care nor see any super big story potential in the Rivers family, especially not St John PLEASE GO TO THERAPY INSTEAD OF INDIA

I do plan on adding basically the entire Frankenstein family including the creature, Holda (Ruth/Little Red’s grandma... in some sense wink wink), Erik from the phantom of the opera, the mystery two/three, Bertha, various Jekyll and Hyde characters, and a few others! Though the list may change as time goes on, whether because I discover new stories or fairytales, or I decide I can actually do something with certain characters I wasn’t gonna add hsjdhdjjs

[songmingisthighs]

Ignominy

introduction pt. i | pt. ii | pt. iii

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ch. lxxxviii - 2 month mark

hybrid!san × human!reader

buy me coffee ?

everyone wants to belong, it's basic human need to connect with people around them. what happens when you're responsible for someone who belongs to two worlds but at the same time belongs to neither ? worst part is, what happens when it's your ex ?

You hate to admit to your uncle but you love your job to bits. It's not like he had to twist your arm for you to accept the job anyways but you hated to admit that you kind of resent not working at the academy when he first offered you the position a couple years back. Every day you only experience good stuff and despite the work stress and pressure, there would always be something to make up for it. And surprisingly, it's not always your friends.

It was easy to fall into the rhythm but it was even easier to find the joy in the work. Compared to working corporate pharnaceutical, the academy was heaven. You didn't realize that the work load could be so diverse, one day you're working in your office, the next you're pitching classes to talent agencies and entertainment companies, then somehow you find yourself meeting actual professional dancers who are friends with the current trainers and even meeting trainees who are set to debut in a year or less. Sure, it might be because of your role and rank but it's still fun and amazing nevertheless. The students were awesome as well and while you didn't get the chance to know them personally, you love seeing how happy they are after class, simply enjoying youth.

From time to time, whenever you passed classes or students inside and outside the academy, you'd get reminded of your own youth. Particularly how hou spent the most important time of your life with San.

It had been a while since you talked to him and while you were glad that San seemed to be getting on with his life so easily, not even bothering to contact you again. Sure, you told him that you both needed time apart, but to completely cut you off after what he said? That's rich. You expected a bit of a struggle, him texting you fir at least the next several days and you having the joyous experience of leaving him on read. But of course, fate has been nothing but the equivalent of testicular torture on your emotion and soul.

With the slight (humongous) bitterness you were feeling, you could only hope that the package Seonghwa mentioned could cheer you up tremendously. Maybe one of your recent business acquaintances sucking up on you to get better deals, or maybe one of your friends playing dumb and later on would surprise you. So many possibilities and even the thought made you giddy.

Then a knock came to your door before the sound of it being pulled open and your heart began racing.

"I can see why you didn't hesitate to come work in your uncle's academy,"

Then your heart dropped to your stomach and your head snapped up so quick you could've sworn you heard a record scratch from inside your brain. Your body shot straight up and you stepped away from your desk when you realized who was standing just in your doorway.

San stood with the gentlest smile on his face and a bouquet in his hands, very reminiscent to the San you dated in high school specifically from your graduation day. Years passed and pressure building but that smile never changed.

Still, you were surprised to see him there, you might even thought that he was an illusion. So you did the first thing you can think of.

It was fortunate for San (and unfortunate for your petty side) that he has great reflex. Because just in the nick of time, San managed to dodge the mug filled with hot coffee that shattered upon impact on the wall behind him. It wasn't like you were trying to hurt him (that way), you just wanted to make sure you hadn't gone crazy.

For a moment, both of you could only stared at each other in disbelief; you not believing your own eyes, and San thinking that he may had almost lost brain function merely seconds ago. It was a miracle that San still had his grip on the flowers although he was afraid that the harsh grip might've crushed the stems. Just like how you almost crushed his skull. Not even the commotion of people peeking in to see what was going on and the sound of Hongjoong loudly asking what was going on and later on muffled and dragged away by who you can only assume is Jongho.

"What are you doing here?" You managed out.

Hearing your voice again made the tips of San's fingers tingle and ears burn slightly. It had been too long since he was able to clearly hear your voice without any animosity between you two. He was both glad and anxious to see you, but he was more terrified over the fact that his resolve falters quick just from being in the same room as you. But he couldn't give up just yet, he had a mission to accomplish and he was not about to let himself down. Again.

"I..." San stepped forward, warily looking at you in case you decide to throw something at him again. But when he realized that you were not tensed, he stood straighter and his shoulders relaxed. He carefully approached your desk and placed the bouquet of flowers on it gently. "I just wanted to see you to give you this, I... Haven't gotten the chance to congratulate you on your new job," he smiled. Your eyes automatically fell onto the flowers and you couldn't help but appreciate the beauty of purple hyacinths with leaves and white daisies peeking in and five white roses framing the bouquet like a border. Looking back into his eyes, you acted as if you were indiferent, "Oh yeah, thanks. I't's been... Two months already? So you're kinda late." Though the word 'late' stung, San did agree that his congratulatory expression was rather overdue. But he shrugged his shoulders, confident in himself and action, "Better late than never, right?" He wasn't hoping much, but he didn't expect you to look so guarded with him. Of course, for obvious reasons that he himself had personally provided in the past. "Really San, we haven't talked in a month and a half so why are you suddenly dropping into my office?" You crossed your arms at him.

It was now or never for San.

"(y/n), I've changed," he stated. You didn't say anything but you raised an eyebrow at him, urging him to continue wordlessly. "The last time we spoke... You were right, I was merely the shell of a man that I was before which was ironic since the 'man' you meant was a post pubescent teenager. I... Guess I didn't want to admit that I can actually get better because I was so used to in a state where my action and behaviour were easily excusable as hormonal imbalance, God knows how many people I need to apologize to and that's why I'm starting with you, the first person I ever hurt unintentionally, the person I swore would never hurt but in recent times, I've done nothing but. That's why... After our last chat, I started therapu and the moment I felt something was wrong, I slowly got myself back on meds. You were right, I wasn't in the right state of mind and it never occurred to me that before this, I've only been receiving help not because I wanted to but it's because people expected me too. I was so busy doing what people expect me to that I didn't even care that I was becoming such a mess which ended up burdening people more. I'm done living for other people, I'm done fixing myself for other people, (y/n). I want to start going after what I want." Your breath hitched at the mention of him hurting you and everything else. His words alone was enough to make you clutch on your own arms. It wasn't like you were desperately holding onto the fact that San had hurt you back then and several more times after that and even almost to the point of killing you. Again. But you have let go of the pain and though not completely, you didn't even think about it much anymore. Heck, you had managed to overcome the trauma and turn it into a lesson learnt through self-reflection. You had taken steps to grow in the past month and a half but you hadn't considered that San may have as well. But has he really?

With a your eyebrows scrunching in a frown of scrutiny, your hands dropped from your front to your sides, "What are you trying to say, San?"

Much to your surprise, San reached into his pocket and produced a box that you immediately recognized was from Tiffany and Co. He placed it on your desk, next to the flowers and before he could even say anything, the shock took over you and you rushed to smack San upside the head, producing a loud "OW" and a whine from him. Before he could recover, you rushed to close your office door before rushing back to glare at him. "That better not be what I think it is," you warned, glaring harshly at the puppy who has his bottom lip jutted out while rubbing at the impacted spot. "San, what were you thinking bringing that here!?" "Relax! It's an engagement ring, not a bomb!" He defended. Your eyes widened as large as it could go and your hand smacked his shoulder harshly, making him yelp again. "You idiot! I thought it was a promise ring or a damn bribe necklace! What were you thinking!" To say that you were dumbfounded was an understatement because you were... Bewildered, astounded, confused, and other big sounding words that just means "what in the actual fuck?". Still pouting, San slumped to the seat on the seat across your work chair and sighed, "I... I wanted to give you the option of coming back to me. Obviously, I don't want to force you to make a choice this big right now, but I just want to know where I'm committing to you. I've always wanted you to be the end game of my romance life and I still do. I didn't mean it as a way to pressure or burden you or something, (y/n), I'm stupid, not crazy," you couldn't help but crack a smile at his dumb self-depreciating joke that he took notice of. "Clearly, I took things the wrong way when my therapist said 'you need to start thinking of yourself for yourself'," San dejectedly said.

You could see that he was dejected, disappointed in himself and it helped pushing the wave of anger slightly away. With a long exhale, you leaned on your desk and tilted your head slightly to take in how San looked. Here, you have in your office that is much shabbier than his, a big time CEO whom people fear and respect, bowing his head in shame and regret like a child who just got caught stealing a cookie before dinner. This San is far closer to the old San that you loved, the San that you dated and was able to share everything with and it was like your high school self came back, reminding you that despite everything, his shortcomings are stemmed from the fact that there is a child inside him that wasn't being tended to.

Frequently, you question your decision and motives, but as you pulled San's head to your stomach and began rubbing his back, you didn't find the need to ask why you even did that. You did that because he looked like he needed it. It wasn't immediate, but San slowly inched forward to wrap his arms around your knees, closing his eyes to calm himself down. "I don't know why I keep messing up, (y/n). I just don't want to burden anyone anymore," he confessed, sounding very sincere. You chuckled and shook your head at his admission, "That's your problem San, you did everything right but one. You're taking on this journey alone when you should've relied on the people around you. You have four stupidly loyal friends, an older sister who'd risk her career for you, and parents who love you to bits but you still think you are all alone. You're still not able to differentiate between burdening and shouldering each other's burdens because... You were not wired that way. You were wired for seclusion and independence and while that turned you into a very successful businessman, it also turned you into the most coddled loner in this world." You pulled away slightly which prompted San to do the same to look up at you. "As much as I hate to admit, you're on the right track of becoming better and I commend that. But knowing your record, you need to start filling people in on your plans because not even I can justify you coming here hot on your heels with a damn proposal," the both of you couldn't help but chuckle at the ridiculousness of the situation. "Try harder, do better, okay?"

San shook his head in disbelief, not quite comprehending how he came in to show you how much he has changed, how much improvements he has made, only for you to swoop in and save him once again. He trully was like a puppy at your feet, he need to admit that to his therapist who had been telling him that all along.

"I don't know what I would do without you, (y/n)," you rolled your eyes and smirked at him, agreeing to the notion, "If you'd allow me, I'll do whatever you want to start making up for the past six years even if it takes me six decades. I know you wanted space and I have tried to give it to you, but let's face it, there are forces here that made sure that we kept going back to each other." As much as you'd like to contradict him, you have to agree that it was ridiculous how you both kept going back to each other. The first couple times could probably be blamed on both of your stupidity, but the times after that... Truly idiopathic. "I hate that you're making a point. Stop it," you joked which cracked a smile on San's face.

"Because of that... I actually have a plan on meeting someone, a relative my sister talked about who might give me a fresh idea of what's going on. Since you know my history and even have been part of some of the most crucial parts, do you think you can come accompany me? Help give your brutal honest opinion and rendition of what happened and what you think happened to me?"

You should've wanted to say no. You should've told him that you don't want to be part of his decision making until he can make his own damn sound decisions without involving you. But you yourself were curious about what exactly was going on and it wouldn't hurt getting some answer for your own sake. Helping yourself while helping others.

"I can't promise I'll hold your hand, but you can expect me detailing all your questionable lude choices and action."

And though you were being sarcastic, San could tell you were being honest and you were setting a boundary for yourself. And he was glad you did.

taglist :

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[someotherdog]

vikram didn’t find charlotte. worried sick, he had to eventually stop his searching when he reconciled with himself that he couldn’t catch her scent or hear her anymore. he had to assume she made it back home, just for his own sanity. just so he could return to the meadow where the rest of the pack were sleeping after finishing the moon-forced hunt.

giving up on finding charlotte, he turned around and jogged back to where he knew the pack would be. quietly, though he knew there wasn’t such a thing as quiet around his fellow werewolves, he lowered himself to the ground near a tree stump and tried to even his breathing so he’d eventually fall asleep, like all wolves did after shifting.

when he awoke several hours later, morning sun replacing the moon, vikram rose from the ground and walked over to the table where his packmates were cleaning themselves off with wetwipes. no one paid attention to him, no one mentioned the scent of a human on the wind, no one called him out for allowing a human to witness their hunt. they mostly ignored vikram, except for audrina and her awful smirk. even when he finished wiping himself of blood and dirt, just enough to pass as a human and not a werewolf that killed woodland creatures all night, and then redressed, he could still feel audrina staring him down.

FAST-FORWARD...

finally returning to their home, vikram sat in his corolla for a good hour before making himself get out and go inside. he didn’t know what to say, how to explain it all to charlotte. he was so scared, and then sickened by how scared he was. audrina kilgore held not only his fate in her hands, but charlotte’s.

when he eventually made it to their bedroom, he heard the shower running. he debated joining her, but decided against it. maybe she didn’t want to see him. maybe she was disgusted by what he did under the light of the full moon. instead, vikram flopped backwards on the bed.

just as he was about to drift off to sleep again, feeling even more exhausted now compared to how tired he generally was after a shift, charlotte got out of the shower. he scooted up the bed until he was propped up against the headboard, watching as she moved about the room in only a towel. on a normal day, he’d tell her to forget getting dressed and grab her wrist to pull her into bed with him. he wished it was a normal day. he saw her own exhaustion on her face, the tension in her shoulders. he wished he wasn’t the cause of it.

vikram sat still when charlotte made her way to their bed. her questions weren’t unexpected, but he dreaded hearing them anyway. “don’t worry about me.” he whispered, desperate to hold her hand but afraid to reach out. “audrina isn’t trustworthy, but i don’t really have a choice. i think she values blackmail more than snitching, so basically she has me by the balls until she decides what to do with us.” vikram sighed, clenching his jaw. even if audrina was horrible, it might’ve worked out better for them in the long run that it was her to catch them instead of some other packmate—some wolves were rule followers and no doubt would have alerted their alpha immediately.

he didn’t want to answer her last question, but he knew that he had to. even if audrina was willing to keep a secret for a short while, they weren’t safe forever. “you’ve gotta understand, there’s a lot of bullshit rules in our world. our kind have been around for a very long time—lots of wolves are born that way, they’re called natural wolves, and then the ones like me are turned wolves. we have to keep our existence on the downlow for our own safety, so that usually means not having relationships with humans… obviously i didn’t adhere to that one. so, when a human finds out about our kind, it’s really important that the secret doesn’t get out.” vikram swallowed dryly, looking down at his dirtied fingernails. “the protocol for human discovery, especially seeing us on a night like last night, is to either turn you into one of us or kill you, charlotte.”

☪

charlotte had spent the past hour sitting on their shared bed in silence. staring at the walls, a million and one thoughts swirling around in her head. it was overwhelming. at times like these, she wished she could just turn it off. but that wasn't possible and once vikram came home, she was going to have to deal with the consequences of her actions tonight. never mind the fact that her boyfriend was a freaking werewolf!

she was still covered in dirt. normally a cleanly person, she had skipped the shower and gone right to the bedroom. needed to sit down, before her legs gave out from underneath her.

the front door opens and she assumes it's vikram. not wanting to face him yet, she finally gets up and heads toward the bathroom. now seemed like the best time for a shower, and to actually collect her thoughts.

thirty minutes later she's walking out, towel wrapped around her waist. still silent as she navigates through their room, looking for a pair of sweats to put on. she can feel his eyes on her. ignores them as she drops the towel and dresses.

it's not until she's back on the bed when she finally makes eye contact with him. she may not have been speaking, but knew he knew her well enough to know what she was thinking. how she was feeling.

"i not only put myself in danger tonight, but now put you in danger. can you really trust...audrina, or will she let the others know? what's the protocol the two of you were talking about?" there's a knot in her stomach. lola is afraid to know the answer. // @someotherdog

[queenevanscent]

Coffee

A/N: charmcaster x ken, basically how they met. Not proof read, sorry for any grammatical errors.

-----------------------------------------------

" WHY...WON'T ....YOU...WORK ...YOU ...LITTLE" The silver haired witch screamed as she repeatedly kicked the coffee machine at the end of the long hallway.

All she wanted was a nice cup of joe before heading up to her room to start grading the papers her half- brained students had turned in. Unfortunately fate had other plans for her , plans that frustrated her to no end.

Not to mention Freidkin's strict rules on the use of magic on the coffee machine, not after the 'incident' last semester , she couldn't even use a spell to fix whatever on earth was wrong with the appliance.

"uh excuse me , um would you like some help?"

"Well unless you're some coffee machine fixing genius, no thank you!" she snapped , still fixated on the metallic object.

Why did this place have only one of these though? It makes no sense!

" No but I am a major in mechanical engineering, I guess I could have a look " the man voiced again, hoping he could be of some help.

Charmcaster turned to look at the voice this time, only to come face to face with the greenest eyes she'd ever seen. He stood there leaning against a pillar with his hands in is navy blue jeans, his black t shirt making his deep red hair look bright.

Her breath got caught in her throat , the butterflies swarmed in her stomach as she tried to get the words out.

" well then, fine I guess, take a whirl at it red" she said finally, rolling her eyes for an added 'whatever' effect, trying to play it cool. The boy didn't need to know he had affected her now did he.

He gave her a small smile as he walked past her to the machine, pulling it forward and inspecting the mechanics of it.

" I didnt know this place offered a course in engineering" she began , trying to make small talk to pass the time. And also to get to know him, for she was sure she hadn't seen him around before. If she had, she definitely would've remembered.

" Actually I don't go here, but my little sister does. Just here today to drop off some things for her."

" oh I see"

She couldn't feel any mana on him, he was a human through and through. There were quite a few non magic humans here studying history and other magic related degrees that didn't require the actual use of mana, perhaps his sister was one of them.

She went silent for a bit , trying to come up with something to say. It dawned on her that for the first time , she had nothing. She's had crushes before, dated a little bit too. However it seemed like for the first time someone had actually made her mind go blank.

"what about you , do you go here?" he asked shattering the peircing silence.

" Not really, I'm actually a professor here, since the last 6 months"

The redhead looked at her wide eyed, " you're a professor? No way. Wow you must be really smart to have become a college professor at such a young age"

She felt her cheeks redden. She was pretty skilled for someone her age , though this was the first time anyone had ever really told her that. It felt.... nice.

" So why'd you want to become a professor?" he continued on as he crouched down to better look at the wirings.

She leaned back on the stone pillar, recalling what led her to do this job.

" Well I was ruler of this place, it's called Ledgerdomain, it's..It's this place of magic. Anyway I was bored and on my occasional trips to earth I came across an opening for the position. So I thought I'd give it a try. "

And so far the job despite it's shortcomings , wasn't half bad. She would even go as far to say she enjoyed it, especially when it came to passive aggressively torturing her favorite little redhead. She smiled thinking back to when she handed over an A- on her end of semester last year, watching her face fall.

He got up from his position and turned to her, " So you're basically a queen too? Man you're so cool."

She tucked a lock of hair behind her ear as she smiled at him, " yeah I guess I am"

Now it was time for the butterflies in his stomach to take flight.

" so um ," He said sheepishly as he ran his fingers through his hair , " the machine's fuse isn't working right."

Technically the fuse was fine, the machine just needed a quick reboot. He knew that, she didn't need to.

" Oh I see. I was really looking forward to that coffee though, I have a long day ahead of me of grading papers. "

The boy's eyes lit up , a thought occurring through his head.

" hey you know there's a cafe off campus that sells amazing coffee. it's only a 15 minute drive from here if you're interested" He asked, secretly hoping she'd say yes.

The witch smiled. " I'd love that "

The boy gleamed, " after you m'lady"

She giggled as she began to walk with him. Was this sort of a date? They both hoped it was.

" it's Ken by the way " he said.

" I'm Hope"

--------------------------------------------------

[i-want-all-the-cookies]

Hey, it's me, crawling back after being gone for a while 🥸. Unfortunately I've had to deal with a series of unfortunate events in my life. One of which was losing my notes (AGAIN) 😭. Soo in the attempt to try and get back into the swing of things, I'm gonna post some of my story wip ideas in hopes that it will motivate me enough to actually start writing again.

Note: I'm not including my Jimmy, Forrest, or Philip fics as those have already been started. This is just for wips of fics I only have minimal notes on right now.

Wolf fic

Wolf/Reader or OC

Found friends, unlikely friendship, wrong number, catching feelings for a stranger, dealing with grief

Summary: You're left with an empty hole in your soul after the loss of a great friend. A void that you attempt to fill as you reach out to find some kind of closure. Basically, you wrong dial/text Wolf. He humors you at first with responding, since he's bored and finds your messages entertaining enough to pass the time. But somewhere along the line feelings start to develop, even though he's never even seen your face. Most of this story takes place over messages and almost encounters.

Wolf fated mates fic

Wolf/OC or reader

Enemies-lovers, rivals-lovers, semi forced proximity (both are union members having to deal with union shi), fated mates au, no shifting, mate reveal at age 18, you know before he does, trying to be the bigger person is HARD

Summary of sorts: A member of the union under Yeo-Il. Think Donald's a huge ass but the pay can't be beat, even when having to deal with other union members like Wolf. Especially Wolf. Who you can't seem to get along with from the very first encounter. You both are basically water and oil having to coexist in the same space. But then you turn 18 a couple months before he does, and realize that destiny has played you for a fool, by making Wolf your fated mate. So now you're left trying to figure out what to do next.

Notes: was reading waay to many werewolf stories during the creation of this story idea 🙃

Donald fic

Donald/OC or reader

Oppites attract, aged up characters, both already in the workforce, forced proximity due to work, one night stand not staying a one night stand, very low spice (for now anyway), mostly just sexual tension, expanding on one of my oneshots

Summary-ish: A crazy night out with friends leads to an unexpected one night stand with a dangerous but handsome looking stranger. You check it off as a very delightful YOLO experience, never expecting to meet "what's his name" again. Until you find yourself sitting in a conference room, while your boss introduces the new business partner your company is doing a collaboration with. And if that wasn't awkward enough, you get voted to be the employee to spearhead the details of this new business merger.

Notes: this came about when I mentioned to someone about how cute it would be if Donald developed feelings for someone like the character in my karaoke crackfic. A very opposites attract that just happens to work despite their differences. Only for them to shot that idea down and state he would be better off with someone like one of their own OC's, who's more like him 😐🤨😮‍💨

Welp, challenge accepted I guess.

Jake 7 minutes in heaven fic

Jake/OC or reader

Quiet and reserved character meets popular and outgoing character, opposites attract, 7 minutes of heaven game, forced proximity due to game, aged up characters, college au, college frat party, fish out of water

Summary: You get dragged to some frat party by your more outgoing and social bestie, only to be left alone while they make out with some rando. While trying to blend in and look like you belong you end up getting paired up for a round of 7 minutes in heaven, and before you can even begin to protest, you end up locked in a closet with Jake Ji.

Notes: Haven't decided how spicy I want to make this one. Should I make it more suggestive in nature?  Or should I crank the spice level all the way up 🌶🔥😈

Alright. That's it. Now to wait for some motivation vibes to come and find me.

Also, completely unrelated, but is it just me or have the porn bots uped their game while I've been m.i.a? Like not only are they "following" but now they're also liking posts? And not even locking their accounts, so when you click on the profiles you get an eyeful of "activity"! Like wut in the... left me completely shooketh.

[angry-geese]

For Myself

Sukuna x Reader

Warnings: nsfw mention. mention of violence, blood, injury, and cannibalism. implied murder. starts off kind of dark but gets fluffier towards the end. gn!reader.

obligatory warning for my poor editing skills. if theres any egregious errors i'll get to them when i get home from work

Summary: some fluff where Sukuna comforts the reader while they're sick

Word Count: 2.4k

He's certain you would be more comfortable in his lap than on the floor. Even as he beckons you to sit, you refuse, turning your gaze away. You adjust your position to a more comfortable spot on your knees. The floor is hard and cold, but you don't have much longer to wait anyway. Sukuna has grown bored of the man standing in front of him. A peace offering, in exchange for not razing their village. A young woman, brought here against her own will. Her life to replace yours. It's nothing Sukuna wants, nor can he make use of her. She’s no sorcerer, likely no good in a fight, and too frail to be worth eating.

Worst of all, it insults you.

An insult to you, is an insult to Sukuna himself.

The man was only delaying the inevitable. Humans have a habit of doing that. They’re resilient, like cockroaches. You can squash, poison, trap, or drop a nuke on as many as you want to, but they’ll always come back.

He planned on killing him from the moment he stepped foot in the door.

And when he kills him, he makes sure to have the woman watch. She lays curled at your feet as you regard them both with cold eyes. Not a scream passes her lips. She’s either frozen with fear, or knows that moving is the worst thing she can do.

She begs for her life.

Sukuna leaves it up to you to decide.

It was an insult to you, after all. In a past life you could see yourself letting her go. There's many things in life you used to do that are no longer habits of yours. You were in her shoes years ago. Time has hardened you, made you cruel. If a past version of you could look at you now, you don't know if you’d recognize yourself. Not all change is bad. People are meant to change, and they’re going to do so.

You give her a minute to start running. After that, it's up to Sukuna with what he wants to do with her.

She takes the opportunity, thinking she has a chance to survive, and flees. The guards and servants let her. Your word is second to Sukuna’s. The only person who could overturn an order put in place by you is Sukuna himself. He usually doesn't. The resulting chaos from anything you do is good entertainment. And he has all the time in the world. Being immortal leads to a lot of boredom.

Sukuna would hunt her down before she could escape the estate.

Nobody got away from him. Not even you. Nowadays you’re much less serious about leaving but you still threaten it if he dares piss you off.

He'd never let you go. You know that. Try as you will, you're never getting free.

Not that you have anything to go back to. And you're rather comfortable here. Comfortable may be a bit of a stretch, but you're housed, fed, and protected. The basic human needs are taken care of. Sukuna cares about you in his own, twisted way. You may have first been just a plaything to keep his stomach full and his balls empty—a toy to be discarded after a day or two—but you've earned a place by his side. He wakes up next to you, he goes to sleep next to you. He's grown used to having you around. And you to him.

You're just as much his, as he is yours.

Everything about the man is selfish, and all-consuming. But when he is with you, he finds himself giving for the first time in his life.

He gets a servant to draw him a bath. He has the decency to scrub the blood off before finding you, and asking you to join him. His bloodied kimono is replaced with a clean one. It's black, the sleeves are wide enough to accommodate his four arms. Blood doesn't bother you, but he doesn't want to track it all over his house.

Something is wrong.

He doesn't remember you getting hurt, but you’re acting like you’re injured. He thinks back to this morning, how he had to drag you out of bed. How sluggish you acted.

Worry creases itself between his eyebrows.

Your mortality was something he knew of, but never gave much thought. There was no need to. The mortality of others was something he didn't care about. You weren't supposed to be kept long. You were merely a sacrifice, meant to appease Sukuna, and in turn he wouldn't raze your village. While young, and pretty, not good enough to save your people. He planned on fucking you, burning your village to the ground, then eating you. Not necessarily in that order, but that was the plan.

He's taken everything from you. Your home, your life, your family. Even as you were forced to face your fate, you never gave in, never lost your bite. You defied him and lived. You had a malicious streak in you. You were never as sweet and as innocent as the people of your village first played you up to be. Years later you still put up the same fight. It's a constant back and forth between you two.

You’d never be able to hurt him. As much as you'd scratch and bite, you'd never so much as draw blood. Harming the King of Curses was not an easy task.

His 'love' was much more material at first. As you got settled down, survived more than a week, gifts appeared. Jeweled hair pins and beautiful, expensive kimonos appeared. All made just for you. He'd never admit to being behind it. You were not complacent, but you were comfortable. You were his spoiled pet. That didn't stop you from clawing at his eyes whenever he picked you up when you didn't want to be touched. Being spoiled didn't make you nice.

None of his pets have lasted quite as long as you have. At least eight times the trees of his estate have shriveled and turned brown in winter, and the ground has hardened with frost. At least eight times they've bloomed and have had the life of spring breathed back into them, and the ground has thawed and turned muddy. You just did what you had to in order to survive. You've more than just survived. Some would say you’ve thrived. You would beg to differ. If you were the begging type.

He still views you as a pet. You’re human after all. Though sometimes it feels like you’re becoming more curse than human. Being viewed as an equal to him is impossible, but he values you. You're not something that can easily be replaced.

His hand touches your shoulder from behind. You don't flinch. You used to flinch. Then you started swinging. You're never able to hurt him. You're strong, but not that strong.

"She was far too frail to eat," you say, "I assumed you didn't want to keep her for that."

You don't eat human meat. Or try not to. Early on in your stay, before you knew better… It wasn't pork. Uraume was a wonderful cook, but not for anything you ate. Personally it's not your thing. Non-human meat is hard to come by around here, so you’ve stopped eating the stuff altogether. If you wanted it, Sukuna would make a servant get it for you, but you are content without it.

"You made the right call." He says. You always do.

He slips beside you, watching as you remove the intricate pins from your hair. You always loved your hair. Even at your darkest moment you took great care of it. It was a source of pride for you.

A wave of nausea rolls over you. Sweat beads in your hairline, rolling down your back, under the thin fabric of your—his—robe. You have little need for clothes. It doesn't get that cold here. Sukuna tears them off you anyway. Covering yourself up isn't necessary, but you do it out of modesty, and a sense of normalcy. You protest as he pulls at the fastenings of your robe, the flimsy fabric pooling at your feet. You have no plans on getting wet, you’d much rather go to bed. You’re tired, and you don't want to be bothered.

The tub is large enough to fit several of you. You guess it's fitting. The man is huge. He settles into the water behind you, pulling you to his chest. Try as you will, you’re not going to be able to struggle out of his grip. You’re too tired to put up much of a fight, though you do complain.

One of his sets of arms wraps around you, effectively trapping you in place. The other pulls a washcloth from the side of the tub, into the water with you. As much as you hate to admit it, the warm water feels nice against your sore muscles.

Sukuna is not a sentimental man. But with the way his hands trace across your skin, soft, lovingly, like he’s reading a book of braille, makes you think otherwise. He doesn't leer at the curves of your body like he normally does. His eyes scan across your body, looking for any sign of injury.

When he deems you clean enough, and your skin has turned a nice shade of pink from the hot water, he lets you go. You're the first to get out, drying yourself off. You never realized how cold the room was before.

He hauls you into his arms. You do little to protest, which worries him.

The King of Curses has no need for sleep. The bed mostly serves for asthetic purposes, though he's not opposed to fucking you across any flat surface, you seem to favor softer ones.

Much like the tub, his bed is large enough to fit several of you. You feel dwarfed by its size. The man is huge, he needs a bed to fit. You could sprawl out as wide as possible and never have any of your limbs hanging over the sides.

He follows you, silent.

He can't recall ever letting any of his pets share his bed before. Some have tried. Tried. He can't recall any of them surviving as long as you have, either. He finds himself irritated at the thought of anything bad ever happening to you.

He doesn't join you in bed.

He doesn't need sleep the same way humans do. He can, but if he were to decide not to, it would bring no harm to him. He used to never dream. It was something he did, back when he was human, but that time has long passed. But whenever he dreamed, he’d wake up next to you. Experiences like that made him realize just why humans like to sleep so much. Before he never woke up rested; he was never tired in the first place.

You shove the covers aside and crawl underneath. They smell like him. He snubs out the candle burning on the side table with his index finger and thumb. Though it's dark, there’s enough light in the room to make out his much-larger form.

You shiver, although sweat forms along your skin in a thin sheen. Sukuna knows it's not cold. He sits on the edge of the bed, the mattress dipping under his weight. The back of his hand presses to your forehead. You’re burning up.

You were warm before, but he thought it was because of the bath. He’s not really sure what to do. It's rare moments like these that he's forced to face your mortality. He knows you're fragile—compared to him—but he can't bear the thought of something bad happening to you.

One of his large hands moves to cup your cheek. It's just as warm as your forehead. The pad of his thumb runs across your cheekbone.

"Stay with me." You say. You stretch your arms out towards him, making grabbing motions with your hands.

You’re not one to beg. Even when faced with death, you look it straight in the eyes. Call it bravery, or lack of self preservation. He admired that about you. You ignored your mortality because it did not matter to you.

“What's the matter, pet?”

“I don't feel too good.” You say.

Though he doesn't say it, he can tell.

“I’ll get Uraume-”

“No,” your arms wrap around his neck, pulling him back towards your chest, “no. I’m okay.”

He settles down beside you in bed, on top of the covers. When he opens his arms, you go right into them. He makes sure to keep the blankets tucked around you. Sukuna runs warm naturally. You huddle close to him, trying to steal his warmth. Though your face feels abnormally warm, you shiver. His much larger body lays partially on top of yours, his head resting on your chest, ear pressed to your skin. He can hear your heartbeat. Steady, and alive. Something low in your chest rattles when you breathe.

He should get a servant to bring you water, or some tea. It occurs to him how little he knows about the mundane things humans do to make themselves feel better. Not that he ever needed to care. In all the years you’ve been by his side, he’s never seen anything like this happen. He can't decide, and instead calls for both. If you need medicine, he’ll get that too, but you don't seem to be at that point. Uraume knows more about humans than he does. He’s no doctor, but he’ll work. If he asks you, you’ll just say you’re fine.

He holds the cup up to you, beckoning you to drink. The glass is cold against your lips. Even as your hands wrap around it, he doesn't let it go. He sets the empty glass on the side table with a soft thunk.

His large hand smoothes over your head, brushing your hair out of your eyes. His nails feel nice against your scalp. Nothing about the man is soft, but when he’s left alone with you, moments like this are bound to happen. You allow yourself to be pet. The heat, combined with the weight of his body, threatens to lull you off to sleep. The ache in your joints keeps you from doing so.

When he kisses you, you taste like a curse.

[rek1s-headband]

Oh oh! Can we get some hedcanons about cherry adopting a girl who is around miya's age. Like how close would they be and how would others feel about her being his daughter now. Bonus points if uncel Joe and little missy mess with daddy blossom

Xoxo love your work so far, keep it up💙

➯ A/N: This was such an amazing request, I had so much fun writing it! Hope you enjoy :)

Also, i started watching Your Lie in April today, and its AMAZING! So much more than what I was expecting

➯ With a daughter

➯ Characters: Kaoru Sakurayashiki with a young daughter. Reki, Langa and co. are mentioned throughout!

➯ Warnings: none:)

Having a child had never crossed Kaoru’s mind before, but when Joe had teased him about how “you treat Carla better than you would a child!”, the idea kind of stuck with him. And so, he’d spent countless nights awake, wondering to himself if it was something he truly wanted?

He’d pass parks, seeing parents with spewing babies and toddlers throwing tantrums, wondering if he could actually put up with that? But as he passed the shops, he came across a mother and her daughter, who looked around 12. He watched them pass, a grin on the child’s face as she looked into her shopping bag, examining her haul for that day. And so it was settled

He wanted a baby girl he could spoil absolutely rotten

And the search for a child carried on, and this time instead of baby shops and websites, he was browsing the shelves of Claires and other tween clothing stores. It had only occurred to him over a bottle of wine with Joe, as they were discussing if Kaoru was truly ready for something like this. Instead of a crying baby or a messy toddler, he could simply adopt someone a bit older!

It made sense too. For a single parent, an older child seemed much more doable. Of course, he wouldn’t be alone. Joe was always telling him how he’d help out, yknow, if he actually went through with the damn thing.

Not to mention, the older you get, the more difficult it is to get adopted. Babies and young children will get adopted left right and centre, whereas the child he will take home will have been there for a while. Finally, they will have a place to call a home

He spent months trying to get the approval for adoption, and one fateful day he finally got the letter that yes he could go ahead and take one home. He was ecstatic, spending the next few days finding out the location of every orphanage around his area of Japan. He messaged every single one, asking when their next visiting day was

And so it was set: Kaoru would not rest until he had found his perfect little girl

He went through orphanage after orphanage, searching for someone he could call his own. However, none of the children were lighting that paternal flame inside him. It wasn’t their fault of course, they just didn’t click with him, staring at him any time he tried to talk to them. Visit after visit, he’d go to Joe’s, ready to tell him about his recent fail.

It wasn’t until Joe came up to him with a phone number, asking if he’d been to this particular orphanage yet. Apparently they had a few children aged 12 and up, and were available for visit that Saturday. And so there he was, packing a bag and getting ready to travel to the house. This time felt different, somehow. He could feel his palms sweat, as if he could sense he would take one of them home

When he finally made it to the house, he was a nervous wreck. The lady of the house let him in with a smile, telling him the children were in the backyard playing while she bounced a baby on her hip. Cherry winced as the baby gurgled at him, glad he opted for an older child

She led him outside, gesturing at the children who were sprinting around in the vast field, hiding behind trees and bushes. It was clear they were playing a game of hide and seek. He smiled as he scanned over them, but it quickly disappeared when he noticed one little girl sitting on the step, head in her lap while her shoulders gently shook with tears

He walked over to her, bending down with a soft smile. He didn’t know where this sudden calmness came from, but that was his last priority right now. A little gash sat on the girls knee, caked with blood as it trickled down her shin. He frowned, pulling out a tissue to gently wipe it. She jumped, wincing with shock from the fresh wave of pain, and surprise. Kaoru gently wiped at her knee once more before looking up at her to attempt a conversation

“Hello, is your knee alright?” She shook her head frantically, wiping a tear away from her face. A small breathy laugh escaped him as he watched the child stand, gesturing to her leg

“Nope, not at all. I think its broken, if you ask me. All cause of that stupid thing!” She threw her arm out, gesturing to a pink board Kaoru hadn’t noticed before. A skateboard.

That’s when Kaoru realised it: I want this one

Suddenly he felt a new sense of importance, like he had to make a good impression. He walked over to the board, tutting as he looked down at it. “This is what hurt you?” He looked at it with disdain as the little girl nodded her head violently. Kaoru could see how she hurt herself, the thing was massive, especially for someone her age. It looked around the size of a board he would use.

Grinning, he picked up the board. “Well, want to see something cool?” She watched in wonder as kaoru stood on it, pushing off and turning quickly, popping an ollie over a stray toy. The little girl jumped, throwing her arms up as she cheered Kaoru on. He finished with a flourish, coming back to stand beside her. “What did you think?” She was speechless, simply moving her hands, saying scattered “wows” and making various sound effects. Kaoru smiled, certain that he could teach her more.

When he realized visiting time was coming to a close, he proposed the idea to the girl, who’s name he had come to know was Lily: he’d come back next week, and he’d bring his board. He even promised to find her a smaller boar perfect for her to learn on, saying he knew a friend who could make her one. From there he would teach her the basics of skateboarding, even a couple of tricks once she got that down. She was delighted, bouncing up and down and declaring she couldn’t wait, all the energy of someone much younger than her. Kaoru found he couldn’t stop smiling himself either

He made his way back through the house, Lily skipping alongside him. He explained the plan to the Lady, that he would come back next week for another visit. Just as he was about to leave, he turned to the lady to request one final thing from her

“Make sure no one snatches her up from me while I’m gone, yeah?”

Needless to say a bottle of wine was opened at Joe’s that night in celebration of Lily, the potential daughter

And so the weeks turned into months, and Kaoru returned each week with his board and some sweets for her and the other children, teaching her everything she needed to know about skateboarding. After a month or so she could confidently ollie without bailing, and next time he visited she displayed it with delight, watching Kaoru’s face light up with pride.

She had taken a real liking to Kaoru, according to the Lady. She refused to pay any other visitors any notice, declaring they “simply weren’t Kaoru.” This is what finally made him realise that maybe it was time to ask if she’d like to live with him from now on, where she could practice with him every day.

When he asked her, Kaoru could’ve sworn he actually saw stars in her eyes. She simply lit up, throwing herself at Kaoru, tears streaming down her face as she shouted yes, of course she would. she wasn’t the only one crying, Kaoru could barely see from the tears in his own eyes, the lady dabbing at hers with a tissue

Once the paperwork was complete and Lily was his, he felt a weight had been taken off his shoulders. He had packed her a new change of clothes the day he went to collect her, bringing Joe along with him for emotional support. Lily came flying at him the second he got out of his car, wrinkling her nose at Joe

“You never told me you had a boyfriend, Kaoru” she stuck her tongue out at him from over his shoulder while they both tried to convince her that no, they weren’t a couple, before she ran upstairs to get changed. Joe turned to Kaoru, an almost offended look on his face

“Why were you so adamant that we weren’t together??” “I dont need her worrying she’s going home to a Gorrila” “HEY”

Once they all got home, they threw a little party at Joe’s who had closed a little early specially for it. Kaoru didn’t let her out of his sight, making sure she wasn’t uncomfortable with all the new people. Of course, it was only Joe, Shadow, Reki, Langa and Miya, all of whom she would meet eventually, but he still worried in case she got overwhelmed.

She made quick friends with Reki, who was ecstatic from the moment he realised she could skate. The two bonded over it, talking about tricks they’d learned, Reki shouting over at Kaoru because why hadn’t he taught him anything??

Miya was a bit standoffish at first, but when she saw the switch in his hand, the two were instantly bonding over who had better villagers in Animal Crossing, and who had passed more levels in Mario with three stars

As the months went on, Lily really settled into her new life in Okinawa, starting at school in Miyas class. The two were joined at the hip, Miya often coming home to Kaoru’s so they could practice together, or simply study and watch some movies. Reki constantly teased the shit out of the two, talking about how he heard “wedding bells”. This comment earned him a swift whack into the skull from Kaoru, warning him not to tease his little girl

Soon enough Kaoru was making her own skateboard with built-in Carla, who helped her skating improve insanely. As Kaoru said, she was definitely a chip off the old block. Langa and Reki would take her to the skate park with them, helping her land new tricks and would take videos of her to send to Kaoru

Shadow was like a chill uncle to her, bringing her flowers for her room and taking her out to get some clothes and ice cream. Joe was like an uncle too, but a much more untrustworthy one. Would he take her to the park, or would he take her to parts of downtown she definitely shouldn’t have been? Who knows, certainly not Kaoru...

Poor Kaoru can never get a minutes peace. Every second of the day she’s plotting something, waiting for him to let his guard down so she can pounce, scaring the shit out of him. When the others are around its 10x worse, all of them ganging up on him to pull pranks

As well as skateboarding, Kaoru tried to teach her how to do calligraphy. She ended up being awful, blotting the ink and smearing it with her hand. But hey, it was a fun art project that made it onto the fridge

At S, she was watched like a hawk. When Kaoru was competing,the others would be like her bodyguard, making sure no one got within 5 feet of her. She’d watch her dad with wonder, the look of awe never leaving her face since the first day she saw him skate. She can’t wait for the day she can compete, maybe even beating her own dad

The first time Lily called Kaoru “dad” was when he won a race, showing off some amazing skills and winning the insanely close match by a hair. He picked up his board, looking around for Lily. He saw her in the crowd, throwing her arms up and cheering “THATS MY DAD!! LOOK, RIGHT THERE, THATS MY DAD!” When she spotted him, a large grin spread across her face. “Nice job out there dad! You did amazing!! D’you think I can do that one day?”

Everyone was staring at her, she hadn’t even realised she had said anything out of the ordinary. Soon enough Kaoru was lunging at her, picking her up in a hug so she didn’t see the tears quickly forming on his face. With a smile he pulled away, his voice dripping with pride

“Of course you could. You’re my daughter, aren’t you?”