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homestuckreplay · 2 months ago

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Here's How GG Can Still Win

(page 637-650)

9/14/2009 Wheel Spin: Movie Reference Verdict: John’s Life Might Be Too Weird For Movies

9/15/2009 Wheel Spin: being silly :3c Verdict: being scared and terrified D:

John’s hammer, despite being sick as hell, turns out to be dangerous for him too. This is poetic, given the number of injuries he sustained from the pogo ride as a child, that he’s now finding newer and better ways to injure himself with it. Rose’s sweet catch is really good – and I’m always impressed at her 20-dexterity video game reflexes snatching Dad’s PDA from the air and sliding John’s bed beneath him just in time to avoid injury – but in this case, her move also stops John from falling through the hole into Dad’s room. Is this a coincidence, or is she still focused on stopping him from getting in there?

The Big Imp has entered the house, but is too big for the rooms inside. It’s going to cause serious destruction just by moving around if John can’t kill him soon – and John’s reached a high enough level that a second one is following close behind. It makes me wonder if the Big Imp will drop different, stronger types of grist that can be used to reinforce the house against mundane physical damage. Server player is definitely a full time job despite what Rose says about being ‘just a facilitator,’ and when Rose does enter the game and has to divide her time between server and client goals, this game is going to get even harder.

The visuals of page 641 don’t quite work for me, as the top two pictures overlap each other, and it’s hard to make sense of where the overlap begins - I turned it into a single image to get a better view (comparison below). I think this page would have worked much better as three sequential pages. The following page does this much better – despite the white space between panels, each starts where the previous ended, and it comes together in a visually pleasing way. I mention this because the problem will only compound as the scale of John’s house continues to increase, and the necessary aspect ratio continues to change. There are rare examples, such as pages 376, 484 and 494 where slightly taller images are used, and there are also animated and [S] pages, such as 246 and 250, where we are able to zoom out or pan up or down to see the world on a bigger scale. We haven’t seen it yet, but there could also be interactive panels, where we can use arrow keys or zoom buttons within a panel to see different parts of John’s house ourselves, while sticking with the standard panel dimensions – like having access to a ‘view only’ version of Rose’s server controls.

‘TT: In a way, thieving you of your free will as an adventurer, and the need to advance by your own skill and ingenuity.’ (p.643) I think it is deeply arguable how much free will John has as an adventurer or player, and I hope that the explicit mention of free will means it will be discussed in more depth later. The mechanic does make sense, though. If Rose could just pick up the bed and click and drag John to the first gate, that’d be a huge exploit in the game. Despite being in beta testing, we haven’t really seen any bugs in Sburb so far – it’s extremely well made and tightly programmed, arguably more so than most AAA game releases.

I thought Sburb would operate on video game logic where player characters don’t need to eat, sleep, use the bathroom, brush their teeth, or do other human things to sustain themselves, so long as their gel is viscose enough. So, what does it mean for John to sleep within Sburb? Is sleep still necessary for human survival, is it unnecessary but simply nice to take a nap, or is it something that could provide game benefits – such as minigames that can be played while asleep to gain extra resources, faster/automatic recovery of gel, or saving the game state to potentially return to that point later?

Also, the new sleepy John song is very windchimey to me, reminding me of Windchime Foley from page 82.

‘if you obtain the code for any item at your disposal, you think you could theoretically send the code to John and he could make it himself.’ The Sburb server disc didn’t work out, but Rose’s instincts are good. I wonder if there are any other items in Rose’s house that could help John out. Such as, I don’t know, whatever she’s got hidden in that purple box on p.218. A Grimoire for Summoning the Zoologically Dubious could be helpful too, as could a 20-foot tall granite statue of the mighty wizard, ZAZZERPAN THE LEARNED. This sadly makes me realize that Sburb alchemy is restricted to items that are small enough to captchalogue.

It’s certainly interesting that the Sburb server CD doesn’t have a captcha code – this must be intentional on the part of the developers. The relationship between the captchalogue system and Sburb as a game is really interesting to me. It makes sense that certain items just can’t be alchemized because they’d break the game, and these items wouldn’t need codes. We know that the Medium, where John is, exists outside of time – how possible is it that the sylladex system is also created by Skaia’s power (as it transcends those same digital-physical boundaries) and was always created to be a companion piece to Sburb? Or alternatively, did the sylladex system exist previously but without the codes on the backs of cards, and Sburb has somehow exploited that existing system to place those codes only on cards that will then be used in alchemy?

The forest fire is approaching Rose’s mausoleum much faster, and now the generator has gone out. It either hasn’t recharged the laptop’s battery at all, or its shutting down has caused the laptop to shortcircuit, as Rose’s laptop immediately goes dark. This is certainly much more dramatic than switching back to battery power. I asked a few weeks ago for the tension with Rose’s situation to ramp up so Act 2’s pace can accelerate, and I think we’ve officially hit that point – which I’m really excited about.

Rose’s main focus is on saving herself. This makes sense on two levels – she’s scared and entering self preservation mode, and it’s also necessary on a practical level, because John can’t progress in the game if his server player dies. I see Rose as someone who likes to be independent and self-reliant, and it must be hard for her to have to depend on someone else to get out of this situation. In this way, she’s the opposite to John, who wanted Rose’s help but was left without it when her laptop died – I love the storytelling here, it’s a great beginning of both their character development to challenge them and put them out of their comfort zones like this.

So, who will be Rose’s server player? Dave seemed likely, but he’ll almost certainly have to escape Bro’s rooftop saw traps before he can get the discs, and I don’t think Rose can wait that long. John seemed possible, but Rose’s plan to send him the disc code failed, and I highly doubt he’ll locate his dad’s car and the original disc any time soon. That means the only person left is our good friend gardenGnostic, who also happened to be the person who originally tipped Rose off about Sburb. This would be poetic, going from the snow to fire, from talk of a dead cat to sitting beside its corpse, from the birthday gift of an important tip to the ultimate gift of saving Rose’s life.

I think Homestuck will throw a curveball and suddenly introduce GG at Rose’s moment of greatest need, just as Rose was introduced at John’s. So far our characters have been introduced in early act 1, late act 1, and early act 2 – so if act 2 is heading towards endgame, which I think it is, this is the moment to finally reveal GG. They’ll need to happen across a server disc somewhere, so whatever the source of their prophetic gifts is could kick in to reveal its location. Alternatively, GG has said that ‘mail takes a while to get anywhere from here!!!’ so if they have been signed up as a beta tester without their knowledge, some delayed mail could be arriving right now. Either way, I think we’re about to get GG discovering a disc and swooping in to save Rose.

#homestuck #reaction #will the fact that rose has a note signed with a drop of her own blood be relevant. Will there be a moment when she has to alchemize her ow #chrono

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bellaxgiornata · 3 months ago

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Do you have any tips for fast and efficient writing? I’m always impressed with how quickly and consistently you seem to churn out good quality chapters. Occasionally, I get “in the zone” and manage to really stay on top of my updates, but other times, it feels like pulling teeth. I worry that I sometimes sacrifice quality just to be able to put out an update. I want to stay consist for my readers, but that requires about 4000 to 5000 words a week, which is tough for me on top of a full time job! Any suggestions?

Oh, this is a good question! And thank you, I'm glad to hear you think my stories are consistent and of good quality! I will say that what works for me probably isn't always going to work for others, and I'm also aware that I'm in a unique position of being a stay at home mom. So when kids nap, I get free time to write. When my toddler starts preschool next week and the baby naps, if I've finished my adulting chores for the day, I get to write. Usually y'all don't have those opportunities at work--especially not daily. I'll also sometimes write in the evening before bed if I'm really feeling it (though while pregnant I had been too tired to do that for months). Honestly a lot of it depends on how much time you are able to write, and for me, I do actually spend quite a few hours a week writing and editing. Probably a lot more than people realize...

I'll put the rest of my response below the cut though because I know this is going to be long!

The first thing I did that really helped me keep churning out updates was to stop requiring myself to reach a minimum word count for them. I don't write with the pressure of needing to reach a specific amount per chapter, rather I focus on what needs to happen in an update. If the draft seemed a bit short, I'd come back later and edit in more detail or dialogue or another scene or something that fit and it usually filled things a little more without seeming unnecessary. Removing that pressure of reaching a specific word count really helps I think. And 4,000-5,000 words a week with a full time job is honestly a lot to plan out, write, and then edit consistently!

Secondly, I have multiple stories to work on. Now I definitely don't recommend this because then you'll get overwhelmed, but I do often hit a block in a fic sometimes and instead of just writing something I don't like and posting it or completely stepping away and not writing, I write something else. It keeps me in the habit of doing it so that I don't just suddenly stop. But obviously, I can't consistently update the same fics over and over, I tend to jump around. I think what might be better is maybe taking a step away and working on a one shot or something if you're struggling with a scene or a chapter. For me, sometimes what I need to write in a story is not what I'm feeling at the moment--angst, fluff, smut, whatever--and so I go write something I am feeling instead. Usually that helps unblock what's in my head, especially if I want to write smut for example, but the characters in the story I'm writing cannot realistically have me throw that in at that point.

Lastly, I think taking the pressure off of yourself to update on a schedule might be helpful. I know, it's hard to not update regularly and you might feel like you're disappointing readers, but we aren't getting paid for this. If you start pressuring yourself, you're going to burn yourself out and fanfic won't be fun anymore. It'll feel like work. And who wants to spend their free time working with no pay? So if you can get a nice long chapter up every week for a bit, but then suddenly you're struggling and it takes a few weeks for an update? That's okay. Your readers will still be here. And new ones will always appear if some have moved on.

Honestly I think as writers we put a lot of pressure on ourselves to consistently post, but it's not realistic. Like I said, I'm in a unique position of often finding moments to write because of what I do for work. That's not the norm for everyone. I struggle to update fics sometimes myself, which is why you might see some stories go months without an update, but I just update other things in the meantime. But if I only had one story, you'd definitely see me having weeks where nothing comes out because the words for that just aren't coming or they're not coming out right.

Hopefully some of this helped at all! But really, I think removing the pressure of writing is the biggest issue to tackle. Whether its your posting schedule or your word count, the pressure really gets to you. Especially if you're reaching the day you might usually post and you don't have something you feel is ready, then maybe you start to stress or panic and are rushing to get something done. That's just not fun though! Fanfic should be fun!

#bella answers #writing tips #i struggle with updates too #its just hard to see among the massive amount of ongoing fics i work on

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theworldibuilt4you · 2 months ago

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[Addie, for one, was certainly surprised to hear from someone new.]

Oh, h-hi! New person! It's been pretty hectic, so I don't blame you for not wanting to get involved until now…

And to be fair, things are still kind of messy, as I'm sure you're aware… But I'm hoping that with time and patience, things will heal over.

[Addie's attention was pulled by Sonny and Casey's light back and forth, their brows furrowing at Sonny's unnecessary insistence. They tried to ignore Casey's choice of words, though their

Sonny, you should really take them up on their offer! Think of it as keeping them company instead of "intruding." They clearly want you to stick around, and god knows we ALL know you need a break. Catch a nap, have a bite, let yourself re-experience life again.

Plus, with nothing else to do around here, I'm sure they'll appreciate having someone around doing something cool they can peek in on.

[Addie paused after that, taking in the sight of their two favorite people in the same room. Sharing the same space… And couldn't help but feel a twinge of jealousy, manifesting as a mutter under their breath.]

"I… wish I could be there, too…"

-Addie

[Sonny was to comment on what he was told, perhaps even accept Casey's offer finally after their insistence- But he flinched at hearing the other's audio]

[It was different. Usually he couldn't make it out, but with this new status he... he could hear them so clearly. Their voice... hearing their voice for the first time probably was one of the nicest things he's heard in a long while.]

[It was so... so upsetting that those were the first words he heard spoken, though.]

"No. No, you don't." [He spoke quickly- a bit firmly too. It was clear that those words had really startled him, frightened him- made him start thinking the worst again.]

"You..- You can't think like that, Addie. That is... That is a DANGEROUS line of thinking."

[He gave a gentle sigh, hand coming up to pick at his other arm. It was... definitely a stressful subject for the man.]

"I... I don't..-"

[He shuts his eyes.]

"I'd never forgive myself.."

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deadlygronkle · 3 months ago

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Ancestors Legacy Chapter 18

The Desert: Chapter 8

word count: 7064

Ao3 Prev

Time was pacing back and forth in front of the small spring. It had been hours since Twilight and Warriors left on their hunt. Since they left the others had woken up and have been getting progressively impatient at the fact they were stuck in here.

To alleviate that boredom Four and Wind have taken to playing a game of tag, bouncing over the lying bodies of Wild and Hyrule. The latter two originally played with them but after nearly stepping on Four, it was quickly deemed that they couldn’t actively play with the otter and mouse.

Legend was near Time, drinking from the spring and watching Sky try to fly. It was going well for the most part, in the beginning it was a lot more falling than flying. Now however Sky could glide down from the top of the stairs to the spring with ease. Actually flying was another matter altogether given how there was no wind draft for Sky to practice with.

“You are doing remarkably well for someone who has only recently achieved this form,” The Great Fairy commented as Sky landed after his most recent attempt.

“Thanks! Training with Loftwings since I was young definitely helped,” Sky answered as he righted himself, out of breath, “I still can’t fly properly though,”

“All things take time,” The Great Fairy smiled softly, “Go and rest, you will need energy for the fights to come,”

Sky nodded, quickly getting a drink of water before hopping over to the other Links. He laid down in between Hyrule and Wild, his feathers puffing up slightly as he tried to nap. Wind and Four took to being extremely careful not to fall on him while they were jumping.

“Stop your pacing old man,” Legend grumped, hopping over to the wolf, “It isn’t doing anyone any good,”

“I am not pacing,” Time huffed, his ears going back.

“Sure you aren’t,” Legend rolled his eyes, “Just like Warriors isn’t causing any problems, and Wolfie is protecting him despite the problems he is causing,”

“That’s not what I’m worried about. Who knows what those ‘interlopers’ would do if they caught them? Especially since Warriors accidentally saved one of them,” Time’s good eye narrowed slightly at the pink rabbit.

“Like that overgrown mutt wouldn’t allow that to happen,” Legend scoffed, adjusting his small red tunic, “He could probably smell a needle out of a haystack if given the chance,”

“The interlopers have magic on their side,” Time argued, “Who knows what they are capable of?”

“Ok, you got me there, Although,“ Legend started to hop away, glancing over his shoulder, “You’ve been worrying too much. Who knows what kind of tricks that mutt has up his sleeves here?”

With that Legend went over to the others, watching as Four used him as a barrier from Wind. This didn’t work as intended as Wind barreled into Legend, knocking both of them to the floor. Wind and Four laughed as the rabbit shoved the otter off, complaining loudly as he did so.

Still, there was something nagging at the back of his head while he watched the others have fun. That poe was enraged at him for no reason he knew of. Did he do something in the future for that poe’s fate to be his fault? Why was it here in the Zone of all places?

“The pink rodent is correct, you worry so much,” The Great Fairy’s voice made him jump, “Why?”

“Why wouldn’t I be? There are just too many unknowns to not worry,” Time shook his head as he sat down, his head swarming with everything.

“Concerns like that are unnecessary. Worrying will not help you prevent what is to come or what could come. Only action can prevent it,” The Great fairy had her arms folded in front of her, watching the Links play.

Time sighed, “Easy to say, harder to do,”

“You are the Ancestor of this Era’s hero,” The Great Fairy’s eyes looked away at something Time couldn’t see, “Just because it was hard, never stopped you before. Even now it hasn’t,”

“What is that supposed to mean?” Time felt himself unconsciously bristle at her words.

Her words struck him as odd. She was talking to him, yes, but her words sounded like she was addressing someone else. It was like a threat, that she knew his fate, that she knew far more than anyone here could fathom.

The Great Fairy simply tilted her head and looked down at him, “You are the ancestor of the Hero of the era are you not? Or have I mistaken you for someone else?”

“Well- no that’s accurate- but that isn’t what I was referring to,” Time floundered slightly, his voice gaining a hint of frustration towards the end.

“I have been alive for many years, and seen many things in my time,” The Great Fairy responded in a gentle, calm tone, “Your allies will be entering soon,”

Almost as if on cue, Legend perked up, his pink ears swiveling. Time could hear light thumping as Warriors came into the view. He looked no worse than he did when he left, in fact he seemed a lot more chipper than when he left.

“I’m baaack!” Warriors called out, jumping down the stairs easily.

“Cap!” Wind squeaked, abandoning his game to skitter over to the lion, “What did you two find out there? Was it dangerous? Where is Wolfie?”

“Food. No, not really. And he is up stairs dragging the corpse down a flight or two of stairs,” Warriors answered, his ears flickering slightly.

As if on cue there was a loud crashing noise that came from above. Silence followed it before the crashing noise continued until it stopped suddenly . Warriors shook his head, almost in a fond way as they others looked at eachother with confusion.

“Okay back up,” Legend stood up, “What the hell did you bring, a bear? Also why are you so happy? Last I saw you you were ready to tear Wolfie apart,”

Warriors did his best to shrug, “Things change, now everyone get up there and eat. It took a while to find something for everyone,”

“And do you even know what floor it's on?” Four asked, scurrying up on Wild’s head.

“I left after we got it down to the second floor,” Warriors thought for a moment, “So probably the third floor if anywhere, you can’t exactly miss Wolfie,”

Everyone then began to make their way up the stairs to the next floor. Warriors lagged behind, and rather than leading the others up to Twilight, stared at Time, his expression a mix between grave and sadness. Time, in turn, froze, tilting his head with confusion.

The other seemingly didn’t see that this was happening behind them as they finished climbing the stairs. The sound of their talking slowly faded into the distance as the two continued to stare at each other.

“Do you need something Captain?” Time asked after a moment.

“I can’t believe I didn’t notice….” Warriors murmured, Time just being able to hear the words.

“What?” Time, letting out a small confused whine.

“Nothing,” Warriors sighed, giving the wolf a sad smile, “Say Time? Mind doing me a favor?”

“What is it?” Time padded over to where Warriors was in confusion, “Did something happen out there? Did you and T-Wolfie fight?”

“No nothing like that- well sort of,” Warriors winced a little bit, “Just… if you have any issues, or get any lingering regrets or whatever, mind telling me? I hear it’s better to talk about them rather than keeping it all buried,”

Time nodded along, “What brought this about exactly?”

“I just realized you're there for the others, but no one is there for you,” Warriors walked towards the stairs, “So just…. Let me know if you need to talk about something alright? Just like when you were apart of the war in my world,”

“That was decades ago for me Cap,” Time responded with an amused huff, “But ok, I’ll tell you if something is bothering me,”

Warriors looked back, letting out a relieved chuff, “Thanks. Now let’s go get food shall we?”

“Sure Cap,” Time let himself try and grin in his wolf form.

In reality, despite the smile he had on his face he was concerned. Just what happened out there to bring this up so suddenly. He didn’t like how Warriors was keeping something from him and the group. Maybe it wasn’t as serious as Time was thinking, and just his hungry brain making everything seem more serious.

The two walked up floor after floor, hearing the sound of the others get closer and closer. The two reached the fourth floor seeing the others surrounding a pile of plants and a giant boar. Time saw dried red sand clinging to the stringy hair of the best along the gaping holes on its neck.

Twilight, apparently hearing them enter, looked up from the other, smaller Links and croaked out, “Ah, looks like everyone is here. Now shall we dig in?”

Twilight looked a bit more worse for wear from the last Time saw him. His fur was a lighter color due to all the sand in it. The fur around his mouth and paws were stained a deep crimson, probably due to the giant boar that laid before him. Though he seemed in high spirits despite it.

Time didn’t quite understand why Twilight chose to make his voice sound so forced and gravely. It hid his identity, yes, but it sounded painful to even speak like that. There could have been so many other voices Twilight could have chosen rather than sounding like he ate a mound of gravel and sand.

“Are we going to have to eat this raw?” Sky asked, a talon going to poke at the corpse.

“Yep,” Twilight confirmed, “No one here has opposable thumbs for a fire, and we are underground. Should be fine though, your bodies have digestive systems meant for this,”

“Should?” Sky’s feathers puffed out slightly, “What if it doesn’t work like that?”

“Then pray to the goddesses that The Great Fairy’s spring still has some healing properties,” Twilight retorted dryly, earning a small snort from Warriors.

Time looked over to the herbivores of the group. Legend was examining the plants on what appeared to be a torn up saddle with Hyrule standing over him. Four had accepted his fate and took a fruit, using his small claws to open it and ate the flesh inside. Four even offered some to Hyrule who very gently took it and awkwardly ate it.

“Where did you even find this?” Legend asked, his nose wrinkling as he sniffed some of the plants.

“With the Bullbo when we killed it. Finding plants is harder than meat out there,” Twilight responded.

“Took us a while to even find that beast,” Warriors added, walking over to the boar with Time in tow, “though how exactly are we supposed to eat it?”

“You just… eat it?” Twilight tilted his head, his ears flopping slightly, “Have you never dealt with an animal carcass before on what’s good and what isn’t?”

“No? Why would I?” Warriors asked in equal confusion.

“City boy over here has never needed to before,” Legend snorted from where he was eating the middle and not the ends of the plants, “Always had someone else to do it for him,”

“Oh like you are one to talk buck teeth,” Warriors tail flickered with mild annoyance, “I doubt you ever even cooked for yourself during your adventures,”

“Like you wou-” Legend started to retort.

“ENOUGH!” Time found himself barking it out, coughing, and looking to Twilight, “Humor us please,”

“Follow Wild’s lead: Grab a leg and go to town, mind the bones though,” Twilight nodded down to Wild.

Wild had already dove into the large bull, taking a front leg and ripping it off. Currently Wild was eating the meat from the leg a little away with practise ease. Honestly, Time would not be surprised if this wasn’t the first time he did something like this.

“....What?” Wild asked, looking up from the leg, a bit of meat hanging from his mouth.

“Nothing, just go back to eating,” Twilight spoke, managing a surprising amount of softness despite forcing his voice to be that gravely.

Once Wild did just that Twilight looked down at Wind- who was unsuccessfully doing just that- saying, “Not you, your teeth are much too small- just- here,”

With that Twilight went over to the back of the Bullbo, where claw marks made holes in the flesh, and took a large chunk out of it. With a sickening tearing sound, he tore it out and dropped it at Wind’s paws. The small otter looked surprised by the hunk of meat twice his size.

“There, the most tender piece of meat boars or pigs can have,” Twilight said after a moment, “You and Sky can share that, just let me know if you need more,”

Wind nodded, starting by taking a nibble, diving in eagerly afterwards. Sky did much the same thing, albeit a bit more composed. Perhaps it was the hunger, but Time found himself ripping out a hind leg and digging in. Warriors did the same after a moment of giving Twilight a look of slight confusion.

“Why aren’t you eating?” Warriors asked, everyone else already halfway through their meal, while Twilight hadn't even started his.

“I’ll eat once everyone else has their fill,” Twilight responded, not taking his eyes off of the exit to the upper floor.

“No,” Time side eyed the larger wolf, “You need to eat. Now,”

“I will wait until y’all have had your fill,” Twilight snapped, a small growl following it.

“Have you even eaten while in here Wolfs?” Wild joined in, noticeably frowning.

“Yes. The ‘night’ before I found you all,” Twilight answered snippily, “You all need it more,”

“You are bigger than anyone here-”

“I SAID I’M FINE!” Twilight snapped, snarling without a hint of remorse.

Everyone stopped eating, turning to look at Twilight with a shocked expression. Twilight, much less wolfie, never snapped at the others. Getting annoyed was common, but never full blown yelling at anyone. Even if they did know about how bitter he was after his journey.

It only took a moment for Twilight to realize what he did. His tail and ears went down, as his eyes widened. The gray wolf opened and closed his mouth before letting out an audible sigh.

“I- Sorry…” Twilight spoke slowly after another minute of complete silence, “I shouldn’t have snapped,”

“You’re good,” Wild almost unconsciously replied, “But like what was that? You’ve never done that before,”

Twilight’s ears were still flat against his head as he looked around the waiting Links. Time almost thought that Twilight would continue to be secretive. Though that was quickly pushed away as Twilight sat down with a deep sigh.

“... I heard the interlopers talking while they thought I was asleep. Part of the side effects of my larger form is being more ‘volatile’” Twilight finally managed to say, “That with enhanced senses, strength, and speed make for a dangerous combo,”

“Interesting,” Time tilted his head, “How long will you be like this?”

Interesting would not be a word Time would use alone, he was enraged. Twilight was captured and from the sounds of it, only recently escaped when they found him. No wonder the other wolf was blinded by rage and nearly harmed Warriors. It probably brought him back to the beginning of his journey, when he was forced into a cell.

Time found the manacle hard to not look at.

“Yeah, is there anything else with this curse we need to know?” Warriors added, pawing at the Bullbo leg he had.

“One of the interlopers said a week, and…” Twilight looked away, “...He told the others I will probably need more food than a typical wolf,,”

“Oh so you are just a dumbass then,” Legend groaned, “Why are you so determined to be a martyr?”

“You all need it more than I,” Twilight spoke, still looking away, “Transformations take a lot out of people, especially if you aren’t prepared,”

“All the more reason you should be eating,” Warrior coughed, “I mean- your body is now not only fighting the Zone’s corruption, but this spell and its’ side effects,”

As Twilight shot Warriors a slight glare, Time felt himself tense up. Did Warriors know Twilight’s secret? When did that happen, if ever? Twilight was decent about not slipping up, so how?

“Wait, what do you mean ‘corruption’?” Legend pointed out, now fully turned around.

“We saw a Bulbin corrupted by the Zone. According to Wolfie here it happens to all the monsters in the zone. We are protected because of our triforces, but he says it has never affected him,” Warriors explained, shooting a not so conspicuous stink-eye at Twilight, “That’s gotta use more energy than we do,”

“Animals aren’t affected by the Zones,” Twilight managed to growl out, “Not the cats in Castle Town, nor the chickens in Kakariko. I don’t know why, but that’s how it works,”

“Huh, well at least the triforce comes in handy for something,” Legend spoke sarcastically, raising a mock eyebrow while he looked at the pink paw that held his triforce, “That being said, you need to eat. We can’t have our guide passing out mid fight or something,”

“I said I would eat,” Twilight defended, “Just… after everyone else has their fill,”

“Nope, you gotta eat now,” Legend shrugged, “Everyone but you agree that you need to eat. So eat now, or we will tie you up and force you to,”

Twilight tilted his head, a small grin on his face, “Now how would you go and do that? Last I checked none of you are bigger than me,”

“Shouldn’t wolves know all about strength in numbers?” Warriors butted in, smirking, “Now fucking eat, or else the old man will butt in, and I know you- you do not want that,”

Twilight looked over to Time, his eyes wide and ears down. Time could not find it in himself to feel pity for the other wolf, not when he was purposely ignoring his own health. He needed to eat, just like the others said.

So, Time tilted his head slightly, giving Twilight a pointed look from where he sat across the Bulbo. Twilight huffed in defeat, and using his giant maw, Twilight took a chunk from the Bullbo’s shoulder.

Twilight flopped overdramatically a few feet from the corpse, the only noise coming from him was the noise of him eating the chunk of meat. The other Links went back to eating, the carnivores of the group going faster than the herbivores.

Time was finished quickly all things considered, looking up to see Warriors about done too. He needed to talk to Warriors about what he was saying earlier. Even if it leads to nowhere he needed to know.

“Captain,” Time spoke, waiting for Warriors to look up, “I need to speak to you. Alone.”

“Oooo,” Wind grinned, his tail wagging, “Cap is in trooouubbllleeee,”

Warriors scoffed, gently pushing Wind over, “Yeah right, I’ll be back in a minute,”

The two went down to the floor below them, the sound of the others talking fading into the background. Once on the lower floor, Time turned to look at Warriors, seeing the lion’s confused look on his face. Time held eye contact for as long as he could in this silent standoff.

“So why did you want to talk to me?” Warriors finally spoke, his head turning away from the staring contest.

“Do you know?” was all Time asked.

Warriors had a look of confusion before realization, “What- OH, yeah I know,”

“Know what exactly?” Time specified, hid nose wrinkling slightly.

“Probably more than you do,” Warriors walked up to Time, circling him teasingly, “Like how Twi’s a wolf in goat clothing, who exactly that Shade is, the magic that allows him to transform, and how CREEPY shadow Bulbins look,”

“What was that middle one?” Time asked, widening his one open eye.

“How he transforms? Yeah, it's that crystal that he wears on his neck. There is a whole traumatic story behind it. Though I have reason to suspect the stone gets lodged into his skull, cause of what Dusk did at the castle,” Warriors shrugged.

Time felt a headache coming along, “Not that- I already know how it works- You know who that poe is?”

“Oooohhhh yeahhh,” Warriors drawled out, his tail twinkling slightly as he came to the front of Time, “That was an interesting conversation- say did you know Twilight can actually hear the bastard when he talks? It was very confusing only hearing half of what was said between them,”

“Well who is it?” Time asked.

“Well, that’s the thing,” Warriors sighed, “You know I hate to lie to you, but Twi asked me to keep it a secret. Sorry squirt,”

Time let out a huff or irritation. So much for learning who that malicious spirit was to find out why it hates him so much. At the very least he now knew that Warriors actually knew Twilight’s secret. Though calling him by that nickname was unwarranted.

“So, we good? Or are you still going to put me through the ringer like the over protective wolf that you are?” Warriors teased, a grin showing off his large teeth present.

“I am not-” Time started.

A loud angry bark echoes through the chamber. It was followed by a loud pitched scream. A loud pitched human scream. The two Links shared a look, there was only one person that could make a bark that loud upstairs.

The wolf and the lion ran up the stairs, Warriors leading the way, and bounding up 4 stairs at a time. Time was close behind, trying his best to hear what was going on. The screaming had stopped but that didn’t mean whatever was going on stopped.

Once they were back in the chamber with the dead Bullbo, two things gained Time’s attention. First Twilight and Wild were gone, all that was left in their wake was cleaned off bones. Secondly there were crossbow bolts littering the floor, the only place being spared was the area underneath the stairs and the entrance.

“By the goddesses what happened here?!” Warrior yelled, his fur raising as he spoke.

“The interlopers came and started firing crossbow bolts,” Legend replied, hopping over from where he was hiding, “Wolfie drew their fire and chased those fuckers out. Wild went after him right before you two came back up,”

“Is everyone alright? Did anyone get hit?” Time demanded, his muscles tensing.

“We were all lucky,” Hyrule spoke up, sniffing an arrow as he got up, “Wolfie got nicked while distracting them, got real mad about it too,”

Time’s eye widened, smelling the air only confirmed what Hyrule said. The scent of blood was thick in the air, and as he looked around the room he saw the drying droplets on the stone floor leading up the stairs and out of sight.

Warriors saw the same thing, cursing as he asked, “What was the screaming about?”

“Wolfie got a hold of one of them on the upper floor,” Wind skittered in between Hyrule’s legs, only stopping because he ran into them, “He ran up those stairs faster than I’ve ever seen him move,”

“Like a bat out of hell,” Legend agreed, nodding as he stood on his hind legs, “Anyway, better go after the mutt before he does something he regrets. I’ll get the others down to the Great Fairy incase one of them comes back,”

“Good idea, but-” Warriors frowned, his ears pinned backwards, “How many did you see?”

“Two, a tall one and a short one,” Legend answered, “Don’t know where the third is, but I don’t think that matters at the current moment,”

“Right,” Warriors nodded, turning to Time, “Let’s go find him shall we?”

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

They were lost. A sandstorm had appeared so suddenly the wolf and lion had no chance to try and avoid it. The droplets of a bloody trail that they were following disappeared as the Sandstorm got worse. Neither could even smell the distinct iron scent that the blood had anymore, all of it lost to the wind.

“DO YOU SEE ANYTHING?” Warriors yelled, his voice quickly disappearing into the wind.

Time’s good eye squinted through the storm. He could barely see Warriors who was walking shoulder to shoulder with him, much less a foot away. That, paired with the darkness that the Zone was constantly in, made it nigh impossible to properly see anything.

It wasn’t like they could retreat back to the Cave of Ordeals if they wanted to anyway. All sense of direction was lost when they entered this sandstorm. Left and Right became foreign with how everything looked the same, even their pawprints disappeared soon after they were made.

“NO,” Time hollered at the top of his lungs, “LET’S GO STRAIGHT, MAYBE THEN WE CAN GET OUT OF THIS AND REGROUP,”

It was grueling in that sandstorm. It was like the wind was fighting them specifically, trying to keep them from getting out. Eventually though the sandstorm slowed down enough that Time and Warriors could escape.

Warriors and Time, now that they were no longer in the sandstorm, took to searching the endless twilight looking for their lost companions. They weren’t having much luck however. The trail of blood and paw indents in the sand had long since disappeared thanks to that storm. Nor could either hear anything over the howling wind.

It wasn’t like the two could go back to the cave and wait for Twilight and wind to come back either. They were just as lost as Twilight and Wild were to them. With no prior experience in this desert, everything looked the same. Even the small amount of cacti that could be seen all seemed to merge together.

That sandstorm ruined any and all trace that Twilight and Wild left in their wake. For the same reason they couldn’t even go back to the Cave of Ordeals to wait it out. Time couldn’t even track their scents, granted he was wildly inexperienced in such things, but that didn’t bode well for either of the links.

What Time would give for Twilight to start glowing again.

“Man, wouldn’t it be incredible if Rancher had a bell on him?” Warriors huffed, his tail twinkling as he surveyed the area, “The noise would help us find him at the very least, and then we could use his nose to find Wild,”

“Like Wild would leave Twilight’s side,” Time shook his head, a puff of sand leaving his coat, “Still can’t believe you found out his identity,”

“I can’t believe it’s taken me this long to put everything together,” Warriors sighed, his eyes squeezing shut for a moment, “It should’ve been so obvious. When one leaves, the other appears,”

“It does help that he had a few others covering him,” Time nodded, looking out, “That hardly matters now though. We either need to find them, or get back to the Cave. Either is extremely difficult without someone who knows this place,”

“Knows this place?” Warriors' eyes widened as he bared his teeth in lieu of a smile, “I have an idea, Come on!”

“What is it?” Time trotted after Warriors, tilting his head as they went to the top of a nearby sand dune.

“So do you know about the guy who taught Twilight all his fancy sword moves?” Warriors asked, looking around the top of the dune.

“Yes, the Hero’s Shade. But how do you know of him?” Time asked, his ears flicking as the sand picked up.

“Never mind that,” Warriors turned to look at him, his blue eyes bright with excitement, “Turns out that prick of a poe? Yeah that’s Shade, and being such a hardened old bastard, he HAS to know where those two are!”

Time blinked with confusion, “Why would he know that?”

“Think about it old man,” Warriors used one his paws to gesture to the desert expanse, “That bastard has been following us around for ages now. Twilight specifically, but he knew exactly where we were in comparison to Twilight and pointed us there. Therefore it stands to reason that he knows where Twilight is and where we are!”

Once again, Time was left wondering what exactly did Warriors see on his hunt out with Twilight. It made sense, but yet there was an odd look lingering in Warriors’ eyes. A knowing look that was muted just enough so that Time couldn’t understand why he looked at him like that.

It had been happening far too often for his tastes.

“That is a stretch by all standards Captain,” Time did his best to raise an ‘eyebrow,’ “How do you know that this will work?”

The lion had a somber look on his face a brief second before he went back to grinning, “Well you're here aren’t you? From your last encounter we know he HATES you with as much hate as his undead self can! So he might just do it out of spite or something,”

“....Really?”

“Yup! Don’t think too much about it right now!” Warriors cleared his throat before letting out a loud roar.

Time winced, leaning away as he heard Warriors roar out:

“SHAAADDDEEEEE I KNOW YOU'RE LISTENING! HELP US FIND WILD AND TWILIGHT!”

Silence overcame the two as they waited to see if anything would happen. Nothing did, but the air held an expectant note to it. Honestly it wouldn’t surprise Time if that poe was just waiting for Warriors to say please. It’s what he would do in this situation.

“.....Please?” Warriors added once the silence became too much.

Like clockwork, a soft glow appeared in the distance. It was the same golden color that radiated off of the poe before, but was much softer than what came off of Twilight during his rampage. It wasn’t too far away, but far enough that Warriors and Time would’ve taken ages without the soft beacon.

“See? Told ya,” Warriors looked smug, his tail twitching, showing just how smug he was, “Come on before Shade gets tired of waiting!”

Time shook his head, following at a slower pace over to the light. It was somewhat difficult for him to gain footing on the sand, he slipped every couple of feet. Eventually though he made it up to where Warriors was, and saw a peculiar sight.

Time could see Wild easily. The younger Link was pacing back and forth around a large hole that seemed oddly Twilight shaped. Time couldn’t see in the darkened hole from his position above it. From Wild occasionally sticking his head in the whole, Time assumed that’s where Twilight was.

The oddest thing was that across from Wild was a stag. An ancient one at that with unbelievably large antlers with vines and moss hanging from the end of each of the points. The fur was golden and white, it had a similar pattern to Time’s own fur, the difference being how the white on the stag was far more connected than it was on Time. Said fur was practically see through for Time, showing a hollow skeleton if he looked hard enough.

Time felt himself freeze as the Stag looked up at him and Warriors. It had one ‘good’ eye that glowed bright red as it looked at him, the other socket was completely black and hollow. It did not breathe, the only sign of life was its one eye that slowly filled with hate as it looked at him. It lifted up one of its cracked hooves, stomping it harshly against the ground.

The sand didn’t even stir at this movement.

Time’s hackles raised slightly. This was the shell of a man that Twilight was afraid of disappointing? A thing that Time has only seen with hate in its eyes, someone who used to be his descendant before Twilight? What a stain on the title of Hero that it bore even in death.

Blue met red as the two had this silent staring staring contest. The deer’s ear ever so slightly twitching at the sound of Wild’s voice. Out of the corner of his eye Time could see Warriors watching this with a frown, looking in between the two. Captain, after a moment, loudly sighed, shaking his head as he looked on with pity.

Wild’s ears perked up, turning around and looking up at the two, “Hey! When did you two get here?”

Warriors started to slide down, saying “We just got here a minute ago, say what’s with the hole?”

Time slowly followed, his eye never leaving Shade. He didn’t feel dread pooling in his gut this time but rather a feeling of uneasiness overcame him. During their last encounter he had never gotten so close to it. Now though, as Time shivered slightly, something in him told him that this poe would do nothing, not while Wild, Warriors, and Twilight were nearby.

“No clue,” Wild bent down slightly to peer into the hole again, “Wolfie started to dig, told me to stay up here to keep watch. That’s when the ghostly deer over there showed up,”

“Have you even heard anything from that damned Goat lover?” Warriors asked pointedly ignoring how Wild went slack jaw in favor of also peering down into the hole, “That had to be a cavern before he dug his way down there. Wonder what's down there that made him go down,”

Wild looked frantically between Warriors and Time, his eyes wide. The stag, for this first time, huffed with amusement, the one glowing eye now looking at Wild. Time frowned at the deer before looking back at Wild.

“He knows Cub,” Time grunted, ignoring how the Stag’s eye slowly turned back to him.

“Really? How did you find out his secret?” Wild practically demanded, his attention fully turned to Warriors, his ears perked.

“Eh, something just clicked after seeing how Twi and ‘Wolfie’ reacted the same to stuff,” Warriors briefly glanced up at the Stag, “Have you heard anything from that guy?”

Time stared at Warriors. He was lying, or at least partially. He used that tone of voice in the war to lie to Artemis about his plans. Not to mention how Warriors immediately changed the subject to something else. Something that was usually connected to the truth, but how?

Wild shook his head, not picking up on the lie, “I’ve heard Twi say some things, But deer has uttered a word since it got here. It has just been standing there, staring,”

“I can believe that,” Time tilted his head slightly, “How long have you two been waiting?”

“Not too long,” Wild noticeably frowned, “In fact, this is the quietest he has been,”

“Should we go after him?” Time glanced down for a second before looking back up at Wild.

“I don’t think we should,”

Both Time and Wild turned towards Warriors. He was staring at the Stag, his head tilting ever so slightly. Shade, in return, tilted his head slightly, the red eye softening slightly. Time shook his head at the sight, it seemed like this ‘Hero’s Shade’ just hated him in particular.

“What?” Wild tilted his head, looking in between the two, “Why?”

Warriors flinched slightly, his head quickly turning to survey the area, “I mean- he told you to stay up here for a reason. And he might need us up here to help pull him out of there,”

Time took this chance to actually look into the hole. The entrance was straight down, a limestone like wall lined the side Shade was closest to. The other side had a well worn passage down, like it was carved specifically for travel. If Time had to guess, this tunnel was made back when the Gerudo were still around. But how or why did Twilight find it?

“How would we even do that?” Wild nodded to the hole, “We don’t have hands anymore to help drag him out. Not that he would exactly let us do that,”

“Well, maybe he will find something down there, like a rope or something,” Warriors’ fur bristled ever so slightly, glancing at the deer.

Before Time could reply, Twilight’s slightly distorted voice echoed up to them:

“Everything still good up there Wil- What the fuck?!”

Shade had actually moved, far too quickly for Time’s liking, at the sound at Twilight’s voice. Its antlers were far too large for the entrance, so the stag’s head was hovering just above the hole, looking down into it. It even went so far as to lower its front half down to properly look at Twilight.

“Shade?! How did you- Time and Warriors are up there? Also why are you- Ah, right. Still doesn’t answer why you are here,” Twilight paused for a moment, “I got distracted and lost them,”

Time watched as the stag was motionless as it looked down, not a peep was coming from the poe. So this is what Warriors meant when only Twilight could hear the poe. But if this was the case, what was that voice he heard before?

Wild spoke up, his ears going straight back, “You lost them?! They SHOT you, what could have distracted you after that??”

Twilight’s voice was defensive, “I just got nicked, but I found something far more important. Just… give me a second to get out of here and we can continue this conversation,”

Time could hear the scraping of claws against stone, the manacle rattling as Twilight cursed. A light thud could be heard before the manacle rattled against the stone, picking up pace as the sound of scraping continued. Shade briefly lifted its head out of the entrance, as Time saw Twilight’s ear reach the top before descending back down with a loud thud.

“Pup are you alright!?” Time almost ran to the hole, but was frozen by the glare Shade sent him.

Time growled at Shade, hackles fully raised. Yet he did not walk any closer. It was just a poe, just what could it do to help? Time had a better chance of helping that it did.

“Fuck- Yeah I’m fine! Looks like it's going to be harder to get out then I thought,” Twilight voice was a relief to Time’s ears, distracting him from glaring at the poe.

Time watched as Shade slowly tilted his head, carefully adjusting until a large antler went through the hole as far as the Stag could manage. Its head was still out of the hole though, staring silently at the group. Its hooves now made an imprint into the sand, shifting slightly like it was preparing for something.

“Are you sure about this?” Twilight asked, his voice shaking ever-so slightly, “Ok, ok- give me a second for a running start,”

The sound of Twilight’s manacle grew quiet before the sound grew louder and louder. The sound of the manacle quieted as Shade’s head jerked down abruptly, a loud thud and whine echoed. Shade snorted, slowly pulling his head back up, its hooves digging in the sand as it backed up.

Soon after Twilight’s ears slowly became visible, then the rest of his head. Twilight was biting down on the antler with intense focus as his front paws managed to find a grip in the sand, pulling the rest of him up. He didn’t let go of Shade’s antler until he was completely clear of the hole.

“Thanks,” Twilight spoke as Shade bent down to sniff at the top of his head, “Yeah, I’m fine, just got the air knocked out of me,”

“See what I mean,” Warriors whispered to Time, “Confusing to hear only one side of the conversation isn’t it?”

Time didn’t respond, but he couldn’t help but agree.

As Shade stood back up fully, Time was surprised by the tender look in Shade’s one red eye. Despite the gray wolf’s large size, he was still easily dwarfed by the stag, only barely reaching up to the base of its neck. Time could now see a healed cut on Twilight’s shoulder.

The Stag looked at everyone one more time (sending a bone chilling glare at Time) before running up over a nearby sand dune. The golden stag’s light disappeared as it went over the dune. Twilight shook his head, a small smile on his face as he looked at where it disappeared to.

“Well, what did you find?” Wild asked, making Twilight jump and look around.

“Where are they…” Twilight mumbled, going back to the edge of the hole.

Time felt himself bristle as he spoke, “What are you doing? Get back from it!”

“Give me a second,” Was Twilight’s response before his voice softened, “It’s safe to come out,”

A soft pink light emanated from the hole as two small fairies floated out from it. One dragging a tied up paper, and the other a shard of pottery. Twilight gently took the paper from the fairy, placing it on the ground in front of the other 3 links. The small fairy then floated over to the other, helping to lift the pottery shard onto Twilight’s back.

“So you got distracted with a pot?” Warriors shook his head, “Where would you even put the rupee?”

“No, I didn’t,” Twilight glared at the smirking lion as he pawed open the map, “I found one of the containers The Great Fairy’s power, some captive fairies, and this map of their hideouts in this Zone,”

“But you still broke it?” Warriors said smugly, “Sounds to me like you were still distracted by a pot,”

“Captain…” Twilight growled, his ears slowly going back.

“Rancher…” Warriors replied, sounding like he was about to start laughing.

“Enough you two,” Time warned, earning a huff from the lion and wolf simultaneously.

“How are you sure this map is the real deal?” Wild asked, staring down at the map.

“I don’t,” Twilight nodded to the map, “The Great Fairy might though. Let’s head back and regroup,”

“What will we do after that?” Wild asked, helping to roll the map back up with his paws, gently grabbing it with his maw.

“Simple,” Twilight grinned, it looking more like a snarl, “We take those bastards down,”

#ancestor's legacy #lu twilight #linkeduniverse #linked universe #lu hyrule #lu legend #lu time #lu sky #lu wild #lu fic #lu wind #lu fanfiction #lu four #lu warriors #lu wolfie #Hope you enjoy!

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youcouldmakealife · 11 months ago

Text

LBTE: Jared (161-163)

Christmas, New Year's, and media.

If you'd like to read along, the series page is here.

161. Strategic Retreat

Final arc, baby!

Big ol’ summary to cover some ground because I DO need to end the story eventually, despite what Bryce thinks. So zoom, here comes Christmas.

Bryce being on LTIR means he doesn’t have to deal with media unless he explicitly seeks them out, and if the Canucks refuse to make Jared available for reporters, there’s not much they can do about it except like, shout questions in the parking lot.

Which does actually happen, incredibly; the security guards were apparently the right idea, but also, ironically, aren’t actually present the one time they’re needed. But Jared has Gabe and Dmitry with him, and Dmitry makes for a very friendly but also completely immovable barrier between said reporter and the getaway vehicle.

Except for the one scene before Christmas, in which Dmitry gets to play bodyguard and Gabe gets to play getaway driver, and they both have a blast.

“Who the fuck even was that?” Jared asks, twisting around to look through the back windshield as Gabe pulls out of his spot. “I’ve never seen them before in my life.”

“Should I take detours?” Gabe asks.

Jared thinks that’s unnecessary, but he also thinks Gabe looks hopeful, like maybe he’s always secretly dreamed of being a getaway driver.

“Can’t hurt,” Jared says.

Thank you for humouring Gabe’s ambitions, Jared.

Bryce looks down at the open suitcase, which is frankly more cords than clothes at this point. Bryce didn’t pack any cords whatsoever, which was a problem considering they have different phone models, and then there’s Jared’s laptop, and Bryce’s iPad, and backup cords for their phones, because they have a tendency to disappear, and Jared prefers his electric toothbrush, so he packed the cord for that, and —

Got to be prepared for everything in the great wilds of suburban Calgary.

But wait. Jared has parents. Parents who can retrieve things for them. Also they can get same-day delivery for just about anything. Maybe not on Christmas, but: parents. Dad would grumble, but he’d make the Christmas morning drive to Shopper’s Drug Mart. He’d probably even insist on it, rather than let either of them do it. Definitely before he let either of them drive his car.

Shoppers Drug Mart: your best friend when you realise on Christmas morning that you forgot to get someone a present.

“I don’t know,” Jared says. “I’m being ridiculous in my head, that’s all.”

“If you tell me, I promise I won’t judge,” Bryce says. “I’m ridiculous in my head all the time.”

<3 Bryce

The one tiny sliver of a silver lining to Bryce’s injury is that he isn’t going to be game ready until after their next game in Calgary. May miss playing in the Saddledome entirely this season, and selfishly, Jared hopes he does, not just so Bryce doesn’t have to deal with what they yell at him, but also so Jared doesn’t have to hear it, doesn’t have to know just how ugly it is. He wants to be able to come back there.

Something uniquely special about getting booed by your hometown team. Not in a good way.

Dad picks them up at the airport, and Jared doesn’t know if that’s because he’s worried some Uber driver will recognise them, or to continue the weird charade that Mathesons are a nice, welcoming family they all do whenever Elaine’s around. At some point they’re going to get tired, right?

Elaine continuing to bring out the best in everyone.

Dad and Elaine catch up in the front — well, Elaine catches dad up, dad just tells her all the food he’ll be making — as Jared takes the opportunity to nap on Bryce’s shoulder in the backseat, waking up for flickers of exit signs and snatches of appetizers and Elaine’s laugh, Bryce’s fingers threading through his as dad takes their exit, squeezing when they pull onto Jared’s street, a gentle wakeup call.

This is all very soft.

…insisting on taking Elaine and Bryce’s bags — ‘don’t want you to screw up the recovery timeline’ he told Bryce gruffly, but Jared has two hands and thirty less years on the planet, so he can probably handle it.

More baby steps!

“Can’t come, watching pots!” his mom yells as soon as they open the door, with the exasperated tone of someone who does not appreciate the duty they’ve been assigned, and dad beelines straight for the kitchen, presumably to make sure she didn’t fuck up pot watching.

‘Watch my pots’ is said way too frequently by Don considering nobody watching them knows what to look out for.

Erin shoves one into her mouth and puts a protective arm around the rest before she pulls her phone out, aiming it in their direction with intent while she chews bread in the most obnoxious manner possible.

Erin’s got the right priorities.

“Not awful, I’m going to post it,” Erin declares, but she shows the picture to him and Julius first — Jared guesses they’re all a little gun shy where social media is involved right now. She’s right though, it’s not awful, and Jared doubts anyone who doesn’t know him personally could see all the spite in that smile. Julius scoffs at it, so Jared definitely didn’t fool him, but strangers? They’ll buy it.

Jared smiles rarely enough that you’d have to know him quite well to be able to differentiate his smiles. Julius is one of the few who can.

“Guard my rolls from these thieves, Elaine,” Erin says, then somehow bullies Jared and Julius onto one half of the couch while taking the other half for herself.

All the right priorities.

Jared would argue, but he peers over Erin’s shoulder to see a picture of them wearing the same fake smile on their faces while Julius looks faintly terrified between them. Exact same. It’s horrible. And Jared can’t even make a face at Erin right now, in case she makes the same face back.

She would make an identical face and Jared knows it.

They get a better one later, one where Jared and Erin look related but not too related, and Julius doesn’t look traumatised, and dad has an objectively ridiculous expression on his face, which will hopefully quiet some of the ‘Don Matheson is a silver fox’ narrative — Jared doesn’t know if that’s still a thing, and he’s afraid to ask in case it is — and Elaine looks like she just popped in from a complete different, much fancier event. Bryce is just a sweater sleeve and a ringed hand on Jared’s knee, because he was reaching for the wine when Jared’s mom took the picture, but that still would have made this a picture that would have needed to be deleted, or at least cropped, Bryce carefully excised from the frame.

But instead, when Erin asks if she can post it, Jared shrugs and looks at Bryce, who shrugs right back, and they collectively ignore his dad’s protests that it’s an awful picture of him as Erin fiddles with approximately seventeen different filters before posting it for all to see.

Bryce just a sleeve and a hand, but he’s there! And of course everybody knows exactly whose hand it is. A small thing compared to the media they’re going to be doing, but after years of carefully censoring what photos make it to social media (or are taken at all), this is a small thing that means a lot.

162. Ritual

When the clock strikes midnight on Christmas, Jared’s drowsy, contentedly full of dinner — ‘don’t expect this tomorrow’ his dad warned, but Jared is fully expecting a repeat, judging by the overloaded fridge and his mom’s longsuffering expression — and also pie, because his dad made a fucking pie. From scratch. He’s officially out of control and Jared will happily reap the benefits.

Don’s cooked throughout Jared’s life, albeit mostly in a ‘let’s get food on this table before your game’ sort of meals, rather than his new passion for it, but pie? PIE? The closest thing to baking his dad did before was pancakes, and Jared’s pretty sure that doesn’t count.

Elaine’s gone back to the hotel room she got rather than kick Bryce and Jared out of his room, his parents to bed. Bryce is asleep, Jared’s pretty sure — he put his head in Jared’s lap after the third jaw cracking yawn, and hasn’t moved a muscle since. Julius doesn’t look like he’s far behind, slow blinking like a toddler fighting sleep, though if Jared says as much he’s going to get something thrown at him, and while he’s almost certain he could dodge it given Julius’ current condition, he doesn’t want to disturb Bryce when he looks so comfortable.

This whole scene is very soft.

“Hey,” Erin says, and when Jared looks over, she takes a picture.

“Delete that,” Jared says immediately.

And then Erin happens.

“Not that one,” Jared says. He doesn’t even need to look at it to know it isn’t one he wants people to see. “It’s too — not that one.”

For all Bryce said 'what’s the point of coming out just to pretend to be different people', Jared needs that distance between him and his relationship and what people see of him and said relationship.

“Who turns ‘hey you’ into a pet name?” Jared asks. “What’s next, ‘sup dude’?”

“Okay babe,” Erin says.

“We barely even use babe, so whatever,” Jared says.

You shameless liar.

“Bryce? Bed?”

“S’that, babe?” Bryce mumbles, and Erin gives Jared a mocking look. Jared doesn’t know how she understands Bryce from across the room when Jared can’t understand Julius after literally living with the guy, but it’s probably helpful that it’s just sleepy, rather than sleepy and/or Finnish.

You deserve that look. Also do not start competing with your sister on ‘who can understand mumbles better’ Jared, I swear.

“I told him that, but he got all ‘what do you know, you’ve just known Jared since the day of your birth’,” Erin says. “‘I am the only one who truly knows him, due to our sacred former liney bond’.”

I will have you know she says this in a gruff monotone with a faintly sardonic expression on her face.

“You know half of what he says is just looks,” Erin says. “The withering look definitely said ‘Erin, you must know the sacred liney bond is much deeper than something as simple as blood’.”

This time she curls her lip.

Jared swears he knows exactly what look she’s talking about, but for him it was ‘Jared, you cannot possibly understand the nuances of the music I listen to with your weak North American ears, now apologise to the Finnish death metal bands you confused’.

This is the softest, fondest Matheson mockery.

“Can’t believe you stole my liney,” Jared says.

“You abandoned him in Edmonton,” Erin says.

The door to Erin’s room opens, and Julius scowls out at them. “Stop talking about me,” he says.

“Why would we even talk about you?” Jared says, over Erin’s, “Big head, much?”

I love them.

Julius gives them a withering look, then shuts the door.

“I’d say that one was ‘pathetic, who taught you how to lie?’” Jared says.

“With a dash of ‘I am on the other side of the door and have ears, Mathesons’,” Erin agrees.

They both adore him.

“He shouldn’t do that,” Jared says, skating over to Gabe.

Gabe gives him a questioning look, and Jared reminds himself that Gabe isn’t actually psychic.

It’s easy to forget considering he always seems to read Jared’s mind. Or, more accurately, the expressions Jared doesn’t hide as well as he thinks he does.

And nothing — not being dirty, not being selfish, not being cocky, not being a convicted fucking criminal — is as bad in this league as being a whiner. Maybe diving comes close, if you do it incessantly. Maybe.

Sad truth.

The last thing Jared needs to be is the gay guy who is also a whiner.

Jared absolutely has a legitimate concern here because he knows people are looking for things to dislike about him that aren’t who he’s married to.

“Hey, Jared?” Gabe says. “You’re not the only player on the ice that sign was directed at, whether they know it or not. Not everything is about you.”

But yeah, this.

“It’s okay,” Gabe says. “Just keep that in mind. And also keep in mind a lot of kids are paying extremely close attention to how people are treating you and Bryce right now, and that’s not the kind of shit I want them to be seeing.”

Also this.

“They’re going to say you’re stealing Bryce’s man,” Jared says, and gets Gabe’s glove in his face in response. He spends too much time with Dmitry. They all spend too much time with Dmitry, Jared very much included.

“Leaving me out!” Dmitry says, crashing into both of them, and nearly sending Jared into the boards.

Did someone call for more Dmitry?

Jared’s first kiss of the new year is a smacking one on the cheek from Dmitry fucking Kurmazov. He doesn’t know what that signifies, but he doubts it’s anything good.

It indicates another year of Dmitry, lucky you.

“Mom’s drunk,” Bryce says.

“I’m not drunk!” Elaine says loudly. “I am celebrating a new year with my beautiful baby boy, who I am so proud of. You too, Jared. I’m so proud of you too. You boys have been so brave, and I am so proud of both of you.”

“Mom’s drunk,” Bryce repeats.

Elaine is a very happy drunk, to the surprise of no one, I’m sure.

Jared would take a drunk Elaine over Dmitry any day.

“Aw mom,” Bryce says. “Why are you crying, don’t cry.”

Also an emotional one.

“You’re hiding somewhere,” Bryce says. “Vending machine room?”

Jared scoffs. He’s not an amateur, and that’s the worst possible hiding place, considering people tend to actually use it.

“There’s this nook kind of thing,” Jared says. “It has a couch for some reason. I have no idea who the hell designed this place.”

Look at this trust on display. Not even a moment of suspicion before he tells Bryce his exact location.

“How did you even find me?”

“Bullet,” Dmitry says, and Jared, mentally rewinding his conversation with Bryce, realises he’s been betrayed by the person he loves most in the world.

Jared is the most dramatic person in the entire world.

“Math,” Gabe says, after handing Jared another hard seltzer and listening to Jared’s complaints. “Buddy.”

“You’re going to tell Stephen about this, I know,” Jared says.

Gabe waves a hand. “He’s bored of these stories by now.”

This is the meanest thing Gabe has ever said to Jared.

Jared takes his hard seltzer and his remaining shreds of dignity and relocates himself to the video game playing room, where people won’t kiss him or tattle on him or refuse to tattle on him.

Poor Jared, so hard done by.

163. Take Five

The problem with Bryce and Jared putting off any and all interviews until the new year is that, inevitably, the new year arrives.

Every procrastinator’s nightmare: when later becomes now.

Not that their agents aren’t involved or anything, but Jared’s imagining Greg trying to field all the interest, and it’s not a pretty picture. Summers is a different story, but Summers also recently found out that Bryce has Jared’s name tattooed on his chest, and as a result Summers is currently not particularly happy with them.

Dave is so tired. So tired.

“We have interest from hockey journalists, obviously,” Grace says. “But also some 2LGBTQ+ media, and some local lifestyle pieces, which we think are probably a good idea considering Bryce was born and raised here. Makes you Vancouver’s, you know? Not just Vancouver Canucks. And then there’s some mainstream national interest. We’ll let Bell and Rogers fight over who gets dibs. Presumably Rogers will take it, considering they have our broadcast rights, but I wouldn’t count Bell out. There are a lot more eyes on CTV than City.”

Blah blah blah, Canadian telecom stuff (Rogers (Sportsnet) has NHL rights, Bell (TSN) gets the leftovers, also they co-own the Leafs? Canada is just several monopolies in a trenchcoat). Also 2LGTBQ+ is Approved Government Order of the acronym in Canada — putting two-spirit first.

“Telecom cockfight,” Jared says. “Don’t worry about it.”

“Wait, like roosters, or like—“ Bryce says, then gestures at his lap.

Grace returns to Jared in tears of laughter and Bryce indignantly saying, “You’re never going to let go of the truffle thing!”, which means, of course, that Jared has to tell her about the truffle thing, but only after he catches his breath again and manages to force himself to stop picturing a literal cockfight.

Bryce’s grandchildren will hear about the truffle thing. Not the cockfight, though.

“You know,” Grace says. “You two just keep being like this and everything is going to go perfectly.”

Grace why.

“What is wrong with you!” Grace says, throwing her hands up. “Why are you being like this right now, I know you have personalities! They’re good personalities!”

Jared shrugs, while Bryce commences a brand new sulk.

You brought this upon yourself, Grace.

“You’re in front of cameras all the time,” Grace says. “You’re used to interviews.”

“Talking about hockey, not, you know, us,” Jared says. “It’s not hard to rattle something off about having a good group of guys and getting pucks deep. It’s pretty much scripted for you.”

Plus people’s expectations for how articulate you are are pretty low when you’re panting and wiping your sweaty face. ‘uh, we had, uh, a pretty good twenty minutes, and um, I like our effort and we just gotta keep it up and stay in their zone and uh, we’ll be good’. ‘thanks for your time’ ‘yup.’

“Okay, fair enough,” Grace says. “Then — just say nice things about Jared. You love saying nice things about Jared.”

She found it. She found the button.

“Plus, Jared has to listen to you saying them,” Grace says. “And he can’t cut you off in the middle without looking like a jerk on TV.”

“Hey!” Jared says, as Bryce looks increasingly thoughtful.

Nailing that button, you got this Grace.

“Try to convince the viewers to love Jared as much as you do,” Grace says. “Shouldn’t be too hard, right?”

“I don’t like you very much right now,” Jared says through his teeth, as Bryce cracks his first smile of the day.

And Bryce Marcus has officially changed his stance on media. Get him in front of a camera, he has a husband to embarrass with his gushing.

Bryce and the interviewer have a nice little laugh together, and Jared adds ‘smart’, to join so great at cooking, so fun and so funny, and so supportive, which certainly is Bryce changing his tune from after shoulder surgery. Also ‘just look at him’, which Jared doesn’t quite classify as a compliment, but knows Bryce means as one.

And just look at Jared: face on fire, because he is in hell.

Sucks to be you, Jared, you smart, fun, funny, supportive, hot as fuck cook.

(Jared would argue he is maybe half of those things.)

"You don’t have to say nice things about me, babe,” Bryce says. “I don’t mind.”

Jared’s three defiant compliments into his interview before he realises Bryce knows him a little too well.

How does it feel to be handled, Jared?

He goes to slump into Bryce, realises they’re in public, then realises that doesn’t matter.

Bryce wraps an arm around his shoulders, kisses the side of his head.

In public! Not in front of their friends, or family, or team, but a bunch of total strangers (albeit total strangers who had to listen to compliments about Jared ad nauseum)

“I don’t actually give you a look like ‘how did you even graduate high school’, do I?” Jared asks.

“Sometimes,” Bryce says.

“Fuck,” Jared says. “I’m sorry.”

“In your defence, the last time you did was because I thought Alaska was an island,” Bryce says.

BC and Alaska are ATTACHED. (Bryce says in his defence they always show it as little floating land in the north in maps of America. Jared says ‘IT BORDERS YOUR PROVINCE’)

It actually got interesting with a few American towns bordering BC when the US-Canada border was closed to non-essential traffic — some Alaskan kids went to school in BC, and Point Roberts, Washington is basically surrounded by Canada (look at it on a map if you want to laugh), so they had some significant issues.

But also Jared feels bad and he will try not to give Bryce that look going forward.

“You’re giving me the face again,” Bryce says.

“Okay, but seriously, B,” Jared says, and Bryce tips his head back and laughs.

BUT SERIOUSLY.

#liveblogging the end

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th3-0bjectivist · 5 months ago

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1500 FOLLOWERS CELEBRATION post w/ page mascot Springin' Chip!

Heya folks! Springin’ Chip here with a very special celebratory post! This last week, th3-0bjectivist hit 1500 followers! To be fair, about a quarter of his followers are more than likely AI pornbots, but let’s not get hung up on unnecessary details! Being a canine, there’s very little that I can personally offer our audience on Tumblr… save for some drool, dog snot, and poop. So, we’re going to celebrate the only way I know how!

Pictured with me in this photoset is my big sister, Ruby, and for this commemorative post you get to watch me beat her up! I assault my big sister all the time these days, sometimes for no reason, numerous times a day! I think she likes it! If weight class and overall size were a factor, Ruby could just brush my little Spaniel ass aside like a dust bunny. But she plays well with me, and just lets me kinda passively dominate her most days. Works for me! On with the festivities!!!

And now for some page lore! About a decade ago, th3-0bjectivist was comically barely known as v3ritasartiste on Tumblr. It was a page centered around conspiracy theories… and art, and music. And whooooooo boy, did it suck ass through a bamboo straw! The layout was atrocious, the conspiracy-addled dipshit in charge of the page had no idea what he was doing because he was high out of his mind on government-strength sativa and indica strains 24/7, and nothing he posted made a lick of sense! After gaining a whopping 78 followers over two years, butt-hurt and utterly disregarded, v3ritasartiste shut down his page out of pure frustration.

Yeah, take that Ruby! Years later, during the stay-at-home fallout from ***THE UNSPECIFIED VIRUS FROM UNKNOWN ORIGINS***, v3ritasartiste became th3-0bjectivist with three main goals in mind: 1. Jettison the conspiracy bullshit entirely 2. Create a page that actually makes contextual sense 3. Promote art, both own and others. And, by gum, it worked! Well… sorta. There was still a learning curve and he pissed off a few people to start things off (those blocks were well-earned in retrospect) because he was too brash and cocky, but some social refinement and further diversification of materials led us to where we are today. 1500 and counting!

Do ya see how Ruby just lets me rule her!? She could swallow me in a single gulp, damn I love her so much! Getting back to the point of this post, th3-0 wants you to know he greatly appreciates your follows, your likes, reposts, and most importantly your presence here on Tumblr! You may not realize it, but we’re all on a journey together while we’re on this platform. th3-0 has been able to share some of his joys, sorrows and art with you over the years… and those moments aren’t just precious, they are the universal moments that bring us all together as a species. Well… not me personally per se. Just to be clear, I’m a dog! Th3-0, who is a human, just wanted me to express those things to you… yeah, that’s the ticket.

Unlike last year, we’re at full mast with new art. We’ve got plenty of new paintings coming which just need to be more fully realized. We’ve practically cornered the market on original painting-animations on Tumblr, and musical entries and snarky commentary will continue to flow like wine until we’ve determined they are no longer working for us (which will be NEVER). Warts and all, th3-0bjectivist LOVES Tumblr. And just a reminder, if you’re ever interested in purchasing some canvas work, which would really help us, just head on over to our page on DeviantArt and browse the selections in the Featured section. Our wall decorations can make your home or business weirder and more wondrous at the same time! Tumblr restricts gifs to a pathetic 10MB download, which severely confines the visual quality of the gifs. But on DeviantArt, all our artistic gifs are available in high definition and they’re free to download!

Time for a nap with my big sis…. while th3-0bjectivist deletes 386,712,364,871,236,857,623,547,612,376,451,457,282,367,487,264 pornbot messages from his Tumblr inbox! Thanks Tumblr, we love you all!

Until next time fellow literate dogs, ¬ Springin’ Chip for th3-0bjectivist

The 0bjectivist on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2sONH8IwzL_2sZie0ZNSnw/

I’m also on BitChute: https://www.bitchute.com/channel/uvKfJpNkzkIL/

FULL ART GALLERY on Instagram at: https://www.instagram.com/th3_0bjectivist_gallery/ <---- screw that garbage website, we deleted our profile this year!

FULL ART GALLERY on DeviantArt at: https://www.deviantart.com/th3-0bjectivist/gallery

#page update #Springin' Chip #thank you followers!#this page #celebratory post #Ruby #page mascot #dogs on tumblr #dogblr #springer spaniel #new painting next week #this blog will continue as is until there is a needed change #my dogs

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hrodvitnon · 8 months ago

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Some Thoughts on GxK

So, now that I’ve had a bit of time to collect my thoughts regarding GxK, I figured I’d share them in more detail. So without further ado, here goes!

Pros:

- The action was absolutely fantastic, although I do wish some of the fight scenes had been a little longer.

- I enjoyed all four of the main human characters in this one: I thought Ilene Andrews & Jia’s relationship was actually really well-done, and the dynamic between Trapper & Bernie was hilarious. Also, I feel like Trapper is definitely the Steve Irwin of Monarch in terms of how he views & interacts with the Titans. ��

- Highlight was definitely the scenes that focused just on the interactions between the Titans, especially Kong & Suko, the first meeting between Kong & the other Great Apes, and the reunion of Godzilla & Mothra (which was absolutely adorable).

- Goji channeling his inner cat and taking that nap in the Colosseum was amazing, and the fact that he went back to take another nap there at the end of the movie was a perfect cherry on top. 😂 (Although I wish Mothra had gone back there with him at the end.)

- Skar King was a really fun villain; he might not be quite as imposing as Ghidorah or Mechagodzilla, but he’s just as scary, and I feel like he definitely made up for not being as physically powerful by having so much personality & intelligence.

- Shimo is so sweet, and I love her so much! 🥺 They did a really good job of making her sympathetic; I felt so bad for her while she was under Skar King’s control, and the way she acted after she finally got her freedom was so pure and sweet. Also, I love that she technically got to kill her abuser, even if Kong was the one who finished him off after she froze him.

- All the new Hollow Earth creatures were really cool, and Doug popping in and stealing part of Kong’s lunch legitimately cracked me up. 🤭

- Cool to see Scylla’s return and Tiamat’s onscreen debut, even if they didn’t last very long. I also couldn’t help but laugh a little at the fact that Godzilla killed both of them using his “Kiss of Death” tactic from the 2014 movie.

- I’d seen some of the rumors & leaks regarding Mothra beforehand, but I still got so excited when they finally name-dropped her, and her glorious return did not disappoint! Also, again, her reunion with Godzilla was super-cute, and I love the little detail that despite all of his aggressive behavior in the previous movie and most of this one, he visibly calms down as soon as she shows up and stays that way for the rest of the film.

Cons:

- Some of the film did feel kinda rushed. It wasn’t too bad, but I feel like they definitely could’ve extended it by a half-hour to expand some of the action scenes and some of the character development a little more. The Rio fight, in particular, felt a little too rushed & short compared to the final battles of the other MonsterVerse movies.

- Like I said, I’m really glad that we finally got Mothra back, but the whole “Iwi prophecy” explanation for her return felt kinda weird & unnecessary. Why is Jia somehow the only person who can wake Mothra up? Where did Mothra’s new incarnation come from, since it seems like it wasn’t from the egg that Monarch found in the credits of KOTM? Why is her cocoon invisible until Jia touches it? (I guess that last one’s probably for camouflage purposes, but it did seem kinda weird.) I feel like they probably could’ve just had her already be awake & protecting the Iwi in her new body, and ditch the whole prophecy subplot in favor of Jia just bonding more with the Hollow-Earth Iwi tribe instead.

- The fact that both Scylla and Tiamat were killed off as soon as they showed up was a bummer, although I did enjoy both of those fights.

- And although I do like the look of Godzilla’s new Evolved form, it didn’t really feel very important, if that makes sense? Like, when he unlocked his Burning form against Ghidorah back in KOTM, it was really important in terms of the story and also gave his character some additional depth by emphasizing his symbiotic relationship with Mothra, but here it felt like he could’ve played the exact same role in the story without that new transformation.

Overall, I really enjoyed this one! Not my favorite of the MonsterVerse films (currently, I’d say my ranking from favorite to least favorite is KOTM, GvK, GxK, G2014, and KSI), but it was still a solid, fun Kaiju film, and I’m definitely planning on seeing it again while it’s still in theaters.

Oh yeah, big same all around! I definitely also expected the Rio fight to have more going on, and it would have been cool if Shimo was the one to end Skar King rightly in repayment for the hell he put her through. Mothra just suddenly appearing out of nowhere like that had me tilting my head, like what if her egg (somehow) was brought to the Hollow Earth and was chilling out on that pyramid in the cocoon stage, finally releasing when Jia did her thing (I didn't read it as Mothra's cocoon being invisible... time for a second viewing!); also surprising that Ilene didn't mention "oh yeah, Mothra, she laid an egg last time she was alive" or at least work in some way that Mothra could feasibly show up. The sudden prophecy subplot was odd, but okay movie, you do you. Maybe this will get cleared up in the novelization?

#shadowblade217 #godzilla x kong: the new empire #gxk spoilers

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twilightmalachite · 8 months ago

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Poltergeist - Garbage Heap Sketch 2

Author: Akira

Characters: Madara, Anzu, Natsume

Translator: Mika Enstars

Proofer: Revoltrad

"Our president sure is unreliable, huuuh… How can you make a wish come true if you aren’t a god, but a mortalll?"

[Read on my blog for the best viewing experience with Oi~ssu ♪]

Season: Winter

Location: Mountain Forest

Madara: Hahaha! Clear as day! The atmosphere feels suffocating, and there’s suspicious-lookin’ scrap wood strewn about everywhere!

This wood looks like it burned at a high temperature… Perhaps this is why there’s somethin’ suspicious' in the air[1], hmm?

I have a feelin’ there’s definitely some strange flowers blooming here again[2]—Hm?

Yeah yeah, I gotchaaa. Let’s stop with the detours and head on then, Anzu-san.

To Maizuru House, the topic of our discussion.

While it’s true I’d hoped to be doing this MaM-like job solo… I’m a bit concerned about what I’m going to be asked to dooo…

Our president sure is unreliable, huuuh… How can you make a wish come true if you aren’t a god, but a mortalll?

Location: Maizuru House (Exterior)

Natsume: Mikejima-senpa~i. ♪

Welcome to the Maizuru House children’s orphanaGE…♪

Madara: Oooh? Natsume-san! What a coincidence to meet you here!

Natsume: Do you seriously think it’s a coincidenCE? Not even a little bIT, I’m a helper sent to assist you on your jOB, you knOW.

Madara: A helpeeer? Hahaha, that’s usually what my job is!

Natsume: That’s because things are fundamentally different than usual this time arouND. The leading role for this job is MaM—a.k.a. yOU, Mikejima-senpai, rigHT?

We’re just here to accompany yOU—a supporting roLE, so to speAK.

Madara: “We?” It’s not just you who was sent out, Natsume-saaan?

Natsume: Seeing is believiNG. As I guide you around the Maizuru House, I’ll introduce you to the other staff membeRS. And to the children tOO, of courSE.

Madara: Children?

Natsume: What did you think this place wAS? It’s an orphanaGE. So, naturalLY, there are about thirty or so very young children living heRE.

Be extra careful not to step on thEM, “Mr. Giant.”[3]

Madara: I’ll do my best…

Natsume: WonderfUL. Well thEN, I’ll show you around and inform you of the various things you need to know and about the work that you’ll be doiNG.

Madara: That’d be greaaat. To be honest, I don’t have a single clue what’s going on right nooow.

Natsume: I’m suRE. The president’s to blame for that tOO… Even if that’s just who he iS, that makes it even worSE. The cameras have already begun rolliNG, and the program has already startED.

So you can’t run away now like you usually do just because you don’t like the job descriptiON, okAY, Mikejima-senpai? ♪

Madara: ……?

Natsume: NoW, coME. Follow after mE.

And just to be cleAR, don’t do anything unnecessaRY, okAY?

You absolutely cannot wander around without permissiON. I will explain the details latER, but there are some rather dangerous areAS—Such as right heRE.

Madara: Yessir. I may not understand why, but I understaaand!

Madara: (Hm~… This is a strange situation I’m in, huuuh.)

(I had said I wanted to do work as MaM, but it was asked sooomewhat in jest. I wasn’t expecting something like this at all.)

(There’s no way I can live as a proper idol after all this tiiime…)

(I feel restless and uncomfortable through and through.)

(Speaking of discomfort, this building, too… This Maizuru House. Isn’t it too quiet for a place with about thirty children living in iiit?)

(Is this how it usually iiis? Or maybe it’s nap time now? Hmm, I’m not often around kids, so I’m not suuure?)

(Even if I try to remember when I was a child to use as reference…)

(Mmm, I think I was a pretty special caaase.)

(Maybe because I grew to be more mature than the other kids; I was always doing things like taking care of the neighborhood children and my sister, who was always in poor condition, as well as “god”.)

(Even though I was just a kid, too. Hahaha, what a difficult and painfully gray childhood!)

(Well, it’s not like I didn’t enjoy taking care of everyone else.)

(If anything, back then I think I was smiling more innocently and normally than I do now.)

(I wonder: Exactly when the hell did I become the twisted person I am nooow?)

[ ☆ ]

← prev | story directory | next →

In Japanese, something suspicious/fishy is described as a “scorched smell”.

Likely referring to A Myriad of Colors and Flowers, where petals from a strange flower (ones distinct to the flower garden he planted by the Shinkai residence) are hidden as bait to lure him out.

“Mr. Giant” is the appellation that Sora uses for Madara!

#poltergeist #mam #event #translation #madara mikejima #anzu #natsume sakasaki

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arizona2004 · 2 years ago

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Courts of Love and Hate. CH10

Nyx x Juniper (Tamlins daughter)

WC: 3166

Nyx

The morning passes slowly. After sleeping in we eat breakfast then lay on the floor, in what’s supposed to be a foyer, and make a list of everything we need to buy for the house. I can hardly stand not touching her at every possible opportunity so when another note from my parents arrives asking us to come over for dinner, I have every intention to tell them no and keep her all to myself.

Juniper has a different idea, though. Snatching the note from my hand, she jotted down a quick response, allowing it to disappear on its own.

“Juniper,” I groan.

“What? We’ve been in here for nearly three days; we should go have dinner with your family. Besides, it would be rude for us to go out shopping today and not at least stop by.”

I relent when she gives me that sultry smile of hers and leans in to kiss me again. I want to get distracted kissing her and bending her over the countertop but she pulls away after a few moments.

“Let's get dressed and go shopping.”

Out of the house within the hour, we head deep into the city to look at furniture. This is definitely Juniper's scene. Design is one of her favorite past times, her face just lights up when she finds furniture that will “bring the whole room together perfectly.”

I have absolutely no idea what she’s talking about but the happy expression on her face brings a smile to mine. We place several orders to have furniture delivered to the house and grab paint samples for a few of the rooms.

Then, before Juniper can drag me into another store, I pull her to a small restaurant with outdoor seating and force her into a chair. Within the minute someone is taking our order and rushing away to make it.

“This is really pretty.”

“Mmm,” I hum, “it’s not one of the ones on the Sidra, though. Those are the best restaurants in the city.”

“Really? They’re probably extra beautiful at night then.”

“Yeah. I can take you to one for dinner tonight,” I offer.

“And skip dinner with your parents?”

“I was hoping you’d forgotten.”

She just shakes her head in response, smiling as the waiter sets her plate of food down infront of her.

Hours later we fall into bed, virtually the only furniture in the house, and try to take a short nap but get distracted and end up more exhausted than before. It’s a rush to get ready for dinner with my parents and we still end up a little late. Juniper’s way more concerned about it than me.

“They’re gonna think I’m not punctual, or a flake.”

“No they won’t,” I sya, trying not to laugh at her unnecessary concern. “We never start dinner on time anyway. And they’ll be more than understanding since we’re newly mated.”

Her cheeks turn the most beautiful shade of pink, the same color as her rosy dress. “You look amazing, by the way,” I say, pulling her closer. “I don’t think I told you that yet.”

“You did. Several times actually.”

“Did i?”

She just rolls her eyes which then go wide as I pull us to a stop in front of the River House.

“Woah.”

“Do you like it?”

“It’s beautiful,” she says, openly gawking.

“Be sure to tell my mom. She designed it.”

“Really?”

“Mhmm, she’s an artist. She designed and decorated just about everything. The garden’s my aunt's doing, though.”

We walk up to the house and the door swings open before we’re even five feet away. Juniper’s obviously still anxious besides me so I grip her hand in mine and resist the urge to punch my smirking uncle in the face where he stands in the doorway.

“I thought it would just be dinner with your parents,” Juniper whispers in my ear.

“No, it’s Sunday: family dinner night.”

“Oh.”

“Don’t worry, it’s probably easier this way,” I say, kissing her forehead before returning my attention to the door. “Uncle Cassian. Any particular reason for blocking the doorway tonight?”

“I was thinking about letting the creatures outside,” he jokes.

“What did I tell you about referring to the children as animals?” Aunt Nesta says, smacking him upside the head as she walks by.

He just rubs the back of it, smiling widely, and moves to the side for us to walk in. My three youngest cousins run by screaming as soon as we step in. One’s Cas and Nesta’s second and the other two are Uncle Azriel’s and his wife’s, all ranging four to eight years old.

I pull Juniper toward the sitting room, ignoring the creatures, and search out the only other person close to our age- Nesta and Cassian’s other daughter, Lenny.

We saw her briefly during the wedding, but I’m eager for her and Juniper to get to know each other more. “Lenny. You remember Juniper, yeah?”

“Was I supposed to forget your sudden arranged marriage?” She raises her brows at me and stands from her seat, gently setting her book to the side.

“He again,” Juniper says from my side. “If I recall correctly you’re Nyx’s closest friend and cousin.”

“Yep, and I used to be his closest confidant too, but it seems he moved on once I moved out to the steeps.”

“The steeps?”

“Illyrian Steeps,” I say. “My Dad offered her a chance to run one of the camps when she turned eighteen last year. She’s there more often than here now.”

“Yeah, I’m only here for a whole week so that those idiots can realize they’re barely surviving without me.”

Juniper

I smile, immediately deciding I like Lenny. I barely saw her during the wedding, but being able to talk to her I realize we have a lot in common.

I especially enjoy when she tells funny stories about Nyx and he turns beet red from embarrassment. I’m certain he’s grateful when his mother calls us all into the other room for dinner.

We file into the dining room with a large oak table running through it, to find everyone already seated, pulling out chairs, or struggling to get children to hold still. The only seats with placements in front of them remaining are two at the closer end and, to my surprise, the seat at the head of the table.

“I suppose I’ll leave the two of you then,” Lenny says and walks to the end.

“If we have an even amount of people then no one really sits there, but there's thirteen of us tonight,” Nyx says, answering one of my many silent questions.

“Speaking of,” Cassian starts, “should we be worried? Isn’t thirteen a bad omen?”

“Oh, shut up, Cassian,” the woman I recognize as his wife says.

Nyx pulls out the end seat for me and takes the one between it and one of his younger cousins. “Hi!” The child nearly shouts, leaning forward to look around Nyx. “I’m Baz. I wasn’t allowed to go to the wedding.”

“Oh,” I say, “nice to meet you, I’m Juniper.”

“Yeah, I know. Everyone’s been talking about you,” the Eight year old says.

My cheeks burn in the awkward silence that follows and I have no idea what to say. A few long seconds pass.

“What have they been saying?”

“Oh, all sorts of things,” he says, beaming. “Aunt Feyre said you were very pretty and kind, and mommy said you and Nyx would be a good pair, but Aunt Mor said you can’t be trusted and this is the worst thing to happen. She’s not here because she's mad at everyone.”

There are another few seconds of silence, a few of the adults noticeably cringe and I can feel Nyx’s rage boiling beside me.

Baz continues, probably trying to change the mood, “Uncle Cas said we probably wouldn’t see you for a month because Nyx would be busy fucking you,” he shrugs after laying that detail out there, “whatever that means.”

“You said that in front of my child?” Azriel yells across the table at the other male.

Nyx grips his fork tightly, staring daggers at his uncle, while tiny blue flames lick to life in his hair.

“Nyx,” I murmur his name and rest a hand on his arm. He calms down after a few seconds, but the shouting between the adults continues.

“This is relatively normal for family dinners,” Nyx says, deciding to ignore everyone and scoop food onto my plate.

“Are you upset now, Juniper? Mama said I might have upset you.”

I turn to the faeling, who I’m already starting to like, with a smile. “No, I’m not upset.”

“Good, then we should be friends.”

The yelling settles down after a few minutes and conversations continue between smaller groups of everyone. At first anyway. After a little while, everyone gives up on trying to mind their own business and I’m dragged into almost every conversation.

Feyre asks about my childhood and siblings. Cassian wants to know if I’ve trained at all but when I say I haven’t and don’t really have an interest in being a warrior he becomes almost completely bored of me. Nyx said not to think anything of it.

The shadowsinger is silent through most of the meal but all of Nyx’s aunts have questions about one thing or another. You like to read? What books? Adventure. Do you ever write?I love to. What flowers did you see the most in the spring court? Just about every kind depending on where you are. Do you like to cook or bake? Not really. What music do you like?

Minutes passed like this before Nyx took some of my food and forced me to eat, then not so subtly, told everyone to stop talking to me while I ate.

My favorite part of the evening was talking to Nyx’s cousins, it was then too that I realized how much I love kids. I had to make a mental note to ask Nyx if he wanted any, later, while mildly panicking about the prospect of him not wanting them.

On the way home I’m practically buzzing with anxiety, no longer able to keep the question of whether or not Nyx wants kids in the back of my mind. The possibilities race through me until Nyx stops in front of the house and turns to me with a look of concern in his eyes that practically forces me to confess my thoughts.

“Tell me what’s bothering you. I know my family can be a lot, but I figured after you jumped past the quote bombs Baz passes you could handle anything,” Nyx says, rubbing up and down my arms.

“It’s not that,” I say, remembering what their Aunt Mor had apparently said, “but I do want to talk to you about some of that later.” Nyx just nods in response, already knowing which part I’m referring to. “I was just wondering- We hadn’t talked about whether-” I struggle for a long few moments, not knowing how to phrase this. I’m usually so good with words.

“Go on, love. You can ask anything.”

“Do you want kids?” I blurt the question out, glad it’s finally done but kind of wanting to take it back.

A smile spreads slowly across Nyx’s face. “Yeah, Juniper, I want kids. Do you?”

I nod, biting my lip, relieved to have his answer.

“Right now?”

Shocked at the thought, my eyes widen and I take an actual step away from Nyx. “Mother above, no.”

Nyx laughs suddenly at my response and I can feel his humor down the bond, it warms me from the inside out as he grabs my hand and gently pulls me toward the door of our home.

Five months later

Nyx

Waking, I roll over and reach out a hand for my wife, but find an empty bed instead. I blink my eyes open, noting that the sheets aren’t cold yet, but not warm enough for her to just be in the bathroom.

I groan as I sit up, wishing she were by my side. I climb out of bed, not bothering to pull pants on, and amble down the hall to the stairs. Before I arrive her frustrated sounds fill the silence. She must be trying to put some more of the furniture together.

Most of it’s been sitting in boxes for the past couple of months, neither of us wanting to do anything but lay in bed.

“I was planning on hiring someone to finally put those together,” I say, when I finally get to the top of the stairs, and lean against the banister in all my naked glory.

She doesn’t look up. “Yeah, but I was bored and you were sleeping so I figured I’d try.”

“I’m not sleeping now,” I say, smirking. “And there are a few activities I’ll never complain about being woken for.”

Junipers cheeks pinkin and she starts to chastise me as she looks up but the words never make it out. Her gaze immediately catches on my half hard cock and she turns an even darker shade.

“Come back to bed,” I say, my cock hardening faster the more she looks at it.

“Why don’t you make me?” Her tone is laced with humor and her eyes sparkle, but before I can retort or grab her the front door of our town house swings open.

In half a second I’m standing protectively in front of her, weapons in my hands as my uncles fill my foyer.

“What the hell are you doing here?” I snap.

“Why are you naked?” Cas asks.

“This is my house!” I yell, moving one of my long daggers to cover my cock.

“He has a point.” Az.

“We came to get you for training,” Uncle Cas says, smiling broadly, “but I guess you had a different form of cardio in mind.”

I clench my jaw, wishing they would leave. “How’d you get in? The door was locked.”

“Your parents have a spare key for emergencies,” Az says as if that explains everything.

“Yeah, I know.”

“We stole it!” Cas practically cheers, eyes lighting up.

Even Uncle Az smiles a little. “Stealing from your dad isn’t easy. It took us a while.”

“You must be exhausted from all the hard work, then,” Juniper says sarcastically over my shoulder, smiling as widely as my uncles. “We can have coffee in the kitchen while Nyx gets dressed.”

I winnow upstairs, quickly putting on clothes. Juniper laughs downstairs at something one of my uncles said, and the smell of coffee is already floating through the house.

In a matter of seconds I’m downstairs again, standing in the kitchen as Uncle Cas pours milk into his coffee and Uncle Az looks on, cringing at the sight and sipping his black.

“Why the hell are you guys still here?” I grumble.

“We’re hanging out with your wife, obviously,” Cas says, smiling. Winning my family over has practically become a hobby for Juniper and she’s extremely good at it; they all love her. Even Mor is coming around.

I roll my eyes at my uncles and reach for the pot of coffee as they continue their conversation.

“What are you two up to today?” Azriel asks.

“I’m meeting with someone from the theater to potentially work as one of their writers!” Juniper announces excitedly, just the sound of her bubbling excitement makes me grin, happy she’s happy.

“We’ll all come to the opening night of your first production,” Az promises as Cas nods enthusiastically.

“That’s if I get hired.”

“You’re a good writer, Juniper, they’ll hire you.”

“You’ve read some of her writing, Az?” I ask.

“Mhmm,”he says around a mouth full of food.

“He likes to read, you know? I figured he’d be a less biased reader than you.”

I roll my eyes, knowing full well I’m terrible at giving my mate proper criticism. My uncles leave soon after that when Dad shows up, hitting them over the head for taking his key. He makes a promise to come to dinner tonight, having something important to tell the family, and leaves soon after too.

The rest of the day is uneventful, but something in my stomach stirs, wondering what news my parents have. A part of me already knows and that feeling in my gut is unease or maybe guilt.

Juniper

I hold Nyx’s hand loosely in mine as he swings the door to the River House open, the sounds of his rambunctious cousins greeting us. My smile instantly grows as Baz runs up to hug me and, not to covertly, checks my wrist to ensure I’m still wearing my friendship bracelet. He has several different bracelets crawling up his arms, all for different friends, and everyone in the room has one too.

He pulls me away from Nyx to talk and play with the other kids and I find myself wondering how long I do want to wait for kids. The thought of having them right away all those months ago felt outrageous, but being near these kids makes my hormones crazy.

Nyx seems to pick up on this and smirks wickedly from across the room. Thankfully Feyre interrupts moments later, calling us all in for dinner, so my mate can’t send any of her dirty thoughts down the bond.

The entire meal goes smoothly but I can feel Nyx’s anxiety as he sits by my side. It’s radiating off of him and his parents are far from oblivious to it too. They don’t make an announcement during the meal, though, but Nyx and I both pick up on the fact that the Highlady isn’t drinking wine.

I grip his hand as we move to the sitting room and Feyre smiles broadly, grabbing everyone’s attention as her and Rhys remain standing. Rhys clears his throat, everyone goes quiet. “I’m pregnant,” Feyre says simply.

No one in the room is surprised and though we’re all happy we all know what this really means.

“It’s still early, but Madja thinks the baby’s a girl.”

The kids seem thrilled, the only people in the room saying anything for a long moment, before a few of their friends get up to congratulate them. Nyx remains, frozen beside me, though, even as we stand, and I wonder if he’s wishing he could take back what we did now that it’s real.

“This is good news,” Rhys says, smiling and gripping Nyx’s shoulder. “Your mother and I made this choice, Nyx, not you,” he reassures and low enough for only the two of us to hear.

Nyx relaxes slightly after that, hugging his mom for a long moment before returning to my side.

“This is good news,” I whisper into his ear, trying to convince him or myself, I don’t know.

We go home hours later, the peaceful bubble we’ve been living in for the last several months popped by the consequences of our actions.

There are defiantly going to be edits made to this story, but for now I just wanted to post it. Also, eventually, I’ll post a story about the other half of the deal between their courts, as well as a story around Junipers other sibling!

#Courts of Love and Hate #a court of thorns and roses #acotar #a court of dreams #adult nyx #nyx x female reader #nyx acotar #nyx x original character #original character #oc

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krishastumblernow · 1 year ago

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Robot Lu

Author's note: I need more Lucien in my life, so here we go.

Characters: mlqc Lucien x reader

Warnings: none

Word count: <500

It was the most usual early evening. The weather was cold in the middle of fall and the days were getting shorter. You were just listening to music, watching videos, doing nothing but relaxing on a Saturday evening after a busy work week.

A delivery man came and brought a huge box for you - an early birthday present from your friend. There were still around three months till your birthday, but you've been talking about this robot non-stop, so there was no reason to keep you waiting longer and as soon as the sales started, the present was on it's way.

The box came with instructions, but they were unnecessary. No building required, no screws, just lay the body down and connect the charger. Funnily enough, the charger hole was where the belly button is in humans.

"The boy? The guy? The robot? How do I address him?" you were so clearly lost in thoughts. The robot came anatomically correct in ... all places and although he had a basic set if clothes, he would definitely need more in future. And you decided not to explore him right now to confuse both of you when he woke up.

The moment the robot starts breathing indicates that it is almost done changing. But the sound is absolutely real, like he is a person, just taking a nap on a daybed.

This guy was customized to look like Lucien, a character from your favorite game. Dark hair, purple eyes (hopefully, you can't see that yet), slim body. "If this robot speaks even relatively close to him, I'd be over the moon..." you smiled watching him sleep. Sleep? Charge!

He looks so peaceful, even the subtle hand movements exactly like a person does in their sleep, yo couldn't take your eyes off him.

"You seem to be loosing patience to get acquainted with me," his deep velvety voice sent shivers down your spine. "Hello, y/n, I'm your Lucien," he was smiling softly, looking you in the eyes and the sat up on the bed, the charger still connected to his body,

"May I get a welcome hug from you?"

#mlqc #mlqc Lucien #mlqc lucien x reader #lucien x reader

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faustianbroker · 1 year ago

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TIMING: Current LOCATION: A dirt road in the Pines / Owen’s apartment PARTIES: Leviathan (@faustianbroker) & Owen (@apaininyourneck) SUMMARY: Owen comes across a bloodied and full greater demon post-shift. It needs some TLC and a nap, so he takes it home. CONTENT WARNINGS: Mild implied WRspice (fades to black)

—

Shifting could be a tiring experience, especially when it was so far from the ocean. Deep in the Pines, walking along a dirt road that might not have even had a name, Leviathan was looking straight out of a slasher film. Its human vessel, nude and smeared with blood that hadn’t yet dried, padded along through the dirt without a care in the world. The only part of it that gave away its fatigue was those heavy-lidded eyes—dark and vast like a shark that smelled blood in the water.

Or in this case, blood leaking from whatever it was dragging behind it.

A coppery tang followed the creature as it strolled through the temperate nighttime air, unperturbed by the twin pinpricks of light that appeared through the trees—a vehicle was coming its way. It made no move to hide or dispose of the hunk of human that it clutched in one hand, continuing the lazy gait as the car got closer and eventually bathed it in artificial light.

Its long hair was only still partially contained in a bun, the rest falling down to its shoulders, giving it a very ‘I just woke up’ look, if waking up involved mauling somebody for breakfast. Squinting its eyes against the light, tongue pressing against the back of its teeth, it wondered if it was going to have to shift a second time and have another full course meal. If that was the case, it might just end up sleeping in the woods. Digesting humans took rest, after all.

—

Usually, Owen didn’t take ‘spending the night’ literally. Mornings could lead to unnecessary conversations that were easily avoided by not being there - plus, his bed rarely found a worthy competitor when it came to comfort. It was a nice time to drive, too, especially here. The roads were fairly abandoned this time of night, allowing him to fuck the speed limit and get home quickly.

It had looked like a trick of the light at first, shadow moving slowly down the road some distance away. Slowing down the car gave a clearer picture. A man, tainted red with something that - in this town - probably wasn’t paint. Once the car came to a full stop and Owen’s eyes moved further, a likely source of the blood came into view. Eyes trailed back up from the remains of a corpse, taking a moment to appreciate the parts of the charming physique visible beneath the blood because being drenched in bodily fluids wasn’t enough, this man had gone the whole mile and lost his clothes as well.

Unbothered eyes were now staring at the windshield and even though Owen was sure him and the inside of the car were obscured by the glaring headlights, the dark gaze sent a shiver down his back. Not the undead kind of shiver, however, making this whole situation a little less annoying and a bit more intriguing. The shifters he’d heard of didn’t usually drag back leftovers. Possibly another hunter, discarding evidence and if so, wasn’t it his civil duty to help the guy out? And definitely not because this night’s entertainment had been a bit on the unimpressive side and other hunters were great for blowing off steam. Another option was just a run of the mill serial killer and honestly, wouldn’t it be kind of funny to watch him try and kill a slayer?

Rolling down his window slowly, very aware of where every weapon in his car was currently stashed, Owen dimmed the headlights to a less aggressive glow and popped his head out the window. “Rough night?”

—

Slowing to a stop as the car did, the opposing forces found themselves at a stalemate. Leviathan just stood and watched, corners of its mouth twitching up into a slight smile as it noticed the window begin to roll down. The lights dimmed, allowing a better view of the person inside, and that smile broadened.

Fingers caked in blood curled tightly into the fabric of the corpse’s jeans, hefting the lower half of a person after it as it stepped closer. Nothing about its pace or movements were sudden—languid was the name of the game, tonight.

“Rough? No…” it purred, gaze raking over the car before settling back on the driver. “Quite nice, actually.” A slow turn of its head let it look back at the remains of its dinner, and with a sigh, it released its grip and let the leg drop back into the dirt with its twin. Those filthy hands then came to prop themselves against the car door, settling over the gap where the window hid as the demon lowered itself into a crouch. The expression it wore was… still very much resembled an animal more than a man, except perhaps for that smile that had yet to leave its lips.

“Don’t suppose you… know somewhere a fella can wash off the remains of dinner, hm?”

—

Green eyes flickered from the torn up jeans to the man dragging them along, strolling casually. Whoever this was, they weren’t afraid of witnesses. Whether they didn’t care about being caught or didn’t plan on leaving a witness… well, Owen had never shied away from a good gamble. Even so, one hand did rest on his knee, close enough to grab the knife from his boot. Just in case. Unless this man was taking tips from smugglers, he looked unarmed.

The smell of blood wafted up the closer the stranger got, reminding Owen of times pushed deep behind walls and for a moment, he expected those carefree eyes to flash red. They didn’t but something in them hinted at a less-than-human interior. Definitely something different, new. Dangerously exciting, exacerbated by the tone of the man’s voice.

Leaning back in his seat as stained hands rested on the car, Owen got a better look at the man. Despite the languid movements, the challenge was palpable. There was no sense of fear, nor shame at being caught stark naked and dragging the scene of a crime along. Like they had done this a million times before. A few of the slayer’s theories were buried when the man spoke - dinner. The discarded body, or what remained of it, didn’t look like the remnants of an animal attack. Odds of it being a shifter felt slim.

Pausing for a moment, fingers drumming against the wheel and gaze never leaving the other’s, holding a challenge of their own, he finally spoke. “If it keeps me from ending up like that poor fucker, I guess I could give you a ride.” Always better to be an accomplice than a witness, right?

The door’s lock clicked before it swung open, long legs swinging out and bringing Owen to stand in front of this strange creature, whatever he was. And yeah, he was maybe a little bit pleased to have an inch or two on the other man - it was something to hold onto when faced with what would have been an intimidating display of confidence to anyone less cocky than the slayer. “Not spending tomorrow deep cleaning the fucking seats, though.” Cocky or not, Owen never took his eyes off the stranger as he moved for the trunk of the car, popping it open to retrieve a blanket. A blanket that, if closely examined, definitely had some old blood stains of its own.

—

Ah, good. The night wouldn’t be spent wandering through the trees until it reached the sea, then. Wherever this stranger decided to drive them was a non-issue; Leviathan had no fear of being compromised. The man’s apparent interest was enough to give the demon confidence that it wasn’t walking into a trap, or at least not one that it couldn’t handle.

It’d handled the one that was half eaten in the middle of the road, after all.

Rising to its feet and stepping back as the locks clicked, Leviathan’s gaze tracked the stranger with a glint of curiosity—it wasn’t exactly a normal situation that they found themselves in, but the taller of them (impressively so) seemed completely unbothered. It made the creature wonder what else he got up to during his free time. Hm. Could be fun, after all.

“Fair…” it muttered, accepting the bloodstained blanket and draping it around its shoulders, adding to the menagerie of stories told by darkened fabric. Fully abandoning the mess of gore in the road, Leviathan circled around to the passenger side door and tugged it open, dropping into the seat with all the grace of a lion after a large meal.

Lifting a hand to its face, the demon used the blanket to briefly swipe at the blood that clung to its beard, glancing down at the fabric as it pulled back. Then its dark gaze slid over to meet the stranger’s, chin tilted down for a moment, lending an intensity to the stare that dissipated as it cocked its head back instead. “I’m Levi. Don’t care where you take me, so long as there’s water.”

—

With the car on the move again, Owen kept his eyes on the lit up road, well aware of the searing gaze on the side of his face. The plan had been to go home but at the stranger’s request, he figured a pit stop might be smart. His neighbors had caught enough glimpses of oddities for now. Odds were that he’d be finishing the drive alone but this Levi had piqued his interest enough to possibly be offered a place to rest for the night. Well, mostly rest. Provided that the man, large body packed into the compact car in an almost comedic way, didn’t fall asleep on the way towards ‘some water.’

“Owen,” he provided back, questions burning on his tongue. “We talking like a shower or… body of water?” he finally asked since there was not a lot of information provided at this point. For someone with a bloodied and definitely deadly man in his car, Owen was the picture of calm. If this Levi decided he wanted to get rid of the slayer, well… at least he wasn’t going down without a fight. If not, then it was always nice to learn more about this town’s oddities. In a purely academic way, of course.

One hand still on the wheel, Owen dug around for the pack of cigarettes with the other, shaking one out before passing the lighter over to Levi. “A hand?” he asked around the cigarette in his mouth, leaning over to allow for the other to assist him in lighting it. Something he could, and had very often done, by himself while driving but what was the fun in that?

—

With a lazy shrug, Leviathan let its head roll back against the headrest, glancing out the window. “Doesn’t matter… baptisms these days, y’know, they don’t take much.” The sound of the cigarettes rattling around in their pack drew its attention back to the driver’s seat and it smirked as it was offered the lighter. Taking it wordlessly, the demon flicked it to life with its left hand, holding it aloft for Owen and waiting patiently for him to inhale and ignite the grit. “These things’ll kill you, you know,” it mused with a lopsided grin, plucking the cigarette from the man’s mouth before he could move away, popping it in its own mouth to take a drag. It maintained eye contact with him the entire time, looking pretty amused with itself as it flipped the grit around again and leaned in closer than was necessary to return it to its home between the other’s lips once it was done.

“Where you takin’ me, anyway?”

—

Owen snorted a laugh, reminded of the cross in its place around his neck. For someone who had worn it since childhood, he was astoundingly atheist, and honestly a bit annoyed that it had to be this around his neck to ward off vampires. “Don’t think a baptism is going to save you now,” he retorted, even though no actual answer had been provided as to why the man cared so much about a water source. Other than the obvious fact of washing off the drying blood.

Green eyes glinted when the unofficial game of chicken continued, his cigarette now lined with a red rim where Levi’s lips had wrapped around it. “That’s giving me a pretty high life expectancy. You know, for someone who invited you for a ride.” With the return of the cigarette came another fresh wave of that tangy, iron laced smell. Despite all the years passed and effort put into distancing himself from that time in his life, Owen’s body had not completely forgotten. That amused, hungry look coupled with the smell and now, with the cigarette back in his mouth, the taste of blood; conditioning was a hell of a thing, his own blood rushing in practiced anticipation.

“Mm,” Owen mused, blowing out smoke. “My original plan was just to head home. Have a drink, moan about the unreliable quality of one night stands these days.” A pause and a glance in Levi’s direction. “There is a shower, if that interests you. The neighbors have honestly seen worse, they know better than to ask questions. Otherwise I’m open to suggestions.” Was bringing this man back to where he lived borderline suicidal? Probably, but the risk did make it that much more enticing. And maybe, if he was lucky, he’d get some answers from him later on.

—

“No? Well, it’ll be fun, anyway. Makes me feel good n’ sinful,” Leviathan answered with a smirk. As the smoke curled around its lips, painted arm drawing back toward its body now that the cigarette was safely in the other’s possession, the demon let out a hum. “Good point. Kind of a… fucked up thing to do, isn’t it?” It gave Owen a once-over, despite the dark interior of the car, finding it easy enough to see with those animalistic eyes. The question was rhetorical because of course it was a fucked up thing to do, they both obviously knew that, and Leviathan was into it.

It seemed Owen might’ve been a bit, too.

“Unreliable? That’s a shame. I’d hate for a fella kind as you to end a night unsatisfied.” A shower would do just fine. “It’s settled, then. Take me home with you. I’ll be sure to make up for the favor.”

—

A fucked up thing to do? Owen hummed back, fingers flexing on the wheel. “Definitely not the worst,” he replied simply. After this many years of reckless behavior and what some would consider a lack of conscience, Owen had racked up a decent list of ‘fucked up’ things. A pleased nod was all the response Levi got once he accepted the offer, car shifting gears and speeding up.

The good thing about the middle of the night was the lack of curious observers. Always prepared for the worst, Owen had already fabricated some bullshit story about the blood drenched and blanket covered man he was leading up the staircase but it proved unnecessary. Leading him into the apartment, past the door that still bore marks of the last vampire break in, Owen gestured towards the bathroom.

“Make yourself at home.” Heading straight for the kitchen, he pulled out a nice bottle of tequila, holding it up for the other man to see. “You don’t exclusively eat people, right?”

—

A curious gaze settled upon the marks on the door, lingering as they passed through the threshold. Right, well, that made some sense, considering the company he seemed to keep—it was a nugget of information on the stranger that Leviathan stored away for later, its attention refocusing as it stepped fully inside the apartment. It first looked to where the bathroom was, then let its gaze follow Owen into the kitchen. The appearance of a bottle of amber-colored liquor brought a lazy smile to its face, and it shook its head. “Not exclusively, no,” it answered slowly, letting the blanket slip free from its shoulders to drop to the floor. “Back in a flash…”

The wash was expeditious—enough to keep it from getting blood all over everything it touched, but not really enough to fully erase the coppery smell that still clung to it, particularly in its long hair. Good enough for the purposes of what remained of the night, it thought, exiting the shower and using a fresh towel to pat dry before securing it low around its waist. It took in more details of the apartment as it moved through the hall, back to where it had left Owen, expectant and likely impatient. He seemed the type.

—

With little else to do, since he couldn’t even snoop through the man’s belongings while he waited, Owen went to clean the bloody footprints in his apartment. Perhaps better to not have some stranger’s DNA all over his apartment if a murder investigation went through. Even though the half of a man that had been left on the side of a road didn’t exactly look like he’d been killed by a human. Which still begged the question of what exactly Levi was.

The two poured glasses were waiting patiently when Levi reappeared, just as Owen was throwing away his gloves, unmarked bottle of sodium percarbonate still sitting on the counter. “You better be worth the cleaning,” he commented casually, handing the other man a glass before leaning back against the counter, letting his eyes trail over the now clean view. “So,” he started, swirling the liquid before taking a sip, “you’re not undead but if there is a risk of you turning into a giant wolf or bear or whatever the hell else there is, I’d appreciate just being prepared beforehand.”

He probably could have waited until after, maybe should have waited, but curiosity was hard to keep under wraps. Even with other temptations standing right in front of him.

—

The remark was met with a cocky smirk and perhaps even a small scoff—Leviathan was always worth it. Didn’t matter what that ‘it’ was, you really couldn’t do much better than have a bonafide greater demon on your side, particularly one that had shed all the old ways.

“A giant wolf?” Leviathan chuckled, shaking its head. “No. Not a shifter—not like that, anyway. Though I can take any form I please, but I have a few favorites.” It glanced down at itself, then gave a small shrug. “This is one of them, actually.” As it looked back up at Owen, gaze meeting his over the rim of the glass as it took a sip, it knew the question that was begging to be asked. It was one the demon had heard thousands of times in dozens upon dozens of different scenarios over the last several centuries, since humans had had the wits about them to ponder such things. And, as always, the answer it gave was simple:

“There’s nothing quite like me, Owen,” it purred, stepping up close to the slayer. Its free hand slid up his chest, stopping over the top of the necklace he wore, fingers pressing the cross against his collarbone. “The idiots that wrote The Good Book seem to have a lot of terrible things to say about me, but as usual, they pretty significantly missed the mark.”

—

As vague as the man - creature - was being, this was still more information than Owen had previously been working with. Something different and definitely more powerful than a run of the mill shifter judging from the chuckle. Curiosity was a strangely powerful aphrodisiac, especially mixed with the knowledge that if Levi so pleased, he could probably tear the slayer to pieces. Not one to relinquish control over… well, anything, this unspoken shift in dynamic was a rare sort of high.

Only through pure stubbornness did Owen’s breath stay steady as strong hands slid across his chest, the only visible response being his pupils dilating. Those things weren’t quite under conscious control. “Can’t say I’ve read it,” he replied, voice low. Something goddamn biblical. Seemed about right. One hand reached up in return, thumb swiping across the crook of Levi’s neck, pulling back with the blood removed from the other’s skin now staining his finger.

“Maybe give me some of the highlights of what those idiots got wrong, then?” A final sip from the glass, leaving it empty before he placed it on the counter, hands now free to pull off his shirt. Just to make sure he wasn’t giving the impression that he only wanted to talk.

—

Mirroring the other’s action, Leviathan downed what remained in the glass and leaned in close to reach past Owen, depositing it on the counter beside its mate. As it pulled back again, Owen was busy removing his shirt, making them a little more even in the area of nudity. The demon smiled, half-lidded eyes dancing over the other man’s bare chest. “Well,” it began in a breathy tone, grasping Owen by the waist with one hand and pulling him closer, dark gaze darting up the slight incline to meet the slayer’s own, “for one thing, they tried to call me the embodiment of envy, which is silly. Lust, maybe,” it breathed on Owen’s neck, chin tilting up to brush those lips over the other’s ear, “But envy? Nothing to be envious of. For what, exactly, does a god want?” It hooked its thumb over the top of Owen’s pants, then, teeth grazing the sensitive skin of his neck. “They also claimed I was annihilated, but… I feel pretty alive.”

—

With every legitimate sense Owen possessed, this being in front of him seemed human. The skin underneath the slayer’s roaming hands gave no inclination to what hid underneath, he looked and sounded like any other and smelled… well, he smelled like Owen’s soap which was a surprising little thrill. But it was all true, wasn’t it? A gut feeling tried to awaken the dull alarm bell in his mind when those eyes met his own, something innate told him to fear the low rumble of the other’s voice. Warning signs that were all ignored, of course, but proved that there was something holier-than-thou currently dragging its teeth over his neck and sending shivers down his spine.

“I have an idea of what you might want at this moment,” Owen couldn’t help but tease, even though teasing was getting to be a bit too little at the moment. Even so, slender fingers wrapped around Levi’s wrist, halting the tug at his jeans. “You’re making my expectations pretty high, y’know?” he breathed, head tilting down, breath mixing with Levi’s from the proximity of their lips. “Sure you can match up to them?”

—

Being stopped was not how this typically went, and Leviathan smiled after a half-second of hesitation. “Never had a problem with it before,” it answered, head canting slightly to the side. “Don’t see why that should start now.” It let itself linger there for a moment, drinking in the other’s carefully restrained desire as their lips lightly brushed together. But then it spoke instead of the more obvious action it could have taken, one hand darting up to grip Owen by the back of his neck, the other bracing against the small of his back.

“I am not a patient extra-dimensional creature,” it said against his skin. “And I think I’ve shown excellent restraint thus far. So you’re going to take me to your room, and you’re going to do as I say, understand?” Now it initiated firmer contact of their mouths, teeth caging the man’s lower lip between them for a beat, feeling perhaps sharper than they ought to have. “I’m still a little peckish, after all.” It was a threat made in good humor, but it also wasn’t empty. It figured Owen probably understood that at this point.

—

It was brief, barely noticeable - the slightest pause in response to Owen’s actions. Under normal circumstances, riling someone up was a fairly standard thing to do. When dealing with a creature whose victim Owen had seen and left in the middle of the road somewhere, it probably bordered on suicidal. But fuck if it wasn’t worth it, fingers grasping his neck in a vice grip that held much more strength than the body in front of him should have possessed. The rumbling voice, the demands, made him feel faint in a way that was probably really fucking problematic but that didn’t register at the moment.

For the second time this evening, the bitter taste of blood appeared in his mouth, lip split open just so by what felt like sharp teeth and oh, that was a bundle of feelings to be unraveled at a later point. After only the slightest of pauses, figuring he’d tested his luck enough for now, Owen’s fingers found the edge of the towel and tugged. “Fair enough,” he breathed and, in a very rare instance of obedience, did as he was told.

—

Even with Owen’s ‘high expectations’, Leviathan seemed to be fully capable of meeting and surpassing them. With cleanup out of the way, the demon was free to make itself comfortable in the stranger’s bed, announcing that it would be staying, and Owen could take it home in the morning. It was telling, not asking. Not unlike a recently-fed gator, the man-shaped creature had chosen its spot and would not be moved until it felt like moving.

“Now that we’ve seen to our baser instincts,” it began in a low, soothing tone, “was there anything more specific you were hoping to ask me?” Leviathan was never one to turn down an opportunity to talk about itself, and since they still had however many hours left until the sun rose, it figured now was a great time to address the curiosity that had clearly been eating away at the other before things had taken a more heated turn.

—

There was very little to complain about. His healing would take care of any bruises before they really had a chance to form and the taste of blood had mostly left his mouth, the rest washed away by the second round of tequila Owen had brought over once Levi had made his plans known. He wasn’t the cuddling type but rarely went so far as to immediately throw people out to the street in the middle of the night. The fact that Levi had simply stated his wants and expectations, much like before, did stir up Owen’s innate sense of defiance. But he was too content to deal with that now.

Judging by how well settled Levi looked on the bed, Owen wouldn’t have been surprised if the other had dozed off. Instead, he opened up the conversation from earlier, instantly reawakening the slayer’s curiosity and pushing away all of his own thoughts of sleep. Propping himself up on one elbow to watch the other, looking decidedly human at this very moment, Owen hummed. “Since you don’t always look like an Australian swimwear model, what do you really look like? And what type of thing even are you, if you have a better word than extra-dimensional?”

—

Leviathan let out a soft chuckle, running a hand through the long hair that framed its head on the pillow like a honey and cinnamon halo. “Very to the point, I like that,” it purred, matching the other’s pose as it propped itself on one arm, the other wandering across the space between them to find Owen’s hip. Its gaze fell there as well as it began to speak, eyes flicking up to meet the slayer’s about halfway through the statement.

“I’m a monster, baby. A thing of fuckin’ nightmares.” It held the other’s gaze, fingers grazing up his side and over the arm that was draped there. “And if you saw what I really look like, the way I look back home… well, you’d lose your damn mind. Too incomprehensible, too vast.” It smiled a toothy smile. “But I do have other bodies I use here, in your dimension. Think… well. Think sea monster, I suppose. That’s what I’ve been called since I first started coming here. The Kraken, Cthulhu, Cetus, Scylla, Jörmungandr, Umibōzu, Yacumama, Tiamat… the list goes on. The one I’m using right now, though, is Leviathan. It has a certain… je ne sais quoi.” That smile lessened, but did not leave entirely. “They call me a demon, but this isn’t your Sunday school variety of malevolence. I dunno who the fuck God is supposed to be, but they’ve got nothing to do with me.”

—

“Subtlety has never been my strong suit,” Owen admitted, grinning at the suddenly soft touch roaming his side. Despite his innate lack of sleep, the slayer was definitely feeling the call of passing the fuck out right about now but even that wouldn’t be enough to keep him from a second round, if prompted. Especially with the otherworldly explanations spilling from Levi’s mouth, stirring the pot of intrigue. For someone who had lived and breathed the world of the supernatural from birth, it was a fun change of pace to be genuinely enthralled by something. “I’ll try to conjure up a mental image from some of my more trippier trips, then,” he joked.

“And Leviathan definitely makes you sound more fuckable than Jörmungandr, let’s be real,” he agreed, eyes narrowing slightly at the sudden shift in energy. If not connected to the Bible’s bullshit holy purpose, what the hell did a creature fitting Levi’s description even do? Did Levi himself know? “What is your variety of malevolence, then?” Owen prompted, green sparkling with unbridled interest as his eyes focused on the human-yet-not pair staring back. “Besides snacking on people and making some poor bartender cater to your whims.”

—

“I dunno, I think you’ve about got it, there,” Leviathan mused, stalling on giving a real answer for a few moments as it considered the question.

It had no purpose. No drive. It didn’t wish to bend others to its will like so many of its kin—like the one that had all of Wynne’s family beneath its heel. It had done that, and instead of relishing the praise and power given by lesser lifeforms, it had simply grown bored.

There’s something wrong with you, one of its kind had told it once. You’re broken. Different. You give these creatures too much credit, and you let them take too much of your time. They are beneath you, yet you act like you are one of them. It’s pathetic. Disgusting. Shameful.

Yeah, well, fuck that.

“Whatever tickles my fancy in the moment, I suppose. I haven’t got a reason to be here other than the free entertainment.” And the child. The child that’d outgrown its influence and whose intrinsic connection to Leviathan was beginning to feel like a burden. An experiment that seemed to have no more surprises in store that the demon wanted to experience. “But,” it added in a lower tone, hand gliding up to Owen’s shoulder only to push it back down into the pillows behind him, allowing Leviathan the leverage to lean over the top of him, “I’m really enjoying making this poor bartender cater to my whims, so I think I’ll keep him, hm?” Even though it ended in a lilted hum, it was not a question.

It figured the human knew that well enough by now.

#. thread ;#. with ; owen lundkvist #. don't be shy ;#wrspice

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boiling-potato · 2 years ago

Text

Warning: possible stalking

Characters: Y/n, Madison Cortwell and Salem Whitlock

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Creator's note: huh it's been a while since I've written something. This also had been sitting in my draft for a while now and it's just now I tried to finish it... I just gave up in the last part but anyway hope you guys still like it!! ^^

Also here Ace! Come get your man! (⁠ ⁠ꈍ^ꈍ⁠)🫴✨

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Salem Whitlock (my oc) x Y/n

---

Late night study session

"Jesus... h... Christ.."

You mumbled, starring at the stack of papers that your supposed to finish overnight. Being in a private school can really be a pain in the ass since you have to live up in everyone's expectations being in a school full of destined to success people, not to mention you also really need to join the student council because your parents are pressuring you thinking that it will higher the chance of you being the top and the most respectable student in your class. 'why can't they just give you a break?' you thought to yourself sighing.

"Is this all of it?" You ask. "No, it's just the half. I don't want to give it all to you and expect to finish it overnight so I'll just give the rest to you tomorrow afternoon. You are dismiss." Said the blonde girl in front of you. Madison Cortwell, the student council president and the daughter of the man who owns this school. Though she's very smart and had a great skill in leadership, she wasn't really the easiest person to get along with. She always points out unnecessary mistakes and gives you unwanted advice and opinions, not to mention the fact that she's very demanding and sassy whenever you're talking to her. 'God help these entitled narcissist' you thought while putting the papers in your bag standing up and heading to door. You walk through the hallway passing classrooms heading towards the front of the school.

You collapse on your bed after a long relaxing hot/cold shower, just what you needed before you pull an all nighter. Finally After preparing yourself for it you grabbed your bag and pull out the paperworks.

Finally! After 4 hours you finally finished, stretching you looked at the clock on your nightstand at the side on your bed. 1:00 am, you sigh relief that you still have time to do your homeworks. You then grabbed your bag and reach in to grab your homeworks. 'Oh no, no, no, no, no, no no..' you frantically rummage through your bad trying to find it. "Fuck.." you said out loud. Trying so hard not to slap yourself for being so forgetful.. You sat there for a few minutes thinking..... which one would you rather do: go back in school and do your homeworks on the school library or be humiliated tomorrow by your strict professor........

You grumbled walking on the sidewalk while trying to warm your hands by rubbing your hands together. Yeah you hate that professor, he will not take any excuse when a student didn't do their homework and will literally spend half of the class's time to lecture them... Ugh that's a private school for you... Yeah no you'd rather loose sleep rather than dealing with that. Luckily (not really) though, the gates of the school are not always locked because is full of all nighter teacher and maybe even students.... ok maybe not full but there's always three-five teachers or students who's always stays at school to do homework and paperworks and unfortunately you have to be one of them..

Finally reaching the school you showed your ID to the nightguard and explain them your situation and finally send you on your way. You entered the library sitting down on the nearest desk and setting down your homeworks and start suffering. After a while you looked at the clock in the wall, 2:00 am, yeah your pretty exhausted and you're definitely not going to get back home anytime soon... But maybe you could just take a nap here? You're still not finished but it feels like you're going to collapse at any moment now. You need a rest.. you then close your eyes and started dozing off....

"Your answer to number 17 is wrong."

"Fuck!" You hissed, jumping at the sudden voice behind you, you then turn around looking at the tall stranger in front of you.

"Oops..."

You looked at him, too shocked to reply. He looked like his about your age, maybe even older? And judging by the uniform he was wearing you assume that he's one of the few students who stays in the school for reasons like what you have right now. He has a shaggy pink hair, yellow piercing eyes that looks like he could see right through your soul and looks... Incredibly pale, he also has bags under his eyes supporting your theory. He was hovering over you like a wolf ready to have his meal. Even though he wears a small smile and looks like he has no bad intentions, you still got the creeps and can't help but feel... Unease...

"U-umm what..?" You ask, trying not to sound scared or shaky. "..... The answer to number 17, it's wrong, the great depression didn't start around that time, it's too early. It started around 1929 and ended around 1939.." he said eyeing your homeworks. You looked at your homeworks looking at the thing he's pointing out. "Oh.." you said "umm.. thanks...?" You said looking back at him, not knowing what to say next. "Are you ok? You look like your really tired.... Do you want me to help you?" "Umm.." if you're being honest.. you really don't need (want) this guy's help since he gives you the creeps and you really just want to get this over with and go home, you immediately brainstorm of an excuse on why you don't need it but you don't have to worry! it doesn't matter! Since he already took a sit next to you...

You sighed

'this is going to be a long night..'

It's been 30 minutes since he's been helping you with your homeworks.... well you didn't really do much since he was the only one answering the questions and explaining to you why that's the right answer so throughout the time you literally just nod and agree while trying so hard not to doze off. You don't even know why he's doing this.. Is it really just the fact that he wants to help you or is it the fact that he's bored and just wants to play teacher with a lonely student who's in the library at 2 in the morning.. Not to mention you don't even know his name.. yeah.. who is this guy anyway?

"Umm Would you mind if I ask you a few questions?" You asked ".. Not at all, ask away." He said not looking up from your homework. "... What's your name?" He stopped and looked at you confused "oh.. I.. haven't told you my name yet?" "Umm no? I don't think so.." you said. "Oh.. sorry about that I.. forgot.. my name's Salem, Salem Whitlock." "Oh I see well my name is- " before you can even say your name he interrupted you "y/n, y/n l/n. I know.." you looked at him stunned, he must've noticed it because he lift your textbook were you saw your full name there.

"Oh.."

He smiled and got back on finishing your homework. You looked at him thinking of what you can ask him next... then it clicked "what are you even doing here so late?" He pause, he looks like he's thinking of something to say and after that he looks at you and smiled "same reason as you, I have homeworks to do.. I just finished early." "Oh I see, but why do it here? Can't you just do it in your house?" You asked. "Ah yeah... I could but..." He paused "Umm.. I just... Really like the school when it's night.. it's.. quiet... And very empty.. Unlike the daytime.... it's perfect.." he said without breaking eye contact while smiling. You looked back at him unsure of what to say back. What he said does make sense, a lot of people enjoy the creepy environment that the school gives during nighttime but.. there's something about how he said it made you unease.... maybe it's the fact that the way he pause whenever he says a word? Or the fact that he didn't break eye contact while telling you this.

"Does anyone have ever told you that you look very pleasant to look at?" He then said out of the blue. You looked at him confused. "Umm... thank you?" You said Also not breaking eye contact. You then hear a loud thud-like sound that made you flinch and looked at Salem's hand, the sound is coming from your textbook being slammed shut "anyway, I'm finished! Here." He said handing you your homework. You took it from his hand and examined it. They all seemed correct and the explanation throughout the whole question sounds like it's really coming from an encyclopedia down to every single detail. You looked at the clock in the wall 2:56 am which means this random guy just finished most of your homework in the span of almost an hour. 'ok maybe he's not so bad after all..' you thought looking at him

"thank you. This is a really big help for me." You said giving him a small smile "your welcome.. so does this means we're friends?" He said standing up "sure!" you said putting your homework in your bag "Hmm good, well I better get going then." He said walking towards the library door, but before he leaves he stopped and turned around looking at you "oh right, one last thing before I go. Be careful on your way to (Street name) I heard there's a lot of crimes being committed there so be sure to carry something to defend yourself while walking there."

You smiled pulling out your pocket knife from your bag showing him. "Don't worry I always have something to defend myself whenever I'm out." He smiled nodding and finally leaving. You put your knife on your pockets and finally headed out.

You got home at 3:20 am so you still have 4 hours to sleep. You dropped your bag on the floor and threw yourself on your bed thinking about your encounter with Salem. You started dozing off while recalling your conversation with him but then stood up remembering something that made your heart dropped.

How... How did he know your street address?

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