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[abhainnwhump]

IMYM Chapter 38: Epilogue: You Made Me Yours

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“Ribbon . . . Ribbon? Ribbon! Wake up, my queen.”

The doll inhaled. His head whipped around and he struggled to break from wherever he was. He was laying against the Tree of Feelings stump, sometime in the late afternoon. He blinked out the sunlight shining in his eyes, adjusting his beret. A cold hand stroked his face, shushing and trying to settle him down. Ribbon leaned against Nightmare’s side. Oh, now his memory was working!

His husband set his novel down and took his cheek in his hand with a look of concern. “Poor thing, were you having that wedding nightmare again? You were shivering and mumbling my name, but your clinging was quite cute.” Nightmare rubbed his cheek.

Ribbon blushed and shook his head, leaning into his hand. “No nightmares, you just startled me. I didn’t mean to talk in my sleep. It was worse this time because they got you and the Murder Time Trio! They killed them and turned you into stone. I went to visit you and you started acting creepy. They even destroyed my ring and kept me locked in a scary cage all alone.” He waved his fingers to double-check if the ring was still there. He sighed in relief. It shone as much as it did the day Nightmare proposed four years ago.

“My little lamb, you know that would never happen. It’s the anxiety we talked about messing with your head. I would never let them hurt you. I know how sensitive you are, it’s one of the traits I love most about you.” Nightmare pulled Ribbon into his lap. The idea of him dying and the Stars doing the things in his dream still haunted him. The pain felt so real. Ribbon buried himself against him and looked out into the scenery. Green hills, pretty flowers, empty destroyed buildings- no, not helping. Nightmare cooed and pressed slow kisses on his forehead. “There there, it’s okay. You don’t believe I would hurt you, correct?”

“Nonono, of course not! You treat me very well! You’re the best husband I could ever ask for! I’m the one being too sensitive!” The doll replied. He meant every word of it. He loved the Lord of Negativity, now Lord of the Doodlesphere, with all his heart. He even saw him as a bit of a god. Correction, he was better than any god, and Ribbon was more than happy to be his worshiper. The gentle touch from Nightmare calmed him down; he could think a little clearer. Sure Nightmare had his violent episodes and scary moments, but he never took them out on him. And if he did, Ribbon did something to deserve it.

“No need to worry.” Nightmare held him closer, twirling the light pink bow on Ribbon’s neck. “I’m not mad, just troubled. Your dreams are very . . . specific. Perhaps I could do some research and find a spell that could prevent you from having them.”

Ribbon perked up at the idea. He only had the dream once every few weeks, but it still freaked him out. “I’d love that, thank you!.” He rested his head on his chest. “You always know what’s best for me.”

“Papa? What’s wrong with Mama?” A tiny voice called from where she was playing.

Ribbon peered down at the toddler doing her best to climb the hill. The three-year-old skeleton wore a long purple coat with a white moon patch and white fluff. Her eye lights were a mix between Ribbon’s pastel pink and Nightmare’s teal. Nightmare picked his daughter up with one of his tendrils and put her between her parents.

“Nothing, Aurora.” The dark king said. “She merely had a bad dream.”

Aurora’s eye light glimmered with curiosity, more intelligent than the average child. She inherited Ribbon’s face, but still had that smug glint in Nightmare’s eye light. She crawled close to Ribbon, her favorite parent as he did most of the care. “But you’re shaking! Something’s wrong!”

Smiling, Ribbon adjusted his baby so he snuggled her close. “Well sit back, peanut. It’s storytime. Once upon a time, when your father and I got married, there was this group of bad people who wanted to take me away. They were called ‘The Star Sanses’. They claimed to be spreading hope and goodness, but they were evil and liars. They used me for my powers and didn’t care about me. I was a part of them until your papa rescued me. Anyways, at the wedding, he sent me to safety while he and your uncles fought the kidnappers. However,” he made his voice extra dramatic so Aurora wouldn’t get too scared, “two of them chased me. I was so scared! One of them tried to drown me. I wouldn’t be here today if Nightmare didn’t find me first. . .” The doll’s mind wandered through the memories. He explained how Nightmare captured everyone, kept them in the dungeon, and then put them in the maze. Aurora listened with interest.

Ribbon modified the story to be more appropriate for Aurora. He changed Error’s death to him going somewhere far away and disappearing. It wasn’t completely wrong. He shook his head. “Oh stars, I went off track! My point is that sometimes I dream about what would have happened if those monsters took me with them.”

He sighed. “They force me to take these weird lessons and turn me into someone else. They tell me your papa is a terrible person until I agree with them. Sometimes he is a bad person and hurts me, but mostly they kill him. The Stars don’t let me see you. With their training, I become . . . arrogant, reckless, dumb, childish. All the things that are the opposite of who I am. And they call me ‘Ink’ for some reason. My best guess is because they want me to become a dead friend of there’s. Ick, it’s creepy. And when the Star Sanses are ‘nice’ to me . . .” he tried to think of the most PG way to say it, “They forced me to be mean to your father and I couldn’t say no. They’re always so dark too . . .”

Nightmare set his hand on his head and pet him with a frown. Aurora flinched when his hand came close. “That’s . . . rather concerning. You’ve never told me that much detail. How come?”

“Well . . . I didn’t want to worry you too much, sorry. They’re just dreams. I didn’t think they were that big of a deal.” Ribbon looked down in shame. His dreams got wild with the Star Sanses trying to hurt him. Blue was more upfront about wanting to hurt him. Dream sweet-talked and apologized, telling him that they wouldn’t do it again as long as he listened. It wasn’t that bad. Blue would never hurt him now, he was his guard.

“They won’t take you, right Mama?” Aurora made a fearful squeak. His attempts to make the story less scary didn’t work. “Or me? Or Papa?”

“Not as long as I’m here,” Nightmare assured. “Those monsters are gone. Well, except for one. Their name is Core Frisk, and they’ve been hiding in the multiverse for years. They’re intelligent and elusive, I must give them credit. They escaped my maze and as I promised, I let them go and won’t directly attack them. But if they were to attack you, your mother, or even your uncles, I would protect you. Your brothers are strong fighters though, one day you will be too. I still have some of the other’s clothes in my dresser drawer as proof they’re gone. I’ll show you one day, once you’re old enough to understand everything.” He leaned back on the tree trunk as if sensing something. “Hm, I wonder where they are now . . .”

“Is Core a skeleton like us?”

Ribbon laughed. “Us? You and your papa, right?” When Aurora shook her head, he explained, “You’re a skeleton, and your papa is a skeleton, but I’m not. I’m a doll who looks like one. He taught me that.”

Aurora looked in a mix of confusion and awe. “You’re not like Papa?”

“Well, sorta. I was born as a failed creation. I think I was supposed to be a skeleton, but my Creator abandoned me. What was it?” Ribbon looked at Nightmare for answers.

“You were abandoned in a white void by your Creator, yes. Then the Star Sanses abandoned you once you were no longer useful. Don’t think about it, it’s no longer important.” Nightmare reassured. He pat Ribbon on the head as he checked his pocket watch. He got a new one recently, shiny silver with an apple made from turquoise gemstones. “Speaking of the Star Sanses, Dream requested a meeting. He says there are some issues he needs me to address and help with. My queen, would you like to come with me?”

Ribbon didn’t hesitate before nodding. Usually, when he went to the Omega Timeline with Nightmare, he got to go visit his beloved dollhouse. Sometimes even Blue would be there! “Yes! Can I bring Aurora? I know Dream doesn’t really like her, but I can watch her.”

Nightmare looked down at the toddler. She squirmed in Ribbon’s arms. Ribbon adjusted her so she was sitting still for her father. “I suppose. But keep an eye on her, she’s still much too young to wander around on her own.”

He offered his hand and helped Ribbon stand up. He made sure Ribbon’s tiara was adjusted properly on his head. The doll hoisted Aurora up and held her close. Nightmare summoned a portal and lead him into the Omega Timeline. Nightmare loved to spectate over the AU.

Ribbon carried Aurora as he and Nightmare walked into the Omega Timeline central. All the citizens wore washed-out gray clothes and looked scared, tired, and malnourished. Those on the streets stopped what they were doing and bowed down as Nightmare passed. Ribbons’s dollhouse seemed to be the most colorful thing here and no one ever wanted to go to that. He stayed close to Nightmare. He didn’t like the subtle hateful looks the citizens gave them. He shushed Aurora and held her tighter so she wouldn’t get scared. She was probably getting used to it at this point. Nightmare didn’t like taking her out much, but if he did, it was always here.

The colorful buildings turned grayscale and the sky was cloudy. That’s why he wore his fluffy white covering over his pink and white dress. The headquarters-esc building of the Omega Timeline was replaced with a castle. It wasn’t as big and fancy as Nightmare’s, that would be hard to beat. It was sleek gray-ish white with tall thin pillars and statues of birds around it. It looked like Nightmare had made the whole thing out of pure pearl, but it wasn’t.

Two infected monsters guarded the front gates, both wearing armor and holding spears. Ribbon gulped. He never liked how these negative zombies looked. The gaping black mouths and eyes freaked him out. However, Nightmare made them lower their spears with a flick of his wrist.

Nightmare held his hand as they walked inside. His castle was way better than this one. All the big windows were covered with metal blinds. Magic lanterns lit up the pathways and the dark gold rug on the floor. Despite that, their footsteps still echoed. Ribbon set Aurora down inside and made sure she didn’t touch anything she wasn’t supposed to. Dream would notice, he always noticed. He never came out of the castle unless he absolutely positively had to.

Dream sat on his throne, sleeping with a stern face. He dangled a cigarette in his left hand, still smoking. As soon as Nightmare walked in, Dream opened his eye socket and locked it on Nightmare. He blew a stream of smoke out and snuffed the rest out. Ribbon set Aurora on the floor. Dream looked like he hadn’t slept in centuries. He got off the throne and bowed down in front of them. “Your Highnesses.”

Nightmare chuckled. He still loved having his brother under his control, so did Ribbon. Dream still scared him, but it was a lot better than in his mind. Nightmare stroked Dream’s head as he kneeled. “I expected better from you. I told you in advance that I was arriving for the status check and you’re sleeping and smoking. And while yes, I never told you I was bringing Ribbon and Aurora, that isn’t comparable.” Nightmare gestured to his daughter. He glared when Dream sighed in frustration. Ribbon hid behind Nightmare.

“I’m sorry. I was distracted with other things.” He made eye contact with Nightmare. “I’ve executed four citizens now for conspiring against you. It’s this whole movement that formed. Monsters and humans across the Doodlesphere want you overthrown and themselves in power.”

Nightmare’s tendrils perked up. Ribbon, who spent the discussion walking with Aurora, got worried. Someone wanted to hurt Nightmare? They couldn’t do that! Nightmare’s voice remained calm. “How long has this been happening?”

“About two months, Your Highness. I could handle them on my own and I thought they weren’t a problem until last week. No one is confessing to who started this or how they can travel AUs. I’ve started restricting food supplies to see if that will make them talk. Nothing yet. I promise I will find the ones behind this and have them slain immediately.”

Ribbon thought about something and tapped his pull-string. Nightmare looked at him and nodded, permitting him to speak. Ribbon pulled the charm. “Have you tried getting Blue’s help? He’s strong enough to stop them! I think you need help.”

Dream tensed up and his eye socket twitched. The teal and gold in his eye light fought each other. He gritted his teeth, glaring at Ribbon with hate, and stormed toward him. “Don’t you ever, EVER bring him up. And while you’re at it, you’re not the one to talk about strength. You can’t even hold yourself in battle before breaking down in tears because you’re too weak to-”

Nightmare slapped Dream with his tendril and he crumpled to the ground. Dream held onto his face, still scowling. Nightmare sounded exasperated, like Dream was a pet who still wouldn’t learn a new trick. “Why are you always the one malfunctioning? At least, unlike you, Blue is obedient. You should take a lesson from him.” Nightmare used his tendril to rip his soul out of his chest. Dream’s soul turned into a rotten apple, a lesser version of Nightmare’s. All the corrupted monsters had blackened souls, but Dream’s still had bits of shimmery gold.

Dream didn’t answer with words, only a scoff. Nightmare squeezed his soul and turned it pure black again. Dream’s eye lights flashed into glowing swirls. Nightmare looked over his shoulder at Ribbon and Aurora. “Ribbon, take my daughter and go to your dollhouse. I’ll be with you shortly, Dream and I are going to have a talk about this. It’s too intense for your little head. You’ll be safe on your own.” He used his sweet-talking voice and rubbed Ribbon’s head with a tendril.

Ribbon wanted to ask if he was sure, but he held back. Being told to leave them didn’t surprise him. Ribbon never got to be involved in the big plans. He was there to sit on Nightmare’s lap while he talked and make drinks and treats for his mafia friends. He was too stupid to understand what they meant, even if he wanted to know. Dream stood up, still dazed, and back into his loyal state.

Ribbon stood on his tiptoes and kissed Nightmare on the cheekbone. Nightmare held onto his cheek, keeping him close before letting him go. “Alright. I hope it goes well, Nighty. Come on, peanut.” He tugged on her arm to pull her away. Aurora kept her head low. Poor thing trembled, she must’ve been so scared of Dream. Ribbon struggled to find his way out of the castle. Dream didn’t have as many memorable decorations as Nightmare did. It made the whole place boring and confusing. It’s like he didn’t care.

Ribbon finally found his way out. He kept Aurora close to his side as he traversed the town, holding her arm when she tried to wander off. He looked at the massive banner in the middle of the town square. He smiled, remembering the first time he saw that back in Birdtale. Or at least he thought it was Birdtale. It was a nice little reminder that Nightmare was always protecting him, even when he wasn’t around. Only the stupidest of monsters would try and hurt him, except for Dream. Blue was so easy to fix, why wasn’t he? Was his soul too powerful? Probably. Ribbon made it to his dollhouse.

He repainted the building, a task that took forever, but was worth it. All the walls were pastel pink with white trim and a black roof. He planted flowers and rose bushes in the front and set up a white picket fence. It popped out against the black and gray sky and grass. It looked like he cut it out of a storybook and glued it into a black and white newspaper. Aurora smiled as she recognized the cutesy place, her second home.

Ribbon opened his clutch and took out a shiny gold key. There were only three of these. One for him, one for Nightmare, and one for his best friend. He unlocked the door and opened it a crack to the smell of vanilla and peaches. But there was something else messing with his sweet setup—metal blood.

The doll peeked inside to see Blue kicking a human. He had him wrapped up in ropes with a matching gag. Blue was never happy, but he looked worse than usual.

“Blue?” Ribbon blinked with confusion, fiddling to pull his string. The knight turned around with ropes in his hands, gaze softening at him. The dazed person flinched at the sight of Ribbon. “Um, who’s this?”

Blue kicked the prisoner when he squirmed. He still wore his royal guard armor, unable to take it off. Hugging him hurt, but the suit did look super cool. “It was trying to spread positivity and it was annoying. But I thought you would want to . . . fixthis thing.” He looked at Aurora with a quiet sigh.

“Uncle Blue!” She exclaimed.

Ribbon lit up as he realized what Blue meant, letting go of Aurora’s hand. He put on his best, cutest smile and crouched down to the person. “Hi! Don’t be scared! My name is Ribbon. You’re safe here. Do you want some tea and treats?”

The prisoner seemed surprised and blinked in confusion. Ribbon saw that look a million times and giggled. He took Aurora by the hand and smiled at her, despite her look of fear. “Go with your uncle Blue, okay? He’ll take care of you.”

“. . . okay, Mama.” Aurora whispered, sounding unsure. Ribbon kissed her on the forehead, gently nudging her over. He never trusted his sweet baby with anyone else.

“Come here.” Blue wrapped an arm around Aurora and took her upstairs. Now it was just Ribbon and the stranger. He tilted his head as he examined the stranger’s features. The sharp nose made him think of a little bird, like a chickadee. He liked chickadees. Ribbon thought about it as the prisoner struggled and managed to get an arm out of the ropes. He giggled and grabbed the back of the prisoner’s shirt collar, bringing him into the living room.

“No, no, silly! Don’t pull! That’s bad! We’re going to have a little tea party.” Ribbon said. He set the prisoner on a silky pink sofa with lacey pillows. He made sure the prisoner wouldn’t get away as he walked into the kitchen. Like the rest of the dollhouse, it was based on pastel pink and white, but he had more purples. The walls were muted lavender.

Ribbon opened a glass cabinet and pulled out a tea set. It was one of his favorite things in the whole house. The set was white with brown edges. Brown teddy bears held flowers on the sides. But that wasn’t the important part. That was a tea box he took out after he set the teapot on a tray. With help from Nightmare and Horror, he made the perfect treat. He boiled a kettle’ of water and pulled a tea bag out, dangling it in front of his face. He liked the look of the dark tea leaves with pink glittery specks. He set it aside. He only wanted to add it to the prisoner’s tea cup, it wouldn’t be good otherwise.

Ribbon twirled to the other side of the room and took one of his cookie jars. He shook it over a plate and poured out frosted sugar cookies with sprinkles. The tea finished boiling and he poured the steaming drink into the teapot. He skipped out of the kitchen and back into the living room.

To Ribbon’s surprise, Blue came back down. The tips of his glove dug into the prisoner’s neck like a pin cushion. Ribbon set the tea tray down and lay his hands on the table, peering over. He pulled his string. “What happened?”

“Nothing. I wish it was something more interesting. He tried to escape and get out of here.” Blue dropped the prisoner’s neck. “Aurora is upstairs and playing with her dolls.”

“Oh . . . okie.” Ribbon shrugged. He held up the plate of cookies on the bear and flower plate. They were brown and the frosting was pink. He offered the plate over. “Here, have some cookies! They go great with tea. They’re vanilla and cinnamon and I made them myself!”

The prisoner stared at the cookie until Ribbon realized the obvious. He snickered to himself as he took the gag off. He out of all people should know gags cause problems with eating. He also untied his hands but kept the ropes on his arms and legs.

Blue summoned a bone, ready to stab him if he didn’t take it. “Don’t look like that. It’s a cookie. You’re lucky to get anything in these times because everything is rotten. Eat it.”

“It’s going to kill me!” He tried to fight Blue off.

“Nope! I don’t like to kill people. Well, unless Nighty tells me to.” Ribbon smiled and sipped his tea, dabbing a drop off his chin. He would’ve poured tea for Blue but . . . well, the mask on his helmet covered his mouth. He couldn’t drink it if he wanted to. Was he starving?

Between the threat of impalement and the pressure from Ribbon, the prisoner took the tea. He drank it down, ignoring it was still hot. Ribbon’s smile widened. “Is it good?”

A cautious nod. He opened his mouth to speak, but all that came out was a cough of faux feathers and fluff. His body jerked as his limbs couldn’t handle being shrunken down into being tiny. Bones cracked into powder and fluff. His eyes stiffened into black beads and his arms flattened into into a pair of soft wings. Ribbon watched with excitement. He didn’t have much control over what plush he made, but he could have a rough idea. And this was a good one. The ropes fell to the ground and the new plush owl landed with a plop on the couch.

“Perfect! Aw, you’re adorable! Perfect! Perfect!” Ribbon cuddled and bounced with his new stuffed bird. It blinked, the only way it was able to move. He held it out to Blue. “What do you think? I like the name Lunar, because nighttime.”

Blue lifted one of the wings, unamused as ever. He shrugged. “It looks . . . fine, whatever.”

Ribbon skipped up the carpeted steps into the hallway. The walls were light pink with darker pink stripes. He even added heart-shaped wall lights through the hall. Nightmare got them for it. He helped him design this entire place, but he seemed to have the most fun destroying and remaking Dream’s room.

Ribbon opened what was once Dream’s bedroom. A delicate silver bell rang. The entire room was filled with adorable plushies. He brought all but his two favorites in here, so they weren’t all transformed souls. There had to be . . . sixty? Seventy? He couldn’t count. Ribbon organized the room by animals. Pets like puppies and kitties on the right. Forest animals sat on their own shelves in the middle by the window. Water animals lay on the floor and the birds were tucked on the upper left. Any other animal was on the right middle-back side. Most of them were on blankets or lace. Some he gave to Blue, Aurora, and Killer as presents. He even pinned balls of fluff to the ceiling to look like clouds. The only sound was the erratic blinking of multiple of the stuffed animals.

Ribbon set the owl with the other birds. “There you go. You look good in your new home! I hope you like your new friends!” He gently squeezed the bird’s cheek before taking a moment to admire the rest of his collection. Some of the stuffed animals had buttons instead of shiny eyes because of the constant noise. And some, like the teddy bears, were much cuter. Safer. This whole room was safe and comfy, the perfect place to go when the world was too scary.

Ribbon left the room and peeked into Blue’s room, assuming that’s where he went. After all this time, it hasn’t changed much. Blue destroyed a few pictures of him and the others. But he wasn’t there. He sat on his bed with his arms crossed as Aurora flipped through a picture book. A ragdoll set next to her. She hid behind a nightstand away from Blue. Ribbon didn’t mind.

“Good job for staying here like you were told, firefly! That guy made an adorable fluffy owl!” Ribbon beamed.

“An owl?” Aurora looked up from her book. She looked back down at her storybook and flipped through it. She pointed at a spot in her book with big drawing of said bird in the sky. “Like that.”

Ribbon smiled and pet her head. “Mm hm, just like that! You’re so smart.”

“Mama? When can I do that? I want to make plushies . . .” Aurora tugged at his skirt. Ribbon picked her up and set her in his lap once more than afternoon. He rubbed his heart charm before pulling it.

“Um . . . when you’re older. Nightmare taught me, I’m sure he’ll teach you too. In fact, I bet you’ll be stronger and smarter than me! You already are. Kind of.” Ribbon gently touched the enchanted charm bracelet on Aurora’s wrist. He liked poking the white pearl stars in particular. But Ribbon’s mind went to someone else at the word ‘star’.

“Do you know anything about the monsters trying to destroy me and Nightmare? Nightmare went to a meeting with Dream and he said-” Ribbon paused, watching Blue roll his eye lights at his name. Bad idea. “Sorry, I mean, I heard there’s a lot of bad people right now and I want to know if you’ll be okay. Will I be okay? Will Nighty?”

Blue nodded, resting his head on his gloved hand. “You’ll be fine. Everyone’s overreacting, Dream’s having one of his drama queen moments. Core’s resistance group is weak and they’re trying to fight a pointless battle.”

Ribbon laughed a bit when he called Dream a drama queen, even if Blue didn’t even crack a smile. He picked Aurora up and held her on his lap. He took a handkerchief out of his purse and wiped the dirt off her cheek from earlier. “Phew, I was worried. But if something bad happens-”

“Nothing’s going to happen.”

“But if it does . . . will you protect me?”

“Always.”

Ribbon smiled at the response. He talked with Blue for the next twenty minutes, just about whatever came to mind. He had so many thoughts in his head that he couldn’t get out. As much as he loved talking to his stuffed animals, they never said anything back. Making up their words wasn’t the same. The bell by the door rang as Nightmare walked in. Ribbon listened to his heels clack across the floor downstairs. Ribbon scooped Aurora off his lap. She didn’t seem to like it. Ribbon dashed down the steps and spotted Nightmare. His tendril caressed one of his ceramic bunny statues. Blue kneeled in front of Nightmare when he made it to the bottom of the steps.

“Darling!” Ribbon waved over to him. He squeezed Nightmare in a Blue kneeled in front of Nightmare.. “Blue brought a prisoner and I turned him into a nice owl stuffie. Did your meeting go well? Is someone going to hurt us? Blue said that we’re fine but I want to hear it from you.”

“Oh, did he now?” Nightmare gave him a calm smile. “Everything is fine, my little lamb. I need to find and eradicate some monsters, and my schedule will be full. I promise no one is going to hurt you. We’re going to be safe.”

“Why can’t you send one of the others to do it for you? Is it because they’d be too close and kill each other?”

“Partially. It’s more because I want to do it on my own. I don’t trust them to handle it. And no, not even Blue.” Nightmare said with a fake sigh. Ribbon smiled. He understood. None of the Fallen Stars were as strong and smart as Nightmare was. No one in the whole multiverse was even close.

Blue stood up from his kneel. The swirls in his eye lights became more visible. “Do you need my service, Your Highness?”

“No, no. You’ve done enough.” Nightmare snapped his fingers and Blue vanished in a sludge puddle. Ribbon reached out to him, but Nightmare pulled his hand back. It would be a week to a month before they saw each other again. He wanted to ask if they could have a meet-up, but held back. It wasn’t a big deal right now.

Nightmare looked out the window. “Well, the sun has almost set. We should head back to the castle. Aurora needs to sleep, and so do you.”

“Was it that long?” Ribbon shimmied out of Nightmare’s arms and peeked out the pink lace curtain. The sun was half over the horizon, turning the sky black. Only the lights from the Omega citizens’ homes were visible. He pressed his head against the window and listened to the start of crickets.

“Yes, it was. Now come along now.” Nightmare held Ribbon’s hand and summoned a portal beneath them. Aurora held onto her mom’s arm as they fell through, back to the castle gardens. The sky was as dark as the Omega Timeline. Horror, Killer, Dust, and Cross had to be back from their mission by now. Some of the lights were on in the living room.

Ribbon shivered from the cold. Nightmare’s weather coding always made it cold out at night, no matter how warm he made the day for him. Already cold AUs were hard to live in, but Ribbon would turn into a popsicle if he were there longer than a few minutes. Nightmare noticed and held him close, letting him hide under his suit jacket. Ribbon stared at the jacket with an odd feeling in his soul. Something that’s been bothering him for months now.

“Nightlight?” Ribbon peeped as he looked up at him.

“Yes?”

“Would you ever abandon me? Or get bored of me?”

“Aw.” Nightmare cupped his cheekbones and nuzzled his foreskull. “I wouldn’t let you go for all the negativity in the Doodlesphere. I would never cheat either. You’re too cute and you need me to take care of you. Whatever made you think otherwise? Is it your dreams?”

Ribbon thought about the answer as he nuzzled him back, letting go of Aurora’s hand. “Um, kinda. It’s mostly a thought I have because you have to do so much to take care of me. I can’t defend myself at all! I feel like I’m not good enough and you deserve someone better. But my dreams also have you hate me or want to leave me . . .”

Nightmare made a clicking noise with his tongue. “Angel, angel, angel, what have I told you so many times already?”

Sighing, the doll quoted, “That if anyone who isn’t you or the others give me kindness, they don’t mean it. They only want to use and hurt me. I am unsafe and unwanted by everyone but you.”

Nightmare caressed his head. “There you go. I married you for a reason. Those people in your dreams don’t care about you. I love you, and I don’t mind going the extra mile to make sure you’re safe and happy. There are others braver, smarter, and stronger than you are, but no one will ever be as cute and loyal. You would never want autonomy, that’s another lie your dreams are putting in your head. Aurora needs to be taught this when she’s a bit older. I’m not liking her current adventurous streak.” Nightmare looked off in the distance before focusing back on him.” I would fight the ends of the multiverse to keep my family safe. No matter what it takes, I will not let you be forgotten about or abandoned. So no more worrying about feeling worthless, understand? I promise I’ll find that spell so you will be at peace.”

“No more worrying. I’m sorry.” Ribbon agreed. He looked around for Aurora and spotted her wandering off toward the trees. Ribbon skipped over and took her hand, guiding back to safety.

“You are forgiven.” Nightmare took his hand once more and guided him down the hill. Ribbon gave it a squeeze. Even after all these years, he still couldn’t get over how lucky he was. Queen of the Doodlesphere with the most powerful and loving man ever.

They made it into the bridge. It only grew more beautiful over the years as he helped Nightmare redesign some of it. Blue, white, and black flowers covered the grounds. A little stone bridge that connected the river and the lake. A statue of a skeleton on his knees, slowly melting to death, was built on the side of the field. The first few times he looked at it, Ribbon couldn’t make eye contact. Now, he didn’t even remember why it made him uneasy. Nightmare commissioned it from an artist. It was a fancy hunk of rock, not the real Error. Aurora liked it. She stood on her tiptoes to reach for the yellow flowers that grew around it. One of her tendrils plucked a bloom and she held it in front of herself.

“Aw, you’re getting the hang of them!” Ribbon ruffled her skull. Aurora giggled, sending sparks out of her bracelet. He and Nightmare still couldn’t figure out what kind of magic she had. They guessed illusion magic, but that was only based on a few incidents. Namely, the time Horror wandered around the gardens for a half hour straight. Nightmare had to snap him out of his trance and he said he was in his old AU.

Ribbon also thought he started seeing ghosts. Dream, Error, old Blue, old Cross. The one that freaked him out the most was an energetic yet disappointed skeleton in a brown scarf. Ink. That one would grab his shoulders and shake him, demanding his life back, whatever that meant. He even hallucinated in the middle of creating Aurora. It was already one of the most terrifying moments of his life, but that made it worse. He cried his eyes out to Nightmare. They confronted Aurora about it a while back. Nightmare thought she was a mistake, but it turns out it wasn’t completely her fault. Her magic scared her too; she couldn’t control it and it gave her nightmares and hallucinations. Dust messed around in his lab for a while and came up with the charm bracelet. That worked great.

Aurora took the flower and blew on the petals. Ribbon took the flower and used a bit of his paint magic to attach it to her skull. Aurora smiled. “Thanks, Mama!”

Nightmare crossed his arms and looked at her, then he glanced at Ribbon. “You’re doing so well with her, I knew you would be an exceptional mother.”

“Thank you!” Ribbon smiled at the compliment. “I love you, Nightmare.”

Nightmare kissed the top of his head. “I love you too, my perfect little doll.”

While the couple walked into the castle, a stranger watched from the side. A child with gray skin and hair, wearing a full-bodied hooded cloak with dull blue and purple stripes. A burning lantern dangled in their open hand. They glared with their pitch-black eyes, fiddling with a necklace on their neck. It had five charms on a gold chain. A gold apple, a white and red heart, a glitching black heart, and a white heart with a purple circle in the center. Core felt their heart twist as they touched the scar beneath their bangs. They wished they could get those two away from each other.

But they couldn’t. All they could do was buy a little more time until they could rescue the few souls they could.

[teatreeoilll]

|| Movie Night (Gojo Satoru X Reader) ||

(Reposted from my old blog which I don't have access to anymore (thanks Tumblr), if you liked it reblogs or likes would be appreciated to get me back on track since I've lost all my followers and half my work :(

Gojo Satoru swears that watching movies is the best training method, and that's all it is, just training, really. Fluff with slight innuendos.

W/C - 1.3 K

"You think we're what?" Nanami's eyebrow cocked up as soon as you spoke. He shot a helpless look at Haibara who was standing over him, leaning his weight on the hand he placed on the desk, entranced by the praise hidden in your request.

The few months since you've started attending Jujutsu High have passed in the blink of an eye. The curves of the hallways became more familiar as you found your way through the maze with ease, a day-to-day routine carefully forming when you began to befriend your classmates, the solemn-looking Nanami Kento and his enthusiastic friend Haibara Yu, awed by their rapidly increasing strength.

The two of them, together with your upper-classmen whom you've only briefly encountered, always looked like they had noble reasons for being in the Jujutsu world - and although it always felt too rude to ask what they were, your reasons for attending the school had paled in comparison to the things you've imagined.

"I think you're strong," you smile awkwardly, "and I was wondering if you have any advice - to - you know, help me get stronger too."

"I don't think I'm the right person to ask," Nanami shied away from the request, tugging on his uniform to distract himself.

"Don't worry!" Haibara cut into the conversation, the smile plastered on his face melting the awkwardness you felt, "You should talk to our upper-classmen, I heard one of them is the strongest sorcerer they've seen in hundreds of years. I'm sure he'll have something useful to say!"

Hibara's expression changes as soon as you walk out of the classroom with a newly found determination to find the strongest.

"Wait," he furrowed his brows at Nanami, placing his thumb on his chin, "D'you think she thinks I think she's weak?"

"I think you should stop thinking so much."

-

"Weak? Yeah, I can see that." Gojo's careless words earn him an elbow to his ribs from his friend Geto, who smiled sheepishly at you while mumbling; quit teasing the juniors, Satoru.

"He doesn't mean it like that," Geto assures you, but the confidence you felt first approaching them on their break between classes vanished just as fast as it came. You manage to let out a bashful chuckle, suddenly aware of the afternoon sun burning mercilessly at your back.

"But I do," the white-haired sorcerer grumbles back at his friend, pulling off his shades to wipe them on the side of his uniform, "She's weak - but at least she wants to do something about it."

You find yourself so remarkably fixated on the light blue color of his eyes peaking through his pale eyelashes that the next words catch you off guard.

"I'd ask Yaga if I were you," Geto ignores his friend's remarks.

"I wanted to," you admit, "I just - I don't want him to think I'm unsatisfied with his teaching methods."

"It's a shame," Gojo puts his sunglasses back on, adjusting them lightly on the bridge of his nose, "If you're unsatisfied you should just say so - don't you think, Suguru?"

Geto sighs.

"But I'll help," a smile creeps slowly on Gojo's face, "What kind of senior would I be if I turn down a desperate plea for help from my junior?"

You open your mouth to defend yourself - trying to retain a neutral expression after being so brazenly called desperate, but fearing Gojo would take back his newly offered assistance, you only utter a quick thank you before agreeing to meet when classes are over.

Geto watches you walk into the building, and just as the hem of your fluttering skirt disappears into the doorway, he turns to his friend.

"That's very kind of you."

"Don't look so surprised, Suguru." Gojo scoffs dramatically, "I would never turn down a junior in need."

Geto rolled his eyes, to which Gojo finished his sentence, "Especially when they have such pretty eyes."

"And a short skirt," Geto laughs.

"A very short skirt." Gojo agrees.

-

"You didn't have to change," Gojo inspects you through his sunglasses. He isn't disappointed about the way the gym clothes hug your body - but the skirt you wore before already held a special place in his heart.

"Why? Aren't we going to train?" You inquire.

"It's a different kind of training," he states nonchalantly, to which you only stare at him, awaiting the specifics, "We're going to watch a movie."

"A .. movie?"

"So you don't want to train with the strongest.." he pauses, turning around as if to walk away.

"N-no!" You exclaim a little too loud, feeling like a wild animal whose leg got captured in a bear trap, "Let's train."

-

You sit down on the edge of Gojo's bed, gluing the palms of your hands to your knees as you watch him insert a CD into the laptop he put on a chair in front of you. He fiddles with the laptop for a while before turning the movie on, letting the opening credits play while he speaks.

"Now, all you have to do is keep a steady flow of cursed energy while you watch."

"What happens if I don't?" You inquire.

"I'll be here to keep you in check," he crosses his arms, directing his attention to the screen, triggering you to do the same.

The open credits pass to reveal the title, The Green Mile. Oh god, that movie's heartbreaking.

Gojo began to feel as though his mission was failing. He hoped you wouldn't be able to stay in control for long - imagining himself putting a hand on your thigh while guiding you confidently, saying things like Don't worry, I'll show you how it's done. Maybe you'll even call him Senpai. But the steady flow of energy in the room hadn't wavered in the past two and a half hours.

The pressure in the room drops as soon as the film attains its climax. A soft smirk grazes Gojo's lips when he starts to speak, turning to face you, "Don't worry, I'll -"

You feel a tear rolling down your face, distracting your focus. As you wipe your face with your sleeve and regain composure, you notice him staring at you with a glimmer of regret, stretching out a long arm to engulf your shoulders.

"T'was good, for your first training session, that is." He talks through the gut-wrenching music of the ending credits.

"Yeah, a training session.." you roll your eyes, still painfully aware of the arm he hadn't moved off your shoulders, why do they always think they're so smooth?

-

12 years later

You look through the doorway into the TV room, watching Gojo picking out DVDs for Yuji, his new student, to watch.

"You're not really going to make him watch films, are you?" You sit next to him, moving the pile of DVD cases scattered across the floor.

"It's training," Gojo focuses on reading the film titles on the paper sleeves, "You should know that."

"Oh please! You were just trying to get in my pants."

"Me?" Gojo chuckles, "You were the one trying to get in my pants - you're so strong Gojo, please train me Gojo!" He imitates you poorly, but you've gotten used to it throughout the years, "You were so desperate I thought you might cry if I refused."

"Oh then, please remind me who was trying to kiss me after finishing The Notebook."

"I did that for you! You were looking so depraved going on and on about how handsome the guy is, I felt sorry for you."

"Sure you did," you mused.

"He's not your type anyway," Gojo shrugs.

"Oh, what's my type then?" You flash a cocky smile at him as he pushes through the pile of DVDs to get closer to you.

"I don't know, I'd say tall, blue eyes," he pushes his blindfold down to rest on his neck, "handsome," he presses closer to you, his lips brushing against yours as he speaks, "strong," he bites down on your bottom lip softly.

"Gojo-Sensei," a voice cuts through the room, "What are we doing for training today - oh," you push yourself away from Gojo, feeling your face grow red as you watch a blushing pink-haired boy rush away from the TV room, "I'll go train with Fushiguro today!" Yuji exclaims from the hallway.

[ladyfauxhawk]

tumblr is my happy place, BUT I need to say something difficult (TW: general discussion of sexual assault)

I read the Neil Gaiman article in Vulture yesterday. I'm not gonna repost it, you can find it if you want to read it. I'm not a Neil Gaiman fan, and most certainly am not diving into that back catalog now.

As a victim of sexual assault (by someone I'd call a charismatic elder and performative ally) when I was in college, this article was the clearest nonfiction piece I've ever read about the victim's experience of SA. The confusion and doubt and the sort of visceral clarity that comes after. I was taken back to some dark places when reading the victims' accounts.

I knew it would be a rough read and I was capable of doing so because I've had 20 years to sift thru the wreckage of my experience and be capable of bearing witness. If you're not ready for that, you don't have to read it. I hope the victims can learn that being vulnerable and soft is a great strength- you can't blame yourself for a bad person taking advantage. That vulnerability is human. It's how we make friends. It's how we survive.

As a writer of RPF reading something like this is awful and feels cautionary somehow. Someone is mourning their blorbos. That's OK. It's not your fault as a fan when the information you formerly held as true is disproven. You don't bear the burden of shitty people. You can only choose what to do with what you learned.

This article reminded me of why I have my own Ethics of RPF. These are my rules because I need them. They help me focus on what matters. Maybe they'll be helpful for someone else too:

Don't break the veil between the real world and your writing on tumblr/Ao3/wherever. You're writing fiction. Keep it fiction. Use whatever freely given source material you find in the wild but don't try to create it. We're all just people.

My engagement with fandom needs to be better than in real life. The whole of the internet needs to be better than in real life, or I need to go touch grass. This is for me. It should be fun. If it's not, find something else. And if my blorbo hurts my friends in this fandom, I'm cutting them from my life with the sharpest knife I can find.

Be kind to yourselves today. If any of my mutuals want to talk, my messages are open to you. ❤️

[mlleclaudine]

Adèle Haenel : "Je suis la représentante de cette enfant qui a disparu, que personne n'a protégée"

France Inter - December 16, 2024

A few days after the end of the trial of director Christophe Ruggia, whom she accuses of sexually assaulting her when she was a minor, Adèle Haenel speaks for the first time to France Inter.

With

● Adèle Haenel French actress

“Seriously, you have to see how brutal it is to listen to all these lies, to remain calm in this situation.” For the first time since the end of the trial of Christophe Ruggia, the director she accuses of sexually assaulting her between the ages of 12 and 14, Adèle Haenel has broken her silence. “This stack of lies piled up by a man who sexually abused the child I used to be, who made her disappear, who actually murdered her, it's hard to hear,” explains the actress, who has put her film career on hold. In court, she says she tried “to give as much concrete, material evidence as possible”, as opposed to her alleged assailant, who she says “is full of crap”.

Adèle Haenel recalls the “Shut the hell up!” she shouted at director Christophe Ruggia during the hearing, against whom a five year prison sentence has been requested, including three years' probation. “When he said 'I'm the one who made her name', that was one attack too many, it's not true, it's wrong, it's a lie and yet another assault, it takes me back to when I was on his sofa and he told me 'without me you're nothing',” she says. “It's his violence, it's his arrogance, that's what drives me crazy.”

“This trial allowed everyone to be heard, including Mr. Ruggia, who claims that he was prevented from speaking, that this is a trial by media, etc. In there, he had plenty of time to speak and obviously, he didn't explain anything.” According to the actress, the director's line of defense was “to sexualize the child [she was] and to whine, to try to win sympathy for himself, and to make people believe that he is the victim of this story, but that's not the case, we're talking about an adult who was 36, almost 40 at the time this happened, and who arranged to have a 12-year-old child in his home all by himself, and sexually assaulted her every weekend”.

“I never had the opportunity to be that child,” says Adèle Haenel again. "She was always put into position as an adult, she was always responsible. Even me, from the time I started speaking out in 2019, I thought I was doing it in MeToo as a woman. And I caught on later, I understood as things progressed. I was actually 12 years old. I'd forgotten so much that I never was 12. I'd always been told that I was an adult in a child's body, so it was only belatedly that I understood what it actually means to be a 12-year-old.”

The actress points out the responsibility of adults in her business, beyond director Christophe Ruggia, with whom she made her first film in “Les Diables”. “When I see the images [from this film], I'm appalled, that children were made to do this, sex scenes with children. And of course, there's the director, but there's a whole set of tradespeople around. A film shoot actually involves around fifty adults,” she says.

[Please don’t repost this anywhere, in part or in whole.  Feel free to reblog, or at least cite your source and provide a link back here.  Asking permission would be nice in an ideal world, but I’m a realist – I know far too well how easy it is to appropriate stuff on Tumblr.  I would be the first to admit that my translations are not perfect – there are some words and phrases that simply do not drop neatly into an equivalent in English, and I constantly fix typos and make changes or corrections in older posts – but they do take a lot of work and time.  Thanks for understanding. - C.]

h/t to @thexfridax for the link - thanks, Ros!

[genericdragon]

Hello! Since my art and designs seem to be getting more attention recently(??????) and stuff like this has come up a few times, I thought I'd lay down some ground rules about my art and characters.

Art Rules:

Generally if you want to use my art anywhere PLEASE ASK ME FIRST!!! I'll most likely say yes I just want to know about it. If you're reposting it on a different platform or sharing it on Discord or whatever I'd also appreciate if you could tell me what other people are saying about it or send me a link to the post. Also free to use as pfps or whatever as long as you ask first. and unless I say otherwise (there are some things I don't want my name attached to yknow) ALWAYS MAKE SURE TO CREDIT ME!!! ("genericdragon on Tumblr" will suffice). If it's art that I made specifically for you you're free to use it anywhere without asking just remember to credit me.

Please don't edit my art in any way, shape, or form, aside from maybe cutting out the background or whatever. (including drawing on top of it, changing colors, etc)

You're allowed to trace/heavily reference my art for practice (don't know why you'd want to tho) but DO NOT POST IT ANYWHERE OR USE IT FOR ANYTHING ELSE PLEASE.

Unless we're very close friends/mutuals do not expect free art from me. You can commission me on artistree or follow me on artfight (<- you are VERY likely to get free art this way.) I might do requests but only if it's something that I'd want to draw even if no one requested it. (no fetish baiting. I know it when I see it.)

Character rules:

If you want to use my exact humanization as your headcanon for that character or use them in your AU then be my guest! Again, just make sure to credit me for the design, and please tag me in anything you do with them :)

That being said, there are a few story related things that I'm not comfortable sharing with other AUs, but it's usually stuff that I don't post on Tumblr so you probably don't know abt it anyway. Just ask me if you're unsure. However I will also ask that you don't create an entirely new backstory for them if you're putting them in your own AU.

I can't stop you from taking inspiration from my designs but please don't just change a few things from my design and call it your own. They're not technically my original characters but I am still very attached to my humanizations and I'm not comfortable with them being modified like that. I'm glad that ppl like my designs but I don't want them to run too far away from me until they're not mine anymore yknow?

You are always always ALWAYS welcome to draw my character designs, especially when interacting with your own or other people's :) Tag me in any art you make of them!! I want to see it!!!

I made another post about it but self-shipping is allowed (as long as it's not a teenager who's way younger than you) just make sure to abide by the rest of these rules.

Also drawing nsfw of my 18+ characters is fine. (Unless I explicitly say they're a teenager or they are known to be a teenager in canon you can assume they're an adult) You can show me or not idc. Just don't send it to me without warning I don't wanna be jumpscared

Other Stuff:

I do not control the hyperfixation. If you followed me for one specific fandom/character that I don't post about often I can't guarantee that you'll see any more of it. Portal is the one thing you can ALWAYS expect me to come back to but the other stuff just comes and goes. Not saying that I'll NEVER come back to it again just don't hold your breath. Feel free to unfollow or block any tags you're not interested in, I don't take any offense to it.

Please do not reblog any art older than like... 3 or 4 years. I'll leave it up for now but if you reblog it I WILL delete it, sorry.

Continuing from that point, this is my blog and I will delete things as I see fit. Please do not download and repost my art if I delete it. If it's gone then I don't want it to be public anymore, please respect my wishes.

I won't throw a hissy fit if you like art but don't reblog it, I totally get that some things just aren't for everyone, but reblogging really does help a lot and I appreciate it :)

Please don't feel intimidated by me! Apparently some people think of me as a Big Scary Popular Artist and I have no idea where that impression came from but I'm not. I'm just a weirdo girl making my silly little drawings. Also PLEASE don't say anything to the effect of "your art is so good it makes me feel bad" or using my art to put yourself down. I have Kind Of Complicated feelings about my art so when people do this it really messes me up. Just don't, it makes both of us feel so much worse.

Asks are always welcome, although I do try to draw art in response to asks but sometimes I just don't get around to it, or it's for a fandom I'm not currently interested in. (Sorry to that one person who sent me an INSIDE related ask that's just been sitting in my inbox for several months)

I do have an nsfw blog, you can dm me for the url, although I may choose to withhold it from you for any reason. (I'm shy 👉👈)

Other than that just uhhhhh be reasonable treat me like a person respect my boundaries etc. I'll update this if needed but this is the most important stuff for now I think

[predvestnik]

Knowing your partner well can potentially make writing together a lot easier.

Repost, don't reblog!

(PEN) NAME: Vênus

PRONOUNS: You can't misgender me in a way that I'll care

PREFERENCE OF COMMUNICATION: DMs always. 

NAME OF MUSE(s): Childe Tartaglia Ajax (you're here!). Kaveh over @vohunara and Neuvillette, tentatively, over @leviudicator

BEST EXPERIENCE: Having joined the RPC on Tumblr over ten years ago, honestly. I'm way more recluse now than when I started, but how stories are written on this platform is collaborative in ways no other is. It was on Tumblr where I've had the pleasure of developing storylines that were intertwined with multiple people's muses and that will never stop being a goal to experience again. Multiple muses being affected by the actions of others? Referencing in their threads for better or for worse? Chef kiss.

RP PET PEEVES / DEALBREAKERS: Begging is not a dealbreaker, but it's a major pet peeve. For anything: interaction, ship, meme, art, etc. It's not always easy to get traction, more often than not we have to look back to what we are providing to find the solution to our struggles — am I respectfully reaching out to other RPers? Am I engaging with the community? Am I putting out content that makes sense for other people to add to? So on and so forth.

Littlest most inconsequential thing, mostly because I don't understand at all: seeing "not affiliated with the Genshin fandom" everywhere. What in hell is that supposed to even mean? We're in the RPC, which is a subsection of the fandom. It tells me nothing.

MUSE PREFERENCES: I have a history of thriving with muses who are part of the antagonist force in their source material, from the most extroverted types to the stoic ones. I like conflict and opposition, even when (specially, I'd go so far as to say) my muse is the one who's wrong.

PLOTS OR MEMES: I prefer plots but my routine only gives me enough resources to engage with memes, mostly. Plotting with me nowadays kind of require OOC closeness due to the immensurable patience we will need.

BEST TIME TO WRITE: Night time. Alas, eepy. </3

ARE YOU LIKE YOUR MUSE(S): I don't think so. There are elements I inject into my portrayals that relate back to me as a natural consequence of interpreting a character, but I see close to nothing of myself in their canon. c: If anything, I'd say Neuvillette is the one I think comes the closest and, ironically enough, is the most challenging muse I have currently.

tagged by: @ccaptain Because of COURSE. <3 tagging: This bloodline ends with me (jk, take it!)

[irl-simon-riley]

Think I'll Make It That Long?

a repost of my ghostsoap fic from ao3 because i finally made a tumblr yayyy

!!!MDNI!!!

Simon "Ghost" Riley x John "Soap" MacTavish tags: Major Character Death, Suicidal Ideation, fix-it (sort of), character death fix, heavy angst, Ghost is going through it, first person POV (Simon's), grieving

"Johnny!" 

The only word I could get from my throat to my mouth as I crouched over him.

No, no, no, no, no, no, no.

You can't die like this. Not like this.

I pressed my fingers to his neck, searching for a pulse. 

Nothing.

It's just my gloves. My gloves are thick. Can't feel it through my damn gloves. He's still here. He's still here.

"Captain, the bomb!" 

"How do we stop it?" 

I can hardly hear Gaz and Price's shouts. This cannot be happening.

Price says something about a red wire. Says his name.

I rip off my glove. Press my fingers to Johnny's neck again.

Faint little pumps of blood beneath my fingertips. Blood that's gushing from the wound on the side of his head. That drips through his hair. His stupid fucking haircut.

I cradle his head his my free hand, palm to the wound. No exit.

Johnny's eyes are open. Pupils contracted in his baby blues. 

"You're gonna be okay, Johnny," I breathe. I can't trust the volume of my voice. I only know its a whisper from the way it feels coming from my mouth. 

He stares up at me. Those fucking eyes. Eyes that lit up when I told him I loved him. 

Fuck. I should've said that more. 

Stay with me, Johnny. C'mon you beautiful bastard. People have survived bullets to the head. So can he.

So focused on his eyes I didn't even notice his pulse was gone. Only noticing when his eyes lose that light. 

I want to scream. I want to vomit. I want to kill Makarov over and over again.

I set him down. I set my Johnny down.

"Disarmed," A beat, "Disarmed. We're clear," Rasps Gaz. 

I look up. Lock eyes with Price.

They both stare back at me.

My breath is so loud beneath my mask. It's hot under here. The tears in my eyes hotter.

The last thing he saw was me. It was me.

I tell myself this. I know its a lie. He died immediately. From that fucking gun. From that rat bastard Makarov. 

I look back down at him. Price calls it in. 

"Threat neutralized. Bomb is safe. One KIA."

We all stare out our fallen comrade. His eyes are still open.

My hands are shaking. One of my gloves stained with his blood. I use my clean, ungloved hand to close his eyes.

God, if you're real, please for the love of yourself... let those eyes open again. Let him look up at me. Let him say 'Just a scratch L.T. Really had ya worried there, didn' I?' Let him wake up.

Of course, they don't open. They'll never open again.

My Johnny is gone.

I take off my mask. I should've done it before he was-

I cradle his head head again, covering that damned wound. I lean down to press my lips to his forehead. He's still warm. I can pretend he's just asleep. That I'm kissing him goodnight - like I do every night.

"Night, Johnny." I love you.

---

Price had to hold me back when they zip his body up in that white bag. They wouldn't let me carry him. Wouldn't let me hold him. Wouldn't let me say goodbye for the thousandth time. I kept repeating it. Going back to him while we waited for mortuary affairs to come for him.

I managed to snatch the patch off of his vest. Reads "Soap". 

The ride back to base is silent.

Normally, Johnny'd be cracking jokes with me and Gaz. Always shifting the tone after missions. Relieving our stress. 

We sat in the common room for a good thirty minutes. Agonizing silence. The sound of breathing and clearing throats. The occasional sniffle. 

I'd put my mask back on. Kept the glove on too. The one with his blood on it.

I couldn't stand the silence no more so I stood my sorry ass up and walked to my room on base. Shut the door. Lean against it.

I'm silent for a few moments. My eyes burning and my throat closing up.

I glance over at my bed. For a moment I swear I see him there. I blink and he's gone. 

He's gone.

Before I know it I've punched the wall.

And I punch it again.

And I punch it again.

And again.

And again.

And again.

"God!" I shout through gritted teeth, ripping off my mask. I throw it at the wall and slam my fist against it again.

I take the glove off and the patch from my pocket. I hold them to my chest as I sink down to the floor.

"FUCK!" I slam my forehead down onto the tiled floor.

If he could see me now he'd say something along the lines of "Bleedin' Jesus. Doon' go crackin' yer head open on the damn floor, ya muppet. Come 'ere an' gimme a cuddle, will a, L.T?"

Now I'm stuck cuddling a damned glove and patch. All I have of him.

A soft knock at the door causes me to peel myself off of the ground. I kiss the patch and glove before placing them on my bed, covering them with the blanket.

I'll be right back, Johnny. Just gotta take care of this thing real quick, alright?

I open the door, met with the glorious beard of Captain John Price.

"Simon..." His voice rings out. Soft and fatherly. Something I'm not used to.

"He's gone." All I can manage before crumbling into Price's arms, "He's fuckin' gone."

He catches me. Arms wrapped around me like I'm a big fucking baby. His hands pet my hair like my mum would when I was young.

"I know. I know..." Price murmurs. I can tell he's holding back tears himself.

I sob for minutes. Inconsolable. 

"It's all my fuckin' fault. I should've been there!" My fist clenches. I try to punch but all I manage is a weak brush of my knuckles against the doorway.

"It's nobody's fault but Makarov's. You know that."

"I should've been there! If I got there a second earlier-"

"Then it could've been more painful for him," Price cradles my head and presses his face into my hair, "It was instant. Felt no pain."

I hold onto Price harder. If I let go I'll truly fall apart. My clenched fist hits his chest just as weakly as it hit the doorframe.

My head comes to rest on Price's shoulder. My nose drips with snot. The corners of my mouth fill with saliva, no doubt dripping onto Price's shirt will each of my aching sobs.

"He could've lived," Words trembling, tumbling out of my mouth.

"And you could've died instead."

I sniffle. "I wish I did."

I let go of Price, wiping my face. I can't even look at the man.

"...I like you better alive."

---

Something so eerily similar to something I said to Johnny a few years back. After Graves had betrayed us, taken Alejandro hostage.

We were by ourselves. All alone. Separated. Only joined together by comms.

Johnny was injured. I was scared out of my mind. Scared for myself, of course. But scared for him too. 

It was around that time I'd started falling for him. Around the time I started accepting it, at least.

I kept telling Soap jokes. Trying to calm our nerves. I know he needed it. I needed it too.

Making our way through a town crawling with Shadows. 

He said something about the rain.

"Rain's good. It'll cover your tracks."

"Covers theirs too..."

"Let's worry about you, Johnny."

"So you do like me?" 

The way he said it. Flirting with me, no doubt. The bastard.

"I like you alive..." The closest I could get to saying those three fucking words at that time. Words I didn't say enough.

---

I glance up at Price. 

"I'm fine, old man," I say, lying through my teeth.

"I know you're not, Simon. None of us are."

"Yeah? Then why'd you all just stand there like bloody idiots! Why didn't you let Soap kill Makarov four fuckin' years ago!"

I'm seething. Practically growling like a dog.

"If it weren't for you... Johnny'd be here. He'd be home," My voice cracks, "He'd be with me..."

I turn my head back away, hiding my face in my arm. Pretend its the crook of Johnny's neck. Take a deep breath.

"I know, Simon. I should've... I shouldn't've stopped him," He puts his hand on my shoulder, how I imagine a father would act, "That'll be the biggest regret of my life. Know that."

He squeezes my shoulder before he drops his hand and walks away. His boots down the hallway.

And I am utterly alone again.

---

I can't sleep. 

Don't think I'll ever get good sleep again. Not with him gone.

I've got the damned glove and patch cradled in my hands again. Something to hold onto. It's not warm like him. Not soft. Doesn't smell good. Smells like rust and gunpowder.

Laying alone in my bed. I almost can't believe I used to do this every night. 

Thirty more minutes of tossing and turning before I haul my ass out of bed. I walk myself to the door and open it. Glove and patch still in hand. I walk down the empty hallway. God knows what time it is - if the bastard exists. 

The cold tile under my bare feet centers me in reality. In the real world. Not fantasy. Not the world I'm building in my head. Where Soap'll catch me up after curfew... scold me... guide me back to bed and hold me. 

The tile reminds me of where Johnny is right now. A morgue. His body in a freezer. Cold. Ice fucking cold.

I stop in my tracks to hold back the sob that's creeping up my throat. Squeeze the glove and patch tighter.

I glance up at the ceiling and sigh. Cold air drifts into my lungs. Filling them.

I want to hold my breath until it's gone. Morbid thought, I know.

I've had those thoughts a lot. Johnny didn't like that. Didn't like what my head told me to do to myself. He'd kiss every one of those thoughts away. I thought he'd chased them off for good. Guess my ward of protection went with him.

A shaky exhale as I turn back towards my room. 

I catch a name on the wall.

'Sgt. John "Soap" MacTavish'

Fucking 'course.

A sound escapes from my throat. Half chuckle, half sob.

Of course I'm in front of his room.

I step towards it. Reach out my hand to trance my finger along the engraving on the shiny metal nameplate.

"I always end up findin' my way back to you, don' I?" I whisper.

I grab my handle and turn the knob. Unlocked - like always. I step into the room and shut the door behind me.

Flick on the light. His bed's unmade. 'Why make it when I'll just get in it and ruin it again?' He always said. It's like it's waiting for him to come home.

"He's not comin' home," I say to the bed, like it's a fuckin' dog or something. Either way it doesn't understand.

I climb into it and I'm instantly hit with the smell of him. I hug the pillow, tucking the glove and patch beneath it. I pull the blanket over me and the pillow, tucking it in.

"G'night, Johnny. I love you. Get some rest."

---

A week later we spread his ashes. Sunrise in the beautiful Scottish Highlands.

Johnny always said he'd take me here. Never thought it would be to say goodbye.

Price, Gaz, and I sit in the car on the way back. Silence. Just like on the way there.

I haven't spoken more than a few words to anybody but myself in the past week. I intend to keep it that way.

Not all of Johnny blew away in the wind, though.

I stole a bit of him when transferring his ashes into the urn. Good on Price for letting me do that.

Underneath my jacket, on a chain lies one of his dog tags and a little, silver charm. Rests directly above my heart.

Right where he belongs.

---

AN: while re-reading this i started crying. don't know if that's good or bad because i was blubbering when i wrote the damn thing (right after mwiii (reboot) came out). anyways, i hope y'all enjoyed!! or cried!! whichever works

[blueberrymarf]

🫐🫐🫐((((Hey all!!! This is my first actual post on Tumblr, I’ve mainly used it to see fanart, fanfics and such AND because of my hoe @hazardgrrrrlll. She has great reposts you should check her out😝🫶🏻. ANYWAYYY I thought I’d post some of my fics on here and see how they do since I’ve mainly been using Wattpad!! Here’s a dumb ass Caliborn x Reader fic I made that no one asked for.))))🫐🫐🫐

If y’all end up liking this I’ll post more!!!!

Partners in Crime

((Caliborn x Reader))

How we had met? I don't particularly recall, I just remember quite a bit of bickering and snarky comments in the beginning, which slowly subsided to less of that within time, which I became thankful for.

how I had ended up here- I had no clue at all.

Ever since I had met Caliborn, we've seemed to almost click, and that's surprising- because we're the type of people who don't just "click" with others- more so him so, I guessed I was special.

"Uh? Hello? It's your fucking turn slut."

He mouthed off to me, loosing his temper as he waved his hands frantically in front of my face. He seemed to dislike me always drifting off but, as I don't blame him, sometimes I honestly can't help it- I just space out.

I snapped back into reality.

"Sorry Caliborn-" I looked down to the chess board- avoiding eye contact. I moved one of my knights. "And- yet again- I will forgive you- because- " he stopped for a second, as if he was contemplating something, " because- I feel like it. Besides- you're the only one who'll actually play chess with me anymore- and ugh don't even get me started on my sister- that bit-"

I put a finger just above his lips. " I get it. You don't have to explain. You've told me."

Caliborn nodded calmly, looking me in the eyes as he slowly shifted his glance back to the board. He moved one of his pawns which knocked yet another of of my bishops down. He had most of my pieces. He was awful well at the game, even though sometimes he would cheat, as far as I've seen, he hasn't cheated at a game with me in awhile. That was odd. But, I didn't complain. A sound arouse from his laptop. "Probably that whore Dirk." He smirked, "I'm going to have to pause our game for a little-"

I rolled my eyes smiling, he was such a dork when it came to Dirk and drawing each other sexual pictures. As Caliborn read what was on the screen his smirk slowly turned to a scowl, he turned his head to face me quickly. "We need to find a way of getting me out of here. I need to get this fucking chain off." He dangled his leg infront of me, exposing the metal cuff on his ankle. "I honestly might just have to fucking bite it off." He responded, straight faced. I backed away slowly- not wanting him to lash out at me, he seemed to be in an angered state of mind. I didn't want any trouble.

" Caliborn...are you entirely sure? Can't you bleed to death?? I could always try to get it off-"

"No- no- we've tried. nothing gets this damned thing off and you know it (y/n)

." He turned to the corner of the room, "now, if you'll excuse me, I'd highly recommend you don't watch this. We know what a sensitive bitch you are. " I went to the outside of the house, waiting for him, my heart beating out of my chest. Caliborn was my only friend here, he was the only person I really knew here, the thought of him dying or getting hurt overwhelmed me, but, as always, I was probably over reacting. At least that's what Caliborn tells me. I mostly just go along with whatever he says.

————————————————————-

I felt as if things were nearly peaking to the bridge of insanity as I saw Caliborn emerge from the house, walking towards me, AK 47 in hand. I was stunned. His leg appeared to be torn off and replaced with a metal artifical one. It was impressive, yet frightening. "y- you look- hot." I croaked out- nearly making any sense.

Caliborn perked up from his usual scowl which slowly turned into a smirk. " well," he arched his back, " of course your lord is what you would refer to as... h o t." I looked him up and down, making sure he was alright, my mind wouldn't rest until I've over analyzed mostly everything. I came to realize one of his fangs were missing.

I raised an eyebrow, but, I kept my mouth shut, I didn't say a word. I assumed he must of lost his tooth from the tremendous bite he'd just taken. Although I didn't agree much at all with the decision he had just made, I had to admit, I wanted to get out of here just as bad if not more than he wanted to. Of course you might ask, if that was the case, why didn't I just leave? Simple. I had nowhere else to go. Let alone did I know where to go.

Caliborn was all I had in all definite honesty. He's all I knew, I mean, aside from his sister Calliope, but she disappeared quite a while ago. I had no idea where she went, neither did Caliborn, obviously, he didn't care. He just wanted her dead. That was that, and nothing in this world could change that. I've tried multiple times trying to change his views, they're not changing anytime soon.

Caliborn slid his gun sideways behind my back, he pushed me along forward with it. "come on bitch, we're getting the fuck out of here." He chuckled, instructing me to follow him. I nodded in agreement, as I tagged along with him. his hands gripped his gun tightly, keeping it near his chest, as if something were out to harm us. His breathing became heavy, he suddenly tensed up.

I was rather confused being that there was no one there. As we began to move further and further away from the home step by step I saw a clown like person with horns. Caliborn immediately aimed his gun at the clown like person, rage roared inside him. Or was that fear? I could barely tell.

[unboundwanderers]

Negativity under the cut. Will try to be clear about my tone as possible in places I feel I have too to try and make sure I make my tone easier to interpret through text. Kept under the read more to keep negativity off of the dash.

I have not been feeling good about my writing recently. It is hard for me to want to keep coming back to Tumblr, because the anxieties that manifest during my long period of time here is creeping back in, and my natural instinct is to just abandon my blog and never look back, keeping myself contained on Discord for as long as I can until I decide that, maybe. Just maybe, things will work out.

I hate venting on the blog. It makes me feel like I am trying to seek out attention, when mostly I'm just screaming into a void. The ramblings of an insane man who is simply barking at a wall. This more really circles back to how hard it is to write OC's on Tumblr. It sometimes and very often times feels like I'm competing for attention. Nobody here has made me feel like that, of course. It's just the way things are, sometimes.

But recently, I feel like I've been really... Pushy? Over excited? I don't think it's right for me to feel put down for being passionate about plots- especially when it's my anxiety causing me to think this way, but I'm worried that I'm being too much. I'm not doing this literally, but I feel like I've been scratching at myself because I'm worrying over things that nobody's talking about. I feel like there are things people aren't telling me about my muses and the way I write them that could benefit my writing and my interpretation if I was just... told.

To reiterate, nobody here has made me feel like this- but to explain the origin of my recent anxiety, I recently tried to get back into finding partners for pairings through Discord. Loose ideas that I wanted to explore but didn't want to bother any established partners with, or at the very least, add more to their queues and drafts. I hit it off with a few partners right off the bat and posted some starters. Things were going pretty well for about a week before each of my partners either began to ghost me or drop me because they "weren't feeling like taking on new plots or ships, and we're planning on taking a break from writing", which is understandable!! However, my anxiety stemmed when I went to repost my own ad, only to see those partners drop more ads for plot heavy stuff and for new ships.

It created anxiety in me. Was it something I did? Was it something with my muses? Was it something I wrote? Was it a bad joke? Did I not use enough tone indicators? Stupid things, really. Nothing worth talking about, so I kept it all to myself. People just don't mesh, and that kind of stuff happens. Then the silence begins to get really loud, and I look at my writing and think to myself, "Is this really as good as I've been hyping myself up about?" And those thoughts mesh into, "are my partners really interested? Or are they faking it..?"

It's... creating stress. It's me building a mountain out of an anthill, but I've never been good at knowing when my excitement is off the rails or when I'm just... overthinking. I'd say this was just scars from previous years in the rpc reopening themselves, but something in the back of my mind won't silence itself because I just can't feel confident in my writing. I'm not writing this post to try and garner sympathy, I'm just examining myself, and trying to explain my own inactivity and selectiveness through openly writing and talking about it. I come home, have a hard time focusing on my drafts, and the anxiety proceeds to worsen that stigma in my mind.

In reality, it's: People are busy, their musings are scattered, their prioritizing their own motivation and responding to who they want to write with, which is nothing different from what I'm doing. However, the anxiety is speaking in a different language, showing different perspectives - false ones: It's you. It's always you, and it won't ever NOT be you.

I don't know why I'm writing this. Perhaps this is just a really long winded way of saying that I'm going to keep my activity focused to the people I really want to interact with, people who I consider close friends and people who I've been eager to write with since I first started talking to them. I'll be slower with new activity and reaching out to new mutuals. If this post made you want to unfollow, I genuinely do not blame you. Despite what I've said- this is not a cry for attention. It is just me unleashing bottled feelings that have been festering since early april.

If you made it this far. Thanks for entertaining my ramble. I hope you're having an amazing day and please don't think that this has anything to do with anyone else but myself. The anxiety is simply hitting hard.

[sunricecake]

skates ahoy! | robin buckley

synopsis — a rink-o-mania date with robin makes you fall for her harder than you already have.

cw : none, this is all just cheesy fluff :3

a/n : okay this is a fucking REPOST bcs it wouldnt appear in any of the tags the first time if u saw it then no u didnt hopefully tumblr stops being lesbophobic this time. also i love writing cliche scenes but making it wlw it makes my heart flutter sm 💕 like yess this is the shit i wldve loved watching while growing up

“i swear i know how to do this it's just that it's been a while and i'm just not really-i just-”

“it's alright, robin,” you chuckled, “i've got you.”

her lips parted, ready to tell you that she'll be fine and all she needed was to adjust, but you cut her off as you extended your arm towards her.

“here, grab my hand.”

“are you sure 'cause i might slip and make you fall and i really don't wanna injure you on our first date and leave you with a pretty bad concussion—”

“trust me, buckley.”

you pressed on, reaching out to grab her hand with a determined look on your face. robin let out a surprised yelp as she felt your fingers wrap around her wrist, slowly pulling her with you as you began moving. her breath hitched as the two of you slowly glided across the wooden floor, shoulders stiff and square as a board as she allows you to take lead.

“okay maybe this is easier than i expected,” robin lets out a dry laugh. “but i'm still not too sure about this whole thing.”

“we're gonna be fine, robin. see no accidents—” you said reassuringly, looking back to see how robin was doing.

as you turned your head straight, a flash of colors interrupted your vision and you vaguely hear robin exclaiming something. you let out a gasp, preparing yourself for collision.

you kept your eyes shut tight, waiting for the strong impact which never came. you crack an eye open, wondering why you weren't laying flat as a pancake on the floor with terrible bruises on the making, only to be met with a strong cologne. robin's.

“you bastard! watch where you're going!”

you lift your head from her chest slowly, being greeted by the sight of her flipping off whoever you nearly just crashed into. a deep sigh of relief slipped past your lips, thankful to the heavens robin had reacted on time and saved you from god knows what terrible accident might've happened.

“hey, are you alright?” robin asked, voice trembling and eyes all wide, turning her full attention to you as she inspected you for injuries. “did he actually hit you back there? i swear i made sure to pull you before he could even graze you but, oh, i'll never forgive myself if i didn't make it in time.”

you could only chuckle and nod, still too shocked and flustered from being so close to her and practiclly being engulfed in her scent to form a coherent sentence.

“god i don't know what i'd do if i ever lost you— i mean, i'm just really glad that you're safe.” it was robin's turn to heave out a heavy sigh, covering her mouth immediately in fear she'd say even more than she intended to.

“thank you, robin. really.” you squeezed her hand as a bright smile crept to your face and heat crept up your neck, hoping that would be enough to show your appreciation. had you been in less compromising circumstances, you might've just tackled her and peppered her freckled face with kisses; for now, you supposed that would do.

[ofsgiathan]

KNOWING YOUR PARTNER WELL CAN POTENTIALLY MAKE WRITING TOGETHER A LOT EASIER. REPOST DO NOT REBLOG !

NAME: shin

PRONOUNS: she / they

PREFERENCE OF COMMUNICATION: definitely discord if we're familiar with one another! otherwise i'm fine with tumblr dms.

NAME OF MUSE(S):  angeal is my most active muse. commander shepard is ... well ... extremely low activity. and i'm in the process of bringing ulquiorra back.

RP EXPERIENCE / HOW LONG (MONTHS/YEARS): as a whole?? 19+ years. on here?? uh ... well ... i was on here back in 2014 only to leave within six-ish months of rping on here. then i came back in january 2022 because of irl stuff and figured it'd be a great way to cope!

BEST EXPERIENCE: this is actually really hard because idk what i'd actually put for this. i've met a lot of super cool people on here to the point of me talking to them on pretty much a daily basis now and whatnot.

RP PET PEEVES / DEALBREAKERS: this is actually incredibly tricky tbh because i have a lot of pet peeves / deal breakers. for instance ... if you don't have your age anywhere on your blog then that's an automatic NO from me. i also get irked when people get hypocritical and won't admit when they're being one. like ... ... ... ... ... owning your mistakes is one thing. i'm fine with that. but saying shit and not backing yourself up is a whole other story.

FLUFF, ANGST OR SMUT?: preferably angst tbh! and despite being a demi, myself, i definitely enjoy writing smut as long as i'm close with my rp partners! fluff is ... well ... fluff and who doesn't like fluff??

PLOTS OR MEMES?: i like loose plots over full on plots tbh. but i do really like memes / unprompted asks! the reason i don't like things fully plotted out is because ... like ... if i wanted something fully plotted out then i'll write a fanfic or read a book or watch a movie / tv show. i like the element of surprise.

LONG OR SHORT REPLIES?: uh ... i'm honestly a wordy person, myself, but i do like having short replies lead into longer ones. it also really depends on my mood tbh. sometimes i want short and simplistic things and sometimes i want a novel.

BEST TIME TO WRITE?:   whenever i have the motivation / inspiration / muse to write tbh. but i'm mostly and evening writer tbh.

ARE YOU LIKE YOUR MUSE(S)?: we ... actually have a couple of things in common tbh. but i think the biggest things we have in common is that our biological fathers are non-existent asshats and were raised by our mothers. not only that but we're both pretty close to our moms. we also both love helping people whenever we can so there's that. our morals and mindsets are pretty similar too really. but we also have a lot of differences too. so i think this is one of those "yes and no" kind of things.

tagged by: stole from @alvcrd​ tagging: whomever wants to do it tbh! i just like doing these a lot.

[banisheddie-moved]

*  knowing  your  partner  well  can  potentially  make  writing  a  lot  easier,  repost,  do  not  r.e.blog.

name :  mae !

pronouns :  she / her / hers

preference  of  communication :  usually discord, but im's work just as well !

name  of  muse(s) : eddie munson, eric draven ( @draeven ) peter parker ( @cityshope ), link goodwrich ( @goodwriches ), miles halter ( @seeksperhaps ) & haruhi fujioka ( @commonerhost ). i've written many, many more but they've since been deleted or archived.

experience / how  long  ( months / years ? ) :  uhhhh since 2012 / 2013 ish

best  experience :  meeting my longterm pals @spiritdreamt, @havvehearts & @publicabsent for sure but also deciding to come back to tumblr when i made eric awhile ago, if only to have been given the opportunity to find passion in my writing again & meet some lovely people because of it

rp  pet  peeves / deal  breakers :  not reading someone's rules, callout culture is something i've seen ruin people when it's not for something truly terrible, cliques, folks using that super small dwarf font just bc my eyesight is awful, folks not wanting to write with female characters / poc / oc's, folks not wanting to write with people who for whatever the reason may be don't have pretty aesthetics, and also just a general lack of communication when it comes to issues people may have. rp is something that requires input from both sides, writing or not & i think it's very important to communicate any issue you may have with somebody, more specifically if you've been interacting for some time rather than just call it quits so the other person can know what it is they've done wrong.

muse  preferences  fluff,  angst,  or  smut :  i love all of these things though i will say i typically lean towards angst bc i love exploring all of the intricacies of those situations. fluff is always nice & easy & smut never fails to wake up muse tho

plots  or  memes :  plotting certainly helps keep things on track & it can be easier sometimes to take inspo from it. memes are great to start off interactions or maybe start a new thread but sometimes it risks getting repetitive if you get too many of the same.

long  or  short  replies : it super depends on the day & my mood but over all i think i prefer lengthier ones as they can really showcase everyone's talent & it gives you more of a peek into a character's head

best  time  to  write :  whenever i can tbh but i'd say late morning or sometime in the evening

are  you  like  your  muse(s) : i think i have to be similar to my muse to spark that initial connection & interest ! i'm not super similar to eddie but tbh i wish i was in some aspects. we're both super passionate about what we love, loyal to loved ones, real big on music & kinda despise the american school system / how society works as a whole so just call me joker ig

tagged by: i yoinked it

tagging: you may also yoink it

[thebomb-thebird-andtheburntbitch]

rules + FAQ

updated: march 2024

this is a reader insert blog

i will not tolerate any disrespect of any kind on this blog. this blog is a safe space for any and all ships/ideas/theories so long as they are appropriate ones.

PLEASE do me and other content creators the solid of leaving feedback or reblogging at the very least! liking content is great, but it doesn't spread our work. reblogs and feedback both help boost our reach to other fans and help motivate us to keep doing what we're doing.

DO NOT repost or plagiarize my works under any circumstances. i will not tolerate anyone taking my work and reposting it to other sites- even if they credit it back to me, DO NOT DO IT. I write on tumblr and i crosspost to ao3 and wattpad (rarely lol). plagiarism is just lazy, insulting, rude and just plain uncalled for and if you find someone else's work (or even mine somewhere) that someone has claimed as their own, call them out and let the original owner know so measures can be taken. we, as content creators, do not sit and tole over ideas and write and work hard for our work and stories to be stolen. don't be that person

any and all content that may have inspired you to create something like playlists, art, banners, moodboards, etc. are all welcome! if someone i create inspires you to do anything, pls be sure to tag me in what you've created! i'd love to check it out!

FAQ: utc

Do you post your stories/fics anywhere else other than tumblr?

yes, I do. I cross-post on ao3 and wattpad. though, wattpad is very unkempt and i don't tend to favor it, so if you don't read tumblr fics, then you can most likely find it on my ao3- which i greatly prefer!

Ao3: aem888

Do you have a posting schedule of any sort/at all?

pfft, absolutely not.

Will xxx have another part to it?

i will always try and include in my m.list if a fic will be a series or not. if it's not listed as a series or doesn't have multiple chapters outlined on my m.list post, then chances are it will not contain any more parts than i map out (although chapters can fluctuate if i go overboard with a series, but i will always address and update the m.list if that is the case).

Will this one-shot/drabble be contined?

referring to above, if the story in question is listed as finished or there are no further update links mapped out on my m.list then the answer is no. there's always a chance i could do drabbles based on a past fic, but it is rare. so, if it's labeled as finished, then it is and i have no plans to continue. this also applies to any discontinued fics that may occur in the future.

Do you know when xxx will be updated?

point blank: the answer will always be no. even if i set a date i'd like for something to be done and finished and posted, scheduling for me never seems to properly work out. and do not- i repeat- do NOT demand updates from me. i've dropped fics in the past from people demanding continuations. if you're curious about the progress of a story, feel free to ask politely, but if you're going to demand or ask me 'when' it'll be up without so much of thinking about how i feel, i will not answer you. be patient , it will all come when it comes.

Do you write R-rated content? // will xx containt smut?

although i have written it in the past for other stories in other fandoms, i do not write smut frequently at all. i have written maybe 4 fics in the past including smut and i can say without a doubt i hated every moment of it lol. i'm simply not comfortable writing it. i do try and challenge myself to try on occasion, but even then it's not full-on raw dogging it- just suggestive content bc i just can't bring myself to write sex scenes- soz. any suggestive content will always be tagged in warning(s), but i will not write what i'm uncomfortable with

additionally: the only R-rated content I will usually include will be graphic violence/death or perhaps any future obsessive/yandere-like themes or brief nude scenes in fics. still no sex tho

Can you recommend me a fic about xxx with xxx plot?

typically, no. but i've been around the block and if at all someone asks for recs, i can always answer it blankly and others can reply some fics for you in my stead lol

Can you recommend any blogs?

again, typically no. any blogs i frequently reblog things from can always been found through tags. if you're looking for something specific, search through my tags or ask me directly and i may be able to help.

Is it alright to DM or talk with you personally?

of course! so long as you remain kind, don't act like a creep, aren't a minor sliding up on me (bc hello i'm in my early twenties and i get gross messages for no reason and i'm not abt that/get kinda iffy about interacting with minors in general), and are generally respectful, feel free to message me. i'm just very awkward, so there's nothing really for you to fear or be shy about lol.

*Any questions related to anything mentioned above will automatically be referred here. *

[sereneterrene]

Always Been

Short story, but might continue | After being rescued, the trauma of being stranded on an island weighs heavily on Terra's mind. Unable to control her racing thoughts, she experiences insomnia. There's only one person who could help her.

TW: language, slow pace, suggestions of depression, mentions of therapy, insomnia

A/N: Characters and story are mine. Please do not repost on Tumblr or any other platform without my permission.

Terra couldn't sleep. She laid in her bed, eyes wide open, staring at her ceiling through the darkness of her room. It was quiet, but it was a different quiet from what she had experienced in the past two months. Terra turned on her side, curling up into a ball. She tried to force sleep to take her, but it didn't come. Her mind wandered too much.

It was impossible for her mind not to wander. She had so much to process. If it weren't for that airplane passing through, if it weren't for the accidental fire they had caused, she and Vlad would surely have died on that island. The thoughts raced through Terra's mind. She was sure of it -- had they remained on the island, they would have died from starvation, thirst, infection, or an animal attack.

"Ugh," she groaned, sitting up. If she was going to stay awake, she might as well do something to take her mind off of the island. Grabbing her phone from her nightstand, she scrolled through her messages. Most were from friends and family who were showing their concern and checking in on her. She didn't want to keep saying that she was ok, especially when she was clearly not. Then her eyes landed on a name she wanted to see. Vlad.

Vlad: You're probably sleeping. I can't, so I thought I'd try you anyway.

So he couldn't sleep either. Terra couldn't respond fast enough.

Terra: No, I can't fall asleep either. Glad I'm not the only one.

A few minutes passed without getting a response and Terra was about to throw her phone across her room.

Ring, ring, ring...

Terra picked up the phone. "So..." you trailed off, skipping the formalities of a typical phone conversation.

"So," a familiar voice cooed back. His voice wasn't particularly deep, but it sounded like his tone dropped an octave. Perhaps he was trying to keep quiet around his family. "How's normal life going for you?"

"Honestly...not the way I thought it would."

Silence. Vlad's dramatic pauses caused Terra to roll her eyes.

"You still there?" she asked, impatience clear in her tone.

Vlad chuckled. "I am. I was just thinking how we're both unhappy even though we're back to our normal lives."

Now, Terra paused. She didn't expect Vlad of all people to say something so introspective. And something so...comforting. She had tried to explain it to her family and friends, but none of the really understood where she was coming from. But Vlad did. He was on the island with her after all. Tears welled up in her eyes. She tried to muffle her sobs, not wanting Vlad to think she was weak, but she was too late.

Sounding more alert, Vlad asked, "Terra? Are you ok? What happened? You know I don't know what to do when girls cry."

"Woman," Terra corrected through her sobs. "I'm sorry, I just...no one here really understands me right now, so hearing you say exactly what I feel was..."

Vlad sighed, relieved that Terra wasn't in any immediate danger. "Have you gone to see a therapist?"

Terra forced back a sob, clearing her throat and wiping her eyes on her bed sheets. "Yeah..." she whispered.

"That's good. They can help you process."

"Sure, but I still can't sleep."

"It might take some time, but we'll get there," Vlad reassured. It warmed Terra's heart to have him to optimistic about their future.

She moved to lay on her right side, her phone balancing on the opposite ear. She hugged herself. "I..." she started, not sure if she should be admitting something so intimate with this man. She opted for a safer sentence, "...miss having you around."

Another pause. Was he taking it the wrong way?

"I miss sleeping beside you," he whispered, causing Terra's brows to raise. "Maybe that's why we can't sleep. We're too used to each other's company."

This time, Terra was quiet. It was true. For two months, they had no one but each other. Terra was shy about sleeping beside him when they were on the island and insisted that they keep a generous distance between them as they slept. She had even altered their makeshift "house" to have two separate "rooms". However, the nights were frigid, and she came around to the idea that sharing body heat would only increase their chances of survival.

After two months of sleeping beside him, she remembered how he would turn to face away from her in an attempt to make her more comfortable. She stared at his back during those nights, keeping a far enough away to not be touching, but close enough to share body heat. Eventually, they became less self-conscious around each other, not feeling so awkward when they woke up in different positions than they had started with.

"I kinda...miss hearing you breathe," she finally said, earning her a low chuckle from his side. Hearing him laugh made her smile. She closed her eyes and imagined him beside her.

"Was I your island ASMR or something?" Vlad joked. "I guess I miss your snoring the most."

"Hey!" Terra scoffed. "I do not snore."

"Whatever you say, princess," Vlad said sarcastically. Terra could practically imagine him rolling his eyes.

"But I guess you're right about needing each other to fall asleep," Terra said in a quiet voice. Her eyelids were getting heavy. "Keep me company until I fall asleep?"

He chuckled to himself. Terra could hear the smirk on his face, "Why the fuck not?"

"Your ASMR is already working. I'm getting lulled to sleep," Terra whispered.

"I'm glad one of us can get some rest," Vlad responded. His voice was still steady.

He started talking about how life was going on his end, not sure what else to talk about. For as long as Terra was still conscious, she managed to give him a few Mhm's and Yeah's to keep the conversation two sided enough. But when she started lightly snoring, all Vlad could do was smile to himself.

"Good night, Terra," he whispered before hanging up. He slid his phone into his back pocket and sighed. What he really missed was being physically beside her.

A warm body? he thought. After taking a minute to think about locating a more accessible woman, he shook his head. No, it's always been Terra.

He swiveled on his chair to face the dual monitors glaring at him on his desk. Mindlessly, his fingers alternated from keyboard to mouse, pressing keys and clicking things. Eventually, he found himself having purchased a one-way ticket.

[joonievjones]

Grace

Grace 🌼

Status: ongoing :)

Future Mature content 💞

Text Copyright © JoonieVJones & Miickiye.

Please do not copy or repost my stories, I post on Tumblr as JoonieVJones and on Wattpad as Miickiye but those are my only two accounts.

🌻summary: You always knew of your parents wish for expansion of their kingdom, however you never expected you'd be the key to their fulfillment. Being thrown into a sudden engagement with a faraway prince never seen of previously while having your childhood best friend act in ways also never seen before can leave a girl in complete confusion with a lot to lose and one choice to make.

🌻pairings: readerxNamjoon, readerxJungkook

🌻topics: romance, fluff, eventual smut, angst

🌼 Grace

🌼🌼🌼chapter 3

"A unity?" Jungkook looked away angrily.

"I guess our kingdoms are now allies."

"Y/n… you know what this could possibly mean."

"I refuse to believe they'd marry me off."

Once again, like a couple of days earlier, silence surrounded you guys, this time it was suffocating.

"Let's run away together." You said seriously.

Jungkook's face paled while his eyes simultaneously lit up.

"Really?"

"Yes."

"Okay."

You both stood up and grabbed the already packed bags, immediately setting them back down two seconds later.

You let out a frustrated grunt.

"If only it were that easy." He mumbled.

"You're telling me."

Tossing yourself onto the bed you scratched your head.

Usually it'd be styled into some sort of braid but today you had it loose and natural as well as instead of wearing a fancy dress you wore a lavender off the shoulder dress with a deep plum lace up corset belt.

Jungkook also wore casual clothes instead of his usual uniform.

"Imagine the headlines. At first we'd be assumed lost or kidnapped."

"Then I'd be suspected of treason."

"And don't forget the romance rumors." You quipped.

He laughed, making sure the windows were fully shut and covered before laying down next to you.

"I can read them already."

"Me too. It'd be the dream of many if we're being honest. I've seen a lot of people speculate on our relationship." You used his arm as a pillow and nuzzled up close to his chest.

"Do they?"

"Mhm." You nodded your head.

"They're idiots." He mumbled.

Your heart panged.

"They scrape at whatever to get some sort of drama from your family."

"Yeah…" A sigh escaped you, closing your eyes and breathing in his scent usually helped you yet today you couldn't help but be hurt by his tone of voice.

You didn't mind the rumors. Sometimes you even purposely fed them hoping they'd soften your parents up, why did he seem so annoyed by them.

"The trees were whispering today." Your voice was low.

"What did they say?"

"They told me about my future engagement." Your words were sour, immediately the atmosphere dulled. He stared intently at the ceiling.

Kook didn't say anything for a couple of seconds.

"Did they mention anything else?"

This time you took time to collect your thoughts. You couldn't tell him the full story, so you settled for trying to lighten the mood once more.

"They said I looked gorgeous as always."

Finally he turned to meet your gaze.

"Well, that sucks."

You gasped. "What the hell?!"

"Because-" He stopped your hand as you were about to smack his shoulder lightly. "Now we know they're right."

Your eyes met his, you swore your heart was suddenly pounding way too loudly. What was that about? Suddenly you were too aware of your position, when had you guys gotten so close? Your faces were mere inches apart, his hand was intertwined in yours and half of your body was atop his. This close up you could see the small scar under his left eye and the way his lashes lay ever so gently on his pretty doe eyes.

You took in a deep breath and released it slowly, closing your eyes and settling down. You needed a nice nap.

🌼

You stared wearily at the sight before you. You swore you recognized the man in front of you but also had absolutely no idea who he was.

Jungkook had left to go to the bathroom and had told you to wait at a table nearby but you'd left your post to order something for the both of you, and now you stood impatiently behind a man who seemed to not know what to choose. Abruptly he turned to look at you. He didn't seem much older than you, and was very handsome.

"What would you recommend?" He said shyly. His voice shocked you, causing you to stare widely at him just like a deer caught in headlights.

It was deep and melodic and seemed to pull you in.

You froze.

"Um…"

"I'm new to this kingdom and don't know what I should get." He awkwardly scratched the back of his head and looked away, a light pink coated his cheeks and as you looked up you noticed the tip of his ears were reddened as well. Although he towered over you in height, at that moment he seemed to make himself small and childlike.

That. Was. Absolutely. Adorable.

Immediately your eyes lit up and you sprung with life.

"Anything you get will be amazing!" You smiled brightly. "The chef here is the best in the whole kingdom."

"I don't doubt it. My father's friend recommended this place specifically for their baking abilities." He paused and met your gaze. "What will you be getting?"

His voice once again completely lulled you. It was so beautiful. The way he spoke was calling to you and it made you want to have hours of conversation with this man.

"I'm getting cinnamon tea with some mini strawberry puff tartlets."

"I'll get that as well then." He smiled at you and you nearly swooned.

Two dimples popped out as he smiled and turned to order, a slight frown overtook your face however when he turned to ask you how many tartlets you wanted.

"Uh, I'd like six?" Was he ordering for you?

"Okay." He turned to the cashier. "I'll take two cinnamon teas and nine mini puff strawberry tartlets." He smiled at the boy, who you recognized as Seungmin, you frequented this cafe, and reached in his pocket for his wallet.

What about Jungkook?

"Umm-" You were at a loss for words.

"Of course!" Seungmin grinned and rang up your total.

"I'm sorry to interrupt but could you please add one more tea and charge me for it." You smiled kindly at the boy and immediately pulled out your card.

The man beside you gave you a confused look.

"No, it's fine. I want to pay." You said to hopefully answer his internal question.

"I don't mind paying at all." He said. "If you wouldn't mind sir, take my card instead."

He offered the cashier his card and the poor boy stared at you both with panic.

"Umm…"

"Please take mine Seungmin." You smiled as you said his name. "He is new to town and I think this should be my treat."

Seungmin carefully reached for your card instead and then also grabbed the man's card.

"How about I shuffle them behind my back and whichever arm one of you chooses is the one who'll pay?"

You bit the inside of your cheek.

"That sounds fair." Both you and the man spoke up at the same time.

After a couple seconds of shuffling Seungmin gave you both an expectant look.

"Which arm do you choose?"

"Left."

"Right."

Your eyes flew to the man.

"Right."

"Left."

Again your eyes met incredulously.

"Rock, paper, scissors?" You said.

He nodded and you both immediately began the game. In the end you won and chose the right arm.

Seungmin swiped it and then handed you both cards back.

"Kim Namjoon?" You asked.

He smiled shyly once more. "That one's mine, I believe."

You handed him his card back as he handed yours as well.

"Princess!" You turned to meet the wide eyes of Jungkook.

"Oh hey Lieutenant-"

"You weren't at the table?" He said as he finally reached you and scanned your body for injuries.

"Oh yeah, I was getting us dinner. You're cool with strawberry tartlets rights?"

He straightened his posture and turned to stare at Namjoon.

"This is Kim Namjoon." You offered. "He is new to the kingdom so I recommended one of Chefs Felix's best dishes."

"Of course. Good evening Mr. Kim." Jungkook stood rigidly by you.

This wasn't going well.

"Could you please make six of those tartlets and two teas to go?" You asked Seungmin.

"Of course."

"Thank you so much. Please pass my greetings to Felix. I wish I could stay longer but I'm sure I'm needed for something." You then turned to Namjoon and extended your hand. "It was very nice meeting you, and I hope you enjoy your stay here. I truly wish our kingdom doesn't disappoint." You smiled brightly at him as you shook hands and then immediately pulled Jungkook away to sit back at the table he had asked you to while you waited for your order.

"What was that about?" You asked as soon as you were seated.

"I'm not supposed to leave you alone for long, I just panicked when I couldn't find you."

You laughed.

"I doubt that counts as a long time. Besides, I enjoyed my time."

Jungkook raised an eyebrow.

"The guy I was talking to was alright." You smiled and lay your head on the palm of your hand while you looked out at the setting sun. "He seemed cool."

"He's not from here you said?"

You nodded your head.

Kook looked around the café and spotted the man. He seemed to be fully enthralled in the book he was holding and didn't notice the glares Jungkook sent.

"Stop glaring, it's rude you know?"

"I don't know… I didn't like how he looked at you."

You frowned. "All he did was smile. I don't think that's a valid reason-"

"That's not what I mean y/n."

A small, mischievous smile spread across your face.

"Jealous?"

His eyes immediately left Namjoon's form and flew to yours.

"No!" You laughed at how loud he was. Looking around and apologizing for his outburst to the other customers, he turned to give you a small scowl. "Why would I be jealous of a random stranger?"

You simply shrugged and kept a smile on your face. He was jealous, you were sure of it.