#I've been working a lot and finally have time off

[wendichester]

I've been reading your stuff all day, and I LOVE it omg

Could you maybe write something where reader is a hunter who works with Sam and Dean from time to time but they don't know each other that well and one day when they come back from a hunt she kind of hurries off because she doesn't want them to know that she can't afford a motel room. But either Dean or Sam finds out that she's been sleeping in her car to save her money for meals etc.

Thank you in advance <3

⋆. 𐙚 ˚ four wheels and an empty stomach,

summary. hunters life really doesn't pay off. you've been sleeping in your car and definitely not eating enough. but tonight, this will be different.

pairing. dean winchester x reader genre. angst

wordcount. 504

notes / warnings. reader experiencing hunger and homelessness. emotional vulnerability. exhaustion. depravation. // i hope you're all safe 🩷

It’s raining by the time you finish cleaning up the hunt. Not a heavy, stormy rain—just that sad, needling kind that soaks into your clothes and makes everything feel a little heavier.

You pull the zipper of your jacket up to your chin and throw a quick wave at Sam and Dean, who are still arguing about where to get burgers.

“I’m gonna head out,” you say, trying to sound casual. “Catch you guys next time.”

Dean’s half-turned toward you, distracted. Sam’s digging through his pockets for the Impala keys. Neither of them really notices when you slip away into the parking lot.

Good. You don’t want them to.

Your car’s parked under a flickering streetlight—ancient, rusty, and barely hanging on like you. You unlock the door as quietly as you can, toss your duffel in the backseat, and climb into the driver's side.

You crank the heater even though you know it’ll drain the battery by morning. Small price to pay to not freeze your ass off.

You curl up on the front seat, hoodie pulled over your head, and close your eyes.

Tomorrow, maybe you’ll have enough cash for a real bed. Maybe not. You’re getting good at pretending the ache in your ribs is anything but hunger.

You’re almost asleep when you hear it.

A sharp knock on the window.

You jolt upright, heart hammering, breath fogging up the glass.

Dean Winchester stands there, rain dripping off the brim of his jacket, frowning like he’s just been punched in the gut.

You scramble to unlock the door, embarrassment burning hot under your skin.

“Dean, I—I was just—” you stammer, no good lie ready.

He doesn’t let you finish.

“Jesus, sweetheart,” he says, voice low and rough, almost broken. “You sleepin’ in your car?”

You grit your teeth, furious at yourself for getting caught. You don’t need pity. You’ve survived worse. You don’t need—

Dean crouches beside the car, rain soaking into his jeans, hands resting gently on the frame like he’s afraid you’ll bolt if he moves too fast.

“Why didn’t you say somethin’?” he asks, so soft it guts you.

You stare down at your hands. “Didn’t wanna be a charity case.”

He lets out a shaky breath, like he’s biting back a hundred things he wants to say.

Finally, he just holds out a hand.

“C’mon,” he says. “We got two beds. You’re not sleepin’ out here. Not while we’re around.”

You hesitate, shame coiling hot and thick in your gut.

Dean’s smile is crooked, a little sad.

“Not charity, sweetheart. Family.”

And somehow, that word hits harder than anything else.

You take his hand.

Dean tugs you out of the car like you weigh nothing, tucks you under his arm like you belong there, like you always have. His jacket is warm around your shoulders, and when you glance up at him, he just squeezes you closer without a word.

The rain keeps falling.

But for the first time in a long time, you’re not alone in it.

ꔛ. navigation 𓂃˖ ࣪ all drabbles ; compatibility readings ; support my work .ᐟ

[m-jelly]

Hi Jelly! Can i request reader x levi angst?

It's ok if you don't want to make it.🩷 (I'll be happy if u notice me)

(Canon world)

Reader is actually Erwin's little sister(you decide their age gap^^)!! Levi met reader when the sc went after him in the underground and he actually fell in love with her in the first sight. As years goes by Levi's feelings are strong now, he loves reader so much. (she actually look like erwin a lot). After Erwin's death the reader started to change a lot and levi helped her out. Reader was starting back on track of her life, but eventually the rumbling started and she sacrificed herself to the sc. (you decide the ending)

I'm sorry if it's too long😭, I've been a silent fan of your works since pandemic and this is my first request to you which , I'm kinda nervous ahhh. Have a good day Jelly!! I hope both of your pillows are cold both side and don't stress yourself so much, you're too glorious to be stressed ����🫶

You are a sweet little jellytot <3

Field of flowers

Levi x fem reader

Canon world, angst, emotional pain, becoming a couple, reuniting, fluff, romance, happy ending.

The love between you and Levi was always unspoken, never admitted out loud. When the rumbling happens, it looks like the end is near. You race off and fight knowing that the chance of you dying is likely. When the war is over and his heart is full of pain, Levi doesn't know what to do with himself. After moving rooms at the hospital to heal, he sees a familiar face he didn't think he'd see again.

"You don't have to do this," Levi muttered, his heart stinging. "Please don't do this, too many people have died already."

You smiled sadly. "I want to do this."

"There has to be another way."

You cupped the side of Levi's face. "Thank you for everything you did for me."

"I..."

You released him. "Come on, Levi, smile for me. Where's that handsome smile I adore?"

He looked away from you. "Sorry."

"We'll meet again in a field of flowers on a sunny day."

He perked up a bit. "Promise?"

You hummed a laugh. "Sure." You released a long shaky sigh. "Once more into battle." You gripped your blades. "Kind of exciting."

Levi smiled a little. "Always the optimistic."

You grinned as tears ran down your cheeks. "Ah, there's that smile I adore! Thanks, Levi."

That sweet bright smile you always held meant the world to him, because it was always for him. Levi was thankful that the last thing he saw of you that day was your bright cute smile. As Levi went into his final battle, he kept thinking about your smile.

Even though he felt like the pain of his wounds was going to break him, you were always on his mind. He hoped and prayed you were alive and okay somewhere. He dreamed of seeing you again. Levi lived a life with no regrets, but he regretted so much not confessing to you what was deep in his heart.

Levi had never been in love before, he didn't understand it much and heard how it had made people act and feel. He'd watched scouts fall in love. He'd seen how Mikasa and Eren were. Levi knew he was in love with you, you were everything to him and he wished you were right by his side. He wanted to plan for the future.

Healing in the hospital was hard for him, he was left with visions of those he lost and regrets linked to you. Soon the pain left him and an emptiness was left behind, the only thing that perked him up was seeing the cadets working on a better future.

"Captain?"

He blinked a few times before looking over at the nurse. "Yes?"

She smiled softly. "I know you've had this room by yourself, but we have a new patient who's going into recovery. She'll be sharing a room with you, is that okay?"

Levi nodded. "Sure."

"Don't worry, she's a sweet thing. She's a soldier too, so maybe you might know her."

"Maybe." He picked up his book and read a few pages as the bed was wheeled in. He tried not to listen in to them chatting with the patient, but he hoped the talking would end soon so he could have peace and quiet.

"Levi?"

His eyes widened at the familiar gentle voice. He slowly looked over at the bed next to him to see you sitting up in bed wrapped up in bandages to protect burns. Tears filled his eyes, he felt like he was dreaming, he had to be dreaming for you to be alive and right next to him.

"It is you!"

There was that bright cute smile of yours. Even though you were badly wounded, you were still able to smile so perfectly for him. He was speechless, he didn't know what to say to you and it made you laugh cutely. All Levi could do was blush hard as tears ran down his cheeks.

You carefully slipped out of bed and limped over to him. "I know it's not a field of flowers I promised." You looked around the room and pointed to the vase on his table. "There's the flower I guess." You looked out the window and hummed. "I guess that's a field out there?"

Levi reached over and held your hand before softly saying your name. "I love you."

You felt your cheeks heat up at those words you longed for. You locked eyes with Levi as your heart raced. "Levi, do you mean it?"

"I do. I should have said it to you sooner."

You sat on his bed and smiled. "I..." You rubbed your tears and laughed. "I love you too." You tapped your forehead against his shoulder. "I thought this day would never come." You squeezed his hand. "I'm glad it did."

"Me too." He called your name. "May I kiss you?"

You lifted your head as you softly whined. "Please do."

He cupped your face with his right hand. He hesitated for a moment before capturing your lips in a gentle kiss. Butterflies fluttered inside of you both, your hearts throbbing with happiness. He bit your lip a little and shyly flicked his tongue against you, he worried you'd reject him, but you parted your lips and accepted a passionate kiss.

You pulled back and panted a moment. "Mm."

Levi cleared his throat. "I hope that wasn't disappointing."

You hummed a laugh. "It was better than I dreamed of. You're incredible."

"You're the incredible one." He shook his head. "I can't believe you're alive."

"I can't either. It might seem weird or silly, but I swear I saw Erwin when I was close to death. He protected me, that or I imagined things."

Levi pulled you closer. "I saw them all too, every single one of them when it was over. I think you saw Erwin."

You released a long sigh. "One last goodbye."

"Yeah." He squeezed you. "So, we're healing buddies now."

"Yeah, mine are all burns."

"I've fucked up my leg...do you still love me?"

You locked eyes with Levi. "Always. Do you still love me with all my scars?"

He smiled. "Absolutely."

@ladycheesington @levisbrat25 @nyxiieluna @li-anne @galactict3a @youre-ackermine @thebobaprincess @2moth-anon2 @cypidity @nbinairyn @bts-spnlvr12 @darkstarlight82 @emilyyyy-08 @levistealeaf @pelicanpizza @hideandgopeep @notgoodforlife @demonic-bird @searriously @dreamerofthewest @abiatackerman @minminroie

[voxofthevoid]

I like it when you get on your soapbox. What's been on your mind recently?

#voxhasopinions #anonswholikethatvoxhasopinions

Alright, I finally have time to answer this properly *cracks knuckles*

Before I start, I want to say that I'm aware that fanfic writers and readers are not exactly distinct categories. A significant number of us are both; plus, an exclusive reader can become an author anytime. But the discussions below tend to be framed as authors vs. readers, even when the specific parties involved are both, so that's what I'll be going with.

I don't know how common this is outside of the r/Ao3 and r/Fanfiction subreddits, especially since the only fandom discussion space I frequent on Tumblr is olderthannetfic's blog, but I've been seeing an increasing tendency on Reddit to blame the apparent decline in commenting on authors and the prevalent culture of no unsolicited concrit on Ao3.

From what I can tell, this is being espoused by a small but very loud and insistent minority. Their numbers seem to be climbing though, presumably because a lot of people want something concrete to blame for the lack of comments.

Some of these complaints are reasonable. When authors snap at readers for leaving emoji comments; accuse human beings of being bots because their comments were "generic"; or otherwise behave rudely in situations where rudeness is not warranted, it is natural for others to go, "Hey, dude, you're overreacting and making kind of a mess." Readers who actually behave rudely get the same treatment.

But oftentimes, the expectation that authors should treat their readers with general courtesy gets extended to a degree that I can only summarize as "authors should be doormats who are thankful for even a lick of attention, negative or positive." Listen, if an individual wants to adopt that as a personal stance, that's up to them, but anyone who tries to present that as the fandom ideal should perhaps fuck off to sites like FFnet or SpaceBattles that encourage that kind of heavy critical culture. A site such as Ao3, which gives its authors complete control over their comment section and a significant degree of freedom in presenting their works, is not the place for it.

But even more than this, what grinds my gears is, as usual, the double standards that pop up in these discussions.

Whenever writers complain about giving up on writing or posting fic because of rude comments, harassment campaigns, or a general lack of interaction, the most prevalent and/or prominent sentiment you see is that they should be writing for themselves or that they shouldn't let the haters win. Both of which are valid points, though not always appropriate or helpful. Read the room, y'know?

On the other hand, when readers state that they've stopped commenting because they witnessed or experienced some authors being rude, they're treated to a lot more sympathy. And they should be—that's generally the kinder approach when people are venting their frustrations. It's the contrast with the reactions authors get that irks me.

At the end of the day, both posting fic and commenting on fic are personal choices. Nobody can or should force you. And expecting a general degree of courtesy from your fellow fans is also quite natural—it's socialization 101.

Your reactions to people being assholes to you are also entirely your own. I can't judge any individual author or reader for having some bad experiences and deciding that they'll stop writing/posting fic or commenting on fic, respectively. It's a sad state of affairs, but it happens, and your peace of mind is more important than fandoming.

But for the love of fuck, the double standards need to stop.

People are going to be rude, be it authors, readers, or randos on social media. A general expectation of civility is reasonable, but the fact that not everyone will adhere to that is predictable. And judging an entire group by the actions of those few assholes is ridiculous.

I'd need to borrow several people's hands and toes to count the number of hate comments or general bullshit I've received over the years, several of which were in my current fandom. As a shitty cherry on top, I've seen people who fawn over me in my comments turn around and say some real weird shit about me on social media. Fuck even knows what goes on in Discord servers—I don't want to know actually.

All things considered, I'd be well within my rights to decide I'm done with this fandom, but it would be patently ridiculous of me to think that all my readers are two-faced bastards just because I ran into a few who were like that. Similarly, if an author were to be rude to me because I left a comment that was only one line or something, I'd be an idiot to act like all or even most authors behave like that, even though I'd have every right to decide that I'll stop commenting for a while.

In both scenarios, my choice to step away would be reasonable. But any kind of claim that the bad experiences I had can be generalized to readers or authors as a group would not be reasonable.

Yet, that's what I keep seeing, and while that tends to take the form of individuals saying they'll no longer risk commenting, the cumulative effect is the aforementioned loud and growing minority who keep trying to paint fic authors as the main parties responsible for fewer comments across the board.

You can't tell authors that they need to sit pretty and swallow unsolicited concrit, hate comments, negging or shilling, and basically any scrap of attention just so that readers won't get spooked away from commenting forever. That's not in any way reasonable. People who say this are essentially blaming authors for having... self-respect and self-worth.

Personally, I think that accepting the possibility of unpleasant interactions is necessary when involving yourself in any social space. You don't have to like it, and you sure as hell don't have to endure it quietly. Fight fire with fire all you'd like. But letting a handful of assholes drive us away from something we enjoy is not helping anyone in the end, whether from the reading end or the writing end.

Establish etiquette and enforce it, but also be prepared for people who won't know or care about it.

Don't fucking throw your fellow writers under the bus because you think that everyone being doormats would encourage more commenting. Even if it did, that'd be a shitty price to pay.

[twisted-wonderland-shenanigans]

Twisted Kaijuland Prologue (2025 Rewrite)

AT LAAAAAST!!!! I have finally completed the rewrite of an AU I've been wanting to work more on, but I'd lost interest in the direction it was going at the time. Now I feel more saatisfied with this and hope to continue sharing these ideas with everyone!

Note: there are LOTS of changes to how the story originally started, so please keep that in mind as I work to continue figuring out more and more of this AU and how everyone works. That means some (aka a good chunk of) scenes and scenarios will be completely different from before, mainly to make it flow and make better sense compared to my other AUs. But I will be keeping up the originals, so don't worry!

Also random, but I believe this version is much longer than the original prologue was! 😂 Hope you all enjoy this retelling! And I will be uploading this on AO3 as well!

WARNING: Minor and explicit language (cursing) and blood mention. Going forward there's a possibility of there being more blood given the nature of the kaiju, but I'll be sure to properly warn when those do pop up. Meanwhile, most of the storytelling in the beginning will be Yuu exploring the island and getting to interact with each of the kaiju packs!

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

Prologue: Found Astray in a New World

Beep……

Beep……

Beep……

Bwoop…

The steady beeps rang in Yuu’s ears as they drifted in and out of consciousness, lulled by the rush of crashing ocean waves that coaxed them to fall back to sleep. Yet the discomfort they felt on their back as the heat of the sun pulled their mind back to the surface, tempered by the cool breeze filled with the smell of sea salt. A pained groan escaped as they forced their body up, sand clinging to their damp skin as they stared through the haze at their surroundings in the faint morning light on the horizon. ‘W…where…am I?’ they thought, panic slowly creeping in as they realized they didn’t recognize anything. ‘Huh?? Where-? What-?? How did I get here? Why can’t I-!’

A sharp pain hit as they groaned, clutching their head and hissing as they waited for it to pass.

“Why…can’t I remember?” they uttered aloud, their voice cracking a little from thirst.

Yuu sat in silence as they waited, hoping that the headache would pass quickly while trying to sort through their clouded thoughts. Fragments of memories—of shapes and sounds so unrecognizable they couldn’t be real—scattered no matter how hard they focused. And yet while those memories eluded them…some were too nightmarish to be forgotten.

Long, narrow faces with gaunt skin and fangs sharper than needles, maws and pores oozing a viscous black ichor that stained and burned the ground it touched.

Sharp, wicked claws attached to long, gangly arms that pulled and dragged the bloated and serpentine bodies across the ground at inhuman speeds.

Flashes of teeth so close to their face they could smell the rot of its breath.

‘These are just nightmares,’ they thought to themselves, taking a deep breath to try and ease the fear clutching their chest in a vice. ‘They’re not real—they’re just fragments of bad dreams from my memories!’

Memories you don’t have, a small, nagging voice in the back of their mind chided them. You don’t know where you are. You’re lost and alone…do you even remember who you are? Who you’re supposed to be?

BEEEEEEEEEP!!

“Wah!?” they yelped as they fell backwards into the sand, staring at the source with wide eyes. Around their ankle—glinting in the sunlight like a beacon—was a metal band. A cursory glance revealed a near-invisible seam, a soft red light blinking erratically like it was seeking…something. “What is this thing?” they uttered, reaching down to try and pry it off. It refused to budge, tight enough prevent it from being slipped off yet loose enough to wriggle a finger underneath. Whoever made this ensured there was soft material underneath, keeping the metal from rubbing against their skin.

Confused and frustrated, they turned their attention back to their current situation: finding out where they were, getting help, and finding a source of food and water. Knowing which of the three would be easiest to achieve, they began walking along the beach to find a fruit-bearing tree towards the strangely shaped rocks.

The sand was soft beneath their bare feet, Yuu taking note of their attire and realizing they were wearing long gray pants and a strangely designed long-sleeved top. They noticed what looked like a faded black symbol resembling an upside-down triangle with a boat-like shape. Around their neck they felt an odd band, though what it was they couldn’t tell—though at least it didn’t seem to be restricting their breathing.

“What is even happening to me?” they uttered, feeling around for any injuries they hadn’t noticed. There were no bumps, no tender spots, no cuts or scratches…nothing to explain the massive gap in their memories. “If this is some sort of prank, I-“

Thunk!

“Yeow!” Hopping on one foot, Yuu hissed and glared at the rock…before realizing it was too reflective and shiny to be one. Cautiously, they started digging around the object, taking care to avoid the sharp edges. More and more was uncovered as they dug, shoveling sand away until they finally managed to make out something. The same marking as the one on their top, only…different somehow. Like someone had tried to alter it to appear more monstrous or dangerous. “What in the…world,” they uttered, finally looking up and staring at in shock and horror.

As the sun rose higher, the light revealed more and more that the strangely shaped rocks they’d seen weren’t made of stone. Twisted and mangled, Yuu found themselves staring at a massive graveyard of ships and planes. As far as the eye could see it stretched, creating a maze of metal corpses jutting out of the sand like the bones of a monstrous creature. Warily they ventured forth, watching their step and avoiding the jagged metal pieces that reached out like lost souls seeking to drag them down into the sand. Slowly they began to notice other materials in the mix, hulls of wooden ships rotting away yet somehow maintaining some semblance of their shape.

Peering inside one of the ships, they spotted a scores of barrels and crates—some broken revealing their contents. Furs, herbs, spices, cloth…all relatively in decent condition, if worn down by time and scavenging critters. In the corner, they noticed a large coffer of coins and jewels—completely untouched.

“What did all of this?” they muttered aloud, taking a closer look around at the condition of the ships and planes. As the sunlight revealed more and more, so too did they notice the full extent of the damage. Some bore gashes along the sides—some a singular line while others bore more than one in a row. Some were warped with chunks dripping like frozen droplets, as though something corrosive had burned through the metal and cooled in an instant. Others…

Others were impaled with black crystals.

They felt ill as they approached one of the crystals, a dark, noxious green light pulsing within that seemed to grow brighter as they moved closer. Wisps of eerie gray mist slowly cascaded down from the stones, where they could see a pool of inky ichor at the base of the plane’s frame. For a brief moment, they thought they heard…whispers coming from within.

Stay away!, their mind seemed to scream even as their body crept forward. Danger! Evil! Vile! Beautif-

In an instant they stopped, quickly backing away before they could touch the tip of the crystal and collapsing with a wheeze. “What was that?” they uttered, shaking their head. They stared up at the crystal, only to avert their gaze once more when they felt the strange pull again. Whatever this thing was, it wasn’t natural and it wasn’t safe. Climbing to their feet, they decided it was time to leave the ship graveyard and continue their search for food and shelter. “This place will be a last resort,” they uttered, shivering as they moved away from the inky black crystals.

The sun was steadily rising now as they continued their search, somehow managing to escape the giant metal deathtrap maze and into a wide clearing. Up ahead they could see a jungle tree line, immediately recognizing the cluster of yellow at the top of one of the trees. Relieved to have found a food source, they ran as fast as they could towards the trees. As they grew closer and closer, however, their excitement turned to confusion as they slowed to a trot. Still the trunks of the trees continued to grow bigger, dwarfing Yuu as they stopped and stared up in horror at the sight of the trees looming over them like towers.

“What the hell is going on,” they uttered, slowly turning in a circle as they realized just how small they were compared to the foliage. Plants that should have come up to their waist or shoulders were large enough to form a canopy, shielding them from the steadily growing harsh sunlight. Trees that should have been easily 15-20 feet tall were easily three times that height, fruit that should have been easy to pluck and gather now swayed threateningly like a boulder ready to be dropped.

Buzzing overhead caught their attention as they looked up, pure terror filling their veins as they saw what could only be described as a giant dragonfly-like creature flitting about. It hovered close to a flower, the downdraft of its wings buffeting Yuu with strong winds as it landed on a petal—and disappearing the moment the flower snapped shut around its body, clamping down like a vice as it struggled to escape.

“Nope! Nope, nope, nope, nope!” was all Yuu managed to say before they scurried away, not wanting to find out if anything else had a taste for flesh. “Giant food is one thing, but I draw the line at man-eating plants!”

Giant food, giant bugs, giant plants, a deserted island, and an entire graveyard of ships and planes? This had to be a fever dream or a nightmare of epic proportions! Yet it was getting harder and harder to find logic in anything they were seeing. None of this should even be possible, and yet…here they were, stranded in the middle of nowhere with no idea of who they were, how they got here, or even why they were here. And if the insects and plants were enormous, what else was even bigger than them? They didn’t even know if there were any other survivors out the-

‘Get a grip, Yuu!’ they thought, managing to stick close to the edge of the jungle on their right and keeping the shore on their left side. ‘Panicking won’t help anything, and you need to stay focused. Food will have to wait, so let’s just find water and shel-‘ the ground collapsed under their right foot, sending Yuu sliding down a steep incline with loud, “Aaaah!!”

Whud!

“…ow,” they uttered, groaning as they slowly sat up. Glancing back where they came from, they spotted the steep slope that had been concealed by one of the leaves. The dirt was smoothed away to reveal red and yellow clay, as though someone had carved out the opening with a tool to remove any bumps or ridges. Realizing that it would be too steep a climb to get out of the ravine, they sighed and shook their head. “Great…is everything on this island trying to kill-”

Thoom…

“…me…” Their voice trailed off as another thud hit the ground, the earth vibrating beneath their feet as they slowly turned towards the densest part of the forest. Something was coming, the sound of branches creaking and snapping reaching Yuu’s ears as they slowly started to creep behind a large rock formation—before finally noticing the razor-sharp teeth and the empty eye socket. They clamped their hands over their mouth as a massive black shape began to emerge, ducking into the gap of the skull until they could peek through the socket.

The creature that emerged was gigantic, towering beyond anything they could imagine as it crept into the area on four legs. The sunlight fell across its body, black and green feathers gleaming while its beak—wickedly sharp and deadly—was slick with something damp.

‘What…what the fuck is that thing?!’ Yuu thought, pressing their body against the inside of the skull as they watched the monster move.

It sniffed the air, its four glowing golden eyes scanning the area. It sniffed at the colorful crystal formations at the base of the tree. A pair of thin, small arms extending from its chest as the strange hands grasped at the stones, snapping them from the base. When it opened its beak, the sun glinted off of sharp rows of teeth before it crunched down on the crystals. Once the crystals were gone, it sniffed around for a moment before it stood on its hind legs and leaned against one of the trees. Its neck stretched out further than they thought was possible, its sharp beak plucking at the fruit that seemed so ridiculously small in comparison. From this angle, they could see a pair of massive wings pressed tightly to its sides and a long serpentine tail lazily sweeping across the ground.

‘Okay…whatever the hell that thing is, it seems only interested in fruit, so maybe it won’t mistake me for a bug and eat me…?’

Something skittered across the bark near the monster’s claw, and a moment later its head had darted forward. A giant spider-like bug with crystalline spikes was squirming in its beak before it tossed its head back, swallowing it whole before continuing to pluck at the fruit with a distinctly happy trill.

‘…yeah, that makes more sense,’ they thought, feeling their heart beating heavily in their chest. ‘Dammit…I can’t run or that thing will spot and eat me like that spider! Maybe I can just…wait here in this skull and-”

Beep-bwoop!

“Shit!” Yuu whispered under their breath as they immediately reached down to the ankle bracelet. To their horror, the bird-lizard monster’s head immediately snapped towards their direction, the two feathery ears popping up and swiveling left and right—searching for the sound again. ‘Dammit, why is the universe trying to kill me?!’

THOOM…THOOM…

Each footstep from the monster made their heart jump as they pressed their body against the wall of the skull, bracing their feet against the other side to avoid falling over and making more noise. They could hear the beast sniff the air, the musty smell of rotting meat and fruit washing over the area while something loud scraped against the ground around their hiding spot.

‘Please don’t beep again, please don’t let it find me, please, please, please, please!’ they thought, staring at the bracelet as the light blinked mockingly up at them. The monster sniffed—horrifyingly close now—as a wave of hot air rushed through the eye socket. Through the gaps in the skull’s teeth, they could see its shadow blocking out the sunlight, the tips of what they realized were its massive claws beginning to curl underneath their hiding spot and starting to lift. ‘I just woke up, I don’t want to die!’

Just then, in the distance, a loud, echoing roar filled the air.

Immediately the bird-lizard let out a sound akin to a chirp as it dropped their shelter back down, the quiet crooning it was making earlier devolving into a terrifying hissing snarl and caw. The earth shook as Yuu heard it bound away, branches and leaves snapping in its path as they heard it barrel through the forest. Then…

Silence.

They waited, heart racing as they listened for any sign of it returning. Minutes felt like hours before��finally—they cautiously emerged. Shaken, Yuu was horrified to see the deep gouges in the earth from where the creature had been digging with its claws, realizing just how close they were to being eaten.

Cursing under their breath, Yuu pointed at the bracelet and said, “Once I figure out how to get you off, I’m breaking you with the biggest hammer I can find.”

Be-beep! Beep-bwoop!

They glared at it and asked, “What now?”

“Signal connection: acquired,” a mechanical voice from the wall said, the sudden speaker startling Yuu as they pressed their back to the skull, looking around warily. “Scanning…no threats detected nearby. Opening access port. Please stand by.”

Chk! Tsssss….

Right before their eyes they watched as the stone wall split open, revealing a large metal door that slid open into a dark tunnel. “Please step forward,” the mechanical voice commanded as the lights turned on inside.

Glancing back at the path the monster had disappeared through, Yuu reluctantly obeyed and entered just as the entrance shut with a decisive tssss. Now they found themselves stuck between two locked doors with no visible way out. “Okay…now what?” they asked aloud, looking around in confusion. A thought occurred to them as they uttered, “Please tell me I didn’t just walk into a trap.”

“Please stand by for entry permission,” the mechanical voice said. “Analyzing bracer code…error! Error! Code cannot be found in database.” Movement out of the corner of their eye drew their attention to the inner door, a panel opening on the side as a camera-like device emerged. “Please stand still while scanning is in progress.” A red beam of light shot out, the thin line moving from their feet to their head before vanishing, the camera retracting with a click. “Scan acquired. Searching for facial recognition files…search complete. No staff record on file. DNA signature cannot be verified. Please stand by while I contact the current on duty director for further instruction.”

“Wait, what’s going on? What is this place?” Yuu asked, searching the room for something to focus on. “Where are we?”

“Status update: cannot establish contact with current on duty director,” the computer voice said, making them wonder if it was canned phrases. “Attempting communication with secondary duty director……attempt unsuccessful. Reevaluating follow-on directive…complete. Beginning creation of temporary visitor profile.” The panel on the other side of the door opened, this time revealing a small screen and a microphone. “Please place your hand on the screen and state your name to begin registration process.”

Gingerly placing their hand palm down on the screen, Yuu leaned in and said, “Um…Yuu?” They jumped but held their hand to the screen when it began to scan, the glass surface pleasantly warm to the touch compared to the chill of the room.

“Name and handprint scan accepted. Creating temporary visitor profile…profile complete. Welcome Uhm Yuu.”

“I-it’s just Yuu,” they said quickly.

“Please report to the main office for assistance, Uhm Yuu,” the computer voice continued, the door sliding open as lights began to turn on inside. A path of green lights appeared along the floor, creating a pathway for them to follow. “Once in the main office, you will be provided with instructions, your new staff badge, and your new Multi Information Record Assistance tool. Access to the lab facilities will be limited without the badge and tool, so please ask for assistance from the main office if you find yourself unable to enter certain workspaces. If you lack the current clearance level, you will not be permitted to enter the space. Please ensure you follow proper protocol when storing collected samples before proceeding through the decontamination and hazard chambers. Have a nice day!”

“…what is this place and why does it sound shady as heck?” Yuu uttered as they shook their head. Knowing they had no other options and didn’t want to be outside, they followed the green lights.

It was…eerily quiet. They expected to see someone—anyone—in this place rushing around or even just working, yet it was silent. Each room they passed by was either dark or lit up but empty, various tools and computer equipment scattered about in the gloomy space. Streams of data flickered across the monitors and transparent screens, occasionally displaying diagrams of weird and disturbing creatures that looked nothing short of a nightmare’s dream! Only one monitor, however, caught their eye as they stared, noting how oval its shape was and the ornate serpent-like frame that decorated the edges of the cracked surface. Instead of a reflection, however, bright green flames flickered within the dark depths, the screen glitching as a broken white mask blinked in and out of existence.

Whatever had happened in this place, it was clear to Yuu that this place had long since been abandoned. A struggle happened from what they could tell, though it looked less man-caused and more…sinister. The walls were dented and marred with deep gashes, patches of dried blood stained the floors the further they ventured in. On one wall mirror, they saw a bloody handprint that slid down before disappearing, the inside of the room looking like something had shattered the equipment with a single blow. What unnerved them the most, however, was the fact that there were no bodies.

‘Why am I still going deeper into the creepy abandoned death-trap?’ they thought, warily looking between the rooms for any sign of life. ‘Isn’t there some rule to horror where you’re not supposed to do that?!...then again, being out there with big, tall, and terrifying and whatever made that roar sounds even worse.’

They finally reached the end of the green lights and entered a large open room, multiple desks and chairs arranged in a chaos of papers and busted computer stations. Only one in the back against the wall seemed operational, flicking to life as they approached. “Please place your hand on the panel to begin replication of your new staff badge,” the computerized voice said. Upon touching the panel, the screen began to fill with data faster than their eye could read, the machine whirring to life before ejecting a thick plastic card from the slot beneath the monitor. “Congratulations, Uhm Yuu, for joining the Night Raven Corporation’s Exploration and Research Development Team. You will begin your first assignment as a lab assistant to our great technicians. Please follow the lighted path to the lab area where you will obtain your first Multi Information Record Assistant tool and receive your first task from your immediate supervisor.”

“I’m not even a scientist, and even if I was, where is everyone?!” Yuu asked. When they received no response, they slumped their shoulders with a sigh and said, “Yeah. These are just recorded voice lines…that can somehow say my name without issue…mostly…”

The lights led deeper into the facility, the lights dim with red emergency lights flashing the further in they moved. The eeriness made their skin crawl, walking around the shallow gashes in the floor until they finally made it to a large warehouse-like area. From wall to wall were machines and, rows upon rows of glass tube tanks lined up as far as the eye could see. Each one was filled with a viscous liquid of various colors: red, blue, orange-yellow, and green. Yuu could see there were dark shapes in most of the tubes, though any distinct features were obscured by the layers of dirt and dust against the glass. Cautiously they approached the closest one, wiping their hand against the glass-

“AAH!?” they shrieked, tumbling over one of the cables and scrambling away until their back was pressed against the base of another tank. Inside the glass was an almost humanoid creature, its face looking like a squashed reptile crossed with a fish as the gills on its neck slowly fluttered in the liquid. Tubes and wires connected to the creature’s body, though whether it was to keep it alive or feed data to the computer next to the glass tank they couldn’t tell. Breathing heavily, they uttered, “This place is going to give me a heart attack before I can even figure out what’s going on! What even is that thing?!”

Blip! “Cannot com-m-m-mpute your question. Please con-n-n-nect device and ask again.”

“…what?” they uttered, looking around in confusion before spotting what looked like a large, thick bracelet next to their right hand. Curious, they picked it up, examining the surface and spotting the screen. It was dark, with the word “M.I.R.A.” displayed in bright blue letters. “What…are you?” they asked.

“Answer,” the tiny bracelet said, startling them as they dropped it into their lap. “I am M.I.R.A., an a-a-a-artificial intelligence tool. P-p-p-please pl-l-l-l-lace me on your wrist in a comfortable position to begin user r-r-r-reassignment and module r-r-repair protocol.”

“Nnnnot sure that’s a good idea if you sound broken,” they uttered. Still, they complied, the bracelet snapping shut around their wrist.

The screen blipped and flickered, a loading bar appearing on screen as the voice said, “Beginning r-r-r-repair protocol. S-s-s-stand by………repair protocol, complete. Module is now in operational order. Beginning user reassignment. Please state your name.”

“Yuu,” they stated clearly.

“Acknowledged. Searching database…new staff profile found. New user ‘Uhm Yuu’ has been accepted. Welcome, Uhm Yuu. What would you like to know?”

“…are you actually going to answer my questions, or are you just saying canned recorded responses?”

“Answer: it is my directive to assist my user and answer any potential questions they may have and provide suitable answers based on available data. I am designed to learn and respond accordingly to any situation you may come across.”

“Guess that’s good enough for me,” Yuu muttered. Aloud, they asked, “So what exactly are you? Let’s start with that.”

“Answer: I am a Multi Information Record Assistant, an artificial intelligence tool developed by the Night Raven Corporation to aid its researchers and exploration teams in the study of the local flora and fauna. Once assigned, I am to monitor my current user’s vitals to ensure they remain in good health and offer suggestions on mitigating stress when not in current danger. I will continue to serve my purpose until the day you pass, in which I will once again be reassigned to a new user. What would you like to know?”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, back up! What do you mean ‘once again’? Did you already have another user before me??”

“Affirmative. Dr. Amity Willows was my previous user prior to her passing. As the top researcher in this facility, Dr. Willows’ work was vital to the progression of understanding the environmental effects of the energy found across the island and the influence it has on the local flora and fauna.”

“I…what? Island?” Yuu uttered, thinking back to the beach they’d awoken on. “What do you mean by that? Where are we? And…what happened to Dr. Willows?”

The tool said nothing for a moment, the screen humming as a new loading bar appeared. Then, with a blink, it transferred to another screen with what looked like a variety of folders with locks on most of them. “Answer: Due to the low clearance level on your profile, I am unable to access many of the files uploaded to the Dark Mirror Server. Searching……located data logs recorded by Dr. Willows. Data logs have been triple-encoded to prevent complete factory reset in the event something should happen to her, and will require time to unlock each data log. However, I am able to access the last few minutes of security footage before servers went down.”

“Can you show me what happened and where everyone is?”

The screen blinked through various different screens—too fast for their eyes to follow—before finally settling on an angle of the lab they currently stood in. Compared to now, there were more people around frozen in time. They were examining the figures in the tanks, some holding tablets while others were standing in front of stations filled with test tubes and beakers. The video began to play, though the quality seemed…strange. The video glitched and skipped, some segments being streamlined while others looked like fragments of images. In the center of the room, however, they spotted two unusually colored tanks: the largest being a noxious red color while the smaller one was a brilliant cyan. Both seemed to have creatures inside them, though what they looked like they couldn’t tell from this angle.

In an instant, the imagery changed. Warped screams and cries of panic emerged from the speakers as the scientists began to run, the red tank shattered as the creature’s serpentine body—dripping with a black ink-like substance that seemed to burn the metal floor—dragged itself across the floor by two sets of gangly clawed arms. Its head in one image showed an oddly familiar narrow skull-shaped head, the eye sockets empty of any eyes yet seeming to “cry” drops of the inky ichor.

Yuu covered their mouth in horror as they saw the creature hunting down the scientists, the camera shifting to the hallways they’d walked through as the creature went on a rampage across the area. The scientists that managed to avoid the creature by hiding in the rooms had been splashed by the black ichor, which began to spread across their bodies, the feed cutting out just before they could see what happened—though given what they’d seen and the lack of bodies, they had a good idea.

“What…the hell is that thing?” they uttered, watching as the creature crashed its way down the hall and out the entrance before the feed finally cut off. Remembering the giant skull they’d hidden in just outside the facility, they asked, “Did…that monster die after escaping?”

“I do not have access to the outside cameras at this time. However, the little data I am able to access from Dr. Willows’ research logs suggest that the creature’s DNA was unstable. Comparing data prior to and just before the incident in the lab, it appears that the creature’s DNA was contaminated by an unknown substance that weakened its immune system. The compromise appears to have created an unstable reaction to the creature’s DNA, triggering a rapid deterioration of its physical body shortly before its emergence from containment. Based on visual analysis, it would suggest the creature’s movements are indicative of death throes warring with an insatiable instinct to feed and consume other living creatures. Conclusion: it is highly likely that whatever skeletal remains you have found may be the very creature that escaped.”

Yuu was silent as the screen went back to the screen showing the rest of the videos that weren’t locked, their thoughts swimming. When they finally spoke, their voice was quiet as they asked, “Does…this mean…I’m alone on this island?”

“Answer: cannot confirm. I am unable to connect to the communication network between the various facilities scattered across the island. Current status of facilities is unknown—I cannot detect any distress signals either.”

“So…there may be other people out there, then. I just have to find them, right?”

“Affirmative.”

“Okay…I don’t suppose you can tell me anything about why everything is so giant? Or…maybe what that giant bird…lizard…monster thing was.”

“Answer: the island’s biology constantly shifts and changes over time. The energy that’s released in the environment enhances the soil’s nutrients and the resulting flora growth, creating a rich ecosystem not found anywhere else on Earth. Due to this, the creatures of this island have been noted to grow at an exponential rate, resulting in many animals and insects developing mutations and abilities unnatural to those commonly found in their natural habitats.”

“And the giant bird-lizard…?”

“Cannot confirm. The island is host to many a creature that match that description.”

Yuu groaned and covered their face, leaning against the closest surface while uttering, “Of course…why would I think otherwise on an island full of giant monsters? How in the world am I supposed to survive here if the scientists in this place didn’t even survive that mutant in the tank?”

“Rrrrr…”

‘……why does this feel so soft?’ they though, a sense of dread filling their chest as they patted the fluffy damp surface. Another low, rattling growl erupted beneath them as Yuu slowly turned their head.

Bright cerulean eyes with cyan sclera stared at them in the gloom, blue flames flickering in its ears. The creature’s face was cat-like, ebony scales decorating its cheeks and forehead gleaming like obsidian stones. Its upper lip curled up to reveal sharp fangs, licks of more blue flames emerging from its mouth.

“Niiiiiice kitty…monster,” Yuu said slowly, carefully getting off and backing away. It watched them intently, standing taller on four legs as a three-pronged tail swished behind it. “Gooooooood kitty-monster…”

Out of the corner of their eye they spotted the red and blue tubes from the video. The larger of the two had clearly been shattered, its bulk all but concealing the smaller tube’s condition. Drops of containment fluid dripped from the broken glass to the floor, revealing the very large pool at the base.

‘Oh shi-!’

“Sssscraaaarl!!”

“FUCK!!” Yuu shrieked, barely dodging the monster’s jaw as it snaped at them before bolting for the exit. “MIRA!! What the hell is that thing?!”

“Cannot confirm,” came the computer’s response. “Please stand still so I may conduct a proper scan, Uhm Yuu.”

Hearing the snarling creature charge after them, Yuu picked up the pace and shouted, “I’m about to get eaten by a mutant cat monster, and you want me to stand still?!”

“Negative. According to article thirty-five, section five—”

“Less briefy, more helpy, please!” Yuu yelped as they quickly turned the corner, hearing the monster slam into the wall as its claws scrabbled for purchase on the metal flooring.

“Affirmative. Activating lockdown procedures. Please proceed to the entrance, Uhm Yuu, as quickly as possible to avoid being locked in. You have ten seconds. Nine. Eight.”

Seeing the end in sight and the steel door starting to descend, Yuu uttered every curse they knew as MIRA continued her countdown. Fueled by pure adrenaline and fear, Yuu launched themselves forward and slid across the floor—and out into the open field. A loud clang rang out as they landed in the dirt, a muffled growl of pain escaping through the metal.

Panting and trembling, Yuu turned to stare at the door as the monster slammed and scratched at the metal. How they managed to outrun such a creature they had no idea, and yet…they had. They were still alive! They made it!! They-!

…why was the door glowing?

They watched in horror as the door changed, the silver metal shifting from glowing orange to pure white as it warped and melted right before their eyes. Through the slowly widening gap they could see the monster’s face, licks of blue flame escaping its jowls as it locked eyes with them.

“Are you kidding me?!” Yuu yelped as they scrambled to their feet again, bolting away from the hidden base. Their heart leapt in their chest as the monster snarled, hearing its bounding gait charge after them catching up faster than it had on the metal floor. For a moment they swore they could feel its hot breath against their back, the smell of sulfur and smoke filling their as they heard what sounded like clicking—

BWOOSH!!

“Gyah!?” they shrieked, somehow managing to dodge the burning brush that exploded in front of them without stopping. “Is everything on this island trying to kill me?!”

“Answer: the local flora and fauna-”

“I wasn’t asking literally, MIR—ack!”

So distracted were they by dodging the bursts of flame from the monster, they didn’t realize they had run into a dead end as they all but slammed into the wall. Hands quickly patting the smooth surface, they cursed when they realized they couldn’t climb their way out and turned to find another way out—only to stumble back when a wall of blue flames erupted in a circle around them. As though it knew they were trapped, the creature slowly walked through the flames as it flickered over its fur without igniting it.

Cerulean eyes stared them down, and in the light they could finally make out more features. What they’d thought were wires on its back were actually four tendrils, each one bearing a wicked stinger-like barb on the tip dripping with a noxious green liquid. A drop hit the ground, a faint sizzle escaping as steam rose from the hole in the dirt. Its tail was pronged like a trident, the light glinting off what looked like metal edges along the pointed tips. In that moment, Yuu knew they were dead…

When a shadow fell over them.

In seconds the feline monster’s face went from cold predatory hunter to confusion to fear, eyes gazing up as it hunkered low to the ground. A low, garbled sound akin to a caw and growl rumbled overhead, Yuu’s heart dropping as they followed the monster’s gaze. Perched atop the ridge like a hawk was the bird-lizard from earlier, a large gash that hadn’t been on its shoulder before glistening with fresh blood in the light. Amber eyes locked on to them, a slit in its forehead opening up to reveal a third eye that seemed to pierce through their very soul.

“Tssss-EAARRR!!” the goliath shrieked, flaring its wings as sparks flickered to life across its feathers in a dizzying fashion. Yuu’s hands clamped over their ears as the sheer volume overwhelmed them, the pressure weighing on them with each passing second.

Over the din they could make out a faint shriek, peeking up to see their pursuer writhing on the ground with thorny vines gripping its limbs from the ground. It was clearly in distress, body thrashing as it tried to chew its restraints off while hissing and screeching. Realizing that this was their chance, Yuu bolted past the monster—

And screamed the moment something massive enveloped them, the ground getting further and further away as the wind whistled against their aching ears. They froze in pure terror as they came face to face with the corvid, all three of its glowing eyes staring down at them. It opened its mouth, breath washing over them as—in a low, gravely voice—it said:

“Never…more…”

/------------------/

“……uu……it…get up…….Uhm Yuu. It is time to get up.”

“Mmn…five more minutes…”

“That is ill advised. Vital signs indicate hydration and nutrient intake are critically low, resulting in lowered cognitive abilities. Recommended course of action: seek closest water source and edible fruits.”

Vital signs…?

Groaning, Yuu opened their eyes and sat up, their head pounding from a headache as they realized how dry their throat was. “Wha…what happened?” they mumbled.

“Answer: you fell unconscious and have been asleep for the day,” the computerized voice said calmly. “According to my data, your body was undergoing incredible amounts of stress, resulting in unhealthy amounts of cortisol. Recommend engagement with meditative activities such as yoga or coloring pictures to increase the body’s natural ability to process and regulate your stress levels.”

“Wait, what do you mean I-”

All at once they remembered, hearing the monster’s words echoing in their mind.

“Fuck!! Where’d the monster go?!” Scrambling backwards, they felt something against their back and yelped, finding themselves encircled in what looked like a giant wooden wall of branches—a nest? “Oh no…is it going to feed me to its babies?!”

“Negative. Nevermore currently does not have any young under his care.”

“…wait…his name is Nevermore?”

“Affirmative. Due to his corvid-like appearance and behavior in mimicking some words during test phases, researchers have since dubbed him ‘Nevermore’ in tribute to a famous known poet’s works.”

Yuu’s mouth opened and closed, processing this information as they stared at the bracer. “…you mean to tell me that you know exactly what this thing is?” they finally asked, keeping their voice low in case the monster was nearby. “Do…you know why it didn’t eat me?”

“Affirmative. Nevermore is one of several creatures that match your earlier inquiry, hence my inability to assess the probability. In reference to why he did not consume you-”

THOOM!!

The ground lurched beneath them as Yuu scrambled to press themselves against the wall of sticks—or rather trunks—with a muffled squeak. Another booming step rattled their bones as Yuu silently prayed to not be seen, hand instinctively covering MIRA’s screen to stop the computer from speaking further. Their heart thumped against their rib cage as a massive beak appeared over the edge, seeing the giant monster’s eyes that seemed to glow a brilliant amber in the dim lighting scan the nest.

‘Don’t see me, don’t see me, don’t see me,’ they thought, frozen in pure terror as Nevermore quietly chirped and trilled as he sniffed the air. ‘Goawaygoawaygoawa-’

Nevermore’s eye locked on to them, sending a wave of cold dread through their veins as he turned and leaned towards them.

“NO!!”

He recoiled, blinking at the sharp sound of their voice. When he tried to lean in again, another sharp ‘No!’ from Yuu made him back off with a tilt of his head. As soon as he started venturing into the nest, they noticed how…slow he moved, his body hunched lower than normal. They watched intently, knowing they were trapped but refusing to turn their back on him.

As soon as the pair of smaller arms stretched out from beneath his feathery chest, they braced themselves—until they realized he was holding something.

Carefully the monster set down the massive pile of fruits, each monumental in size and shape. Only when the last of the fruit was still did he move to the far end of the nest, resting his head on his paws and closing his eyes with a sigh. From this angle they could faintly make out the thin line indicating he was still watching, yet he strangely seemed to be trying to appear smaller than he was.

“MIRA…what is going on?” they finally managed to whisper.

“Answer: Nevermore is offering sustenance. Based on previous records of his behavior, he is attempting to ease your fears much like he has in the past when tending to young cubs in his care. Dr. Willows once noted his role as a caretaker of future generations, as he is often found to have adopted orphaned cubs and hatchlings and raise them with his fellow Primal Guardians.”

“So…he’s not pretending to sleep so he can trick and eat me?” they asked, noticing how his eye opened just a little wider before shutting quickly.

“Negative. Though he has not had direct contact with humans, he has not gone out of his way to attempt to harm or eat any of the researchers. According to my database, Dr. Willows was once saved by Nevermore when an expedition was attacked by smaller yet deadly creatures that wiped out the rest of her party. As such, Dr. Willows has started thoroughly studying him as soon as she was released from the medical bay for injuries sustained.”

“…okay…so this giant fruit…is it safe for me to eat?”

“Affirmative. The produce found on this island are noted to be safe and ideal even for humans who require additional nutritional supplements to function properly, providing a stable source of energy and nutrition necessary for day-to-day function. The peach on your right should provide adequate hydration and sustenance.”

They warily looked between the fruit and the monster, half expecting him to gobble them up like the spider from earlier at any second. Each step they felt the bark beneath press harshly against their bare feet, slowly reaching out to dig their hands into the peach while watching him. In an instant the aroma of the peach intensified, making their mouth water and their stomach growl. Before they knew it, their lips were sticky from the nectar and they had all but devoured the chunk in their hands.

‘How long has it been since I’ve had anything to eat or drink?’ they thought, thinking back to the beach and realizing they couldn’t remember anything leading up to that moment. ‘…why am I even here?’

So lost in thought and the flavor of the food, Yuu hadn’t even noticed when Nevermore’s head began inching its way over…until they felt something stiff press against their head.

“BWAH!?”

“SQWARK!?”

Yuu’s eyes were wide as they stared up at Nevermore, his ears perked up and main eyes just as wide and confused as they felt. “Di…did you just lick me?!” they asked incredulously.

“Note: it is not uncommon for Nevermore to attempt to calm frightened cubs with careful grooming after offering a meal,” MIRA commented. “Much like how animals in the wild and domestic settings will perform social grooming to bond, known as ‘allogrooming’, it is an essential and fundamental aspect that reinforces relationships, builds social hierarchies, and even resolves conflicts. In this case, Nevermore is seeking to reassure you as much as he is assisting with hygiene after your meal.”

“And you didn’t think to warn me he might do that?!”

“I am unable to access any records indicating this being a possibility. I’m afraid this was outside of the realm of my assessment to predict such a scenario.”

For a moment Yuu couldn’t speak, watching Nevermore with a confused frown. Despite his size, the griffin-like monster seemed…strangely calm. Like he was observing them as much as they were observing him, a strange intelligence in his eyes. Then, with a quiet voice, they asked, “MIRA…what exactly is Nevermore?”

“Answer: Nevermore is one of many creatures belonging to a category of megafauna. While each megafauna possess differing appearances and capabilities, researchers have begun referring to them as one singular species: Kaiju.”

[mortish-writes]

Hello! I hope you’re well. I discovered your work only a few days ago but I have been playing nonstop with different choices each time to see the different play throughs I can get, so far I’ve really enjoyed it! Your writing is phenomenal, I’ve been looking for something dark, sexy, romantic, and smutty involving vampires and this is absolutely perfect. I can’t wait to buy it when it’s complete! <3 if I may ask, what inspired you to begin writing Bride of Shadows? Did you take inspiration from any other works when beginning this story?

Thanks! So I initially started drafting Bride of Shadows during the pandemic when my job closed and I was suddenly at home at lot. I binge read The Vampire Chronicles at that time so I'm sure that had an effect, but in general I've always loved vampire fiction from the Anita Blake saga to the Sookie Stackhouse series. Probably a series that made me see how vampires could be written differently was the Carpathian series by Christine Feehan. I loved the whole life-mates and being able to reproduce aspect. I'm a big fan of fated mates and pregnancy/family building in romance and those tropes don't generally intersect with vampires.

For fantasy, my favorite author is probably Brandon Sanderson. I rarely read non-romance, but his books are so captivating. I love the twists and turns, the setups and the payoffs, and I find his writing very inspiring. Anyone who hasn't read his work, go read Warbreaker. It has enough romance to suck you in and then you'll be immersed by the epic plot. I can definitely see shades of Vasher in Valdricht and Lightsong in Serax.

My biggest inspiration I haven't written about yet because I don't want to throw shade on other authors, so I won't name it specifically but right before I started drafting Bride of Shadows I read a contemporary fantasy book series with a compelling love triangle, good smut, and a pregnancy subplot that was so promising and then dropped the ball in such a profoundly terrible way in the final two books that it was the first time I ever finished a story and said, "That's it?" I would have been happier if the author had just abandoned the story it was such a God-awful ending. She ruined both the ROs and the MC became intolerable. I think maybe it was one of those cases where the author had one RO she liked better even though the fan-favorite was another so instead of appealing to a plurality of readers or following her heart she just broke everything and lit it on fire then went off to work on her more popular book series. Basically I was so mad about that series it made me want to write a better one and, all ego aside, it won't be difficult.

I mean it must have been good if I'm still mad about the ending half a decade later. Either that or I get too emotionally attached to books with hot fae.

[cogniizaant]

hello hi I love your writing🔥🔥🔥🔥 you should write some more Froggy stuff, like possibly with an affectionate reader? /nf

THANK YOU SO MUCH ANON i'm very flattered and i'm so glad you requested. and im also sorry i saw this a bit late i hadn't checked my laptop when i had left work yesterday. anywho enough about me i would be happy to write more stuff about Froggy. these will also be headcanons kinda so i hope you're cool with it.

i ran out of related banners so quick.

Froggy x Affectionate!reader HCS.

It's definitely shocking for him at first and you might have to ease him into it. I wouldn't say he'd be unfamiliar with affection or anything, but rather just used to more toned down expressions of it. SO, if you're the type to go all out with declaring your love for him, do be prepared for his initial reaction to be a bit more timid.

He'd never fully get used to it. It'll be that one thing about dating you that he can never fully get accustomed too. One minute you guys are talking, having a casual conversation and then you just out of nowhere turn to him, hugging him until your faces are pressed against each others as you remind him again for the umpteenth time that day that you love him. He'd shiver a bit, but struggle to fight back a smile as he pats the arm wrapped around him. He actually really likes hearing despite how hesitant he is to say it back. It's not that he doesn't feel the same, because he does. He's just too embarrassed to say it back. He's also a bit embarrassed of how easily you can get to him. He's obviously not the calmest guy ever and he's relatively outspoken with his feelings, but it's for him to get this giddy over another person is crazy to him. None of his past relationships were like this at all. He's the type to say he's a 'grown ass man' whenever warranted but has to cover his face and stop himself from giggling and kicking his feet whenever you're with him.

On any special holidays, he's learned to brace himself and be prepared to wake up to enough gifts to cover every birthday for the rest of his life and then some, or an expertly planned date for the two of you that you've curated every aspect of since the year prior. He might think it's a bit too much at times or complain that he won't be able to get him anything of equal value. If you respond in anyway saying he doesn't need too and that you're doing this strictly because you love him and you want too, then he might call you corny. He doesn't mean it at all, it's just to distract you from the fact that he's super flustered over it.

On the topic of gifts, whenever he gives you anything he's finally accepted the fact that you will have the most over the top reaction ever. He's gotten tackled and smothered with kisses enough times to know there's no curbing your excitement. He's honestly grown to enjoy it, and even anticipate it. I think he'd be pretty attentive and would do his best to remember what you like so he can get something aligned with your interests with you. He feels proud that he's able to make you happy even though he still feels that his gifting abilities are subpar in comparison to yours.

"Hey, it's nothing. Really. I just remembered you said you liked that show." "Froggy, I love it so much. I've never been gifted anything this great before ever in my life. I swear I'm going to craft a ring with my bare hands and propose to you with it one of these days." "How am I supposed to respond to that?!"

A lot of your conversations go like that. You're so insanely nice and loving towards him it genuinely throws him off so much. The gears in his brain stop turning every time and he has to manually restart them. He enjoys it a lot, but questions himself often on whether he's built to handle this. You're able to say how you feel to him so clearly and consistently and he can barely respond back without blushing and stuttering. You make him really nervous, but in a good way. You could have been dating for decades, now. Married, even. He'll still get flustered over you being affectionate with him either way. It's like a never ending crush on you.

He's very wary about letting you meet his colleagues. You all would probably get along very well, so that is not his concern. He can't let anyone see him in that state. Well, with the exception of you, of course. I mean, how can he retain his authority then? In reality, none of them would say much about it, though it would be a shocking sight. You cannot convince him of that, though.

Overall, Froggy will never be unsure about your love for him, so good job on that. He loves you back. He's just working up the courage to say it with a straight face.

[cozymochi]

Hi Cozy it's 🍍anon! suddenly went off the grid because work has been hectic but I have been lurking-- browsed through your oc tag and the nyoka art will be feeding me delusions for months

Anyways enough of that talk, A question that I've been thinking of for the past day was amongst your ocs who do you see experiencing an overblot themselves? I wasn't certain if this has been asked before but if it has then you can ignore this ❤️

Have a lovely day/night!

WHO do I see experiencing an overblot? Honestly as of this point, ehh… None of them. Take that with slight uncertainty though rather than being a definitive answer.

Could they? Going by how the universe works, yes. Will they? Leaning towards no, but it’s more like a “🤷 Probably not?” Question mark?

They certainly have all the foundational pieces, and in-universe anyone with magic has the capacity to do so. But unless they were to have some kind of villainous failure breakdown moment, I don’t really see it happening.

That said….

Going by the villain characters that they are twisted from: Emilio twisted from Chancellor Estéban (Elena of Avalor), Cecil twisted from Cedric the Sorceror (Sofia the First), and Nyoka twisted Ushari the egyptian cobra (The Lion Guard)— we’re at like… a different impasse. I kind of have to address those source guys real quick to illustrate my headspace. So I’m about to sound very cringe in briefly crash-coursing and analyzing characters from shows not meant for me. Full spoilers for all three but let’s be real, nobody is gonna watch these things. I did it for everyone.

———

Estéban kind of reaches his goal of ruling the kingdom… more than once? All he really wanted was to be listened to and not forgotten. Admittedly, he often is, but to an extent a lot of it is his own fault. He wants to be noticed as the guy who the “real power behind the throne” type ordeal.

He kind of just fumbles into all of this, really. First time, he was petty and willingly allowed an evil sorceress into his own families kingdom just to make his own warning about her invading come true— thus leading to the deaths of the King and Queen and the magical imprisonment of the rest of his family for 40 years, then he just becomes her Chancellor. (Hello?) He got what he wanted, if at the cost of his entire youth and family. Then when all of this gets undone and fixed, he’s somehow still petty and wants to undermine the potential of his birthright cousin Elena. Despite becoming more understanding as seasons progress, he kind of continues to be petty and cause problems for others for…. actually no reason?

But oh noooo he can’t let his family or anyone know that he was the reason the King and Queen died and that the kingdom went into a dictatorship for 40 years and he reaped the benefits of it :(( He didn’t know she was going to actually kill and usurp his aunt and uncle! (???) He just…wanted…to…. ….uh….prove a point? Or something? His song is amazing, but. Huh.

Until like two seasons later when all his dirty laundry comes out and as he’s going through the consequences of it, he immediately sides with the next villainous lady again to weasel out of punishment, lies some more, does some magic, then fumbles into ruling the kingdom for a few minutes and then dies trying to save Elena from the 3rd villainous lady he fumbled into aligning himself with (He gets better). Hand to God, by the end of the series it’s very hard to see why he does anything. Sure, villain lady 3 calls him out as someone who continues to make the same mistakes over and over, but that is literally in the final episode.

This reads as a character who can’t fully commit to a villain scheme at all. He’s not even clear about what he personally wants at the end of the day. Is it still being listened to? Being undermined? Is he mad that his decades of experience don’t mean anything? Honestly, I’m going to get myself carried away hardcore. I’m legitimately doing my best trying to remain concise, but it is genuinely as messy as it sounds. I enjoy the mess, but it is quite frustrating if put under even the slightest scrutiny. Somehow he is meant to be sympathetic, but none of it really works.

SO WHAT ABOUT EMILIO? While I have not overtly addressed Emilio’s exact backstory publicly as of writing this out, just know that his twist-inspiration of the core elements is essentially being a person who, at this time, is burdened by something he cannot get over. He currently does not know what he personally wants in life and will flip loyalties to whomever will make him seem like the most competent or coolest person in the room (and especially the one who didn’t cause any problem) or whomever is most likely to win in a situation. He loves attention, he loves getting positive credit for things, but ultimately just is just playing a character.

Just by going off of that he doesn’t seem like a strong overblotter contender, at least not to me. If there’s anything overblotters have, it’s a very strong desire for something they really want, especially something they can change. At least as far as my understanding goes.

Emilio does not know what he wants right now, but he’ll certainly pretend that he does. And if he does want something, it’s certainly not going to be resolved at NRC.

———

Cedric does reach his goal of taking over the kingdom. He wanted to take over out of revenge thanks to people constantly belittling him and his abilities for his entire life. If you can’t respect me when I try playing nice, then maybe you will if I’m ruling over all of you with an evil iron-fist and you have NO CHOICE?

However, he only rules it very briefly and ultimately lets himself fail because by this point his heart wasn’t in it anymore. He didn’t even know if he wanted to rule the kingdom genuinely by this point, but thought he had to commit by this point even though he already understood that he got what he actually needed: Genuine supportive friendship and acknowledgement. He sings a whole song about it.

This reads as a character who definitely falls into sunk-cost fallacy with his own schemes, but at the end of the day has enough sense to know his worth where it matters, especially after meeting the right people. Cedric is the most straightforward and clear character across 4 seasons, so going into twst was not too difficult.

In regard to Cecil, he has a very similar set-up as a result. He’s a naturally gifted magic user, but fumbles and lack of control early in his life have led him to have something of a reputation of a walking hazard. It doesn’t matter what accomplishments he has or good he does, because his mistakes are the only things people remember. If one thing bothers him, it’s being around people who also make much worse mistakes more frequently but somehow still get praise/support.

The most Cecil might want is to be viewed by others as how he views himself; an extremely-skilled magic-user worth respecting. How he would do that? It’s up in the air. …Maybe being the head of Diasomnia would net automatic clout, I mean, it works for Malleus who is frankly- a terrible Housewarden by definition in his opinion, but everyone is obsessed with him no matter what he does or doesn’t do because he’s Malleus Draconia. Unfortunately, that’s an automatic losing game with no chance.

As of now, he is highly interested in anything that could net him a little more magic reserves… *stares at Silvers ring*

If he is anything like his twisted counterpart, I am on the fence about whether he would even go as far as to set any scheme in motion, and even if he did— it’s very 50/50 if he would “break” and cross the Overblot threshold. With his bumbling luck, it might not even get far nor be registered by anyone else that he’s even doing anything sketchy. He might make a genuine friend and find real support before that would ever occur.

Cecil has guest event character energy. You think they would OB but they never actually do.

(Besides, give it a few months and Malleus will be gone. He can try earnestly at that Housewarden position later.)

——-

Ushari does get very close to achieving his end-goal. He spends pretty much the majority of his time in the first season being literally trampled on by others just by trying to mind his own business. It’s not like anybody cares about how cobras work, he lives at Pride Rock like everybody else how come nobody wants to respect his space? He slowly grows more and more resentful of this, until the second season when he actually does break and reveal his true colors— being a very cruel and sadistic person who goes as far as to,,,,errm,,, quite literally summon Scar’s fire soul from the firey fires of hellfire with the intent of pretty much wiping out all of the mammals at Pride Rock. He thinks Scar can solve all of this. Ushari fully believes that having reptiles rule (beneath Scar) over that kingdom would finally be enough to make everyone stop trampling all over him. …or something like that. It goes off the rails really fast.

This fight goes on for years, I guess (they’re animals but w/e).

And in contrast the other two, he commits to his scheme and has an actual villainous breakdown and ends up burning alive in a volcano by season 3 in a last ditch attempt to avenge his then extra-dead flame head of a master. The splash is on screen. He dies from desperate hubris. This show is bananas, actually.

…Kind of a jump there, right? Lol. I neglected to mention that throughout most of Ushari’s tenure, there seems to be an ongoing clear divide between reptiles and mammals to the point that… the vast majority of the mammal characters don’t know anything about reptiles at all and kind of don’t go out of their way to learn either. (Lion Guard in general goes out of its way to establish that every animal class has it’s own culture/way of doing things despite being ruled under the same King.) Ushari in particular was also motivated by this resentment but he was also like a reptile supremacist so ermm.

So if I’m going by that kind of pattern, Nyoka might have a stronger shot at experiencing an OB. Compared to above source, running into an alternate direction of the core elements was inevitable.

Nyoka is one of the only known academic-focused bookworms within Savanaclaw- a mainly athletic dorm. On top of being the only reptile beastman there, he tends to be trampled on and have his personal space disregarded frequently. For the most part, despite any warnings and lack of comfortability, he tends to let people talk to him and treat him in all sorts of ways because he has to avoid conflict and remain dignified at all times.

Sure, he’s a cobra so of course he doesn’t any of that and just wants to be left alone, but it’s also as a result of his upbringing where how he is perceived matters a heavy amount. Like Emilio, I have not overtly addressed Nyoka’s backstory publicly as of writing this, but something occurred in the past that he had nothing to personally do with, but as a result of that thing he’s been left to deal with all of the fallout growing up. Slip ups occur, of course, but it’s few and far between (and usually from self defense). He would rather the dorm see him as some bookworm who won’t put up a fight rather than something worse.

He cannot do anything that would make himself or his entire group of people look really bad, and they already severely misunderstood. He is the face of the rest of the cobra beastmen, what he does outside of their circle reflects on them and he is fully aware of this. His life is planned out for him, and he has to follow through with it without complaint. Going to NRC at all was seen as a risky move back home. I imagine living in a headspace like that at all times is mentally-taxing.

Emilio and Cecil have at least a few folk they can rant to about their various petty grievances even if it never truly gets vulnerable.

Nyoka does not. He does not address how he feels about his own personal matters to anybody, and does not feel as though he is in any position to do so, so it’s all just simmering there. Nyoka can be docile, but he’s still very cold. (That said… there a few people he incidentally may take it out on.)

He may not break now, but maybe he needs one more thing to finally get him to snap. It is very hard to say when or where that exact trigger would come from. For Ushari, it was something little that set him off, a bunch of very little things that steadily kept building up. I not certain what Nyoka would do if it came to that, though.

He just wants to be left alone and live his life.

Pretty sure it wouldn’t involve mass-murder. That’s a bit much.

——

So yeah. All this to say: I don’t know lol Everyone has the capacity to, but 🤷

But, hey, I’m all for non-canonical bonus-boss DLC material.

Sorry that there were no pictures. I’m a bad artist. If you read this ermmmm …tell me if seeing hypothetical overblot appearances would be neat or not

and sorry for the cringe crash courses infected by personal opinions 🫡 I have more knowledge on this junk than I’d care to admit and it often goes nowhere. I can’t even watch youtubers talk about this because I know what stuff isn’t addressed 😩

[steamberrystudio]

28/04/2025 Devlog!

Hello everyone! Here is the tumblr update coming in a day late due to a hectic weekend and me being forgetful!

Summary Bullets:

Finished Wil's expressions for Chapter 6

Started on side character expressions

Worked on some new sprite stuff

Received the final background

Worked on POV scenes

More accessibility stuff

Art:

Not much in art news this time. I worked on some new sprite stuff for this episode and also received the *last* BG. I feel like I've been getting BGs for this game forever after having them done, then redone, then a lot of them redone again.

Writing

Worked on Asher's PoV scene that will go out with Chapter 6 but is about the events of Chapter 5.

One down...five to go.

Other Stuff:

Coding sprite expressions. Ugh.

I got all of Wil's expressions done for Chapter six and started on the side characters. My goal is to work through all the side characters since they have fewer lines than the LI and I can tick them off the list a bit faster.

Then work on the LIs.

I'm estimating there will be 2000 - 2500 expression switches in this chapter. And I've got about 1100 of them done. So. Huzzah. 

I also continued to work on some accessibility related things - mostly the way self voicing interfaces with the glossary. 

I think by my last update, I'd mostly fixed the issues with self voicing and the glossary, customisation, and affinity screens.

With the glossary, it was realising there was no signifier for the glossary hyperlinks other than the link being coloured differently. So I had to add a notification to that, which was simple enough.

But then it became an issue of finding the new entries in the glossary. So I added a "NEW!" tag to them.

But then the self voicing wouldn't read it. ╰(*°▽°*)╯

No matter what I did. ╰(*°▽°*)╯

This is why "adding alt text" sometimes isn't enough. Because sometimes for whatever reason it is, the self voicing won't read it. Or it reads it twice. Or it has some other weird issue.

So I fixed that finally. After a short struggle.

But there is still an issue where it's reading stuff in a weird order and I want to fix that *if I can* - however it's on the back burner for now so I can make progress in other areas.

Something else I did in that regard was go through and look for every hard scene transition where the narrative text and dialogue does not make it clear a transition to a new location happened...

And I added alt text that just indicates there was a scene change to a new place.

This will hopefully allow people to follow the story a bit easier if they're just listening because there won't be any sudden and silent changes to a new location.

And finally I have been going in and writing up glossary entries for all the people and places you encounter. The main purpose of this is to allow me to add in descriptive text that describes the person or place *without having to insert it into the story narrative as alt text*.

This will allow people to read the descriptions only if they want to. They can do it when they want and they can go back and re-read them if they want. I still have to go back through and add all the unlock statements since those have to be done manually but that is, again, something I will tackle later.

Upcoming Weeks:

I will be focusing on expressions and POV scenes first and then going on into flowcharts and the remaining things. So for the next two weeks at least, it'll be expressions and POV scenes.

And hopefully I will remember the update in two weeks and actually touch base again then.

[damehimari]

A Lord devoid of light

It's been a moment since I've drawn him.

feels lovely having more time to paint now ahhh.

[xxplastic-cubexx]

auction results done for @ouchpotatoex as a part of the 2024 @marveltrumpshate charity event: thank you so much for your generosity and donations !!!!

[regular-lord-reckoner]

i am so glad this week is finally (almost) over

i had an appointment with my pcp on monday to see about this possible kidney stone situation

they did a urinalysis on me and sure enough i do have some blood in my urine so that plus the pain means it's likely there's a stone, but i'm in a situation again where i haven't had any pain for days so it's like...that's not good !! (especially since this has been going on for a few months at this point !)

they ordered me a ct scan which i had today so i'm hoping maybe sometime tomorrow i'll get the results of that and we can maybe figure out what's going on

i also had a dentist appointment on wednesday but it was just a cleaning and my dentist said everything looks good. it is kinda funny because i was actually supposed to have this appointment months ago but decided to reschedule because i had too much going on that week and so it got pushed out until now and then i end up having even more shit to do this week than i did back then so...oh well !! it's finally done

and tomorrow i've gotta do some of my usual errands (mostly taking the garbage off and getting a few things from the grocery store) and then i think i'll finally be done !! hopefully !!

hope you have a good, restful weekend coming up if you're reading this !! <3

[discoreptile]

As of yet unnamed game card art!

[cerbreus]

i wanna keep trying to draw but i have like. 3 days to try and get a jump start on work tasks before i'm back at work and i really need to just dig in and get stuff done :( waugh....

[magistralucis]

@absolut--kurant!

[morninkim]

Rise of the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers - Angel Grove High Students

A couple more students that attend Angel Grove High School with the Rangers, meet Angela; as well as some freshman who've just moved up from Stone Canyon Middle, Aisha, Rocky and Adam!

Angela Campbell is an older sister by instinct, but no push over. Since the beginning of their Sophmore Year, she's been enjoying a romantic cat-and-mouse game with one Zack Taylor, always interested in what scheme he'll come up with to earn her affections. Of course, he already has them, but the game's a bit too fun to let him win just yet.

Angela's younger sister Aisha, as well as her two best friends - Rocco "Rocky" De Santos and Adam Park - moved to Angel Grove from Stone Canyon to be closer to the Power Rangers, after seeing the reports on their exploits through the R4ngerN3T ClikClak account. The three of them eventually get recruited by Bulk & Skull to help collect eye witness reports and film fights when possible, getting themselves into more trouble those two already do for a good story. Though impulsive, the trio do have great potential that will not go unnoticed.

[keeps-ache]

been telling my siblings 'you would NOT make it in vulcan academy' when they do smth goofy recently and nobody's been able to refute lol