#Originally did orange but I didn’t like it so now it’s pink and i still don’t like it but

[itsahotminuteinbetween]

i went out the other day and ran across some nice dresses so ofc i had to draw @sunnyys-jarss's roommate au boys in them! (If you haven't checked out their au, do so, they've got a fun blog at @ask-the-atwr-au!) Forgive me for the poor form of dresses and poses; I'm not very used to drawing people in formal clothing, so this was good practice!

(without color under the cut)

[anarchy-and-piglins]

Cat au

Philza and Techno, the notorious rules of the Antarctic Empire who ruled with an iron fist, are reincarnated as cats and get adopted.

~~~~~~~~

Ranboo has had his eye on a couple of the campus cats for a while.

Well, the only campus cats, they were extremely territorial and no other cats would set foot on campus anymore.

The big one, Techie, was rumored to have fought off a rattlesnake.

Okay, maybe the cat’s names weren’t *actually* Techie and Phil, they were originally named by the social studies teachers with the same names the famous AE dictators, Philza and Technoblade. They had a similar appearance, as much as cats could resemble famous dictators, and a tight bond.

And Ranboo couldn’t exactly go around calling them *that*, now could he?

Someone would think he was one of those neo-Antarctics if he did.

Ranboo had put a lot of effort into getting the cats to trust him, sometimes just spending hours sitting on the sidewalk near the bushes where they liked to sleep.

He’d occasionally bring treats for the cats, a can of chicken or tuna, and it seemed to be working. Slowly though. Very slowly.

Ranboo really hoped they’d trust him enough to be able to take them home before he graduated.

The small light orange shorthair tabby, Phil, would sometimes come over to greet Ranboo now when he sat near the cat’s hideout, and occasionally allowed Ranboo to pet him. Techie usually watched from the bushes, distrusting of Ranboo.

Today though, Ranboo was worried. Tubbo had shown him a video one of the students had posted on ChitChat of Techie fighting a coyote. Techie had run the coyote off, but not before it got a few hits in.

So here Ranboo was, skipping class, with a bag of cat treats in his hand, a blue towel over his shoulder, and a pink cloth carrying case under his other arm.

He arrived at the cat’s favorite spot and called out for them.

Phil came *running* out of the bushes towards him, meowing loudly.

That’s not something Phil had ever done before, and it certainly didn’t reassure Ranboo about the cat’s well being.

“Hey, little guy.” Ranboo crouched down. “Are you okay? Where’s Techie, huh? I heard he got into a fight with a coyote.”

Phil, still meowing loudly, turned in a circle twice and started walking in the direction he’d come from, glancing over his shoulder peek at Ranboo.

“You want me to follow you?”

Phil kept walking.

“Okay” Ranboo stood.

Ranboo followed Phil a short way before Phil disappeared under a bush, and Ranboo knelt down to get a look amid Phil’s frantic meowing.

“Yeah, I see him Phil, I see him.”

The large reddish brown tabby lay under the bush. Ranboo shouldn’t have been able to get so close without Techie reacting, but for now he was still.

“Alright, let me get a better look at him.” Ranboo said, setting down the treats and the carrier and reaching out with the towel to gently grab Techie and drag him out from under the bush.

Ranboo caught his breath.

Techie’s fur was blood matted and the rise and fall of his ribcage was barely detectable. The complete lack of reaction to what Ranboo had done was an indication that the cat was likely unconscious.

“Oh nooooo” Ranboo breathed. “That’s not good. This- this needs professional help.”

Phil was quiet now, worriedly nudging against Techie.

Ranboo tried to think as he wrapped Techie in the towel.

“Okay, the nearest emergency vet is about a twenty minute walk. I can take him there.”

Phil meowed.

“You don’t want to let him out of your sight, do you. Okay, you can come, but you have to be in the carrier.”

Ranboo unzipped the carrier and Phil got inside. Huh. Ranboo thought that would be harder.

Ranboo got the carrier strap over his shoulder and picked up the towel wrapped Techie in his arms.

“Okay, here we go.”

~~~~~~~~~

It turned out that the walk was twenty five minutes with two cats. Techie had been whisked to the back before they even got Ranboo’s information.

Once he was gone Ranboo sorted out the situation with the front desk. The lady asked if Techie had been vaccinated, and when Ranboo said no, she asked if he wanted to go ahead and have that done.

Ranboo agreed, and asked if they could vaccinate Phil too. The vet could do that, and if he was going to be here for a few hours anyway, they could even neuter him. Techie would need time to recover before he was eligible to be neutered though, so he’d need a separate appointment.

Phil didn’t seem too happy about that idea, but Ranboo was determined to be a responsible cat owner, so Phil was soon in the arms of another veteran, on his way to surgery, and Ranboo waited alone.

A few hours later, Phil was returned to him and he got an update on Techie’s condition. He would be okay, but they’re keeping him overnight for observation, and would need a couple weeks of medication. After that he would be healthy enough to be neutered.

Ranboo went ahead and scheduled the appointment.

~~~~~~~

Ranboo takes Phil home (they gave Phil the good meds, he is very high) and takes Techie home the next day.

Techie recovers well, but Techie is very stubborn and refuses to get in the carrier and Ranboo can never get him to the vet.

Not even after Techie warms up to him.

I love everything about this, but especially that Phil lost his balls in the divorce...

[codgod]

y’know generally i try to limit colour palettes to as few colours as possible to make things more cohesive but despite my best efforts only jay ended up being able to stick to that </3

ANYWAYS here’s the as-of-right-now fully updated designs for these dickheads. these will no doubt undergo even more tweaking as i draw them more but this is a start i guess. also pls open the pictures to look at them properly i worked so hard LOL

some random notes under the cut yaaaay

chip —

he jingles when he walks. somehow he’s still stealthy. i do not know how

kept the platinum ring that bonded him to gillion in the block! because hey he doesn’t really have a reason to take it off (and it’s a nice reminder of how much gill cares about him, and how far their friendship has come since that ice arena)

his tattoos shift and flicker like actual flames, and sometimes (harmless, purely aesthetic) sparks fly off them when he’s excited

i just think smoke coming out of his mouth when he’s angry would be cool :]

chipped teeth from biting rocks and coins all the time :/

he has scars from the red lightning, they’re just mostly contained to his back and shoulders. they’re a similar red to his coat even once they’ve healed

gillion —

the tail sleeve thing is so he can rest it on the ground without damaging his scales, he doesn’t usually wear it when he’s just on the ship because the wood is soft enough that it’s usually fine + it can hinder swimming a bit. it’s mostly meant for places where there’s cobblestone or gravel streets and such. i think his armour would probably have a version that looks similar but covers the whole tail minus the fins, maybe with some armour plating of its own. i didn’t draw it because there wasn’t any room lol

his scars from the lightning are pink mostly because red stood out too much tbh. they softly glow in the dark the same as his coral and the pink parts of his fins

also kept his ring! his hands aren’t really made for jewellery, though, because the webbing means it won’t sit very secure on his finger. so he keeps it on the same chain as the necklace he got from aslana to keep it safe

tried to make him look a bit bulkier and more his age than in my original design? i feel like i was leaning too much into the naivety and. shortness. originally lol. he also has thicker eyebrows now and i’m still trying to decide how i feel about them but i think? i like it? i don’t tend to give many character thin eyebrows so it could’ve been a unique thing for him but alas

i think i made the sword too small but like ignore that

also forgor to include pretzel </3 that’s okay though she can get her own design sheet later. she’s special like that

jay —

i believe in tall jay supremacy

blue magic! i was considering gold but that’d look a bit more like a canary than i wanted for her wings so. blue jay :]

her hair is supposed to look kinda like fire to mimic her dad ! kinda showing that even if she runs from her family and the navy they’ll always be a part of her. and also i just like drawing messy hair

i gave her sturdier gloves just because i feel like it fits her better. also changed up the shirt to more of a button up solely because i don’t like tank tops very much LOL

i did WANT to make her outfit a bit flashier to match the boys better but i couldn’t quite figure out where to Put the flash. maybe that’ll come later, the way the story’s going i might get to design some cool prosthetics for her or something

overall —

because there’s just so many fucking colours i triiied to add at least one or two colours from each of them into the others designs. jay has her necklace with each of their main colours on it, her wings are the same blue as gillions eyes, her jacket and right eye are the same dark blue as destiny’s blade, her hair is the same orange as the lighter part of chips tattoos. chip has a dark green sash under all the belts, the same as the hilt of destiny’s blade. they all use the same shades of black, gold, and brown

the only real exception is gillion doesn’t have anything from the other two because he has Such a specific colour palette and he already had so much going on as-is orz jay was obviously the easiest to do this with because she has both warm and cool colours in her palette by default lol (and i did her design last, so that helps)

[mirrortouchedsea]

sunsets are best viewed with friends you barely talk to

hi kuroshu nation so. i kinda went insane after the original shu unbloomed cg dropped. and wrote 1.7k words about it. and then the kuro cg dropped this morning and i'm even more insane so i'm posting everything now and yeah. enjoy.

Shu disembarked the bike, Kiryu’s arms still wrapped tightly around him. The simple touch reminded Shu of their childhood, though often the roles were reversed, weren’t they? Shu, a scared, fragile child would come to Kiryu in tears while his bullies chased him. It felt…weird, but not wrong to have Kiryu behind him, complaining about his motion sickness as they biked to the top of a mountain. 

We’re here, Kiryu, you can let go now. Shu’s voice was gentle, a tone used so infrequently he almost thought he’d lost it. Ugh, since when could you bike like that, Kiryu, no, Ryukun grumbled. Shu was five, six, seven again, the two of them running off on their own after school as they so often did. It’s been a while since we’ve had time alone like this, hasn’t it, Ryukun. Shu drops the old nickname casually here, where nobody can hear them. You’re always so busy when you’re back from France, Icchan, and anyway what did you want to show me? 

Shu grabbed Ryukun’s hand tentatively, still unsure what was and wasn’t okay (Ryukun didn’t pull away, let their fingers be intertwined so Shu could drag him along). The sun was setting already and he didn’t want to miss the moment. Shu, someone who always knew what to say, didn’t have the words for what he really wanted to ask. The oranges and pinks from the sky sang their melody to the Earth as the two of them ran like children to the edge of a grassy hillside. 

It’s a beautiful sunset, Icchan, but what are you--Shu cut him off, a finger to Ryukun’s lips. Just watch, you’ll understand. Their breathing evened out, and the air was calm, but after what could have been seconds, minutes, the sounds of nature took over, a gentle moth flying out of a bush towards the streetlight, the crickets playing their songs, a small plot of wildflowers humming with bees. It wasn’t much, but nature’s music, the orange glow of the sunset, everything was just right. Ryukun, I’m…Shu couldn’t find the words, his head a mess of everything he wanted to say. Thank you for everything, I’m sorry I was such a jerk about your mom when we were kids, I miss the time we spent together, I wish we talked more, I still hate you for what you did to Kanata, I understand why you did it, These feelings are too complicated, Are you…happy, with how things are? 

You don’t have to say anything, Icchan, we can just enjoy the sunset if you want. Yes, that sounds nice. The two of them settle in on the grass, awkwardly sitting apart, hands next to each other in the grass, the silence palpable. Shu wanted to say something, anything, why did he drag Ryukun up here again? He should say something. Ryukun-- Icchan--. The two of them looked at each other before breaking out in laughs. Being with Ryukun, even like this, was so…freeing. No expectations or pretenses to be had, they’ve seen each other at their worst, their cringiest, their childish selves. 

No, there was something I wanted to talk about, Kiry--Ryukun (why is he correcting himself to that childish nickname again?), are you happy? What do you mean by that? I mean, are you happy with your life so far, everything you’ve done, do you have any regrets? Sure, there’s plenty of things to regret, but there’s no use crying over spilled milk, y’know, as much as I’d like to change the past, I have to accept that I can’t. Yes, of course I understand that but, have you ever wondered what would have happened if we never lost contact? All the damn time Icchan, but like I said, no use crying over spilled milk, we had our ways and we’re lucky we’ve found each other again. Shu lifted his hand, shaking, unsure if he should reach out. 

Ryukun, can you promise me something? Shu is six years old, shaking after a particularly bad incident with his bullies. Of course, Icchan, we’re friends aren’t we? Mhm, I know, but…promise me we’ll always be friends? Ryukun laughs and pulls Shu into a hug, his warmth overwhelming and yet comforting. Yeah, Icchan, we’ll be friends forever. 

Shu dropped his hand back to the grass, pinky brushing Ryukun’s own. I do wonder how things would have looked if we had been together for middle school as well. I’m sure I’d have still gotten in plenty of trouble beating up your bullies. That’s not a bad thing, you know, most people would say it’s something honorable. Do you? Do I think it’s honorable? Yeah. Well, you always had good intentions. That’s not answering the question, Icchan. I know, but it is honorable, though I’m unsure if I deserved it, after… Listen, I know we were on opposite sides back then, but you need to stop being so harsh on yourself. Says you, I’ve heard what you’ve said about yourself from back then through the grapevine. Ah, ‘course you have. 

I know that I say I hate Tenshouin, but I needed someone to wake me up as it were, if things had kept going as they had, I’m afraid I might have run Nito into the ground. Ha, yeah you would have, y’know we used to communicate in signs because of you? Yes, I’ve been made aware of that, and I feel nothing but shame for my actions that led to that. Nito forgives you, you know. Yes, I’m also aware of that, though I don’t deserve it. Well then I don’t deserve forgiveness from Shinkai for the Battle of the Sea God. No…Kanata forgives you for that as well. 

We’re talking in circles now, Icchan. Yes, but I’ve been beating around the bush. Shu shifted and turned to Ryukun, his face young in the deep orange of the setting sun. God why was this so hard, it's not like Shu hadn’t been thinking about exactly what he wanted to say all day, no not at all. His heart was beating fast, rib cage tingling with nervousness. He sighed. Ryukun, no I should address you by your proper name. I think I like Ryukun just fine, Icchan. Fine, Ryukun, do you remember when we were kids and hiding beneath the slide on the playground that one day. There were a lot of days like that, I don’t remember you liking to play with the other kids. Nonsense, they just…well regardless, do you remember the day under the slide when we were talking about what we wanted to be when we grew up, you know, jobs, family, the stuff kids talk about. Yeah, I remember that you wanted to be a fashion designer with your clothes shown all over the world, and look at you now. Yes yes, and you just wanted to live a quiet life and look where we both are, but after that, when we talked about getting married and having kids. I seem to remember you were appalled at the idea of having kids of your own, Icchan. And you wanted a little girl just like your sister so you could spoil her and protect her. What’s your point Icchan, we were kids and didn’t know any better. I’m getting to that part, just…well I suppose when we were kids, the idea of two boys uhm… Ryukun chuckled and shifted to look Shu, Icchan, in the eyes. Icchan, we did kiss under the slide that day, remember? It was just a peck on the lips, nothing more! Well, yeah, but kids don’t really understand the weight of that and…

Icchan, are you trying to say you want to kiss me? Shu’s face felt as if it was on fire. Well, frankly, yes he was trying to say that, just not that directly. The thought had periodically come back to him as he went through middle and high school, whenever his mind wandered just a little too much at night, and now that they were graduated and living in the real world, well the thought only became stronger. It was really causing issues for his work if he was being honest and if he could just satisfy the urge, surely the thought would leave him alone and he could get back to working in peace. Ryukun laughed, not at Shu, but rather at the roundabout way that Shu had gone about asking, bringing him up to this secluded spot like teenagers in love, just to lose courage halfway through. 

Icchan. Ryukun’s hand gently guided Shu’s face to look at his own, Shu tried to keep his eyes downcast. Hey, Icchan, look at me. Shu glanced up, taking in the sight of his childhood best friend, with hair like the autumn leaves, sun mostly set at that point, but the stars danced around Ryukun’s head like a crown. Do you want to kiss me? Yes, Ryukun. Shu’s voice was barely above a whisper. Ryukun closed his eyes, Icchan did the same, leaning in, breath hitched. Ryukun’s lips were soft, gentle, a hand still on Icchan’s cheek, and for a moment they were children under the slide again and playing pretend but this time…it was different. The moment lasted forever. It wasn’t long enough. Icchan pulled away, breaths shallow though the kiss was just a peck on the lips like it was when they were kids. Ryukun leaned his forehead on Icchan’s, eyes still closed. 

Can we do that again. Ryukun’s voice is soft, delicate, the opposite of the normal Ryukun. And all of this was just for Shu in that moment. Yes. Icchan moved in that time, the two of them stayed like that in the sunset, kissing over and over and over until the sun had fully set. 

We should go back, everyone’ll be worried about us. Yes, we should go back before it gets any darker. Ryukun stood up first, offering a hand to Icchan before putting his helmet back on. The two climbed back on the bike, taking in the view of the stars over the city one last time before Shu kicked off and they began their descent back to ES. 

--- 

The thoughts did not get better after that. 

[orangepeetals]

ACURRUCAR ૮ ˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶ ა (pt1)

(playlist for a star series)

PEETA MELLARK X F. READER.

pt2

summary: You n’ Peeta have been best friends since you were kids, you win the Hunger games once n’ you’re a mentor now.

a/n: i speak Spanish so the story was originally written in Spanish and then I translated it into English, plz don’t be rude if there is a mistake

You and Peeta were inseparable, they knew each other for as long as you remembered. When they were at school and they were little, you never talked to him until you defended him from some children who were bothering him because of the marks of the blows he received from his mother, you didn’t know what caused that feeling in you but you just couldn’t stand how they were intimidating him, you took a couple of blows too but they never bothered the bread boy again, since then, he followed you as if he were a puppy.

They grew up together, they suffered together, Peeta did not exist without you, nor you without him, they were for each other in every possible way, they were simply soulmates.

When you were 15 years old, ur name was selected as a tribute to the hunger games, every day you thought about it, Peeta clung to you while he drowned in tears, you remember how he apologized to you for not being able to do anything and how he begged you to stay alive, you were going to do it, you could not die, not seeing Peeta suffer in this way, you knew that he would not stand it and he deserved to live a beautiful life with you.

It took you a while to realize it but you knew it that time they were by a lake in district 12, it had been a couple of months since you had survived the hunger games with only strategy. The sky began to look like a soft orange, the breeze hit his blond curls while his cheeks were pink, you could see his eyes shine and his hands tremble as he approached your face, you felt the warm touch of his lips against yours and you thought that you would melt at that moment, Their hearts became one and sealed their love with the sunset, he loves you with every part of his being and you could give your life in exchange for his without thinking about it.

You would really give up your life in exchange for his, you would live for Peeta and you would kill for Peeta if you had to.

You would really do it.

You were on the train together with your mentor Haymitch watching the reapin, you hated the games as much as Abernathy did but you had to know who would be the poor children who would have to train this year, it was the second year that you had to be a mentor since you won the hunger games, both times without any success, it was difficult for someone from district 12 to win, in the whole history of the hunger games there were only three of them and only Haymitch and you were alive, you were looking out the window until you saw how a girl volunteered as a tribute for who seemed to be her sister, tears slid down your cheeks when you saw the scene, that girl had the courage they needed, that feat made you believe that this year they could achieve it, you stood in front of the tv while Haymitch was still living something strange sitting on the couch, now it was the turn of the male tribute.

“Peeta Mellark”

Fear and despair consumed your body, your legs trembled so much that you fell to the ground while you cried inconsolably, you put your trembling hand in your mouth to drown a cry of anguish, this was not happening, it was not happening again, you knew that sometimes they tricked the draws to get people close to other winners to make the things more interesting but you always made an effort to hide Peeta from the public eye and that no one knew that they were a couple, you did not want to expose him to anything but it was happening, they could not take the love of your life, they could not take your Life partner, to your soulmate, to the arms that protected you every time something distressed you. You hated everything, fucking capitol, it didn’t matter anymore, now you and your mentor were going to have to send two boys to death again and this time one of them was the person you loved the most on the planet.

“Oh, shit... this is fucked up” Haymitch’s voice was rough, you could feel the pity in her. His hands lifted you off the floor and put you on the couch while he knelt at your height, hugging you.

“N-no i don’t understand... why him?! No one in the capitol knows about him, I don’t think he’s just so unlucky... Haymitch please, I need you to help me!” Your voice broke more, you hugged Haymitch tightly as he tried to calm you down. “We’ll see what we can do, remember that it’s not just him” The man was right but nothing mattered, nothing could matter to you more than Peeta.

“Haymitch, I’m sorry for that girl but it’s not about just anyone, he’s not just another boy who will die, it’s Peeta Mellark! I could sell my soul for never hearing that name come out of Effie Trinket’s mouth, you know Peeta, you know it’s everything to me” Your body trembled with every word you gave, you felt dizzy, you wanted break everything, Haymitch nodded to your words and you broke into tears again, suddenly everything went black.

You woke up looking at the ceiling of the train room, you were still dizzy, possibly you had fainted from stress, you were still somewhat bewildered until you heard a familiar voice from the dining room car, you got up so fast that you fell to your knees again, your body was weakened, you were going to cry again until you saw him almost run to your room, his hair was disheveled now and his eyes lacked shine, you gave him a look and you just exploded in tears again, you couldn’t believe that he was on that fucking train, that he was now involved in this.

“I’m so sorry, Peeta, I’m so sorry, it shouldn’t have been you, this is possibly my fault, they must have discovered it somehow” The words came out choppy and weak, they denoted your suffering. Peeta knelt with you as he took your hands, you saw how his tears fell, it broke your heart to know that he was holding back.

“Hey, it’s just the odds wasn’t on my favor this time, it’s not your fault, I’ll get out of this anyway and we’ll get married, did you hear me?” Your heart beat for the blond’s words, you hugged him tightly and your lips looked for his with desperation, you wanted to feel him close to you, you didn’t want him to leave, you were afraid.

The plan was this, Peeta would be madly in love with Katniss Everdeen, the girl who had volunteered, she wasn’t exactly a very nice girl and you knew that she was likely to hate you, she knew that you were going to prioritize Peeta’s success over anything and you didn’t blame her for hating you for that but you didn’t care either, at this moment you wanted her dead no matter how sad as that was.

Peeta confessing his love for Katniss in the interview, somehow you felt jealousy in your stomach even if everything was a lie, you wanted all this to end soon, you wanted to go home with Peeta, with the interviews you knew that they were at the gates of the arena, since the day of the reapin you had not eaten or slept well, the only thing you had eaten in those days had been by Peeta’s plea, now you understood his pain the day you had to enter that damn arena and for the same reason, you knew the terrors involved putting a foot in that arena, there was no turning back, Peeta had to live.

———————————————

💭pt2 here!!!

[amymaleneart]

"The Mail Service Trilogy."

Here's part three of the trilogy of @missterious-figure Wine and Feathers AU! Was going to do some sort of feather-care, but than I thought of something better. (*tiny evil laughter*)

Enjoy!

You walk down the long private hallway of the casino, trying your best to carry the oversized package addressed to Eclipse without dropping it.  Thankfully it’s not heavy, but it sure is a little cumbersome.  

You would have already opened the package to remove its contents, as it was a part of your job to screen everything that comes in for the stars.  Except the way your manager had pretty much busted into your office and tossed the package on your desk.  Then demanded you to take it to the “prissy oversized drama-king” right away, didn’t give you much of an opportunity to make sure it was safe.  Even though he did assure you that it is all safe and okay, he continues to yell and barates the most seeked after peacock about how he has been hounding him about this particular package.  Then he starts yelling at you about how the mailroom wasn’t doing their job and should have taken it to you in the first place, even though you have nothing to do with it.

It seems ever since you got promoted to becoming their main handler, the manager seems to take any opportunity to express his frustrations and anger out on you whenever they do something he doesn’t approve of.  Often when no one else is around.

You wipe away your incoming tears onto your shoulders as you try your best to shake off the underserved berating.  But there isn’t anything you can do to change that you guess.  As far as you know, there’s no one else higher than your boss besides the owner, and you know he doesn’t come here that often to be on any kind of name basis with you.  You also know that HR is friends with your boss, so best to just leave–“Omph!”

While lost in your thoughts, you failed to realize someone was in front of you as you collided into them.  Fortunately you didn’t drop the package, but instead started to fall backwards towards the ground.  You already accepted your fate of getting a nasty headache from hitting your head onto the ground.  Yet somehow you find you’re half suspended in the air as you feel then see a large bronze leather glove cradles the small of your back.  You follow up the well muscular arm until you are face to black and hot pink face of the giant peacock harpy known as Eclipse.

He purrs as his amber eyes drinks you up like you are his favorite cocktail.  “Careful now, my darling little gloaming star.  You could have hurt your precious self and then someone would need to take care of you.”  He leans in closer, “Although, I would be more than happy to take care of you anytime, my dear little handler.”

That’s when Eclipse notices how puffy and watery your eyes are, his demeanor changes from his overly flirtatious self to one of concern.  Of course you don’t notice this because you are still reeling in from being flustered.

“I-I-I…” you swallow, “I-I have a p-package for yoooooou!?” You nearly screech out the last word as he tosses you over his shoulder, like you were fresh kill, causing you to drop the large box.  “Eclipse!” You gasp as you try to hold onto his back without pulling at any of his orange feathers.  “Wha-what are you doing?”

He doesn’t answer as he bends down to pick up the box with his free hand, then continues down the hallway towards your original destination, his private dressing room.  

As you enter, you cry, “E-eclipse, please.  P-put me d-down.”

“In a moment, my sweet little honeysuckle.”  He tosses the package into his room as he turns around to shut and locks his door.  You’re not sure you like where this is going.  You know him to be the biggest flirt between the three of them, but you never thought he would outright kidnap you!  Next he flungs you off his shoulder into his open arms, holding you up high so you are face-level with his oranges, reds and pinks feather-framed face.  You found yourself squirming in his gentle embrace, having a hard time looking at his adorable face.

“Are you already?” he asks, his tenor-like voice entering into your soul like a pleasant evening breeze.

“I-I am f-fine,” you say, still refusing to look at him.  The last thing you want is for him to worry about you.

He hums as he continues to observe you.  You do recall that the name he had as a chick was “the watcher” and has developed these skills to the point you have no doubt he saw through your obvious lie.

“I-I was instructed by the manager to bring you this,” you say as you point at the package. “He…umm…said you really…(“Give that giant, overpriced feather duster his dumb package!  I am getting really sick and tired of his cocky attitude, thinking he owns the damn place.)…need it as soon as it arrives.”

Another hum leaves his mouth as his lips turn into a half-frown, like he smells a dirty rat.  He gently sets you down as if you were made of porcelain.  “I’m sorry, sweet thing.  If I had known he was going to give you such trouble, I would have practiced more patience if it would mean to save you from his wrath.”

You quickly look up at him, panic showing through your voice as you say, “No! No, it’s okay.  He didn’t do anything—” A gloved finger was placed on your lips, instantly silently you.  You stand there as you feel your face heat up in a bright blush that you’re surprised it doesn’t burn your skin.

Satisfy, Eclipse turns his attention to the partially battered package.  He picks it up to remove the tape to take out its contents.  He pulls out a large, rectangular piece of soft fabric that you quickly realized must be a king-sized blanket.  Your eyes widen as you see the bronze color shimmer against the lights in the room.  The large harpy takes two of the corners of the blanket into his hands to open up to reveal an amazing custom design of reds, hot pinks, blues, purples and bronze peacock feathers printed into the fabric.  It was almost like someone tried to take his tail feathers to enchant it into this blanket.

“I had asked the manager to help me order this.  Even used my own earnings though tips from the rich patrons to pay for this.  But it seems I should have gone to someone more…tolerable, for help.” 

Next thing you know, you are in complete darkness as Eclipse tosses the blanket on top of you.  Before you could say any sort of sound, you feel large hands grab and spin you around until you are tightly wrapped up into a comfortable human burrito.

Oh My Stars!  This is sooooo Soft!

Eclipse pulls down the blanket to reveal your star-struck face, causing him to laugh at how adorable you must look to him now.

“*hehehe* I knew you would look beautiful in my colors.”  Eclipse proceeds to pick you up, bridal-style, and walks over to his Mayan hammock he has hanging on one side of the room.  Carefully and elegantly, he turns and falls into the hanging breathable weave like he has done a million times before.  

“E-eclipse?  I-I really c-an’t–”

“Shhhhhhhhh.  Don’t worry.  You have enough time for a little break, my hardworking pheasant.”

He holds you close in his arms, ready to protect you from any danger that might come your way.

Part One: Done in an ask - Part Two: Over Here- Part Three: Here

[homestuckreplay]

Knighthoods of the Mail

(pages 919-925)

I really like both these panels, the extreme downward angle on Jade who has the disadvantage of being small and the advantage of being alive and angry, and the close up on Grandpa, both of them lit by the strange pink-orange firelight. Fire and burning is a threat we’ve seen for all four kids now, so it creates that parallel, and also a surreal atmosphere from the composition of both images.

Jade is also speaking in the narration on this page – it’s italicized and first person instead of second, written in her register. None of the other kids have done this yet, the narrator is always between them and us. I like the implication that Jade is overriding the narrator but also the idea that the narrator is like ‘you know what, I’m taking this page off, I’m just gonna let her shout’. It’s fun, and I’m interested to see if it’ll happen more.

I am still pretty fucked up over this reveal but personally I would have done it a little differently – the gut punch of ‘He was so much easier to deal with when he was alive’ (p.920) could have been SO much more effective if it hadn’t already been obvious from their Strife that this is not a living man. Even keeping the original sequence but publishing the pages at the same time would have worked, but sitting for a day between the Strife sequence and that line meant it didn’t hit as hard for me.

I do still have a lot of questions. Jade knows Grandpa is dead but seems to still genuinely believe they’re communicating, and who’s to say they’re not? Who’s to say Jade’s powers don’t tell her exactly what Grandpa is saying or would say in this circumstance? If so, it must be a lot harder psychologically to escape his expectations. But even if Jade’s powers don’t come into it, there’s practical concerns – how long ago did Grandpa die, and does anyone besides Jade even know? It’s easy to say Jade should redecorate the house but living so remotely where mail has to be airdropped in balloons, she’s probably not physically capable of that, and can’t get other people to do it for her. Typheus is a little big to captchalogue and where else would Jade even put him?

So I guess I kind of get it? In the sense of Jade keeping the only life and routine she’s ever known, going through the same motions with a stuffed grandpa that she once did with a real one, because the barriers to doing anything different are so high? It’s really easy to adapt to a strange situation when you don’t have a point of comparison to know it’s strange, and when it happens so regularly that it becomes like autopilot.

We cut back to PM, my absolute beloved, one of my most favorite characters. They haven’t been seriously hurt by Jade’s explosive powers but their head wrappings are on fire (btw is the pointy tail of their head covering the shape of the fabric or the shape of their head??) and some of the mailboxes are tragic casualties of the event, which I may never forgive Jade for.

And then one of the metal worms rescues a mailbox! The all important mailbox with the letter to Dr David Brinner in it! Redemption arc for the metal worms who have definitely learned from their predecessors’ mistakes. This is a beautiful, angelic worm deserving of high honors, and PM knows it, giving them an equally metallic heart. If the postal service had an equivalent for a knighthood for a postal worker who goes above and beyond to preserve the integrity of the mail then PM would award that to this worm. I am thinking about PM as a dispenser of justice – someone with a really strong, inflexible moral code who is willing to impartially punish those who break it and reward those who keep it.

> PM: Bequeath the mailman’s cap to this hero.

[quinnyundertow]

Sanity’s Last Stop

Synopsis

England 1941

Forced to work after the death of her father y/n finds themselves filling a nurses role at Hillsboro Asylum for the Criminally Insane. The patients and workers alike have her questioning her own sanity in this new insular world during WWII.

Ryoumen Sukuna has become a fixture in solitary confinement for the last seven years. His sanity was barely there before but now it is frayed beyond redemption. A good will gesture brings him and y/n into a strange secret relationship

Okkotsu Yuta swears he isn’t insane he didn’t hurt anyone it was Rika who killed those people. Just because no one else can see her doesn’t mean she isn’t there. You believe him right?

AN: So excited to post this! Horror Dark Romance are my favorite genres so this is not going to be the same as my main fic. Please check the tags and trigger warnings!

Setting is England WWII I realize all the characters have Japanese names but there is no avoiding it with the original source material.

TW: Misogyny, Gaslighting, Gore

I made up Takeda Geto all others are from JJK.

Chapter 1

Mind Your Fingers

England 1941

“Stupid girl, what did I tell you about watching your fingers!” The old nurse yells in your ear, just about making you jump out of your skin. You are watching your fingers. You are being painfully careful so as not to accidentally touch anywhere near the open metal slat at the bottom of the heavy iron door. There is a two inch drop from the door’s mail slot style opening to the ground. Your fingers begin to tremble as you hold the tin tray, full of some slop they called lunch, halfway through the opening. Waiting for the person on the other side to take the proffered meal. The tips of your fingers are starting to turn white as you are only able to barely hold the end of the tray. The weight of it strains against you.

“W-what do I do if he doesn’t come to take his tray?” You ask, trying to keep your voice steady and sounding somewhat confident.

“Ungrateful spawn of satan.” The elderly nurse Ogami bites out, causing you to flinch at her disgusting words, “Drop it then. He’ll eat it off the floor or he won’t eat.”

Your heart twists painfully at the cruelty displayed. Even though the people residing here have committed terrible crimes the residents are still mentally disturbed and rely on you for care. “There has to be a better way?”

Nurse Ogami rolls her eyes, heaving a sigh that is meant to relay her annoyance with you, “Move girl.” Despite the woman’s liver spotted and wrinkled fingers she has surprising strength in them as she snatches the tray away from you and unceremoniously pushes it to the floor with a clatter. “Keep up this belligerent attitude young lady and you’ll be out on your luck before the month is out. You may think your special with your young looks and connections but there’s no room for error here.” When the old woman spins to you she has a malicious gleam in silver eyes. “The girl you replaced lost three fingers one night. Stupid girl pushed her hand too far in. Ryoumen was waiting just out of her line of sight and the second he saw one of her pretty tan fingers he grabbed her arm and pulled her to her elbow through the food slot. Bit each of those fingers off like he was eating part of his lunch.” You can’t help but shiver and wonder how much of the woman’s story is actually true.

Straightening your bleached white nurse's frock, you meet her eyes and respectfully dip your head, “Thank you for the warning head nurse, I'll be more careful in the future.” You pull the metal lever that shuts and locks the opening you utilized at the bottom of the door. Moving the wooden stepping stool, you thought to bring today, you push it against the door so you can see through the barred and glass protected window at the middle point of the door.

The massive man inside is easy to spot in the expanse of white. His dull orange almost pink hair is a brilliant flare of color in the otherwise stagnant room. It is a wild mess on his head, stroked backwards from repeat combing motions with his fingers. He sits hunched over at the edge of his cot. His entire frame is hulking and muscular and you wondered how he manages to maintain his physique while trapped here. His elbows are resting on his knees, hands knitted together as they flex sporadically. His face is downturned so you could barely see the bizarre facial scarring he had given himself before his capture. “Inmate Ryoumen Sukuna is accounted for.” The old woman says nothing as you step down and mark up the piece of paper you brought with you to make sure each patient receives their proper medication and meal.

You tuck the wooden stool under your arm before going to push the squeaky metal cart down to the last patient in this wing. “Just one left.”

The elderly woman grunts, turning her back to you, “You always feed those in solitary confinement last. They are being punished after all. They’re lucky they get two meals a day and a warm place to sleep. We have noble men on the front line dying from frostbite with empty bellies.” You had heard around the lunch table yesterday that old lady Ogami, as the other girls called her, is especially bitter due to her precious grandson being shipped off to somewhere in Yugoslavia to fight the German scourge. You can’t blame her for being bitter but you don’t feel like that means you have to treat the patients here worse.

The final painted white metal door S25 looks the same as every other one in this wing. Before Mrs. Ogami could comment, you push up your stool and peer in. The young man in this room is almost the exact opposite physically of the man you had just tried to feed in room S23. He is lanky and thin looking; under fed and malnourished. The second your eyes meet the back of his head the man turns suddenly his eyes locking on yours. His dark raven colored orbs met your own. No particular emotion is held there; the man just looks exhausted. Painted under his eyes are large dark circles, his eyes rimmed in red. You couldn’t help but wonder if they are red rimmed from crying or maybe they always looked like that. “Patient present.” Stepping down carefully, you give the stack of papers in front of you a once over .

Patient: Okkotsu Yuta

Sex: Male

Age: 27

The paragraphs below outlined his lack of dietary constraints, medication required and any other doctors notes. You can’t help but notice his notes from the doctor today stated that due to his consistent compliance he is recommended to be moved back to the institution's general population next week.

You make sure his tray is together. Complete with a small paper cup that has two little chalky pills inside to lower his anxiety. Taking the iron lever in hand you tug so that the meal slot screeches open. After giving Ryoumen his tray only moments earlier you can’t help but keep your fingers as far to the back as possible as you leaned to slip the tray into the three inch slot.

The ward is unusually quiet at the moment and due to this you can hear the inmate’s bare feet padding across the tile flooring. You feel the weight of the tray being released from your fingers as the person on the other side takes it gently from you. The man clears his throat before a soft spoken voice emanates from the slot, “Thank you.”

You are surprised as this is the first person today to thank you, “You’re Welcome.” Your response probably sounded happier than it should have but the tiny bit of kindness gives your day a bit of a silver lining.

“You do not speak to those in solitary confinement!” You wince in response to being scolded again.

“I’m sorry, head nurse” You hear a voice on the other side of the door mumble the apology. You bite your cheek instead of replying before repeating the same closing procedures you did at S23. Though when you look up to confirm the inmate is accounted for he is no longer looking in your direction.

As the two of you leave the solitary ward, your long gray dresses swish below you. You still aren’t used to the way everything looks the same in this institution. All the walls are white and not a picture is to be found as decoration. The only thing creating breaks in the staggering white landscape is an occasional sign directing those inside to various locations (Dispensary, Lobby, Clinic) or reminders to staff (When distributing medications check under the patient’s tongue for hidden pills, For Emergency Security dial 99 or pull panic alarm).

Despite any minor complaints you are incredibly grateful to have this job. Not only is the pay more than fair but it is in the field of medicine where you have always held interest. Maybe after you learn the ropes you can make a difference in the lives of those who live here.

You both pause before the heavy set of double doors that lead from Solitary. Demonstrating to the head nurse you are in fact learning you pull the string that rings the brass bell on the other side of the door and wait for security to unlock the door and permit your exit. The wait for the security officers to release you seems to vary from seconds to minutes depending on what is going on across the complex. Your anxiety always seems to ratchet up in the time from when the bell is rung until the large metal lock thunks and the door swings open.

The security guard who greets you on the other side of the door is grinning from ear to ear as he looks you over. “Did you have fun in there?” Your eyes flick to him briefly before pretending you didn’t hear him. His features are handsome and boyish. His fluffy white hair and striking blue eyes have a habit of pinning you in place when he addresses you. His frame is tall and muscular not that you were looking. You didn’t have to look to know his shirt has the name tag Gojo on it.

When you started here you had barely gotten your foot in the door before you were being warned about him by your fellow nurses. He was labeled a notorious flirt and womanizer. One to avoid if you want to keep your reputation clean and above all other warnings, do not fall in love with him.

The older woman looks like she is about to scold you or maybe even Gojo this time when her train of thought is interrupted. “Ah, there you are Y/n.” The familiar soothing tone nearby makes you look over with surprise and fondness. The entire reason you had ended up working in this facility was due to your father’s long term friendship with the esteemed facility director Dr. Takeda Geto. His son, Dr. Suguru Geto and your childhood friend stopped short of your small group. You couldn’t help the quick flush that covered your cheeks, at the attention. You had hoped to assimilate into the facility with as little fanfare as possible. The newest man to the group stopped and placed a hand affectionately on Gojo as they shared an almost conspiratorial grin. On the outside the two couldn’t be more dissimilar but it seems they had also cultivated a long term friendship.

You quickly curtseyed in response, keeping your head down. Despite your friendship with Suguru you wanted to be accepted in this job by your own merits rather than who you knew. Even if being hired hadn’t worked that way.

“Well if it isn’t the young master Dr. Geto.” the old woman doted; the young part surprising you as Suguru Geto had to be in his thirties now. Her tone is much more engaged than it had been at any point during your training this week. You couldn’t help the tiny quirk of your lips in amusement at the drastic change of mannerism.

Looking up you see Suguru has turned to the woman to address her while Satoru Gojo’s eyes are still locked onto you. His cerulean orbs twinkling in a mischievous manner. He is clearly noting your amusement despite your attempt at hiding it. You can't help but lift your hand to your mouth and clear your throat to cover your expression. Suguru turns at the noise flashing you a gentle smile before pushing his glasses higher up his nose. “How has training been going today?”

You look away to study a nearby sign pointing to the Security Desk, “Head nurse Ogami has been very kind and thorough in my training.” you respond respectfully.

Suguru Geto makes a long humming noise while Satoru Gojo outright laughs at the obvious lie. Anyone who has met the head nurse knows about her taciturn personality. Suguru ignoring Gojo gives Nurse Ogami a charismatic smile before noting, “I would expect nothing less from Mrs. Ogami. You can’t help but note the lack of formality he uses when he addresses the older woman now. The fondness you see in her face is not missed by you as she speaks with him. You can’t really blame the woman. Suguru Geto has been known for his charm and good looks for as long as you have known him. His familial wealth and status don’t hurt his public perception either. “Mrs. Ogami, I'd like to borrow nurse y/n for my lunch break if it doesn’t interfere with your schedule too much.”

Surprise evident in your expression, you look up at Suguru quickly, “I’m sorry Dr. Geto I already took my lunch break today-.” At Suguru’s frown, the head nurse speaks over you.

“Not to worry Dr. Geto we have finished the afternoon rounds. Anything she needs to learn can be postponed until tomorrow.” You can’t help but look between the two of them in confusion. The last thing you desire at this point is any form of favoritism, especially in front of your new coworkers who may or may not know your prior connection to the director’s son.

“I-” you are unable to break the silence before Suguru smiles attentively at you, derailing any argument you were starting to craft as to why you shouldn’t go with him.

You see Suguru turn to nurse Ogami giving her a conspiratorial wink, “I owe you one, Mrs. Ogami.” the older woman brushes him off but a faint blush on her cheeks lets you know his words are far more effective than she lets on.

You feel obligated to thank her despite not wanting to go to lunch with Suguru in the first place, “Thank you Head Nurse.” You dip slightly in the appropriate curtsy before looking up at Suguru questioningly. The smile he gives you in response is benign as he gestures for you to follow him. When he walks past Gojo he clasps him on the shoulder before leaning forward to comment something into his ear that you aren’t privy to. The comment provokes a laugh out of Gojo before he heads back to the Security Office.

When you don’t immediately move to follow Suguru, he prods you verbally, “Shall we?” You don’t really have a choice in the matter. At least it feels that way, as you follow two steps behind him trying to keep a professional distance as he leads you to his office. You haven’t actually been in his office yet. Well, his fathers office. He leads you towards the entrance of the building where the directors office is situated. The location makes it easy for him to attend to visitors or in rarer cases government officials.

He takes a moment to unlock the door before gesturing you inside. Once in you take a quick look of the surroundings. Not much has changed in the furnishings since Suguru had unofficially taken over the room. His fathers medical licenses and diplomas have been swapped out for his own and the desk nameplate has been changed. Other than that all the bookshelves and desk items remain the same.

There are two chairs in front of the large oak desk and one behind it. “Please sit.” There is a tinkling noise at the door as you register he’s locking it from the inside with his keys. You can’t help the small shiver that races up your spine. Even if you have known Suguru the majority of your life the action seems strange and internal warning bells are ringing. He jerks the handle to ensure the door will not be opened by anyone other than himself before he opens his suit jacket and tucks the key ring into an inside pocket.

You sit as instructed but you are hardly relaxed. Your body leans towards the edge of your seat, “Why did you lock it?”

He raises a brow at you with a curious smile, “Does that make you nervous?” He moves around the desk to gather a few items, presumably his lunch.

You resolve yourself to sound unbothered as you decide to respond, “No.” The last thing you want to do is offend him.

To your surprise he comes back around to your side of the desk and sits in the chair next to you, “I hate being interrupted. A simple lock prevents that from happening. Besides, this place is full of unstable individuals. One can never be too safe.”

“I see.” You are trying to find a way to voice your concerns to him without being labeled with the tags that women are so often given for having boundaries.

He’s spreading out his lunch an easy going air to him as he leans back in his chain before crossing a leg over another, “Come on, give me a smile you look much prettier that way.”

You try but it doesn’t feel very convincing. You had only been here two days and you had noticed a fairly big change between Suguru’s attitude now and when you had known him before your fathers death.

All your interactions previously had been when Suguru and Dr. Takeda Geto had visited your family's estate in the countryside. The two of you had talked, played, and studied together every summer for years. Your fathers smoking cigars and drinking expensive brandy in the backdrop. Suguru has always been so shy, quiet, and respectful. Now within the property of the Hillsboro Asylum for the Criminally Insane he is still quiet and respectful but there is a confidence behind every movement he makes. He’s in an environment he fully controls and that factor isn’t lost on you.

He pulls out a sandwich and takes a bite; scrutinizes your uneasy expression, “Tell me what’s worrying that pretty little head of yours. You’ve been on edge since you got here.”

“Ah.” You can’t help but feel guilty. Dr. Takeda and Suguru have done so much for you the least you can do is be appreciative. You manage to muster a much more genuine smile, “I’m sorry Dr. Geto I-“

He gives a lazy laugh, his arm moves to rest behind your back on the chair you’re seated in, “You should just call me Suguru, Dr. Geto feels so stuffy.”

His fingers slowly gravitate to a strand of your hair that escaped your starched white nurses cap. He catches it within his fingers tugging it lightly.

You blush heavily at the intimate touch, “I’m worried about perceived favoritism. I don’t want to be treated any differently than the other employees. I want to assimilate with the other nurses.” He’s watching you closely and you can’t decipher his expression, his fingers still gently twirling in your hair. Your face grows heated, “Private lunches in locked offices won’t look proper.” It wasn’t just your reputation you were worried about even though that was a concern. You hoped to make friends out of the other nurses in this new place you would call your home.

Suguru leans back and considering your words a long humming noise escaping his throat. He sits forward, his elbows resting on his knees now as he takes you in. He has a soft smile on his lips but it isn’t quite meeting his eyes. “It’s a little late to worry about favoritism, don't you think? Why else would I have hired you if not for that? I could have hired any old local girl if not for my preference for you.”

You feel a lump growing on your throat. When Dr. Takeda visited just after your fathers recent passing the job he offered seemed like a lifeline. “I-I have knowledge in the field and experience with medication management-“

Suguru laughs out loud, cutting your words off, “Come now y/n. Sure you’ve read some books but you aren’t particularly bright. Women like you are a dime a dozen.” He takes a bite of an apple his tone conversational and casual. “With the job shortages around the country I have women lined up begging for work and you come here acting high and mighty with unwieldy demands.”

Your face flushes and your eyes burn at his comments, “I’m sorry Suguru I hadn’t considered-“

Suguru stands brushing off his pants and avoids making eye contact, “Of course you didn’t. You only consider your own feelings when all you should be worried about is what I think.” He moves to the door and unlocks it, his every movement laced with irritation. “Leave, your ungratefulness is souring my lunch.”

You quickly stand feeling like you're back in grade school and being dressed down for misbehavior. Suguru has always been so balanced and logical; you can’t help but know it must be you at fault for this disagreement, “I’m sorry Suguru, please forgive me. I didn't mean to sound ungrateful. Please don’t be cross with me.” Your tone is higher pitched and more vulnerable than intended. Your eyes glassy with held back tears.

He finally meets your gaze and sighs heavily, “You know I can’t be angry at you for long.” His hand comes up to your face as he softly rubs your cheek with his knuckles. The motion causing a tear to spill down your cheeks. He smiles at that, “There there. Go home for the day and put something nice on. Father and I expect you at dinner tonight, don’t be late.”

Your emotions are all over the place as you head for the exit to the Asylum. You are a fool to think you had been hired on your own merit despite the relationship between your family and Dr. Takedas.

The exit routine for the building takes several minutes. With many weighty doors unlocking and locking. When you reach the front entrance the process is just beginning for another man. The security seeing you approaching waves you forward into the same interlock area as the man to allow you both to do the exit procedures at the same time.

The young man looks up at you, his eyes a golden brown. He’s tall and well built but it is his facial scars that really catch your attention. A thick jagged line races between his eyebrows, the left side of his cheek and lip marred, and under both of his eyes are almost identical check shaped scars. Despite the rugged damage across his countenance when he looks up at you his face goes from a disappointed scowl to concern. “Hey are you okay?”

“Move forward!” A guard calls out ready for you to exit into the next man trap room.

You feel another tear roll down your cheek and you look at the kind face across from you etched with worry. He moves forwards toward you a step and it's only then you notice he is missing a leg, a wooden crutch is braced under one arm.

Embarrassment floods you as you try to wipe away any evidence of your tears. “Yes I’m terribly sorry. How unprofessional of me.”

He tilts his head to the side, the motion reminding you of dogs when confused. “Unprofessional? For having emotions?”

You don’t know how to respond to that. He studies you while the exit procedures are completed and you both find yourself outside in the cold winter air. “My names Yuji, Itadori Yuji.” He’s looking up at the gray cloudy skies with feigned interest, “I’m kinda here a lot. Visiting.” His gaze meets yours again as he gives you a smile that tilts a little on his damaged side. “I don’t think we’ve met yet though.”

Something about his smile is so disarming, “Oh, I’m Y/n L/n, I just started here a few days ago.”

His smile seems to grow brighter, his eyes twinkling with genuine happiness. It has been such a long time since you have seen that in a person. “Well maybe I’ll see you more often then!” He watches you a moment and you return his authentic happiness with a real smile of your own.

“I hope so Mr. Itadori.” He laughs outright at that which catches you off guard.

His grin is infectious, lazy and lopsided, “Mr. Itadori is my Grandpa. Yuji is more than fine.”

You nod the flush on your cheeks now from the cold and pleasant company rather than the shame and embarrassment moments earlier, “Alright, Mr. Yuji.”

He laughs in response, his tone rich. “Not exactly what I meant but that will do. Can I walk you home? I’m heading down to town now.”

The offer sounds nice and you probably would have accepted had it not been in the wrong direction, “I actually live in the nurse’s dorms on the property. Thank you for the offer. I enjoyed our chat and hope we will get to talk again in the future.” You give a quick bob of a curtsey as he gives a jaunty wave in return.

“Nice meeting you Miss L/n!” As he turned to make the slow trek down the lane to the main road you couldn’t help but look back at him. He has the strangest hair color. Despite the rarity of the bright orange pink shade it is strikingly familiar.

Chapter 2+

[thewritetofreespeech]

Could I request Kazuki and Rei with an s/o who's a mermaid?

“Mermaids! Mermaids! Mermaids! Mermaids!”

“I’m gonna tell her.”

“Don’t you dare!” Kazuki hissed, with his finger pressed to his lips, at Rei as they followed behind Miri.

She’d been excited to see the new exhibit at the aquarium. One all about mythical underwater sea creatures and their origins, and, most importantly, mermaids. The exhibit was so popular that it had been sold out from the start. Luckily for them, however, [Y/N] was working at the exhibit and was able to get them tickets. Their typical ‘job of the week’ as they called it because every time Kazuki or Rei turned around they seemed to have a new one.

Sort of like their line of work. Just with much less violence and more menial tasks.

They made their way through the aquarium. Stopping now & then to look at some other fish and exhibits, but Miri was on a mission. “Do you think they’ll have blue mermaids?!”

“I’m sure they will.” Kazuki replied optimistically.

“Mermaids aren’t real.” Rei muttered. To which Kazuki scowled and he shut up.

“I hope there’s a pink one so we can match!”

“I’m sure there will be all kinds of mermaids Miri-chan. But you’ll need to be patient when we get inside.”

Even with the tickets, the line through the ‘mermaid cove’ was long. A slow moving train of adults and children going through a glass aquarium tunnel to gawk at the fish and swimming mermaids. Even as jaded as they were, Kazuki and Rei had to admit, it was pretty impressive.

“Look! Look! A pink mermaid!” The two men look to where Miri was pointing and both gained equal expressions of shock.

There, floating angelically in the water, with an ornate yellow tail dotted with orange and pearl studded seashell bra was [Y/N]. She was wearing a wig, and painted up to look more fish like, but they could tell it was her. And, apparently, she could see that it was them because she waved.

“She’s so pretty! I think she’s my favorite.”

“Mine too.” Rei said in his usual sullen voice. To which Kazuki pouted.

“You wish pal….”

They finish the exhibit, and look at some more fishes, before stopping in the food court for lunch. By the time they had finished, [Y/N] was coming up to them. No longer a mermaid, but just a regular girl in sweats with wet hair. “Hey guys! Did you like the exhibit?”

“It was so pretty!!”

[Y/N] chuckled at Miri’s enthusiasm. “Good. I’m glad you liked it.”

“That’s a pretty intricate costume you have to wear.” Kazuki commented. “Do they ever let you take it home?”

[Y/N] rolled her eyes at his eyebrow wag. “That tail weighs a ton. It’s not as fun as you think it would be.”

“I didn’t know you could hold your breath that long.” Rei mentioned. Sipping his soda.

“Yep! We’ll I had a job here like….4 summers ago scrubbing tanks. They knew that I could stay underwater a long time so they offered me the job. Definitely more glamorous.”

“You’ll have to teach me.” He told her. “…for missions…”

[Y/N] chuckled again. “Of course.”

“If you’re off now, do you want to come home with us? You can tell Miri all about your mermaid training.”

“Yes! Yes! Yes!” Miri answered for her. Jumping up and down in her seat.

“I guess I have no choice. Let me grab my bag.”

She gave a little wave as she went back to the employee lounge to grab her things.

“So, we’re still at an impasse then?” Kazuki asked Rei when they were alone.

“I guess so.” Rei agreed. Sipping his soda casually.

“I don’t think we’ve ever had a fight this long.”

“We haven’t.”

“May the better man win then.”

“I will.”

Kazuki turned to snap at him, but it was too late. [Y/N] was back, already collecting Miri to head home, and they couldn’t let her in on their secret contest for her.

[wolfjackle-creates]

The Two Ghost Motel

So, as I mentioned, I joined the DP Ecto-Implosion Event this past month and it's Posting Week now! So I get to finally share with you the first chapter of my fic. Still working on editing the second half of the fic, but it's fully written as of this time.

For those who don't know, for the Ecto-Implosion event, artists drew/animated/composed some piece of art and writers then went in and wrote fics based off their art.

I was lucky enough to be paired with the super talented @i-think-in-metaphors who made this gorgeous artwork:

You can read on AO3 here (this fic is not locked to AO3 users only).

And for those of you who prefer to read on Tumblr:

Word Count: 5k

Warnings: Minor Original Character Death (not in this chapter)

Fandom: DPxDC (though no knowledge of DC is necessary for this fic. I use a single character and he has amnesia, it takes place in an original setting or Amity)

Summary:

Danny is tired. Endless ghost fights with too many responsibilities and too little time; he barely passed sophomore year. When Ember visits town for a bit of fun, she mentions the Two Ghost Motel, a place of peace and refuge for restless ghosts who aren't ready to cross over. “I’m fine, Ember.” Danny’s got a home and friends. He’s fine, really. But when his parents begin experimenting with electricity to destabilize ghosts, it’s too much for Danny. Unfortunately, neither Sam nor Tucker can host him for the night and he’s left wandering in the night, alone. Then he sees it: The Two Ghost Motel. He checks in. “Welcome.”

-----

Danny wasn’t sure when he first saw the neon sign. Honestly, he didn’t even realize it was something ghostly when he did. He just thought it was one more ghost-themed business that had come to Amity since the portal opened.

But when he mentioned the motel to Sam and Tucker, they looked at him like he was crazy.

“I’ve never heard of any Two Ghost Motel,” said Sam. “Where’d you see it?”

Tucker was typing into his PDA. “Nothing’s coming up online, either.”

“Oh come on, you’re pulling my leg. We’ve passed it at least a half dozen times. Last night when we were leaving Nasty Burger for one! And I think, what, three nights before that? On patrol? Where were we?”

“Dude, that night we were near the library. No where near Nasty Burger. No way you could’ve seen the same place both nights,” said Tucker.

“Danny, when was the last time you got a full night’s sleep?” Sam’s brow was knit in concern.

Danny waved off her concern. “Whatever. I know I’ve seen it. The sign is bright pink and orange with blue ghosts on it.”

Sam just shrugged and shook her head. “Point it out next time you see it.”

Before Danny could reply, his ghost sense went off and he groaned. “Ugh, looks like someone’s around. I’m too tired for this.” Danny glanced around. They were in the park and no humans were nearby so he let his transformation wash over him.

He flew into the air and tried to listen past the sound of his breaths echoing through his mask. Even though he didn’t breathe when transformed, something about the hazmat suit remembered and the sound was inescapable.

A guitar chord played behind him and Danny instinctively threw up a shield and fell ten feet right as a blast from Ember’s instrument headed his way.

“Hey there, baby-pop!” she called. “I was sitting around, bored out of my mind, when I remembered I could just come here to have some fun!”

Danny turned to face her. “Come on, Ember.” His voice always sounded so robotic when filtered through the mask. “I’m tired.”

“Too bad. I’m not.” She grinned at him and strummed a few notes, sending more attacks his way.

Danny dodged, only to have to watch one of the blasts hit a bench and destroy it. He flew higher, hoping her next attacks wouldn’t cause more collateral that would be blamed on him.

“What, you just gonna dance around like that? Come on, attack back!”

“My moves not good enough for you?”

“You need to step it up if you want to be my back up dancer.”

Danny couldn’t help but laugh and when she sent her next blast his way, he avoided it by doing a backwards dive towards the ground only to circle back up until he was facing her. “How’s that?”

“Better, but you’re still not there. Your moves have to match the music!” She played a tune with a fast beat and Danny dodged and spun. And if he added some flair to his movements, well, he deserved the chance to have a little fun.

Another blast his way, and he twisted his hips. Matching Ember’s beat, he sent a few ectoblasts back at her.

Ember laughed. “Now you’re catching on!”

Danny allowed himself a quick glance down where he saw Sam and Tucker not even trying to hide. Tucker was filming them.

Which, of course, is when it all had to be ruined by the unmistakable sounds of the GAV driving cross-country.

“Through the park?” he moaned. “Seriously?”

“Shit, that’s your folks, isn’t it.”

“Yeah. C’mon, let’s get out of here.”

“You’ve got it, babypop. I came here for fun, not to mess with them.”

The GAV came to a stop and Danny saw his mom rush out of the passenger side with one of their new, long-distance guns. He tacked Ember, only just getting her out of the way of the blast.

Without any discussion, both turned invisible and flew out of the park. Danny didn’t let them stop until they were in a forest out of range of his parents’ trackers. Exhaustion set back in as soon as he realized they were safe, and he just plopped down on the ground and leaned against a tree.

“Ready to resume your dancing lessons?” asked Ember.

Danny groaned and rested his head against the rough bark. It was probably stupid, but he let his eyes close. “Maybe next time. I meant it when I said I’m tired.”

She didn’t say anything as one, two, three breaths sounded from his mask. And then he heard some leaves rustle. He cracked open an eye to see Ember making herself comfortable on the ground a few feet away.

“You really are tired, aren’t you?” she asked.

“Yeah. Finals are coming up and if I don’t do well, I’m going to fail sophomore year.”

“Y’know, I’ve heard of a place…”

Danny waited for her to continue, but when she didn’t, he hummed. “A place?”

“Yeah. Haven’t been there myself. But, there’s this place. It’s for ghosts who aren’t ready to move on from Earth just yet. Ghosts who live only on Earth without ever going the Zone get tired and weak. There’s just not enough ectoplasm around. Except for here, of course.”

“So what’s this place do?”

“Gives you somewhere to rest. And recharge. It’s not really on Earth. It’s a sort of in between place. Called the Two Ghost Motel. Might be worth checking in for a night if you ever don’t want to be at home for one reason or another.”

Danny hummed. “I’ve seen it around. Thought it was just a regular motel, but Sam and Tucker didn’t know what I was talking about.”

Ember picked out a tune on her guitar, but this time no attacks emanated from it. “It’s not a place for the living from what I’ve heard. Just the dead.”

Danny looked up at the stars through the tree branches, but he shook his head. “I’m fine, Ember. Just need to get some sleep.”

“Whatever you say, baby-pop.”

---

After that conversation with Ember, the motel began basically haunting him. Every night, as soon as dusk started to fall, he’d see it. Always a few streets away, just sitting there calling to him; it’s sign bright in the dark.

Sam and Tucker couldn’t see it, no matter how often he pointed it out to him. Jazz could sometimes see something out of the corner of her eye, but when she looked on more directly, it was never there.

Danny never approached. He was fine. He had a home and friends. There was no reason to go to some random motel.

Finals came and went. He managed to scrape by with at least Cs in everything. His parents, especially his mom, had not been happy with those grades, but Danny was just glad to have passed.

Didn’t stop him from being grounded and forced to help out more in the lab. One afternoon, he was in his room playing Doomed with Sam and Tucker when he got a message from his parents calling him back down to help them out.

“Ugh, I’ve got to go down to the lab.”

“Seriously?” complained Tucker. “Again?”

“Yeah,” agreed Sam. “Seems you’re always off helping them lately. Can’t you say no?”

“It’s this or having my phone and computer taken away. I’ll take the lab work.” He saved his progress. “Will you guys be on later?”

“Can’t,” said Sam. “My parents are forcing me to go to a fancy dinner somewhere. And they’re not giving me any more information than that to keep me from planning anything disruptive.”

“And mine have declared we’re having a tech-free family bonding night,” said Tucker, rolling his eyes. “With board games! Who plays board games in this day and age?”

Danny laughed. “I’ll see you both tomorrow, then. Later.”

Danny signed off and went downstairs. The hazmat suits were kept in a closet right next to the door to the lab, and Danny went through the process of pulling it all on. The mask that came with it was even more annoying in human form than ghost. The filtered air always tasted strange, but he’d given up complaining about that years ago.

He unlocked the lab door and went down to the lab.

“Dan-o!” called his dad as soon as he saw him. “Come here! You’re job will be to control the current!”

“Uh, current?” asked Danny.

“We’re trying to figure out how to disrupt the electrical signal in ectoplasm that gives ghosts their shape,” explained his mom. She had a bowl of ectoplasm in a glass terrarium and was arranging two metal probes so they dipped into it.

“Exactly!” agreed his dad. “So you’re going to sit at this computer”—he pulled out a chair before one of the lab computers and gestured for Danny to sit—“and adjust the frequency and voltage.”

Danny took a seat and stared at the program that was loaded on the screen. At least he wouldn’t be anywhere near the probes? A glance at the puddle of ectoplasm had him holding back a shudder.

“First we’re going to try and force the ectoplasm to form a shape,” continued his mom. “We’re going to do that with probe A. You’re going to start with a low frequency and voltage and slowly increase it while your father and I mark down how it affects the ectoplasm. We have some hypotheses about when it’ll start to form a shape.”

“And once it forms a shape,” said his dad, “you’ll use probe B to send a contrary electrical signal to destabilize it!”

“And then no more ghost!”

Suddenly Danny was glad his suit had a face mask. His parents were going to do what? Figure out how to use electricity to destabilize ghosts? It wasn’t possible. There was no way it could work. Right? He had to stay and prove to himself they were talking crazy.

“What—” His mouth was dry and he had to try again. “How should I start?”

“The settings are already loaded,” said his mom. She grabbed a tablet and sat down in front of the terrarium.

Dad sat next to her, grinning widely. “Go ahead, Dan-o!”

Danny’s hand shook as he placed it on the mouse. He sat on the other to hide it. Then he turned on the probe.

At first, nothing happened. The ectoplasm stayed a puddle and there was no visible change in it. But as he adjusted the current, it began to ripple. His parents loudly exclaimed over every change as they shouted instructions back to him.

Each change had Danny’s heart beating harder in his chest.

Two hours in is when it happened. The ectoplasm started to form a ball that rose up out of the bowl. Danny could feel something cold in the back of his throat. Not his ghost sense, but something close.

“This is it!” yelled his dad. “Danny, what’re the settings?”

Once more, Danny was glad for the way the mask muffled his voice just enough to mask how horrified he was by the thing that was forming. His parents’ theories about electrical currents couldn’t be true. They couldn’t.

“Now for us to try disrupting the current!” The glee in his mom’s voice made bile rise in Danny’s throat. But when she told him to turn on probe B, he did.

It only took twenty minutes to find the settings that made the ectoplasm fall apart back into a puddle.

Danny was up on his feet, chair toppled, in an instant. He held a gloved hand to his masked face as if he could keep from throwing up with the motion alone. It had looked so much like Ellie when she was destabilizing.

“Danny?” asked his mom, tablet forgotten on her chair as she rushed over to him. “What’s wrong? Are you okay?”

“I… I’m feeling a bit sick. Can I, can I go? Bathroom?”

His mom reached out to brush a hand over his covered forehead as if to check his temperature. “Oh sweetie, of course you can. You should’ve told us you weren’t feeling well. There’s some soup in the fridge if you think you can eat that.”

“I— yeah. Thanks.” He didn’t wait to hear anything else she had to say and just ran up the stairs. He shed his gear in record time and ran all the way up to his room. He slammed the door shut and grabbed his backpack from where it hung on his desk chair.

With shaking hands, he took out everything in the main compartment. Then he ran to his dresser and grabbed a change of clothes and something to sleep in. He couldn’t stay here right now. He just couldn’t.

From the bathroom, he grabbed some toiletries and added those.

Less than fifteen minutes after leaving the lab, he was out the front door and walking down the street. It was late, dusk starting to fall.

He considered going to Nasty Burger to get some dinner, but then he remembered the way the ball of ectoplasm had melted and he changed directions. Eventually his wandering brought him to the park where he found a bench in an empty area and sat down, dropping his backpack at his feet.

Danny buried his face in his hands as he forced himself to just breathe. He and Tucker could mess with the results from these experiments just like they had so many times in the past. It was going to be fine.

His phone vibrated in his pocket and he pulled it out.

Jazz: Hey, Danny. Mom said you weren’t feeling well? Jazz: Where’d you go? You’re not in your room. Danny: Sorry, Jazz. I had to get out of the house. Danny: Ask mom and dad about today’s experiments. Danny: You’ll understand why. I’m gonna spend the night at Tuck’s. Jazz: Okay. See you tomorrow? Danny: Yeah. I’ll be back tomorrow. Jazz: Love you.

Of course, Tucker was having a family night. He couldn’t crash that. And Sam’s parents had banned him from their house. Where would he spend the night?

And then he noticed it. Right outside the park glowed the sign: Two Ghost Motel.

He was on his feet and walking there before he’d even consciously made the decision to go. A glance around showed he was alone, that night had fully fallen on Amity so he let his transformation wash over him.

He reached the street and, for the first time, was staring directly at the motel rather than catching glimpses from a block or two away. The parking lot had a few cars in it, the oldest looking like it might’ve been from the twenties with the newest looking like it was ten or fifteen years old.

A glance in either direction showed no cars coming, so Danny crossed the street.

As soon as he stepped off the sidewalk and into the parking lot, Danny could feel a change in the air. It was nothing obvious, but something integral was different. The sounds of the city were muffled, the sense of life dulled. The air felt lighter and the door seemed to call to him. Most importantly, it was easier to push away the memories from his afternoon in the lab.

The sign, when he reached it, buzzed softly in the night. He held a hand up towards it and felt an echoing buzz under his skin.

He stared at the lights for a moment more before continuing towards the building at the other end of the lot. It hadn’t been repaved in ages and was riddled with cracks. But the plants that grew up through them weren’t the normal grasses and dandelions. He wished Sam were with him to help him identify them.

Instead he knelt down and pulled out his phone to take a picture. They glowed slightly in the night, their stems ectoplasm-green with blue leaves and red bulbs. Danny reached out to touch one, only for the bulb to open and snap at his finger.

Danny laughed in surprise as he pulled his hand away. Something inside him relaxed. A night away would do him good and maybe he’d see other cool things besides the flowers.

The motel itself was a long, two-story building. The main entrance was smack in the middle of the building with rows of rooms extending to either side. Next to the office, a passageway through the building led to the back side of the building and had stairs leading up to the second level. It was clearly old, worn in the way only time could do.

The office door wasn’t automatic and the handle stuck slightly under his hand when he tried to turn it. But just a little bit of force had it opening.

Inside, the carpet was worn, beaten down and dull in the middle. The walls were covered in floral wallpaper rather than paint. Against one wall buzzed an ice machine and against the other sat a vending machine. A man with slicked back hair and a cane stared at the vending machine without moving. A two-seater couch was next to the vending machine with a wooden coffee table in front of it. Two women sat side-by-side on it: one in modern jeans and a windbreaker, the other in an old-fashioned dress that looked like it may have come from the sixties. They were holding magazines, but in the time it took Danny to look around, neither had flipped a page.

Cutting off the back of the room was a long desk, behind which sat a closed door. A woman sat behind the desk. Her blonde hair was cut shoulder length and curled inward. She wore bright red lipstick and heavy eye shadow. But strangest of all, she wasn’t moving. Her chest didn’t raise with her breathing, she didn’t shift in her seat. The women on the couch, at least, made the little movements people make when they’re engrossed in their reading. And the man at the vending machine was tapping his fingers on his cane as he tried to decide what to get.

But the woman at the counter was utterly still.

“Evening.” Danny’s voice was loud in the small room.

The woman in modern clothes cocked her head slightly as if trying to hear a distant noise.

“What are you reading?” Danny asked her.

She just shook her head slightly and looked back at her magazine. Slowly, she turned a page.

“Oh-kay,” said Danny to himself. He walked past them as he made his way to the desk.

As soon as he reached it, the woman came to life. She turned and smiled broadly at him and her finger started tapping on a paper log book that sat in front of her. “Well hello there. Welcome to the Two Ghost Motel!” She had a slight southern accent. “What can I do you for?”

“Uh, well. I heard you might have a room I could rent for the night.”

“Sure do,” she agreed with a nod. “Can certainly set you up with one of those.” She looked him up and down then nodded to herself. “Ah, yes. We knew you might need a place soon so we made sure you’d be able to find us. Glad to see you finally stopped in.”

“What, uh, what do you know about me?”

“Same as we know about any of our potential patrons, sweetie. That you’re a restless spirit that isn’t ready to pass on yet. Two Ghost was set up to give you a place to rest while you’re still on Earth.”

“How much would it cost for one night?”

The receptionist threw back her head and laughed. Her teeth were sharper than a normal human’s. Behind him, another voice joined in the laughter. Danny turned to see the modern-dressed woman was finally looking at him, though it was only to laugh at him.

Danny rubbed the back of his neck and smiled self-consciously. “I take it that was a stupid question?”

“Honey, there’s no charge for spending the night. Wouldn’t be much of a place to rest if we forced y’all to pay when no dead has money.”

“Right. So do you want anything in exchange? I’m pretty good at fixing things up.”

“All we want is for you to have a good night’s rest.” She turned the log book around. “I’ll just need you to put down your name here and I’ll give you your key.” She waved her hand to indicate a pen that was chained to the desk.

Danny grabbed it and hesitated just a moment before signing “Phantom” on the page. The ink was ectoplasm-green.

She took the book back and made her own marks before smiling at him. “Well that’s all in order. Now just to get you your room key.” She opened a drawer which was filled with a number of small envelopes, each with a handwritten number on them. She flipped through a few before stopping on one, seemingly at random, and pulling it out. “You’ll be in room 214. Leave the office, take a right. You can’t miss the stairs. Climb ‘em, continue to the back side of the motel, and take a right.”

Danny took the envelope from her. On it, the numbers 214 were written, with Two Ghost Motel in cursive below it. “Thank you, ma’am.”

“Enjoy your stay at Two Ghost,” she smiled one more time at him, then looked down at her logbook and froze exactly as she had been when he’d first entered.

“I appreciate your help. You sure there’s nothing I can do in exchange for the room?”

But the woman didn’t stir again. Danny shifted from foot to foot. Should he try and wake her? Was she hurt? Was this a normal ghost thing? He tapped on the desk again.

“Ma’am?”

No response.

Danny looked down at his key and back at the woman. Hesitantly, he turned towards the door, but he couldn’t help looking back frequently. He paused by the women on the couch, but neither looked up from their magazines. At the vending machine, he peered around the man.

“Do they have anything that looks good?” he asked.

The man didn’t move, so Danny shifted until he was standing right next to him and could look inside the machine.

The bottom two rows were filled with drinks, water and Gatorade took up space right next to shots of ectoplasm. And were those beers? What? Above those were a few types of nuts and candy bars and chips. Danny only recognized half the brands.

Then he noticed the package of bottle caps. “Oh man, been ages since I’ve had some bottle caps. Mind if I grab those if you haven’t decided yet?”

The man hummed and moved to the side so Danny could get to the bill input and number pad.

“Thanks, sir! Appreciate it.” He pressed the numbers for the candy to see the price, but the machine whirled to life and it was dropped down without requiring Danny to put in a single cent. “Oh, shit, did I just use your money? What do you like? I’ll get it for you as an apology.”

“I don’t… I don’t remember,” said the man. His voice was very quiet, but clear. Danny couldn’t place his accent.

“Are you looking for a snack or a drink? Sweet or savory?”

“My son always pretended he didn’t like sweets. I was going back to him. How did I end up here?”

“Dunno, sir. But if you like candy, I’d recommend the skittles if you want chewy, m&m’s if you want basic chocolate.” He opened his own package. “Hold out your hand, I’ll give you a few of these so you can see if you like them.”

The man did and looked at his own hand as if he’d never seen it before. Danny turned his package so a few bottlecaps fell out. “Thank you,” said the man.

“Sure thing. Hope you enjoy!”

The man stared at his hand a moment longer before bringing one to his mouth and chewing the candy with a pensive look on his face. “I think I remember these, but it’s been so long. Thank you.”

“Anytime. My name’s Phantom; I’m in room 214 if you need anything.”

“Phantom. Pleasure to meet you. I’m Tom.”

“Well, Mr. Tom, hope you find something to eat that you like.”

Tom hummed and turned back to look at the vending machine. Danny took one last look at the receptionist, still entirely frozen, before slipping out the door. He slipped the package of bottlecaps into his pocket; he’d eat them in his room when he could take his mask off. In the passageway to the back of the motel, two boys played jacks under a flood light.

Danny couldn’t help but pause to watch them. He’d tried playing a few times when he was younger, but Tucker wasn’t into the game and none of the other kids had been willing to spend enough time with the weird ghost-hunter’s kid to teach him.

He waited until the kid who’d been picking up the jacks tossed them back on the ground before asking, “So, who’s winning?”

Both boys looked up at him with the same blank expression. The one on the right was a red-head while the one on the left was brown haired. They were about the same age, maybe ten years old and Danny wondered what happened to bring them here.

“I never learned to play,” Danny admitted, waving a hand to indicate their game. “So I don’t know how to tell. Or, is there even a winner in jacks? I might be completely off the mark.”

The red-head raised his hand. “I’m wining. I’m on the foursies round. Alan is only on twosies.”

“Matt cheated and made me drop my jacks.”

“It wasn’t cheating, just strategy,” protested Matt.

“Cheating,” repeated Alan.

“Prove it by beating your threesies round perfectly this time.”

Danny smiled to himself as the boys returned to their game and ignored his presence entirely.

“How’d you do that?” asked someone behind him.

Danny spun around to see a boy around his own age on the stairs leaning over the railing. He had dark hair and light eyes and was dressed in modern jeans and a t-shirt.

“Do what?” asked Danny.

“Get them to talk to you. Everyone ignores me entirely.”

Danny glanced back at the two boys who were entirely absorbed in their game and not paying Danny or the stranger any attention. “They’re mostly ignoring me, too.”

The kid rolled his eyes. “But they still talked to you. I haven’t even gotten that much.”

Danny shrugged. “I just asked them about their game.”

He groaned and kicked at the railing. “I’ve tried that. Who’re you, anyway?”

“I’m Phantom. Staying here for the night because, well, just because. Who’re you?”

“Jay.”

Danny cocked his head. “Like the bird?”

Jay’s eyes widened in surprise, then he grinned back. “That’s it! I knew I was forgetting something. I’m a bird. Thanks, Phantom.”

Danny laughed. “Sure thing, birdie.” He adjusted his backpack. “Let me put this down. I’m in room 214. What’s there to do in this motel?”

Jay shrugged. “More if you can get the other people to talk to us. But the TV always has your favorite show or movie on and the vending machine in the office always has your favorite snacks.”

As Danny made his way up the stairs, Jay fell in step besides him. “What’s your favorite movie?” he asked.

Jay shrugged again. “Dunno. But every time I turn on the TV it’s playing.”

“What did you watch last, then?”

Jay hesitated a moment and when Danny looked at him, he was frowning. “I don’t…” He shook his head. “I don’t forget things. My d— Someone made sure I could give accurate reports. But I don’t remember.” He looked at Danny with his brow furrowed. “Why don’t I remember?”

Danny shrugged. “Well, when we get to my room, we can turn on the TV and see what comes on.”

Jay brightened immediately at the suggestion. “Duh! That’ll remind me. Thanks, Phantom! Come on, your room’s this way. We’re neighbors; I’m in 215.” He jogged the rest of the way up the stairs so Danny had to speed up, too.

At the top of the stairs, Jay took a right and Danny’s door was several down.

“Home sweet home,” he said, gesturing to the door.

Danny laughed as he unlocked it. “So how long have you been here?” He pushed open his door and took in the space. The carpet looked like it hadn’t been upgraded since the seventies. A double bed sat against one wall covered by a faded, green paisley quilt. A low dresser and box TV against the opposite wall. Most of the wall facing the walkway was taken up with a large window, though the closed blinds kept it private.

It wasn’t until Danny stepped in and dropped his bags on the bed that he realized Jay had neither responded nor followed him in.

“Birdie? Jay? You okay?”

Jay was frozen outside the door staring out into the distance away from the motel. The back of the motel had very few lights, and the night made it seem like there was nothing out there but endless black. When Danny called out, Jay shook himself and grinned as he entered the room and sat down on Danny’s bed with enough force to bounce. “Course I’m okay! Why wouldn’t I be?”

“You spaced out there for a minute.”

Jay rolled his eyes. “No I didn’t. Where’s your remote?” Before Danny could do anything, Jay was already standing and picking it up from the dresser. He turned on the TV. “Oooh, the Godfather! Told you it always has your favorite movie.”

“So The Godfather is your favorite?”

“Of course.”

“I don’t think I’ve ever actually seen it all the way through.”

“Then you’re in for a treat! Come on, sit next to me. I’ll make sure you notice all the good parts.”

Danny did as told. Which is when he remembered he still had the candy. Wordlessly, he held it out to Jay who grinned as he took a few to snack on.

-----

Chapter 2

Hope you enjoyed chapter 1! This was so much fun to write. I loved taking part in the event so much. Please consider checking out the rest of the art and fics from this event because there are so many talented people who took part. (My reading list is gonna be filled for at least the rest of the year, no lie.)

Just search the tag #ectoimplosion2023 to see what I mean.

[thatguythatdrawsalot]

Since you said your Rwby Redesign Critiques are still open here are some of mine!:

I made multiple color variants of Yang, but I’ll only show you two others:

I think my favorite is the red, brown, and yellow variant, though I’m not fully satisfied with any of them.

For Weiss I originally wanted to change very little but then I kept thinking ‘what if I change this too-’ until I ended up with this. (I stole her new ponytail from her Volume 1 art.) I don’t think I like all the red I put Weiss in, maybe another color could have helped.

I’ll send the rest in other asks since I made them during different periods of time. (Also all of these are on my Tumblr account.)

Got my good four hours of sleep so let’s do this! I’ll start off with Weiss and then Yang!

Weiss Schnee.

WOW! Weiss looks good in a white dress, wonder why the show proper didn’t have her wear a white dress let alone… WHITE!

I love the amount of red, but I think if you added black to the color palette it could be a stronger outfit in terms of color placement. Though I do headcanon that red for the Schnee family symbolizes freedom or rebellious nature, so if you put Weiss next to her entire family I would believe that she’s the one to no longer tie herself to the family name.

Now for the next part, don’t be sad at what I say… I really try not to be mean, I just wanna be honest since I know fans put a lot more thought into outfits. The outfit is not ideal for Atlas, but it’s super ideal if Weiss got an outfit change in the Ever After. It’s the perfect amount of whacky where I could see the Red Prince only let WBY enter the palace if they change their outfits, in which there needs to be red. Hence the apple ornaments/jewels on her as it was forced on her to just make her wear red, no matter how small.

Yang Xiao Long.

Your recolors are better than mine!!! I have to admit it! Now imma briefly talk about the orange/pink recolors since they’re good but I really love the red recolor more.

The Pink Recolor - How the frick does pink look so good on her? It makes her feel like a sunny dragon.

The Orange Recolor - A yellow/orange bomber jacket could look great on Yang! Maybe have her overalls be lighter or a darker color just to make the yellows pop.

Okay onto the Red Recolor - it’s beautiful. It is hands down the best in my opinion. I know they have orange be Yang’s way with connecting to Ruby given it’s a mix of yellow and red, but I would much prefer if Yang just wore red instead since this is- *chefs kiss* The reds makes her yellows pop, especially her overalls. The outfit can look good whether her eyes changes colors or not from lilac to red. The smallest complaint I could have is it’s not ideal for Atlas, but I don’t care, the warm colors on her is making me ignore and forget that.

Overall, I do love Weiss’ long dress and reds, it can look fantastic in a different environment such as Ever After. As for Yang I’ve hardly seen a color palette on her that includes red, glad I did today as she looks super cool and symbolic to being closer to Ruby… but also eerily similar-looking to Raven-

[lovelyladyabsinthewrites]

Love Song for a Vampire Pt. 30

Pairing(s): Edward Cullen x Wolf!Reader, Jacob Black x Bella Swan, Jacob Black x Witch!OC, Edward Cullen x Bella Swan

Warnings:none

Words:1987

Part 1  Part 2  Part 3  Part 4  Part 5  Part 6  Part 7  Part 8  Part 9  Part 10  Part 11  Part 12  Part 13  Part 14  Part 15  Part 16  Part 17  Part 18  Part 19  Part 20  Part 21  Part 22  Part 23  Part 24  Part 25  Part 26  Part 27  Part 28  Part 29  Part 31  Part 32  Part 33  Part 34  Part 35  Part 36  Part 37  Part 38  Part 39  Part 40(series finale) 

The ending didn’t come out like it did the first time I typed this up but it’s close to the original I had worked on last night 🙃

Shocked wasn’t enough to describe the jolt Jacob received when he opened his front door and found Bella. The last bit of hope that imprinting on the witch had just been a dream was quickly eliminated. Standing before him was the love of his life, yet he didn’t feel that same giddiness he once felt with Bella’s presence. That terrified him more than anything; how quickly imprinting changed one’s life.

Behind her on the dirt driveway was a small, tan car. Probably here replacement for her red truck that was totaled when Riley took her. Late in the day, the sky is already casting the world in a pink and orange haze.“Sorry to show up unannounced.” He can tell Bella immediately wanted to nervously chew on her bottom lip as she was prone to do but stopped herself. Subtle changes could be seen on her. She’d been spending time reflecting on herself and really thinking of what she wants in life.

“No, it’s okay.” Jacob steps aside to let her in. Bella hesitated for a heartbeat before walking through. I guess it has been a while since she’s come over.

They go to his room which feel so small now that there was another person occupying it.

He hated this strange feeling. It made him not know how to act in front of her. Like she was a complete stranger to him now and not the girl he'd been mooning over for years. Jacob watches her in a queer way as she perched herself on the edge of his bed. "How has the pack been?"

"Good. (y/n) and Edward left with the Denali couple to drive them back to Alaska." He noticed the flash of momentary hurt on Bella's face before she regains composure and nods.

"I remember them saying they'd be leaving soon." They hadn't spoken about her meeting with them. Jacob had been too focused on what was happening with him and how, even though he was in his human skin, he could still smell Evita's citrus scent that beckoned him to go to Sam's. The alpha had warned Jacob though about scaring her off before she was able to finish the wards that was to protect them from hostile creatures.

“They left last night and should be back in a few hours from the text she sent to our group chat.” Jacob shrugs. “

At that, Bella actually smiles. “I wouldn’t doubt it. Edward drives really fast. Even Alice does too. It must be a vampire thing.”

He tried to think of something else to say, anything to make his life feel normal again. There had been nothing normal about his life though. His mouth was dry and tongue heavy. How could he go on pretending everything was okay? Not to mention he couldn’t imagine how Bella would feel once she learned that another guy who she deeply cared about was taken because of imprinting once again. Her wounds were still healing from her breakup with Edward. It would crush Bella. Jacob may have imprinted on Evita, but he still cared for her greatly. Just not romantically, not anymore.

By the blessing of those above, a tremor in the air gripped Jacob and Bella. The hairs on the back of her neck stand at the tingling that was rushing through her. “Wh. . . What is that?”

The strong aroma of orange blossoms fills his nostril.

Evita.

This had to be Evita’s magic swirling in the air. It riled up the wolf in him, making Jacob want to spring into action. Were it not for Bella being present, he might have leapt through his window and run to Sam’s house where he knew the witch was staying for the meantime.

Underneath his skin, the animal trembled and agitated him from the inside where he felt uncomfortable in his human flesh.

Inhaling deeply, Jacob closed his eyes to steady his breathing which had quickened. “Magic.”

Bella does a double take. “Magic?”

He stumbles over his words but manages to get Bella up to date on what had been going on in La Push. Even Jacob felt silly about the things he said out loud to her, all of this sounded so unreal yet that’s what his life had become.

The air was still fluctuating with that sharp orange smell and Jacob could spot goosebumps rising on Bella’s arms as an after effect to nearby magic.

“Can I meet her?”

“You want to meet her?” Yes, a reason to see Evita! His wolf rejoiced that he’d finally be able to be near her again despite Jacob’s efforts to ignore it.

Bella doesn’t waver. “Yes. If she’s here to protect the town then I feel like I owe it to her to introduce myself. This. . . This is my fault after all.”

“Stop saying that.” Jacob hated how she pinned the blame of all of the events that had led up to Evita’s arrival. “It’s not you’re fault. Something like this was bound to happen ever since the Cullens came to town decades ago.

“Regardless,” Bella sighed. “I want to meet her.”

That’s how they end up in Bella’s tan Corolla, the small car sped through the empty streets of La Push to get to Sam’s cabin. The drive was overall quiet considering both of them were off in their own little worlds; questioning what they had felt in his room when Evita’s magic swept up their senses into a flurry. The wolf’s eagerness to be near it’s mate was unfathomable as Jacob felt his hands beading with perspiration.

He wasn’t ready to see Evita. Not yet.There was no way Jacob could trust himself to keep his imprinting a secret from Bella if Evita is near.

And Bella, her skin still hadn’t stopped shivering with an odd delight; the back of her neck continued to tingle through her neck and spine. She couldn’t begin to describe the experience. Jacob had called it magic.

The drive didn’t take long, Jacob and Bella were great up for that as Bella’s car pulled to a stop in front of Sam’s cabin. Excited chatter could be heard streaming through from the inside of the house.

Bella gets out of the car first allowing Jacob a few seconds to himself to calm the roaring wave of his heartbeat.

Breathing in a deep inhale, Jacob unbuckles his belt and pushed open the car door.

Smoke from Sam’s chimney twirls out in long ribbons against the mystical color pallet that sunsets are composed of.

From a fluttering curtain in a window, a face briefly appeared and spotted the two of them as they walk up to Sam’s porch. In but a few seconds does Paul open the door to great them. His eyes narrow with caution that confused Bella. Instantly a tension spoiled the air and the house grew quiet.

“Jacob. Bella.” Paul casually greeted but there was a strain to his voice. “Fancy seeing you guys here.”

“We came here to see Evita’s witchcraft.” Jacob is quick to say, hopeful that Paul would buy the reason for it was true.

“We felt the aftershocks and I asked Jacob to take me to meet her.” Explained Bella.

That made Paul’s eyes round. “Aftershocks?”

Sam appeared behind him. “Come in.” He merely instructed and had Paul step aside. “Jacob, stay in the back with me.”

Sam’s living room was crowded with other members of the pack and was wholly transformed into a candlelit space for witchcraft. His usual furniture was gone and in their place were an array of strange and arcane objects. The light from the fireplace made shadows flicker against the walls and distort the shadowy figures of those present.

Everyone leaned in yet kept themselves from straying too far into the circle that Evita had made on the ground.

A small bowl of herbs are slowly catching ablaze by the beckoning of her foreign words. Bella saw with her own eyes a river stone crumble all by itself into fine dust that is carried on an invisible wind and into Evita’s clasped hands. The delicate skin of her wrists appear paper thin as even Bella could see the many lines and rivers of her veins. They looked like they were made of lightening as they burned from under her skin.

Her lips move rapidly in her incantation, and as her words carried into the room, the energy shifted. Candlelight made the dark sway.

Entranced were the rest of the pack as they held their breathing, taking in the wondrous sight before them.

More sharp spices fill the air along with Evita’s citrus scent.

Jacob couldn’t tear his eyes off of her wild and flying curls that whip around her face that was lined with painful looking scars. To Jacob though, the dark scars that run along her face accentuate her fine cheekbones and full lips. A spatter of freckles add to her charm.

The wild wind of energy that had been swirling around her seem to fall away. Time itself felt like it froze.

Multiple breaths that had been held in up until that point exhale with an edge of relief. Her spell was complete.

When the candles are blown out by the dying breath of her magic, Sam slowly turns on the electronic lights of his house. Sitting in the middle of the living room was a pale Evita. Slowly she removes her top hand to reveal an object the size of a quarter and equally flat.

The color of it was the glittering shade of emerald. A warmth eminated from it.

Weary from her efforts, Evita explained with a tired voice “I have five more of these to make. They are to be distributed throughout Forks and La Push. The ward is this small so that it won’t be easily spotted by your enemies. We must bury them at six specific points. About a foot into the ground.” She passed it to Jared who held it with reverence. The ward made it’s way around the pack as they ‘ooed’ and ‘awwed’.

Leah and Seth gather around Evita to help her up and into Sam’s bedroom where she was regain her strength.

Jacob followed the trio with his eyes, unable to follow them thanks to Sam.

While Bella hadn’t been able to be properly introduced to Evita, the visit had been worthwhile. She’d never imagined that magic would look quite like that or that it would feel so intense.

When everyone had a chance to examine the ward, Paul snatched it from Collin’s hands. “This is to be put somewhere with the highest security. This may not look like much but it is essential if we want to keep our territory safe.”

This was not fun and games.

Sam put a hand on Jacob’s shoulder, alerting him it was time for him to go. “She’ll be alright. She warned me ahead of time that this would take a toll on her energy. Proper sleep and food will do her good.”

If Sam hadn’t been Jacob’s alpha, who knows what he would have done. Any other wolf would consider Sam’s posturing as getting in between Jacob and his mate. Hell hath no fury like a wolf being kept apart from their imprintee.

Jacob was still experiencing a heady daze and thankfully didn’t put up much of a fight as he taps Bella’s arm to get her attention. She was still staring at where Evita had been creating her ward.

The simple physical contact coaxed her back to her senses and they slink to the front door. Both too stunned to utter a parting word to anyone.

Bella didn’t know how long they’d been there, but instead of the fuchsia clouds that were highlighted with orange there was now a vast sky filled with stars.

Stars were dull though in comparison to the headlights on Edward’s car that shined right at them.

——

Names that are in bold are ones I can’t tag for some reason

TAGLIST: @saltedcoffeescotch , @dangerouslittlefairy , @burn-crash-rqmance , @casedoina , @avadakadabra93 , @daryldixonstorm , @blue-aconite , @xanniestired666 , @esposadomd, @godinho11 , @arin-swear-rose , @alexizodd , @melaninsugarbaby , @lyeatoalinatoheaven , @ronwownsme , @itsmytimetoodream , @afro-hispwriter , @mutandis-extremis993 , @hxgemxscles , @nightly-polaris , @corrodedcoffins-slut , @ellesalazar , @itgetzweird08 , @crybabyatthediscooffandoms , @sassyandclassyx , @scarlet2007 , @theroyalbrownbarbie , @jennyamanda8 , @stevenandmarcslove , @biancaindaeyo , @loversjoy , @turningtoclown , @vixorell , @xxthackerybinxxx , @daredevilonmyheels , @dumbbitch-juice , @southern-bell-give-hell , @nat-the-gemini , @imdoingathingmomgmom , @emmettcullenswife , @yoong1c0re , @daddykylokenobi , @minjix

[a-strange-echo]

Flufftober day 7: "Porch swing"

Pairing: Steve Rogers x reader

Summary: Just a nice evening with your husband Steve Rogers and his best friend.

Word count: 612

Warning: Bucky's cooking skills (he was distracted by the sight of his best friend ('s romantic moment)), none just fluff

Author's note: This one is very late I am sorry, i really haven't been feeling like writing for a while but it's coming back so i will post every day I missed soon. Also, day 6 migt come very late, I can't find the motivation to write this one, I don't know why. English is not my first langage and it's still not beta read, sorry for any mistake, please notify me if there is any.

Author's feelings: I really like this one, I hope you do too.

Everything was fine now. The war against Thanos ended. Steve volunteered to bring the stones back in their timelines and although you and Bucky were a little scared Steve would stay with Peggy in 1939, he came back. With Natasha. Everything was nice, Tony is alive (thanks to a last utilization of the stones), Natasha came back when Steve brought the Soul Stone back on Vormir, and Steve had his dance with Peggy, like they promised each other back in the days. And the first thing he did after bequeathing his shield to Sam was to finally marry you and buy this house on the countryside he had always wanted. It was a pretty big house, a cottage not far away from the city but far enough he didn’t feel as if he would have to jump into battle at any given moment. The stone walls of the house were perfect to isolate from the cold of the winter but kept the inside fresh in summer. It also had a big backyard to plant some flowers and other plants. But what Steve preferred about the house was its wooden front porch with the swing he hung there. He liked to sit here during cool evenings, watching the stars or just enjoying the calm of his new life.

Tonight was especially perfect. Bucky was visiting and you were more than happy to have him over for a few days. He was helping you cook dinner in the kitchen when you saw Steve sitting on the porch swing. You asked Bucky if he would be alright finishing to cut the vegetables on his own. At first he was confused by the sudden question, cooking together had always been your thing, but when he saw you glance at Steve outside, he smiled and shooed you away. You took a plaid that was laying on the couch after washing your hands of the remaining tomato juice and smell and joined Steve outside.

You tried to sneak up on him even if you knew he had heard you as soon as you opened the door. You were only a few feet away from him when you saw his tender smiled and soft eyes. You decided against your original plan to dump the blanket on his head and instead walked around the swing and sat beside him, draping the plaid over your legs. Steve smiled and took you hand in his. Even after years of being together, it still made your heart flutter when this big, strong man was being so soft with you.

“-You look like an old man, sitting on the porch swing and watching the sunset.” You teased softly, bumping his shoulder with yours.

“-That’s because I am an old man.” he laughed.

“-True.”

You both giggled at that, stuck in your bubble, your own little world. After calming down, you leaned closer to him and put your head on his shoulder, squeezing his hand that was still holding yours. You watched as the sky shifted from blue to orange and from orange to pink. It was so pretty but if you asked Steve, he would respond that nothing was more beautiful than you. And you would disagree, and he would insist that it’s true and you would have a small, funny argument over it. But that didn’t happen today, he just placed a soft kiss to your temple and you knew what it meant: a silent ‘I love you’.

Everything was fine on the porch swing, just two lovers sharing a tender, romantic moment and the husband’s best friend behind them, not daring to interrupt their moment to tell them he burned the food.

[loveroped]

Decided to write for the cat dad au :D

Scar/Ariana and just fluff

no warnings needed I think!

Excerpt! Full drabble under line

"You're staring a bit, you know?" The words snapped him out of his thoughts. A voice seemingly smooth like honey, and soft as a blanket. Maybe it wasn't, but it felt like that.

"I didn't notice," he lied. A soft smile dotting his face. A smile he wore all too often these past days.

Ariana chuckled, it was similar to the way she sung. Perfect maybe.

The room smelled of a morning orange. A morning, tiring yet a start.

Scar originally hadn't wanted to get up at all, having rather just stayed in bed and slept his life away. But old promises were made, and they were going to the mall today. Early, if they went later it would be loud and crowdy, if they went too late nothing would be there.

He's almost sure he could hear Kitten jumping around outside his bedroom door. He wondered where he got the energy, so early on the morning.

But it was now, wasn't it? The thought brought a smile to his face.

Scar sat on his bed with his hands between his legs, rocking himself back and forward. He was done getting ready, he wasn't sure what else do to.

He found himself staring as Ariana wandered around the room, living as if the room was hers.

He'd never be able to tell himself how he ended up in something that seemed so softly pink, yet so velvet red. Time where his fingers would trace over his hand, and minutes later he would have a hand to hold. He didn't often believe in luck, but he'd consider himself the luckiest. And he's not sure what he ever did to deserve this.

The room smelled orange and pastel pink.

"You're staring a bit, you know?" The words snapped him out of his thoughts. A voice seemingly smooth like honey, and soft as a blanket. Maybe it wasn't, but it felt like that.

"I didn't notice," he lied. A soft smile dotting his face. A smile he wore all too often these past days.

Ariana chuckled, it was similar to the way she sung. Perfect maybe.

"You doing okay?" Her tone was full of teasing, but the care wrapped around the words was so clear. It made Scar’s mind feel like a haze, chocolate coated.

Maybe his cheeks were a bit warm. Could he be considered lovesick? Lovestruck?

Maybe that's why he spoke before he could even think.

"It's something about the way you look at me—" Talk to me, love me, think about me, something. "—as if I'm your whole world."

Maybe the words had been illogical. He barely had time for his mind to catch up, his cheeks growing warm when it did.

A giggle, maybe he shouldn't have expected more. And he hadn't wanted less. He was really smitten, wasn't he?

The room smelled of orange and Ariana's perfume.

"That 'cause you are."

Four words, nothing more, and Scar had heard no lies. No real ones and none that he imagined to be there. It seemed unusual, surprising.

He rubbed his palms again eachother.

"Normally I would've argued if someone said that," his words were slightly breathy, still just a tiny bit tired. He didn’t like waking up early.

"It seems illogical and far-fetched."

He watched patiently as Ariana kept moving around their room. Putting everything they needed in the bag.

"But when it comes to you I just—" And he's not sure what he does. He believes, he can actually see it. He doesn’t feel the stabbing amount of guilt or shame. He feels a velvet blanket made just for him. And maybe his tone exposed that, or the way he smiled at the end.

Ariana smiled back.

"Are you guys coming? You're so slow!" A shout rang out from behind the door, making both of them turn their head to the source of it. Maybe they'd been talking too long. Scar didn’t mind.

Ariana laughed, quickly closing the bag and ready to walk over to the door. But she makes a quick beeline towards Scar just to give him a peck on the forehead, like she's done a million times before.

"I guess I'm doing it right then."

And Scar couldn't help but hold her hand and linger for just a moment as she walked over to the oh, so far door, that was five feet away from him.

His cheeks felt warm, the room smelled orange.

Just as she passed through the door, she looked back at Scar for just a second. "Don't take too long, yeah? Or he'll get all grumpy," she spoke under her breath, pulling a chuckle out of Scar just as she closed the door.

And maybe for the first time that morning he let himself take a deep breath and close his eyes. A velvet blanket over his mind, just for him. Something about it.

He was tired.

"—or do you wanna use the backpack?"

"I'm walking today!—"

The words sounded through the door. Domestic almost.

The room smelled of orange, and pink perfume. It smelled of home.

It was early, and Scar was nothing more than tired. And Scar was nothing less than in love.

[mirdance]

Of Monsters and Fudge

Shadow Monster x OC

Rated: PG or PG-13 (there is a make out scene) extremely brief mention of animal abuse, it's not a focus at all. The story is fairly comedic.

Background: I wrote this draft for my stepmom for Christmas. I had to hold back and not write smut. So there will be smut at some point in a different feature. It's original work, so if you enjoy it, please share. 🙏 If you like monster romances and sarcastic monsters who enjoy pop culture, this is for you!

...

Teri had hoped for a dark and stormy autumn day to avoid going out for the evening. Unfortunately, the sun's rays beamed softly, dancing across the bronze gates that led to one of the many alleyways downtown. The old pizza parlor’s rusty sign thudded against the red brick wall in the gentle breeze. Most downtowns in the Midwest looked similar. Nonetheless, the familiar smell of bread from the bakery, the sound of shoes on cobblestone, the river’s rhythmic waves, and the boring historical signs decorating the old Pentecostal churches made the place feel like home.

She clutched a package of warm fudge. The heat wrapped her fingers like a blanket against the chill autumn wind. Once a year, she could be found making this same trek, holding the same type of peanut butter chocolate fudge from the local bakery. It was probably one of her top ten least favorite times of year, but the town’s fate supposedly depended on that fudge, so she begrudgingly bought it with her meager paycheck every time.

On Halloween, it was said that the spirits of the dead came closer to the waking world to visit their loved ones. People often laid gifts or flowers on memorials to honor their deceased. However, this sacrificial fudge wasn’t meant for any typical spirit. Honestly, she wasn’t sure what that thing was, but it claimed to be an otherworldly beast hellbent on destroying the town. Upon first seeing the shadowy creature, she’d instinctively done the only thing she could: thrown the packet of fudge she was holding at it in self-defense. And that’s how their mortal-immortal friendship began.

That was five years ago. He still didn’t have a name, nor did he desire one, despite her best efforts to convince him. If she had to adopt a local monstrous being, she at least wanted to name it. From their conversations, she’d gleaned that he enjoyed masculine pronouns, so she stopped calling him "it." Alas, she couldn’t uncover any history about him. There weren’t any local legends about this boring town, and he refused to talk about himself. The only things he wanted to discuss were pop culture, YA novels, and fudge. He claimed he could only remain in this area and only materialized once a year.

Teri took a deep breath and turned into one of the many alleyways hugging the dilapidated shops. It was still too early for trick-or-treaters or unruly teens looking for a place to smoke and tell scary stories. Halloween was one of the few days people roamed downtown, so she tried to arrive early in hopes of leaving quickly. That probably wasn’t happening, considering she was the only source of conversation this monster had all year.

She stopped beside an empty dumpster and leaned against the brick wall. Even after her short walk, the sun had begun to glow pink and orange. It never ceased to amaze her how quickly the skies darkened this time of year.

Moments later, the sky grew darker still, and a breeze whipped around her, pulling the hood of her hoodie back. She closed her eyes and waited for him to finish his grand entrance. When the wind died down, she opened her eyes. The skies had cleared, save for the shadowy blob now materializing before her.

He spoke. “Must we always meet beside a dumpster? This is hardly the place for conversation.”

“You say this every year, and every year, we decide this is the best spot. It’s discreet and gives us the most time to talk. I can’t help that the buildings are falling apart more each year.” She had suggested other locations before, but he always declined. On the one occasion they’d gone for a walk, he’d refused to cross downtown’s border. She suspected he couldn’t leave this part of town.

He hummed in agreement. “Indeed, as right as always. Let us cut to the chase, then. Show me the sacrifice.”

She fought the urge to roll her eyes. “Here’s your peanut butter fudge, still fresh.” She held it out, and the shadow quickly snatched it, drawing it into himself. To any onlooker, it would have appeared as though a dark dust cloud was holding a floating package.

The white wrapper unraveled, and a small bite disappeared from the fudge. “Amazing, though it tastes a tad different this year. I wonder if they changed the type of peanut butter?”

“I didn’t think to ask,” she replied honestly.

“No matter—it’s still wonderful as always. What news do you bring me? The pizza parlor shut down, so I can’t even watch my shows through the window anymore.”

She’d mentally made an outline of topics to discuss throughout the year.  When he stated news, he didn’t really mean anything politically charged.  He wanted gossip, popular genres, tropes, and such things she’d expect out of a teenager.  “Well, the Withersons got a divorce.”

“No, they were such a cute couple,” he exclaimed after another bite.  “I frequently saw them walking around, hand in hand.  What changed?”

“I think murdering her cats probably dampened the mood,” she replied.

“No,” he gasped. “And why would he do such a thing? I mean, I’ve murdered quite a lot of people in my time, but never cats!”

“I think it was an accident, he ran over it or something, but when they adopted another kitten, it also died under mysterious circumstances, so she ended up leaving.”

“You don’t have any other details?  What are these mysterious circumstances?”

She shrugged.  “That’s all I was able to gather, sorry.  I figured I would update you since you liked to stalk their dates.”

“What else am I supposed to do out here?  They took my TV.”

“Pretty sure you were stalking them even when you could watch TV.”

 “Well, yes, but what they don’t know won’t hurt them.”

She mentally questioned his status as a scary powerful monster for the umpteenth time.  “On that note, I did bring you a book.  I know you can’t touch it once you go back, but I could stop by once a week to read a chapter aloud if it’s to your tastes.” The words left her mouth reluctantly, but part of her couldn’t help but pity his loneliness.  Especially since they took away his TV.  She held out the book to him. 

The shadows danced as he gently took the book.  “I had never thought of that, that is a brilliant plan.”  The book was turned over and over in the air, the pages seemingly thumbed through by magic.  “Hm, this seems like an older book.  And vampires?  Aren’t vampires out of style right now?”

She couldn’t even be offended; it was a cringy book.  “Yes, this was my favorite book as a teen, but it’s still good.  Vampires are always in.”

“I think you are looking through a lens of nostalgia.  From the conversations I've heard in passing, it seems monsters are in,” he stated with an air of superiority. “Well, monsters other than vampires. Nonetheless, I appreciate the sacrifice of your time. Throughout generations, vampires are always coming and going, so it’s a classic that never gets old. However, I hope you will take my tastes into consideration.”

He was needier than any animal she’d ever owned. What was he going to do when she aged?  God forbid she must live in a nursing home and he not get his fudge or entertainment.  Perhaps at that point, if he destroyed the town, she’d no longer care.  “Of course, I’ll take your tastes into consideration next time.  I didn’t think monsters would be your sort of stitch.  Monster romances are all the rage currently, if you must know.” Wouldn’t it have been courteous not to bring up romance to a being that could only walk around semi-freely once a year?  Oh, well. 

Silence stretched between them. 

“I do enjoy staying current,” he said at last. “It’s what keeps me young. Back in my day, monsters ate people, and what are they doing now? Kissing each other? Weren’t romanticizing vampires enough? Do people have no respect for nature’s powers?”

Great. This was exactly what she wanted to avoid. He could complain all he wanted, but she knew he would love this crap, and she was too mentally exhausted to philosophize generational tastes in the amount of time they had, even if it were an interesting topic. “Perhaps they found reading about eating people boring and wanted to up the stakes a notch, I don’t know. Like you said, tastes are always changing, maybe humans will be eating monsters in fifty years.”

The shadows quivered as laughter boomed in the crisp air.  “I’d like to live to see that.  Tell me more, though. I want to know your favorite monster romance novel.”

“Well, the one you're holding was my favorite growing up.”

He threw it back to her, and she thankfully caught it. “Vampires don’t count,” he scoffed. “I want to know. Do people date mummies? Do they kiss zombies? What sort of monsters are trending?”

She stifled a sigh.  “It’s not my expertise.  I’ll have to do more research.  Was there a particular book you heard about that you’d like me to investigate?”

He hummed in thought. “No, I couldn’t hear them discussing any titles, unfortunately, only something about Mothman.”

She nodded.  “Yes, Mothman is pretty popular in media, though I’m not familiar with any novels featuring him.”

“And people want to kiss him?”

“Yeah.”

“Do you know why?”

“It’s not my thing, but I assume that people are so tired of men that monsters seem appealing.”

He laughed.  “When men go around murdering cats, I could see why monsters are appealing.”

Said the monster who often claimed he had a high murder count and threatened to annihilate the town.  “You aren’t wrong.”

The fudge hadn’t even been eaten halfway.  He was truly taking his sweet time.  She placed the book back in her bag to keep it safe from throwing shadow hands.  The next topic on her agenda was local celebrities, one gal had auditioned for a drama and was cast as the side character.  A pretty big deal for a small town, but before she could gather her words, the shadow cleared his throat.

“We could, you know, try kissing if you wanted,” he declared.  “It would be an honor for a mortal to kiss one as old as I, and you’d get to experience something all of these Mothman fans never could.”

She blanked.  The audacity of this thing.  He wasn’t even Mothman, hell, he didn’t even have a name!  He wasn’t famous at all, and even if he were, how the heck would it be an honor?  “How in the world would we do that?  You don’t even have lips, you’re a shadow.”

“Ye of little imagination.  Live a little, don’t you like to experiment?  Is this why no one has wanted to date you all these years?”

She desperately wanted to throw a rock at his nonexistent face, but after years of having a peaceful coexistence with him, she still felt it best not to piss off a possible Eldrich being.  “And how would you even know?  Maybe I’ve been on a few dates this past year.”

 He snorted.  “Unlikely.  I see you running about after your job and going straight home.”

“I appreciate you keeping tabs on me, truly,” she replied sarcastically. 

“Like I have mentioned before, what else am I supposed to do but wait for you to come back? You humans are the only entertainment I have, and this town isn’t even as bustling as it used to be. Perhaps I should destroy it after all.  I could finally be free to roam about as I please.”

This was useful intel.  Perhaps a curse of some sort forced him to stay in one location.  The tantrum, however annoying, was honestly understandable.  “Though I empathize with how much loneliness can hurt, I don’t think I could ever have the capacity to imagine loneliness for as long as you have.  I’m sorry.” 

He stopped munching on his fudge as the shadows twitched.  “I am not lonely.  That is a human emotion I could never understand.”

“Says the one who wanted to kiss me earlier.”

 “I never stated that I wanted to kiss you, I was simply offering so I could experience what is popular and keep up with the times.”

How romantic.  “If you don’t want to kiss me, then we won’t.  I’m not sure how it would work, anyway.”

 “As I have stated, no imagination in that head of yours.”  He sighed.  “I won’t kiss an unwilling participant.”

She stared at him for a moment then peered over him towards the evening sky.  It was like being in front of a talking storm cloud. What would he do?  Just touch her mouth with a part of his cloud shadows? 

“I’m willing.  Go ahead and try to kiss me.”

“There is no try. I will.” 

The sky darkened as the shadow grew and the air chilled.  Momentarily, she was struck still, frozen as tendrils of shadow reached for her arms.  They slid around her forearms and up to her shoulders.  Her skin almost felt wet, and the back of her neck dropped in temperature. She raised her arms in hesitation, unsure of where to put them. The shadow tendrils were icy as they gently held her, as if she were hugging in a walk-in freezer. 

She couldn’t speak as she opened her mouth.  A cold puff touched her lips, like kissing snow.  She puckered her lips but felt nothing solid, only a misty puff of air that circulated over her mouth.  A few people laughed in the distance; as she squinted, she could hardly see anything, in addition to the romantic cover of the dumpster blocking her view. 

“Do you always keep your eyes open when you kiss,” the shadow mocked.

“No, I’m not sure what I’m supposed to even do at this point, I’m just kissing the air.”

That was apparently the wrong thing to say; the wind carried a howl that made the hair on the back of her neck alert. She could hardly inhale as the wind cut her face, and her mouth was, what she assumed, being kissed again due to the misty air chapping up her lips.  She raised her arms and placed them awkwardly against the shadow as she attempted to reciprocate whatever the hell was going on. 

A few seconds later, the wind died down, and what little sun was left warmed her clammy skin. She took a deep breath to fill her dying lungs. No one spoke for a bit as she caught her breath and wiped her forehead. She had expected her skin to be as misty as it felt, but it was left dry.

“Hm,” the shadow hummed.

“Really,” she asked, aggrieved.  “Is that all you have to say?”

“That was quite embarrassing,” he retorted.  “Your skills need work.”

She was going to murder him.  “You could write a book about exactly the sort of things you should never say to a woman.”

“I heard communication is important in any relationship, so I do my best.”

“I think you need to lay off the pop culture, you are as sarcastic as they come.”

“You will never meet a more sincere being,” he replied. “But perhaps if you bring a more appropriate book next time, we could learn a few tricks.’

Yeah, surely she was going to find ‘How to Make Out with your Local Shadow Monster’ at the library.  “I will do my best.”

“Of course you will, I’m sure you will never have a better experience…wait.” The shadows moved haphazardly, as if looking around.  “My fudge.”

On the ground beneath the shadow lay a halfway eaten package of fudge, face down. 

“Looks like someone got too into kissing me,” she stated, bending down to pick up the dirty fudge.  “Do you still want it?”

“The audacity of this woman,” he mumbled. “Of course I don’t what it. You’ve ruined the sacrifice.”

Shit, shit, shit. Shes till had a book to finish at home. She couldn’t let the town be destroyed just yet.  “The shop closes in…” She checked her phone.  “Ten minutes.  If I hurry, I can pick up something.” 

“No need,” he responded. The package of fudge floated from her hand and landed in the dumpster with a loud bang that made her jump.

 “The kiss sufficed,” he continued.  “I look forward to next year’s sacrifice. Oh, of course, I’ll see you a week from today, same time.  Bring a book that’s actually worth reading.”

With that, the shadows vanished into the sunset, punctuated by the distant screams of trick-or-treaters. She wasn’t really sure if it was his time to leave, but she wasn’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth.  As she walked away from their private alley, her ears flushed, and every shadow she came across bored into her, making her question if she’d ever had a moment alone.

[gergthecat]

Kalauri fanfic.

Kalauri fanfic.

KALAURI FANFIC I RAGHHHHHH

anything like them sleeping them smooching them getting MARRIED KALAURI GETTING MARRIED GERGGG

*sighs* if I must

A Very Special Day - Dual POV Kal/Auri

Aurora

New Syldra’s grass is different from Terra’s. It moves more. When the wind whispers across the hills, the grass whispers back. 

They dance together.

The sun slowly rises in our backyard, reflecting off the white roses adorning nearly every surface and painting them brilliant shades of pink and orange. The stone pathway that leads through our garden is still damp from the morning dew. 

The air is cold and fresh.

Kal watches me walking through our garden. In just a few hours, we’ll be married.

I hear the back door open and shut.

“Be’shmai.” Kal comes behind me, wrapping his arms around my shoulders and tucking me safely into his chest.

“Hey, you,” I whisper back. When Kal originally proposed the idea of getting married after Scar and Finian did, he didn’t seem fully sure of the idea. As with a lot of things, he was willing to do it simply because he thought it would make me happy. Since then, he’s come around it more. Syldrathi don’t have weddings. 

“Are you excited?” Even though we’ve spent months planning today, even though I’ve told him a million times that he’s perfect, he still doubts himself. It is one of his more infuriating features, and one I am determined to mend. 

“Kal.” I try my best to look serious, even though the wiggly-giddy feeling I get whenever I look at him is especially strong today. “You are being silly.”

“I would never be silly,” he deadpans before kissing the top of my head. I turn in his arms.

“Are you sure about that?” I tilt my head up, resting my chin on his sternum. 

“Yes,” he murmurs deeply as he leans down. He rests his forehead on mine for a moment. His warm lips meet mine, and for a second, I forget about everything. The wind stills and the sun stops its trek up the sky. The morning clouds blanket us in a summer haze, like the brief rainbows in the sprinkler water I would jump through as a kid.

“Heathens!” Scarlett’s accusatory voice rings in the air.

Kal sighs against my lips and lifts his head.

“Hey, Scar,” I say, wrapping my arms around Kal’s waist. 

“Are you guys ready?” She raises a perfectly sculpted eyebrow at the both of us.

Kal glances down at me as I look up at him.

“We are.”

The sun’s higher now. The morning came and went. Our family fills the living room: Scar and a begrudged Saedii in matching dresses, Tyler and Fin in black tuxes yapping about ships or something. 

The day feels like a dream like it’s not really going to happen. I pry my eyes away from the sunny window to observe Kal pacing in a circle around the yard like a madman. 

“He’s going to make himself dizzy,” Finian whispers to me, noticing my gaze.

“I will go talk to him,” Saedii announces to the group. Without further preamble, she gets up, kicking off the fancy heels Scar made her wear.

Kal

The tradition of marriage is not one I am familiar with. Of course, having been to Scarlett and Fin’s wedding and planning my own, I am somewhat knowledgeable about the customs, but it is an anxious day. 

Yet, instead of dreading it like I feared I would, I am excited.

The door opens behind me. 

“Brother,” my sister's voice cuts through the air like the knife I am sure she carries on her body somewhere. I turn to face her and sigh.

“Hello.”

“Why do you act like a—” she curses. “What is it he called it—” I know she’s talking about Tyler. “—chicken with its head cut off.”

“I do know what a chicken is.”

She lets out a dramatic sigh. “Never mind. What is wrong with you?”

“Nothing is wrong with me.”

Saedii raises an eyebrow. “Is that so? You normally worship Aurora like a dog, and yet, today, you stay away from her. Are you dissatisfied with her?”

“Of course not. It is just—”

“Just what?” Saedii comes closer to me, guiding me to sit down on the mossy bench that sits next to our driveway.

“I am nervous. I am nervous that I will mess today up for Aurora. What if I ruin the ceremony? What if I make myself look foolish?”

“You are being foolish.”

Saedii’s cold hands catch my arm as I try to leave the bench.

“Aurora loves you,” she starts, “And it is ridiculous of you to be so worried. You are the one who proposed this to her, no? The stakes are not so high.”

“Still—”

“Hush. Come inside.”

“Okay.”

“And tell Scarlett to stop making me wear those ridiculous shoes.”

Aurora

Kal and I walk down the aisle together, hand in hand. My pearly white shoes click against the stone. Tyler stands opposite us at the end. Somehow, he is an officiant. Scarlett and Saedii stand behind him. I think I catch Kal’s sister send him an encouraging nod. Finian stands behind Tyler, looking at Scarlett.

We make it to the end of the path.

Tyler starts to speak.

We say our vows. We exchange rings.

We kiss.

After what feels like a millisecond he pulls away, looking down at me somewhat sheepishly as his ears turn purple. I hear his voice in my head. 

I love you, Be’shmai.

“I love you too, sweetie.”

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a/n sorry this took years lol. I'm getting to all my asks very slowwllllyyy. Also, I left a little Hozier easter egg in this.