#When the feline tendencies in you wants to just knock shit over and knock over the christmas tree >:T

[sh1-n0bu]

✿ 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙤𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙛𝙪𝙡 𝙩𝙞𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙡𝙞𝙛𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙖 𝙘𝙖𝙩 𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙥𝙩2 ✿

characters: penacony men x gn!reader

warnings: fluff, slight angst, poor attempt at comedy, slight spoilers for some character story and 2.2 penacony quest, injury and blood mention

notes: another popular demand! this time with more cat bois!!! part 1 can be found here! tho this can be read as its own part too. genshin boys ver is here!

art credit goes to Flambo_19 on twt!

you just can’t keep yourself away from taking in random strays that are an absolute shit to you huh, [name]?

his breed? orange. that’s it, that’s the breed, what more do you want me to say? jk but he’s still orange. american shorthair orange me thinks. friendly, adaptable, easygoing, playful, good with children and other pets — a perfect american shorthair orange

you first found the poor thing at the streets, hiding under a vehicle, too scared to come out or any approaching humans. sweet cat had a broken limb, holding the dangling paw to his chest as he pathetically meowed

thankfully, you managed to scoop the orange cat up into your arms, wrapped up in your coat before rushing him to the nearest vet

since then, nyanturine has made his progress to be your next addition to an ever growing collection of cats

a strangely crow like cat. nyanturine likes shiny, expensive things. shiny rocks? his. shiny clothes? his. material that glitters? his. expensive earrings and diamonds? his. expensive jewelries? his. everything shiny and expensive that the orange cat lays his eyes upon is his now. pretty please, [name] buy him that earring for him to play with?

out of every cats at home — you sure your home isn’t a daycare for cats? — nyanturine gets along the most with dr.nyatio and occasionally with nyelt. the orange and brown cats can be found chatting away, peacefully settled on the windowsill

not so surprisingly, nyanturine is chatty as every orange cats are, except he needs to get used to the human first before turning into a yapper. with you, it only took a week spent in your arms for nyanturine to get used to your presence

just sit him beside you on the table behind his own mini computer with one of his favorite shiny earrings laid before him while you do your work on your own computer and nyanturine will be chatting your ear off in a storm. though, his yapping sometimes tends to irritate the other cats. dr.nyatio being one of them as you watched the bigger cat jump into the table before smacking nyanturine over the head with his paw

you were pretty sure you witnessed an attempted homicide between cats that day…

surprisingly, nyanturine also likes games! card games, poker, monopoly, uno. don’t ask how but somehow you once got bested by your damn cat when nyanturine placed down +10 on you at uno. you nearly ended up behind bars if it weren’t for meow yuan’s big floofy body holding you down—

he will push all of the tokens in front of him towards the table with a meow. sometimes, you swear you can hear “all in!” in his meows but maybe that’s the ghosts in your home talking

out of every cats you housed and still do till this day, nyanturine has the most unique eyes. cyan blue on the inside fading out into a pinkish hue. when asking about it from the vets, all they could do was shrug and say it could perhaps be a very unique ocular albinism or dna mutation. either way, your cats are a fucking model

nyanturine loves the mini fedora hat you made for him as a joke. wears it nearly everyday, every time, anywhere unless he accidentally knocks it over when zooming around the house

a solid kitty if you can get behind the creepy gloving of his eyes in the dark and his tendency to win against you in every poker games

art credit goes to nasuka_gee on twt!

you first found dr.nyatio by… huh? whatchu mean you didn’t found him? you’re telling me he just waltzed his ass inside your home one day through the window and has been making himself one of the many feline bosses of the house just like that? you sure dr.nyatio isn’t anyone else’s cat? [name]? [name], answer me…

well… whatever floats your boat i guess…

the most sassiest out of all of the fucking cats and that is saying something because you literally have nyan heng and meow yuan

a bengal, me thinks. snow lynx type of marbled tan and brown bengal. a smart piece of shit and he knows it, always yapping your ears off about a certain topic. more specifically, anything to do with algorithm, geometry etc etc

but compared to nyanturine and meowhill, dr.nyatio only ever yaps about those topics and those topics only. oddly enough, he kind of reminds you of one of those annoying lecturers at your old university…

very very curious cat. what’s up there? why are you late? what did you bring? what’s inside your bag? why do you smell so different?

pause.

why do you smell so different, [name]? where have you been? who have you been with? why are you later than usual, [name]? [name] answer him. answer dr.nyatio right now before he loses his shit—

oddly likes bathing time compared to the other cats. though, dr.nyatio is a diva when it cones to taking his baths. the water must be lukewarm, not too full so when he sits in the bathtub, the water will be around his low chest area. the bath must have bubbles and those cute yellow ducks floating around or he will not step inside the bathroom

do you think of him as a low class cat? how dare you, [name]

yeah… safe to say that dr.nyatio spends more money on shampoo, hair treatment than you do

gets along with every cats actually. other than nyanturine. the two tend to scuffle sometimes. and sometimes, you can find dr.nyatio just yapping away to the other cats while he points at… an encyclopedia? since when and where did he drag that out from?

dr.nyatio has an odd hyper fixation and obsession with ancient greek things. anything related to them and the cat is not leaving the site or the front of the screen, patiently watching and listening to the documentary about ancient greek and its architectures and impact in the field of mathematics

once, you decided to bring him along to your local clay making club for shits and giggles, making a mini ionic order pillars and he fucking loved it. loves to sit in the middle of the curved placed pillars and have his pictures taken like a model

dr.nyatio also loves the cute cat helmet like thing you made for him from plastic diy materials. it works as something akin to a mask for him and the bengal loves wearing it whenever you have to step outside with him

once, one of your friends who came over at your home asked you why you named dr.nyatio that way

“is he a doctor or something? what field is his research then?” they asked, unknowingly opening a jar of worms upon themselves. you simply opened up dr.nyatio’s favorite encyclopedia in front of your friend as the bengal cat takes his place, starting to yap up a storm as the cat points to random parts of the book

after a good hour or two, your friend turned to you for help, quietly coming to regret their decision. dr.nyatio didn’t take that kindly, smacking your friend’s face back to focus on him with his soft paw before continuing

yep. doctor veritas nyatio, everyone

“meaw! [name], mrrp ammmeow mrrep mrrya! you will refer to me as doctor and doctor alone!”

art credit goes to Flambo_19 on twt!

a very demanding grey korat breed of cat, mr.meowday is

he isn’t much talkative nor is he much affectionate. but what meowday is, demanding and loves control. you once asked your local vet for advice after months of the grey korat telling you exactly how to make his food, which kibbles to buy etc etc and the vet simply reassured you with a “korat breed of cats tend to be a bit demanding and intelligent. they love to be in charge so don’t worry” and a pat on the back

yeah… you have yourself another demanding cat that loves to make you his human slave alongside dr.nyatio. don’t you think you have enough cats reigning over you in your own home now, [name]?

you adopted the poor thing from a shelter near your workplace when you heard the poor thing constantly crying out. when asking the shelter workers, they said that the cat tends to do that at random hours of the day, just calling out for attention from someone or a certain something

taking pity on the poor lonely korat sitting in the corner of his cage with his back to the world, you decided to adopt him, making yet another dumb decision

really loves sundays for that is one of the days that you have time to spend the whole day at home with the cats. and you also love to dub the last day of the week as ‘lazy day’ and therefore, you decided to name him after it. meowday, he was since then

still, even after months of living with you and the other cats, meowday still sits on the window sling, meowing out for someone or something as he wistfully stares out the window. poor cat… you’re still having some problem trying to understand what was the problem and why meowday would do that so you can at least comfort the poor thing

one day while you were showing your co-workers who loves cats as well of your cats and landed on meowday. seeing the grey, elegant korat, your co-worker asked over and over if that really was your cat

you nodded with a furrowed brows, finding it odd that your co-worker would ask such questions. until they whipped out their phone, scrolling through their gallery before showing you… an eerily similar korat

same shade of eyes, same pose, same elegant manner — you would nearly mistake it for your own cat if it weren’t for the slight shade of white grey of your co-worker’s cat fur

a korat as well. from the same animal shelter you adopted meowday too!

after careful consideration and a lot of talk, you two decided to let the two felines meet on the weekends to see if they are perhaps lost siblings, parents or anything along the lines

finally, the day arrives and your co-worker comes over. a carrying bag slung over their shoulder as they step inside. meowday could barely care for your human companion coming over, it happens all the time and he had grown used to the presence of visitors unlike some of the other cats

until he hears a soft meow that sounded eerily similar to his sister. whipping his head around, meowday nearly broke his paws due to his sudden rough landing from the window sling, practically zooming over before tackling the smaller korat to the floor

sad yet happy meows coming from meowday, grooming the other cats’ face with loud constant meows. you were pretty sure that your co-worker’s cat was meowday’s sibling now

ever since then, the grey korat constantly scratches at your feet, doing his utmost best to silently ask you to let him see his sister again, nearly everyday. please just allow him to see his sister, he had dearly missed her. please, he will be a good kitty! the best kitty in the house!

meowday could barely go a day without glooming if he doesn’t see his sister, and so you and your co-worker arranged a weekly meetings and a video call everyday to allow the siblings to meow to each other through the screen

art credit goes to Flambo_19 on twt!

is it a mini panther? is it a dog? no! it’s just your one of the most chillest cats, gallagnya

he’s a havana brown like nyelt— wait a minute, what do you mean he wasn’t a havan brown like nyelt? you sure you got it correctly? the fur sample? huh…?

“gallagnya is actually a bombay cat. brown bombay” you can hear the vet on the phone, your face immediately going pale at the news of what breed gallagnya truly has been all this time as the said cat stares at you with a “mhm. that’s right” face from the kitchen counter

why? what was the reason you were suddenly going pale you ask? you were so sure that gallagnya was another havana brown like nyelt and has been feeding him nyelt’s kibbles for havana brown. in simpler terms, you’ve been feeding gallagnya the wrong kibbles

very wrong kibbles

but don’t worry, gallagnya is a chill cat and he immediately forgave you with a lick to your forehead the next day you came home crying with a bunch of treats and the correct kibbles for the shaggy, brown cat

gallagnya isn’t exactly a mean cat but he enjoyed the look of jealousy and anger on the other cats’ face as you pampered him day in and out for giving him the wrong kibbles. the bombay cat secretly hoped that you spent a little bit longer without knowing his exact breed so you could pamper him more. eh, oh well

the main reason your vet had a hard time finding out exactly what breed he was is because bombay cats aren’t the most easiest to spot or find out. it’s a bit hard to detect them and their breed since they are a human bred cat breed

but at least you have another big cat! third biggest cat after lion like meow yuan and cheetah like nyepard. safe to say you feel safe as hell whenever you go out for a quick walk with your three big cats

another funny thing about the story between you and gallagnya is that… you genuinely don’t know where the fuck the large cat came from. did he follow you home? did he slip in through the open window one day and made himself home? who knows. not you

at least gallagnya is chill. and nice. gets along well with basically every cat except for mr.meowday— “WOOF!”

“eh, it’s probably just the neighbor’s dog going out for a walk in the hallways of the apartment—“

“WOOF!” before you could finish your little excuse for the barking you just heard, you feel the heavy big body of gallagnya pounce on top of you on the bed, effectively knocking the air out of your lungs

… great. not only do you have hundreds of cats inside your home, three of them being nearly as big as predator wildlife animals, you have to worry about the third biggest cat being a barker rather than a meower

when and where the fuck did gallagnya even learned to bark rather than meow anyways? eh, that’s a question for you to find out next morning. right now, you were too damn tired and your bed was a siren that you willingly gave yourself to

you did not found out the answer to that question the next morning. even the vets were weirded out by it since, although bombay cats are indeed seen as dog-like with their playful and friendly nature, they never cane across one that literally barked like a dog

well… at least you can scare people away with gallagnya’s barks…?

art credit goes to Hanres4 on twt!

the siamese mom in me wants to say that meowhill would be a siamese, but the logical brain in me is shouting TUXEDO CAT

and yes, meowhill is indeed a tuxedo cat. one that just won’t shut up and leave you alone

going to the bathroom? let him come along and get real political while lying on the bathroom rugs while you take a shit

leaving for the convenience store? just let him stay on your shoulder while he yaps your ears off about which seasoning to pick— no, screwubaBOO THE KOREAN SOY SAUCE TASTES BETTER ON BARBECUE!

staying home and trying to type up your work on the computer? you have a free proofreader for you who wouldn’t hesitate to meow your ears off and point at some of the things you wrote. he will even sit on your keyboard

due to his yapper nature, meowhill tends to irritate some of the cats. especially those who love their peace and quiet and staying silent

which is a huge surprise whenever you find the mischievous tuxedo cat constantly beside nyan heng, the poor black manx looking dreadful as he allows meowhill to yap his ears off. you did not wanted to get entangled nor did you go over and wanted to hear what meowhill was yapping about

meowhill also gets along with nyagenti! the two cats seem to share a past together as when you first brought meowhill home, the tuxedo cat went straight first to the elegant norweigan forest cat

ah right, speaking of bringing meowhill in…

you found the poor thing with a rotted paws and bad burn wounds. poor little thing was burnt so badly it was hard to tell the color of his fur and he kept yowling in pain when you wrapped your coat around him to rush him to the nearest vet

sadly, his front two legs were badly broken and injured and had no way of recovering. and so, the vets had no other choice but to put him under anesthetic to cut off his front two legs and replace them with prosthetics

due to the nature of his injuries, meowhill required a lot of your and the other cats’ attention. recovering from losing both of his front legs and the nasty burn wounds is a long journey and meowhill needed the support from his new human friend and fellow felines

after a long and sometimes painful 2 months, meowhill had made a full recovery! the tuxedo cat’s fur grew back and he had gotten used to walking and sprinting on his prosthetic legs. you never realized how much of an energetic cat he was until you broke the news that he made a full recovery

though, like meowday, meowhill has a slight problem of constantly sitting on the window sling and meowing out the window. why? you didn’t know

is very protective of little nyanqing. you can find the tuxedo constantly nagging meow yuan and stealing meow yuan’s little cub away from him. holding the tiny munchkin by his scruff and taking him away to dote on the little cream cat somewhere in the house

it wasn’t until you took the tuxedo cat out for a shopping in the pet essentials store as a congratulations for making full recovery and the tuxedo immediately latched onto a tiny, white kitten plush did you connect the dots

poor thing had a kitten before…

you bought the white kitten plush for him of course. you don’t have the heart to wrench it away from him

making a trip back to where you originally found meowhill, you couldn’t find anything much other than an old, burnt, red scarf. you made an exact same replica of the mini scarf in secret and gave it to meowhill for his birthday gift, wrapping the soft silk around his neck snuggly before wrapping the same scarf around the plushie

ever since then, meowhill has been deathly clingy with you and the plushie. there isn’t a single day or night where you won’t see meowhill without the white plushie, grooming it, cuddling with it and taking it with him by the scruff of the kitten plushie

art credit goes to helen_zzhao on ig!

an elegant norweigan forest cat! is his fur, brown? burgundy? red? no one knows!

nyagenti is such a beautiful cat that he competes with meow yuan in their beauty level whenever you take them out on a walk. everyone wants to pet the elegant kitties and it doesn’t help that meow yuan and nyagenti are both such gentle kitties

gets along with every cats! anyone! your friends that came over for a game night, the sitters when you need to be away for a few days of business trip, the neighbors — everyone! nyagenti has no enemies

out of everyone, nyagenti gets along best with nyelt, nyan heng and meowhill. meowhill and nyagenti used to share a past it seemed as the two cats hit it off right away while the norweigan forest cat got used to the presence of nyan heng and nyelt very quickly

tends to yap sometimes — more like pray to someone or something — but isn’t as bad as meowhill or nyaturine

doesn’t really mind bath times but he prefers grooming more than bath times. he has a beautiful long fur and they’re very dense and thick so it takes the whole day for him to finally become dry so, please let’s just settle on grooming? he can bring over the brushes for you!

a very big gift giver! shiny jewels, pretty leaves that just fell, nice shaped rocks, cockroaches— nope. nuh-uh. you are NOT getting cockroaches as a gift even though the thought is swee— OH MY GOD HE DROPPED THE COCKROACH ON YOUR BED!!!1!1!

yeah… your friend looks at you as if you’ve finally lost your mind when they came over one day and saw hundreds of rat poisons, bug and insect killing sprays just racked on your shelf like you’re gonna sell them. in return you simply deadpanned back and pointed at nyagenti who already had another cockroach in his mouth

how did you ended up having nyagenti? who knows. at this point you gave up on trying to keep track of how, when, where you got your cats from. he probably just made himself known in your house one day and you simply accepted the sign from cat distribution system no.195826592649

such a gentlemanly cat. you joke that he can kiss the back of your hand to the guests and guess what? one day, nyagenti actually did do that. the look on the guest’s face will forever live rent free in your mind

really likes red roses for some reason. thankfully, roses aren’t toxic to cats unlike some other flowers such as lily, daffodil, hyacinths but nyagenti’s love for red roses nearly borderlines on obsession in a sense

when asking the vet if there could be any reason or explanation for this, they simply patted your back, told you that you had a tendency to attract weird cats and shooed you out. not fully, but they lowkey did that and said “roses have a nice scent that tends to attract cats or dogs. they might end up taking a bite from the flower but it isn’t poisonous or toxic, so no need to worry”

still, you’re getting tired of constantly living with red rose petals thrown everywhere in your house. so much so you have gotten used to it and just decided to leave it be. if your friend comes over and sees the rose petals as something romantical, you simply shove nyagenti into their faces

unlike the other cats, nyagenti isn’t the most clingy or affectionate cat. though, that isn’t to say he is cold and distant, he does love you! but he just shows it in small ways and in quiet manners

bringing over his brush for you to help him groom his beautiful thick fur, waking you up gently in the morning with soft meows and gentle licks, even knowing to turn on the AC on a warm temperature after your shower because you always come out shivering

and he is definitely the one who leaves the fresh red roses on your bedside nightstand every morning you wake up

[blacksunscorpio]

Heya Scorp! I saw that Uranus will be going in retrograde soon?? How does that affect a Uranus dominant?? Or someone born during a Uranus Retrograde in Aquarius??

Uranus Retrograde

From Saturday, August 15th to Friday, January 1st, 2021, Uranus will go retrograde. Now, unlike Mercury retrograde that causes your past lovers to return unannounced or Neptune Retrograde that causes veils to be lifted and a few unsavory reality checks to hit you, Uranus retrograde can change the aspects in your life for the better. For good. On both a personal and world-wide scale. Uranus is all about sudden changes. Unexpected change. Innovation, Awakenings, and upheaval. It is also the modern ruler of Aquarius that leads the charge in humanitarianism and the civil rights of all peoples. Technology and revolution also fall under his umbrella.  So with that being said, the theme here is to adapt or be left out in the cold. Change, or die. You must be willing to adjust and transform in all areas of your life. The outer planets are merciless when it comes to the themes they rule. Don’t think they’ll cut you any slack. Just like Pluto will MAKE you transform and Saturn will MAKE you learn his karmic lessons, Uranus will do the same. It's here to teach us how to be unique and progressive individuals. So when the planet is retrograde, it's time to start processing, reviewing, and adapting to some of the unruly curveballs that will be coming our way. The good news is, Uranus' energy is halted, dulled, and brought to a manageable level, so that we may finally find a way to focus its brilliance and make use of it. Additionally, with the retrograde taking place entirely within the fixed sign of Taurus, we'll be going through a mental growth spurt and reassessment period when it comes to what we value financially, in relationships, and even in ourselves.

So, How Will This Affect Your Sign?

Aries

You, my firey cousins, will be facing some self-reflecting regarding your spending habits. Mars is all about impulsivity and action, and many of you may have gone a bit ham concerning impulse buys during 2020 [easy to do when you’re “bored in the house, bored in the house, bored" lol]. In these next 5 months, Uranus will teach you better saving methods. Download Credit Karma to check your credit score and stay on top of things. Open a line of credit so you can build. Yes, Uranus breaks but the foundation you’re left in is the perfect space to restructure.

Taurus

This retrograde is happening in your sign so much focus will be on the things your sign rules. Your finances, things of luxury, etc. These next 5 months will be the time to take risks and explore new sides of yourself and your life as a whole. You may surprise yourself with a newfound rebellious attitude that will allow you to take life by the horns [pun intended] and pursue the dreams you never had the courage to.

Gemini

Geminis are social and verbose by nature. Can’t be helped. Mercury is all about communication and he blesses his children with the gift-of-gab. However, during Uranus’ backspin, those ruled by the twins might find that less talk and more introspective silence is the road you choose to walk on. You might go into hermit mode, do soul searching. Meandering your opposite signs’ realm [Sagittarius] and thinking about more philosophical matters. A definite Uranian change to your normal routine. You may opt to keep a distance from friends, and romantic interests you think are up to no good. You’re focusing on yourself and curving drama.

Cancer 

My crustacean cousins, you may have been feeling quite sensitive throughout this year [with good reason]. Some of your sentiments may be tied to feeling the sting of being forgotten by people you care for. Perhaps they’ve let you down in some way or put certain priorities ahead of you. Instead of retreating into your shell, Use Uranus’ energy to focus on those stable and solid friendships. They’ll help you transform some of the more unstable connections into long-lasting and secure relationships that stand the test of time and allow you to feel comfortable again.

Leo

2020 has been a year of dramatic shifts and adjustments, especially in the work sector. Brace yourself because there are more surprises in the cards for you. Your hard work and dedication is apparent now and will pay off regardless of the circumstances. Uranus is blessing you sun ruled felines with promotions. You may triumph over competitors. But even though you are competitive by nature, always needing to be the best/shine you won’t be as thirsty for it. Uranus will gift these things to you. You’ll have opportunities to impress authority figures with your talents, acumen, and resume. NO worries. It’s still your season and the Sun hasn’t forgotten you. 

Virgo

You're mutable. Adaptable always changing. It’s your mercurial influence even though you are ruled by earth, Virgo. During Uranus’ 5 month backspin, you’ll make some shifts, and come to some realizations regarding relationships you’ve been involved in lately. You’ll be reconsidering the choices you often make out of habit and as a result, may be drawn to embrace 'unconventional' ideas regarding love and commitment.  You’ll be freeing your mind from the traditional critical thinking and embracing a new sultry vibe. It will feel liberating as well as exhilarating. Of course, your need for control will still cause you to make sure said relationship and rules are on your terms, lol. 

Libra

You’re on some next shit, Libra. Instead of your natural knack for balance, you’re getting more gall and audacity. You’ll receive some major shake-ups regarding work. Perhaps someone/a colleague will receive accolades you deem undeserving. This will cause you to want to demand more for your efforts. The backbone everyone thinks you don’t have is very much there. It will be strong as steel this retrograde season. Be sure to keep embracing your knack for diplomacy, Play chess not checkers. Try not to step on any toes due to pride or Hubris. You’ll get that balance you’re seeking. 

Scorpio

Uranus will give you the opportunity to transform many of your one-on-one relationships my fellow arachnids. I know many of us have a tendency to tread carefully when it comes to trusting others. Now is the time to let go of that Plutonian paranoia and Uranus will help you break out of your solid black shells. Reel in your stinger. Embrace the flow of this electric energy. You’ll be exploring new depths. Some surprises from the past [people] may come back around snd force you to reevaluate some of the grudges you’re holding. [Don’t try and front, I know you’re holding an encyclopedia's worth of them, lol]. You’ll be able to hear firsthand about their personal concerns, which will result in deepened intimacy between you both, platonic and romantic.

Sagittarius

Archers, your normally exuberant, and Juptierian energy may be a bit lacking.  Energy levels may be feeling at an all-time low. Uranus will allow that energy to return like a lightning bolt. Embrace the downtime you have in these next 5 months. Halloween especially for you will be an exciting time. You’ll be experiencing fresh perspectives, new insights, new levels of creativity, and a few surprise trips along the way.

Capricorn

The Goats. My executive friends, you’ll be dealing with a few of the same themes Scorpio is dealing with. So don't be surprised if this retrograde brings past paramours knocking at your door, begging for a [likely undeserved] second round at love with you. I know it may be difficult because you, like Scorpio, appreciate a controlled environment. You like taking the reigns and starting things yourself [cardinal energy]. Now, you still can, because this retrograde is happening in fellow earth sign. So stay grounded but allow some lightheartedness in. Some of these lovers may be too-little-too-late with their please for forgiveness but if you do decide to forgive them, let that be that. If you don’t, at least find some amusement in the fact that they can’t keep you off their minds. 

Aquarius

For those of you ruled by Uranus or Uranian dominant, this backspin, it’s possible you'll likely run into some unexpected struggles regarding your living situation. This isn’t all bad though, this is Uranus making you adapt. Teaching you to be responsible and adjust at a moment's notice to unforeseen circumstances. You’re unpredictable by nature so Uranus will cause you to act more like the earth sign it’s in this year and focus. If you were born with Uranus Rx, you may feel more at home with this energy. You’ll want to review some of the things that occurred during last year's retrograde transit around the same time. See how they compare to now. In regard to 2020, whether it’s a crack in the wall or a new paint job, you’ll be good and may experience a windfall or two. Spend the extra money to give your home the proper facelift it needs. The results will be agreeable.

Pisces

My Neptunian ruled friends, this Uranian retrograde may cause you to act very unlike yourself. Instead of living in dreamland, you’re working in your square sign’s realm. Gemini/Sagittarian energy so you may find yourself caught up in gossip or a bit of drama. Don’t feel bad, we all have our moments. Your mouth and mind are running a mile a minute. It may be hard to handle. Try to absorb the information yes but also work overtime to keep all the newfound information you come across under lock-and-key. Your mind will be strengthened and you’ll be able to honorably say you’re a tried and true confidant to those who trust you with their secrets. If you do not adapt, Uranus will make you.

Final Notes

The effects of this Uranus retrograde will be the strongest during the second half of October, when a Mercury retrograde in Scorpio forms an opposition with Uranus retrograde on Monday, October 19. This meeting is followed with a full moon in Taurus on Halloween, October 31. We'll feel the effects of the retrograde again on Monday, December 21, during the conjunction of Saturn and Jupiter in Aquarius. If you take away one thing and on things only from all this, remember, Uranus acts as an awakener, poking and prodding us to face those things which we may know intuitively in our third eye but struggle to accept. Such wake-up calls, which are often brutally timed, may force us to let go of parts of our ego-identities. Parts of ourselves that are rotting our energy cores. Just remember what happens in the next 5 months will be for your highest good. Many of you, regardless of sign, will find closure, especially in past relationships both platonic and romantic while also open to pleasant surprises. 

[sinnercerely]

𝕋ɪʟʟ ᴅᴇᴀᴛʜ ᴅᴏᴇs ᴜs ᴀᴘᴀʀᴛ|

To be her’s and only her’s! //  𝒯𝑜𝑔𝒶 + 𝑅𝑒𝒶𝒹𝑒𝓇!

♡ Toga only. However, a poly relationship with uraraka is coming! ♡

🥀 reader-type:

o Black (familiar with African-American culture) 

♡ She/Her/They/Them

o Asexual

♡ Feline Quirk 🥀

—————————————————————————-

Headcannon: Himiko and the reader’s relationship dynamic and love between the two troublemakers! ————————————🔪————————————

(fluff!) |Here kitty, kitty, kitty!

🌸 Possessive

🔪 Touch-Starved

🌸 ChAoTiC/IMPULSIVE

🌸 A week hasn’t even passed, yet she is absolutely DEDICATED to you. She makes sure to kiss all your tears away and clean all your wounds. Emotionally and physically.

🍡 When she cleans your cuts and bruises from fights with heroes, that slimy bastard is all over you (her tongue)! She won’t lick you on the intimate parts of your body, she respects you too much to break your boundaries!

🌸 When it comes to comforting you, she loves to make jokes out of dark situations. Nothing is off-limits for her unless you say so. If you want her to be more serious, she will, even if that lasts for at least 3 minutes. She will always be serious about you, so she will show you that. As long as you give her cuddles for her effort! She wouldn’t want for her kitten to be forced to be put back in their place...though, you do look cute with bite marks, cuts, and bruises...

🍡 Won’t let her help you? Fine. Hope you are prepared for feral Toga. She gets nasty with you by, talking over you, attacking you with her love bites in public, ignoring you when you want her attention, killing everyone in the damn place for talking or looking at you, and cutting you with her knife. The cuts usually are on your thighs, stomach, and arms. She would mark your face, but, that area is for her slaps. Though, don’t worry she would kiss all the tears away and makeup if you wear that. Just...let her love you lol.

🌸 If you have a side job, she will stand in the corner of the store and watch you. Her posture tenses up when someone gets near you. God forbid someone tries to hit on you...at least 5 bodies are dumped in the dumpster at the back of the building. She won’t even collect their blood. Only the tastiest and worthy blood enters her. So...I hope you can handle her trying to suck onto you like a CapriSun lol. Even when you are working. Might need to knock her in the head to stop her.

🍡 Now, is you won’t allow her to be in the building you are in, that’s fine. She will follow you either way. Behind a counter? She is outside the door and staring at you with a hoodie that says ‘Thot Destroyer’. Getting some fresh air? Cool, she’ll stand on top of a building and stare down at you. Taking a shower?.........where are your clothes?

🌸 She has a tracklist of being a pervert, so, yeah, she will take your clothes to admire your body as you search for a new set of clothes...which is all under her butt. But, you don’t need to know that :].

🍡 Insecure about your body? Oh hell no! Not on her watch! “WHAT?!- DID SOMEONE SAY SOMETHING ABOUT YOUR BODY KITTEN?!?- OH HELL NO-” If you have slang in your vocabulary, she will take that crap and slander a bitch until all their insecurities are popping out. She will drag that bitch by their roots (anyone can get it) and disfigure their asses. Just to throw their asses outside with no dignity and missing limbs (if that’s what you want honey) or slowly and painfully end them. 

🌸 No one is making you insecure? So, your thoughts are making you insecure? "Well, when are those thoughts gonna show up for these rounds?". She is kidding of course. She would make sure to praise you every day and 24/7. Feel ‘too fat’? She will encourage you to wear tight underwear and kiss all your fat! Suffocate her with your thighs, please! PLEASE. Discolorment on your body? She will spoil you in products that will help ease that insecurity while making sure it does not hurt your gorgeous melanin!

🍡 Now for the educational bit! Japan isn’t free from colorist ideas and racism. So, you need to be honest about your experiences with being black in Japan. She will educate herself on black culture and history, if anyone tries to deny the damage colonists have created, bastards are gonna be laying cold on the floor. She isn’t ignorant to how shitty black people are treated, especially if you are dark-skinned, just know she isn’t gonna be a ‘savior’ for black people. She will be an ally, she will respect your culture, and hit people with true history!

🌸 Now, back on insecurities, creams that 'lighten your skin' is very common in Asia. So, she would not shame you if you did that or is considering doing that, she will however compliment you. Not for brightening your skin, but for being black. She will praise your culture and make sure to buy things that are very prominent in your community. She will encourage you to start embracing that melanin! You do not have to pay for your thickness, big lips, beautiful big eyes, and THAT SHINE. My dude, that glow on dark skin...welp, she is jealous!

🍡 She will definitely do your hair for you! No matter how long it may take, she will make sure your hair is healthy and moisturized! She will order products from amazon for your hair type if you are going natural, like puffballs, afros, braids, and etc. However if you have your hair relaxed or permed, she will buy the best products for your hair, things that strengthen your hair definitely. Wear wigs? Cool! She will try some on with you! Praise you, no matter what others think, you are beautiful/gorgeous/breathtaking with and without the wig.

🌸 Though, she will need to be reminded to not harshly brush your hair, since your ears are big and blends into your hair (and well it hurts as well!). She will be mindful but will mess with your ears, you will need to bite her hands to get her to stop!

🍡 When she is allowed to bathe you, she will fill the bathtub with bubbles and terrorize you! She will scare you by popping out of the water without your acknowledgment, pull your fluffy tail, and tickle you into submission so she can mess with your big ears. So, lock your bathroom door! But, even then, she will wait in a bathroom counter just to bathe with you, soooo, you do not have a choice.

🌸 Anyway, she goes by the rule, “Talk shit, get hit.” Soooo, yeah, lol. She does not play when it comes to you, no matter how different you are to her, she will love you regardless! You two are always ready to fight for each other, so you two are quite the dynamic! Plus, fashionable! Even when blood stains your clothes, beauty cannot be hidden, love.

🍡 Now for some chaos! You two steal from everywhere! Malls, houses, banks, and grocery stores of course! Toga tends to overfill her bra with snacks for you and her (even if you don’t want to eat something, she will ‘gently’ force food down your throat). She likes to get you thicker, even if you are skinny, she will want some type of change in your body, even if it just shows in your face. Also, she will make sure to get supplies for periods as well, if you have those.

🌸 If you two are unfortunate enough to have devils disguised as the uterus, you two will cry, stuff your faces, force a lot of water into your system, and holding heat pads against each other! Even if you don’t have that, she needs you! The girl throws up, cries, and can faint when on her period. So, cuddle her, make her food (something is southern please! She likes southern food from America! Grits, biscuits with gravy, and sausage please!) even cover her in kisses, she will pay you back when the pain stops :)

🍡 When you two are working in the LOV, you two create a lot of fun. Stealing Tomura’s game systems to throw them in the nearby garage bin, cock blocking Dabi, hooking Mr. Compress up with multiple people (even if they are married 👀), and being degenerates in public while cosplaying with Spinner. When Tomura tries to end you two, Toga whips his ass lol. You’ll jump in of course (don’t worry, Tomura won’t actually kill you two, you two are too valuable to the team. Also, he loves his team! He will kill for you two! He loves y’all too much 🥺). Dabi will laugh his ass off while recording the scene, Spinner’s jaw is on the floor, but he is chuckling silently, Mr. Compress breaks it up, but he does watch for a while and poorly hides laughter. So, Tomura now sits in the corner of the bar and complains under his breath, if Toga looks at him, he turns away and tenses up. Toga is a baddie honestly!

🌸 For softer days, you and her whip Tomura’s ass while playing games (he will use cheats to prevent this! Do not say anything though, he is a brat and will dust your controller right there and then). Next, go to the arcade with Spinner, you two always compliment him to ease his insecurities. When someone says something about his appearances, you and Toga plan a homicide. Now, being lazy with Dabi is rare, but fun. You all chat about random stuff, even if he taunts you two, he does still listen and care (he is trying!) about you two. Finally, Mr. Compress is the person who takes you two out for dinner. Toga eats like a pig, but you and Mr. Compress wipe her off and scold her. She has a tendency to swipe both of you two's food, so be careful, and she does bite if you try to take it back!

🍡 You two made a nighttime routine, which will include cuddles, kisses, and a lot of talking. She can not shut up until you fall asleep, she usually talks about the future and how much she loves you. She is considering repurposing her life because she wants you to be able to reach your dreams without her criminal record weighing you down. Even though you have a criminal record as well, she is willing to do anything just for you to go get a high school diploma and go to college. No matter what it takes. She wants you to be happy, successful, and healthy. Hopefully, you two can change together. She would not look bad in a doctor’s coat, and you would not look bad with a diamond ring on your finger...

[blog-sliverofjade]

Hearth Fires 13: Briefing

Pairing: Remi Denier x OFC

Summary:  Lorel Maddox just wants to live as a human, run her bakery in peace, and forget. Unfortunately, the alpha of the local leopard pack has very different ideas.

Remi Denier doesn’t know what to make of the female Changeling who wants nothing to do with him or the RainFire pack. He does know that he has a driving need to protect her. Even if it’s from herself.

While they’re embroiled in a battle of wills, there’s a war brewing on the horizon. The outside threat could not only destroy everything they hold dear, but tear apart the fragile new bonds of the Trinity Accord, plunging the world into bloodshed to rival the Territorial Wars of centuries past.

Word count: 2128

Hearth Fires Masterlist

Beta read by the magnificent @pandabearer​

A harsh reputation can be the first line of defense.

      -Hawke Snow, alpha of SnowDancer

      Briefing the sentinels on the meeting with Sheriff Shaw was like chewing glass.  The violence simmering under his skin was nearly at the combustion point by the time he was done.  The darkness was taking over, a maelstrom churning in his gut because the strength that came with the frenzy was dangerously tantalizing.  More than most alphas, he knew that strength could harm those it was meant to protect.

      Good alphas maintained order with a balance of heart and harsh discipline.  Without that balance, packs didn’t last long.  The pack haemorrhaged members left and right until only unmated dominants, mostly males, remained.  The subsequent battles for dominance tore the remnants apart.

      He would never hurt their most vulnerable, even if that meant abdicating as alpha.  Both thoughts were abhorrent.  While it would be equivalent to cutting off a limb, he would do it in a heartbeat to protect them from himself should it come to that.

      There hadn’t been time for Remi to take a hard run, which was the only way he could vent the brutality that had been bred into his very bones.  A good, hard fight would be better, but not even his sentinels could withstand the full brunt of Remi’s wrath.  Perhaps later he’d see if Aden was available, the Arrow could take whatever Remi dished out and serve it back with interest.

      Taking a deep breath to cleanse the caustic memories, he clamped down on every vicious tendency with the unbending will that made him alpha and continued.

      “Lark, I want you to negotiate an alliance with StormWillow, see if they’re willing to trade intel.”  Information from an aerial perspective would be invaluable, and RainFire’s network on the ground was stronger than theirs.

      There was already an agreement in place to respect borders- they didn’t fly over RainFire lands, and the cats stayed out of raven territory- but nothing more formal than that.  When things hit the fan, the changelings looked to the predators for protection, and if his gut was right, it was best to start building on that foundation now.

      “Are you picking on me because of my name?”  She narrowed her eyes at him, not realizing he wasn’t in the mood for teasing.

      “Don’t crows eat songbirds, like larks?” Elijah quipped with a waggle of his eyebrows.

      A low growl was the only warning she gave before launching herself across the table at the other sentinel.  They fell to the floor while the others provided a laugh track for the scuffle, some helpfully calling out advice.

      “Hey!” Remi barked and dropped his control for a split second, allowing his power to lash across them all like a whip.  All heads snapped to target on him, the hooligans freezing where they were on the floor.  More than one face went ashen.

      “We’ve got a compromised area on the eastern border, a submissive in recovery from a vicious beating, increasing hostility from Enforcement, and you two think now’s a good time to fuck around?  Can you look Stian in the eye and tell him a little grab ass was more important than protecting the pack?”

      All eyes dropped from him in shame.  He let them stew in their mortification.  Yeah, he could be a bastard, but that was part of the job description.  This was his first true test as an alpha.  If they- if he- wasn’t up to the challenge, word would spread like fire through drought-parched grass.  Other predators would pick them off like wounded deer from a herd.

      “Out,” he snarled.

      After quickly putting the room to rights, they filed out without meeting his furious gaze.  Theo was the last one to leave and paused by Remi.

      “The restlessness is starting to affect more than just the juveniles.”  Without an alpha’s calming presence, teenagers could get aggressive and he sure as shit hadn’t had the internal calm required to maintain order.

      The darkness raised its head at the perceived criticism.  It wanted to rend and maim the offending party.  Fortunately, Theo didn’t wait for a response and made his exit.  Once he was gone, the malevolence settled again.

      The sudden ebb and flow of his ire had him worried he'd inherited the madness after all. Leaning forward to brace his hands on the table, Remi took a steadying breath, though his muscles remained tense as ever. Perhaps it would be best to give Aden a call sooner than later, before he did something he couldn't take back.

      Lorel fussed with the plate one last time; no matter how delicious they were, scones were nearly impossible to arrange aesthetically.  Pressing a hand against the cobalt blue teapot, handmade by a local artisan, she checked the temperature again.  Still warm.  Should she have made herbal instead?  Probably would have been the better choice, judging by the way her hand shook from the three cups she’d already had.

      There was a knock at the door, and she jumped.  Definitely should have made decaf.  She’d been too distracted fretting over the food that she hadn’t heard the car pull into the driveway.  That wasn’t too difficult when hover mode was used, but she normally would have heard it park.  Hurriedly scrubbing her palms on her black capris, she went to answer the door.

      “Tien, thank you for coming.”

      The woman on her doorstep wore a dusty pink ao dai with three-quarter sleeves over flowing white pants.  The long, clean lines of the clothing emphasized her slender form.  Lorel smoothed her own pear green sweater and wondered if she looked like a big, fat apple, because she sure felt like one in comparison to the other woman.

      The little rituals of hospitality as she welcomed her guest helped ease some of her nerves.  Once they’d settled in and been plied with pastries and tea, she sprang the reason for inviting Tien to afternoon tea.

      “As you no doubt heard the other night, I haven’t lived with other changelings since I was six years old,” she admitted, tucking a wayward curl behind her ear.  “I know nothing about what it’s like living in a pack.”

      “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have laid into you like that.”  Tien gently laid a hand on her arm, easing another knot of anxiety in Lorel’s gut.  “I get a little protective, but that’s no excuse.”

      “You already apologized.”  She laid her own hand over the other woman’s with a small smile.  “Would you mind giving me a Cliff notes version of what it’s like?”

      “Oh, honey, you’re going to regret asking me that!” she tilted her head back and laughed, onyx-black hair sliding like silk.  “That’s like asking a grandparent about their grandbabies; they’ll never stop!”  Lorel’s natural smile slipped into the customer service one and she took a quick sip that she didn’t need.

      “As I was saying, however poorly, we can’t afford to appear weak.  RainFire isn’t as big, powerful, or as established as DarkRiver or SnowDancer.”  Even Lorel had heard of those Californian packs.  They were involved in the events that had changed the world and worked to build Trinity.  “Some might see a pack unable to run off a stray cat and think we’re easy prey.  Our laws help keep the peace; without them, it’d be the Territorial Wars all over again.”

      “It sounds like a dictatorship.”

      “Hm, it can be in unhealthy packs,” she conceded after a moment, looking out at the middle distance of the backyard.  The tiny sunroom off the kitchen was set up as a dining nook, and Lorel left the French doors open to take advantage of one of the last warm afternoons of the season, giving them an unobstructed view of where the civilized backyard gave way to wild forest.

      “And in healthy ones?” prompted Lorel when it was apparent Tien wasn’t going to continue in that vein.

      “Anyone, even Jojo, can approach Remi.  Whether or not he actually does what we suggest is another matter because he has to weigh in all the factors.”  She grinned, no doubt imagining the types of proposals her daughter would come up with.  “The mark of a healthy pack is the cubs and submissives.  If they don’t feel safe and secure, then they’re not happy.”

      “So, you’re not a submissive, but you’re not a soldier?”

      “I’m mid-range.”  A slender hand held horizontally and tilted side to side.  “I’m what’s called a maternal.”  Drawing back, Tien gave her an appraising look.  “You’re a little hard to peg, but you’re probably either submissive or maternal.  Definitely not a dominant; you don’t strike me as stubborn, competitive, arrogant, domineering, aggressive…”

      “Don’t hold back, how do you really feel about them?”

      “Dominants will both treat you like spun glass and push and push until you set boundaries.”  Tien chuckled at her wry tone.  “And even then they might try and test those boundaries.”

      “Maternal or submissive?  Makes it sound like I should be barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen.”  Practically radiating feline mischief, Tien gave Lorel’s bare feet a pointed look, then slid her eyes towards the kitchen a few feet away.  “You know what I mean!” she laughed.

      “Maternal doesn’t just mean motherhood.”  More throaty laughter that instead of being directed at Lorel, encouraged her to join in.  “We’re the ones that keep us all together, organize fun things like the party the other night.  A submissive’s role isn’t about power, it’s about love.  They help the rest of us maintain our humanity.  If we were all dominants, we’d end up at each other’s throats before long.”

      A familiar ache stabbed through her chest and she turned away on the pretext of topping up her cup.  Once she had herself back under control, she found Tien staring at her with the unblinking intensity of a predator in her dark, triangular eyes.

      “Uh, does that happen often?” she coughed, hiding behind a quick drink.  “Turning on each other?”

      “Dominants are built to protect, but too many of them for too long and it usually doesn’t end well.  Packs need a balance of dynamics.  It’s up to the alpha to ensure that, and really, in the end, the alpha can either make or break the pack.  Like humans, we have our own tragedies and evils,” she sighed and rubbed a thumb along the handle of her cup.  “As far as I know, and I’m not an expert, we’re no better and no worse statistically speaking.  Some of us in RainFire come from… less than ideal situations.”

      “Jojo?”  Both ocelot and woman were immediately on alert, bristling at the thought of any harm coming to the little girl.

      “Oh no!”  Eyes widening in earnestness, Tien put a reassuring hand on Lorel’s shoulder.  Surprisingly, she found herself leaning into the touch, even imagined what it’d feel like on her bare skin.  It wasn’t anything sexual; it just felt so good that Lorel imagined her skin was greedily soaking it up and feeding it directly to her soul.  Even her animal- usually an angry, semi-feral thing- calmed until it was practically purring.

      “Not my family,” she shook her head and removed her hand to take another apple cheddar scone.  The cat snarled at the loss of contact, its typical surliness rushing back in to fill the void.  “I just meant that some of us didn’t really know how to live in a pack, either, so I’m sure you’ll fit right in.”

      Lorel’s primal half, hurting and denied release from the prison she kept it in, lashed out in the only course it had left.

      “I’m not an idiot, I know where I’d stand in the hierarchy and I’m not about to be anyone’s bitch.”  The vitriol in her voice, harsh and throaty with the cat, startled even her.

      Utter silence reigned.

      Cold slithered down her spine.  Normally, given its druthers, her ocelot would always choose fight over flight, deranged thing that it was.  But some long-buried instinct in the cat surfaced, warning that Tien was more powerful.  Experience taught that, that always boded ill for her.

      The animal she kept so tightly controlled scrabbled to escape, raking her insides bloody in a demand to be set free.  It needed to run and save them both from the situation it created.  She’d long ago learned to allow fleeting bits of freedom to that aspect of her nature before it grew too wild, too painful to contain.  Because of that balancing act, it had been years since she last lost control and shifted involuntarily.

      The pain and ecstasy of the shift didn’t even register to the cat.  Not pausing to settle her fur, she bolted out the open doors, leaving the woman to call after her in surprise.

[winterblues]

hey i rlly love your writing sm!! could you maybe do an andreil one for this prompt: imagine person A knowing person B hasn't been eating properly for the last few days so person A makes them a proper meal from scratch that they can both eat together to make person B feel better? thank you!!!

[Thank you for the lovely prompt & I apologize in advance for the Angst™.]

Neil wipes a bead of sweat from his temple with the back of his wrist and bares his teeth. He’s got that acute glimmer of feral aggression behind his eyes again, Andrew observes, dully.  

The sort of expression often native to a prowling jungle cat attempting to intimidate a potential threat into premature submission. Andrew can’t help but see it as a phenomenal waste of energy, getting worked up over a stupid practice scrimmage, at Kevin Day of all short-fused idiots. 

No matter how close Andrew allows Neil to get, he will never be used to his exhaustive thirst for victory.

How many more goddamn exy-obsessed morons do I have to babysit in this lifetime?
Across the court, Kevin’s got a firm grip on his racquet as he glowers behind the netting at Neil as if through the barrel of a gun. It’s a late fall evening and the sky is a patchwork of pink-gold clouds, the moon sits a shrivel of a crescent in the rapidly darkening distance. 

Andrew watches his teammates with his characteristic lack-of-character, expression neutral as he remains stationed in position, racquet balanced on his shoulders like an afterthought.

He can hear Nicky whinging to Matt about something inconsequential Andrew doesn’t care enough to inquire about, Renee and Allison have been exchanging subtle glances across the court for two-and-a-half hours now. 

During their last sparring session, Renee mentioned in passing that she’d found another sparring partner in Allison. “She wants me to teach her how to fight. Says she wants to be prepared for anything. It’s like she doesn’t trust the world as much after everything that happened with Seth and Neil’s consequent revelation. It’s sad but I think it’s awfully brave of her, don’t you?” Andrew had merely blinked at her, unamused, before grappling her into a headlock she hadn’t seen coming and raising a knife to her throat. “Oops,” he said. “You’re dead.”

It isn’t until Andrew hears Kevin strike that he notices the hesitation in Neil’s jaw just as he slams the ball with lethal force and his knees buckle. He stumbles not even half a second after and Dan grabs ahold of him before he can crumple to the ground. Andrew feels his heart skip a couple of paces just as Wymack blows his warning whistle, calling a timeout. Kevin gawks in mystification for a moment before breaking into a disapproving scowl.

“The hell was that, Josten?” Wymack snaps, striding over to Neil and crossing his arms over his big chest. “I’m fine,” Neil grunts. “It won’t happen again.”

“You’re right,” Wymack replies, with a smile that’s at least two-fifths deliberate condescension. “It won’t, because right now you’re about as useful to me as a vegetable. I’m benching you for the rest of today.”

“Come on, Coach!” Nicky shouts, jogging up to where everyone is now crowding around Neil like he’s some kind of a helpless dog they all accidentally ran over with their cars. “Let’s just call an early mark. Please? We could all use a break!”

“I don’t,” Neil spits, balling his fists to his sides; eyes rapt on Wymack’s. Idiot. Wymack shoots a steely glare right back at him. “You play in peak condition or you don’t play at all. I won’t tolerate this half-assed bullshit. You hear me?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Oh, I think you do. Now go pick a cozy corner to sulk in and don’t return to my court until you’re bleeding stamina or I will knock you flat on your ass myself. Do I make myself clear?”

“But—“

“I said,” Wymack’s tone becomes dangerously taut. “Do I make myself clear?”

At this point, even Nicky shuts his trap and takes an obedient step back, his expression pleading at Neil to do everything within his power to not trip on the Coach’s last nerve.

“You’re being unreasonable,” Neil growls, lowly. Nicky shakes his head in exasperation, just as Dan smoothly interjects, “I think what Coach is trying to say, Neil, as that you seem a little under the weather today. Maybe rest up a little and take it easy for the evening so that you’re better equipped for practice tomorrow?”

“Yeah, man,” Matt chimes in. “We’re just worried about your health.”

Andrew brings his racquet down and leans his body weight against it, still watching quietly from the sidelines. Renee shoots him a concerned glance and Andrew pretends not to notice.

“It’s insulting,” Kevin cuts in, with eyes only for Neil as he crosses the distance between them and parks himself merely inches from where Neil is standing. Andrew can’t say he envies Neil. He knows firsthand Kevin’s tendency to invite himself into one’s personal space whenever he gets cranky. “You’re insulting us all. I don’t know what the fuck’s been going on with you, but you better get your shit together because your breakdowns have no place on the court. Now do as Coach says before you waste any more of everyone’s time.”

Kevin and Neil spend a solid minute exchanging mind-imploding death glares at one another before Neil caves. He doesn’t look happy about it, but he flips Kevin off, turns on his heel and trudges off the court. Andrew watches Neil carefully. The fight is slowly pilfered from his shoulders and he lets his chin droop against his neck. There is something volatile about his defeated posture as he ambles right past the stands and towards the showers. Wymack turns to Andrew, expression irked but knowing.

“Goodbye.” Andrew says, before casually trailing after Neil.

“There isn’t enough whiskey in the goddamn world to put up with you ungrateful asshats on a daily basis,” Wymack mutters, under his breath before blowing his whistle again. “That’s enough dilly-dallying, maggots! We can practice without Tom and Jerry for now. Drop the long faces and give me forty-five laps. We’ll reassemble then. Go, go. Fucking go.”

“Crowdpleaser,” Andrew mumbles, coming up behind Neil.

Neil looks up at him without meeting his eyes. “Agree to disagree.”

Andrew joins Neil in the shower and they kiss until their mouths are numb and then Andrew drives them back home. They’re barely halfway through the door when King Fluffkins trots up to them and curls himself, not unlike a clingy toddler, around Andrew’s boot. “Get your cat off my foot,” Andrew mutters, at once. Neil shrugs off his coat, shuts the door behind them and smiles faintly. “And deprive him of cuddles? That’s abuse. Plus, he likes you.” Andrew groans and has to peel the feline off himself as he cradles King Fluffkins in his arms and deposits him on the couch next to a lazing Sir Fat Cat McCatterson. “Do that again and I won’t hesitate to turn your furry ass into a winter coat.”

King Fluffkins looks unfazed at this remark, but a short laugh escapes Neil. 

Andrew will never admit it, but Neil’s laugh sends a jolt of spring warmth up his spine. The kind that wedges itself in between shoulder blades and seeps into his ribcage. It is so full of raw, fleeting feeling that it fills every gap inside Andrew to a brimming point. 

Andrew sourly notes Neil hasn’t laughed like that in a week.

“What did we discuss about threatening our cats at every given moment?”

“Your cats.”

“Right. Whenever they piss you off they’re my cats.”

Neil follows the cats’ bad example, dropping dead on his back on the lounge room sofa and allowing the pests to crawl up onto his chest. Andrew empties the litter, brings them fresh water and fills their bowls to the top with food before wandering into the kitchen.

The weather grows worse within the span of the hour. The rain is loud as fuck outside. The wind droning on like the hum of a distraught choir. He chops a fresh batch of mushrooms, carrots and green bell peppers. He separates all the vegetables and leaves a stockpot of water to simmer. The oven is preheating. He cooks in mindless silence, all the while wondering why Neil isn’t venturing in to watch him like he usually does. There is something upsetting fizzling beneath his skin, like an itch he can’t scratch. He has this shitty gut feeling—hot and incendiary; an interloper awaiting recognition. He spends longer than intended in passive contemplation and his stockpot begins to overspill.

Andrew lowers the temperature of the gas and yanks the lid off the pot, swatting the steam away as if it were a school of flies.

He finds cooking less boring than he finds most activities in his daily life. Bee says it’s because cooking is an act of creation, which makes it a common stress reliever. People feel better about themselves when they’re creating. 

Andrew doesn’t know about that, but it’s a layman’s job to follow a recipe. 

There is something vaguely satisfying about it, he thinks. Cooking is meticulous and straight to the point. It doesn’t take thinking if your hands know what to do and your mind’s prone to estimate. If the recipe demands half a slab of melted butter he won’t add a pinch more or less. He’s fairly adept at following instructions and doesn’t feel the need to experiment. 

If nothing else, cooking is a way to pass the time and is vital to survival.

Eventually, Neil does float into the kitchen, looking jaded. Andrew keeps himself busy with seasoning and pays him no heat. “I’m going to bed,” he says quietly. Andrew halts, grabs a wooden spoon and dips it into the pot nearest to him, still hot off the stove. “Come here,” he replies. Neil joins his side as Andrew blows softly on the liquid before holding a spoonful up to Neil’s mouth.

“Taste.”

“I’m not hungry.”

“Taste.”

Neil pouts a little, but obediently leans in and takes the smallest sip. “Mm,” he nods. “What is it?”

“Hot and sour soup.” Andrew says.

“Will it taste better off of your lips?” He leans in questioningly but Andrew neatly sidesteps, leaving Neil fumbling. “Sorry,” Neil remedies, quickly. 

“I didn’t mean to—“

“You’ll consume it directly first.” Andrew answers, in lieu of an explanation.

“It’s really good. I’ll uh… Have some tomorrow if there’s leftovers.”

Neil is about to turn when Andrew wraps cold, gentle fingers around his wrist. “Dinner will be served in ten minutes. Go outside and take a seat on the dining table.”

Something dire flashes in Neil’s heady blue eyes. “Andrew—“

“Don’t argue with me.”

It’s a full-fledged three-course assortment of homemade meals and Neil stares at it like it’s making him nauseous just to look at it. To Andrew, it smells heavenly: steaming hot-sour soup and chicken à la king with a side of sweet potato wedges. Andrew feels a pang of something irritable inside his chest. He doesn’t quite care whether Neil likes it or not. He isn’t allowed to be a baby about this. Not any fucking more.

“Eat,” he prompts. “Eat or I will force feed it down your gullet, yes?”

Neil sighs and begins to scoop an insufficient portion onto his plate, rather halfheartedly. Andrew snatches the spoon from him and begins to serve Neil himself, making sure to get an equally ample portion of each item available before helping himself.

“You will explain as we eat.”

“What?”

“Drop the clueless act and stop being this pathetic.”

When Neil merely blinks at him Andrew scoots closer to Neil in his chair, making it creak in protest against the wooden floor as he grabs Neil’s chin in his hand. He lowers Neil’s head and allows his eyes to bore into Neil’s. He’s lost every remaining morsel of his patience. “Do you take me for a fool?”

“No.”

“You’re treating me like one.”

“I’m not trying to. Fuck. Everyone’s just constantly on my ass about everything all the time and so what if I have a bad day or two. Am I not allowed the privilege—?”  

“Fuck everyone,” Andrew’s voice is dull and combustible. “Do I look like everyone?”

At this, Neil lowers his gaze to Andrew’s lips, back to his eyes and something within Neil’s own softens.

“Of course not,” he replies, voice more subdued now.

“I’ve had enough of your mopey bullshit,” Andrew says, letting go of Neil’s chin.

“Explain.” Andrew demands.

“It’s not a big deal.”

Everything inside Andrew knots up like curdled milk. There is a visible tension in Neil’s shoulders that is no doubt going to escape in a torrent; without a moment’s notice. Andrew doesn’t even have to prepare himself for it. He just wants to face it headfirst.

Andrew draws his mouth into a thin line. “If you lie to me again I won’t sit here and tolerate it.”

“It’s not something you’ll want to hear.”

“I don’t care,” Andrew snaps. “Tick tock.”

Neil takes a deep breath and lets it out through his nose and the words tumble out of his mouth like bullet shells. “I know that it’s naive but I thought he wasn’t going to be a problem, at least not for the foreseeable future. I will keep playing Exy until there is none of me left. That’s the deal. That’s how it goes but there are things I can’t control—if something happens to me? Something that makes me incapable of playing and—and then, he’ll turn the Foxes into collateral damage in my war.” Neil glances up to meet Andrew’s unflinching gaze. “Ichirou,” he says, the name sounding like a strained chord on a busted up guitar. “He flew down for a meeting and paid me a visit on a whim. He said things. He fucking—“ now there’s a keen rage seizing him. “He fucking threatened your life!”

“He’s threatened my life before.”

“Exactly! He’s made his point. I get it. We get it. This time, he was doing it to taunt me, to remind me that we’re all ultimately just pawns on his sick little chessboard. He’s screwing with me.”

Andrew leans calmly back into his chair and says nothing, waiting for Neil to calm down. At this point, Neil is seething, his breath choked out in rattled gasps. He’s got a white-knuckled grip on either end of the table.

“That wasn’t something I could stand. Listening to that bastard pompously claim all the things he could do to you, count off the ways he could make you disappear without a trace. Why should I have to put up with this crap? Why do I have to keep living beneath the Moriyamas’ shadow? Sitting there, listening to him recite what he’s capable of—hurting you. It reminded me that I’m still the Butcher’s son, that I should be raining hell down on anyone who even thinks of touching us—Touching you.”

Neil is shivering now, his words coming out in escaped sobs. His entire body’s a wreck. He’s a wreck.

Andrew’s stomach twists as conviction stronger than anything Andrew’s ever felt burns in Neil’s voice.

“Do you remember what I told you?” Andrew asks, promptly. 

“I—“

“What did I tell you?”

He watches the muscles work under Neil’s clenched jaw.

“To bury Nathaniel in Baltimore with his father.”

“Neil is your only truth from now on, or have you forgotten?”

“I haven’t.”

“You cannot object what is irrefutable.”

“I won’t let them, Andrew. I can’t… Because that would be pathetic.”

“If there is a single part of you that is still Nathaniel, I do not want anything to do with it. Are we clear?”

Neil is at an utter loss of words before he attempts to gather himself, something unsteady flashing in his eyes. Andrew does not care if his truth is a harsh pill to swallow. Neil will learn. This is the man he chose to protect, the man he sleeps with, the man who is his.

Another irrefutable truth—Neil Josten; not some phantom burnout son-of-a-killer.


“Are you digging him back up?”“No. What’s dead is dead.”

“Good,” Andrew won’t admit the relief his words warrant. “I want you to remember you said that.”

“It’s just—“ Neil sighed. “I haven’t been able to eat or sleep since talking to him. I keep seeing your dead body at my feet or— or worse and I feel like throwing up. It’s that same, ringing sense of dread all over again. The dread I felt when Riko threatened you, before I made my decision to go to Evermore. All I can think about is the need to eliminate the threat. I want to kill him.”

“Don’t be irrational.”

“I can’t just let him get away with this.”

“That is exactly what you’re going to do. Neil,” Andrew says. “Yes or—?”

Bright eyes sharp as stained glass. “Yes.”

Andrew takes Neil’s hand in his own and presses it to the side of his neck, just beneath his jugular vein so that Neil can feel Andrew’s pulse beating underneath the skin there. “Not to indulge your creepy neck fetish or anything but,” he cups his own hand over where he’s holding Neil’s. “I’m here.”

“Whenever—if anything happens, I’ll still be here.” Andrew says. “Nod if you understand.”

Neil lets out another shaky breath and nods slowly, eyes steady on Andrew’s. Watching him unravel on his bad days is always somewhat of a stale realization. There is a part of Andrew that thinks it isn’t fair. When did things become this critical? Before… He wasn’t feeling unless he was feeling empty, the only time the world felt real was when he was standing at the edge of it, staring down at what could quite possibly be a bottomless death. He never used to know what to do with his hands, not until Neil had reminded him, anyway. 

“They’re your hands,” cigarette lounging lazily at the corner of lips chapped stupid, eyes so wide they could be confused for open sores, hair ruffled in the wind.

He’d wanted nothing.

Now he is surviving on that very nothing, cultivating a life from every breath that leaves nothing’s lips.

Careful what you fucking wish for.

Neil’s fingers are warm as they curl up to grip the back of Andrew’s neck. He still looks shaken, furious; as if he wants to turn the world on its head and fight it. There’s still an unkempt tenseness to his posture. Andrew hates it. 

“I don’t care,” Neil announces. “I don’t care if they kill me. Ever since I was born I’ve been ready to die if it comes down to it. That’s the philosophy I was raised on.”

Andrew reads the implication on his face even before he has to make it clear.

“They can’t have you.”

You think it’s cute throwing my own words back in my face?

“Still playing at rabbit?” Andrew says, after a pause. “You know better than to waste energy fretting over shit that you can’t control, or have you not learned anything?”
“My learning curve’s a horizontal line, remember?” Neil replies, a suggestive hint in the twist of his lips.

“Coincidentally the position you’ll be lying in your coffin when I’m done with you.”

“Death kink or neck fetish. Which one’s weirder? We should ask Nicky.”

“I hate you.”

“Me too.”

“I mean it.”

Neil’s fingers against his skin. Alive, alive. 

“That’s what I love about you.”

Andrew scoffs and pushes Neil’s hand off before turning back around in his chair. “Your food will get cold,” he mutters, tone finite.

“Okay.”

“The next time you skip a meal you can sustain on whatever the cats are having.”

“Thank you.”

They eat in the sort of silence that swells over a small town after it’s been ransacked by a hurricane but still left standing. It’s a dizzying, electric sort of silence. The sort you can feel in your bones. When they’re done, Neil helps clear the plates away and they pad up to their bedroom.

King Fluffkins follows as Sir Fat Cat McCatterson continues to doze in his delegated spot.

“That was the best dinner I’ve ever had. I’ll starve myself all the time if that means you’ll cook for me more often.” That dark look in Neil’s eyes has dissolved into something clearer as he rolls over onto his side and begins to press kneading kisses down the side of Andrew’s jaw.

“Shut up.”

“It’s true,” Neil’s words are muffled against Andrew’s heated skin. “You know last week, Nicky was treating all of us to dinner and he asked me what my favorite dish was and I told him I didn’t actually know. Dan and Matt totally freaked out.” Neil’s hand stills over Andrew’s cheek for a brief moment. “My mother never used to cook. I know how to whip up your standard meals. Enough to keep me going. Omelettes, sandwiches, breakfast burritos. You name it. I’ve pretty much got microwaving down to an art form too, but I’ve never eaten anything like… This.”

Neil leans over and presses a soft kiss to Andrew’s lips, the kind that spreads out like the petals of a flower.

“It tastes like real home food,” he smiles against Andrew’s face before gently meeting Andrew’s unwavering gaze. 

“You can touch me if you want.” Andrew’s voice is hoarse.

Neil looks slightly hesitant as he lets one of his hands gently slip beneath the hem of Andrew’s shirt.

Andrew closes his eyes at the contact. Neil’s touch is respectful, delicate, debilitating. Andrew’s skin is fever-warm against Neil’s cool fingertips. Andrew doesn’t want Neil to be able to detect the shortness of his breaths but he can bet Neil feels them.

“I’d like to extend my compliments to the chef,” Neil says, fingers faltering along the waistband of Andrew’s sweatpants. “Properly.”

Andrew grunts a quiet affirmation and Neil slides down, pulling the covers over his head. 

He pushes the covers away in quick retaliation.

Eyes intent on Neil’s.

“I want to see you.”

[begrimedchains]

[What Goes Around]

   @mustscream

Well, excuse me for not being up to date on the fucking lore, she wants to snap back at him. My laptop’s too shitty to run Dead by Daylight and it’s kind of hard to glean much about you from Let’s Plays and IGN screenshots.

She bites down on the response, naturally. Not because she fears Killer’s wrath- not his or any other’s, though just the snarl of his monstrous chainsaw’s idling motor sets her teeth on edge. She just knows he’s not going to understand what the fuck she’s talking about; thus, the sarcasm would be wasted on him.

She’s come to learn the hard way that you can’t afford to waste anything in this place. You waste supplies, you end up paying for it when you have nothing left to help you later. Waste time, and victory slips through your fingers like the proverbial sand in the top bulb of an hourglass.

Wasting words is just liable to get you looked at funny, and deliberately marking herself as an outsider- distinguishing herself from the rest of the group, whether by what she says or what she does- seems almost suicidally stupid.

The less she lets on about what she knows, the better. She doesn’t know how much the Killer knows about her or what role she has to play in this world, but the last thing she wants to do is draw any more attention to herself than absolutely necessary. They all seem to be in the same boat, to a certain extent- Survivors and Killers alike, they’re both prisoners of a higher force- but if the Killers start taking too much of an interest then that means the Entity they serve is definitely going to start taking an interest, and that’s the last thing she needs.

This isn’t my world any more, she reminds herself. None of this is even real. I shouldn’t even be here, but until I get out of this place I need to play along.

After all, THE ENTITY IS ALWAYS WATCHING. She remembers seeing the words scrawled on to a scrap of paper that looked as though it had been torn out of some kind of notebook or journal, the words standing out in deep red against the paper, dirtied and weathered with age, but someone had gone to the trouble of not just circling the capitalized words but also underlining several times in big, thick strokes. That’s the kind of thing that tends to make even the most cryptic phrases stick in the memory, even if she only had a vague inkling of exactly what they meant until recently.

“Screw you.” She spits the words back at the Killer in a voice that sounds a lot braver than she feels. She’s not actually all that bothered by the taunt ( God knows she got called a lot worse in middle school ) but for her part, she pretends to be outraged enough to snarl an addendum to her first response; “It was a figure of speech, you inbred hick-shit.”  

 If the little witch thought of herself as “underneath” Shadow-Ma’s radar, then she was more delusional than Dwight after the stuttering leader lost a few pints of his blood to the Crooked’s cruel urge to smatter himself like a toddler with an open jar of mashed tomatoes and little supervision to stall his messy mission. One did not simply borrow the spider god’s abominable possessions even for the shortest spurt of a second, without the ruler of the realm taking notice. Sure, the owner of those gruesome talons might not have been well-informed of the situation that spirited him away, but it surely took stock of its black fleeced flock to realize one of its own had ceased to exist for a peculiar period of time that it could not account for even if it weaved an excuse in silk to fill the unaccountable gap in its wicked web. Bill was plenty of nasty habits, but blabbing didn’t tend to dwell alongside the tendency to clip his toenails on the front porch of what remained of the Thompson’s. And seeing as Shadow-Ma had yet to inquire the “where” in his whereabouts as of late when he’d showed up too late to stop a generator-fixing circle-jerk, the Crooked had merely submitted to Her touch with slanted shoulders bowed as talons, usually tipped in malice for nights they suffered through no sacrifices skewered onto their cutting edges, stroked the creases of his deformity’s mask like frantic fingers fussing over a lost feline’s fur after it had found its way home again, a few patches of fur missing, but lively enough to yowl a greeting and scratch at the door for its supper.

  So it came as no surprise to him when the spider god began monitoring him from its lair in the sky, a distant pair of millions of eyes he could feel whenever they honed in on him when the coarse hairs growing into a mane along his shoulder-line, bristled to attention as if his pores could sense impending company that would take stock of his body parts one by one to ensure not a single piece of the god’s buzzing toy went missing again. Of course, that was giving the little witch too much credit to not drag him through some worm hole or another like last time. This was the result of her continual beckoning and she really had no one to blame but her own insistence on interfering in his affairs, whether accidental or intentional. Once he felt the draw pulling him back to that place beyond the pulsing veil of a blood-orange cloud, Bill had dug his heels in, and with the Entity’s tendrils tying his boots down, jerked back on whatever lasso of a link this witch had looped around his neck without him knowing. Needless to say, another survivor spiraling into the realm of the Entity was nothing out of the ordinary, per say. They all arrived in varying fashions, some hand-picked--others accidental.

  Luckily for her, she looks like an accident--the kind only a rusty hanger could cure. “Sounds like yer enjoying yourself.” Is that desperation he smells? She’d had a distinct scent of pillow fluff on arrival, and now she has that survivor stink about her, onion pits and all. Oh look, she’s even picked the spitty nature of the cuntier ones. Evan would knock it out of her soon enough, he supposed. The Trapper had a tendency to break in the new recruits--predator or prey. Nothing out of the ordinary for a guy who probably got off on hearing his own overalls squelch, Bill muses while sizing her up from an uncomfortable distance of about zero personal space. She was nothing compared to his eight and a half feet, except maybe a nail with eyes he’d love to smash into the ground with Old Faithful. He pops the grimy head against her chin and nudges her back to show how small she really is.

  “Good. Git a taste of yer own meddling medicine. Maybe then you’ll stop assumin’ addresses.”