#alone in the world is a little junk bug

[lemonnbug]

Bug under cut

Alone in the world is a little junk bug

[nomoreusername]

Lily of The Valley (Part 10)

Pairing:Aris x female reader

Summary:While looking around the train, you end up finding a bittersweet form of entertainment.

We had spent the morning looking through crates of stuff. While we found the usual survival things like first aid kits, knives, food, whistles, bug spray, and more, there were also just random things with no theme.

“You think I would look good in a tutu?”He asked, holding one up.

“Only if you added wings,”I answered, holding a clear pair with pink glitter up.

“Now all I would need is a tiara.”

“Yeah. You would make a beautiful fairy princess.”

“Oh definitely,”He nodded.

“Do you think I would be a pretty fairy princess?”

“You’d be the prettiest in the whole world,”He grinned, obnoxiously poking my shoulder. Rolling my eyes, I slapped his hand away. “Oh, come on. You know you love me.”

“No.”

“Don't act like you wouldn't marry me on the spot.”

“I wouldn't,”I repeated.

“Hey, candy,”He said, picking up a random bag.

“It's definitely stale,”I pointed out.

“Yes, but it's also very colorful,”He shrugged. Rolling my eyes, I dug through a box of unorganized junk.

“This seems interesting,”I mumbled to myself, looking at a journal.

“I wanna see,”He said quickly, resting his head on my shoulder to look at the item in my hand.

“It's a notebook,”I told him, opening the first page to see that it was written in. Slightly turning my head, I met his eyes to ask.

“You should absolutely read it,”He answered.

Keeping it open, I made it flat as I held it up.

“Read it out loud.”

“You have eyes,”I sighed.

“But I like hearing you talk.”

“Aris-”

“Just for a little bit. Please?”

“Aris-”

“I’ll read a page to you after?”

“Fine,”I gave in. Leaning my body against him, I put it on my lap as he buried his face a little more in my neck.

“I don't know where to start so I’ll just write. I don't think anyone will find this so I’m just gonna say whatever. Hey, I’m Esme. My entire family is dead so now it’s just me, the obnoxious neighbor boy who doesn't leave me alone, and his cat. We’re trying to get to safety. Said neighbor boy is named Xavier. He’s also my best friend, my only friend. Well, him, and the cat, Cat. He’s not very good at names so if we get an animal somehow I’m picking that. Anyways, Xavier is all kinds of weird. He likes doing things on a whim and drags me with him. He lives for adventure and new things. He likes to flirt with me for fun. He’ll probably get us in trouble one day and is the only good thing in my life.”

Stopping for a moment, I adjusted the book in my hands before continuing.

“I’m way different from him. Cautious, planning ahead, making sure the coast is always clear. I don't mind though. I know that if it ever went wrong, he would put himself in the way of fire for me. He would always put me first, and I’ll do the same for him. All we have is each other. If we lost the other, we’d be alone. Just like that, the world would have no meaning. There would be no goodness. There would be no hope. Everything would be dark,”I trailed off, whispering a little as I got to the end of the page. Sitting there with nothing but his music, we stared at the window, still pressed against each other.

“That’s really bittersweet,”I whispered.

“A lot of things in life are,”He mumbled, his voice giving away exactly what he was talking about.

“It gets more sweet as life goes on. Sometimes,”I pointed out.

We stayed there and simply listened to both our thoughts and his playlist. It was another love song. The lyrics were soft, something that left goosebumps on my skin. Even the words ‘no shirt, no blouse' were sung in a way that felt poetic. The words before and after that put it together, almost as if to say that physical love, while nice, will never, ever be all there is.

“You know what this song reminds me of?”

“What?”

“The first few months in the bunker.”

× ~ × ~ × ~ ×

The heaters weren't exactly up and running. We didn't quite know how to make them yet. We would soon though. We didn't have a choice.

The Double T’s had their space. Aris and I had ours. It was nothing really. Items for leisure were put in a small section, survival items were separated into boxes, and that was basically it.

We didn't really have a choice. It was either body warmth or freeze. The choice was obvious. Besides, this wasn't our first time falling asleep together. We used to lay next to each other, reading our books until we couldn't even keep our eyes open.

With his arms wrapped around my stomach, he held me close as we kept the blankets over us. My head rested on his chest as I tried not to shiver. His breath was cold on the back of my neck, showing that he was trying to do the same.

“It won't be forever,”He whispered, his voice shaky.

“I know,”I nodded, mine just as off.

“It's going to be okay, sweet girl. It's going to be okay,”He repeated.

Knowing that he was saying the words just as much for him as he was for me, I let him say them as much as he wanted. Taking them in as well, I held him back while tracing circles on his hands to silently promise the same.

× ~ × ~ × ~ ×

“Yeah. We’d have to sleep in the same bed just to keep warm,”I nodded.

“Yeah. Now look. We finally got our own beds only to be sharing a space all over again.”

“Yeah. I guess so.”

“Bet you're disappointed about that, huh?”He asked a little quieter than normal.

“Not at all,”I admitted.

“Really?”

“Yeah. Why would I mind? It's nothing new. We’ve done that since we were kids.”

“Oh.”

“Do you mind it?”I questioned, turning away and leaning against the seat to face him.

“No. It's nice to know that you're still here. It's kind of . . .”He trailed off.

“Comforting?”I guessed.

Meeting my eyes, a small smile spread across his face.

“Yeah. Comforting.”

All Parts

[howlingchampion]

Hank (ShredForce) head cannons

Due to Hank and Ronny being teens in the show, I’m not gonna make NSFW head cannons for them, only little oneshots and SFW ones :)

Affection: In public I imagine he wouldn’t show it too much, maybe hand holding or side hugging, but at home he’ll be a big cuddle bug :)

Best friend: Apart from Ronny and Lucas (Maxmagic’s name for Locust from the pilot), it’s assumed that Hank doesn’t have many friends, so with you being one of his only ones, he’d tease you a ton but would always be searching for validation

Cuddles: Again, public is a no-no. Gotta keep up that punk persona 😤 alone is a whoooole other world. Clingy. That’s the best way to describe it. I’m picturing him needing to be in the same room otherwise he’s super bored and lonely 😭

Domestic: NO. Cleaning? Cooking? Nuh uh. If you really wanted him to he’d try, but it probably wouldn’t be very good :( but he wouldn’t care as long as you still say you’re proud. Gotta feed his ego

Ending: Hank most likely would break up through text due to him -being a chicken- deciding it’ll soften the blow

Family (Changed Fiancé to Family cus he’s a minor. This is also not a couple head canon. This one is purely just you being a family member): Hank would tease and pick on ya non stop. Doesn’t matter if you’re older. He’s defend you too

Gentle: Two different worlds. Publicly and with the gang? He’s kinda rough (play fighting/name calling) but alone? Oh he’s a softie. Always seeking validation from you and trying not to hurt you. I imagine it even took him like a month to even cuddle you because he didn’t wanna make you uncomfortable by laying on you 😭😭

Hugs: Side hugs are preferable, but out of prying eyes, he’s all for bear hugs and hugs while he’s doing something. Like on his guitar? Yeah he wants you sitting behind him and wrapping your arms around his neck lol

I Love You: It’d probably take him like a month max to say he loves you. He’s scared you won’t say it back :( he also doesn’t wanna let his friends know he’s soft on you

Jealousy: BIG TIME. Phil comes in Rockin Ricky’s for pizza and starts being somewhat nice to you since you’re new? Yeah. No. He’s annoyed the second Phil or anyone else touches you anywhere or even stands near ya. Not even Ronny is safe lol I feel like Hank would move Ronny away from you and be like “dude you’ve already got a chick bug off mine”

Kisses: At first nothing. Always checking that his breath is okay and starting to actually brush every day. Takes a few weeks then he’ll probably spring a little peck to your cheek or the back of your hand when he’s holding it. After that, when you’re alone, he’s jokingly peppering kisses on your face and shoulders. I imagine he was scared to actually have his first kiss with you, but after that? Definitely gonna want to make out every other day lmao-

Limitations (Changed Little Ones bc he’s once again- a Minor): Hank would definitely put limits on stuff you shouldn’t do in public. Not that he doesn’t want to, he’s just worried you’ll be picked on by Phil or your friends will try to convince you to dump him

Morning (Sleepovers nothing NSFW): Sleeps late so there’s not many ‘mornings’ per say, but when you wake up together, he’s all cuddly and tries to get you to stay in bed with him

Night (Sleepovers nothing NSFW): I honestly don’t think he sleeps very much but when he does, he’s OUT. Like you get a goodnight then you look over and he’s snoring instantly. If not, then he’d be up watching tv with you and eating sooo much junk food

Open: I actually head canon that he’s got slight separation anxiety and ADHD (I tried to look for evidence in the pilot and found some but that’s just what I gathered 🤷‍♀️ plus it’s for fun) so when Hank gets with you, he kinda tries to beat around the bush but eventually tells you. He doesn’t at first cus he doesn’t want you to think he’s too weird :(

Patience: The ADHD head canon comes into play with this so I assume he would try to be, but after a little he’d try to focus on something else, or if you’re telling him something he’ll ask you to hurry up (he’s not being mean he’s just anxious)

Quizzes: Oh boy. He tries to know about you and your likes, but honestly he kiiiinnndaaa…forgets most stuff. Not his fault he also forgets his own important things 😬 Ronny is his calendar 🤦‍♀️

Remember: Again, not the best with this area, but he really does try lol-

Security: Yep. Protective. Only when Phil is around and if he’s saving the world with Ronny in their hero forms. Otherwise he knows you can handle yourself. You got with him anyway lol

Try: Hank definitely puts effort into the relationship even if you don’t see it. He wouldn’t get with you for no reason (I also head canon him as a Pan Demisexual)

Ugly: He wouldn’t tell you about being a part of Shred Force until you randomly find out, then he tells you EVERYTHING

Vanity: Honestly…I doubt he cares much for his appearance apart from his -clearly dyed- hair, so he wouldn’t care what you look like either

Whole: If you and him dated for at least three months then broke up? Oh he’s devastated. That poor boy wouldn’t even wanna save the -leveled- city :( you are his world. Or at least a big chunk of it

Xtra: His little sister Harmony (OC by Minareee3) LOVES but also doesn’t understand how you got with her weirdo brother, but she’s super jazzed that she might get a big sister someday :)

Yuck: He would hate if you liked Phil or Nordic Bunny and would lead to fights :(

Zzz: Out like a light when he hits the pillow lmao-

[some-creep]

Hi I stole this idea and was too lazy to make new pictures teehee

The details of the complex inner workings of my mind below

Callie signs her name with a heart, Marie is too lazy to finish signing her name it just trails off to nothing.

I don't have specific heights in mind just that Marie is taller (Callie is wearing platform shoes in 3 sorry it's a fact). Also in fable the range skills make you tall and the strength skills make you buff so charger/roller get that too. Simple.

They r the same age. Unless it's funny. Aka one of them being like when I was your age then they explain what they did a week/month/whatever ago.

Not girl, hashtag girl. Callie also isn't picky about who she's with.

Marie was very Girl when she was working as an idol but she's free now. Also she only likes Callie because mental illness.

Callie decides who gets to be the big spoon sometimes it's her sometimes she wants to be held, Marie doesn't really have a preference tho.

Callie steals clothes and loses them, she has that vibe. She has So Many and still takes Marie's. Marie doesn't necessarily want to lend them but Callie will just take them anyway.

Marie isn't a pet name kinda squid... She'll use Cal but that's just a nickname. Callie loves pet names because they embarrass Marie.

Yeah yeah introverted extroverted we know this one.

Callie loves to say I love you and all of that. Marie isn't very good at expressing her emotions thru words but she does things to show she cares.

Callie isn't waiting for a confession because she doesn't necessarily know one is coming. Marie however will eventually breakdown and say it and think Callie will hate her and think she's gross but that doesn't happen.

Marie doesn't like bugs but she has to be brave 😔

Callie splantoon cuttlefish canonically cannot drive. At least, she couldn't before. I just assume she hasn't had time to learn since. Marie doesn't like to drive but she will.

Callie can't cook but would be happy eating candy and junk food. Marie can cook, hypothetically, but usually doesn't because. Y'know. The depression

Marie gets nervous about Callie being publicly affectionate because what if someone sees and gets suspicious. Even in a it's ok no one cares world I think she'd still get embarrassed and just not want people talking about it (everyone totally does). Callie loves affection any time any where.

:) Marie will disappear you if you're bad to Callie. She was always protective but after 2 she maybe went a little. Hmm. Callie is afraid of being alone so she ends up being over protective about Marie at times, too, but more. Normally.

Callie loves dates and going out and casual relationships and meeting new people. Marie misses when she had the idol excuse as to why she doesn't date. She feels intensely inferior because Callie HAS been with people with experience, so what if Callie is just humouring her? She isn't as good as the other people. Callie could be with anyone...

Listen. I think Callie has an insanely high sex drive. So much so Marie has given her permission to just "do whatever" even when she's asleep. Callie wants her to return the favor but Marie isn't as into it. Guilt tends to override any arousal, then inferiority, then general depression, then if she ever gets on meds?? Man. :/

Callie is awkward but she doesn't realize it. She says or does weird things and doesn't realize other people think it's awkward. Marie said she could smell that Callie was around. Girl get help <3

Marie is so jealous :( Callie is regular jealous but Marie if left unchecked could be abusive about it. Not letting Callie go out or getting real passive aggressive like "wow why did I even save you if you never want to be home with me? No it's fine go, you don't care about me anyway"

[alphareleasemedia]

Daily Drabble Project May 21-31

5/21/23 Bugs plinked against the windshield as the car flew down the highway. Leah paid them no mind, her eyes glued to the patch of road illuminated by the yellow headlights. It was late. The world around them was nothing more than a pitch black void into which Leah and her brother hurtled. Leah could feel the caffeine from her energy drink starting to wear off, but they were still miles out from the nearest town and she really didn't want to pull over in the middle of the woods if she didn't have to. Leah glanced at her sleeping brother.

5/22/23 Jim looked out of his bedroom window at the neighborhood street down below. His room was up on the second floor and his window afforded him a pretty nice view of the surrounding area. The leaves on the trees in all the front yards were still blooming so the houses behind them weren't totally obscured yet. He could even see into the upper story window of the house directly across the street from him. The curtains were drawn, revealing an empty bedroom, but sometimes a skinny orange tabby cat would come lounge in the windowsill. Jim always enjoyed seeing it.

5/23/23 Renji scratched the back of his head as he meandered towards the mailbox. He hadn't checked it in a couple days, so he wasn't surprised by the stack of mail waiting for him. Renji sniffed as he sorted through the pile, still standing in front of the mailbox. Aside from a couple bills and a bank statement, it was all junk mail. There were some credit card offers, an advertisement for a landscaping service, and a couple banks offering to refinance Renji's mortgage. Which was weird considering he didn't own a house. Renji yawned and wandered back towards his apartment.

5/24/23 Robespierre scrambled across the tabletop, his little nose twitching as he examined his strange surroundings. Well, strange to a mouse. Things like charging cables, a lone metal fork, and a pile of junk mail. Robespierre couldn't even begin to contemplate junk mail with his little mouse brain. Mice may be intelligent, but it would be a difficult task indeed to explain to them what 0% APR means. Perhaps they could understand what a car is, but the process of buying one would be beyond them. Anyway, Robespierre found a sandwich, and he certainly knew what food was if nothing else.

5/25/23 The house was very old, as everyone well knew. It had been part of the neighborhood since... well, since before the neighborhood had even existed, having slowly grown up around the old house over time as more and more people had moved to the area. Before that the house had stood alone out in the wilderness past the creeping edge of civilization. Which was why no one could say for sure when the thing had been built originally. It had changed owners too many times for there to be anyone left to remember. So yes, the house was very old.

5/26/23 Swiftshot looked out across the prairie, watching the horizon. There wasn't much out at the moment, the sun was beginning to set and all the activity of the day had died down. Now there was nothing to see but small scrub bushes and rocks for miles. Even the sky had cleared out, the clouds had all moved on and no birds soared above. The lone road that cut across the empty wilderness couldn't be seen from Swiftshot's vantage point, but he knew from experience where it was. His eyes traced where he knew it ran, scanning for any evening travelers.

5/27/23 It was raining, and pretty hard too. The gutters had turned into rivers rushing down both sides of the street and pouring into the storm drain. Fallen leaves and random debris pulled along for the ride. Thick sheets of the downpour obscured the world beyond the end of the block. There were almost no vehicles on the roads, though the occasional car would pass slowly by, its wipers beating furiously against the onslaught. The wind picked up as the rain continued, growing stronger and stronger till the raindrops were practically falling sideways, splattering forcefully against the sides of  the houses.

5/28/23 Ventia tapped her nails on the table as she stared out the café window. The sun was high in the sky, shining down harshly on the crowded street below. The road was full of cars pressed bumper to bumper as they slowly crawled along. The sidewalks were also packed with pedestrians all bustling about and pushing past each other. The inside of the café was equally packed. The line at the counter stretched out the door and onto the sidewalk. All the tables had been claimed and the only empty chair in the café was the one across from Ventia.

5/29/23 Cheddar Biscuit was the handsomest boy in the whole world. He was fluffy, orange, and big. All the best qualities to have. Cheddar Biscuit was also quite the explorer! When he wasn't getting lost in his own home, that is. Not that he could be blamed for that. One day there's a box in the hallway and the next there isn't? Anyone would get confused by that! And then there were the doors. Always randomly switching between open, closed, and half open or mostly closed with seemingly no rhyme or reason. If Cheddar Biscuit got lost, it wasn't his fault.

5/30/23 Trinia tiptoed through the darkened house, the floor squeaking loudly beneath her bare feet. She moved cautiously, trying to make as little sound as possible in spite of the loose floorboards. Trinia had one arm stretched out in front of her, probing the darkness for any obstacles that she might run into. Only thinking to do this after she had already banged into a desk. Unfortunately, this method proved ineffective as Trinia completely missed an open door and walked right into it; smacking herself on the forehead so hard that for a moment she swore she could see in infra-red.

5/31/23 Booker eagerly sniffed the dirt in front of the front porch, his tail wagging fiercely. There had been creatures about. Probably rabbits. Booker couldn't be too sure though. He was in new territory and every scent was a new discovery to him. He followed several trails that all zig zagged and crossed each other around bushes and across the front lawn. Booker knew he ought not stray too far from the house wherein his master had business that sadly Booker wasn't allowed to be a part of. But surely he could be excused a little exploring. Just a little excursion.

[damnedparker]

please enjoy a sappy peter parker playlist because i don't know where else to put it. listed out below for those who don't have/use spotify and are curious

bug

1. kiss goodnight -- i don't know how but they found me 2. i only wanna talk to you -- the maine 3. from eden -- hozier 4. baby i'm yours (cover) -- arctic monkeys 5. the only exception -- paramore 6. criminal (acoustic) -- state champs 7. lucky people -- waterparks 8. i won't share you -- the smiths 9. take this to heart (acoustic) -- mayday parade 10. somethin' stupid (cover) -- yenkee 11. pretty boy -- the neighbourhood 12. work song -- hozier 13. passenger seat -- death cab for cutie 14. some kind of love -- the killers 15. door -- i don't know how but they found me 16. landslide -- fleetwood mac 17. my heart is buried in venice -- ricky montgomery 18. i love you more than you will ever know -- never shout never 19. not alone -- darren criss 20. last night on earth -- green day 21. luna -- the smashing pumpkins 22. honey (acoustic) -- moose blood 23. forevermore -- the maine 24. new fears (bedroom recording) -- lights 25. scene one - james dean & audrey hepburn -- sleeping with sirens 26. if i'm lucky -- state champs 27. pretender -- the maine 28. sweater weather -- the neighbourhood 29. fell again -- heirsound 30. as you please -- citizen 31. look after you -- the fray 32. wonderwall -- oasis 33. yellow -- coldplay 34. junk of the heart (happy) -- the kooks 35. meet me at our spot -- the anxiety, willow, tyler cole 36. marlboro nights -- lonely god 37. suck it and see -- arctic monkeys 38. acolyte -- slaughter beach, dog 39. knuckles (acoustic) -- moose blood 40. bad behavior (acoustic) -- the maine 41. boats & birds -- gregory and the hawk 42. sleepwalking (couples only dance prom night) -- modest mouse 43. whole wide world -- cage the elephant 44. friday i'm in love -- the cure 45. life to come -- the killers 46. what took you so long? -- neck deep 47. i wanna be your boyfriend -- the ramones 48. little wanderer -- death cab for cutie 49. maps -- yeah yeah yeahs 50. black butterflies and déjà vu -- the maine 51. i melt with you -- modern english 52. piece of your heart -- mayday parade 53. i revolve (around you) -- neck deep 54. proof -- paramore 55. i must be dreaming -- the maine 56. postcards and polaroids -- sleeping with sirens

[uwu-babygorl]

These Moments (Reki Kyan)

Summary: Moments spend with Reki is always something you hold deep in your heart. Tonight is no different

Word Count: 1371

A/n: honestly not the happiest with how this is but I just wanted to write something for my baby Reki. Anyway hope you enjoy is regardless!! Enjoy loves!

~~~~~~~~~~

Nights with Reki was something that you held close to your heart. At the ‘S’ meetings sure but when it’s just the two of you…it was even better. He was always so sweet, caring, and funny for both but when it’s only you two, he was even more caring. You both would go on late night skateboarding and midnight runs to the nearest convenient store and getting as many snacks as possible before going back to his house and helping with his skateboard ideas. Yes, they are always precious to you and tonight is no different.

As of now, you’re making your way to the said boyfriend’s, of just a few months, house. You hum a soft tune that has been stuck in your head as a light breeze blew through your hair softly. Another minute passes before you make it. Smiling softly, you slow to a stop and walk to the front door and give it a knock. You hear a clatter of feet come close to the door before it is swung open and the red head himself stood there with his million-dollar smile on his face. “Hi, love bug,” he said breathlessly as he pulls inside and into a hug. You giggle as you return it, “hey baby.”

You two stay in each other’s arms for a few more seconds before he pulls back with his wide smile. "I miss you like crazy," he said excitedly with the little sparkle in his eyes. Giggling softly you rub his cheek softly, "you just saw me at school just 3 hours ago." He gave a small pout and went to speak but softer footsteps pulled you from your conversation, looking up and seeing his mother with a warm smile. “Y/n darling, it’s so good to see you. How are you doing? Are you hungry? Thirsty?” You gave a small wave, “hello Ms. Kyan, I’m doing good and no ma’am I’m fine.” She gives a nod with a smile, “ok dear just let me know and I’ll more than willing cook you something.”

Reki gave a small groan and turned to his mother, “mom, please.” She sigh but gave a small off handed wave, “ok, ok I understand. You two be good.” She turns and walks back into the living area while Reki lets out a small sigh of relief. You shake your head slowly, “Reki, she was only trying to be nice. You didn’t need to have attitude with her.”

“I know its just…she does this with literally all my friends who come over,” he replies softly while looking up into your e/c orbs. You give a small nod while tugging his arm some, “ok. So, we doing the usual tonight?”

His whole mood brightened from your question, “yes we are. No better way to spend it.” He grabs your hand and places a small kiss to the back of it, “wait here and let me grab my board.” Before you could reply, he takes off down the hall and into his room. Reki stumbles over some junk in his room as he reached his board and quickly made his way back to you. As he rushes down the hall, he sees his two little sisters, Tsukihi and Nanaka, standing by you with happy gazes as they stand close to each other. You were looking down at the two with a soft smile as the babbled nonsense to you. You look up and see Reki getting closer to you three. “Tsukihi, Nanaka, leave y/n alone please,” he says as he moves to grab your hand. The two little girls let out a whine of complaining as Reki dragged you outside. He lets out a sigh and turns to you with a nervous smile, “I’m sorry about them. They do this every time you come over.” Shaking your head softly with a smile, “no babe I absolutely love your family. It’s no problem, really.”

You drop your skateboard down and place a foot on it, “c’mon let’s go. I’ll race you there.” A competitive smirk took over Reki’s face as he does the same, “oh you are so on.” You both get in position and start a 3 second countdown. Once it reached 1, you both took off. Rolling down the hill at a fast speed and turning at every curve as you tried to stay ahead. You look over and see Reki with a bright smile as you two stay tied together all the way down. The bright lights from the convenient store comes in view so you tried to pick up speed by bending down. The harsh wind blowing through your hair and clothing as you feel the adrenaline from the speed. You hear a small holler from Reki as he catches close to you again, the store getting closer and closer with every passing second.

Reki feels himself getting lost in the moment as he turns his attention to look at you, feeling himself falling more in love with you as he watches you with a bright smile on your face. Your skin shining from the stre3tlights and the moon as it gives it a nice glow to your complexion. Seeing the way your eyes sparkle brightly and your hair flowing from the wind. He rode beside you, wondering what he did to have such an amazing person be part of his life. Being caught up in his thoughts, he didn’t realize he was slowing down till you slid to a stop with a bright smile. “looks like I win this time,” you say happily as you did a small victory dance.

He chuckles softly as he goes to a stop as well, kicking his board up and grasping hold of it. “Yeah, no. I let you win, what kind of a boyfriend would I be if I didn’t let you?’ He had a teasing tint in his voice as he walks to you. He brings his arm up to wrap it around your shoulders as you two walk in the store. The cool air of the store rushes over your body causing you to shiver some. The quiet mumble of a ‘welcome’ came from the bored looking man behind the desk as he reads through a magazine.

You and Reki say a quiet ‘hello’ before walking down the candy isle and looking for your favorite snacks. Reaching forward when you see yours and grabbing a few of your favorites and Reki doing the same as he expresses how much he loves a certain type of candy. You listening some as you pick out different types of sweets you like before making your way to the drinks and grabbing the one you want as well.

Once you have what you want, you both make your way to the cashier to pay for everything. Grumbling some as he rung up all your items and telling your total with a bored tone. You reach in your pocket to pay for your half when Reki placed the right amount on the counter. “I can pay for my st-“ you start but was cut off. “Nonsense my little cutie. What kind of a gentleman would I be if I didn’t pay,” he said with a smile.

You smile at him, “thank you.” You grab the bag and make your way out the store. The moon still shining bright outside making the town brighten. You set your board down and place a food on it as you look out a little a with a content smile.

Feeling arms wrap around you, your smile grew. “Y’know I really love you,” Reki said as he rested his chin to the top of your head as you gave you a small squeeze. You giggle as you lean back, “and I love you too. So much.”

The moment growing more lovingly and comforting as you two stood in each other’s arms. The distant sounds of cars driving, and the soft blowing wind filled the air as you stared up at the sky. The sky filled with stars after stars and the moon shining brightly. Nothing in the world would make you trade in this moment as you stood in the arms of the one you loved most.

[prof-peach]

If you could cross over two of your favorite games, which would you choose? Please explain, why that crossover would be a good match.

Oh you’re going to regret asking this one, I’m bout to GET SERIOUS.

So Pokemon, obvs, I love the whole world it’s built in, but the games imo are REALLY boring, I haven’t enjoyed one a lot since gale of darkness, the main ones just are a little too linear obvious plots, pretty standard setups for story and style. Speaking of style, the games lack personality, the models aren’t animated well, moves have no dynamic energy or visual difference at times, and the turn based battle style just feels kind of, I don’t know, old? Slow? Just doesn’t suit what I enjoy personally, gives me a FInal Fantasy vibe and I just cannot stand the speed at which things happen in those games, plus not into 3rd person ‘let’s build a team of people’ much, but that’s a problem for another time. With this all in mind, the game I wish would happen is like gen20 Pokemon, far future sadly, I doubt I’d see it in my lifetime but god I’d be happy if I did!

Ok so take the newest Zelda graphics, the visual treat that was BOTW, open world, puzzles, not JUST combat, you got side missions, hunt the chickens, find missing pets, parcels, items, whatever. Love it! The horse taming?! Amazing you funky little game. Now take the bad guys and beasts from that. And put Pokemon in instead. Give them the diversity, the life and believable natures that BOTW gave the animals, I followed a frog in BOTW for 15 minutes, and it was a great experience, it felt like it was believable. Above world spawning, ACTUAL difficult gameplay, rare spawn rates, make dragons hard to get again, cmon, it’s too easy now, make it so we need a certain set of Pokemon for certain tasks. Water types big enough to carry you will be able to get you to new areas, rock types that can help you climb mountains faster, or break through blocking boulders. Actual towns with more than 4 houses in them, shops, barns, farms, homes. Like little link with the heat, maybe ice types would struggle in volcano areas, or bug Pokemon not be so comfortable in gale force winds. Give the weather more of an effect on your partners. Mounts, don’t even get me started that Pokemon Let’s go had you able to ride any of the larger species, but swsh did not???? Bitch please, give me my rideable Pokemon. The wild area too was far too closed, limited, online was laggy and a mess, camping is limited, let me do more with my team. Pokemon for me is all about the actual creatures, how they live with humans, and the many wonderful things they’re capable of. Yes of course it’s cool they can fight, but like what else you know?

I’d love a game that lets me buy a plot of land, maybe plant things, custom build things. I’m a sucker for the fallout4 settlement builds when they’re modded to hell and back, they’re fun! It can be a really calm and creative process. If I could do that and skip the main campaign and all the battles for a bit? Amazing, it sound perfect for me. I am that distracted hoe collecting flowers while the kingdom burns in the background. Side quests are everything to me. Let me give homeless people enough money to get them in a home? Let me adopt Pokemon that are stray around the town? Plz oh plz bring me a Pokemon game that allows me to work WITH my team to do more than KO other species. I want to save and buy a plow for my buddy gogoat, and grow amazing foods to sell to get currency to spend in decorations, to spoil my team. Give me actual game consequence, if I ignore that sick and injured Pokemon I find in the wild, later maybe it’s family don’t want to help me out with a different problem, too stricken from grief. I am all about the average bits, the old women who need help, the lost pets board in town, the general day to day stuff. Let me get cosmetic items for the Pokemon I keep, cute outfits, special gemstone items, let me actually live with them, or even feel remotely like they’re realistic.

Ok so in game, if it’s looking like BOTW it’s pretty beautiful but also stylised, I’d have it so you can send out a maximum of 3 Pokemon from your 6, using bumpers and such to throw them out. If you hit the trigger you switch from controlling the human trainer, to the Pokemon you’ve targeted with a standard lock on targeting system. You then can be the leader, but be the Pokemon. You could technically defeat the game without a human if you wanted, which incorporates the mystery dungeon games I think, and caters to that crowd. I’d love to see the use of attacks out of battle, things like using water gun to grow plants, using ember to start a campfire faster and stave off the cold. There’s no consequence to Pokemon anymore, and I think that’s where it’s lost me. I have to admit I miss the days of a poisoned pokemon fainting if you don’t heal them soon enough, I miss gym battles that were actually tough, damn, try picking charmander in red and beating brock without grinding in viridian forest first, it’s not easy. And I loved that. Yes it’s a child’s game, it will never be difficult again, but god it’d be nice to have a bit of a challenge, or maybe a difficulty setting, so some could play it with hostility turned off, great for kids, or you can be n adult like I know so many Pokemon fans are, and play it on expert mode and ACTUALLY have to work hard to beat the game. Alternate skill trees anyone? Train gun a fire type to ACUTALLy combat water moves?? Please! Cmon! It frustrated me that every challenger has pretty much a systematic set of moves to use to win. Grass opponent? Fire attack spam until you win. It’s dull, so at least with very difficult tricks to either find or learn in game would make it more achievable if you can send that fire type in and I don’t know, train them so much the heat evaporates the water mid-battle and you suddenly have a shot at winning. Pokemon has taught me that if you work hard enough you can achieve something, but the games just have such strict ways to win. Feels wrong.

In terms of battling, let us BE the Pokemon, let us learn to dodge, train our speed, train our defence, make a team of truly tough Pokemon instead of just, average? Some species have a cap on their skills, a squirtle has lower stat points than a Charizard, but you can’t ever change that? Let me choose the Pokemon I believe in, and let me work with them until they’re just as good, if not better than the game tanks. This would also make online battles more interesting. Everyone picks the top trio. Fairy, dragon, legendaries. And yknow what? It’s boring. That one IRL fight with the monster Pacharisu that won in the world tournament with follow me and the situs Berry? Unbelievable, I love that little rat so much because of this, so let us all have a chance to build a team that’s strategically viable, strong, and potentially a winner formula, even if they aren’t fully evolved, or the biggest Pokemon in the world. Yeah maybe you have to grind way harder with your unevolved Pokemon, but you get to the end game and win, because you put love and time into species that you enjoy, not just good fighters.

Unfortunately I am beholdent to Todd-idiot-Howard, and I love the Eldrescrolls and fallout games (before they got dumb, not that I don’t play the new ones. 76 I’m looking at you, you big asshole game.) honestly I hate online games, so none of that junk, just a good old fashioned open world sandbox game is plenty. Games for me are an escape from others, not an invitation to socialise. To each their own of course, and I do play online games sometimes, just pretty short lived ones, over watch and rdr2 for example. Would they be sometimes better on private servers? Yes of course, fallout76? Want to play with others? No. I do not. Please leave me alone. And if you buy a private server you’re feeding the monster that is Todd Howard, the man the myth the asshole, then we’ll get more bad games like 76. I just so desperately want the Pokemon company to see what a beautiful potential game they’ve got on their hands, that could be suitable for far greater audiences, but instead they’ve focused on the kids. It’s fine, it’s functional, but it’s lost to the fans from day 1, that are all 20+ years old now and want something meatier to play, something far more broad and inclusive. I also hate that there’s no wheelchair option in any Pokemon game. Like cmon, it’s not hard to include that.

In short, BOTW + Pokemon, with a sprinkle of open world sandbox to it, less fighting, more fun. Or, at least both options. Sure, go fight everything, great, but I want to farm carrots over here with 6sunflora, plz let me have some peace.

Edit: I forgot about harvest moon, chuck some of that in there too.

SECOND EDIT: someone in the comments mentioned to put this in Unova? Plz love yourselves, this game would be ALL MAPS. Stuff one singular location, this is the ideal game, put every map in it, join them, put islands in, make them more explorable, more detailed!

[hchollym]

I love your Spideynova one shots

Honestly don't know if this counts a prompt how about "family", you Peter and Sam starting a family of their own (mpreg can be implied)

Aww, thank you so much! That's so sweet of you to say! 😊 I know I took a long time to write this, but thank you for the prompt, and I hope you like it! ❤️

Continuation of this post (but can be read alone).

Warnings: So. much. fluff.

____________

Samantha May is incredible. She is sweet and loving and smart and silly, and she is Sam and Peter's entire world. Neither of them realized it was possible to love someone so much, but Samantha changed that. She made them a family, and Peter and Sam will forever be grateful for that.

But the fact of the matter is, with Peter and Sam as her fathers, Samantha was bound to be a handful.

The three-year-old climbs on anything and everything, trying to be a spider, and then she’ll proceed to jump off any ledge to try and fly. Peter and Sam are fairly certain they're going to have heart attacks from stress by the time she's five.

She also has a habit of trying to befriend any bug she sees, much to Sam's despair. "Hi bug," her sweet little voice says as she tries to pick up the giant spider crawling through the mulch at the playground, and Sam grabs her and pulls her away before she can touch it.

"Nope, no spider." She looks at him with wide, sad eyes that start to water, and his resolve crumbles.

"How about ice cream instead?" He tries, and her face lights up. Sam grins, because she definitely inherited her love of junk food from Peter.

Sam glances over to the webslinger, and Peter is heading over their way from where he’d been talking to a few of the moms. Sam rolls his eyes in annoyance. He’s over here trying to protect their daughter from Peter’s namesake while the other man is busy flirting!

"Get any numbers?" He goads when Peter greets them.

"Yep," Peter replies happily, and Sam's steps falter.

"Wait, what?" Peter rolls his eyes and shakes his head fondly, knowing exactly what Sam was thinking and finding it ridiculous.

"I got the number for a ninja warrior gym that has classes for kids as young as two. Samantha can learn to do the ninja obstacle courses in a safe way." Samantha's eyes widen excitedly.

"Ninja!" She yells, and Sam isn't sure she even knows what a ninja is, but he and Peter smile at her eagerness.

"That actually sounds really good," Sam admits, and Peter grins.

"I do make good choices every once in a while… like when I married you.” He kisses Sam, and Sam tries to fight back his smile at Peter’s cheesiness.

"Good point," he concedes.

"Ice cream?" Samantha interrupts sweetly, and Sam realizes they had stopped walking. He laughs at her focus on food.

“Yeah, let's get ice cream, super girl.” She smiles widely, and Sam and Peter are once again overcome with how much they love this little girl.

Sure, she can be a handful, but frankly, so can Sam and Peter. They both love their lives, and neither of them would change a thing.

[maxismatchccworld]

The Sims 4 Snowy Escape gameplay trailer

Map Overview

Lots:

Wakaba

You’ll get your first view of Mt. Komorebi itself from Wakaba, the neighborhood at the base of the mountain. It’s a beautiful residential area with plenty to do. If it’s your first day in town, it’s good to take it slow and start here. Set the mood with a stroll through the gardens or go for a swim near the waterfall. Remember to return respectful greetings when you receive them, and pay attention to shoe removal signs in genkan entryways.

If you’re traveling with kids, make sure to hit up the Festival of Youth in the main plaza. Kids will love meeting Yamachan, the town mascot, and joining the Voidcritter Hunt. While they’re off doing that, you can check out the vending machine collectibles or try the festival-exclusive character crepes, too!

Oh, and speaking of food… you simply have to try hot pot. Sukiyaki is my favorite, but mostly I enjoy it because it’s perfect for a nice meal together. You can cook it right at the kotatsu table where you’re warm and comfy. Plus, seconds are encouraged! And thirds! Try to stop me from having more than one bowl, I dare you.

Komorebi Fact: Lots of folks like to use chopsticks when they’re eating, but your utensil choice is ultimately up to you. (I just think it just makes picking up maki rolls easier.) And some foods, like yummy taiyaki, you can hold in your hands!

Senbamachi

Once you’ve gotten acclimated, head up the mountain a bit to Senbamachi, meaning Thousand Leaves Town. This more traditional area is set right into nature. It’s idyllic, scenic, and serene. Most of the folks here have learned to live in the moment and take life as it comes. It really encourages people to settle into their emotions and find balance.

My favorite thing to do is gather some friends and take a hike. The sign at the trailhead lays out all the different places you can visit, and there’s so much to see along the way. Once you’ve chosen a destination, take it easy and relax into the moment with each other. The best part about hiking is being together with friends and family. Whether you’re stopping for a photo on the bridge or listening to your voices echo back at you from the cave, it just feels good to bond over the natural wonders around you.

Of course, everyone has different experiences and different Sentiments about things. On the last hike I led, my friend and I were enjoying ourselves before we ran into denkimushi aka electric bugs. She forgot her spray, so she kinda… got zapped. She's still a bit mad at me for leading her through that area unprepared, but she'll come around. Probably.

When you finish your hike, whether it’s meditative or energetic, pause for a moment at the Festival of Lights to admire the beauty around you. This tradition helps us remember the dead and celebrate the light. In the evening, there are fireworks, and you can watch the lanterns float along the river. Remember to make a wish for the future at the tanabata tree.

Komorebi Fact: Being aware of yourself and the present moment is super important here. Some people like mindful walks, while others prefer relaxing to traditional Japanese folk music. Find whatever works for you to center yourself.

Yukimatsu

Lots of people come to vacation in Yukimatsu especially. (That’s where all the snow is!) There are a few swanky rentals for out-of-towners since it’s right next to all the action, but that doesn’t mean you won’t find locals here too. Who could stay away from the onsen bathhouse and the snow sports?

I grew up learning to snowboard on the bunny slope here. Of course, I spent a lot of time wiping out at first, but now you can find me up on the mountain for at least a few hours a day! It just became part of my Lifestyle as I made it a habit over time. Now, I can’t imagine a day where I’m not strapped onto my board.

But don’t be intimidated! Skiers and snowboarders of all skill levels are welcome, whether you’re on the bunny slope or one of the four bigger trails. And if that scares you, no problem! Try sledding, too. You can go alone or pair up with another Sim to catch a little air. My mom used to take me when I was a toddler, and it’s one of my fondest memories.

So take some time to have a little fun here. Learn how to start rock climbing at the beginner’s climbing route, or explore a cave on a snowy hike. And once you’re done, and probably chilled to the bone, head over to the onsen for the most relaxing experience in the world. I’m not exaggerating. Plan to spend a few hours here at least. Once you slip into that water, everything kind of… floats away. All your stresses, your fears, your injuries… none of it matters as much in the soothing heat.

Komorebi Fact: We all have our own Lifestyle, and Mt. Komorebi offers something for everyone. Even just looking around in Yukimatsu, you can see Outdoorsy Sims enjoying a hike, Workaholic salarymen glued to their computers, Junk Food Fiends grabbing snacks from vending machines, and Energetic Sims (like me!) flying down the mountain. That which makes you happiest may be just around the corner.

The Summit

I hope you took a moment to check out that beginner’s climbing course in Yukimatsu! If you want to head up to the peak of Mt. Komorebi, you’re going to need those skills. Group excursions usually start at the onsen, but once you get out of that water, you’re in for the trip of a lifetime. Dress warmly and bring a few snacks to tide you over.

Take the gondola up to the top of the ski slopes, where you’ll find the first climbing obstacle. After that, there’s a series of challenges awaiting you. If you’re new to the sport, take the opportunity to rest at the base camps along the way, but if you’ve got the experience, try to explore a little! There are caves and other surprises on the way up. (For instance, you might find a secluded little spot for a quick Woo-Hoo up there—something about life-and-death danger really gets some Sims going. 😉)

Don’t undertake this excursion lightly, though! The weather gets worse the higher you climb, and you may end up caught in a thundersnow storm. Yes, you read that right. They’re intense blizzards that take place in the middle of a thunderstorm. And with the lightning and the booming and the wind… it gets really dangerous while you’re clinging to the side of a cliff for dear life. And if you fall from these heights… it doesn’t bear thinking about. Just be careful.

Finally, once you reach the top, everything seems to stop. I can tell you from experience that standing on that peak, staring out at the other mountains and a sky full of clouds below me, everything makes sense. The people with you make sense. Your journey makes sense. And this town, this world, with its beauty and excitement and peace, makes the most sense of all.

[dancingthesambaa]

The Smell of Plum Blossom Tea Ch 19

Summary: Just like a butterfly wing, a single act of kindness can change the course of the future, it certainly did for MK as a black furred monkey put out a hand towards him.

Rating: Teen and up

Chapter 19: Got Your Back (And Maybe Your Heart)

“Okay let me get this straight-”

“No one here is, but go on.”

“Hush, I’m still mad at you,” Tang gave a stink eye to the Kappa before turning back to Macaque. “So let me get this straight, so not only are you the same Six Eared Macaque that has fought the Monkey King and the deity that’s known as the Wandering Healer-”

“Not actually a deity,” he inputted.

“Whatever, but I’ve been coming here for years and just now I find out that there are mythical deities and magical plants within the forest! The Yao grass that is said to be a component to the Immortality Pills, an actual Qilin living here?! And the brown bunny and that little shit stain, who probably wants to laugh his ass off, is actually a Kitsune and spirit!”

“Guilty as charged,” the Shui Gui chortled.

“Pretty much,” the monkey shrugged his shoulders.

“Yup,” Ní nodded in her fox form.

“…I am both very angry and very excited,” he grumbled. “Do you know how many questions I have?! Do you know how many things I could have tested? Do you know how long I have wanted to meet someone like you guys? Do you know how many questions I have?!”

“I think you already said that,” said the water spirit though he froze as he saw an ominous glint in his eyes.

“Oh yes I did, because by the time I leave here,” he mysteriously whipped out his phone, “I will have all my questions answered.”

“Just how many do you have?” Macaque cautiously asked.

Tang said nothing as he instead showed a folder containing many files within them. “Quite a few. Quite. A. Few.”

All three immortals, the ones who have faced many fierce opponents throughout their life, gulped at the looming trials ahead.

“Fuck,” they all unanimously said.

It was cold, damp, and thoroughly disgusting with all of the worthless piles of junk lying around, but she supposed she would have to work with what she had under these…conditions.

Lady Bone Demon quietly walked through the open sewer as she attempted to distinguish where exactly she should strike next while her underling, who has been waiting for all these years, searches for the one item she hasn’t quite found.

It was quite tricky, to say the least, all the rest of the ingredients she needed to procure, albeit a bit rare, would be much easier to obtain even if those incompetent bugs mess it up. It won’t be too hard to find a replacement for those, she just decided on them for the proximity, she does not desire to leave the city before she achieves her prize. The last item though is something that is an ingredient that is not so easily replaceable, so she will need to take her time and look through every crack and back alley down until she does.

It was quite irritating, from the conditions she found herself into the annoying bugs that seem to think they are above her to Sun Wukong.

Sometimes she just wished that she could be over and done with this little game entirely and reach the end, but alas that’s not how life works. But she will admit that it will be fun watching them all struggle to get one step ahead of her, though she can’t decide which one she’ll enjoy more, Sun Wukong look when she finally drains him of every last bit of power and torture what he cherishes in front of his very eyes or Spider Queen expression as she stabs her in the back when she becomes the component to her plans. Both sound absolutely delightful when the time comes, but for that to happen she suppose she will have to achieve this the long way, no shortcuts or cheats allowed.

But she doesn’t mind the wait, after all, she had been imprisoned for over five hundred centuries.

She has nothing but time and she intends to play this little game all the way to the end.

“So your not just some random ass immortal,” Macaque bluntly said when Shen met up with him again.

“Took you that long to figure that out,” the frizzy hair old man laughed.

“Well, how am I supposed to know that you were literally giving me Immortal wine when I have never tasted it before you all but shoved it to me?” He grumbled as he held the bottle of very rare wine once more. “You know I don’t really need this, I am still perfectly immortal without it.”

“Oh I know, Yama sometimes grumbled about it from time to time when we get together. Gods know he wants to strangle Sun Wukong's scrawny neck when he gets the chance,” he said while drinking some of the wine.

“You regularly drink with the King of the Dead?” He deadpanned, “Who the fuck are you? Cause that right there shows that you're not just a regular ass deity.”

“Hmm I’ll tell you if you tell me how you figured out how to make the Immortality pills,” he smirked at the monkey still look.

“What do you mean?”

“I may be old, but I can smell a lot of the ingredients for the pills in this forest alone. Yao grass, Biya berries, Voya roots, Gracidea flowers, just to name a few,” he tapped his nose.

“Can’t really hide the smell,” he clicked his teeth. “Alright fine I’ll talk, but you better keep your end of the deal.”

“Will do.”

And so they talked and talked and when Shen spoke of who he was Macaque all but threw the bottle in his hand.

“What the fuck Ping?!” He hissed out as he had to stop himself from bashing his head against the tree. “How the fuck?!”

“He was an interesting one,” he laughed. He met his old friend by the river where he was doing his laundry, they spoke and then he found himself another drinking buddy.

Macaque’s eyes twitched as he just slumped over and groaned loudly. “What the fuck!”

Shen just laughed wildly next to him.

“Yeah yeah laugh it up,” he hissed before letting out a sigh and sat himself up. “Shit I don’t know if I can ask you this but I might as well fucking try?”

“Hmm?” He curiously questioned.

“I may need something soon that I can’t quite get on normal means and I think-no I know I will need your help to get it,” he asked with an almost pleading voice.

“Hmm, why do you need it?” He noted the tone in his voice but didn’t say a word about it.

“There is a demon that wants to take over the land and almost nobody would be able to stop her,” the simian admitted.

“Eh, there will always be some creature that wants to take over the world, been there, seen that, but that never really happens now does it,” he easily dismissed it as he leaned in closer, “but why do you need it?”

“Because there are people that I want to protect and I know that they will be the ones that will be fighting against that monster and like hell I am letting them do this alone,” he growled.

“Oh now I have your reason, so here’s another question. How much are you willing to give for my favor?”

“Anything,” he determinedly said.

“Anything you say? Even your life?” His green eyes challenged his violet ones.

“Yes,” he replied with no hesitation as the question didn’t even make him flinch.

There was a long silence as both beings stared the other down until the red haired man broke off his gaze and chuckled lightly.

“…hehehe, always knew Ping was fond of the stubborn ones,” he grinned.

“Ping is an old coot with the perchance of running into the weirdest fucking things,” he huffed as the air around them seem to settle down.

“You're not wrong,” he nodded. “Alright I’ll help ya, but next time I drop by I expect some high quality drinks.”

“Tch, fine you alcoholic bastard. Hope you don’t mind Plum wine, have a few sitting for a couple of centuries.”

“Are you kidding? The longer the age, the better it is! It’s like you don’t know me sapling,” he said with a mock hurt expression.

“I mean I might as well as you just told me who the fuck you are!” He threw his hands in the air.

“But you know my wine tastes!”

“You've only given me one kind of wine bastard!”

“Still!”

“Don’t you fucking pout you overgrown child!”

“Shit! Shit! Shit! Shit!” MK cursed as he dashed his way through the volcanic land and ducked from a large fiery boulder aimed straight towards him. “Why does this happen to me!?”

Now you may be wondering how and why MK found himself stuck in the volcano arena, well he was visiting one of the more interesting customers he had delivered to before, as in she was trying to learn more about magic, with Red and Mei. Which is cool and all, especially since she has mastered how to change her hair color on will, but she was showing him her more advanced spells. Now it was very fun with the Bull Prince trying to explain to the young girl how each spell works and how much energy must be put into it. They were even going to try out a new spell together, but the thing about her is that while she does have quite a bit of talent, she is extremely clumsy. As she took a step forward and accidentally pushed him into the symbol on the ground and then ‘poof’ he teleported right in the middle of the fire imp territory.

Usually, this wouldn’t be a problem, he can handle a few enemies on his own and he did with such ease that not even a scratch was laid on him. It’s just that the problem was that they all happened to be a bit too loud and woke up a humanoid creature that was three times his size, entirely made up of molten magma and rock crystals, and looked very pissed.

Needless to say all of them booked it as fast as they could, but unfortunately it had their eyes on one creature that looked different from the rest.

“Seriously!” He yelled as he climbed up the mountain and quickly hid and he held his burnt side. He knows that he is quick on his feet, but even he can’t dodge all of those boulders and swipes aimed at him. It doubly hurts as he can feel the burning of the magma touch his skin, he desperately wants an ice bath when he escapes this.

SMASH

But until then he will continue to make his way to the ocean ahead where he hopes that it would be enough to stop the beast in its tracks. He will swim all the way back home if he has to, he can deal with the sickness later after he saves his skin.

He felt the beast let out a devastating roar and a glance back he saw the creature lift the largest boulder that he didn’t even think he could dodge. So, he instead prepared himself as he was about to bring out his staff when-

“Here comes Jade Dragon/ Blazing Bull!” Twin voices shouted as the next second two terrifying forces slammed into the creature and with a pained roar he flew back.

He blinked as he saw Mei and Red Son, one who is surrounded by ethereal viridian energy and the other encaptured in a fiery crimson aura, jump in front of him protectively.

“MK/Noodle boy! Are you okay?!” Both of them have been trudging through not only ashes clogging their lungs and spot marking their skins, but also all different types of books and ruins trying to find the right activation phrase to reopen the portal to where their friend had disappeared to. They were tired, dirty, clothes ripped, and pissed off, but in MK eyes they were the most beautiful people he has ever seen as he couldn’t stop the blush forming on his cheeks as he took in their perfectly disheveled appearance, the muscles peeking from their ripped sleeves, sweat dripping from their face, and the worried look in their gorgeous eyes.

“Y-Yep!” He involuntarily squeaked. ‘I really should not have read some of those romance books with Jin,’ he thought as he cleared his throat. “I mean yeah, yeah you guys are perfect-I mean you got here at perfect timing!” He nervously said as he rubbed the back of his neck and tried to avoid eye contact.

“You sure you didn’t hit your head along the way,” she lightly teased as she kept a firm stance in front of him.

“Would be an improvement,” he smirked, but his eyes didn’t leave the Cherufu dazed form.

“Heyyy,” he whined before he realized what they said before, “Do you guys have names and you didn’t tell me!”

“Umm.”

“We’ll you see-”

“They are so cool!” His eyes sparkled, “they fit you both so perfectly, and the way you guys came in and shouted it made the scene even more awesome!”

Both of them couldn’t stop both smiles and blushes as their smaller friend, and small crush, kept on praising them, but unfortunately, their little bubble popped as the beast roared once more.

“Tch,” Mei irritably clicked her tongue at the beast ride interruption, showing off her fangs (after countless of honing to both tracing and the dragon sword, she was more than ecstatic to see that she matched with both of her boys) “I actually forgot about that.”

“You mean the walking miniature mountain that was just chasing me down,” MK huffed as he shook his head. Hopefully, the two would just blame his fluster on the heat and not drift towards the thought that he may like them more than friends.

“Yeah that.”

“You both need to really get up to speed with your Mythical beings,” Red grunted as he opted to not use his fire against the creature made of lava.

“Says the one who never knew what Advil was,” MK muttered.

“It’s not my fault you mortals inconsistently change their names for no reason!” He hissed as his hair flared up.

“Surrrreee,” both mortals said.

“Let’s just focus on getting out of here.”

“You just don’t want to admit that your wrong~”

“Shut it!

“And where do you think you're going?” Wukong flinched as he heard Macaque's voice behind him.

“Oh you know, just a little road trip,” he smiled wider than normal as he quickly turned around to hide his suitcase, “I thought that it was time I get off of my mountain and see what else I missed.”

“Uh Huh,” he noncommittally said as he casually walked forward, “and you just decided that right this week?”

“Yep!”

“Just out of the blue.”

“You know it!”

“With no thoughts in mind.”

“None whatsoever!”

“Sunny, I know you’re bullshitting me,” he bluntly said.

“Whattt?” He nervously laughed, “I’m serious, I am just going to go sightseeing for a bit and-”

“You still have that same tell when you lie, you know. Smiling too widely,” he pointed out.

“I thought I got that under control,” he muttered to himself and sighed, “alright yeah, you caught me. I was gonna go out and look for a weapon to stop her, but I have to do this, Lady Bone Demon is not someone to trifle with. You know how she can easily command someone under her will and that was when she just got out of centuries of captivity! Imagine what she could accomplish once she regains more and more power! I just can’t sit here and wait for that to happen.”

“I know, that’s why you're not doing it alone,” he pointed out.

“Huh?”

“Did you really think that talk we had the other day was just a one off thing? No no no, there are so many people and demons solely invested in this, because what Spider Queen did really pissed off a lot of people and they want revenge on not only her, but those who helped her,” he said as summoned a map and showed him. “Just see for yourself.”

The monkey took the map and he became confused about what he was looking at. “There’s just a bunch of doodles in certain areas.”

“Those are the areas that have been hit and investigated thoroughly, the ones with X are the no goes of anything suspicious or useful, the ones with question marks are the clues or hints, and the few with checks are the ones where they found positive report and/or confirmation on successful supplies that we need. All of these are for finding the necessary materials to end the Bone Demon life once and for all.”

Wukong's eyes were wide at the end of his statement, “You know how to destroy her?! How long were you planning this? How have you managed to search all of these areas?”

“Well, it helps that I have so many favors stacked up from my former clients. I usually don’t care what they pay me, but usually, it’s in either money, food, or favors and I have a lot of those. I mean just Po and his students alone have them all checking the western areas for it by themselves. He says it’s a good training exercise for them, but I think he just wants a break from those brats. And for your first one, we’ll ever since BK got possessed the family has promised vengeance upon her, and Queen Iron Fan happens to have knowledge of a permanent kill switch to ending that demon life,” he said as he showed him the formula.

Wukong examined it and after a while, he nodded his head and faintly said, “Yeah…yeah that might actually work…there is something to destroy her.” He still couldn’t believe his eyes, but it was right there in front of him, then the first part of his words hit him, “Wait, that long?”

“Yes that long,” he said with exasperation, “Am I the only one who found it fucking weird that the Demon Bull King, one of the strongest beings in the realm, got possessed out of fucking nowhere? That right there was already suspicious by itself and the ominous whispers were sure not helping her case, that just added it on. So we decided to get to the bottom of this and boy is this one deep chasm we got ourselves into.”

“It really is,” he agreed as he looked over the map and saw that some of the places that were marked were the ones he was going to go to, even some that only celestial beings can access, “You already investigated these realms?”

He looked over to see what he was pointing at and nodded, “Yeah, pretty much. As I said, I have clientele all over and I don’t really restrict unless they have really done something so fucked up that I would rather kill them.”

“You have favors with Celestial deities,” he emphasized.

“Just some minor ones,” the doctor tried to brush it off, but judging by his friend's look, it wasn’t going to be easy.

“Celestial. Deities.”

“How about we talk about this later.”

“Oh we are so talking about this later, but I still have to do this. I have to make sure that she doesn’t cause any more harm to people anymore, this is my duty that I have to do-”

“You're not understanding!” He gripped his hair in frustration. “I literally gave you a map and you still don’t understand what I’m trying to say!”

“What!” He threw his hands in the air, “What can you possibly-”

“You aren’t alone dumbass!” He hissed out and froze the Monkey Sage.

“Wha-” he was cut off once more by a furious finger poking his chest at each word Mac hissed out.

“You. Are. Not. Alone. I don’t know how many different ways I have to say this, but if it gets through your thick skull then god damn it, I will.”

“I-”

“I know what you were about to do, you were about to galavant off and try to do everything on your own and not say a single word to nobody like a stupid martyr, cause apparently this is a shared trait between you and MK about being so self sacrificial that you wish to take on the burden yourself! Well fuck that! I’m putting my foot down for both of you, you don’t have to recklessly go out there and hope that one of them will stick!”

“What else am I supposed to do!” He leaped to his feet, “I basically serve no purpose other than this glorified title of hero, which I am really sick of hearing, and that Bone witch could strike at any moment and we won’t be prepared. If I leave the city then that would mean that not only would I be faster on looking for the weapon, but I would be far away from her and her attempt to sap my power.”

“But you would also be away from the city and by the time you come back, there might not be anything left to come back to,” he said with a final tone. “No one would be able to stand against her, not the demons, not the people, not MK, not the Bull Family, not even me. We would all fall by the time the morning sun rises if we tried to face her head on. We would all be corpses below her feet.”

The Monkey King stilled as the morbid images flooded into his head.

City in ruins.

Bodies sprawled everywhere.

Familiar faces all dead eyed.

Bodies collapsed.

Heart stilled

His precious student.

All of his tribe members.

The rambunctious Demon quartet.

His family to the West.

The headstrong Dragon successor.

Demon Bull with his wife and son.

Yanyu surrounded by her siblings.

Macaque

Macaque

Macaque

They're all dead.

Dead

Dead

Dead

Deaddeaddeadeadeadeadeadead

“Wukong!” He snapped out of his thoughts by black furred hands and looked up to see Macaque worried Violet (alive there so alive and bright, so so bright and alive) eyes. “Are you okay?”

“I’m-” he stopped himself and remend what he was about to say, “I will be fine…I’ll stay.”

The Six Eared monkey let out a sigh of relief, “Good, that’s good. Sorry for putting that image in your head.”

“No, no I needed to hear that. I-I can’t be impulsive, not right now, not when things are becoming dangerous, I need to think things through,” he sighed as he sat down.

“You're not going to be out of the loop, you are the one who knows where a weapon may be hidden, so you can easily tell them which spot to tackle more thoroughly,” he reassured him as he sat by him.

“That would be more efficient than me just searching one at a time, okay I’ll do that,” he let out a small puff of air and managed a small smirk, “I guess that’s why I have you in my life, you somehow manage my little quirks.”

“‘Little quirks’ is an understatement,” he deadpans and leans on him, “but yeah we do fit well for some odd reason.”

“Like peaches and congee,” he grins.

“I think you are the only ones who actually dip it into the food.”

“Oh like I haven’t seen you do the same with mango,” he pointed out.

“There’s a difference okay! It just tastes better that way,” he huffed.

“Surrrre it does,” he drawled out.

“It does.”

“Whatever you say.”

[bnhabadass]

Pairing: Bakugo x Reader Warnings: N/A Word Count: 2108 Synopsis: When you fall ill one day, Bakugo’s usually gruff and distant personality becomes gentle to the touch as he takes care of you. A/N: This is my second submission for the @bnhabookclub​ bingo event! The link to my bingo master list is here, but you should also make sure to check out the other pieces bookclub members have written too!

In the three months you have been dating Bakugo Katsuki, you have never known him to be particularly affectionate. In fact, it sometimes seems like he’d rather stay as far away from you as possible.

You were the one to ask him out, and although he looked like he would rather jump off a cliff, with the bothersome encouragement from his friends, he begrudgingly agreed. On your first date, he barely spoke, let alone reach out to touch you. You thought your relationship would be over before it even began. But even after your awkward date, he asked you when you were free again.

Over time, Bakugo opened up to you little by little. While he kept his distance physically, he would check in with you between classes and sit next to you during lunch and breakfast. It was cute, how awkward he was around you. You were the only person who was ever able to fluster him, and his friends loved to tease him for it. Still, you wished that he was willing to reach a hand out for you to hold every so often.

What did it mean that he wouldn’t? Was he scared that you would hurt him if he did, or is it that he doesn’t think you’re good enough to be touched by his gruff and meticulous hands?

Three months into your relationship and the two of you still hadn’t kissed. Bakugo’s friends always bugged him about it. Out of all the things he tended to lose his head over, that was not one of them. Perhaps he’s matured or maybe he didn’t care as much as you hoped.

“So Bakugo,” Kaminari asked, sliding up to him at the table he was eating breakfast at. “Where’s the girlfriend this morning? Rough night? Is she sore from all of your–”

Bakugo cut him off with a loud blast to his face. He resumed eating as if it were nothing while Kaminari sat there, sputtering out a coughing fit.

“Hey, where is (Y/n)?” Kirishima asked, sitting down and patting Kaminari on the back. “She said she wasn’t feeling well during movie night last night so she went to bed early.”

Bakugo preferred not to indulge in his friends’ antics of staying up late eating junk food and watching movies so it was news to him that you weren’t feeling well. Looking around, he saw that you had not joined any of your peers for breakfast. An empty feeling washed over him at the realization of your lacking presence.

“I’ll go check on her,” he mumbled, figuring you would still be in your room. Walking up the stairs, he headed for the door labeled with your name. Gripping the door knob, he gently turned it and pushed the door open. The first thing he noticed was the lump under your covers that moved at the creaking sound of the door. “Oi, dumbass. Get up. We have class.”

You groaned, snuggling your head further into your pillow. You mumbled a few words that Bakugo couldn’t understand.

“What did you say?” It wasn’t like you to refuse to attend class or to sleep in longer than necessary, especially if you had gone to bed early the night before. Bakugo took a few steps toward you so he was standing right next to the head of your bed.

Peaking your head out from nuzzled inside the pillow, your watery, heavy eyes met his crimson ones.

His eyes widened at seeing your face, flushed with a cool layer of sweat coating it. Bits of your hair stuck to your forehead and cheeks. You looked like shit. “You’re sick aren’t you.”

“I’m not that sick,” you protested. Your achy joints struggled to push yourself up. You were stopped, however, when Bakugo placed his firm hand over your forehead. The feeling of his calloused hand pressing onto your sweaty forehead froze you in place. All you could breathe in was his caramel scent. You had never been this close to him before, and the realization made your face burn hotter than it already was.

“You have a fever,” he said, pulling his hand away. “Were you going to tell me?”

“It’s not that bad. I’ll email Aizawa Sensei, let him know I won’t be in class today. I just need a bit of rest and I’ll be fine.” You smiled up at your boyfriend, but the way your arms shook with chills told him you would need a lot more than a good night’s sleep to feel better.

“Bullshit,” Bakugo said. “You stay here, I’ll get you some medicine.”

As he turned to leave, you tried to stop him. “W-what? But Bakugo, you’ll be late to class.”

“I’m not going to class if you’re feeling this bad. You need someone to take care of you,” he said from the doorframe.

Before you could protest any further, he was already gone. Sighing, you cautiously lowered yourself back into bed and awaited his return.

“You know,” you said, thermometer in your mouth, “I can take care of myself.”

“And run around the dorms infecting everything you touch? I don’t think so.” Bakugo sat in your desk chair, arms folded across his chest as he waited for the thermometer to beep. When it did, he was swift to pull it out of your mouth. “Well at least it’s a low grade fever.” He set the stick on your desk and put a hand back over your forehead.

You hummed into the feeling of his fingers stroking across your hairline. “Yaoyorozu said she’d give us the homework,” you said, trying to find something, anything to talk about.

“Dumbass, you shouldn’t be worrying about that now.” Bakugo reached over to your desk and grabbed a glass of ice water he had set out before taking your temperature. He also set a few pills on your bedside table. “Take these. Your fever will go down.”

With half lidded eyes you smiled. “Thanks.” The pills were harder to swallow than others you’ve had to take in the past. You made awkward choking and gagging noises, which had Bakugo rolling his eyes.

“Do you want me to make you some tea?”

Smiling up at him with glassy eyes, you nodded. It was confusing why he had been acting so kind, almost paternal towards you in those moments, as if you were his child or someone he needed to protect. Someone he really cared about. His girlfriend.

You couldn’t help but smile as you thought back to the delicate touch he had when pushing strands of your hair back. You wanted to feel that touch again and you had a feeling that it would happen sooner rather than later.

Bakugo didn’t return until a good forty minutes had passed. While you appreciated everything he was doing for you, especially skipping class to make sure you were all right, you were slightly annoyed that he had not brought you your tea as he had promised.

You passed the time by scrolling through your social media, texting your friends to find out what you were missing in class, and playing a few rounds of whatever video game was currently in your console.

A small gasp escaped your sore throat when Bakugo emerged through your door holding a tray with tea, a bowl of soup, a box of tissues and more meds to keep your fever down.

“Here,” he shoved the tray in your hands, making you drop the controller so soup would not spill all over your comforter. “Fucking eat this.”

He sat back down at your desk chair and watched as you scooched up the bed and held the tray on your lap. Your hand tentatively reached for the large spoon next to the equally large bowl. It was weird. You’ve seen Bakugo cook. You’ve heard Kirishima go on about how great he is at making onigiri and stir fries, but it had never occurred to you to ask him to cook for you.

“Well what are you waiting for? Try the damn thing!”

Bakugo’s voice snapped you out of your daze. You dove the spoon in to scoop up the clear broth and one of the many carrots bobbing up and down in the bowl as if it was taking a nice long dip in the lazy river. Bringing the spoon to your nose, you breathed in. It smelled good, at least as well as it could with your nose being so stuffed.

You brought the spoon to your lips and the savory flavor instantly opened your tastebuds back up to the world. Your eyes widened and you couldn’t help but gawk at the steaming bowl in front of you.

“Well, how is it?” Bakugo mumbled under his breath. One of his hands was weaved in his hair, perhaps out of stress or nerves in seeing what you truly thought of his cooking. You’re not sure why he would be so nervous. Bakugo’s not the kind of guy to stress over something or to really feel nerves at all. He exudes confidence and that’s one of the many things you have always admired about him.

“It’s incredible.” You willed your tired and achy face to curve your lips into a smile. Your eyes never seemed to dull as you went on about the flavor and how all the spices blended together so perfectly.

“All right, all right I get it,” he said. “You don’t have to keep praising me. It’s not like I’m competing on Top Chef or anything.” Although he was telling you to stop it with the compliments you could tell that he was truly flattered.

You finished the soup, even picked it up to lick the bowl clean which was rewarded with a partially disgusted glare from Bakugo. You hadn’t forgotten about your tea either, drinking all of it and taking the second dose of medicine along with it. Being in Bakugo’s presence, you felt lighter and less ill.

“How are you feeling now?”

“Better,” you said, smiling up at him. “I think I’ll be well enough to go to class tomorrow.” But as if the universe was against you, you sneezed and a long strand of snot came down across your face.

“You’re disgusting.” There was a hint of a chuckle in Bakugo’s words as he handed you a few tissues from the box. “You should probably rest a bit. I’ll, I dunno, get out of your hair or whatever.”

“No, stay.” Your hand subconsciously reached out to grab his wrist as he stood up, but you pulled it back out of fear. Fear for what? Bakugo had been touching your forehead to take your temperature all day. He had barely left your side apart from leaving to make you soup and tea, so why did the touch of reaching out to him scare you so much?

Bakugo’s cheeks tinted pink as he felt his blood run cold. What was with you? Why were you acting this way?

There was an awkward silence between the two of you which lasted a few long, agonizing moments.

“Or not,” you broke the silence. “You can–”

“No I’ll stay.” Bakugo kept his eyes trained on the small rug covering the center of your room. “I’ll keep you company.”

A songbird-like laugh escaped your slightly chapped lips. Bakugo sat back down and although embarrassed, he still smiled at you.

Not much time had passed before you began to doze off into a light nap. Your head ached but you weren’t in enough discomfort to warrant staying awake.

In the time you and Bakugo spent together, you learned all sorts of things about him, that his parents are fashion designers, why he wants to be a hero. You even found out what his favorite flavor of mochi ice cream is.

As you talked more and learned more about each other, your longing for him to hold you deepened. The way his big arms gesticulated as he spoke made you wish they were wrapped around you. You wished he would genuinely laugh with you all the time, not just in this moment you two were alone. But it will all come in time, right? Maybe the next day when you’re less sick.

You could have sworn that as your heavy eyelids fell shut and you zoned in and out of consciousness, Bakugo stood up from your desk chair and placed a subtle kiss on your forehead. When he left your room, closing your door in the softest way possible so you would not stir awake, your eyes fluttered open and grin spread across your face.

Yeah, it will all come in time.

[lezblowshitup]

KageHina Domestic Fluff | HAIKYUU MANGA SPOILERS

Shouyou's POV

An imposter has body-snatched Tobio. 

It’s like that movie I watched with Oikawa on his laptop, where the alien lived like a sleeper agent inside the guy’s skin. There’s no other explanation for how off Tobio's been acting lately!

It's hard to say exactly when the snatching happened cause he's been changing bit by bit. But I can say almost for sure that the man next to me when I woke up this morning—who could barely drag himself the two meters from the bed to the kitchen table of our one-room apartment, who’s picking at his rice porridge—is not my boyfriend. Almost. 

The apartment is still dim this early in the morning. And kinda cluttered—which is maybe my fault for not putting things away, but mostly not since everything in here is junk and looks cluttered even when we’ve cleaned it up. All of Tobio’s furniture is like a tiny, temporary version of what it's supposed to be—this little folding table, the teeny weeny cardboard couch, and a bed that’s way too narrow for two people. Even the fridge is too small—sorta skinny and shorter than normal. (That one sucks cause we have to go shopping twice a week with how much we have to eat.)

Tobio is like a giant in this place. He’s so big, the tops of his knees knock the underside of the folding table. One wrong move and he could tip the whole thing over.

And he looks too worn out to be as careful as usual, so that might be an actual threat. 

The little bit of light stripe-ing through the blinds is shading spooky lines over Tobio’s face as he stares down at his porridge like, somehow, it might just poof directly into his stomach without any effort. 

Technically, he could’ve slept in today. We both could have now that we’re in our off-season. But the gym opens at eight, and we’re always the first ones in. Besides, Tobio never had trouble waking up early until recently.

Leaning over my bowl, I pour myself a cup of tea—coffee for Tobio—level him in a real casual look (can’t have the alien getting suspicious), and say, "You're pretty sleepy, huh?"

He grunts and buries his nose into the coffee. (Well, if you can call it that. Two-thirds milk, one-third actual coffee. Just how Tobio likes it.) (Mostly, I think it's an excuse for him to drink warm milk like a baby.)

Here's the thing, Tobio is so particular about his sleep schedule you'd think he'd have to pull all his stupid glossy black hair out if he didn't get exactly eight hours. Well, I almost did, anyway, the first time he ranted at me about how unhealthy it was for my body to not get up at the same time every day. And, believe me, he meant every day. Even weekends! 

Not anymore. Since the V-League season ended in April and I moved into his apartment in Tokyo, it’s like Tobio's been copying my patterns—staying up late, sleeping in. It’s weird!

I can't act rash, though. Whatever this alien is after—taking over the world so they can eat all the pork buns or whatever—I’ve got to make sure Tobio will be alright once the imposter leaves his body.

In the movie with Oikawa, the alien had to be melted out of the guy with the water from its home planet (like how kryptonite is the only thing that steals Superman’s powers). I’ve got no clue how to get my hands on something like that (Otamart, maybe?)—but, more importantly, there's a chance I could be wrong.

Tobio still hasn’t touched the dish of dried anchovies I set in the middle of the table. That's the same as ever. My Tobio says those are like the bugs of the ocean. You see how confusing this is? How am I supposed to know for sure?

The scrape of his spoon against the bottom of his bowl sends a schripp up my spine, and I sit right up as he finally puts some of the porridge in his mouth. What if he really is buried in there, stuck, behind the alien’s mind, not able to talk to me? Not able to ask for help...

I can’t just leave him alone like that. It’s my job to figure out how to save him.

Really, I've got no choice—I've got to test him.

Read the rest on AO3

[tracybirds]

hello hello hello, I loved Fab Five Feb so much last year and I couldn’t resist taking part again this year! This is for John’s week, to go along with the prompt “mountains” <3 Thanks @gumnut-logic for putting this all together :D

Given it took two weeks to write this lil oneshot, it has very much not been proofread but that’s life for the moment :P now let’s see if I can coax Scott out to play :D

----------

There were colours you couldn’t see in space. Plenty you could, more than enough to break up the inky darkness of the universe.

Blues, of course, with a planet falling away beneath his footsteps, and bursts of red, white and blue that would remind him of summer fireworks if they weren’t so static and silent and familiar. Greens and browns blurred together from four hundred kilometres away.

It was beautiful even without the vibrant colours that accompanied life. Breath-taking even. He could look out across an entire world like a character in the movies of his childhood. He could spend a lifetime wondering about the people below.

But it was true that there were colours you couldn’t see. And John was starting to forget.

***

“Red’s warm and stuff, I don’t know,” said Alan. “Like a really hot fire. You know how the wood gets at the bottom.”

But that wasn’t right, John knew. Red was cold and distant and ancient, a remnant of the early universe. Red was the hazy image of the Pillars of Creation tacked to his childhood wall, the rust filled dirt caught in the cracks of his father’s space suit, the memory of life rushing away from his brother as the blood drained from his face.

Red was unforgiving.

And it had saved him time after time. John knew that he searched for red when he was scared, when he desperately needed his little brother to come for him. He’d see red in the end, or nothing at all.

***

Blue reminded him of Gordon and his irrepressible spark of life. He laughed when John brought it up one day.

“You know me and the sea – we’re full of life!”

That wasn’t quite what he’d meant, blue with its joy and peace and fondness for home. But he wasn’t wrong either – he only had to look down to see the bustling blue planet beneath him, teeming over with the life he saw in his brother.

“But I don’t know, John, blue’s always seemed pretty cold to me. And kinda sad too.”

John didn’t have much to say to that. He knew for Gordon that blue and the ocean occupied two disparate parts of his mind.

For most people, the Planet Earth was the ground they lived on, the solid certainty of brown dirt and green grass beneath their feet. For John, the Earth was the backdrop to his life. Beautifully, wonderfully, and undeniably blue.

Gordon grinned, sweeping his blue hair back with a blue hand, the blue light in his eyes transmitted through the hologram.

Blue was home.

***

“Orange? John, just look in a mirror.”

Scott wasn’t looking at him, rifling through a stack of papers as he spoke, and misses the scowl that settles on John’s face.

“I’m serious, Scott.”

He glances up at the projection that hovers above the solid oak desk.

“What’s this all about anyway? You wanna talk colours, go bug Virgil.”

“Scott, I just…”

He huffs and shakes his head.

“Never mind then.”

He only ever sees orange out of the corner of his eye after all.

***

“Oh, wow.”

Virgil cut himself off, the golden glow settling across his face. The rescue had been as uneventful as a rescue could be, and Scott was already halfway home, leaving Virgil to haul the gear from across the Atlantic all alone. Or rather, not quite alone.

Silence fell across the cockpit.

“John, you should see this.”

“What is it?”

“The sunlight falling across the mountains. It’s beautiful.”

John looked out, beyond the sterile holograms and the space junk that littered his view, catching a glimpse of the day-night terminator below as he soared overhead.

“You’re at the Andes now?”

“Yeah.”

John could hear the light in his brother’s voice, how it transformed his speech into wondrous awe at the sight of a sunset sky. From orbit though, it was a mere smudge across the face of the planet.

“Tell me.”

And he does.

He paints him a picture of soft pink clouds and tangerine skies. The dark grey wash of the mountains on the horizon, glowing a deep blush at their crowns. The bright light reflecting from the lakes below, burning a brilliant white that left John blinking back tears against a glare he couldn’t see until it died into shadow.

There were colours you couldn’t see in space. Sights unique to the planet below. But Virgil had made colours come to life and brought John back to their home to see them for as long as he could remember. And with his brother at his side, he was hard pressed to forget.

[springtimebat]

The Autumn Meeting (Part 1/4)

Six suns peer down from perching clouds, leaving heavy, gilded dents on the heavens. They watch with amused, greedy eyes, their eyelids soft and rusted. They sit and wait for a hymn to be sung.

The city of tomorrow arrives in the early morning, on a thousand dying legs. The crow is beginning its call as the sun sets in the east, and the queen begins to cross the old town bridge just as the sky turns pitch black. The queen is young and full of life. Her hair is dark and wild. Her eyes are electric green. Naturally, the shadows clamber over each other, desperate to touch her skin. They claw at her footprints, grasp desperately at her diadem. The Queen places a shawl, a piece of midnight, careworn and devoid of stars, around her shoulders. She places galoshes on her feet. They snap against the cobblestones. The shadows attempt to bash her brain in. The queen pulls the shawl tighter around her neck and carries on. She must begin her quest before it's too late, before she misses her window. She pulls apart the ghoulish bonds restraining her and slips into the forest, the heavy frame of her home balancing on stilts behind her.

When the clock strikes the right time, three pilgrims meet deep inside the bowels of the forest to tell stories they stole off of wanderers backs. One is skull and bones, the second is more shark than man, the last is cast in iron and gilded armour, kept together with unsteady bolts and springs. The three are old, dear friends with different destinies that lead them to separate for months on end. Still, now they gather for a night in. They gather for the stories and for listening.

The forest is a protective shield, swarming with thistles, brambles and decaying pieces of junk. Years before, during the days of the dust, a king set up booby traps in the forest, hoping to capture some kind of beast. Now spikes and barbed wire festered among the moss, weary of a world full of colour beyond the tree trunks. The queen notices flashes of silver as she races through the trees; simply shadows against the bruised sunset and the sad oaks. Her feet dance around the puddles and quicksands. She flies through the grass and the rock until she comes across the meeting place from her stories. In a clearing stands a roaring fireplace and three men, huddled together like three fates. One stands up and hurls wood onto the fire, his back muscles tensing. He is a fish-man, with silver scales framing his brow and giant saucers for eyes. He wears the same strange uniform the Queen had seen him wear in an engraving once, all frills and ridiculous trimmings. The second man sits watching the third as they recite a poem. His body is masked by a suit of metal armour. Atop his helmet sits a boar’s head, its eyes closed, bored. The final man shakes their bones and clacks their teeth. He disguises his lack of skins with a cloak, similar to the Queen’s. He is standing by the fire, whistling a strange sonnet:

“-so the little girl set off to win back her foot. But the ogre’s own pair of feet were large and heavy. He was quicker than the little girl and it took her months and months of travelling to catch up-”

“Didn’t her parents worry about her?” Interrupts the fish man from his space at the mantle-piece, “Poor girl out on her lonesome.”

His friend groans and stamps his foot.

“She had no parents Abram. She was all on her lonesome to begin with and that’s how she lost her foot. Haven’t you been listening, you knucklehead?”

“Surely she has friends who would wanna know where she is...right? I mean, surely one of you guys would wanna know about my fins being cut up? Or my scales being punctured-”

“Enough! I have a story to finish Abram. Leave questions ‘till after the workshop.”

Abram lets out a tiny squeak but speaks no more. The skeleton grins in the firelight and begins again:

“The little girl carried on, always searching for her missing foot. She asked everyone she came across and slaughtered the many who tried to take her for their own, with their nets and their traps and their cages. By the time she finally found her foot she was covered in blood and guts and body parts. Still, she had found her foot and that’s what truly matters-”

“Where’d she find it Emil?” Abram asks, his eyes widening.

“I’m getting to that! Now where was I- oh right! The little girl, all alone and bloody in middle of a winter wood, found her foot on the low branch of a great oak much like these-” The skeleton waves his arms at the trees encasing the three storytellers, “The bone was still brand new, like a new pair of shoes elastic new. It had been left there many, many moons before by someone very tall.”

“What did she do then?” 

“Well, she grabbed her foot from the oak tree and put it back, snapping it into place so to speak. Then she began the journey back home. As she did she thought to herself, “The ogre must have not needed the foot as much as I did.” The End.” Emil raises his skull to the sky, grinning proudly. 

His friends give awkward coughs.

“What happened to the ogre?” Abram asks, frowning, “Surely something interesting happened to him.”

“Unimportant.” Emil growls. 

The suit of armour gives a squeak and stretches his wiry arms. Emil rolls his head to the side in annoyance. 

“What the girl did once she got home does not matter Gus. Not in the slightest. Don’t you understand what I was trying to get across? What I was trying to convey?”

“Not really.” Abram says, poking at the fire with a stick. 

“The moral of the story, of the stanzas, was that quests of revenge, of bloodshed, are simply pointless. The journey is important and needed. All the other benign details are just...unnecessary!”

“It was good ‘till the ending. You just need to rework the ending.”

Emil scoffs, “Amateurs! Both of you! And Francis, Boris and Johnson and…all of the folding folk at the board up in the mountains! I cannot compromise my masterpiece with...amateurs!” 

“I enjoyed it.”

The three men turn to see a young girl approaching their campground, her eyes an electric green, her pupils dancing. She has an amused smirk on her face. Her hair is a dangerous dark brown. Abram just stands there, blinking, confused. Emil turns his back on the visitor, muttering some obscenities about damned fairy folk under his musty breath. Gus on the other hand, recognises the queen immediately and falls to the ground in a bow, his chest plate and helmet clinking. The queen’s smirk grows into a grin and she pats the knight on the shoulder. 

“I enjoyed the blood and the guts...and the body parts.”

“Yeah you would,” Emil growls, “You and your tasteless, tasteless people.”

Gus gasps and places himself in front of the queen, as if Emil’s words can pierce her skin. Emil simply laughs.

“Look at this old fool! This old, old fool! She doesn't care for you at all my boy! She looks at you as she looks at the bugs swarming around her feet. Learn that Gus! Learn these young girls only want to look at you in amusement and never want to settle down!” 

“I want to settle down,” The queen replies, and she strides towards a chair the men have manufactured from fallen Autumn leaves, “I am going to settle down.”

“Ah see! I knew it! I knew you were that queen I’ve heard gossip about!”

“Gossip?” The queen’s eyebrows raise, “Gossip about me?”

“Oh yes. I’ve heard quite a lot of tall tales about you. Stories about you eating babies, stabbing your own knights with their own swords-” At that, Gus swallows and sits back down on the forest floor, shaking, “-stories of you charming snakes and cobras. Stories of you sleeping in their coils.” Emil stares at the queen, goading her to respond. The queen tuts and stretches her short, stubby legs. They were tired from hours of running as their owner searched the dark places. Her skin stretches and shifts in the firelight.

“I only ate one baby. The rest is just nonsense.”

“Hmmm. All the gossip came from your kind so I never took any of it seriously. Seeing you now makes me think it wasn’t so far fetched.”

The queen furrows her brow and rolls her eyes. 

“Are you all telling stories?” She asks, focusing on the dirt beneath her leaf throne instead of the man in front of her, “ When I was little I read stories about you telling stories together. In an endless loop.” 

The men fall silent. The queen sighs. 

“I would like to join you all. For just one night.” 

Emil growls. Abram roasts a marshmallow. Gus shivers in an invisible wind. His legs make a strange croaking sound and detach themselves from his waist, stumbling about on the rocky terrain.

“What are you queen of, exactly?” Emil asks.

“All sorts of things really.”

“Like what? What do you do? What are your day-to-day ac-tiv-teees?” 

“I look after the lost ones most of the time.”

“The lost ones?” 

“Folks made of time and sand. They come to us, my husband and I, full of regrets and sorrows. They lose themselves in our corridors and become our subjects. We transform their troubled minds into something sweet.”

“Sweet for the monarchy, one supposes, but not for everyone else,” murmurs Emil, picking at his cloak,“ I heard you two aren’t married already.”

“We will be soon.”

“Once your quest is complete, I’m guessing.”

“Yes. Once I return.”

“Do you take babies?” Abram asks, sitting cross-legged on the milkwood grass, “I heard you take babies.”

“Sometimes.”

Emil clears his throat, which makes his bones rattle in a very unattractive way. He then nods to Abram, who nods back. He turns to Gus, who by now is just a bunch of scraps flailing about in the mud. Gus’ head, however, has enough time to tilt his head back in agreement.

“Very well. You may join the club for a night. A single solitary night-”

“No baby eating!” Abram shouts from his corner. The Queen tuts and crosses her heart with a wicked finger. 

“I promise. No baby eating.” She grins. 

“-And you’ll be the last to go. No cuts!” Emil growls.

“Very well.” The Queen sighs and closes her eyes, listening to the whispers in the breeze. 

Emil looks to his companions, sitting by the campfire as they always do, and shrugs.

“Now that…compromise has been met I suppose we can continue with the workshop.”

“Finally,” Abram mutters. 

And as the four take their places in the storyteller’s guild, the woods begin to shiver with excitement. 

The annual Autumn meeting was only beginning.

[cant-blink]

Half-Life, Ch. 5

Summary: The consequences of Gigan’s actions makes itself clear.

-

He can’t move.

He can’t see.

He can’t hear.

But he was aware.

He was aware of the terrible pain that plagued his body, so intense that he couldn’t even scream. He was aware of every second the half-life used him for, every second his flesh was gouged and violated. He was aware, that every time he attempted to move even the slightest bit, it brought painful seizures through his entire body, especially of his legs and tails. His feet would kick the air uselessly, his tails have already run dry of their poison gasses but still kept contracting nonetheless.

He was aware, that for the very first time, he was at the complete mercy of everything around him.

His fifth brain has been severely damaged, shredded by the half-life’s tail and made worse through the mating. The same brain that allowed him to control his massive body was now destroyed, and it left that body feeling alien to the dragon.

Never before has he sustained such a terrible injury. It’s not often he received any injury at all, as his hardened scales usually proved enough to protect him from damage. Even in those few fights that proved more serious, it never got this bad. The extent of his injuries were usually torn wing membranes, maybe even a broken neck. Wounds that were always relatively easy to mend. Until that half-life showed up and now...

He felt so weak, and it was hard to stay conscious, much less stay focused on what he needed to do. He still had stored energy left in his stomach; he just needed to tighten the right muscles to free it into his system. But in the process of doing this, he sent another agonizing spasm through his whole body. He couldn’t even cry out, enduring this as it at least released his emergency reserves.

Some of that energy escaped his body, forming a faint barrier around him, red flame-like wisps coming from it. Keeping him safe from the outside world. He honestly didn’t want that energy to be wasted on a barrier, but he had no say in how his reserves were used. His body spent it on a pre-determined list of priorities that his old creators deemed fit.

The first of those priorities was to stopping the flow of blood from escaping his wounds. Blood being drawn is not something he was used to, but here he was losing too much too quickly. His body was in a state of panic, urgent in trying to get itself back together. But his energy stores were limited in how much he can carry; he didn’t even know if he would have enough to fully stop his bleeding, much less repair his damaged brain.

But he had to repair it; he can’t move without it and he needed to get out of here. Fly beyond the cloud of space dust and its atmosphere, to unfiltered cosmic rays. If he can’t, he won’t be able to complete the healing process. And... and...

It struck him.

He could very well die from this.

Bleeding. Humiliated. Disgraced. Defiled. Pathetic. At the claws of a half-life. Surrounded by lesser lifeforms. He’s never imagined what his death would be like, as it seemed like an impossibility. But this? This was not how he wanted his Death to be. He will NOT give this half-life the satisfaction of knowing he did this to him!

Without thinking, he attempted to get up, but his muscles tightened painfully before his legs kicked once more. More horrific pain swamped his nerves from his injuries. Why was his body not paying his damaged brain any attention?! He deemed that more important than his blood!

In his panicked mind-set, he failed to realize that he needed that blood to transfer the healing energy throughout his body. He was already losing too much, and the more he bled, the slower the process. But the thought never occurs to him as he kept struggling against his own body.

It was the burden of agony and exhaustion that finally stopped his attempts to move, his body once more settling into twitches. That violent fit has just undone what healing has occurred, dislodging clots and causing blood to flow freely once more.

He can feel it, trickling down his scales.

He can’t...

He just can’t...

He laid there for another moment, twitching. Enduring. Trying to calm. It’s all he can do; just try to stay alive long enough to see this through to the end. Hopefully soon, he’ll be able to take matters into his own teeth...

Blood still escaped his wounds by the time his reserves ran dry. No, no, this can’t happen to him. He already is going through enough pain as is, was he really going to have to resort to... to...

He didn’t have any real choice in the matter and he didn’t even have time to brace himself mentally before an acute piercing pain came into his chest. It was as if the half-life had stabbed right through him, and he instinctively tried to struggle, only to provoke another seizure that only worsened his situation. He felt no sign of the half-life, no resistance of his blade in his flesh. 

No, what he was experiencing was his own body sacrificing his Gravity Beam sacs, deteriorating the organs and reducing them into the same energy he would become when cocooning into his asteroid. Except this time, it was piece by piece, with his pain receptors fully intact. There was no pleasant numbing to ease the process.

He couldn’t remember the last time he had to go through something like this. At least back then, he was certain he would’ve been able to watch the process and see the results to make himself feel better. Here, he couldn’t observe the progress being made, nor estimate how much longer he’d have to endure this torture. Was this even worth it?

Wave after wave of added torment pierced through his chest, and each one made his focus waver that much more. His heart was racing so fast, from fear and from working hard to transport this new source of energy with what little blood was left. But even that was starting to weaken. It was harder to think, before thought disappeared completely. The pain was becoming dull, including the constant throb of the active chip. Wait, no... The sensation of the chip, the thing that plagued his dreams and life, was gone now.

An irrational sense of happiness flowed through him; the pain was gone, the chip was gone. Have he succeeded in healing? Was this happiness his reward? Was it time to rest from the ordeal? He didn’t know. All he knew now was a sense of bliss as his crests gave him the biggest dose of euphoria that he’s ever felt. 

Before that too faded into nothingness.

-

"Scoli, I need another glass. Right fuckin' now."

"Hello to you too." The centipede grumbled before glancing up. His mandibles opened in clear disgust. "You couldn't have cleaned up better?"

"Not in the mood, Legs," Gigan hissed, taking the glass just as the other kaiju finished pouring his drink. He takes a swig, savoring the taste and letting it work its magic. "Y'know, I put so much work into that guy and this is how I'm rewarded?"

“A bad lay, huh?” Scolopendra muttered in feigned interest.

“You have no idea,” He took another gulp. “Y’know, I had my suspicions that it would be his first time and yeah it was, and wanna know why?”

“Not really.”

“He had NOTHING between those legs. His damn Masters didn’t even give him junk, how fucked up do they have to be to not think of that?!” He continued to vent between drinks. “As fucked as MY Masters were, at least they left the rest of me intact. Even the bastards who did THIS-” He gestured at his own body. “-left well enough alone. But damn, that dragon can’t do shit. No wonder all he does is kill things, he literally has nothing else better to do with his time. Can’t eat, can’t drink, can’t fuck.” He shook his head. "I'd almost feel bad for him if he wasn't such an asshole. But I'd probably be an asshole too if I couldn't enjoy anything. How he managed to live like that for so long, I have no idea."

"Maybe it doesn't occur to you that if he doesn't have those abilities, then he probably never cared. Can't miss what you never had."

"Well, I've been trying to change that. Show him that yeah, killing is fun, but there's more to life than THAT." 

Another gulp and a moment of silence, as Gigan finished his drink and pushed the empty glass towards Scolopendra for a refill.

“Credit though, it was fun at first. Those throats of his, damn.”

“I don’t need to know the details.”

Gigan continued anyway. “He shoots lightning out of his mouth, and I tell you, that kind of energy made him feel real nice.”

“Gigan!”

“But it would be nice to fuck him properly. Maybe I can find a race that has the knowledge to do some surgery on him. Get a proper hole on him so I don’t have to keep making one myself. Heh.” A smirk came to his face. “Imagine that, get him custom-made just for me. Maybe throw in a stomach too.” He chuckled a bit but that died when he saw the look the centipede gave him. It wasn’t one he was expecting, scolding and with great disapproval. He maintained eye contact as he took a sip of his refilled drink. “What?”

“... What the fuck, Gigan?” Scolopendra started.

“What?” he responded with a defensive hiss.

“I asked not to hear about it, but... But what the fuck do you mean ‘keep making one myself’? What did you do?” Well, at last, the damn bug had interest in what he was saying, even if it was with obvious disgust.

“I told you. I made a hole. Between those legs.” The stinger of his tail clicked with emphasis and the look the centipede gave him was growing even more judgmental. It was enough to make him laugh. “Oh, stop acting like you care. If he were any other bitch, I would’ve done much worse. And had a free meal after.”

Scolopendra shook his head. “Would’ve actually preferred if you ate him like the rest of your ‘bitches’. Always made me feel better pretending it’s a legit hunting method of yours.”

“Eh, this job is making you soft, you’ll get over it,” the cyborg continued dismissively. “Anyway, the whole thing would’ve been fun, but apparently, the dragon couldn’t handle it. Damn thing passed out on me.”

“Passed out? Or died from fuckin’ being impaled?”

“Noooo,” Gigan drawled, taking another gulp. “He was still bleeding when I left.”

“Oh, okay, so he’s dying. Good to know, considering he’s the reason I’ve been giving you drinks in the first place. But now that he’s bleeding out...” 

Gigan gave him an unamused look, which Scolopendra met with his own. The moment of silence was thick before the cyborg gave one last gulp to finish his drink before slamming it back on the bar with force. “Fiiiine. I’ll go check on him.”

“You do that,” the centipede grumbled, just wanting any excuse for the cyborg to leave his establishment. “We’re also closing soon, so don’t bother coming back.” He watched the blue kaiju raise a blade in acknowledgement as he left before the centipede pulled out the communicator from beneath the bar. He pressed in a few buttons before speaking in a soft whisper.

“Hey, boss. Gigan, y’know, that idiot cyborg we banned? Yeah, he just left... Mhm... No, I told him to leave but he brought GHIDORAH in here... Yeah, THAT Ghidorah, how many Ghidorahs do you know? Now that monster knows our location, what now?” He nodded a couple of times before- “The Strawberry cloud?” He lets out an audible sigh. “I’ll get things packed up here.”

..............

“Huh? ..... Nothing’s wrong, I was just hoping we’d move to the Pineapple cloud instead... Wait, we can?”

For the first time since Gigan showed up, the centipede smiled.

-

What the actual hell was this?

Gigan glared at the sphere in front of him, and beyond, Ghidorah lying on the ground. He almost walked right into it and would’ve if it wasn’t for the red firey tendrils that pulsed through it alerting him to its presence. He lifted a claw and gave the sphere an experimental tap.

A spark courses up his blade and into the flesh of his arm and he flinched away. It actually wasn’t bad, although probably enough to kill off small species, like their old Masters. But it does nothing to discourage him, as his visor locks on the motionless form of the dragon. The fact that the dragon thought this would be enough to protect him; maybe from those tiny aliens, but definitely not from him. It was enough to push his irritation out of his mind to be replaced with smug amusement.

He’ll show him how useless this was.

Lifting his claw high, he struck the sphere with strength, sparks erupting from the impact. His other claw followed, slashing into the same spot to weaken it. He continues, increasing the amount of force with each blow until he can make out a crack.

A smirk grew on his beak, and his visor began to glow before a blast of his laser shoots at the weakened spot. On impact, the beam scattered into smaller extensions of itself, increasing the area of damage. It proved enough and the shield shattered. The red wisps of energy flung outwards, dissipating into the pink haze around them.

With a chuckle, his eye settled back onto the dragon lying in a puddle of his own blood. At least it looked as though all that twitching from earlier has stopped. Coming closer, he took notice that Ghidorah looked... thinner somehow. Yeah, he was definitely thinner, he can even make out the shape of the bones in his tails. Something was wrong, very wrong.

“Ghidorah, you awake?” Probably not, given the lack of a reaction to his precious forcefield being destroyed. Those six eyes were still open, still glassy and unfocused. Even those crests have lost their glow. He gave one of those faces a light kick with his foot. Nothing.

The damn thing doesn’t even breathe, so he couldn’t use that as a means to check for life. Does Ghidorah have a heart? A pulse to check? If he bleeds, he probably has some equivalent to such, right? He pulled up the files in his memory bank of what his Masters knew about the wyvern, but beyond the origin of his existence and the mind-control chip, they had nothing else. No anatomy, nothing.

It took a moment before Gigan abandoned his efforts to dig deeper, and he decided to test for life the only way he knew how. He kneeled down beside the dragon and with a blade, he sliced a cut through a patch of scales that was still free of blood-stains.

He scanned the wound for a few seconds before realizing, the dragon wasn’t bleeding.

....

Shit.