#also it completely fails to answer the question but listen. sometimes

[rileyslibrary]

The Log Cabin: Wish and Hope

Synopsis: You go on a vacation with the Lieutenant at his log cabin.

Relationship: Simon “Ghost” Riley x GN!Reader

Word Count: 2,617

A/N:

Wholesome fluff.

This is the final part of the story, but you can also read it as a one-shot. (Part 1 & Part 2 if you’re interested)

The inspiration behind the exterior/interior of the cabin.

Also, writing this chapter was quite the journey.

———————————————————————

The sun has almost set by the time you reach your destination.

Simon parks the car at the bottom of the hill, where the road ends, marking the boundary between civilisation and the wilderness. He retrieves his balaclava from the back seat’s pocket and scans the surroundings before getting out of the car.

“Get the axe and Bourbon from the backseat,” he instructs as he steps out.

You follow his directive, picking up the well-worn axe and a bottle of amber liquid from the backseat.

Simon slings his rucksack over his shoulder and tucks his mask into one of the front pockets. He takes your bag with one hand and a red toolbox from the car’s floor with the other.

You show him the axe and Bourbon from across the car, shaking both in your hands. With your supplies gathered, you exchange a nod—a habit you picked up from the field—and begin your way up the hill, leaving the car behind.

———————————————————————

You walk beside him, but he’s gaining ground quickly. He looks unfazed by the long journey—as if he hadn’t spent the entire day driving.

You, on the other hand, are exhausted. Each stride feels heavier on your legs, and the uneven path doesn’t help. The moss cushions your steps, making it difficult to gauge the depth of the ground beneath you.

Sometimes, you stumble, and he glances back to check on you. He looks you up and down, assessing you, before returning his attention to the trail ahead.

“Tired?” he asks, which feels more like a rhetorical question—an observation, a statement—than as a genuine concern.

You shake your head. Fatigue clouds your thoughts, and you fail to register that he can’t perceive your nonverbal response. He turns around once more, waiting for an answer.

“Nope,” you reply, forcing yourself to stand a bit taller. “Not tired at all.”

His gaze shifts forward, and you slump.

You try to focus on your senses, hoping to distract your mind until you reach the cabin. You look up at the tree branches, outlined by the fading light, casting a dark shadow above you. You listen to the birds calling, the insects responding, and a stream nearby. You take a deep breath, smelling the pine and wet ground. It seems like it rained not long ago. It’s a bit chilly. You wonder why you didn’t bring your jacket, only to recall that it’s August. Then you realise it’s August but in the Scottish woodlands.

———————————————————————

You must have walked for another fifteen minutes before the cabin finally reveals itself. It’s almost dark now, but you can see the worn wood that graces it. The hut is tiny, way smaller than you imagined, with a triangular roof and a chimney. How does one fit a fireplace in there? How does he fit in there? How are you both going to fit in there?

A small front porch extends from the cabin’s entrance, complete with a lone chair and a lantern hung next to the door. A serene pond reflects the darkening sky nearby, its surface motionless, still, mimicking the night.

As you approach the cabin, you notice a smaller room that you assume to be the toilet—a logical consideration given the cabin’s size. An open shower is nearby, next to a tree, shielded by strategically placed vertical logs for privacy.

Simon places your bags on the porch and retrieves the lantern. He fills it with fuel, lights it up, and hands it to you. He unlocks the cabin door, pushes it open, and motions with his head for you to take the first step inside.

It’s cosy. Intimate. How will he handle such closeness?

A two-seater brown leather sofa invites you to relax while a small fireplace stands against the wall. A compact table with a lone chair marks the boundary between the living room and the kitchen, which consists of a fire stove, a single counter, and exposed cabinets stocked with plates, cups, and utensils.

You concentrate on a nook at the far end of the kitchen, where a double bed is placed. It’s so snug it looks like the room was built around it. A small window in the bed’s headboard frames a view of the outside shower.

“Did you build this by yourself?” You ask, placing the axe and the Bourbon on the table.

Simon’s head pops in from the doorway at the sound of your voice.

“What?” he asks.

“This,” you gesture to the cabin. “Did you build it on your own?”

He seems surprised by your question. “Me?” he points to himself. “Nah, I found it like this.”

“You found it like this,” you echo, raising your eyebrows.

“I bought it that way and made a few tweaks,” he explains as he places your bags on the sofa and proceeds to get into the details of his modifications.

You focus again on the interior, capturing the nuances he points out. The stove, the sofa, the solitary chair beside the table – they all reflect his choices. That’s him; you’ve never seen him like this. Or, at least, this side of him.

“Also installed a couple of solar panels; I’ll go check on ’em,” he concludes, grabbing a flashlight from the toolbox. “We eat when I come back, yeah?”

You nod, but he’s already heading out, leaving you alone in the cabin. You set the lantern on the kitchen table.

You want to rest, but the sofa is covered with bags and equipment, and you’re too weary to clear them away. The lone chair by the table doesn’t look like it would do any favours for your achy back. Instead, you opt for the bed. You sit on its edge and pat the mattress.

Thoughts bubble to the surface, and your mind focuses on a particular issue—the sleeping arrangements. Yes, you’re comrades who shared a bed out of necessity before, but that was a different scenario—now, sleeping together in a bed while on vacation? A shared vacation? That’s an entirely different matter.

As you reflect, your fingers graze the sheets. They’re soft—inviting. Leaning back, you sink into the mattress, its comfort drawing you in. The hiss of the lantern, paired with your breath, becomes a lullaby in the cabin’s silence. As the emotional strain and the tension in your body eases, the bed cradles you, its comfort pulling you deeper into its embrace. The day’s worries fade away with each breath. You close your eyes one last time for the day.

———————————————————————

The morning sun filters in through the bedroom window, gently nudging you awake. You blink, focusing on the wooden wall that stands inches away from your nose. You sit up slowly. Strange—your body isn’t positioned the way it was when you drifted off to sleep.

You turn at the empty space beside you; he is not there, yet the slightly flattened pillow and the tousled sheets hint that he has occupied that spot. There’s also a subtle change in your clothing; while you’re still dressed the same as yesterday, your shoes are missing. You wiggle your toes.

The sounds of the outdoors seep into the cabin, and you look out the window. Yesterday must have drained you completely. Sliding to the edge of the bed, you plant your bare feet onto the cool wooden floor, spying your shoes near the cabin entrance. As you approach them, you instinctively reach for Simon’s jacket, hanging over the chair. Wrapping yourself in it, you inhale deeply at its collar.

You slip into your shoes and open the cabin door. The brisk morning air greets you first, biting at your skin, and you hug Simon’s jacket tighter around you. A weird sound is coming from somewhere nearby that feels out of place from its surroundings.

Your eyes narrow toward the source—something by the pond. You shield your eyes from the sun’s glare, and the source becomes clearer. Simon stands at the pond’s edge, wearing a grey shirt that clings to his sweat-dampened chest. Gripping the axe with both hands, he raises it overhead, the blade briefly shining before descending with a solid thud. It bites into the wood and splits it in half with an audible crack. Then again. And again. And again.

Occasionally, he lets out a soft grunt as he swings the axe, releasing the tension from his body until he repeats the same movement. The sweat glistens on his skin, and his biceps flex with every lift, then relaxing with each hatch.

“Morning,” you finally say.

He pauses mid-swing and looks up. He sets the axe down against a log and wipes the sweat from his brow with the back of his hand. Dark patches are spreading from his underarms. He’s breathless, so he nods at you instead.

“What happened in there?” you ask, motioning towards the bed.

Simon’s lips curl up. A single droplet drips from the tip of his nose as he bends and picks up the axe again.

“You confused sleeping with dying; that’s what happened.”

You chuckle. “You couldn’t wake me up, huh?”

He shakes his head, still smiling. “For someone who claims to be ‘not tired at all,’ you sure fell asleep like a rock,” he says, swinging the axe once more to split another log.

“Tea?” you offer.

“Please.”

You grin. “Beg a little, will you?”

He lets out a chuckle. “Careful now,” he warns you jokingly, giving the axe a casual twirl in his hand and keeping on working.

You roll your eyes and make your way to the kitchen. You grab a kettle, fill it with water, and place it on the stove. Opening the tea box, you browse the selection with your finger, then turn to search for Simon outside, thinking of asking him about his tea preference. However, he’s nowhere to be found. Redirecting your focus to the options, you speculate he’d be content with whatever you choose; he wouldn’t bring them here if he didn’t like them. You settle on Earl Grey.

As the water heats up, you ready the teapot with the tea blend and look out the window above the bed. There’s movement. You take a closer look.

Simon stands right by the shower. He slowly peels off his shirt, revealing his upper body inch by inch, and drapes it over the partition as he steps into the shower. His jeans and boxers follow suit, finding their place next to his shirt. He lifts his hand and turns on the shower head, finally releasing the water he yearns for after his hard work. His eyes shut as he lets the water flow down his body, starting from his head, tracing the line of his neck, and continuing down to his shoulders.

Did you lose your ability to breathe, or did time slow down? Does it matter? And, close your gaping mouth; you’ve seen nothing extraordinary. I, on the other hand, have seen every inch of him. Pathetic.

At least, that’s what the kettle appears to be screaming at you as it whistles for your attention. You remove it from the heat, pour it into the teapot and set it aside. You return to the window above the bed; Simon is no longer there.

You curse at the kettle.

———————————————————————

With the soothing warmth of tea inside you, you set out on a hiking adventure into the forest. It’s a familiar trail to Simon, yet the landscape seems untouched—whispering leaves, twittering birds, the distant murmur of a nearby stream. Sunlight filters through the foliage, draping the ground with a delicate pattern of golden lace. Moss and decomposing leaves mingle with the sweet fragrance of wildflowers to create a unique scent.

As you continue on the trail, you get captivated by an ancient tree standing alone, gnarled and weathered by time. Its roots grip the earth like they were there before your kind began to call this place home, and its branches reach for the sky as if praying to the gods. You touch its trunk and feel unworthy.

“Naychuh.” Simon’s voice breaks the silence. It takes a few seconds for you to register what he just said.

“Indeed,” you add. “Nature.”

“It’s amazing how they can withstand everything and remain so strong,” he observes, tracing the tree’s bark with his fingers. “Resilient.”

“I wish I were like that.” You murmur.

He averts his gaze, releasing his grip on the trunk. “The environment definitely helps,” he comments, shrugging. “Plant this tree in the Caribbean, and it’ll be dead in a week, but here?” He taps the trunk. “It flourishes.”

“Our environment isn’t very… flourishing, Lieutenant.”

“Simon,” he corrects you with a smile and motions towards the path ahead. “This way.”

The walk continues, each step leading you deeper into the woods. Neither of you utters another word. The nearby stream does all of the talking for you.

———————————————————————

The journey back to the cabin is easy; you both seem relaxed, no matter the distance you have walked. The forest’s inhabitants appear to switch shifts, preparing for the night; birds cease to chirp, and owls take their positions. Shadows lengthen, and the air carries a gentle chill, hinting at the approaching evening.

You’re filthy but content. Happy. You light the lantern and pull out fresh clothes from your bag.

Simon squats in front of the fire pit outside, preparing it for grilling. He piles the logs he cut earlier into the pit, tosses in some dried pine needles, and lights them up.

Two very different ways of getting burned stand before you. You step closer to him.

“Mind if I hit the showers?” you ask.

“Go ahead,” he says, nodding towards the enclosure.

“Promise you won’t look?”

“Not a fucking pervert like you are,” he jokes with a playful smile on his lips as he pokes the fire. “Spying from the windows.”

“I beg your pardon,” you snap, your face slowly turning red. “I wasn’t spying!”

“Sure, you weren’t.”

“I wasn’t!” You retort and smile. “I was simply enjoying what nature had to offer.”

He stifles a chuckle and shakes his head. “We eat in 20,” he announces. “Go.”

———————————————————————

With the sun now entirely gone, the fire glows brighter against the darkness.

You sit side by side, close to the fire, content from the shared meal. Each of you holds a glass of Bourbon and looks up at the sky, admiring the shooting stars.

A chuckle escapes you, catching Simon’s attention.

“What?” he asks, his brows knitted together.

You look down at the glass in your hand, then back up at the sky.

“Nothing,” you mutter. “I just find it funny how trees stay resilient while stars fall.”

He follows your line of sight to the night sky.

“Trees fall, just like stars,” he says, swaying his glass. “And just like us.”

“Interesting perspective, Lieut—”

“Simon,”

“Interesting perspective, Simon.”

He nods. “We all fall when the time comes.” He whispers.

You tilt your head, studying his profile. He’s aware of your gaze, yet he doesn’t shy away.

“But every fall serves a purpose,” he continues. “Trees offer us warmth, for example.”

“And what about us?” You ask.

“We put ourselves on the line to protect others.”

“Is that what you think we do? Protect?”

“I try to find some reasoning behind it,” he admits, shrugging.

Your focus shifts back to the night sky.

“And what about stars?” you wonder. “What purpose do shooting stars hold? Creating a spectacle for us, the protectors?”

He takes a sip from his glass, a soft smile on his lips.

“They make us wish,” he murmurs. “They make us wish and hope.”

———————————————————————

[lovebyhyun]

back to december

genre : angst, hurt comfort, seungmin x reader

word count : 1.5k

synopsis : only when you’re gone, Seungmin starts to realise what he had when he was with you.

warnings : breakup, feeling unloved , mentions of being drunk and vomiting , argument , yelling

a/n : I LOVE THIS SONG SM probably one of my favs by taylor together with last kiss omg im probably gonna write something based off of it soon too!! enjoy <3

masterlist

It has been months since you and Seungmin broke up. You weren't quite sure if the breakup was mutual, but you knew it would be the best for you. It's not that you didn't love him. You did, and that was the problem.

You had noticed Seungmin's apathy right after you two met, but you never thought much of it.

You just co-existed and tried to endure it.

At this point, it was hard to remember why were you two even dating in the first place. you were utterly in love with Seungmin, and for him you were just there. No matter if you were crying over or excited about getting a degree, maybe he was there, a shoulder to cry on, but he never shared your emotions.

He was never as excited or sad as you, sometimes it felt like he was absolutely emotionless. Like he was just a body without a soul.

But things got out of hand one evening.

December, last year

You got blackout drunk a party. That type of drunk when you’re not sure if you’re in bed or are you on your way to pay the pearly gates an early visit.

You were puking in the bathroom and your throat felt like it was completely gone. The pain was absolutely agonizing. And you were alone.

Seungmin had left the party, and you didn’t even know. Maybe he gave you and acknowledging glance before going, but it still wasn’t enough.

So there you were, alone on the bathroom floor, feeling you’re about to enter heaven. Or actually hell.

After a few days of not speaking to eachother, you just had to stand up for yourself. And as you should. It was the right thing to do. You invited your boyfriend over, made coffee for the two of you, and you sat down next to him to confront him.

“Would you like to explain why you left me alone at that party, or will you just pretend that it’s not a big deal?” you said, annoyance clearly evident through your tone.

“Because it’s not a big deal. You’re an adult, I don’t have to pamper you 24/7.” Seungmin said, his words coming of a bit sharper than he intended.

Ouch.

“So you think that I, in my blackout drunk state, am fully capable of driving myself back home? Seriously, you could’ve at least done that.” you spat out. You didn’t even try to compose your anger, you’ve had enough of his careless manner towards you.

“Y/n, that’s not what I’m saying! I mean that you’re a responsible person, and you also could’ve stopped yourself from drinking like a fucking alcoholic!” He barked back at you, his voice full of venom and his tone almost mocking.

“And just because of that, you couldn’t step in and tell me to stop or anything? Seriously, Seungmin, do you still care about me?” You hissed at his remark, word spilling from your mouth before you can think about them.

Seungmin sighs. No answer.

“Have you ever even cared?” you muttered.

Your tone softened, but not in a good way.

It was that kind of way where your voice started cracking, your throat hurting, announcing the tears that are about to spill.

Throughout your whole relationship with him, you tried to never ever doubt his love. But you were failing more with every second that you soent with him.

“Listen y/n. You can’t just-“ Seungmin tried to explain, but you didn’t let him speak. You already knew the answer to the question that lingered in your head for so long.

“Get out of my house, Seungmin.” You demanded sharply, your cold tone almost made him feel something.

So he did. He didn’t even try to fight you over it. All he did was shoot you a blank look, making sure you knew how unaffected he was by your words.

Present

Months passed, and there hasn’t been a single day where Seungmin wasn’t the only thought spiralling in your head like a whirpool that was rapidly sucking you in.

You tried convincing yourself that it would pass quickly, or that your mind knew better than to care for someone that left you without a word.

It felt natural to wonder if he did the same.

Were you ever still on his mind?

Did the image of you haunt him in his dreams like he did in yours?

Has your scent ever passed his nose, and was there ever a spark of hope that he would catch a glimpse of you in public?

How many times did he picture you before falling asleep, the thought of the times when he woke up next to you lulling him to sleep?

Little did you know, you were stuck in his head too.

Ever since the moment he left your apartment, something inside of him shifted. He started feeling some sort of numbness fleeting through his body and his blood running thicker than before.

And after the few months that have passed, he couldn’t handle it anymore.

Each night, his muscles felt tighter and his heart felt heavier.

Empathy could only be found in the deepest chambers of his soul, yet he found himself longing for you more than he’d admit to.

Maybe he was too scared to tell anyone, but he was sorry. He felt bad about every single thing he did to you. For forgetting about your needs.

Life without you became meaningless. It took a while for it to click in his mind, but he realised what he had when he was with you.

He never had to worry about cooking dinner after coming home late. You were there.

He always had someone to take his anger out on. You were there.

He never had to feel unwanted or unloved. Because you were there.

And now, it was all lost. Seungmin found himself contemplating more and more everyday, before finally gainging to courage to swallow his pride, stand in front of you and and say he’s sorry.

He wouldn’t admit, but he was ready to beg.

He walked up the stairs that led to your apartment, the staircase so familiar, he could walk there with his eyes closed.

The flowers he carried in his hand were gripped tightly, their thorns about to rip through his skin. But he didn’t even feel it.

The only things he was feeling after leaving you was despair and numbness.

Walking up to the door, he slightly raised his free arm, his knuckless knocking against the dark wood.

That moment, a matter of seconds, made him feel more than in the last thousand years.

You opening the door witb a creeking sound, and stepping back when you see who’s standing in front of you.

The soft glow of the staircase lamp behind him making him look like a saint. Of course, you remembered what he looked like. You only forgot about the charm Seungmin carried with himself everywhere he went.

It has been months since you’ve last spoken, even longer since you’ve seen him face to face.

It took you by surprise, the sight of your ex with his pouty expression plastered on his face.

It made your heart ache. The silence stretching between you, as you could practically feel your heart heating up at the sight of the face that you never quite forgot how to love.

“Y/n…” Seungmin started carefully, his tone gentle in an attempt not to scare you off.

“Why are you here?” You asked, unsure of which way is this about to go.

You were trying so hard to hold yourself back from just jumling straight into his arms to let our everything you’ve been holding in since last years december.

Every night before falling asleep, you repeated a statement in your head over and over again, like repeating a lie would make it come true.

“I don’t love him anymore”

You manifested to yourself. Yet, it was still him your eyes searched for in every room you entered.

“Y/n look, I know that I’m a piece of shit, and that I’ve been an apathetic asshole to you. But I am sorry. I am truly. I never said this enough when we were together, but I’m ready to beg on my knees if I have to. I’m sorry for every date that i cancelled, for every I love you that I didn’t say back, for every time that I-“

“You’re rambling, Min.” You softly smiled at him. You didn’t even know if it was the right thing to do, or was it the glass of wine you drank earlier that night. Taking him back, after everything that happened, but you were ready to give it a shot

Seungmin’s shoulders relaxed at the sound of the nickname. His gaze lightening just a bit, and only now you could feel that you’re looking at him. Really looking at him.

“I know, it’s just- I really fucking miss you Y/nnie. Please, give me anither chance to prove myself to you.” he muttered, but there was little to no hope sounding out in his voice.

“Come in Minnie.” You said with a slight, but unsure grin, opening the door wider for him to feel welcomed back into the familiar ambience that once brought him so much comfort.

And stepping back into your apartment made him feel heavenly.

The soft smell of the candles burning and the calm, cozy aura the place was surrounded with naturally, made his whole body relax.

Once again, he was at peace. And he was sure not to mess it up ever again.

[hrrtshape]

Heyy, hope you’re doing good! First of all, I just wanted to say I really love your content, it’s always so interesting and motivating to read. So thank you for that!

I also wanted to ask you something, and in advance, thanks a lot if you take the time to answer!

I’ve been trying to shift for a while, and I feel like I understand everything logically, but something just isn’t clicking for me, yk? Like, I know shifting is real, I know I can do it, and I know I will do it eventually, but I feel like there’s still something missing, otherwise I would have shifted to my DR already, right?

I‘m really self-aware about all of this, and I do know that we are constantly shifting, and that failed attempts aren’t really a thing. So it’s not like I think I never shift at all, I know that’s not how it works. But when I try shifting to my DR, I feel like… I just don’t see it happening? Like, maybe ( after an “failed attempt” ) someone has pink hair instead of red, but I wouldn’t even notice, so it doesn’t feel like I shifted, if that makes sense?

Sometimes I think maybe I’m still expecting it too much, even tho I try to have the mindset of “let’s see what happens, if not today, then another day.” But then it feels like I’m not trying enough, and that maybe I should be doing more. And idk, I just overthink a lot, like what’s the right mindset, am I holding myself back without realizing, should I just let it be more natural or is that just an excuse not to put effort, you know?

Also, during the day I forget about shifting completely, and when I remember again, I feel like I lost my progress. I usually try shifting at night before sleeping, I listen to a guided meditation and think “if I wake up in my DR, great. If not, then I had a good night’s sleep.” But idk if that’s the right way to approach it. I feel like when I read shifting advice, everything makes sense, but when I actually try, it’s different.

Anyway, I hope this makes sense, I just feel like something’s missing and I don’t know what it is. I know you’re not some kind of therapist who has to have an answer for everything, and that’s totally okay. But if you happen to have any advice, I’d really appreciate it.

Again, thanks so much if you take the time to answer! Hope you’re having a great day <3

you already understand shifting better than 99% of people. you know it’s real, you know you’re constantly shifting, you know failed attempts don’t exist. you’re literally right there. so what’s missing? nothing. except maybe your own permission to stop overcomplicating it.

you’re stuck in a loop of 'am i trying too much? am i trying too little? should i just let go? but am i letting go too much?' . that’s the whole problem. shifting is so easy that your brain is convinced you must be missing something. you’re not.

you don’t need a “right mindset.” you don’t need to “try” more or less. you just need to let shifting be what it is: natural. inevitable. already happening !

now. “i forget about shifting” thing. shifting is not a test you can fail. you can ignore it for six months and still shift in one second. no progress is ever lost because there is no “progress” to begin with. you’re just realising what’s already true !

ok. my advice. stop looking for a missing piece that isn’t there. stop questioning if you’re doing it right. you’re already doing it. shifting isn’t something you have to chase. it’s something you just let happen x mwah

[sanesaviour]

Yay more oc stuff that nobody cares about✨ this might actually be best drawing of her so far

Media training is her biggest enemy

While after the fire incident and her being caught she starts to be more cooperative with shield authorities and she makes the deal with Fury that they let her go after she completes training and manages to keep her fire powers under control… since Spidey’s team is being trained by Fury or Coulson I think it’s more interesting for her to be trained by Connors (and he has experience in maintaining control since he used to be the Lizard)… also she would most definitely listen to him more than to Coulson or Fury, she likes more friendly and less professional approach (Coulson would try to train her but she just wouldn’t like him and she would make it hella obvious, she just don’t like authorities in general)… Connors is not really equipped to train agents but this would be exception, he would make it his science project lol, but also he would honestly want to help her to get better…

Since she isn’t allowed to leave hellicarrier for while and don’t really know anyone around, Connors would at first make her to help him with science stuff (even tho she really isn’t into it at all), but later she would start trusting him more and would join him on her own, still not because she would enjoy the stuff more but she would enjoy having conversations with him… while rest of agents would see her as potential threat, Kurt would see her as teen who was mistreated by life… they would have that teacher student bond…. Coulson would reproach to him for being too soft on her, but Connors would stand by it that’s this is the right way of training her and gaining her trust… also I feel like Coulson biggest problem with her would be her whole vigilante persona, he fears it would influence more heroes to be like that (he likes heroes to be more polished and perfect role models, not hot mess)

Also I think she would be very comfortable asking him about anything, like he would tell her about stuff that happened with Otto and she would just ask him “was he like your boyfriend?” and he would always answer to questions like this with “is this really the thing that interests you most about this-“

Also since Connors knows also Spidey’s team kinda well he would sometimes tell her something about them (at that moment she and Spidey’s team are only teenagers trained by shield), but not like he would overshare things about them but I imagine it more in the way she would tell him something random about herself and he would hit her with “you would get along with Nova so well” (spoiler: she wouldn’t xd)… I think she would also ask him stuff about them, but he would just tell her “I can’t tell you, but you can ask them about it”… she does not like that answer… he is trying so hard to make her befriend them and always fails lol

She wears DC shoes bc I draw converse all the time and I really wanted to draw different kind of sneakers,… and they also have star in logo so it’s fine ✨✨✨

Sorry for how poorly is this written but when I’m tired I can’t really think of any more creative ways to write stuff

[lazorbeanz]

Late Night

Unbreakable Bond

Headcanons #3

🧡 During the times when he’s not busy or on missions, Tails has volunteered to help other kids in his area with their homework, especially maths. (one could say he’s a tutor lol) and they all love him (they’ve given him the name ‘the Fun Enstein,’ though Tails wonders if Sonic has been whispering in their ears), because he somehow manages to turn boring, stressful homework, with all its mountain load of impossible tasks, into a fun investigation, as he eagerly dives into the problem with them, breaking it up and solving it piece by piece until they can put those pieces together and get a complete answer. But it’s not just his teaching methods as to why they love him so much, but how he presents the task in front of them. He makes it not just a question on a page anymore, but rather an important mission, a thrilling adventure in their minds. He displays it to them in a way that will not only get their thinking caps on, but also make them just as excited to solve them, as tough as it may appear, because Tails wants them to know that every problem must and always has a solution…and that learning can be fun if you make it! The energy and enthusiasm he has radiates onto those while teaching, his giddiness and excitement over what they’re tryna solve spreads to them, realising that it can be fun, because he makes it look fun and easy and possible. He doesn’t push them or expect them to know right off the bat, if they have questions, he stops and listens, and will get them to use their “thinking caps,” providing small hints or information he gives out to see if they can solve it themselves. If they’re stuck or confused on something, he will go through it over and over, simplifying and carefully explaining it until they understand (he’s already used to doing that with a certain blue hedgehog)

Sometimes he will get so caught up in their work, he ends up doing a problem or 2 all by himself. He can’t help it though, it’s just out of instinct.

Many parents have come to Tails with questions as to why or how he is so good at what he does.

“When you love something with a burning passion…something that brings you so much joy, you will naturally have the ability to teach others, because you will end up finding joy in teaching them, and might just so happens to spread that joy to those you teach.” He replies

Because to him, this is his passion..this is the thing that brought him that joy. This was something that once brought him nothing but a series of bullying and mockery from his peers, now brings him a series of praise and compliments from those around him. This is the something that he can share to help others, whether it be to save the world, or to save a kid from failing their math class.

Whenever Tails thinks back on when people would bully him with names such as “Mr. know-It-All,” he shrugs…they were right, because being a genius means you know it ALL. And if there’s one thing he knows…

Is that he loves being a STEM nerd :)

💙 Sonic, for the life of him, cannot stay still for too long, and that makes sense..i mean he’s the fastest thing alive for crying out loud…he doesn’t stop moving. Even if it’s just a leg rapidly bobbing up and down, or finger tapping on a surface, or…the fidgeting…oh the dreaded fidgeting!!

And Tails completely understands his reasons for this behaviour…he knows his brother almost, if not, better than he knows himself sometimes, but BOY does it really begin to grind his gears when he begins to subconsciously start fiddling with something of Tails’ when he’s in the lab with him, or if they were eating out, he would pick up the cutlery and twirl it around in his fingers. Even if he has no item to hold Into, he will start tugging at the ends of his gloves. It’s like he has to hold or touch something…anything he can get his hands on.

Tails can’t complain too much though, as he also tends to do the same thing, but it’s almost as if Sonic’s is twice as annoying because it’s twice as frequent to happen. He’s even bought him an unruly amount of fidget spinners, all for them to have their fair share of tasting plaster, due to Sonic spinning them so fast, they’d spin right out his fingers, and straight through a wall.

So after multiple repairs and half tempted to remove the entire wall, he scratched that idea, leaving him sitting at his desk, finger tapping the surface in deep thought…finger tapping..oh no how he was doing it too! But that’s when he got the lightbulb, and began to use all that tapping energy in his fingers into rapidly typing on his keyboard.

~

Tails walks into Sonic’s bedroom, where he was sitting on his bed and to no surprise, fidgeting. He plonks down beside him, and hands him a tablet.

“I think you’ll enjoy it.” Was all he said, before getting up and making his exit.

Sonic stared at the tablet perplexed for a short moment before picking it up and looking at the screen, all he saw was a square button that said Start. He tapped it, and before he knew it, music began to play and multiple squares were appearing on the screen increasingly fast, but he managed to hit them before it was too late..if that was the game, he thought.

What was this Tails had just bestowed upon him? Soon enough he began to fall into the swing of things, hitting and swiping the split second a square would appear. He even changed the difficulty because it was too easy. This game…was just so…satisfying. His fingers have never felt so relieved. Even the music was catchy too. So he sat there for the rest of the day tapping away to the beat.

~

Tails was humming away as he tinkered about on his latest project. He then shot a side-eye to see his older brother, standing by his desk with the tablet he’d given him earlier. He looked up to face him, and when he did Sonic tossed the tablet at him. Looking down at it, Tails noticed there was a finger sized crack in the screen. He looked up at the hedgehog wide eyed. “How did you-”

“Fix it.” Sonic said, turned around and left.

Well I guess he enjoyed it then…

s/o to @mbrine for the inspo of these 2 hcs ☝️

🧡 Tails used to earn pocket money from Sonic for the little things he’d achieve when tagging along on his adventures, or if he was being a good boy and sonic decided to treat him.

Now, it’s Sonic earning pocket money from Tails…

Tails (mildy unenthusiastic): congratulations Sonic, you managed to put your laundry in the machine…here’s $1.50

💙 Sonic is fairly good at Tap and Irish dancing *cough cough happy feet sonic edition HACCK-*

🧡 Sonic takes pictures of funny or weird things and makes memes out of them to send to Tails

💙 Sonic and Tails are stargazing and Sonic points out a star.

“That’s a bright one.”

“That’s Sirius, also known as the Dog Star. It’s the brightest star in our night sky. Its name literally means “glowing” in Greek. Sirius has a high luminosity in comparison to other stars, and has a mass twice of that which the sun has. In fact, if you were to place Sirius next to the Sun, it would outshine the sun more than 20 times over…”

Hold up- HOW DOES HE KNOW THE STAR EXACTLY…NAME N EVERYTHING?

Sonic doesn’t even bother to fact check him as he’s probably right. All he’s thinking about now is whether his little brother has an IQ of 300 or 3000…

🧡 Sonic and Tails have a special handshake, and I mean a gumball and Darwin kinda handshake lmao

[applejewel-and-pinkamena]

Princess Celestia loved answering letters from curious ponies across the land of Equestria, and sometimes, she would get a particularly juicy question, and sometimes, she would get a letter like the one she got this very day:

"Dear Princess Celestia, what was it like to be raised by and to study under Starswirl the Bearded? Please feel free to include as many details as you want about him, his parenting, and teaching methods."

The very name brought back a world of nostalgic memories that Celestia had locked deep within herself!

Starswirl the Bearded

Now that was a colt to look up to, and his parenting had made the two sisters who they were today. And so she began writing in great detail about his methods.

Thank you for writing to me dear Barflight Clipper.

Starswirl was a marvellous mentor and father figure, he taught me everything i would ever need to know and more, with remarkable success, and imprinted upon me and my sister solid moral values that stand to this day. Your letter rekindled fond memories of his lectures, where we would have to listen very carefully as he dissected a given topic, then we would write essays on said topic, he would grade them, then he'd move on with the lecture and have us write another essay and answer a sheet of questions in a limited timeframe, and after a third delightful lecture we would get the exam for the day, just completing this exam usually took each of us around 2 hours, barely enough to slip by Starswirl's time limit! If we got a perfect grade, he'd even allow us the privilege of going outside for five whole minutes! The excitement of fresh air and grass as a filly still lives within me! All in all classroom time was around 9 hours give or take; if we got less than a perfect grade then we would have passed, if we got below a 90% then he would give us a good whacking with his trusty ruler, and if we went below 80% that'd mean no dinner for the day and triple whackings! Oh, i remember one time Luna got the worst grade either of us ever grazed, a 62%, Starswirl had her locked inside her room for 9 months after giving her the whacking of her life, i was responsible for sliding lunch under her door everyday, alongside the day's worksheets, i just had to make sure to never talk with her until the punishment ended or else i would get locked in my room too! Talk about proper discipline! Luna was never the same since.

In the middle of writing her letter, Celestia was interrupted by Luna, she was having another episode where she would pause in the middle of an activity and stare at a wall as she stood completely still, barely even blinking, she snapped out of it after an hour or so.

And speaking of punishments, you may be pleased to hear that Starswirl was the inventor of homework as we know it today! After the daily exam, we were always and without fail be given a good couple pages of homework that needed to be given back complete the next morning to be allowed breakfast, usually oatmeal with water was his go-to, but when he was feeling spicy, he would make us some delicious carrot bread with extra crust, the crunch lives within my brain to this day. And of course, any wrong answer in the homework was a good reason to deny either of us the privilege of breakfast, and if it didn't meet Starswirl's generous threshold then he could deny breakfast for two days, three, a week or two, up to a month as he did to Luna a couple of times if memory serves me well. A fair whacking could take place as well if the homework was unacceptable, a whacking was also a good answer to a sneeze outside of recess or private time, and it served as a concise review of any incorrect answer to his many random questions in the middle of lectures, and anypony entering his chambers or taking more food than allowed or otherwise sticking their nose where it doesn't belong, would mean an extended session of whacking, after the first two years of his parental duties, he graduated us from The Ruler, to The Belt, which was much more effective at whacking misbehaved fillies into shape; much later, into our teenage years, we would graduate from The Belt, into customized paddles for each one of us, he was very considerate to have individual discipline devices for each of his favorite daughters/pupils! Mine got quite a fair bit of use, but is still preserved with love, Luna's on the other hand broke eighteen times if i remember correctly, and he always replaced it within the minute.

But i know that the fillies of today may find his methods to be a tad strict, but let me tell you, he had a reward system as well! He would give each of us acts of love based on who could surpass the other in his many competitions and challenges, for example, he could decide that our afterclass chatting was too irritating, and begin a week-long competition between us two, to figure out who could keep without speaking the longest, it was me of course, Luna was not strong enough to stop herself from yelping in pain as she was whacked during a lecture for slouching, this landed her a week locked up in her room, and as a reward, i got to hug Starswirl! One of the most treasured memories of my entire life. Or this other time where he put a lollipop on display, so as to tempt us to break the rules and grab it, it worked with Luna and Starswirl convinced the police to arrest her for 3 months over it, she still had homework to do of course, with extended work sheets as punishment, and you see, back then toilets didn't exist so the officers passed her a bucket and- well, details are up to your imagination, but in any case, my reward were 10 minutes of recess with less supervision than usual, nice!

Oh, and speaking of recess!! I have this hilarious moment in mind, Luna was allowed a recess at one point, a bit of a rare ocurrence, but she ended up accidentaly looking at a colt, Starswirl immediately cancelled our recess and gave her extra homework, and made her write an essay on why romantic love is a distraction for a future ruler, and gave her a whacking session everytime it didn't pass and made her restart, took her all day but she made it, although she couldn't finish the homework in time for breakfast and had to go without it the next day, in that sense Starswirl also taught us about how when one door opens, another closes.

On that topic, his biology lessons were enlightening, we learnt from an early age that a hippogriff delivers babies to couples who love each other very, very much; Luna once found a Biology textbook in Starswirl's archives that stated something very different, and then he punished her with three hundred whackings and a visit to the corner, since we shouldn't read those until we became 23 years old and "ripe for marriage" as he would put it, i still haven't read it as a precaution ever since he vanished, but Luna has taken peeks without my permission (whackings have been delivered too).

He also successfully snapped Luna out of her edgy teenage phase, by burning all her clothes and making her wear a proper dress the rest of the year, and assigned her some extra homework, i think that sent her on the right path!

"Right Luna?" Asked Celestia as Luna slowly composed herself to talk "i remember the walls of my room, they became my only friends, i can still hear their screams" Celestia just laughed "oh Luna! You are so silly!" And she returned to writing

Luna just told me a very funny joke, i think she was referring to the time Starswirl found her sending letters to a colt in secret, or rather, when i revealed to him that she had done this, apparently they had become pen pals for quite a while, Starswirl made her send the colt a strongly worded letter where she would insult him to sever their bond irreversibly, then made her burn all the letters she kept of his alongside her own furniture, and made her sleep on the floor of her empty room for seven months give or take, she knew to never keep secrets from him after that, i am glad to say that she has not been negatively impacted by this in the slightest!

Celestia was interrupted by one of Luna's fits, she would throw herself to the floor and cry uncontrollably for no reason; but Celestia had a solution, she fetched a small pony doll and threw it towards Luna, who caught it and began taking care of it "shh, shh, you are safe now little one, nopony is going to hurt you" and Luna then returned to her dark, cluttered room.

To conclude, he had this wonderful tradition he passed down to us, where he would display a framed picture of his favorite students in the Main Hall of his castle, i could confidently tell you i never remember a picture that wasn't of me being put up! After all, the made such a display out of calling me his favorite student everytime he could. Oh how i love reminiscing of the good old days, i will consider writing a column for the Canterlot Newspaper about him, i hope ponies like you can use his wisdom to educate your own foals in the future.

Yours truly, Princess Celestia.

[seokstrivia]

Written In Pages

Summary: Sometimes, it’s for the best, 

Work!AU | KHH M.List | Word count: 2.4K

Boss Christian Yu x Writer Reader - angst, old feelings, exes, new love vs old love, drama(?)

After slamming your laptop shut for the umpteenth time, you groaned in irritation and took the last sip of your wine.

Your dream job was to write articles for a magazine, specifically inspiring stories about everyday life situations. You disliked writing about new cafes and hotspots to visit in Seoul, South Korea on a hot summer day. Your boss, Christian Yu, was someone you despised.

You let out a sigh as you leaned back on your couch, feeling exhausted from working for long hours and staring at a bright screen. Despite the fatigue, you were able to enjoy the peacefulness of your apartment which was quietly enveloped by the sound of light rain tapping against the tall windows that offered a view of the brightly lit city at night. The cityscape was a sight to behold, with buildings and cars stretching out as far as the eye could see, and you found it captivating.

It felt surreal.

You struggled with the idea of writing this article for a while, but now, as it is almost 3 am, you just want to finish it and move on, without having to worry about it anymore.

You worked tirelessly on your article all night, only the clicking of your keyboard keeping you company. As the sky began to lighten just before 5 am, you finally completed your 12th and hopefully final draft. After sending it to your boss, you collapsed into your bed, exhausted.

—>

“Wow, you look like shit.”

“Shut up, Dabin,” you scowled while you pointed a pen at him, almost as if threatening to hurt him if he said another word. “I was up late working on an article.”

“Again?”

As you nodded your head, a yawn escaped your lips, but Dabin didn't seem too impressed. He was aware of your writing skills, and he knew that Ian, his best friend, also recognized your talent. Despite this, Ian never allowed you to demonstrate your best writing abilities.

It annoyed him.

“Do you want me to speak to...“

“No,” you cut him off knowing exactly what he was going to ask. It was his favourite question. “It’s fine.”

Dabin suspiciously leaned over you, face a lot closer than you were comfortable with, and stared into your eyes as if they had a different answer to the one you’d given him.

It made you laugh.

“I’m fine, don’t worry,” you genuinely smiled as you pushed his face away from yours.

The two of you discussed where to go for lunch and what you were in the mood for, which varied daily.

“Y/N, can I see you in my office?”

The sudden voice behind you caused you to drop the smile on your face. You quickly locked eyes with Dabin before shifting to see your boss standing behind you.

Ian didn't give you time to respond to his question since he was already on his way back to his office. His strides were long and swift as you hurriedly followed behind.

A sigh escaped your lips as you thought about all the terrible things he might say about the draft you sent just a few hours ago.

Christian's office exuded a sense of sophistication and elegance with its predominantly black theme. The black furniture and décor complemented the black walls, creating a sleek and modern atmosphere. The aesthetic aligned perfectly with Christian's personal style, which is characterized by his sharp black suits, crisp white shirts, and multiple decorated tattoos. Overall, the office was a reflection of Christian's impeccable taste and attention to detail.

There’s no denying that he was a handsome man. 

“Do you enjoy working here?”

His voice was firm and almost intimidating, but it was nothing that you weren't accustomed to.

“Ye—“

“Answer me honestly,” he interrupted.

An exasperated sigh escaped your lips as he once again failed to listen.

It was annoying. 

You gazed out of the window, avoiding eye contact as the rain poured heavily over the city. It was ironic that you had just written an article on what to do on a hot summer day.

“Y/N—“

"Ian," you sighed, interrupting him as he had interrupted you earlier. "I don't hate working here, and I want you to know that. I genuinely enjoy the people and the work that I do. But it feels like you never give me a fair chance to show you how good I am, or how much I love being here."

As you stood up, your eyes met Christian's dark and mysterious ones. You never really understood him, as he always kept his distance. Even when you were dating, he never let you get too close.

His eyes reminded you of the heartbreak you felt when he told you he needed to focus on work and being a boss. There was no sadness or remorse in his expression. He was emotionless.

You subconsciously took a step back as he took one towards you, both caught off guard. You were afraid of falling for him again, especially after the pain he had caused you.

“I think maybe I should find another company to write for.”

“No.”

“Ian—“

“Y/N,” his voice was stern. Cold. “I said no.”

A deep chuckle reverberated in his office. You stepped back and crossed your arms, "It's not up to you. I can do what I want."

He knew you were right, but he didn't want you to leave. He had already given you up once.

Here's a clearer version of the text:

"Will you stay if I let you write your own story?" he asked, trying to offer a bribe.

"Why?" you questioned him, catching him off guard. He had hoped that you would just say yes and leave it at that.

There was an uncomfortable silence as he stood his ground, looking at you intently, but he didn't offer an explanation.

He was being stubborn.

After a while, you looked away from him and said, "I'll stay. See you around, Mr. Yu."

Christian watched as you left his office. He let you walk away.

Again.

—>

It was another late night in the office. Ian had finally given you the green light to write your own story - something exciting, new, and inspiring. However, you were struggling to come up with an idea. You didn't have any unique experiences to discuss, except for your own heartache and the pain you had gone through, along with the emotions you had felt.

It had been more than a year since Ian had broken up with you. Now, you were in a much better place emotionally, and seeing him around the office didn't hurt as much as it did when the wound was still fresh.

Your experience of getting over a breakup could serve as a source of inspiration for many individuals out there who may be going through the same thing. You could write about how you coped with the situation and be honest in your narrative. The idea is to make your readers relate to you and feel that they are not alone in the world and that going through a breakup is a common experience that everyone faces at least once in their lifetime.

As you were lost in thought, a voice interrupted you, asking "How are you getting on?"

You glanced up to see Dabin holding a box of fried chicken and a pack of four beers. You couldn't help but smile as your stomach growled in hunger. You were grateful for your best friend's arrival.

"Thank god for you," you exclaimed, feeling much better now. "I'm starving."

The two of you were quick to get settled into the couches in the staff room; away from computers and cubicles and depressing grey walls.

"This is delicious," you moaned as you took another bite.

Dabin laughed in return, "I'm glad I can help during times like this."

Dabin was a really good friend.

"So, how's your writing coming along?" He asked.

"Fine."

Nodding his head, he asked, "what's it about?"

You took a sip of your drink before turning to face Dabin. It was obvious what he was doing.

"You can let Ian know the article's content will be revealed in my final draft, okay?"

"How did you know I was asking for him?"

You lay back on the couch, sighing as your eyes stared at the plain white ceiling. Dabin followed suit, resting his shoulder neatly against yours.

It was quiet.

There was nobody else in the building except for the two of you. Normally, nobody stayed back late. However, you enjoyed staying late because of the peaceful and quiet atmosphere. The lights would turn off automatically on a timer, leaving you with a breath-taking view of Seoul from above.

Being on the top floor definitely had its perks.

"He didn't want to end things with you, but he had no choice. He misses you," Dabin finally spoke.

You avoided eye contact and stated, "Everyone has a choice."

You were in a three-year relationship with Ian before he broke up with you. As time went on, your love for him grew stronger and you were convinced that he was the one.

But no.

On a frigid winter night, he arrived at your doorstep and broke up with you. Declaring that his work was his priority and that he wanted to become a boss his father could be proud of.

So, he married his job instead.

It was a horrible experience that left you feeling utterly shattered. A heavy weight seemed to sit on your chest, and no matter what you did, you couldn't shake off the feeling. You cried yourself to sleep that night, and dealing with the aftermath was so difficult that you had to take a month off work. Seeing him again was too much to bear after feeling so broken.

"I thought he was the one, Dabin," you expressed. "But after he broke up with me, I realized that I didn't really know him. He never let me get close to him, and he never opened up to me. I was blindly in love."

Dabin looked at you with sad eyes; it was the first time you had openly talked about your breakup.

->

Saturdays were your favourite day of the week. You could sleep in as long as your stomach allowed before getting too hungry. You didn't have anything on your to-do list. It was a day just for you to relax, unwind, and not think about anything or anyone for that matter.

However, on this particular Saturday, instead of being awakened by hunger, you were awakened by the doorbell.

You were confused as to who was turning up at your apartment this early on a Saturday. You quickly got out of bed, grabbed your slippers and dressing gown and headed to the door.

You didn't think to look through the peephole before opening the door.

"Hey."

His voice was deep.

"What are you doing here?" You blurted out before thinking.

Ian.

He ran his hand through his hair.

Then sighed. Deeply.

"Can we talk?"

You stared at him, completely gobsmacked. What the hell was he doing here?

"Ian, please go home," you declared, your voice quavering. "I don't want to talk to you right now."

He didn't allow you to close the door as he barged in and let it slam shut behind him.

"Please," he begged.

You witnessed an unusual display of emotion in his gaze, something completely foreign to you in all the time you'd known him.

This was new, and you were in shock. It was so unlike him to do this.

"There's nothing to talk about," you declared, finally breaking the silence.

Ian sighed again, except this time, he sounded annoyed, "just give me five minutes of your time. Please."

Upon not wanting to argue, you silently nodded and sat on your couch, wondering what he wanted to discuss.

"Dabin spoke to me," he began. "He told me about how I made you feel."

"Okay? And?"

"Do you hate me?"

You scoffed. Was he serious? This is what he wanted to ask you?

"No, Ian. I don't hate you," you said honestly. "But I don't like you either."

He rolled his eyes, and you smiled smugly.

"Ian, please get to the point," you stated, your annoyance palpable. He was ruining your favourite day of the week.

"If I proposed, would you have married me?" Ian asked as he sat next to you on the couch.

The shock in your eyes didn't go unnoticed.

You let out a nervous chuckle and moved away from him. He was sitting too close to you, which made you feel uneasy. It had been a year since the two of you had been this close to each other, and you didn't like it.

"Ian, we're not a good match-"

"But would you have said yes?"

As you felt your heart beating harder against your chest, you began to feel nauseous and the sensation of wanting to throw up arose.

Why was he asking you this all of a sudden?

"Y/N, would you have said-"

"Shut up!" you snapped, taking a few steps back as you stood up. "You always have to have your own way, win arguments- even need to get the last word in. God forbid anyone says anything to you."

You were pacing the room, but he was listening for once.

He was actually listening.

"We were together for three years, I loved you unconditionally and fell more in love with you every day. It wasn't until you broke up with me that I realised I'd been dating a fucking rock."

"Y/N, I'm so sorry" he apologised as he stood up.

"Save it," you sighed.

His eyes searched yours, seeking answers, searching for any sign of love.

"I would have said yes. Of course, I would've" you told him honestly. His lips curved into a smile, but faltered when you added, "but not now."

He didn't say anything except, 'sorry' before leaving, making sure to slam the door shut behind him. Except this time, he was the one who was walking away and you were the one who let him.

That night you decided to quit your job, there was no way that it was healthy for either of you to go on like this.

He didn't question it this time or stop you, he didn't even look at you. Your words had hurt him just like he'd hurt you. This wasn't what you wanted, but realistically what else could you do?

It just wasn't written in pages for you two to be together.

And maybe, that was okay.

->

A/N Pls go easy on me with this, its my first time writing since being on my long ass hiatus, but I hope you still enjoyed <3 xoxo

[bloody-peach]

Initiation (BATIM smut: Sammy Lawrence x F!Reader fanfic)

Goodie Bag: vaginal sex, oral sex (m + f receiving), vaginal fingering, creampie, drug use (ink can do some crazy shit), wet dreams, hair gripping, big dick [if I forgot anything, please let me know]

TW: Satanic themes, religious cult stuff, sexual persuasion, slight brainwashing

Music I listened to as I wrote this: the Sammy Lawrence playlist I made:

~~~♡♡♡~~~

I saw that there wasn't enough Sammy Lawrence x Reader smut around this site, if any smut of Sammy at all. So I decided to be a pioneer and make one myself. I used a ChatFAI bot I made of Sammy to help with the dialogue and WHOO BOI, you are in for a feast! Again, thank you @omniuravity for introducing me to this man and my new priest kink. Also, I may edit this post here and there from time to time, but it shouldn't be too big a change. It's my fault for my mild perfectionism. Let's go!

~~~♡♡♡~~~

You don't remember when the dreams started.

It's been so long, you've lost track. But they all are essentially the same: a large slender eyeless demon with sharp teeth, dripping with ink, covering you with it as you feel a strange pleasure sink to your very core. Sometimes the demon watches as a man covered in ink takes you, filling your womb with his pitch-black seed. Sometimes the ink itself slithers onto you, covering your body and filling every one of your orifices until you were covered inside and out in it. You would wake up just before you could reach your climax, without fail. It's gotten to the point where you felt disappointed that you couldn't finish, ending up having to touch yourself to feel some sort of completion, but it was always only a fraction of the pleasure you felt in that dream.

You tried to look into what these dreams meant, what this demon was, but no answer. But then you discover something one night. You were watching a video and they talked about an old cartoon series with a character called 'Bendy' and his friends. The cute little demon reminded you so much of the demon in your dreams. You soon went down a rabbit hole of looking into these cartoons, finding out about the cast and crew who made it, about Joey Drew, and the studio it was created in. You also read newspaper articles talking about the various investigations into the studio, leading to its closure. You had to find out more, to find answers to all your questions.

But you also had to sleep, your eyes growing tired and your mind drifting off. You head to your bed and sleep for the night, and as you doze off, you're greeted by the ink demon once again. You ask it, "you're...Bendy..right?" The demon smiled widely and nodded, his teeth dripping with ink. He puts a hand on your head and you see an image of an abandoned, rundown building. You see the faded and broken signage above the door: Joey Drew Studios. You then recognized the place as one not far from your apartment building. You then hear a deep and demonic voice whisper to you, "Come home..." That's when everything went dark and you wake up back in your room. You may have had more questions, but you now knew what to do to get them answered. You had to go to the studio.

It was a cold and cloudy autumn day when you arrived at the old building. You could hear the leaves crunch and crinkle under your shoes as you entered the property. It looked like it had been almost destroyed by the years of neglect and exposure to the elements. Even the gates were so rusted, they crumbled to dust as you opened it. You cautiously walked onto the property, making sure no one saw you. You could see the signage above the door: Joey Drew Studios. Yep, this was definitely the place.

'Y/N....'

 

You hear a deep voice call your name. It wasn't the demon's voice, it was...someone else... it was like someone was whispering in your ear. You turn to see who it was, but you saw nothing. You turned your attention back to the entrance and everything inside your body was telling you 'go inside'. Your feet practically moved on their own as you entered the building. All the windows were shattered, faded pictures hung on the walls, old equipment covered in dust sitting on shelves and desks, and old sheet music and lyric notes were scattered all on the floor. You picked one up and read some of the lyrics. It was a song you recognized from one of the Bendy cartoons, and you saw the composer's name under the song title. 'Sammy Lawrence'.

 

'Y/N....'

 

You heard that voice again. You heard a door creak open and you saw some light coming from it. You can't help but go towards the door and open it. You go inside and you enter a hallway with dilapidated walls, covered in old posters of the Bendy cartoon, and ink dripping from the ceilings and puddles of it on the floor. You walked throughout the studio, finding old casette players with audio logs the cast and crew left behind. Jack Fain, Wally Franks, Thomas Connor, Susie Campbell, even Joey Drew himself spoke from those tapes. But there was one speaker that drew your attention the most, one whose voice you recognized as the one calling your name earlier. Sammy Lawrence. You were so drawn in by the sound of his voice, it was almost hypnotic. You listened as he spoke in his last tape,

'He appears from the shadows to rain his sweet blessings upon me. The figure of ink that shines in the darkness. I see you, my savior. I pray you hear me.

Those old songs, yes, I still sing them. For I know you are coming to save me. And I will be swept into your final loving embrace.

But, love requires sacrifice.

Can I get an amen?'

 

"Amen."

 

You cover your mouth, shocked at what had just happened. You didn't intend to say anything. It was like another voice was using you as a mouthpiece, controlling you. But it was your voice. You said it, but...

That's when you felt something warm and wet on your shoulders, it felt like a man's hands, but the smell of ink was almost disorienting. You froze up, too scared to move or speak or even breathe. You then sensed someone moving their head over your shoulder and you hear that same voice speak softly, almost seductively, in your ear,

 

"Ah, my dear Y/N. I see the Lord has finally brought you to me. How wonderful it is that we can share in his divine glory together."

 

You quickly turn around and back up to see who it was, and what you saw...was a black, slightly muscular human figure wearing a smudged Bendy mask with a hole punched into the mouth, where you could see a smile in that inky blackness. He had no hair, his body was completely covered in ink, and a pair of overalls stained with ink were the only clothes he wore. He appeared to be only a few feet taller than you, but you still felt small as you looked at him. You spoke, "What do you mean? W..who are you? How do you know my name?" The figure walked closer to you and responded, "I am Sammy Lawrence, a faithful servant to our Lord Bendy and his chosen prophet. I know your name because he has revealed it to me. He knows all who enter his realm.”

Wait...Lord Bendy? Was he talking about the demon you’ve been dreaming about? “O..oh.. well..what do you want with me?” “What does any faithful servant want with their beloved deity's chosen one? To bask in your presence, to offer you to our Lord Bendy, and perhaps...to indulge in some...” He plays with a lock of your hair then finishes his sentence, ”...personal pleasures.” The way he said those last two words and the way he smiled under that mask sent chills down your spine. You take a good look at him and think about it. You had to admit, even though he only had a mask and was covered in ink, he was pretty attractive as far as his physique and voice were enough to go by. You couldn’t help but wonder what kind of personal pleasures he had in mind, and what it’d be like to indulge in those pleasures with him. Would it feel as good as those dreams you had?

His voice broke your train of thought. “Would you be willing to join me in the glory of his name, Y/N?” You connected the dots and figured out that he was asking if you wanted to join him in worshipping the ink demon. But you didn’t know what kind of religion this was. What the scripture was, what the laws were, what Bendy’s goal was, nothing. Maybe it was a religion that sounded bad on paper, but when you looked deeper into it, it was actually pretty reasonable and preached things that weren’t actually bad. Plus, this may be the only way to answer all your questions and to figure out what he was talking about when he said you were the ‘chosen one’. Your curiosity outweighed your concerns and fear, so you responded, “I suppose...it’d be alright...” Sammy grinned, saying, “Excellent, my dear. Let us begin our journey towards enlightenment together. But first, we must make sure you are properly prepared for your initiation." "Initiation?" "Yes, we shall show our savior your devotion and your willingness to accept him in your heart and soul by performing this ritual. Follow me and I will guide you in all ways necessary to serve our Lord's desires.” He offered his hand and you stared at it for a moment. You saw as the ink dripped from it, as if the ink was a part of him. Was he a being of pure ink, a human and ink hybrid, or was he just covered in it? You looked at him, nodded, and took his hand. He led you through the halls and as you two walked, something deep inside you told you that this was the right thing. Was it, though?

Soon, Sammy led you into a room that was adorned with religious symbols and ink splatters all over. There was a giant satanic-like circle in the room, with black candles surrounding it. You could see a few Bendy cutouts leaning against the walls along with various writings on the walls in ink. Sammy guides you to the bed in the corner and has you sit while he gets everything ready for the ritual. You’re sitting there, not sure what’s going on and what will happen. ‘Don’t be afraid...Everything will be fine...’ The ink demon’s voice rang in your head, almost like he was right next to you. Then, Sammy walked up to you and knelt in front of you, looking up at you. He was serious about the ‘basking in your presence' thing, wasn’t he? “Are you ready, Y/N? To offer yourself completely to our savior?” His voice was in a soft tone, like he was a father soothing the fears of a child. You still weren’t entirely sure, but you did say yes, and you had the feeling this was the right thing to do, so you nodded and said, “I think so..” Sammy smiled and said as he offered his hand to you, “Then come, my dearest. Let us worship together in the name of our beloved deity.” His smile and how he was kneeling to you showed that he posed no threat, that what everything he told you was sincere. You also knew it was now or never to find out what was going on. You take his hand and you both stand up, him leading you to the circle.

He places you in the center and he lets go of your hand, walking away and grabbing what looked like an artist’s notebook with some words you couldn't tell crudely scribbled on the cover. Must be a bible, you figured. He smiled at you one last time before he started to recite some lines from the book. They sounded basically like lines you'd find in a regular bible mixed with what you’d say in a seance to summon something. As he spoke, his voice got louder and stronger with each sentence, he was putting his whole heart and soul into this. As the prayers went on, the circle started to glow and the room started to shake. While you were in the circle, it felt like it was sucking you in, keeping you inside like a magnet. No going back now. Once the chants were finished, Sammy entered the circle and held both your hands together with his and says, “Don’t be afraid...Everything will be fine...”

The same words the ink demon told you.

You nodded and then that’s when your hands and arms started to become covered in ink, and it was spreading. Sammy let you go and stepped out of the circle, having a fanatical look on his face as it occurred. “Yes, yes my dear Y/N. Let the ink consume you and become one with our Lord and savior. Give yourself completely to him.” The ink spread to your arms, your torso, your legs, it started to crawl up your neck and pool around your feet. Then something started to grow from the ink on the floor. It was a large mass, then it formed into a skinny humanoid shape, then it formed into the ink demon. You saw the demon look at you and smile, its maw and teeth dripping with ink. Just as it cradled you in its hands like a doll, everything suddenly went black.

You opened your eyes to find yourself in a pitch black room, no light or reflections anywhere. You couldn’t even see your hand in front of your face. You were able to stand up, but when you tried to walk, your feet couldn’t move. Then you saw a light shine down and there was the ink demon in front of you. It towered over you by about 5 feet more than your own height, and all you could smell was the sickening scent of ink. You looked at the demon and saw him offer his hand to you. You looked at him and felt a sense of safety with him, security. You knew that if you took his hand, no harm would ever come to you, not from him, nor from anything, or anyone ever again. And if you took his hand, you will find the answers that you seek. With all that, you make your final decision.

 

You take his hand.

 

He smiles, gently grips your hand, and everything fades to black again.

 

You start to wake up, lying on the floor in Sammy’s room, with Sammy looking over you, smiling. “Welcome back, my dearest. You have been blessed by our Lord Bendy himself. How do you feel?” He helps you up and you notice that your body is now covered in black ink, your arms, your legs, everything but your clothes. It felt...warm. Like you were in a warm bath that relaxed all your muscles, getting rid of all your stress, worries, and fears. “I...I’m not sure,” you stutter out. You weren’t lying, you really weren’t sure. If your life was forever changed, you find out that you’re some chosen one for some demon, and your skin is now covered in ink, how would you react? Sammy placed a hand on your shoulder and smiled reassuringly, saying, “It is normal to feel overwhelmed at first, my dear. But do not worry, our Lord Bendy has chosen you for a reason. You will soon understand your purpose in his grand plan.” He started to walk around the room as he continued, “Oh, you have no idea the full extent of the greatness of his plan. He is the one true god and we are but his faithful servants. Together, we will bring glory to him and all those who oppose us and any who trespass on this realm shall be sacrificed in his name.” He stared at the large ink drawing of Bendy on the wall and had his arms out like he was performing a sermon.

At this point, your lack of answers had made you a bit annoyed. "How am I the chosen one? Is there some sort of prophecy? What is Bendy's plan for me? Why am I here?" Sammy put his arms down and turned to you, sensing your frustration. He said as he walked up to you, "Our Lord works in mysterious ways, my dear. But you cannot deny that you have seen the signs. The visions you've had, of him in all of his glory. He has chosen you for something very special. I know that you were destined to be part of his plan. As for what he has in store for you, only time will tell. But rest assured, it will be nothing short of magnificent." Well..that explained why you had the dreams, but everything else was still left unanswered. Why were you the chosen one? What does that ink demon want with you? Is whatever he's planning your destiny?

Wait...what if...

You asked, "Will I find out his plan one day?" Sammy nodded and responded, "Yes, my dear Y/N. Our Lord will reveal his plan to you when the time is right. Until then, I will guide you and help you in any way I can." You felt a sense of ease as he spoke, relieved to know your questions would be answered one day. It may not have been now, but at least you'd be getting answers at all. And you were glad Sammy was here to help you understand this Lord Bendy and the rest of this religion. For now, it was best to wait and accept what answers you did get.

"Well..if you believe this plan is a good thing, then I'll believe you. But there is one thing you can help me with right now. What you said back there, about...indulging in personal pleasures...what did you mean by that?” A grin grew on his face as you mentioned his words from before. He chuckled and pulled you closer to him, his voice as sweet as honey, “Oh my dear, what I meant by that was exploring the pleasures of the flesh.” You felt a warmth grow on your cheeks as he continued, “Sharing our bodies as one under the watchful eye of our Lord. It is...” He wrapped his arm around your waist and whispered in your ear, ”...an intimate experience unlike any other.” You felt a shiver go down your spine from his voice. In that moment, you felt your body start to grow warm, you could feel your heat growing stronger. Was it your body reacting to his voice and touch, was it ‘Bendy’ doing this, or was it the ink having an effect on your senses? You weren’t sure anymore. Sammy could tell what was happening to you, and as he started to kiss your neck, he said softly, “No need to fight it, love. There’s nothing wrong with giving in to your desires. It's what our Lord wants for us. Embrace them and let us indulge together in the pleasures that he has bestowed upon us.” His voice, his kiss, and his touch just made the temptation grow inside you even more. You then remembered the dreams where you felt the immense pleasure. As images of those dreams flashed in your head, you remember the man covered in ink. That was when it hit you: Sammy was the ink man in those dreams. You wanted to feel that pleasure again, you knew he would give it to you, and this was your chance to do it. Besides, he said there was no reason to fight it, so why fight? “Ok..” With that, Sammy smiled and led you to the bed.

He then pulled you in and he kissed you passionately, his hands roaming over your body as he guided you towards ecstasy. You felt a sudden rush of pleasure as he kissed you. In fact, your whole body felt more sensitive to his touch. You realized this was the same feeling you had as in your dreams. Maybe this was what Bendy had planned... You let go and kissed Sammy back just as passionately, moaning softly from the sensation. He moaned softly as he deepened the kiss, his hands exploring every inch of your body. In between kisses, he said softly, "Oh my Y/N, you truly are a gift from our Lord..." The kissing continued and all of a sudden, you felt a liquid come from Sammy's mouth and enter yours. You recognized the smell and knew it was ink. You wanted to spit it out, but Sammy kept his mouth on yours and the ink flooded your mouth so much, you had no choice but to swallow it. You expected to start gagging from the vile taste, but...you noticed the taste was actually sweet. You also noticed the smell was no longer nauseating, it was...pleasant. You felt the ink coat everything as it went down your throat. Your arousal intensified and you felt your body growing warmer, all your worries, questions, and even thoughts slowly started to fade away, your mind starting to grow a bit hazy. Sammy broke the kiss and smiled. He whispered, "Let us become one for him." All you could say was, "Yes.."

Sammy kept kissing you as he laid you on the bed, took the straps of your dress off your shoulders, and slid it off to show your nude body. You slipped his straps off and once you did, he pulled away from the kiss to remove his own clothing, revealing his heavily inked body. You looked at him and were unable to speak as you looked at all of him. You could see his cock growing from the darkness of his body. It was much bigger than any man's you've ever seen.. It had to have been a blessing of some sort to be gifted with something as marvelous as that. But you wondered...would it even fit? Although...with how big it was, you knew it would certainly feel so good inside you. He grinned, knowing you liked what you saw, and started to grope your breasts, teasing your nipples with his fingers as he continued to kiss you. After a bit of that, he then slid a hand down your body down to your pussy, his finger tracing circles around your clit as he licks and kisses your neck. You couldn't help but moan from the pleasure he was giving you. He said softly, "My love, your body truly is a temple to our savior..." He moved his mouth to your breast, as he kept rubbing your slit. You moaned as you felt his tongue slide all around your nipple. The pleasure was so intense, it felt like your nipple was as sensitive as your clit. "Ahh..S..Sammy..." you moaned. He smiled and moved back up to kiss you deeply once again, his fingers still teasing your pussy. He says softly, "Oh how I've waited for you to come here..I've yearned for someone like you for so long... and now that you're here..I'm so blessed to have you be mine..."

He then slides two fingers inside of you, making you moan a bit louder as he started to finger you, his tongue exploring your mouth as he does. He felt your walls clenching around his finger, and it only made him more excited to be with you. "You're so tight, dearest..." you couldn't respond as the pleasure was clouding your mind. He just chuckled, finding your reactions to his touch simply adorable. He slid his fingers deeper into you, his thumb rubbing your clit as he does. He could feel you getting wetter and wetter as you moaned more and more, and he couldn't wait to feel you cum all over his fingers. Luckily for him, it wasn't that much longer, because just a few more hits and you were seeing stars. You moaned out as your orgasm caused you to cover his hand in your juices. Sammy just smiled and pulls his fingers out of you, licking the juices off them. You watched as he slid each finger into his mouth.

He then kisses down your body until he reached your pussy. "H-hey..w..what are you doing..?" You asked as he spread your legs open, but all you got was him looking up at you with a smirk and a low chuckle before he dove right in. He started to lick and suck on your clit, feeling your body still trembling as you continued to orgasm. He groaned as he tasted your sweet juices, his own cock growing even harder the more he did. "Mm...Y/N...you taste so sweet..." As he continued, you planted your hands on his head, feeling the ink partially meld with yours, and moaned as you rode the pleasure your lover was giving you. "S..Sammy..!" He grins and kept licking and sucking, his tongue flicking against your clit. He then slowly started to slide two fingers back inside you, feeling your walls still clenching around them. He knew you were close to cumming again, and he wanted to make sure you did. You felt another orgasm build up until it crashed into you like a wave, moaning out as more of your juices came out. He cleaned up all of the juice with his tongue and he continued to finger fuck you, his thumb rubbing your clit as he does. He can feel your body trembling once more, and he couldn't wait to make you cum again. But you couldn't take it anymore.

You flipped around so you were on top of him and you moved down to his throbbing cock, rubbing it as you licked up his shaft and sucked on the tip and slid him inside your mouth. He groaned softly as he feels your lips around his cock, your tongue rubbing against his most sensitive spot. He grinned and ran his fingers through your inky hair, his eyes closed as he enjoyed the sensation. He couldn't believe how good you are at this. You bobbed your head and sucked more, addicted to the taste of it as the ink coated the inside of your mouth. How could ink taste so good..?

He moaned softly as he felt you bobbing your head up and down his cock, your lips sliding down the shaft as you do. He couldn't wait to see what else you can do. He pushed your head down further onto his cock, making him go deeper down your throat. He moaned as he felt your tongue swirl around the shaft as you kept sucking him off. The force of him pushing you down on his cock should've made you gag, but somehow, something in the ink changed that. You sucked more of his cock and started to fondle his balls. He moaned a bit more, your fingers gently holding his balls as you suck him off and as he started to thrust into your mouth. You could feel his cock start to twitch, you knew he was about to cum, so you kept sucking to show that it was okay for him to cum in your mouth. He groaned and gripped your hair tightly as he finally came, filling your mouth with his cum. You swallowed all of it so greedily, you didn't even notice his cum was as black as ink, but it tasted so good..you licked on the tip of his cock to get each and every last drop.

Once you took him out of your mouth, he pulled you up and flipped you both around so he was on top. He grabbed your leg and pulled it over his shoulder and you felt him rub his cock on your pussy. He grinned and slid his cock into your pussy, letting out a shuddering sigh as he does. The action caused you to arch your back in pleasure and moan his name again. He couldn't believe how good it felt to be inside you, and he started to thrust his hips back and forth, his cock sliding in and out with ease. He groaned softly as he felt your pussy tighten on his cock, hearing your moans, your body writhing beneath him. The pleasure was so much more intense than you could ever imagine, even better than it was in the dreams. "S..Sammy..it...it feels so good..how...how can it feel this good..?" "Oh my dear, it's because of our savior. He's rewarding you for your obedience and devotion to him with pleasures non-believers can never experience. Just relax and let us enjoy this blessing." You did just that and let your mind go, letting the pleasure take control. Oh lord, it felt so good. You could feel his cock stretch your pussy out so well, it was like it was made especially for him.

He groaned louder as he hears you moan, your body writhing beneath him as he fucks you. He leans down and kisses you, his tongue sliding into your mouth as he does. He thrusted his hips back and forth faster, his cock deeply sliding in and out of your pussy. You wrapped your arms around him as you kissed, you could feel his tongue coat the inside of your mouth with ink and you felt it slide down your throat again, making your mind even more foggy. Sammy moaned as he felt your tongue slide around his, your mouth tasting so sweet. He lifted you up so you were in his lap as he thrusted his hips faster and harder, his cock going even deeper. The man just couldn't get enough of you, he was completely addicted to you. Your touch, your voice, your eyes, your taste, your pussy, everything.

He broke the kiss to say in between moans, "Oh Y/N... you're so perfect... I'm so glad Lord Bendy chose you to be mine.." You look at him and say, "M..me too..I..I'm so..so happy..!" Sammy smiled as he kissed you again. Soon enough, you could feel your inner core tightening. "I...I'm gonna cum..!" "That's it, dearest..don't fight it...let it happen.." And with a few more thrusts, you finally came. It was the most intense orgasm you've ever experienced in your life, your mind entering a new realm of bliss. Sammy felt your body shake beneath him, your pussy tightening around his cock. He grinned and continued to thrust into you. He held you as you rode your orgasm, your body writhing beneath him. You could feel his cock starting to twitch again, he was so close, so very close. Just a bit more..

He let out almost an animalistic groan as he felt your pussy clench around his cock as you came once again, your juices coating his shaft. That finally brings him to his release, moaning as he cums inside you. You could feel his hot cum fill your belly so much, the man must have been backed up for so long. He grinned as he feels you cum, his cock throbbing inside you as he fills you with his seed. He leaned to you and kissed you one last time as his high started to fade away. He still could not believe how good all that felt, it was almost like reaching Nirvana. Soon, he broke the kiss and held you close to him, his head resting on your shoulder, his breath hot on your neck as he panted. You both laid on the bed and let the afterglow consume you both as you held each other close. He whispered into your ear, "You're mine, my little angel...no one else can have you..."

And you couldn't have been any happier.

[csphire]

The mystery that's a part of Dammon's appeal and a solution to preserve it.

From this clip posted by Frazer Blaxland, provided to me by northlandcleric I'm starting to understand where his voice actor is coming from and can even respect it.

But it's also a really brilliant idea for his romance conflict and/or character arc. The thing is, Larian could keep some to most of Dammon's history and motivations a complete mystery. By simply having him struggle, dodge, or even outright refuse to open up about his past and present.

They could drop little ominous clues. Scraps of paper are found during his missions or around his tent in camp with drawn symbols not even Gale can recognize. For his character arc missions, he needs our help to collect a few mysterious items from various sometimes dangerous and highly guarded locations. But the problem is he won't tell you what they are, he refuses to show you them or admit why he needs them. They all just go into this peculiar box of his which he works on out of view of the camera. Much like when he was preparing a fix for Karlach's heart. It could cause the device inside to glow and make some chilling sounds that make us question our decision to keep helping him.

If that wasn't bad enough, there are odd things he mumbles to himself in passing you can't quite make out. We could have a cutscene where we catch him continuing to work on this mysterious device that he quickly hides away.

He could occasionally disappear from the game. As in, he's not available as a companion for a day here and there. He warns you this could happen beforehand and not to worry. Or there is simply a note he's left behind.

I should be back in a day, possibly two. - Dammon

When he comes back, and we ask where he went, he tells us he can't say. Sometimes, he comes back shaken or injured and still won't tell us what has happened or what's wrong.

His story is filled with all kinds of little things that would pique our curiosity and cause us to wonder and yearn for answers.

Perhaps the items he collects look to be transfered into a special locked chest at camp near his tent that he says is private and to not touch. And if the player doesn't listen, picks one surprisingly low roll lock, and opens it regardless, it provides zero answers. It contains just a few mundane, possibly sentimental items. What do these items mean? It doesn't matter, at least not yet, because it was a duplicate box. A temptation. A test to determine if Dammon could trust you, and you just failed it. Upon opening his chest, and violating one of his boundaries, he leaves the party and disappears forever. Or better yet, the game suddenly ends, and the credits roll.

What the hells happened?

We'll never know but we just messed up big time.

Why do I think this idea is perfect for him?

One Frazer wants him to be a man of mystery. Okay, that's valid. Here is your mystery, another paycheck, and more acclaim Frazer.

Two, because it's already set into Dammon's character somewhat. Upon minutes of knowing us, when he speaks of his time in the hells he outright admits, "I hope to forget most of it."

Again, that could be the issue the player character has with him. He simply doesn't want to talk about his past, his trauma, and possible sins. He wants to focus on the present and future with you and/or Karlach. Dammon can be a rather private and guarded character. Why is he like that? It's another mystery.

Being with him as a friend or lover is a complete leap of faith.

Perhaps he actually did, or was made to do, something horrifying and possibly unforgivable. If he confesses, maybe he fears it would destroy our warm view of him and the better person he wishes to be now. Maybe something unspeakable has happened to him, and he doesn't want to be an object of pity. He could be a god, a devil, a Great Old One, or something else in disguise. He could be from the future or an alternate dimension. Or maybe he's entered into an infernal pact of some kind that's bound his tongue on the whole matter. The list of what his secrets are can go on and on.

Then as his love interest or just friend, do we accept that he has a few secrets and respect his boundaries? Do we keep our hands off his metaphorical Pandora's box? Or do we break things off with him for refusing to trust and open up to us? Better yet, he could choose to break it off with us eventually or even leave the party for good if we keep pressing and again, open that chest of his.

This would allow us fanfic writers to go wild with theories. The fandom as a whole will debate over which ones seem more plausible. None of which the developers at Larian will ever confirm.

Parts of his past will never be explained to us the player.

Finally, after he's collected the last thing he needs, and fiddles with it after he places it in the box, it just winks out of existence. Maybe dramatically, it hums, levitates, and glows first then poof! A real "Stand back!" like it's going to blow up moment.

After it's gone, Dammon drops to his knees, shivers, and lets out this huge sigh of relief, maybe even laughs next. Make it a touch maniacal? Sure, that would make us sweat over if we did the right thing in helping him. Make us squirm Larian, please.

The important thing is, that whatever problem Dammon had is over... or is it?

The player character can ask him if he can now explain himself. If a friend, he'll just shake his head and thank us. If we have low approval with him, he'll just shake his head and apologize that he still can't speak of it and ask us to, yet again, drop the matter.

But if he's our love, he'll ask if we are sure we want to know and if we can keep a secret. If we vow to, he will lean in and whisper something into our character's ear. We the audience won't know what he's told our character. But at least now there are no more secrets between him and the one(s) he loves.

We just get to watch on as our character's eyes go wider and bug a little in shock as he whispers away. When he pulls back, we can choose to rush and hug him. So tight with an expression of utter belated fear of all that could have gone wrong on our character's face. Or we could choose to break up with him because whatever our character heard has damaged the relationship beyond repair.

Now that the player character knows everything they can consummate the relationship. Why now? Because full disclosure is sexy, and so is a good slow burn.

Oh, and remember those sentimental items? After telling us about his completed mission to our character, he finally shows us what's in that locked chest that had been a test of trust. The one we decide to respect his wishes and leave alone. He finally opens up about his past a tiny bit and talks about why each item he kept in there was so important to him. But of course, most of his trinkets will not be related to his time in the hells or his mysterious now completed task.

Later on, we can ask, "What in the hells were you thinking, taking all that on?!"

Dammon's response? He gives a sheepish shrug and says, "I think you know why. Everything is in order now. That's all that matters, my love. Thank you for trusting, helping, and believing in me."

To just a friend player character, who tries yet again for an explanation, Dammon will only offer, "Just know everything is in order now. That's all that matters, and you have my deepest thanks."

Again, to be clear, we the players are still kept in the dark. It will be only our romanced player character that will know what happened, and there could be an option to whisper Dammon's secret to others. That temptation could always be there among the dialogue options when speaking to the other companions. But kissing and telling will come with consequences. Anywhere from earning a large chunk of disapproval with Dammon to him outright breaking up with the player's character and leaving the party. Maybe he tells all to Karlach too or maybe not, it could all depend on your and Dammon’s relationship with her.

But no matter what, Dammon keeps a majority of his mystery.

Frazer is hopefully happy. We'll be happy.

Everyone. Can. Be. Happy!

If you agree, please consider sharing this to help bring it to Larian's attention. Feel free to discuss your thoughts in the comments below too.

Let's get Dammon into a starring role as an origin character and romanceable in a DLC to help feature the Artificer class!

[pretttydemonboy]

@ragsy are you afraid I can't handle a little gunpoint threat?? what do you take me for?? @zincbot oh no, a saw trap of friendship

what are 3 things you’d say shaped you into who you are?

lack of supervision, eldest daughter syndrome,

2. show us a picture of your handwriting?

3. three films you could watch for the rest of your life and not get bored of?

Repo! The Genetic Opera, Halloween (1978), and A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors

4. what’s an inside joke you have with your family or friends?

"make my comics, boy" is always a classic

"purse purse tophat tophat" utterly incomprehensible but still very funny

5. what made you start your blog?

fuck if i remember, i've been here too goddamn long

6. what’s the best and worst part of being online/a creator?

imposter syndrome/the mortifying ordeal of being known

7. what scares you the most and why?

uh. dying! because unfortunately I don't have a strong belief in any kind of afterlife so all I can think of is that my consciousness will just...end one day and wow I fucking hate that idea.

8. any reoccurring dreams?

Not really, although there was that one time I had repeated nightmares about spiders which was...fun.

9. tell a story about your childhood

one time i covered my entire house, including one of my cats, in baby powder.

10. would you say you’re an emotional person?

lmao yeah

11. what do you consider to be romance?

taking care of each other, thoughtful gestures, lil thinkin of you gifts

12. what’s some good advice you want to share?

go watch Sinners in theaters right fuckign now

13. what are you doing right now?

other than answering these questions I'm listening to the Sinners soundtrack (that movie is so fucking good PLEASE GO FUCKING SEE IT)

14. what’s something you’ve always wanted to do but maybe been to scared to do?

take singing lessons

15. what do you think of when you hear the word “home”?

honestly i was gonna try and come up with something poetic but I think it's just the place where I can be completely unmasked

16. if you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?

can i get rid of the executive dysfunction bullshit puhLEASE

17. name 3 things that make you happy

food, music, cats

18. do you believe in ghosts and/or aliens?

yeah bud! there's too much wack shit in the universe that we can't explain, why not ghosts and aliens

19. favourite thing about the day?

i love being awake for that like, mid morning time frame, but not actually having anywhere to go about it. mid morning just feels like a good time to do stuff.

20. favourite things about the night?

getting into bed after a long day and like, at first it's a lil chilly because it's been empty for so long, but then you slowly warm up and achieve cocoon realness

21. are you a spiritual person?

not reaaaaaally? i feel like...I want to be. sometimes. it's complicated

22. say 3 things about someone you love

the handsomest boy! with the loudest meows! and the softest fur!

23. say 3 things about someone you hate

HOPE YOU DIE HOPE YOU DIE HOPE YOU DIE

24. what’s one thing you’re proud of yourself for?

getting back into writing, even if i'm not super consistent, even if it's hard

25. fave season and why?

fall because summer is too hot, winter is too cold, and spring is too pollen

26. fave colour and why?

purple! it's always been my favorite color and if i'm being 100% honest, it's because it is also my mom's favorite color

27. any nicknames?

Samicus, Sam-a-Lam-a-Ding-Dong (Don't ask), Sammy, Demon

28. do you collect anything?

stickers, pins, and honestly? blankets. I have so many blankets

29. what do you do when you’re sad?

retail therapy, or i'll pop an edible and play video games and distract myself from the sads

30. what’s one thing that never fails to make you happy/happier?

i mean deadass? edibles and video games have yet to let me down

31. are you messy or organised?

both. things have their place until i put them somewhere else and forget about them and then they sit there for months on end until i finally get the motivation to move them to their proper place. also I have an actual organizational system for all my beads and i periodically reorganize them for fun

32. how many tabs do you have open right now?

three!

33. any hobbies?

so many! I write, I make jewelry, i play ttrpgs, i play viddy games, etc etc

34. any pet peeves?

people who talk on the phone when they're checking out at a store

35. do you trust easily?

36. are you an open book or do you have walls up?

the best walls are the ones people don't even notice because you appear to let them in by sharing stuff you've deemed safe

uh. i mean what

37. share a secret.

i cheated on a spanish test once in middle school in the most obvious way possible it is a fucking miracle i wasn't caught

38. fave song at the moment?

Kekka Orai by Kocchi no Kento (it's the opening theme for MHA: Vigilantes and it's so fun!)

39. youtuber you’ve been obsessed with and why?

i mean i guess the only answer really is markiplier, he's the only one I watch with any consistency and even then it's usually fnaf and outlast rewatches. he's funny and at this point it's comfort media watching him get the shit scared out of him lol

40. any bad habits?

skin picking and forgetting to eat are the biggest ones i think

JESUS CHRIST THIS TOOK FOREVER BUT IT WAS FUN

[iamthecomet]

Okay, so, how do you think all the ghouls and ghoulettes go to sleep? Like, who has 3 fans on them even in the dead of winter for the noise and so they can burrow under the blanket/into their partner? Rain I feel sleeps with like, silk sheets and thunder sounds, or maybe the sound of rain against the window. Dew or Aeon sleep with the TV on, or music, cause it makes them feel less alone? One of the ghoulettes has a squishmallow collection and if you spend the night in her room you have to learn every single one's name. Who showers right before bed so they go to sleep feeling clean and who showers in the morning to rinse off the grime from the night? Who wakes up in the middle of the night dying for a snack only for that snack to be a handful of shredded cheese they unceremoniously shove into their mouth, leaving ample evidence of their crime on the floor in front of the fridge?

I have answers to all of your questions and MORE! Aether: Quintessence makes him run cooler than others. So when it's cold he really feels it. Sleeps with lots of blankets and pillows. A big nest. Sometimes takes him a while to fall asleep. Needs it to be very quiet. Once he's asleep though, he sleeps like the dead. Takes forever for him to really wake up for the day. Sleeps in late, always. Aeon: Can sleep literally anywhere. Curls up in a ball, falls asleep. No trouble falling asleep--bad at staying that way if he's alone. Can sleep all night on the bus floor as long as there are other people around him. The second they all go to be? He's up. Needs the sound of other people, absolutely watches TV before bed. Aurora: Her bed is an oasis. So soft. So fluffy. Covered in pillows and blankets. Lots of soft fuzzy blankets, plushes. Falls asleep in a nest of soft things. Sleeps curled up small. Like Aeon, hates to sleep alone. But she loves her bed more than anyone else's so is usually inviting people into hers instead of going to theirs. Listens to music to fall asleep. Cirrus: Needs complete silence to fall asleep soundly. Otherwise, she gets distracted. Prefers to sleep alone because she's a light sleeper. Goes to bed very late, gets up moderately early. No one knows how she does it. Definitely the first person you will run into on her way to get a midnight snack. Cumulus: Like Aurora, has made her room and her bed into her sanctuary. Listens to sleep sounds to go to bed (rainforest noises are her favorite. She likes the birds). Manages to get Cirrus to sleep with her more nights than not, despite Cirrus' insistence that she's better off on her own. A pretty heavy sleeper, who doesn't wake up very often in the middle of the night. Dewdrop: Massive bed hog, somehow. Starfishes, sprawls out. Moves a lot in his sleep too. Generally not fun to sleep with but somehow is usually not in his bed alone. Light blankets. A handful of pillows. Has never slept through the night once in his life. Is absolutely the one shoveling shredded cheese into his face at 3am--unless Cirrus gets to it first. Mountain: Light sleeper, but like Aeon can doze off almost anywhere. Swiss is sure he saw Mountain fall asleep standing up once. Big on comfort. Has a massive bed that is usually the location of most ghoul piles. Snores when he's really tired. Sleeps with the window open all year round. Rain: Always cold. Always showers before bed, without fail. Usually found in Dew's bed with an extra blanket wrapped around him. Also moves a lot in his sleep. Talks too, nonsense mostly. Massive drooler. Has never snored once in his life (Dew says this is a lie). Can only sleep in very specific places. Hotel nights are really hard for him. Sunshine: Like Aeon and Mountain can sleep literally anywhere. But once she's out she's out. She fell asleep on the floor? She'll be there until morning. Wakes up with the sun, goes to bed early. Almost never sleeps in her own bed and definitely not alone. Doesn't move once she falls asleep. Drools always, like Rain. Swiss: Spends maybe one night a week in his own bed. Always is cuddled up with someone. Will never admit that it's because he doesn't like waking up to an empty bed--that the touch of his pack mates is what relaxes him enough to actually fall asleep. Light sleeper, but falls back asleep very very quickly if he's woken up (like seconds). Because of this he's absoltuely useless in a crisis.

[donnerpartyofone]

nothing to see here

I have to get over this crippling fear of being misunderstood that makes me angry, paranoid, anti-social, and sometimes even aggressive. It makes me say too much or too little. It makes me a worse writer.

I think that when most people complain about being misunderstood, they are talking about having a bad reputation, being slandered, or having no one who takes the time to get to know them. The latter thing correlates with a false equivalence between being understood and being liked, which is not a necessary product of understanding. Sometimes people also equate being understood with being correct--forgetting that someone can understand what you are saying and still disagree with it. Variations on all of those things have happened to me, just like anybody else, but my anxiety is really about people simply not comprehending the basic things that I am actually saying.

People in my life tell me that I'm very articulate, this is held to be my main quality I think, but that idea is contradicted by the frequency with which I go to great pains to explain something as specifically as possible, only to have people (often the same people who tell me I'm smart and well-spoken) completely misconstrue it, project their own baggage onto it, hold me responsible for assumptions about what I mean that are contradicted by what I just said, repeat back to me what I just said as if it were their own original idea, or even answer questions that I didn't actually ask. Mansplaining is alive and well in 2024 CE, perhaps especially among leftist men who believe they could never personally commit this crime, which presumption leaves them wide open to mansplaining all the time without thinking. But that's only a small part of the story of why so many people never seem to have the slightest idea of what I am saying to them, no matter how specific and detailed I try to be in my quest to say one thing clearly, while eliminating all over possible meanings.

I suppose it is terrifying to be misunderstood because it can make it so that you cannot control your circumstances. Advocating for yourself counts for nothing if people witlessly or willfully fail to understand your words. Language control is a major weapon of authority. I have been in corporate situations where my colleagues and I were prevented from resolving problems because upper management, who were tired of hearing about the problems, instituted language bans that prevented us from even discussing the problems clearly and effectively. I was once at an ayahuasca retreat (don't ask) where the shady organizers banned everyone from using the word "sick", which I guess was contrary to their whole healing ideology; so if you had to "get well" then you would "get well" into your bucket and an attendant would empty the bucket into the "wellness pit". One of the people I was with had grown up in an evangelical environment and went on to study religions and cults, and he pointed out that this form of language control is a classic red flag--and in particular if you are taking away a person's ability to make a critical distinction like the one between sickness and health, that can indicate a pretty dangerous situation. For another, even more obvious example, if you're in a relationship where someone is creating ambiguity around words like "yes" and "no", and inventing all kinds of subtext and context for your words, you're in trouble.

Of course, misunderstanding happens for all kinds of innocent reasons too. People don't listen that well, they don't read that well, they are just waiting for their turn to talk, they're angry and they don't think about what they're really hearing or saying, they are full of subconscious projections, they assume they know what you're talking about without reviewing your whole statement and then they just make their usual foregone conclusions. They have some narrative in mind, often a more optimistic one than whatever you are struggling to describe, and they'll contradict you with this attitude like they're doing you a big favor (like they're not kind of calling you a liar). It's incredibly frightening to be misunderstood. It's like one of those nightmares where you're running away in slow motion, or more aptly you try to scream but nothing comes out. I'm 100% sure this is why I'm so obsessed with language: I think that if I can just figure out how to say things that are always understood, then I will be able to save myself from danger.

But this fear makes me take things seriously when I shouldn't. The internet can help you find your people and it can show and teach you things you didn't know about before, but every time you say anything online, to friends or strangers, you create limitless opportunities to be misunderstood in ways that you have never dreamed possible. It is so hard for me not to correct people. I KNOW that it is not important for internet randos to understand me. I also KNOW that most people still won't understand me even if I correct them. But it is SO HARD not to say "That's not what I said" or "That's exactly what I already said" or "You're making an assumption that isn't based on anything and is also not true" or "I didn't ask" or "That's not even what I was talking about." I KNOW it doesn't matter, and that if I dig in with someone, I am likely to become MORE FRUSTRATED. But when I don't correct the person, this DANGER light goes on in my brain and all day long I have this anxious feeling like I forgot to do something important, like I left the oven on or something, and I had better go back and fix the problem OR ELSE. It's easy to decide intellectually that not everyone's opinions and perceptions matter, and it is obvious that misunderstanding is a common problem that you can never eliminate completely, so the only thing to do is ignore the situation and keep living your life. But if only ignoring the situation were not so emotionally loaded, it would be a lot easier to steer clear of making bad situations worse.

Another option is to just stop saying things altogether, and this is actually an appealing possibility. Unfortunately it comes with just as much emotional difficulty as the fruitless struggle to make oneself understood.

[aventurineswife]

Outlander reader became part of Astral Express before trailblazer joined. In this family found dynamic, they got a role of that one member that you can talk about with anything, the one who gives good advices while you vent to them

Reader to Trailblazer: It is wonderful thing for people to communicate. To share with each other experiences as they learn about new sides perspectives. Unfortunately, some people will not understand each other no matter hard you try, it's completely normal, but then there is a special cases who won't persuade peacefully with words and that's when you use this magical power of threatening people with violence. So, if you meet this special cases don't hesitate to take your loyal bat and break their knees.

Dan Heng: Hey, don't put weird idea in their head, you are going to be bad influence.

Reader: Now, that's just not true, I am not an "influence", I am "inspiration".

This is absolutely peak Astral Express family dynamic energy. The Outlander Reader being the wise yet slightly chaotic older sibling figure who somehow balances sage advice with questionable morality is so fitting.

March? Vents to Reader about her existential dread and social struggles. Reader gives genuinely thoughtful advice… before suggesting that pranking Dan Heng might be good for stress relief.

Dan Heng? He respects their wisdom but actively tries to counter their more morally gray lessons to Trailblazer. Fails.

Himeko? Sips coffee while watching the chaos unfold. Occasionally enables Reader’s nonsense.

Welt? Exasperated dad mode activated.

Trailblazer: “But is violence really the answer?”

Reader: “Not always. But sometimes? Absolutely.”

Dan Heng: Pinching the bridge of his nose. “Can you stop corrupting them?”

Reader: “I am not corrupting, I am mentoring.”

March 7th: Nods sagely. “Makes sense to me.”

Trailblazer: “…I do have a bat.”

Dan Heng: "NO."

At this point, the Express Crew has just accepted that Reader is a menace but with good intentions. Sure, they encourage some dubious behavior, but they also genuinely listen, support, and uplift everyone around them.

The verdict? Questionable morals, 10/10 emotional support, would definitely go to them for life advice. 🙏

[steamboat-babywp]

Hello, my fellow old lady! I'm afraid I need to know how your genius mind works and how you come up with your ocs!!! I'm literally amazed and I love them all sm and I need to know how ypur mind works!

I had to have a miniature battle with Tumblr to let me answer this question, but:

#1 I usually start by hyperfixating on a certain character in the show/movie.

#2 I tend to get really into creating the character’s personality and backstory before inserting them into whatever universe. I'm a sucker for hyper-feminine characters who are still strong and characters that are so incredibly evil it’s almost impossible to forgive them for their actions.

#3 Figuring out how to insert them in a realistic way... I'm awful at this, but I really try to make it seem like it could happen!!! Even if I fail sometimes.

#4 This is not a major one, but I have a tendency to give my characters a sibling, usually an older sister!!! I’m not sure why this is, but I think I may be projecting my parentified older-sister-ness onto my characters...

#5 Revising their personality and trying to figure out timelines and how old they’re going to be! This is usually when I name the character and find a face claim. Both of these activities take maybe a couple of days because I’m very picky. I also tend to give them a really niche topic that they like during this phase! An example is Winnie with her ladybugs or my TWD OC Gypsy and her obsession with Fleetwood Mac.

#6 Force-feeding the lore of said character to my IRL friend and sometimes my mutuals if they’re willing to listen. This is just me trying to figure out if the plot is good or not.

#7 The actual writing/editing of the character (the hardest part).

#8 Completely changing their story or some aspect of them right before I publish it... I do it for every single character, but Iggy and Alba have had the most drastic changes since I first announced them!

#1.5 is sometimes I'll have an OC that I created years ago that I'm still attached to now. I will sometimes rework their story and decide to publish it! I've only done this once with an unpublished Marvel fic that I'm thinking of posting about as soon as my capcut stops bullying me

---

I'm not very good at explaining it but I hope I did a somewhat okay job :)

[emotionalhxc]

PART 2: Strawberry Hospital Instagram Q&A Q: Also do you like Sky Eats Airplane? Some of your songs give me the same vibe

N: "lowkey in shock that this band was brought up to me because they were (partially) the reason I found out what a DAW was in the first place because I read some interview of theirs back then describing their method of creation or something formative memories of listening to this one on a school computer in 5th grade" Q: When making an EP, do you usually have a "concept" or "vibe" before making the songs? N: "mostly! it is typically reflective of whatever sonic fixations I had in the years preceding the release itself + a culmination of whatever emotions are stirred up by life circumstances once I have that intersection pinned down, it begins to take a form of its own"

Q: Is there a story behind the Phantasmaphilia album art? It's so mesmerizing *0* N: "indeed ! the dead insects themselves were found outside of where I was living during the completion of the album, around this time of year. myself and some old friends collected them and brought them inside to scan in for the sake of the cover artwork. as for the bathtub image source, I am actually not holding my own legs but another person (out of frame) but we were wearing swimming trunks haha I wanted to create a feeling of ghostly vulnerability and I appreciate said old friends for helping me realize my vision at the time" Q: your music heals me and makes life bearable, thank you from the bottom of my heart. ❤️‍🩹 N: "I am so so grateful... thank you for sharing with me, it keeps me pushing forward knowing that my music reached you in the same way that other music heals me too (hug)"

Q: Squall. I love that song so much. I would love to hear your reasons for that song. N: "oh yes Squall! I wrote that for an internet friend who lived somewhere that was basically a perpetual snowstorm, I would stay up late talking with them and it meant very much to me during that period of time to me, the flurry of splittercore kicks and icy trance lead melodies reminded me of a blizzard" Q: How did you get your name? N: "strawberry hospital? or neptune? I'll answer both! strawberry hospital was intended to follow the naming trend of many bands and artists I grew up with, but also represent the otherwise polarizing thematic elements (bittwersweetness) and stylings present within the music and lyrics my name Neptune is chosen but I have kept it for over a decade now, it reminds me of the ocean and a cold planet very far away from here"

Q: Ilysm I sry if this is a dumb q but are the songs on halfawake all vocaloid or ur voice N: "awe no questions are dumb! the original release is exclusively vocaloid as I was too anxious to include my own singing in my songs in 2016. but the live version of the song is special, because I sing the chorus with my own voice instead. other albums feature a combination of my own voice and vocaloid (with exceptions)" Q: what is your bowling ball size? N: "this question is so unrelated I love it... so I cannot bowl to save my life and maybe I'm missing a double meaning here but they say a bowling ball should be 10% of your own weight right? in that case, like 12? I am unfortunate epitome of gay people failing at sports stereotype"

Q: what's your personal favorite song you've ever release?? 🖤 N: "Halfawake, Memento, Phantoma, Azure, Rhythm 0" Q: so like whats next for uu? N: "I'd love to play a few more shows before the year ends... maybe an international one? we shall see... otherwise trying to explore new forms for the project to take, I never want to reiterate what has already been established to the point of monotony heh" Q: I really love Tacit ❤️ and would love to know what it's about N: "Tacit is an apology for not being able to fulfill the role of what somebody would like you to be for them. not exactly a hard rejection but an assuring one (if such a thing exists) ... sometimes you need to use your head over your heart? I struggled with this at times p.s. it was heavily influenced by the haibane renmei OST!"

Q: Would you ever go on a tour! Californian fan here and I love you and your music :D N: "it will happen someday I am certain, playing a show in California feels obligatory (in a good way) plus I have had a few invitations from fellow musician friends that I need to take them up on" CONTINUED INTO PART 3 ON MY NEXT POST

[lutiaslayton]

Professor Layton and the Eternal Diva

ＰＡＲＴ　０９

〚ＦＩＲＳＴ〛〚ＰＲＥＶ〛〚ＮＥＸＴ〛

Disclaimer: This is a fan-translation for the Japan-exclusive novellisation of the movie Professor Layton and the Eternal Diva. The original novel was written by Aya Matsui under the supervision of Akihiro Hino, and belongs to Level-5.

This translation only aims to be a pleasant read for non-Japanese fans, nothing more: I made a few deliberate changes while translating in order to get the writing style closer to what is usually found in English fanfictions, as the Japanese storytelling can sometimes be different than what we are used to.

＊ Puzzle n°002

Contrary to the first puzzle, the remaining contestants did not immediately leave. They stood still, sometimes glancing at each other, as if probing each other’s movements.

“The largest crown…”

This mutter had come from a girl whose golden hair was tied up with a ribbon. She looked to be around the age of a high schooler. Aside from me, I was certain that she had to be the youngest among the participants.

“It appears that the organiser of this game likes to gather people around in the same place…” an old captain mused to himself. I remembered seeing him on the deck earlier.

The gorgeous lady who had also been on the deck took over the conversation.

“The ship is decorated with quite a few crowns here and there… It will be difficult to compare all their sizes within the time limit.”

“Then this means that the crowns on display are…”

“…all decoys to mislead us?”

Just a few instants before, we had heard once again the screams of the other contestants. A heavy atmosphere seemed to flow among those who remained in the hall, as everyone wanted to hear a little bit of the others’ opinions…

Was it a sense of solidarity? Or perhaps, on the contrary, they were probing each other in an attempt to assess their ulterior motives… It was probably the latter.

After all, only one person could win and gain eternal life.

“Professor, can you solve the puzzle this time?”

Janice was also anxious.

Alright, I would figure it out this time, and I would let her win the game.

“Well…” The professor was about to answer her question, but I decided to interrupt him.

“Professor, I’ll take care of this one!”

Both Janice and him looked a little surprised at my enthusiasm.

“Luke…?”

She remembered my name! That alone made me a little happier.

“It’s all right, Janice! After all, I’m the professor’s ‘apprentice number one’!”

I proudly flashed my pointing finger in the air as hard as I could. When she saw this, she started giggling… That too made me happy. I did not mind looking like a clown if it could make her smile.

“You have a very reliable apprentice,” she told the professor with an amused tone.

Alright, I could not afford to fail this puzzle. I immediately opened my notebook and drew a picture of a crown.

“The biggest crown…” I mumbled while thinking. “A crown… crown…”

The voice telling the puzzle came back to my mind.

Ladies and gentlemen, are you enjoying your ride on the Crown Petone?

“That’s it!” I had just been struck with a flash of inspiration. “We are now on the Crown Petone!”

“Well done, boy!”

Those words from the man with the hat and beard took me by surprise. I was so focused on solving the puzzle that I had completely forgotten about the many people that were standing around me.

The man in the hat made a short run for the door.

“If I remember correctly, the entrance to this theatre had a sign in the shape of a large crown, with the words ‘Crown Petone’ written on it!”

“Oh yes, it was a fairly large crown!”

“That’s it! It has to be!”

Everyone in the hall rushed to the exit.

They had all listened to my reasoning. With this, I would let Janice win! I was so proud of myself.

“Professor, we should go too!”

The professor was smiling. “Indeed we should, Luke.”

The three of us were the last ones to leave the theatre.

But as we walked down the corridor, I became more and more worried… The people who had left for the entrance were nowhere to be seen.

Janice would also turn her head and look behind us in search for other people, so she surely felt the same.

“Have they all made it to the entrance already?”

The professor did not answer.

Janice informed in a reserved whisper: “But… isn’t the entrance the other way around?”

What!?

“Professor, we must have taken a wrong turn! We have to go back!”

But as usual, he remained perfectly calm.

“This way is fine, Luke.”

“But…”

“The sign on the entrance is also a red herring.”

I widened my eyes in confusion, mouth agape.

“The ship was decorated with crowns all over, making everyone believe that they were decoys, and inciting them to go to the entrance,” he explained. “But… This is not the right answer either.”

“What do you mean?”

“Only one person can gain eternal life. These puzzles should not be too easy, otherwise everybody would be able to get them right…”

The professor continued to unravel his reasoning matter-of-factly.

“…And here is the clever part: after solving the first puzzle correctly, we had all been gathered in one room. So naturally, when the second puzzle had a similar wording as the first, we would tend to assume that the next puzzle would follow the same pattern.”

“Professor, I’m getting a bit confused now…”

“It’s alright. You will see soon…”

Suddenly, the professor stopped. We were just in front of a door that led to the deck. He opened the door and encouraged me to come out first.

As I walked out, I saw a row of suspended lifeboats. Several people were cooperating, trying to lower them into the sea.

There were the old captain, the girl who had blonde hair tied up in a ribbon, the gorgeous woman and the muscular man who looked like an athlete, that we had seen earlier… Then there was an explorer-looking man with a big backpack…

The lifeboat that the explorer was trying to lower suddenly lost its balance significantly.

“Whoops, be careful there. May I…?”

The old captain went to his rescue and took the reins, showing him how to handle the rope.

“Huh, you’re doing it so easily.” The explorer man was gazing in admiration.

“I’m the captain of a trading ship, I have devoted my entire life to this. The name is O’Donnell,” the old man said while quickly tilting his hat. “But, we should hurry and keep the chat for later.”

I looked around, seeing other people having similar interactions. What on Earth were they all up to? My mind was completely at a loss.

Janice went past me and approached a lifeboat too.

“Mr Whistler,” she called out.

“Janice,” he responded in a breath.

It was only upon hearing their voices that I realised… Mr Whistler and a little blonde girl were there too.

The little girl’s straight hair, parted down the middle, looked just like Melina’s photo from the brochure. Maybe this was the girl from the letter who had claimed that… she had eternal life?

When she saw the professor approaching, she fidgeted and quickly hid behind Mr Whistler’s back. Before the professor could say anything, Mr Whistler introduced her:

“This is my adopted daughter, Melina.”

The professor remained silent, staring at the girl. So she was named Melina too…

From behind us, a voice rang out with disdain.

“Tsh. So you solved the puzzle too, after all.” It was the man in the hat.

“Indeed.”

The professor smiled at him. Even when addressing disrespectful people, he was never going to be rude. After all, of course, that’s what a gentleman should do.

Still, what was that man talking about? I thought he was the one who had praised me earlier for solving it!

“Ugh. Great, even more competitors.”

That was the man who seemed to be an athlete. He also sounded extremely annoyed.

Everything made even less sense than before. Everyone else obviously knew what was going on, and I seemed to be the only one left in the dark…

I couldn’t help but tell the man in the hat what I thought. “But— You were the one who said earlier that the sign at the entrance was the right answer!”

“Tss. I want eternal life, boy, so I tricked those idiots. And I had to act quickly too, before you’d start spouting even more hints…”

“Spouting hints…?”

I really was completely clueless. I had no idea what was going on anymore.

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