#also tried to use bright colors even though i'm not big on bright colors

[astaroth1357]

Demons in the Dark 

What if they have glow-in-the-dark eyes?

Contents: No warnings aside vague mentions of imminent danger. And bugs and snakes.

~♡♡♡~

Lucifer

Seeing Lucifer in a dark room is incredibly unsettling. You know those horror movies where the protagonist sees a pair of demonic eyes from shadows? You've found the inspiration.

His eyes burn with the color and intensity of molten glass and they that just loom ominously in the darkness, usually well above people's heads!

Lucifer knows exactly how haunting his eyes can look, which is why he prefers to sneak up on Mammon when it's dark and he's up to no good… 

The mental image of Lucifer's crimson eyes have long since burned their way into the secondborn's nightmares...

He tries his best not to scare MC with them, but it's undeniably unnerving to see disks of pure hellfire roaming around the kitchen looking for a glass of water…

Mammon

His eyes glow just the prettiest shade of gold you'll ever see. Think of a mound of ancient coins glinting away under a treasure hunter's torchlight.

Mammon knows full well how attention grabbing his eyes are, which is part of why he always wears sunglasses when out stealing. People can't see'em glow if they're all tinted up behind his frames!!

He's also pretty proud that his eyes don't give people nightmares like Lucifer's, but since they glow like little sundrops when he's out, moths fly into his face… a lot…

He is far too embarrassed to admit to MC that he also wears his sunglasses outside for bug protection, so he makes up some shit about it being part of "Devildom-style" they just wouldn't understand.

Sometimes, the MC swears that if they look close, his pupils look like Grimm signs. But has to be a trick of the light… Right?

Leviathan 

Levi's eyes glow a citrine orange but weirdly, his pupils actually slit instead of dilate in the dark.

Though he will never admit it, but he actually has pretty bad night vision in his normal form. (Which isn't that surprising given all of screens he stares at.)

It's a little comical watching Levi stumble around in the dark if he needs to go grab something. The MC can just follow his eyes as he smacks into a lot of walls…

His demon form can kind of make up for it, but only so much. If things get too dark, Levi can change into it so he can see his surroundings with the help of UV light.

"Snake Vision" makes the dark more manageable, but it's not very good for gaming at all so he rarely thinks to use it. Everybody knows that past a certain brightness in the room, don't expect Levi to be of much help.

Satan

Magically enchanted his eyes to look exactly like a green-eyed cat's in the dark. I'm dead serious.

Imagine just going about your business then two grown man-sized feline eyes pop out from behind a corner. They even have nocturnal eyeshine so feels like you're being hunted!

Sometimes he can't help himself and he'll sneak up on people with his eyes closed so he can open them over their shoulders or peeking around corners.

He has given the whole House about as many heart attacks as Lucifer has pulling those shenanigans, I swear…

Belphie is the only one generally unaffected and he always gets a big laugh from when Satan scares the others. The youngest boys just be like that, unfortunately...

Asmodeus 

His eyes look like a kaleidoscope in low light. Every slight tilt of his head makes them reflect a whole new wave of fractals and colors.

Asmo is just as aware as Mammon that his eyes are gorgeous, but unlike Mammon he wouldn't DARE cover them up!! Sunglasses are for sunny days, which they don't ever get down in Hell.

Asmo's eyes are integral to his charm spells, so he takes extra care to be sure that they are as healthy and bright as they can be! He won't even accept eyebags.

Seeing Asmo's eyes in the dark kind of like seeing a trippy optical illusion just... staring at you. It's less unnerving than the others but it's equally hard to ignore.

To this day, he brags that it was his eyes that caught Solomon's attention when they first met. (Solomon actually wanted to pluck them out to use as potion ingredients, but he'll let that stay a secret.)

Beelzebub

Beel's eyes are probably the most normal of all of the family unless you look at them suuuper closely.

In his normal form, his eyes will just glow a nice shade of purple with nothing fancy happening. But in his demon form, they get that glassy, compounded film akin to insects with his iris still trapped and moving around under the surface.

Thankfully, they do not bulge out of his skull. They even give him the ability to see and track objects in fast motion, which does wonders for his reaction time.

... Somewhat unfortunately, though, his line of sight is more narrow than an inscets so it can look like he's trying to look everywhere all at once to compensate. His eyes will constantly dart around the room as if he is trying to follow the flight pattern of a coked out fly.

At least he mostly only uses this during fights or sporting events where they really come in handy. Honestly, if there's anything more jarring than red eyes, it's stumbling across bug-eyes that they can practically see right through you.

Belphegor 

Belphie's eyes glow purple, but they don't shine nearly as brightly as his brothers'. In fact, they have a steady, calming pulse when stared at which is very unnerving.

Total darkness is really when Belphie gives off his best "sleep paralysis demon" vibes. His eyes are really relaxing to look at, but only in the same way that the little light on an angler fish would be enticing to its prey. It's a trap, don't fall for it.

Belphie CAN put people to sleep this way, but he hates doing it because it means he has to somehow not blink for ages. He really has to be motivated to want to see someone zonked out.

For a couple centuries, Mammon would send Belphie to talk to Lucifer if he was working too late in order to (compassionately) knock their brother out so he could get some rest.

Lucifer's since gotten wise to this trick, but sometimes if he's really been going too long he will forget until he wakes up on the nearest couch post Belphie "convincing" him to take a nap.

[izzabela]

There's a First Time for Everything - Lin Kuei Siblings x fem!reader (scenario fic)

in which Tomas, Kuai Liang, and Bi Han give you their first kiss

a/n: so an anonymous requested the Lin Kuei family trying pda/first kiss, but my tumblr buggin hella, so i can't find the actual anon request. IF YOU REQUESTED THIS TROPE PLEASE SEND A DM BECAUSE I WANT TO TELL YOU THAT YOU. ARE. SEEN. also big thanks to anon for being my first ever request.

ship[s]: kuai liang, tomas, bi han x fem!reader (separate)

warning(s): pre-betrayal, consider yourself an opp if you hate fluff

Kuai Liang

The winter festival near the Lin Kuei Palace had wrapped up, and everyone was gathering in the field for the final fireworks display provided by the village. While the many families, couples, and festival-goers were heading to the field, Kuai Liang was leading you somewhere else.

"By the elder gods," you managed to muster out your chattering teeth, "I'll turn into a popsicle up here!"

Kuai Liang turned back at you and saw you clutching onto the fur pelt he gave you to fight the freeze. He smiled sheepishly and went by your side, taking your shoulders with both hands and lead you up the path. His hands were warmer than usual, and you figured he turned his powers on for you.

"I'm sorry, my love, but we're almost there," he said apologetically, kissing your cheek, "Hold on for me just a little bit longer?"

You rolled your eyes, but gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, "If you say so, love."

You and Kuai Liang have been dating for a couple of weeks now, but it honestly looked like two high schoolers dating more than two adults. Being raised in the environment like the Lin Kuei already left little room for a personal life, let alone a girlfriend! Besides, as second-in-command to his brother, Bi Han, he had very little interaction with women. I mean, there was Frost? But she, like the other female initiates, were training equally as hard as the men.

Kuai Liang had the basics of intimacy and PDA: quick kisses on the cheek, forehead, and hand were the only weapons he had on him. It was cute to see him learn new things about casual intimacy displays of affection, and even cuter to see him flush bright red when he tried them out on you. What was coming next, though, was something you did not expect at all.

Kuai Liang had led you to a beautiful Chinese Pistache tree, covered in frost and snow, overlooking the entire village and the field where the fireworks were going to happen. The sun was still peeking beyond the horizon, ad you could see the light reflect off the frozen pieces of the tree, giving the tree a natural glimmer.

Underneath, there was a seat for the both of you, a pit for fire right in front. Kuai Liang used his magic to set it alight, the fire warming up for both of you. Although you were warmed by Kuai Liang's magic, love had overflowed your heart at the sentiment.

"Okay, this is pretty good," you smirked, turning to him and giving him a soft smile, "This is wonderful. Thank you."

He nodded and led you over to the seat before the fireworks started. As you two waited, you were talking about the amazing day spent: winning cheap festival prizes, trying all the food from the vendors, even talking about how you two saw members of his family around the festival. Your mindless chatter was interrupted when the first boom went off, signifying the fireworks had started.

With the sun's final remnants of brightness gone, the stars and explosives were the only light against the darkness of the sky. The night sky became a canvas for pretty hues of blue, white, purple, and other colors representing winter. The exploded in shapes of snowflakes, mittens, and other iconic images of winter. You watched the show with your mouth slightly open, in awe of the show.

"Beautiful.." you murmured quietly, "Don't you think so, Kuai Lia...ng?"

When you turned to Kuai Liang, all his focus was on you, not the light display. His eyes stared deep into yours, making you turn pink from all the attention. He looked... lost in your colored orbs, and he definitely did not want to be found

"Yes, it is indeed a beautiful display," he said, a warm smile on his face.

His hand reached for your cheek, stroking it lightly with his thumb. His other hand took the hand you rest in your lap, still trying to keep you warm. However, your heart's pace was going so fast it might have been your personal heat generator. You realized he was slowly leaning in, eyes half-lidded as he was getting closer and closer to your lips.

You closed your eyes and waited for him to close the gap. When he did, your heart exploded with its own fireworks. His lips were warm on yours, and the kiss was filled with desire and longing, as if he'd waited for this moment his entire life. You pulled him closer, your arms flinging over his shoulders, and his hand tilting your face to allow for more room to deepen the kiss. Both of you were fired up, and not due to the warmth Kuai Liang provided with his magic.

When Kuai Liang separated from you, his eyes were glossed with love and euphoria, finally kissing his girlfriend for real. Yours were too, although there was a bit of pride in them since Kuai Liang had initiated it first. You moved one of your hands to his cheek, mimicking the same thing he did to your face as you spoke.

"That was amazing, my love. Where did you learn to do that?" You asked.

He chuckles, a shit-eating grin on his face as he puffed his chest up with a bit of pride.

"The Lin Kuei's secrets are not meant to be shared, love."

You gently shoved his chest, huffing at his response. Although, you had your own arsenal of teasing jabs.

"Well, for a guy who grew up without interacting with women, you fared pretty well."

He tilted his head, this time a smirk of knowing on his face as he brought your face close to his once more.

"Get over here," he said as he closed the distance.

You had more jabs for him, but they were ineffective against this deadly finisher of a move. Still, your mouth welcomed his as you both connected once more, the firework show being nothing but background noise for your guys' moment.

=====================

Tomas

"Boy, were you hungry..." Tomas said wearily as he looked at the bill.

A little burp escaped your mouth, covering it with your hand and offering an "excuse me" to lighten the embarrassment. Regardless, he ruffled your hair and paid the bill without worry.

"I can't help but agree with the sentiment," Kitana said, "The food was indeed delicious."

You, Tomas, Kitana, and Raiden had finished dinner at Madam Bo's in Fengjian, a double date insinuated by Raiden. During a mission to Outworld, he had the courage to ask Kitana out to dinner. However, he was just a bit nervous dining alone with her, so he sent a letter to you and Tomas to come and ease his worries.

The entire night, the four of you enjoyed casual conversation and updated each other on the affairs of your lives. Kitana had been promoted to Supreme Commander of the Imperial Army, Raiden had become an elite monk, teacher, and member to the White Lotus, and Tomas shared updates on his brothers and the Lin Kuei (the updates he was allowed to share, anyways).

You, on the other hand, were a simple villager farmer in Fengjian, which translates to boring. As boring and plain as white rice.

Even so, Tomas made sure to make you feel included. He always mentioned the little anecdotes you told him, asked about your family, and even made sure you and Kitana had stuff to talk about. He knew you were intimidated by her aura, but by the end of the night, she was just another girl (only a princess-warrior to a semi-immortal race).

"You must write to me, my friend," Kitana addressed you as you walked out the restaurant, "It has been too long since another acquaintance as entered my life."

You blushed at her praise and honor, "Of course, your highness! I would love to write to you!"

You and Tomas bade farewell to the other couple, Raiden walking with Kitana before seeing her off to a nearby portal. Hand in hand, you two walked together and enjoyed the quiet night in Fengjian. The casual buzz of June-bugs, flutter of dragonflies, and the light breeze that shook the trees gently filled both of you with peace.

You clung onto Tomas's large arm, nuzzling your face into his beefy bicep. His walk becomes more stiff, this display of affection getting into his heart and head.

While Tomas may be the more affectionate one of his brothers, it still surprised you that things like this flustered him. To be fair, he grew up orphaned from his mother and sister. Thankfully, he was taken in by Kuai Liang and Bi Han, but learning the ways of assassins and growing up with brothers left him very little time to engage with others of the opposite sex.

When you and Tomas were out, PDA was as foreign to him as him growing up in the Lin Kuei. Of course, he welcomed all the innocent brushes of your hands, the little kisses you blew at him, even you holding his hand. It was cute watching him turn beet red, and you always imagined him going back to his home with a love-struck face.

As you two walked, you noted how Tomas was leading a little ways away from the village. Gone were the little wooden houses and loose streetlights, ahead of you two were fields of tall grass and fireflies. Just a bit more walking, and Tomas stopped in the middle of the path.

"Where to now, darling?" you asked.

He simply smiled and walked behind you, covering your eyes and began leading you. You were surprised, but you trusted him and allowed him to guide your body.

"Lin Kuei secrets, my dear. Allow me to escort you, though," he said cheekily.

You heard the brush of the tall grass and the slight mush of the dirt below you. From your ears, you could hear the soft rustle of a tree, and the gentle flow of a small stream. When Tomas's hands were moved, the sight left you breathless.

Madam Bo's teahouse stood at the center of the scene, the houses were lit up and you could see the figures of your people enjoying the evening. You noticed the tree and its long branches stooping over, and you look up to be greeted with the most beautiful Weeping Willow tree in your life. What made it better was the fireflies that blinked their lights, like a personal light display.

A huge, beaming smile was plastered on your face as you began dancing underneath the bugs, watching them scatter and blink. You swung your body around in twirls and pirouettes, enjoying the place Tomas set you up with. He, too, was enjoying the place he brought you. Watching you spin around in pure joy, he decided to join you. He took your hands and danced with you, accompanying you as your dance partner.

After on final spin, he made sure you faced him. With both of your hands in his, you had nowhere else to go or look. He let go from on of your hands and brought it up to the back of your head. He gently brought your forehead closer to him, and he leaned down just a bit to make sure his connected with yours. You could feel his exasperated breath on yours, and you realized there was something else coming after this.

"May I kiss you, darling?" he asked gently.

You nodded shyly and felt Tomas's lips attack yours. You knew that before Lin Kuei, he was a hunter, and his kiss was proof. Sure, this was his first, but there was a primal hunger in it, the urge to have you for himself. His hand down in your other hand moved to your back, pulling you closer to his chest. He dove deeper into your mouth, loving every taste of you.

When he parted from you, he looked breathless and exhausted, yet his eyes longed for more of you. He held back, though, and fixed your hair before resting his hands on your face.

"Did I do well, darling? Was it good for you?" He asked (a little too quickly).

You giggled and rubbed his face gently, "Of course! For someone like you, I'm surprised you pulled this off."

You laughed, but his pout took your joy away momentarily. You frowned a bit and sighed a bit, apologizing.

"I'm sorry, honey, I didn't mean to tease you too hard. I was just-." You were interrupted with another kiss from him.

You giggled and welcomed it, wrapping your arms around his shoulder as he wrapped his around your waist.

It seems that the "King of Smoke" is nothing but a puff in your arms.

=====================

Bi Han

You two walked side by side, silently strolling around the compound-palace as the snow fell. You two were the only ones up at this time of night, minus the guards up in the towers.

As grandmaster, Bi Han had very little time for personal matters. Other than his immediate family and his clan, he was so sure nothing would put him away from his goals. He grew up with the most pressure on his shoulders, reminded that his inheritance would be worth more than gold. Of course, that should have left him with practically zero percent chance of interacting with women- until he met you.

You and Bi Han have been dating for a couple of weeks now, and it has been nothing but enjoyable. Although gruff and strict, he did his best to reel it back for you, especially with your PDA and innocent intimacy. It felt surreal, different, but not unwelcome, and allowed you to do what you wanted with him.

Sometimes, when you held his hand, his magic would affect him and create a very thin barrier of frost in his hand. While it was chilly, he worked on it for you so that you could enjoy normal couple things. There were similar moments when you massaged his head while you two cuddled, any objects in his hand becoming frozen immediately. Sometimes, he worries in hurting you and always asked you if you were alright, even if you told him multiple times you were okay.

You concluded that any time you showed affection to him, his "embarrassment" would come through in the form of ice. It was cute, in a way- dare you say wholesome.

Anyways, as you two walked, you decided to sneakily link your hand with his. In surprise, Bi Han had frozen in place, looking at you with an incredulous look of bewilderment. You smiled at him and watched him turn away, but he couldn't hide the pink that colored the edge of his ear.

"You're blushing, my dear~" you teased, "Why won't you look at me?"

He huffed, "Your games are useless, woman. Let us keep walking."

You chuckled and let him lead the way, his hand in yours as he led you past a couple more corridors and hallways. You were a bit nervous, since these parts of the compound were alien to you.

"Where are we going, dear?" you asked nervously, "I have never seen these parts before..."

You didn't finish your sentence due to the sight in front of you. A beautiful Wisteria tree stood in the middle of a pond, and smooth stone seating was underneath. There was a walkway that lead to the seating, and beautiful flora and shrubbery lined the path. The snowfall added a fantastical touch, this entire hidden garden area something out of a movie.

"No one, besides my family and Tomas, has ever seen this part of the compound," Bi Han explained softly, the natural gruff of his voice still lingering, "This garden area was built for my mother per request of my father."

"It's so beautiful," you breathed, following the path and reaching for a flower, "How can you maintain the flowers life here?"

Bi Han sighs, a rare smile on his face, "I personally see the care to each of the flowers and greenery in here. I coat each one in a layer of frost for the especially colder seasons."

Bi Han follows you as you walked the path leading to the seating. He watches you gently touching each plant, smiling at how well taken care they were. It was a rare sense of softness Bi Han felt. He offers his arm to you and you link your arm in his, escorting you the rest of the way.

"Thank you, my dear, for showing me such vulnerability," you said whole-heartedly as you walked.

Bi Han looks at you and nods, a little smile on his face, "I believe you were deserving of such a place. You are always welcome in the Lin Kuei, especially here."

When you both reached the center, he sat down on one of the stone seats, to which you took the opportunity to surprise him and sit on his lap. Locking eyes with him, his turned wide before turning away, pink lining the edge of his ears once again.

"Enough of your surprises, woman," he huffed out. However, he gently snaked his arm around your waist, pulling you closer.

You smiled and held his face in your hands and gently moved his face to yours. You gave a quick kiss to his forehead, a form of "thank you" to him. You noted that his eyes held gentility, rare softness, and love for you. His eyes slowly closed as he leaned into you, one of his hands supporting your head.

By the elder gods, he was going to kiss you.

Closing your eyes, you felt the cryomancer's slightly chilled lips on yours. Despite this, you had never felt warmer. Bi Han kissed you with ferocity, afraid that your very being would dissipate if he let go of you or your lips for a split second. The grip around your waist tightened just a bit, and you allowed it by throwing your hands around his shoulders and pulling him even closer (if that was possible).

When Bi Han split from you, his gaze was kept on you, his hand moving from the back of your head to your face. He fixes your hair and cups your cheek, a soft smile on his face as he teases you.

"How was that for a first time?" he mocked you playfully.

Your voice dripped with teasing, "Good, I guess, for the grandmaster of the Lin Kuei."

You were taken by surprise when he kissed you again, a little rougher this time.

He didn't care though, if it meant having you for longer in the privacy of this garden, shrouded in frost and snow.

=====================

i read the original request multiple times to make sure i could ace this, and i hope you enjoyed anon. ONCE AGAIN THANK YOU SO MUCH ANON FOR BEING MY FIRST EVER REQUEST. PLEASE SEND ME A DM OR ANOTHER REQUEST SO I CAN SHOW MY OWN AFFECTIONS TO YOU.

okay enough glazing. thank you guys so much for reading and i'll see you all in the next fic!

[vikuo-kuma]

OH, YOU'RE THE ONE FROM TIKTOK, AND I COMPLETELY AGREE WITH YOU!! I'm not sure if your request for Mashle is open, but if it's not. It's okay!! Rayne Ames trying to protect reader. but in angst-like Thankiu <3

Only For You..

A/N: Spoilers I think, also I hope this is to your liking 😭😭— it might feel rushed 💀.

Edit: not me getting exposed slightly 😔

Warning: Angst, death, maybe gore?, fluff at the end though.

—

He was right there. So why couldn't he save you? You had your back facing against the enemy, the big boss himself, Innocent Zero. Holding your own against the him just to buy Mash a few more seconds, however, you had completely forgotten about your own defense. During this match, you had already used a large sum of magic, causing your nose and eyes to bleed profusely. Leaving you out of breath with no chance of healing your wounds.

“Y/N BEHIND YOU!”, Rayne had managed to shout out, he was trying to reach out for you, wanted to pull you away from the impending danger. But you were meters away from him and he was weakened. So, as you turn around, it has felt that time had slowed down. Witnessing Innocent Zero’s sharp arm stab right through you, impaling straight through your stomach. Your widened eyes slowly looked up at the tall white figure, his dark eyes looking back down at you like you were some insect.

WHY COULDN’T HE SAVE YOU?! Rayne’s eyes looked at the scene that was happening in front of him. The white figure took its arm out of your stomach, making you fall to the ground as you bleed out from your mouth and torso. The dual colored male tries to stand up, but failed trying to get even an inch off the ground. “Y/N!”, Rayne tries shouting for you, but no response.

As you could only hear a ringing noise, while lying there. You couldn’t breathe, you couldn’t hear anything, your vision started to fade. You felt alone.

—

Where were you? You couldn’t really tell, as you wandered around a white space. You continued to traverse the space, seeing strange images pop up while you go. Those images looked familiar, like they were scenes that were apart of your life. Headings forward, you see a bright light, it was more blue than the rest of the room.

You were confused, letting curiosity get the better of you, you decided to go even closer to the blue light.

—

Time had reverted, fixing everything. Every destroyed building, every injured person, it was all fixed.

Rayne just awoke from his weakened state, finally he was able to stand up. After transferring his magic, he had gained it back through the time revert. His head was pounding, as he instinctively placed his hand on his forehead. Y/N! The dual colored hair male, rushed out the building, looking around frantically for a (h/c) person.

He continued his search, looking at every corner possible, ignoring the pounding in his head. “Where are you..?”, Rayne had muttered under his breath, his stern face unchanging.

Finally, there you were, lying against a tree. Your wounds were healed, sealed up even. The large gash on your torso was gone. He looked at you attentively, trying to find any signs of you breathing. Then, he saw it, your chest rising as you breathed. It was really out of character for him, but the dual colored hair male hugged you, tightly. Laying his head down on your shoulder, as he takes in your scent.

“You’re alive..”, his voice wavered.

[zafirosreverie]

The Brightest Star (North x F!Reader)

Every year since I have this blog I have written at least one fanfic for North when Christmas is close, I couldn't let this one be the exception, so I hope you like it.

______________________________

You sighed as you tried to control your shaking hands, you really didn't want to ruin another machine, but nothing seemed to work. You couldn't help it, not when he was so close, even if you couldn't see him, you could feel it in your bones, that terrible, ancient fear that stabbed into your skin like a million needles, seeming to inject those horrible shadows into your being.

You shuddered when the memory of that terrible day suddenly came to your mind. You had blocked out most of the details, but you remembered perfectly the feeling of a deathly cold hand wrapping around your throat, stealing all the air from your body, the darkness slowly filling your senses and the screams of children echoing in your ears.

Pitch Black had escaped, but you could still feel his grip on you.

"Are you ok?"

You jumped when you felt a large but warm hand on your shoulder and thanked everything in your mind that you hadn't screamed when you saw blue eyes filled with concern staring at you.

“Yeah, I’m fine” you lied.

The man didn't seem to believe you, but he was kind enough not to push, so he just gave you a gentle squeeze and took a seat next to you. Internally you were grateful that he was so easy to work with, because you were sure that your teacher would already be questioning you.

You silently passed him the toolbox and returned to your own project, allowing muscle memory to take the reins and letting your memory wander back to that day, though not to Pitch's terrible memories, but to the bright light that you had next to you.

Nicholas St. North, retired bandit, loud but kind man, Santoff Claussen's savior. Again, you didn't remember the details, but you did remember the way the blanket of darkness around you was suddenly broken with the clean cut of a sword, and the cold that seeped into your bones slowly melted with the warmth of a pair of big arms. You felt safe even without knowing who the man holding you was.

North had saved you, he had saved your home, your children, magic, and because of that he had not only earned a place as Ombric's apprentice, but, without knowing it (and you wouldn't admit it), he had earned a permanent place in your heart.

He was a brilliant man, with surprising ingenuity, his inventions surpassed anything that had been created before in the town, and a heart of gold. Ombric had given him a place in his house, and since you were also technically his apprentice, it was a matter of time before you struck up a friendship with the former bandit, to the point that your teacher joked that you couldn't live without him anymore.

Not that you cared, you liked North more than you were willing to admit, and the man in the moon knew that man needed a family, a home to belong to, and you hoped, deep down, that somehow you could be part of it.

You just wished he could see how special he was, that he could see himself the way you and Katerine saw him. Despite his carefree attitude and the confidence he projected in front of others, especially in front of children or Ombric, you knew that guilt and memories of his past life still haunted him, that he often questioned whether he really deserved a place as a guardian.

"Do you think I'm worthy?" he asked

"You are" you smiled, reassuring him "you're a really bright star"

________________________________

You smiled as you watched the elves running around, getting between the tables and getting in the Yetis’ way, who were already too used to it to really bother with them. You loved this time of year, the bright lights, the decorated trees, the colors, the warmth of the fireplaces, the cookies, the gifts, and in the middle of it all, him.

In the end, Ombric had been right, you couldn't stay away from North, so when he formed his alliance with the Yetis, moved to the North Pole and built his magnificent city where his inventions brought joy to everyone, you had naturally been at his side.

It had been a long time since you had finally admitted your feelings for the man, and with Manny's blessing (who had made you age as slowly as North did), you had sworn to share his mission of protecting wonder in children for whatever centuries you had left.

"Mrs. Claus" a cheerful voice sounded behind you.

You smiled as you turned to him. In front of you was Santa Claus himself, as imposing as the legends said, with the years reflected in his face, which still retained its childish warmth and as handsome as the day you met him.

"Mr. Claus" you replied "ready for your big night?"

Christmas Eve was always a busy and difficult night for North, but you knew that, like you, he would never change the children's joy at seeing that Santa had visited them for anything. 

He simply smiled and offered his hand to you, escorting you down the hallway as you headed to the reindeer shed. You never accompanied him on deliveries, preferring to wait for him with a cup of hot chocolate and freshly baked cookies, but you were always there to watch him leave. He had said you gave him luck, and you never questioned it.

"Tell me, darling" he whispered "do you still think I'm worthy?"

Oh, so it was one of those nights. Despite everything he had experienced, despite how much he had done for children and for the world, there were still echoes of his ghosts walking through his mind. It wasn't as frequent anymore, maybe once every few years, but sometimes, he still needed you to remind him how special he was.

"North" you said softly "look around you. Look at everything you've created, the wonderful ideas you've made come true, look how much this place has grown"

Carefully, you let go of his arm so you could take his hands instead, making him look at you with an intensity and fragility reserved for you.

"But most of all, look at what you have become, everything you represent" you said "You are not only the guardian of wonder, you are more. Christmas is not only about gifts and beautiful lights, it is the memories that are created, the love that is strengthened, the joy that is shared, the illusion that is reborn even in adults. You represent all that. Even when the magic seems lost, people find it again in your figure, in your celebration"

North smiled and closed his eyes, savoring the feel of your palm as you caressed his cheek gently.

"You are the most important guardian, protector of magic" you continued "and you are the brightest star of Manny's new golden age."

[deanoheartspie]

Sunshine 5

Pairing: Cowboy Sheriff Dean x City Gal Reader

Summary: After your family cut you off, your great-aunt Laura invited you over to her ranch you often visited when you were just a child... You drive through the beautiful town until you accidentally graze a horse that just so happens to be the sheriffs...

Warnings: None

A/N: I've gotten some feedback on my writing! So this is my first attempt at trying to make it better and make it make sense for all! I really do appreciate suggestions with writing/about the book, also love hearing what you have to say about the characters.

(MIGHT REWRITE!! Depending on how I feel about it)

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•

Y/N POV

The beautiful grassy fields, full of bright colorful flowers, and the clouds in the most beautiful blue sky ever seen. It was like it was picture-perfect almost too good to be true. Maybe it was, maybe it wasn't you'd never know for sure.

Most of all though... Dean. He was a good man, you could tell by just the way he carried himself or the way he cared about others.

You've never laughed as hard or had genuine conversations as you had this afternoon with no other than the gruff cowboy. Family members never really cared or even tried to seem interested in what you had to say but when they did they were only interested in how it'd affect their precious images.

After he left though, grumbling about having to chase some dog again earning a laugh from you and a simple 'good luck' he ran off after walking me back. True gentleman I must say.

“Hey, Laura do you need help with anything?” You tiredly ask desperately wanting to drown yourself in a nice hot shower.

The older woman looks up from her knitting and smiles as she shakes her head “No thank you sweetheart, how did today go? Did he go easy on ya?” She asked as she went back to what she was doing glancing up at you a few times.

Easy? Maybe he did? He didn't seem as bossy as he usually was had they talked to him?

“You could say that... He did teach me a lot. I appreciate you guys letting me stay here” You thank them probably for the one-hundredth time this week.

“That's good. He's very good at what he does, and quit thankin' us we are family and family helps one another. Now shoo! Go relax, you are probably exhausted its getting way too hot out there”

You smile and nod, giving her a quick hug before running up to the room.

°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

Drying off your hair, tossing a tank top, and your favorite soft pajama pants that most definitely would get ruined here if something were to happen.

The creaking wood floors, announce you to everyone downstairs causing Dean and a little girl to look at you... Smiling at them you wave.

“Who's this little one?” You ask but can see the resemblance between the two, was this who Lina Linda Lisa was? Whatever her name was talking about that day on the sidewalk?

“My daughter” His usual gruff and annoyed voice was non-existent. He sounded happier.

The big ole green-eyed little girl had the biggest smile on her face as she leaned back and forth on her plastic princess heels. She was practically a carbon copy of Dean, but as a young girl and boy was she adorable.

“Hello! I'm Rory” She stuck her tiny hand out, You gently shook her hand the same smile stuck on your face.

“Nice to meet you, Rory! I'm Y/n”

Rory quietly thought for a moment, it felt like a mini interview, and god that made you anxious.

“Do you like ponies?” she asked squinting her eyes, acting as if she was asking the most important question ever.

Dean rolled his eyes and shook his head while he had a small smile of amusement wondering how this would go.

“Hm, are they magical ponies or normal ones?”

She tapped her chin, before reaching up to her father who knew the look she gave him probably way too well because right away he handed her a unicorn stuffed animal. “Obviously the ones that can fly!” Aurora said in a duh tone, pointing up at you, you look around curious as to what/why she was exactly pointing for.

“Aurora what did I say about pointing? It's rude.” Dean's voice echoed from the hallway, he was on his way into the kitchen.

“I like her, you date her?” She said, causing Dean to spit out his coffee and start coughing his lungs out. Your eyes widen in surprise, who would've thought a simple question about magical freakin' horses would lead to this?

“You can't keep doin' that, sweet pea. She's my friend, and that's all.” He explained, cleaning up his mess while the little girl nodded before shrugging.

°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

The rest of the night went well, You and Rory played for a bit while Dean cooked. Giving him credit where it's due, he's a pretty damn good cook if you must say yourself. Though half the things he does make will mostly take 30 years off your life. That donut burger was worth it though...

Bedtime came around, and Aurora fell asleep in your arms safe and sound. Following Dean up to his room after he offered plenty of times to take Rory off of your shoulders after you refused not wanting to wake the young lady.

What you hadn't noticed before when you had woken the man up this morning was the little princess bed on the other end of the bedroom full of toys and stuffed animals.

“Sorry,” He whispered pushing everything off to the side neatly, grabbing a big t-shirt and gently putting it on Rory, before taking her from your arms and tucking her in.

Oddly enough this felt normal. Though it probably shouldn't have. Friends, friends are what we are and that's it.

“Good night Dean.” You say halfway out the bedroom door when he says something that caught you off guard.

“Will you have a drink with me?” He asked standing up straight and walking towards you with a tiny smile.

A drink with Dean? That actually sounds kinda nice.

“Sure. Though I'm surprised you still haven't learned your lesson from last night's drunken mess” You tease, flashing off your pearly whites as he rolls his eyes guiding you downstairs out to the front porch.

He hands me a nice cold beer before plopping himself down onto the front porch stairs, looking up at the starry night sky. Even at night, this place was beautiful.

“So, you never told me why you're here in the first place Darlin',” He said breaking the silence, putting his full attention onto you.

“Runaway bride.” You say shortly, with a tiny shrug before taking a sip of the liquid. Dean's were wide before he broke into a fit of laughter, shaking his head

“No really why are you here?” He asked again calming himself down, the smile still on his face and his face all red from the laughing.

“Runaway bride.” You say slower this time, in all seriousness. The smile was quick to leave his face and his eyes looked like they were about to pop out of his face.

“Your fuckin' with me right? That stuff only happens on telenovelas” Dean was leaning his head back against the railing, still in shock.

“Nope.”

“Y/n why do you sound so calm about this? What'd he do to have you run off to the middle of nowhere and pick up horse shit for the rest of your life” Dean asked, running his fingers through his hair before finishing off his beer.

“It was set up, arranged marriage. Didn't want to go through with it so I left plain and simple.” You get up stretching your arms grabbing the small blanket from the swinging couch, wrapping it around yourself.

“You shock me every day. I won't have some crazy man comin' here demanding you right? I ain't gonna get in a fight for you sweetheart pretty and all but I have a kid and I'm already on thin ice.” He seriously says while never once looking away from you.

“I don't expect you to get in a fight for me and no, there should be no man coming here to fight you” You roll your eyes, men were stupid sad thing was you did want someone to love, and protect you. But then again that only happened in fairytales, this was fair from one.

“Glad we are on the same page. But as the sheriff, I'd have to help ya out so just gimmie a call”

°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

----Tag list----

@deans-spinster-witch @leigh70 @mrsjenniferwinchester @ladysparkles78 @hobby27 @khaleesihavilliard @foxyjwls007 @lucidlivi @jc-winchester @globetrotter28 @beskarfilms @the141bandicoot @alysinwonderland-at-tea @randomgurl2326 @ambergoddess444 @westernwinchesters @lemmons1998 @julie040904 @nic-kolas @raisinggray @alternativeprincess

[shiraishi--kanade]

KWKO BACKBACKS ‼️‼️

You asked and I shall deliver...

Maki has one of those funny backpacks in bright colors, a ton of pockets and a couple transparent windows to put fandom stuff into. Which she does! She always has some fandom/manga/cartoon merch showing off in there, as well as as many keychains as possible. Unfortunately at some point people at Miyaji got annoyed with her colourful backpack and told her to "clean it up", so no more merch at school. Boo. She still has it and puts it back on after school for her commute, but it's more lame this way.

She also has a "surprisingly normal" phone case & no stickers, but puts a morbid amount of those on her violin case. You'd expect Karin to protest that but she actually doesn't really care. "A case is just a case, as long as you don't put those on the actual instrument."

Karin herself has one of these leather satchel bags that look very fancy but don't really hold much, like this:

It's dark blue in color and is in the same condition it was on buying. Karin never customises anything because that would ruin her Serious Image, you see. As well as having just a default phone background. The only thing she even bothered customising is adding a profile picture on Nightcord & most group chats, because everyone deserves to see her pretty face.

Kairi has something similar except his shoulder bag is a little bigger and less pretentious, big enough to fit his laptop. He also never customises stuff, but more out of having nothing to say than dislike of doing so. His laptop has a ton of stickers on it, though; mostly just aesthetic photos or paintings. You know that one girl whose laptop is covered in Van Gogh stickers? Kairi's the one. He also is the only one of the group to not carry an instrument case, so whenever they're traveling as a group, his nice bag helps him create an illusion of Hey I'm Doing Something (he only carries his music). His phone background? Kitty. Default profile picture everywhere. He's not even here.

Suzuka probably has one of the brand, 16' or more backpacks, because she's an overpacker and needs to have Everything with her. It almost looks like her backpack is bigger than she is. If you look close enough, you can notice she has a couple supposedly matching keychains on there (nobody from the group matches though?), but nothing outright eye-catching. Just like, normal stuff. It's what's inside that matters, because aside from textbooks she has a fully stuffed first aid kit, weekly amount of snacks, unfinished crochet project & spare clothes. Why is she like this. She will literally never use those. And how is she strong enough to carry that thing. She also never lets anyone see her phone picture. Look Away please!!

Akari has one of those black "urban backpacks" with a roll-top that looks like It's Seen Stuff, and it has indeed seen stuff. It's covered in scratches, cat fur, tears and washed out spots. Akari doesn't care much because it does its role well enough & she things it's cute, but Reishi tries to convince her to get a new one on weekly. Hasn't changed her profile picture since middle school anywhere. Her phone background is a picture of her and Megumi, thought you'd not be able to tell right off the bat (blurry!)

Reishi himself has a normal, minimalist canvas backpack, something neutral in color. It has a couple key chains, like a treble clef on a chain, but nothing else of note. Just completely neutral stuff that doesn't stand out. It looks neat and tidy but is also noticeably not new; there are some repairs here and there if you look close enough. He has a flute case that is lovingly nicknamed The Noodle by Maki, because like, look at this thing.

Why is it so long. Deeply unserious behaviour as far as Maki's concerned. His phone background is a photo of a sunset he took himself, but he has no profile picture anywhere.

[angelofchaos001]

Meet Shale!

Okay I made a proper introductory post for Shale! (Schist will come once I figure out their design) I'll make them a separate post for all the dialogue I came up with.

some spoilers for the game but not a lot, also tagging time: @doodlebug091 @mellow-mooon @sawyer-is-eepy @a-crawling-chaos (Just poking at my followers/moots who I know like Outer Wilds)

Alright! Let's start the bidding at this beauty of a reference. I know it's got some messy colors and no I don't know which layer the two random dots are on to erase them, but I'm proud because I drew this without needing to reference someone else's posing art. I just used my own arms and legs to figure it out and winged it and it looks like a person. I'm proud.

While we're on the topic, I might as well discuss my thought process for their design. This is Shale when they're not busy exploring dangerous ice asteroids. I tried to make the design look comfortable, and that's the main thought behind it. Shale likes scarves. They like fingerless gloves. They like baggier shorts. They despise long pants. They don't like wearing bright colors. They like grays and browns. It's Shale in their peak of comfort.

And then we've got this one! Also done without a pose reference. I actually did draw a whole spacesuit originally, but then covered it up with that big coat they're wearing. Anyway, Shale's suit is designed to be bulky, thick, insulted, everything they'd need to explore space properly. But to add onto that, they brought the scarf and coat for extra warmth on the Interloper. A lot of their patchwork fixes were done by them on the fly, and they even made their viola case all on their own. Shale uses yellow as their bright coloration because they hate the color orange. They have a ton of rope, ice picks, and grippy boots because they knew they were going to an ice place. And that antennae on their helmet is meant to pick up distant signals, so far it has not picked up anything new.

Now it's time for what nobody came here for, the infodump about their history and personality!

Shale developed a fascination with space at a very young age. Extremely young. All it took was young Shale getting one look through a telescope to become completely obsessed with the idea that they, someday, would join the well-known travelers out there and do something legendary. Sometimes, when things lined up right, Shale got to opportunity to talk to the travelers over radio. They loved hearing stories of Feldspar's glory and dreamed to be immortalized like they were.

Once they were allowed to join Outer Wilds Ventures and start learning how to be an astronaut, Shale wasted no time being both a delight to teach and an absolute headache to watch over. Whenever they weren't learning or doing their part in the village (Shale helped keep the observatory clean), they were working on their own little project. With some help from Slate, they attempted to make a jetpack just like the spacesuits had. They got precisely two attempts at this before they were shut down, but the first attempt went off mostly fine. Despite the device not working, Shale landed mostly safely in the water and their only injuries were some scrapes and a sprained ankle.

Shale never stopped writing new ideas, but didn't physically attempt any more jetpacks for a while. Instead, they focused on studying and getting closer to the other trainees they were learning alongside. They did grow close to the protagonist, and another recruit named Tin, though weren't able to click as well with the slightly older hearthians, Schist and Bismuth. Most of their time was still spent with their mentors, but whenever hatchling wasn't working with Hal on the translator, Shale liked to be around them.

When they were a little older and nearing the end of their training, Shale made their second attempt at the jetpack, and came out with a promising result. However, this attempt went far poorer than the previous one. For one, they moved the attempt location to avoid being caught by anyone, sneaking away to some of the further-out geysers with Tin (in case something impossibly went wrong). They even snuck a spacesuit (yoinked from the Zero-G cave), since their plan was to launch from a geyser and leave the planet, just for a moment (They didn't take the jetpack there because the entire point here was testing theirs).

The plan went smoothly, with Shale indeed getting launched from the geyser and coming close to leaving the orbit of the planet, except for the part where their jetpack failed. Catastrophically. It actually exploded on their back, pretty much destroying the "borrowed" suit, but more critically, burning Shale badly. Luckily, they had brought someone else with them, so Tin was able to (try and) catch them so the fall wouldn't kill 'em and then get help for them.

Shale got taken to be medically treated, and everyone agrees they're incredibly lucky to have survived as well as they did. In spite of the massive burns, the suit protected them from the worst of it and it was really only their back that got hurt severely. While the smaller burns along their neck and arms healed fine, much of their back burns scarred and took a lot of time and effort to heal.

So. Obviously Shale got in massive trouble.

Such trouble that not only did they move their launch date back (both for recovery reasons and punishment reasons) significantly, but the others considered forcing Shale out of the space program. In the end, Shale was allowed to stay a recruit as long as they 1) Did not try that again 2) Agreed not to sneak around again 3) Helped repair the suit they'd broken and 4) Spent some time after healing not being in the program (think getting suspended). While in this suspension period, Shale got to watch Schist launch off, still fantasizing about that being them.

Shortly after Schist was Bismuth, and as Shale's own launch date approached they were eager. Tin launched a few days before their own, and so Shale spent a lot of time reassuring them that it'd be fine and they'd do great things. Eventually, it was finally Shale's turn. After camping with Slate (and having an amazing conversation about 'Why did you do the stupid thing' - 'Why did you let me do the stupid thing'), they set off for their ambition: The Interloper. They were determined to find out where it came from.

This ambition proved harder than they'd thought, but it didn't deter Shale from their goal. They became an avid studier of ghost matter by extension of their Interloper studies, and theorized a lot about what happened to the core of the asteroid and it's origins. They also spent some time studying how to make ships designed for deep space, hoping that the frozen Nomai ship they found on the asteroid could hold the answer for that.

Some time later, Tin sent everyone frantic radio messages to come back to Timber Hearth and that they'd discovered something new. Tin desperately tried to explain how they'd found a new hidden spinning disk thing, but as time passed with Tin being unable to provide real evidence, Hearthians began dismissing their claims. Shale was one of the last to give up on Tin's ideas, but eventually waved them off as mad like everyone else. They feel bad for Tin and their situation, but don't disagree with their grounding and truly believe their friend went a little crazy.

After that, some time passed, and then we hit the events of the game. They did radio Hatchling plenty of reassuring words before their launch, though!

[pyrorptrs]

Awhile back I did my own redesign of the Toa Mata from Bionicle. Mostly just trying to find a way to draw them without having to keep the toys permanently on hand for reference and a bit more streamlined to make them easier to draw in general. As far as universal details go, I gave them a segmented body template to lean into the biomechanical aspect of them, I also tried to find a consistent way to draw some of the more common limbs they had. I also tried to play with the gears on the back by giving each of them something unique and tried to give them unique kneeguards. I also tried to incorporate the orbs they had their chest by incorporating their elements matoran symbols into them

Tahu - Tahu served as kind of the template for the others, so he's probably the most standard out of them. I wanted to stick primarily with his original colors so made the bright red and orange the most prominent colors on him, but I also used the dark red he sported later as an accent color for more color blocking. His sword is based more on the Bionicle Heroes interpretation of it, though I may change that if I ever redraw this design. His left arm was never really stated to be anything, so I tried to purpose it as a sort of Aegis; it still matches his more aggressive personality, but also gives it a more utility. I also modeled his back gear after exhaust pipes to relate towards his element. Though it probably won't be seen that much, I did try to define his head too, making it kinda broad; specifically basing the heads off a combination of the originals, the glatorian heads from the end of the original line, and the heads from the reboot.

Kopaka - Since Toa of Ice tend to stick around cold places, I incorporated a bit of a coat into his armor for insulation. His sword also draws some inspiration from the Heroes version, but it also still works like his toy. His left arm was a bit awkward so I limited the armor to mostly just his bicep, I also tried to make the shield look like a snowflake on top of the radar dish look it obviously was piece wise. Kopaka was also one of the few toa consistently depicted is hauling around the McGuffins for whatever saga they're directly involved in, so I gave him a satchel to call back to that. His back gear is directly modeled after a snowflake like his shield, but a bit more obviously. I also tried to make his kneeguards resemble icicles. I tried to give his head a sharper look to call back to his cold and distant personality.

Lewa - Tried to make Lewa look a bit more lanky compared to the others since he's supposed to be the resident tree swinger. His axe leans more towards the original, but I still tried to incorporate aspects of the heroes version for fun. I tried to make his left arm a big grabby arm since most people turn it into a gun or something, but BlazeTBW thought it looked like a machete so I incorporated a fold-our arm blade to help him cut up vines and foliage as he swings around. His kneeguards are supposed to look like palm leaves but I'm not satisfied with how they turned out. I also gave him a few pouches since I figured he's want to keep a few snacks on hand or maybe even swipe a souvenir here and there.

Onua - Tried to make Onua look pretty broad since he's supposed to be strong even without his mask buffing him. Unfortunately his monochromatic color scheme can make things hard to color block, so I threw in some purple from his G2 version in order to help highlight some parts of his body. obviously made his claws his actual hands. I also did something a bit different with his legs sinw his original toy had them flipped around to bulk them, so I tried leaning into that while also making it look like a heavy duty hinge. I also tried to make his head particularly broad too.

Pohatu - Pohatu was pretty different from the original toa in that his torso was flipped around to make him more bottom heavy, so I tried to call back to that with his body shape. I also took inspiration from the toys arms to make them bigger than the others. I did include the two orbs on his shoulders, but recolored them to make them different from the chest one and included the extra pins on the leg. Since Toa of Stone live in the dessert I gave him a scarf to wrap around his head for sandstorms and gave him a decently sized backpack since he's also been happy to regale his own adventures (so it works for holding souvenirs). His kneeguards are based on boulders. I also inlcluded the orange his Phnatoka version sported to highlight parts of his armor

Gali - Obviously Gali's body is mostly just a female version of the standard one I came up with. I did call back to the pins her original toy had in her hips and I incorporated the mata hand into the chest orb I try to include on all of them. Her hooks are intended to slip onto her hands more-so than replace them. Her back-gear and kneeguards are also based on a bunch of bubbles. finally I incorporated her Mistaka colors as a highlight to add more color blocking.

[katrinafaire]

In 30+ years of writing, you do improve; here's some things I've learned.

When I first started actively writing stories -- we're talking single digits here, under the age of ten, as some of you may relate -- my initial goal was spelling things right and having a (mostly) cohesive, if simple, storyline.

Then, in some order I'm not sure of, were things like description, consistent character voices, character development, character driven plots, subplots, worldbuilding -- the list goes on, I'm sure we've all worked on some if not all of these things. (The beauty of writeblr, we're all here together despite different levels of experience.)

I feel like I've always written, but I didn't really sit down to write novella and eventually novel sized works until my late teens-early twenties. I had a lot going for me, because I'd been writing consistently over the years prior. But I had some... quirks. Here's a non-exhaustive list you may find of use:

I struggled with maintaining a clear POV -- who's perspective we were in, how to coherently jump between characters, how to balance that to the best benefit of the narrative... yeah, that was an issue. And I still have a bit of trouble with that now and then, though I'm worlds better.

Also, I hugely overused epithets, those descriptive terms instead of pronouns or names. (The tall man, the blonde woman, the sullen teenager -- you get the idea.) You see, I didn't understand how they worked. I used them mostly because I had a lot of big casts and was not fond of he said-he said-he said with three different he's and I felt like I was over using names.

As I began to hone my craft, it became clearer that these had their place -- but only where they were relevant, not as a replacement. For example, if the POV character doesn't know the name of another character, they will use epithets because that's all they have. Or you can use it to emphasize something:

"There's no way we can deliver the message in time!" Aaron said. The fastest man in the world just smiled; his time had come. "Watch me."

Presumably you already know the speedster's name, but even if you don't, the epithet delivers important information to the narrative; that is the perfect (though not only) time to use one.

There was a huge movement when I was just starting more serious writing and you have likely still seen these posts circulating: said is dead. And I took it as gospel. Now, first let me say I am still a huge fan of dialogue tags. Big fan of things like "whispered" and "sneered" -- things you can't easily convey simply with punctuation.

However.

Using them every line, or every other line, or every third line -- in short, frequently -- isn't good. And it's not because these things are inherently bad. The reason, as far as I'm concerned, is twofold. One, when you deviate from "said" then your audience immediately is drawn to this new dialogue tag, taking it as Important Information. Which is good! We want that when we put those in. But if you have too many in too short of time the brain just quits processing them as important, or worse, it keeps taking them out of the story.

Point two is directly related in that in that overuse of dialogue tags not only clogs up your dialogue, it also makes the dialogue tags less valuable. Imagine this if you will, that every dialogue tag is a colored font and "said" is just black. If you constantly use dialogue tags, do any of them stand out? Even if someone screamed in bright red, does it matter if you just had something in bright orange a line ago? Not really.

But if all you have is black on black on black and suddenly there's a bright red streak on the paper, it jars you! It makes you pay attention! And that's what you really want when you use dialogue tags, isn't it? So that's why I've tried to cut down on mine, and have beta readers specifically work with me on it.

There's also several punctuation and formatting things I've struggled with. Overusing italics, misplacing en dashes — and em dashes (look I even copy pasted the right ones instead of typing two en dashes --) — as well as a severe abuse of... ellipsis. I'm working on them to this day. I'm a dramatic wordsmith. Sometimes it helps for me to write it however I want the first time and then make a new draft, stripping the formatting and seeing with fresh eyes where it's needed.

There's other things, too (I have never done enough description, I'm working on it now) but this post is getting long and I've shared some main points that I feel others can benefit from my mistakes. Feel free to reblog with your own mistakes you've learned from or are working on!

[asexualbookbird]

Another Ohuhu vs Copic Post

I'm not the first to compare the two, and I won't be the last, but I have opinions and I love foisting them upon the void of the internet so here we are.

I have a mishmash of 16 copic grey tones and one pastel purple (BV11 Pale Violet), and the 96 Honolulu B Pastel set from Ohuhu, and even though I've only had these Ohuhus for a few hours, I can already tell you I have OPINIONS!

Let's get the obvious out of the way. The seventeen (17) copic markers I've acquired over the years cost more than the ninety six (96) set from Ohuhu. Lol. Lmao even. Everyone knows it, copics are Pricey and that's why everyones looking for an alternative. So yeah, I've been excited about ohuhu for a while! They're been a good competitor, even more so since they added brush tips and refillable markers! For real, while copics have been ridiculously priced, I've resigned myself to just buying a few here and there because it felt like a better investment in the long run. But now? I HAD TO KNOW! What are ohuhu markers like to USE?

Kind of nice, to be honest. They have next to NO smell, especially compared to the copics. Even my prismacolor markers are stinkier than the ohuhus. Love that. I'm not hotboxing myself out of my room every time I want to do a color. Amazing, no notes. Well, one note. I think the reason they aren't as stinky is because they aren't NEARLY as juicy as copics. Maybe it's the color set I got? I'd like to revisit this with a more bold color set to see, but the pastels feel almost Dry. So I wouldn't be surprised if the juiciness results in more stink. If that's the case, then yeah I'll go into the hot box.

The juiciness is probably also the reason ohuhu doesn't blend as easily. They still blend nicely, but the copics were SO smooth. Here's some blending I did with each set. The colors aren't compareable, because the copic colors I have go much darker than the ohuhu pastels, but the blending is the same.

Ignore the one on the top lol that's when I decided I needed More Colors and got the Ohuhus. The bottom cloud is the copics (the brights are prismacolor markers that are not part of this because they're about 20 years old at this point and not alcohol based anyway). It was my first attempt at blending, but it was easy to get a nice gradient! The hardest part was choosing colors and that's on me!

Here are ohuhu clouds! I noticed the paper had some texture so I did the little blob on the right to compare with the first cloud. It did blend a lot smoother on the smoother side of the paper, but I still had to use the darker copic marker to even the blend out. I don't mind that too much, to be honest, I think they work VERY well together! I did find myself needing to layer the ohuhus more, but I really do like the result.

THE NIBS! LETS TALK ABOUT THE NIBS! Copics big thing was always HEY WE HAVE REPLACEABLE NIBS! So when your nib inevitably gets Nasty, you don't have to buy an entire new marker. But now. Guess what ohuhu has done. REPLACEABLE. NIBS! Not only that, but most of the nibs are INTERCHANGEABLE! So if I decide I don't actually like that I got a brush/bullet combo and want the chisel, I can replace either with a chisel! HOW NEAT! I don't know if copic nibs are interchangeable, but they have always been replaceable.

Ohuhu has more different nibs and nib combos. They have brush/chisel, brush/bullet, chisel/bullet, something called a tri nib??/chisel, slim chisel/bullet, and wide tip. The tri tip is. So interesting to me. I'm not a chisel fan, if I want to cover a lot of space I can do that with a brush tip. But this tri chisel?? looks like you get more control over the line width. It's fascinating. I'd love to try it some day, but I don't think it fits the art I generally enjoy making. Like. I don't think I'd use it a lot. It's why I chose the Honolulu B, they have a brush and a bullet nib.

Copics have fewer choices, brush/chisel (sketch), brush/bullet (ciao), bullet/chisel (classic), and Wide. Biggest thing about these, though is that everything but the ciao are refillable. This is the other big draw to copics, especially considering ohuhu doesn't offer open stock. If your favorite color dries out, you'd have to buy a new set with that color in it. Ohuhu has started offering refills for some colors, and I can only hope that means they'll eventually offer refills for every color they offer. Both set of nibs are fine. Copics are a little more squishy, but I think that has to do with the juice once more. They aren't different enough to affect me in either direction.

Color choices are close enough, ohuhu honolulu series offers 363 colors, thier oahu has 320 colors, copic sketch offers 358 colors, all of which have refills. Ohuhu offers 50 colors on their website. Again, I really hope that since this is so new, it just means they'll offer more refill colors in the future. Still, a win for copics. I also love that copics allow you to buy empty BARRELS along with refills, which means you could theoretically make your own colors. Also, if you price it all out, in the long run, buying empty barrels and the ink refills and filling the markers yourself is cheaper than buying individual or sets of copic markers. I hate that. Lower your prices.

Overall, I like them both! Are copics better? Yeah, absolutely, I'm not denying that. But the price is SO outrageous and ohuhu is fighting for that affordability market. They're perfectly fine markers, and I WILL be buying some brighter more saturated colors. I will also be slowly (very slowly) buying copics too. They're so smooth, they really are the quality they're known for. If you want to try out alcohol markers and don't want a commitment, go for ohuhu. They have so many sets, and a wide price range, and still everything is so much more affordable than copics. It all comes down to that. If you want an investment and can drop a lot of money at once, then yeah absolutely go for copics. I am doing all I can not to say They're Worth It, because I hate that price I HATE IT! A single marker shouldn't be six dollars (and that's the Discount Price at Blicks). But I can't deny their quality. I'm going to continue doing what I'm doing, which is getting a large set of ohuhu and supplementing it with copics and hopefully one day copics will take over.

Did that help?

PS ohuhu caps clip on to the end of the barrel. Copics do not (unless you get the ciao).

[asterias-record-shop]

╭════• ೋ•✧๑♡๑✧•ೋ •═══╮

         — i'll win him over

╰════• ೋ•✧๑♡๑✧•ೋ •═══╯

𓆩[main masterlist]𓆪 𓆩[request/ask me something!]𓆪 𓆩[join the taglist!]𓆪

Requested by anonymous: HIIIIIII!!!! Oh boy am I excited. Okay so now it's my turn for James Keene 🤩. Can I please request a story (it's a bit specific, but I've just finished peaky blinders and can't get it out of my head) which takes place after Jimmy has gotten out of jail. The reader has an older brother (think like Richie Boyle from the Outfit..it could even be him if thats okay with you) who runs a similar business like the one Jimmy used to, but they both hate each other. Nevertheless Jimmy falls for his sister which wounds up to be tough for both men. If you want the reader can have more brothers who run the business. THANK YOU FOR YOIR TIME I HOPE THAT WASNT CONFUSING LMAO BYEEEEE

pushed back in time to the 50s I believe, not in the same universe as Black Bird, someone should request for Richie Boyle 👀 *wink wink, request for richie boyle babe-* also, no smut!! i wasn't really in the mood for smut, sorry anon honey :( also, yes, a bit confusing but it's okay! i hope i did it justice :)

Jimmy's front was a bar that he was a bartender for. It fit, honestly, being a bartender for a drug dealing front. The only thing that didn't fit was the flower shop right next to him his competition always frequented.

Richie was too much of a firecracker to be liked, he had a problem with his anger issues so no matter how many times Jimmy tried to make some sort of alliance, it always ended in Richie getting pissed off and leaving — not before punching one of Jimmy's men though.

Today, he was determined to find out what the hell was so interesting about the flower shop next to his bar. Maybe it was just a ploy to see what he was doing? Figure out if they could steal another shipment?

All of the thoughts were running through his mind as he walked into the flower shop, opening the door to make a bell ring out. All of the smells flooded into his nose, his eyes widening when he saw all of the beautiful flowers and mixed bouquets. They were absolutely beautiful and bright, each flower absolutely perfect with zero wilted petals or leaves.

"Hi, welcome in! I'm so sorry, be there in a minute!" Your voice rings out, Jimmy pausing.

Maybe it wasn't what was so in the shop but who.

"That's alright love!" James slowly walked through the aisles, trying to find you in the entirety of all of the flowers that could've blinded him if they were lights. For fucks sake, they were all beautiful. You put together different colors and textures, one bright bouquet of roses and sunflowers catching his eye.

"That was my first bouquet I made," you say, walking toward him with a smile. "N-Not that one exactly, but the roses and the sunflowers. They're one of my favorites."

"It's beautiful." James said, smiling as he looked back at you. "I'm James, I run the bar next door."

You pause but take his hand and give it a firm shake. "Y/N. Nice to meet you. What can I do for you, James?"

"Well, I'm not sure if you know, but I run more of the high-end bars in town, and someone is always asking why we don't have centerpieces in the VIP rooms." James makes up the lie quickly, smiling down at her. "It doesn't have to be very big, and you will have full creative freedom if that helps guide your decision. All I ask is that they are different every week."

"Oh. Oh wow, when would you need the flowers? Come with me," you say, keeping his hand in yours and pulling him to the back. "Is there any color scheme that you want? Or a limit in price?"

"No, again, full freedom. Anything you want, I'll just pay every week." He smiled at you as you pursed your lips, humming.

"Well, it wouldn't be weekly. If anything, it would be biweekly, I make sure my flowers last longer than a week. There's a special element in the water." You say, writing down some ideas in some pretty handwriting. "Each bouquet would range anywhere from thirty to one hundred each. Is that okay?"

"Perfectly fine. I would only need eight each order because it's strictly for VIP rooms."

“Oh, gotcha! I can do that,” you smile one of the prettiest smiles he had ever seen. “I can get these for you in two days. Sound good?”

“Very good, love. Thank you, I really appreciate it.”

The bell rings making you look up, yelling out, “In the back!”

“Y/N! Where are you?!”

You rolled your eyes. “In the back!”

“Oi, you seen that-” Richie paused when he saw James, gaping. “Why the fuck are you here?!”

“Richie! Go away, he’s a customer!” You yell, quickly standing up straight. “James, I will have these flowers for you soon, okay?”

“No you won’t!” Richie comes between you both after you go around the desk, shaking his head. “You stay the fuck away from my sister.”

James paused, looking from you to Richie. “She’s too pretty to be your sister.”

“Haha, very fucking funny! She’s adopted, you asshole, leave her the fuck alone!”

“Richie, stop!” You say, pushing him as hard as you could. “I’m so sorry, James, ignore him.”

“I will,” James smiled. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Y/N.”

It makes you smile, nodding. “Yes. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“No he won’t!”

“Shut up, Richie!”

After that, you saw him a lot more. James came to see you every day, it was just a matter of time before something happened.

It started off slow, soft kisses behind closed doors and light touches when no one was looking, but Jimmy wanted to change that. You were the first girl he actually wanted to get serious with, he wanted to be able to go out on dates with you without risking being punched by your brother.

Maybe that's the reason why he stood in front of your house, ready to meet Richie and then your dad to continue to court you. It was something stupid he normally didn't believe in, but he wanted to do it right.

So, as soon as he passed the gates, he really did expect the punch he got straight to the face.

"You kissed my sister you bastard?!"

"Rich! Richie, you leave him alone!" You tried to yell, gasping as James shoved him.

"Don't fucking hit me!" He shouted, wiping at his mouth with a sigh. "I came to get your respect, not your approval."

"You don't have any of that, get out!" Richie goes in for another hit before Jimmy caught his wrist, shoving him.

"Listen to me!" James shoved him again, looking over his shoulder to stare at you being held back by one of his henchmen. "I love your sister, even if you don't know anything about that shit."

"Don't you fucking-"

"I'm going to be with her no matter what." Jimmy smiled back at you before glaring at your brother. "So, you better learn how to fucking live with it."

His words make you smile widely, giggling. "Move, Richie!"

Reluctantly, he does with a shout of your father, letting you run forward and into Jimmy's arms. "Oh my, are you okay?"

"I'm fine. I'll take more than a punch to be with you." He smiled as you giggled, pressing a firm kiss to his lips. "I'll win him over, I promise."

"You better, or he might just kill you!"

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© asterias-record-shop

[vyncentevelyn]

The reason why we get so many, "Gods, you're beautiful," lines from our baby girl. Or at least, my headcanon.

Karlach: So what’s it mean?

Iseult: *looks up from the campfire into the tiefling's bright eyes* Huh?

Karlach: Your name.

Iseult: Oh! Um. Well it means “pale one”…my, uh, father chose Iseult.

Astarion: *tilts his head and watches but says nothing*

Karlach: Is it cause your the color of a corpse? A pretty corpse but…you still look kinda…well dead.

Iseult: *a small smile pulling at her lips* I wish.

Karlach: *expression falling and her eyes grow wide* What does that mean?

Iseult: My father isn’t exactly a kind man, but he is a clever man. Or rather he thinks he’s clever. I’m only half Drow. And I look very unlike my people. Though, I also look very different than humans too. But according to my father, I have too much of my mother’s coloring. So, he named me Iseult.

Gale: Hells...

Karlach: I…I don’t fully understand.

Shadowheart: *sneakily places her hand over Iseult's hand*

Iseult: *still smiling at Karlach* I don’t look enough like the Drow. My skin is too pale, my hair is too dark. Even my eyes are too muddy to be considered red. *she lets out a soft chuckle and gestures to her face* And not to mention the scars. So my father basically named me after slang we use to describe things considered ugly.

Karlach: Fucking hells...

Iseult: It's ok. I tend to like my name. Having pride in it is a big fuck you to ol' dad. *she smiles brightly at Karlach*

Karlach: *her face relaxes into an honest expression* I think you have the right of it there. And for what it's worth, I don't think you're ugly.

Iseult: Well of course not, I'm fucking gorgeous. Now, someone pass me the damn wine.

Iseult: *blinks away the sleep as she sits up from her bed roll* Hmm?

Astarion: *kneeling beside her* Wake up.

Iseult: What's going on, everything ok?

Astarion: I...gods. *he grabs her chin and makes her focus on him, he swallows* You are beautiful, Iseult.

Iseult: *her stomach drops*

Astarion: *his eyes flash like blood in the dying fire light*

Iseult: I think we're still drunk.

Astarion: *he lets out a pained chuckle* Stop that. I...I'm trying to be serious.

Iseult: *ignoring the stinging weight growing in her eyes*

Astarion: You are beautiful.

Iseult: *starts to shake her head*

Astarion: Stop. *tightens his grip on chin, not tight enough to really hurt but just enough to bruise* I will tell you every damn day until you believe me.

Iseult: *takes in a shaky breath*

Astarion: I know I'm supposed to say something like looks aren't important and it's what's inside that counts right now, and while you are arguably delicious on the inside, you are undeniably delicious on the outside. Why do you think I wanted to bite you that night? I had plenty of other choices. But if I was going to eat an apple for the first time, why wouldn't I pick the best looking apple?

Iseult: *closes her eyes*

Astarion: I am that shallow, darling.

Iseult: *lets out a strangled chuckle and opens her eyes to meet his*

Astarion: Let me be your mirror now, yes?

Iseult: *smiles and tries to ignore the tear that falls*

Astarion: *leans forward and licks the tear from her cheek, he lets out a soft growl* Delicious.

Iseult: *softly* Are you sure?

Astarion: Are you questioning my taste?

Iseult: Always, darling.

Astarion: *he releases her chin* That-a girl. Now lay back, I'm hungry.

[connorswhisk]

Loose Leaf

fic fill for @thecrusadercomrade !! thanks so much for requesting and i'm sorry it took so long fdjl;sajkl; hope u enjoy <3

also on my ao3

She probably draws him about a million times, over and over again in her tiny sketchbook with the cheap colored pencils and the slowly dulling pocket sharpener. Fighting walkers, splattering scarlet blood all across the white page. Riding a horse, with Clem on the back of the saddle right behind him, arms circled about his waist. A lot of those pages end up stuffed between the cracks of the dumpster lid (Clem’s not tall or strong enough to lift it fully on her own) because in her opinion, they’re just not so good. She doesn’t like them, and so she figures neither would Lee.

She draws him a million times. Over and over again. But he isn’t the only one to make an appearance in her little book.

– – – 

The family is easy, probably the easiest thing there is to draw in the whole motor inn. Clementine’s had lots of practice drawing families, for school art projects and things like that, but it’s easier to draw people she knows are alive instead of the parents she doesn’t.

Kenny with his mustache and his hat, Katjaa with blonde hair that’s a little too bright because the only shade of yellow Clem has is lemon. And in between them, shorter than either but smiling bigger than both, is Duck. Clem has lots of fun dotting in the freckles all over his round, happy face; she thinks the stick-figure version of him looks very accurate.

(She considers adding a bunch of creepy-crawly spiders in the blank space beneath Duck’s feet, but ends up deciding that might be a little too mean.)

She gifts it to them, eager and proud at breakfast one morning. Kenny and Katjaa aren’t actually eating, Clem notices. Kenny eyes the granola bar his son is pigging out on with a pained expression on his face; Clementine quietly tucks her snack pack into her pocket, and though her stomach whimpers in protest, she resolves to eat it after. She can wait, just a little while longer.

Kenny looks at her like he has no idea what she’s talking about when she holds the page out in her tiny hand. “It’s like a family photo of you guys,” says Clem, slightly anxious. “Well, kind of…”

Kenny still says nothing. Clem tries not to take it personally - Lee doesn’t have to tell her so in hushed whispers just between the two of them, she knows Kenny’s been itching to leave the motel and the food situation definitely isn’t helping matters. Katjaa smiles, tired but kind, and carefully takes the drawing from her before the silence stretches out too long.

“Why, it’s lovely,” she says softly, angling it just so that Duck can see. “Look, Ducky, Clementine drew all three of us.”

Duck frowns. “Why did you make me have chicken pox? ”

“That’s not chicken pox,” Clem giggles. “Those are your freckles. ”

“Oh!” His teeth are crowded with leftover granola bits as he beams, big and wide and white. “Awesome!”

“Yes, it’s very nice.” Katjaa smiles again at her. “We’ll be sure to tack it up in the RV, right on the wall where everyone can see it. Right, Ken?”

Kenny sighs, distracted. “Yeah, yeah, that’s - that’s fine, honey.” He glances down at the paper for just a second, and his mouth twitches a little. “My mustache ain’t that big.”

“I wanna draw!” Duck exclaims, leaping to his feet. “Clem, can I borrow some paper and your pencils?”

“Ok,” Clem replies. “But you have to promise not to be too rough with them, or else they’ll break.”

“I promise!”

“You two stay in sight!” Katjaa calls after them as Duck dashes away, Clem fast in tow. It doesn’t look like it’ll rain, so maybe she’ll get out the chalk, too. Duck always likes playing with the chalk, or at least for as long as he likes playing with anything before he gets distracted again.

Once Kenny’s and Katjaa’s backs are turned once more, Clementine pulls the snack pack out of her pocket. She’s so hungry that the stale breadsticks and fake cheese are gone in mere seconds, and even then her tummy still growls, pathetic. Duck looks like he wants to ask her for a bite. She doesn’t offer any, and s he feels terrible about that but she’s pretty sure not eating would only make her feel worse.

(Years later and she still has it, even after all of them are gone.)

– – – 

Doug’s always been nice to Clementine, and she’s glad Lee saved him. Carley was kind too, and pretty, but…Lee made a choice, which is something you have to do sometimes, she knows that now. Even if the choice isn’t exactly a fair one.

(She wonders what she would have done in the same situation, forced to pick between two strangers. She never can seem to come to any sort of conclusion.)

But Doug doesn’t treat Clem like she’s a silly little girl, not in the way some of the others do. He talks to her like she’s just another adult, and Clem likes that because if she can pretend that she is just another adult, maybe things won’t seem as scary as they really are, not anymore. Doug shows Clementine how the bell system he rigged works to warn them of movement nearby, and the faded old Uno pack he sometimes breaks out has seen Clem her fair share of sneaky, smirking wins against a befuddled Lee and a frustrated Kenny.

So Doug is another person that is very easy for her to draw. That yellow shade is still a little too lemon-y, but Clem adds some brown, blends it in a bit against the page the best she can, and maybe this time it looks a little closer to his actual hair color. She makes the big green sweater extra fuzzy (fuzzier than it is in real life) and adds a teeny laser pointer in Doug’s hand, shining its red beam directly into the eyes of an oncoming walker and blinding it.

Doug smiles when she gives it to him. “Wow,” he says. “I look badass.”

“Swear,” admonishes Clem.

Doug raises his eyebrows. “Does ass really count as a curse word?” The grin doesn’t leave his face. “This is super awesome, Clementine. Thank you.”

She nods. “I just thought…I just thought you might wanna keep it.”

Carefully, Doug folds the drawing in half, then into quarters, and finally into neat, creased eighths. “Knew I still carried this around for a reason,” he says, drawing his wallet from the back pocket of his jeans and sliding the page inside it. “See, there you are. Now I’ll have it wherever I go.”

Clementine beams. “I like that,” she tells him, rocking back and forth happily on her heels.

(It’s still in his wallet, as far as she knows, the night that he dies. They leave his body on the side of the road, and they leave the drawing with him.)

– – – 

Larry doesn’t like Lee, and he doesn’t like Kenny, or Duck, or…much of anyone, really. But he usually isn’t as cranky to Clem as he is with the others, and though she doesn’t know why, it’s enough to inspire her to give him a drawing. 

He folds it, just like Doug did, tucking it into the breast pocket of his sweat-stained bowler shirt. “Reminds me of the ones my daughter used to make in school.” His voice isn’t hard, but it is still very gruff.

Above them, Lilly scoffs, adjusting her position on top of the camper van. “You never held on to those,” she accuses. “Why start now?”

“Times change,” says Larry offhandedly. “People change, ain’t you know that, girl?”

“Well,” Clem says, slow and unsure. “Well, I hope that you like it…”

“He loves it.” Lilly’s teeth are gritted hard enough to crack. “Don’t you worry about that, Clementine.”

Clem scurries away before their voices get too loud for her again. She doesn’t draw Larry anymore after that - it doesn’t feel right to.

(She sneaks it out of his pocket when Lee isn’t looking, after…after Kenny drops the salt lick. The paper is weathered and torn between her fingers and she pushes it to Lilly with shaking hands before she can think any more about it.

Lilly glares at her hard like she’s just sprouted some freakish second head, and Clementine lets go of the paper quick as a flash, sobs and runs back over to Lee.)

– – – 

It feels more than a little obvious to draw Ben. He’s all alone, and scared, and no one at the inn fully trusts him yet. Lee warns Clem to stay frosty around him, just in case. But all Clementine sees is a boy, and even though he’s a lot bigger than Duck or her, he’s still very, very afraid.

She doesn’t really know how she should do it. Drawing him with his friends who died seems cruel, and she doesn’t know enough about Ben to know what he likes to do, or what he used to like to do.

So she draws him in a big field, sitting under an apple tree, a shiny red delicious in his hand. Clem’s parents once would take her to a field just like that, on the way to Grandpa’s house through all the Georgia farmland. Everybody’s different, but she figures that Ben might find that sort of memory pretty and peaceful, too.

“You’re…Clementine, right?” he asks her unsurely as she approaches him at his spot up against the motel’s grubby brick walls. The grave Lee and Kenny dug for his coach is still fresh and loamy with loose, dark earth.

She nods. “I made this for you,” she says, thrusting the paper forward and into Ben’s hands. “It’s ok if you don’t like it, I won’t get mad.”

He sort of blinks at the drawing, like he isn’t super sure what it is he’s looking at. “Is this…me?”

Clem frowns. She thought that that was obvious. “Uh-huh.”

“Oh.” Ben looks up at her, then back down at the page, then at her again. “Um…thanks. It’s really - good. It’s really good.”

“I said I wouldn’t get mad.” She sticks her hand back out, expectantly. “Give it back if you don’t want it.”

“I - I want it!” Ben’s voice cracks. “I do want it, it’s really good. Thank you, Clementine.”

She nods again. “If you ever wanna draw with me and Duck, I still have a lot of paper left.”

“I don’t know…” Ben chews his lip, like he thinks he’d look stupid for hanging around the little kids. “I’ve never been that great at art.”

“Duck’s awful,” reports Clementine happily. “No one will care!”

Ben’s lips wiggle a little like he wants to smile. “Really?”

“Really,” she says.

And no one does.

(Clem doesn’t know what happened to Ben’s drawing in the end. Maybe she doesn’t want to.)

– – – 

“I like to draw everyone.” She adds a finishing touch to her figure’s glasses, before presenting the end product with a slight flourish. “See, that’s you!”

“Hey, it is.” Mark grins. He hasn’t been here long, but he’s funny, and any new face is an excuse to use something new to sketch. “Were you in art class at school or something?”

“Yeah,” Clem chirps, flipping to the next available page in her book for a blank slate. “It was a lot of fun. I liked to paint a lot, but I don’t have any paint right now. So I use my pencils and sometimes the sidewalk chalk.”

Mark’s dirty fingernails tap-tap-tap on top of the wooden picnic table. “I used to take art classes too,” he says, and his voice sounds kinda sad. “Before I joined the Air Force…”

“They didn’t let you draw in the planes?” asks Clem, choosing from her pencils a bright red, her most sickly green. “I rode a plane once. It was long. I drew everything I saw outside the window to pass the time.”

Mark shakes his head, laughing a little. “If I wasn’t flying the plane, I was busy doin’ somethin’ else with it. Didn’t really have a whole lotta time for hobbies.”

“That’s lame.” Clem looks up at him. “You should draw more now. Since you have the time.”

“I - I guess that’s true, isn’t it?” Mark shrugs, and glances back down at the tabletop. “Whoa. Whatcha makin’ now?”

Clementine doesn’t stop what she’s doing. She presses down harder with her muddy brown, dirt and death and decay.

“A walker,” she answers, and when she’s done with it Mark is gone and his picture is left behind, fluttering in the breeze.

Clem stuffs it back into the binding of her sketchbook. Even if he doesn’t want it, she’ll keep it around. She likes the way she shaded in the darkness of his leather jacket, the little shines on the lenses of his glasses.

(Mark pretty much avoids her completely after that. Clementine wonders if he’s drawing on his own, the things he always wanted to. She decides that maybe she doesn’t quite care, and she feels horrible after the farm.)

– – – 

Her mom and dad. Sandra. Carley, Glenn, Shawn and Hershel, her friends at school, her Grandpa, her little cousins, her teachers, Mrs. Earnshaw from across the road, Sailor Moon and She-Ra and Bugs Bunny and other cartoon heroes to help come and save the day.

These are the things she draws in between, and she has no one to share them with.

– – – 

She actually never gives Lilly one, though she draws her many, many times. She’s a little too scared, a little too chicken-shit (as Duck likes to say) to actually go through with it. Lilly hadn’t been happy when Clem had given a drawing to Larry and so it doesn’t seem likely she’d want one of her own. 

But she’s scary, and sharp, and Clementine draws her a lot. Filling in and out of the margins of her notebook, angry and shouting and mean. A few times, she leaves her book face-open on top of the picnic tables, in the hopes that Lilly might wander by, take a curious peek and see herself reflected back in all the pages.

She never does wander by, so eventually, Clem stops trying it, and that’s all there is to that.

(Years later, Clementine stares a woman she once thought she knew hard in the eyes and imagines taking a match to those drawings, each and every one at a slow and burning time.)

– – – 

He isn’t the only one to make an appearance in her little book. But in the end, the one she draws the most is still and always Lee.

[starsurface]

I was wondering if you have any more hc's for regressor Vanitas and cg Ventus, but also cg Vanitas and regressor Ven? Like when one regresses, the other takes care of him? I'm bad at putting things into words, sorry.

You were great with your words, don't sweat it!! :D

I couldn't find gifs of them together, for some reason, so there's only one pic and it's whoever the regressor is, I'm so sorry. 😭

<3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3

CG Ventus w/ Regressor Vanitas Hcs

🍏 Once they get past the whole “You sure your still not evil?” “I already said yes, idiot.” “. . . You sure sure?” phase, these two are actually very close, both big and little

💀 Ventus becomes Vanitas’s main CG, that’s his ‘brother’ after all!!

🍏 Vanitas is a baby bat all the way, this man doesn’t do bright colors or such while small

💀 Speaking of him being a baby batt, Ventus got Vanitas his first regression item!! It’s a sippy cup with black wings on it

🍏 He gave it to Vanitas when Vanitas was already small, because he knew big Vanitas would make a big fuss about it, and it was definitely the right call

💀 Vanitas gave Ventus a small thank you and had a death grip on it for the rest of the day, even when it was empty, it’s his now, no one else gets to touch it

🍏 Surprisingly, Vanitas isn’t necessarily a brat

💀 If Ventus says no to something, he’ll huff and pout, but he won’t scream or hit, he just gets really upset and sulks

🍏 Now, he’ll scream and yell when he’s big, which most times ends up with him regressing small and teary-eyed, but Ventus knows how to handle these types of meltdowns

💀 Putting his foot down, but also soft words and asking if Vanitas needs some alone time, which Vanitas most times takes

🍏 When Vantias hesitantly comes back to Ventus, now small and upset about his actions, Ventus just scoops him up and tells him that no, he shouldn’t have yelled like that, but everythings okay now

💀 This doesn’t mean he isn’t a sassy little though

🍏 Ventus said no to more candy? Well he’s not going to like it!! >:( . . . But an eye roll and laying on the ground for five minutes will eventually change his mood

💀 I spoke a lot about Vanitas going to Terra and Aqua about nightmares, but I think Vanitas would also mainly go to Ventus, especially when he’s small

🍏 Sometimes Ventus will wake up to a teary-eyed toddler, other times he’ll wake up to Vanitas leaning over his bed (especially when he gives Vanitas his room key)

💀 Either way, Ventus will cuddle his baby until Vanitas falls asleep (and then talk about it in the morning)

🍏 Vanitas adores wrestling!! It’s so fun!! :D

💀 But, uh, he’s a little bit rough with wrestling, not using his strength correctly

🍏 So he’s not allowed to wrestle other littles >:\ (except for Repliku, but they have a habit of crashing into things, so that’s not allowed either)

💀 Other than some occasional wrestling, Vanitas is more of a softer, quieter regressor

🍏 He mainly regresses for comfort, and most times on the verge of breaking down (Ventus is working on it with him, he’s getting better)

💀 So activities like watching tv, or coloring, cuddles, those are his main go-to’s

🍏 Although if he’s a bit happier while small, maybe he’ll indulge in a game of tag (and act like he hates it, but Ventus knows otherwise)

💀 Ventus is a very fluent CG!!!

🍏 Sora wants to have a tea party? Of course they can blast some music! He’ll ask Aqua if they can steal some cookies

💀 Vanitas just wants to read a small sory (by shoving it into Ventus’s chest and blinking at him), well he could put on some soft background music and make it the best storytime yet!!

🍏 Ventus is helping Vanitas with a lot of things, like asking for stuff politely, or encouraging him to ask for help when he needs it

💀 Most times Ventus only knows Vanitas is small because he gets a upset toddler at his bedroom door

🍏 But sometimes Vanitas will ask for some small time, and Ventus tries very hard to make sure he has a fun time

💀 Ventus’s CG nicknames are Bubba and Ven-Ven (mostly just Ven, but tiny tiny Vanitas finds Ven-Ven funny)

🍏 Vanitas’s little nicknames are Bunny, Cookie, Tough Guy, Sweetie, Death-Destroyer, Rascal

💀 Vanitas isn’t secret secret of his regression? But very few people know, and he’d gets super defensive whenever someone new fidns out and lashes out

🍏 . . . Okay, he is super secret about his regression, but it’s not his fault!!

💀 Ventus encourages him to come to other world with him while small, but he’s really only okay with going to Disney Town

🍏 ^ And it’s really only to see Queen Minnie (I like to think they have a friendship, I dunno why) and get ice cream (loves ice cream, one of the few foods he eats while big too)

💀 It’s okay, they’ll have adventures someday, right now it’s just quiet peaceful time

<3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3

<3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3

CG Vanitas w/ Regressor Ventus Hcs

💀 Ventus regresses from about 2-6, mostly a toddler headspace

🍏 It takes time for Vanitas to take a CG role, but he does make a pretty decent babysitter

💀 . . . Oh, did I say pretty decent? I mean he lets Regressors cause CHAOS (unless it effects him)

🍏 Except, Ventus is a pretty ‘good’ little, and doesn’t enjoy getting in trouble (Terra or Aqua always end up catching them in the end anyhow)

💀 He will push some rule boundries or ask why and whine and pout if you say no though

🍏 Vanitas tries really hard not to snap at Ventus when he gets all whiney, and he’s done a great job every time

💀 The main reason Vantas became a CG for Ventus is because little Ventus would cling to him, or play nearby him, or just ask to sit beside him

🍏 Ventus is a very clingy little, and Vanitas wll let him snuggle to his side 

💀 Plus . . . he actually really likes hanging out with Ventus, and he enjoys watching him while he’s small (You didn’t hear anything though!!)

🍏 Ventus has many favorite little activities!! But his all time favorite is coloring

💀 The problem is where he colors . . .

🍏 Papers good! Coloring books are good! But walls and floors and tables also look just like canvasas!! :D

💀 He’ll try to push the boundries time and time again, but no one lets him get his way :(  (Especially Aqua!!)

🍏 However . . . Vanitas has no idea why there’s a kitty cat and a flower on the wall in marker, he defiently didn’t see anything

💀 At first Ventus was iffy about Vantias’s Unvirse, but now they’re his playmates

🍏 Vanitas acts likes it’s a big deal summoning them, but it actually helps him too (the universe are suppose to be his bad or negative feeligns in the games and manga? Which is why it hurts him when theyre killed) (<-- Tell me if I’m inncorrect though!!)

💀 Ventus’s favorite is the Hareraiser (it’s my favorite), and Vanitas likes them too, they’ve very content with sitting on one of their laps and being treated like a stuffie

🍏 Although Ventus likes normal Floods too!! They’re great to play hide and seek with!! (even if they cheat >:\)

💀 Ventus likes games like tag or hide and seek, but Vanitas rarely lets him win :(

🍏 If it’s tag, he’ll run a bit too fast!! Or he’ll have a secret secret (almost impossible) hiding place

💀 It makes Ventus super upset, so Vanitas eventually lets his pride go and lets his baby win, he’s not terribly mean to regressors on purpose, or tries not to be

🍏 Ventus’s favorite stuffie is this froggie stuffie he owns, and only a few people are allowed to touch it

💀 Vanitas made fun of it once, and got sent to time out before of how upset Ventus was because of it (Big Vanitas doesn’t do timeouts . . . but he did that one time with little complaint)

🍏 As an apology, Vanitas got Ventus one of those froggie bucket hats so he could be like his froggie, and Ventus adores it!!

💀 Ventus will share his snacks with Vanitas, and now Vanitas really likes rainbow goldfish (one of Ventus’s main little snacks)

🍏 Vanitas’s CG nicknames are Vani (Vanny) and maybe Dada when Ventus is more on the tiny side? More leaning on Vani though

💀 Ventus’s little nicknames are Baby Boy, Venty-Wenty (when Vanitas is being mean), Squirt, Little Guy

🍏 ^ Vanitas is still getting use to calling Ventus nicknames though, so Venty and Little Guy is a big one

💀 Ventus loves going to other universes while small!! But only those who know he’s small, he's not super open about his regression either and would rather it stay a secret

🍏 Like some of the Princesses!! He adores making flower crowns with Snow White, and Vanitas is there to get the dwarfs to back off

💀 Vanitas did not cry when Ventus made him a flower crown, stop making up lies 🙄 (. . . One of y’alls a lier)

🍏 Ventus adores going to Disney Town while small

💀 There’s a bunch of cool games and stuff to do!! 

🍏 Vanitas will let him run around and get them ice cream, plus he gets more stares than Ventus does, so if he has to be the distraction so Ven can be small, that’s okay with him

<3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3

I actually love the idea of their friendship. 🥺

Like, the only reason I said Terra accepted Vanitas first was because I adore Terra. And he had the least interaction with Vanitas, and he's an extension of Ven, so there has to be some light in him.

Ventus and Aqua could totally work too!! For Ventus, that's his other half, why does he not deserve the chance and life he got? For Aqua, she was stuck in darkness for almost ten years, she knows how it is to suffer.

[darkgodcomplex]

Sleepover

Wally X Reader

Content warning: Body horror, psychological horror, scopophobia, violence

AO3 LINK

"This'll be so much fun!" Wally grins at you as you step into Home, duffel bag in tow. While yes, you are excited, you also are nervous.

"This is going to be the best sleepover!" Julie chimes in.

The gang truly is all here, you're the last one to arrive, and the sleepover is in full tilt. Julie sits crossed legged painting Sally's nails, Poppy is dressed to nines in her rainbow pajamas while Howdy wears more conservative plaid pajamas, Eddie eagerly listens to Frank talk about a butterfly book he recently read, and Wally, ever the pleasant host, leads you around the party.

That's not to forget Barnaby, who is already passed out in the corner.

The nervous pit in your stomach continues to gnaw at you, even as Julie tugs you in to get your nails painted. You've never spent the night at Wally's house before, it's certainly a new experience.

"What color do you want?" Julie asks, pulling out a bag chalk full of nail polish. "I brought my whole collection!" You admire the red color of her own nails while Sally also shows off her bright orange ones.

"Umm..." You're rather indecisive, plus there are so many colors to choose from.

"I just ran out of black though, Frank likes to use it." Julie adds.

"What other color am I supposed to paint my nails?" Frank scoffs, throwing a hand up. Eddie giggles along.

"I think you'd look nice with yellow polish." Poppy says to Frank.

"Oh, yes!" Eddie practically jumps at the thought. "Do yellow, Frank!" Frank merely rolls his eyes, a blush darkening his cheeks.

"I think this blue would look nice on you." Wally nudges you, noticing your indecision. You grasp the color he pointed out, staring down at it. It's a beautiful midnight blue, he truly did pick out a suiting color. You shouldn't be surprised though, painters do have a good eye for that.

Julie grabs the polish from you, "Perfect!" You stick out your hands for her as she leans down to get to work.

You all continue to idly chatter as Julie finishes up your nails.

"And done!" She beams. You admire the careful work she's done.

"Oh, I almost forgot!" Howdy digs through his bag. "I brought some snacks!"

He tosses out candy bars and other treats. You can't exactly eat with your nails still wet, so you watch as the others dig in and blow on your nails.

"Should we wake up Barnaby?" Poppy frets. "He would be sorely disappointed if he missed out."

"Let me wake the big oaf." Wally gives a wink, sauntering over to the sleeping Barnaby. Leaning down, he shake's Barnaby's arm.

Nothing happens.

"Barnaby!" Wally shakes him harder. "Wake up!"

Howdy sighs, "I guess he doesn't want treats-"

"Did someone say treats!" In an instant, Barnaby is up, tail wagging. Everyone laughs.

"I should've known." Wally rolls his eyes with a grin as Barnaby races to get food. He turns to his seat near you.

As Barnaby quickly chomps down his food, Julie fiddles more with her nail polish.

"Wally, we should paint your nails!" Julie suddenly shouts.

Wally merely laughs, "I'm an artist, but I don't think that's really for me."

"Oh, come on!" Sally tries to convince him. "We can also get Eddie and Barnaby in on it too!"

"I feel like I'm already colorful enough." Barnaby says between bites.

"Oh Barnaby, but don't you want more colors?" Julie clasps her hands together. "This is perfect! I can do Eddie's nails and Sally can do Barnaby's nails!"

"Then... I can paint your nails for you, Wally." You say quietly, looking up at him. "If you want, of course."

He looks at you for a second, pausing before quickly nodding. "Yeah, you can paint my nails."

As Julie sets up to paint Eddie's nails a deep pink and Sally goes to Barnaby with a bright purple, Wally kneels in front of you, holding his hands out.

"Umm..." You look at the bag of nail polish. "What color do you want?"

"Why don't we match?" He smiles, nodding his head towards the midnight blue.

"Okay!" You feel your heart flutter in excitement as you grip the polish, dipping the brush in and smearing the paint onto his first nail. You're not very good and hope he doesn't mind.

As the others chat, Wally leans down to your ear to whisper, "Do you like the color I picked out for you?"

You can't help but blush as you feel his breath on your ear. "Yes!" You say a little too quickly. "I mean... it's really nice!"

He smiles, "I'm glad."

As you work, you chew on your lip, trying to make sure your strokes are even. You nudge closer, trying to get a closer look, but instead end up spilling the nail polish all over Wally.

"Oh I'm so sorry!" You gasp, grabbing at the bottle of polish.

He doesn't seem phased, but you still feel bad. "It's really okay."

"Here, let me go get something to clean you off." You stand. "Where are your washcloths?"

"In the bathroom down the hall." He gestures. You hurry down the hall.

Throwing open cabinets, you search through, trying to get back before the nail polish completely ruins his nice clothing. You know how much time Wally puts in to look nice, you'd hate to destroy one of his favorite jackets. As you search, you hear an odd creaking noise.

At first, you think it's just one of the others that came to help to search, but it quickly becomes apparent that no one is there.

You turn your head, eyebrow up as the noise lingers outside the door.

"Hello?"

You stand, listening to the pacing and squeaking of floorboards. Upon peaking outside the door though, you only find an empty hallway.

The noise stops.

Shaking your head, you turn back, finding the washcloth and quickly heading back down to everyone else.

Wally has taken his jacket off and Julie has the nail polish remover ready as you hand them the washcloth.

"Won't that damage it?" Frank asks as Julie pours the remover onto the jacket.

Julie shrugs, "Beats me!"

"Oh, brother." Wally laughs.

"I really am sorry, Wally!" You fret, watching as Julie haphazardly dabs at the stain.

"Don't worry about it." Wally leans back on his arms. "It's just a jacket, not the end of the world."

"I think we should let it soak." Julie decides, setting down the jacket. You glance over at Wally, who seems unphased by this. You hope his jacket turns out okay, maybe you'll buy him a new one if it doesn't turn out.

"What're we doing next?" Barnaby asks, waving his hands in an attempt to dry his nails faster.

Sally gives a sudden burst of energy, "OH! Let's play a game!"

"What kind of game?" Poppy tilts her head.

With a mischievous grin, Sally points her finger. "Truth or Dare!" She crosses his arms. "Here! I can go first! Poppy, ask me one!"

"Truth or-“

"Dare!" Sally doesn't even let Poppy finish her sentence.

Poppy thinks on this for a second, mulling over her options. "I dare you to... make up a dance!"

Sally laughs, "That's easy!" She quickly swivels her hips, lifting up a leg to an usual dance that is oddly reminiscent of Elvis' dance moves. Her shoulders go into the movement too as she hums a song to the beat of her dance.

When she's done, she takes a bow, which makes everyone clap.

"Wow! That looked rehearsed!" Howdy compliments.

"Thank you, thank you!" Sally takes another bow. "Now, however, it's my turn! Howdy, Truth or Dare!"

"Me?" He blinks. "I suppose truth."

"What's the most embarrassing thing you've ever done?"

Howdy hum's and haw's for a second, thinking it over. "Well... one time at the market, I was helping someone find their item... and then kept asking for apple floss! I was so confused... I told them that I don't think we carry flavored floss, but they kept insisting that we had this apple floss." He shakes his head. "It wasn't until they left that I realized that they were saying applesauce!" You laugh along with everyone else.

"Wait a second," Wally scratches his head. "Is applesauce made of-"

"Oh brother it's the pie thing again." Frank sighs.

"Applesauce is made of apples, Wally." Poppy explains politely.

Wally tilts his head, "But-"

"We're not getting into this again!" Sally interjects. "Ask away, Howdy!"

"Julie, Truth or Dare?"

Julie flips her hair, giving a smile. "Truth."

"What's your favorite color?"

Sally sighs, "You're doing this wrong!"

Julie pauses, eyes going wide. "Well... How can I just pick one color! I know I love red and pink, but what about green and blue and oh! I almost forgot about purple! Then we also need to talk about shades, do I like pastel or neon? There's just too many options."

"Wow, I didn't realize how big of a decision it really is." Barnaby seems to contemplate all this.

"It is!" Julie agrees. "You can't just have one favorite color."

"Black." Frank says. "Look? See how easy that was?"

"A dull black or a bright black?" Julie asks. "Is it more grayish? Blueish?"

Frank sighs.

Julie shakes her head. "See? You really can't come to a conclusion. Anyway, Eddie! Truth or Dare?"

"Uhhh...." He looks lost. Eventually Frank nudges him, trying to get him to just answer. "Dare, I guess."

"I dare you to kiss the prettiest person in the room." Julie says, a sly smirk upon her lips.

Eddie gives a big dumb smile. Without hesitation, he leans over and plants a gentle kiss onto Frank's lips. It's barely a peck, but it's enough to leave Frank red with embarrassment.

"Wally, Truth or Dare?" Eddie asks, grin still plastered to his face.

"Truth, please." Wally interlocks his fingers, waiting for his question.

"Who's your favorite?"

Wally is silent, half lidded eyes glancing at you before sighing and shaking his head. "None of you! I love all of my friends equally, of course!"

Barnaby laughs, "What a Wally answer."

"Well, I'm Wally, so it makes sense." He shrugs, looking over to you. "Truth or Dare?"

"Truth." You say, sitting up straighter.

"What are you afraid of?"

His eyes seem to pierce into your soul as he leans forward, watching for your reaction. A chill follows down your spine, but you're not really sure why. After all, it's a harmless question, right?

"I don't really like the dark." You explain, trying to think. "Oh, there's also the feeling of being watched. I get that a lot when I'm alone, but I don't really like it."

"Oh, I get that too!" Julie says.

"Me too." Frank adds. Some of the others nod. Wally, however, seems to just watch you with a smile and soft eyes.

Truth or Dare continues, which results in all kinds of shenanigans. Barnaby ends up eating a donut with ketchup on it, Frank spills his guts about his celebrity crush, Poppy reveals that sometimes she just buys cakes from Howdy instead of baking them herself, Eddie gets a mustache drawn on in sharpie. Eventually, though, it comes back to you.

"Truth or Dare?" Sally asks you.

"Dare." You decide to be bold this time.

Sally grin, "I dare you to go into Wally's basement... alone."

Even Wally seems to be surprised by this, blinking at her with wide eyes. You slowly swallow.

"I don't think I've ever been in Wally's basement." Poppy says.

"Me either." Eddie chimes in as well.

"It's really damp and dark down there." Wally chuckles with a wave of his hand. "Are you sure you want to go down there?" He asks, looking at you.

"No shame in chickening out." Barnaby shrugs.

Your stomach does somersaults, flopping nervously. As much as you don't want to go down, you don't want to be the chicken.

"No, I'll go down." You say, standing. "Show me the way, Wally."

Every stands at the top to the steps of the basement, which recede down into total darkness. You can't even see the bottom from up here.

"What exactly do you use your basement for, Wally?" You ask, licking your lips nervously.

"Storage." Wally replies. "Mostly, at least."

"Oh, okay."

There's a pause. You realize everyone is waiting for you to go down.

"Well, here I go."

As you start down the steps, you wish you had asked for a flashlight. There is no way you're going to be able to see anything when you reach the bottom. However, if you head back up those steps now, you know there is no way you'll be able to convince yourself to come back down later.

As you walk, it feels like someone is walking down behind you. There are two sets of footsteps on the stairs, despite you knowing that no one would've come down with you.

When you reach the bottom, you stand in darkness, waiting for your eyes to adjust to the light. The noise behind you reaches the bottom as well and the sound of footsteps continues, moving along the edges of the basement.

There's a popping noise as well, though you're not sure where that's coming from either. You get that odd feeling that someone is watching you.

You can't take this any longer. You sprint back up the steps, relieved to see the familiar looks of friends' faces when you reach the top.

"You did it!" Wally celebrates.

"Well, you weren't down there for very long." Sally says. "But, you still did it."

"It's getting late anyway." Julie yawns. "Shouldn't we be going to bed?"

You all head back over to the living room, where everyone starts to set up their sleeping bags. Frank and Julie lay theirs next to each other, Howdy, Poppy, and Sally lay theirs out in another part of the living room, and in a different corner Barnaby and Eddie set up.

"Want to sleep near me?" Wally asks, sleeping bag in hand.

"Oh, yes!" You say. "I figured you were going to sleep on the couch?"

"No, no." Wally shakes his head. "You can have the couch. I want you to be comfortable."

"That's really nice." You blush.

You throw your sleeping bag onto the couch and Wally lays his onto the ground below it. You think it's comforting that he'll be right there all night.

Everyone snuggles into their blankets as Wally shuts off the light. Slowly, you hear everyone's breathing soften as one by one they fall asleep. Your eyelids grow heavy as you soon join them.

You wake up a while later. It's still dark, but something definitely feels off. You lay there awake for a while, trying to figure out exactly what is wrong, until it hits you.

There's no sound of breathing.

Is no one here? You stand up, trying to make sure you don't step on Wally in his sleeping bag only to realize your efforts were fruitless. He's not there.

In fact, no one is here.

"Hello?" You call, heading for the light switch. You flick it, but the lights don't come on.

Creaking sounds from the upstairs part of the house. It sounds like someone is walking around up there. You're not overly familiar with Wally's house, but you're able to find the stairs, heading up.

"Wally?" You call, desperate for any kind of response.

You get none.

The creaking continues though, getting louder the closer you get.

"Guys?" You call again. "What are doing up here? I thought we were sleeping?"

The noise leads you to a room at the end of the hall. Light spills out from the bottom of the door, illuminating part of the hallway. As you grasp the doorknob, the noise stops.

Pushing open the door, you scream at the sight inside. It's all your friends... well, kind of.

They're grotesque, body parts snapped and bent every which way, jaws broken and mouths open in agony. They writhe about, crawling by digging their nails into the wooden floor.

Worst of all, though, is their eyes. Bloodshot and wide, their irises are stretched thin from how wide their pupils are. They're all staring at you.

Then, they start to crawl towards you.

You wake with a gasp, sitting up as your hands fumble to find something sturdy. You breathe hard, chest falling heavy as tears prick your eyes.

"What's wrong, are you okay?"

You glance down to see Wally still awake, book sitting in lap with a small reading light.

It's only then that you notice the warm wet feeling. You groan, reaching a hand down to confirm what you fear. Your pants are soaking wet, sticking to your legs uncomfortably as they start to cool off. You pray that you didn't ruin Wally's couch.

"Are you okay?" Wally repeats, standing up in a panic.

"I'm okay." You nod, feeling the tips of your ears go warm. "It's just... um." You flip your blanket off of yourself.

"Oh!" He sounds relieved. "That's no biggie, we can just wash it." He glances around at everyone sleeping. "Just you and me, no one has to know."

You slowly nod.

Wally is very sweet and helpful, even giving you a pair of his pajamas to wear while he washes yours. He brings another blanket downstairs for you to use.

"Thank you for all your help." You say, sitting down on the couch. He sits next to you.

"No problem." He leans in, nuzzling at your ear. "I like to take care of you."

You laugh, "I'm also sorry about your jacket. I wish I could take care of you for once."

Wally merely smiles, "Don't worry, all will be repaid in the end."

You're not sure why, but that makes your hair stand on end. When you eventually crawl back onto the couch and Wally lays at the ground, you find that for some reason sleep won't take you.

You feel like someone's watching you.

[weapon-ish]

you know, actually, frankly, i think it's rather bullshit that aziraphale pulls the "our car" move. and he doesn't say "our bookshop," he says "it's like the bookshop ... we both get plenty of use out of it."

does he even know crowley's living in that car and not his apartment? because as much as i believe that the shop is an embassy of heaven and maybe, maybe that's a reason crowley couldn't live there... it doesn't seem like he's even tried asking crowley to move his things in. or would even know to. and also, like, he hangs out there fairly regularly anyways? so what, jim gets a bedroom immediately even though he's a fugitive of heaven? arguably as risky to keep in heaven's embassy as a demon would be?

the plants only go inside the shop to make room for aziraphale's things, and he doesn't even ask about them. and sure we can say, oh well crowley probably didn't ask to stay, crowley might not have said anything. but good fucking lord, would you just not notice if your only friend was living in their car? would you really not? would you not try to offer something? anything?

aziraphale is so, so comfortable asking-nigh-demanding that crowley entrust him with the bentley, so comfortable telling him to stay in the shop with gabriel... and can't even apply his own logic of ours, ours, ours to the shop. is that not uneven? is that not unkind? and he changes the bentley. it's not his fucking car! but he turns it bright yellow as if it's not big deal to miraculously alter it. this from the angel who insists that miracle-ing things into one form or another is tangible, that you can tell it was different?

i've seen people say the bentley changed color for az - i disagree. it may have played him different music because he expected nice music on the radio, and the bentley theoretically has a functioning radio. but that car is black, and always was black, and aziraphale knew that and would know not to expect it to change color on its own. he changed it to suit himself without even thinking of the fact that that car is damn near a part of crowley.

he changed the color crowley chose for himself - to something sunny and bright and agreeable to him - without even considering what that could mean. without even thinking that crowley might notice something had changed when it returned. so comfortable changing something so integral to crowley, without a hint of a thought about the implications or impact. hmm.

not even touching on the fact that he just expects crowley to accept being told to stay back and look after, oh i don't know, the archangel fucking gabriel. even if jim was harmless himself, being with him might've been dangerous! but no, it's fine, stay with the being you're clearly afraid and suspicious of. stay here in my shop - that we both get so much use out of, of course - with the most sought-after being in the universe, while i take our car to go figure things out. oh, sure. sure!

and yes, yes, i will admit that crowley wasn't communicating a lot. probably didn't say he was homeless, probably didn't tell aziraphale exactly what gabriel had said. didn't say he was scared, didn't try to explain things more. but would aziraphale have even listened? crowley had valid concerns ignored and came running back anyways, just to be told to do a little song and dance apology and continue to have his worries swept under the rug. listen, i said jim needs help and we have to shelter him, so bugger alle this about your fears. i'm good and i'm right and that's just that.

i know aziraphale has been manipulated by heaven for all of time. i know, i get it, i do not fault him for that. i do fault him for seemingly not having a shred of empathy or consideration or compassion for how any of this affects crowley. for not listening to the things crowley was saying, both out loud and between the lines. god, that hurt.

all you've been through and you can't, you just can't fathom the implications of asking crowley to be an angel? how that is fundamentally changing crowley - to be sunny and bright and agreeable to you? you can't fathom how that's wrong, or how that's trampling over everything he's ever been, or ever shown you about himself. is that wanting to keep him safe, or is it wanting to be right and have things your way? could be both. but it's horrifically heartbreaking that he can't see what's wrong there. you can't change the bentley and you can't change crowley. they are only what they are and, god, after all this time - you should know better than to ask them to be any different.