#and also i don't even want to start on packing.......

[barbwritesstuff]

I'm struck with a sudden and unprovoked need to explain the romantic dynamics in Blood Moon and Thicker Than. I don't know why, and will not be taking questions at this time.

There are eight romanacable characters in Blood Moon.

Marco

Carrie

Vicky

Ed

Sergi

Shawnie

Roe

Farro

And nine in Thicker Than.

Tracy

Marcel

Erin

Nathan

Iliya

Freya

Ravima

Chris

Minjo

Starting with the werewolves...

Marco's whole shtick is the best friend. He's the goofy, kinda scrappy golden retriever guy who is fun, a little awkward, and prone to running his mouth. That dynamic doesn't change if you romance him. When it comes to the bedroom, he's super versatile. Top? Bottom? Rough? Gentle? Left? Right? No matter your preference, he's game.

Carrie brings the baggage so you don't have to. She needs a lot of love and understanding, especially at first, but if you're kind to her she'll let her guard down and open up. I wanted her dynamic with the MC to be all about that trust and that extends into the romantic and intimate scenes. Carrie's banter with the MC is her way of feeling safe... so yeah, that's in the sexy bits too.

Vicky is my Batman. Strong, stoic, silent... even when perhaps she shouldn't be. She's been through hell and back and her number one mission in life is to make sure no one she loves has to experience what she did. She also knows kungfu, because of course she does. Her romantic scenes are very, very gentle.

Ed is a sassy wee sweetheart. A genuinely good, and really smart guy who has to try so hard not to roll his eyes at the antics of some of the other werewolves. He's never dated anyone before, so the romantic dynamic is a little slower, a little sweeter, and a little softer. Because he's a virgin he'll set some boundaries in the bedroom. After all, he's still figuring it all out.

Sergi is a little late edition to the Blood Moon love interest roster. When I first invented the character, he was originally going to be way more of a background character than he ended up being. There's a bit of an age gap here, as Serge is a little older than the MC, and the relationship develops right at the end of the game. It's a kinda messy dynamic, a lot of trauma, helping each other recover through love, etc.

Shawnie is hot and she knows it. Curvy, sexy, playful, fun. Because the other female love interests lean a little bit bleaker, I wanted Shawnie to be for people who wanted a lighter, bubblier, more fun romance. That doesn't mean she's shallow or simple, but that she takes her fun where there is fun to be taken.

Roe is the alpha of the other pack and has some pretty intense feelings about power and being in charge. Expect some tussling in the bedroom. They've been an alpha for only a little while and have only recently started to realise how lonely it can be at the top. A lot of their romance is them realising they have that wall around themselves and figuring out how to navigate around it.

Farro is the only love interest in Blood Moon who is 'missable'. I.E. Depending on your choices, you may not meet him at all. He looks like a werewolf, even among werewolves, big and muscular with long hair and a beard. He's also a dad, a widower, and super introverted. However, behind closed doors, he's rather intense.

And now for the vampires (and non vampires) of Thicker Than...

Tracy is a bitch with a heart of gold. She's using you to escape the clutches of the cult that she's been trapped in for decades, and isn't quite sure if she can trust you either. But, despite all her sharp edges, she's the most ride-or-die person in the world. She needs some tenderness, but isn't shy about desire or romance.

Marcel does a really good job of acting the part of the scary, shadowy vampire lord, but the truth is, he's rather too easily charmed by plucky fledglings who push back against the system. He's also kinda a freak in the bedroom.

Erin is complicated. She's been fighting against the vampire court for decades and is a figurehead of the revolution... even though, in some ways, she doesn't really believe in it any more. I haven't written her intimate scenes yet, but the vibe I'm reaching for is a little messy, a little angry, just like she is. Also lowkey thinking of adding a threesome in with her and her human girlfriend in Chapter Four. I dunno.

Nathan is the vampire hunter, so if I had to give him a trope, it'd be enemies to lovers. He's kinda a badarse, but also really bad at looking after his own arse. He is, after all, catching feelings for a vampire. Also, he 100% doesn't get enough sunlight. The vibe is I-don't-know-if-I-should-kill-you-or-kiss-you.

Iliya is one big walking cliche, and that's why I love him. I wanted him to be the bodyguard romance, and he is that. He's also kind of a bastard in a I-will-betray-you-but-then-maybe-unbetray-you kinda way. Big, a little cheeky, and very hungry.

Freya is soft and kind and very trusting in almost every way. Unfortunately, that makes her a little (occasionally a lot) gullible. She wants to believe the best in people, even when sometimes it puts her in danger. My intension with her character was to contrast it with her witchy powers. She's a sucker, but she's also one of the most powerful necromancers alive (and is capable of consulting with some of the dead ones). Her romance is, like everything else about her, very soft and cosy. She will only use her powers on you if you're into it.

Ravima is perhaps my most classic vampire romance. They're dark, they're sinister, they're obsessed with art, with knowledge, with anything that will make immortality a little less boring. They also kinda want to eat you, but they also want to fuck you, and that's kinda the whole vibe.

Chris is my first (and last because oh holy hell the coding is hard) gender selectable love interest. They're only available to players who select the divorcee origin at the start of the game. That's because, they're the main character's ex spouse. Perhaps obviously, the romance route is very second chance romance.

Minjo has the weird honour of having the most Romeo and Juliet romance I've ever written. She's team werewolf, and you're a vampire. She's also a total MILF, and only available to characters who are also parents. Bond over being single and raising kids. I wanted to give her a dry sense of humour, and a down to earth sorta charm.

Anyway.

My number one goal with these romances was to make them all unique. I didn't want to copy paste the love scenes and change the names. I wanted them to all feel like different people and for their romance routes to feel different and unique to them. I don't know if I've fully achieved that. There's some that do overlap with each other, but I think I've managed to hit a few different spots on the love interest spectrum.

[interestingplan]

*•.¸♡ ᵍᵉⁿᵗˡᵉ ⁿᵒʷ ♡¸.•* 🌿

ᴶᵒᵉˡ ᴹⁱˡˡᵉʳ ˣ ᴿᵉᵃᵈᵉʳ 🌿

warnings - 18+ smut, thigh riding, reader has anxiety and nightmares, soft! joel, fluff, season 1 joel, no ellie, emotional, age gap (reader in mid 20s), pre established relationship,

↫↫↫↫↫ ˢᵘᵐᵐᵃʳʸ ↬↬↬↬↬

while trying to sleep, nightmares have been plaguing your dreams. trying to calm yourself down, you find yourself going to joel for help.

────୨ৎ────

Trying to get yourself to sleep has become an absolute impossible task. It has gotten to the point in which you don't even want to sleep at all. Finding yourself tossing and turning in your sleeping bag almost every night with little to no sleep. Since the world has changed, you've changed and it hasn't helped. Living in constant fear of endangerment has made your nervous system maxed out. Anxiety gripping and straining your lungs, making your words feel unsure and hesitant. You've always had bad anxiety and now with the way the world was, it wasn't helping. However one person has helped you unintentionally, it was Joel.

Joel found you a while back when things first started to get bad. He found you screaming for your life before saving you. Now both of you have been trying to navigate this world together as Joel tries to find his brother. You've always been so thankful for Joel, he practically saved you. He's made you feel more safe and secure in this new unsteady world, which has helped you immensely. Even with him being with you, it didn't help that your feelings felt strongly for Joel. You would get mad at yourself at times for finding him attractive, hell he was handsome for his age. But it made you feel torn, he was much older than you and it felt impossible. Sometimes you would hold his gaze for a little longer, or even wanting to feel the touch of his hands. But those things felt impossible and out of reach for you. You didn't want to ruin something that you already had with him. Plus, you also didn't want to worsen your anxiety if you did loose him.

The night air was cool and bitter, stinging at your skin. Joel had found a spot just beyond a forest to setup camp for the night. You already dreaded the anticipation of trying to sleep as you knew you wouldn't be able to. While walking over to the small area, Joel settles his pack down. You do the same and start to retrieve some of the items from your bag, including your sleeping bag.

"M' grab some wood over there." Joel says with his southern drawl.

You nod as you continue to unpack your things from your bag.

Joel comes back and starts to set up the fire, trying to keep you both warm for the night. You sit on a small log right beside him as he finally gets the fire going.

"There we go. M'uch better than sitting here freezing our asses off." Joel retorts

You exhale with a sigh and shake your head slightly, resting your head on the palms of your hands. Joel notices your contempt's and tries to look into your eyes, as you stare into the fire.

"Is everything okay darlin'?"

You look back over at Joel to see him trying to hold your gaze. Nodding lightly, you look back into the fire.

"Yeah.. just sleeps been a big issue lately." you retort

"Hell, I know how that feels." Joel snickers

Joel looks at you once again seeing that there's something much more than just the issue of sleep on your mind. You look back at him and look into his dark brown eyes, seeing a hint of warmth in his lingering gaze. Joel's facial expressions soften at the way you where looking back at him. He turns back quickly to look into the hearth of the fire.

"Is there somethin' else" Joel asks

Looking back into the fire along with Joel, you sigh for a moment before speaking about your troubling dreams.

"Well yeah, I've been having more frequent nightmares than beforehand and I'm not sure why.." you state while still looking into the burning fire.

Joel looks back at you once again trying to find your eyes. His face worried with concern. Some days Joel could see the tiredness in your gaze, but you never mentioned it until now. Your eyes would appear more dark and sunken at times, along with frequent yawns. He could see how tired you would get at times which is why he would always try to take first watch if possible to let you sleep. But this time was different, he could see the pure sleepiness on your face and it wasn't hiding. Joel began to fiddle with his fingers thinking of something or someway to help you calm your sleep terrors. He turns away back at the fire once more.

"M'aybe if we put our sleeping bags closer together. I know I usually put mine far away but, we can put them closer if ya wish" Joel retorts

You look back at him for a second a bit taken aback by his statement. You felt surprised by his offer of moving his sleeping bag closer to yours. Joel would always keep his things farther away from yours making sure to give you space. You had no idea how much Joel did deeply care about you especially after saving your life. Joel would always try to do small things for you but never wanted to invade your space as he didn't want to cross any lines with you because of his emotions. But deep down, Joel really did care and love you. It was hard for him to express this as he was unsure of your feelings for him. But sometimes you would notice him staring at you for a little longer or the way you two would walk besides each other.

You smiled softly at Joel's offer and nod at his question.

"That's fine by me Joel."

────୨ৎ────

The air had finally gotten cooler as night time finally was here. Joel had moved his sleeping bag much more closer to yours, very close in fact. Joel started to get into his sleeping bag as you tried to settle yourself down and get comfortable for the night. Rolling over you look at him as he was looking back at you, his eyes looked hazy and sleepy.

"G'night darlin" Joel's southern drawl hangs before falling asleep

"Goodnight Joel" you say sleepily

You do admit, it feels much more safer having Joel sleeping much more closely by your side. With his safety you finally found yourself falling asleep.

Running through the main streets of your old city, you felt your breath leaving your body. Unsure of where to hide and go, feeling yourself trapped in a box. You run into one of the small gas stations near your former house closing the door behind you just before a clicker got inside. Racing to the back of the store, you where halted by the clicker slamming your body to the floor. Trying to fight off the clicker your body starts to tremble as you cry and scream for your life.

You wake up with a sudden jolt as your breath became very erratic. Putting your hand over your heart you tried to calm yourself down from the nightmare you just experience. Even just trying to get one night's rest has been an absolute problem and you just didn't want to deal with it anymore. Feeling yourself becoming a bit more steady, you start to well up with tears. Joel hears your tears and breathing as he wakes up suddenly and hears your cries. He get's up and out of his sleeping bag and goes over to yours.

"Hey hey.. darlin' what's wrong?" Joel coos

You take a second to calm yourself down trying to catch your shaky breaths.

"Another nightmare..." you replied back shaky

Joel looks at you with a tender expression, trying to think of something to help. He thinks of an idea but is unsure of your response.

"Do you want me to stay in the sleeping bag with you?" Joel asks his expression still soft and tender.

At this point, you just needed something to take your mind off of your dreams and help you sleep. You nod at Joel's response as you move over to let him get into your sleeping bag. Joel get's in and immediately settles you down by taking you into his arms. Both of you lying down in the sleeping bag together. Joel wraps his arms around you holding you close to his chest. You embrace his warmness, the sent of pine and oak radiating from him. Joel rubs his arms up and down your back holding you closely to him trying to ease the fever dream.

"S' gonna be alright" Joel says softly.

In that moment, you felt so safe and so sound underneath his arms. You didn't want to admit but you really liked Joel holding you like this. You began to feel your heart racing, that nervous feeling coming back to you. Joel looks down at you, trying to find your eyes. Joel was trying so hard not wanting to do more for you in that moment. He could feel your nervousness and tense feelings after having that dream, he wanted to do so much more for you. Looking up at him, you finally catch his gaze as you two both stared intensely into eachothers eyes. Joel was still holding you close, moving his hands down to your hips tenderly. You unconsciously moved your head a little bit closer to his almost as if you where grazing his lips. Joel noticed this and moved his head closer to yours. In this moment, you two where just inches from each other's lips. There was so much hesitation found in Joel, he didn't know what to do in that moment. Your breath was starting to hitch, feeling his hands over your hips tenderly grazing over them. Joel moved one hand to gently cup your cheek, as he reaches in to kiss you gently.

After so much hesitation, Joel finally kissed you in that moment. You felt a bit surprised but leaned into his lips embracing the tender touch. Joel continued to kiss you gently as you moved your hands to his chest. Joels grib became a bit tighter on your hips moving you even closer to him. At this point you where practically straddling his right thigh while you wrapped your left leg around his waist. Joel pulls away from the kiss for a brief moment.

"Darlin.. what do you need from me right now..?" Joel asks softly.

You where already straddling his right thigh while both of you where entangled in the tight sleeping bag. The space starting to become a bit claustrophobic for you. Staring at him gently, there was a little hint of darkness in his eyes. But tenderness still resided in his gaze towards you. You look away for a moment before being pulled back into his gaze. You've always had some fantasies about being with Joel like this, although nothing really super intimate as this.

"I think.. I want to sit up for a moment.." you say

Joel looks a bit confused as he readjusts himself to sit up in the tight setting. You sit yourself up as well as you find his gaze once again. Readjusting yourself, you climb ontop of his lap straddling his right thigh once again. Joel looked down briefly then realized what it was that you wanted. He moved his hands towards your waist, pulling you more towards his embrace. Looking up at the way you where straddling him, he started to feel hard. He didn't want to cross any lines with you previously, but you clearly felt a certain way about him that he couldn't help. Joel got closer to your face and whispered very softly and tenderly.

"You wanna' ride my thigh?" Joel asked his gaze darker than before

You felt yourself heat up even more than before as you didn't know what to say to his words. Not saying a word you nod as you began to slowly grind into his right thigh. You had to readjust yourself, trying to find that right spot that felt good. Joel held you closer to him, his right hand holding your back. His left hand holding onto your hip helping you steadily. You began to grind into his tigh, feeling a wave of pleasure surge though you. Feeling the pleasure you began to moan and mumble under his touch. Joel was holding you so tightly and closely that it turned you on even more. Joel never left your gaze, still looking into your eyes as he began to groan himself. Joel started to place gentle kisses down your neck, as he assisted with your grinding. Joel readjusted his thigh helping you to grind even deeper into him and his touch. You held onto his shoulders trying to steady yourself from the pleasure. Your moans began to get a little bit louder with each grind hitting that spot that sends waves of pleasure through your system. In that moment, the world didn't exist besides Joel and you together. Joel started to whisper sweet nothings into your ear, sending more feelings into your heart.

"Your doing so well darlin', keeping grinding into me just like that" Joel groans into your ear

Your pace became a bit faster as your breath hitched more and more. Joels embrace still making you feel safe and secure in his arms. Joel helped you a little more as he readjusted his thigh again helping you to deepen the pleasure. Joels moans became louder along with your's. You feel your high coming to a climax as you knew you where going to cum. Joel looks deeply into your eyes again as he kisses you once again, this time more passionately.

"Cum for me sweetheart'" Joel said breathy

You finally came as you felt yourself pooling in pleasure. Resting your head on his shoulder as he held onto you and let you settle down from your high. He pulled back to look at your face as you looked back into his eyes.

"Thank you Joel.. for always keeping me safe.." you say softly to him

"I just wanna be gentle with you.. take care of you.. love you.." Joel confesses to you.

Joel brings you back down into the sleeping bag as he wraps his arms around you. Keeping you close to his embrace, you felt his security and warmness become a fabric of your being. Finally after having that horrible dream, you fell gently into the arms of someone who wanted to keep you safe. That man was Joel Miller.

[miiyoshi]

intro

iwaizumi x reader -- cw: nothing much but mention of mold wc: 543 // an: roomate!iwa series is happening !!

iwaizumi doesn't need a roommate, hell he didn't even want one until quite literally 5 seconds ago, when he had heard about how your apartment has become inhabitable.

"a mold infection?" he questions you over the phone,

"i know, it's crazy. that's probably why i've had that dry cough for weeks now," you respond as you start packing up your belongings in a box. "i'm going to have to move back home with my parents iwa, it sucks but i don't have anywhere else to go right now."

the line goes completely silent as the gears in iwaizumis brain start crunching together and an idea comes to his mind, but as confident as he is, the words don't seem to come out of his body at this instant. you'd think he hung up by how silent he is, but you don't hear the end call beeping either.

"iwa?" you snap him out of his daze.

"yeah, sorry.." he finally responds, he figures out the best way to propose his new idea to you. he doesn't want to sound too pushy or too available (as if he would ever not be available for you). "isn't your parents' place like a good two hour commute to work?"

he hears you sigh and he can imagine the pinch in your brows forming that comes out whenever your stressed, "yes," you responded, "but there's nowhere to-"

"come live with me then." his voice cuts through yours.

the line goes completely silent once again, this time because you are trying to wrap your head around what he just blurred out, "what was that?" you ask him to clarify.

"i said you can come live with me instead then."

"iwa, i don't know if i can-"

"my place is way more convenient for work than your parents'. i have a guest bedroom anyways, and there are two washrooms so it won't feel like we're some kids in college."

you sigh quietly but he hears you anyways, then a cute giggle that he's learned to love over the time he's known you. "okay then," you smile, "i'll move in with you iwa."

---

"this is the last box," iwaizumi grunts as he walks in his your shared apartment holding the box.

just offering you a place to stay was enough for him to do, so it was much to your surprise when iwaizumi also insisted that he can help you move. "you don't need to pay a fortune for a moving service if i'm here", he would tell you, giving you no choice but to accept his kind offers.

"thanks again for helping me, with everything," your bright eyes beamed at him and he almost stutters on his words, "it's nothing."

"dinner's on me today iwa, you've already done so much for me"

iwazumi mutters your name followed by a "you know you don't have-"

"but i want to," you take a step closer to him, "i'll even let you pick the place," you tease.

iwaizumi's been raised to always be giving and never ask for too much from others, but how can he turn down your offer with the way you smile up at him and pearly eyes locked with his?

"if you insist," he smiles back at you, "roomie."

[psychoticallytrans]

I've realized nothing is stopping me from releasing my favorite recipe for cream biscuits on all of you.

Listen to me. If you have the ingredients, you can have warm biscuits in half an hour from the time you read this. Have them with jam.

Ingredients:

3 cups (450g) all-purpose flour. I like to sub in some whole wheat for part of it to discourage gluten development, but that will reduce browning.

4 teaspoons (16 g) white sugar. Important for the correct moisture level.

1 tablespoon (9g) baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda. Too little for my scale to register, but you will regret it if you do not add it- they don't rise properly.

2 cups heavy cream. Yes. One pint of cream.

Tools:

Stiff spatula that's also good for scraping

Bowl that can hold at least a quart

Parchment paper

Baking sheet (at least one)

A scale that measures in grams OR a dry cup measure, a dry tablespoon measure, and a dry teaspoon measure

A dry 1/3 cup measure and a dry 1/4 teaspoon measure

A wet measure that can hold two cups, preferably microwavable. If not, you'll need a microwavable bowl that can hold two cups.

Directions:

First, put one of the racks of your oven in the upper-middle.

Next, set your oven to preheat to 450 Fahrenheit. This will seriously only take a bit to throw together, so you do actually need to start your oven before the recipe.

After that, measure out the cream and microwave it for 30 seconds. What you're doing here is making it warmer and runnier so that it mixes into the batter better.

While the cream is thinking about itself in the microwave, measure out and mix together all of the dry ingredients in the quart bowl. (You can use a whisk here if you want, but really, the spatula works fine and can be reused when the batter is wet.)

Microwave the cream again for another 30 seconds. You waited between these to let the heat even out inside the cream. (You could also get this effect by stirring it, but then it's another thing you need to wash later.)

While the cream is microwaving a second time, measure, cut, and lay out your parchment paper on your baking sheet.

Check that the cream is about body temp. You can do this like baby formula, dripping it onto your wrist to check that it doesn't feel warm or cool. It should also be around the runniness of milk now. (Or you can use a thermometer. It should be about 95 degrees Fahrenheit.)

Mix the cream into the dry ingredients until the dough is uniform. Make sure to scrape the bottom of the bowl and not leave any major flour streaks.

Get that dry 1/3 cup measure, and use it to measure out the dough. (The original recipe says to spray the cup with nonstick spray, but I honestly don't, and don't really have an issue.)

They should be about 2 1/2 inches wide and 1 1/4 inches tall. The recipe makes about 10 biscuits if you pack the cups tightly, and about 12 if you slightly underfill them. I prefer the latter, personally- mostly because 12 is an easier number to split neatly.

Bake for 10-12 minutes. If you used all white flour, then they'll turn golden brown on top. If you used some whole wheat and don't have that indicator, poke them and make sure they're solid.

Wait 2-3 minutes to cool, cut open, eat with jam and/or butter. INDULGE.

Substitution notes:

Changing the flours seems to work well, and given that a lot of gluten is not desirable in this, I suspect a gluten free version would be quite tasty- but maybe not for beginners.

The cream is rather critical to the recipe, and I would not recommend trying a dairy-free version of it if it's your first time and you need them for a dinner party or similar. If you want to experiment, I suspect that full-fat canned coconut milk (NOT coconut cream, that's a much higher fat ratio and will throw off the recipe) would be your best bet. Full-fat canned coconut milk is consistently the best substitute for cream I've found for undairyfying sweet baked goods. Do NOT microwave the can under any circumstances.

Storage notes:

You can store them for a day or two in an airtight container at room temperature. (Well. You can if they last that long.)

If you need them to last longer, put that container in the freezer. You can microwave them from frozen to revive them.

[twisted-wonderland-shenanigans]

Twisted Kaijuland Prologue (2025 Rewrite)

AT LAAAAAST!!!! I have finally completed the rewrite of an AU I've been wanting to work more on, but I'd lost interest in the direction it was going at the time. Now I feel more saatisfied with this and hope to continue sharing these ideas with everyone!

Note: there are LOTS of changes to how the story originally started, so please keep that in mind as I work to continue figuring out more and more of this AU and how everyone works. That means some (aka a good chunk of) scenes and scenarios will be completely different from before, mainly to make it flow and make better sense compared to my other AUs. But I will be keeping up the originals, so don't worry!

Also random, but I believe this version is much longer than the original prologue was! 😂 Hope you all enjoy this retelling! And I will be uploading this on AO3 as well!

WARNING: Minor and explicit language (cursing) and blood mention. Going forward there's a possibility of there being more blood given the nature of the kaiju, but I'll be sure to properly warn when those do pop up. Meanwhile, most of the storytelling in the beginning will be Yuu exploring the island and getting to interact with each of the kaiju packs!

---------------------------------------------------------------

Prologue: Found Astray in a New World

Beep……

Beep……

Beep……

Bwoop…

The steady beeps rang in Yuu’s ears as they drifted in and out of consciousness, lulled by the rush of crashing ocean waves that coaxed them to fall back to sleep. Yet the discomfort they felt on their back as the heat of the sun pulled their mind back to the surface, tempered by the cool breeze filled with the smell of sea salt. A pained groan escaped as they forced their body up, sand clinging to their damp skin as they stared through the haze at their surroundings in the faint morning light on the horizon. ‘W…where…am I?’ they thought, panic slowly creeping in as they realized they didn’t recognize anything. ‘Huh?? Where-? What-?? How did I get here? Why can’t I-!’

A sharp pain hit as they groaned, clutching their head and hissing as they waited for it to pass.

“Why…can’t I remember?” they uttered aloud, their voice cracking a little from thirst.

Yuu sat in silence as they waited, hoping that the headache would pass quickly while trying to sort through their clouded thoughts. Fragments of memories—of shapes and sounds so unrecognizable they couldn’t be real—scattered no matter how hard they focused. And yet while those memories eluded them…some were too nightmarish to be forgotten.

Long, narrow faces with gaunt skin and fangs sharper than needles, maws and pores oozing a viscous black ichor that stained and burned the ground it touched.

Sharp, wicked claws attached to long, gangly arms that pulled and dragged the bloated and serpentine bodies across the ground at inhuman speeds.

Flashes of teeth so close to their face they could smell the rot of its breath.

‘These are just nightmares,’ they thought to themselves, taking a deep breath to try and ease the fear clutching their chest in a vice. ‘They’re not real—they’re just fragments of bad dreams from my memories!’

Memories you don’t have, a small, nagging voice in the back of their mind chided them. You don’t know where you are. You’re lost and alone…do you even remember who you are? Who you’re supposed to be?

BEEEEEEEEEP!!

“Wah!?” they yelped as they fell backwards into the sand, staring at the source with wide eyes. Around their ankle—glinting in the sunlight like a beacon—was a metal band. A cursory glance revealed a near-invisible seam, a soft red light blinking erratically like it was seeking…something. “What is this thing?” they uttered, reaching down to try and pry it off. It refused to budge, tight enough prevent it from being slipped off yet loose enough to wriggle a finger underneath. Whoever made this ensured there was soft material underneath, keeping the metal from rubbing against their skin.

Confused and frustrated, they turned their attention back to their current situation: finding out where they were, getting help, and finding a source of food and water. Knowing which of the three would be easiest to achieve, they began walking along the beach to find a fruit-bearing tree towards the strangely shaped rocks.

The sand was soft beneath their bare feet, Yuu taking note of their attire and realizing they were wearing long gray pants and a strangely designed long-sleeved top. They noticed what looked like a faded black symbol resembling an upside-down triangle with a boat-like shape. Around their neck they felt an odd band, though what it was they couldn’t tell—though at least it didn’t seem to be restricting their breathing.

“What is even happening to me?” they uttered, feeling around for any injuries they hadn’t noticed. There were no bumps, no tender spots, no cuts or scratches…nothing to explain the massive gap in their memories. “If this is some sort of prank, I-“

Thunk!

“Yeow!” Hopping on one foot, Yuu hissed and glared at the rock…before realizing it was too reflective and shiny to be one. Cautiously, they started digging around the object, taking care to avoid the sharp edges. More and more was uncovered as they dug, shoveling sand away until they finally managed to make out something. The same marking as the one on their top, only…different somehow. Like someone had tried to alter it to appear more monstrous or dangerous. “What in the…world,” they uttered, finally looking up and staring at in shock and horror.

As the sun rose higher, the light revealed more and more that the strangely shaped rocks they’d seen weren’t made of stone. Twisted and mangled, Yuu found themselves staring at a massive graveyard of ships and planes. As far as the eye could see it stretched, creating a maze of metal corpses jutting out of the sand like the bones of a monstrous creature. Warily they ventured forth, watching their step and avoiding the jagged metal pieces that reached out like lost souls seeking to drag them down into the sand. Slowly they began to notice other materials in the mix, hulls of wooden ships rotting away yet somehow maintaining some semblance of their shape.

Peering inside one of the ships, they spotted a scores of barrels and crates—some broken revealing their contents. Furs, herbs, spices, cloth…all relatively in decent condition, if worn down by time and scavenging critters. In the corner, they noticed a large coffer of coins and jewels—completely untouched.

“What did all of this?” they muttered aloud, taking a closer look around at the condition of the ships and planes. As the sunlight revealed more and more, so too did they notice the full extent of the damage. Some bore gashes along the sides—some a singular line while others bore more than one in a row. Some were warped with chunks dripping like frozen droplets, as though something corrosive had burned through the metal and cooled in an instant. Others…

Others were impaled with black crystals.

They felt ill as they approached one of the crystals, a dark, noxious green light pulsing within that seemed to grow brighter as they moved closer. Wisps of eerie gray mist slowly cascaded down from the stones, where they could see a pool of inky ichor at the base of the plane’s frame. For a brief moment, they thought they heard…whispers coming from within.

Stay away!, their mind seemed to scream even as their body crept forward. Danger! Evil! Vile! Beautif-

In an instant they stopped, quickly backing away before they could touch the tip of the crystal and collapsing with a wheeze. “What was that?” they uttered, shaking their head. They stared up at the crystal, only to avert their gaze once more when they felt the strange pull again. Whatever this thing was, it wasn’t natural and it wasn’t safe. Climbing to their feet, they decided it was time to leave the ship graveyard and continue their search for food and shelter. “This place will be a last resort,” they uttered, shivering as they moved away from the inky black crystals.

The sun was steadily rising now as they continued their search, somehow managing to escape the giant metal deathtrap maze and into a wide clearing. Up ahead they could see a jungle tree line, immediately recognizing the cluster of yellow at the top of one of the trees. Relieved to have found a food source, they ran as fast as they could towards the trees. As they grew closer and closer, however, their excitement turned to confusion as they slowed to a trot. Still the trunks of the trees continued to grow bigger, dwarfing Yuu as they stopped and stared up in horror at the sight of the trees looming over them like towers.

“What the hell is going on,” they uttered, slowly turning in a circle as they realized just how small they were compared to the foliage. Plants that should have come up to their waist or shoulders were large enough to form a canopy, shielding them from the steadily growing harsh sunlight. Trees that should have been easily 15-20 feet tall were easily three times that height, fruit that should have been easy to pluck and gather now swayed threateningly like a boulder ready to be dropped.

Buzzing overhead caught their attention as they looked up, pure terror filling their veins as they saw what could only be described as a giant dragonfly-like creature flitting about. It hovered close to a flower, the downdraft of its wings buffeting Yuu with strong winds as it landed on a petal—and disappearing the moment the flower snapped shut around its body, clamping down like a vice as it struggled to escape.

“Nope! Nope, nope, nope, nope!” was all Yuu managed to say before they scurried away, not wanting to find out if anything else had a taste for flesh. “Giant food is one thing, but I draw the line at man-eating plants!”

Giant food, giant bugs, giant plants, a deserted island, and an entire graveyard of ships and planes? This had to be a fever dream or a nightmare of epic proportions! Yet it was getting harder and harder to find logic in anything they were seeing. None of this should even be possible, and yet…here they were, stranded in the middle of nowhere with no idea of who they were, how they got here, or even why they were here. And if the insects and plants were enormous, what else was even bigger than them? They didn’t even know if there were any other survivors out the-

‘Get a grip, Yuu!’ they thought, managing to stick close to the edge of the jungle on their right and keeping the shore on their left side. ‘Panicking won’t help anything, and you need to stay focused. Food will have to wait, so let’s just find water and shel-‘ the ground collapsed under their right foot, sending Yuu sliding down a steep incline with loud, “Aaaah!!”

Whud!

“…ow,” they uttered, groaning as they slowly sat up. Glancing back where they came from, they spotted the steep slope that had been concealed by one of the leaves. The dirt was smoothed away to reveal red and yellow clay, as though someone had carved out the opening with a tool to remove any bumps or ridges. Realizing that it would be too steep a climb to get out of the ravine, they sighed and shook their head. “Great…is everything on this island trying to kill-”

Thoom…

“…me…” Their voice trailed off as another thud hit the ground, the earth vibrating beneath their feet as they slowly turned towards the densest part of the forest. Something was coming, the sound of branches creaking and snapping reaching Yuu’s ears as they slowly started to creep behind a large rock formation—before finally noticing the razor-sharp teeth and the empty eye socket. They clamped their hands over their mouth as a massive black shape began to emerge, ducking into the gap of the skull until they could peek through the socket.

The creature that emerged was gigantic, towering beyond anything they could imagine as it crept into the area on four legs. The sunlight fell across its body, black and green feathers gleaming while its beak—wickedly sharp and deadly—was slick with something damp.

‘What…what the fuck is that thing?!’ Yuu thought, pressing their body against the inside of the skull as they watched the monster move.

It sniffed the air, its four glowing golden eyes scanning the area. It sniffed at the colorful crystal formations at the base of the tree. A pair of thin, small arms extending from its chest as the strange hands grasped at the stones, snapping them from the base. When it opened its beak, the sun glinted off of sharp rows of teeth before it crunched down on the crystals. Once the crystals were gone, it sniffed around for a moment before it stood on its hind legs and leaned against one of the trees. Its neck stretched out further than they thought was possible, its sharp beak plucking at the fruit that seemed so ridiculously small in comparison. From this angle, they could see a pair of massive wings pressed tightly to its sides and a long serpentine tail lazily sweeping across the ground.

‘Okay…whatever the hell that thing is, it seems only interested in fruit, so maybe it won’t mistake me for a bug and eat me…?’

Something skittered across the bark near the monster’s claw, and a moment later its head had darted forward. A giant spider-like bug with crystalline spikes was squirming in its beak before it tossed its head back, swallowing it whole before continuing to pluck at the fruit with a distinctly happy trill.

‘…yeah, that makes more sense,’ they thought, feeling their heart beating heavily in their chest. ‘Dammit…I can’t run or that thing will spot and eat me like that spider! Maybe I can just…wait here in this skull and-”

Beep-bwoop!

“Shit!” Yuu whispered under their breath as they immediately reached down to the ankle bracelet. To their horror, the bird-lizard monster’s head immediately snapped towards their direction, the two feathery ears popping up and swiveling left and right—searching for the sound again. ‘Dammit, why is the universe trying to kill me?!’

THOOM…THOOM…

Each footstep from the monster made their heart jump as they pressed their body against the wall of the skull, bracing their feet against the other side to avoid falling over and making more noise. They could hear the beast sniff the air, the musty smell of rotting meat and fruit washing over the area while something loud scraped against the ground around their hiding spot.

‘Please don’t beep again, please don’t let it find me, please, please, please, please!’ they thought, staring at the bracelet as the light blinked mockingly up at them. The monster sniffed—horrifyingly close now—as a wave of hot air rushed through the eye socket. Through the gaps in the skull’s teeth, they could see its shadow blocking out the sunlight, the tips of what they realized were its massive claws beginning to curl underneath their hiding spot and starting to lift. ‘I just woke up, I don’t want to die!’

Just then, in the distance, a loud, echoing roar filled the air.

Immediately the bird-lizard let out a sound akin to a chirp as it dropped their shelter back down, the quiet crooning it was making earlier devolving into a terrifying hissing snarl and caw. The earth shook as Yuu heard it bound away, branches and leaves snapping in its path as they heard it barrel through the forest. Then…

Silence.

They waited, heart racing as they listened for any sign of it returning. Minutes felt like hours before—finally—they cautiously emerged. Shaken, Yuu was horrified to see the deep gouges in the earth from where the creature had been digging with its claws, realizing just how close they were to being eaten.

Cursing under their breath, Yuu pointed at the bracelet and said, “Once I figure out how to get you off, I’m breaking you with the biggest hammer I can find.”

Be-beep! Beep-bwoop!

They glared at it and asked, “What now?”

“Signal connection: acquired,” a mechanical voice from the wall said, the sudden speaker startling Yuu as they pressed their back to the skull, looking around warily. “Scanning…no threats detected nearby. Opening access port. Please stand by.”

Chk! Tsssss….

Right before their eyes they watched as the stone wall split open, revealing a large metal door that slid open into a dark tunnel. “Please step forward,” the mechanical voice commanded as the lights turned on inside.

Glancing back at the path the monster had disappeared through, Yuu reluctantly obeyed and entered just as the entrance shut with a decisive tssss. Now they found themselves stuck between two locked doors with no visible way out. “Okay…now what?” they asked aloud, looking around in confusion. A thought occurred to them as they uttered, “Please tell me I didn’t just walk into a trap.”

“Please stand by for entry permission,” the mechanical voice said. “Analyzing bracer code…error! Error! Code cannot be found in database.” Movement out of the corner of their eye drew their attention to the inner door, a panel opening on the side as a camera-like device emerged. “Please stand still while scanning is in progress.” A red beam of light shot out, the thin line moving from their feet to their head before vanishing, the camera retracting with a click. “Scan acquired. Searching for facial recognition files…search complete. No staff record on file. DNA signature cannot be verified. Please stand by while I contact the current on duty director for further instruction.”

“Wait, what’s going on? What is this place?” Yuu asked, searching the room for something to focus on. “Where are we?”

“Status update: cannot establish contact with current on duty director,” the computer voice said, making them wonder if it was canned phrases. “Attempting communication with secondary duty director……attempt unsuccessful. Reevaluating follow-on directive…complete. Beginning creation of temporary visitor profile.” The panel on the other side of the door opened, this time revealing a small screen and a microphone. “Please place your hand on the screen and state your name to begin registration process.”

Gingerly placing their hand palm down on the screen, Yuu leaned in and said, “Um…Yuu?” They jumped but held their hand to the screen when it began to scan, the glass surface pleasantly warm to the touch compared to the chill of the room.

“Name and handprint scan accepted. Creating temporary visitor profile…profile complete. Welcome Uhm Yuu.”

“I-it’s just Yuu,” they said quickly.

“Please report to the main office for assistance, Uhm Yuu,” the computer voice continued, the door sliding open as lights began to turn on inside. A path of green lights appeared along the floor, creating a pathway for them to follow. “Once in the main office, you will be provided with instructions, your new staff badge, and your new Multi Information Record Assistance tool. Access to the lab facilities will be limited without the badge and tool, so please ask for assistance from the main office if you find yourself unable to enter certain workspaces. If you lack the current clearance level, you will not be permitted to enter the space. Please ensure you follow proper protocol when storing collected samples before proceeding through the decontamination and hazard chambers. Have a nice day!”

“…what is this place and why does it sound shady as heck?” Yuu uttered as they shook their head. Knowing they had no other options and didn’t want to be outside, they followed the green lights.

It was…eerily quiet. They expected to see someone—anyone—in this place rushing around or even just working, yet it was silent. Each room they passed by was either dark or lit up but empty, various tools and computer equipment scattered about in the gloomy space. Streams of data flickered across the monitors and transparent screens, occasionally displaying diagrams of weird and disturbing creatures that looked nothing short of a nightmare’s dream! Only one monitor, however, caught their eye as they stared, noting how oval its shape was and the ornate serpent-like frame that decorated the edges of the cracked surface. Instead of a reflection, however, bright green flames flickered within the dark depths, the screen glitching as a broken white mask blinked in and out of existence.

Whatever had happened in this place, it was clear to Yuu that this place had long since been abandoned. A struggle happened from what they could tell, though it looked less man-caused and more…sinister. The walls were dented and marred with deep gashes, patches of dried blood stained the floors the further they ventured in. On one wall mirror, they saw a bloody handprint that slid down before disappearing, the inside of the room looking like something had shattered the equipment with a single blow. What unnerved them the most, however, was the fact that there were no bodies.

‘Why am I still going deeper into the creepy abandoned death-trap?’ they thought, warily looking between the rooms for any sign of life. ‘Isn’t there some rule to horror where you’re not supposed to do that?!...then again, being out there with big, tall, and terrifying and whatever made that roar sounds even worse.’

They finally reached the end of the green lights and entered a large open room, multiple desks and chairs arranged in a chaos of papers and busted computer stations. Only one in the back against the wall seemed operational, flicking to life as they approached. “Please place your hand on the panel to begin replication of your new staff badge,” the computerized voice said. Upon touching the panel, the screen began to fill with data faster than their eye could read, the machine whirring to life before ejecting a thick plastic card from the slot beneath the monitor. “Congratulations, Uhm Yuu, for joining the Night Raven Corporation’s Exploration and Research Development Team. You will begin your first assignment as a lab assistant to our great technicians. Please follow the lighted path to the lab area where you will obtain your first Multi Information Record Assistant tool and receive your first task from your immediate supervisor.”

“I’m not even a scientist, and even if I was, where is everyone?!” Yuu asked. When they received no response, they slumped their shoulders with a sigh and said, “Yeah. These are just recorded voice lines…that can somehow say my name without issue…mostly…”

The lights led deeper into the facility, the lights dim with red emergency lights flashing the further in they moved. The eeriness made their skin crawl, walking around the shallow gashes in the floor until they finally made it to a large warehouse-like area. From wall to wall were machines and, rows upon rows of glass tube tanks lined up as far as the eye could see. Each one was filled with a viscous liquid of various colors: red, blue, orange-yellow, and green. Yuu could see there were dark shapes in most of the tubes, though any distinct features were obscured by the layers of dirt and dust against the glass. Cautiously they approached the closest one, wiping their hand against the glass-

“AAH!?” they shrieked, tumbling over one of the cables and scrambling away until their back was pressed against the base of another tank. Inside the glass was an almost humanoid creature, its face looking like a squashed reptile crossed with a fish as the gills on its neck slowly fluttered in the liquid. Tubes and wires connected to the creature’s body, though whether it was to keep it alive or feed data to the computer next to the glass tank they couldn’t tell. Breathing heavily, they uttered, “This place is going to give me a heart attack before I can even figure out what’s going on! What even is that thing?!”

Blip! “Cannot com-m-m-mpute your question. Please con-n-n-nect device and ask again.”

“…what?” they uttered, looking around in confusion before spotting what looked like a large, thick bracelet next to their right hand. Curious, they picked it up, examining the surface and spotting the screen. It was dark, with the word “M.I.R.A.” displayed in bright blue letters. “What…are you?” they asked.

“Answer,” the tiny bracelet said, startling them as they dropped it into their lap. “I am M.I.R.A., an a-a-a-artificial intelligence tool. P-p-p-please pl-l-l-l-lace me on your wrist in a comfortable position to begin user r-r-r-reassignment and module r-r-repair protocol.”

“Nnnnot sure that’s a good idea if you sound broken,” they uttered. Still, they complied, the bracelet snapping shut around their wrist.

The screen blipped and flickered, a loading bar appearing on screen as the voice said, “Beginning r-r-r-repair protocol. S-s-s-stand by………repair protocol, complete. Module is now in operational order. Beginning user reassignment. Please state your name.”

“Yuu,” they stated clearly.

“Acknowledged. Searching database…new staff profile found. New user ‘Uhm Yuu’ has been accepted. Welcome, Uhm Yuu. What would you like to know?”

“…are you actually going to answer my questions, or are you just saying canned recorded responses?”

“Answer: it is my directive to assist my user and answer any potential questions they may have and provide suitable answers based on available data. I am designed to learn and respond accordingly to any situation you may come across.”

“Guess that’s good enough for me,” Yuu muttered. Aloud, they asked, “So what exactly are you? Let’s start with that.”

“Answer: I am a Multi Information Record Assistant, an artificial intelligence tool developed by the Night Raven Corporation to aid its researchers and exploration teams in the study of the local flora and fauna. Once assigned, I am to monitor my current user’s vitals to ensure they remain in good health and offer suggestions on mitigating stress when not in current danger. I will continue to serve my purpose until the day you pass, in which I will once again be reassigned to a new user. What would you like to know?”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, back up! What do you mean ‘once again’? Did you already have another user before me??”

“Affirmative. Dr. Amity Willows was my previous user prior to her passing. As the top researcher in this facility, Dr. Willows’ work was vital to the progression of understanding the environmental effects of the energy found across the island and the influence it has on the local flora and fauna.”

“I…what? Island?” Yuu uttered, thinking back to the beach they’d awoken on. “What do you mean by that? Where are we? And…what happened to Dr. Willows?”

The tool said nothing for a moment, the screen humming as a new loading bar appeared. Then, with a blink, it transferred to another screen with what looked like a variety of folders with locks on most of them. “Answer: Due to the low clearance level on your profile, I am unable to access many of the files uploaded to the Dark Mirror Server. Searching……located data logs recorded by Dr. Willows. Data logs have been triple-encoded to prevent complete factory reset in the event something should happen to her, and will require time to unlock each data log. However, I am able to access the last few minutes of security footage before servers went down.”

“Can you show me what happened and where everyone is?”

The screen blinked through various different screens—too fast for their eyes to follow—before finally settling on an angle of the lab they currently stood in. Compared to now, there were more people around frozen in time. They were examining the figures in the tanks, some holding tablets while others were standing in front of stations filled with test tubes and beakers. The video began to play, though the quality seemed…strange. The video glitched and skipped, some segments being streamlined while others looked like fragments of images. In the center of the room, however, they spotted two unusually colored tanks: the largest being a noxious red color while the smaller one was a brilliant cyan. Both seemed to have creatures inside them, though what they looked like they couldn’t tell from this angle.

In an instant, the imagery changed. Warped screams and cries of panic emerged from the speakers as the scientists began to run, the red tank shattered as the creature’s serpentine body—dripping with a black ink-like substance that seemed to burn the metal floor—dragged itself across the floor by two sets of gangly clawed arms. Its head in one image showed an oddly familiar narrow skull-shaped head, the eye sockets empty of any eyes yet seeming to “cry” drops of the inky ichor.

Yuu covered their mouth in horror as they saw the creature hunting down the scientists, the camera shifting to the hallways they’d walked through as the creature went on a rampage across the area. The scientists that managed to avoid the creature by hiding in the rooms had been splashed by the black ichor, which began to spread across their bodies, the feed cutting out just before they could see what happened—though given what they’d seen and the lack of bodies, they had a good idea.

“What…the hell is that thing?” they uttered, watching as the creature crashed its way down the hall and out the entrance before the feed finally cut off. Remembering the giant skull they’d hidden in just outside the facility, they asked, “Did…that monster die after escaping?”

“I do not have access to the outside cameras at this time. However, the little data I am able to access from Dr. Willows’ research logs suggest that the creature’s DNA was unstable. Comparing data prior to and just before the incident in the lab, it appears that the creature’s DNA was contaminated by an unknown substance that weakened its immune system. The compromise appears to have created an unstable reaction to the creature’s DNA, triggering a rapid deterioration of its physical body shortly before its emergence from containment. Based on visual analysis, it would suggest the creature’s movements are indicative of death throes warring with an insatiable instinct to feed and consume other living creatures. Conclusion: it is highly likely that whatever skeletal remains you have found may be the very creature that escaped.”

Yuu was silent as the screen went back to the screen showing the rest of the videos that weren’t locked, their thoughts swimming. When they finally spoke, their voice was quiet as they asked, “Does…this mean…I’m alone on this island?”

“Answer: cannot confirm. I am unable to connect to the communication network between the various facilities scattered across the island. Current status of facilities is unknown—I cannot detect any distress signals either.”

“So…there may be other people out there, then. I just have to find them, right?”

“Affirmative.”

“Okay…I don’t suppose you can tell me anything about why everything is so giant? Or…maybe what that giant bird…lizard…monster thing was.”

“Answer: the island’s biology constantly shifts and changes over time. The energy that’s released in the environment enhances the soil’s nutrients and the resulting flora growth, creating a rich ecosystem not found anywhere else on Earth. Due to this, the creatures of this island have been noted to grow at an exponential rate, resulting in many animals and insects developing mutations and abilities unnatural to those commonly found in their natural habitats.”

“And the giant bird-lizard…?”

“Cannot confirm. The island is host to many a creature that match that description.”

Yuu groaned and covered their face, leaning against the closest surface while uttering, “Of course…why would I think otherwise on an island full of giant monsters? How in the world am I supposed to survive here if the scientists in this place didn’t even survive that mutant in the tank?”

“Rrrrr…”

‘……why does this feel so soft?’ they though, a sense of dread filling their chest as they patted the fluffy damp surface. Another low, rattling growl erupted beneath them as Yuu slowly turned their head.

Bright cerulean eyes with cyan sclera stared at them in the gloom, blue flames flickering in its ears. The creature’s face was cat-like, ebony scales decorating its cheeks and forehead gleaming like obsidian stones. Its upper lip curled up to reveal sharp fangs, licks of more blue flames emerging from its mouth.

“Niiiiiice kitty…monster,” Yuu said slowly, carefully getting off and backing away. It watched them intently, standing taller on four legs as a three-pronged tail swished behind it. “Gooooooood kitty-monster…”

Out of the corner of their eye they spotted the red and blue tubes from the video. The larger of the two had clearly been shattered, its bulk all but concealing the smaller tube’s condition. Drops of containment fluid dripped from the broken glass to the floor, revealing the very large pool at the base.

‘Oh shi-!’

“Sssscraaaarl!!”

“FUCK!!” Yuu shrieked, barely dodging the monster’s jaw as it snaped at them before bolting for the exit. “MIRA!! What the hell is that thing?!”

“Cannot confirm,” came the computer’s response. “Please stand still so I may conduct a proper scan, Uhm Yuu.”

Hearing the snarling creature charge after them, Yuu picked up the pace and shouted, “I’m about to get eaten by a mutant cat monster, and you want me to stand still?!”

“Negative. According to article thirty-five, section five—”

“Less briefy, more helpy, please!” Yuu yelped as they quickly turned the corner, hearing the monster slam into the wall as its claws scrabbled for purchase on the metal flooring.

“Affirmative. Activating lockdown procedures. Please proceed to the entrance, Uhm Yuu, as quickly as possible to avoid being locked in. You have ten seconds. Nine. Eight.”

Seeing the end in sight and the steel door starting to descend, Yuu uttered every curse they knew as MIRA continued her countdown. Fueled by pure adrenaline and fear, Yuu launched themselves forward and slid across the floor—and out into the open field. A loud clang rang out as they landed in the dirt, a muffled growl of pain escaping through the metal.

Panting and trembling, Yuu turned to stare at the door as the monster slammed and scratched at the metal. How they managed to outrun such a creature they had no idea, and yet…they had. They were still alive! They made it!! They-!

…why was the door glowing?

They watched in horror as the door changed, the silver metal shifting from glowing orange to pure white as it warped and melted right before their eyes. Through the slowly widening gap they could see the monster’s face, licks of blue flame escaping its jowls as it locked eyes with them.

“Are you kidding me?!” Yuu yelped as they scrambled to their feet again, bolting away from the hidden base. Their heart leapt in their chest as the monster snarled, hearing its bounding gait charge after them catching up faster than it had on the metal floor. For a moment they swore they could feel its hot breath against their back, the smell of sulfur and smoke filling their as they heard what sounded like clicking—

BWOOSH!!

“Gyah!?” they shrieked, somehow managing to dodge the burning brush that exploded in front of them without stopping. “Is everything on this island trying to kill me?!”

“Answer: the local flora and fauna-”

“I wasn’t asking literally, MIR—ack!”

So distracted were they by dodging the bursts of flame from the monster, they didn’t realize they had run into a dead end as they all but slammed into the wall. Hands quickly patting the smooth surface, they cursed when they realized they couldn’t climb their way out and turned to find another way out—only to stumble back when a wall of blue flames erupted in a circle around them. As though it knew they were trapped, the creature slowly walked through the flames as it flickered over its fur without igniting it.

Cerulean eyes stared them down, and in the light they could finally make out more features. What they’d thought were wires on its back were actually four tendrils, each one bearing a wicked stinger-like barb on the tip dripping with a noxious green liquid. A drop hit the ground, a faint sizzle escaping as steam rose from the hole in the dirt. Its tail was pronged like a trident, the light glinting off what looked like metal edges along the pointed tips. In that moment, Yuu knew they were dead…

When a shadow fell over them.

In seconds the feline monster’s face went from cold predatory hunter to confusion to fear, eyes gazing up as it hunkered low to the ground. A low, garbled sound akin to a caw and growl rumbled overhead, Yuu’s heart dropping as they followed the monster’s gaze. Perched atop the ridge like a hawk was the bird-lizard from earlier, a large gash that hadn’t been on its shoulder before glistening with fresh blood in the light. Amber eyes locked on to them, a slit in its forehead opening up to reveal a third eye that seemed to pierce through their very soul.

“Tssss-EAARRR!!” the goliath shrieked, flaring its wings as sparks flickered to life across its feathers in a dizzying fashion. Yuu’s hands clamped over their ears as the sheer volume overwhelmed them, the pressure weighing on them with each passing second.

Over the din they could make out a faint shriek, peeking up to see their pursuer writhing on the ground with thorny vines gripping its limbs from the ground. It was clearly in distress, body thrashing as it tried to chew its restraints off while hissing and screeching. Realizing that this was their chance, Yuu bolted past the monster—

And screamed the moment something massive enveloped them, the ground getting further and further away as the wind whistled against their aching ears. They froze in pure terror as they came face to face with the corvid, all three of its glowing eyes staring down at them. It opened its mouth, breath washing over them as—in a low, gravely voice—it said:

“Never…more…”

/------------------/

“……uu……it…get up…….Uhm Yuu. It is time to get up.”

“Mmn…five more minutes…”

“That is ill advised. Vital signs indicate hydration and nutrient intake are critically low, resulting in lowered cognitive abilities. Recommended course of action: seek closest water source and edible fruits.”

Vital signs…?

Groaning, Yuu opened their eyes and sat up, their head pounding from a headache as they realized how dry their throat was. “Wha…what happened?” they mumbled.

“Answer: you fell unconscious and have been asleep for the day,” the computerized voice said calmly. “According to my data, your body was undergoing incredible amounts of stress, resulting in unhealthy amounts of cortisol. Recommend engagement with meditative activities such as yoga or coloring pictures to increase the body’s natural ability to process and regulate your stress levels.”

“Wait, what do you mean I-”

All at once they remembered, hearing the monster’s words echoing in their mind.

“Fuck!! Where’d the monster go?!” Scrambling backwards, they felt something against their back and yelped, finding themselves encircled in what looked like a giant wooden wall of branches—a nest? “Oh no…is it going to feed me to its babies?!”

“Negative. Nevermore currently does not have any young under his care.”

“…wait…his name is Nevermore?”

“Affirmative. Due to his corvid-like appearance and behavior in mimicking some words during test phases, researchers have since dubbed him ‘Nevermore’ in tribute to a famous known poet’s works.”

Yuu’s mouth opened and closed, processing this information as they stared at the bracer. “…you mean to tell me that you know exactly what this thing is?” they finally asked, keeping their voice low in case the monster was nearby. “Do…you know why it didn’t eat me?”

“Affirmative. Nevermore is one of several creatures that match your earlier inquiry, hence my inability to assess the probability. In reference to why he did not consume you-”

THOOM!!

The ground lurched beneath them as Yuu scrambled to press themselves against the wall of sticks—or rather trunks—with a muffled squeak. Another booming step rattled their bones as Yuu silently prayed to not be seen, hand instinctively covering MIRA’s screen to stop the computer from speaking further. Their heart thumped against their rib cage as a massive beak appeared over the edge, seeing the giant monster’s eyes that seemed to glow a brilliant amber in the dim lighting scan the nest.

‘Don’t see me, don’t see me, don’t see me,’ they thought, frozen in pure terror as Nevermore quietly chirped and trilled as he sniffed the air. ‘Goawaygoawaygoawa-’

Nevermore’s eye locked on to them, sending a wave of cold dread through their veins as he turned and leaned towards them.

“NO!!”

He recoiled, blinking at the sharp sound of their voice. When he tried to lean in again, another sharp ‘No!’ from Yuu made him back off with a tilt of his head. As soon as he started venturing into the nest, they noticed how…slow he moved, his body hunched lower than normal. They watched intently, knowing they were trapped but refusing to turn their back on him.

As soon as the pair of smaller arms stretched out from beneath his feathery chest, they braced themselves—until they realized he was holding something.

Carefully the monster set down the massive pile of fruits, each monumental in size and shape. Only when the last of the fruit was still did he move to the far end of the nest, resting his head on his paws and closing his eyes with a sigh. From this angle they could faintly make out the thin line indicating he was still watching, yet he strangely seemed to be trying to appear smaller than he was.

“MIRA…what is going on?” they finally managed to whisper.

“Answer: Nevermore is offering sustenance. Based on previous records of his behavior, he is attempting to ease your fears much like he has in the past when tending to young cubs in his care. Dr. Willows once noted his role as a caretaker of future generations, as he is often found to have adopted orphaned cubs and hatchlings and raise them with his fellow Primal Guardians.”

“So…he’s not pretending to sleep so he can trick and eat me?” they asked, noticing how his eye opened just a little wider before shutting quickly.

“Negative. Though he has not had direct contact with humans, he has not gone out of his way to attempt to harm or eat any of the researchers. According to my database, Dr. Willows was once saved by Nevermore when an expedition was attacked by smaller yet deadly creatures that wiped out the rest of her party. As such, Dr. Willows has started thoroughly studying him as soon as she was released from the medical bay for injuries sustained.”

“…okay…so this giant fruit…is it safe for me to eat?”

“Affirmative. The produce found on this island are noted to be safe and ideal even for humans who require additional nutritional supplements to function properly, providing a stable source of energy and nutrition necessary for day-to-day function. The peach on your right should provide adequate hydration and sustenance.”

They warily looked between the fruit and the monster, half expecting him to gobble them up like the spider from earlier at any second. Each step they felt the bark beneath press harshly against their bare feet, slowly reaching out to dig their hands into the peach while watching him. In an instant the aroma of the peach intensified, making their mouth water and their stomach growl. Before they knew it, their lips were sticky from the nectar and they had all but devoured the chunk in their hands.

‘How long has it been since I’ve had anything to eat or drink?’ they thought, thinking back to the beach and realizing they couldn’t remember anything leading up to that moment. ‘…why am I even here?’

So lost in thought and the flavor of the food, Yuu hadn’t even noticed when Nevermore’s head began inching its way over…until they felt something stiff press against their head.

“BWAH!?”

“SQWARK!?”

Yuu’s eyes were wide as they stared up at Nevermore, his ears perked up and main eyes just as wide and confused as they felt. “Di…did you just lick me?!” they asked incredulously.

“Note: it is not uncommon for Nevermore to attempt to calm frightened cubs with careful grooming after offering a meal,” MIRA commented. “Much like how animals in the wild and domestic settings will perform social grooming to bond, known as ‘allogrooming’, it is an essential and fundamental aspect that reinforces relationships, builds social hierarchies, and even resolves conflicts. In this case, Nevermore is seeking to reassure you as much as he is assisting with hygiene after your meal.”

“And you didn’t think to warn me he might do that?!”

“I am unable to access any records indicating this being a possibility. I’m afraid this was outside of the realm of my assessment to predict such a scenario.”

For a moment Yuu couldn’t speak, watching Nevermore with a confused frown. Despite his size, the griffin-like monster seemed…strangely calm. Like he was observing them as much as they were observing him, a strange intelligence in his eyes. Then, with a quiet voice, they asked, “MIRA…what exactly is Nevermore?”

“Answer: Nevermore is one of many creatures belonging to a category of megafauna. While each megafauna possess differing appearances and capabilities, researchers have begun referring to them as one singular species: Kaiju.”

[lady-bizarre]

theo raeken & sex

this is a list of my headcanons and backstory.

when he was with the dread doctors, he would be tasked with acquiring artifacts or secrets. he eventually learned that the easiest and quickest way to do that is to sleep with someone and steal whatever it is after sex.

and he doesn't really want to sleep with anyone at this point. he's either too young or it's not what he wants. he only wants it to be seen as useful by the doctors and not get terminated.

eventually, he does this enough that his sexual attraction more or less disappears because sex is so tied to manipulation. it doesn't matter if it's a guy or girl, he'll sleep with them to get what the doctors want. consent doesn't matter because if he says no, he disappoints the doctors. it's an automatic response for him to say yes, even if he absolutely does not want to have sex.

i believe the doctors would've surgically modified his facial features and body to be more attractive to help him do this. i also believe they would've had him on a ridiculously healthy diet in order to be at the peak of his physical shape 24/7.

romantic or sexual or even platonic attraction don't matter because he's not allowed to act on that, so he shoves it down and buries it. but he understands that others are attracted to him, so he leads them to believe he is too. at this point, i would call him trauma-induced asexual.

this whole sexual attraction thing is big when entering the mccall pack. with malia, then tracy, he manipulates them, using his looks to get what he wants. that scene when he's shirtless in the weight room? exactly.

then he goes to hell and gets tortured by his sister for several months.

when he comes back, liam is the only thing preventing him from being sent back to hell.

fast-forward a few hours or months, however long you think it would've taken them to get together, i think theo and liam would have sex. they both love(or whatever love means to theo) each other, and liam wants to have sex with theo. but theo doesn't even know how to recognize that he's sexually attracted to someone. he goes along with it because it's just a thing couples do, right? he wants to make liam happy.

eventually, liam realizes that theo is rarely/never the person to start making out or do anything that leads to sex. theo goes along with it and he always gives consent but doesn't initiate it. (theo is also afraid to initiate it because he's afraid of manipulating liam like all the other times he's had sex. he's also afraid that liam only likes him because he's hot, because that's what everyone else liked him for) liam confronts theo about it and theo is massively confused because he knows his relationship to sex isn't normal but doesn't understand that if he doesn't want to have sex, all he has to do is to say no and liam will listen to him. so massive misunderstanding and liam feels incredibly guilty over this. they get theo into therapy and he realizes that his feelings are buried under years of trauma. he has to redefine his definition of consent and separate physical contact(like cuddling) from sex.

in the end, i don't know if theo is actually asexual(in the definition of having no sexual attraction) or his feelings are just incredibly convoluted. i do think theo is romantically and platonically attracted to liam, but it's difficult for theo to explain this and separate it from sexual attraction.

please comment and tell me what you think!

[v4mpyrsp1t]

rip arcane crew you would have loved video game

viktor: skyrim. because i said so. he’d LOVE the technical aspects of modding esp because he’d see it as a DIY fuck-you to Bethesda's corporate shortcomings. he’d also start saying “by the nine/by talos” unironically. autistic starter pack fr. also because i’m projecting there would be days where he’s off work and sits up after like 18 hours straight of replaying all the good questlines and cracks every bone in his body when he finally remembers to get up and eat and drink water etc. jayce is also not allowed to interrupt skyrim time. it doesn't even look like skyrim anymore tbh with the sheer number of mods he's installed and every time he boots it up it takes 2 minutes to load to main menu and his custom-built PC starts boiling the mug he placed on top of it for that specific reason. When he wants to branch out he and Jayce sit down and play horror games together. They LOVE alien isolation. Jayce always screams which scares him and makes him scream and then he whacks Jayce with the pillow.

jayce: minecraft. audhd classic. he’d also get really into the modding but specifically to make insane beyond-redstone contraptions. with something like the arcane engineering mod. he prob lost his mind when he found out about it. his builds would look like the most god awful thing you’ve ever seen like some sick beast of ugly ass blocks and gears and he’d be cheesing behind you saying “it’s a linear algebra calculator actually. also it can run doom.” he also does megabuilds from time to time and those projects are the most gorgeous toe-curling and detailed works ever and uploaded to his no-commentary youtube channel as a timelapse over the worst royalty-free edm you've ever heard. it has 15 bajillion views and he posts once every 7 months. He's HORRIBLE around horror games he always jumps straight to the ceiling and screams and grabs onto whoever is nearest to him (usually viktor).

mel: gaming "isn't really her thing" but sometimes she hops on multiplayer with everyone if they're having a game night. if she had to pick a favorite game she regularly plays it would be tiny glade or unpacking. something relaxing that she can have control over to take a break from the chaos during the day. she's also a stealth smash/mario kart pro and absolutely no one can beat her. seriously how does she keep doing that. when the group was really into among us they would PRAY she wasn't the impostor because she would WIPE them across the floor every time. It got to the point where if no one seemed to be the impostor they would just default to assuming it was her because she was so good at the strategizing. she would also get really into the artsy indie game scene and browse through game jam collections from time to time. She played through Gris by herself once because it got recommended to her as she was looking through the related section of one of those games and literally could never play it again because she cried so hard but if you ask her she vehemently denies it.

jinx: project sekai colorful stage and lollipop chainsaw. at the same time tbh. nobody knows how she keeps hitting perfect combos on both when she does that. unfortunately she’d prob also hit the tutti frutti mango cart and play breakcore max volume at the same time i don't make the rules. out of nowhere she sometimes stares ekko down and asks "what if you were bit by a zombie and i had to turn your head into a keychain for my belt to save you and we went everywhere together and saved the world and kissed. what are your thoughts on that." She keeps pointing whenever miku comes onto the screen and says "that's me that's literallyyyy meee." She was the main reason why group Overcooked nights are now banned. Don't ask. She's top three in a handful of any% speedrun boards, some in games she doesn't even play outside of figuring out what glitches they have. Her Portal 2 speedrun is a total of 20 minutes and absolutely nobody can figure out how she did it. She also is a huge horror game junkie and her and Vi play multiplayer horror stuff on a regular basis. She wouldn't really jump or react to jumpscares, even when people around her scream, she just immediately moves on which is even scarier to everyone tbh.

ekko: he would LOVE adventure games. especially if there were quests centered around helping people. his main games would be monster hunter, BG3, and he'd prob also like shadow of the colossus and the last guardian. They're all the perfect mix of fantasy, big fucking creatures, and being a nice person simulator. He absolutely can't do an evil run in any game and stopped a BG3 durge playthrough mid-way through Act I because he hated how cruel his character was acting; his last straw was the Alfira cutscene. He tried to do a playthrough with Jinx but she kept taking the most nuclear option every time and they kept hitting a TPK because of all the fights. Him and Viktor trade modding resources and recommend mods to each other it gets really intense. They have this weird competition with each other over who can pull out the craziest modlist for their respective games and everyone is terrified because nobody can stop them and they're so good at it. He and Jinx play a lot of two-player games though; the ones where they fight always almost end in a real-life brawl because they get so competitive with each other.

isha: cookie run. subway surfers. there are hot cheeto crumbs all over her goddamn devices and some weird crust at the edges of the screen that's fused the tablet case to the tablet. she can also bulldoze everyone and their mother in fortnite and writes :3 :33 in the chat every time she kills someone. Lowkey scary with it because while she's playing games she stares wide-eyed at whatever screen it's on and doesn't blink once. She plays a lot of fighting games with Jinx and literally always wins. When they started out Jinx kept saying "get dunked on" every time she beat her and it activated the sleeper agent that made her practice absolutely nonstop. So now she could probably be ranked on a global scoreboard or something. She also hates when the royal match ads pop up just on principle and lets them play out so the stupid purple robed tyrant can drown or burn or whatever else he does in the ads.

Cait: deer hunter pro or something like that. vi tells her the fact that she plays games like that "feels homophobic" for some reason. she also has a deep rivalry with isha in fortnite when they landed on the same server and didn't know it was her for months she would just clench her fist grit her teeth and mutter isha's gamertag in hatred. other than that she's AMAZING at PvP shooter games. she's gone viral here and there for uploading clips where her and Vi make fun of men in the VC while she absolutely destroys them. Her and Vi have also tried to play two-player games like Jinx and Ekko do but both of them got bored ten minutes in and switched back to Valorant. Her and Jinx have gotten into an actual fight during group Nintendo game night because Jinx kept purposefully targeting her with shells or whacking her off the smash arena platform and finding it hilarious. when vi plays rage games and eventually quits she usually picks it up and tries to finish it for her. without fail both of them eventually both give up and take a walk together to calm down so they don't break the controller. other than that she’s a HUGE detective game nerd ofc, and plays those when she has to take a break from work (vi pulls her away from her desk so she can rest). LA noire, disco elysium, detroit become human, evil within. if it’s got a detective in it in any way she hops on it as fast as physically possible. she prob keeps a red string board next to her PC just so she can keep track of clues like a real case and throws a blanket over it when vi comes in the room to make sure she’s turning off her work brain.

Vi: she likes fighting games like moral kombat of course, but she loves horror games as much as Jinx. Unfortunately the two of them are on Roblox horror games literally all the fucking time it's insufferable. She would probably also LOVE stuff like tomb raider; she wanted to buy a lesbian flag with lara croft photoshopped onto it to hang in the living room "because i'm patriotic" and cait told her absolutely not. while playing online with cait the two of them are absolutely unstoppable, esp when VC is turned on. they have a tally on a dry erase board on the fridge that keeps track of how many people they made rage quit. her and jayce also try to play co-op games and everyone physically steps in to stop them because they fumble so bad and blame it on the game design. there's something called "the incident" where they were all trying out the forest and the two of them managed to collapse the group's entire base in two axe swings. She is also now banned from playing rage games like getting over it or chained together.

[saxlochapologist]

When Saxon finds out Lochlan's started smoking cigarettes during their time apart he's clearly pissed about it. "Lochlan no one smokes cigarettes anymore", "you smell like an ashtray dude it's disgusting" "you're the only one in this family who smokes and you're making the whole house reek, it's honestly disrespectful."

And of course Lochy being the person he is, promises Sax he won't do it anymore, that he'll stop, that he knows it's not healthy, that he doesn't want to bother anyone around him with it, etc etc. Buuuut not even two nights later Saxon walks in on him perched out of his window, sucking on the end of a cigarette. He's fuming! Not only is Lochlan a degenerate now but he's also a liar, it's like he doesn't even know his own brother anymore!

"Well if you want these so badly why don't you prove it? If you aren't going to stop on your own I guess I have to make you." Saxon's voice has an edge even he didn't realize would be there.

Lochlan just stares at him with that wide eyed deer in the headlights expression that honestly makes Saxon feel a little bit unwell. Like he would do anything his big brother told him to, just like he always has. Saxon almost feels bad when he tells him -

"You're going to smoke the whole pack. right here, right now. No more bullshit Lochy, I don't want this shit in the house."

Lochlan quickly counts the remaining cigarettes in the pack. Fifteen. Shit

"Oh come on Sax are you being serious right now? What are you now, my dad? That could make me sick, I'm not doing it." He hates how whiny he sounds. Why does he always find himself begging Saxon for something?

"Lochlan I AM serious, Look, i don't like you doing this shit. I never did this and you shouldn't either, it's disgusting. It makes you smell like a cheap hooker in a motel." But what he wants to say is 'i never said you could do this, I didn't give you permission to do this so why are you doing it'

Lochlan pouts but he doesn't say no. Long fingers gingerly grip his still lit cigarette, only one of fifteen. Saxon hates how he can't stop looking at the way Lochy's pretty lips gently coax the smoke into his mouth, down into his lungs, until it's swirling inside his body. and this really, really shouldn't make Saxon feel the things it does. Because this is just him teaching his brother a valuable lesson, right? And in order to do that properly he definitely needs to sit here and watch Lochlan smoke all of them, you know, just to make sure he really does it. And actually, he's saving Lochy's lungs, possibly his life! This is just another thing good brothers do.

But still, the only word that comes to mind watching his little brother choke back his third cigarette in a row down is "obedient." just the way Saxon likes him.

[stephexmachina]

hi zeph it’s daisy arrow-ettes :) what would you say is required reading for azdick. asking for a friend

HI DAISY!!!!!! no need to announce yourself i would know our beloved daisymayys anywhere 🩷

this is Such a good question & i am SO HONOURED you asked me (on behalf of your friend, of course 😊) plus if anyone else has seen azdick posts floating around & is thinking "so who's this blonde bitch, anyway?" this guide is also for you!!

i tend to assume that people know a decent amount about dick already, even if just by proximity, so i'll be focusing on jpv here. if you're totally unfamiliar with jpv, you'll want to start with sword of azrael 1992, one of my favouriteeeee mini series of all time. it establishes his origin, personality, & acquaintance with batman in four short issues, plus it's packed full of charm to boot!!

sword of azrael is then followed by the iconic knightfall saga. would i recommend it? ABSOLUTELY. it is, however, super long, & i know lots of people might not be up to that. so if you don't have the time or means to read the entirety of the knightfall saga & you just want to get an idea of jean-paul & dick's dynamic throughout that arc, i'd say the essential azdick reading is: batman #500, shadow of the bat #29, detective comics #676, batman #510, shadow of the bat #30, & detective comics #677.

these should give you an overview of how nightwing feels about azrael/jean-paul + their dramatic confrontation in knightsend. once you've finished the knightfall saga or the condensed azdick reading above, you can jump into azrael 1995, of which #13 is jpv & dick focused. gotham knights #14 similarly spotlights both characters, while gotham knights #30 marks the start of their next falling out, which continues in azrael #91 & #93.

after this, the next jpv & dick conflict doesn't occur for another twenty years or so, in detective comics #1087. & that sums up my personal azdick required reading!!

reading these issues will give you a solid sense of their dynamic, but to understand why they react the way they do i would absolutely recommend reading knightfall through knightsend + no man's land if you get a chance!! the major preboot arcs may seem daunting for their sheer length, but they're well-collected in pretty straightforward volumes, and the stories themselves are genuinely killer.

azrael + azrael: agent of the bat are must-reads for jpv's characterisation – he has the gentlest, most awkwardly endearing personality, & he grapples with some really powerful questions of identity & belonging throughout. if you want a general idea of what you'd be getting into, i'm dropping an assortment of beloved jpv/azrael moments from my screenshots folder below to hopefully entice you to pick up azrael 95:

if you want to take the plunge & read EVERYTHING jpv (& you do, right? of course you do) i've also devised a handy spreadsheet guide to reading his knightfall era appearances!! the chronological list of jpv appearances i referenced is sourced from the dcuguide, i simply colour-coded each issue according to the trade paperback it's collected in for easier reading – e.g. all knightfall vol 1 appearances are in dark pink, all knightsend appearances are in red, etc etc. any uncollected issues are left grey – they aren't included in the TPBs so you'll have to seek them out individually if you want to read them.

plus, if you make a copy of the spreadsheet to keep on your personal drive, you can either tick off each issue individually as you read it, or you can tick them off in batches as you finish each TPB. whatever works for you!! the link to the spreadsheet is here, so go forth & get jpvheaded <333

[nereidaa]

i'm leaving for the trip today 😭

[tumblweeds-omegaverse]

random omegaverse thought:

There must be people who experience specific instinct things with indifference or boredom.

Procreative cycle coming up? "Crap, I've got plans this weekend...stupid skip weeks."

Caught an intriguing scent while walking? "But I need to get to work! Shut up brain."

Had a snap response to a distressed sound? "Who was it?! ...right, it's my day off, I can go back to sleep."

Somebody growled at them? "Kid, I'm not a rival, that's my sibling."

Super cozy cuddle session happening nearby? "I'm gonna pass tonight guys, no social battery left, maybe next time."

Group of friends heading out to flirt and check out other singles? "I'm coming with you but only to make sure you all get home safe."

Setting where fated mates or soul bonds or permanent marks are a thing? "Meh. I don't really want one or care if I ever get one."

People in the actual omegaverse would get as bored of their stuff, as we do of ours, you know? It could be interesting to see that kind of vibe in fics. Biological demands faced with all the excitement of paying bills or doing laundry or tying your shoes.

Even if that kind of energy might not drive a plot, it could be interesting to have as a contrast to the people who do have big feelings about them - good or bad.

There's the friends who can't wait til they have a pack of their own, and the one friend who isn't against it but couldn't care less. There's the group in the office who are all about scent compatibility tests and figuring out one's best match and what sprays most highlight it, and the coworker who has no intentions on putting that much effort in. There are parents who hover and protect their offspring by scenting them multiple times a day, and others who don't see what the fuss is as long as it's done in the morning.

...also: packs with introverts who show care by giving each other space. So often, closeness is depicted through physical touch and tactile affection, but comfortable silence is meaningful too. Knowing people are near, but not having to interact until you're ready. Sitting in the same room doing different things, knowing that all it takes is a "hey, look at this" to share what you're up to. People understanding and accepting each other's differing or fluctuating needs for how and when to recharge. Seeing somebody reaching out or sharing space, beyond what's their norm, as a signal of the fact that they care.

[torra-and-the-toons]

Some notes on Nigel from my modern adult AU, where all their adventures were just them playing pretend as kids and now they're grown up.

I always liked the cancer theory for Nigel, so I went with that. (what can I say, I love angst...) He left because the US healthcare system is a joke.

I made this for outfits, but it kinda just evolved into random notes.

[iridescentis]

i would love to make youtube videos more often but i have no idea what to make like. what do the people want?? there's nothing in particular calling to me

[thevoidcircus]

If you're not nice to Nyon Specter, we can't be friends, I'm sorry.

[lee-blogs]

Still packing stuff and now i'm looking for a box for this.

My dad and i made it a few years ago for halloween, probably 2015/16 if i'm remembering right. It's made from a lays can, a wipes container from his work, and paper maché. I don't remember what the wires and front metal bits are from, but the middle actually lights up! It has one of those long battery-powered emergancy lights in it and some colored tissue paper

[glorious-blackout]

Just back from Arctic Monkeys and....yeeeeah my prediction that seeing them so soon after Muse would put them at a disadvantage turned out to be correct 😂

I will say though that the songs from TBHC and The Car sounded soooo fucking good that I'm honestly offended there weren't more of them in the setlist. I need them to do a theatre tour one day where they play both albums in full...