#and go back and do continuity / cleanup later

[witchbitchlovesdilfs]

you asked for richie ideas and I have multiple so

1) angsty, self sabotaging richie thinking he's not good enough for you so he keeps his distance but reader confronts him and reassure him

Don't Call Me Sweetheart

Richie Jerimovich x f!reader

thank you so much for this idea!

warnings: angst, hurt/comfort, lots of language, suggestive content, minor season 4 spoilers

words: 1.2k

It all started with that damn teddybear. 

Eva begged Richie, but the thing was too fucking expensive. Even you - who loved to spoil Eva despite the holes doing so dug into your wallet - agreed that he made a good choice not getting it.

And then fucking Frank had to go ahead and be the good guy.

Richie was livid. But, even more so, he was insecure. Eva’s reactions to him following those events made him question himself - not just as a father, but also as an employee, a boyfriend, and a man in general. Upon reflection, Richie came to a decision.

He’s just not good enough for you.

You were absolutely unaware of this sudden revelation, so when Richie came into work the next day and barely spared you a glance, you were taken aback. When he walked past during prep work, saying “behind” in that hot, raspy voice of his, his hand didn’t graze or grasp at your ass like it usually did. You nearly chopped your finger off in shock.

When you tried texting him later, he only responded with the thumbs up emoji or a simple one-worded answer. After a point, he stopped responding at all.

This continued for the next three days, and little did either of you know, but both parties weren’t faring well. Richie decided that you were better off without him, but he had yet to man up and break up with you. Not that he wanted to. Christ, he’d rather die. He missed the taste of your lips, your sweat, your pussy. He missed your laugh, now only heard in passing. He missed everything about you, and it was driving him mad.

You were facing a crossroads. Part of you wanted to let Richie play his little game, see how long until you could edge him back into your arms. The other part knew that something serious was up - something that had to do with more than just you. You knew that if you didn’t intervene and comfort the man, he would spiral - and perhaps have a breakdown in the walk-in just like Carmy had.

And nobody wants that to happen. 

-

Another day, and Richie’s still avoiding you like the plague. A small voice in the back of your head tells you it’s all your fault, that you’re “too much”, too imperfect. You shrink into yourself as you get your utensils out beside Tina.

“Richie’s been really weird, hasn’t he?” she whispers. 

You scoff. “You could say so.”

“I’d say he woke up on the wrong side of the bed,” she says, wiping a clever blade, “but at this point he might just need a new one.”

Your lip quirks, but then you look up and catch Richie’s eye. He’s been staring at you, and you know it, but you choose to ignore him. 

You’re in your element as The Bear opens, firing off dish after dish during rush. Jess makes a comment that you’re “on fire” as you shout “hands” for what feels like the thousandth time. 

When the last plate of the night is served, you let out a breath of relief. Helping with cleanup, you take some pots and start to walk over to the sinks when…

You nearly crash into Richie.

“Sorry, sweetheart.” He throws his hands out to steady you, and you both freeze at the nickname. It feels foreign, almost out of place. 

“Fuck it,” you mumble, practically tossing the pots down and grabbing Richie’s arm, roughly pulling him into the walk-in with you.

You pace for a minute, refusing to look at Richie, who’s staring right at you with those beautiful, crystal blue eyes of his. He looks frozen in place like a deer in headlights. Good.

“What the fuck?” you exclaim, hardly caring if anyone outside hears. You approach him and jab a finger at his chest. “You can’t just go no contact and suddenly call me pet names again.”

“I know,” he sighs, running a hand through his hair.

“So what the fuck?!” you throw your hands up and continue to pace. “You stopped answering my texts. You hardly even acknowledge me anymore. You look at me like I’m the last person alive, and then you give me the cold shoulder.”

“I know,” he repeats, softly. “I’m sorry.”

You scoff. “Sorry doesn’t cut it. Tell me what’s wrong.”

Richie shakes his head with a sigh. “It’s not… it’s not that simple.”

“And why the fuck not?!”

“Because you don’t deserve me!” He roars it, but there’s a vulnerable softness behind his expression. He smacks the wall. “Because I’m not good enough.”

You freeze, taken aback. “Richie…” you try, softly.

“No,” he cuts you off, holding a hand out to hold you back, like he’s scared he’ll crumble if you take a single step closer. “I’m a fucking mess,” he chokes. “I’m a fuckup. I’m not good enough for Eva; I’m not good enough for The Bear; I’m not good enough for you.”

You take a step forward, and he doesn’t move to stop you. He’s practically trembling, biting on his lip to stop from letting out a choked sob. “Richie,” you say softly, “what’s this about?”

He smacks the wall again. “That fucking teddybear.”

You flinch in surprise. That is not where you expected this to go. 

Richie continues. “Fucking Frank bought it for her behind my back. Made me the bad guy - cause maybe I am. And Eva will barely talk to me now, and I’m just fucking everything up-”

“Baby,” you breathe, finally breaking the gap between the two of you and raising your hands to cup his face. “Richie, baby, I need you to stop talking bad about yourself, okay? Just listen for a minute.”

His eyes are so wide they look like a puppy dog’s. A kicked puppy dog’s.

You cradle his cheeks. “Frank’s an asshole,” you say. “And he has no right to step in between you and your daughter and fight for favorites. Because he’s not gonna get it: the favorite position. You’re everything to Eva.” You pause with a flush. “You’re everything to me.”

Richie gulps. “Sweetheart…”

“I’m serious.” You apply just an ounce more pressure to prove your seriousness. “You’re far from a “fuckup”. You “wear suits now”, for Christ’s sake. Richie, you do everything you can for the people you care about; not buying a stupid bear isn’t going to change that. You work your ass off, and you love with your entire heart. I just wish you could see the love everyone has for you.”

Richie bites his lip, moving to grasp your hands with his own. “I fucking love you, you know that?”

You laugh. “Does this mean you’ll stop avoiding me?”

In your embrace, he can’t possibly go back to isolating himself from you. He slides his hands down your hips, squeezing you close. “I don’t plan on ever letting you go again.”

You smile. Then, with a raised brow, you peer at the door past him. “You think they heard everything?”

Richie laughs. “I think everybody in Chicago heard that, dollface.”

You blush. But Richie’s finally smiling, so it doesn’t really matter what people did or didn’t hear - not when you’re finally back in your lover’s arms.

[colorfulrook]

I have an idea:

Basically, it would be Reader and Jinwoo who have known each other for a long time. They're best friends, and Reader was always super affectionate with him when he was an E-rank. She treated his wounds, cooked him food, etc., and flirted with him directly, but Jinwoo ignored her advances every time (for him, it was just affection between friends), but Reader always continued even though it wasn't reciprocal.

When he became an S-rank, he got closer to the other hunters, especially Cha Hae In, and Hae In did the same thing Reader did for him (taking care of him), except that he reacted to her advances. Reader, seeing this, understood that she had to let it go and was happy for him despite the heartbreak. Everything she did for him, she did with the other hunters in the guild (brought back cookies, put bandages on Baek, while complimenting him on his muscles, etc.). Jinwoo seeing Reader being affectionate with everyone except him gives him a pang in his heart realizing that he hates it when Reader is with people other than him and begins to regret all the times when he didn't reciprocate and ignore her advances. One day when Reader is injured he goes to heal her and tries to do what Reader did for him hoping to be able to get closer to her again

Thank you so much for trusting me with your idea! I hope you will enjoy reading it and tell me if you liked it! I value quite much every opinion you throw ahaha, love you all - Rook

Ps: I proofread it a bit quickly so eventual grammar errors will be dealt it later!

Where the heart awaits [S.JW x F!Reader]

Pairings: Sung Jinwoo x F!Reader Word count: 1.5K Theme: Fluff, angst (Injury ahead!)

Being an A-Rank healer was tough, but it had its perks. You met all kinds of people—arrogant hotshots, quiet tanks, mages who thought they were gods, hell even S ranks—but none of them managed to leave you an impression like Jinwoo. Gentle, caring Jinwoo who, no matter the hardships of being an E-Rank, never backed down on a job.

You met him during one of your first dungeon after you awakening, despite having already some offers for all kinds of guilds, you politely declined, saying that you would like to lend a hand to the guildless people before committing to one.

That’s how you ended up in a cramped, damp D-Rank dungeon with a group of nervous, under-equipped hunters… and him.

He hadn’t said much at first—kept his head down, focused. You watched as he silently took more hits than he should have, trying to protect the others even though he was clearly exhausted. By the end, he was bloodied and limping, but smiling when he handed the core to a trembling C-rank who looked like he might burst into tears. You had walked up to him, healing magic already warm in your palms, and asked with piqued interest.

“Do you always try to be a martyr, or was today special?”

He blinked at you. Then he smiled. “Habit, I guess.” Feeling refreshed as you healed him, warm magic tickled his skin.

That was the start of your friendship.

From then on, things moved fast. Days turned into month that eventually turned into one year.

You started teaming up more often. Dungeons with Jinwoo became your favorite—how you waited eagerly every time there was a new dungeon, a smile forming everytime you read Jinwoo's name on the list. You could already feel your heart warming.

You began to see him after and before the raids, sometimes even cooking for him and his sister after a particularly gruesome outing. He walked you home after late-night cleanups. You learned how he liked his coffee, how he couldn’t handle spicy food, and that he always, always made sure everyone else was safe before thinking about himself.

You started to look forward to the way his eyes would light up when you brought snacks. To the little, tired smiles he’d give you at the end of a run. You flirted with him—openly, shamelessly—sometimes just to see him flustered. But he never responded to it. At first, you told yourself it was just because he was shy.

But you were wrong, he wasn't shy, he just thought you were very friendly.

It hit you one night when the two of you went out to eat in one of those small restaurant full of people and laughs. You'd teased him again—something flirty, casual, something about how you liked guys who were quietly heroic and kind to their teammates. Jinwoo had just laughed. Not nervous. Not awkward. Just… amused.

The thought of you referring to him went completely over his head.

"Don't worry (Y/n), you are an amazing person and hunter, I'm sure you will find someone you love soon enough!"

And that’s when it sunk in. You could feel your smile dropping a bit before regaining your composure.

To him, your kindness was just that—kindness. The way you patched him up, brought him home-cooked meals, dragged him out for breaks, gifted him silly little trinkets to cheer him up—he’d seen all of it as the affection of a good friend. And maybe, in his mind, he didn’t deserve more than that anyway.

So you smiled and kept going, because even if your heart ached sometimes, his presence was worth it. Being by his side was better than not being there at all.

Until it wasn’t anymore.

When Jinwoo came back from his double dungeon, you felt everything change, as if someone pulled a rug from under your feet and disrupted your carefully built balance.

He was stronger. Colder. More focused. You watched as he built his new life—his new guild—and got closer with hunters you barely knew. He spent more time with Cha Haein, and even though she didn’t speak much, she didn’t need to. The way she looked at him said enough. And worse, the way he looked back at her…

You decided to let him go.

You still talked frequently but you decided that it was time to do something with yourself, Jinwoo was happy with Haein, it was time to reach your happiness as well.

You decided to join Baek Yoonho's guild, feeling ready to lend your powers to a bigger group of people—it was time for a "fresh start" as you called it.

You loved it there, truly, you began to grow fond of every member of your usual dungeon party. Thus you decided to spread your affection to them.

You began to take extra care while healing everyone, especially Guildmaster Baek, handed cookies to the office staff, even embracing one of the rookies— "Gukkie" you called him with the affection of a big sister—in a warm hug for nailing one of the raids in a dungeon.

You didn’t mean it as payback. It was just you being you.

But Jinwoo slowly began to notice it.

And for the first time in a long time, he was the one watching you from the sidelines.

Jinwoo didn’t realize when it started—the way his eyes always followed you, shadows always at the ready to protect you.

Maybe it was the moment you tucked a blanket around Baek Yoonho’s shoulders after a gruesome raid and told him to get some rest, your voice warm with that same gentle tone you used to use just for Jinwoo.

"Master Baek, I know you are toning your body everyday but you must take care and rest after a dungeon!" you'd say pouting.

Or when you ruffled that one hunter's hair after he brought you a smoothie and said, “You’re getting sweeter by the day,” and Jinwoo had to stop himself from yanking your hand away, starved of your usual caring touch.

It didn’t hit him all at once. It crept up slowly, a quiet cold wave that nipped at his ankles. A sharp tug in his chest every time you smiled at someone else. And a heavy, sinking feeling when he realized that you haven't smiled like that at him for weeks.

You were still kind and affectionate during the now rare times you saw each others. But you didn’t linger anymore. You didn’t tease. No more late-night texts, no more lingering touches. You didn’t call him “handsome” with a laugh or sneak his favorite candy into his coat pocket before a raid.

And it was his fault.

Thinking back to before he went in that double dungeon left him with a bitter taste on his tongue.

He’d thought it was just how you were. That your softness belonged to everyone. He hadn’t realized—until it wasn’t his anymore—how much of it you had given only to him.

Now it was too late. Or maybe it wasn’t. He didn’t know.

Not until the day of an abnormal red gate dungeon.

When Jinwoo felt the pulse of the gate from across the city so stronge that even Igris twitched.

And then your name came through the emergency report from the White Tiger Guild.

A red gate. An unexpected ambush. An A-Rank healer, critically injured. You.

Jinwoo didn’t remember giving the order to teleport. He just moved. Shadows exploded from the ground like a tidal wave, launching him towards your position.

The first thing he noticed was how small and frail you seemed in Baek Yoonho's arms, whom looked at him with wide eyes.

"We closed the dungeon but we need to help her fast if we want her to live"

You were unconscious, blood seeping from your uniform, your breathing was shallow, and your mana flickered like a dying candle. Someone had tried to patch you up, but it wasn’t enough. It wasn’t you.

Jinwoo’s hands trembled as he touched your cheek. For a moment, all he could do was stare.

You were always the one healing. Always smiling through exhaustion, patching wounds, giving warmth without asking for anything back. Now you lay still, quiet and cold.

Something cracked deep inside him.

“Why didn’t I see it?” he whispered, almost angrily. “Why did I let you go?”

Beru stood silently nearby, his gaze lowered. Even his shadows stayed quiet, watching their king kneel beside the one person he could never bring himself to face until it was too late.

Jinwoo’s heart raced as his hands trembled, pouring every ounce of mana into you with a desperate kind of reverence, trying to heal the wound he had failed to stop. His shadows clung to you like a protective cocoon, dimly glowing with the magic he so freely gave, trying to mend what had been broken both in your body and in his soul.

"Please," he whispered again, his voice trembling with a vulnerability he had never shown before. "I can’t lose you. Not like this."

His forehead touched yours, and for a fleeting moment, the world faded into the background. The overwhelming pulse of his heart, the suffocating grief, the quiet dread of losing you—all of it seemed to blur as he focused entirely on you.

His breath came out in ragged gasps as he choked on the words he had kept buried for far too long.

“Wake up…” His voice cracked, the words barely audible. “Please. I still haven’t said it. I haven’t told you…”

But then he felt it—a soft pressure on his hand.

“Jinwoo…” Your voice was weak, your hand reaching up to gently touch his face. “I’m here…”

He leaned down, cheek pressed against yours as relief washed over him like a tidal wave. The fear, the doubt, the hopelessness that had gripped him melted away.

“I’ve got you,” he murmured softly, his hands brushing away the sweat on your forehead. “I'm sorry you had to wait for so long”

You smiled weakly as you felt the warmt of his words settle in your chest, maybe there was still hope after all.

[transformation4life]

Magazine in The Attic

"Ugh... Can't believe I have to clean this STUPID attic." You groan as you enter the aforementioned room.

Many boxes littered the attic of your childhood home. Your parents recently decided to move out so it was time for cleanup. You look around, hoping for something to catch your eye among the sea of similarly colored boxes. Luckily one box's lid was missing letting you peer inside from afar. You walk over to take a look.

You peer inside, finding a stack of magazines with various covers. You grab the one on the top of the stack. It was a magazine for... men? The date on the top left states it's from the late 70's.

After some quick mental math, that was 50 years ago. These magazines are old! This intrigued you so you started flipping through the pages. Each page featured a multitude of different things. Workout tips, interviews and full page photos of bodybuilders from the time. As you kept flipping, you didn't even realize that you were completely aroused by each photo culminating into a tent in your pants. You bit your lip. "Fuck..." You made it to the last page in a horny filled stupor. Staring at what you consider the peak of masculinity. The next phrase you speak a result of that pent up horniness.

"I wish I could have lived as a Bodybuilder back then..." You mutter and just then the magazine suddenly got really hot and you dropped it in a panic.

"What the-" You snap back to the reality of being in your parents attic. You look at the magazine that stung you in confusion. That confusion went further when the magazine started glowing.

This definitely wasn't normal, but you couldn't muster up any words. You look down at the glowing magazine, a part of you wants to pick it up again, but this was all so strange that you just left it there.

The paranormal activity continued as what looks like to be a small gust of wind emanating from the pages. The gusts got stronger and larger until what was basically a tornado coming from the book. The tornado was expanding from the book to the entire attic as whole. You watched in awe as the swirling winds surrounded you., getting faster and faster, more dangerous. Boxes started being lifted into the air, one with the winds. You looked around, seeing the magazine once more. You surmise closing it would stop all this so you made the journey to it's location, but the winds make it difficult. You're almost there when the winds get too strong and you're barely able to stand. You reach for the magazine before the winds get too strong and everything goes white.

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

You wake up an unknown amount of time later, clenching your head in anguish to find that the tornado is gone, but... more than that is gone. The many boxes that were collecting dust in the attic were gone sans one or two, but the amount was significantly reduced. Did The magazine do this? You wonder, searching for its location. It was there where you last saw it, the glow gone however.

"Something isn't right here..." You say as you get up from the ground. Your best course of action is to call your parents and tell them what happened to the boxes.

You look through your pockets only to find that your phone isn't there. Panic settles in as you furiously search all your pockets, but no phone was ever obtained.

"Shit, what am I supposed to do now? Look for a pay phone? In this decade? Ha!" Well nothing better to do up here, you conclude so it's time to go.

As you head for the trapdoor leading to the floor below, you look at the magazine and think back to how much you enjoyed it. "I'm sure my parents won't mind if I snag this..." You walk back and grab the magazine, tucking it into your arms.

You return to the trap door and open it, noticing that it's not as old feeling as it was before. You just chalk it off to groggyness as you let the ladder down. What you saw next was less explainable however.

Your parents home looked like it went under a 70's makeover overnight. Any sense of modernity (what little of it) was gone and replaced with 70's style everything.

"T-This.... can't be real" But you pinch yourself and you didn't wake up.

You start running into the other rooms, hoping that it was just the hallway only to find more 70's looking furniture. Your parents room sporting just a single person bed rather than the two you remember. You go to your old bedroom to find it completely empty. The bathroom was similarly 70's and the first floor was even worse with a 70's kitchen and dining room. Not a single modern item was in site. There even was a telephone on the kitchen counter.

"N-No... this is all just some wacky illusion right? Right?" You run outside to find something that shocked you to your core.

Your hometown neighborhood was completely 70'ed. The houses looked the same but the exterior dressing was definitely different. You see people passing by who look straight out of 70's sitcoms. You look to where you parked your car only to find it a much much older model. That's what broke you. "Did I travel back in fucking time?!?!" The signs all pointed to yes, the very catalyst resting between your torso and arm you realize after you remember what happened before you passed out.

You head back inside, opting to head to your parents former? future? bedroom and sit on the bed putting the magazine on it as well.

You think about how you've been zapped 50 years into the past with no way back. Unlike the movies, you doubt there's some zany inventor who can make you a time machine back to the present. You try to not let it get to you though.

"Maybe I'll wake up the next thing and it'll be alll fine" you halfheartedly believe.

You decide to focus on other things, like the bedroom you're currently in. It's very different compared to your parents. You notice some things at first glance. A desk with multiple drawers. A closet, a mirror and a shelf with trophies of some kind. You decide to investigate the desk first, hoping no one minded looking through their stuff for the time being.

Inside the first drawer you find... detailed notes of dietary routines and workouts, as well as a day to day planner. Flipping through the planner entails various planned dates including "Competitions", "meetings" and workouts. You were amazed by everything you found. The guy who lived before your parents must have been pretty on top of things. The second drawer held a diary, but you decided not look through that incase it was super personal. You have some limits after all.

Next up on your list was the closet, opening it to find a lot of clothes seemingly met for workouts. Tank tops, stringers, shorts, anything a gymgoer would need. The size of them look a bit big for you so you don't choose to try them on. Maybe later, a thought rings in your mind. Everything else in the closet from your searching was standard fare like socks and underwear.

With that out of the way you stare at what you purposefully left for last. The shelf of trophies that stood out very much to you. You walk over to it and take a deep breath. When you opened your eyes you took a good look at the designs of the trophies. Nothing stood out too much so you'd have to take a closer look to get what they're for. So without much left to do, you grab one of the biggest trophies on the shelf and read the engraving.

Charles Leonard Mr. Olympia 1977

The words "Mr. Olympia" made everything click as you realize who this house belongs to. A bodybuilder! "Oh my god, I'm in a bodybuilder's HOUSE!" You shout in excitement. You've always admired bodybuilders as a kid so fate putting you into the house of one was extra exciting! You look at the other trophies and other similar bodybuilding achievements were engraved. Mr. Leonard really knows what he's doing. After looking at all the trophies you put the one you picked up back on the shelf. Your excitement couldn't be contained however as you thought back to that diary you skipped before. Surely... Mr. Leonard wouldn't mind a little peak, right? He could be home any minute so he rushed over to the desk and opened it to a random page on the desk's top area and began reading.

XX/XX/197X

Ab day was killer. I could really feel the ridges on my skin settling. I gave them a good rub and it felt so good!

You imagine a thought up version of Charles rubbing his abs and you feel aroused by it. The room also started getting warmer for some reason. Sweat dripping down your face. At the same time you could feel your stomach churning. You clench it in pain, feeling like it was experiencing years of pains all at once. After some time, the pain subsided, but curiosity got the best of you and you wondered what happened down there and lift your shirt to revealing rippling six pack abs. For a second you're shocked to find out that you have a six pack before that feeling goes away as you remember always having six pack abs as long as you can remember. You give them a good rub, more arousal forming in your system as you flip to the next entry.

XX/XX/197X

Chest day was a success. I can feel my pecs pumped up to the max! I even bounced them a little in excitement.

This was more fuel to the fire. Your imagination runs wild as you imagine a man bouncing his pecs in pure bliss at the gym. As this was happening, a heat was emanating from your chest. It felt like your pectorals were getting bigger. A noticeable ridge was now showing on your t-shirt. When the heat died down you looked at your chest, smiling. Ah, your meat mounds, gotta love 'em. You bounce them in solidarity with the diary entry. Time to keep going!

XX/XX/197X

Arm day was brutal, but I pulled through. Whenever I feel down, I give 'em a good flex!

This entry was just as exciting as the last two. A big strong bodybuilder flexing their two big arms. Then you hear a loud *RIP* coming from your shirt sleeves. Oh yeah, your large bulging biceps don't do well with small shirts. Makes you wonder why you were wearing one... Oh well, next entry.

XX/XX/197X

Worked on my legs and glutes today. They're bulking pretty nicely, especially my ass. Big and firm...

Ass... Suddenly an urge overcame you. You moved one of your hands to your ass. The image of a man with a large ass entered your mind. Meanwhile you could feel the hand on your ass being pushed by something. You look to your side to see two ripe and big buttocks attached to your frame. You also notice how tight your pants are. Definitely a sign of your hard work on your thunder thighs and legs. A loud moan escapes your lips as you think about how much you worked on that ass to what it is today, giving them a firm squeeze. You flip to the next entry before you cum.

XX/XX/197X

Back day had me pumped up! They're wider than before, just like my trapezii!

There was another *RIP* noise after you read the entry. It was your shirt being ripped due to your large back.

"Man, I really gotta know why I wore this small shirt..." You grab the shirt with your large mitts for hands and forcefully rip it off you revealing the top half of your bodybuilder frame. You flex your biceps almost instantly. The tent in your pants ready to burst. You had to stop. Just a few more entries and you're done you say.

XX/XX/197X

I went to get a haircut today, and it looks amazing. Not to mention the barber complimented my mustache. I'm glad other people appreciate my pride and joy.

A tickling sensation is felt above your upper lip. You reach for that area with one of your hands, feeling the texture of facial hair all across. Your beloved stache is where it should be, caressing it for a few more seconds. For whatever reason you then moved your head through your hair. You remember just recently getting it styled to be modern and trendy. Your barber happily remarked that "The 70's brought a new revolution to hairstyles like that one, sir!" You question why that person said 70's for "modern" but maybe he was just nostalgic.

After that entry you decide to speed flip through some more. One mentioned how big Charles' dick which was. something you could happily relate to. Another mentioned the impressive body hair hanging out on his forearms. Another relatable characteristic. It was so wonderful to find such a like-minded individual like you so far in the past. You would love to meet this Charles in person if you could. Speaking of Charles, he might be home soon, you were perusing for quite a long time now. You flip to one last page.

XX/XX/197X

A friend decided to take a photo of me during one of my workouts. I think it looked pretty good so I decided to keep it!

Below the blurb is a printed photo of said photo. Charles in the middle of a leg workout. You realize this is the first time you've seen Charles and wow he looks so amazing! And familiar...

You think back to the magazine that assumedly brought you here. Wasn't a man very similar to you Charles on the cover? Your parents never mentioned a bodybuilder living here in the past and surely they would have mentioned due to your outward love of bodybuilders, especially as one such as built as yourself. Thinking about it... did your parents ever live here? You think to the familiar halls of your home, only to find that you don't see them there. Only you just moving in a week prior. Another memory of them happily still living in your actual childhood home in California. How could you have misremembered so incorrectly? You think to yourself.

You go back to the magazine. You time traveled here right? But memories of getting this magazine right off the shelf because of being such a huge fan of Charles Leonard. You had to grab the magazine of someone who looked so much like you. Time travel? That only happens in fiction! You're a proud man living in the 70's. The 2020's were so far away how could you have ever thought of living in that time.

You look up from the diary, and scanned the once unfamiliar room. Your room. You notice a full size mirror you feel like wasn't there before, but you remember putting it there yourself to do pose checks. You walk over to it. Man you look good. Everything was big in all the right places. But then you think to your resemblance to Charles.

"We really look like twins, don't we?" You say, suddenly aware of your voice sounding just like Charles as well.

You notice your 10 inch dick still forming that tent in your tight pants. You watch your face mimic your actions in the mirror. Blinking, furrowing your brows, flexing. It reminds you of how Charles looked in the magazine photos. Your eyes peer over to the trophy case and then back to the mirror.

"If I live here then why is Charles trophies in my room..." You live alone so it's definitely not being roommates. Besides there was only one bed.

You think to Charles achievements engraved on the trophies, but you remember also earning those achievements. Every single one. Even winning Mr. Olympia 1977. Too many coincidences are piling up. The same achievements, the same appearance, the diary detailing similar memories to your own.

The magazine flashes in your mind one more time, but this time you finally realize that... YOU posed for this magazine not Charles. It hits you like a brick. You're not like Charles Leonard... "I am Charles Leonard!" You shout at the mirror finally releasing all the pent up cum from your dick, causing your underwear and pants to tear apart.

Post-nut clarity hits you hard as you question what the hell you were doing for the past hour.

"And what are these ripped clothes doing here on the floor? And why am I naked?" You decide to ignore the clothes and grab some athletic shorts as well as a pair of briefs from your closet and quickly put them on to cover your privates. You walk back to the mirror.

"Much better."

"Now, let's get rid of those... where did they go?" You swear you saw ripped clothes on the floor. You know you're not wearing your glasses right now but they were definitely there before. "*Sigh* I won't get in a tizzy over it." You rub the area between your brows.

You set your sights on the clock on your nightstand. 4:30 PM.

"I could go to the gym later..." But before you finish that though, a loud ring was heard from the other room.

You run over to your rotary phone in the kitchen and pick up the dial. "Hello, Charles Leonard speaking?" You ask with charisma.

"Hey Charles! It's me, Mike. Do you remember that photoshoot I was talking to you about?" "Yup, they said they'd paid top dollar to have me on the front cover of their magazine."

"Well I know you just moved, but they got a studio near where you lived, and they'd be psyched if you came over today!" "Oh really? What's the address?" You grab a nearby notepad just for times like this. "So you're down to going? Awesome! The address is..." Mike enthusiastically recounts the address to you as you write it down with ease. You make a mental map of where it should be and say goodbye to Mike.

You turn back to your room and grab some items such as your wallet, car keys, as well as a shirt. Unfortunately your bulging muscles will have to be contained for decency. You put on the shirt, your frame seeping through the tight clothing. You smile at the mirror. This is the life!

You waste no time after that, heading to your brand new car and starting the engine. The car's whirls honestly boned you up, but you had a photo shoot to get to. You grab a map from the backseat of your car, making sure you're heading the right direction and start driving.

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

A week, you're at the gym holding a preview copy of the magazine you posed for. Turns out they wanted something more out there and you happily obliged, being able to show what's in the trunk.

But enough of that, it was time to work out! You grab your water bottle and head to the machines. First up on your list was barbell curls. You grab a barbell and braced yourself for the lifts. After some time you began.

Each lift was exhilarating. You always, always loved that pump you get from workouts. After enough reps. You put the barbell down. It's time for the next exercise. You find a nice lady willing to spot you for this one as you grab a set of dumbbells and laid down on the weight bench. It was time for Another set of reps and you started lifting the dumbbells.

After you finish your reps, the rest of your workout was a breeze. Lift after lift, push after push, pull after pull, it was all so fulfilling. Once you finished, you were drenched in sweat. Time to hit the showers and go home! You're already excited for your workout session tomorrow, but it's time to rest.

Life continued in a routinely fashion for you as Charles Leonard. Wake up, Workout, pose, and repeat. It felt good living in the 70's, living in the now. You don't know what the future holds, but your body will be ready for it.

[timeslipcamp]

alright, i'm doing it. i'm starting a full reread. starting at the prologue and going from there. everyone pray for me that i don't go insane or try to strangle leo. or get jumpscared by ep 2 i hate that thing smh

thoughts on the prologue

thought i was gonna keep this spoiler free but then i couldn't keep my big mouth shut smh spoilers through ep 16

alright so first off i love the prologue and anyone who disagrees can fight me lol i love the symbolism, the metaphors, and like i said in my kyklos theory post, i think it sets it up right off the bat for some sort of time loop or repetitive cycle. it talks about doing things over again, changing things, fate, and takes place on a train. forms of transport are often seen to represent transient states and changing (from the odyssey all the way up to chronicles of narnia and the train station--transport always is a metaphor for things changing.)

UGH THE POETRY THE CINEMA

anyways

i've spoken a few times about the texts from mina and still, sixteen episodes later, it fascinates me that this is the most intelligent anomaly we've seen. there are the other creatures and things that come close but the kyklos is so fascinating to me. it's such a human way of hunting and honestly i think that's one of the most compelling pieces of evidence about some sort of loop happening, even if it's not a direct time loop. or, this kyklos was the victim of the one eyed sleeping beauty murder and escaped. that'd be crazy.

also love taiga's intro. he's such an insane character for us to have met first. if this was trying less hard to be an otome without being an otome or if it was an anime or a book, i'd have no doubt in my mind he'd be one of the endgame romance options. (as it stands i made a list of which ones i think are true romance options but this game is insane so who knows. for now i think jin and taiga are the main endgame options based on plot relevance and the dichotomy they present, and then haku's on that list as well for the whole betrayal arc. but we'll see, i have no idea what the writers are doing.)

insane little man i love him

was it ever really addressed how the kyklos made the environment change? haku's ability with the flute brought us back, but the kyklos (i'm assuming) is the reason it changed in the first place

inchresting. didn't notice that before. i'll keep my eyes out for an explanation on how the kyklos has transportation abilities as well.

hyde saying "looks like a normal girl to me" is actually kind of telling in hindsight. do we know for sure that none of the professors are ghouls? between what gets revealed in ep 16 about seeing into the exam room and this, i'm wondering if either A) he has an artifact that allows him to see things or B) he's like his brother and he's also a ghoul and that's part of his stigma.

speaking of hyde, him saying "i'm gonna have to pretend i didn't hear [about taiga attacking you]" is still one of the funniest things in the game to me

this was the big point where i was first like "oh the staff are the antagonists alright cool". because like be so fr they're risking their lives asshole you're literally 12. and then it just continued with their behavior from there that they really don't think if these guys as people. ughhhh i don't trust these bitches. the way that "human is a hotly debated topic" is so wild to me as well. not to pull a PETA but im here for ghoul and anomaly rights!!

this chapter also just kinda reaffirms how i felt after the most recent mortkranken chapter--i really do think professor nicolas is on our side. he might be under the institute's control and is a part of the faculty but i think if push comes to shove he'll try to help us in what ways he can.

also interesting that if they're still working on clash cleanup, it must have happened like RIGHT at the end of last year to still be handling it at the same time as the entrance ceremony

LOSING my mind over the potential of this convo right after a clash mention. who or what did they find????

dude genuinely i forgot how funny the prologue is. every interaction between kaito and luca is golden, romeo's funny as hell, he blows up a hallway....what's not to love? i love the prologue lmao

oh i totally forgot about this part. some mysterious person coming to hold our hand for the stigma test. they had "long, cool fingers" and "smelled like incense". we never really found out who that was, did we? my automatic guess is haku because of the incense, but i'm really not sure. hm.

(also sidenote, these bitches love their greek mythology. the tea hyde gives us "epione's flower"; epione was a greek goddess of healing and her name literally translates to soothe or soothing lmao)

more points in the school vs rebels bucket!!!

also why do they have to hold the hands of a mannequin to weigh their soul 😭 hate that

all in all the prologue is fascinating, i forgot so many of these little moments. i'm so happy i reread it lol

with that, on to chapter one!! i'll leave you with this wickhive screenshot thats driving me insane

[decaydazai]

ִֶָ☾. See You Later!

cw: war au pairing: megumi x OC, dad!Satoru wc: 1.3k part 1 | part 2 | part 3 | part 4 | part 5 >>> coming soon!

TWO MONTHS LATER The sun hadn’t even peeked over the mountains yet when I felt a tap on my shoulder.

I blinked, groggy and still half-dreaming about a life where I wasn’t being dragged out of bed before dawn. “Lieutenant Arata?” I mumbled, rubbing my eyes.

“Get up,” she said softly, almost… nicely? “Just you. The others are still out cold.”

I followed her, boots barely laced, my brain trying to piece together whether I was in trouble or about to be forced into some extra push-up punishment for yesterday’s sprint sass.

But she didn’t lead me to the training yard. She led me to her office.

The lights were dim, the heater humming quietly. It smelled like old coffee and something faintly floral—maybe those weird herbal things adults who don’t sleep properly drink. Arata sat behind her desk, arms folded, a file open in front of her. My file. No—the file. Actually, the copy of it.

My stomach twisted. “If this is about the thing I took, I—”

“Relax, Akira,” she said, cutting me off before I could spiral into a full-on defensive speech. “Buzzcut already told me. If it makes you feel any better, he only ratted you out because he figured I’d be less dramatic about it.”

“Rude,” I muttered, sitting down. “So… what happens now? You going to wipe my memory or something?”

“I’m not the Men in Black,” she replied, smirking slightly. “But I wanted to talk to you. Just us.”

That got my attention.

She tapped her fingers on the folder. “You’re looking into Project Blind Sun. Buzzcut gave me the short version. I figured it was time I gave you mine.”

I blinked. “You know about it?”

“Only pieces,” she admitted. “Most of it was sealed above my clearance. But I knew your mom. I knew her best friend, too. Back then, before everything went to hell, we weren’t in uniform all the time. We were just... women trying to survive the system. Friends. A little reckless. Definitely too smart for the brass.”

She smiled faintly at the memory, then looked me dead in the eyes.

“Fengxian - your mom - and Kiyomi. They weren’t just civilians caught in the crossfire. They were part of something bigger. Your mom especially. She was one of the best hackers I’ve ever met—she could dismantle an entire surveillance web with a radio and a coffee machine.”

That sounded exactly like her.

“But something changed near the end. They started getting nervous. Like someone was watching them, or like they knew too much. I asked once. Your mom smiled, tapped her temple, and said, ‘They want us dumb. And we’re not dumb, are we?’ Then she left it at that.”

I didn’t speak for a moment. The heater buzzed.

“I think they were working with your father,” Arata continued. “Maybe not officially, maybe not even legally. But there’s a reason why all three of them—Fengxian, Kiyomi, and Toji—‘died’ in the same explosion. That’s not a coincidence. That’s cleanup.”

I leaned forward. “So you believe me.”

Arata raised an eyebrow. “You think I dragged you in here to scold you? I’m not Buzzcut. I’m not here to shut you down. I’m here to help. Your dad saved a lot of us. Your mom saved me personally. If there’s even a chance they’re still alive, I’ll do what I can to help you find out.”

I opened my mouth to respond, but my throat tightened instead. All the sarcasm and bravado in the world couldn’t cover up how much I needed that—someone finally standing with me, not just behind me.

“Thank you,” I said, quieter than I expected.

She leaned back, all business again. “Don’t thank me yet. We’re just getting started. You’ve got half a trail and a whole forest to navigate. Buzzcut’ll keep an eye on you, and I’ll help from the inside. But you need to play it smart. No more breaking into restricted files without a plan.”

I tried to smile. “So... you’re saying I need two toothbrushes to scrub the barracks next time?”

She rolled her eyes. “Make it three.” -------- (Megumi's POV) (TWO MONTHS AGO, WHEN AKIRA DISSAPEARED) The last time I saw her, she was curled up beside me, breathing slow and steady. It was one of those rare nights where neither of us had nightmares. I remember thinking how peaceful she looked, like the war hadn't touched her - like we weren’t living in the rubble of everything we’d lost.

I gave her my blanket. She always kicked hers off.

We made a fort out of bedsheets and stuffed a stolen can of peaches between us like it was treasure. She mumbled something in her sleep. I didn’t catch it. I think it was my name.

When I woke up, she was gone.

No note. No goodbye. Just the peaches. And her bracelet on her pillow.

I tore the fort apart looking for her. Searched the entire block. Thought maybe she was out for a walk or on a snack run or pulling some kind of Akira-level prank.

But when her dad’s old jacket was missing - the one with the burn on the sleeve and the rip in the pocket she always kept stitched shut, the one he didn't take with him when he disappeared, what, five months ago now - I knew.

She had left.

She left me.

(CURRENT TIMELINE)

I threw the file across the room. It didn’t say anything new. Nothing we didn’t already know.

Project: Blind Sun. Status: Top Secret. Casualties: [REDACTED]. Purpose: [REDACTED]. Ethics Review: Never Happened.

Great. Government-sanctioned amnesia.

I shoved my hands through my hair and stared at the ceiling of the underground briefing room. Concrete. Cold. Like everything else in this place.

“Throwing files won’t make the truth come faster,” came a voice from the door.

I didn’t even look. “Neither will staring at them until my eyeballs dry out.”

The voice belonged to a woman named Kuroiwa — my contact in this task force. Not military. Something… deeper. Black-ops level. The type of place that didn’t exist on paper.

She stepped inside and kicked the file back toward me with her boot. “We’re not looking for paper trails, Fushiguro. We’re looking for shadows. You want answers? Learn to see in the dark.”

I sighed. “That’s not ominous at all.”

“You think this project has rules? You think your father and mother died in an airstrike like the records say?”

I looked up.

“Because we don’t,” she said. “And neither did your sister.”

The file felt heavier now.

“Why me?” I asked.

“Because you're reckless,” she said. “And angry. And because when we ran your psych eval, you said the only thing keeping you alive was a girl with white hair and too many secrets.”

My hands clenched. “She’s not a secret.”

“Exactly,” she said. “She’s the key.”

Flashback again: That night, two months ago, I found her combat boots by the door. Laces still double-knotted the way she liked them. She must’ve slipped out barefoot. Quiet.

My heart was a war drum.

I ran outside. Called her name.

Akira. Akira, come back. Akira, what are you doing?

I sat on the curb until morning.

I didn’t cry. I never do.

But the world felt colder.

Like she’d taken the sun with her.

They told me to forget about her. "She's too much trouble, too dangerous," they said.

But they don’t know what it’s like to lose the only person who ever made you believe in something again. They don’t know what it’s like to wake up cold - every morning - for two months, because she was the only thing that made you feel alive.

They don’t know her laugh.

They don’t know how she looked at me when we were kids and said, “If the world ends, I’m still finding you.”

So no.

I’m not detached.

I’m focused.

She vanished into the light.

I’ll dig through the dark to bring her home. ______________________ taglist: @crimsonhallucinations

[dragonnarrative-writes]

Part 5.5 - After the reward, from Simon's perspective

Slasher Handler Masterlist

NSFW under the cut.

CW: Blood, bodily fluids, genitals, aftercare and cleanup, afab reader, feminine terms used for reader

When you finally go limp in his arms, Simon pants against the back of your head for a full minute. Holding you steady as you thrashed and cried, calling his name, calling him God, had taken more out of him than he’d expected. And that was before your nails scoring across his scalp blindsided him. The pain had knocked him into the kind of orgasm that makes a man worry about cramping.

He’d like to stay buried in you forever. But that’s not very practical, so he unwraps his arm from around your neck. It takes him longer than he would ever admit to be able to brace on his shaking arms and sit back on his heels. He allows himself a moment to roll his neck and shoulders while he takes stock of the both of you.

The sheets are a mess. He’s a mess, thighs and pubic hair soaked and tacky from the way you’d squirted. You’re no better, wet and shining down your legs. Your thigh is burning hot when he pushes your legs apart to get a look at where he’d come inside you. There’s no damage to your intimate parts when he uses gentle fingers to part your swollen folds, but you are puffy and hot. Seeing you dripping with him makes him lick his lips.

Blood drips from his eyebrow to land in the curve where your ass meets your leg.

He brings a hand up to swipe at his face, amused to find just how much blood is flowing from his hairline. Head wounds always bleed so damn much. He absently wipes his blood across your back before heaving himself up to stand next to the bed.

“Fuck,” he groans, looking down at himself. Your fluids are running down his leg.

He grabs a couple of towels from the closet in the all. Gives himself a perfunctory wipe down and applies pressure to his scalp as he retrieves water from the kitchen. When he returns to the bedroom, you’re shivering, in little bursts. It’s the work of a couple of moments to lift your hips enough to spread a towel under you. Then he climbs back over you, tucking you close.

Something in his chest turns over when you make a little noise and nudge your head a little bit closer. A drop of his blood falls to the side of your mouth. He smears it over your lips with his thumb.

Ten minutes later, you give a full body shudder and whine just at the edge of his hearing. He drops the towel he’s been propping his head against and leans down a bit to look at your face. It scrunches the way he’s seen you do when your alarm goes off. Then you’re groaning, shivering your way through what would normally be a full body stretch but looks more like the worlds least effective twitch. He doesn’t fight the urge to kiss your eyebrow when your eyes open, nuzzles the top of your head to smear more of his blood on your face.

You work your mouth for a few moments, obviously searching for something profound. You settle on, “Guh-uh.”

Not for the first time, Simon finds himself helplessly charmed. “’S ‘at so?” He tilts his head to better watch the way you lick his blood from your lips. “Interestin.’”

Your face scrunches up, and you give an aborted wiggle. “Muh?”

“Made a mess of me,” Simon continues, like you’re actually talking to him. He grins at the thought of how much you’ll stammer and blush when you get a good look at the bed. You’ve undoubtedly stained the mattress. “Got a towel, but we’ll need to change the sheets.”

Your sad kitten eyes are so full of emotion. “That much?”

Simon lets himself make a soft sound and an understatement. “Surprised me.”

You surprise him again when you slur, “’M sorry. Didn’t mean to hurt you.”

So you did notice the blood. He feels his face go soft. “Go to sleep, Precious.”

You hum and shut your eyes. He thinks that’s the end of it, but one of your arms twitches and flops its way up until your hand is over his heart. “Stay.”

His blood burns. “You’ll never be rid of me, luv.”

[lazyneonrabbitt]

Rabbitt's TWD Halloween '24

Witches and Woos

🐺 Daryl Dixon x reader 🌿

What happens when a witch and a werewolf decide they need the same clearing in the forest where the moon shines brightest.

The community you joined two days ago was a nice one. Or at least it seemed to be, as long as you didn't ask about leaving the gates during the night.

No matter who you asked if it was okay to go out that night the answer was no. And on top of that no one could give you a straightforward reason as to why they weren't letting you go out.

But that didn't stop you from sneaking out over the wall like you saw that kid do the day before.

Once your feet hit the ground you set out to the clearing you passed once before, it was the perfect place to work your magic.

You wanted to return the kindness of allowing you into the community with a blessing of crops, but you needed privacy and moonlight for it so your only option was to go outside the walls on the night of the full moon for the best results.

Your items in your bag made noise as you walked, already a hand against the outside to dampen it and a knife in your hand in case a stray walker came across your path.

You made it to the clearing without any unpleasantries and laid out all of the spell's components. Things were looking like it was going to be a quick and easy job, until a growl startled you.

"Leave." A deep snarling voice sounded as a large beast stepped into the moonlight.

"Shut it, I need to focus." You had spared it only a fraction of a glance before you went back to mixing herbs and taking a knife to your palm.

"These woods are protected. Leave." The beast stepped closer, heavy footfalls on the dirt ground. "I will tear you open."

You looked up at him, barely lifting your head. "You kill me and you'll curse your precious community's crops for the next couple of generations so you better sit your ass down, mutt."

A huff left him as he moved even closer, inspecting your works. "You cast blessings?" He tilted his head, hovering over your carefully arranged items.

"Yes I do, now get out of my goddamn light." With your now bloodied hand you shoved his snout out of reach, leaving a handprint on his nose.

"You are on my lands." He scoffed as he laid down, eyeing your work with great focus.

"Yeah yeah, boo hoo. Doggy wants his field back so he can run around in ghe moonlight. I'll be gone before you know it." You rolled your eyes at him and continued doing your thing, mixing all the spell's ingredients and speaking the needed words in a hushed tone. In the corner of your eye you noticed your canine companion walking off and lay down off to the edge of the clearing.

You moved on with the last bits of your spell and started cleanup when you heard a low grumble from the other end of the clearing where your lycantrophic companion had laid down. Taking him in for a moment you noticed his sleep was restless, panicked energy oozing off him.

With a sigh you sat back down and rummaged through your bag and took out various items, putting together a quick sleeping remedy from herbs. A lavender base with a few other ingredients made a mixture that should help him sleep more calm, so you put it in a small pouch and carefully nestled it between his forearm and cheek.

The next days were quiet ones for you. You had no job yet so all you did was get to know the layout of your new home and get aquainted with the residents.

Here and there you picked up talk of the full moon, and the creature you met but you kept to yourself in fear of letting it slip that you snuck out.

You also spotted someone new walking around a couple days later. He looked scruffy, tired and oddly familiar.

Just familiar until he came up to you and held out a pouch to you. "Guess I owe ya thanks."

You looked the man up and down, now easily recognising his features that matched your werewolf visitor.

"Keep it." You kindly declined the return of your product. "As long as you keep the strings tied it'll stay effective."

"Hmhm, thanks" with a nod a silence fell between the two of you, both unsure how to continue the conversation.

"Well, I guess I'll be heading home." You gave your basket of rations a pat and bid him farewell.

"Yeah, me too." Again he nodded and turned to walk off. In the same direction as you, so you fell into step with him jn silence again.

It wasn't that you hadn't met werewolves before, but this one was different. He wasn't begging you for cures or herbs, hell he even tried to return the pouch you offered him.

"So eh," you needed to break this awkward silence. "How long have you been like that?" You gestured at the pouch he had pocketed and got a long sigh in response as he blew out the smoke from deep in his lungs.

"Forty years, give or take. Was a teen." He gave you a look then. "N'you? When did ya learn?"

You thought back to way before, and your mother. Oh how you missed her. "I was always told to keep nature and its creatures as friends. So my mom taught me from the second I could properly read." You laughed yo yourself. "Man, she would be smiling ear to ear if she learned I made a friend like you."

"Next time ya wanna go outside the walls, jus' ask me." With a short wave he turned up the path that led to his home where a bike sat in an open garage. "Name's Daryl, by the way."

With a wave of your own you gave him your name as well as you confinued on to your place down the street.

Tonight you'd have to light a candle and thank the moon for this meeting.

[squidsquidsquidsquidsquidgame]

DIY date

character: Cho Hyun-ju X fem!reader

Summary: Hyun-Ju suggests a crafty DIY night at home. You both set up a small table covered in markers, glue, and glitter for a fun project. Halfway through, she accidently makes a mess, and you both burst into giggles trying to clean it up together

Warnings: none🦑🦑

It was one of those quiet evenings when the air felt warm and the night buzzed with the soft sounds of crickets and distant frogs. The little house you shared with Hyun-Ju was tucked away in a serene part of Thailand, a place where the two of you had found peace. The walls were adorned with pictures you both had hung up together, memories of a life far different from the one she'd known before. But tonight, it was about something simple, something fun: a DIY craft night.

"How about we make something together?" Hyun-Ju suggested, a bright smile dancing on her lips as she set up a small table in the living room. Markers, glue, and glitter were carefully laid out, ready for whatever project you two would take on.

You nodded, excited by the idea. "What do you have in mind?"

"Well, I thought we could make a scrapbook of all the things we've done here so far," she said, her eyes sparkling. "You know, something we can look back on later.

"You agreed, and soon enough, the two of you were sitting across from each other, laughing and working on your little project. Hyun-Ju’s focus was unwavering as she carefully crafted little designs, her movements graceful despite the occasional clumsy brushstroke. The soft hum of the air conditioning and the sound of your laughter filled the room, a contrast to the chaos you both had survived to get here.

But then, as Hyun-Ju reached for a new color, her hand knocked over the glue bottle. A small puddle splattered across the table, and just as she tried to catch it, a burst of glitter exploded from one of the containers, covering everything in sight. For a moment, both of you froze.

"Uh-oh," she said, her voice filled with mock horror as she stared at the mess.

You couldn’t help but burst into laughter, and soon, Hyun-Ju joined in, her soft giggles filling the room like music. The table, once neat, was now a glittery mess, but neither of you cared. The DIY night had turned into something even more fun: cleaning up together.

"Well, this is going to take a while," Hyun-Ju said, still laughing as she grabbed a tissue and started wiping up the glue. Her laughter was contagious, and soon you both were in a fit of giggles, trying to salvage what little of the table wasn’t covered in glue or glitter.

"I think we might need a bigger cleanup crew," you teased, grabbing a handful of napkins to help.

Hyun-Ju leaned back, putting her hands on her hips. "At least we’re making memories," she said, her voice warm with affection.

"Yeah," you agreed, your heart full. "This is the best kind of mess.

"You both continued cleaning, the mess forgotten as the two of you focused on each other, sharing smiles, laughter, and moments that felt more precious than any craft project ever could.

🦑🦑🦑

[kittyball23]

Moments (a Trolls fanfic)

Summary: There were times, no doubt - even as much as he tried not to think about them - that some kind of event would make Branch remember his long-gone brothers

__________________________________________

“Oh, hey, Branch… just wondering if I could borrow something….”

Branch raised an eyebrow at Poppy, thoroughly confused. “What?”

“Your bunker!”

Before he could ask what she meant, dozens upon dozens of Trolls who had not been captured by the Chef Bergen came tumbling down the sloping tunnel that led down into his bunker. Some squealed in delight as they slid down, and as soon as they’d reached the bottom began to ransack the place, grabbing the food and drinks that were there.

“No! No! Whoa, whoa, whoa, wait!” Branch called out. But nobody was listening. He groaned, knowing that there would be a lot of cleanup to do to his brothers’ rooms once they were all gone and out of there. And they would be, if he could help it. But first, he had to talk to the pink princess, who had brought all the Trolls in there without his permission in the first place.

__________________________________________

Finally, Branch thought, observing the stunned look on Poppy’s face that was an expression other than the smiles and laughs she’d had for the past hour.

He turned away from her, continuing the trek through the forest and avoiding staring too long at the hurt that was in her eyes. He ignored the little feeling inside of him that made him feel bad for what he’d said, and vouched to listen to the side of him that had dominated his survivalist lifestyle. It’s the truth, he reasoned. And if she doesn’t like it, that’s her problem.

Poppy soon recovered and scurried up to his side in an effort to defend herself. “Hey! I know it’s not all cupcakes and rainbows, but I’d rather go through life thinking that it mostly is, instead of being like you.” She frowned slightly at him and vented the frustrations she had in her failure to get him to be a part of the Troll community. “You don’t sing. You don’t dance. You’re so gray all the time! What happened to you?”

Branch had to suppress a snort. You don’t know the HALF of it, he wanted to say. And Poppy didn’t need to know his business. She didn’t need to know what happened to his grandmother, or even before that event, when his four older brothers had picked up and left, leaving him to fend for himself with hardly a fair reason why. It had been his first taste of the real world and its cruelty. Something that Poppy clearly hadn’t been exposed to. But Branch knew better than to go make his comment and stir even more questions from the curious princess. He held up a hand and suddenly hushed her. “SHH!”

Poppy halted, her fuchsia eyes wide. “Bergen?” she asked.

“Maybe,” he whispered back.

It was only a few moments later, when Branch proceeded and when nothing ominous seemed to be lurking in the shadows, did Poppy realize what was really going on.

“There’s no Bergen, is there? You just said that so I’d stop talking!”

Branch stopped to answer once again. “Maybe.”

__________________________________________

Who does this guy think he is? Branch’s inner thoughts growled.

He and Poppy were wasting valuable time, standing here and putting up with this cloud dude’s antics. If Poppy really cared about the safety of her friends, then she’d see how pointless this whole thing was. But nooooo. She had to be there, off to the side, giggling at Branch’s perplexion and at how the socked cloud was snickering.

Yeah… he’s getting socked by the time THIS is over, Branch thought, and this time he wasn’t speaking of the cloud’s article of clothing.

Since the high-five had failed to follow through, Branch was now forced to implement a fist-bump. But he should have known better than to believe it was going to be that easy. As soon as Branch began moving his fist forward, Cloud Guy reacted with a series of hand motions that were literally anything EXCEPT the fist-bump that he himself had wanted to do. Branch was far too baffled to be mad when it was happening, having no clue what a ‘shark attack,’ ‘hand sandwich,’ ‘monkey in a zoo,’ and whatever other nonsense the cloud was saying even was… and thinking of a certain yellow-haired prankster who just might.

But the fleeting thought of his older, jokey brother vanished when Branch felt his arm hauled roughly from side to side, while Cloud Guy made engine-like sounds. “BRRRM! VRRRM! BRRRRRM! BRUUM!”

Then, he did something that made Branch’s patience wear even thinner than it already was. He laughed, an obnoxious, chortling laugh. And Poppy laughed, too!

“Okay, okay, okay,” Cloud Guy said, recomposing himself. “Now I’m thinking we hug.”

There went the last straw.

With a scowl, Branch grabbed a stick, broke it in half, and aimed the sharp ends at Cloud Guy with a menacing look in his eyes.

Cloud Guy finally seemed to get the message.

He stood there with his outstretched hands, turning a thundercloud-gray and raining a puddle of fear on the ground. He was in for it now.

With a shout, Branch gave chase, with Poppy running after him in alarm.

“Branch! No! Wait! He’s just a cloud! He can help us! He’s just a cloud! Run, Cloud Guy, RUN!”

__________________________________________

Here she was, at it again. Only this time, Poppy was refusing to drop the subject, and Branch couldn’t think of a way to divert the topic. She was being very blunt with him, and it was driving him up the wall.

“You have to sing,” she insisted.

“I told you, I don’t sing,” he argued.

“Well, you have to.”

“I’m sorry, I can’t.” They could go back and forth like this all day for all Branch cared.

Poppy frowned at him. “You can. You just won’t.”

“Fine. I just won’t,” Branch grumbled stubbornly.

“You have to!” she cried.

“NO!”

“Why not! Why won’t you sing?” Poppy demanded.

“Because singing killed my grandma, okay!” Branch finally blurted. He turned his face away from her and the rest of the Snack Pack who’d gasped at this revelation, so that they couldn’t see the tears forming in his eyes. “Now leave me alone…”

Poppy had gotten her answer, but even as he asked to have his space, he had known that she wouldn’t just stop there. Thankfully, her approach was less pestering than it had been a few seconds ago. She cautiously approached him, and spoke in a soft voice.

“How did singing kill your grandma?” Poppy asked. Then, even more confused, added, “What song was she singing?”

Branch sighed. “I was the one singing…” he admitted, hanging his head in shame as the horrible images flashed through his mind. Of how tall and ominous the Chef had looked when snatching his Grandma. Of her terrified face, fearful at first for nearly coming to lose her only remaining grandson, and then fearful for the fate that awaited her in the Bergen’s stomach. He’d turned gray once he’d come to the awful realization that nobody – not his parents, not his brothers, nor his Grandmother – were there with him anymore.

Poppy felt terrible hearing his abridged version of the memory, and she’d leaned in to give him a hug.

“Whoa, whoa, it’s not Hug Time,” he said, a little half-heartedly and not making any moves to shove her away.

“I just thought you could use one,” she replied, pressing him a little tighter against her.

While Branch didn’t allow the smirk that wanted to tug at the corner of his lip to show, he still did kind of enjoy the condolence that her hug brought.

Heh, his conscience even chuckled, I guess she does know the half of it, now.

But Branch would make sure not to have her find out the second half of his story until much, much later. His brothers were not relevant to the conversation. And, considering it from the point of view of Poppy and the Snack Pack, they probably sought it as a suitable enough explanation for his pessimism.

So Branch just let it be.

__________________________________________

Survivalism meant having plenty of tactics handy. So killing two birds with one stone, so to speak, was a very beneficial strategy. And it was working oh so very well for Branch as he, in a heartfelt manner, whispered elegant words from atop of Bridget’s head.

“Your eyes… they’re like two pools so deep, I fear if I dive in, I may never come up for air…”

Bridget repeated the words, a little hesitantly, to King Gristle, who sat across from her with a frown on his face, believing that she had been intent on mocking him before. As he heard her speak, however, his frown disappeared, and the Bergen was enraptured by the sudden compliments she was giving him.

Or, so it seemed. Branch was guiding her alright, but it wasn’t King Gristle who’d he had in mind when he was speaking. It was a certain Pop Princess, who, at that moment, was staring in awe at Branch as he continued.

“And your smile… the sun itself turns jealous and refuses to come out from behind the clouds, knowing it cannot shine half as bright…”

King Gristle chuckled bashfully when Bridget had finished repeating those words. “I kinda do have a nice smile, don’t I?”

Branch’s gaze shifted to Poppy, whispering the next words as he looked directly at her.

“Yes, you do.”

If Branch squinted his eyes, he could’ve sworn he saw Poppy blush, but the dim lighting underneath Bridget’s rainbow-colored wig was making it a little difficult to see all that well. There was a warmth tingling through him, one that he recognized would blossom whenever he thought of the princess, only it was more pronounced this time around. Had he really said those words out loud? He couldn’t help wondering which one of his brothers would be prouder – Spruce, for coming off as so incredibly romantic and likely winning Poppy over with his charming flattery, or Floyd, for how poetically crafted his words were. Either way, it had produced the exact effect that Branch had wanted.

__________________________________________

Branch flinched at the loud, bellowing sound that came out of the large creature standing before them. A second later, Poppy revealed herself from the inside of it, hanging casually and giving a cheery little greeting wave. Normally, a sight like this would have startled the blue Troll, but the fact that the queen did not show any fear at being in the mouth of the beast - and neither did any of their other friends - relaxed him a bit.

Because this mode of transportation was known as a caterbus, a hybrid living-vehicle sort of being that was perfectly safe to travel inside of.

Branch scrunched his nose. He didn’t mind the creatures that nature had… so long as they were smaller than him. Once they started getting bigger than the standard 5-inch height that Trolls had, he had his reservations. He supposed it was his former fear of Bergens at work. He could never shake off what could have happened if he’d not arrived in time for when the spiders had Poppy wrapped inside their silk.

Not that any of it would have bothered his oldest brother.

Branch rolled his eyes as John Dory’s face suddenly came into mind. With JD’s love for animals, he believed himself to be a whisperer to any creature, big or small. If Branch had to take a guess, John Dory probably had a pet of his own by this point (or several).

But he wasn’t going to guess about what his airheaded brother was doing.

If anything, he was going to take a guess at what Bridget and Gristle’s reactions would be when they learned of Poppy’s crazy idea to give the Bergens a proper holiday!

“Alll aboooard!” Poppy called out, and he and the Snack Pack took it at their cue hop into the caterbus and get this wagon train rolling.

Or rather, the love train.

__________________________________________

Branch shook his head, tilting it to one side and smacking it with his hand as though there was water clogged up in his ears. “Okay, maybe all the jazz hasn’t left my brain yet,” he mumbled, knowing just how out of sorts he’d been when the smooth musical notes had assaulted him on the raft with its soothing melody.

Cooper just laughed at him. “Oh, come on, Branch! It’s me!” the long-necked Troll assured. “Turns out I’m actually from Vibe City, just like my twin brother.” Cooper sidled up to the identical-looking Troll who’d been causing Branch to think that he was still hallucinating.

“What’s poppin’?” Prince Darnell greeted with a grin, as he and Cooper laughed with each other.

“I’ve got a twin brother!” Cooper exclaimed happily. He really couldn’t believe it!

Neither could Branch, who stood there gawking for a moment more while his gaze flicked between the two, back and forth, like a ping pong ball.

And neither could Poppy, who blurted out with “How is this possible?!”

Luckily, Cooper took the next few minutes explaining exactly how. And in the end, Branch found that it was a story of long-lost family coming to finally reunite, happily and heartily, together – at least, if any of the laughs and hugs shared between brothers, mother and father (aka, the King and Queen of Funk) was anything to go by.

Branch watched with a strange pang of envy that was very subtly in the back of his conscience, but still very much present. Envy for how… easy they made it look. Granted, though, Cooper’s story was different. It couldn’t be helped that he’d gotten snatched as an egg, carried off far from his homeland, and therefore separated for just about two whole decades.

A family reunion with his brothers, who had willingly ensured the separation, would be much different…

__________________________________________

Dance off?

Branch hardly had a minute to even think about what was about to happen before the K-Pop gang had hurled him over to them, untying him and promptly starting to bust some moves all around.

Branch was surprised by the sudden change in lighting, and the bouncy, foreign-sounding music that the five girls were making. The K-Pop leader had been right – Pop music was different from K-Pop. Branch didn’t have much time to start nitpicking the specific differences, as Wani shot him a hard glare, making him realize that they’d actually untied him so that he could join in their dance!

Flustered, Branch quickly plastered on a smile and began to groove along with them, surprising himself with how quickly he was able to pick up the choreography. By the time he and the quintet struck the final pose, the smile that he’d had on his face was real.

Wow… was it always this fun dancing in a group?

As if the universe had heard his question, it readily provided an answer when the Reggaeton Troll leader, Tressillo, suddenly grabbed him and hauled him over to their side of the clearing, starting to dance to their own unique beat. Now that Branch actually knew what was happening, he got into the flow much faster, and really was enjoying himself as he kept in time with the other three, shaking his hips and getting down with it.

Ooo, yeah! It really was still fun dancing in a group! They weren’t the exact type of moves that he, John Dory, Spruce, Clay, and Floyd would’ve done if they’d been performing for a BroZone show, but it didn’t matter. He liked the differences… and wished that the bounty hunters would see it the same way, instead of tying him back up and debating the matter.

“Why don’t we split him?” Wani suddenly suggested.

“Huh?” Branch gulped when he saw Tressillo agree to the idea. Just as they were about to close in and divvy him up, he managed to find his voice.

“Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait… why does Barb get to decide which music gets to be saved? All music should be saved.”

The K-Pop and Reggaeton Trolls gave him a blank look. Then, Tressillo spoke.

“All right, Pop Troll, I’m listening…”

__________________________________________

By definition, Branch could absolutely say he was sprucin’ up.

Not that he’d use the term. Why would he, when it brought bad reminders of one purple-haired Troll who’d shared his name with the phrase?

Branch hurriedly focused on preparing himself for the occasion, which - he was quite giddy to tell anyone who would ask him once he’d leave the bunker - would be a date with the Pop Queen herself!

He slipped on his vest, shrugging it on his shoulders in a way that he felt to be ‘cool,’ like John Dory may have done.

He tugged on his new burgundy shorts with just about as much enthusiasm as Clay might’ve pulled off in the days that he actually enjoyed wearing the yellow-and-green Funderdrawers.

He fixed his Hug Time bracelet on his wrist, and adjusted a brand-new red bowtie on his neck, recalling how Floyd would’ve taken the same careful measures when clipping on his own accessory, namely, the pearl earring he’d constantly worn.

Last but not least, Branch grabbed a handful of snail-slime goop from a jar, and sleeked it into his dark blue hair, making as shiny and smooth as Spruce himself would have approved of.

Determinedly snapping on some earmuffs and clutching a fresh handful of flowers, he faced the chill afternoon air outside of his bunker with determination.

“Tis the season!”

__________________________________________

A/N: Alright everyone, this will actually be my last daily fic update for the time being. Stay tuned for an announcement that I'll be posting to my blog tomorrow! :)

[rpking99]

For Justice, Kaze

Closed with @the-blackbird-roleplays

Continued from here

It was a long fought battle, in the name of the god's and their justice. Evil slane, fallen before her army's sword. And her song

The singing voice of an angel filling the air as she has done battle. Her song invigorating all around her, giving them and herself power. Her might blade, Thorne, having been cleaving through her foes like training dummies.

Roses are red, the fire of her heart was blue. The harbinger of order, leader of Justice, she... Was Lady Elizabeth Rose Bloodflame!

"Oh hey. Lovely to see you, Luv, to see you, Lovely." Liz spoke cheerfully as she saw you approach, a charming and cheerful smile upon her face. Any seriousness fading like a flickering fire, as she showed her carefree gentleness without hesitation

Kaze's anger at her day being disturbed by these jerk-ass demons interrupting what would have been a wonderful day reading in the park had cause a... Shift. Kaze's own carefree and life-lusting attitude was replaced by the cold anger and determination of a warrior... And oh lordie one should probably pray for God to have mercy on her adversaries, because she DEFINITELY fucking won't. "Save the ass-kissing for later. We have cleanup to do." Kaze simply growled... Her voice was tired and eyes seemingly shimmered with a desire to do nothing more than sink into a bubble bath with a copy of her favorite murder mystery novel. She refused to show this weariness, however, simply wanting to wrap this small-scale incursion up and go home...

"Oh calm down, Luv. We've finished all that biz. Thorne just torn da last one a new rear end. Now, why don't you hang your cap and let me see that pretty face of yours." Liz spoke calmly, letting her Great Exardian accent grow out extra thick

Doing what she could to try and cheer up her comrade and friend now that the battle was over

"When we get back, I'll give you a little sing song and a bottle of shandy while you soak along in the most relaxing bubble bath you've ever had." She added with a supporting smile

[deadricslover]

relationship dynamics with SV5 pt. 3

heres's my masterlist!

a/n: you guys are really enjoying these?? @nervousloverkitten here you go 🤭

summary: yet again, more relationship dynamics with Seb.

warnings: none?

pairings: sebvettel x driver!reader

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

clumsy gf x bf who makes fun of her for it

On a daily basis, you find new bruises in places you don't even remember hitting. It's so common and Sebastian's explanation is always 'its because you're so clumsy' and you do not appreciate it.

You were baking a batch of brownies for dessert as you and Seb had a group of people coming over tonight for a little catch up. You put a mug with some butter into the microwave to melt it so that you could add it into your mix and waited for it to melt whilst you read over the recipe so you knew what to do next. The appliance beeped and you took the mug out being careful of the heated handle, before trying to find where you were in the recipe, while you reading reading it you heard some splashing and you looked to your hand with the mug and saw it sideways, spilling all of the melted substance out of it.

"shit" you cursed, placing it on the counter right side up. You weren't paying attention to it and you payed the price. The butter started to harden on the cool surface and it was a bitch to get off. You spent the next couple of minutes scrubbing the workspace before melting a new measurement of butter, being careful to not spill it this time.

Later on in the day you were finally ready to start mixing everything together in the electric mixer your mother had given you. You added the dry mix to the wet and place the bowl onto the appliance and turn it on, heading to the sink to start the cleanup as much as possible.

"how is it going?" Sebastian asks when he steps into the room.

You turn around slightly glancing at him in a t-shirt and sweats before spinning back and continuing "it's...going" you reply unsure of whether to tell him the truth and that it was going pretty terrible or lie to him and reassure him that it was 'all ok'.

"what's going on?" he says with a little bit of urgency, you catch onto that and turn around to see the bowl of the mixer isn't attached properly and is spinning around with some of the mixture flying everywhere. You, yet again, curse and quickly turn it off, staring at it for a second, contemplating all of the choices you have made surrounding baking. Sebastian starts laughing and teasing you about the mess.

"what was it that you said before you started? 'I'll be fine. I will concentrate'." he giggles

"seb, stop" you plead throwing your head into your hands in embarrassment.

"I'm sorry, love" he replies still laughing at it.

"I'll get it, don't worry" he says referring to the mess. you thank him, still slightly annoyed that he was teasing you.

"how is the garden coming along" you ask, as he has been setting up the garden and cleaning up outside in preparation for the guests.

"I'm finished now. that's why I came in"

A little 'oh' slips past your lips as he appears next to you, finishing the clean up. He takes some items that you have washed and tries them with a towel before putting them away. You were a little bit dysfunctional and Sebastian loved teasing you for it, but it was always innocent.

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

always calm bf x always hyper gf

the heat in the car was slightly unbearable so the window was rolled down slightly while the music was playing from the aux and seb's hand was over yours on the gear stick. You two were on your way to a team meeting before the f1 summer break ended. You had a meeting with Ferrari and Sebastian had one with Red bull and you couldn't wait to see Fernando, you hadn't seen him all summer break like you planned. This was the longest in years that you hadn't seen him and even if it was just for a meeting, you were super excited to see him again.

Seb had noticed you smiling to yourself staring out the window, bopping your head to the music slightly.

"what's got you in such a good mood?" he asks you, taking you out of your thoughts.

"I cannot wait to see Fernando" you reply enunciating the word 'wait' seeming quite over the top, but you didn't care in the moment.

"you're going to a meeting that means the end of summer break is coming up" He replies smiling in confusion.

"I don't care. I want to see him" You smile. Your ability with words can't describe how excited you are to see him.

"you always seem to be really excited over the little things" He points out

"this isn't little, this is Fernando-- who I haven't seen in weeks" You argue back

"you were going to see him in a couple of more weeks anyway"

"too long apart" You reply, squealing a little bit.

"you're insane" He accuses

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

gf who takes hours to get ready x bf who takes minutes

Sebastian had always accused you of taking so long to get ready but in all honesty you didn't think you took that long, you thought Seb just shape shifted and didn't actually change. Genuine accusation.

"Seb, have you seen my white shirt?" You shout from your bedroom

"no" He denies, walking in and seeing you in a different outfit from the last time he saw you

"you changed?" He asks confused yet again even though at this point he should be used to it

"yes, I didn't like the other outfit. Then my hair didn't go with the next one, so I changed again and now I cant find my shirt and I really wanted to wear that outfit" You ramble.

"stand up" He says to your frame sitting on the floor with crossed legs, rooting through your bottom drawer. You stand up and he looks you up and down, examining your clothing choice before looking back at your face and honestly telling you

"honestly, you look great" He says

You huff and roll your eyes slightly before turning to the mirror on the wall and eyeing up your pants and top

"it would look better with my shirt" You huff again

Sebastian walks away for a second and you thought you had acted like a child and made him walk away so you instantly feel bad. He re-enters the room with a bright white, ironed shirt in hand and you can see that it isn't yours.

"here. wear mine" He says, handing his shirt to you and your heart throbs slightly because of the gesture.

"are you sure?" You inquire

"of course I am" He responds as if it's obvious

"thanks, Seb" You reply taking the shirt and embracing him.

You put on the shirt and leave it open, the shirt draping over your sides and down to your thighs as it's too big on you. You adjust your top underneath the shirt and have a final look and you love it.

"is that it?" Seb asks from the bed behind you

"what do you mean?" You reply confused as to what he meant

"I thought you were going to button it up and wear it normally" He informs

"no, this looks better, I like this top and pants together." You reply

"I don't get you but I love it" He replies taking your hand and leading you out the door as he is so ready to leave.

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

should I start a tag list? would people be interested in that?

[barrenclan]

Ranger, Ranger, Ranger. The Machiavellian mutt we all love to hate. As we near towards the big finale in issue 44 and the epilogues that ensue, there is no doubt his role will become larger and larger. So, it’s time we start predicting his actions, reactions, and potentially his fate.

First, we must understand his character as well as his whole Bonnie and Clyde act with Hacksaw. I’ve checked through the comic to find their appearances and my search has found that Ranger is seemingly never seen without Hacksaw. However, Hacksaw is seen a few times without Ranger(in issue one, albeit implied and very brief)(And in issue 27, where she spies on the Barrenclan territory) it might be interesting to note that they are not mentioned alongside Prowl in Thrasher’s monologue in issue 13. Ranger definitely could not do all the menace behavior and projects and whatever shit he’s on, or at least it would be toned down, without Hacksaw. After all, she was the one who killed Saturn, the one who caught RainHaze in the first place, and is always by Ranger’s side whenever he’s talking to RainHaze, probably to bodyguard. The main examples of when Ranger has seriously fought are probably the pheasant he gave to RainHaze(might have been Hacksaw’s kill though) and when he was punishing RainHaze for lying. Issue 24 seems to be the main scene where we get a little peek at what is cooking in Ranger’s little brain cells. He doesn’t seem to really be invested that much in routine control, it’s the “projects” that he really cares about. It seems to be implied that RainHaze might not be the first poor creature this beastly brainwashed has sunk his claws into. However, something to note in issue 31(not the flashback part) is that Ranger does not seem that happy. He seems almost frustrated even though ordering around RainHaze and making him suffer seems to be his favorite thing in the world right now… or is that just a temporary mask he put on to trick RainHaze? Maybe Hacksaw’s words in issue 24 affected him.

So, our current takeaways:

-Ranger depends on Hacksaw as muscle to keep him safe

-Ranger’s main form of activity is his “projects” whether that be just what he’s doing to RainHaze or other fucked up things

-Ranger seems to be a bit in a rut with RainHaze right now

Now, to what Ranger might do in the near future of this story:

Well, we might need to know the extent of how far he wants to go with RainHaze. Does he just want him to love killing? Does he want to ensure RainHaze doesn’t hate him? Is this kind of a, “You’ll thank me later” situation he’s got with torturing RainHaze? Because he knows that RainHaze is part of BarrenClan, he’ll definitely want himself, Hacksaw, and RainHaze to have front row seats for whatever shenanigans Deepdark’s going to do when he pull up to their crib. But something Ranger should keep in mind is that if RainHaze has nothing left to lose, there’s not really anything holding him back from revenge. I’m sure Ranger knows this small risk, and either doesn’t care because he’s confident it won’t happen, or will just have his wifey do the cleanup. If things were to go his way, he’d probably just continue to brainwash RainHaze, wait for him to enjoy killing, and then move on to another project. I wonder if all his victims have a therapy group.

Now, before we go into my main theories for what Ranger’s conclusion will be, I want to discuss something a little extra. If there’s anything this comic is known for, it’s the big, fat, juicy EXISTENTIAL CRISES(and the generational trauma). Maybe, Ranger might get one. More likely not though.

So the two routes I think the story will take with Ranger

He Wins:

Until BeeFace and PlumStripe, and maybe CootStorm, we haven’t really seen antagonists be punished for their bad acts. I don’t think Razmerry is going for the route where Defiance gets away with everything though. But you never know. Maybe he gets no external punishments but it’s more of the internal horror, like the ending of American Psycho.

He gets a comeuppance:

This can come in many forms. Maybe he and Hacksaw die together. Maybe only Hacksaw dies, leaving him probably all alone. Existential crisis optional. Maybe RainHaze gets his revenge, by doing something Ranger did to him. It would be a cool scene if Ranger begs RainHaze to kill him, only for RainHaze to refuse. Maybe Hacksaw leaves him, as she seems a little annoyed with this whole project thing, “It’s either me or him!”

Welp, that’s my ramble. PatFW got that magic that got me doing a full analysis of Coyote Patrick Bateman.

You wrote a wholeass essay on my weirdo coyote with the whimsicality of Lemony Snicket... I'm in LOVE with this. I'm never gonna stop thinking about Machiavellian mutt. Coyote Patrick Bateman. Beastly brainwasher....

This is so good! I'm glad you're excited to see where these guys go!

[mod-kyoko]

may i req the chocolate prompt with the antags!!! if the reqs r overwhelming then i'm fine with just kokichi (why do i feel like im the only one consistently asking for them LMAOAO)

chocolate aphrodisiac ft. kokichi oma (fem!reader version)

male!reader version

info: ⚠️nsfw!!, non-despair au, one-shot format, established relationship, reader is submissive, dubcon....?

a/n: foaming at the mouth i've been waiting for someone to ask for kokichi

also i will probably eventually do one for nagito! (but we are so backed up on requests rn)

♤♧♤♧♤♧♤♧♤♧♤♧♤♧♤♧♤♧♤♧♤♧

earlier today kokichi told you he was going to the store. usually the two of you do the shopping together, so you were suspicious when he told you not to worry about helping out. nevertheless, you went about your afternoon routine while waiting for him to come back. you did the dishes, made the bed, and since kokichi was nice enough to do the weekly grocery shopping for you, you decided to cook a meal with what you had left.

as you're transferring the dishes to the kitchen table, you hear a familiar jingling sound, like keys.

he's home!

the doorknob turns, and in walks your boyfriend. when you round the corner to greet him, you notice that he only has one bag in his hand.

"where's the rest of the groceries?" you ask, and he bounds towards you, pulling you into a hug.

"i lied, i didn't actually go grocery shopping. sorry!" he smiles cheekily as you roll your eyes. now what are you supposed to do? you're almost out of food. "but," he continues, "i did get you a surprise. it's for later though, so you're not allowed to see it yet."

he pats your head, earning another eye roll, and you drag him to the kitchen. he sets the plastic bag down, but you can't see what's inside. you doubt he would let you look, anyway. when your boyfriend sees the large meal you made for him, his eyes light up.

"you made this for me?" he beams, eyeing up the dishes.

"i did it because i thought you were shopping for groceries. this is the last of our food," you complain, glaring at him. he sighs, without a care in the world, and wraps his arms around your waist. leaning into your ear, he whispers.

"i'll go shopping tomorrow, i promise. and you'll be too tired to go with me, anyways." he presses a kiss to your cheek, leaving you to wonder what he means. but you don't ask, because he is already sat at the table chowing down on the noodles you made. you follow, sitting down across from him and picking up your fork.

both your days were uneventful, so your dinner is spent pretty quietly. once both your plates are cleared, you get up to put the dishes in the sink, but he beats you to it.

"don't worry about any of the cleanup, i got it," he winks, setting the dishes down. you furrow your brows.

"what's your motive?" you ask. you're unconvinced that he would be this caring and thoughtful just because.

you watch your boyfriend turn the corner and fetch the plastic bag. you can't see what he takes out, he's hiding it, but you can hear the crumbling of a wrapper.

"i got dessert!" he grins, skipping back over to you. there is a chocolate bar in his palm. he breaks it in half, and hands one piece to you. you cock an eyebrow at him, but take it.

"a chocolate bar for dessert?" you ask, but bite into it anyways. kokichi waits for you to chew and swallow, before biting into his own piece. you catch a glint in his eyes, and his lips turn up into a smirk. he's making the usual face he makes when he is attempting something mischievous. but what the fuck would he have done to a chocolate bar?

maybe he's waiting for you to finish it to tell you it's made of bugs or something.

but no, it tastes good, and by the time you both finish the bar, it's like he forgot all about it... what is his plan?

kokichi takes care of the dishes while you settle down in bed to watch tv before going to sleep. it's not exactly close to the time you normally go to sleep, but it's dark and you don't have anything else to do for the day.

after ten minutes watching a silly show, your boyfriend pops into the room. he closes the bedroom door behind him, and approaches the bed. with no warning, he runs and jumps on top of you, knocking the air out of your lungs.

"ah! kokichi, why-" you scream, startled by his sudden movement. the little shit lays on top of you, wrapping his arms around your torso.

"watcha watchin'?" he smiles, pressing a kiss to your cheek. you reach around to tangle your fingers in his hair, scratching his head.

"just some sitcom that was on," you shrug. kokichi turns his attention to the tv, and to your dismay, rolls over onto the mattress. he sits up for a second to take off his shirt and pants, leaving him in just his boxers.

now, you've seen your boyfriend naked a thousand times. you've seen him in just his underwear a thousand more. it wasn't new. but for some reason, right now, you can feel yourself heating up. a familiar fluttery sensation twists your stomach, and your heart skips a beat. what the fuck? why are you getting so hot and bothered over something kokichi does every night? he always sleeps in his boxers.

whatever, you think to yourself, and shift your attention back to the sitcom.

a little less than a half hour later, the heat in the room is stifling, and you feel a tingling sensation between your legs. you sigh, rubbing your thighs together to create friction. it seems like kokichi has fallen asleep. he is facing away from you and hasn't moved in a while.

you frown, sitting up and swinging your legs over the edge of the bed. maybe if you turn down the a/c... you tiptoe out of the room, down the hall to the thermostat, and turn it down. when you turn around, you're met face to face with your boyfriend.

"shit!" you jump, instinctively backing up against the wall. kokichi cackles, slapping his knee as you clutch your chest. "kokichi, i thought you were asleep?"

he says nothing, and his expression goes quickly from humored to taunting. the corner of his mouth turns up, and he leans forward, effectively cornering you.

"...kokichi?" you whisper. with your bodies in such close proximity, you're reminded of the reason why you got out of bed in the first place. "fuck, why is it so hot? are you hot too?" you reach for the collar of your top and pull at it, fanning yourself.

kokichi reaches up and leans against the wall with his hand. "hot for you," he winks, sending a shiver down your spine.

"um-" you start, but he grabs your face roughly, cutting you off with a passionate kiss. when you two break apart, it feels like your world is spinning.

"uh, kichi, i don't feel so good," you mumble. your stomach is tightening and the butterflies are going haywire in your stomach. not to mention you're pretty sure your panties are soaked for some reason.

"oh yeah, that's my fault, my bad," he grins, fingers ghosting under the hem of your top. you shudder, anticipating his next move. he slides his hand under your shirt, up to your chest. your mouth falls open as he squeezes your breast.

"what do you mean... how is it your fault?" you breathe. kokichi rubs circles over your nipple, drawing out shaky breaths from you.

"i sort of, uh, gave you an aphrodisiac. i found it at the store and wanted to see what would happen. but don't worry! i took it too." you furrow your brows, leaning your head against the wall.

"the chocolate? what the hell, kokichi?" you moan, but do nothing as his hands trail down to the waistband of your pants. he presses up against you, and you can feel his hard-on against your leg.

"i said my bad!" he defends himself, and you scoff, but allow him to keep performing his ministrations. he slides his fingers under your panties, finding your clit. he teases it, rubbing slow circles. moans and whines fall out through your lips. your boyfriend lets out a cocky laugh at your noises, picking up the pace.

"fuck," you curse, grabbing onto his arm. he leans forward, locks of hair tickling your face as his mouth latches onto your neck. soon he leaves your swollen clit alone, and prods at your hole. he slides the tip of a finger in, reveling at how you clamp around it. while thumbing your clit, he pumps two fingers in and out of you.

"i'll take care of you real good, okay? so just relax," he whispers, kissing down from your jaw to the junction between your neck and shoulder. with a shaky breath, you clutch onto his arms.

"kichi," you whine, knowing you're close to cumming on his fingers. you buck your hips, trying to speed up his painfully slow movement. "don't stop."

"i won't, baby," he answers, finally pumping into you faster. loud moans topple out from you as your stomach tightens. he relentlessly rubs your clit, fingering you until you come undone.

"fuck," you scream, liquids gushing out onto his hand. he smiles, bringing his fingers up to his mouth. as you catch your breath, you watch him suck off all your cum, taking his sweet time.

"i hate you for this," you scowl, running your fingers through his hair. he hasn't stopped grinning this entire time, knowing he's won this little game.

he ignores that statement, instead picking you up by the back of your thighs, so you can wrap your legs around his waist.

"that was just round one, baby. i hope you're ready."

♤♧♤♧♤♧♤♧♤♧♤♧♤♧♤♧♤♧♤♧♤♧

i deeply apologize for how goddamn long this took

-mod kyoko

[000noway]

Obey me In search of a smile (Pet Version)

This is based off the Card story!!

Go to my profile for more!

Part 1:

A week had passed since the mud incident, and MC had nearly completed the new scrapbook. However, one crucial photo was still missing: the very first picture they had taken with all their beloved pets. The absence of this treasured memento had driven MC into a frenzy.

The living room had become a disaster zone. MC was tearing through drawers and cushions, shouting "Where is it?! WHERE IS IT?!!" at the top of their lungs.

Mammon and Beelzebub, caught up in their owner's urgency, were also wreaking havoc, upending furniture and scattering papers everywhere in their enthusiastic search.

MC's friend, watching this chaos unfold with growing alarm, turned to Lucifer with a pleading look. "What should we do?"

Lucifer, maintaining his usual composure, simply turned and walked out of the living room, leaving MC's friend even more bewildered.

"Maybe we should all calm down a bit?" MC's friend suggested nervously.

This earned them simultaneous glares from both MC and Mammon.

"Calm down?!" MC exclaimed. "This is no time to calm down!" They spun to face Mammon and Beelzebub. "You two, search the rest of the house!"

The dogs gave what could only be described as salutes before bounding off to different rooms. Moments later, the sounds of crashes echoed through the house.

Despite MC's friend's protests, the destructive search continued for several more minutes. Just as it seemed the entire house might be turned upside down, Lucifer returned, Leviathan slithering alongside him. In Lucifer's mouth was the missing photo.

MC's eyes lit up as Lucifer gently deposited the picture into their hands. "You found it! Mammon! Beel! Come back, we've got it!"

The two dogs came bounding back into the living room, tails wagging excitedly as they crowded around MC to look at the recovered photo. All three were beaming with joy and relief.

However, their celebration was short-lived. They looked up to find Lucifer and MC's friend fixing them with stern glares, eyebrows raised in matching expressions of disapproval.

"What's wrong?" MC asked, still clutching the photo happily.

MC's friend gestured around the room with an exasperated sigh. "Maybe take a look at the state of the living room?"

For the first time since their frantic search began, MC, Mammon, and Beelzebub truly took in their surroundings. The room looked as if a small tornado had torn through it. Cushions were strewn about, books and magazines littered the floor, and a lamp teetered precariously on the edge of an overturned side table.

MC's cheeks flushed with embarrassment. "Oh... we might have gone a little overboard," they admitted sheepishly. Mammon and Beelzebub whined in agreement, their ears drooping slightly.

Lucifer and MC's friend rolled their eyes in perfect unison, a mix of frustration and fondness in their expressions.

As the reality of the cleanup ahead sank in, MC couldn't help but chuckle. "Well, I guess we know what we're doing for the rest of the day. Who's up for a tidying party?"

Mammon and Beelzebub's tails began to wag tentatively, always eager to please despite the mess they'd helped create. Lucifer snorted, shaking his mane in what seemed to be a resigned "what am I going to do with you all" gesture.

Part 2:

The next day, MC and their friend were lounging on the living room floor, flipping through the newly completed scrapbook. The brothers, except for Lucifer and Belphegor, were scattered around them, peering at the photos with interest.

As they turned the pages, MC's friend suddenly noticed something odd. "Hey, I just realized... there aren't any clear pictures of Belphegor. His cage is always cut out or obscured somehow."

MC nodded, a slight frown creasing their brow. "Yeah, it's pretty hard to get the whole cage in a photo. The store owner never told us what kind of animal Belphegor is, and we're still not allowed to open his cage or remove the cover."

Their friend's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "You mean you don't even know what kind of animal he is?"

MC shook their head, their expression a mix of frustration and concern.

As they continued flipping through the pages, MC's friend pointed to a photo. "Oh, here's a good one of you and Belphegor. You're reading manga to him, right?"

The photo showed MC sitting next to Belphegor's covered cage, an open manga in their hands. But instead of bringing a smile to MC's face, the picture only made them sigh heavily.

Noticing MC's reaction, their friend asked gently, "What's wrong?"

MC bit their lip, their eyes fixed on the photo. "I... I feel like Belphegor doesn't like me," they admitted softly. Beelzebub, hearing this, let out a worried whine.

"At first, he used to make these little sighs that sounded happy, you know? I thought we were bonding. But a few days after I adopted everyone, something changed. It was like I suddenly got this vibe from him that he didn't want anything to do with me."

MC's fingers traced the outline of the cage in the photo. "I tried reading him funny manga to cheer him up, but... nothing worked."

Their friend tried to reassure them. "Maybe you shouldn't worry about it so much. I'm sure he'll come around eventually."

But MC just stared at the picture, their voice quiet but determined. "Belphegor is a member of our family. I don't care what kind of animal he is. I just want him to be happy."

Just then, the sound of a bus pulling up outside caught their attention. MC and their friend quickly gathered their school things, heading out the door with hurried goodbyes to the pets.

Part 3:

The brothers gathered around the scrapbook, their expressions a mix of concern and contemplation.

Asmodeus sighed dramatically, "It's such a shame. Belphie does have a nice smile - second only to mine, of course - but he never shows it anymore."

Beelzebub's ears drooped slightly. "I can't remember the last time I sensed Belphie being happy. And every time MC's in the same room with him, he just gets... annoyed."

Leviathan nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I was there when MC was reading manga to him. I sat there for hours, hoping to sense even a little happiness from him."

"In the end," Mammon chimed in, "MC read through every last volume, and Belphie didn't seem to enjoy it one bit."

Satan, ever the observant one, added, "I'm not that surprised. Even when he was out of the cage, he never held a smile for long."

The others murmured in agreement, the atmosphere growing heavier with shared concern.

Beelzebub's tail swished anxiously. "I would really like to see Belphie smile again."

Satan's eyes gleamed with determination. "Then it's settled. We're going to find a way to force a smile out of him and get a picture for MC."

Later that day, the brothers put their plan into action. Leviathan approached Belphegor's cage first, holding a limited edition figurine. "Hey Belphie, I got you this rare collectible!"

Belphegor's voice came muffled from the cage. "Not interested."

Next, Mammon tried his luck with a shiny new wallet. "Look, Belphie! It's got lots of pockets for... uh... whatever you keep in wallets!"

"No thanks," came the flat reply.

Asmodeus flounced up with a selection of beauty products. "Darling, I've brought you the most exquisite fur care routine!"

"Pass," Belphegor grumbled.

Frustrated by their failed attempts, Mammon blurted out, "Come on, Belphie! We're just trying to get you to smile for a picture for MC!"

Leviathan and Asmodeus shot Mammon exasperated looks, their plan now exposed.

From within the cage, Belphegor's voice took on an angry edge. "So that's what this is about? You're trying to manipulate me into pretending to be happy for that human's sake?"

The brothers exchanged worried glances, realizing their well-intentioned plan had backfired. Belphegor's discontent seemed to have only intensified, leaving them at a loss for what to do next.

Beelzebub, always the most sensitive to his twin's moods, approached the cage cautiously. "Belphie, we just want you to be happy. We thought maybe if you smiled, even a little..."

"I don't need to smile for anyone, especially not for that human," Belphegor interrupted sharply. "Just leave me alone."

The atmosphere in the room grew tense. Satan, ever the strategist, realized they needed to regroup. "Come on, everyone. Let's give him some space."

As they moved away from the cage, the brothers shared concerned looks. They had hoped to bridge the gap between Belphegor and MC, but it seemed they had only widened it.

Part 4:

Some time later, Beelzebub returned to Belphegor's cage, a peace offering of treats in tow.

"Belphie?" he called softly. "I brought you some of my favorite snacks. Want to hang out for a bit?"

After a moment of silence, Belphegor replied with a reluctant, "Fine."

As they shared the treats, Beelzebub decided to try one more time. "Hey, Belphie... do you think you could smile? Just once?"

Belphegor's response was immediate and firm. "No."

"But it would make MC happy..." Beelzebub started, only to be cut off by Belphegor's sudden outburst.

"Why should I care about making them happy?" Belphegor snapped. His voice turned cold as he continued, "That human is lucky I'm caged up. Otherwise, I would've hurt them from day one."

Beelzebub recoiled, shocked by the venom in his twin's words. "Belphie, you can't mean that..."

"I do mean it," Belphegor insisted. "You can't hate humans forever," Beelzebub tried to reason.

"I can!" Belphegor yelled, his anger palpable even through the cage. "They're all the same!"

Beelzebub shook his head firmly. "You're wrong, Belphie. MC is different, and deep down, you know it."

"How could you possibly know that?" Belphegor scoffed.

"Because," Beelzebub said gently, "you still have the pillow MC gave you. You could have rejected it, but you accepted it and kept it."

There was a long pause, the silence heavy between them. Finally, Belphegor spoke, his voice quieter but still hard. "The only reason I keep it is because it keeps me warm at night. Nothing more."

Beelzebub's ears drooped, sensing the finality in his brother's tone.

"Just... leave me alone, Beel," Belphegor said, sounding tired.

With a heavy heart, Beelzebub complied, padding away from the cage.

After Beelzebub shared what happened, Satan's tail twitched with determination. "That's it. The only way to make Belphie smile is by force. We'll ambush him while he's sleeping."

Mammon scratched his ear. "I dunno, Satan. That seems kinda... extreme?"

"Do you have a better idea?" Satan retorted.

Asmodeus fluffed his fur. "Well, I suppose if it's for a good cause..."

Later that night, they crept towards Belphegor's cage. Satan carefully pulled back the cage cover while Asmodeus, Beelzebub, and Mammon wielded feather dusters, ready to tickle their brother into submission. Leviathan held a phone in his tail, prepared to capture the elusive smile.

"Ready?" Satan whispered. "On three. One... two... three!"

At first, their plan seemed to be working. Belphegor stirred, a hint of a smile appearing on his face. But suddenly, he started banging on the cage walls.

Mammon yelped, "Uh oh, this ain't good!"

MC's parents rushed in. "What on earth is going on here?"

Misunderstanding the situation, MC's parents quickly intervened, separating the brothers and taking them away from Belphegor's cage. The plan had backfired spectacularly.

The next day, Beelzebub noticed MC returning from school and picking up Belphegor's cage. Curious and concerned, the brothers (except for Lucifer) decided to follow MC.

They trailed MC to the library, watching from hidden spots as MC approached the checkout desk. To their surprise, MC was borrowing a new volume of the joke manga they had read to Belphegor before.

As they eavesdropped, they overheard the librarian informing MC that the manga series was getting a spin-off. To their astonishment, they sensed a smile from Belphegor. The realization dawned on them – Belphegor had enjoyed the manga all along; he had just pretended not to like it.

Overcome with excitement, Leviathan burst out of his hiding spot, phone at the ready to capture the moment. Satan hissed a warning, but it was too late.

Belphegor, noticing his brothers, immediately stopped smiling. In a low, irritated whisper that only his siblings could hear, he said, "You're not getting me to smile. Give it up."

The brothers exchanged frustrated glances, realizing their chance had slipped away. They had come so close to seeing Belphegor genuinely happy, only to have the moment shattered by their own eagerness.

Chat- sleepless nights:

As night fell, Belphegor tossed and turned in his cage, unable to find comfort. The chill of the night air seeped through the bars, and he reached for the pillow MC had given him, only to find it missing.

Panic rose in his chest as he whispered to himself, "Where is it? Where did it fall?"

His ears perked up at the sound of MC's footsteps approaching.

"Belphegor?" MC called softly. "I found your pillow near the door. I didn't want you to be cold."

MC gently placed the pillow near the cage, but to their surprise, Belphegor turned away from it.

In his mind, Belphegor battled with himself. 'I don't want anything to do with that human. The pillow being gone shouldn't bother me so much.'

MC let out a sad sigh. "You don't even want the pillow anymore, do you?" Their voice trembled slightly. "I'm sorry, Belphegor. I'm sorry for trying to force us to bond. If... if leaving you alone will make you happy, I'll do it."

As MC turned to leave, the sound of fabric dragging across the floor made them pause. A contented sigh followed.

"Good night, Belphegor," MC said, glancing back. Their eyes widened in shock as they caught a glimpse of a small smile peeking out from beneath the cage cover.

MC's face lit up with a warm smile of their own. "I'll read the new book to you tomorrow, okay?"

Another soft sigh drifted from the cage, almost like a reply.

As MC's footsteps faded away, Belphegor snuggled into the pillow, his mind whirling with conflicting thoughts.

'Humans become happy over the weirdest things,' he mused. But then, a new thought crept in, one that surprised even him. 'But making MC smile this one time... it wasn't so bad.'

The night settled around him, and for the first time in a long while, Belphegor drifted off to sleep with a hint of warmth in his heart that had nothing to do with the pillow.

[pttwice]

cleanup time

|| little!momo, cg!jeongyeon ||

One thing Momo loved doing was playing. It didn't matter if it was with her mama, with one of the girls, or by herself. Her favorite things to play with were alphabet blocks and even when Jeongyeon wasn't there to play with her, she'd manage to play peek-a-boo by herself.

Momo rarely woke up before her mama, but she crashed early the night before in the middle of a movie. Jeongyeon put her to bed much earlier than her usual bedtime so the little was very well rested.

Momo had been up for about an hour. The sun was just beginning to rise as she sat on her rug. She had her blocks spread out as well as some of her dolls.

It was rare for quiet mornings with Momo since she usually wanted her mama's attention as soon as she woke up, but she was busying herself with her toys. She had already quietly built a few towers and spelled a few words out that may or may not have been right.

As she made up a story with her Barbies and the Sully plush Sana had gotten her for Christmas last year, she didn't hear her mama finally get up.

Jeongyeon slowly made her way to Momo's room and was surprised when she saw her baby sitting on the floor instead of splayed out still asleep in her bed. Jeongyeon leaned against the doorframe and let out a silent yawn. She smiled as she watched Momo quietly babble to herself and move her dolls around.

Jeongyeon watched for a few minutes to just enjoy the peace of the morning before she cleared her throat and made her presence known. Almost immediately, Momo turned around and set her dolls down.

Momo excitedly toddled over to her mama and wrapped her in a tight hug. She buried her face in her mama's chest and let out a happy sigh.

"Good morning, pumpkin. How long have you been awake?" Jeongyeon kissed the crown of Momo's head and gently rubbed her back. Her smile grew wider when Momo looked up at her.

"Been playin' wif my toys and built a tower and den played with Barbie and..."

Jeongyeon chuckled softly and continued to rub small circles into Momo's back as she let her baby talk about all the fun she had been having. She never got an answer to how long Momo had been awake for, but she assumed it had to have been more than an hour.

"Well that sounds like a lot of fun, Mo. But how about you help mama with breakfast? We can make pancakes!"

Momo's eyes lit up at the suggestion and she immediately let her mama go. She tried to move past Jeongyeon, but the oldest put a hand out to stop her from leaving the bedroom.

"Woah there, pumpkin. You've gotta clean up your toys first." Jeongyeon laughed and gently turned Momo back around. She led her back to the middle of her bedroom where her toys were scattered on the floor and crouched down.

"But hungy, mama. Wan' pancake." Momo pouted and crossed her arms over her chest, but she knew her mama wouldn't budge. She let out a small huff and squatted down beside Jeongyeon who just looked at her with a playful eyeroll.

Jeongyeon watched as Momo stayed squatted down with her arms over her chest, not moving a muscle. She thought for a moment before she sat down and crossed her legs.

"How about you help mama clean up your toys and whoever picks up the last toy and puts it away, they get an extra pancake?" Jeongyeon smiled as Momo furiously nodded her head in agreement.

Within a few seconds, Momo was picking up armfuls of her blocks and putting them in her toy chest. Jeongyeon watched and handed her a Barbie, confident that she'd be done in no time at the speed she was cleaning.

A few minutes later, Momo managed to pick up most of the toys. The only things left were a few accessories.

"Wan' mama wear pishy." Momo giggled and held out the yellow and black striped fish headband. "Mo wear da bear."

Jeongyeon smiled and gave her baby a small nod. She placed the headband on her head and tossed the other hat into Momo's toy chest before helping her up on her feet.

"Does mama have to wear this all day?"

Momo looked up at Jeongyeon with a wide smile and nodded. "Yeah! Mama pishy 'nd Mo bear."

Jeongyeon wasn't thrilled to be wearing the fish headband the entire day, but if it made her baby happy and got her to clean up after herself, she'd gladly sacrifice her hair for one day.

[ramblinganthropologist]

Rook Appreciation Week - Mercar

Summary: Zephyr's finally able to go home after the dragon attack on the city. Time to get the band back together, he's got some explaining to do...

(I wrote this for @rookappreciationweek. Whoo, only two more to go!)

---

Even though it was as messy and corrupt as always… Miranthous was in one piece. And that was all she could ask for at that moment.

Well, she could also ask for the Venatori to stop using the Archon as a hand puppet, but that was shooting for the moon.

Zephyr signed in relief as she hopped over a pieces of a broken wall, landing hard on the other side with a flurry of dust flying about her as she touched down. Minrathous had survived the dragon attack surprisingly well, considering it had come out of nowhere in the middle of the night. It could have been a downright tragedy, but instead it was a messy cleanup with some injuries to treat.

Treviso hadn’t gotten so lucky.

She paused, hand on the wall leading into her favorite part of Docktown. Treviso was… bad. Tainted. There was Blight in the canals they were probably never going to get out, and that was without the Antaam breathing down their necks. The Crows were hurting badly, and they were angry.

Angry at everyone, her included.

“I did what I fucking could, I couldn’t be in two places at once.” Zephyr grit her teeth, fist hard against the wall. “Minrathous is my fucking home…”

As much as any place could be a home. Someone could argue that it wasn’t really home – it wasn’t like she had been born there after all – but it was as close to home as it could get for her. It needed protection, both from dragons and the onslaught of the Venatori that still prowled around the city.

She was a Shadow Dragon – it was her job to keep people safe and free. She could hardly do that with a dragon destroying everything and decimating the city. As bad as she felt about Treviso… it had been a decision she’d had to make in the blink of an eye.

And unlike Solas, she was going to live with it and not try to tear reality apart to try to fix it. It wasn’t like you could time travel… right?

Right…

Anyway, Zephyr found himself relying on muscle memory more than anything else. This part of Darktown was a little more beat up than the other sections he had traversed on his way through the city, in part because of the location and who lived there. Docktown wasn’t known for being well off, and it showed. They would rebuild, but it would be slow.

The Shadows would help with that hopefully – The Viper was a good guy like that. And they needed to secure the city anyway.

But he put that out of his mind to continue down a dusty, dirty path littered with rocks. At least there were no bodies strewn about. If people had died, they had been taken away for the pyre and the Wall of Light. Maybe when he was done, he would head over and light the orbs for those who couldn’t do it and didn’t have the money to pay someone to do it. It was just something small he could do for his fellow residents of the city – the Wall had brought him comfort as a child, and if he could do that for someone else, it was worth it.

That would come later, though. He had something more immediate on his mind.

Much to his relief, he soon found himself standing in front of a shabby looking building, hewn from stone and wood that had seen better days. The paint was faded and peeling, it smelled like stale ale, and there were broken bottles littered outside. The only thing that really stood out about it was the sign above the door – someone had painted a dragon skin pinned to a wall, dripping blood that had run with the rain and weather.

Somehow, the Flayed Dragon had survived the attack on the city.

His heart was in his throat at that moment as he pushed hard on the door and let himself in. Right then, the tavern was quiet. The patrons were either at work or sleeping off last night’s bender somewhere else, so there wasn’t anyone there except those who were getting ready for the night’s action. The stage at the front was empty, and the boards needed polishing, and the magelight was cracked and crooked…

It was fucking beautiful.

“Hey, we’re closed right now. Come back later if you want a drink, I got a floor to mop.”

A low voice caused Zephyr to whip around so quickly it was a miracle she didn’t break her neck or hit anything with her horns. There was a person emerging from the back room, a box of bottles in their arms. It was hard to see them from the other side of the bar due to their height – they were all but hidden by the boxes they were carrying – but she knew that voice anywhere.

Despite everything, she smiled. “Yeah, I can tell. It’s a fucking mess. What, does your boss not pay you to maintain the vibes?”

The dwarf behind the bar almost dropped their boxes of drink but managed to fumble at the last moment. That was quickly set aside, and soon they were running towards her at a high rate of speed, faster than lightning and just as powerful. Zephyr barely had time to brace herself for impact, but luckily, she was a lot bigger.

She still had the wind knocked out of her when they buried their face in her middle and wrapped their strong arms around her lower back, pulling her close. Their whole body was shaking, but they weren’t about to let go.

Lyrio might have talked a good game, but they were a crybaby and always had been. It was one of their many charm points that made them absolutely adorable and fun to tease.

“You fucking asshole!” Lyrio sniffed as they squeezed her tight. “Nobody hears from you for almost a year, and you just show the fuck up out of nowhere after a fucking dragon attacks the city?!”

Zephyr chuckled weakly as she squeezed back – she didn’t need to worry about being too rough, the dwarf could handle it no problem. “Hey, didn’t you say I was amazing at making an entrance?”

“You’re a fucking menace, Zeph.” Lyrio stepped back to rub their eyes. “And if you don’t fucking kiss me right now, I’m gonna kick your shins in. Got the boots on for it and everything too.”

That made the qunari chuckle as she nodded. Soon, she was scooping up her partner, making it easy for them to share a brief but passionate kiss. It had been so long since they had seen each other, yet it felt like no time at all as the force caused Zephyr to back up, supporting both their weights in the process.

Oh, she had missed the feeling of Lyrio’s longue piercing when they kissed. How many times had she dreamed about it on her time on the road, when she had been all alone and wishing she could be back in Minrathous? She couldn’t even count…

Fuck counting, though. Reality was good enough not to count.

Eventually, they had to come up for air. Lyrio broke first, ruddy cheeked as their chest heaved. Zephyr chuckled, feeling his own chest rise and fall from the effort. Even with all his time on the road or running around with Varric, a good makeout session was exercise all on its own. And oh, he was severely out of practice.

“I missed you, you fucking asshole.” Lyrio pressed their foreheads together, closing their eyes. “Where the fuck did you go? Me and Rick thought you died.”

Zephyr paused, frowning. As much as he wanted to tell the truth – got kicked out of the city due to weird Shadow Dragon/magister bullshit after freeing slaves – he knew it was safer for the dwarf if he kept his mouth shut. Maybe later, when they were back home, he could expand on it. But not there – too many places to hear.

Besides, he had never discussed his… activities… outside the band and his relationship with his bandmates. It just never came up.

“Let’s just say I had to get out of the city, and I’ll tell you more later.” He looked around. “Where is Rick anyway? Is he still at work?”

He certainly wasn’t there – the gangly elf wasn’t exactly a sight for sore eyes on the best of days, and that was before he looked at you with the missing eye. But since it wasn’t a band night, it was only natural he would be at work right then.

“He should be at the docks right now; they’ve got a lot of cleanup to do after the dragon attack.” Lyrio sighed in relief. “We got lucky. Our apartment only faced minor damage we can fix ourselves, and the Dragon will be open for this weekend’s shows. It could’ve been a lot worse, Zeph.”

Boy, didn’t he know it – he had nearly died fighting the damn thing in the middle of Docktown. Really, he was surprised stories about a qunari with blue hair trying to set a dragon on fire weren’t going around like a storm right then. Maybe the Shadows were managing that behind the scenes? He would need to ask Tarquin or someone about that later…

After he checked on his boyfriend.

“That’s what I’ve been hearing.”

Zephyr did her best to keep it off her face, but it was hard considering how long she had been dating the dwarf and the fact they were only inches apart from each other. Once, a fellow Shadow had said she was a shit liar, and no doubt she was proving that in that moment.

Lyrio’s brow furrowed, making their eyebrow piercing stick out even more and catch the light from the dirty window. “Zeph, you sound like you know more than you’re letting on. What’s going on? You show up out of nowhere after a year of no contact, and now this? It’s fucking weird.”

All she could do was frown and gently put the dwarf on the bar. “Look, I need to tell you both at the same time. I don’t really want to have to explain it twice.”

Zephyr frowned. “I’m gonna go pick Rick up from work and meet you back at the apartment. I’ll tell you everything there.”

That only made the dwarf frown deeper, but in the end they nodded. “Alright, go get him and get your ass home as soon as you can. I want everything you’ve been hiding from us.”

Boy, if that didn’t sound terrible… but she owed it to her partners to tell them the truth, so time to go round up her boyfriend and get him home. At least they still had a home to go back to, considering what had just happened.

What did people always say, count your blessings? She had always thought that was bullshit, but maybe there was some truth to it…

---

The docks, unsurprisingly, were a mess. And yet, at the same time, they weren’t as bad as they could have been.

Zephyr took in the salty smell of the sea as he looked around. It wasn’t pretty – parts of the wooden boards had been burnt to ashes or torn up in the dragon attack. There were sunken ships, huge chunks of buildings that had toppled into the sea, and cordoned off slicks of oil from toppled lamps. And yet, there was no Blight in the water, no floating bodies, and the Venatori weren’t prowling the boards left. As bad as it was, it could’ve been worse.

The sound of hammers filled the air as workers fixed the wooden docks and some of the more salvageable boats. Those who weren’t doing that were cleaning up other areas or taking in some of the boats who had managed to get through. Despite the sense of anxiety that had filled Minrathous, things were getting back to normal.

Leave it to Docktown – business as usual within days of a dragon attack. It made his heart proud.

“Zeph, you’re not dead!”

A deep voice paired with a hearty slap on the back that would’ve launched a smaller person into the sea. However, Zephyr was over seven feet tall with the muscle to match, so he didn’t even move. The slap still vibrated through his body and made his teeth rattle, but he was glad to feel it as he grinned.

“Mikael, you old bastard, I’m surprised the dragon didn’t use you for a chew toy!”

The older human man laughed, shaking his head. “I’d break its fucking teeth, you know that. Good to see you, though. Rick’s been a sad sap without you. His signs are so small compared to how they used to be.”

He glanced around. “Last I saw, he was in the warehouse. If anyone asks, I’ll just say he’s somewhere else.”

That made Zephyr grin as he nodded. “Thanks, Mik. Remind me of this when you wanna get into the Dragon next show.”

Hopefully, he would remember that too… he probably would. Maybe.

…

Maybe he should tell Lyrio and Rick about it before they got to the whole ‘so I’m secretly a vigilante who got kicked out of the country and now I’m fighting the gods with one in my head’ thing…

Still, at least she had a goal. Zephyr headed towards the warehouse, sidestepping workers going in countless directions with building materials or fishing nets in their arms. The inside was quieter than the docks itself, but it was no less busy as boards were cut and sanded, and other materials were gathered for the repairs.

Thanks to this, it was easy to spot Rick. He was a gangly thing, all awkward limbs in his too-tall body. Right then, he was one of the most beautiful things she had ever seen as he bent over a pile of boards, trying to scoop them up to take out. Naturally, he was off balance, so he started to teeter backwards to fall on his ass.

Luckily, Zephyr caught him without a problem.

“Hey, watch it, bean pole. If you’re not careful, someone’s going to mistake you for a mast and nail you to the ships out there.”

Rick’s cheeks went ruddy, and he whipped around. He was already starting to sign – looked like ‘watch it, bastard’ at first, but then his eyes widened, and his hands dropped to his sides. Then they found her and pulled her down for a kiss.

She had missed kissing the scars on his lips – they gave his face character.

“Missed you too, asshole.” She managed when they broke the kiss. “Good to see you’re still in one piece.”

In one piece, and with no new scars. Rick was clumsy and had terrible luck, which was why he could no longer speak thanks to the heavy scars that lined his neck and lower jaw. Going a year without getting hurt in some stupid way was as much a miracle as Minrathous surviving the dragon attack – Zephyr was glad for both.

The elf���s hands started flying almost immediately. Where the hell have you been?! Why didn’t you write to us?

“I’ll explain it when we get back to the apartment.” She jerked her thumb towards the door. “Mik’s covering for you, let’s get the fuck out of here before anyone notices you’re gone and comes looking.”

Rick scowled at that, but at least he nodded. Alright, fine. This better be fucking good, Z.

Zephyr’s stomach always got butterflies in it when she watched Rick use the special sign for her, mimicking her grabbing a mic after signing her name. She had missed seeing him sign and all his quirks from being self-taught – it was refreshing.

It made it hard to hold his hand, but it was a fair trade off so he could communicate.

“Trust me, you’re gonna want to be sitting down for this.” Zephyr motioned for the door. “Now, are we going to walk out of here or do I have to sneak you out under my arm like you’re a wooden board?”

At least that got the elf to chuckle silently, shoulders shaking. Dare you to try.

Oh, never do that. Never do that if you didn’t want her to do the thing. He shouldn’t have been surprised she picked him up and tucked him under her arm like a wooden board as she left the warehouse behind.

Made it easier to blend in that way…

---

About twenty minutes later, Zephyr sighed in relief as he closed the door behind him. Getting back to the apartment had been a little problematic, given the city was still putting itself back together. Some of the roads had been downright inaccessible, and they had needed to find alternate routes.

Luckily, he had made it back in one piece.

The apartment was as how it had always been – small, kind of cramped for a qunari, and full of their lives. They had been living there for a couple of years now, and it doubled as both living space and workshop for their songs. The nice part about being a mage was that he could soundproof things, allowing for a free practice space. Thanks to that, their instruments were everything.

His fingers found his discarded lute as he waited for Lyrio and Rick to join him so he could spill the beans. It had been too long since he had played it – the last time had been a week before he had been kicked out of the city. It was a miracle he still had calluses at all, given it had been so long.

Absent-mindedly, he strummed. It was out of tune – gross. Sticking out his tongue, he began to tweak the tuning until it sounded right. It was more muscle memory and comfort than actually wanting to play at that moment. Depending on how the talk went, he might need to find both a new band and a new place to live.

Hopefully not – he enjoyed the Heretics and his partners. But that was the downside of dating your bandmates – breakups were hell.

The dwarf was the one to emerge first, carrying three mugs of steaming tea. Just smelling the honey they had put in was enough to make Zephyr’s heart flutter. Rick was right behind them, scrubbed up from work, and looking anxious. Well, they both did. It was only natural – they had gotten their partner back after a year of no contact.

And it was only going to get worse.

Lyrio passed him his mug – the blue one. They liked the purple one, where Rick preferred his orange mug. It made it easy to figure out who had what, so there were no arguments between them. Color-coding wasn’t just for children after all – it worked for polycules too. He was glad to see it as he took a deep sip of the honeyed tea before setting his mug down on the table.

The room grew silent as she exchanged glances among her partners. Rick looked worried – and a little pissed off – whereas Lyrio looked pissed off and a little worried. They were great at complementing each other without even trying – came from being partners and bandmates for so long. It came with the territory.

It was the elf who broke the tension, though not the silence as they started to sign. So, I assume this has something to do with where you used to go at night.

This was met with a nod from Lyrio. “And don’t try to tell us it was a side gig, you came back bruised and smelling like lyrium way too many times for it to be a night job.”

Zephyr winced – and here she thought she had been subtle about her night activities. In hindsight, she had just hoped neither of them knew anything about how mages operated in battle, given that she was the only mage among them. However, they were in Tevinter, and because of that everyone knew the basics when it came to mages and their favorite source of energy.

“Alright, yeah, I wasn’t… well, it wasn’t typical work. I got money from it, but it was mostly from looting the corpses after…”

She trailed off – watching their expressions change. There was alarm there, and concern. “It’s not like I was a merc or anything, don’t worry!”

“You better not, mages are shit for merc work.” Lyrio shook their head. “So, what were you doing that involved lyrium and you getting hurt?”

This was where Zephyr frowned. Briefly, she contemplated the best way to break this to her partners, but in the end, there wasn’t really a good way. Finding out your partner was a freelance freedom fighter and now a quasi-leader of… well, she didn’t know what to call the Veilguard…  it was going to be a lot to take in.

So… might as well just lay it all out.

“So, you guys have heard of the Shadow Dragons, right?” When they both nodded, she added. “Cool, that makes this easier. I’m a Shadow.”

There was a lot of things Zephyr expected from that – Rick to start waving their arms, Lyrio to start swearing, both of them to jump up and spill their tea. Anything was up for grabs honestly, or at least she thought so.

What she hadn’t expected was for Rick to turn to Lyrio and smirk.

Pay up.

He finished signing quickly in order to hold out his hands. Grumbling, the dwarf fished some coins out of their pocket and dropped them into his palm. Rick grinned in return and slipped them into his coin purse, giving it a playful jingle in response.

Sweat dripped down Zephyr’s brow. “You guys bet on that?”

“I figured you were doing something, just didn’t think it was that kind of stuff.” Lyrio shook their head. “Dumb bet, you’re exactly the type of weirdo to get involved with the Shadows.”

That’s what I said when you first brought it up. Rick’s hands were flying in his typical rapid signing. But neither of us figured you were that martial. I mean, I know your dad trained you and all, but you don’t give off fighter vibes.

Now that made Zephyr laugh, especially considering she had just fought off a dragon only days prior. She might not have been the best mage, but she knew how to hold her own with both a staff and the dagger and orb.

Lyrio cocked their eyebrow at that. “What, don’t tell me you’re some secret super mage or something. I’m not gonna see your ass in the magisterium, am I? Because that’s gonna make ‘Use the Archon as a Hand Puppet’ awkward…”

Her, a magister? Perish the thought… she didn’t have the patience or the background for that shit. Besides, the Archon would rather die than pick a qunari. No, she was firmly out of formal politics and that was how she liked it.

“Don’t worry, I’m still free of the man.” Zephyr chuckled. “But yeah… shit went down with the Shadows and the magisters were gunning for me. They told me to get out for my own good, so I’ve been on the road since.”

In hindsight, maybe she should’ve been worried about them going after her partners – magisters were petty bastards – but in the end, Lyrio and Rick could handle themselves. Lyrio was a genius archer, and Rick was the fastest two-hander she had seen outside of the military. It would’ve been dumb to face off against them, and no doubt the Shadows had kept an eye on them for her.

Either way – not a huge thing to worry about.

Guess that’s why I’ve been feeling like I’ve been watched. Since I didn’t get stabbed, were those friends of yours then?

When Zephyr nodded, Rick added, Your friends suck at hiding. I’m down one eye and I still saw them.

Probably because they wanted to be seen… but Zephyr didn’t argue with that. Rick had shit depth perception, so she had to give him his props.

Lyrio took a sip of their tea, carefully setting down the mug after. Just seeing that made Zephyr wince – when they were careful, they were pissed. No doubt they were chewing on something right then, and he was going to get it for sure.

Hopefully, he’d still have a head after.

“I get why you had to leave and couldn’t write, but you picked a real shit time to come back. I mean, I’m glad you’re not dead, but a dragon did just attack the city.” They paused, giving him a blank look. “Please don’t tell me you’re involved with that.”

Zephyr winced and rubbed the back of his neck, claws tangling in his mullet. “Yeah, about that…”

He felt his ears tilt downward – so much for being able to control that. “You don’t happen to have a bet about me fighting the dragon, do you? Because I want a cut, I fought the damn thing and all…”

His words went off like a walking bomb. Rick jumped to his feet and Lyrio’s face turned unbelievably ruddy. Their eyes were as wide as dinner plates, and it was a battle to see who was going to get the remark out first.

You did WHAT?

“YOU FOUGHT A DRAGON?”

In the end, it was a tie – they started and finished at the same time. Zephyr winced as he held up his hands, ears tilting even lower. It was about what he could’ve expected from this talk, but it was still something serious.

And worst of all, he wasn’t getting money out of it.

“Yeah… while I was on the road I got tangled up in some weird shit.” He closed one eye to prepare for the worst. “Might’ve gotten involved with a plot by the elven god of lies trying to tear down the Veil. Fucked up his plan, caused two blighted gods to go free, and one of them tried to sic a blighted dragon on Minrathous.”

He gestured towards the small, dirty window that reflected out the city, still being reconstructed. If he squinted, he could see where he had fought the dragon just days prior. It would take months to fix that – the fire and deep claw marks were something intense to put it bluntly. Maybe they would never fix it totally – it was a blighted dragon after all. They tended to permanently mar the landscape.

So… one part his bad, one part you’re welcome maybe?

Lyrio groaned as they sank back onto the couch, staring into their mug of tea. “I knew I should’ve mixed some booze into this.”

They turned to Rick. “Mind grabbing the bottle? I feel like this is going to be a nightmare.”

Yeah… We all need a drink for this one if our lyricist is off fighting dragons and blighted gods. Rick cast him a blank look. I guess you had to go big, since you couldn’t go home.

Zephyr hazarded a grin. “You know me well, I guess. At least it’ll make one hell of a song. I’m already working on lyrics for a new one. How does ‘Your gods are elven; don’t worry, they still suck’ sound?”

Judging from the looks on their faces, he was on to something. But that would come later, once the alcohol had been consumed and he had fully gone into what had kept him away from home and the band for so long. It was going to be a long night, and his throat was probably going to go hoarse by the end of it all.

But it was time to tell them the whole story. After all, they were his partners, and they deserved to know. And maybe he needed to get it off his chest to someone not involved with the Veilguard. Maybe hearing outsiders react would set his mind into proper focus.

That would come after booze, though. Maker, he needed a drink then…  homecomings weren’t supposed to be this crazy, right?