#awful goopy tree

[ask-impatient-samurott]

Jean haphazardly skid down the slope leading to the cave opening, Kappa following behind her with far less grace. Nema had already nimbly leapt down to the bottom.

Jean and Kappa both took a moment to wipe the dirt off themselves. Jean pulled ahead of Nema and motioned for the two to follow.

[Jean]

"Out here."

The trio slowly walked through the opening out to Giant Chasm. Although it seemed bright from inside the pitch black cave, night had already fallen, with the glare of the waning moon being their only light.

While Nema and Jean peered around at their surroundings, Kappa slowly walked ahead, taking in the chasm in its entirety.

Gnarled pines dotted the chasm floor in small groups, rooted deeply into the thick, blue-ish green grass. The chasm seemed like it would have been home to many more trees if it weren't for the massive scar engraved into its very middle. The remains of torched trees dotted the wound, save for a resilient cottonwood right in the middle. Many other firs seem to have been permanently bent backward. The long shadows of clouds in front of the moon paired with the deafening silence made the chasm all the eerier.

[Kappa]

"I can't hear or smell any other Pokemon. Is this place abandoned..?"

[Nema]

"What's with the huge bald spot in the middle?"

Although Jean had been here numerous times, she felt odd leading other Pokemon here. She only ever came by herself.

[Jean]

"Well, have you two heard of the time when Opelucid City was frozen over? To make a long story short, It's related to that."

[Kappa]

"Oh, yeah. The whole Team Plasma thing."

[Nema]

"That happened decades ago though, didn't it?"

Jean nodded. It had been a very very long time since the age of Team Plasma, and with the near extinction of humans happening recently, it was functionally dead.

But, Jean didn't feel like going over the time Kyurem was enslaved to her travelling companions, so she nodded towards the far end of the chasm and began to work her way down the rocky wall.

<PREV - NEXT>

[cookierunauprompts]

I just finished watching King Kong (2005) and this idea hit me like a truck: Shadow Milk Cookie as King Kong and Y/N Cookie as Ann Darrow!

i have never seen king kong but i sorta understand like... the tiniest bit about it.... So uh, Reader's getting kidnapped for this one as that's pretty much the only thing i know from King Kong.

Requested Prompts #44 - 💓

" White Lily Cookie! Don't! It's a trap!" You try to scream out, but no matter what you say nothing can reach White Lily's ears as she was trapped within your captor's maze. You watched as the flurry of the new guardian's magic went towards the fake tree, reviving it almost instantly to the shock of the eerily real-seeming fake Shadow Milk Cookie. You were the only one to have realized that it was fake, so he'd given the group a question that he knew they'd get wrong no matter what. Thus he'd taken you prisoner back in the 'real' world, one that looked a lot like the world within the Maze of Deceit except the key difference was that there was a lot more goopy, abyssal shadows littered with blue eyes staring at everything. You silence yourself with a yelp as one of the beast's fingers press into your head, because yes he does have actual hands apparently. " Ah ah ah!" You heard him tut, " I don't believe that this play needs any input from the audience, does it now?" Shadow Milk hummed, bringing you up to his face so you could look into his calculating gaze. " Besides, they can't hear you anymore anyways, so why even bother?" You hesitate, he was right and you knew it. You almost instantly deflated, your prior determination to escape filtering out of you like air from a balloon with a hole in it. " Aw, you look so cute when you're all hopeless like that! It's almost making me reconsider your position as prisoner!" He cooed, poking at your face with his claw(not the tip of it though). " I doubt that there's anything worse than being a prisoner to you." You groan, leaning away from his touch. A shriek is pulled from your throat as Shadow Milk grabs onto the sliver tree, or at least what remains of it. He spins around it like those character in musicals sometimes do with poles before hoisting himself up to sit between the branches as if they were a throne. " I' wouldn't be too sure about that~!" He teased, holding you up in front of his face. You doubted that, and it showed on your face. " No offense, but I doubt that there is." You said rather un-enthusiastically. " You really think so?" The beast grinned in an almost wild manner, you got the feeling you said something you really shouldn't have. " Because i can think of a lot of things! Of course, I won't be listing all of them for the sake of our family friendly audience. But there are much worse fates than being a prisoner to me!" " Like... like what?" You asked hesitantly. " Hmm..." He leaned in close, eyes shining brightly as he stared down at you. Some kind of deranged hunger slipping into his expression as he did so. " Like being a little snack." You froze up, the pause between that and his next statement being far too long for your liking. " Oh I'm only joking! There's no need to fret, I don't intend to cannibalize you... yet." You squeaked with fear, leaning away as much as you could as he threw his head back into a maniacal laugh. " Oh you're just so gullible- it's adorable!" He mused, a grin that was still far too wide plastered on his face. " I think I might have to keep you, even if Silly-Lily tries to seal me back up in the tree for real!" Well, at least now you know that unless the others save you you're probably screwed. Yippee.

[bepisbee]

Till Death do us Part Ch 1&2 CHAPTERS

read on ao3

Takes place after manga by about 4 years (they're 25 ish now) and the manga events took place over a 3 years timespan

Till Death do us Part

[You see through the lies

What's hiding behind

My blasphemous eyes

The secrets I hide

Oh, I love you so

I love you so

I'll love you 'til death do us part]

He’d always known he was not like his counterparts. The other parts of Link. Wasn’t he supposed to be good?? Was he?

If Vio confessed his truth, he would answer plainly with “No.” and a deadpan expression. There were more layers to it than that. How do you tell the literal embodiment of light that you had never intended to betray the darkness. How they really made you feel. At ease, at home, content. Safe. He hadn’t joined Shadow Link out of some big brained scheme to find information and infiltrate their lair.

He joined because it called to him, and the call said “Welcome Home,”

The first time he had found his magic he was alone. A small walk from camp. The other colors had tiny amounts of magic, mostly adept towards a single element or path, or school if one would. Vio was replaying the thought as he came across a dead rabbit carcass, fresh. His heart raced. His lack of disgust confused him, instead blooming in his chest was a curiosity. He felt a cold rush in his veins as he kneeled down and reached a hand out. Purple shrouded his hand in whisps and sunk into the flesh on contact. Vio jumped back startled as its eyes snapped open, it hopped up, and ran under a bush.

He did not tell the others. In a tower far away gazing into a mirror, their Shadow noticed…

In the Woods Somewhere

[My head was warm, my skin was soaked

I called your name till the fever broke

When I awoke, the moon still hung

The night, so black that the darkness hums

I raised myself, my legs were weak

I prayed my mind be good to me

An awful noise filled the air

I heard a scream in the woods somewhere]

Boots padded down the hallway of the castle as Vio walked. He was expected to attend some talk about the forest near where he had traveled during their adventure. If he could even call it that. Vio’s hand wandered to the two rings on a chain necklace hiding in his tunic. His and Shadow’s. Vio sighed and let his thoughts wander to the forest as he filed in with uptight diplomats and stuffy old men. He could use some forest time. The beauty of it, the scent of fresh outside at night. Alluring.

Alluring. That was all that filled his mind as he walked the moonlit forest. Despite his new discoveries and separation from the group he felt calm. The sounds of the deep forest, the wind, and smell of pine around him were comforting.

He stepped into a clearing, looking up at the full moon. It was so bright it would have been impossible to miss the silhouette covering a portion from the tree top. The hat of the figure curled around with magic. His heart stopped.

“Shadow Link.” 

The shaded figure floated down dramatically in front of him. They sure knew how to make an entrance.

“Hello, darling.” The smirk revealed a small fang. Why did it make his heart race so fast? There was a pounding in his ears. Shadow stepped closer. “Talk to me for a minute,” they drawled. “I’ll listen. I want to know.” they were even closer. “Tell me all the things they won’t understand.”

“Why would I do that?” It didn’t come out as cold as he was trying to be.

“We’re not so different,” They wrapped their arms around his neck and melted into him. His body turned into a puddle of goopy shadows. Honestly they hadn’t intended to do that, but the electric shock jolting from touching Vio surprised them. Shadow couldn’t give away that hand yet. “You and I…”

Vio swallowed thickly, “I…” he felt his grip on his sword loosen. He wasn’t sure when he had even pulled it out.

“I know what you are,” Shadow whispered so Vio would have to lean into them to hear it. “I saw you in the woods that day. What power!” they praised.  “Stunning, wonderful, unique.”

“W-what?” his shoulders slackened and he dropped the sword. “You aren’t… you don’t think I’m a freak?”

“No, darling. I think you are extraordinary.” his heterochromatic eyes glowed behind half lidded eyes. “And I need to know more.”

Vio shook the memory from his thoughts. He really should have been paying attention to this meeting. Zelda’s knight advisor was giving a debrief about a dying portion of the forest, a side effect of some remaining Gannon’s dark poison. He knew what it had really been, most likely him showing off and playing with Shadow, but hell if he would say it. She still didn’t know about his powers. He knew she suspected he was hiding something. He was hopeful she thought it was just him harboring feelings still for Shadow Link. He gave an internal sigh.

Vio would much rather be thinking of the mass exchanges for life than the argument of entering the poisoned zone or not. Things plaguing his mind as of late: How much power exactly would it cost to bring back one life? Where would he get a vessel? Could he make one? Would it simply cost significantly more to summon the creation of a new body? Who would he choose, did they have to be alive? Necromancy was hard.

Yes, necromancy. He had finally put a name to the powers. It had taken him years and access to ancient texts and books from the restricted section. It had taken him only a year to learn the Lorulian language they were written in. It was surprisingly simple once he realized the letters and words were almost all backwards Hylian.

Oh, the Princess noticed him staring off into a space. He blinked at her. Another person's voice was droning on in the background. He raised a brow at her: ‘what?’

She gave a stern face: ‘you aren't paying attention’ or maybe: ‘pay attention! stop daydreaming about your dead boyfriend/soulmate!’

Not that she knew about that last bit. He rolled his eyes and pretended to focus on the elderly man stumbling through a report. Fuck this was going to be a long day. Back to daydream brain land, he decided to recall how the forest sector got to that state.

Vio’s hands shook in nervous excitement. He knew. Shadow already knew, and they wanted to see it. There was no disgust or judgment, they were interested. Vio gulped and took a big breath in and out to settle himself. Deep magic curled out from himself in purple wisps, pouring from his fingertips. The air around them dropped dramatically in temperature and all sounds of the night ceased. All creatures, bugs, and even the whistle of gentle wind went silent. Below him the grass began decaying as he took life from it for his own use. The lack.of light of the new moon dramatized the suction of life force.

Shadow looked around them at the change. If Vio had learned one thing, it was that Shadow was surprisingly observant. They understood what it meant, as strings wrapped around his fingertips. They looked back at their companion to watch the magic turn his sclera black and irises purple. Vio began to weave it. He unfurled the wisps into the deer carcass they had set up. The trees began turning a sicky ash color. The deer sprang up onto its feet, wobbling.

“Holy shit that’s amazing.” They put a hand on his shoulder. Vio’s body temperature was probably a quarter less and yet he seemed totally okay. He looked over at him, surprised at the contact. He hadn’t thought about it before last night, the vast difference in body language. 

The unnerving aura around him pushed away the colors. Small casual touches like that were never offered to him. Red didn’t even hug him. Vio didn't realize how much he needed it before Shadow gave it to him so willingly. Their hand reached into a half hug around him. They were so warm.

Vio missed touch. It ached into his core making him more bitter. The meeting had adjourned finally. He got up, mind still full but at the very least paying attention to where he was going. He dodged Zelda’s obvious beeline towards him. He did not have the emotional energy for her questioning. Vio made his way back outside, slipping between talking guards. He still had daylight  to gather herbs and such in the forest.

His mind wandered back again.

“You’re amazing, sweetheart,” Shadow cupped his face. “Can I kiss you?” The pet names gave him somersaults in his stomach.

“Whuh?? k-kiss? me??” He flustered at their close contact. Shadow’s pretty face inches away. Their warmth breaths mingling. They sat on a large rock in the middle of the plain they were in before.

“Yes, you.” They chuckled “I really like you, Vio.”

“I-” he gasped softly. “Okay,”

They kissed. It was a bit messy, neither of them really knowing what to do. Shadow knicked their lip with a fang, but sucked it clean. Vio shuddered and gripped him hard. Heat flushed through him and into his cheeks.

He moved his hood to cover more of  his flushed face at the memory. Not that anyone was around him and his horse anymore to see, just at the entrance to the Deep Minish Woods.

Between his and Shadow’s touch deprivation it was no surprise their relationship had escalated physically so quickly and so often. Hand holding, casual touches and glances, into much, much more. Vio cleared his throat and guided his horse to the worn path that would take him where he needed.

Certain mushroom types that would only grow in autumn in wet wood. Supposedly they could help him. Some potion that imitated an ether but for his specific magic type. It wouldn’t be more than another hour's ride back to his small home in between the woods and Lake Hylia. It was the optimal spot and far enough from town people didn’t bother him. Just how he liked it.

Vio picked his ingredients and sealed the pouch. That would do for today.

[alexandriasmoulderingdust]

For reasons, in between working on spreadsheets and repairing media I've found myself creating a 18" paper mache tree at work. Various co-workers and supervisors stop by on a daily basis (I sit direcctly under one of two working air conditioning vents in the building) and always gush effusively over the progress on the tree.

Today I put the final coat of paste and tissue paper on the tree. This took two and a half hours and was in fact a goopy sticky wet nasty frustrating and awful sensory hell, and I was incredibily glad when I ran out of tissue paper because I had been struggling to pull the dissentigrating layers off of my hands to mush them onto the surface of the tree.

After work I went to my sister's (local art teacher who has run a paper mache project for 20 years who has been consulting on the paper mache tree since its inception.) Sister listened to me complain about the utter frustration of putting on the tissue paper layer.

"Didn't I tell you? You can use an old brush for that bit. How did you even manage it with just your hands; didn't it just dissolve?"

[hellmouth-manor]

truth’s a dog must to kennel || olwin || 6.3 || re: that's rough, buddy

Olwin watches the conversation and pictures it spinning like a top, going around, and back around, and around one more time with wobble until the momentum is truly spent and it can no longer hold itself upright, clattering to the table on its side. Metaphorically, of course. He has to keep himself entertained somehow, because…

That makes him pause. Why is he thinking in metaphors? When did that start? More importantly, when did he stop noticing the stinging of his eyes? 

He has to look down at himself, briefly, just to check that he’s still sitting in the chair he thinks he is. Thankfully, he is, and is still splattered blue and sore to boot. But something else just feels horribly, terribly… wrong.

Except it doesn’t. That’s what’s wrong. 

Olwin can’t remember the last time he’s felt nothing at all. That’s always been Hisashi’s thing—something for him to watch from the outside and mimic when convenient, deny when conversations veer too close towards the edge of that cliff, wonder about late at night when he can’t sleep and has nothing else to fill his head. 

But as he stares at Micah—or whoever it is Micah would like to be at the moment (far be it from Olwin to deny someone a little identity escapism)—there’s a concerning amount of space between Olwin’s ribs that he is uncomfortably aware of. 

Well.

This is new. Isn’t it? 

“You want us to hate you. Right?”  

The words just sort of find their own way down from his thoughts and out of his mouth, bypassing the normal route that would loop around his heart and pick up whatever hitchhiking feelings were most convenient. Maybe that road is closed for construction. Fuck. There’s the metaphors again.

Olwin looks over to Micah and forces a humorless smile.

“We probably should. And you’re right to want it. I get why you want it.”

After all, that’s what he’d wanted, more than anything, when he’d stood in that trial a small eternity ago and confessed to killing Raoul. He’d wanted them to hate him, and they’d refused. He’d wanted them to stop defending him, and they’d refused. But what he’d really wanted, the reason he’d wanted either of those two things was much simpler. He’d wanted it to stop hurting.

Better late than never, Olwin guesses.

“But you’re barking up the wrong fucking tree. They’re not going to hate you just ‘cause you’re saying awful shit to them. And they’re really bad at hating people for lying to their faces—long-term, anyway. Some of them probably aren’t even going to hate you for fucking all of us over in the eleventh hour.”

Olwin sighs, but it sounds empty, somehow. He lifts his arms to fold them back behind his head, and presses his heels against the tabletop to tilt his chair precariously back on two legs.

“The problem is, my good bitch, nobody really gives a flying shit which way you’d prefer it to go. They’re gonna decide it for themselves, and it’s going to fucking suck when it’s not what you wanted.”

It’s going to hurt, is what he really means. If you felt things, that is. That doesn’t seem to be a problem for Olwin anymore. He just raises a brow over at the goopy mess of a man across the table.

“So. Can you live with that?”

[owlheartt]

aaaaaa- Feeling a tad demotivated to work on my other projects so I tried this one and??? It??? Worked??? Anyways. Hopefully I can participate in this abstract concept of school now that I've done something.

Original fic is OSD by @calcium-cat, first, previous, next, and here is Nightmare's POV!!!

He couldn’t believe this had happened. This stupid plan had backfired incredibly and now… Now Dream was a kid. A little kid. There was something else wrong too. Maybe Nightmare’s memories were messed up, maybe it was some of older Dream leaking through, or maybe it was the stupid potion. Either way, Dream was different than Nightmare remembered him. And suddenly, even though his brother had blindly trusted everyone when he was young, Nightmare had to gain his trust.

Hah! Had to. No, Nightmare didn’t need Dream trusting him. They were enemies. Always had been, always will be. Why would Nightmare want Dream’s trust anyways?

And then Dream grabbed his tentacle. Naive little Dream. Nightmare snached it away. He didn’t need a tiny kid clinging on desperately, it wasn't like Sci was going to hurt him. Yet Dream reached again. Nightmare didn’t need this! By the Tree, his brother was a pain! Besides, Cross was standing right there, and he wasn’t about to show any kind of affection for his awful, forsaken twin. The goodie little two shoes.

But Dream won. Wrestled a tentacle into his tiny little grasp and refused to let go. At this point, it would be rude possibly harmful to shake him off. And Nightmare couldn’t hurt his little brother. Grumbling, barking at Cross to go back to Horror, Nightmare dragged Dream through the portal. He could already feel the exhaustion setting in. Sci better be able to turn his brother back quick, there was no way Nightmare would babysit him for longer than a day.

“... Nice to see you back.” Sci glanced at Dream, but wisely decided not to comment.

“Are you Mr. Sci?” Dream said, looking up at him. Dream looked like a kid who just woke up, the goopy, dense negativity dripping in his arms being held like a teddy bear.

“Yea. Dream, right?” Sci crouched in front of him. Dream quickly nodded. “I’m just going to look at your SOUL. Can you come with me?” Dream accepted Sci’s extended hand, willingly guided over to the elaborate machines. Except he didn’t let go of Nightmare, and Nightmare decided not to protest being dragged along behind. It was bizarre though. Dream, er, younger Dream, had never seen anything like these before. Nightmare could recall the first time he’d seen Sci’s lab. He was a couple hundred years old, but it wasn’t like he’d been in an elaborate lab before. The royal lab tended to create enough negativity without him.

The wires, cords, and screens had been overwhelming. The bright, fluorescent light had burned his eye socket, and the place was so… so lacking in smell or color even Nightmare found it depressing. Or maybe just Nightmare. It felt so unnatural. Offensive. It was nothing like home. And yet Dream was perfectly fine. As if he’d seen it before.

That or the normality of this place had leaked through his memories.

Nightmare shook his head, after all, there was no need to worry. His “precious brother” had been turned into, well, his precious brother. Sci was partway through Dream’s check-up, and was scribbling down results. Distractedly, he grabbed a monster candy and offered it to Dream. The small skeleton cheerfully took it, clearly enjoying it.

Nightmare sighed. He was just being paranoid.

“Do you need me for anything or can I step out?” Nightmare growled. He shifted a foot to face the door, despite the fact he was still facing Sci.

“Feel free to do whatever, but I’ve still got to ask Dream a few questions,” Sci said, scribbling away notes and crossing off some previous ones. He didn’t bother to look up. Nightmare sighed again, shooting a final glance at Dream. The kid was swinging his legs, his eye lights cast at the ground just a little to the right. Nightmare stalked out of the room, careful not to hunch his shoulders (something his boys did obnoxiously often).

He closed the door behind him, giving it a bit of a whoosh for the satisfying thunk. What was he going to do? The obvious first step was to tell his boys, but after..? There were spare rooms in the castle, and plenty of food, so taking care of Dream shouldn’t be an issue. Blue and Ink would be a bother, but they always were. That just left… him, really. It was difficult to admit, but Nightmare himself would be the biggest issue. He simply could not handle his little brother (emphasis on little) running around his castle while he tries to get work done. It would be… distracting, to say the least. What was he to do?

Construct a better cover story. Yes, that would work. After situating Dream and checking on Horror, Nightmare would sit down and flesh out the details ― on paper. There couldn’t be any chance for him to forget or switch out facts. Dream had always been attentive to detail, and Nightmare couldn’t have him picking holes in the story. He would also have to set the guidelines for what could and could not be mentioned around Dream, or even in the castle. Dream was good at hearing things he shouldn’t.

Unless it was something helpful.

The words snaked into Nightmare’s brain. He shook his head, little droplets of negativity flinging away before swooping back. Shifting his feet apart, Nightmare tried to focus again. Those kinds of thoughts were old and useless. Grudges against adult Dream shouldn’t be inflicted on kid Dream.

The door behind him creaked open, and Nightmare winced (just a little).

“Dream’s check up is done,” Sci said. He gazed at Nightmare calmly, Dream clinging onto the white lab coat.

“Thanks.” Nightmare’s voice was gruff. “Come on, Dream.” Dream toddled forward and grabbed a tentacle again. This time Nightmare didn’t try to shake him off.

[clanwarrior-tumbly]

If requests are open can you do a corrupted y/n with senpai who is normal (because i love the way you write him)

(Since the next part of the Corruption mod is out I have a very awful idea for this one ehehe)

........

“Ah, I wonder when my beloved will return~?” Senpai hummed as he sat underneath a tree, indulging in a romance manga to keep his mind off of his worries.

Ever since you abruptly left the game for something in the real world, he couldn’t help but wonder why you departed with such urgency. You’ve tried helping him escape time and time again...with no luck, so he could understand that you’re getting desperate and frustrated, as was he.

Still, considering you’re his only hope of seeing real sunlight and going on real dates and experiencing real love again..he felt bad that you were pressuring yourself this much.

So to make it up to you, he decided to go to the school’s greenhouse and find some flowers. Surely they would have your favorites there. He’s only been there dozens of times.

But as he bookmarked the page he was on, he glanced up and noticed that the sky seemed darker than usual.

‘Is it nighttime already? No...it can’t be..’ Shaking his head, he put his book away and got up. He began walking through the courtyard, though he spotted the usual group of schoolgirls hanging out by the fountain and sighed.

“Ladies, if you would kindly move along I would-”

However, they turned to him one by one--revealing that their faces were completely blank.

No eyes, nose, or mouth..they just stood rigidly and stared at him.

Senpai's eyes widened with bewilderment. “Wh-What the....something’s wrong here..”

Did you somehow manage to break the game? Was this your doing?

“Corruption of avatar complete...personality overwritten. Onto the next target. It won't be long...”

He spun around so fast, papers began flying out of his backpack. But he cared less about those and more about the person standing before him:

It was you, but..at the same time not you.

You were completely coated in some black goopy substance, with glowing pink eyes and a skeletal-like smile.

“[Y/n]? What happened to you?!!” In a panic, he rushed over in an attempt to embrace you, though he paused as the world around him began to glitch and distort. “Wh-What did you do to this game?!!”

Unable to recognize the confused man before you, you just cackled, knowing very well he was falling right into your hands. His panic..his distress...it’s all part of the plan to assimilate him.

You knew that he would be very pleased.

It took him a moment to realize what has become of you. He could recognize that smile from anywhere.

“..oh no..that..THAT BASTARD!!” He collapsed to his knees, staring at you in horror and denial, but he just bowed his head. “I..I should’ve warned you about him sooner. I should’ve told you to stay here. You would've been safe and...I’m so sorry, [y/n]. M-My love...I've failed you..”

“...S-Sen...y-you have to....”

“Huh?” Looking up, he swore he heard your voice calling out to him, but it was quickly overshadowed by another fit of demonic laughter. You then brought out a microphone, grinning as you tilted your head and stared down at him.

“I see now...wh-what I must do. This is how we’ve always resolved things..with song.” With newfound determination, Senpai stood up and hastily took out his own mic. 

It hurt so much to challenge his lover, but he had no choice. He had to sing in order to reach through the corruption.

If he won, he could save you.

If he lost, he was doomed forever.

He needed to win..for both of your sakes.

[jess-the-vampire]

Sooooo whatya think of the new episodeee?

Oh it’s definitely my favorite episode of the series so far, i was having such a good time at every turn. I’m glad i went out of my way to avoid spoilers, cause i was glad to actually be surprised by some elements on first watch.

I think this had by far the best opening for an episode so far, we finally get back to the villians, we meet the coven heads, we get insight on belos’s plans-

and then belos gets constipated, which starts getting into the more character driven lore, which is the best part. You instantly can tell GG and Kiki have some bit of tension between them to be Belo’s favorite, though granted i wonder if hunter is the only one to know belos is cursed and actually just always insists to help belos with his fits to prevent others from seeing them.

Including kiki.

It’s honestly unclear how aware anyone is that belos is cursed, like him eating pailsmans is apparently not something he hides, but like....i feel him being cursed is something that people would know universally if it got out...so i’m left wondering if anyone knows besides hunter.

Regardless, belos turns into a goop monster with an angry side, and i guess his mask doesn’t transform with him compared to the rest of his body so he breaks it again because i guess he goes though masks like crazy.

Hunter turns away in this scene from his outburst and even though he’s masked here i can already tell he’s most likely pained in these scenes. Like he’s probably seen this happen so many times, and i can’t imagine it gets any easier for him, it’s probably awful to watch belos suffer like this for him (Regardless of the abuse)

And to be honest, it seems pretty painful for him, i think this ep seems to at least confirm whatever this thing is that takes over belos’s body.....belos never actually wanted it in the first place. 

Yeah so after Hunter tells belos there’s not enough trees to medicate him anymore, we’re hit with the “UNCLE”. Which, when i first watched it i needed a second to even process the fact they confirmed their relation.

and i was like “CLOSE ENOUGH”, not his kid but uncle still works just fine for me, i’m just happy my assumption they were related actually came to ahead.

And i rewatched this episode a few times, and on second watch i realized more what happened in this scene. Hunter was talking about his interest in wild magic, and making more pailsman to help belos, and some method that could heal him and as soon as belos looked at him he instantly shut down.

He was clearly rambling about wild magic cures for belos because of his interest in it, and then suddenly remembered his uncle hates wild magic and felt super awkward.

It seems highly likely his interest in wild magic came from trying to cure belos and spending a lot of time reading up on the stuff. 

And then we get hit with the whole “Our family is dead because of wild magic” line, which.....i’m curious to know what happened there. But it does at least explain why belos feels how he does, if wild magic both killed his family beside hunter AND cursed him in the first place. We’re just gonna need more info on what exactly happened.

Also while Belos is def abusive and does not treat hunter how he should, this scene actually does read off to me like belos does care about hunter to some degree. If belos is cursed and his curse works in similar ways to how Eda’s curse works, then it’s worth reminding ppl that eda mentions early this season how stress can amplify the curse even more.

And sure enough, belos goes goopy on hunter’s shoulder all of a sudden when he grasps him. Which could be considered a sign of stress and that the idea of hunter dying or being in danger actually does stress him.

You could very much also assume this is just due to his curse not being fully handled and just getting worse, or that belos only cares about hunter for selfish reasons....but i’m not taking anything off the table here.

Belos can still be a shitty uncle, and still care about hunter, these aren’t mutually exclusive traits. But we need more episodes for now on this.

But anyways he asks hunter if he can rely on him, kiki is pissed......and we move on.

So i’m glad luz’s impulsiveness is addressed a ton in this episode, they actually bring up a lot of good points. That luz has no plan, that the time she’s spending here might render moot if she goes back to earth, ect ect.

Hunter even calls her out a lot later for not thinking things through, it’s a whole deal in this episode. I’m glad it was brought up cause it’s actually worth asking a lot of these things.

the set up here works, they actually made a good reason for why a pailsman didn’t bond with her. Speaking of which the adoption thing is cute and i love it, it’s a great idea. The designs are all very cute and fun.

Bump face reveal was a lot for me to process, but i find the idea of his pailsman being a pet that can help with his disabilities a good idea.

Also like, i did find it odd that they got staffs so early because we’ve never seen kids their ages with them before, but i guess it’s a new tradition? Does everyone at hexside now have one?

Honesty not sure why batqueen left the nest there overnight, i meant i guess she assumed they were safe with that shield but in context i dunno why she didn’t take them home after the school day was over.

but whatever, luz stays there overnight hoping  a pailsman will bond with her and GG just kidnapps them cause of pure luck on his part a bunch of pailsman were in a vulnerable spot tonight.

So GG continues to be charming, by whistling the theme song and then being blasted off his ship hilariously, before cockily teleporting himself right back on it seconds later. Like he and luz have great banter, he’s so extra like this it’s so funny, and god he’s so FAST with that staff it’s scary but so awesome.

Yeah so then hand dragon crashes them and i was so excited cause it meant face reveal. Poor dude looked so in pain and then we find out kiki tried to effing murder him because of course she did. But like, i think killing your boss’s nephew is the WORST way to get a promotion tbh.

(Also i got confused for a bit cause his mask has always been drawn as a mask, but now it’s a helmet in this scene for whatever reason but-)

Anyways, face reveal, Like honestly ppl weren’t too far off with their guesses, really the only thing people didn’t get was the tooth gap (That was fair tho, we couldn’t have guessed that). But it did make him even cuter.

like the banter is funny, he licks her hand, she slaps him, he looks SO pissed at her for this mess.

and i guess that outfit is his under armor apparently.

He’s lucky she didn’t run away immediately and followed him, but maybe he assumed she would since she had no where else to go.

Also his expressions in this ep are glorious, these had to be fun to draw.

Also we find out that the coven team members have never seen his face i guess? They just assume he’s a silly kid and are awful to him, so i guess he’s not only the youngest member of the coven but he never really shows his face much.

(”Call your parents”, ha ha.....whose gonna tell them who his uncle is?)

He is however, REALLY good at parkour and he’s fast even without his staff, so he’s well trained alright.

And then they reveal he’s not magical and i was SO happy cause i was so sure something was up when he wasn’t doing magic like the other witches despite his pointy ears. So they outright confirmed what i thought.

Hunter is pretty smart tho, like he can tell luz wouldn’t hurt him and wouldn’t flee so he knows he has the high ground here. Like he might be being a bit of a dick, but to be fair luz has been nothing but a dick to him throughout the whole episode (Everyone in this episode has been a dick to him tbh)

They team up and i get excited cause i love this kinda stuff and it gets more wholesome because hunter is super interested in her magic, he thinks it’s cool and you can tell how much he actually loves wild magic but then again...shuts himself down because of belos making him fear the stuff.

An then because luz asks, he tells her his backstory.

honestly with how this world treats people who aren’t magically powerful, living and growing up in a world that would find you useless sounds....awful. Hunter must be an anomaly around here, human blood or not.

Luz coming here to learn is different then growing up in a world and being the only one with no abilities and no future without them. Belos provides him with magic and a future, it’s no wonder he stays with him despite everything.

the whole “Found me” thing is weird, cause belos implies they’re blood related and hunter makes it sound like belos semi-adopted him. Which....if he did i dunno why “Uncle” and not “Adopted dad”, but ok....guess that’s for later.

Apparently hunter is important for something tho with the “Titan has big plans for me” thing, not sure what, but-

But yeah as soon as Hunter talked about wanting to make his own future and Rascal tried to land on him i knew EXACTLY where this was going, it was so cuteeeeee. The lil birb wanted to be with hunter, that’s so wholesome.

And he’s so terrified because of belos and what wild magic did to him, the poor bab.

But yeah, luz then trusts him with his staff back, because again....impulsive. But hunter does actually ask if she’s sure, so he might as well be asking if she trusts him.

The plan goes ahead, and hunter nearly betrays her.

though granted, hunter never promised her he’d stop and let her take them away, the truce was supposed to last till kiki was stopped and they were gonna fight out who got the pailsman. But it does bother luz cause she was hopeful he was better then this.

But just like he did before, she calls him out and he doesn’t betray her, because he’s ALSO too nice to do it, just like he said she was. He says his name (Which also took a moment to process), and then beats the crap out of kiki while letting luz get away and protecting her like a badass.

He might not have magic, but he’s good at fighting

like he can easily teleport to luz and take the pailsman, but he doesn’t, he lets them get away and luz knows this. Even though she also knows hunter has to go back to the emperor too and they have to separate.

It’s only slightly bitter terms, because in the end he came through for her and she knows it.

honestly, the worst part is i can’t even be mad at hunter for it, i’m sure he was terrified to fail belos. Both because he loves him and doesn’t want him to suffer....but also because of well...being punished. Really says something when his near betrayal doesn’t even make me mad at him, and i can understand why he nearly did it.

He let her go, knowing he’d be in SERIOUS trouble and that it would hurt someone he actually loves, so....ouch.

so yeah at this point i knew rascal wanted him so it was only of matter of what happened next.

Which was, luz getting the wood, which i like more anyway. Eda and King doing this offscreen and coming home like this is actually very funny, and honestly i appreciate the message of it being ok to wait.....means a lot to me.

yeah so belos is like...being an ass, like the kid tried his hardest, you don’t need to hit him with the “Is this the thanks i get?”. He’s a kid and he’s trying to cure you you dick, give him a break he doesn’t remotely have to help you like this.

Also apparently belos has not even told hunter HOW this happened, like...dude. Hunter is trying to be entirely reasonable here and belos spikes at him, which does imply some physical abuse though the only reason hunter doesn’t get a new scar is because he moves.

but how he reacts implies this has happened before, he is bracing for impact and he flinches. It’s pretty sad tbh, especially since hunter loves him and belos’s respect means something to him.

Belos is such an idiot, like c’mon dude, hunter is trying to help you and you don’t listen to him you dick. Kid shouldn’t have to say sorry for anything he did nothing wrong, he was just trying to help.

Anyways, he gloats at kiki (So at the very least she knows what he looks like under the mask), which he deserves a chance to do anyway. So i guess he didn’t rat her out for trying to kill him, personally my guess why is blackmail.....he was gonna hold it over her head to keep her from doing it again and threaten to tell belos.

But kiki quickly tells he LET the pailsman get away since he was the one to fight her (Curse his cute loose hair strand). So i guess now they have dirt on each other, so that’s fun.

His room is adorable, though the med kit by the bed is concerning.

Rascal comes for him and it;s so cute....though you can tell hunter nearly hurts him on instinct because of force of habit, but it’s so cute how he cares and how the birb loves him and is his new staff.

it was well hinted to as well, it’s so subtle, but the bird being cheery, curious, and his constant habit of escaping boundaries was perfect for hunter. He represents what hunter wants to be and why they got matched is done so well, all without explaining anything.

Hunter indirectly stated his deepest wish, to make his own choices, and rascal resonated with that. 

can’t wait to see where this goes.

great ending shot, love me some conflicted shots looking out of windows like trapped birds.

also this title was a pun the whole time i can’t-

[fanficsandfluff]

The Wake-Up

Finally, I've crossed a fic idea off my daydream checklist! Enjoy!

Fandom: MCU, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier

Characters: Bucky Barnes, Sam Wilson, some Cass and AJ, a smidge of Sarah

Words: 2,010

Bucky hadn’t felt as well-rested as he had on Sarah’s couch, even despite being woken by her two boys. So, yes, maybe he did keep accepting offers to stay over. It helped his mental well-being, so what? He sought the rest and relaxation. Sam hadn’t even been there a few times, but it was still as welcome as ever. Sarah cooked great food. He brought her flowers the last time he slept over, and he loved the bright smile that sprung to her face.

“We need to clear a guest room all for you,” Sarah joked at the dinner table on one particular summer night.

“You can take Uncle Sam’s room when he’s not here!” Cass announced through a mouthful of grits.

Bucky grinned at all the jests and he knuckled Cass’s shoulder, “Oh, I’m sure Uncle Sam wouldn’t mind at all,” he always smiled whenever he heard ‘Uncle Sam’ being used to address the new Captain America. Brought a lot of nostalgia back, and even turned it into something positive.

But on the couch he remained, at least for the upcoming night.

Sam pulled up at 3 am, the whole house asleep. He had to get used to seeing Bucky on Sarah’s couch, but it was finally starting to become less surprising. As long as he was on the couch and not in Sarah’s bed, all things were fine by him. Sam tiptoed in after shedding his boots at the door, easing into the comfort brought to him just by being in the house. He adjusted the blanket by Bucky’s feet and pulled another corner over his bare arm, non-metal.

Sam smirked to himself. He always assumed Bucky possessed superhuman senses, so someone who decided to even step too close while he slept would be pulverized immediately. But no. The guy needed the sleep, he supposed. Bucky’s breathing pattern didn’t even change when Sam adjusted the blanket. Hmm… he could use this.

~~~

“Shhh, shhshh, hey guys,” Sam kissed his nephews on their foreheads when he woke them purposely later that morning. Dawn was just creeping over the bayou, shimmering the lights on the water.

“Wait, shh, you gotta stay quiet or you’ll ruin it,” Sam had his hand atop AJ’s head and he ruffled it around, making the older boy giggle.

“Ruin what?” Cass whispered.

“We’re gonna wake Bucky. The guy’s just always sleeping, isn’t he?”

Both boys shared identical grins, “Yeah, totally!” AJ slipped his glasses onto his face, Cass following suit.

And so the plot begun. Sam went to the bathroom with his nephews and gathered shaving cream after Cass had pulled a feather from his animal project from school. Sam explained what they’d be doing with these tools, since they’d never pulled this prank before (wow, Sam felt old).

AJ and Cass were practically vibrating with anticipation and giddiness. The trio snuck their way to the couch. Sam sprayed the shaving cream on Bucky’s metal hand since he knew how to not make the spray noise come out so loudly (and his human arm was tucked behind him on the couch so he couldn’t get to that one, okay? He didn’t go for the metal on purpose, he isn’t that cruel).

Sam pointed to Cass first as the three of them stood by Bucky’s head, hiding behind that edge of the couch, crouching. Cass stood and swiped the feather across Bucky’s forehead. No reaction. He gave it to AJ. AJ, more methodical, wiggled the feathered tip on the bridge of Bucky’s nose. Now he got his nose to scrunch, brow to furrow, but his arms stayed put. Sam next. He got the feather to move closer to Bucky’s nostrils.

“So close…” Cass whispered in the smallest voice, hands covering his mouth. AJ also put his own hand over Cass’s hands covering his mouth because of the comment.

Sam kept it up, even swiping around Bucky’s cheeks, when-- WHAM!

The boys both exclaimed, Cass jumping up and down excitedly while giggling. Sam laughed loudly, holding his stomach. The noise was a loud metal clang when metal arm connected with skull. It was hilarious.

Bucky shot up with a start, feeling his eyes covered in some kind of gook, and he practically gave himself a headache. He heard all the laughter and he sighed deeply.

“Gross…” he grumbled and wiped his eyes, not realizing his hand was the cause. He ended up smearing more shaving cream across his eyes.

“You got a little something…” Sam spoke, holding back more laughs. Anything to mess with Bucky was the highlight of Sam’s day.

Bucky got enough shaving cream off his face and wiped onto his pants to see again. He eyed the boys first, knowing he could scare them off quicker. He growled.

“Go go go!” AJ directed his younger brother, ushering him back towards the bedrooms, the two shoving each other and tripping over each other along the way.

Bucky’s eyes went to Sam immediately after.

Sam had to think quick. Run from a super soldier and inevitably get caught, or wake Sarah because there’s no way Bucky would do anything to him if Sarah was--- yeah, nope, not willing to face Sarah’s wrath either. Sam bolted out the front door, hearing the screen door clatter behind him. Not two seconds later he heard it clatter again, meaning Bucky was hot on his trail.

Sam ran through the yard, weaving between trees, feeling the dewy grass get kicked up under his bare feet.

Bucky threw himself at Sam when he had the shot and they both propelled forward, rolling in the grass for a few feet.

“Ow! Shit, Buck!” Sam exclaimed, groaning, feigning more pain than he was actually in.

Bucky was atop Sam, not falling for the act for a second. It took Sam a moment to look up and he burst out another laugh, unable to help himself. Bucky still had a white-painted face full of shaving cream, just now looking more smeared than goopy.

“You know you’re so dead and you’re still laughing? Where’d you get the balls…” Bucky tried to sound menacing, he really did.

“Nahah, no, you--” he cleared his throat, buying time so he could formulate a way out from under the Winter Soldier, “It’s good for your skin. Moisturizing. You look good.”

Bucky narrowed his eyes and his metal hand snapped to Sam’s when he tried to move, wrenching it up above his head. Sam was pinned. Now was the time he was getting nervous.

“It was all AJ and Cass, I just thought you should know.”

“Mmhm,” Bucky, man of few words, looked up and down Sam’s torso. He had him pinned. Now what to do. Bucky poked at Sam’s protruding rib. He did it again to the few above that one, making a little path of pokes.

Sam shifted under him, uncomfortable. His face looked much less jovial now. Annoyed. Good.

“Oh Sam, buddy, you never told me you were ticklish,” he drawled.

“I’m not--I mean, just stop. I’m sorry,” Sam apologized.

Bucky’s eyebrow actually raised. That was the whole fun of the game. Coaxing the apology. But of course Sam went and ruined that. Nice guy.

“For what?” Nice recovery, Barnes.

“For waking you up.”

Bucky allowed himself to quirk the corners of his lips, “Gotta be more specific than that,” and his one hand dug into the ribs on Sam’s right side. His fingers groped for the spaces in between and massaged his way in. Sam bucked and laughter was torn from his chest.

Sam was ticklish and only Sarah knew. Of course she knew, being the older sister. But dammit, he was never planning on Bucky Barnes figuring it out. And this was exactly why! The guy would be devastating!

“No! NohohoHO BUCKY!” Sam twisted side to side since that’s all the mobility he was allowed.

“What else are you sorry for? Here, I’ll give you the list,” as Bucky spoke, he had to raise his voice over Sam’s desperate giggles, hand switching to clawing at the other’s belly, “You woke me up with a prank. So there’s that. You lied and blamed AJ and Cass for something you 100% planned. You ran from the scene of the crime. Am I missing anything, Wilson?”

“Screhehehew you!” Sam got out before laughing louder as Bucky’s hand scratched at his armpit, “Stop! Stoppit, you fuhucking cyborg!”

“Oho! I’ll add that! Aaand, oh, and you lied to me about you not being ticklish. You said ‘I’m not,’” Bucky imitated Sam in a very stupid voice, “when clearly you are. Very. Very ticklish.”

Sam was pulling on his arms as much as he could without injuring himself. His veins popped, muscles straining. He was useless like this. Defenseless.

But he was laughing.

That was kind of nice.

Bucky contemplated letting go and allowing Sam to squirm. He liked having him at his mercy like this, though. Made him feel powerful… Hm.

Bucky kept Sam pinned with his vibranium appendage, and he wiped as much of the remaining shaving cream off his face as he could with his right hand.

Sam coughed as he sucked the humid morning air into his lungs. By now he didn’t know if the moistness he felt all along his back was from the dewy grass or from his own sweat.

“No, man, dohon’t,” he saw the absolute mischief painted on Bucky’s gleeful face and his raised shaving cream hand. Bucky planted his palm on the side of Sam’s face, chuckling to himself after the act.

“Aw, you-- you’re real gross, Barnes, you know that?” Sam spit out the imaginary shaving cream that got in his mouth.

“I think I’m just being fair,” Bucky pushed up Sam’s sleep shirt with his free elbow and he started tracing patterns with shaving cream along Sam’s belly. That got Cap giggling all over again.

“Buhuhucky, noho!”

“Keep giggling, Sam, it’s only gonna make me want to keep this up.”

Sam would swear up and down that that particular comment didn’t make him blush, but oh boy he felt his cheeks get warmer.

“I don’t g-gihiggle, asshole!”

“Oh, no?” Bucky switched to scratching at Sam’s taught tummy, the shaving cream making the experience extra slippery, causing Sam’s laughter to jump in pitch.

“I”m sorry!” Sam squeaked out before Bucky could even change tactics again.

Bucky chortled, “For…?”

“Everything! Eheverything you sahahaid!”

“Aww,” Bucky smiled. He pulled his metal arm back and just sat on Sam’s waist, still basking in the glow of winning like this.

Bucky leaned his head down closer to Sam’s, “I forgive you,” he said curtly. He watched the last few huffs and breaths of light laughs leave Sam’s lips. He could get headbutted being this close to Sam’s own face. Or kissed. Wait--

Bucky climbed off of Sam, sitting beside him in the grass. He pulled up the bottom of his shirt and wiped the shaving cream fully off his face.

Sam jabbed Bucky’s abs when the shirt came up and the Winter Soldier twitched.

Sam smiled wide. Bucky, eyes squinted at first, soon relaxed his face and allowed himself to smile back.

“Don’t do that again,” Bucky pointed a vibranium finger at Sam.

“Which part?”

“All of it.”

“You made Cass and AJ very happy.”

“Yeah, well…. They don’t need to prank me to be happy.”

“Yeah they did. Being mischievous. It’s all part of being little kids,” Sam sat up, head tilted Bucky’s way.

“Still.”

“Okay, I was trying to be thankful, jerk. Thanks for handling it like a good sport.”

Bucky looked over at Sam and he held his gaze for a few seconds. Did Sam like what just happened? Or was that just praise for him for not ripping Sam’s nephews limb from limb? Restraint?

“Oof, that brain malfunctions a whole lot, doesn’t it?” Sam was right back to teasing, “Code red!”

Bucky chuckled, head bowed. Sam, proud as ever to get that smile from the Winter Soldier, nudged him.

“You’re so stupid,” was all Bucky could think of saying. Sam laughed.

[ordinaryschmuck]

Here's my idea for a drabble. Kikimora is desperate for the chance to take Hunter down, so desperate she tries to team up with Luz. Luz agrees and Kiki is so crazy she doesn't even realize she's being sabotaged at every chance

The Long Game

Luz whistled a happy tune as she walked to the Owl House. Willow was helping Gus find a new club, and Amity needed to head straightaway to work, so it was a rare occasion that Luz was all by herself when leaving Hexide. Not that it bothered her. Her friend's and girlfriend's lives were important, and it's not like Luz needed to be near them twenty-four-seven.

Besides, if put into a dangerous situation, Luz can easily protect herself without anyone else being by her side for protection.

That is until a giant gloopy hand took Luz by the leg and pulled her through the trees.

"Gah!" Luz screamed, pulling out an ice glyph and freezing the hand that held her. Ice surrounded the goopy form, and it shattered instantly with a good kick. After tucking and rolling onto the dirt, Luz spun around and pulled out even more glyphs at the ready, glaring at the source of the goop. Only to feel frozen herself as she stared right at an Abomiton. Which just so happened to have a certain passenger on top of its shoulder.

"Well, well, well," Kikimora said threateningly, "If it isn't Luz, the Human."

"Kikimora!"

"Yes, it is I. The most respected and feared member of the Emperor's Coven! And you, Ms. The Human, have caused a lot of trouble while you were here. Initiating jailbreaks at the Conformitorium, causing excessive damage to Hexide, testing illegally made weapons from Blight Industries--"

"Technically, the last one's Odalia's fault."

"--and CRACKING my poor, innocent Emperor's mask with a spear of ice, no less. Any one of those offenses should land you in years of imprisonment. But doing them all at once? Those are crimes punishable by extreme measures! And I should, on good conscience, eliminate you right now for all that you have done!"

Luz gulped, remembering how well a fight with an Abomiton went the first time.

"...But I'm not going to," Kikimora simply stated, shocking the human girl in the process.

"Wait, what?"

"You see, I require your unique assistance."

"...Again, what?!"

"We have a common enemy, you and I. The insufferable and downright annoying menace that is the GoLdEn GuArD..."

"...You mean Hunter?"

"Is that his name?" Kikimora blinked out of her anger, "Huh. Never cared to check."

"Personally, I wouldn't say Hunter's my enemy," Luz shrugged, "More like an occasional inconvenience. Although he did try to kill my girlfriend..."

"Ah-ha! You see? Common enemy."

"Yeah, but so have you! And-and you almost petrified Eda. If anything, you're more of my enemy than Hunter is. In fact, why should I help you when we could fight instead?"

"So that you'll go free instead of forcing me to do this." The coven witch then snapped her fingers, to which the Abomiton punched a tree in half on command.

"...You make a convincing argument, Ms. Kiki."

"Thank you," The demon in question clapped her hands and allowed the Abomiton to gently put her on the ground so she could walk up to Luz. "Now, I have a question for you, Ms. The Human: How do you do it?"

"...How do I do what?"

"You and your ragtag team of riff-raff have faced the GoLdEn GuArD several times and still manage to live to tell the tale. I'm curious about how someone such as yourself could manage such a feat."

"Dumb luck?" Luz shrugged.

"That can't be it. Nobody is that lucky this many times. There must be a secret, and I must have it so I can destroy that brat once and for all!"

"Wouldn't Belos be mad that you killed his right hand?"

"Yes, but that can be future Kiki's problem. Current Kiki just wants the pleasure of holding his bloodied corpse in her hands while laughing maniacally. I even practiced my laugh. Watch:"

And as the little demon got lost in her evil laughter, Luz got lost in her thoughts.

On the one hand, she didn't want to die at the hands of an Abomiton.

But on the other, she didn't really want to kill Hunter. He's a jerk, sure. But that doesn't mean he had to die.

'If only there was a way out of this...' Luz thought.

"Hey!" Kikimora yelled, her laughter ended. "Are you going to help me, or am I going to have to destroy you?"

At that moment, a lightbulb of an idea came to Luz's head.

"Ms. Kiki," she grinned, "How good are you at playing the long game?"

***

Two weeks later, Luz was walking back to the Owl House, this time with her best friends and awesome girlfriend at her side.

"So, how's the magic chess club going, Gus?" Luz asked.

"It's going really well! The strategy, the warfare, who knew it would all be so much fun!"

"And out of curiosity, how is magical chess different from regular chess?"

"Well, you see--"

"Luz the Human!" a high-pitched voice screeched, bringing the group to come to a halt. Standing ahead of them was Kikimora, a top of an Abomiton's shoulder.

"Kikimora!" Willow shouted.

"With an Abomiton!" Amity added.

"Again," Luz said with a groan, making the others look at her with shock. "Ugh, hang on. I'll deal with this."

Surprising the trio of witches even more, Luz strode up to Kikimora and her Abomaton, more annoyed than terrified.

"What's wrong this time?" she asked.

"He refused the cake you told me to bake him!" Kiki complained, "He kept saying that he wasn't stupid enough to eat something that was clearly poisoned."

"Was it actually poisoned?"

"..."

"Kiki..."

"Of course it was! How else am I supposed to kill the GoLdEn GuArD if I keep doing this stuff to befriend him?!"

"I told you, you're killing him with kindness," Luz explained as if she was talking to a child, "By becoming his friend, he will slowly learn to trust you to eat something you made him. Just as long as you put of poisoning it for, well, let's say a couple of years."

"But I don't want to kill him in a couple of years! I want to kill him now!"

"It's called the long game."

"I know..."

"If you know, that why do you keep complaining?"

"..." Kikimora let out a groan. "FiNe..."

"You see, that's the spirit. And remember, the best way to make a friend is to talk to them. Ask what he likes and what his interests are, and he'll be easier to sway."

"I suppose so. Carry on, Ms. The Human."

Luz cleared her throat.

"Er, I mean, Ms. Noceda."

"Thank you."

And with that, Kikimora commanded her Abomiton to walk away, with Luz walking back to her trio of slackjawed witchlings.

"Sorry about that," Luz said to them, "For someone so dangerous and insane, she's really not the brightest ball of light casted. Still, I'm hoping after a few years of faking being Hunter's friend, she'll at least, you know, become his friend. Am I right?"

"...You are...something else," Amity was the first to say.

"Aw, thank you," Luz cooed, "Now, Gus. Magic chess. Is it, like, the pieces kill each other, or do the witches simply move the pieces by magic?"

[diofasolia]

(Strongly suggest read the writings with the music)

A portal appears in the save screen as Nightmare fell out of it with a thump.

"Night!! Oh god, what happened?!"

Geno holds the goopy skeleton in his arms. One of Nightmare's tentacles went missing while deep, ugly wounds spread all over his torso.

"Who did this to you?! I'll—"

"…Dream."

The familiar name makes Geno freeze in shock. How can Dream did this awful things to his own sibling? Even though Geno understands the complicated situation between the two guardians—with all the wars and stuffs—Dream shouldn't treat his twin like this!

"Please…don't blame him…don't hate my brother…it's not Dream's fault…"

Nightmare's voice sounds so hoarse and weak. Anxiousness washes over Geno as more blood oozing out from the corrupted guardian's body.

"Okay, okay, don't worry, I won't blame Dream for this. But you need to visit Sci to take care of your injuries!!"

Somehow Nightmare just laughs at Geno's words.

"Nah, that won't be needed."

"…when the arrow of positivity shot inside my soul, I'm already doomed—"

"Don't you dare finished that sentence!!"

Anger, sadness, Nightmare can sense various of different emotions emits from his lover as Geno's eye sockets brimming with tears.

"I know this day…will come sooner or later. No need to cry for me…I'm glad that I get to see you one last time, Geno."

"No…Night…Nightmare! Don't leave me…don't leave me alone…!"

Broken sobs escape from Geno's mouth as dreadful thoughts occupies his mind bit by bit. With Nightmare gone, he's going to be all alone by himself again. Alone in the dark save screen without anyone. The only company will be the everlasting void in his heart.

"If you really have to go…"

Geno grasps Nightmare's hands tightly, glancing directly into his eyes with an unwavering gaze.

"…take me with you."

When is the last time that he leaves the save screen to the outside world?

Both of the skeletons sit under a huge tree with warm breeze blowing gently through the leaves.

"Geno?"

The goopy skeleton snuggle closer to his lover. He can feel the tips of his tentacles seems to start fading away.

"What is it, Night?"

"Did you…ever think of our ending will be like…this?"

A small smile appears on Geno's face as he closing his eyes.

"You mean dying with you together? Yeah, definitely."

"…Geno?"

"Hmm?"

"I love you."

With a strong gust, the dust floating in the air while a whisper can be heard in the wind.

"I love you too…"

"…Night."

Original Nightmare by @jokublog

Original Geno by @loverofpiggies

Aftermare Week by @bluepalleteuniverse

*******

The last day of Aftermare Week is finally here!! I know I'm late but I gotta say this music piece is the most satisfied work I've written so far (◡ ω ◡)

So I hope you guys like it too!

Thank you Blue for hosting this Aftermare Week (≧▽≦) I enjoy participate in it very much (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*.✧

Here's my music sheets (☆▽☆)

[star-gamerxox]

Trypophobia (@amarald prize)

“Tag!” Dream laughed and Nightmare rolled his eyes.

“Dream, I’m drawing.” He huffed and his brother leaned over his shoulder.

“Whatcha drawing then?” He whispered, almost sarcastically quiet.

“Oh shush. I’m drawing us.” Nightmare smiled and his brother seemed honestly excited, leaning over more to look at it.

“Cool!” Nightmare laughed. It was a drawing of them together in front of the tree. They both seemed happy in the drawing.

Dream clutched the drawing in his hand, wondering where that happiness went. Somewhere along the lines of everything that happened, the drawing had gotten ripped in half. Dream kept both pieces though. Sometimes he questioned why he kept them, when they caused him so much pain, reminded him of the happy life he could no longer have.

One time, in the middle of the night, Dream woke up and was unable to return to sleep. In a slightly sleep deprived state, he grabbed the two pieces and taped them together. 

The next morning he laughed at himself for doing so but maybe, just maybe, Nightmare would really come home and be himself again.

Yea. Why did he lie to himself?

“Nightmare stop!” Dream yelled out as yet another au burned around him. Nightmare looked over at his brother and smirked. Nightmare had changed so much. It was scary for Dream to look back and remember the brother that Nightmare had been before.

“But why brother? Why should I stop?” He asked as his tentacles waved around violently. Dream fought the reaction to flinch away.

“You’re hurting people.” Dream tried to reason.

“And why do you think I care? News flash Dream. I don’t care if I hurt people.” Nightmare walked closer and the other took a quick step backwards. He was terrified although he hated to admit just how scared he was.

“But-“

“I’m not even the Nightmare you once knew and I’m SICK of you trying to ‘save me’!” Nightmare grabbed Dream who yelped immediately in his brother's grip. Nightmares grip was strong and painful for Dream who started to fight back, attempting to escape.

“Pathetic…” Nightmare hissed. Dream whimpered, truly believing his brother was gone. What he didn’t know is that there was a ghostly form of the brother Dream had known before. Said ghostly form was begging for Dream to be left alone.

Slowly Nightmare’s tentacles wrapped around Dream’s arms, lifting his brother into the air. One of the two left knocked Dreams crown off his head and the other ripped apart Dreams cape. Dream let out a sob as one of them reached for his eye.

“Please… stop…” Dream begged and his words were echoed by the ghostly Nightmare. 

“Tough chance.” He hissed and soon tossed a broken and unconscious dream to the ground. The ghostly Nightmare sobbed and scrambled to his brother although he was unable to physically interact with the others now broken body.

“Oh shut up.” The physical Nightmare hissed and the ghostly one sobbed more.

“Night?” Dream whispered. He was a spirit too, if not just for a moment.

“Dream!? Are you dead!?” Nightmare was panicking.

“No… at least, I don’t think I am.” Dream looked around before kneeling in front of his unconscious body.

“I’m not dusting… but… are you real?” Dream whispered.

“Yea. I’m real… I guess I’m sorta the dead one here… that… monster… isn’t me…” he glanced at the dark version of Nightmare that had moved to terrorize more people in the au.

“What happened? How?” Dream whispered.

“When I ate the apples…”

Nightmare flinched away from the angered yells. 

“Leave me alone!” He sobbed but they continued. After what seemed like forever, they left again. He didn’t have to question where they were going, they were likely going to bother his brother.

“I’m not evil… I’m not bad…” he whimpered but that quiet voice, one that never existed before but now grew louder every day, nagged at him. It told him how awful he was. He was an evil boy, negative and dark. No amount of comfort from Dream could destroy the voice. 

“They aren’t bad either… my apples can’t be that bad… can they?” He stood and reached for them.

“Nightmare!” Dream came up the hill laughing and Nightmare turned quickly, dropping his hand.

“Hey Dream!” He smiled at his brother. It wasn’t a fake smile, at least not when he was with his twin.

“How was your day?” Dream asked as he reached Nightmares side. Nightmare merely shrugged as he sat back down. He didn’t want to lie to his brother. This wasn’t lying, it was just not giving a true answer at all. He couldn’t tell his brother, it would make Dream freak out.

“Huh… well I had a good day and I hope your shrug means that you did too!” He giggled a bit. Nightmare just smiled at his brother. His shrug meant whatever Dream wanted it to.

“Whatever brother…” he hummed and Dream giggled. Nightmare just relaxed under the tree, smiling softly when his brother joined him and closed his eyes.

Nightmare watched his brother walk off again, like always, towards the town. He knew the villagers in the town loved his brother. He was glad about that, considering what he went through. The villagers hated him, calling him the guardian of evil among other terrible things.

“Hey look! It’s the monster!” A villager boy laughed. They always came after Dream had left. Nightmare knew that telling his brother would end the bullying but it would also make his usually positive brother, really sad.

“I am not a monster.” Nightmare whispered and he only got a response of pure laughter. He balled his fists and faced the tree instead of the bullies.

“Not a monster? Are you completely stupid? You’re negativity. You and your dirty apples make everyone sad.” They pushed Nightmare and the boy stumbled forward before turning to face the snarling villager. After a while they left and Night turned to his apples again. This time he didn’t hesitate as he grabbed an apple and took a bite. He kept eating his apples, ignoring his pain, before a hand was placed on his shoulder. He turned and froze as he stared into his own face.

“Can’t eat anymore ghostly.” The dark, goopy, figure smirked and Nightmare realized what he did, whimpering in fear.

“Who are you?” He whispered.

“Awe… but im you…”

“So… you’re not in control of your body anymore?” Dreamasked and Night nodded softly.

“Yea… Mare is a different person than me.” 

“Mare?”

“I’m Night, he’s Mare.” The ghostly guardian of negativity smiled sadly at his brother.

“And you, Dream, are waking up… don’t forget that he’s the puppeteer… not me…” he insisted. Dream nodded.

Dream notched an arrow as he stared at a photo of Mare. That monster stole his brother and he’d make him pay. He launched the arrow and watched it sink into the photo.

“Angry much?” Ink asked, eating popcorn as he watched the other.

“He has Night just trapped there… he’s destroying everything… I’ll make him pay for taking my brother. One day at a time, he’ll pay.” Dream hissed. He walked up to his target and yanked the arrow out of the photo. He frowned more and raised a fist, punching the photo out of anger.

“You do realize that won’t hurt the actual guy right?” Ink laughed. Dream Just grumbled in anger.

“I know Ink. I’m not an idiot.” He sighed before turning to hang the picture back up and shoot the arrow again.

“I’m not saying you were an idiot, I just think you’re acting like one right now.” He teased. Dream, obviously, didn’t find that funny.

“I’m training to get my brother back.” He hissed before standing and leaving the room.

“Cause that monster isn’t my brother, just a puppeteer… and my brother is his puppet.”

(I’d like to say that Amarald was okay with this not being 5000 words. I set my mark way to high in saying that amount.)

[just-an-anxious-mess]

Just Like Old Times

Trigger Warnings: Remus being himself, mild emotional hurt/comfort and festive blues

Shining lights and bright colours covered the walls of the mindspace and, as an added assault to the senses, festive spices seemed to be everywhere with no visible source.

This was how the sides celebrated Christmas and Roman and Patton were mostly responsible for how extravagant and over the top it all was.

Virgil had been with them for plenty of years and knew how it worked quite well by now but this year he didn't feel at all comfortable.

The decorations seemed tacky and the smell of spices was sickly. Even the quiet sound of Christmas music had him gritting his teeth and covering his ears as it sounded tinny and annoying.

Everything seemed off and not as inviting as usual but then again Virgil had dropped a significant truth bomb on Thomas that had probably caused this sudden disconnect from everyone else.

Virgil sighed, sitting on his bed with his head in his hands as he thought and over thought the moment he revealed his past to Thomas.

He'd been going over that moment constantly since it'd happened and honestly it was starting to drive him a little nuts.

He felt cooped up in his room but he'd rather spend time in there than out where the Christmas decorations and smells seemed to have infected everything.

He wasn't sure what to do. He didn't want to stay in his room forever but he knew he wouldn't be able to stand leaving it.

Unless....

Virgil frowned and shook his head at the idea immediately, it was stupid.

But it wasn't as if he had much of a choice was it?

Sure he could stay here but he'd be alone, anxious and stressed out of his mind.

At least with Them he knew he'd be able to stomach it

Well... If they even let him join them that is. After everything he wasn't sure they'd want him back, especially considering how he'd left things.

Virgil pondered the decision for a while longer before standing up and making his decision.

This Christmas he would spend with The Others or The Dark Sides as Roman liked to call them.

He took a deep breath before focusing on his door, trying to ignore the way his heart was pounding away in his chest as he felt the air shift slightly and he knew he'd successfully reopened the link to the other mindspace.

Cautiously he pushed open his door, peeking out warily and freezing as he was hit by a wave of nostalgia.

The dark corridor had fairy lights shining along the walls, each door he could see had a coloured wreath and he was surprised to see his door with a black and purple one. He'd assumed they would have just left his blank.

He opened his door wider and peered further down the corridor and couldn't help but smile as he spotted a familiar door covered in bright green decorations that also seemed a bit goopy.

That was Remus's door, same as usual and if Virgil ventured a little further he was sure he'd see Janus's door with the snake shaped wreath of yellow.

Even further down the corridor there would be a door with an orange wreath but Virgil didn't have time to reminisce, he needed to find the sides in question.

He carefully slipped out of his room and quietly shut the door, taking a calming breath to try and slow the panicked race of his pulse.

He slowly crept towards where he knew the living room to be and paused as he heard familiar voices.

"Remus! How many times do I have to tell you!"

"Clearly more than once!"

Remus's voice was full of glee, probably at the expense of Janus who sounded exasperated and tired.

"You know what? Fuck it, eat the tinsel and when you feel ill later I'll say I told you so."

Virgil covered his mouth with his hand, grinning at the typical Remus action and fondly remembering the years he'd spent helping Janus keep him from eating various decorations.

"Do you reckon I'll get tinsillitis then?" Remus asked, and Virgil could imagine the infuriating grin he probably had at the awful joke.

"Remus, I swear, if you keep it up who knows what might happen to my infamous festive cookies."

"Wait! No! You're making those again?"

"Perhaps, I hadn't quite decided but I feel less inclined to do so now..."

Remus let out a screech and Virgil winced but was amused at how the dynamic of the two still seemed the same after so long.

Virgil venture forward and peered into the room, a lump forming in his throat at the familiar décor.

There was an enormous real Christmas tree with various decorations, a couple of them handmade by Remus for each of them, his own not appearing to be on there which was understandable.

He spotted the side in question wrapped in various garlands of tinsel grovelling at Janus's feet begging for him to make cookies.

Janus had a circlet of fairy lights around his hat and was looking down at Remus with a raised eyebrow, amused at the sudden change in his attitude.

Virgil held back a gasp as he noticed a dusty box sitting on the sofa with the star that usually sat atop the tree poking out the top.

He wondered who put it on the tree after he'd left considering that used to be his thing but brushed it off as he heard Remus's voice again.

"Oh my dear snake, please forgive me for my tinsel addiction for it is what I must eat when you're cookies are unavailable. Seriously though Jan, I would murder for those cookies and I'm likely to go smash a bunch of my brother's stuff if I don't get them."

"oh no, whatever shall I do? Poor Romans stuff. A tragedy if ever I heard one."

Janus expression and voice remained deadpan as he spoke and there was a brief moment of silence before Remus let out his cackle of a laugh and Janus chuckled.

Virgil had to hold his own amusement back at the achingly familiar humour that both urged him forward and also made him want to run for it.

It had been so long since he'd any sort of civil conversation with any of them and he was probably being hasty in his decision to come back for Christmas, surely they'd never want him back? Not after everything he'd said?

"Virgil?"

Panic gripped Virgils heart as he locked eyes with Janus who seemed just as surprised to see him as Virgil was to be seen.

"I... um..." Virgil stuttered, eyes wide and his breaths starting to get harder to take.

"Woah there emo nightmare, you need to chill the fuck out my dude. Deep breaths and all that shit." Remus was suddenly right next to him which didn't exactly help.

"Oh shit, Remus how many times do I have to tell you not to pop up next to him suddenly because it makes things worse? you know what never mind, hold on Virgil, I've got you, it's ok, just breathe."

Janus approached Virgil as his extra arms came out and it was as if Virgil had never left as Janus inquired if it was ok to touch him and, when he was given the go ahead, embraced Virgil in an enormous comforting hug and calmly told him everything was ok and reminded him to breathe.

After Virgil had managed to calm himself down he pulled back from Janus's hold and looked around awkwardly, unsure how to proceed.

"So what brings you back to this ass of the woods?" Remus asked, ignoring Janus's suffering sigh at his choice of words.

Virgil hesitated, worried of their reactions and not sure what he'd do if they turned him away but he wouldn't be too surprised.

Perhaps it was because Janus knew him so well or it had something to do with his role when it came to hidden knowledge but whatever the reason, Janus's expression suddenly changed into one of understanding and surprise.

"You told him."

It wasn't a question and it didn't need an answer, Janus knew from the look in Virgils eyes.

"Wait, what?" Remus asked, blinking in an exaggerated manner as he tried to figure out what was going on.

"And?" Janus asked Virgil, ignoring Remus's question for the time being as he watched Virgil carefully.

"He... um... I didn't really..." Virgil spluttered, struggling to get the words out as his mind filled with the expression on Thomas's face when he'd told him.

"Oh, honey, it'll be ok." Janus said in a soft voice, pulling Virgil in for another hug as tears began to run down his cheeks.

Remus was still confused dot com but wasn't going to say no to a group hug opportunity

After an amount of time none of them were keeping track of Virgil felt all the worries that had been eating away at him since telling Thomas seemingly melt away and he knew that was probably because of Janus.

"I... thank you. Um... I was uh, I was wondering if maybe, you know, you weren't busy or if you wanted to, it's no big deal really, um, would it be alright if I, maybe, um... stayed here? with you guys?"

Virgil stumbled his way through his question, eyes darting between the two almost as quickly as the thoughts flitting through his head about them turning him down.

"Of course!" Remus shrieked, his toothy smile immediately appearing as he began bouncing up and down on the spot in excitement.  "This means we get to have the star on the tree this year! Wooooo!"

Remus bounced away, running around the room shrieking and yelling in glee as the other two watched, Janus in amusement and Virgil in bewilderment.

"Wait, what did he mean?"

It was Janus's turn to look awkward and he looked down at his gloves, picking at them instead of meeting Virgils eyes as he replied.

"no reason really, Remus being his weird self."

Virgil frowned as he surveyed Janus's face carefully before turning back to Remus who was throwing his garlands of tinsel onto the tree haphazardly.

"Remus what did you mean by this year you get to have the star on top?"

Remus paused and sent a glance at Janus who was sending him the look Remus had come to recognise as 'don't say a fucking word'. It was a look Remus loved to ignore so with a cheeky grin and a wink at the deceitful trait he replied "Well it's just not a real Christmas without you Virgie so the three of us decided not to put the star on top because that's your thing and we weren't going to just replace you or anything. Plus I'm pretty sure sulky scales here would have had a fit if we'd used a different tree topper. He was most adamant, weren't you Janny boy?"

Remus had a shit eating grin on his face as he took in the ever reddening face of Janus who was glaring heatedly at him but not as heated as his cheeks were, you could probably fry an egg on those bad boys.

Virgil turned to Janus, stunned and a little amused at how flustered he now was. "is that true?"

Janus scowled at Remus before sighing and meeting Virgils eyes and nodding. "Like Remus said, it's just not Christmas without you. After you left the one thing the rest of us could agree on was it didn't feel right, there was always something missing. You."

"wait, all of you?" Virgil asked, completely shocked.

"Yeppers, even old Shouty McPouty Amberlamps. It's not been the same without you. Now are you going to get your butt over here and decorate this tree or will I end up eating it again?"

"Wait, when did you eat the tree?" Virgil asked in alarm and was answered by a groan from Janus who was rubbing the temples of his head.

"He got so distressed last year about the unfinished state of our tree he ended up eating it. It was horrific to watch but it was kind of impressive in an I didn't realise that was possible kind of way."

Virgil felt his eyes prickle as he was surprisingly touched by the knowledge he'd been missed by all of them so much.

He'd yet to see 'Amberlamps' as Remus liked to call him but that wasn't surprising. The orange side usually avoided Remus because the creative traits favourite pastime was annoying people and he especially loved to annoy Wrath.

Wrath had such a low tolerance for Remus's bullshit that the two never really spent much time in the same room because of the messes their fights had resulted in in the past and Remus usually spent time with Janus a lot because Janus was able to keep him from doing most of the random stuff that popped into his head.

"Hey sir-thinks-a-lot! Put the star on the tree already!" Remus demanded impatiently, pulling Virgil from his thoughts.

"Alright, alright, jeez." Virgil grumbled but couldn't help the smile on his face at how amazing it felt to be fitting back into his role so easily.

Virgil stretched up on tiptoes and managed to just about slip the star onto the top of the tree, grinning as Remus let out a childlike scream of joy and Janus's face split into a soft genuine smile.

"Yay! Finally! the gang's all back together!"

"I think you're forgetting someone..." A voice said from the doorway and they all turned to spot Wrath frowning at them but it was gentler than usual as he locked eyes with Virgil and the corners of his mouth twitched up into a slight smile.

"Good to have you back Virgil, even if it's just for however long it takes for the others to get their shit together."

Virgil winced as the mood in the mood soured slightly at that reminder but Remus wasn't one to be easily perturbed.

"Who cares about the future? that's a problem for tomorrow us!

Wrath sighed but didn't comment, instead allowing Remus this small victory because it was the happiest he'd seen him in a while and even if he was a bit of an asshole he wasn't so bad as to make Remus miserable constantly, especially during the festive season.

"Group hug! and it's a proper one now because good old Virgie poo is back!" Remus suddenly exclaimed and there was no warning before the other three found themselves on a couch squashed next to each other and pinned in place by Remus's strong arms.

"Hey! Let go of me!" Wrath exclaimed but, at a look from Janus, cleverly decided to stop complaining before the snake called him out on his fake disgust at the hug.

Virgil was momentarily alarmed and caught off guard but when Janus used his extra arms to also grab them all in a hug he couldn't help but feel safe.

Just being around his old friends again had made him forget why he'd been so anxious in the first place.

It was like coming home.

Tag List under the cut:

General tag list: @mcfreakin-childproof-caps @amethystdarkwolf @patchworkofstars @kitkat-doodles @unikornavenger @dolphin-squirrel @sympathetic-deceit-trash @starryfirefliesbloggo @cakercanart @neonb-fly @kaymischief25 @punsterterry @aprilthevene @theoddkidnextdoor @fuckingemoace @i-sold-my-soul-to-thefandom @im-so-infinitesimal @sea-blue-child @thecatchat @iris-sanders-athena @saphael-malec102 @smedenn @corkeecoderyt @sopi-montezzz @illogicaldeath @deadpanstar @theanxiousfander @lesliealiceinwonderland @wicked-universe @anxious-is-the-name @a-black-pegasus @erlenmeyertrashofsandersides @ace-the-weekly-doodler @luarpice @novusavis @the-life-ofa-troubled-ace @heck-im-lost @nerdy-as-heck @pansexual-cat @ravens-rambling @echomist13 @myownhappilyeverafter @im-a-sexy-mouse @xx-fandom-potato-xx @bisexualellaphants @redundant-statements-for-400 @noahlovescoffee @akl1 @love-ya-to-the-moon @misty2-0 @cdragontogacotar @shad-ster @chemicallyimbalancedromance @ivescottthis @flag-spinning-demiboy @moonstonefox12 @stupidfangirl107 @teegankitty @stormastrote @skylerskywing @oonagh-una @ab-artist @lydialightwood-bane @remythehero @amberrose80q3 @official-spookifers-child @amazonprimebox

[lover-of-skellies]

If you can, do #30/nightmares then #19/face reality with papyrus? I have no idea how that would play out.(you dont have to do both of them, i just really like nightmares. Thank you for your time!! I love reading your stuff! It be so good //=3=//)

I'll admit, this took a bit of consideration before I started working, since I wasn't sure what exactly to do. The end result though? I'm actually pretty proud of it :P

Also, thank you! I'm really happy you like my writing!! :D

-

"SANS? COME ON SANS, PLEASE! JUST TALK TO ME!"

As the snow crunched beneath his boots and the cold winter air bit into his bones, the tall, lanky skeleton headed further into the woods, nervously glancing around. He'd been in this forest countless times before and knew it very well, but today... something just felt wrong and off. As he stepped out of the trees into a small clearing, he took notice of a figure standing alone with their back to him. Taking in the sight of the all too familiar, worn blue and grey jacket, his soul thudded within his ribs, and he froze. He wasn't sure that his brother would really want to see him after the disagreement they'd had, but he couldn't bear the thought of his elder brother being upset with him any longer.

As he slowly began to approach Sans, he cleared his throat, calling out to announce his presence, "SANS?... THANK GOODNESS, I FINALLY FOUND YOU. I COULDN'T FIND YOU IN ANY OF YOUR NORMAL SPOTS AND I WAS WORRIED!" To his confusion, his brother didn't respond. No singular words, no low hums of acknowledgement, not even a shrug of his shoulders. Papyrus frowned, reaching out to delicately touch Sans' shoulder with a gloved hand, "BROTHER, PLEASE. I KNOW YOU MAY STILL BE UPSET WITH ME, BUT JUST KNOW THAT I'M VERY SORRY FOR WHAT I SAID EARLIER. I DIDN'T MEAN IT, I SWEAR. I WAS JUST FRUSTRATED, THAT'S ALL." Sans muttered something under his breath, too low to be understood.

Brow bones knit in further confusion, Papyrus felt his frown deepen, "... I DIDN'T CATCH THAT. DO YOU THINK YOU COULD SPEAK UP, PLEASE?" Sans let out a deep sigh, his shoulders slouching. As he very slowly turned to face the taller of the two, Papyrus noticed his abnormally wide sockets and constricted, pin prick sized eye lights. Fear wouldn't have been enough to describe to look he wore, and this made Papyrus concerned. Meeting his gaze, Sans uttered no more than two words, cyan tinted tears pricking at the edges of his sockets, "Papyrus... run."

A chill ran down the taller brothers spine and he frowned again; cyan?... what? Cyan wasn't right, not at all. Sans' tears matched his signature magic color, which happened to be blue. He opened his mouth to question his brother, but his voice immediately died upon seeing some abnormal, tar-like substance begin to drip from Sans' mouth. It dripped and dripped, coating his entire chin, before it spurted from one of his sockets and poured down his body. Papyrus took a couple steps back, staring in shock and fear as the black substance completely coated his brother; all but one of his sockets. Attempting to swallow his fear, Papyrus hesitantly spoke, his normally boisterous voice now much softer, "Sans?... What Happened To You? What's All That Goopy Stuff?... Are you... Are You Ok?..."

Sans' visible socket snapped open, his once white eye light now a vibrant cyan as he tilted his head, a demented grin stretching across his face as he purred, "How cute. You still think I'm him, don't you?" Papyrus felt as though his feet had become rooted to the ground, and his bones began to rattle; a reflection of the immense fear that was slowly overtaking his soul. This other "Sans" chuckled, and Papyrus' sockets widened as four inky tendrils practically tore out of his back, writhing behind him as though they possessed a mind of their own. As one of the tentacles began to make it's way toward him, the taller of the two whirled around, intending to run as fast as he could away from the goop covered mass that was once his brother.

A second tentacle shot out, wrapping around one of his arms and abruptly jerking him backward, allowing the first to wrap around his other. He felt his breathing quicken as he looked around, desperately hoping to spot an escape route, or anything else that could help him out of this situation, for that matter. The living nightmare behind him hummed, his grin shifting into one of amusement, "My my, Papyrus. You came all this way to find your Sans, just to turn and abandon him like this?" He tsked, "Shameful. You must've been an awful brother to him, then." Papyrus shook his head, trying to pull away from the tendrils that held him, "NO! I WAS NOT A BAD BROTHER TO HIM. AT LEAST... I TRIED NOT TO BE." A third tentacle snaked around his femur and began to squeeze as his captor responded, "And how does it feel to fail, hm? Or rather, to know you failed? Since none of your friends would've ever had the gall to tell you how many times you've failed them." Papyrus continued to struggle against the tendrils, but to no avail, "I'M NOT A FAILURE! I WON'T LET YOU TALK TO ME THAT WAY, YOU FREAK!"

The tendrils suddenly spun Papyrus to face his captor, "Awe, it looks like someone's upset that they were finally told the truth." Papyrus shook his head, "SHUT UP, SHUT UP. THAT'S NOT TRUE!" The shorter of the two chuckled to himself before sighing again. He reached into what Papyrus would've assumed was his jacket, and to his shock, he withdrew a single soul. With widened sockets, Papyrus gawked at the object, only amusing the shorter skeleton further.

The goop covered mass raised a single brow bone and hummed, "You were looking for your brother, yes? Well, now you've found him." The lanky skeleton opened his mouth, but wasn't even given the chance to say anything. Before his very eyes, the fourth tendril wrapped itself around the soul and constricted, shattering the oh so delicate object in it's grasp.

Orange tinted tears pricked at Papyrus' sockets, and his mandible began to tremble. Noticing how Papyrus seemed to be attempting to withhold his tears, his captor smirked, "Oops. Looks like he's gone. Sans is dead and it's your fault, you know. What'll you do about that? What'll you tell your friends? The people who loved him almost as much as you did? They'll be heartbroken, and they're going to hate you, Papyrus." Processing the other's words, the lanky skeleton felt tears begin to roll down his face, and he let out a choked sob, "HOW COULD YOU DO THAT TO HIM?! WHAT DID WE EVER DO TO YOU? HE NEVER DESERVED TO DIE. NOT LIKE THIS!"

The goop covered mass hummed in delight, his tentacles tugging Papyrus closer. Reaching out to trail his fingertips along the taller skeletons jaw, he leaned closer and cooed, "Oh, poor baby. Lucky you though... my time here is over. You need to wake up now, Papyrus. Open your eyes, and wake up." Papyrus let out another sob, sniffling as the tendrils that held him faded from view. His captor shot him one last smug grin before also fading from view, and suddenly, he was falling. He flailed his arms and legs, screaming as he fought to find something to grab onto. Something... anything!

As he came crashing to the ground, his entire body jolted, and he snapped his eyes open, now staring up at his bedroom ceiling as he gasped for air, beads of cold sweat having collected on his forehead. He sat up, orange tinted tears beginning to drip down his cheekbones. He knew it was just a nightmare, but it was so real. He whimpered, and concluding what he needed to do now, he bolted from his racecar bed to his door. He needed to check on Sans, and he had to do it NOW.

He raced out of the room without an ounce of hesitation, failing to notice the single cyan eye light peering at him from beneath his bed, narrowed in pure joy.

[kathyprior4200]

Zoophobia: The Remix

All characters, art, and settings belong to Vivziepop/Vivienne Medrano, no copyright intended. https://zoophobiacomic.com/

Chapter One: “Cameron’s Early Years”

“Greetings. My name is Salvia, a human staff member at Zoo Phoenix Academy. Don’t mind my thick red hair, it often covers my face. I love romance films and novels and I play violin. I also have extensive knowledge of psychic powers and prophecy. Me having existed since ancient times could explain it.”

 “Let me tell you an incredible, albeit bizarre story about the world I’m from. It is what mortals call ’Zoophobia.’ First, a provenance about said world…”

 “Safe Haven…it is a sanctuary, an oasis for animals, anthropomorphic beings and other creatures. The Zoo Phoenix Academy is part of it. We sustain ourselves here…and serve as a utopia and protected escape for all kinds of creatures that are ostracized by the human-dominated world beyond the Oceania Forest. That is why there are so few humans here.”

 “Safe Haven is split into seven districts and each district has an important purpose and contributes to the society as a whole. The Animal District, Capital City, the wealthy E! District, Marine District, Avian District, the Farming District and the District of Magic. (Do not go to Xirxine Labs, they do horrible experiments on beings deemed ‘troublesome.’) Pacts were made and spells were cast to prohibit malevolent forces from entering the boundaries of Safe Haven. But to maintain the peace and tranquility of this thriving culture, very specific rules were put into effect by the original peacekeepers who founded Safe Haven.”

 “Evil forces include evil spirits, rogue vampires, true demons, and blood hunters. (And don’t forget many of the entitled angels in Heaven, they can be deceiving.) The laws here are strict and they keep the dangers out, while keeping the citizens inside and safe. But this is why no living being is permitted to leave for good. It goes against the pacts that protect us. And breaking those pacts could lead to the corruption of the magic that shields us. Without magic, we would be at the mercy of not only dark monsters, but also outside humans who have wanted to hunt us all down. We would be overcome with the dark forces that have been wanting to enter Safe Haven for centuries.”

 “Safe Haven has not had a violent crime or a dangerous predator in years, and we do everything we can to keep it that way. But one circumstance changed all that we knew.”

 “This story first begins in the human world…and follows an ordinary female by the name of Cameron Walden…”

 0 0 0

 “Are you ready to go, sweetheart?”

 “Coming, mommy!”

 A jubilant fair-haired girl jumped for joy before dragging her small suitcase behind her down the hall. She was around six years old and her hair was slightly messy. Her golden-brown-haired mother looked at her with loving eyes.

 “What will we do on our camping trip today?” little Cameron asked eagerly.

 “Hmm,” she said. “Last year we went canoeing at the lake and made crafts out of sticks. Remember when we roasted marshmallows under the stars?”

 “Oh yes!” Cameron said. “Those snores were delicious!”

 “I think you mean s’mores,” her mother chuckled. “Your face and hands were so sticky afterwards. You looked like a goopy little monster.” She playfully pinched her cheeks and made a funny face as Cameron giggled.

 “But I’m thinking this year, we’ll do some of your favorite activities. I know how much you enjoy fishing.”

 “Oh yay!” Cameron cheered. “I remember daddy catching at least two. And I got to feel their smooth scaly skin. Glad he let them go at the end.”

 “He might teach you this time. But you’ll have to be patient.”

 “Don’t worry, I will…maybe.”

 Her mother chuckled again. “Let’s go, your dad is waiting for us.”

 Cameron’s father also had white skin and golden brown hair, except he had a scruffy beard that he often let Cameron feel. His eyes were kind and thoughtful and a Christian cross necklace hung around his neck. All of them wore casual jeans, brown hiking shoes and shirts of gray.

 Soon, Cameron and her family piled into their car and Cameron’s father drove them through the city streets. The city was dull and gray, reminiscent of New York City but without the splendor. But even the smoggy city didn’t deter Cameron’s excitement. During the long drive to the woods, Cameron and her family sang some songs, played I Spy and that game where you call out a word and then have to call another word that starts with the end letter.

 “Salad,” said Cameron’s father.

 “Diver,” said her mother.

 “River,” Cameron said.

 “Ratable,” said her father.

 “Uh, lion!” said her mother.

 “Ha! You lose!” said her father.

 “No fair! Ratable has a silent ‘e.’ You cheated!”

 Her father just shrugged playfully and winked at Cameron before focusing back on the road.

 “Why’d I space out like that?” her mother mumbled.

 They entered through the woods, trees surrounding either side as they rushed by. The dullness of the city faded behind them as greenery whizzed to life as they drove.

 “Have you ever thought about what you want to be when you grow up?” her mother asked.

 “I don’t know,” Cameron answered. “But I do want to help people and make the world a better place!”

 “Great spirit you have there,” her father remarked. “Anything in particular?”

 “Maybe…a counselor! Or a zookeeper! Or maybe a marine biologist! Surely it can’t be that hard comforting animals and humans the same!”

 “Well,” her mother began. “I know how much you love animals, especially fish. But humans are more…complex creatures. You need to have good listening skills in order to start. And…” she said in a singsong voice, “That means making friends!”

 Cameron groaned. She was quite shy, even in her youth.

 “I know it can be hard,” said her mother. “But you can’t expect to be alone forever. There are so many different individuals out there. And it’s true some of them may be...strange at first glance."

 “What if they…don’t like me or hurt me?”

 “No one would hurt you,” she said. “If they did, I’d make them run for the hills. Plus no one could possibly dislike such a sweet angel like yourself. Just take it one step at a time. You’ll find someone special to love. And I know you will be confident and successful one day, whatever you decide to do.”

 Cameron smiled at the thought as they continued down a dirt path. Her mother had always wanted her to be happy above all else. The car swayed and bounced as they went deeper in. At last, they found their favorite camping spot and parked. It was a pleasant area with a few pine trees, a wooden bench and a small ledge overlooking a nearby lake. As Cameron’s father pitched the tent and gathered wood, Cameron and her mother gazed at the nearby lake. Sunlight shimmered and sparkled on the water, mesmerizing Cameron. A few ducks quacked off to the side and horsetail reeds swayed in the cool breeze. A dragonfly zoomed in and out among the reeds, occasionally touching the liquid surface. It was a relief to get away from the city and into the much cleaner fresh air.

 After a fun day of hiking (Cameron identified several types of leaves and tracks), hide and seek (Cameron climbed a small tree but was found anyway) and fishing (Cameron caught one small fish), they had an early evening dinner over the fire. Cameron inhaled the scent of sizzling bratwurst and hamburgers as the meat cooked. A few stars had already appeared as the sun painted the sky orange and gold. The meat was delicious and slightly overcooked. Then they had s’mores for dessert.

 “Aw man,” groaned her father as he stared at his blackened marshmallow on a stick, “I overdid mine.” Then he grinned playfully and proceeded to eat it.

 “Gross!” Cameron remarked with a face. “How can you eat that?”

 “A marshmallow is a marshmallow,” he said with a shrug.

 Cameron’s marshmallow was a perfect golden brown in between the chocolate pieces and graham crackers. Cameron’s mother had her marshmallow plain white.

 After the satisfying meal, Cameron was eager to explore some more. “Can we go on a quick hike, Dad?” she asked. “It’s not as hot now.” A refreshing breeze caressed her skin.

 Her dad nodded. “There’s still some light out. We can look around and gaze at the stars too.”

 “Just don’t go too far,” added her mother. “And take a flashlight with you.”

 “See you shortly,” called her father as he took Cameron’s hand and began their nightly hike. Cameron’s mother waved with a smile while sitting on a log and finishing her dinner. The fire crackled brightly.

 By now, the sky has turned a dark indigo. The moonlight lit the path in front of them but they were still careful not to trip over any stray sticks, holes or rocks. Along the way, they spotted a rabbit, several squirrels, and even a stag hidden among the trees. The natural world was a wondrous place for Cameron. She and her father eventually relaxed on a cool boulder, naming the various constellations above them.

 “This is the best camping trip ever, Dad!” Cameron smiled.

 “It sure has been lots of fun, kiddo,” her father smiled. For a while, they let themselves be mesmerized by the twinkling stars and the comforting sound of the still night air. Then all too soon, he sat up and said, “We should head on back. After all, an overnight sleepover never gets old.”

 “Yeah, let’s go!” said Cameron. She let out a yawn and was looking forward to being warm in her cozy sleeping bag. They got off the rock and walked back hand in hand.

 As they wondered the trails back toward camp, the forest was quiet. Eerily quiet. There were no bird songs or bugs or even the swaying of the wind. Even with the flashlight and moonlight, it grew much darker than before. Cameron grew silent and scooted closer to her father as they walked. A prickling feeling crept up to her neck…she felt like something was watching her. With every snap of a twig or rustle of leaves, she flinched slightly.

 “Are there m-monsters out here?” she asked, almost in a whisper.

 “Don’t be concerned. Other than the devil and wild animals, monsters don’t exist. Everything is fine,” her father assured her.

 Cameron grew less and less convinced as they continued their trek. Shadows flickered and warped this way and that, a trick of the eyes. Cameron whimpered softly. Something tall loomed up ahead. A large tree was in front of them, larger than the other trees around. It looked like an ancient oak tree with hanging branches and a worn down trunk. Cyan fog surrounded the tree and the area, giving it an enigmatic and ominous feel.

 A low hooting sound came from nearby. Cameron glanced at a black hole in the tree, at her eye-level. A smaller branch stuck off to the side of it. She peered inside and didn’t see anything.

 But then…a pair of glowing yellow eyes blinked from inside. And a white owl emerged onto the branch! She shined her flashlight at it and it didn’t flinch. Just stared intently.

 Cameron had never seen such a majestic creature before. It had white feathers, tiny black spots on its coat and a sharp hooked beak. But there was something peculiar about this owl. Looking closely, Cameron could make out zig-zag yellow stripes down the front of its body. And its eyes…they were big and yellow like an owl’s but seemed…older. Instead of being a single color, the large orbs glowed yellow with dark stripes like a bumblebee. It almost appeared as if the lines in the eyes were moving. Strange small jagged eyelashes jutted out from the sides of the orbs. The owl eyed Cameron like she was an innocent mouse; she did not like the look at all.

 Cameron blinked and for a millisecond, she saw a bizarre being; what looked like a bird but with the head of a woman with white blonde hair and pale skin. Before she could comprehend what it was (a harpy), it had turned back into an owl in the blink of an eye. After letting out an ominous hoot, it vanished into the hole as Cameron’s father called her name. She hurried off to catch up to him.

 Cameron shook her head, convinced it was just her fearful imagination. No owl would come out and look through her like that.

 A strange sense of foreboding flowed through Cameron. She and her father quickened their pace.

  Back at camp, a low growling sound grew steadily louder.

 Growl. Crunch. Crunch. Tap. Tap. Tap.

 The sounds of steps and shuffling grew closer. Cameron’s mother looked around, holding a bratwurst in one hand.

 Grooooowwwlll….snort, snort.

 Hot breath on neck. Snapping of twigs.

 Cameron’s mother slowly turned around, meeting large dark eyes…

 A scream echoed out into the night, almost paralyzing Cameron in her tracks.

 “Dad?”

  It was shrill and pleading…and then it rang out again.

 Longer lasting screams and roars seemed to be coming from everywhere. The world seemed to be spinning.

 “What was that?!” Cameron cried.

 “I don’t know, but I have a feeling we need to get back,” said her father with concern. For the first time, he appeared sacred as well.

 Without hesitation, her father grabbed hold of her hand and raced as fast as his legs could carry him. Cameron briefly tripped over a log but her father picked her up. A sudden gust of biting wind pushed against them, but they still ran. They flinched from the sudden cold and the dust that flew in their faces. It drowned out the screams until they faded away. The wind came to a howling peak and then halted as they reached the clearing.

 Her father suddenly gasped and froze to a stop, Cameron almost bumping into him. His flashlight fell to the ground. There was the tangy smell of…Cameron figured it wasn’t the cooked dinner they had.

 “Stay back, Cameron!” her father ordered sharply, pushing her behind him. “And don’t watch!”

 But of course she did…then wished she hadn’t.

 Standing over a figure in the dirt was a monstrous brown bear. The bear bared his sharp teeth, paw on its food, mouth caked with blood. Tearing and squelching was heard. Crimson splotches looked jarring in the limited light. And underneath the bear was…

 “M-mom?!”

 In one swift motion, her father retrieved a gun he had safely secured behind him and took aim.

 Bang! Bang!

 Several shots rang out, deafening like bombs. Cameron covered her ears and yelped. A primal bellow of protest followed. The bear roared one last time before bounding and stomping away. Bush leaves rustled as a few more shots rang out. Her father yelled curses and raced toward where the bear had left.

 Creeping closer, Cameron sank to her knees and stared in disbelief. It was her mother…or what was left of her. Her face was ashen, dirty and pale, scratches all along her body. Her back and belly had disastrous bites, thick dark red blood oozing onto the grassy ground. Muscle and viscera were visible from the gashes.

 Cameron turned her mother’s face around and was met with guttural heaving breaths. The unnatural agonizing kind right before death.

 “Oh god, oh god, oh god…” Cameron muttered, voice cracking, eyes wide. “Somebody help! Help!” The smell made her gag, but she still stayed.

 Her mother’s eyes fluttered. She slowly reached a pale shaking hand toward Cameron. Cameron moved closer as both their hands met. The cold clammy hand squeezed her little fingers.

 “S-safe Haven…” she wheezed, staring long and hard into Cameron’s eyes. “You’ll do…g-great things. Unite them all. Stay safe, safe…”

 “Mom, w-what do you mean? Safe Haven, what?”

 “My a-angel…”

 Her mother wheezed and croaked again before her hand went limp, letting go of Cameron’s fingers. Her mother gave her one last kind look before her eyes glazed over. She had stopped moving. Nothing but cold flesh, blood and a lifeless form.  

 “Mom? Mom! Mooooom!!!”

 Cameron’s father pulled her back a bit. Without a word, Cameron’s father cradled his wife’s body as Cameron buried her face in her bloodstained clothes.

 Her father pulled her back a bit after gently lowing her mother to the ground. He closed her eyes with his fingers. She looked like she was asleep, even though she wasn’t. (Or if she was, it was eternal and dreamless. Or maybe she was already in Heaven; Cameron didn’t know). Cameron and her father stood silently still, embracing each other. Tears rolled down their faces, Cameron’s primal sobs echoing through the night. Her hands were stained with leftover blood. After about ten minutes of utter grief, her father looked at her.

 “Cameron, get in the car.”

 “W-why?”

 “Just do it.”

 A sternness and aloofness look appeared on his face, a look Cameron had never seen him make in front of her. The bright color and spark in his eyes had been snuffed out. Without waiting for another answer, her father picked her up, carried her over to the car and placed her in the back seat. The door closed. From outside, the fire was put out, leaving only dying embers and sad orange sparks. The light gray smoke curled into spirals, doing somber dances in the breeze before vanishing.

 Cameron waited in the back seat, curled up into a ball. She couldn’t believe what had just happened. Her mother had been mauled by a bear before her eyes…and she could’ve been next! The ruthless face of the bear would haunt her memories for many years. Not long after, she saw flashes of red and blue light through the dirt-spotted windows. Her mother’s body was covered by a white sheet and taken on a stretcher by medics who had driven by. Fortunately, they still had decent cell phone service. Without another word, her father packed up the tent and all their belongings, tossing them in the back. He got in the driver’s seat and took them home on a long solemn drive.

 0 0 0

The funeral went as well as one would expect. Prayers and condolences were spoken and family members talked in hushed tones, all wearing black. Cameron glanced around passively at the stained glass church windows, sad and bored at the proceedings. Her mother’s coffin was gently lowered into the ground afterwards. Vivid flowers were placed everywhere; red, pink, white, yellow and purple. Being so young, Cameron later didn’t remember the funeral at all. All she knew was that an important part of her life had vanished.

 She and her father were never the same afterwards. As Cameron grew up and went to the dismal public school, he became preoccupied with his work. She hardly saw him much anymore. They grew distant, not in a bad way but similar to how different friends grow apart when their interests take them down new paths.

 Cameron went to therapy for a while, with Mrs. Winkler, a kind old lady. But the sessions didn’t seem to help. For one thing, Cameron’s fear of animals grew worse each passing year. The fact that she had taken a trip to the zoo with her father only deepened it.

 Her father had hoped that a new trip would cheer her up. But the animals would scare her as they roared and pawed at her through the glass when she watched. No one noticed a glowing golden apple which appeared in the exhibits…it let out light and made strange humming noises. The animals all threw themselves menacingly at Cameron with roars, hisses, and growls: Lions, tigers, bears, cheetahs…But it wasn’t just the predatory animals that somehow grew agitated at her. The flamingos squawked nosily, the gators snapped their jaws, and the monkeys would laugh and throw food at her which bounced off the cage wall. The sharks and birds, and oh goodness, the snakes too. The only animals that didn’t appear to pay her any attention were the fish. They just swam around and around as if nothing happened.

 Strangely enough, her father didn’t notice.

 “What has gotten into you, Cam?” he asked in disbelief after she screamed and sobbed. “Those animals aren’t attacking you.”

 “Y-yes they are!” she cried. “Didn’t you see?”

 But no one else seemed to notice either. They were just smiling and observing the animals like regular visitors. And the animals were doing their normal routines. A few people gave Cameron looks and raised their eyebrows.

 Her father pulled her close. “You’re almost a teenager. Stop acting like a sacred child.”

 “I-I know what I saw!” she sobbed. “I know it!”

 Her father sighed and merely said, “Let’s go home.”

 Cameron lowered her head. She used to enjoy the zoo more than anything…now she had an unbreakable fear of animals. (It had gotten bad to the point where she didn’t even want any pets.)

 Cameron didn’t see a grinning yellow face with matching eyes blending within the trees when she left the zoo. Nor did she hear its high pitched cackle. A slender hand held up a golden apple and the illusions replayed.

 Another thing that didn’t help was school. Cameron was smart enough in class (especially in literature) but was often bullied for her meekness. Many of the bullies would make animal sounds and jump at her from behind corners.

 “Look how sacred she is!” they would mock. “Who’s afraid of the big bad wolf? And everything else in existence? Lamb Cam!”

 “Don’t call me that!” she spat. “It’s Cameron!”

 “Scram, Cam! Scaredy cat! Scaredy cat! Mrrow!”

 And the creepers too as she became a teen.

 “Ride me like an animal, Cam! Damn!”

 “Are you a turtle, dearie? Cause I’d love to fly through your tender shell…”

 “You must be a kitty cat, ‘cause you’ve got some fine pus…”

 “Don’t you finish that sentence!”

 After finally graduating high school hell, Cameron went to college. After hard work, she got her degree in Guidance Counseling. She figured she’d stray away from animals and gear more toward helping members of her own species. Helping others was her purpose…and getting her degree was a great accomplishment. Friends and boyfriends came and went. She soon lived on her own.  

 Getting a job, however…much easier said than done. No matter where Cameron looked or how many interviews she went to, they all seemed to dismiss her.

 “I’m sorry, you don’t have the right qualifications we’re looking for.”

 “We are currently reaching out to other applicants at this time. Thank you for your interest.”

 “No social skills…no experience…hmm…not quite fit for this position.”

 They always changed their minds at the last minute. Cameron never understood why.

 Cameron buried her face in her hands in her room. The fear and sorrow would never go away. The gray skies and the pattering of rain over the glum city matched her mood. She was now twenty-five years old, unemployed, and utterly alone.

 Her last hope was a new job position offered to her by a lady with white blonde hair. She had given Cameron her business card and office address: “KayCee: guidance counselor position interview, 12:00 sharp tomorrow.”

 Another failed interview, but she figured she’d give it a try.

 And then her nightmares. The nightmares that always seemed to come back. They were always the same. Cameron racing through the forest, being chased by every animal and mythical creature in existence. The gnashing of teeth, swipes of paws, being chewed on and swallowed into darkness. Then, thinking it was all over, she’d wake up…

 …only to see her mother’s dead body on the floor in front of her.

 “Monster! Monster!” a shadowy crowd chanted, surrounding her. But they were pointing their fingers at her, their glowing white eyes accusing.

 “No! No, I’m not a monster!” Cameron cried, looking down. Her mother’s head snapped up and her eyes were yellow and black stripes, eyelashes curling out on all sides. “Monster!” She let out a crazed laugh, white teeth sharp, tongue out, eyes rolling back.

 Cameron felt herself falling, falling, being watched by dozens of eyes. Eyes, eyes everywhere. Staring into her reflection, she gasped and screamed in horror. She saw her frightened blonde face, but her body consisted of white feathers, talon feet, a thin neck and bat-like wings. She was a harpy. An abomination…becoming what she feared itself.

 More screams as she fell down, down, her black pupils growing wider…

 0 0 0

Cameron’s pupils shrank back as she lay on her back on a couch. She wore a business casual light gray shirt and a dark skirt. A back headband sat on her golden brown hair, while a few strands hung from either side of her freckled face. The walls were stark gray on all sides. A lone palm frond plant sat in a pot to the side. A grandfather clock ticked quietly in the room, the pendulum swinging from side to side in rhythm.

 “I had that dream again…it was so vivid this time,” Cameron told Mrs. Winkler.

 “Perhaps your upcoming job assignment played a part in that?” The elder Mrs. Winkler suggested. The therapist wore a gray dress and took notes on a clipboard.

 “Maybe,” said Cameron. “But why that dream? I haven’t had it in so long. It was just…so unexpected.”

 Cameron sat up. “It was like reliving the whole thing. And bringing back all those memories.” She shuddered slightly, glancing off to the side. “I mean, I’ve been stressed out lately but…I’ve never had that dream so suddenly…”

 “Well, dear…” the therapist began, looking at her clipboard. “It sounds to me like…”

 Cameron glanced up at the clock, which chimed 12:00.

 “Oh! Oh my god, I’m late!” she cried. She leaned in, hands clasped. “Thank you so, so much for listening, Mrs. Winkler! Wish me luck!”

 Cameron grabbed her handbag, turned the doorknob and hurried out of the room. “Taxi!” she yelled as she bounded out of the building and down the steps. The rain poured down as she got in. She soon arrived at the other building.

 Inside the office, a voice came over through the PA with a bzzt.

 “Ms. KayCee. The 12 0’ clock is here…late.”

 “Send her in,” replied the woman. She had a tan face, long white hair and narrowed eyes that appeared to glow. She wore a gray business suit and a green pendant around her neck. She sat at her desk with an apple and a pencil holder off to the side. She glanced down at some paperwork in front of her, pen in hand. Rain pattered from outside the window.

 Cameron appeared in the doorway. “I’m so sorry I’m late!”

 “Come in,” said the woman.

 Cameron caught her breath and hustled over to the desk. “I uh…lost track of time.”

 “It’s quite…alright…”

 The woman glanced up in surprise, noticing Cameron’s wet hair.

 “It’s, heh…r-raining outside…” Cameron stuttered nervously, making a gesture.

 “Take a seat please,” said KayCee. “So we can begin to discuss your placement with this program.”

 Cameron lowered herself into a chair.

 “Again, so sorry for being late,” Cameron said.

 “It’s alright,” KayCee replied.

 Cameron nervously glanced off to the side. KayCee stared intently at Cameron, a faint yellow glow around her eyes. She rested her chin on her hands.

 Cameron raised an eyebrow, a faint chill racing through her body. “Do…I know you from some…”

 “Yes,” KayCee cut her off.

 Cameron knew that KayCee didn’t want to get into the déjà vu moments. After a brief moment of staring, KayCee cleared her throat and looked at the forms in front of her.

 “Well looking at your report and resume, I wasn’t able to find a suitable position for you. We don’t seem to have a vacant job here with need of your skills…”

 ‘Oh no. Not again,’ Cameron thought with dread.

 “I’m afraid there is not much I could do…”

 Cameron leaned forward and put her arms and elbows on the desk in a begging position. “Please! I really need this job! I have been waiting for an assignment for so long, there has to be something!”

 Lightning flashed and thunder cracked from outside as KayCee looked over the form again.

 KayCee observed the form. It read “Classified” in bold letters at the top. “Needed positions” “Possible applicants” were shown. “Guidance Counselor” was heavily circled underneath it. Off to the side read: “Agreement to transfer required.” “Must be informed of where.” Below was a “job applicants” list.

 “Well…” KayCee began. “You do have a degree in counseling, do you not?”

 “Yes! I do!” Cameron said. She didn’t even question how this lady knew that fact. “I’ll take it! Please!”

 “It’s a transfer position, it would require relocation,” KayCee mentioned.

 Cameron stood up and leaned into her face. “I’ll take it! Wherever it is, I’ll take it!”

 “Very well then,” said KayCee. “A private jet will take you from this building on Thursday, 9:00. I suggest you pack all your things.”

 Cameron raced over and hugged her. “Yes! Oh yes! Thank you!” KayCee’s eyes briefly turned white with glowing yellow stripes. She narrowed her normal eyes and deadpanned, “Don’t be late.”

 “Oh I won’t!” Cameron declared, stepping back. She put her hands together. “Thank you so much!”

 “You are quite welcome, Ms. Walden,” KayCee said, reaching for the red apple.

 “Oh! Call me Cameron!” Cameron took her bag and opened the door. “Thanks again!” she called before shutting the door with a click.

 “Hm, hm, hm, hm, hm,” KayCee chuckled lowly. Her fingers grew crooked and her black nails grew sharp. The apple in her hand vibrated and a golden spiral emerged from the center. Soon the apple was golden and glowing in her hand. KayCee lounged on her desk, knocking over the pencils in the holder off the desk with a foot.

 “No Ms. Cameron…” She then spoke in a high pitched echoing shrill, “Thank you!”

 In a flash of magic, KayCee had turned into her true form. A being with wild white poufy hair that sizzled with white electricity strands. She wore a white dress with holes in them. She grinned a sinister grin of sharp golden teeth. Her black and yellow striped eyes and long jagged eyelashes made her appearance all the more untamed. She let out an evil maniacal laugh.

 0 0 0

 “Salvia here again. As you probably have figured out, KayCee is no ordinary human. She is Eris, the Greek Goddess of Strife and Chaos. For she was the one who tossed the Golden Apple of Discord to provoke arguments between Aphrodite, Athena and Hera over who was the fairest goddess. Paris of Troy chose Aphrodite, igniting the Trojan War. Eris, along with Jestine and some other deities, exist to cause discord, nightmares and all sorts of trouble. KayCee/Eris indeed, sent Cameron to Safe Haven, knowing full well that she had no knowledge about the denizens of the destination. Her plan is thus: with Cameron fearing the animal residents and Safe Haven having been discovered by an outsider, the magic protecting it weakens over time. Eris hopes the barriers will eventually break, resulting in war and mass murders from the dark forces…and the humans. For the more chaos there is, the more her power grows. And she won’t stop until every world becomes her chaotic playground.”

 “None of us knows what Eris truly wants, but one thing is for sure. Cameron and all of us have to keep our guard up. Eris thrives on manipulation, deceit and black sorcery. To her, the apocalypse is an entertaining musical.”

 “For now, we continue our story of Cameron, who soon departs her hometown and embarks on her journey toward Safe Haven…”

 Chapter Two: “Cameron’s Arrival to Safe Haven” 

 It wasn’t long before Cameron arrived outside the building where she had her meeting with KayCee. The sky was clear but smoggy with tan pollution. The city silhouette stood in the background. She soon spotted the jet…which looked more like a dull forest green plane. The plane was old-fashioned with a propeller in the front and two wings on either side of the craft. It was dull green in color and decorated with black stripes. Cameron wore her usual gray clothes and carried her suitcase. At the ramp of steps, a figure stood waiting for her.

 “I’ve never been on a private j…plane, before. Are you the pilot, Miss…?”

 “Snake.” The woman answered in a low voice.

 “Snake?” Cameron asked in confusion.

 The woman had light green skin and strangled forest green hair decorated with dark specks. A pair of sunglasses rested on her head. She wore a green tank top, an emerald green scarf and a green-gray skirt. Long elbow-length gloves covered her hands and a white cigarette was in her mouth.

 “Interesting name,” said Cameron. “Does it mean anything?”

 Snake did not answer.

 Cameron continued, “Because I have never heard of someone naming a child something like that.”

 Had Cameron been anyone else, she would’ve gotten a harsh slap for the insult. Instead, Snake crossed her arms, holding her cigarette between two fingers. “Save the jaw-flappin’ fer later, hunny. I don’t wanna fly with a headache.” She dropped her cigarette and crushed it with her green high heel on the ground.

 Cameron flinched. “Oh! I-I’m sorry! I’m just a bit anxious…”

 Cameron walked up the steps and into the aircraft. “Going to new places and everything, ya know?”

 “Sure,” Snake answered with disinterest. “Just put a sock in it ‘till we get there.”

 Snake sat down and pulled various levers and pressed buttons. The plane was soon off the ground and flying over the city. The propeller spun fast and they zoomed away. Cameron sat nervously in her seat. ‘I hope this was a good idea,’ she thought to herself. ‘There’s no turning back now…’

 As the plane swooped over a vast forest, a spectral form of KayCee/Eris grinned mischievously against a large boulder, watching the plane. The sun rose over the hill in front of them, a promise of a new life and adventure.

 Snake piloted the plane, sunglasses over her eyes, lost in thought. She briefly cleaned her teeth with a toothpick in one hand, going around her two white fangs.

 Snake was in fact, a loner and shapeshifter, who could transform into a green snake at will. One of her friends was Taxi, a yellow werewolf who worked as a cab driver, mechanic…and merrymaker. She would drive monster trucks around while Snake would fly and fix various planes. The two of them bonded over their love of machines, smoking and drinking. Snake was also a secret agent in Safe Haven, skilled with guns and weapons. Her skills in stealth were so great, that she was soon hired by the Zoo Phoenix Academy staff to travel to the human world to retrieve recruits.  

 Snake, Taxi and Taxi’s werewolf friends would often party, drink and get into trouble. Although Snake had enjoyed it, she also was not proud that she had killed other people on the streets. So in a way, this job was fine with her.

 But then Cameron broke the tranquil silence.

 “Wow! I didn’t know the forest was this big,” she exclaimed. “We’ve been flying over it for hours…it’s like, endless!”

 Snake scoffed. “Yeah…why ya think it’s called the f*ckin’ “Oceania” Forest, hm? ‘Cause it’s big. What’d I say about talkin’?”

 Honk!

 Honk!

 Cameron looked out the window with a loud gasp. “Oh my…” A giant sky blue bird was honking outside her window. It was larger than any regular bird she had seen.

 “Snake!” Cameron wailed out loud, making Snake flinch. “T-there’s a giant bird outside the window!” Cameron grabbed onto her.

 “What?” Snake asked.

 “G-giant bird! It was huge…giant…! What if it attacks the plane?!”

 “Get back to yer seat!” Snake yelled, baring her fangs.

 ‘Snakes on a plane!’ Cameron thought in fear, after spotting her fangs.

 Cameron obliged and looked out the window. The bird was gone.

 ‘Great, now I’m seeing things…’ she thought.

 The sun set outside, turning the sky pink and yellow. Cameron sat, bored. She fell asleep as night fell. The next day, Cameron woke up, sunlight shining through the window.

 Snake was nowhere to be seen.

 “Hello?”

 She stood up and walked down the dark empty aisle.

 “Uh…what’s going on?”

 No answer.

 “S-Snake?!”

 Cameron looked out the window and saw a bunch of shadowy creatures outside.

 “Oh god.”

 Trying to be brave, she peered out the window.

 “Oh god, oh god, oh god, oh god…”

 “Surprise!” hollered the bizarre creatures.

 Cameron walked down the steps, stunned. There were so many strange new faces, she couldn’t keep track. Fabian the fox, Perci and Malcom the red and green dragons, Carrie the blonde demon, Zechariah the cheetah, Principal Winston the one with the yellow squid head, a teal eel with a monocle, a person with orange and yellow hair, a midnight blue stag, a yellow fox, and Salvia too. All the Zoo Phoenix Academy staff were there to welcome her.

 Cameron stared off into space, seeing the creatures. Was this some kind of prank? Were these just people in costumes trying to bully her again?

 Just then, Perci the dragon got into her face and said, “Welcome to the zoo, Cameron Walden! Well—hah! Of course it isn’t really a zoo! Sorta ironic that I just called it that, really! Hahahaha!”

 Cameron gulped. She felt like it was a zoo…a dangerous wacky one with escaped mythical creatures. Perci put an arm around her. The eel shook her hand. “Pleasure to make your acquaintance, my dear!”

 Were these really talking animals?

 A strong hand lifted up Cameron’s arm as a tough light gray face with blonde hair inspected her.

 “She sure is a scrawny-gangly-shaky li’ thing, ain’t she?” Carrie remarked in a gruff voice.

 “Oh nonsense Carrie,” said Fabian the red fox. “I think Ms. Cameron looks perfectly fine.” He gave her a wink and a sultry look, Cameron cringing in disgust. Was that fox hitting on her?

 “I’ll take your word on that, Fabian!” called the blind green dragon teacher Malcom. His hair was black, skin light green. He walked up to her. “Good evening? Morning? Day!”

 There was a brief silence.

 “How about a kiss, pretty lady?” Fabian cooed, getting close to her with his tongue.

 “Eeeeiiiiahhhhhhee!”

 Cameron screamed at the top of her lungs. “S-stay back! A-all of you! Don’t come any closer!”

 The animals glared at her, teeth showing. Any moment, they would pounce on her. For several moments, Cameron could only hear growls, slurps, mutters and hisses.

 The cheetah rumbled in thought as the squid principal slurped his tea loudly beside him.

 Cameron took more steps back. “I-I mean it! Stay away from me! Stay away! D-don’t come any closer!”

 “Calm down, dearie,” Perci reassured. But Cameron only heard a strange growl from him that sounded like “Raaalmm, rrowwn, geeerrek!” She was too scared to properly comprehend the human speech.

 Cameron suddenly pointed behind them. “Look! What’s that over there?” She promptly dashed away with a zip while only Perci glanced behind him. The others narrowed their eyes in confusion.

 Cameron screamed some more before skidding to a halt. She gasped. “Oh my! What on Earth?”

 Before her lay a vibrant magical world beyond her greatest imagination. It was a cross between Jurassic Park, Zootopia and a child’s version of New York. A blue sea creature eel with three eyes slithered across a teal street with dark stones on it. A slender red bird appeared to be pulling a covered wagon in the distance. A yellow cab drove by a golden dragon and a yellow bird with long feathers. The buildings were curved, concaved and had glass coverings around them. There was a small pond, several sidewalks and lamps illuminating the small park below. Birds of many colors flapped and fluttered freely in the air, some of them looking like pterodactyls. A large red spotted wall had several archways of different sizes, green vines going up it and a large golden eye in the center. Several birds were perching on the top of the wall. A few waterfalls flowed through the arches of the wall. There were several dinosaurs too; a two headed blue longneck, a golden dinosaur with multiple eyes and a flap of skin on its head, and a violet triceratops that looked like a pincher beetle. Nearby buildings of blue, yellow and pink read “Gym,” “Liquor,” and “Le Crumbles” respectively.  

 Cameron shook her head. “This is not happening…I’m dreaming this.”

 Cameron felt something soft and furry press against her back. Without a word, her eyes darted upwards and met the gaze of a cheetah.

 “Is there something wrong, Miss?” asked the cheetah.

 But of course, Cameron only heard hungry growls. She saw the cheetah’s teeth and maw and felt lightheaded.

 “Uhhh…”

 This was it…she was now cat food. Her eyes rolled back and she fainted onto the ground. The cheetah rolled his eyes and sighed in concern.

 “Somebody get our new visitor to the infirmary.”

 “I can do it,” Fabian purred.

 “No. I got it,” barked Carrie, lifting up Cameron’s form easily.

 0 0 0

“Wuuuhh?”

 Cameron groaned and slowly opened her eyes. Her vision cleared and she saw a man with tan skin and blonde hair with bangs jutting off to one side. He wore a sky blue shirt, a torn white tie and dark pants. Cameron was lying on a table. In the dark room, a sky blue poster with a yellow smiley face read “Smile! It’s almost over!”

 “You okay, hun?” the man asked. He was Chastopher the nurse.

 “W-what’s going on?” Cameron asked, sitting up.

 “You are in the nurse’s office, my dear!”

 Cameron rubbed her head. “Oh thank god…I just had the worst dream ev…what is that?” Her face turned pale.

 The man held a red power drill in one hand. As he turned around, Cameron swore she heard the screeching music from “Psycho.”

 “Willis said you needed a checkup!” he babbled, leaning close to her face. “Willis is very smart, you know!”

 He hugged a stuffed lime-colored unicorn with a black button eye and flicked on the drill. The drill buzzed loudly, mixing with his crazed giggles.

 “Help!” Cameron screamed. She dove under his legs off the table and scrambled away. Cameron flung open the door and gulped with a pause. The cheetah was back, blocking her way.

 “Are you feeling better, Miss Walden?”

 “No.” Cameron replied, eye twitching. Why was she talking to a cheetah? Animals didn’t talk, yet here they were. She turned around, clutching her head. There had to be a way to escape.

 “Okay! O-kay! T-This is just a big crazy dream! Wake up! Wake up Cameron! Wake up!”

 “Wake up,” the nurse sang with a dopey expression, holding his toy. After closing her eyes, she opened them again. To her disappointment, she was still in the same place.

 “Are you finished?” the cheetah deadpanned, an annoyed look on his furry face.

 Cameron sighed. “Okay…I give up…w-what’s going on?”

 “Were you not informed about…”

 “About what? Informed about what?!”

 The cheetah stared at her in confusion. “You were not informed about this place before being sent here?”

 “Sent where? Where am I?!”

 Oh dear, this was going to be hard to explain. They needed a better place to talk.

 “Follow me, Miss...” said the cheetah, moving on four legs.

 Feeling like she had no choice, Cameron awkwardly obliged. Cameron peeked back toward the room and saw the nurse sleeping against his toy.

 “S-So…” Cameron began as she raced to catch up to the cheetah. “Y-you’re a giant cheetah?”

 “Yes.”

 “Just checking…”

 They walked past green lockers and into an office.

 “Have a seat, Miss,” said the cheetah. He mentioned to a large purple desk chair as Cameron slowly sat down.

 Sluurrrrppp!

 The principal with a yellow and red squid head with three lip-like designs on his forehead was slurping loudly from a pink teacup. He wore a dark business suit with buttons. A matching pink teapot sat at his desk and slobber dribbled onto the desk surface. Cameron darted her eyes toward him in bewilderment.

 The cheetah smiled. “Oh this is Principal Winston. He is quite harmless.”

 “Right…” Cameron breathed, pulling her knees closer together.

 The cheetah stared at Cameron with concern. He felt bad for this newcomer who had been so traumatized on her first visit. He remembered when he himself first arrived to Safe Haven, formerly being a regular cheetah and accidentally falling through a portal. He had magically gained the ability to talk thanks to Salvia and became one of the staff members at the school. Although he missed his original family, he had found other creatures like himself…a new family.

 Perhaps he could help Cameron be a part of it…quirkiness and all. But the hard truth had to come first.

 The cheetah straightened his spine and cleared his throat.

 “Well my dear Miss Cameron. I have some news for you. My name is Zechariah, and I regret to inform you that there seems to have been some sort of mistake with the company that employed you. You were hired to be a guidance counselor, correct?”

 “Y-yes.”

 “Well, all humans employed or chosen to be sent here are given strict details about this world, and it is their choice to be transferred.”

 Zechariah’s eyes glowed yellow and narrowed in suspicion. “Whoever sent you, did an incredibly dishonest thing…for once here, you cannot return to the outside world you once knew…”

 Cameron could hardly breathe. “S-So I’m stuck in the crazy magical world of oversized talking animals?”

 “I am afraid so, Miss.” Then he added in a more professional tone, “Also, this is an interspecies society. There are many different creatures. Not just ‘animals.’”

 Cameron shuddered with renewed terror. “Like what? Other scary things? Vampires?”

 “Yes.”

 “Mermaids? Demons? Ghosts?”

 “Yes.”

 “Aliens?”

 “Aliens do not exist, Miss Cameron.”

 “Where am I right now?” Cameron wondered out loud.

 “You are in the Zoo Phoenix Academy,” said Zechariah. “This is where you were employed. So we brought you right here. Would you like a tour?”

 “Okay?” Cameron hesitated.

 Zechariah held up his tail which had a watch on it. He spoke into the device. “Jackie, can you come to my office please?”

 “Absolutely!” a voice replied.

 Cameron grabbed onto Zechariah’s tail. “Who’s Jackie?”

 Cameron soon got her answer when a woman strolled into the room. “Hey, hey hey!” she trilled in a sing-song voice. Jackie wore a long dress in different shades of blue; navy blue at the top to sky blue at the bottom. Her dress had yellow trim around it and she wore matching yellow shoes. Her skin was light brown and her hair was in vibrant shades of blue, with yellow tufts toward the back and a green tip that served as a bang. Her hair was reminiscent of parrot feathers.

 She was a parrot shapeshifter…and she chatted like one too.

 She walked over to Cameron and eagerly shook her hand.

 “Hello, hello, hello! I’m Jackie! Drama instructor. So you are the new girl everyone’s talking about? What’s your name?”

 “Cameron,” she replied nervously.

 “You caused quite a scene huh, Cam?”

 “It’s Cameron.”

 Zechariah leaned over.

 “She is in need of a tour, Jackie.”

 Jackie put an arm around a stunned Cameron and guided her through the door.

 “Not another word, Zech! I got this!”

 0 0 0

 Jackie eagerly showed Cameron around the vast campus. Despite being inhabited by strange beings, Cameron couldn’t help but admire the buildings and scenery. The grass was bright green and fresh and the trees provided ample shade for hot days. The building exteriors were made of smooth glass and round in globe shapes. They walked through a cobblestone courtyard, where a fountain trickled in the center. On either side of the entrance, there were statues of phoenixes made of bloodstone, garnet and rubies. The phoenix was the mascot, symbolizing rebirth and new hope. “Rise from the ashes, soar into success!” was the academy motto.

 “I love our mascot, don’t you?” Jackie asked Cameron. Cameron mostly zoned out as Jackie chatted on and on. “Though I’d much prefer parrots! They’re so beautiful and lively. The school would do good to spread some more musical cheer. And parrots would be perfect! Just notice how well they can talk and sing. The Zoo Parrot Academy, wouldn’t have to worry about changing the acronym.”

 They soon walked through some double doors and into a vast chamber made up of the red spotted wall.

 “I really think you will love working here, Cam! This is the main lobby. All the subject wings branch off from here.”

 Reflected watery light of an aquarium danced around the floor and walls. Jackie guided Cameron through a large room with an elevator and long tan chairs off to the side. A winding green staircase swirled up to an upper level with glass panes and a marvelous view of the outside. Several archways branched off to different sections. They passed under an arch, which was against a light blue wall, leading to the aquarium. Inside, Cameron could see a friendly-looking fish, a hammerhead shark, a swordfish and a bottlenose dolphin gliding playfully through the water.

  “Have I gone insane?” Cameron breathed as she looked up at the aquarium ceiling in wonder.

 “No, not really!” Jackie replied.

 One archway had a grandfather clock beside it, another was adorned with red curtains and another was supported by Greek pillars.

 Cameron stopped for a moment as Jackie turned around.

 “You ready?” she asked.

 Cameron stood there puzzled as Jackie wandered off toward the stairs. Jackie looked at her and laughed sheepishly.

 “What? Did you think I was gonna be like ‘Come, I’ll show you my wing first?!’”

 Cameron nodded.

 “Oh, that would be kinda silly. I mean, why not save the best for last?! There are so many great places to explore here, wouldn’t want to deprive you of the diverse experience, ya know?”

 Cameron let out a small understanding smile. “Thank you.”

 “Alrighty! Let’s flutter on up! Heh…or walk, rather…”

 Cameron rolled her eyes as she followed Jackie up the stairs.

 They walked into the first wing supported by Greek pillars, and Cameron could smell the scent of dusty books.

 “This is the library!” said Jackie. Then she covered her mouth, speaking softer. “I forgot I’m supposed to whisper in here!”

 Going inside, there were rows and rows of books on shelves all around them. Some were leather bond with yellowed pages while others looked brand new. There were also magazines and modern computers on round desks where students were doing their work. Several winged birds were busy organizing the books on the higher shelves, which arched toward the high stained-glass ceiling. The ceiling had glass designs of owls, phoenixes and trees. At the front desk, a camel lady with thin glasses was busy exchanging books with passerby.

 “Here you’ll find everything you need to study on counseling techniques, textbooks or just reading for fun. It’s the go-to place for research of all kinds. The students here are teenagers but we have majors and college-like courses in this high school!”

 “Quiet!” whispered a nearby gray owl with a monocle at Jackie.

 “Sorry!” she whispered.

 “Well…that’s quite something,” said Cameron.

 “I know, right? Trying to combine different curriculums, school systems and diverse races and species of students can be a lot of work. But thankfully the founders of Safe Haven helped out tremendously.”

 “And they are?” Cameron asked.

 But Jackie instead got distracted and waved at a red-haired woman in the distance.

 Toward the back of the library was a shadowed section labeled “Restricted Section,” which housed books on dark magic. Sitting at the edge of that section on a chair was Salvia with a book in hand. Jackie guided Cameron over to the red-haired woman. They stopped just short of her.

 Salvia lifted up her face slightly from a book labeled “Romeo and Juliet 2: Love and Lies.” She wore a black dress with red etched patterns.

 “Can I help you?”

  “This is Salvia, one of the staff members,” said Jackie in an excited whisper. Jackie gestured for Cameron to introduce herself.

 “Uh…hi,” Cameron said with a nervous grin and wave. Salvia peered at her closely, her eyes hidden behind her hair. “You’re the newcomer, right?”

 Cameron nodded.

 “Welcome to Z.P.A.,” she said.

 “Huh?”

 “Zoo Phoenix Academy, the place you’ll be staying at briefly until we can get you a new home nearby.”

 Cameron paced back and forth, anxious again. “No one has explained exactly what is going on here, what this place is, what’s it called?” Cameron asked. “I know you guys are trying to keep me from getting scared but I’ve had it with being confused! Explain things to me.”

 “Shhh!” several voices shushed Cameron when she raised her voice.

 “Oh of course,” said Salvia, putting the book down and conjuring magical images and sigils in front of her. “Might as well explain it to you now rather than wait three whole weeks later after witnessing a vampire attack to do it.”

 “W-What?” Cameron asked before she was shushed again.

 “I can see glimpses of the future,” Salvia mentioned. “Anyway, Cameron, you’ve only been exposed to the Zoo Phoenix Academy and its grounds…we were gonna wait until you felt more comfortable with the school but, if you insist on knowing this place…”

 “Yes, I’m still a capable adult,” Cameron added.

 “This place is much bigger than what you have experienced. It is called…Safe Haven.”

 (“Salvia here. For the next few minutes, I described the magical protection and the origins of Safe Haven that I had already verbalized in the introduction narration. Feel free to go back if needed but let’s skip and continue on.”)

 Cameron stood, jaw dropping. “Oh my God! There really are monsters out there?!”

 “Do not worry,” said Salvia. “As long as you’re here, you should be safe. I’m hoping you’ll get more used to this place and not cause the magical barrier to eventually collapse.”

 “I’d never do that!”

 “Not intentionally. But someone else wants to make sure that happens.”

 “Who is it?” Cameron asked, but Jackie stood in the way, much to the annoyance of Cameron and Salvia.  

 “Thank you Salvia,” said Jackie with a nervous chuckle, pushing Cameron along, “But we better get going! Heh, heh! So many things to see.”

 Salvia gave Cameron a knowing apologetic look before going back to her book.

 Moe shushes followed them out of the library. “Whew, I can speak again!” Jackie boomed as they entered a hall with brass walls. Jackie’s voice echoed off the walls. “Echo! Echo!” Cameron flinched and grit her teeth.

 “On with the tour!” They passed through another archway flanked by torches and five golden rings overhead. “This is the Sports Wing!” said Jackie as they walked down the hall. “Here you’ll find our gymnasium, our pool, outdoor courts and dance studios.”

 Cameron looked through a glass window at an indoor basketball court. The court walls were decorated with vines. A monkey was busy swinging from the vines with his tail, dribbling a basketball in his hands. A bear, a bull, a ram, a goat and a chipmunk were stomping around, trying to get the basketball. The monkey dunked it into a nearby hoop as a zebra coach blew his whistle.

 Outside in the courtyard, a few lions were practicing fencing while a fox and a hare did gymnastic tricks on bars. Several cheetahs raced each other along a round track and a black bearded centaur hopped over hurdles along the way. A dog and a cat were busy playing hand ball. A few hyena hybrids snickered as they taped a “kick me” sign on the back of a student with peacock feathers.

 In a swimming pool, a boy with shark features and a girl with blue scaly skin laughed as they raced each other down the lanes. A woman with swan feathers was preening herself in a hot tub as several male ducks peered for a closer look. A mermaid relaxed beside her, staring at her reflection.

 Several brightly colored werewolves were listening to blaring electronic music in the weight room as they lifted barbells and rapidly punched hanging bags. A lone black-wearing vampire stood in the corner drinking dark red liquid from a bottle. The boxing ring was currently being used by bi-pedal boxer dogs.

 “Too much sweat and exertion for me,” Jackie mentioned. “I’m more for the grace and beauty of the theater! Onward!”

  They soon left the Sports Wing and headed through the arch with the grandfather clock.

 “Here is the History Wing!”

 They walked around what looked like a museum, with a variety of items on display. There were ceramic pots from ancient civilizations within glass boxes all around. Various paintings were hung from the walls, with signatures. Several weapons were on display further back. Among the weapons were a few that glowed white with swirls and crosses.

 “Oh, those are angelic weapons. They are highly valuable and rare. It is said that they can kill any demon in Hell.”

 “Why not use them to fight off the monsters?” asked Cameron.

 “Good question. Some demons gather the weapons and sell them on the black market for later use. They kill each other off, causing lots of chaos. Heaven’s been using the Exorcists who wield these weapons to eliminate demons each year for centuries. Archangel Adina’s idea to insure ‘purity’ up there.”

 “How do you know all this?”

 “A friend of a friend of an ex told me. Horrible stuff, I’m telling you. Best to lay low and stay safe.”

  They continued onward past treasure chests, antique clothing and various art of mythical creatures in battle or passionate embraces. Exiting that wing, they turned toward another wing made of metal.

 “Ah, the Science and Engineering Wing! Perhaps the most confusing and loud section there is. Try not to touch anything!”

  It was indeed very loud. Clanks, hisses, bangs and booms permeated through the rooms. Cameron had to cover her ears as she followed Jackie. In one area, raccoons, cats and a few dwarves were working on a metal machine that bellowed smoke and sparks. It had wheels, engines, pipes and canvas wings on either side of it. “Primitive flying car” was labeled next to it. A gopher was working on a computer as green 0s and 1s blinked down a screen. A few other students were taking notes on a steampunk blimp made by a snake inventor of the Industrial Revolution.

 There were also several dimmed laboratories illuminated with teal blue fluorescent lights. Blue flames flickered under Bunsen burners while students peered through microscopes at their ant friends. A blue anglerfish man was pouring colorful contents from different vials together, snickering. A mad scientist in a lab coat was instructing one class on how to make a serum that could strengthen the DNA of animal hybrids.

 “Let’s move on,” Jackie coughed, swiping away the nearby smoke.

 They exited the wing and had arrived at the vast bustling cafeteria.

 “The heart…erm, stomach of the campus!” Jackie joked.

  Rows of white tables hosted hungry students and staff. Several birds were slurping up bowls of worms. Werewolves were munching on raw meat while horses chewed casually on hay blades. There was also regular food for the more human-like beings as well: salads, sandwiches, soups, potatoes, tacos, casseroles, stews, banquet style meals, fruit desserts and ice cream. There was even a stand giving out spectral food for ghosts. Like many college eating areas, there were various sections serving different kinds of dishes like a miniature food mall. It was an all-you-can-eat paradise.

 Cameron’s stomach grumbled as she inhaled the scents of exotic foods. But Cameron soon led her out and back to the main lobby.

“And now, for the best and last part of the tour…” she led Cameron through the wing with red curtains. Rusty and another spotted animal watched them go from the top of the stairs.

 “This is the Arts Wing!”

 Jackie held her arms in the air as they walked down a hall. The walls were red and decorated with spirals. A poster with a comedy and tragedy theater mask shone within a frame of lights. There was a red “Just Dance” poster and a green movie posted with a clawed black hand labeled “Now showing: The Ded.” There was a painting of a waterfall and a nearby forest.

 Cameron looked around. “Oh my, never woulda guessed…”

 Jackie laughed. “Hahaha! Sarcasm! I like you Cam!”

 They stopped by the dance room and pushed open the double red doors.

  “Baby! I got someone for you to meet!” Jackie trilled.

 A man with the same colored skin as Jackie, clapped his hands. A group of girls, Mia and Ava, Penelope and Camilla were in pink tutus and ballet slippers doing practice.

 “Okay girls! Once you’re warmed up…Jackie!”

 The man turned around and beamed.

  “Oh god…” Cameron looked in disgust.

 The man wore a vibrant red pinstriped suit with blue vertical stripes on it. His bow tie was yellow with red and blue dots on it. His hair was mostly red with a white spot to the left side and blue tips toward the bottom back. His hair also resembled parrot feathers. He currently wore dark blue pants, pointed black shoes and a pink tutu. He also had a gold tooth.

 He leaned into Cameron, his eyes golden yellow.

  “Salutations senorita! Name?”

 “C-Cameron.”

 “Soopity, doopity to meetcha! My name is Alanzo but call me Al! It’s shorter!”

 He also eagerly shook Cameron’s hand before hugging his wife.

  “Heh, nice to meet you,” Cameron began. “So what subject do you…”

  “Dance!” Alanzo explained with a flourish.

 Jackie chuckled nervously, guiding Cameron out of the room. “Well honey, we gotta run. Got a lot of school to show!”

  “You do yer thang, gal!” Alanzo said with a snap of his fingers.

  “So he was…” Cameron began as they walked out of the room and down the hall.

 Jackie smiled. “That was my husband. We both work in this wing!”

 Jackie showed Cameron more rooms.

 “And here is…the Art Room!”

 Addison and his adoptive Indian snake mother Latika were busy painting on a canvas. A vivid painting of a flying phoenix hung in the background.

  “The Music Room!”

 Calvin, a yellow crocodile with a black and yellow back with squares on it, played a tuba, which matched his color scheme. A smiling brown fox named Christopher played a white saxophone with blue swirls on it. A black porcupine named Priscilla played a black cello.

 Dodododo do-do-do-do…they played a cheerful tune that sounded like Gooseworx’s two Zoophobia themes. (Look it up on YouTube!)

  “The Film Room!”

 A white and gray wolf twin (Leonardo or Vincent) held onto a fire hydrant with a joyful expression as a fan blew him back. A green screen was in the background. A cheetah, a gray-haired student and the other wolf twin looked at a screen in bewilderment. Another guy with a black hat, flinched from the force of air.

  “Why do the animals have giant fans?” asked Cameron.

  “Guess they got a bigger budget!” Jackie exclaimed.

 “But why?”

  “Their last film almost did win at the festival,” Jackie pondered.

 At last, they entered a vast auditorium.

 Jackie spread out her arms. “And here is my domain! The Theater!”

 Cameron glanced down at a group of figures sitting on the stage.

 “A-are those your students?”

 Jackie wiped a tear from her eye. “Yep! They are my little prodigies!”

 Then she trilled in a sing-song voice: “Good afternoon my sparkling little turtle doves!”

 “Hey Jackie!” the students harmonized in song.

 To Cameron’s bewilderment, an orange fox named Spam, peered at her from atop her head…then licked her face randomly before scampering off.

 Spam, Penelope, Jack, Makenzie, Zillion, Kayla, Sahara, Daimon, Taylor and Vanexa were all there.

 Penelope wore a stylish white dress and a teal headband with two peacock feathers on it. She was currently admiring herself in a small hand mirror. Mackenzie the cat girl had messy red hair, pale skin and a lavender shirt with a cat on it. She saw herself as a cat after being raised by her equally cat-loving mother Margo.

 Jack was a light brown jackal with a worn down body and droopy ears. Zillion was a mix up of creatures and had yellow skin, purple eyes, purple antennae-like ears and a small green snake for a tail. Taylor was a guy with red sclera eyes, light brown hair with purple sides, and he wore brown clothing. He and Zillion were currently locked in an arm wrestling match.

 Kayla the beautiful kangaroo was Zillion’s girlfriend; she was happily perched on top of the black grand piano. Sahara was a dark skinned woman wearing a pink head scarf over her dark hair. She had an affinity for magic. Behind her was a darker colored jackal Damion, with red pupils, black sclera and wearing tattered clothes of red and black. Finally, Vanexa was a purple bi-pedal cat, reading a book with a disinterested look on her face. She viewed those around her in a detached annoyance.

 ‘These are her students?! Just more magical freaky animals?! How crazy can this world get?!’ thought Cameron.

 Zillion pinned down Taylor’s arm, much to the latter’s annoyance. “Who’s your friend, cracker jacks?” he asked Jackie.

 Jackie put an arm around Cameron. “This here is your new guidance counselor fellas!” Cameron awkwardly looked off to the side.

 “Oh good!” Jack and Damion called at the same time.

 Damion smirked sarcastically, “I need a lot of ‘guidance!’”

 Cameron walked over and pointed at Zillion. “Um sorry, I hate to ask but…what exactly are you? I want to know how scared I should be…”

  “Well I…” Zillion began to explain but Jack snickered with a “Kekekeke!” from beside him. Zillion glared at Jack.

 “Pass,” Zillion deadpanned. “Not even I know what I am.”

 McKenzie sniffed Cameron for a moment, then let out a “Hiss!” It was her habit among strangers. Cameron flinched in confusion.

 Damion chuckled and leaned toward Cameron. “You really got your work cut out for you, lady! Just sayin’.”

 Cameron stared at him. “H-how are you floating like that?”

 Damion grinned. “Oh well it’s because…” He turned on a flashlight under his face and bared his fangs wide, his eyes swirled stripes of red against black. “I’m the Antichrist! Hahahahaha!”

 Cameron almost felt like fainting again.

  Jack inched closer to Cameron with an apologetic look. “I’m really sorry about my cousin!” He smiled and clutched her hand. “Hello! My name is Jack! And I would like to schedule with you as soon as possible!”

 Cameron raised an eyebrow. “Uh, okay?”

 Jack let go. “Sorry! It’s been a while since I had someone to talk about my problems…”

 Clang!

 A stage light fell down and collapsed on top of Jack. He fell to the floor in a heap. A pool of dark blood was visible on the floor around his head. One of his paws had an exposed bone. Cameron covered her mouth in fear and shock.

 “Aw man! Not again! You okay dude?” Zillion asked in concern.

  Zillion turned to Cameron. “Yeah, this happens a lot. He’ll be alright.”

 “Hey, Jackie! Another light fell!” Taylor called.

 “I saw it!” she answered.

 “So Cam!” said Jackie. “Do you wanna stick around for the class?”

 “I’m sorry to say…I’m feeling a bit overwhelmed,” Cameron breathed in almost a whisper.

 “Understandable, hun! Vanexa, would you mind escorting Cam to her office?”

 The purple cat nodded and led the way, book in hand.

 Jackie turned back to the class and clapped her hands. “Alright guys! Showtime!”

 They soon reached a pair of wooden doors underneath a sign that read “Guidance.”

  “T-thank you. V-Vanexa was it?” Cameron asked nervously. Vanexa did not answer. There was an awkward silence as they looked each other in the eyes. They each seemed to be trying to decipher the other’s thoughts. Cameron coughed.

 “W-well…yeah…good evening to you, talking cat…” Cameron stuttered.

 “Enjoy your stay,” said Vanexa before she walked back down the hall.

 0 0 0

Cameron slammed the door shut behind her, catching her breath. Her office was small and dimly lit with a few books on one shelf to the left. A palm plant was off to one side and blinds were in the center of a yellow wall. In the center was a desk with a couple chairs and “C. Walden” on a label. A pink gift bag lay on her desk with a bunch of strange items inside; a pink flower with yellow tips, a green dragon figure, and what appeared to be cosmetics. Cameron read the tag on the gift: “Dear Cameron, Welcome to the Family! Z.P.A. Staff.”

 Cameron smiled slightly at the thoughtful gift.

 Cameron was reminded of Mrs. Winkler’s office…and then was reminded of home. This small space didn’t feel much like home.

 “How are you coping with things thus far, Cameron?”

 Cameron whirled behind her and spotted Zechariah the cheetah.

 “Holy mother of…please d-don’t do that…”

 “My apologies,” he said.

 Cameron sighed. “Yeah…well all things considered…” She slide down onto the floor, overwhelmed.

 “I’m sure this is a lot to handle,” said Zechariah.

 “Yeah…”

 “This place will take some getting used to, Miss. Miss?”

 To Zechariah’s surprise, Cameron was sniffing and sobbing, burying her face in her knees. This was not how Zechariah imagined the newcomer would feel.

  “I am truly sorry this has happened to you, Miss,” Zechariah said empathetically. “I wish there was more I could do…”

 Although stern on the outside, Zechariah had a sweet and protective heart. Being a staff member had gotten him exposed to more human emotions. As the ZPA staff had welcomed him during his arrival to Safe Haven, it was no wonder that he went out of his way to try and do the same for others.

 Zechariah nuzzled his furry face into Cameron’s like a comforting cat. Cameron didn’t flinch this time. In fact, she cried and wrapped her arms around the cheetah. She didn’t care that he wasn’t a regular human. She just needed something…someone to give her comfort. Someone to let her know she wasn’t alone in this strange new world. Zechariah’s warm soft chest felt good to Cameron…like a comforting blanket or a pet. Zechariah stared in brief surprise, before closing his eyes and embracing the gesture. Cameron reminded him of when he had been a young cub, trying to find his place.  

 Cameron’s animal-loving side from her childhood briefly came back…before it faded with the moment of their separation.

 “There is…something you may like to see,” mentioned Zechariah in a soft voice. He had an idea. “This way, Miss.”

 Cameron followed Zechariah up the stairs and into the observatory.

 “W-what’s up here?” Cameron asked.

 Then she looked skyward and gasped.

  “Oh my god…”

 Shimmering in the starry night sky were glowing yellow koi fish floating in the air. They had yellow skin, glowing white eyes, white lines and spot designs across their bodies. One large fish had a yin-yang symbol on its forehead and was as big as an airplane. Their fins were transparent and flowing gracefully like they were angel wings underwater.

 “These are guardian fish spirits,” said Zechariah. “The Fish of Peace. They appear when everything is safe. Similar to the butterfly orcas, used to calm anxiety.”

  “How…how’d you know I like fish?” Cameron breathed. “This is…beautiful!”

 ‘Salvia’s magic of course,’ Zechariah thought.

 Zechariah purred. “Welcome home, Miss Cameron.”

 A magnificent ocean-colored whale swam by among the fish, decorated with bioluminescent spots along its back.

 For several minutes, the two of them stared in wonder at the ethereal spirits. Cameron felt like maybe this place wouldn’t be so bad after all. Especially with her new furry friend and mentor.

 Then a question spilled out of her mouth.

  “So…where am I going to live anyway?”

 One of the fish in the sky turned a deathly white and took on yellow and black stripped eyes. She peered closely at Cameron. “And so it begins…”

 0 0 0

 One day later, an earth-colored griffin-like creature named Skoni pulled a cart of packages around the street. He sang the “Mail Time” song out loud:

 “Here’s the mail

It never fails

It makes me want to wag my tail

When it comes, I wanna wail

Mail!”

 He stopped and knocked on Cameron’s door.

 Cameron cracked open the door of her new small home. “Y-yes?”

 “Package, ma’am!”

 Cameron took the package and stared at Skoni. He suddenly appeared to be sprouting eyes all over his body…

  “Get away monster!” Cameron cried, waving a bat at him.

 Skoni looked taken aback. “You just arrived yesterday, lady! I’m here to deliver your mail! Gaah!”

 “Demon!” Cameron yelled, squirting hose water in his face.

  “Fine!” Skoni scoffed. “Have a nice day!”

 Cameron blinked a few times and saw a regular pouting Skoni trot away. “Oh you were just delivering the mail again... Sorry!”

 Eris (or “KayCee”) laughed as the Skoni illusion replayed from her golden apple. She ate a sub sandwich in the darkness. “So let’s get this party started then, shall we?”

Chapter Three: “Jack’s Counseling Session”

Cameron’s first test of her new career began several days later. Jack had mentioned that he wanted to get an appointment with her as soon as possible. And by sheer luck, his desire was granted. (However, he had to deal with several shoves from Rusty, slipping on a banana peel and tripping on the sidewalk several times on his way there.)

 Cameron glanced at a long list of confidential session notes provided to her by Salvia for the week:

 Client One: Jackson Wells. Concern: Daily bad luck.

Client Two: Addison Woods. Concern: Trauma from experimentation in Xirxine labs.

Client Three: McKenzie Payoray. Concern: Daily bullying and coping with feline lifestyle.

Client Four: Damion Beelzly. Concern: Proper educational environment.

Clients Five and Six: Zillion Martinez and Kayla Christling. Concern: Anniversary troubles.

Client Seven: Vanexa Pierce. Concern: Solitude and fitting in.

Client Eight: Camilla Jimenez. Concern: Dancer, hopeless romantic, doesn’t like her rep.

Client Nine: Autumn. Concern: Increase self-worth.

Client Ten: Tom. Concern: Break up with Addison and stealing souls.

Client Eleven: Daphne Dafadellia. Concern: Being less judgmental toward men.

Client Twelve: Rusty (Call him by his real name Reuben, he hates it). Concern: Bullying issues.

 (Don’t mind my mind reading.)

 Cameron smiled as she stood on a chair and hung up a sign on her office door that read “Ms. Walden. ZPA Guidance.”

 She placed a small green tree in a pot on a side table, hung up a blue poster of two fish that read “Just keep swimming,” and placed a golden dragon statue on a side table as well. Her desk was polished and had a label on it with her name. She stepped back and observed her handiwork.

 “Mhm! Much better!”

 She glanced at her watch and sat down at her desk, arms folded in front of her.

 ‘Okay, you can do this,’ she encouraged to herself. Her heart jolted when she heard a knocking at the door.

 Jack peered into the room.

 “Um Ms. Walden? I’m uh, here for my session…”

 “Oh yes! Jackson, good morning to you,” greeted Cameron. She mentioned to a purple beanbag chair on the floor. “Please take a seat and we can get started! Hope you don’t mind bean-bags…”

 Jack settled onto the bean-bag, enjoying the comfort. “Naw, they are actually really nice, heh…Also I, um, like what you did with the new room! It’s very humble!”

 “Thank you!”

 Cameron placed a hand under her chin with a sheepish grin. “Yes I’m…very thankful to Zechariah for letting me change rooms. I kinda have a weird connection with my surroundings. The old room was just a little too intimidating on first arrival…”

 “Yeah, I understand what you mean…” mentioned Jack.

 Cameron cleared her throat. “So! You are my first official counseling session here at Z.P.A.! Is there um, anything bothering you at all that you would like to talk about? Anything!”

 Jack stuttered, already beginning to feel a sort of crush for her. Cameron had appeared so nice on her first day and he figured maybe she could ease his current situation a bit. “Umm…well…I think for things I tell you to make sense…I have to kinda fill you in a bit about...myself...and my “condition,” or well…my curse…”

 Jack then explained his origins.

  “You see…my parents were extremely close…according to my mother. And when she got pregnant with me, they were very excited. But…before I was born, my father was killed in a very freak accident. My mother was devastated by it. In desperation, she turned to her sister. My aunt Narissa, who…well is married to the devil…as creepy as that sounds. She begged him to make a deal but as a gift to his wife, he granted my mother her wish. To give her unborn child the gift of eternal life…But the devil’s magic works in very odd ways…so his gift was really a curse. When I was born, he cursed me with immortality…along with a supernatural affinity for bad luck…and, heh…thing is…I still feel pain…”

 He barely remembered himself as a pup, flinching in a grass bed as Lucifer’s long dark finger shot a bolt of hot magic through him…burning him to his very core.

 His mother was grateful she didn’t have to worry about him dying, but was concerned about the bad luck.

 Jack glanced off to the side. “So, um, yeah. Not being able to die on top of the very crazy, often violent things that happen to me…with the pain…it um…yeah…not fun.”

 Jack looked at Cameron in concern.

 “You okay, Miss. Walden? I’m sorry if my story is a little strange…”

 “No…” Cameron replied. “I’m just…still getting used to hearing about the…supernatural things…and the devil being real…”

 Cameron continued. “Phewww…I am very sorry for your situation, Jackson. It sounds…simply dreadful. What else would you like to share about your hardships? I can tell there is a lot you have to tell…”

 Jack twiddled his thumbs. “I really hope you don’t mind me talking a lot about myself. I just think it’s a good idea to fill things in.”

 “No Jack, it’s fine,” Cameron encouraged. “It helps to know these things!”

 “Yeah, I’m sorry, it’s just…been a while since I explained this stuff. I don’t often tell people about the curse anymore.”

 “Why is that?”

 Jack buried his face in his hands as he explained.

 “Well because…It just gets hard explaining it over and over to people…why so much crazy stuff happens to me, around me. And the moment I mention that it is an actual “curse,” people immediately get sacred to be around me. I can’t really blame them; they don’t want to get hurt. But…sometimes I don’t really like it. I don’t like people avoiding me out of fear. And I don’t like people thinking I’m making it up for attention!”

 Cameron was reminded of how many people with disabilities felt similarly about having to explain their conditions to other people who didn’t experience them. Some had trouble walking or controlling their bodies. Others felt chronic pain or experienced constant negative thoughts in their heads. Their disabilities were things they were born with and had no control over. Similar to Jack’s bad luck.

 Jack continued. “It just gets a little stressful sometimes, plus some people think I’m pretty…well, weird ‘cause the whole curse thing and my luck has made me pretty superstitious. It really doesn’t help how people see me with all my behaviors and, um, customs. Heh. (You’d feel the same if you noticed me with four ladybugs on my ears, four leaf clovers and a dreamcatcher around my neck, a rabbit’s foot and dice hanging from my legs and me holding a cricket in a cage. Trying every good luck charm imaginable to counteract the bad. Of course, nothing works.) Most people here kinda avoid me for the most part just seeing what kind of stuff happens and finding me odd.”

 “Do you have any real or close friends, Jack?” Cameron asked.

 Jack brightened. “Oh yes! I have a few. And honestly, I don’t know what I’d do without my best friend Zill…”

 “I think I know him…in Jackie’s class, right?” Cameron asked. “What creature is he anyway?”

 “I have no idea! I’m not sure he knows either. In fact, he always seems confused about it.”

 “He doesn’t know?”

 “I don’t think so!”

 “So how long have you known Zill?”

 “Since I found him! About thirteen years now,” said Jack.

 Cameron appeared confused. “I…I’m sorry, you ‘found’ him?”

 “Yeah!”

 “What do you mean by that?”

 Jack chuckled a bit. “Oh heh-yeah sorry, let me explain!”

 Jack then explained the next part of his origins.

  “I was born in Safe Haven’s animal district. It’s a kind and more natural environment, so my upbringing was more ‘traditional,’ I guess. My mom never really explained my curse to me when I was younger. I just thought the world was against me and that she didn’t even care. So I ran away from home a lot back then. I just felt I had to escape somehow.”

 “It was never much help, but I seemed to kinda enjoy the time away from her. I remember the last time I ran away, I was like five, and during a really foggy rainy night, I took shelter in a tree. I heard some growling in the forest. It was really scary at the time, cause most animals in the district respect private boundaries, plus I was young too…heh. I heard this creature emerge from the bushes. He approached the entrance to where I was hiding. His eyes were glowing green. I had never seen anything like him before and I was extremely scared. He was just really curious of me I think, but he behaved much more…well bestial than what I was used to. He was like…well, an ‘animal,’ which was new for me. Most animals in the district can still speak universally! Especially upon first meeting.”

 “Zill was extremely wary of me and I was just terrified! But really he was just extremely curious of me. Unlike me, Zill was just unafraid and bold! Also surprisingly unfazed by my curse. (He put back my broken arm like it was nothing.) In fact, for the first time, I had met someone who not only was unfazed by it, but he actually…intervened! (After water poured on my head from a leaf, he used his wing to keep me dry.) So really, Zill meant a lot to me, almost right off the bat.”

 “We actually kinda lived together in the forest for like a full month, getting to know each other as friends. He didn’t talk to me at first, but when he started to talk, he only spoke Spanish! Which was like jibberish to be…heh. So the language barrier was still there, yet we still understood each other somehow. After a while I decided to actually bring Zill home with me! My mom was beyond happy I was back. But she actually didn’t take very warmly to Zill.”

 He remembered going along with Zill, with his mother being worried that Zill might harm him. He then told his mother that he didn’t need constant protection all the time.    

 “How did Zill get his name?” Cameron asked.

 “Oh! Well, he spelled his name for me in the dirt while we were in the forest.”

 Cameron listened with intent curiosity. “It’s interesting he was so intelligent, despite living in the forest!”

 “Well I mean lots of intelligent animals live in the wild! But I understand what you mean. Zill did come off as pretty primitive at first.”

 “So did you two live together?”

 Jack nodded. “Actually we did! For a little while before we officially started school! Zill was with us through the move to the city district. During those first years, I taught him how to speak English. (Notecards with pictures and words on it were helpful for us. He’d read words like “apple” and lots of food terms to start off with.) By the time we did first start school, he was already decently bi-lingual! A lot of other kids would call Zill names and stuff cause of how he looked. But he never let it get to him though.”

  “But when I was picked on…”

 Jack remembered Zill admiring a butterfly before he was knocked to the ground by a hard dodgeball to the face. Rusty the bully dog laughed after Jack had fallen.

 “Haha! Take that you wimpy loser!”

 Zill growled and his eyes flashed green. He shot a flaming dodgeball back at Rusty which hit him in the face with a “wham!” Green energy glowed around his hand.

“Zill didn’t take kindly to that. Neither of us ever really found out how exactly his ‘powers’ seemed to work, but he had a lot less control back then.”

 A young Kayla rushed over to Rusty. “Oh gosh! Are you okay?”

 But Rusty just elbowed her away, causing her to fall with an “oof!”

  “Get off me you dumb girl!”

 Zill growled in anger again.

 “Zill has always had issues with people who bully or attack.”

 Kayla stood up, furious. She separated the two boys. “Stop! No more! I’m fine,” she told Zill. “Both of you! No fighting! This is a playground!”

 Rusty scoffed at her. “Get out of my way or I’ll beat you up too! I’m not afraid to hit a dumb girl…”

 Kayla then smacked him hard in the face with a “pow!” before he landed flat on his back. Kayla let out a “hmpth” and strolled away. Zill instantly admired her courage and feistiness.

 “Zill met his girlfriend Kayla on the first day of grade school,” said Jack.

 Cameron gasped. “Oh my! They have been dating for that long? Oh how sweet.”

 Jack shook his head. “Oh, no, heh. Zill didn’t get with Kay for a while. Through most of school he was…well, um ‘loose’ with girls. Flirting with them, showing off his strength and dazzling them with his charm. Many teen boys are like that. He always had genuine feelings for Kayla, but he never had the guts to go for her. He just didn’t think she’d be interested.  Which I guess was understandable. He didn’t have the best rep with the ladies, growing up. He was a party animal…heh, sorry.”

 “But! He used to love to sing! And had a knack for it! So I suggested he try out for the school musical once we entered Z.P.A.! He scored the lead alongside Kayla in the show! (I remember them getting a standing ovation at the end. Zill wore a purple suit and hat while Kayla wore a cross necklace and a blue and white dress.) And that was when they really got to know each other! Once they really got together, Zill really slowed down on his party lifestyle. It was interesting how much of a change there was. But! I was really happy that he had found such a stable relationship. Plus Kayla was a wonderful girl honestly!”

 Jack faltered. “But once he started dating…like I said, our relationship kinda, I dunno, changed…”

 ‘”Our relationship changed?’ How so?” Cameron asked. “Was he just less close as a friend?”

 Jack stuttered slightly. “Um, well! I mean, maybe I said that the wrong way. It was just…so hard to explain! He just suddenly had so many friends and attention once he changed with Kayla. I guess I just missed a little of the constant we had before he had such a serious relationship. I’m just a little worried that the way things might progress…”

 Tears came to Jack’s eyes, his face glum. “That maybe he…eventually won’t need me as a friend…I’m sorry, it’s a dumb worry…”

 “No Jack,” said Cameron. “When a friend starts to change, or befriends other people, it’s normal to feel worried about where you stand. But I’m sure if the two of you are as close as you say, you will never grow apart!”

 “Yeah?”

 “Ya know, we talked a lot about Zill. Why don’t you tell me more about yourself! Do you have many other friends?”

 Jack pondered in thought. “I think that’s why I have this insecurity. Like I said before, I only have a few friends because people are scared to be around me, understandably.” He remembered getting his head sawn off, a beehive landing on his head and getting attacked by a green sewer monster.

 “I have one other really close friend but I rarely see her.”

 “What about your family?” asked Cameron.

 “My family?”

 Jack thought of Damion the troublemaker teen jackal, Lucifer and his jackal wife Narissa, Tentradora the succubus pink cyborg nanny and a blue demon guard named Major Styx. (Grumpy Major Styx wanted Damion to be his submissive love servant and Tentradora was very “touchy-feely” and overprotective. Narissa kept to herself and Lucifer was very prideful as a goat-like demon.)  

 Jack explained, “It’s complicated. I think deep down I love my family, but they do just remind me directly of my curse. My mom Mindy used to take me to visit my uncle and aunt a lot.”

 “Your uncle? The devil?”

  Jack sighed. “Yeah…”

 “I felt very alone when I went there. To Hell. That side of my family has nothing in common with me. Plus when Damian came along he just became a constant pain. Sorry if that’s mean to say. My family makes me look out for him a lot, so I tend to get frustrated with him often. Anyways, even though it was pretty stupid, I decided one day to sneak out of the palace just to clear my head. Hell outside of the protection of the palace gets pretty dangerous. But I kinda stopped worrying about my own physical well-being. So my carelessness caught up with me, and a demon attacked me!”

 “A one-eyed, stripped giant monstrosity! It had two slender legs and a tail…and a large maw under its red glowing eye. Yeah, I guess it was pretty freaky. Dangerous situations tend to shock me more than actually scare me. But then Jill showed up.”

 Jack remembered a purple cat demon leaping into the air and stabbing the monster with a triangular bladed scythe. After several deep stabs and Jill slicing off its hand, the monster tumbled down to the ground. Jack watched with fear and awe against a rock wall.

 “Jill?” asked Cameron. ‘Jack and Jill…’

 “Yeah!” said Jack. “I figured I was on the subject of my only close friends. Jill is definitely one of the most important people in my life…heh. She saved me. Besides Zill, she was the only one who ever protected me. Jill and I started spending time with each other after that. She was a stray demon who spent a lot of time fending for herself against other demons.”

 Jack added, “Sorry if it seems I’m jumping around too much. I get carried away.”

 “It’s fine, Jack,” said Cameron.

 Jack continued. “Anyway, I loved spending time with Jill. She was rough with everyone but with me, she was so soft. Her hugs were the best! I snuck out to hang with her during every Hell visit, and as we got older…”

 Jack let out a forlorn sigh. “I guess nothing really stays the same.”

 “I encouraged her to test herself to be a member of the royal guard. She passed the test with flying colors and was accepted to live in the palace! Lucifer gave her a black collar with a red diamond gem on it to mark her new status. I was so proud of her! She ended up head of the royal guard. I was so happy because we would be able to see each other more often. But then she met this guy she worked with. And kinda…ended up spending more time with him than with me. Which hurt a bit. I had always hoped we would stay close…maybe even get closer.”

 “So you had a crush on her?” Cameron asked.

 “Well, I crush easily,” Jack answered. “I’m happy she found someone though. She deserves that. So does Zill. I just get lonely...”

  After a few sad moments he muttered, “I’m sorry this took a turn. I don’t want it to seem like I’m complaining about the fact they are happy. I hope that’s not what it sounds like.”

 Cameron stared with empathy at Jack. “Jack, it’s fine. I can tell you are a very emotional person, and it’s normal to get lonely in your situation. But I really think you’ll be able to find someone for you in time. And talking about these feelings are the point of counseling. So no need to apologize. You seem to talk very highly of others. What about yourself?”

 “This event was…not a highly moment...I…there was one time Damion locked me in a locker for a whole week. All because he didn’t want me to tell Zill that he had missed Kayla’s anniversary. S-since I couldn’t die, I was just trapped inside my head…starving, deteriorating, not knowing what time it was. It felt like I was dying again and again in a nightmare. By the time someone found me and unchained me, it had been one week later. Took me a full day of fluids to recover, even though my body regenerated itself. It may sound strange to you but…I wanted desperately to die in those moments.”

 A chilling silence permeated the space.

 “Sometimes…I wish I hadn’t been born. I wish that dad hadn’t died. Then my mom wouldn’t have been so obsessed with keeping me alive. It feels like Hell much of the time. Sometimes I blame her, wishing she could experience the curse through my eyes. Other times I blame myself; what did I ever do to deserve…”

 A few books randomly toppled from a shelf and hit Jack in the head. “…this?” He groaned and rubbed his head.

 Cameron looked at Jack with a somber expression. “I’m…sorry you had to go through that. And regarding your curse…no one should have to go through anything like that. I guess death isn’t the worst thing in the world…”

 As Jack sobbed and sniffled for several minutes, Cameron walked over and gave him a comforting embrace. Jack breathed deeply, face blushing. Even after Cameron let go, he still felt her warmth and kindness. He wiped more tears away.

 “S-sorry…”

 “It’s okay Jack.”

  “Besides the curse and all the negatives. Tell me about Jackson,” said Cameron.  

 “Me?”

  “Yes! Your interests? Goals? Hobbies? Things that make you happy. Anything!”

 Jack thought hard about it. “Um…well let’s see. I play the drums! I play the drums while Spam does guitar and lyrics. Kayla and Zill sing and play piano and Vanexa helps too. I also, um, work part time at the Safe Haven observatory. I really love space. Just everything about the universe and its infinite vastness fascinates me! It’s inspiring. I love studying astronomy and science.”

  “Oh!” Cameron exclaimed with joy.

 “I also love to cook! That’s my favorite hobby! I don’t have many people to cook for, so I usually take food to the foster home, the same one that took Zill in for a while. I’m still deciding which path I’d like to take for a career, being like a real chef or going into astronomy.”

 Jack continued. “Next year is my final year at the academy so I need to decide soon what my final major will be. I’m still able to take plenty of classes for both, though!”

 Cameron was very pleased. “Well! Well working at the observatory and being able to exercise your culinary skills gives you a good way to sample your career options. I’m sure you will make the right choice and have a successful career, Jack!”

 Jack smiled warmly. “Thank you, Ms. Walden. Thank you for listening! You’re more attentive than the last counselor.”

  “Well that’s what I’m here for!”

  “So…are you still scared living here after the past few days?” Jack asked.

 Cameron glanced off to the side. “Well, uh, ya…I mean…I’m getting used to things. Talking to you wasn’t scary. You are very kind and not frightening at all, past the fur. Which alone is surprising but there are a few people here who don’t scare me as much. So thank you! For not being scary. Is there anything else you’d like to talk about in this session?”

 Jack stood up. “I think that’s enough for this time. I don’t want to overwhelm you.”

 He opened the door and looked at her one last time with a smile. “Thanks again, Ms. Walden. Welcome to Safe Haven!”

 Cameron waved. “Take care, Jackson!”

 As Jack was walking down the hall…

 Slam!

 Rusy slammed him into a locker and he slid to the floor. Rusty barked in laughter, leering over Jack.

 “Watch where yer goin’ wimp! Heh heh! You gonna cry or what?”

 “No?” Jack whimpered.

 “Yeah you are! P*ssy! Ha ha ha ha ha ha!”

 Rusty laughed as he strutted away. Jack made his way to the observatory as the setting sun turned the sky a salmon pink. He spotted a blonde man wearing glasses and a blue suit with a tight white collar.

 “Hey Dan!”

 The man smiled. “Jack! You’re early! It’s barely dark out!”

  “Yeah. I feel like coming in before my shift to relax a bit. Can I go up?”

  “Of course! Nobody is up there right now.”

  “Thanks Dan!”

 Jack slipped on a blue uniform and climbed up the stars. He made it to the top and his eyes grew wide in wonder. Yellow ethereal koi fish swam and glided across the starry night sky. The spotted bioluminescent midnight blue whale traveled beside the fish as well. The city lights and the greenhouse globe buildings illuminated the night in their spectacular vivid glows. One building was pink, the other a faded golden yellow. Jack became transfixed by the spirits. For the first time in a while, he felt hopeful and positive.

 Jack smiled and sighed contently as he gazed dreamily up at the Fish of Peace. “It’s never lonely at night.”

 Despite the bad luck, Jack knew he wasn’t alone. He had Zill, Spam, Vanexa, Jill, Kayla…all those who cared for him. His bandmates were the ones who helped save him from a monster, and it led to him being more tolerant of his curse. Zill had tried to “save” him multiple times by deflecting the bad luck events but Jack didn’t want him to get hurt. Instead of exhausting themselves to try and stop the curse, Jack’s friends helped pull himself together (literally and figuratively) and were simply there to support him after the bad moments. Although some of them were often preoccupied with lovers, they would always come back for Jack. For he was the silent supporting stone of their bonds.

 And now he had Cameron…a loving mentor…and perhaps a new mother-like figure in his life. Although he had a crush on her, it was not solely romantic. It was mixed with feelings of appreciation and friendship.

 Jack felt at home with himself for the first time in years. Because he realized an enlightening truth: not even a curse could keep his friends away.

 0 0 0

 Zechariah was busy jotting down notes at his desk when Cameron entered the room.

 “Z-Zechariah?” Cameron asked.

 “Miss Cameron!” Zechariah greeted. “Did your first session go well?”

 Cameron smiled, pleased to have helped out Jack. Helping others made her feel truly at home for the first time. “Actually, it really did!”

[angel-cassidy]

Underlife Dreamtale Story

Characters

Midnight (Nightmare)

Daydream (Reborn Dream)

Sunset (Unknown)

Sunflower (The Dead person)

Moonlight (Guardian of Dreamworld)

Aurelia (Mother of the tree)

Fella (Traitor)

Backstory:

Some Guardians defend the Feeling Tree, but the Guardian had a Closer Friend who assisted them in protecting the tree, but her Closer Friend collaborated with the scientist who intended to steal the two apples from the Feeling Tree. But something changed, and her closest buddy devised a plan to assassinate the guardian. The Guardian was unaware of this until one day when she witnessed a large community attempt to assault her for an unknown reason...but the Guardian managed to preserve the tree with her magic and create two little lights dubbed Daydream and Midnight as their nicknames. She sacrificed herself so that this would not happen again; she did not pass out, but she returned to the feeling tree to rest.

Something happened when Daydream and Midnight returned to the emotions tree after they had grown up a little. They had both witnessed what their mother had previously told them. The same village attack occurs, but this time the villages are attempting to pursue Daydream and Midnight. As they try to flee, Daydream falls to the ground. And told Midnight to leave him alone, but Midnight didn't listen, and instead tried to assist Daydream at the moment. But there's a catch. They were pulling Midnight's hand into the vortex at the time. Meanwhile, Daydream tries to get up, but something stabs him in the body like a sword, and he glances back to see the woman who betrayed her mother a few years ago. He bled profusely till he passed out.

With the arrival of Midnight, He has no idea where he is and is attempting to glance around as though he is lost in the woods. Midnight tried looking for help, but no one came to his aid until one day, a lady named Felicia discovered him wandering in the woods and came to his aid. When they look to Midnight and ask whether she can aid them, he nods yes. That lady took him into her home and inquired as to what had happened to him. Midnight simply informed her of what had occurred, but the lady felt awful for him and asked if he may remain at her home for a while. Midnight was overjoyed, so he said yes.

Meanwhile, Daydream/Sunflower awoke in a very dark and strange location, looked about a little, and noticed a man who wanted to make a bargain with him. His name was Sunset, and he informed him that his agreement was that he would bring his life back on one condition. He had no choice but to murder his own brother, but Daydream made the decision for him. Sunset, on the other hand, had no choice but to press Daydream to agree for a few weeks, and Daydream/Sunflower finally decided to make his bargain.

Midnight and Felice passed through Midnight's former village a few weeks later... Midnight instantly remembered the tree of feelings from his brother's "Missing" days in that village. He was startled to hear someone speaking, but he managed to dodge it and walked away as if nothing had happened. Sunflower, who had been reincarnated as a regular skeleton, was hiding behind the feeling tree when he noticed Midnight walking by. He thought it would be a good idea to follow him...but it was too lame for him, so he avoided it. Midnight, who was in his chamber later that night... When he looked in the mirror and saw black goopy things emerge from behind him, he realized it was a random guy with tentacles on his back.

Midnight was terrified, and he assumed the person would hurt him or something, but he was mistaken. "Don't be scared...," said the odd person as he hugged him. "I'm not going to harm you..." Midnight begins to calm down and relax for a moment..as they introduce one other and tell each other that their names are Moonlight and Midnight asks Moonlight a few questions about himself... But he starting to be inquisitive about something late at night... Something he spotted behind the tree...at first, he thought it was simply a lost rabbit. However, he makes the decision to learn more about It. He headed to his former village as soon as he got out of his room window... He became aware of Midnight when he noticed someone carrying a flower. He was taken aback and bolted, which Midnight recognized them. He resembled his brother as he followed him down while screaming, "PLEASE STOP RUNNING...!!" Daydream/Sunflower refuses to listen and hides behind the large tree, out of sight of Midnight.

Midnight looks around but can't seem to spot that individual... As a result, he chooses to return to Felicia's home... While Daydream retreated to the Unknown place, in order to relax

To be continued?

Extra

Moonlight's role is to defend people's dreams from nightmares before Midnight took their Replacement as Guardians of Dreamworld (where the location is full of wonderful memories), but he suddenly felt something strange in his body, as if there were some chains tied them together.

Sunset appears in front of him, and he is the one who turns people's dreams into nightmares. His objective for Moonlight is to turn him into a horrible Guardian, but Moonlight tries but fails to break the chain, while Sunset steadily turns everyone's dreams into nightmares. Moonlight is just sitting there watching this horrible dream that he should be protecting because he couldn't break free from Sunset's shackles, so Sunset offers him a deal: if Moonlight lets Sunset turn half of the dream into a nightmare, Sunset would let Moonlight go. Moonlight has no option but to accept it ( if he doesn't, Sunset would slowly murder Moonlight's soul).

Sunset resolves to confine Moonlight in someone else's body when he has an accident and loses all memory of his responsibilities. But somehow he slips into his net and trapping himself within Daydream Body but Moonlight trapping himself inside Midnight Body.

If you can get Moonlight to do something, he'll attempt to console you as much as they can while you're sobbing or sad.

Sunset, on the other hand, does nothing when you weep and instead sits there gathering your negative emotions.