#awful. so awful. couldn't finish it despite still being hungry

[kittlyns]

Had the absolute worst day w food today, never eating again

[redsquidface]

When informed about your transfer off planet, you were not worried at first. After all, it was a normal practice for The United Earth as a means of cultural exchange with other interstellar civilizations. But then you discovered that you'd be sent to a remote space station, as far away from Earth as possible. When you arrived, you found out that none of that station's inhabitants were humans. Your translator couldn't even fully understand some dialects and accents.

The first time you visited the food court, you were stunned by the variety and foreignness of the presented food. There were kitchens from all across the galaxy, but none familiar to you. 

One of the stands caught your gaze. Mostly because some of the dishes on display were still wiggling and squeaking. Despite everything being overspiced and slimy, it was your best option. For a minute, you braced yourself and prepared to order, but then you noticed a dusty replicator standing in a corner. You have used these machines before and knew that they could create human food or you could teach them how to. Postponing the probe of the alien cuisine, you rushed to the machine, eager to taste the familiar.

The chef of the kiosk, whom you left in a hurry, followed you with the gaze of their red eyes and angrily growled. Their warrior culture saw every aspect of their lives as a battlefield. War, love, sword fighting, sewing, engeniring, cooking - all were competitive and passionate. The fact that you eyed their dishes and not only chose not to buy anything, but rushed away was interpreted as personal defeat of the cook and an insult to their honor. The large alien gracefully hopped over a glass counter and followed after you, furious but collected.

By this time, you had alredy uploaded a human food pack into a replicator, ordered a burger, and paid for it. When the machine dispensed your order, somone quickly took it away. Without wasting a second, alien chef threw your burger into their wide opened maw and began to chew.

"Plane. Too plane. Do you really trade this over my perfectly spiced food?"

"H-hey! I've paid for this!"

"And I will refund your money at my stand tenfold. My food is much better than this replicated crap."

Indeed, the taste of replicated food was always a bit off, but you ware not in a mood for squirmy food. You also weren't eager to argue this day.

"No thanks, I don't like living food."

You pretend to ignore the angry alien and ordered a plate of spaghetti from the replicator. But this portion was also devoured, even with a paper plate. The chef was stubborn and refused to let go of a customer.

As the alien chef was staring you down, you began to get angry. Suddenly, an insidious idea slipped into your mind. You ordered again. This time, it was a big, ripe lemon. Suppressing a giggle, you watched as the rude chef sent the yellow fruit into their mouth and began to loudly chew. As the red eye opened wide and the alien grunted, covering their mouth, you began to regret your little revenge. What if lemon was poisonous for that species? What if the alien is now pissed off even more and will try to kill you?

But when the chef looked at you, in their red eyes were no traces of rage or vengefulness, but only curiosity.

"Do you humans eat this?"

"Yes."

"Really? "

"Yes, but doses are usually smaller."

"And there I thought that your spicies were fragile."

After that remark, you felt obliged to brag. For the next half hour, you were talking about hot papers, acidic pineapples, and poisonous fish dishes, while the alien chef was cooking food for you at their stand, sometimes interrupting you with questions and remarks. They seemed to be at awe of human culinary habits. The chef prepared your dish with extra care, making sure that seasoning is not too intence and all ingredients are dead and fried.

After the chef handed you the finished food you were so hungry that you began to eat without hesitation. Surprisingly, the taste was good.

When you finished eating, you thanked the chef for the food. Approvingly nodding at the site of a clean plate, they said that it was repaiment only for their first theft and invited you in this kiosk again. The alien promised that the next time their menu will include new ingredients from the Earth.

As you both said your goodbyes, you and the alien chef parted ways. You both made a new friend today.

[rustingcat]

Earth

Lena felt awful. She must've fallen asleep in an awkward position on a chair in one of the main labs. Looking at the clock she found she had dozed off for at least a couple of hours. She let out a groan as she got up and stretched, releasing at least some of the tension in her back. Lena just knew her back was gonna bother her for the rest of the day, week possibly.

Looking around the room, she saw the rest of her team asleep on nearby chairs, or just straight out on the floor. The crisis was averted at the very least, their new lasting energy source did not, in fact, blow up the building, so she'd count it as a win. Despite the massive setback, they might just pull it off, eventually that is. For now she was just glad that everyone was safe. Everyone including– 

The embryo! She was clearly not fully woken up if she managed to forget that. Lena grabbed herself a cup of coffee from the nearby machine and headed up to her private lab. She got no messages from Kara, so she hoped that everything went alright. 

She felt awful leaving her to do everything by herself, especially with such an important milestone. It was also somewhat disappointing she wasn't there to share the moment with Kara. Lena remembered her being overly enthusiastic about it in one of her visits. Or was it strange? She couldn't recall, then again she was very distracted at the time.

Lena nearly finished her coffee by the time she reached the lab. Disposing the cup on a nearby table, she spared a warm look at the sleeping form of Kara who was draped stiffly on the little couch in the corner, the couch she herself insisted on adding to the room, before heading to the machine to check the progress. The screen seemed to be okay, not indicating any warning signs at the very least, but it was the pods that caught her attention. Brainy's special pod was lit right there at the bottom in a special container, but instead of the one other pod she expected to be lit right above it, she spotted two.

She hurried back to the monitor to check the data, only to discover her own genetic data attached to the embryo in the first pod. 

Her and Kara's.

Lena's hand instinctively went to cover her mouth in shock. She had noticed Kara never deleted their PF, of course, but she never imagined she would do anything like that. Especially without her permission, or some discussion at the very least. 

Lena thought the reason she left it might be to commemorate their success, a memory from their first test. Did she have some sort of secret plan this entire time? No, it's Kara. Kara would never pull anything like that. Then again, the pod was still active. It was processed before the pod containing Nia and Brainy's data was activated, meaning she must've noticed it, at some point, yet it was still active. 

Lena had too many emotions running through her to even begin to process them. She was tired, hungry and very confused. Above all else, she wanted answers. Maybe then she could start to unravel the mess of feelings inside her.

She walked with determination towards her sleeping friend, growing more impatient with each step. 

"Kara! Explain! Now!" She demanded, her voice may have come out a bit louder than she expected.

"Mmhhh?" Kara mumbled with a confused half lidded look, she studied Lena’s face with a growing smile. Lena raised a sharp eyebrow, hoping she would wake up sooner rather than later. 

Kara blinked a few times, until her happy goofy smile turned into the shock of a deer caught in the headlights, that quickly turned into the shame of a dog that knew they were doing something wrong.

"I'm waiting." She emphasised with a stern voice.

"Oh, yeah." Kara cleared her throat. "I can explain." She jumped to her feet, all trace of her sleep was gone.

"I sure hope so," Lena stepped back and crossed her arms.

"It was an accident." She waved her hands down, a common signal for people asking to calm down, Lena only straightened her back in response.

"An accident that is still very much growing in a pod!" Lena pointed out.

"I…Yes," she recoiled back from Lena's intense gaze. "I was just… thinking…" 

"For your sake, I really hope you did." Lena swore that unlike her brother, she never bore any murderous intentions towards any Kryptonian. That is until that moment at least, where she seriously started to consider it.

"Right, well," kara swallowed hard. "We can always choose to… um terminate –  the project I mean, of course. That is still very much an option if you want. I just… I remembered the conversation we had about the future and you said that you wanted kids, but were afraid to raise them unless it was with someone you trust. And you know I always wanted kids and don't really have the best luck with my relationships," she chuckled. "So, I just figured, maybe it's a sign, you know? Well, not a sign, more like an opportunity." She finished with a nervous smile.

Lena's mouth opened and closed a few times, unsure how to respond. God, she really believed entering the lab would help clear out her swirls of emotions, how wrong she was. Her best friend was potentially offering her everything she had ever wanted, or at least most of it, and Lena wasn't sure if it made her anger lessen or not.

"Because," Kara nervously continued when she noticed Lena wasn't responding. "It's really hard to know who you can trust, you know, all those stories of people leaving, and just not working out. You and I have been through so much, so I just know that we can survive anything. I trust you with everything. So why not this? I think everyone should just have a child with their best friend! It would probably lead to less relationship troubles and such. Does it sound crazy? Because I'm not sure anymore." She let out a nervous chuckle. "Please say something, Lena. Anything, please." Kara finished her speech full of hand motions and rambling with a pleading look, directed straight at Lena.

The air felt too thick to breathe normally. It did sound crazy. More than crazy. But somehow almost made sense at the same time? Or was it just her wishful thinking? Lena wasn't sure.

"I…" she started, unsure what to say. Her anger from before disappeared completely. "I don't know."

"Lena," Kara moved closer, holding her arms on each side, "I've tried to picture my future several times in my life, never sure of what it would hold or how it may look like, but I realised that the only thing I'm completely sure about is you. I know that I want you to be a big part of my future and the thought of raising a child with you brings me nothing but joy. It's a future I want. It's the clearest future I've seen in a while, and it's so bright, Lena. So bright. Do you see it?"

She did. Oh, she could see everything. Years of denying herself from accessing those kinds of thoughts washed over her. She saw chubby cheeks and deep blue eyes staring at her with wonder and love, family vacations, late nights at home watching movies, their child starting school for the first time, helping them with their homework, Kara bringing them all some takeaway after burning out her latest cooking attempt, and maybe even…

"You don't have to decide now of course we can always–"

"Okay." Lena found herself breathing out. Not louder than a whisper.

"Okay?"

"Okay."

"So...?" Kara asked just as quietly, stepping further into Lena's space.

"Yes." Answered, bridging the gap by putting her forward against Kara's. She closed her eyes in disbelief. "We're gonna be parents." A small chuckle of disbelief escaped her lips.

Lena has done some crazy shit in her life. She went on an insane treasure hunt in the jungle to find a necklace because mother told her about it when she was too small to remember, she tried to rescue her family's company after her brother destroyed its reputation for going genocidal, tried to brainwash the entire world in an attempt to stop violence, survived multiple assassination attempts, risked her own life several times, jumped off a cliff with only hope. Hope that the person in front of her would catch her. She hoped she always would.

Lena felt Kara's thumb wiping away the tears she didn't notice were falling down her face. She opened her eyes and saw similarly teary eyes, filled with love and hope. God she wanted to kiss her. She wanted to kiss her so badly, but feared the rejection she might shatter the dream she somehow found herself in.

She hugged her instead, pulling her as close as she could, searching for proof she was awake, that it was real. Kara didn't pull away so neither did Lena. She let herself breath the sweet scent of Kara's natural perfume, how this woman always smelled so good was beyond her. 

"Wanna see our future baby?" Kara whispered in her ear after a while.

"It's barely an embryo at this point," Lena chuckled, not yet ready to pull back.

"Come on." Kara took her hand and pulled her towards the pods. They stayed close, as they stood next to the pod wall. Kara took her other hand as well and lifted it over to their pod. The glass was warm to the touch, which was unsurprising considering everything that went on inside of it. Still, knowing what could potentially come of it, was a lot.

"God," Lena wiped away her tears, "we have so much to discuss." Lena noted.

"Yes, we do. But we can do it later." Kara agreed.

"Kara, I don't even know if you even want to raise the child here." She found it somewhat difficult to say Our child. "I mean, you might want to go to Argo with your parents, and their advanced technology and education. It was your home after all." Lena tried to hold on to a sob.

"I may have been born on Krypton, but I made my family on Earth."

[dudadragneel]

Hey guys! It's me!

How are you?

So I'm done with another request. I'm not sure I like this one because I'm in the middle of a writer's block but I hope you'll enjoy it 😅

This one is from @lizaloveslino

Okay so I keep having thoughts of stubborn Hyunjin with a sensitive stomach who eats something he doesn’t like at a restaurant because his usual order isn’t on the menu. Him being a picky eater and you warning him that he isn’t going to like it, but he’s hungry so he eats it anyway. He keeps complaining that he didn’t like it and it’s not sitting well in his stomach so he tells you that he’s just going to throw it up. You tell him he’s being dramatic and a baby about things and think he’s just joking, but then you hear him start gagging when he goes to the bathroom and realize he was being serious and hold his hair back for him.

PICKY EATER

You and Hyunjin decided to go to a nearby restaurant that had become the it spot for casual dates since it wasn't expensive and neither too far from where you both lived. The food there was delicious, it had the concept of home-made food and you both loved it and made sure to always compliment the chefs.

Despite how delicious the food was, Hyunjin could be a very picky eater sometimes and this particular restaurant had a specific dish that he would always order, just like a kid would do.

However, unlucky him, that dish was out of order on that day, and he decided to order something else.

- I'll have this.

He said pointing towards a dish you usually ordered it was a rather heavy dish in terms of flavor and overall ingredients. A dish someone with a more sensitive stomach, like Hyunjin, wouldn't exactly like, despite it being a delicious dish. And it had happened before, not with this one, but another dish gave him some really hard cramps.

- Are you sure, Hyune?

You said looking up from the menu and raising an eyebrow at him.

- Yes. I'm really hungry and it's the one standing out to me now.

- I don't think you're gonna like it...I mean, one bite you would but the whole dish? I think it's too heavy...

- but I'm really hungry.

- Okay, then. You do you. I'm not gonna argue.

As the chefs prepared the food, you both talked about your day, how things were going, schedules, and everything. And then the food was finally ready, and the two hungry beasts, you and him, couldn't be happier.

At first, the food tasted good for Hyunjin, given how hungry he was but as he ate, his stomach got fuller and fuller, and he was sure he was bloated. It sat so heavy on his stomach, that he felt like he had eaten three full servings of it, when in reality he barely managed to finish one. He tried eating a little more but a cramp that made his insides burn and send cold chills down his spine forced him to stop.

He miserably waited for you to finish your food, while every ounce of his being just wanted to go home and the bathroom.

When you were leaving, he still made sure to compliment and thank the chefs for the food.

And on the walk back home, things started to get bad for the poor stubborn boy.

- I really didn't like it, babe...

He whined hugging his middle and leaning on you.

- I told you baby...that dish is really heavy. You're not used to it.

- I know but what I wanted was out of order and it looked good...I was really hungry...but now it's just not sitting well...

- Oh baby...you'll feel better soon. It'll just take longer to digest but you'll be okay.

You said hugging him.

When you got home, you got him a glass of water, which he gladly accepted and cuddled on the couch. It was a cold evening, so you were wearing one of his hoodies and he was lying down on your lap, curled up like a ball while you stroked his long blonde hair.

He really should've listened to you because that food wasn't sitting well at all. He felt bloated, his stomach churned as if he had eaten pure pepper, and that awful nausea lingering around, telling him he needed to get that out.

- babe....I feel awful...the food is not sitting well, and my stomach is churning

- Oh Hyune...next time listen to me. Don't try eating something you're not used to.

- I know...it's just...my stomach is churning.

- Here, drink some water.

He did as you said, knowing damn well water wouldn't solve anything and in fact would just add to the bloated feeling.

And it indeed made everything feel worse because he already felt full, so the amount of water he had seemed like it didn't even reach his stomach and was somewhere in between. He couldn't take it anymore, he needed to get that out of his system.

- babe, I'm gonna throw up.

He said hugging his middle and curling even more.

- I know you didn't like the food but do you really need to throw up? Aren't you making it a storm in a teacup?

Part of you just didn't want to believe that the food was so bad, to the point where he needed to vomit.

- I don't know. I'm gonna go to the bathroom.

He said leaving with a rather annoyed and sad expression on his face because you were not believing him.

You thought he was just being dramatic, as usual, and just continued to watch TV and surf through the channels.

Hyunjin who felt like dying, bent over the toilet, hands on the edges for support. He felt his mouth watering so he just left it open, spitting out thick saliva. Then his stomach twisted and contracted making him gag harshly but much to his bad luck, it was unproductive. He tried to take a deep breath only to be cut off by another harsh gag, and a rather loud one, that only brought up a thin stream of saliva.

And it was loud enough for you to hear from the living room. You were immediately overcome with guilt for not believing him when he said he felt bad and rushed to the bathroom.

- Hyune? Can I come in?

You said knocking on the door, knowing that you had probably hurt his feelings, barging into the bathroom might not be a good idea.

- Y-yes-

He managed to say before he was cut off by another harsh gag that contracted his stomach arching his back painfully and bringing up a thick stream of chunky vomit that ended up getting on the edge of the toilet.

You rushed to his side just in time to hold his hair back before it caught vomit on it.

- I'm sorry baby...

You said as you started rubbing his back up and down. The poor boy didn't even have time to catch his breath before another thick stream gushed out of him with such force, that it came out of his nose. And since it hadn't been long since he ate, the food was partially digested which was making it hard to come out and the texture just made him feel even more nauseous.

After this bout, he spat out and straightened his back a bit, squeezing his eyes and trying to catch his breath

- How are you feeling now?

You said, still gently rubbing his back.

- Sick...

- Babe, I'm so sorry...I should've believed you.

- You don't need to apologize, honey.

- I'm sorry...

You said hugging him and he hugged you back but then he felt a strong wave of nausea wash over his body once more.

- I wanna vomit again...

He said already bending over the toilet, grabbing the edges as you held his hair and pat his back.

He gagged once, back arching and nothing but saliva came out. His stomach contracted, making him gag again and still nothing came out.

You tried rubbing his back from his lower back to his shoulder blades to see if it would stimulate him and still no result, just an empty gag and more saliva.

- shit- nothing's coming up

He said annoyed and spitting out thick saliva. He knew there was still something that needed to get out but it just wasn't happening.

- Babe? Can I try something?

- please...

You kept holding his hair and changed your approach. You moved your free hand from his back to his stomach, rubbing circles on it a few times and then gently pressing down on it and it seemed to have worked.

As soon as you pressed it, Hyunjin gagged and a wet burp brought out another thick wave of chunky vomit, coming out of his nose as well. He barely had time to blow it before another violent stream gushed out of him, mixing with the putrid mess with a sickening sound.

You started rubbing and patting his back as he vomited one more time before he was left dry heaving.

- Babe? I think you're done. You'll only hurt your throat. Come on, straighten your back and take deep breaths with me.

He did as you told him, while you still rubbed his back.

- Feeling better?

- Yeah.

- I'm sorry for not believing you. I didn't think you'd feel like this after eating that.

- It's not your fault. I didn't know either.

- Let's rinse your mouth.

You helped him rinse his mouth and then structured him to take a bath so he'd feel refreshed and stood by the door in case something happened.

You then went back to the couch, he lay down on your lap again and you left a bucket nearby just in case.

You turned on the TV and stroked his long hair until he was fast asleep.

[drpeppertummy]

Been A While. new (to yall) ocs. middle aged men be upon ye

[hunger, stuffing]

Leon stood before the break room fridge, trying to find his lunch, when he heard the door open. It was out of his sight, but he recognized the click of Shel's cane on the floor. Then, of course, as his friend spotted him:

"Hey, Leon the Lion!"

"Get outta here, Shelly," Leon replied, but there was nothing but friendliness behind the words.

"Hey, Leon, you eat yet?" Shel walked up behind him and looked over his shoulder. Leon turned and opened his mouth to reply, but he was cut off by his stomach rumbling loudly. He looked up at his friend in wide-eyed surprise, blushing. Shel laughed and patted his belly.

"Sounds like no! Come on, let's go to the bagel joint, I got a killer sandwich there last week and I been dyin' to go back," said Shel.

"I shouldn't, I brought lunch from home."

"Like hell you did! I've seen the way you eat. What'd you bring, week-old pizza or another crappy TV dinner? Come on, Leon, you gotta get some real food in you!" Leon looked away sheepishly, and his stomach growled again.

"Hey, see? Your stomach agrees with me! 'Oh, how I wish I could have a sandwich with vegetables on it,'" said Shel in a small, high voice, gently teasing at Leon's tummy with one finger as he spoke for it.

"Oh, please," Leon grinned, swatting Shel's hand away. "Yeah, alright, I'm in. You alright to walk?"

"Yeah, it's right down the block."

The two friends made their way to the little restaurant, which sold not only bagels and sandwiches made out of them but a variety of wraps, paninis, and hoagies as well. Shel ordered the sandwich he'd been dreaming about all week--a turkey avocado BLT that he'd claimed was the best he'd ever had--and Leon, after much hemming and hawing, decided on a grilled veggie panini with mozzarella. He'd almost ordered a hot ham and cheese, but Shel's vegetable comment from earlier had swayed him. It was true, after all; his diet was a mess, and he didn't eat nearly enough green stuff. A hot meal was a rare occasion for him as well. He had a tendency to eat leftovers straight out of the fridge. Sometimes he would eat things that had to be heated up, but if he found while eating that he hadn't microwaved it long enough, he rarely bothered to put it back in. Shel, a fine cook himself, hated to see his awful eating habits, and tried whenever possible to get some decent food into his friend's poor mistreated stomach.

"You wanna eat here or bring it back?" Shel asked.

"Shelly, I am so sick to death of being in that fuckin' building."

"Here it is, then," he laughed, patting Leon on the back. They sat at a small table by the window, watching the people go by. Leon's belly growled loudly as he unwrapped his sandwich.

"Jeez, you're hungry," remarked Shel. "Do you even eat anymore?"

"I forgot breakfast," Leon admitted.

"For Christ's sakes, Leon! You gotta get yourself together, buddy!"

"Well, this is a start," said Leon, holding up the panini. The first bite was the best thing he'd tasted in weeks. It was hot and melty, and the vegetables were cooked but still crisp. For a moment his face was reminiscent of somebody experiencing an orgasm, and Shel couldn't help but laugh. Leon grinned back at him and continued eating. The warm sandwich felt heavenly in his empty stomach. Happily, the two of them ate their lunch.

Leon's sandwich was big, and it filled him up quickly, along with the fries and the bottle of juice that came with it. He could've taken half of it home and still been satisfied. He knew it would never be as good as it was right now, though, and despite his growing fullness, he finished the whole thing. Finishing his last bite, he leaned back in his seat with a soft sigh. His belly felt tight and stuffed, but he also felt warm and content.

"Big sandwich, huh?" Shel chuckled, eyeing his friend's newly rounded tummy. Leon looked up at him, confused, then glanced down to see his belly bulging out against his belt. He blushed, embarrassed.

"Big sandwich," he agreed. He rested a hand on his full belly, watching the world pass by outside the window as Shel finished his own sandwich. He hadn't realized how quickly he'd been eating--he'd been too absorbed in the euphoria of the delicious sandwich for any kind of awareness--but he supposed he must've wolfed his lunch down like a starving animal if he'd finished that much sooner than Shel. Then again, Shel had a tendency to do things slowly, and that included eating. A pocket of air bubbled up in Leon's stomach, and he brought a hand to his mouth to stifle a burp.

Finally, Shel finished his lunch, and the two cleaned up their table and began the short trek back to work. Shel taking his time had given Leon a moment to digest, but his stomach felt especially stuffed now that he was up and moving again. He placed a hand on his belly as they walked. It was normally very soft, but he was surprised now to find it firm and tight--the upper half, at least; he was confident that the chubby pouch under his belly button was still squishy. His stomach area, however, was not, and he'd be glad to sit down again and give it some more time to settle.

"Oh, did you see Donna brought cupcakes?"

"Huh?" Leon looked up.

"By the coffee maker, she left 'em. You oughtta have one, she's gonna be pissed if nobody eats 'em."

"What, are they those weird oat things she makes?"

"Yeah," said Shel. Leon grimaced.

"Well, even if I wanted to have one, which I don't, I don't think I could," he said.

"Hey, you better not let her see that belly then, she'll probably think you're pregnant again. Eating for two, she's gonna say. Make you eat twice as many."

"Shut up, Shelly!"

[mists-reading-nook]

[Letter Event!]

{Game and Cult AU! Creator's friend on discord makes a Mystery Flesh Pit Au which is it's own warning! Small caps warning too in my own ramblings after this ficlet}

{This blew up into a whole AU ahdgdyej, and to think I intended this to be shorter RIP}

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

(Through diligent work, day and night, Acolytes Faruzan and Layla can now boast that they've broken a wall between them and the Creator!

(And what's this? Something called Discord where the Creator seems to converse with others! Is that a fellow God they chat with?

(The news quickly spreads as do the messages the two Gods shared between one another. It seems somebody leaked the Divine Conversation for the world to see. It's unfair for knowledge of the Beloved Creator to be kept secret as after all! So what if Faruzan and Layla think otherwise?

(But it doesn't inspire jubilee or elation. The messages the deities speak to one another bring a fearful awe amongst the people.)

~*~☁️☁️☁️~*~

[Friend] I just realized that I've been raving about making a MFP!GI AU without you even knowing what the fuck MFP is 😭😭😭

[Friend] Anyways here's a video that tells you pretty much everything you need to know

[Friend] Mystery Flesh Pit National Park | Wendigoon

[Me] just finished the video and that is the most horrifying experience ever and i never want to go through it again

[Me] what are your aus

[Friend] Basically Teyvat is worse of. Why? Well Celestia is the same as always but it's the Archons—called Underworlds here—that are different. They aren't gods, heck Celestia detests them because they're Superorganisms.

[Friend] Because of the sheer fucking scale of these fleshscapes, each Nation has religions related to their own super organism. Khaenri'ah had it's own, which is also large enough to be underneath the whole of Teyvat called the Abyss, but prior to the Cataclysm, religion dies down plenty amongst Khaen's Government and starts to view the Abyss through a more scientific lense, a creature instead of a god, hence why Khaen is called Godless. Celestia didn't like the Abyss not being revered and being questioned.

[Friend] Anyways, despite the fact that whole religions are made around these flesh pits, the Seven couldn't give less of a crap about the people. They barely even notice them, they just breathe and eat and do normal living creature stuff. Yes, they could walk around, be worshipped like deities, but that'd be too much energy wasted and they're already given more than enough sacrifices or meals to be sustained in sleep.

[Friend] enough so that they may not even need to wake up to feast (which worshipers would interpret as their Gods being displeased, but they're just hungry and don't care about you) so they stay where they are.

[Friend] They're still as intelligent as they are in canon but only want to do the bare minimum to live for energy conservation)

[Friend] Anyways, no Gnoses. Instead the Seven Underworlds are imbued with their respective elements. Buer is full of plant life. Barbatos always releases howling winds from his mouth and is full of even more winds. Hydro is underwater and produce water itself, you get the idea.

[Friend] While Celestia hands out visions, holding the element of your nation's Underworld grants the most prestige.

[Friend] Why? It helps you navigate the Seven.

[Friend] example: Jean, with her Anemo vision, can resonate with Barbatos and get a feel for how to navigate him, get a bigger picture on the grand scale of things. The more skilled you are with a vision, the clearer that picture is. You can also get an idea of what the Underworld is feeling.

[Friend] heck, people run expeditions. During the rare moments the superorganisms open their mouths, people with resonating visions join parties that explore their Underworlds, and gather resources, from the native animals to bodily fluids to mining the fleshscapes themselves. Resonator's are essential to these teams!

[Friend] It varies from nation to nation and person to person what is and isn't okay to take from their gods. The spoils are seen as blessings and gifts.

[Friend] also resonance isn't all that good, if you go too deep into the connection with the Underworld, it's MIND, you risk being put into a trance of some sort, where the superorganisms compels you to stray from your team, go in deeper, and become a permanent part of the immune system, killing of anything from outside.

[Friend] So the Resonator holds prestige but someone always keeps an eye on them, lest they be lost forever.

[Friend] Why does Celestia keep the Seven and Abyss around? It keeps humanity busy, everyone is busy with pleasing these superorganisms, and thus do not have the time to rebel against Celestia or anything.

[Friend] also I decided just now that the flesh pits were once known as the Eight but after the Cataclysm it became the Seven with knowledge of the Abyss being forgotten over time, that's going to be a big fuck up on Celestia's part.

[Friend] anyways, amalgamations. Celestia killed off most of Khaenri'ah by destroying the physical area and pushed survivors into the Abyss. Trapped, most people died off to the dangers, others became amalgamations that take the place of abyss mages, hilichurls, etc. They're killed and used for resources in the Abyss and outside. It's seen as mercy killing given how much pain they're in, or die with their unstable bodies finally breaking.

[Friend] A lucky few people managed to survive the Abyss without being turned into amalgamations. That or they're amalgamations who aren't constantly in agony as their new bodies work perfectly fine by pure luck.

[Friend] Examples include Kaeya and his family who are still wholly humans. Dainsleif may look human but he's an amalgamation who won the lottery and became immortal. Or lost it depending on your viewpoint of immortality.

[Friend] when Tartaglia fell into the Abyss, he was forced to become an Amalgamation to survive. Think Foul Legacy with more body horror and permanent. He's still completely sane with his love for battle but his shitty parents kick him out due to his state and lied to his siblings about a terrible monster that killed big brother Ajax and tried to trick the family. The Fatui is quicker to pick him up here.

[Friend] Sidenote, on the EXTREMELY rare occasion that someone becomes an amalgamation who is perfectly fine—like they don't feel any pain with their body and it doesn't collapse in on itself— they're seen as blessed by whatever Underworld they got transformed in. They also get fused w/ their element if they were an allogene w/ their vision on hand during the amalgamation process.

[Friend] During the Cataclysm, all Underworlds except for Morax and Barbatos died thanks to the Abyss thrashing around, causing catastrophic earthquakes throughout Teyvat with the others caught in the crossfire. Celestia was real violent with shoving Khaenri'ah's people into the Abyss.

[Friend] Mondstadt and Liyue were fucked, sure, but the other nations with dead gods WITHERED for a good while. These nations were built around superorganisms which were now giant, rotting corpses. The ecosystem of Teyvat was fucked for a good while. Then came the new superorganisms that ate the remains of the dead Underworlds and took their place as the new gods for Teyvat.

[Friend] 500 years later Teyvat is still worse off than before the Cataclysm but it's very close to a full recovery.

[Friend] When it comes to groups like Tenryou Commission or the Fatui, they believe they're carrying out the will of their Underworlds, be it the Vision Hunt Decree or rebelling against Celestia. They believe their Gods want them to do this.

[Friend] Except the Underworlds don't want anything except to survive, to breathe, eat when hungry and sleep. They're ultimately uninvolved with human matters. (Another reason why Celestia doesn't exterminate them)

[Friend] I don't know why people think they hear the will of their Underworlds though. Anyways, this Teyvat is not a crueler world necessarily, but a more uncaring one, that sees humans are irrelevant, not worth a thought. The Underworlds don't want to live as gods or people with agendas. The Underworlds wants to continue to survive another day and keep on existing. Nothing more, nothing less.

[Friend] That's all I got but I'll keep you updated while I create.

[Friend] nvm nvm nvm I got more, all the animal hybrid people like the Adepti or Onis or ANYBODY with non-human traits are either survivors of the amalgamation process or descended from survivors.

[Me] Damn. Neat 👍

~*~☁️☁️☁️~*~

(When Layla and Faruzan got their hands on this "video" attached to the conversation? Only a select few, high standing individuals were permitted to view it's contents in a meeting.)

(How horrible, to grapple with the understanding there exists a version of Teyvat, that is apathetic to the people, where blessing are made up, and you can't even begin to understand the horrors your God speaks of.)

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

{OR: The Creator and their friend ~traumatizes~ Teyvat on accident. They don't even know Genshin Impact is self aware}

{I cannot help but wonder what the national and individual reactions to the conversation would be. They prolly dunno what AU stands for but they would still grasp that the Creator's friend CREATED ANOTHER Teyvat worse off than theirs. And their OWN CREATOR THOUGH IT WAS NEAT????}

{As for reactions to the Mystery Flesh Pit Video??? 👀👀👀👀👀}

{Wait who would be present for the meeting?}

{Also to clarify on the Mystery Flesh Pit National Park | Wendigoon part, when the conversation was leaked to Teyvat, Faruzana and Layla only knew the video title and author, they couldn't watch or listen to it so people can only guess the context, giving even LESS perspective on the Friend's ramblings. Maybe people think it's a legitimate documentary on a real location? I mean they certainly think the Genshin Impact Flesh Pit Au is real.}

{After the leaks, security became tighter and the duo managed to gain access to the whole video. During a secure meeting with only a select group of people present, they watch the ENITRE video and take all the notes they can}

{Btw do not feel pressured to watch the whole video for this ask, you don't need to if you cannot or don't want to.}

Holy shit??? That's genuinely such a cool Au I'm genuinely obsessed. Idk what the flesh pit is,but I'm slightly scared to watch the video...

(More under cut)

As for who's present for the meeting,it's mostly government figures.

For Mondstat: Jean,Venti,Diluc (as from what I know, dawn winery is a rlly big money maker,and plus Diluc has that whole "darknight hero" thing)

For Liyue: Ningguang,Zhongli,Adeptus Xiao (and Yanfei,and Ganyu,as they are also adepti)

For Inazuma: The Raiden Shogun, BOTH Kamisato siblings,Yae Miko

For Sumeru: Nahida, Alhaitham

And for the nation's that haven't been released yet,it's mostly the same. Snezhnaya I'm not sure about attendance,however,some harbingers would be there as well as the cryo archon

Now,the reaction is mostly one of fear and respect. They consider this fellow God of yours a God of chaos,one that you are apparently good friends with. They gain a new respect for you as a God,and many holy texts are updated to include tales of your friend.

Honestly,many in attendance don't come out the same.

"AU" is now a more holy term,as it was used by you and your friend a bunch. Dispite not knowing what it means,many religious scholars consider it to be a term for different worlds the celestial Gods create.

Honestly this entire thing is highly interesting to me,and this Au is something I'd love to hear more about,as well as dive into how it would tie into sagau. This also got me thinking of how different AUs would tie into sagau,how certain characters would react to popular AUs like 5wirl.

[sucker-for-yanderes]

Yandere!Naruto Headcanons

Contains: small use of violence (Naruto knocks you unconscious), intimidation, yandere behavior like duhhh, dubcon kiss.

Naruto can't take being apart from you any longer

~" Naruto? What are you doing here?"

~" I'm here because... Well, I just couldn't stand being apart from you any longer, that's all."

~You stand in silence, keeping your guard up around Naruto. Something seems different about him now. Something very familiar yet... different. You don't like it.

~" What's with that look, (Name)-chan~"

~Naruto looks at you with a wide smile on his face.

~You take a step back, not letting Naruto out of your sight for a second.

~" (Name)-chan? Why are you moving away from me?" With every step back you take, Naruto takes a step forward.

~" Don't run away from me, there's no need to be scared. I wouldn't hurt you ever..."

~There was something in your head telling you not to trust that. But in your heart, which you listened to so very often, you knew that he wouldn't and that you should believe him.

~" S-sorry, Naruto. I guess you just scared me."

~" Awe, am I acting strange?"

~Naruto approaches you more and is now inches away from being pressed against your body, he practically hovered over you considering how tall he had gotten over the years. You remember when you were the taller one as kids. Remembering those days almost put a smile on your face if not for the tense situation right now.

~" Well, I'm sorry for scaring you. Although, you're a smart girl. You know I could snap your neck, killing you instantly, right now if I wanted to. I mean, look at you, you're leaving yourself wide open." He whispered in your ear giving you chills and goosebumps all over. Just when you were about to say something..." Just kidding! Hahaha you should've seen the look on your face. I'd never do that. After all, I can't. I just adore you too much." Naruto smiled and wrapped you in his warm, strong embrace. That was something that hadn't changed. He moved his head closer to yours with a hungry look in his eyes.

~" N-Naruto, what are you-"

~He had cut you off with a kiss. Immediately, you felt your face go red as your (e/c) eyes shimmered in the moonlight and your heart practically thundering in your chest. He tasted fresh and minty and licked your lips lightly, but hadn't entered into your mouth. It was a playful, yet intimate kiss. He wanted to focus on your lips interlocking with his. Finally he pulled away.

~" I really do adore you so much, (Name)-chan~" Naruto smiled as he licked his lips as he peered down at you, his blue eyes had turned red signifying malicious intentions. You noticed he still had you held close to him, his arms on your back practically forced you to be pressed onto him. You didn't dare pull away though. You liked being with him like this despite his off-putting nature about him. It had been so long after all since you last saw him. You subconsciously had feelings for him but never dared to admit them either. I mean, you didn't want to ruin your friendship with him after all and were scared of rejection. But it seems he's felt the same way this whole time. How could you not fall for him even more when his gaze, focused on you, is so intense and his hand caressing your sweet face? He was being so affectionate towards you. It was so sudden it's almost hard to believe, but you believe him because of the look in his eyes when he looks at you.

~" I'm sorry, but I have to do this." His smile turned into a frown." Huh? Why are you sor-" Before you could finish, Naruto had knocked you unconscious with a quick chop to the neck.

~Naruto caught your falling body and threw you over his shoulder with ease, fingers tingling with excitement. He finally has what rightfully belongs to him.

[bluwavez]

im kinda curious about the boys' opinion on jinhwa, mydol, being transferred to a new company for the third (!!!) time (stormedia -> angelico -> flowerbank -> mydol) and also what is their relationship with han since he is part of the directors of their new company.

"As the single Stormedia survivor, I'm very grateful to be at Mydol, and I'm grateful for Jinhwa even if he was trying to rig me out during The New Wave," Jisung chuckles. "It seems the only guy who knows how to manage us is Jinhwa, so..." He shrugs, looking off to the side with a small grunt. "It is what it is, you know? I'm just glad to not be a nobody anymore. That really sucked. God, that was so awful. Yeah, I really appreciate Jinhwa never giving up on us."

"Han is half-managing us at this point. I think he gets a bit power-hungry sometimes, but he's still my best friend. We went through a lot together, so his agitation doesn't get aimed at me," Jisung laughs, a beaming smile on his full lips. We go out every Friday for drinks. I love that guy."

Jacob sucks air between his teeth at the question, smacking his hands against his thighs with a sigh as he squints ahead of him, clearly deep in thought. "None of us wanted to go to Flowerbank. Like, none of us were for that. I was happy to still be with the same company as my sister, but...I really thought that was it for us," Jacob admits with a soft chuckle, "I thought we were gonna disband under Flowerbank, which none of us wanted. These guys piss me off almost every day, but the thought of being an idol without them? Horrible. I have to be grateful for Jinhwa."

Jacob crosses his legs, clearing his throat. "He's very flawed, but he's done a lot for my family. He took care of my sister and my siblings when I couldn't. I have a lot of respect for Jinhwa despite his...flaws." His words contain a lot of caution, his dark eyes flicking from the ground to the camera as he talks.

He scoffs when Han is mentioned, his eyes widening with a dismissive grunt and wave of his hand. "That fuckin' guyyy...He's alright. 'Cool, he's back around, I guess. I don't talk to him much when he's on set."

"I kinda see this contract buying as us going home," Noah explains with a warm smile. "I know my dad isn't perfect. He's done some things that aren't..." The man uses his hands to finish his sentence since he can't find the words to describe his father, "But he's a good man deep down. He's always cared about DeepDive and our success. That's all we can ask for, right? Plus, I like working with my dad. He's my dad," Noah shrugs, leaning back in the chair. "I love Mydol staff, love the company, love the freedom...Can't be mad."

"Han is cool now that he's a business guy. He seems to be more...laid back? Kind of? I don't know. He seems happier to be behind the scenes and bossing us around. He's worked a lot with the creative direction and our management. He was in the studio with us a lot. I think he a bit of a perfectionist, though," Noah explains with a small laugh before putting his hands up in faux surrender, "I'm not the one he bitches at, though. He likes my work."

Kiwoo shrugs, unenthused to be answering the question. "As long as I get paid, I don't care. I don't care where we are--Ah...I would hate to be under JYP. I would leave the group if we were under JYP," Kiwoo rambles, looking up as he messes with a ring on his finger. "It's genuinely whatever to me. I'm just happy we're still together and still have public appeal after being locked in a basement for nearly a year. I don't really have positive thoughts on Jinhwa. He sucks as a person but I'm not here to be his friend, so-" Kiwoo shrugs with a clear of his throat, looking off to the side.

"Han can get fucked. I don't like him," Kiwoo answers bluntly, giving an agitated smile at the mention of the man. "He's a controlling piece of shit that is still mad I got more lines than him because I'm better singer...Yeah. 'Super happy to be working with him again. I'm living my absolute best life under Mydol if you can't tell."

"Well, I was never under Stormedia. My mom would've pitched a fit if I went to that garbage hole. I know Mydol is different from Angelico but," Blue gives a look at the camera, a knowing smile on his lips before laughing with a shrug like we should know the answer. "It's Jinhwa. In my eyes, we're under Angelico 2.0, so not much has changed. We're currently the best-performing act under the label, which I'm scared won't last if Jinhwa, you know, does what we all think he's going to do. Whatever. He's cool when he's managing us properly. I don't care about what he does in his spare time."

Blue makes a face when Han is mentioned, grunting in disinterest with a dramatic sigh. "He needs to loosen the fuck up. He suddenly acts so big and mighty because he's on the board of Mydol, as if he didn't suck Jinhwa's dick to get there. Be fucking serious. Ugh! He yelled at me when we were filming My Ego because--Oh! Oh! I needed to "look nicer" What the fuck are you even talking about? Are we listening to the same song? He's just getting his revenge on me for beating his ass on The New Wave. Such a loser."

Woojin looks a bit defeated before putting his hands out as if to say "What can I say?" forcing himself to smile before forcing a laugh. "I mean...I'm not that excited to be under Jinhwa again. How could I be? Look at his company roster. Hyerim is there and, like, that's just..." Woojin sighs, looking up at the ceiling before chuckling bitterly and shrugging again. "That sucks! But I don't want to leave these guys again. I didn't want to leave the first time. I'll just suck it up. She's not our manager this time around, so I guess it's not that bad. It could be worse."

"Han is cool! He's very helpful!" Woojin says excitedly, nodding at the mention of the man. "He's kind of like my mentor at the moment. He's really helpful, and, yeah, I'm glad he's around again. He picked me to take his place, so it's really cool to be able to work with him in this kind of dynamic. I appreciate him a lot."

Finn looks around before shrugging. "I really don't give a fuck. I'm not even trying to be different or edgy when I say that, like, I serious just don't give a fuck. I think Donald Duck could've bought our contract from Flowerbank, and I would've done the splits. They were so ass. Do you how ass you have to be for me to be happy to see Jinhwa, Son Jinhwa, again? Holy shit, dude. Go back to business school–No, actually, just retire. No. Just quit. You're that bad." Finn rants, talking with his hands animatedly, shifting in his seat as he does so, sniffling before shaking his head. "I'm not a Jinhwa stan though. He sucks, yeah, I know. He should've be fucking people half his age. That's gross. He's gross. I just work with him," Finn explains to the best of his ability.

"Han is whatever. He touches my waist too much, and his creative direction irks me a bit, but he's easy to talk to. I'm glad he's nepotismed his way into a high position, though. Good for him. Hope he doesn't, like, use that power for evil or something," Finn says offhandedly, puckering his lips at the thought before chuckling softly, "That'd be crazy."

[amberjazmyn]

carry on - chapter four

this one has no social media posts, that's a first so far!

𝐯𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐚'𝐬 𝐩𝐨𝐯

i was now back in vancouver and, honestly, it felt amazing. i was with alex, my boyfriend, misha, rob and the rest of the supernatural family and i couldn't be happier. we had been on hiatus for a few months so i left vancouver and went to los angeles with rob for a movie audition. but, really, it was the worst idea ever and one that i'll never do again. like mentioned earlier, the only good thing about los angeles was literally the fact that i was with rob all the time and he was taking care of me. so, now that i was back in vancouver, i could breathe properly it felt like and i didn't have to worry about anything. other than my boyfriend and my best friends who doubled as my castmates. 

 "...valencia?" i looked up from my iced vanilla late to see misha had called my name and i shoot him a smile

"hey mish, what's up?" i smiled as he smiles back and sits down across from me

"you never really properly explained what happened in los angeles in the group chat. what was it you were auditioning for again?" misha questioned, concern in his voice as i chuckled and shook my head

"ah, it was for a silly disney movie that my bloody agent forced me to audition for because that wasn't the actual reason why i flew over to los angeles. but, my agent decided that it would become that reason, thank fuck i fired her because she was an absolute arse but, yeah. just, the people i was auditioning for were very rude, very condescending, didn't like the fact that i'd spent my entire acting career on one singular television show and network. deciding that pretty much, i was no longer the right fit for the role, even though they brought up the facts i could sing, dance and act perfectly for the role of the main character. but then decided to change their minds and dump me which, honestly, i'm glad they did in hindsight because fuck los angeles. i'd rather stay here in vancouver and texas," i shrugged my shoulders as misha smiled and nodded his head - despite he did live in los angeles with his wife and children

"honestly, that's fair, valencia. los angeles can be devastatingly brutal and it just isn't the life that some people want. i'm so proud that you stood your ground and refused to let them ruin your integrity and insult you and your brilliant talents. especially your agent, i'm glad you also finally got rid of her, it was about time you had an agent change. i always knew she was fishy and very money and power hungry, focusing and worrying more about your image than anything else. so i'm very proud of you, valencia!" misha smiled, reaching across the table and grabbing my hand as i smiled, lowering my head to the table before bringing it back up quickly 

"aw, mish, thank you. that's very sweet of you to say. but, i guess i just did what only ended up being the right thing to do. i didn't want to lose anymore of the control i'd already lost. i didn't want her forcing me to do the things i don't want to do anymore. she hates that i'm still on supernatural and quote 'refusing' to move on from the show. so, i just told her to fuck off and that her services were no longer needed and she was fired. and, she didn't even try to argue or anything, she just straight up left which made it even more easier as i had already met with and picked a new agent who is an absolute god-send," i spoke as misha smiled, gripping my hand tighter as i smiled

"no need to thank me, valencia. besides, now that we're back in vancouver, you're excited to get back into the swing of things again for supernatural?" misha spoke with a head tilt as i snickered and nodded my head excitedly

"of course i am. i've never been more excited for anything else, mish. honestly, just getting to see you all in the same room again is making me feel better," i snickered as misha smiled lovingly as i started to finish my iced vanilla latte 

"i agree, whilst the break was nice and refreshing, being able to come back to work is the icing on the cake for me," misha smiled as i giggled and nodded my head in agreement

"for sure...which reminds me, we should probably have a readthrough of our scripts just to make sure we have it all down," i giggle as i gesture over to bob singer who had misha and i's scripts in his hands 

"yeah, that's probably a good idea," misha giggles as i laugh before we grab our scripts from bob as we then rush off to read through them

misha and i decide to part ways as it's most likely decided that once again, elodie and castiel weren't going to have little to no screen time together like most of the time which sucks. however, there was no doubt about elodie having screen time with her two brothers sam and dean which meant it was time for me to go find jensen and jared. 

*+:｡.｡ •·.·''·.·• ·˚*+:｡.｡ •·.·''·.·• ·˚*+:｡.｡ •·.·''·.·• ·˚

it was now coming towards the end of the day when i was reading my script and due to me standing up in a stationary position and quite focused, i didn't realise i was even standing. let alone so fixated on my script until alex, my boyfriend, draped his arms over my shoulders pulling me into his embrace which made me giggle. 

"...oh, hello to you too alex," i giggled, grunting from the sudden added weight which made alex laugh as well 

"i haven't seen you allll day!" alex sighs dramatically which makes me laugh once again as i roll my eyes 

"oh boo hoo, stop being so dramatic, babe!" i chuckle as i struggle to breathe from the grip that alex had formed which made us both giggle

"rude!" alex pouts as he pulls away as i just giggle again 

"you know i love you, right?" i get serious quickly as alex tilts his head to the side as he immediately nods his head once he realises what i said

"yeah, of course i do," he nodded his head, wanting to seem firm even though he knew i noticed his shocked reaction

i then turned around, placed my script down and pulled alex in for another hug. he moved his head back and gave a confused look as i hummed out a silent chuckle. 

"i hope you know how much i really do love you, alex!" i whisper as i hug the life out of my boyfriend as he smiles into my shoulder, nestling it as i reinforce my grip on him 

"i know angel. i love you too," he mumbles as that gives me a sigh of relief, smiling i give him a small kiss before we pull apart for a second time 

"good," i mumble back as i ruffle his hair before he walks away to do some camera blocking since filming was beginning before the day ends

*+:｡.｡ •·.·''·.·• ·˚*+:｡.｡ •·.·''·.·• ·˚*+:｡.｡ •·.·''·.·• ·˚

i had been relaxing on a chair, zoning out as i watched through my instagram stories before i actually glanced at the time, nine pm. i still had eaten anything and i'm pretty sure alex had already finished his scenes. bloody hell, why hadn't he told me he had finished? 

"shhHIT!" i whispered, my voice raising in panic, climbing out of the weird, curled up pose i was in on the chair as i grabbed my shoes

not actually caring to put them on but just hoping that cliff's car was still in the parking lot. then breathing a sigh of relief that boyfriend was still on set, it had occured to me that he actually did message me at five minutes before nine o'clock saying that at nine-thirty we were going to go home. 

i stretched out my legs properly before i knocked softly on alex's trailer door before it swung open slightly. smiling a sigh of relief, i tottered over to the couch and flopped my entire body on it before curling up like a puppy next to alex who just simply smiled. 

"hello my love, i was wondering where you were," he giggled as i just smiled and only moved closer to alex who then wrapped his arms around me as i close my eyes for a little nap

"mm, got distracted..." i mumbled out almost incoherently as alex and misha, who i just came to realise was with us, giggled at the same time

"...instagram, what's new?" alex chuckled which made me giggle as i nodded my head slyly 

"m'sorry, i wasn't really paying attention to the time nor the contents of the instagram stories," i mumbled with a small giggle as alex just shook his head and rolled his eyes  

"it's okay baby, just remember though, we are leaving at nine thirty so, you can stay in here with misha and i if you want as we're just waiting for this movie to finish," alex spoke as i nodded my head before resituating myself so i could watch fifty first dates, the movie that was playing on the tv

"m'kay," i mumbled as the three of us all settled properly on the couch and continued to watch the last few sequences of the movie

- - -

ok bye ily xx

word count; 1593

[inthememetime]

Cleaning the Gravestones- Chapter 6

Taglist: @max-the-hecker @mochazocha @feralsrock (you seem to like this, but lmk if you want me to remove you!) @reading-wanderer @murderandjam as always, let me know if you want to be added!

Chapter under the cut! AO3 link. Chapters 1-3 on Tumblr. Chapters 4-5 on Tumblr. Original post Tumblr. Do you want a Cleaning the Gravestones Masterpost? You can find any additional content/other chapters by searching the tag Cleaning the Gravestones on my page

Harriet chuckled when she dug through the books the next day after a long, exhausting day at work. All occult stuff- Vlad would probably like them. Still, her grandmother would ask to make sure she'd read them, so she cracked them open.

The signs of a ghost, however, were- well.

She was quickly less amused. "Ghosts become fixated on a person, place or action, and must destroy or claim it," sounded like something out of a bad horror movie.

Flickering lights. (Except her bedroom, every area in the apartment had lights that flickered. According to the book, that meant this was the only room a ghost hadn't touched.)

Smells. Awful, brimstone and sulfur, or rot. Sentient ghosts would often seek to cover the scent. (Why did Vlad keep so many plants- all herbs or flowering plants with strong scents?)

Cold spots- they were everywhere but her room.

A hunger. Constant, gnawing hunger that could be appeased by food being sacrificed. (Vlad was always hungry, unless it was a homecooked meal. Always.)

She shook her head, disgusted with herself. Vlad was not a ghost, that made no sense and wasn't physically possible. He was alive. The lights flickered? Their apartment was old. Vlad liked plants an abnormal amount? At least it was something harmless and not drugs.

Cold spots- again, this was a turn of the century building. So Vlad was always hungry- maybe the radiation poisoning had affected his ability to feel full or something.

Besides, none of the descriptions of minor spirits or malevolent ghosts fit him.

That was when she found the chapter on guardian ancestor spirits.

"Despite the name, not all guardian spirits are ancestors, though that is most common. Sometimes, they can be strangers. Their lotalty and love can be earned while dying or shortly after death by the cleaning of gravestones and other rites after death," the book said, "though ghosts without gravestones can still happen, particularly in cases of burning, murder, or strong emotions tied to their death."

Burning. (He was burned and boiled alive, cooked by radiation.)

She read on, after listening carefully to determine her roommate was still watching TV. Or, at least, the TV was still on.

Cooking and sacrificing food to the deceased, speaking to them as if alive, caring for them, cleaning the gravestones. She'd done all that- except for the gravestone thing.

"Harriet, you're being ridiculous," she muttered to herself.

It turned out the incense her grandmother had given her was the best for casting out malevolent ghosts. They were repelled by their reflection in copper mirrors. Writing their names on yellow and paper and burning would set the spirits free.

Red beans would satisfy them. They feared peaches. Well. Peach wood, but she supposed peach wood staves were hard to smuggle.

She thought about it and snorted. "Couldn't hurt anything," she said to herself.

She finished changing into her pajamas and took the incense and burner to the living room, where she could hear the TV still going. True to form, Vlad was laid out on the sofa, half asleep to the sounds of a laugh track.

"Hey. Mind if I light this?"

"Mm-mm," he grunted, and she did.

No immediate reaction. She sat down, moving his feet so they were in her lap and leaning back.

After an hour, the only changes were the air smelling of peaches and sage, Vlad snoring heavily, and her legs falling asleep.

She chuckled at herself. "Told you it was ridiculous," she muttered to herself. "You're not a malevolent ghost, are you?" Harriet quietly asked. Vlad started to drool a little.

She squirmed out from under his legs, closed the window, then crushed the ember on the incense. She shook Vlad's shoulder gently and he groaned. "'M 'sleep."

"Your back will thank me later if you sleep in a real bed. Trust me."

He whined and threw an arm over his eyes. "Nnn. Sleep here. Go 'way."

She fought the urge to coo. He could be so adorable sometimes. Instead, she tugged lightly on his hair. "I won't leave you alone until you go to sleep."

He pouted up at her, bleary eyes half-closed. "Y'r mean."

"No, I'm not," she laughed. "Go to bed, or I don't want to hear about your backache tomorrow."

Vlad groaned and rolled to his feet. She waited until he managed to get his door open to return to her room. She was hit with the smell of flowers, as usual- but underneath that, the faint scent of petrichor.

"You're being ridiculous, Harriet," she reminded herself yet again. And then she went to bed. She did not notice that, in the copper mirror hanging around her neck, Vlad was not reflected. Something else was reflected instead.

-

Within a week, Harriet had mentally dismissed her Grandmother's presents as nothing more than superstition. As always with food she made, Vlad ate both the red beans and peaches like they were going out of style.

Writing his name on yellow paper and burning it did nothing but smoke up the kitchen. (And make him crow, unbearably smug, that he wasn't the only one who burned food anymore.)

She'd lit the incense a few more times- it smelled nice- and the only change was Vlad picking up a few more boxes on the way to work one day. And it wasn't like he was avoiding the smell- one of the packs he bought was identical to hers.

The only thing still causing a little... She wouldn't call it suspicion. Suspicion implied guilt for a crime. But maybe curiosity? The only thing leaving her curious was the mirror.

She'd left it on the coffee table the day after she lit the incense. When she came home from work, it had been turned over, shiny side down.

Then, the kitchen counter because it made some pretty reflections with the neon lights from the building across the street. Again, when she looked next- this time on the way to work- it was face down.

And now, a few days later, it was missing. Harriet rapped her knuckles against the cheap countertop and finally decided keeping the peace was worth more than an old copper mirror. Besides, it probably just slid under the couch or something.

She noticed the reddish gleam- under the couch, as she thought, and huffed at herself. Why would Vlad bother messing with a piece of copper?

When she pulled it out, however, she swallowed.

There were 5 distinct divots around the edges, where it seemed the copper had been melted. Soot blackened the shinier part and, on the back, she could see the reverse of a hand-print as if it had been melted in someone's hand.

She put it in her pocket, debating whether to bring it up or not. What she was thinking was physically impossible. She wasn't living with a ghost; he had a pulse, he was a bit weird but ultimately harmless to her, he-

He, Maddie, and Jack had been trying to open doors to other dimensions.

And how many times had he died?

"It's finally over!" He'd told her at her graduation. But when she asked if he meant the radiation poisoning, he'd evaded the question. Instead, he'd just said 'something like that'.

But that was-

Her investigation- snooping, and a gross invasion of privacy that she was nearly certain Vlad would never do to her, if she was being honest- would need to wait until after work.

"No." She said to herself, and pocketed the mirror. "I'll just have to- to do an investigation. Think of it like that," she said to herself. "I'm not- invading privacy, or breaking in, I'm just investigating."

[hawksugarbaby]

Fatgum x reader- Atlas

Fluff + Greek mythology AU.

You were nothing more than a simple human, roaming the built up world to find something new and interesting, something no one could see but you, a secret for you and the universe to hold together. You needed to find something special is what you thought, taking a break at the atlas mountains in the scorching Morroccon sun. sweat bead down your forehead and your skin was hot to the touch but the adventure and experience, the trials to find something undiscovered was worth the peeling skin on your shoulders being soothed by aloe over and over.

Your persistence to find the unknown secret may have started genuinely, you wanted to find what the universe wanted you too, but eventually it gave you a reason to travel the world. You've travelled to 28 countries in 4 years, beginning at 18 and now you're 22, you skipped uni and college, you made money from ad revenue on youtube since your vlogs became popular, and you were incredible when it came to saving money.

Of course, you were still searching, but now you felt like you had even bigger reasons. Exploring the world, drinking in fountains of culture and knowledge, that was perfection enough. But the secret was missing.

You stood up rolling your neck and started your walk up rocky paths of mud and stone to the sandy houses forming a village and your senses lead you to a vendor, golden couscous with colourful, roasted vegetables mixed through smelled amazing and glasses of fresh mint tea lined up for you to drink while eating couscous at the vendors stall. You requested a glass of the tea, sat down, and drank it too quickly, burning your tongue from the hot water. You sucked in sharply and hummed in pain. "Thank you!" you said paying for the drink and continuing to the mountains past the beige buildings with terracotta tile roofs.

You felt like if you walked between the fingers of the mountain grabbing the earth with their hands you would find something unknown. You walked around the spurs peering into the joining point of each interlocked section but none tugged you in, pulled you towards them with mystery.

Apart from one. The sun was on the opposite side so technically there should have been no light, but it seemed perfectly visible to you? Was it a trick of the light? Possibly an illusion? Either way your heart longed to investigate and so you did. You trudged forward kicking a stone out your way and looked at the joining line. "You have to be something right?" you muttered and put your hand between the drack. You drew a triangle, mimicking the shape the spurs made and as quickly as you could blink, the mountain began to shake, not violently, but it trembled like being coerced into sharing it's deepest secrets.

"Okay... mountains don't usually do that" you say with wide eye's as the seam rips apart and balls of moss and rock tumble into a pile on the floor. Was it a doorway for you? Who knew, you didn;t care, whatever it was you were finding out one way or another.

You stepped into the cavern, dripping stalagmites made your head turn in the direction of every 'plop' into the puddle and your hands brushed against the side of the wall for stability and a sense of surrounding. "These feel like bricks?" you whisper in a questioning tone as your eye's begin to adjust to the dark and you found that you were going aimlessly through a long, triangular corridor. The bricks were a muted clay colour with green moss and algae blanketing them, the grout in the walls was black and viridian unidentifiable as something anyone had ever known of.

The terracotta sparsely began to cut into black white and grey granite eventually forming a whole wall as if the bricks had never been there to begin with. The marble was just as unkempt and ruined as the bricks but the walls got wider, further and further away from each other until they opened into a wide, white cavern, glowing and inhumanely clean. In the middle was a statue of a hulking man, holding the sky. He wore no shirt and had a pair of orange shorts on and black sandals, sandals that looked real and hyper-realistic looking shorts that flowed with the draft and skin you could see the detail of every pore in. hold on... fabric made of marble should not flow in the wind and should not be such an even orange no matter how much paint.

You slowly looked up, the chest rising and falling with a huffing breath it had to take, the hands trembled and the lips quivered. The hairs on his leg and arm stuck up with the chill of the wind and his elbows dropped slightly making the sky move. Finally, you dared look at the eye's of the giant, who was looking back at you confused as a bee trying to escape through a shut window. Mustard yellow eye's with sunken bag's looked right back at you and you backed up letting out a girlish scream.

"Hey hey wait!!" he shouted, wishing he could reach out and shake your hand or reach after you to emphasise that he wanted you to stay. "Please! Please don't go. I don't have anyone to talk to, I promise I won't hurt you!" he begged, glancing at your figure backing up and starfishing against a wall like it would absorb you and push you out the other side. "Y-you you're talking! And moving! But you, you're a statue?" you shook your hands in front of you and he laughed lightly. "I'm not a statue, I'm a titan. I'm just a big God to be honest, big God doing his job" he nodded his head at his rhyming ability and you slid down the wall grazing your burnt back. "Don't do that you'll hurt yourself" he said.

You took a deep breath to calm yourself then blew out, another deep breath and blew out, another deep breath then blew out. "Okay. so... what you're like atlas or something? He was... he was a titan right and he just held up the universe forever and that looks like something important like the universe" you pointed at the sphere on his back constantly shifting and changing colours and he made a whiney voice at the back of his throat. "Sorta? I'm Taishiro, nice to meet you" he greeted with a nod and you nodded back glancing again at the exit.

Could you trust him?

One look from him and it wasn't hard to tell he was overjoyed to finally talk to someone so you stood in front of him with your hands on your hips so he could see you while he was looking down. "Should I know who taishiro is, not to sound rude but everyone's heard of atlas, who is taishiro?" you asked biting a nail and the titan nodded understandably, fair enough, you would ask valid questions.

"so like, zeus wanted to do something cool and like "oh look i'm redeemable" se he basically said hey all the titans weren't so bad and just did what dad told them to so they all got freed or whatever but someone still has to hold the sky so they gave me the job" he said in one breath which was impressive to you but he wasn't finished. "which is okay, I don't mind it here but it's boring and lonely and my arms have cramp and God I miss food. And like they just made me a titan, they just chose me off the street after work and were like yo we need a new titan and I thought, hey y'know what i'm a hero, i'd be doing good for the world but i'm bored and hungry" he finished his ramble and you giggled.

You opened a packet of pistachios and a muffin and looked at him. "Can I climb you?" you asked gripping the pistachios in your teeth and pulling the muffin in a travel cup that clipped to your belt. "Sure! Not like you're very heavy to me" he joked and you laughed quietly grabbing the threads of his sandals and pulling yourself up like a climbing wall. "Oh you're so small. It tickles" he laughed. Resisting the urge to twitch and jerk you off his leg. You climbed quickly like the ropes in gym class then when you got to the shorts you pulled yourself up until you rested on his knee, flat as a table.

"Uhh, I think this should be good" you nod and balance cautiously to sit down pulling out the muffin and tapping his knee. "Hey open your mouth" you ask and he does so without question. You throw the muffin like a shot put and he grins, savouring the sweet, chocolatey taste "sorry their human sized" you sigh and shuck the pistachios for yourself, chewing on the green nuts with hundreds of questions buzzing in your head.

"So you were a hero?" you question flicking the pistachio shell into the bowl below you where taishiro's feet stood rooted to the ground. "Mhm. BMI hero: fat gum. I was like 46th, the world thinks I retired, that's what I told them but to me i'm still being a hero" he explained and you hummed agreeingly. "It's pretty hero like to give up everything to hold the weight of the world" you smile up at him and he blushes lightly. "Aw, you sound like one of my old interns. I miss it sometimes though, and I miss talking to people so much, it gets lonely here" a breeze flew past you and he shivered, but didn't lose an ounce of balance on the sphere, it was firmly rooted above him, it could have been suspended for all you knew. "Yeah, I bet, especially since being a hero is a pretty team focused job right?"

He smiled sadly and looked up at the tiny exit. He couldn't fit through doors like that anymore, he was the height of the eiffel tower and with one step he'd crack open the crust of the earth. "Yeah. you sound like you know what your talking about" you smiled tucking your hair behind your ear and shrugged "I do. I went to shiketsu to be a hero but when I left I was like... nah, that ain't my purpose. I wanted to like, find a secret the universe had that no one else knew about so i've been travelling for 4 years and I guess you were the secret right?" you thearised and he agreed happily. "It's cool knowing the universe wanted you to find me!" "heck yeah it is!"

You stayed with taishiro for a few days before having to leave and you had never felt so sad before. It was finally over, you didn't have a reason to travel anymore, you found the secret and had solidified a friendship with him but now you were leaving? Despite the snacks and drinks and stories shared about what you'd seen. You felt guilty leaving him again but he looked overjoyed. "I'll visit soon okay!" you shouted and he nodded "I'll see ya around. Say hey to little red riot for me, and suneater!" he instructed and you saluted exiting the cavern back into the dank corridor.

You kept your eyes trained on the ground until you left the mountain. A shimmering rainbow was directly in front of you and you swiped your hand through it like a cloud of smoke you tried re-directing.

The rainbow fizzled and formed into a human with long white hair and pasty skin, a long sundress with rainbow accents and black eye's. "Hi, (y/n) (y/ln) am I right? Oh I know i'm right don't worry, i'm iris Goddess of the rainbow and a messenger for the Gods of sorts. See I'm here to offer you a fast pass from wherever you are to right here in Morocco, next to our dear friend Tai whenever you please" she said with a smile, arm around your shoulder and walking away from the entrance like a car salesman.

You crossed your arms and raised an eyebrow interested but cautious. "What will it cost me?" you ask bluntly and she laughed, slapping your back lightly. "Your hilarious kid. No it costs you nothing more than a prayer or 2 to me and my dear friend Hermes, see he's the God of travel, he's my partner in this see, and what we'll do is just zip you over here faster than you can think!" she exclaimed. You nodded and thought. A free service from 2 Gods? Were they typically that kind? No not really so...

"Oh I see. Zeus wants a fuck doesn't he" you jeered and the sky's went pale grey, like the colour your skin would go if you;d seen a ghost. Iris choked and looked up. "Um... the God of the sky does take an interest in you, yes." you rolled your eyes and stuck your tongue out at the sky. "Keep it in your pants buddy! I want the fast pass for free or I tell yo wife!!" you bargained, though it was hardly a haggle as the king God, terrified of his wifes wrath, told irish to just give you it for free.

"Thank you! I'll be sure to think of you when I see rainbows from now on, maybe we can have a chat! Oh oh or come see me and Tai some time, he says he gets lonely, you should visit him!" you grinned with a wave and said your address, being transported immediately like cargo from morocco to your home.

You crashed into your bed and huffed grabbing your limbs to make sure you were completely there. "DOES THIS WORK WITH OTHER COUNTRIES!" you shouted to no one in particular, your voice cracking while you spoke and then collapsed into bed, falling into a deep slumber.

A/n: Not gonna lie I really dont like thos chapter. It feels rushed and boring, I think I'll revisit it at somepoint. If you have any feedback feel free to comment!

[fictionwordcounts]

Home [Anakin x Reader]

Word Count: 2000+

Summary: You're on the desolate planet of Dagobah, and things are a far less than exciting. However, someone crashing close to your home changes everything.

Requested on Wattpad.com at StarkWars084

You were whittling away at a stubborn piece of wood when you saw a ship of some sort fall from the sky not far away. You jumped up from the small chair you had made and examined the smoke trail in awe. Nothing exciting ever happened on this disgusting swamp planet and you absolutely had to go to the crash sight.

Smiling to yourself, you climbed down your tree house and headed off in the direction of the crashed, mysterious object. Wading through the thick mud was easy and you started walking a ways off, but stopped suddenly. You reached toward your back only to grasp empty air-- you'd left your weapon at home. You were furious with yourself for forgetting such an important tool. The planet you were on was nowhere shy of dangerous creatures. Looking over at a large stick on the ground, you decided it would have to do. You grasped it tightly and continued on until you found a broken ship submerged in quick sand. If anyone was alive in there, they certainly weren't now. It was a shame too. You were hoping to find someone (You didn't care who) to make life more interesting. You would have settled for anything in fact.

The sand prevented you from investigating closer, but it was just as amazing from where you were. Sure you had seen ships before, but that was a long time ago, before you came here. The ship was swallowed up quickly by the hungry sand and you strained to see the last bit of the tail disappear. You were about to leave when you noticed footprints leading off from where the plain had been. A sound from behind you made you jump, and you spun around with your makeshift weapon in hand. A man with shoulder-length dark hair and clothes caked in sand stood there. His eyes were kind and calm despite the large stick only inches from his face.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you," he stated. Even if it wasn't his intention, he had scared you a great deal, and you found yourself unable to lower the stick. He slowly raised his hands and started pushing the weapon down, and you let him since you couldn't do it yourself.

"Who are you?" You asked him once you had found your voice.

"It's alright, I'm Anakin Skywalker. I'm a Jedi, and I can help you off this planet," he answered. "I could take you as far as Coruscant, if you like."

You bit your tongue and changed your mind. I'm not okay with anything! you decided, I wanted anything but a Jedi. The Jedi were the people you had tried to escape in coming here. You had thought you wanted to be one at one time, but they had rejected you when you had failed their ridiculous trials. Now there was one here, though you had chosen to live on one of the most remote planets you could find. You were angry with him though you knew it was not him alone that had denied you the position.

"Well, I'm very glad you've found a way to get home," you said, trying to maintain a steady voice. "You can do so alone. I wish you luck." With that, you spun around and headed back to the home you had made. Sloshing footsteps and swinging branches told you that he was stumbling right behind.

"Hold on!" He called after you. You were nearly running, and you would've kept going, but this was the only social interaction you would get for who knew how long. You rolled your eyes and slowed so he could catch up. "It's dangerous out here alone," he warned.

You slowly turned around and rolled your eyes. "Is it?" you scoffed and took in a deep breath while you tried to get your thoughts together. "Listen, I do appreciate the offer, but I have no interest in heading back to anywhere the Jedi Council is."

"What do you mean back?" he questioned. "You mean you've been there before?"

You glared at him. "Do the Jedi now find things easy to forget?" you felt yourself shaking and tried desperately to stand completely still. You're not mad at him, you told yourself. You knew you shouldn't be mad at all, but it grew more difficult the more he spoke.

"I'm sorry, I don't know what you're talking about," Anakin apologized. "But at least let me take you to a safer, more populated planet." You almost laughed now.

Gesturing to land around, you responded, "Even if I wanted to leave, how would we?" Anakin looked around.

"I'd find a way," He insisted. You knew there was really nothing he could do, but you liked his determination.

Still, you weren't sold on the idea of returning. "Well," you started hesitantly. "If you're going to find a way back, you'll need a place to stay." You gestured for him to follow you. He was surprisingly good at navigating through the mud. He knew exactly where to step and where not to. You guessed it was the Force showing him the way. It had for you, too, before you memorized the land. When you got to the lake that was not far from your tree house, you made Anakin scrub off all the sand off his arms and neck.

When you made it back to your home you showed Anakin the way up the tree. "You built this?" He asked you once he was at the top.

You nodded proudly. "It took me a while, but it finally came together." You ran your hand across the railing you had put up. You were rather proud of your work and had a right to be. It was sturdy and homely which was perfect for where you lived. "You could probably stay just outside my kitchen for now. Tomorrow I'll have to make a proper bed for you."

Anakin nodded to show he understood then looked questioningly at you. "If I'm going to stay here, I need to know your name."

You had completely forgotten to introduce yourself! You scolded yourself inwardly. "Y/N," you told him.

He smiled "Thank you for offering your home to me, Y/N" You knew he was just being polite. He wouldn't have the comfort of a bed like the one you had made, and you couldn't make one now. You didn't have the items you would need, and it was getting too dark to gather any.

"I recommend you don't leave the house until dawn," you suggested. "The creatures here love the dark."

"I wont," he assured you. Even though he was a Jedi, you knew you couldn't leave him to figure that out on his own.

You would help him the best you could. You didn't hate him. In fact, you found it hard to dislike him. But it was impossible to ignore his title: Jedi. Just thinking the name made you shudder.  You wished him a good night, and Anakin took his robe off and lay down on one of your pillows. He pulled the robe over himself to stay warm and you went to your moss bed. It was actually a nice, comfortable bed that took you a while to complete. You looked over at Anakin who was still awake, staring up at the sky, and your stomach twisted. He wanted to go home, but you couldn't help him do that. The best you could do was make sure he didn't freeze, starve, or get killed by ravenous animals, so that's what you would do. You would keep him alive until he could get back home.

________________________________________________________________________________

You woke up earlier than usual and dressed quickly. You decided to go hunting in hopes of finding some meat to balance out the root stew you would make. As you slipped the cotton shirt over your head, you realized that you didn't have any extra clothes for Anakin to change into, and his clothes were still covered in mud that had dried over. Surely, it wasn't a comfortable way to live. You walked over to Anakin who was fidgeting and stirring in his sleep. You would have to make him a change of clothes as soon as possible.

You grabbed your spear and knife and climbed down the tree easily. You wanted to do this quickly so you could start working on the other projects Anakin's arrival had made for you. You waited at some rocks near the lake with your knife in hand. Nudj, you knew, were lizard-like creatures that stayed around this area. You had only killed a few before, but they weren't bad. When a brave nudj climbed the rocks you quickly threw your knife and pierced it's skin. It thrashed for a second before falling still. You knew the alarm it let out would warn the others and keep you from getting anymore from there. You retrieved the knife and nudj and headed to a different patch of rocks. You repeated this pattern four more times until you had three of the lizards to take back. You jogged back to the tree and climbed up. Anakin was awake.

"Good morning," you called to him. His face was pale and there were beads of sweat on his forehead. "Are you okay?"

He nodded. "Yes, I'm fine." You looked him over worriedly. Treating disease was not something you could cram into today. Deciding to leave him be, you started preparing a stew from roots herbs and the nudj you caught earlier. Anakin came up to you and watched for a little bit.

You turned to him while the stew cooked. "Have you figured out how you'll be getting back?" you questioned.

He shook his head. "No, I haven't, but I'll find a way," he answered confidently. Surely he knew he wouldn't be able to. The only thing that flew on the planet were the bogwings, and you didn't want to mess with them.

"I'll have to make you a change of clothes," you told him. "I'll do that after we eat." You turned back to the food and stirred it.

"Thank you," Anakin said. You pointed to a small pot you had sitting by.

"If you're going to stay here though," you announced. "You'll have to help and boil some of that water."

He smiled and took the full pot to a small fire you had going.

After you and Anakin had finished eating, you walked over to a bin where you kept thread and fabric. You hadn't expected to use it really so you were happy you found a use for it. You sent Anakin to wash the dishes, but it didn't keep him busy for long. He came to where you were working.

"Tell me about the time you were with the Jedi council," he requested.

You stiffened. Of course, he would be curious, but you didn't want to talk about it. You just wanted him to have a magical solution to leave and do so. You hesitated, trying to play out the conversation in your head.

"When I was younger," you started. "All I wanted to be was a Jedi. I looked up to them and my parents did too." A lump formed in your throat. "They noticed me, finally, and I trained for a long time until I became a Padawan. I wasn't long after that my parents were killed. I couldn't preform as well as they wanted me to. I could only think about them, hoping they would come back. It devastated me, and at times, I even felt resentment--hatred. You know that's not acceptable for Jedi." You inhaled deeply and wiped a tear from your cheek with your fingertips. "They expelled me, and I left. I was angry with the council." You gritted your teeth. "I was angry with Master Yoda."

Anakin looked puzzled. "Master Yoda is very wise," he defended. "I'm sure he had a good reason."

You wiped your face and looked at him reasonably. "Master Yoda has it all wrong," you argued. "There has never once been a Jedi who has kept to the code completely. Our emotions make us human, and those that embrace that are the ones he wants to get rid of. He can't turn us into his mindless, emotionless robots to fight his battles for him."

Anakin was silent. The whole time you were talking your hands were working on the outfit for him.

"But never mind," you attempted a smile. "I finished your outfit." You turned around while Anakin switched his clothes. When he was finished you turned back to see your work. You laughed out loud. The clothes looked absolutely ridiculous. They were baggy and blended into each other making it look like one piece.

"Well, it's a start," he teased, smiling. "At least now I'm not covered in sand from head to toe."

You made a note to yourself to practice your seamstress skills later.

You had just finished the bed for Anakin when the sun sank behind the trees. He slept on it well the first night, but he grew restless from nightmares that not even the most comfortable of beds could fix. You often had to sit by his bed with a cold cloth to calm him. He told you they were of his mother. He had to watch her die over and over again every night and it made him miserable. You did the best you could, but that wasn't much. There were nights when he would wake up suddenly, and you would have to speak quietly and soothingly to him until he could fall asleep again. At first it bothered you, but it troubled you more now.

Anakin had stayed with you for two weeks before a ship landed right next to the lake where you were gathering water one day. You dropped the bucket and ran to the ship. The door opened and a light-haired, bearded man emerged confidently. His eyes were tired but that didn't change how he acted.

"Hello there!" he called to you. "Allow me to introduce myself: I'm Obi-Wan Kenobi. Could you give me a hand with something?" Stunned you nodded and beckoned him forward. "I'm sorry about landing here without permission. I didn't think this planet was populated. I'll leave soon, but I seem to have lost something and I need help finding it," he explained.

"What did you loose?" you asked him, though you could already guess. Obi-Wan looked at you warily.

"His name is Anakin Skywalker."

You froze. When Anakin arrived, the thought that he might have someone looking for him hadn't even occurred to you. He was back at the tree house preparing food for the both of you. You weren't sure if you should get him or not. As if he heard his name called Anakin came running up from behind you.

Obi-Wan perked up. "Anakin!" He called cheerfully. "I'm glad you're alive, Anakin. You had us all worried." Despite the fact that this man had brought Anakin a way home, he didn't look all that happy.

"You shouldn't have come for me, Master." Anakin said. "You could've saved supplies and time going on without me."

"Anakin don't talk like that," Obi-Wan commanded. "You are my friend, and I will not leave you like that."

Obi-Wan looked at you. "I thank you for any help you have given my young apprentice. You will be paid in whatever currency you find acceptable." He turned back to Anakin. "Let's go, Anakin. Master Yoda will be happy to know you're alright."

Your heart sank. Anakin had found a way to leave after all. This is what you wanted. You reminded yourself. Once he's gone, life will be normal again. Boring and normal. You didn't want him to go now, but what could you do? It was Anakin's decision, and he was already following his master. You stood there waiting for the ship to take off, but it never did. In fact the door opened once again and both of them walked out.

"Is everything okay?" You questioned with a small glimmer of hope that the ship might not start. Anakin was looking much happier now and Obi-Wan more upset.

"It appears," Obi-Wan spoke first. "That Anakin will be staying with you," he explained.

You looked at Anakin who was next to you now.

"Are you serious?" you asked quietly, though your heart was beating rapidly.

He looked up at Obi-Wan. "Thank you for your training, Master," he said respectfully. Obi-Wan nodded blankly.

"I don't know what I'll tell the council," he said almost talking to himself.

Anakin smiled. "I'm sure you'll think of something," he assured. Obi-Wan looked up and smiled.

"Yes, well, I'll still have to pay you, Y/N," he said. "I'll go and get whatever supplies you'll need." He looked at Anakin again and laughed. "And good heavens hopefully some proper clothes." You both laughed merrily. You felt wonderful and couldn't stop smiling.

Obi-Wan left and Anakin hugged you tightly.

"You're really staying," you whispered.

He chuckled. "Yes, I am." He pulled away and looked into your eyes. "You were right, Y/N. I shouldn't try to push any emotions aside anymore." He rested his hand on your cheek. "I love you, Y/N." He grabbed your hand. "Let's go home."

[giorno-plays-piano]

You were all I wanted

Pairing: mob!Peter Parker x plus-sized!Reader

Warnings: yandere, obsession, swearing, kidnapping, human trafficking, slight mention of body shaming, allusion to non-con.

Words: 2195.

Summary: You are bought by the head of Stark crime family for a kid he cares about.

P.S. Peter is an adult!

__________

"We hope you are going to enjoy your new girl, Mr. Stark." The man loosened his grip on your shoulder as he let you march straight into the arms of a stranger in a fancy striped suit and big frightening men with guns surrounding him.

"Nah, this one isn't for me." The stranger who bought you brushed it off as if your presence meant nothing. "She's a present for the boy. Peter, where the fuck are you?"

You almost jumped at his loud voice, keeping your head low and watching your unstable feet. Well, you expected as much - before you that mysterious Mr. Stark bought one of the most beautiful women you had ever seen in your life. Her striking black hair was shining even in the dim lights of the dressing room where all captured girls were taken care of before the start of the auction. She costed twice more than you and had much more admirers - you remembered how men were shouting, trying to outbid each other. You weren't that popular, but still ended up being purchased by the same man she was. Now it all made sense.

"I'm here, Mr. Stark!" A young boy's head popped out in the crowd of other buyers, and he emerged right in front of you with a long men's coat in his hands. "I'm sorry it took me so long!"

"Look at this gent." The man smirked at him, and his guards laughed a little at the boy's enthusiasm. "So caring! I hope you're not going to take the girl straight to church?"

Now there was an inappropriately loud burst of laughter, and you bit your own tongue. They all were a bunch of bastards, but your life depended on them now. You needed to keep your mouth shut if you wanted to make it out alive.

The boy smiled brightly at his patron and looked at you with sparkles of happiness in his dark eyes. Oh, at least he was more or less pleased with the way you looked, you thought.

"Congrats with your first girl, Peter." Mr. Stark's smug grin suddenly turned warm at the sight of the boy who was almost jumping with excitement in front of him. "You're sure she's the one you want? I can still get a replacement if you've changed your mind."

"No, no, Mr. Stark, she's perfect for me!" Once the man in the suit nudged you to come closer to the boy, Peter gently wrapped your shoulders into the coat he carried and smiled at you widely. "Thank you so much for your present, sir!"

"Enjoy, kid." His patron smirked and motioned to the men waiting for him. "Let's get going then, I have business to attend to."

Judging by their nasty smirks, his business had something to do with that gorgeous black-haired woman they took somewhere earlier. You did your best not to throw up at the thought of him forcing her down her knees.

"Can you walk?" The boy suddenly asked you quietly, and you blinked. "Do you want me to carry you?"

Nice joke. The guy looked twice slimmer than you, skinny as a rail. You'd break him in half, probably. You weren't sure whether he was mocking you, but it was obviously not the right time to throw a temper tantrum.

"I can walk. Thank you." You mumbled and made a step towards those men who were already leaving.

"Ok. Come with me then." You thought his boyish smile looked pretty.

You walked past other girls dressed in expensive flashy lingerie adorned with glitter, sequins, and laces. Some of young women were as terrified as you were, their faces red with tears; the others seemed strangely happy, shouting something to each other and giggling in front of their new masters - you thought those girls were prostitutes or someone of the same kind because the idea of laughing happily after being bought like a piece of clothing didn't sit well with you. You spotted a few more ladies who were still unstable on their feet because they were given too much drugs, probably. Two dozens women, maybe more, were gathered in a place like that to become someone's property. Like you did now.

It was cold outside despite September being usually warm in New York. You had never lived here before, but one of your friends moved in the Big Apple two years ago and was always talking about nice weather they often enjoyed.

"It's right over there." The boy pointed to one of the cars in a long row of them, Mr. Stark already getting inside a ridiculously fashionable one. Peter's old Honda was nowhere near that, but you were relieved. It made you feel like you weren't taken to some scary place full of criminals waiting to fuck the shit out of you.

The kid opened the door for you like you were some fairytale princess or something, and you got inside, holding the coat that almost slipped from your shaking shoulders while the boy quickly landed on the driver's seat. You couldn't guess his age, but if he drove the car he was probably older than 16.

"I'm so sorry, I know you're cold." He glanced at your silk robe beneath the coat, your legs bare - you had nothing but fluffy slippers on your feet. "It'll get better in a minute."

What a considerate little guy. If he didn't show up with that overconfident mobster who looked like he owned New York, you'd think Peter was some sweet high schooler who spent his weekends working in an animal shelter. But you weren't stupid to believe his innocent looks.

At one point you thought he might be Mr. Stark's illegitimate son, but something told you  it wasn't that. The way Peter looked at him with adoration proved that the man was more of his patron as you suspected from the very beginning.

"I know they didn't feed you today, so I brought you some chicken soup." He said and reached to grab something from the back seat - you glanced at the metal food jar thermos that softly landed on your naked lap.

Did he bring you food? For real? No, it must be some trick - there were drugs or something like that there, for sure. Why else was this guy playing the role of your mother, for God's sake?

"You're not allergic to chicken, are you?" Kid looked concerned, watching the troubled expression on your face. "Oh shoot, I didn't check your allergies!"

"I'm not allergic." You quickly replied, afraid to make him upset.

He was getting restless too fast, you thought. Peter really behaved like a kid. What was that Mr. Stark told him after the auction? Something like "congrats with your first girl", wasn't it? So, it probably meant Peter had never been with a woman before. Not that you had been with a man, either. Maybe that's why he picked you.

But it also could be all an act. Teenagers weren't getting slaves to take care of their sexual needs. Maybe this Peter wasn't as young as you thought, and in fact he was some psycho who planned to drug, rape and murder you.

Either way, he would get mad if you didn't get started with that soup - you could read it in his face.

Opening the jar, you felt a delicious smell filling your nostrils when your stomach made an ugly sound. Damn, you had never been so hungry in your entire life.

The truth was the supervisors who took care of all the girls before the auction made you starve for two days "to get you in shape". They said you were too fat and they had to do something to make you at least a bit more presentable.

"Well, if I'm going to die, I will die with a full stomach." You thought gloomly and started gulping down the warm soup. It tasted heavenly good.

The boy watched you in awe as if you were becoming more and more beautiful with eash sip.

"I'm not much of a cook, but Aunt May managed to teach me to make a chicken soup." He said with a sudden warmth to his voice. "So, um, don't worry, you won't die of starvation with me."

You forced yourself to smile at his attempt to make a small joke. As far as you were concerned, your body was perfectly okay even after you finished eating. Maybe the drug took longer to start affecting you, but maybe you were just lucky and there was nothing in the soup at all.

All of a sudden, Peter's phone started ringing, and he took it from the pocket of his jacket immediately.

"Where the fuck are you again, kid?" You could hear Stark's thundering voice even from your seat.

"I'm sorry, sir!" The boy squeaked and adjusted his seatbelt. "We're coming!"

____________

The room he brought you to was fairly large and comfortable to your tastes: there were a comfy king-sized bed, a huge table with a dozen of oddly-looking gadgets and two screens, a chair, a drawer and a closet. There was also a newly-bought TV that wasn't set up yet, and a microwave on a side table.

"I'm terribly sorry for the mess." Peter apologized to you as if you were his parent who came to scold him. "Don't worry, I'll take it all away. Please come and sit here."

He briefly gestured to the bed, and you bit down on your lower lip nervously. The kid was fast.

You didn't talk much in the car since you were waiting for the drug to kick in, but nothing happened. As for Peter, you thought that he was too shy to talk, but maybe he just didn't want to. In the end, he asked his patron to buy you for a very different reason.

"The bathroom is over there. You can take your shower, if you want." He smiled childishly at you.

How could he keep such innocent face when he was about to rape you?

You gathered whatever courage you had left and said, "C-can we talk?"

The boy froze on the spot and dropped whatever gadget he was holding back on the table. You glanced at his skinny boyish figure, that dark ruffled hair and a really pretty face - he looked like your neighbor's sweet son who would climb a tree to get a cat stuck up there back to the ground.

"Of course!" Peter landed on the bed close to you, watching you with his undying enthusiasm. "What would you like to talk about?"

"Why did you choose me?"

You really wanted to know. You weren't the usual goods they sold on that auction, the human traffickers said. Though there were a few girls who weren't breathtakingly beautiful, most of the ones brought there were well above average women. They looked like they came straight from Victoria's Secret Show.

"Well... um." You could see his ears getting red. "You're... pretty. I like you."

Huh, funny. Why did you ask? The answer was obvious - you were cheap. Mr. Stark didn't want to spend too much money on a present for the kid, so Peter had rather limited choice, probably.

"Why are you getting upset?" He sounded so concerned that you made yourself smile again to calm him down. Anyway, it was better to be grateful. You were almost sold to some disgusting old man. "Did I say something wrong?"

"No, you didn't. I'm sorry." You hurried to say. "I'm sorry you didn't get anyone better than me. That place was full of magnificent women."

What the fuck were you saying? Did you seriously think those poor souls deserved to be sold like cattle just because they were prettier than you? God, you were so messed up.

"Wait, no!" The boy grabbed your hands in his and made you flinch involuntarily. "No, no, you're beautiful! I chose you because I like you more than anyone else."

Bewildered, you looked at his worried expression, his eyes staring at you intensely while you squeezed your thighs together. Hearing the boy say that felt very odd, but kind of... comforting? Not many people ever called you beautiful, mind your mother and a few friends. It was stupid to think about it now when the one calling you that was the man whose property you had become, yet you couldn't help but get those little butterflies in your stomach.

You eyes watered, and you quickly wiped your tears away.

"People were treating you badly, weren't they? It's terrible." The boy pulled out a pack of napkins and took one, gently pressing it to your wet cheek. "But I swear I fell in love with you once I saw your photos on the website. You're the prettiest girl I've ever met, for real!"

When he removed the napkin, you saw his pupils dilating and felt his breath becoming ragged, heavy. One of his hands rested on your thigh as he leaned closer to you and sniffed your hair. Your body went stiff.

"No one gonna say anything nasty to you from now on. I'll make sure of that."

_________

Tags: @finleyjayne @alexakeyloveloki   ​@helenaeisenhower @villanellevi @hurricanerin ​@void-hoechlin @abyssaint @msruchita @opheliadawnwalker3

[lezliefaithwade]

A Breath of Fresh Air

The summer after my first year of theatre school, I was sleeping on the living room floor of my cousin's apartment in Toronto, trying to figure out what to do with my life. My cousin had been an actor before he became a quadriplegic in a car accident, and as I unadvisedly bemoaned my unemployment status, he said something like, "Seriously? You're complaining about your life? Don't make me burst a colostomy bag." He was right, of course. I wasn't in a wheelchair, though I did have a stepmother who had rendered me homeless because of her dislike for me. She was always saying things like, "Your hair can't be as ugly as that hat you're wearing." Or simply refusing to invite me to things like Christmas dinner. I always admired people with families. My boyfriend at the time was one of five kids who were always doing things together. Their house was always full of noise and activities. Even as a shiksa, I felt more at home there than with my stepbrothers and sisters, who never lost an opportunity to point out that I was weird. I wanted to stand up to them, but not wanting to cause my father any grief, I held my tongue and sought refuge elsewhere. It occurred to me that perhaps I was using the theatre as an opportunity to say things through characters that I couldn't find the courage to express myself.

The Toronto Star was still open on the kitchen table, and I rummage through the Want Ads, that dirty part of the newspaper near the back where complete strangers will soon become complete assholes in your life by forcing you to work menial jobs in humiliating uniforms for minimum wage.

"Find anything?" my cousin called from the bedroom, where two attendants helped wash and dress him.

"Social services are advertising for camp councilors to work with emotionally challenged kids."

"Oh yeah," He said. "That might suit you."

I'm not sure I knew what he meant but, I was beginning to think I'd outgrown my welcome. My cousin probably would have encouraged me to join the circus if the option had been available. Knowing my living room days were numbered, I thought it best to make an effort and apply.

I had no experience teaching drama—no experience working with kids and no experience going to or working at a camp. Despite all that, I was hired. It's worth noting that it's probably not a good sign if you get a job with no qualifications whatsoever.

My official position was Drama Councillor, and I prided myself that with only a year and half of theatre training behind me, I was well equipped to help others benefit from the wealth of my experience. I imagined myself, Maria Von Trapp, teaching children how to sing while they looked at me adoringly. Somehow, I conveniently blocked out the rebellious early stages she experienced and skipped straight to the good parts. Also, I might add, forgetting about the Nazis and having to climb over a mountain. Still, visions of me biking around camp with a group of happy campers behind me filled me with a sense of self-satisfaction.

As I packed my knapsack with deet and a secret stash of Twinkies, I thought of how only three weeks earlier I'd been in New York walking through Central Park and savoring Cappuccinos at outdoor cafés on Columbus. Now, here I was, ready for something different. The wilderness, I imagined, would be a welcome change—fresh air and loons instead of smog and sirens. I thought smugly about my classmates sweating behind visors at take-out windows shoveling fries into cardboard cups or wrapping sandwiches in tinfoil. Thumbs up to adventure, I told myself. The fact that I'd never once in my life enjoyed the great outdoors didn't factor into my mind. All of this changed with each accumulated minute of the 391 Kilometer drive north.

It was late afternoon when I arrived at the compound. Overcast, sullen, it was a place so secluded you'd need flares to find it. It had that distinct aura of someplace time forgot. A place left behind and neglected. In the brochure, the sun was shining, flowers filled the meadow, and you could practically hear laughter floating off the page. What I was looking at bore more of a resemblance to a situation in a Stephen King novel where camp councilors discover a pack of hungry teenage zombies have lured them to a seemingly idyllic retreat. Situated right in the heart of black fly country, I spent most of my days swatting insects so big they seem Jurassic.

During our orientation, child care workers warned us that children with mental health needs tend to run away - a lot and to keep strict attendance records and all eyes on them at all times. "These kids are resourceful and clever," they cautioned. I couldn't imagine being so determined you'd risk your life by escaping through the woods that surrounded us, but then again, I'd never been around children who weren't allowed cutlery before either

I shared my cabin with three other women with who I had absolutely nothing in common. Delia, a humorless 27-year-old cooking instructor who answered every question with a monosyllabic grunt, Jennifer, a 26-year old tennis instructor with massive blond ringlets who talked so quickly she sounded like a record on high speed, and an older aboriginal woman named Sunny who made us all dream catchers and offered advice about how to heal ourselves on days when we'd feel spent. "Remember, these kids need us," she said while purifying our cabin with sage. As I glanced around my assigned bunk, taking in the spider webs and loose floorboards, I had that sinking feeling that comes when you know you've made a terrible mistake. Before long, I was eating copious amounts of peanut butter on stale bagels amid a never-ending supply of starch. I'm not sure who thought it was a good idea to feed children with challenges like anxiety, depression, hyperactivity, and eating disorders copious amounts of sugar and carbs. It certainly did nothing to help them or me.

On the first day of class, I sat everyone in a circle. "Welcome to drama class," I said with a smile. "Let's begin by sharing with everyone a little bit about ourselves. Anything at all you'd like us to know?" A hand went up.

"I'm Tracy, and I hate my stupid ass brother. He can go straight to hell."

"Okay," I said, "That's a start. Who's next?"

Another hand. "I'm Jonathan, and this place sucks so much I wish it would burn to the ground!"

"Fair enough. Anyone else?"

"I'm Jo. I'm schizophrenic. So sometimes I'm Rachel and Julia. You'll know the difference because Rachel has a British dialect, and Julia talks slang."

"O-kay." I glanced at the social workers who sat on the edge of the room and looked at me with an expression that basically said, "We can't wait to see what you do next."

"Let's write a play," I suggested. "Write anything you want. Once you're happy with the work, I'll shape it into a cohesive piece that we'll rehearse and then present at the end of the season talent showcase."

The kids liked this idea. The showcase was a big deal. It was an opportunity for them to blow off some steam and express themselves to friends and family in a creative way. My only stipulation was not to use profanity. As the weeks passed, I was impressed with how well they all threw themselves into this project—all except Eric, the oldest boy in my 12 to 15-year-olds. Eric often wandered around the rehearsal space, unfocused and sullen.

"Any ideas for your piece?" I ask, checking in to see if I could help.

"I'm thinking," he'd say and then pace.

With three weeks left in the summer, I took my well-deserved week off to decompress. My boyfriend came up from Toronto and drove me to his parent's house at Post and Bayview, where caterers were preparing the tennis courts for an outdoor party. I walked into his mother's living room, and she gasped. "What happened to you?"

I didn't blame her. I hadn't spent much time looking at a mirror the past four weeks, but one glance at the large one in their bathroom told the full story. My hair was ratty; I had scabs on my knees, bruises on my arms and legs, and I was sunburnt. I was wearing a vintage skirt and blouse that was probably more Value Village than vintage and a pair of worn, scuffed purple moccasins; in essence, I was wearing slippers on my feet.

"Please take her to the mall and at least buy her a pair of shoes," his mother said, handing me her credit card and then rushing off to make sure the stuffed alligator would float in the pool. That week I ate my way through rugelach, hamantaschen, brisket, and bagels while his family watched me with awe and disgust.

Back at camp, the smell of burning insect repellent greeted me along with the news that the sailing and tennis instructors were sacked for disorderly conduct. Never mind, I had renewed energy and a sense of purpose. There were costumes and props to make. Sound and lighting effects to create. And we needed to rehearse. It was only a tiny stage somewhere on a remote camp in Northern Ontario, but the excitement was palpable. I was excited. This would be the best talent show ever, and my kids were going to blow the socks off everyone there!!!

"Eric," I said, "How's your piece coming along?"

"I finished it," he mentioned casually

"That's great. Can I see it?"

"I want to surprise you. You're going to love it, though. I promise."

I patted myself on the back. Eric had a breakthrough. All my encouragement and patience had paid off. Perhaps I'd helped him have a developmental breakthrough.

"Can you tell me what it's about?" I asked.

"The Beatles."

"Great. Okay," and left it at that.

Talent Night arrived along with parents and family friends. The lights dimmed, the kids performed, and the audience enthusiastically applauded as each "Mighty Mite" or "Spirit of Paradise" breezed across the stage, acting out skits about fairies and monsters and assorted escapades. Finally, it was Eric's turn. Out he came, looking serious and theatrical. He cleared his throat and addressed the audience.

"This is called, The Beatles Last Recording Session. By, Me."

Three of his closest camp friends filed out and took a space on the stage. The audience was silent.

There was a dramatic pause, then the piece began.

"Fuck you, Ringo,"

"Fuck you, Paul."

"Fuck you, George."

"Well fuck you, John."

Then they bowed and left the stage.

Personally, I thought it was kind of brilliant. Needless to say, I wasn't showered with accolades about my teaching methods or the effect I had on kids. I left there having no catharsis about mental health except that giving people the opportunity to express themselves without censor is probably a lot healthier than insisting they stay quiet. I admired the honesty displayed in the kid's work. If only, I thought to myself, I could be half as brave. Wasn't that what I was spending time and money learning how to do?

A week after being home, I found myself packing, once more, for school in New York. Our term letters had arrived with instructions on where to buy character shoes, leotards, copies of The Children's Hour, and Death of a Salesman. The camp already felt like it was 391 kilometers away - soon to be 659. My father drove me to the train station with my stepmother beside him; she was there, no doubt, to ensure I boarded.

"You going to be okay?" my father asked, giving me a hug and slipping a $50 bill into my pocket.

"She'll be fine." Elsie chimed in. "You don't have to worry about her. Let's go."

But I wanted my father to worry about me. Not all the time and to the exclusion of all else, but certainly the appropriate fatherly amount.

As I settled myself on the train, I watched my stepmother pull from father from the platform to the car and thought of Eric's brilliant play. Under my breath, I whispered the immortal words of the Beatles, "Fuck you."

#stepmother #mental health #children #young people #summer camp

[etlunainmorte]

DMC WEEK DAY 4: Food | Style | Music ( Nero and V )

~ This one's super late because work happens. But, I hope you enjoy my fourth entry to the DMC WEEK, starring Nero and V.

~ Mentions of early loss, denial, and grief. Otherwise, this oneshot is SFW.

***

It all started when his father passed away.

Of course, being a child of only six, Nero didn't know what it meant when his mother gently told him that his father has gone to a bigger, much better place. After all, to the child, it only looked like his father was sleeping, and that he'll wake up in a few minutes. He didn't know why all the people were wearing black that day, and he never asked his mother why she was crying.

What he did ask was why they were taking his father away, locking him in a box, and putting him deep, deep, down into a hole he can't reach.

Where are you taking him? Stop it! Open the box! He can't breathe!

He could still remember those words he screamed at the people who took his pa away. He could still remember how he kicked the man who closed the lid of the casket, and he could still clearly remember how his mother took him and held him as tightly as she could as she cried.

A few days has passed and he began to notice how his classmates regarded and looked at him. They also treated him as if he was a malnourished and abandoned puppy who needed care and attention. He also noticed how his mother became more and more distant. She rarely smiled, rarely talked. Nero noticed she no longer sings, and he knew perfectly well that it was her most favorite thing to do. She was an opera singer, after all. And his father, a violinist in the orchestra who played for her concerts.

Nonetheless, Nero waited for the day when his father would return. He couldn't wait to see him play the violin once more.

But, that was twenty years ago. And the child within Nero's heart has vanished into nothingness, along with all those happy memories he spent with his beloved father.

That night when he was just coming home from one of his gigs in that old, Fortuna club where indie bands perform for exposure rather than money, Nero heard a,... rather strange tune. Small, almost drowning in all the other noises of the city, but a familiar sound, nevertheless. And it actually piqued Nero's interest. He followed the source of the sound, its familiar feeling getting stronger and stronger as it got louder by the second. And the moment he reached the origin of that sound, he saw a lone, dark haired man playing the violin in the middle of the plaza.

A skinny dark - haired man with black, smoke – like swirling tattoos all over his upper body whose only company was his pet bird perched next to an open suitcase, containing a few coins and two dollars.

Nero snickered. The way that man played his old violin,... he would never attract a large crowd looking like that! His worn - out leather goth outfit would never turn heads, at least with the younger generation, and his music was just out of style! Paganini? That's so old school! No wonder only old people cared enough to drop money into his suitcase while the majority of the people just passed him by without even a simple glance.

But, that sound,...

For a moment there, Nero thought something tugged at his heartstrings, something fleeting and evasive like a small butterfly, which was almost impossible because nothing in the world could ever make Nero soft. Not with everything he's been through since he was a child. Nothing could make Nero cry, not now and never.

But, there, just now,...

The man's accurate and yet fluid bowing technique, his melancholic expression, his stance,...

His,... music,...

All of a sudden, a face materialized in Nero's mind. A face that never haunted him, not even once. It was only for a few seconds but, it made the youth's knees wobbly. He suddenly felt weak, like his energy was sapped by an unknown creature, and he felt his sweat run cold.

No, it couldn't be. Impossible,...

Pushing his inconvenient thoughts to the back of his mind, Nero turned away and went straight back home.

The next night, the man was still there, still playing his old violin but, with a different tune. Elgar, this time.

And the moment he heard the soft melody of Elgar's music, Nero saw that face again. The face he didn't know he would see again.

Who,... is this man?

"Hey," Nero said as he walked closer towards the mysterious violinist. " ... your talent is wasted here. Go to Europe. You'd earn more there performing in concerts than here." He nodded towards the open suitcase, now only containing a few cents, which was not enough to even buy himself a proper dinner. "Or, if you want, you can join the band. You know how to use an effects rack, right?"

The man, despite stopping mid performance just to listen to Nero, didn't say any word. His green eyes glistening, his lips slightly parted, the man only smiled a bit, as if in understanding, simply nodded, and continued where he left off with his music.

Nero shook his head. "You're weird." He spoke, turned away, and chuckled as he walked away. "Suit yourself."

For the next few nights, Nero made sure to visit that same spot in the plaza to see the same mysterious man with his violin. He started to observe the man for longer periods of time, and during those moments, he found out that the man actually never left that place.

Just behind him next to the fountain were pieces of filthy cardboard boxes joined together and flattened as a makeshift bed. There was a metal cane lying in it, and a worn out black stuffed cat that was probably not black before. The man was, indeed, utterly broke and homeless, and yet, there was something in the way he moved, the way he smiled when he played the violin, and the way he finished those rather difficult pieces with such flourish, and, well, a style of his own. It's as if the man was content with his very humble way of living, even more content than Nero ever was with his own, who actually lived a wealthy life with his mother and step dad.

He realized this the next evening when he went back to that same spot and saw the man playing his instrument once more.

He,... actually looked like he wanted nothing else but to share his music with everyone. And he sure was dedicated to his talent despite those people ignoring him day by day.

It reminded Nero of him,...

You can't enjoy music if you only play for yourself, that man used to say. And the moment Nero allowed this tiny, fleeting emotional weakness, those memories of him went back to his head, one after the other, flooding his entire mind until he could see nothing but him.

Of him teaching Nero how to read basic musical notes. Of him teaching him the basics of the violin. Of him telling him amazing stories of his European travels.

Of him performing his most favorite piece in front of him and his mother,...

Of him collapsing one day and telling Nero it was nothing. Of him having difficulty getting up from his bed the next day. Of him calling him to his room that one night and telling him that he would always be his Brilliant Fantasy, and that he would live on in everyone's music,...

Of him leaving Nero alone in the world, with false hopes that he would still return...

Just then, Nero snapped from his reverie back to reality and saw the mysterious man sitting dejectedly on his makeshift bed of old cardboard boxes. He could literally feel his tears threatening to come out of his eyes at the pitiable sight and those memories combined but, he refused to let them fall. Not yet.

Instead, he went to the nearest bakery, bought a cake and a loaf of French bread, and went back to the mysterious man's spot. He knelt down, took the food from his bag, and handed it to the violinist, who looked at him with such awe, confusion, and wonder.

Nero smiled sheepishly. "Ahh, thought you might be hungry. First time I've seen you stop in the middle of a performance and slump like that."

At first, the man hesitated but, Nero's kindness and insistence on feeding him, combined with the sweet and delicious aroma of fresh bread straight out of the oven of a bake shop, has proven to be too irresistible. The man took, almost snatched, the bread from Nero's hands and started devouring it like he hasn't eaten for three days. And as he ate, Nero noticed the tears in the man's gentle green eyes.

Nero chuckled and took a water bottle from his duffel bag. He offered it to the man, who was actually on the verge of choking. He carefully placed the box of cake next to the metal cane and the filthy stuffed cat, and asked, "What's your name?"

The man voraciously gulped down the water, wiped his lips with his tattooed arm, and gestured towards his suitcase. It actually has a huge letter, "V", embossed on it, he just didn't notice it before because he only looked at its contents.

"So, you're V, huh?" Nero asked and offered his hand, which the man took a bit awkwardly. "I'm Nero. I live just two blocks away from here." The man nodded and took his hand back a bit hastily. "You, uhh, how should I say this,... "

Nero wanted to say the words but, he suddenly felt weird and awkward. He must've looked like a complete weirdo in the eyes of the passersby to suddenly start a conversation with a complete stranger but, he just couldn't contain himself.

Yes, he felt really uncomfortable, but Nero also felt the urge to just say whatever's in his mind. Like he has to unload something that’s been pushing him down for a very, very long time.

"Don't get this the wrong way but," Nero began. " ... you, ahh, reminded me of my,... father,... a lot."

There! He said the words.

And V? He only seemed interested in what Nero has to say.

"I don't know and I can't express the feeling but, the way you played the violin, it was unlike anything I've seen." Nero added, ignoring V's pet bird who started pecking away at the box of cake. "It, you, made me remember him. He left. I mean, he passed away a long time ago. And I never even got the chance to properly say goodbye." Nero whispered as he scratched the back of his head, feeling the unshed tears threatening to spill. "But, I was a kid back then, and I never even realized he's gone for good until the next few years. So, I gave up the violin, flunked my classes, assembled my own band, made my mom furious, you know the stuff. And the rest is history, I guess." Nero sighed and smiled at V as the violinist took another bite off his bread. "And I guess I was such a bitch to not admit my feelings but, I do miss him. A lot, actually. But, you made me see him. Again."

For a moment, V stared at Nero with such confusion, until the youth lightly bumped his fist against his bony arm. "So, uhh, thanks. I guess."

And with those words, Nero stood, gave a nasty glance at the bird who was happily pecking at the strawberry cake he bought for its master, and turned away. Chuckling, he confessed, "Old man even called me his Brilliant Fantasy. Don't know what the hell that means but I sure wanna hear him play the violin again." Nero turned back to V and waved. "So, I guess I'll be seeing you, then, V!"

However, before Nero could walk away, he saw this man called V standing up, holding the violin, and looking at him with such an unreadable facial expression.

And with utter determination, he moved his bow against the strings of the violin and started playing,...

... his father's most favorite piece.

That piece,...

Of course!

"You, Nero, are my Brilliant Fantasy. Remember that always, and I shall live on in people's music."

I shall live on in people's music

Nero laughed and swore under his breath, wiping away at the fresh bout of tears that finally broke through him the moment V played Hubay's masterpiece. And in that moment of musical majesty, he saw himself back again at their old living room.

And right before him stood his father instead of V, his facial features ever so gentle, his music ever so enlightening to hear.

This piece, both romantic, and passionate, and soft, and fiery at the same time, described his father so well. He was a very passionate musician, his love for the violin giving him enough strength to make his music transcend to everyone's hearts. And yet, in that strength of sheer talent, he was soft and gentle. He guided Nero with love and patience, and taught him everything he knew.

And his father called him his Brilliant Fantasy.

I shall live on in people's music.

Were the words Nero heard until the last notes of the piece.

Until he saw his father waving at him from a distance.

V,... made the impossible happen.

He saw his father again. And now,...

... he was able to properly say goodbye.

Finally.

He couldn't find V the next day, and the day after that, and the next. In fact, it's as if the man, his violin, his suitcase with the V in it, his greedy pet bird, his metal cane, his black stuffed cat, and his cardboard boxes all vanished without a trace. Maybe he started travelling on his own. Maybe he's in Europe now and doing his own concerts like what Nero suggested. Or in an emo or goth band who rocks the effects rack, or even better, the electric violin. Who knows?

All he knew was that he owed V a lot, and that he hoped to see him play the violin once more.

***

@dmcweek

***

[marcholasmoth]

OSRR: 2075

today was an okay day

i went to walmart after bringing the goblin into work and i spent like a hundred bucks on junk food - worth it though

i too a shower and got dressed and had two appointments in a row this morning and learned i had a lab report due tonight that i hadn't even looked at yet

i figured out why navigate is being stupid with scheduling - it still thinks i'm in class

i talked to my therapist today and she gave me a few good ideas to cope with my anxiety - the strangest and most foreign being accepting it? how do you accept anxiety?? like, "hey bud, i'm still workin here, you wanna hang out later" or smth?? it's less like someone coming to see me than it is a niagara falls moment during the Time of Wolves. it happens, you know it, you can feel it coming on, and you can try to do something, but it always happens, whether you're in a good place and prepared for it or not. the other suggestion was to make a calendar of all my assignments and when i'm supposed to do them. i can do calendars. i can do lists. i'm good at those.

i went out and got joel after staring at the lab report and trying to reformat it for like two hours. we stopped at mcdonald's on the way back because he hadn't eaten, and then i brought him home. then i went to five guys to get a burger and shake for tanya because i just felt like she needed it. (she did.) i brought it over and we talked from 8 feet apart and made heart hands at each other. i stopped at mcdonald's for my mom on the way home. my dad made sloppy joe's for dinner, and the whole time i spent out i was trying to figure out what i wanted to eat. after stopping for gas after leaving tanyas, i determined i was too hungry to decide and it made my stomach hurt to the point i wanted to throw up. i made it home and more or less staggered to the door, suddenly realizing that i probably had a low blood sugar levels and that wanting to pass out was a sign of that. so that was awful. it's been a while since i got to that point. it happens sometimes. usually i get orange juice to bring up my blood sugar quickly and then eat something with bread to the complex carbs take longer to digest so they keep the level consistent despite it being hours later. i'm just a mess who can't eat normally.

so i zombie-walked my way back to my chair in the corner and sat, miserable, for a little bit, until my mom brought over the rest of her foods that she said she couldn't finish so i started munching on the fries i brought back. i lamented my lack of insight in not getting a sprite for myself from mcdonald's when i was there. but the fries helped. and i had a burger, and that helped too. then i just got to sit in the comfy chair and relax. it's been a while since i last did that, so that was nice. i was toasty and comfy. it was good. i played animal crossing and watched tv.

then i got back to my lab report. i finished my calculations and went to type things into my report and simon jumped up and sat on my keyboard. it's the first time he's done this to me, so it was both annoying and endearing in equal parts. he just wanted attention.

the baby.

affecting my lab report.

anyway.

i got it done and turned in at 12:36am and then i kinda did nothing except for watch some more of the movie that was playing on the tv. i think it was godzilla, the newer one. it was cool. the bus on the bridge was a cool part, especially when the ships were launching missiles and they were headed STRAIGHT FOR all the civilians and then godzilla stood up anD BLOCKED ALL OF THE MISSILES AND IT WAS SO SICK anyway

i'm exhausted and i need sleep and i need a more regular eating pattern and sleep pattern.

rip me.