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withered-blossoms · 1 month ago

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Snow Angels

WARNINGS: Death, witch hunts, indications of hurting people in cruel ways, burning of people (vague descriptions), bodies of the deceased, harsh injuries, mentions of blood

A/N: I participated in the 2024 Obey Me! Holiday Exchange held by @obeymeholidayexchange. This fic is a holiday gift for @rou2464 and contains spoilers for Obey Me! Nightbringer lesson 14-14 regarding Solomon’s backstory as it is pretty much my spin on his lore. It’s also a little long, around 9658 words.

Do what you will with this warning and I hope y’all enjoy it. Also, this fic is entirely fictional and does not represent my / any beliefs. Comments, likes and re-blogs are highly appreciated!

Immortality is not the blessing that the people make it out to be.

People often wish for what they do not have, and endlessly yearn for the impossible in hopes that they would be the unique, favoured exception to the rules binding each and every soul. Take the social hierarchy as an example. There is one, or a group, at the very apex. ‘The royals’ is what those below refer to them as. Then we have the nobles, and even they are split into levels depending on how prominent their families are. The commoners, making up the majority of the population, are bound to respect and obey the commands of those at the top. That is the general rule. They could very well have lived their entire lives, content with the peace and the ease of not having more lives than they could count on their shoulders.

But it is in the human nature to want more. To be greedy. To lay their eyes on what they do not currently have. And to seize it at the next opportunity that presents itself.

Just give it some thought. How many times in human history has the hierarchy been rearranged? How many rulers have been overthrown only to have the lesser of the two evils rise up the ranks? How many times had this have to repeat for the mortals to truly be content, from the bottom of their hearts no less?

Undeniably, quite a few have been out of necessity. But can one truly say that it was purely for the people’s sake that the victors took over the throne as the next rulers? To be in a position of near absolute power? To enjoy the view of having so many others below them? Of course not. After all, there will be a part of them that wanted to stand above all. And more often than not, they realise that with every pro comes a con.

Immortality is no different. Those who long for it only saw the rainbows and sunshine, but never the storm that has to be experienced. No matter how hard the mortals try, the scales are fair and must be balanced. It is simply foolish to try and escape the law of the universe, the one that demands balance and equivalence.

Just like how after the warmth comes the cold, and how the snow has arrived after the sun earlier this year. Blanketing the soil, it aims to cover all that the warmth had touched, be it living or non-living. To hold them in its chilling embrace and hope that it is just as desired as the heat, despite knowing otherwise. It can see how the mortals hid away in their cozy little abodes, huddling to keep out the cold, so imagine its surprise when it saw that one exception making a snow angel.

There, amongst the sea of white, laid an equally colourless figure, his vibrancy long bleached by the merciless tides of time. It left nothing behind but a blank slate, just as it was when it was first brought into the mortal world. He finds it ironic, that humans start out as pure white sheets of paper that are eventually coloured with memories. But what most tend to forget is that as the colours gradually overlapped and blended, white is all that forms. The longer the life, the more the memories, the emptier the canvas. Such was the cycle of life, a loop as complete as ever. Life is born from dust, and to dust it will return. How you start out is how you end up. He would know this better than anyone else; time, despite having stopped for him, still flows for those around him after all.

Those with lifespans often wish for an extension, be it limited or unlimited, for the fulfilment of their wishes. They wish to make up for the regrets staining their life, or to further fuel their procrastination. There is a plethora of reasons, and those making (clearly unbalanced) deals just to attain it are a dime a dozen. What remains the same though, is the fact that when they’ve truly attained it, the scales are there, waiting for them. The now immortal will then finally realise how heavy the weights they have to place on the other end are. That in order to gain all of life, they have to sacrifice everything in life. Their family, friends, freedom, choice.

Nevertheless, if he had a penny for every time a person begged him to reveal the secret to immortality, he would have been wealthy enough to buy the world at least five times over. Now now, Solomon is by no means an open-book. He’s learnt through the hard way in his younger, human days that displaying yourself for all to see is a fatal mistake. However, word will always spread, at an alarming speed no less. It would surprise you just how much sorcerers, even high-ranking ones, love to gossip. It was only due to the elusiveness of the Sorcerers’ Society that the man was not burnt at the stake by the commoners, though he did have to move quite a bit from how frequently those in power sought him out, attempting to pry the secret from his lips with vast amounts of gold and subsequently threats of exposure when he declined.

Now that he thought about it, he was indeed lucky to have loving parents, caring enough to not discard him the moment they found out about his innate powers. Loving enough to risk their lives for him. You see, back in the times where magic was seen as anything but pure and holy, being ostracised for even being related to such a heretic was the best fate one could have. It was thus not uncommon to see many of his kind huddling together for safety and comfort in cages, and put on display like circus animals. It would not be long till they were then given anything but a merciful end, though in his opinion it was better than them being subjected to decades of servitude.

So, imagine the fear engulfing his parents when they stepped foot into a room with various floating objects and a giggling child entertaining himself. Old enough to know that magic is uncommon, but young enough to deem it mesmerising and beautiful. And as a child would, he pouted when a pair of hands grasped his, causing his fun to stop and thumps to echo throughout the house. With a swoosh, the curtains were drawn.

“Sol, my sweet child, never do that again."

His questioning gaze only served to increase the panic in their eyes, but the terror lacing her words was enough for him to dazedly nod. A sigh of relief was released from pursed lips and the woman rose to help her husband to check on the furniture their child had levitated for damage. He would then overhear his parents reassuring the concerned neighbours of his family’s safety the next day, not knowing that it was the last he would ever enjoy of his freedom.

News soon spread around that Solomon was down with a rather serious illness, one that was contagious. The people spoke in hushed whispers about how much of a pity it was for such a bright and adorable child to have been inflicted with such a disease and how his parents must have been devastated to see their son end up like that. But Solomon’s parents knew that time fades all. Eventually, the town will forget about the boy with the beautiful sky-blue eyes and Solomon will get to live. Thus, the couple turned away the visitors, as concerned and genuine as they were, thanking them for their well wishes and praying that they had let nothing slip.

Solomon, on the other hand, had not taken much of a liking to his new room. Sure, the basement had been cleaned and transformed into his new room, but it was dark. His only natural light source was the light streaming in through latticed windows and somewhat lit his room. All that were left now were but a basement, spacious but empty. Devoid of life, laughter, smiles. He missed his large glass windows, how illuminated his room was and the life outside. He yearned for the day him and his parents would be able to sit at the dinner table once more, chatting and giggling at the stories his father would share about his work. But it seems that day would never come.

His parents, sensing their child’s disappointment, were no less heartbroken. They tried to make up to him, moving their dinner nights to his room, spending as much time as they could with him. However, there was only so much they could do, and it was not before long until Solomon turned to magic for entertainment once more. After all, if there was one good thing that came out of this, it would be the extra space he got and the lack of prying eyes. He supposes that in a way, he had traded one freedom for another; childhood for magic. And maybe, just maybe, he would not have it any other way.

His inner child begged to differ, though he chose to turn a blind eye in denial.

Despite his parents’ worries, they decided to let him be. They may be terrified about potential discovery, but they would rather he be strong enough to break free from future hunters or even captors. Hence, in a silent promise, the two took to covering for their son while he slowly mastered his powers. It comforted them just how quickly he learnt and Solomon was happy to spend time with the two things he loved. He, too, slowly understood the reason why he was confined to the basement, never to see the light of day again, and hated it. So, he vowed to become stronger, to prove that magic could be used for good and to dispel the people’s fear.

Just as Solomon had mentally prepared for his ‘eternal solitude’, a pair of feet popped up near his window. He knew that children tended to approach the woods across his window and had completely forgotten that humans, just like all life, were naturally drawn to the light. The subtle flashes of light coming from his window might as well have been from a disco party if his times had that, so in hindsight he honestly should not have been surprised that they were guided here.

How had he never noticed the light from his spells was a problem to solve later, for he had a visitor and it was not a welcome one. The piercing shriek they let out upon discovering a pair of curious blue eyes staring back at them from a basement was sure to draw unwanted attention, so Solomon clambered back down and laid on his bed.

Readying a banishing spell in the hand hidden in his blankets, he coughed a few times, hoping to pass off as sickly and frail. The new face then tilted their head curiously and tapped at his windows, “Who are you? Are you the child with the serious illness?”

“Serious… yes I am–” Solomon cut himself off, feigning a cough to hide the fact that he nearly forgot the story his parents made up for him. He sheepishly turned his head away, not willing to face them, but that only made them even more concerned.

“Man… it is that serious?” The other child had murmured, bright eyes filling with pity, “You should be out here playing with me an’ the others, not stuck in a dark room all day.” “Wish I could, but I can’t. It is contagious.” Relaxing only slightly, he eyed them warily. There was no way he was trusting this random stranger who had popped up, and he would never risk his family’s life. He needed to scare them off, and what better than the threat of contamination?

“Eh, I ain’t scareda that! You can’t scare me; we’re practically of the same age from what I can tell!” They way they waved their hand dismissively drew a chuckle from Solomon. He knew not how they managed to spot his window since it was rather well-disguised, but he cared not. A few years of not touching grass was enough for his young heart to yearn for a friend, and a friendship thus blossomed. They chatted for a while, getting to know each other before the child’s parents called for them. Scrambling to get up, they brushed the dirt from their pants and waved, a promise of visiting soon spilling softly from their lips.

This new friend would show up once in a while and Solomon has since taken to practising his magic with a board to his window. Every time the new friend showed up, they would knock six times on his window; three short and three long. It was a secret code they kept close to their hearts and Solomon would tidy everything up with magic, check that there were no traces of his practice and allowed the light to stream into his room once more. The other child had already plopped themself down, a pouch in one hand and shiny rocks tumbling into the other. “Ain’t this cool? I found this on the ground an’ it’s shiny! Has a pretty colour too!” A clear crystal with light orange fading to sky blue was excitedly shoved up in his face and it was only because of his window that it did not end up in his nostrils. He observed it, feeling that the colours looked familiar but he couldn’t tell why.

“Don’t’cha think it’s the colour o’ your eyes? That’s the main reason why I picked it up by the way! The orange looks exactly like how the sunset did when reflected in your blue eyes!” And there it was, the unknown reason. “How did you know what the colour of my eyes were?” Solomon asked, not believing that a person could clearly see his eyes when he was in a room so dimly lit.

“Don’t be silly! O’course I know the colour of your eyes. They’re the first thing I noticed after all!” They grinned triumphantly, “My parents say I’m an observant one all the time, and they would never lie t’me! You can have this if you want, I did pick it up because of you.”

Solomon could not deny his friend of this gift, not when he wanted it as well. It’s been so long since he’s received such a heartfelt gift from people his age, the last time being…. well, last time. How should he react? How did his fellow children react in such a situation? Do they cheer? Hug? Smile? He did not know. But what he did know was that he could not afford to draw attention to them both right now, and so he settled for giving them a bright, sincere smile in return. “I’ll take it, thank you so much! You can leave it near my window, I’ll grab it later.”

For a little while, he received no response and tilted his head in curiosity. Had he offended them somehow? Was this not how the other kids reacted from what he observed through his window? Was his reaction too mundane, too cold? Was this friendship going to end? Even worse, if so, will they tattle and bring about his family’s demise? Their stunned expression only served to fuel the flames of his anxiety, and a slew of apologies was on the tip of his tongue, ready to spill from his lips.

“You smiled! You actually smiled! You should smile more ya know? You look very handsome when you smile.” They leaned in a bit closer to see his face better, almost squishing theirs against the glass. The sparkles in their eyes made him blush, a mixture of embarrassment and awkwardness, and he could only stammer out what he hoped would be a socially acceptable reply, “T-thank you, yours is very bright as well.”

“That’s what my friends said too! It’s such a shame you can’t play with us though, I’d love to introduce you to them sometime. You’d fit in so well! I just know it.”

“I’d actually prefer if you did not. Having too many visitors is bad for my health.”

A sad sigh ended the conversation, though the other child quickly brightened up at the suggestion of the friendship being something akin to a secret for theirs to keep. “Aw yeah! This makes us so much cooler than the rest!” And with that, the two continued their daily exchange till the sun started to set and the child went home. As soon as they were out of sight, Solomon pleaded for his parents to bring him the beautiful crystal sitting beside his window and they had agreed on the condition that he be more careful.

If the world was a huge vat of dye, then Solomon would be a piece of cloth, pure and clean as the snow that soon arrived. In such times, none are fully trustworthy, and it wasn’t a risk they could afford to take. As much as the couple understood that it was a lesson that Solomon had yet to learn, they did not have the heart to taint his innocence. Pair that with his puppy eyes and his parents’ resolve stood no chance. But they were rather confident in their child. He had always been a cautious one since young, who loved his family enough to try his best, and for now that was enough.

Solomon, too, thought that he would understand the ‘adult world’ once he became one, but fate had a cruel appetite for the good that happened to people. And it so happened that he had been selected as the sacrificial lamb.

Just a few days ago, his friend had showed him how to make a snow angel and he had laughed at the silliness of it all. “Look! This is how you make a snow angel!” They had chirped, flopping backwards onto the snow and spreading their arms and legs till they had dug a shallow human-shaped hole. Due to the angle of his window, Solomon could not see the hole in its entirety, but he could tell that it vaguely resembled the holy ones he’d constantly hear about.

“That looks fun! I should try it sometime.”

“You should! I can’t wait for you to get better so we can have a snow angel making competition! The one who makes the biggest snow angel will win!”

“Oh, you best believe I’ll beat you in that! Mother says I’ve been growing taller recently.”

“Hmph, I’ve been growing too! Dad says I’m a few inches taller now.”

The little banter was then wrapped up with tongues playfully stuck out at each other and was soon replaced with bursts of laughter. “But in all seriousness, I really do want to play with you outside someday. Who knows? We might even create the largest snow angel one day!” “Yeah, I can’t wait for that day either!” A vow was made and that day, Solomon learnt how to make a pinkie promise. A new experience to add to his diary, he grins. Having a best friend was truly fun, and he truly looked forward to the days filled with snow angels and snowball fights. He’d never like the heat much, so he’s confident he would fare well in snowy weather.

Solomon then went on his days merrily, preparing a birthday gift for his dear friend. It was their birthday and he had been anticipating their presence since the crack of dawn. It was the first time excitement had robbed him of his sleep, and he jotted this incident down in his little diary as well. The journal was pretty much running out of pages with the sheer number of new experiences his best pal had brought him and he made a mental note to ask his parents for a new one.

So this was what it was like to have a best friend, he realised. To have someone laugh and cry with you, to lift your mood when you’re down and to help you see the world when you couldn’t. He cherished every second of their friendship, and it showed in his gift. In return for their crystal last time, he had picked one according to the colour of their eyes as well; one with a gorgeous shade of emerald that gradually transitioned into a yellow as bright as their presence. He has thought it a perfect combination; one colour representing the eyes that held so much hope for the world and one colour to represent said sunshine child. There was no better gift than this one, Solomon was sure.

The seconds soon ticked by, yet even when the sun had started to set, that bouncing ball of excitement was nowhere to be seen. A growing fear was gnawing at the back of his mind and his stomach was in knots. Something was wrong and he could not pinpoint just exactly what. His intuition had never been one to lead him astray and that only served to make him more anxious.

‘Perhaps they had something to do today.’ ‘Maybe they got caught up in celebrating with the others. Everything is fine, Sol, don’t worry about it.’ ‘But they promised they would make time for me today as well and they have never gone back on their word. Could they truly have forgotten?’ A green monster reared its ugly head, leaving a sour taste in his mouth.

Solomon did not realise, but currently he was feeling jealous. Jealous that they had other friends, jealous of those who distracted his friend so much that he was shoved to the side, but mainly of the fact that he couldn’t cheer birthday wishes alongside them.

When Solomon finally noticed his scowl in the reflection of his window, he was taken aback. Since when was he capable of such twisted expressions? He shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts. Now is not the time to get distracted, Solomon. He had to figure out where his friend was, and only then did he pick up on the eerie silence of the town. Where was the hustle and bustle? Where were the kids playing tag on the streets? The houses usually lit were now dark, and the chimneys were not spitting smoke like they used to. Something was off and his mind demanded to know what.

Hurrying out of his room, he eventually reached his parents after making sure that there was no one over. The concern was unnecessary; the townspeople avoided their house the moment they caught wind of his supposed ‘illness’ anyways, but it was better safe than sorry.

“Mother, father, they haven’t shown up and it’s been a day.” He urged, grabbing his mother’s sleeve gently. His parents knew just how much he had been looking forward to this day and had been the ones to help him find that crystal; surely they’d help him get hold of his friend. In his urgency however, he had missed the flash of guilt in her eyes and the aversion of his father’s now heavy gaze, only focused on asking for their help.

Before he could plead for them to check up on his friend, his mother got up and directed him to the basement instead, a strained smile pulling at her lips, “It would be rude of me to show up to their house uninvited and without prior notification, dear, especially on such a day.”

His father nodded in agreement, chipping in his suggestion, “Why don’t I deliver the gift for you if they still don’t show up tomorrow?” The feigned strength in his father’s voice did not go unnoticed, but the young child passed it off as mere fatigue. “It’s alright, thank you.” He sighed, turning away in disappointment. The next second though, his ears caught a faint cacophony of voices from the outside world and he could not help but run towards the windows.

‘The answers to your fears are there!’ His intuition screamed, ‘the truth is about to be revealed!’ What it failed to let him know, however, was that it was a truth he could never handle at his age, mental and physical.

The couple could not grab Solomon in time. For a child who spent his current life cooped up in an underground space, Solomon was surprisingly agile. Well, for the adults anyways. Only the child himself knew that he had also been working on his physical health and strength all this time. Strong powers demand strong vessels, he was not about to try his luck with the next spell he cast.

The burst of speed he gained from curiosity was immediately lost when he spotted the tendrils of smoke clawing their way into the sky. Various torches lit up the city square, and the usually peaceful citizens were now huddled in a circle, thumping their pitchforks against the ground and demanding for evil to be banished.

‘Evil? What evil?’ Solomon wondered, not having seen any malicious entities around in the town lately. The crowd parted slightly, but the little gaps were more than enough for him to spot said ‘evil’.

There, tied up to a stake, was his friend.

Their clothes were tattered, and gaping streaks of red took the place of the rips in the cloth. Bruises littered their skin and their hair was sticking in all directions; the crystal-clear result of harsh pulling. The poor child looked completely disheveled; their eyes devoid of the light they once held, their parents equally unkempt and displayed for all to see. Their once dear neighbours, friends and even relatives were now spitting from sidelines, disgust lining their features as they screamed curses.

“Burn, you heretics! You should not roam the very earth we step on! How dare you try to take over our space after conquering the depths below!”

“How dare you even come up to the surface and even bring that hell-spawn along with you?! You should have rotted in the very depths of where you spawned from!”

“I knew something was up with that little bastard the moment it showed off a rock to my child! Turns out that blue an’ orange stone was magical; it was trying to lure and drag my child down with it! Not on my watch!”

“These wretched beings tried to lure children? How despicable! We must send them down at once!”

Each word spat out drove the dagger deeper into the rope known as Solomon’s sanity. That stone was magical? His friend was a mage? No, that could not be. He could not sense any traces of such powers from the other child and he had always been a sensitive one to such matters. His friend was not a mage!

Clearly, the accused family tried to say the same. Vehemently denying that they were practitioners, trying to reason with the people. “We do not have magic! You’ve never even seen us do magic!” But how could logic ever appease the rage of the villagers? Humans choose to believe what their eyes see and deny the existence of what they did not. Out of the fear of the unknown, they choose to turn a blind eye to justice, to innocence, and most importantly, to the lives of the condemned.

Before his thoughts could spiral, calloused hands filled his vision and he was slowly pulled away. “Don’t look, Sol! We… tried to save them from the sidelines, but they were discovered halfway.” A deep voice full of regrets sounded, followed by the drawing of curtains. “They are neither mages nor witches! They don’t have any magical abilities!” Solomon exclaimed once he had snapped out of his daze, trembling as it finally dawned on him. His friend and consequently their family had been condemned to death because of him. It was all because of one stupid crystal the colour of his eyes.

He had caused their suffering.

His parents released him, pained by the agony in their son’s words. They were powerless to stop all that is happening as much as they wished they could. But there was no way two mere mortals could ever hope to defeat a raging, pitchfork-wielding crowd. All they could do was to comfort their son and pray that the other family would be given a quick release. However, it seems that their son had other thoughts.

The slamming of the doorknob against the wall was all that was left of Solomon; the boy having rushed out as quickly as his slippers could carry him. He had thought about using his powers to somehow save them, be it teleportation magic or perhaps some optical illusion.

Yet he was well aware that it would only serve to make their lives worse. He could only help them hide for a short while but not forever. Word will still spread and bounties will still be set up. His best friend, a beautiful ray of sunshine, ever so kind and understanding, would be subjected to a fate worse than his. Never to see and enjoy the surface life, having to live by scraps like sewer rats as the people scorned and dragged their names through the dirt.

They did not deserve that.

Solomon thus chose the safer option of squeezing through the crowd and screaming at the mayor. “They are innocent!” he yelled, “They do not have magical powers!” That sudden interruption successfully stopped the adults who retracted their torches before they could accidentally burn an innocent child currently blocking their path. “Whose son is this? Children are seen, not heard, boy! Besides, how can you prove that they are not from the underground?” The mayor questioned, the scowl on his face deepening as noises of agreement echoed from the crowd. From the corner of his eye, he saw their eyes light up, but they soon shook their head slightly at him. Their parents were no different, eyes full of worry for HIS safety. They were already tied to stakes, at death’s door and yet this family was worried about HIS fate?

No wonder they say “like child, like parent”. He could definitely see where that kindness came from and it only made him even more determined to stop this tragedy from taking place. There was no way he was going to watch that light be snuffed out, not over his dead body.

“Haven’t all of you known them for years? Never once had you seen them doing witchy stuff, have you? Mmph–!”

“My apologies, he’s currently feverish and disorientated. We will watch over him better.” His mother gave an apologetic smile as his father picked the struggling child up. “Hmph, watch your child before he gets burned by accident. We ain’t takin’ any responsibility fo’ that!” With that, the crowd turned to the three supposed criminals.

“The time to send these demons back to their creator is here! Pray, for their salvation, for them to be cleansed by the holy flames, for them to become holy and angelic instead. Pray, for their rebirth as a clean and pure being!” The wood beneath their feet were subsequently lit, and the family’s silhouettes were gradually engulfed by the smoke. The crowd quietened down, choosing to witness this punishment in silence.

“Mama, are they going to be snow angels now? Since the flames are cleansing their souls and helping them become angelic?” A voice filled with innocent youth rang out, successfully stopping the boy struggling in his parents’ arms. All this time, Solomon had watched on, wanting but not bearing to bite down on his father’s hand. Tears had spilled over from his eyes and streamed down his cheeks in large droplets as his screams were muffled to the best of abilities.

But hearing those words made something snap in him. So, he went limp, bangs covering his dull blue eyes. His parents could only hold him closer, trying not to let their own masks crack. The people would get suspicious if even the adults in their family were seemingly mourning for the ‘evil’, so his parents could not express their sadness nor guilt for being unable to repay the good shown to their family.

Snow angels? Calling them that just because they were being cleansed and turned ‘angelic’ in snowy weather? How could this child watch such a cruel sight with excited eyes and still say such dim-witted and disgusting words? She was but a little over half his age; had she already become a bloodthirsty abomination like the rest of them? The adults were even more revolting, since it was only due to their influence that the children had turned out like that. Unmoving, unblinking as they watched fellow, live humans turn into charred, unrecognizable corpses before them.

But the one he loathed the most? Those who started this trend of executing people for magic, even without concrete evidence that they actually had any. How could anyone even stand for this? Mages, sorcerers nor witches alike harmed people. Well, most didn’t if the receiver did not deserve it. Even if they did, chances are the ‘victim’ had committed some sort of crime heinous enough to incur the wrath of those wielding such powers. Even so, the true victims are always villanised and the innocent have their blood spilled. ‘People like that do not deserve to co-exist with the good,’ he thinks.

He then remembered the promise made to this friend of his, back when they had discovered his magic and had voluntarily been sworn into secrecy, that he would be an amazing sorcerer who served humanity and the greater good. That he would help humanity reach greater heights and eventually humans would not be powerless compared to other life anymore. That those with magic and those without will live together in peace and harmony. The ones with magic will be in charge of the protection of their residential areas and those without will be able to focus on food production and other areas necessary for survival. The entire population be able to thrive and none will be condemned for something they did not choose again.

But were these the sort of people he wanted to protect? To help them prosper and live only for them to kill more of his kind and accuse those they needed to get rid of or despised of something they were never born with? Was he willing to protect the murderers while the murdered hollered their woes into the night?

In that split second, he decided ‘No’. This was not the humanity he wanted to lend a helping hand to. These vile beasts in humans’ clothing will not be part of the humanity he envisioned. They deserved neither his future protection nor efforts, and he will make sure that they know it.

With a raise of a finger so slight it could be passed off as a twitch, he extinguished the flames before the tortured cries could continue. Confused murmurs soon came from the crowd, and those at the front tried to light the wood again. Despite multiple attempts, not even a single spark could get the fire going and a frustrated kick sent some of the branches skidding across the harsh gravel.

Solomon’s parents had a feeling that somehow, just somehow, this may have been their son’s doing. No reaction came from the boy, and they had no evidence. Even if they did, they wouldn’t have said anything anyways. But a temporary solution was not enough, and the civilians were obviously upset about having their ‘fun’ end. Even without fire, there were plenty of ways the family could suffer, each crueler than the last.

Solomon knew this. He also knew that he was not powerful enough to pull off any major spells despite his daily practice. There were no books he could consult, for those were seen as evil traps used to lure innocent souls. He could only rely on his active imagination and was relatively successful for the most part. And yet there was a limit to the power he currently wielded. He just was not strong enough to truly save them from the hands of the vile.

He had never felt so powerless before and neither had he loathed himself as much as he did in this moment. Wide, blue eyes could only watch as the mayor grabbed a pitchfork from a farmer and readied himself to carry out the sentence. It felt as if time had been slowed down, the seconds turning into hours as he struggled once more, a hand reaching out for the one who had never left his side and had opened his eyes to a new world.

They felt so far and yet so near; would he be able to save them after all?

A bright flash blinded all that were gathered in the town square before they found themselves floored, quite literally. What Solomon had yet to learn but did in this moment was that emotions were very much capable of unlocking one’s potential, something he had tons of. Only able to stare at his hands in wonder, he surveyed the surroundings and to his horror, he found that the people had been thrown backwards by the sheer strength of his magic, and most if not all of them were unconscious. His parents were, fortunately, unharmed for the most part, but were also sprawled and unmoving like the rest.

His friend and their parents were more fortunate, for the stake had prevented them from being blown away. It, however, did not shield them from the resulting disorientation and Solomon took the chance to free them from their binds. None were in good condition, but his friend’s concerned him the most. Just the sight of their fresh and old wounds was enough to make his skin crawl and he had to hold back the bile rising up his throat. The priority was not how he felt right now, neither was it the visual assault his eyes had just taken. He had to get them all away before the others regained their consciousness, and so he did. Or well, tried, at least.

“I’m so sorry but please, if you can stand, follow me to the best of your abilities! I…am not sure for how long they will stay down and your injuries require urgent treatment!” He had whispered, shaky hands trying to find a good spot on his friend’s skin only to find absolutely none.

As expected, the three were no longer capable of standing without support and could only lay where Solomon had carefully lowered them to the ground after releasing them. The two adults were shocked to see that Solomon had magical powers, but soon smiled.

“That… was why they said you were sick.” “It matters not, I would have done the same.” Their parents mumbled, the words slurred from pain and exhaustion. “Run, child… bring ours and go. I’m afraid we do not have long.” The lady spoke and the sir nodded, lifting a hand to stroke his child’s cheek and the fingers of his other intertwined with his wife’s.

The stunned silence coming from Solomon was broken by the sniffles from the friend laying in his arms, them grabbing onto their father’s wrist with bloody hands. “Sol, my friend, please do not separate me from my mom and dad! Save them, save them!” They had sobbed, partly due to the salt entering their wounds but mainly due to their fate.

Solomon, with all his being, wished he could save them, but there was nothing he could do. All he knew were spells for minor cuts and scrapes, nowhere enough for areas of broken skin this large. That did not stop him though. He had the option to try and he was going to take it.

He could, and so he would. Like how he knew could try to save this family, and so he did.

Letting the powers flow from his fingertips as spells left his lips in silent chants, he watched as their pained expressions relaxed a tiny bit. It comforted him, though not by much. Their lives were still slipping from his hands like grains of sand with each passing minute, yet they’re choosing to use their last moments to urge him to leave them and to run before he’s next on their hitlist.

“Child, please. Go! Spend no more of your time on us and leave. Run as far as you can!”

“We are already a lost cause … we genuinely do not have much longer. Don’t waste your energy on us and go!”

“Sol, my best pal, mom and dad are right, jus’ go!” A harsh cough interrupted their words, and they watched in despair as their parents’ eyes slowly closed, hands intertwined with each other’s and their child’s. With one last murmur of a promise to meet in their next life and apologies for their sweet child, they were truly gone. The couple had brought nothing but their family to the afterlife, yet they gave and left so much for this unjust world to take. ‘The world does not deserve any of their possessions.’ Solomon thinks, but he knew better than to think that the greedy bastards in his town would leave their belongings be.

Despite their most precious belonging laying in his arms, he could not see his friend clearly through the tears blurring his eyes. He had already set their fate in stone and was unable to save their loved ones; the least he could do right now was to ensure their survival. Thus, the young boy shook his head and wiped at his tears haphazardly with his sleeve. “I’m not abandoning you! I… I could not save your parents, but I can save you!”

He had to, he must! He will do whatever he takes to at least do something good to repay this family for their acceptance! He could save them; he just knew it!

A hand tousling his hair stopped his ministrations and he soon felt his pinky being pulled at.

“Sol…I beg of you…” He looked up from the injury he was working on, large droplets still flowing from his eyes helplessly. Why? Why was he crying now?! The only purpose that these stupid tears would serve now was to blur his vision when his job right now depended so much on his sight! He needed to save his friend, not cry like a little baby!

“Hey… Sol… don’t cry.” They laughed a little, the huff being cut off by another coughing fit. “Never thought I’d see ya cry, but here we are. Shame… that it was in this sorta situation huh? You crybaby.”

Crybaby? He gaped at them, absolutely flabbergasted. “M-me? Crybaby? You’re practically dying and you’re calling me a crybaby? How could you?!” He yelled, trying to pour more of his powers into his fingertips. Watching the boy cry rivers was definitely not on his friend’s birthday bingo card this year. Seeing his tears made them want to sob alongside him, but they did not want to leave crying, so they pulled a little harder on his pinky, hooking theirs with his.

“Fine, fine, you ain’t one… but Sol…I feel so tired. So…very tired. I wanna sleep with my mom and dad. You’ll grant me that birthday wish, won’t you? Consider it my last request for ya.” Their cracked lips pulled back into an exhausted smile, “Promise me you’ll live and become a good sorcerer… for us humans yeah? Who knows? One day… I might come back to you, make the largest snow angel… and snatch your title of the strongest sorcerer!”

“Psh, as if I’d let you take both titles from me.” He huffed, trying to smile back as he gently laid them down between their parents. He wanted to tell them to stay up a bit more, to refuse the invitation to dreamland. But as always, they had successfully managed to distract him from his woes and sadness. He couldn’t bear to ruin the mood they worked so hard to lift either, so he settled for tightening his pinky’s grip on theirs. “I promise.”

“Also, here is your gift.” He took out the crystal he had prepared as their birthday gift. “Doesn’t –” He choked up, turning away to recomposed himself, “D- doesn’t it match the colour of your eyes? E-even the shade of green i-is the same.” A wobbly smile appeared on Solomon’s face, but even he could tell that this smile was ugly. How beautiful would a smile be when his facial features were twisted up in a fight to take control, to either display sadness or happiness?

He was sure that his face was covered in tears and snot. He didn’t care though. He wanted to send his friend off with the smile they had said was handsome even if his heart was bleeding tears. Solomon knew that that was what they would have wanted and he was not one to deny their wish.

The other child gave a short puff of laughter. “Yeah, it does. It’s pretty like my eyes…” All they got was a watery eye-roll in return, but they wouldn’t exchange it for anything in the world.

“You still have that stone… I gave ya?” Their dull green eyes now flitted to the pendant underneath his shirt, recognizing the imprint of their gift. “You should toss it out… they’ll go nuts and burn ya… for being a witch with a magical stone."

Solomon shook his head stubbornly, refusing to toss out the last momento he had of his very first friend.

“Save yourself and your mom and dad, Solomon... Live on and don’t end up like me…but if you can, become a good sorcerer and help others like my family.” They forced out with their last breath, head turning to face their parents as their eyes closed. Their last tear plopped onto the snow, incredibly loud in the mournful silence.

It was their last call for help, last resistance to the world which sought their lives.

The child had finally passed, a peaceful smile on their face as the life slipped from their eyes, leaving nothing but an empty vessel.

“I promise.” A choked whispers sounded out, echoing through the snowy night. Without the need to put up a front, he was free to express his sorrow.

So, the child let himself wail, placing the birthday present in his friend’s pocket. He cried and sobbed, letting his pain shake the heavens and earth. He screamed at the injustice of it all and let the words fall from his lips. His demands of justice and fairness went unheard, just as it had for others before his friend. It was a miracle that his shrieks of rage failed to wake the unconscious perpetrators; snowflakes littering their forms and melting after. He wailed, till his throat was raw and only then did he get up and gathered the remnants of his strength. He should at least give them a somewhat proper burial, even if snow was not the best option.

He simply did not have the strength to drag them to the woods despite knowing that their bodies would not be spared; the healing had sapped him of his power and there was no time to rest as he usually could. Thus, he did his best to see his friend off. To make their last moments a joyful experience. It was the least he could do when he couldn’t take or lessen their pain. His friend appreciated and loved it nevertheless, he was sure.

He then hoped, ironically, that they will become an angel, preferably of the snow. They were born in snowy weather, and now to snow they will return.

A silent prayer left his lips before the child was down. As his vision faded, he could not help but think. ‘Why were the angels watching this not helping the innocent? Why were they allowing such cruelty to happen?’ He simply did not understand. Weren’t they supposed to be good, preach good and do good? Then why were people killed for something innate? Something they did not choose? His brain could not figure out the answer, choosing to relax his body and lure him into a deep sleep instead. They would need the energy for the chaos unfolding afterwards, it was sure.

As expected, when the townspeople woke up, they were shocked at the disappearance of the criminals. A search party was unnecessary, however, since one tripped over the three piles of snow and revealed the ‘witches’ they were about to search for. Not willing to give the deceased a proper rest, the bodies were carelessly thrown into the woods for nature to do its job while attention was turned back to the unconscious.

Solomon, on the other hand, had thankfully woken up later than the adults had. They had assumed that he was attacked by the three evils upon seeing the blood staining his clothes and had urged his parents, now awake, to take him back home for treatment. His parents then carried him home, both concerned and fearing that they would be next. The couple was thankfully wise enough to removed his pendant and hide it before the town’s doctor had woken up, knowing that the townspeople would send the doctor their way first since Solomon’s appearance was rather bloody.

The boy turned out to be fine, the doctor said, he just needed plenty of rest after the “horrifying attack” he’s experienced. His parents heaved a sigh of relief and saw the doctor off, rambling about how grateful they were for God’s blessing and how their son managed to survive an evil attack unharmed. It was all a bunch of nonsense, but clearly convincing enough for pity to fill the doctor’s eyes as he patted Solomon’s father on the shoulder, all the while reminding them to pray more.

The next few days were incredibly dull for Solomon. The boy had stared at his hands blankly after regaining consciousness, still trying to process his emotions. His parents tried their best to comfort him to no avail; he was unmoving and unresponsive. With a sigh, they could only leave him to his devices and allow him to grieve.

Having gained some personal space and time, Solomon took to watching the snow fall. He wondered if his friend and their parents had been discovered. If so, what happened to their bodies? Their estate? He did not know. No one would tell him either. Closure was not given and would never be given.

He didn’t want to know either.

A sparkle in the snow by his window caught his eye and his eyes focused on the object. Laying in the snow was the crystal he’d given to his friend, shiny and polished as ever. The colours were ever so vibrant, still the same emerald and yellow combination. He had to do a double take and rub his eyes to make sure he wasn’t hallucinating. There was no way this was real; he had already given it to his friend so why was it here? Were they in the woods?

He wanted to know. He had to know!

He grabbed the crystal and called for his parents, frantically explaining to them that he’d found his gift near the window and how the other family must’ve been thrown into the woods if the crystal ended up here. He pleaded and begged for them to at least check if the deceased were indeed there and to at least give him some closure, but all he got were regretful sighs.

“There was nothing left, son. There is nothing in the woods. Even if they were left there, surely the animals had taken them. You know how nature does its job.”

There it was, the cold hard truth. The one Solomon needed to hear. Their hearts ached at his pain, but he deserved to know as much as they did. Escorting the numb boy back to his room, they allowed him to keep the crystal and gave back his. Solomon could only force out a ‘thank you’ to his parents before sitting on his bed and gazing at the two crystals in his hand. These ‘rocks’ were all his powers saved.

At least he got to save another piece of them, he thinks bitterly. ‘How utterly useless. What do I need these powers for if I can’t even use them to protect the ones I want?'

‘…If the more powerful entities refuse to protect the innocent, then I shall become powerful and take on the role.’

‘One day, just one day, I’ll be able to defend the innocent from those wishing harm upon them. No matter how long it takes.’

That was the start of Solomon’s self-taught magical journey. His grimoires increased in number, but his diary remained single and locked up. No longer did he watch and observe the outside world, but spent his time practicing and mastering spells, particularly healing and teleportation spells. The sunlight would no longer stream in through that one tiny window; it’s not like it had any way to.

Without the sun to remind him of the time, he relied on his Circadian rhythm to remind him to rest. But even that was ruined when he started to push himself past his physical and mental limits, so the only way he’d rest was when his body forced him to. At the very least, his body could refuse to support him through his stubbornness and he would finally allow himself to slumber.

Sometimes, he would see his friend in his dreams, smiling and laughing, donning beautiful wings of ice and a shining halo on their head. They’d grab his hand and pull him, the two falling into the snow and making snow angels. ‘A snow angel making a snow angel.’ He’d laugh in such dreams, causing his friend to throw a snowball in his face. Of course, he’d reciprocate and a snowball fight would commence.

Those were the most beautiful dreams he’d had, but reality would soon deliver a harsh smack to his face and wake him up. This cycle would repeat till his adulthood, and only then did he truly start to move on.

Or so he thought.

Funnily enough, when he had turned himself immortal on that one fateful day, orange crept up the bottom of his irises and created a beautiful gradient. Even the shade of orange was exactly the same as the stone he was gifted. As for the crystals, he had taken to making pendants out of them, wearing them and roaming fearlessly in the human world.

It was a silent challenge to the world, for them to come and banish him for supposed magical stones as they had his friend. He’d protect these crystals with his unlimited life anyways.

Now his eyes could perfectly match his gift even without a sunset. He wondered how his friend would feel. Would they be happy? Sad that he had perhaps subjected himself to a fate worse than death? Would they finally come down to chide him for his silly magical mistake? Or would they try and steal his future title of ‘strongest sorcerer’ as promised?

Perhaps they would, but he should focus on his skills for now. He would rather they not show up when he’s still this… weak. When the day comes, he’d be sure to make them gape at his magical prowess and have them be his disciple. He’ll then be able to teach them, helping them grow just as they had him, and he’ll finally repay them as he’d always wanted.

Until then, he’ll wait for them. He’s always been a patient one anyways; a lifetime was nothing to an immortal like him.

However, as the years went by, his hair faded to white and the blue of his eyes faded to a dull grey. He could only pray that his friend recognised the crystals they’d exchanged, now hanging from his neck from a necklace. Surely they’d spot the crystals; their’s was hung right over his heart, and his over his core.

“Achoo!”

A sneeze escapes him and conveniently cuts short his trip down memory lane. ‘Goodness me,’ he thinks, ‘how long have I been laying here for?’ Nature answered with a gentle snowflake to his nose, drawing his attention to the slightly red organ. It’s getting cold. It would not be wise of him to stay out too long. His thermoreceptors are still working fine, and he’d rather they stay that way.

Oh well. At least they didn’t take the tea back. It would most definitely go well with Luke’s baking.

Perhaps a cup of tea would do the trick, he thinks. The other human exchange student had just given him a few bags the other day, all the while asking him where he got ‘the pretty green and yellow crystal’. They would love to get one, they’d said. But Solomon could only let them down, saying it was one-of-a-kind.

#withered blossoms #obey me #obey me shall we date #obey me swd #obey me angst #omswd #obey me solomon #solomon #solomon angst #obey me solomon angst #angst #withered writes #snow angels #withered writes snow angels #obey me holiday exchange #2024 obey me holiday exchange #merry christmas #christmas gift

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trashogram · 3 months ago

Note

body worship from angel! lucifer x eden! reader? and then a bit of where they are as royalty of hell?

Kinktober Day Twenty-Four — Body Worship

Warnings: Eve!Reader, Cheating, No dialogue, Slut-Shaming

You don’t know desire with Adam.

He desires you in his way, but it’s not strong or sharp or sweet. When he reaches for you, it doesn’t prickle at your spine or turn your lower half into a buzzing, syrupy mess. His kisses as brusque like the scratch of the shrubbery at your calves and his touches are harried, quickening your heart rate not out of true anticipation but in response to his need to hurry up.

Near the beginning (but not right at the beginning because lust was curated after a period of innocent fumbling) you had felt excited over his enthusiasm. It had made you feel good, like when the sunshine warmed your skin and the wind ruffled your hair.

Then you realize it’s not enough, because it never changes.

Adam wants you but he already has you. You’re a given, a literal Godsend, and desire for you is limited to rough grabs and the smacks of his thighs against your ass before he spills inside of you. After that, the flames dwindle and die and Adam looks at you the way he looks at the blue sky overhead each morning — constant, ordinary, unremarkable.

The Archangel Lucifer did not look at you that way. Not even once. Not even when he was simply your friend and your confidant, hanging onto your words though they came out simple and slow in the beginning.

He marveled at you. He praised you. He gave you the gentlest, fondest touches that you missed as soon as they disappeared.

Until he’d visited unannounced while you were resting near Eden’s crystalline waterbeds — where the ducks swam and the trees rose tall and proud to shade the everglades. And he’d seen you.

Lucifer had seen you, stretched out in the buttery sunlight, as pleased as anything with your hand between your legs. You hadn’t realized he was there as you arched up toward the sky, your body bent like a rainbow as you chased that curling, tightening sensation that always sent starbursts over your sight.

When you had looked up, eyes opening as the constellations faded and Eden returned, you had seen true desire. God’s own messenger, beguiling as he always had been, as he’d appeared before you in blues and whites and the sweetest gold-blue gaze you’d ever known — he looked at you with heat and hunger.

He wanted you.

Embarrassment had sent him flapping away, but Lucifer couldn’t stay away for long. He’d shown guilt and begged your forgiveness for transgressing, in spite of the baffled tilt of your head and the worried furrow between your eyes. You had touched him innocently with your hand, to ground him with affection the way you always had. Only to see him staring back at you with teary, glinting eyes still burdened by want no matter how much he cried or wished for it to be otherwise.

The cradling of his hands at the base of your skull, fingers smoothing over the planes of your arm and shoulder while he touched his thin lips to yours made you feel alive. And the feeling poured through your body like the slow oozing tears of tree trunks. It pooled from your belly and grew to slide down your thighs. All the while, Lucifer’s touches grew bolder and stayed longer.

Lucifer’s fingers curled under your chin so he could look into your eyes and tell you how beautiful they were before he kissed you. He stroked from your hair to your arms and sides, waxing in like the moon and waning to trace over your outline. The curvature of your hips and weight of your breasts became far more real as he held them with such reverence.

He stroked over you with the pads of his fingers and the flat of his tongue. A tongue he’d used for nothing more than sweet trickling words about how beautiful you were, how you put the Heavens themselves to shame, how he would cease to exist without you wrapped around him in your wet cavernous center.

You were swollen and bruised with his excitement, placed indulgently and without care to the future. To the evidence. And you couldn’t feel bad as your Archangel coaxed whines and sighs from you as his long fingers trailed over your ribs and the basin of your hips. As he stretched you out on his hand and then his cock, sinking in again and again until the sky exploded and you were blessed by hot, angelic seed.

Desire consumed everything like a roaring fire, putting those dull licks of flames from Adam to shame.

Lucifer opened you up and nestled himself inside of you, lodged in deep until he’d reached the core of you. Adam had been pushed out as easily as a splinter of wood from your finger — but after secret nights and days in the shelter of his feathered wings, you knew Lucifer could not be taken out without it tearing you apart.

Adam had seen you and made a beeline for you, victim to his own pride that you’d wounded so very long ago.

‘Cheating Whore’ had barely been spat at you before Lucifer emerged in a burst of cherry star fireworks and rammed right into the First Man. He’d sent Adam careening far out into Hell’s sky until he was a speck on the horizon, quickly changing gears and disappearing in a blink.

You almost see the blue and gold, or at least the remnants of it, in Lucifer’s penitent and worshipful gaze. It’s a memory, dredged up from the beginning of Time when you were a made of clay and the rib of a lesser Man. When you first wrapped the Devil around your finger and welcomed him into your honey trap.

He held your head between his hands, staring into your eyes with the same blistering hunger that you’d been taken aback by all those centuries ago. Meanwhile his hips ground into yours until your opening burned and your legs ricocheted off his furious thrusts.

Lucifer mouthed words against your darkened lips — about how beautiful you were and how you put the Heavens themselves to shame.

#hazbin hotel #lucifer morningstar #lucifer x reader #kinktober #nsft

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novamirmirsblog · 2 years ago

Text

Sunshine, Lollipops, and Rainbows

Genre: Fluff

Request: Kinda

Word count: 1872

Warnings: none. perhaps implied sex at a later date.

Summary: Melissa has a crush on a parent. What happens when Jacob and Janine find out

A/N: Feels kinda homophobic if I didn't post anything for pride month. This is short but (hopefully) sweet so enjoy!

Melissa wasn’t exactly known for her subtleness. She wore her emotions on her sleeve and so it came as no surprise to Barbra when Melissa gushed about a new parent.

“Barb, she’s so incredible! Did you know she’s a single parent? Has been since Ivy was born. Piece-a shit walked out before she was even born.” Melissa’s expression flicked from adoration to dark anger when she thought about how your boyfriend had left you when he found out you were pregnant.

Barbra just hummed, already used to Melissa’s ramblings. You and your daughter were a new addition to Barbra’s class. Starting half-way through the year had been tough on little Ivy to begin with but your daughter had taken it in her stride and made friends without any issues.

“Ooo, who are we talking about?” Janine came over to where Melissa and Barbra were, pulling out a chair to sit on before Melissa gave her a sharp look and she thought otherwise.

“Ivy’s mother.” Barbra answered, her voice soft and kind in an attempt to soften Melissa’s harsh stare.

“Oh! I heard tha-'' Janine was cut off by a knock on the staff door.

The door swung open and there you stood with a tupperware container.

“Hey Mrs Howard, Ivy made cakes over the weekend and I forgot to pack them in her bag. She wanted to make them for her ‘extra special’ teacher”. You chuckled lightly. “Don’t worry, I did most of the making so the cakes are actually edible.”

You loved Ivy but kids were messy and no matter how many times you washed her hands, you couldn’t trust that she was actually clean.

Melissa laughed just a little louder than the others, causing Barbra, yourself and Janine to look at her. A smile grew on your face as you watched her cheeks tint slightly with pink when she realised how loud she was.

“Thank you dear.” Barbra took the container and glanced over at Melissa “Are you busy? How about you come sit with us for a while.”

You looked between Barbra, Melissa and Janine, all of whom had mixed expressions. Barbra had a wide smile and a glint in her eye, Melissa’s eyes were wide as she stared at her friend, her leg bouncing nervously and Janine looked both put out and confused.

“Oh thank you but I really should be going… I only stopped to drop these off.” You smiled politely as you backed away from the table, towards the door.

“Let me walk you out.” Melissa rushed out of her seat before you could say no and opened the door for you.

Once the two of you were safely out of sight, Janine glanced at the cameras briefly before turning to Barbra “Well that was weird.”

~~~~~

You walked Ivy to Mrs Howard’s class, your daughter skipping along in front of you. It was so wonderful to see how well she had settled in. You hadn’t wanted to move her half-way through her first year at school but when your ex had shown up demanding to see his daughter, you didn’t really have much choice. You still shudder at the memory. Moving to South Philly was the best decision you had made and having a pretty lady who just happened to be your daughter’s teacher’s best friend made Philly just that little bit sweeter.

Speaking of, Melissa was leaning on the doorframe to Mrs Howard’s classroom, chatting away to the other woman. You saw in real time as her eyes roamed your figure, her lower lip catching between her teeth briefly before realising what she was doing and looking away. She released her lip and cleared her throat before looking back at you. Her glasses were holding her hair back in the most breathtaking way and the amount of self control you had to not glance down to where her top ended in a V was insane.

It was only when Ivy tugged at your hand that you realised where you were and what you were supposed to be doing. You kissed your daughter goodbye and watched as she was ushered into the room by a smug looking Barbra.

“Hiya hon.” Melissa’s deep Philly accent poured over your ears like honey.

“Hi” You managed to choke out. You had never been a huge fan of nicknames but something about the way Melissa said hon made you want to change your mind.

“Never got to thank you for those cakes, so thanks.”

“Y-yeah no problem.” You laughed, hoping to shake some of the nervousness from your voice. “Well, I should get going. Work will kick my ass if I’m late again.”

“Alright. See ya around kid.”

You smiled at the older woman before turning and walking away. Neither you nor Melissa noticed Jacob watch as Melissa’s eyes trailed over your ass. Jacob power walked away before Melissa could catch him as he came to a shocking realisation.

~~~~~

The staff room was unusually calm, meaning Jacob had to stage-whisper to Janine.

“Have you seen Melissa and that parent?”

Janine studied Jacob’s face before answering “Y/n?” She asked, testing the waters before she accidentally slipped up.

“Yes!” Jacob’s excitement got the better of him and Melissa briefly put down her crossword, looking at him from over her glasses. He cleared his throat “Sorry”.

“Wait so you’ve noticed it too?” Janine said, trying to be sly while a camera zoomed in to her face.

“I’m so glad I’m not the only one who knows.” Jacob said, a little louder than he meant to “”It was painful watching the two of them.”

“Knows what?” Melissa’s voice made the two younger teachers freeze.

“I know.” Mr Johnson said, looking smugly at the camera before turning around to face the three of them.

Jacob let out a nervous laugh, “N-nothing.” He gulped and the camera zoomed in on his face.

“Yeah… I’ve gotta… go… do something” Janine said, making a quick exit from the staff room, effectively abandoning Jacob.

As Janine left, she sighed with relief before a beautiful, brilliant plan started formulating in her brain.

She had a kindergarten teacher to see.

~~~~~

“This feels like a bad idea.” Gregory had somehow found himself roped into Janine and Jacob’s insane plan.

“No! It’s in the name of love!” Jacob patted Gregory’s shoulder before basically shoving him into Mrs Howard’s room, with Janine closing the door behind him.

“Gregory?” Mrs Howard looked up, confusion clearly displayed on her face.

“Hi” Gregory awkwardly waved, before clearing his throat in an attempt to shake off the nerves “I was wondering if I could have Miss Y/L/N’s number?”

“And why is that?”

“Well, I, um.” Gregory glanced at the door, seeing Janine’s head pop up and give him a thumbs up. He then looked blankly at the camera before rushing out. “I would like her number to ask her on a date.”

Barbra looked shocked for a moment “But I thought-” she cut herself off when she saw the top of Janine’s head duck out of the way. Ah, so this was her plan. Barbra kept a straight face as she wrote down your number, handing it to Gregory and praying that this would end well.

~~~~~

When you dropped your daughter off a week later, Barbra could tell you were distracted. You didn’t notice the way Melissa oogled you, not that you normally do, but today it was particularly obvious as she choked on her coffee and managed to have a very loud coughing fit.

“Everything alright my dear?” Barbra asked, Ivy skipping into her classroom to play with some friends before school started.

“Yeah…” You frowned for a moment, Melissa coming to stand by Barbra as her kids still hadn’t arrived yet.

“Don’t need me to beat anyone up for ya, do ya hon?” Normally the threat of violence was a big turn off for you but the way Melissa looked at you when she said it made your cheeks grow hot.

“Nah, nothing like that. I guess…” You stopped, looking at them both before glancing at the camera crew who were waiting around the corner. You leaned closer to the two of them, missing the way Melissa’s breath stuttered and how her eyes fell on your lips. “Do you think Gregory has a crush on me?”

You were so close to Melissa that she could smell your minty toothpaste and her head was so wrapped up in what it would be like to wake up next to you, that it took her a minute to realise what you had said.

“What- no- he- what makes you say that?” Melissa was trying to keep it cool but her heart was going a million miles an hour, did you like him? Were you going on a date with him? Were you straight? She hadn’t gotten those vibes from you but then again, she had been wrong before. Oh god, had you already slept with him?

“I got a couple of pretty strange texts from him over the weekend.”

“What kind of texts?” Barbra asked, letting Melissa catch a break.

“Well, he asked me if I was seeing anyone and what my favourite foods were.”

“Are you?” The question slipped past Melissa’s lips before she realised the words had left her mouth.

“Am I what?” You looked at her, confusion etched on your face.

Melissa cleared her throat and shifted on her feet a little, too late to back down now. “Seeing someone?”

You let out a laugh that was music to Melissa’s ears “No. Not at the moment.” If you gave Melisa a look at that moment, that was nobody’s concern.

The relief that washed over Melissa was evident until she realised what that meant. “Well, are you interested in him?”

“No. I’m giving men a miss after my ex. Maybe it’s time to go back to women for a bit.”

Melissa’s face lit up, her hopes raised as she realised she had a chance. Her eyes darkened as she imagined the endless possibilities, most of which involved you on various pieces of furniture screaming her name.

It seemed Melissa had been lost in her thoughts for a tad too long as Barbra subtly pinched her.

“Would you like to go on a date with me?”

Oops. The words were out before Melissa could stop them but from the surprised smile that continued to grow on your face, the question wasn’t unwelcome.

“And where would we go, Miss Schemmenti?”

“Hows about I make you something at my place? Crack open a bottle of wine?” Any previous nervousness vanished instantly as Melissa turned on the Schemmenti charm.

“Sounds perfect.” You smiled at her and Melissa’s grin got wider. Your phone went. “Shoot - I’m going to be late for work.” You looked frantically between Barbra and Melissa

“Don’t worry sweetheart, I’ll give Melissa your number.” Barbra rubbed your upper arm before giving it a light squeeze as you rushed off.

“Text me the details!” You called out to Melissa.

Barbra would make sure to give Melissa your number at lunch, especially after she saw her do a little happy dance just before entering her classroom and Melissa would make sure to give Gregory a stern talking to.

#melissa x reader #melissa schemmenti #melissa schemmenti x reader #abbott elementary

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snixkers · 11 months ago

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Empty Fishtank

Pairing: Emily Prentiss × GN!Reader

Hurt/Comfort

For: @d33pd3sire-blog

Content Warnings: Loss of a pet, grief, insensitive comment to loss, use of pet name (baby), swearing

Summary: After your pet Goldfish dies, Morgan makes an insensitive comment. Luckily, your girlfriend is there to help.

Author's Note: Sorry about your pet, I hope this does them some justice!

Feedback is always appreciated!

Requests are OPEN

You sat at your desk, staring morosely at the computer as you typed up a few emails. The team was aware that there was something wrong, but no one wanted to ask. Emily gave you a few sympathetic glances throughout the day, but she couldn’t do much more than that. Finally, Morgan decided to make his way over to your desk.

“Hey, what’s going on? You’re usually all sunshine and rainbows.”

Emily perked up at the sound of someone talking to you, making her way over to keep an eye on the situation.

You shrugged, looking up at him as he raised an eyebrow.

“My goldfish died yesterday.”

His eyes widened slightly as he stared at you before doing his best to comfort you.

“It’s gonna be okay. It was just a fish, right?”

His words hit your chest with a dull thump. Objectively, it was just a goldfish. But he was more than that to you. Before you knew it, you had burst into tears in the middle of the bullpen and drawn the attention of every agent in the vicinity.

Emily shot Derek a death glare as she led you out of the bullpen, rubbing your shoulders and finding you a seat in an empty conference room.

“I’m gonna punch him in the face. He’s a dick.”

You just shook your head, wiping the tears that wouldn’t stop falling.

“He’s right.”

She crouched down to your level, brushing your hair back and helping you take feep breaths.

“Baby, look at me. It doesn’t matter if he was a sock. He mattered to you.”

You sniffled to prevent your face from becoming an even bigger mess and nodded. She pressed a quick kiss to your forehead and squeezed your hand.

“How about after work we go down and see about getting a new fish?”

You shook your head slightly, watching her face soften.

“I don’t want to replace him.”

She sighed, leaning closer to you and pressing her forehead against yours.

“It’s not a replacement. But if you’re missing your fish, you can give that love to one of his friends.”

You teared up again at the sentiment, grateful for your girlfriend and her reassurance.

“You don’t think it’s stupid?”

She shakes her head again, pulling you up to your feet.

“Loving something isn’t stupid. Come on, I want you to see it when I kick Morgan's ass.”

#criminal minds #criminal minds fandom #criminal minds fanfiction #writers on tumblr #fanfic #reqs open #emily prentiss x reader #emily prentiss #spencer reid hurt/comfort #goldfish

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chloepleasestopdying · 9 months ago

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Like I understand that most people don’t want to get into how bad Joyce is in fic ( most fics are ship based just to start) and the game is clear on it’s stance on the matter ( Which is that Joyce is mother of the year and tried her very hardest but Chloe is stuck in her grief and if she just gave David a real chance everything would be sunshine and rainbows) but ugh.

No doubt there’s like a dozen posts on this blog about how annoyed I am about it but honestly it really does annoy the hell out of me. I mean come on guys! Putting aside that Chloe lost her father and was undoubtedly a hard teenager to raise: Joyce started dating a man within a couple months of William’s death ( I believe we dated it at like 5 or 6 months) and continued despite seeing how Chloe felt about it. Yes- she can date who she wanted too but she had to have seen how much it hurt Chloe.

David clearly pushed Chloe into being more aggressive and angry. She was a young teenager who lost her father and instead of getting a hint of compassion from her mother or new shiny step father her needs were completely ignored. And Joyce just sat there and went ‘I don’t know what’s wrong with that girl I did all I could 😔’ while David’s over there poking her with a stick.

It just really gets me that Joyce only kicked David out when she learned about the cameras and not if Max tells her that he hit Chloe. She can excuse her husband hitting her daughter but not an invasion of her own privacy.

#life is strange #joyce madsen #she puts her own happiness above Chloe’s at every turn #and deep down Chloe doesn’t even see that #she may call her selfish but she really does think her mother is amazing and Chloe is dragging her down #and ruining her happiness or whatever #because Chloe has some BIG self esteem issues that she’s trying to cover up with ‘ selfishness’

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buckley-diaztruther · 3 months ago

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there is a lot of folks really heated at eddie for this last ep and I gotta say yall, none of it felt ooc to me. I think in the lead up so many folks built up a fantasy of what they WANTED from the ep (eddie fondly exasperated but indulging buck completely in contrast to cruel skepticism from temu) when the reality is eddienhas ALWAYS been a bitch(affectionate) when it comes to his skepticism. Just because it feels weird to us to see him getting along w temu again doesn't mean it's ooc. I think we also built a fantasy of him now aggressively hating temu because he saw he was classic petty eddie at the bachelor party. but 1. I don't think the show would be THAT overt w Eddie's jealousy, he always displays it in little looks and comments but is otherwise generally neutral if not nice to bucks partners. 2. it is possible for eddiento be jealous and still like temu as a friend, much as we wish he didn't. they've effectively written put temus dark past and it's all about him just being dry humor and sarcasm, which at times can line up well w Eddie's humor. there's a reason they got on so well at the beginning of s7, no matter how we as temu haters feel about it.

also, folks are really defensive of buck being roasted by both of them purely bc theyre defensive of buck in general (same bestie same). the fandom has clocked very early on that buck is some flavor of adhd and the RSD is out the wazoo on this guy. and a lot of us empathize w that, can relate to it. and inthink that leads to a LOT of projection. not a bad thing, but I think that it can make folks a little blind to the nuance. buck can be genuinely hurt by the dismissal from eddie and eddie can still be ok and fine for laughing and poking fun to an extent. him and buck have always had a relationship that was heavy with friendly jabs and mocking and roasting bc thats a very normal thing in relationships, esp ones that are secure. it's easy to be comfortable ribbing each other the way they do (and they've said some BOLD shit even early on) because they trust each other to not go too far and that their relationship is still secure at the end of the day. it's newer, less certain relationships where you're going to tip toe around sensitivities until you really understand a person's boundaries. and while buck has clearly struggled w being put down and rejected, outside of the divorce era it's never been something that is obviously a crossed line for buck and so I don't think this is anything more than a silly 'et tu brute' kinda feeling from buck. I don't think he's really THAT torn up about eddie laughing.

also I'm gonna say something a lot of folks hate to hear. even if buck genuinely is so distressed at every perceived rejection, that is NOT Eddie's responsibility. eddie is his friend (and future husband I know) and yes, he should and does have care for bucks feelings and boundaries. but sometimes people act like eddie has to coddle buck and treat him like a baby to protect his feelings or that eddie just never would ever be mean or dismissive to buck and 1. that's not true and 2. RSD means something that was 100% ok yesterday might feel like a devastating rejection today and unfortunately, that's for buck to contend with. he's an adult and responsible for his own emotions and reactions. he can be hurt and work thru them (solo or w eddie) but even in romantic relationships it's not all gonna be sunshine and rainbows and not every hurt feeling needs to be met with a thousand apologies and amends because sometimes w rsd your reaction can be disproportionate to the cause and that's up to buck to tackle w his therapist.

I say this all, BTW, as someone w extreme rsd who v much was amd is buck in a lot of my friend groups - the 'immature', naive and hyperactive kid who won't shut up and gets their feelings hurt at every little thing and then youre getting hurt more because you're laughed at for being sensitive. it fucking sucks and a lot of that was extrapolated by having shitty friends. and yall, the 118 are not that.

Anyway sorry that got way out of hand and I went on a huge tangent but tldr stop acting like eddie is ooc and a dick for laughing at buck and stop treating buck like a baby when he's a grown ass man thank u love u

#911 abc #eddie diaz #evan buckley #buddie #911 spoilers #anti bucktommy

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allurilove · 1 month ago

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Honestly I’m regretting saving cheating yan husband now…😭😭😭

If I knew he’d be an unfaithful lil slut I’d have voted to end his life in the poll!!!!!!🔥🔥🔥

“I was rooting for you, we were all rooting for you! How dare you?!” - Tyra Banks

Why you gotta do this to me author??????? I gotta find a new husband now!!!!!! And it sucks too cuz yan husband was fine as hell!!!!!! He got money and was great with kids!!!!!!!🥲🥲🥲

Let’s kill him!!!!!! He doesn’t deserve to be called a yandere if his eyes and dick are wanderin!!!!!!😈😈😈

i’m gonna clear a few things up about his character and other things lol!

the more I write about him, the more I think about all the shitty things he would probs do. I don’t have a single green flag character (maybe calm yandere, honestly i just love him). He just gets more complicated whenever I sit down and think for a hot minute. Because he’s not a character that’ll roll over onto his back and take it like a good boy. He’s a petty and revengeful man that doesn’t take shit from others. He’s going to get what he wants one way or another. And if it means hurting a couple people here and there, so be it. And that definitely applies to Lucas Skylar. If he were to steal the reader from him— he’s gonna enact revenge and take his wife too dammit. He’ll be like “I’m fucking your wife, and your kids call me ‘daddy’.” (oop) His hatred for that man literally blinds him from the bigger issue that reader left him.

ANNNND, I haven’t forgotten about that one anon that told me how much people would hate my yandere characters if I implemented some cheating here and there. (so thank you anon)

However, to be clear, yan!husband is going nowhere. As in, he’s not about to leave his wife for someone else. Like be so fr.

1. His ex, is he gonna go back to her?

-Hell no, and she doesn’t even want him back lol. She was his first true relationship, but it wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows. Yandere husband doesn’t happen to see it this way— still wearing rose colored glasses whenever he gets into a relationship— but she made him do things he wasn’t comfortable with. In his diary, it’s mentioned that whatever he felt about physical touch did not matter, and that whatever his ex says, goes. He had a lot of moments where he was unsure about even putting his hand on her thigh, and all he heard was that he needed to do more. More physical touch, more kissing, and more manhandling.

Now, regarding that diary entry… In a different post, I stated that yandere husband would not get back together with her, if they were to actually meet up again. He does write about what could’ve been and him reminiscing, because his diary is his only outlet where he can talk about his feelings comfortably. He has that entry in his diary cause he hasn’t had that talk with his ex yet, and never came to that realization that he’s better off with the reader.

Also, to add on to the whole thin about the reader being “rude,” it’s more like she’s packing up her shit and getting ready to leave. And yan!husband hasn’t picked up on that yet. So, the line that says something about the reader being occupied with stuff that’s not about yan!husband or Henry, was a lie. Because again, this man knows nothing about what’s going on. And most of the drabbles (i think??) are in his perspective.

2. Now what about his diary?

- He has that damn diary cause he doesn’t want to go to therapy. It’s not because he thinks that therapy doesn’t work or that it’s stupid— he just doesnt want people to know that he’s struggling and he’s a bad partner. Yandere husband is all for therapy, don’t get me wrong, and if his son would ever want a therapist, he’ll be happy to arrange that. It’s just that being seen as this perfect nuclear family is everything to him, and he’s a little jealous of the Skylar family. They represent what he’s been wanting, and craving, the moment he could finally leave his parent’s house and live on his own.

His diary ranges from talking about how annoying his co-workers are to talking about the unresolved issues he has with his dad. Don’t worry, it’s not all about his ex. Some… or most pages is about Henry messing with him, and stuff about his wife. He writes stuff in it when he’s upset and has no one to talk to. Most of his siblings are busy doing other stuff, and he’s not about to ask a toddler for advice either.

Why doesn’t he just talk to his wife?

It’s embarrassing for him. He wants to be seen as a provider, as this big strong man that can do whatever for his family, and admitting all the troubles he has is just straight up embarrassing for him.

3. His parents.

- I think I haven’t talked much about his mother, but that’s really cause his father had a more prevalent role in shaping who he is today. What more can I say about his father at this point? Bottomline he’s horrible. Physically and mentally abusive, controlling, always had a stick up his ass, and never encouraged any of yandere husbands dreams etc. He’s everything yan! husband is trying not to be, and wants to break the cycle of traumatizing his kids. Sadly, as time goes on with a bunch of stuff from part four and all that, he’s not able to. No matter how hard he tries to be different, he’s truly his father’s son. Yandere husband was never about to become a better man, and that would have been more clear if I had released part four like I damn said I would! 😭😭 Because he is… not doing so well in that fic.

4. His wife.

- Now, regarding his wife.

Who is such an absolute wonderful and normal human being, that happened to steal the heart of yan!husband without even trying. He’s more comfortable with his wife compared to his ex, since they don’t force anything on him. And he does love her, and can’t imagine a life without her and their kids. They’re in a tough spot for sure, with reader planning to leave him and being officially done with him. He does believe that they could work it out, so he’s acting like a pouty and dejected man whenever she seemed to be disinterested by his advances. It’s a complete 180 from his past relationship, and he’s not used to it.

#Allurilove asks #bro just got some underlying anger issues and daddy issues #yandere husband x you #yandere husband x wife

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mjis0nfire · 3 months ago

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DPxP5 - The Mansons' Host Kids

The foreign exchange program was a surprise, but not entirely unwelcome for Sam. Until her parents dropped the bombshell that they will be hosting two of the kids. For fuck's sake, one of them is literally a model despite being her age - blonde hair, blue eyes, thin and pretty, magazine covers and interviews- God the more she looks at her picture the more she looks like Star.

Her new host brother doesn't look all that better - a jock posing as a punk with that bleach-blond hair.

She hates it.

And she hates it even more when they actually show up and act all sunshine and smiles, especially the girl, Ann. It's just a reminder of the conventional 'family' Sam's parents wished they got to enjoy.

She doesn't even notice the piercings on Ryuji, Ann's variety in her bags, or how the two cringe and shrink in at how painfully cheerful her parents are to have them as 'part of their family'. She just gives them the cold shoulder. All of them. And rants to Danny about her frustrations when Tucker starts begging for Ann's number.

That resentment bubbles over one night when Ann stays with Sam to help clean after dinner. Especially as Ann tries to ask about her fashion to fill the very purposeful silence.

"You can drop the act, yknow." Sam cuts her off, annoyed.

A tone that seems to genuinely confuse the blonde. "Sorry?"

"The whole smiles and rainbows and tolerant shtick. I can smell the bullshit from here. Your poser friend doesn't help matters."

Ann's eyes widen a bit at her bluntness before she settles. "I'm not bullshitting you. And I don't think Ryuji would count as a 'poser'-"

"Please, he's got 'jock' written all over him. Like he's just trying to be 'cool'. It's not gonna work. Not on me."

Ann can't help but give a huff of a laugh. "And here I thought those cliques were just for crappy American movies-" She stops her tease when she sees Sam's glare her way.

"He hasn't run in over a year. Not competitively. And he dyed his hair our first year of high school. Mostly so I wouldn't be the only blonde in class."

That gets Sam's attention, softening her annoyance a bit. Come to think of it... It is odd that a Japanese girl would have flaxen blonde hair...

"I ask about your fashion because I'm genuinely interested. It looks good on you! And I know Japan has different fashion subcultures than here, so I don't want to be insensitive or compare it to something it's not, yknow?"

"Seriously?" Sam asks with almost a laugh in her voice.

"Seriously!" The blonde's smile brightens. "I didn't come here to poke fun at Americans. Well- not too much anyway." She quickly and jokingly corrects herself. A joke that actually gets Sam to chuckle a bit.

"We deserve most of it, honestly."

"Heeyyy, don't lump yourself in with that!"

The two girls finish the dishes quickly, but still linger in the kitchen for a long while, chatting and swapping stories and fashion tips. Turns out Danny’s host siblings are friends with Ann and Ryuji.

Maybe this whole thing won’t be so bad.

#true fashionistas love all fashion and subcultures #persona 5 #p5 #ann takamaki #ryuji sakamato #ren amamiya #futaba sakura #danny phantom #sam manson #danny fenton #tucker foley #when phantoms meet

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devilsrecreation · 4 months ago

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Random Outlander scenarios cuz I got bored

I guess it wouldn’t be that bad cuz they’re besties/lovers, but it would probably still be funny in a human au

Shupavu: Njano, gimme the key

Njano: I left it at home….

Shupavu: …..

Njano: Nah, I’m just messing with ya. I got in my pocke-oh shit

OMGGGGG KENGE TAKING CARE OF SUMU!!!! Usually it’s the other way around since I hc Sumu as a healer when he reforms, but Kenge doing his best to nurse Sumu is absolutely adorable! Kinda brings out his softer side

I dunno if ALL of his dreams would be about Janja, but I’m just imagining Janja being in literally every dream/nightmare Kiburi has no matter what and it starts to annoy him dndhdhd

“Get tf outta my dreams.”

WHOLESOME CONTENT!!!! They’re just giggling and splashing around with not a care in the world

I don’t think Cheezi would force Chungu per se cuz he would happily wear it, but it’d be both cute and funny. Cute cuz Chungu’s wearing something his bestie made and funny cuz nobody has the heart to tell Cheezi that the sweater is ugly 😭

Ooooh the thought of Kiburi being cursed is really interesting. I don’t know much about curses in African folklore but apparently a lot of them result in death. I don’t want Kiburi to die anytime soon so maybe I’d go with “The Death Bones of Shangaan” where anyone who comes into contact with said bones gets plagued by bad luck and illness.

Maybe someone puts a curse on him after losing a fight that makes him weaker than usual…like MUCH weaker. Like hatchling weak, yk? And we know crocs can’t have that so it’s gonna f him up

Or maybe it’s a really funny curse where Kiburi is forced to burst into a musical number

But Ucheshi knowing how to cure it and helping her brother makes for some good croc sibling content. Though she would definitely play around with him first hdhdhhd

😏😏😏😏😏😏😏😏

Jasiri: I told you, Janja. You’re not getting my rump

Janja: Why not?

Jasiri: l got mine fair and square. You can’t have the rump whenever you want

Janja: The rump’s the juiciest part! Everybody wants the rump!

Janja wants Jasiri’s rump…..of the animal she killed. What were you thinking?

The innuendos are strong with this one

I like to think that’s how they became friends in the first place! Nne was being teased by some of the older hyena cubs and Tano jumped in like “Hey, leave him alone!”. They’ve been inseparable ever since

AWWWWWW THAT’S SO CUUUUUUUTE!!!! She gets infinite licks afterwards

I’m just imagining that secret being he likes everything sunshine and rainbows and Mzingo being like “dear god it’s worse than I imagined”

#more coming in the reblog #cuz ofc i made more #these are so fun to imagine tho #my favorite is kiburi’s curse cuz he gets to act like he’s in a musical #tlg outlanders #the lion guard

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prof-peach · 2 months ago

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Bit ooc but I have a question. How you do go about planing out your PLA comic? Like how do you actually turn your ideas/ storyline into comic form? Is it chapter to chapter or do you have the whole idea already planned out? Trying to find my own way in comic making so I’m just wondering if you could give any advice. Feel free to ignore if you don’t feel comfortable answering

So, at first this was al i could think to send.

because its incredibly accurate to my process.

Jokes aside, a lot of how i work is back and forth chaos, fighting with ideas until im happy with them. I will start with a list (usually not written down because im unhinged and keep a ot of it in my brain) and organise it in a way that makes sense to the situation, in this case workign with a game with an established plot...not that its a very strong one.

with a set of ideas, and a game to work around i will ramble and rant to a few choice people who i bounce well off, and also stare into space for hours on end building the ideas. This process can be days, it can be years. For context, i have some notes from 2019 about things i wanted to include that are still relevant. I have been scheming how to break and rebuild this OC for ages. Theres no correct time frame, so long as you simply do the work.

Once i have a fairly loose plan, i start to solidify the benning and the end. What is required to make a character compelling, what makes them believable, what makes them human in a way that we recognise. this isnt always a positive thing, people like to call characters who do bad things problematic, but its human nature to make mistakes and be damaged or difficult, the process of the story is not always rainbows and sunshine. For me, this hits even harder, as im trying to tell a story from the perspective of someone fundamentally broken, so showing those breaks and cracks has to be done wisely.

This is the point where i make notes about things that need to change from the start to the end. And ill say one thing, this story in particular, I have not solidly planned the middle. I am allowing space for me to come up with new ideas at points. Being locked into a dead set of ideas can be quite limiting, and as creators we consume and process things constantly to generate new stories. Id be a fool to make a plan and stick to it. everything i do is vague guidelines.

However, I know exactly how the story ends in Hisui, and where it goes to from there. And i think me personally knowing the end goal makes it easier to plot steps towards that, and some of those steps are anything but progressive.

If nothing else, the end was the only thing i saw clearly, and it has only become more complex and loaded and emotional as the rest of this has fallen into place. If you can see the goal, you can work out how to get there with time.

Regarding the chapters, i tend to draft plan up like 3-4 of them at a time, and then go in order to sketch out one after the other, so i have plenty of time to change things while i adjust. its constantly a process of seeing what you make, seeing issues, and scrapping whole parts just to redraw something better or new, unique even. I dont think a single page ive posted has resembled the very VERY first draft thumbnail ive made, and thats just how i do. Every panel, how big they are, the angle you hand the viewer, the way you light things, the expressions, this all dictates SO SO much.

Taking time over it is kind of the job, and let me stress, this is normally a job done by a team, especially the highly popular comics. one inks, one colours, one shades, one handles text, one edits, theres so many people behind it, so dont be bothered by the pace at which things are made if youre working alone like i am. One person means longer production times, if you can, spread the workload out, but its not required. Its why i always say it doesnt matter how long it takes to make, so long as youre still making.

I think its also worth noting, comics are consumed quickly, the bakcgournds and small details can be lost in the ace of the storytelling, pick and choosing your battles is wise, save your time on panels where you want the reader to shift along quicker, keep that pace high, and add in more detail and depth to panels you want to champion or get the viewers to hang around on more. its ok to let go of a "perfect" image in favour of getting content out, if youre being driven nuts by it. Again, time be damned, be happy with it. And if you can let go of petty details, id suggest doing it when possible, so long as it doesnt effect the storytelling.

I mean what else can i even say. This work is a passion project, I love it, more than i can even put into words, and i think you kind of have to, to make comics without monetary motivation. sure you can get lucky and find ways to make it big, but for most of us, its the love of the story. So maybe try not to be your biggest hater, its easy to slip into the behaviour, so try be gentle on yourself and the process. I should take that advice myself haha! but i really do mean it. This is HARD work, so be kind to yourself over it.

anyway, with a rough idea, a bunch of sketches, and time, they get inked and fussed over, i make a billion changes to layout and story, and eventually posting can happen but not after fighting with the monster that is creating. Idk what else i can say. This is not work for the feint of heart, but anyone can learn to do it.

Good luck, comic artists can always use it!

#ooc

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vanfleeter · 3 months ago

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Bound For Earth: Chapter 8

Characters: Jake Kiszka, Josh Kiszka, Marlie, Ivan. Warnings: 18+ || Language. Smut. Allusions to sex. Penetrative sex. Fluff. Tooth achingly sweet proposal. Brotherly banter. A/N: We are back with the sci-fi!

Bound For Earth Masterlist

_________________________________________________________________

“Jake, what are you doing?” Marlie asks as I pull her through the corridors.

Today marks three months since Marlie and our family made the trip here to Mars. We’ve shown them just about everything. I took Sam out in one of the space cars and he absolutely fell in love with it. Danny fell right into rhythm helping out in the training modules. Apparently he’s big on fitness and helping to keep everyone in shape has been quite the joy for him. Mom and Dad fell back into work, Mom working from the command center and Dad went right back to working on the cruiser and fixing any problems with any of the space crafts if there were any problems. Josh and Ivan seemed to get even closer. I still sometimes see them sneaking in and out of each other’s cabins every now and then. As long as he’s happy, that’s all that matters.

Marlie and I have spent nearly every minute together, except for when I have to work. When I do, she’ll go off and help Josh in the agricultural side of the station. Apparently she too has a green thumb.

It has been an adjustment period and not everything has been exactly sunshine and rainbows. Living on the station is a lot different than living on Earth. You don’t have much freedom to do things and living in close quarters is not always easy, especially when you have a small bed that typically only fits one person.

Sex was easy when it didn't require having to turn over often, which we sometimes did. Listen.. I’m trying to experience sex in any way that I possibly can and any way that she’s comfortable with. But damn.. I can’t tell you how many times we’ve hit the floor. Forget having bruises from sex, I get bruises just from falling off the bed.

I sleep on the outer side of the bed to keep her from falling off the bed. I didn’t entirely think that through very well. Neither of us can sleep on our backs or our stomachs, so we have to sleep on our sides which tends to get highly uncomfortable after a while so turning over just adds even more difficulty. It got to the point that I got fed up once in the middle of night and ended up sleeping on the floor. Still not comfortable but at least I won’t keep falling off the bed. I had petitioned to build a bigger bed in the cabin but per usual, my request was denied. The only reasoning being that Marlie would be going back to Earth in three months so the head honcho felt that it would just be a waste. Whatever..

Sharing such close quarters was also not easy. Always having to squeeze past each other in the bathroom. Marlie tripped over my computer chair so many times. Trying to take a shower together proved difficult so that was eliminated almost immediately. Even trying to change at the same time resulted once in her swinging her elbow and nailing me in the throat. She was offered to stay in an empty cabin but that was clear on the other side of the station. She declined it gracefully whereas I may have used a few not so nice words. So living in the same tiny cabin will have to be done for the time being.

“I want to show you something.” I say as I unlock the doors to the dome. Inside it was filled with all different kinds of monitors and radars. A spiral staircase led upwards towards the top where a giant telescope sat and pointed outwards to look beyond the station. Dragging her up the steps, I stop in front of the telescope. “I think you’re going to like this.” I peer through the eyepiece of the telescope, adjusting it to the right position until I find what I’m looking for. “Here, take a look.”

She steps up to the telescope and peers into the eyepiece, “Woah.. Is that Saturn?”

“Yeah, we’re close enough to see Saturn in its orbit.”

“That’s so amazing. I never thought I’d see Saturn this close ever.”

“It’s quite the sight.”

She pulls away from the telescope, “Do you ever see Jupiter?”

“Every now and then, definitely more often than Saturn.”

She turns back to the telescope and looks into the eyepiece again. “Those rings are so gorgeous up close.”

“I had this crazy thought of what if it were possible to take one and give it to you..”

She scoffs with a giggle, “That is quite impossible.”

“Which is why I made you one.”

“What?” She pulls away and turns back around to face me.

“I was five years old when a group of astronauts made the trip from here to Saturn. They wanted to get as close as they could to observe the planet and its rings for better accuracy. Well, they got close enough to collect little pieces of the outer rings.” I dug into my pocket and pulled out a silver band that had a decent sized diamond on it. “I asked Patrick in the welding department if he could take some of the collected material from that trip and make a ring out of it.”

“Jake..”

“I know this is sudden and we haven't really talked about this..” I step up close to her and reach for her left hand. “I love you Marlie and I want to marry you, if you’ll have me.”

“Oh Jake..” She covers her mouth as her eyes fill with tears. “Of course I will.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah! Yes!” She exclaims, excitedly bouncing on the tips of her toes.

I slip the ring on her finger and she throws her arms around my neck, effectively pulling me in for a kiss. No one knew of our engagement, I made sure to keep it a secret considering how easily word can spread around here.

That night we made love like we’ve never done before. Quite frankly because we did it right there by the telescope. I think the reason it felt different was because we’re engaged but because it’s a bit public and the risk of someone walking in and finding us just makes it quite the thrill.

_________________________________________________________________________

The proposal wasn’t the only surprise I had in store for her. I kept up with my training and my progress was moving along very well. Living on Earth was still a goal for me. Though I’d be away from Josh, I didn’t want to take Marlie away from all of that and bring her up here to next to nothing. She keeps telling me that she loves it up here but I just know that after some time she’ll grow to not like living up here 24/7. So for now, I’ll keep training to grow my immunity to Earth’s gravity.

As I make my way down the corridors towards our cabin, I’m yanked from the hall and into Josh’s cabin. “What the hell?” I say as he pins me to the bed.

“How can you propose to Marlie and not say anything to me?” He says above me.

“What? How did you–”

“She wasn’t so quick to hide the ring when I saw her in the common area. You never even mentioned wanting to propose and then boom, suddenly you’re engaged?!”

“Shhh!” I clamp my hands over his mouth. “Shut up, loudmouth. Who all else knows?”

Josh pushes my hands away from his face and stands back up to his feet. “As far as I know, just me.” Josh says. “But if she can’t hide that thing properly, Mom’s definitely going to find out and she’s going way more pissed than I am that you didn’t say anything.”

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you–”

“I am your brother–your twin!” He exclaims, throwing his arms around in the air. “Out of everyone on this damn station, I should have been the first to know.”

“Are you finished being dramatic?” I say as I stand on my feet.

“Wah–Yes..” He huffs.

“And the reason I didn’t tell you was because I know how you are. Mom would have found out before I could even propose.”

“I would not have told her,” Josh says in defense of himself with his hands on his hips.

“Oh no?” I say, my eyebrows raising. “Then who was the one who told Mom that I took out the rover that very first time without supervision?”

“Well–”

“And the time that I snuck out to watch the sun rise from the canyons?”

“But–”

“Admit it, Josh. You would have blabbed.”

Josh rolls his eyes and folds his arms over his chest. He then peeks at me from the side. “Am I at least going to be your best man?”

“No, I was thinking maybe Sam–or Danny, he seems cool.”

“What?!”

I laugh and playfully shove him. “I’m kidding! Of course you’d be my best man! You’ve been by my side our whole lives–not like you had a choice–why would I choose someone over you?”

“Mmhmm…”

I chuckle and start heading for the door and I slide it open only to find Ivan on the other side with his fist raised to knock. “Oh.. Hi..” He awkwardly smiles. “I didn’t know-”

“No, you’re good!” I say with a smile. “I’m on my way out anyways.” We trade spots and I step out in the hall. “Have fun, be safe!”

Josh’s eyes grow wide. “Jake!”

I wink at him before closing the door and hurrying down the hall to our cabin. Sliding open the door, I hear Marlie gasp and I look up to see her covering her top half with one of my tshirts. She sighs in relief and sits down on the bed. “You scared me..” She says. I walk over with a smile on my face and I lean down to kiss her. “I haven’t seen you all day, how was it?”

“Good, actually,” I say as I sit beside her on the bed.

“You’ve been training a lot,” She says. “I like watching you.”

“You watch me?”

Marlie nods her head as she smiles. “You look so sexy when you’re all sweaty.”

“Do I?” I say as I lean in close to her, rubbing my nose against her.

“Mmhmm..”

“And I bet I’d look even sexier if I took all of my sweaty clothes off, hmm?”

“It’s possible.”

I smile against her lips and kiss her as I gently lay her back on the bed. She grabs the ends of my shirt and pulls it up my back. I lean back on my knees and pull off my shirt the rest of the way.

I whisper all of the sweet things into her ear as I slowly make love to her, savoring it all. I soak in all the places she touches me and I save all of her sounds in my head. All these years I have spent up here feeling trapped and as if I’d die up here without experiencing some kind of love.

But I found it, and I found her. Even though our short time spent on Earth didn't give me much, I still am grateful. I just hope all of this training pulls off.

When we both meet our ends, I go to pull out of her when she pulls me back and kisses me. “I love you.” She says. “I really do.”

“I love you too.” I say as I kiss her back.

–Four Months Later–

“I think you’re ready to go,” Ivan says with a proud smile on his face. “Both you and Josh have been shown a lot of progress since coming back.”

“You think?” Josh asks with a cock of his eyebrow.

Ivan chuckles. “I know,” He says as leans over to kiss Josh. “However, we still have to take precautions.”

“I knew it was too good to be true.” I grumble.

Ivan chuckled and I raised my head to look at him with a questionable look on my face. “Just for the first week or two, we’ll be monitoring the both of you. If anything should happen–”

“We’ll get shipped right back here..” I finished.

“Not exactly,” Ivan says, shaking his head. “Some of our engineers have been building a prototype of a lighter gravity chamber so in the event that something should happen–again–we’ll have a place to bring you instead of rushing you into outer space.”

“And it works?” Josh asks.

Ivan nods his head. “So… With all of that being said.. How about we head back to our cabins, pack up what all you want to bring back down with you, and get some rest. The cruiser leaves tomorrow afternoon.”

Sliding open the cabin door, I find Marlie sitting on the edge of the bed and chewing at her nail. A nervous habit she seems to have picked up. When she hears me, she looks up and drops her hand from her mouth.

“What’d he say?” She asks as she rushes up to me. “Are you cleared to go?” I nod my head and a smile breaks out on her face. “I have never been happier,” She says as she kisses me. “All the hard work that you’ve been put in and it’s paying off, I’m so proud of you.”

“I was determined to be with you on Earth,” I say as I wrap my arms around her. “Last thing I wanted to do was to subject you to life up here. It can get quite boring.”

“Well I’ve been having fun actually,” She says. “Plus you’re here so it definitely feels like home.” I smile and lean down to kiss her. “But I’ll be excited to finally be able to eat something other than pees.”

I can't help but to laugh. “Now you know how I’ve been feeling.” I say as I pick her up. She wraps her legs around my waist and I carry her over to the bed.

“Would you like to celebrate?” She says.

“I thought you’d never ask..”

______________________________________________________________

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