#braindead brewing

[seishiroh]

— for whatever it's worth / nagi seishiro x reader. (ain't that the worst thing you've ever heard?)

— light angst. happy ending. yukimiya kenyu as plot fodder (sorry.) friends to lovers. misunderstandings.

— part two of i dreamt you loved me. quick warning: i'm not exaggerating when i say i was braindead when i was writing this. it's bad but it's your problem now <3

you thought you were being honest with yourself when you said you’d be fine.

you understood, truly—that you would miss him more than you should, even when he's so close. you think, if you message him, he'd reply anyway; but all your messages remain unsent, kept hidden the way you think your feelings should’ve been kept.

it’s a frustrating thing, to remind yourself every day that you don’t need nagi no matter how much you miss him; to tell yourself you don’t miss the comfort of his presence, the warmth of his lips mumbling against the pulse on your neck, his calm voice keeping you earthed.

it’s not even supposed to be this way.

despite nagi approaching you that day, he doesn’t do it again. he’s across the room or running away from you the moment he notices you coming. while you keep pushing the distance, he keeps pulling.

you start wondering if you kept pushing, pushing, pushing–if you kept doing that, would you be too much of a bother already? if he was doing this much to avoid you, shouldn’t you just suck it up and walk away?

a week later, you don’t get any more time to decide. yukimiya is there, walking beside you as you enter your usual café, a charming smile on his lips.

“you go ahead and sit, i’ll order for us,” he offers, nodding towards the booth you always take.

you nod, “oh, my order, it’s—”

yukimiya arches an eyebrow, looking at you like you’re silly, “i got it, y/n.”

the feeling of your cheeks heating up is instantaneous. “well then,” you try again, taking your wallet out, “my payment.”

he keeps that expression, then he’s shaking his head. “i got it, y/n,” he stands his ground and you’re left to sigh, taking the defeat.

just as you take your seat, the door clings with the sound of someone entering. on instinct, you turn towards it only to feel your breath getting knocked out of you because nagi is there and he’s looking around the place like he’s searching for someone.

he keeps looking until meets your gaze (and maybe you still love him too much, because you could almost say for sure that his eyes brighten at the sight of you) and when he starts walking towards you, you think perhaps you’re having a fever dream.

“y/n.”

“nagi-kun,” you almost squeak, still surprised. nagi almost wants to wince, because you’ve only ever called him that when you were still unfamiliar with each other.

he reaches a hand towards his nape, a habit he does when he’s uncertain, “can i join you?”

you gape for a moment, confused, because there he is—the one you miss the most, the best friend you crave so badly—the one who left your feelings unanswered; yet you’re not even sure if you’re meant to say yes because yukimiya is there, walking towards you, stopping right beside nagi and placing your drinks on the table.

“oh,” you hear nagi, realizing you’re not alone.

yukimiya turns to him, his smile falters for only a split second you almost miss it, “ah, nagi-kun, yes?”

nagi only nods with tension brewing in the air, you kind of want to cry only because it feels as if you’ve found yourself at a shitshow of a situation. sighing, you smile apologetically at yukimiya. “come sit, yukki,” you hesitate before speaking again, “i think i should step out and talk to nagi for a moment though, is that okay?”

he nods despite the apprehensive look on his face. you stand, gesturing nagi towards the door.

when you’re outside, nagi is the first one to speak.

“we can just talk next time,” he offers, as if this wasn’t the first time in weeks that he’s even tried to talk to you.

he watches your lips curl into a frown, and he knows he’s said the wrong thing, “i just don’t wanna intrude in your… date?” he continues, sounding uncertain.

you laugh mirthlessly, “what do you mean, date?” you ask. you feel half hurt, half confused. you’re not sure why, but it feels like a punch to the gut that he’s telling you this as if he’s completely forgotten about your confession.

“oh, i just thought–he likes you, right? i thought you had something going on…”

“are you serious, sei? or have you forgotten?”

“forgotten what?”

your responding sigh let out is harsh, drawn out, and maybe if nagi had more empathy in him, he’d even hear the hurt, “that it’s you, sei. that i love you, and you’re–” your voice wavers, your initial sob is heavy, and nagi watches the way your face crumples, trying not to cry even though it’s futile, “you’re asking me if i like someone else when you know–”

“oh,” he trails off, his finger incessantly tapping at his thigh, a nervous tic.

“yeah, oh. i hate you and fuck you for that,” you tell him, except your voice is weak and there’s no real bite in your tone, “that’s fucked up, sei.”

“sorry,” he tells you, and he means it, no matter how much it seems he’s at a loss for words. he licks his lips before his mouth parts again, “i just mean,” he pauses, fumbling for the right words to say, “we’re friends first, before anything else, right? if you like him, you should give it a shot.”

you can’t help the exasperation when you react, tears free falling down the pavement beneath you, ��is it that hard for you to acknowledge my feelings, sei?”

there’s nothing but the faint sound of the cafe inside and the hiccup of your sobs yet your heartbreak is deafening. right there, you realise it would hurt if he was around as much as it did when he wasn’t.

“just tell me this, nagi,” you exhale, trying to brave it, “why can’t it just be us?”

you don’t know how to feel when he answers you without thinking, like he knew this already. “i can’t reciprocate your feelings, y/n. i can’t be the boyfriend you want,” he tells you. it’s honest, as he always is, and it's a stalemate from there.

there’s a whimper of your hurt you try to bite back with your tongue before you nod one last time, “i should go back,” you tell him.

you’re walking away before he could say anything more.

it doesn't take long for you to realize that nagi is truly gone from you this time around.

while you try to move on, you tell yukimiya about your feelings, but he’s persistent, and he thinks it’ll be fine if it meant he even had a chance.

except it feels oddly empty sometimes, even when you find yourself in the affections of yukimiya. until february and march pass and you realize you're still willing nagi back, you grieved. your love, his absence, the futile attempt you'd made at untethering the red thread keeping you woven to him—you grieved it all.

the next month without him gone and you find yourself slipping away from yukimiya. you confess that you’ll probably love nagi for a long time and until then you couldn’t let him wait around for nothing.

soon enough, though, you find yourself hanging out with isagi at the cafe to catch up—something you could only usually do together since you can't find the will to join all three of them with nagi there.

this time, though, your heart wins.

“have you guys been hanging out with nagi lately?” you regret it as soon as you ask.

“you should just message him,” he replies, looking at you expectantly. but your reaction doesn’t fail him when you recoil at his suggestion.

“absolutely not, yoichi-kun,” you sigh. with a pout, you try again, “he’s free today, right? do you think he’d come here if you asked him to?”

he scratches at his cheek, “i can call him.”

it’s comical enough that he’s almost amused, the way your lips stretch to a wide grin as he slips his phone out to call nagi. but when the ringing stops and you hear nagi’s faint voice, you try not to pay attention to the phone call only because you don’t want to get your hopes up.

it’s quick, though. and isagi’s pausing to talk to you, “he’s asking if it’s fine with you, y/n?”

of course isagi tells him you’re there, but you nod anyway, because it sounds like he’s coming.

when nagi’s finally there, with bachira and reo with him, you don’t know why you’re so relieved; everything falls into place and the air is easy to breathe.

it’s late when everyone starts saying goodbye and you stay standing by the door of the cafe, wondering if everything is going to be okay from here.

“y/n,” nagi calls from beside you, “let’s walk back together.”

it’s not a question, but years of being friends with him tells you this is his way of letting you know he missed you. you chew at your lip, trying not to smile, because it feels like you have him back.

your smile wins with warmth filling your chest, “okay—yeah, i’d like that.”

he falls into step beside you, the silence is comfortable but there’s been so much left unsaid since you last saw him. you steal a quick glance, taking him in, you missed him so much that you’re not sure you should even bring it up anymore; like if it meant you’d have to eat your feelings just to keep him around, you would.

somehow, nagi senses your hesitation, taking the initiative to speak first, “it was really boring without you around.”

your heart skips a beat, treacherous, “really?” you reply, the smile evident in your voice.

he hums, “mm, didn’t have anyone to lean on when i sleep.”

“is that all i am to you?” you say lightly, laughing, but the words meant more than you intended and your laughter dies down. grimacing, you clear your throat, “sorry, i didn’t mean it like that.”

nagi only nods, his gaze intense as he looks at you. you continue, trying to ease the awkwardness, “i’m just glad we’re okay again, sei. and for what it’s worth, i probably don’t love you anymore.”

you try to save it with a lie, but your words hang between you like paperweight, and nagi's expression shifts slightly at your response.

he stops, urging you to look back at him. he takes a step towards you, so close you almost stumble back, hand reaching out to tilt your chin, just like that day when everything between you shifted. but then he speaks, his voice quiet and measured, "i do, though.”

it's a simple statement, but it carries a world of emotion with it, and you can see it etched on his face. he watches you when he says it, the gleam that appears in your eyes at his confession, "and i want you to feel the same again." his tone is confident, almost daring, something you can’t do anything about.

you can feel it, the depth of his desire, his insistence on everything he wanted; now it’s you, and you almost want to tell him you love him, still, that you never even stopped.

“but why are you telling me this?" your question is a whisper, hesitant. “you said you don’t want a relationship, sei…”

“i don’t think i mind if it’s with you.” the sincerity seeps through his voice even when he shrugs, his eyes are trained on your lips.

hope blooms within you and you think nagi can tell, because there’s a twitch of a smile on the corner of his lips.

he really wants to kiss you, but you’d probably be upset for real this time if he does, so he moves to press a kiss on your forehead instead before stepping away.

with your flustered expression though, you’d think he just kissed you and more.

it feels like home–nagi’s arms around you, the warmth of it, the comfort. it’s familiar but it feels so much more this time around.

"wanna hear something weird, sei?" you ask him softly, like you’re telling a secret.

nagi hums, his eyes closed. "what is it?" he asks, voice laced with sleep.

"when i missed you," you started, "i dreamt about you–i dreamt of you sitting in the kitchen telling me you couldn’t be bothered to eat, but that you really wanted me to cook for you.”

he opens his eyes, meeting your gaze, a small smile playing on his lips. “that’s how bad you missed me?”

you scrunch your face, not taking the bait, “no. maybe i was just hungry, sei.”

you feel nagi pull you closer, lips pressing to your shoulder blade, muttering against your skin, “i’m glad you’re here again, y/n.” and it sounds like i missed you then, too.

“me too, sei. i'm happy you're here.”

[my-pjo-stuff]

The most braindead take I ever must have seen in the PJO fandom is people giving Luke shit for "abandoning" Chris in the labyrinth.

Because Luke didn't abandon SHIT. Chris was out on a mission to get Ariadne's string in the Labyrinth! That mission went south when Minos drove the guy insane. We have every reason to believe that Chris went in there willingly. Because it was a MISSION. A mission Luke most definitely never went on himself, since he was sort of preoccupied with, yk- LEADING AND ORGANIZING THE ARMY AND PREPPING TO BECOME KRONOS' VESSLE. (For those getting mad at Luke for not going with Chris- bffr he has better stuff to do. He's not only the leader of the TA and also will be Kronos' vessle. You really thinking Kronos would allow his body to possibly get lost in some random labyrinth when someone else could do the job just as well? And that's ignoring Luke'd duties as a leader and top dog of the TA he also can't just abandon)

Luke would have abandoned Chris if he was on the mission too and just ditched him once he went insane, or if Chris sent out a distress signal and Luke decided to never go rescue him. Neither applies here. Everyone in the TA and CHB knew that a war was brewing! Chris was most CERTAINLY aware of the risks- for all the TA knows Chris was either still navigating the labyrinth while he was in CHB or dead. They never "abandoned" ANYONE.

Because by that logic that would mean that Chiron would also have abandoned all the campers who went on missions or quests and died from it 'cause something went wrong, BECAUSE THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENED TO CHRIS. No one ever thought about or could have foreseen Chris going crazy. That was NEVER the plan! A mission went south and ended badly, that's just what happens sometimes in this world! And everyone knows it! Would CHB have abandoned Percy and Annabeth had their quest into the labyrinth gone wrong? Well if we go by the logic of some fans they would have. 'Cause nothing else happened to Chris. And now if people come here and say "yeah, well- Chris was still a child and shouldn't have been sent off into the labyrinth in the first place" First off, NO SHIT SHERLOCK! It's not like the fact that it's wrong for demigods to be used as child soldiers is a major reason for Luke to revolt in the first place! Not like IT'S CANONICALLY ADDRESSED THAT DEMIGOD LIVES ARE DANGEROUS AND ARE USED AS CANON FODDER BY GODS.

Luke frankly said doesn't have any other fucking choice! ALL demigods are young as fuck BECAUSE they die so young- there are no older people around to do it! The TA reasons that they have to change this now and have danger in their lives now so they can build a better future where that won't be a thing anymore! (If you try to go, "well he could have sent a monster-" bffr we all know that A) those guys are NOT smart enough to navigate the labyrinth on average and B) the few that are are not only very rare but generally also high ranking) Second off, please keep that energy up with everyone else! You're gonna judge Chiron and the gods too for sending even YOUNGER kids to do even more DANGEROUS stuff? Where are you talking about CHB making Luke go on his Ladon quest (all alone for all we know) at 17? Chris was 15 in BotL as far as I know, only 2 years younger? Where is the hate on the gods for forcing the Master Bolt quest onto Percy at the age of 12? That was equally (if not more) dangerous as the labyrinth!

Like, listen: If you dislike Luke, be my guest! As much as I love him I can easily see why people might not have the best of opinions on him. He did lots of fucked stuff- but for the love of GOD be reasonable if you want to give us reason why you dislike him! Which, by the way, isn't neccesary! You can just- dislike characters because you dislike them. No moral reasoning needed. All I ask of people is that they are fair and reasonable when they give moral reasons for not liking someone. Because the claim that "Luke abandoned Chris in the labyrinth" is just straight up garbage if you even think about it a little bit.

[kessellluvr]

fluff-/kinkmas - day three - NSFW / on display.

pairing: adult!nat x afab!reader

natty fucking you infront of the window of her motel >~<

warnings: 18 plus, smut, dom!nat, fingering, publix sex, she/her nat,

you and nat had an intresting relationship, she called like all the shots, you obeyed. she was a total godess to you and you could spent hours just admiring her.

you had just woken up from another rough night with her, your cunt feeling slightly sore - but you were getting used to it by now, nat wasnt one to go soft and slow on her partners. you stood by the kitchen counter, tapping your fingers on the wooden surface as you waited for your coffee to finish brewing - you sighed and didnt notice natty entering the kitchen too. she wrapped her arm around your waist - causing you to jump, she just chuckled and nuzzled your neck. "hey.. how´d you sleep?" you leant into her touch, ignoring the sound of the coffee mashine in the background "mhmm.. good." you replied and she smiled, planting some soft kisses along your neck - you knew exactly what this meant, anytime she´d start kissing your neck, she was turned on as hell. you giggled softly, feeling her hand slip under the way too big shirt you were wearing, caressing your belly before going up your golden trail. you were only in that shirt and a pair of panties, standing infront of the kitchen window and waiting for your damn coffee - but here nat was, already in the mood to claim you as hers again. her hand trailed from your stomach down to your neatly trimmed cunt, running her fingers over your clit teasingly - your eyes widened and you let out a soft whimper. "natty.." you said desperately, hands grasping to the kitchen counter as she painfully slowly shoved two fingers up your cunt "youre so fucking wet.. my god." meanwhile her fingers went in deeper, curling up, eagerly searching for your g-spot. you let out a loud moan as she grazed it - you could tell she was grinning right now, pushing her fingers up and hitting it, stealing another moan from your lips. natty now started roughly massaging your g-spot, making you moan over and over again - at this point you didnt care who might walk by and see you, all you cared about was cumming for nat. “youre such a good slut..” nat said, her voice rough with arousal. you replied with an eager nod, eyes fluttering shut now.* “you about to cum, baby?” her fingers slipped out, leaving you aching for more. “p-please.. natty more..” you plead her, braindead already and fighting to get the words out. nat gave your exposed ass a firm slap before her hand trailed back to your cunt, this time pushing three fingers inside - making you cry out as your back arched. “you take it so well for me..” your eyes rolled back in your skull, you felt your arousal drip down your folds and onto your inner thighs and onto the floor. “such good slut..” natty kept mercilessly pumping three whole fingers in and out your tight hole. “cum for me, babe. let go.” and you did, letting out a long drawn moan as you felt yourself squirting for nat - she pulled out and spun you around, getting onto her knees infront of you and taking your clit between her lips. she started sucking your swollen, sensitive bundle of nerves - eager to push you over the edge again. nat could taste your cum on her tounge, she loved it - your hands went to tangle in her hair. “n-natty..” you whimpered, biting your lip as your legs shook from overstimulation. “shush.” you complied, shutting up by clasping on of your hands over your mouth. nat kept eagerly lapping at your juice covered folds, dipping in with her sharp, pointy tounge. you felt your climax approaching once more and you didnt bother warning her - you just let go, this time creaming onto her tounge. nat gracefully swallowed it and gave your cunt one last cleaning lick before standing up and kissing your forehead.

“now you can finish your coffee, babe.” she said with a wink and sat by the table, leaving you trembling against the counter.

AN: this is not a want.. its a fucking need - MORNING SEX WITH NATTY!!!😩 did i get up at FOUR IN THE MORNING to write this and now its 7:30? yeah.. them horny mornings :>

[yyxandere]

psst psst, i heard you wanted some ace attorney requests so mind if i chip in with my own idea for a oneshot you could so? (or any type of format you think is best, i don’t mind :) /gen)

how about a y/n that just cares for iris a lot and always dotes on her, kinda like a mother or sister figure to the girl and sholmes is just so fucking enamored with her that he kinda tries tricking her to stay behind and spend time with them some more, usually by using iris as an excuse. you can choose however you wish to end it or change up any of the details if you’d like, i’ve read some of your content and i like it a lot!! (i might even send in more requests if you don’t mind hehehe)

･ ｡ﾟ☆ 𝐃𝐎𝐍’𝐓 𝐑𝐔𝐈𝐍 𝐇𝐄𝐑 𝐒𝐌𝐈𝐋𝐄

[♡]ー ꒱・！CHARACTERS！:: SHERLOCK HOLMES AND IRIS WILSON.

☆ - Art Credits: NELL

✧.* gender/pronouns ─ 'You' pronouns yet female titles

✩.* note ─ HIII MOOTIE ITS BEEN SO LONG LOL!! I RLLY HOPE U LIKE THIS, IM SO BRAINDEAD WHEN I WAS DOING THIS SO IM SO SO OSRRY IF ITS ASS BC OF HOW RUSHED IT IS 😭😭

✩.* TRIGGER WARNINGS ─ Overbearingness, Manipulation, and Drugging, Guilt Tripping and SPOILERS FOR TGAA 2

"(Y/n)! (Y/n)! You have to see this new discovery!"

Such eagerness could be heard at 221B Baker Street or the house of “The Great Detective” - Herlock Sholmes and Iris Wilson. May the days be cloudy or rainy nothing can ruin the mood the cheerfulness of the young assistant Iris whenever you're around. The giddiness she feels whenever you visit could always make you smile.

"(Y/n), please do taste this new tea that I brewed!"

"(Y/n) You have to come with me to the upcoming science festival! I already have three tickets, for all three of us!"

No matter how tired you are you can never deny her, especially not when she asks so earnestly and her eyes! Oh, her eyes whenever she pleads! They glow! She's the very embodiment of pure joy, happiness, and warmth, she could make anyone feel better no matter what kind of mood they were having, and you couldn't help but adore the way she talks.

Even if it's a simple thing such as drinking her new blend, you always manage to eat the pastries she made, but most of the time you help her make the sweet pastries, but in most cases both of you would be covered in flour yet not minding it for how you were both laughing. Iris brings a side of you, a very nice and warm feeling, like how a mother loves her child . . .

Herlock too was a nice individual to be with, even though quite an eccentric individual he was still a companion that you enjoy being with but it made you very much have less time for your own personal things, for example, Herlock dragging you from your friends to show off his new invention or basically dragging you to his crazy and wacky shenanigans the same could be said about Iris, she would also always invite you to where ever she is, may it be her inviting you to their house so you can help her bake or going where ever she and Herlock goes, it could be very overwhelming but who are you to say no to them?

Herlock knows what he is doing. The many times when he always picked up a case near your house or city just to get close to you, the times when he put laudanum a sleeping drug on one of Iris's teas whenever you were at their house so you could sleep there, don't worry about bothering them it's really fine! While you sleep in the guest bedroom Herlock likes to watch you sleep maybe it was the way your relaxed state made him feel giddy or the fact that he can touch you and kiss you while you sleep. That, or just because you look really cute when you sleep. It's definitely because of the latter reason.

Whenever Herlock sees you baking, cooking, or just spending time with Iris, he just can't help but imagine what would it feel like but him hugging you from behind as you give him kisses while you call him your beloved husband…

"Dinner's ready Herlock!" You said as you took the freshly baked potato out of the oven while you did that Iris was preparing the table, putting the

cutleries neatly, she intentionally put your plate next to Herlock and hers, making sure that you would be in the middle. Herlock was already seated at the dining table, waiting for the two of you to arrive.

"Here you go! Hope you guys like enjoy it!" You said as you put down the bowl full of mashed potatoes that were still steaming. "Well then dig in!" you said as you sat in the middle, not knowing that you were unconsciously following their plan.

"My, this is incredibly good dear (Y/n), if you keep on cooking like this I might as well marry you, so I can taste this every day." Herlock said as he took another bite of the food, you then giggled "You're amusing Herlock." you said thinking what he said was some sort of flattery or joke, but Herlock was dead serious, he actually meant it and you felt a little flustered since you were caught off guard.

"(Y/n), there's a new festival tomorrow and I bought three tickets already, I was supposed to invite Mr, Van Zieks but he was busy, so was Gina and Mr, Kazuma, so you don't mind if you join us right? Just me you and Hurley!" Iris said cheerfully as she looked at you with such pleading eyes. If only you knew the exact plan she had.

"Ohh, Iris, I have plans tomorrow I have to help a friend of mine to do research about the new case he's trying to solve plus I have to be there to also babysit his daughter too…" You said dejectedly after you said that you noticed the immediate fade of the glimmer Iris had on her eyes and the smile she just had now vanished but was replaced with a dejected one, a sad smile that made you feel like you just ruined a dream of hers, you then noticed Herlock wiping his mouth with the napkin and taking out his pipe.

"Well that's a bother, Iris was excited for the festival and wanted anyone to be with her but all rejected the offer, mh it's such a shame…" Herlock said as he closed his eyes and blew his pipe smoke to the ceiling "It's alright, she'll find other friends to hang out with."

You were about to reply to Herlock's comment but Iris beat you to it.

"No need Hurley, I won't go to the festival…" Now that's when you saw little tears pricking in the corner of her eyes, such a scene truly broke your heart, and before you could stop yourself, you reached over to Iris and grabbed her hands, which made Iris shocked by the sudden move.

"I'll go! I'll talk to them so I can go to the festival! So please don't give me that look, Iris…" You said in a softly stern voice. Iri's eyes immediately lit up and her smile came back again. "Really! you would go!" Iris said excitedly as you nodded which made Iris yell out a little yay and as Herlock smiled and put down his pipe. "You would not regret it (Y/n), I swear you wouldn't!" Iris said as she hugged you.

After dinner, Iris wanted to sleep early so she could prepare herself for the big day tomorrow so you decided to leave soon after but Iris wanted you to stay so you could read her a bedtime story, even if it was late and there's a high chance that there will be fewer cabs at this late hour but your heart ached seeing how disappointed she was by the turn of events earlier you didn't want her to be unhappy or feel bad and besides, she asked you nicely after all.

When Iris started to doze off, you carefully moved away from the book and stood up where Herlock was with his trusty pipe in his hand.

"It looks like your soothing voice really made Iris sleep, that's a kind of talent that I needed before when Iris was a baby." Herlock chuckled reminiscing about those memories, You giggled in reply, "Well then my dear lady, I should walk you home, at this late hour there are many thugs that are willing to prey on an unsuspecting woman like you." Herlock said as you both walked down the stairs, even though you were worried that you might bother Herlock but at the same time you do prioritize your safety too, "Oh, well, you are right."

Walking home was very relaxing, small conversation there while Herlock smoked his pipe but it was a very pleasant silence and when you reached your home you said goodbye and goodnight.

"Well then thank you for walking with me Herlock, sorry if it was a bother, well then see you tomorrow!" You said but before you could open your door, Herlock took your hand and kissed it, he then gave you a very seductive eye and hugged you.

"Well then, I'll be off, make sure that you actually keep your promise tomorrow, yes? You do not want to ruin Iris's smile do you?. . .'

[ckret2]

hey what the fuck

I have 7000/8000 word days from time to time; but usually that's an all day marathon, "I'm so inspired I'm staying up til 3 am," mentally drained the next 4 days.

Today it's not even my bedtime; i'm feeling chill and reasonably energetic for 10 pm; no signs of the Hyperfocus Hangover headache brewing; well fed and hydrated; and it came so easily and effortlessly that if you'd asked me how much I wrote today I'd have said "idk like 3k?"

The real test of how much energy I spent will be seeing whether I'm a braindead zombie tomorrow; but right now, I'm not getting any of the usual "you've written too close to the sun" warning symptoms.

Which god's favor have I unknowingly earned. Which muse has bestowed her blessings upon my work. Does she accept roses and chocolates. Is she single. Is she free tomorrow

is this the spirit of nanowrimo

[vibratome]

had a dream i went to a local bakery and ordered a cold brew with oat milk and the barista was like that’ll be $18 and i was like wwhat?? how?? and shes looking at me like im braindead and is like “its $10 for the cold brew and $8 for the oat milk” and im like “im sorry i cant do that” and shes like ??? and i just awkwardly leave the store and all the employees arw staring at me . anyway i think im having coffee related nightmares cos yesterday i spilled coffee on my mac keyboard and im deeply shaken by that

[shameboree]

ATTIC GOBLIN ?

YEAH SO when we moved in there was like this wadded up pair of pink panties in the basement that hadnt been there a few days before when we did our final walkthrough or whatever right. and then my fuzzy socks would go missing and some leggings and then our fucking FORKS which were DISCONTINUED so we cant even replace them!!!!! also the toilet paper would run out like super fast and i drink A Lot of diet dr pepper so i DO pee a lot but this was just fucken ridiculous!!!!! anyway so our one old roommate suggested ghost but me n polks were like fuck off this is OUR house!!

anyway so one day im slumped down on the couch w earbuds in having a good time and my friend kos comes downstairs to brew his sleepy ass some fresh shit tier coffee at like 5pm on a weekday. tbh i was talking about one of my homebrew blorbos being harassed and having just a great time with it so i didnt want to speak to anyone and just EXTREMELY avoided eye contact n sank as deep as i could into the bigass pillows of our honestly very nice goodwill upper middle class grandma couch. the point of that is when you walk downstairs and turn into the kitchen you cant really see me at this angle and i am DEAD SILENT bc my keyboard was apparently made of marshmallows or smth AND im metal gear box stealth mode trying to not be noticed here so i can talk about my barbies being menaced uninterrupted.

SO because of all that when kos came back downstairs for his coffee which had been brewing for probably not very long but i was in the Blorbo Zone where time is fake so i couldnt in good faith give an estimate he did NOT see me. well while hes in the kitchen puttering around i just start losing my shit on account of my blorbarbies in agonies brings me Such Joys and i think this startled him so bad he has to take a stress shower because i heard the bathroom door SLAM and the water start running. at some point after this polks comes home from work and starts pissed off nagging us over WHO MADE THIS COFFEE MESS IN MY KITCHEN!! kos comes downstairs for the Commotions and apparently the coffee pot was sitting on the counter with some fresh coffees while the rest of it fresh waterfalled all into our silverware and pots n pans spaces HOWEVER!! MYSTERY TIME!! he has not been downstairs since he started brewing his trash sludge.

INTERMISSION: THINGS TO NOTE ABOUT OUR HOUSE: the back door is literally INCHES from the downstairs bathroom. the attic is not a panel or ceiling access its just a door right by all our bedroom doors and it wont latch which was So Annoying bc the cats were UNREASONABLE THIRSTY to get up there so we had to install a loop n hook latch to keep it shut but whichever one of us did that goofed it up pretty bad bc the door is still perpetually cracked open like probably a full inch and a half. id love to take the credit for this but i think it was polks who is absolutely phenomenal at fucking up installations of things. OTHER NOTABLE THINGS ABOUT POLKS: her single biggest fear on this planet is shit like Crawlspace Man. just Some Guy living in your home without you knowing. also we have a dark little crawlspace down in the basement, for ambience

MOVING ON at this point i still dont give a shit about anything happening around me because i am inflicting sufferings upon my from scratch blorbo BUT my brain is putting the pieces together which i then immediately do a toddler vs 1000 piece puzzle it took you a year to assemble and just totally waste that shit from my thinkspace bc i wanna play DOLLS instead. polks and kos are also putting their little pieces together but they are Not braindead dipstick idiots like yours truly so they decide to check the whole haus bottom up, starting with the crawlspace. great news! the crawlspace is empty!! other older news: i def heard the cabinet ruining coffee fuckuper come down from upstairs.

i forgot to mention that for this househunt polks armed herself with our fucking broom and was wielding it handle side out because It Has Reach and a knife would Escalate The Situation. anyway they make their way upstairs and i am doing absolute jackshit nothing to help because, again, i am fucking brain poisoned to prioritize oc cummies over every single thing on this planet. its in my fucking genetic code. so while im fuckin useless theyre up there talking about how fucking weird this is and scuffling around or whatever but the second they go into the attic its dead silent and NOT because they go silent but because the attic is some fucked up sound void and past the first 3 steps you can hear total fuck all from outside. at this point my little toddler brain realizes this puzzle is actually indestructible so when kos and polkie are out of the void audible again i Already Knew i had to start being a fucking adult instead of playing barbies which DID feel like a personal affront.

tbh i dont even remember how polks reacted bc i was so CMON MAN!! at our attic dweller for cucking me bc now i gotta call the fuckin cops AND change the locks AND i still gotta get up at 420 in the mother blessed am for work, so basically this entire stunt was a hate crime against me specifically.

we dont really go in our attic much and never even bothered fetching the cats when they went up there but we HAD been up there before so when i went up there and saw fuckin blankets and takeout containers and also some clothes stuffed into drafty holes it was like, kind of Obvious that yeah some bitch was stealing my forks and not paying rent and eating all my toilet paper and FOR SOME REASON had the audacity to ALSO go ahead and pour out a cup of coffee in BROAD DAYLIGHT while we were OBVIOUSLY HOME. the fucking NERVE!!

so!! thats our Event that i honestly forget happened most of the time. we actually refer to them as Attic Dobby i think on account of my THIEVED socks but then of course attic dobby became sexy dobby as is the natural progression of things. we have many big tity dobbie drawings around the house and we love to show them to guests. i may have lost some forks i cant fucking replace so ill never have a matching set again BUT now my house has so many slutty big tit thong and louboutin adorned dobbys that kos and i have bonded so much over drawing that it all evens out in the end and i definitely dont get mad about the forks ever. less important than dobbys big naturals but still notable: exposure therapy works as polks no longer has the Crawlspace Man Terrors!

[nearly-wonderland]

ヲズワルド WOZWALD - Niru Kajitsu - English Translyrics

The whispered folklore tales in the middle of the night Were said to be what gave us mermaids, right? Self righteous high of a junkie, or a braindead fame-seeking monkey We’re weaving lies on a dime to appease all their eyes Praising, 'til the rumours arise

Hey you know that guy, what was his name? He seems a little used to praise, so hey, You just be the very first to put your name to fame And all his work will be yours to claim, hoo-hooray! If you hate a monk you'll hate his robes the same A pseudo-pioneer Buddha's fake flame

Q. E. D.*

Lights off, and yet Let's turn them on again. On and on again Make it right so we can Tread on and on I'll lay claim to it all Let's fall, sarusa, saru sa Bai.

Leave it be, oh, leave it be Don't let that sort of contrary burn into me. They'll gather and Scatter to the wind And drown inside the pond of your happy facades. Oh, try and breathe Breathe without me Get lost within the fake face you try and portray

It sickens me Love's withering This cult-like rotting fame, will I Ever escape?

A thought, take a shot of half decay, half a fickle pride that rots away A wash of sewage brewing through the water you take Sugar melting our brains Can no longer escape Defects, vice bets,** rejects Reveling in all of their selfish wants And they're always spewing out greed, little tea party That's corrupted all I can see.

Already fled, you tiptoe again, like a bird expecting the end. Already heard your worth read from an unknown person, but you still believe it and Go on, and do whatever you want Sell them, drag them all through the mud. Just to feel the pain, though you know you shouldn't, you'll still touch the plate lit by burning flames. 

It’s morning again, and can’t roll out of bed "These sheets are messing with my head," The words you say them, you say them but The more you try to excuse The more the truth you drown blue Until it’s now all that you knew.

Oh, if you age, You rot away, Your money left behind pads your pockets next life.***

Suspend in grief Lost to the weeds Your cares of what they see, never of the real thing.

Such revered art, Bidding from the start, This awful sort of dark lit by a glowing theme park

Once love is dead, What more is left? Hey, tell me, can we live without a god to project?**** Hey, you know that guy? Don't have a clue,  He seems a little used to shame, how cute. So just be the very first to put his name to use, and everything you make is pseu~do (no way)***** If you love a monk, you'll love his robes the same— A pseudo-pioneer sinning blindly.

Come and find me, Come and find me, Come and find me.

Come and find me,  Come and find me, Come and find me.

Come and find me, Come and find me, Come and find me. 

Leave it be, oh, leave it be They follow and to flee, havens built of their dreams. They'll gather and Scatter to the wind And drown within the pond of no-longer facades. 

(Oh, live and breathe, Live without me.) Look longingly to die, you continue your life. Reveal your grief, Love's withering A signal to the adults we leave. ————————————————————————

*"Quod erat demonstrandum", "which was to be demonstrated."  [used to convey that a fact or situation demonstrates the truth of one's theory or claim, especially to mark the conclusion of a formal proof.]

**The original line reads "in-app purchases", which I equate to gambling, a common vice people bet on. Hence, 'vice bets' to make for a better flow. ***Based on the Buddhist belief that your karma carries over to and affects your reincarnated life. ****”Project”, as in projecting one’s thoughts or beliefs onto another, not as in a long-term goal or work.  *****Pseudo is drawn out here to fit for the flow of the song, transitioning directly into the "no way" instead of leaving a short pause between the lines. Specifically made use of the word pseudo to play into the next set of lines.

[notwerewolf]

🖋 WHAT THE BELLS DUDE. I read up on the outtlet lore and ?? SHOW US MORE OF YOUR OCS NEEOOOWWW THEY ALL SOUND SO FUCKING COOL ? im holding up a cup. And . Shaking it spare some lore please /nf

Is there anywhere to read up on everythin ? Whats the main story ? Have you drawn the main characters if there are any ? In outlett servers, is there any weird stuff brewing beneath the surface ? Like some nefarious stuff ? I don't think it'd be worse than google BUT you know. I wanna hear anything please <3 [dont feel obligated to answer the concept just sounds fascinating to me]

THANK YOUUUUU THIS IS SO KIND

outlett is largely a Collection of stories so far, but it generally centers around cattacomb and SHOUTB1RD!! i don't have anything published BUT im developing a larger document that i have built up. here's my rudimentary layout for the actual site itself!!

(forgive the fact that there aren't actually posts there. i could come up with posts but i hate the text tool on krita). i haven't developed much on the owners of the site itself but one of my Favorite pieces of worldbuilding is the "screenshot button." with the phenomenon that happens so often to arguably some of the most braindead accounts on instagram (though no site is free of it), screenshot reuploads of posts on other sites is hardbuilt into the app in order to forward "advertising." everyone who uses outlett hates this feature.

in terms of nefariousness... here is one of my FAVORITE socketts.

they create collections and show off to each other to see who can get the "best, highest-quality" ventposts. relationship drama is for casuals. self harm is second-tier on the iceberg. extra point for uniqueness and complexity. there are some people who, upon curating their collection, will create big Rankings for the "top 10 vents of the year." even if the original posts are taken down... the screenshot button is a great help.

[an-aura-about-you]

Hey! I am back to ask more questions from the ask game! Would you answer: 🍫 🍪 🐶 🙃 🥤 🧡?

Thank you! ❤️❤️

So I didn't forget about this! I have just been Mostly Braindead this week due to work and family bs! Thank you much for the ask!

🍫Cheese or chocolate?

Can't I do both? Sometimes at the same time? But like, if I absolutely had to choose only one, my instinct says I'd pick cheese.

🍪If you were a cookie, what kind would you be?

I answered this one before, and my answer is the same: either a cowboy cookie or a sandtart.

🐶Are you more of a dog person or a cat person?

Definitely more of a cat person. I like dogs, and I'm nice to them and say hello and stuff, but it is easier for me to take care of a cat than it is for me to take care of a dog. Also cat affection is more my speed.

🙃What’s a weird fact that you know?

Did you know ruby chocolate has a better claim to being "real" chocolate than white chocolate? This is because the standard of "real" chocolate is that it contains both cocoa solids and cocoa butter. Ruby chocolate, which at this point afaik is only being manufactured by places that make true chocolate couverture, has both while white chocolate only has cocoa butter. (By this metric, a lot of chocolate on the American market is not "real" chocolate because it replaces the cocoa butter with cheaper fats like vegetable oil.)

🥤What’s your go-to Starbucks order?

Either a half sweet vanilla blonde latte or a London Fog latte with an extra teabag. But I live in a college town that's honestly spoiled for choice when it comes to gourmet coffee shops, so I usually go to one of those instead. My favorite coffee drink of all time from any of them is probably the Stevie Nicks, a white chocolate cold brew topped with raspberry cold foam, but a close second would be the Honey Macchiato, a Starbucks style macchiato drink made with local honey and hazelnut syrup.

🧡A color you can’t stand?

Doesn't exist. Every color is good. It's context that matters. That said, context is highly important for some browns and greens. When I was driving through town with my sibling, I pointed out a car that was one of those greens and they were like, "Oh, I call that baby poop green." And like, They're Not Wrong, but again it's a context thing.

[lvlystars]

i've been so braindead istg like i'm brewing up fics i swear, i PROMISE, but inspo is so SCARCE rn 😔

[tveitertotwrites]

Question 1:

Brooklyn: For Dunkin, she usually gets a large cold brew with 5 pumps of vanilla and 5 creams. For Starbucks, she either gets a pink drink or a iced americano. If she goes to a local coffee shop, she gets a iced vanilla latte.

Claire: For Dunkin, she gets a large iced caramel latte with extra caramel and sweet cold foam. For Starbucks, she either gats a strawberry acai refresher with lemonade or caramel ribbon crunch frappuccino. If she goes to a local coffee shop, she gets a large caramel iced latte with whip cream/coldfoam (if they have it).

Adelaide: For Dunkin, she gets a large mocha latte (that becomes a pumpkin latte in the fall). For Starbucks, she either gets an iced chai (with pumpkin when it's fall) or an iced mocha (that becomes an iced pumpkin spice latte in the fall). At a local coffee shop, she'll get a large cold brew with some milk and mocha (which once again becomes pumpkin flavored in the fall).

Question 2:

So for this I had to think a little bit (since I don't listen to many albums, I'll listen to some songs and then disregard the rest). Now I chose the Moulin Rouge! The Musical soundtrack BECAUSE the first half of the album (if you go in chronological order of when the songs happen) is really nice and good and then it all falls from there and currently that's how I feel my life is like right now.

Question 3:

Brooklyn: I think that I would take her to explore my hometown just for fun. I would also tell her about the tv show Braindead (if her and her brother Parker still looked like MEW and AT) but I wouldn't show it to her because of a few scenes in the show (iykyk).

Claire: Because I gave her many things from myself (such as what sports we played, some hobbies, other things I won't mention), I would ask if she's okay and probably ask for advice about adulthood over coffee from the local coffee shop.

Adelaide: I would ask how her and Claire stayed so close over the years. I would also go to the lake with her and just spend the day with some company

Random Question Time (Week 6)

Random Question Time Rules:

Reblog your responses - this ensures that I can see your responses and should allow others to see your responses a little easier as well. There may be some general questions but it will mostly be within the Choices universe.

Be kind to other people - don't hate on someone for what they think fits in their universe and their characters, just because it's not the same as yours, doesn't mean it's wrong.

There will be three questions, you don't have to respond to all of them at once or even at all.

If you aren't currently apart of the tags and you want to be, reblog the post and I can add you (preferably reblog saying that you wanted to be added so that I don't have to assume)

Now anyone can participate at anytime (whether its 2 hours after posting or 5 years later), but if you would like to be tagged, let me know! I will try to have at least one question that most people can answer but I can't guarantee it every time.

Questions and Tags below the break.

Question 1: What is your MC's/OC's go to Dunkin/Starbucks/Coffee Shop Order(s)?

Question 2: If you had to give yourself an album to describe you/your life/your year, which one would it be?

Question 3: If your MC's/OC's were real people. what would be the first thing you would ask/say/do with them?

Perma Tags: @cariantha @delmissesryanandcassi @driverstveit @jerzwriter @liaromancewriter @zealouscanonindeer

[trashcatsnark]

WIP Day

Tagged by @derelictheretic a couple, maybe several days ago (work training been kicking my butt, time has lost all meaning) but here's some more of Can You Feel the Sun? My cyberpunk 2077, SilverV fic with my goblin child

“We’re really doing this? Gonna crash the parade meant to honor Hanako’s corpo-vampire daddy, just so Takemura can get an audience with her,” he calls out as V turns her back to him, scraping dirt off her jacket. But it just sticks to her rain slick fingers. 

Can he even decide what he wants? Says that this is stupid, then says that maybe they can use Goro, and then once again is trying to talk her out of it. And she knows he doesn’t trust Goro and doesn’t want her working with him. But if she doesn’t figure out where Mikoshi is- which she has no other idea of how to do that, he’s also going to be mad. 

“I- ugh, I’m not having this conversation, there’s no point, no matter what I say you’re gonna find an excuse to be mad at me.”  

She starts to walk through the underpass, looking for a spot to climb back up to street level, so she can head home.  This isn’t worth it. He’s in a mood. She should have known. He was far too quiet during the recon with Goro. V should have known he had a tantrum brewing. Johnny rarely affords her peace for so long. 

“Wouldn’t be mad at you if you weren’t such a fuckin’ idiot,” he barks back, as the wind whips rain into her face, “done a lotta gonk shit in my day, but never got in the same bed as the fuckin’ enemy.” 

“G-Goro is not the enemy-” 

Then he’s in front of her, flickering- glitching into her line of sight. Not letting her keep her back turned to him. His dark eyes are now hidden behind his red aviators, His shoulders drawn tight, tense and ready to lash out- V glowers back, clenching her fists, ready for Johnny’s brand of small-scale warfare. 

“The fuck he isn’t, how stupid can you be?” He derides, stepping closer to her. 

“Yes, yes, he was Saburo’s bodyguard, I know- sound like a broken record, Johnny.” 

“Said it himself, chips had fallen any differently and he would’ve blown your damn head off,” he tells her, tapping a finger gun against his temple for effect, another step into her space. V jutting her chin up to look up at him and avoid his chest smacking into her face. 

“I know, I-” 

“Knew this whole fuckin’ time where your choom was too,” he spits back and bile churns in V’s stomach, “sure didn’t jump to tell you ‘bout that one, did he?”

“Johnny…”  

She can’t deal with that right now, nerves too fried and energy drained. It took everything out of her when she first heard it, she can’t fix it, not yet- not right now. And if she dwells on it, she’ll just break down. 

And if she breaks down, she’ll be useless, and Johnny will be shitty about that too. 

“Looked down his fuckin’ nose at you, told ya your friend is currently rotting in digi-hell, then acted like he did you a favor,” he sneers, “still think he wouldn’t throw you under the bus, you’re fuckin’ braindead.” 

He raises a hand and thunks his index finger against her forehead, V smacking his hand down with a snarl. She doesn’t need this, she never fucking needs this shit, but he never fucking stops. The only time he isn’t bitching at her and mocking her is when he’s fucking her- and even then he’s degrading her, but at least it’s attractive then. Right now, it’s just exhausting. 

“Johnny…” His name comes out lower, rougher than she meant it to, and she doesn’t give a fuck if he hates the sound. If the growl of his name grates on his nerves and pisses him off, so be it. She can’t contain it, needs him to just stop. 

He grins, smug as the corners of his mouth turn up. V’s fists clench as she gathers every ounce of her willpower not to punch him. 

“Why- why are you looking at me like that?” She pushes at his ribs, trying to force him out of her space, but he doesn’t budge.  Only serving to let V feel the warmth of his skin through his thin Samurai tank top. 

“Like what?” He deflects, scowling now, acting like he didn’t just go from frothing at the mouth to grinning at her. 

“I don’t know, like a weirdo.” 

“Hey,” he points a finger at her accusatorily, “only person who’s been acting weird lately is you.” 

“What’s that suppose to mean?” 

“Don’t give me that shit- know exactly what I’m talkin’ about,” he spits back, expression snarled again and V groans, tugging at her hair- squeezing water out of the strands. She so wishes she could actually put him in a corner and give him a time out for this shit. 

This is ridiculous. Standing in an underpass in the pouring rain, arguing with a ghost in her head. Not for the first time, but god, she does wish it’d be for the last time. 

She genuinely has no earthly idea what he’s talking about, the merc trying to review anything she’s done out of the ordinary that could have extra pissed him off. Does he mean Goro- meeting up with former suit? Not wanting to kill him and treating him semi-nicely? She knows he doesn’t like it, but that’s not weird for her. She was almost kind of nice to Goro right out of the gate. 

“Jo-,” she needs to not yell, wanting to defuse this, trying to be the bigger person, “Johnny, I-”

“There! Right fuckin’ there, you did it again,” he snarls, “ya wanna fuckin’ yell at me- just fuckin’ yell at me, V!” 

She blinks, raindrops flicking off her lashes as she tries to process his words, raising an eyebrow at the rockerboy and scratching at her neck. 

“You… want me to yell at you…?”

Tagging: everyone who reads this! Do the thing!

[lesbianrobin]

i've been so bored and braindead since i moved home i just keep brewing and drinking coffee for something to do and now i just smell like coffee at all times

[burgerlords]

Recap from Braindead x Asics event @ Homage Brewing.

[robbyrobinson]

OWL HOUSE X CTHULHU MYTHOS FIC: THE GODS AWAKEN (PT. XIV)

“Lord Belos, the Owl Lady and her acquaintances have arrived.”  

The entrance to Belos’ throne room opened widely. The Owl Spy came in first accompanied by Eda, Lilith, and King. They wore heavy shackles on their ankles (but it proved to be more cumbersome for King due to his tiny body), and cuffs were fixed on their wrists. To add salt to the injury, Eda and Lilith’s fingers had additional bindings so they would not attempt to draw circles in the air.  

Emperor Belos was slouched in his throne, his right hand holding up his forehead. The Titan’s heart once again was beating, but now it was a more noticeable tremor to it. Belos exhaled sharply and then deeply exhaled the air from his lungs. It had become a very circulated fact that Belos had seen better days. Somewhere in his fifty-year reign of the Boiling Isles, his health declined. With no heirs known either legitimately or otherwise, Death may as well knock on his door one of these days. Belos clutched at his chest from the sudden sensation of a deathly cough violently scratch its way up his airbags. The most powerful witch of the Boiling Isles wheezed a squeaking tune. His chest convulsed a few times. The Owl Spy and the guards carrying the prisoners stood in place pondering if he would cough up a lung or two.

Kikimora stood at the left side of Belos’ throne. She was informed of her lord’s coughing fits earlier and never took her eyes off him. When she heard the spy say that the Owl Lady had been captured, that was the one time that she did direct her attention from Belos. There Eda was: rather than being cursed into her monstrous, owl-like form, Eda was back to her normal appearance from her grayish-wild hairstyle to her clothes. Kikimora was conflicted: she never denounced Belos as a liar or for being incorrect. But here was the Owl Lady back as her own treacherous self. Seeing her this way for the first time made Kikimora start to ponder her master’s claims of being the Titan’s representative. But even humoring the idea that Belos was a fraud filled her with a sudden dread that Belos could be reading her thoughts at that moment. Oh, Titan, what would he do to her for her lack of belief? There were many ways for witches and demons to die in different, creative ways.  

Belos lifted his head sluggishly in a sideways glance at the prisoners. His exposed blue eye stared at them to study them. “It is such a pleasure being in the presence of you, Owl Lady.”  

Eda scoffed. “That makes one of us.”  

Belos ignored her snark and inspected Lilith again. “The Prodigal Child returns as well?”  

“Enough with your flimsy peppering of words, what do you want from us?” Lilith demanded.

Belos sighed. “You know that only the most qualified of witches can join my coven?”  

Lilith nodded. True, twenty odd years ago, joining the Emperor’s Coven was Lilith’s ambition for a long, long time. A dream that she shared with her younger sister, at least until that awful, terrible, reprehensible day she decided to curse her sister to give herself a better chance at narrowing her way to victory. A curse that was supposed to last for a day instead made Eda’s existence miserable, and ostracized her from witch society. Lilith’s bottom lip quivered from the acknowledgment Lilith placed such a heavy load on her sister’s shoulders all for a meaningless position due to Belos lying to her. From the deepest, darkest pits, a fire was raging.  

“I made my decision to defect, Lord Belos,” Lilith announced with conviction.  

Belos was speechless at first likely to digest the words his former servant was spieling out. “And I am sure you know what becomes of witches bereft of a coven?”  

Like he alluded to her back when she captured her sister the first time, Belos lifted his staff and directed it towards the murals comprised of painted, stained glass. While Lilith anticipated this the moment she betrayed the Emperor, the thought of being on the receiving end of the most cruel and unusual of punishments in accordance to the Isles did make her step back on her confidence for a smidge.  

“If it means atoning for all the horrible things you made me do in your name, I will accept that. But please, spare Edalyn and her dog’s lives. As well as Luz’s.”  

As she spoke, two imperial guards came in holding the unconscious bodies of the two girls. The girls were being carried the guard’s stout shoulders. The girls’ arms loosely swayed back and forth behind the backs of the guards. They were placed on the ground with minimal gentleness. Belos stood from his throne and knelt down to further inspect the girls. With his staff, he tapped the limbs of the girls and then their backs. He pressed his index finger and thumb on the chin of his mask inquisitively.  

“By the Titan, these two girls actually managed to do it.”  

Eda smirked. She did have some shred of doubt that Luz may have failed and that the likelihood of her becoming braindead as a result of the brew did concern her, but she also knew that Luz could pull it off. It gave her all the more reason to be proud that she was Luz’s mentor.  

“Yeah, that’s right Belos,” she bragged, “and when she gets the book, we will do everything in our power to keep you from getting your grubby hands on that book!”  

“Ho, oh!” Emperor Belos retorted “a most charming dream, but tis be the nature.”  

Belos slammed his staff on the ground and returned to his throne. There was a side door behind the mighty throne of Belos which creaked itself open. Out from it walked Odalia Blight holding the staff she was entrusted with by Nyarlathotep. It was made of the same breed of tree most witches of the Boiling Isles own, but instead of a palisman adorned on the top, there was a gem which glittered in the light. A large, ruby gemstone accompanied with a low murmuring sound. Befitting of her social status, Odalia had a haughty grin from ear to ear. Odalia stepped aside to allow a few more of the imperial guards to exit.

“Well, what have we here? Enemies, traitors, and lowly demons.”  

Eda tilted her head. “You...one of the Blights I assume?”  

“Of course, darling,” Odalia bragged, her hand squarely on her breast. “One of the most esteemed, exquisite, and powerful of the Boiling Isles.”  

She brags a lot about her bloodline, Eda thought to herself. Sure, Eda would tend to think of herself in high regard, but Odalia was taking it leagues above. She sensed a small bit of tension in the air: the Owl Spy had disappeared from the room the instant that Odalia strolled her way in acting top class.  

“Yeah, yeah, go suck a griffin egg,” Eda groaned, “I still remember all the bragging you did back at Hexside.”  

Odalia smirked. “At the least I didn’t become a criminal.”  

Odalia tilted her head back and laughed like a noblewoman. For whatever reason, Eda felt the growing urge to punch the lady over and over until she was an unidentifiable pulp. One that not even the dark arts could ever hope to revitalize.  

“Wait, you are a part of the coven now?” Lilith asked.  

“Indeed, I am,” Odalia boasted.

“How? I could have sworn that you lost the competition of joining the coven years ago. As much as I hate the Emperor, at the least he always remained consistent on the qualifications to join the coven. I mean, that is the very reason we have the coven system.”  

“I am very aware of my lack of qualifications, but I was granted audience with Lord Belos, and he entrusted me with acting on his will.”  

Odalia towered above her daughter’s body. From the way she was fixed, Eda was unable to read any emotion on her face. Odalia then turned away from her daughter, returning her accusatory glare at the Owl Lady. “Is this the nature of being on the run; scouting people into your ranks?”  

“Amity chose of her own volition to help Luz acquire the book,” Eda clarified, “maybe you do not understand your daughter as much as you’d like to think?”  

“You and your human pest have been nothing but a thorn in the side of my family,” Odalia yelled, “perverted thoughts spreading rampant, disrupting the bloodline.”  

“That is absurd; Amity was a girl who was always tired of the way that you were restricting her freedoms. Instead, what do you want her to do? Study. Work hard. Study some more. You try to control every aspect of her life including those that she hanged out with. And yet once you get off your high horse, you do not understand why your daughter is having her rebel stage now? It’s because you are trying to mold her into being just like you. You keep on going on and on about bloodline this, bloodline that...maybe you can take one second to think about what your daughter actually wants instead of making decisions for her?”  

Odalia held the staff firmly between her eyes and loudly ground her teeth. “She is not my daughter; she made up her own mind to follow an inferior ape, so I now acknowledge that I have two older children who will listen to every word I say and continue down the right path of making our family name immortal.”  

Odalia clapped her hands and brought Edric out. The Owl House residents almost fainted from what they had seen: Edric was emaciated and skinnier than usual. His skin was now paper-thin and very suspect to bruising easily. Edric’s eyes became small, golden pupils because of their sunken position. Odalia took the liberty of dressing her son for the day in his casual clothing, but the clothes were slipping off him because of his sudden thinness. Edric’s legs lacked enough muscle to protect the bones from snapping like a pair of chopsticks. New waves of pain washed over the young witch with every step he took.  

“What have you done to him?” Eda asked horrified.

“The staff that I was given requires magic to fuel it...an excessive amount if you so please.”  

Odalia held the staff in front of Edric and activated it. A swirling cloud appeared in the gemstone and began to draw once more on Edric’s magic. Edric howled in excruciating agony the sort of pain that could rip a person inside out. Green vapor filtered through his body orifices and collected inside the gemstone. Edric dropped on his knees the surge of affliction still flowing through his veins. He looked up at his mother before a whooping cough manifested. At certain intervals, Eda and the others could catch glimpses of his stomach and chest during his fits; his rib cage was poking against the flaps of skin.

Lilith clenched her teeth. “Can’t you see that you are putting your own son in such pain and for what cost?”  

“He is making the Blight family proud immortal,” Odalia simply said with a cold flair in her explanation, “small sacrifices need to be made, and my son is more than worthy of the title.”  

“From the looks of it, your son is barely hanging on by a thread,” Eda interjected, “what if you kill him?”  

“My son will provide the way of the Blight family name becoming renowned and feared by all of creation; the powers that be – the Titan, or perhaps one of the greater gods – will greatly reward him.”  

Two guards came into the throne room and each individually held the thrashing arms of Emira Blight. She reared herself up to take a swinging kick at her kidnappers, but it was no use. Her struggles subsided upon catching sight of her twin brother. “Edric!?”  

The guards let her go at that moment. Without much prompt, Emira raced towards her brother and clutched his head in her hand. “Speak to me, please!”  

Edric weakly opened his eyes to see tears running down his twin sister’s face. She tried to fight back the treacherous tears with all her might, but her throat was growing larger from her increasing despair. “Mom, can’t you see that you are sucking him dry?!”  

The gemstone’s inherent ability of stealing magic was greater than that of the basilisk that infiltrated Hexside months ago and nearly drained all the students of their magic. Emira held her face over Edric’s her tears now falling on his. He stared into the matching eyes of his sister for a long time likely to say whatever was at the top of his head, but the agonizing pain was preventing him from performing what amounted to a simple task.  

Eda and Lilith attempted to wiggle their fingers out of their restraints. “Odalia, you have gone too far, you have to be stopped!” Lilith proclaimed.  

Odalia ignored them and looked at the staff again. It murmured the same low drone it always did. Before the prisoners, Odalia conducted a conversation with the staff. There were a few nods implicating a mutual understanding and deal-making. She studied Emira and took a few glances at the magic staff. “The staff is still unsatisfied.”  

Odalia pointed to Emira. “Once your brother had served his use, you shall be the next one that the staff consumes.”  

Emira shook violently. “Mom, you’ve become insane!!”  

Odalia flicked her hand to the guards. “Keep Emira imprisoned here; once I lead the army on the Earth realm, I will return to offer more sacrifices to it for Belos’ victory.”  

The imperial guards surrounded the green-haired teenage girl. At any time, Emira would be more than willing to administer a thorough beat down on her enemies, but she was sorely outnumbered. They came down on her in a frenzy and stole away the girl. They disappeared behind the second door her screams fading away the further they ran. Belos stood up and raised his arms.  

“Now with that settled, Miss Blight, you have the honors of enacting the Day of Unity!”  

Odalia obeyed and went to walk back to the other room. She momentarily stopped to glance at Edric, again what she was really feeling in that moment being uncertain, and exited the throne room. Eda, Lilith, and King were forcibly grabbed as well and were being walked out.  

“So, you are going to execute us?” King asked.  

“My furry friend, no, this is not the Titan’s will. After all, how else will you enjoy the experience of the Day of Unity?”  

Lilith shook her cuffs. “For years, you have told us without fail of this Day of Unity, but you never told us what it entailed. So, before you condemn me, please enlighten me.”  

“That’s the old Lilith I remember,” Belos said in a disconcerting tone.  

“Yeah, and why do you have such interest in the Earth?” Eda asked “you could have visited as many times that you wanted now that you have the portal door in your possession.”  

While Belos’ true face was always concealed behind a mask, it was relatively easy to imagine that he was smiling malevolently.

“I have a score to settle with someone that you may or may not know,” he stated, “I will leave it as a surprise.”  

Eda, Lilith, and King were marched out of the throne room to the dungeon of the coven. Alone with his thoughts, Belos cackled in ecstasy despite his wheezing cough.  

“The Day of Unity is finally upon us! Go, go my servants into the human realm! Go and slaughter all in your path!! Reduce their cities to rubble! Leave not one stone unturned! Darken their skies and poison their lands!! Reduce their world to ashes and blow those ashes into the farthest reaches of space! By the name of the Titan, the Earth will be laid to waste, never to be remembered or missed.”