#but i don't know about this one buckos

[gamebunny-advance]

Today's NSR Trivia: Birth Months

Most of the main cast have semi-canon birth months.

(source)

I say "semi-canon" because the post doesn't clarify if these are actually the birth months of each character or if they were chosen based on other factors. For example, Eve being the representative of June would imply that she's likely a Gemini, aka the Twins, which could be a reference to her duality theme.

However, Mayday's canonical birthday is May 1st, which is reflected in this upload, so it's plausible that the rest are canon too.

Just for fun, under the cut is what their zodiac signs are most likely to be + some speculation about why each character was chosen to represent their respective months.

Neon J. - Capricorn (The Goat)

Often considered dependable and hardworking. They're usually considered the most responsible of the signs, so I tend to see them stereotyped as managers and CEOs, which would fit into his role of being 1010's literal manager. Interestingly, despite being an earth sign, Capricorn is actually a sea-goat, so it could also reference him being in the navy.

Edit: It completely flew over my head that Capricorn is the 10th zodiac sign. So he's probably a Capricorn just to go with his general '10' theming.

Zuke - Aquarius (The Water Bearer)

Usually characterized as free thinking and innovative. They also tend to be very independent and aloof, which would fit into Zuke's "chill dude" image. Alongside that, Aquariuses are also very quirky, so Zuke having an appreciation for art and the avant-garde may be why he was chosen for this sign. And I dunno, the urn represents a toilet or something.

DK West - Pisces (The Fish)

This one is a lot less clear to me. Pisces are usually sensitive and empathetic, which runs counter to how DK West bottles up his emotions and puts up a wall between his loved ones. I feel like if Mayday wasn't already the representative of May, then DK West would have taken May, so he'd represent Taurus, the Bull. That aside, despite him hiding it, he does reveal that he's actually pretty vulnerable and emotional beneath all his bravado, so maybe it fits more than I'm giving them credit for.

Tatiana - Aries (The Ram)

Aries is the first fire sign, so they're characterized as having a fiery personality, making that association pretty obvious. They're said to be hard-headed but head strong, which would fit into her character as being very stubborn and willing to fight her own battles. Aries is also the first sign of the zodiac cycle, so they tend to be stereotyped as being natural-born leaders, which suits Tatiana as the boss of NSR. Additionally being the first, Aries rules over the head and face, and Tatiana is literally described as the head of NSR. It could also be that this sign just so happens to be before Mayday's sign, Taurus. So she literally precedes Mayday both in life and the zodiac.

Mayday - Taurus (The Bull)

Unlike other characters, it's pretty clear that Mayday was chosen for May because her name is literally Mayday, and it's her actual birthday rather than her personality. But I'll try to make it fit anyway~ Tauruses are another stubborn sign (as fixed signs tend to be). The other stereotypes of Taurus being materialistic and pleasure seeking just don't represent Mayday well in my opinion. Though, I suppose Taurus's simple and straightforward nature could represent how Mayday is generally a straightforward kind of person. IMO, I think she would have suited Sagittarius more.

Eve - Gemini (The Twins)

As already discussed, Gemini are the twins, which fit into Eve's themes nicely. While Gemini's are considered the social butterflies of the zodiac, they're not known for being particularly committed to other people. They're often considered the most intelligent of the signs, which can lead to isolation as they find very few people that can keep up with them. In a sense, I suppose that suits Eve having a unique view of the world and feeling isolated because of it. Perhaps coincidentally, Gemini also rules over the hands and arms, an obvious symbol of Eve's. Gemini is also associated with the tarot card of "The Lovers", which has obvious implications about her past.

1010 - Cancer (The Crab)

I'm kinda stretching with 1010. Cancers are usually considered sensitive and emotional. They're the crybabies of the zodiac, which doesn't really seem to fit 1010 that well (unless you want to consider how they literally cry, "Baby.") More than anything, Cancers value "security" and tend to be homebodies, so maybe it references how as navy sailors, their job is to protect and serve their city/country. But it may be as simple as Cancer being a water sign and them being sailors, or the hard shell of the crab represents their hard metal exteriors. Cancer also rules over the breasts, so maybe it's a reference to their tig ol bitties. Its symbol is also literally a 69, so I'm not completely joking about sex appeal as a reason for making them Cancer. But it could be that they were chosen for July less for the zodiac, and more for the fact that it's a summer month, and summer is usually associated with the ocean/beaches to fit with their nautical theme.

Yinu - Leo (The Lion) The most proud and self-centered of the zodiac signs. Yinu being a literal child and stated to have been a little spoiled by Mama, this sign would fit her very well. Also, being a child prodigy has inflated her ego, and Leo is all about the ego. But Leo also rules over the heart. While it's Mama that has the heart motif, I think that just serves to link the two together. Leo is also ruled over by the sun, so it tends to be associated with the colors yellow and orange, which are both very prominent in Yinu's design. You also need the sun to grow plants, so it works out that way too.

DJSS - Virgo (The Virgin)

Virgos are kind of known for being very critical of others, but are also just as critical of themselves, if not more so. They're usually tied with Gemini as being the most intelligent of the signs, which would fit DJSS fairly well. Perhaps ironically, the ruling planet of Virgo is Mercury, the smallest of the planets in our solar system (and not counting the moon or Pluto, which are considered "planets" in astrology), but it's also the planet of communication which would fit DJSS's need to spread his "gospel" across the universe. They might also be trying to say something since his sign is the virgin, but it's unwise to assume...

Sayu - Libra (The Scales)

Libra is one of the most romantic of the signs, which would fit Sayu perfectly. Libra (and Taurus) are ruled by the planet Venus, which is associated with beauty, and Sayu's main gimmick is that she's irresistibly cute. Libra is also the scales, so it may reference how Sayu is actually a balance of ideas between multiple people (or her literal fish scales). I will give them a little credit for not making her a Pisces (even though that one would fit too). It implies that whoever made this graphic was probably thinking about the characteristics of the signs beyond just the symbol they're associated with, which is nice~

Kliff - Scorpio (The Scorpion)

Scorpio is often (unfairly) stereotyped as the most "evil" sign, which of course references his role as antagonist. They never let go of their grudges, but they're known to be incredibly passionate and seductive, which would reflect his passion for rock and how he manipulated B2J to continue the revolution. Scorpio is also a water sign, which are associated with being in tune with their emotions. This could reflect on Kliff's antagonism being fueled by his emotions, as opposed to any real logic.

Mama - Sagittarius (The Archer)

This is another one where I think the connection is very weak, or was possibly another "left-over" sign. I generally associate Sagittariuses as being thrill seeking and highly extroverted. Though they can be wise, they also tend to be fairly reckless. It's almost the opposite of how Mama is characterized as being overly protective of Yinu and being defined by both her love for her family and the anger she experiences when it's threatened. I suppose it could be argued that she starts becoming reckless as she loses her composure, but that seems to be the result of anger rather than real spontaneity. Or maybe she was chosen for December less for the zodiac and more for what the actual month entails. December is the first month of winter, when all the trees should have already shed their leaves and/or died. Since Mama's big form resembles a dying tree, maybe that's why she was chosen for December. I dunno. I really tried to make it work, but I really think hers was an afterthought.

[catcze]

Reblogs are greatly appreciated !!

「 ### : 」 Modern AU ish !! GN Reader gets drunk at the club !! But Navia and Clorinde stay with you through it tho, because they're your good friends !! This is literally just humor and reader not recognizing Wrio but gushing over your husband so so much !! Reader swears when drunk bc same lmao

Had a vision. No editing. Feast on this while I feast on my Nissin Bulalo cup noodles.

The moment Wriotheseley steps into the club, he immediately spots you. Even over the painful strobing lights, the sea of dancing bodies, he can single you out a mile away— regardless of the fact that you're slumped over the bar, drunk out of your mind.

"Navia, Clorinde," he greets with a wave, hurrying over. His voice has to be almost a yell to be heard over the loud music.

They sit on either barstool beside you, bracketing you between them. When he approaches, Clorinde hands him your phone, and he knows who he has to thank for the 'come pick your bae up' text. The moment he's close enough, he's already looking you over, making sure you're alright.

"Sweetheart," Wriothesley tries to rouse you, but you just mumble and splay out further on the bar. Your hand knocks into a mostly-emptied glass of what he can only assume was tonight's poison of choice.

"How many—"

"More than five," Navia tells him, grinning sheepishly, just as Clorinde says, "Nine."

Your husband shakes his head fondly, sighing, and turns back to you. "Sweetheart," he tries again, voice a bit louder. He places a heavy hand on your waist, coaxing you up. "Let's g—"

But at the touch, your eyes —still hazy and unfocused on account of the nine drinks you've had— shoot open, and you whirl on him in your seat. If not for the hold he still keeps on your hip, you may have just toppled over. There's a look of unbridled, drunken rage on your face, more comical than actually terrifying.

"Who the fuck do you think you are?" you hiss, slurring, as you wrench his hand off of you and fling it away with such contempt that he has to stifle a laugh. "Keep your hands off of the masterpieces, bucko."

Not even giving him a moment to breathe, you shove your left hand in his face, vehemently pointing at the ring that sits on your fourth finger. "I! Am! Married! If I tell my husband that you're out here getting handsy, he's gonna come and kick your ass sooo hard. He's gonna rock your shit, you trick ass bitch, if i don't do it myself!"

Wriothesley shouldn't find this funny— he shouldn't. But Navia and Clorinde and fighting smiles behind their palms themselves, and he can't help the grin that breaks across his face.

"Oh? Is your husband that strong?" He can't help but ask, and you scoff.

"Is he that strong— you wanna find out for yourself? Huh? Wriothesley could— could—" you hiccup, and he has to fight the urge to coo. "He could knock you out with just a flick of his fingers, you know!"

"And is your Wriothesley more handsome than me?"

You turn your nose up at him, scowling. Once, twice, you try to cross your arms in contempt as you drunkenly look him up and down.

"You're alright," you begrudge, "but my Wriothesley is the— the most handsomest man in the world! The fucking prettiest! No one holds a candle to my husband and his broad shoulders and his thick thighs and his... and his adorable smile."

Wriothesley has to bite his lip to control his grin. Navia is fighting for her life to stifle her giggles, and Clorinde hides her amused smile behind a cough.

It's like that loosened your tongue though, and you continue on, oblivious to the embarrassment you'd face the next morning.

"And he— he'll be very upset when he finds out that you're here, hitting on someone who is very happily married to one of the best men on this side of the fucking galaxy, so— so you can fuck off!"

He really, really tries his best to not laugh.

You huff, patting down your pockets and grumbling incoherently about your phone, not even questioning it when Wriothesley hands it back to you himself. It takes only a second of you furiously tapping your screen before his own phone buzzes in his pants.

[Sweetheart ♡]

babe pookie pick e ip plrase im drunk and i wanna go homd snd yhere's this assholr hitting o me love yoy [location attached]

As soon as the texts go out though, you yawn and the energy leaves you in one fell swoop. Wriothesley manages to catch you before you face plant back on the bar and break your nose, maneuvering you to lean into his chest. The fight escaping you, you nuzzle into his black button up, rubbing your face against him like a big cat.

"Mmm. I know that cologne." Blearily, you look up and make eye contact with those pretty, pretty blue eyes, and your face immediately lights up in the most delighted grin. "Wrio!" you gasp, arms coming to wrap around his waist and pull him towards you. You're still drunk, still pretty out of it, but it melts his heart how overjoyed you are to see him.

"Hi sweetheart," he says fondly, running a hand through your hair. Happily, you lean into his touch. "Have a fun time with Navia and Clorinde?"

"Mhm. Missed you though." Then, your eyes pop open and you sit up, looking around furiously as if you're looking for someone. When you don't find this person, you lean in to whisper conspiratorially in his ear— "There was this guy who tried to make the moves on me, you know! But I told him that I'm super duper married and with the bestest husband ever— if you wanna double team him, I'm sure the guy's around here somewhere."

But your husband just chuckles, pulling you back into his embrace. Smoothly, Wriothesley has you wrap your arms around his shoulders and your legs around his waist so he can easily pick you up and into his arms.

"You two need a ride home?" He asks the two, but they shake their heads.

"Appreciated, but we only split a drink between us," Clorinde says, already standing up alongside Navia. "We'll be fine."

"Get home safe, you two!" The blonde says, waving you off, and that's that.

Wriothesley easily maneuvers the two of you out of the club, you having already fallen asleep on his shoulder. He can hear your soft breaths in his ear and feel the way you cling to him even in your sleep. No doubt you'd have a raging hangover tomorrow, but that's okay— because you'll have him to take care of you, too.

Bonus!!

You wake up to hands down the worst fucking headache in your whole life. Your temple hurts so hard that you swear your head's gonna crack open like an egg. Groaning, you pull the covers over your head and roll over, blotting out the mid-day sunlight as best as you can.

There's a chuckle from the other side of the bed, then weight moving across the sheets— then your husband's face appears in front of you, under the blankets too.

"So, darling sweetheart of mine" he starts, voice soft as to not aggravate your headache, and you're grateful. "What were you saying about my broad shoulders and my thick thighs?"

You're suddenly not as grateful.

Promptly, you kick him out of your blanket cave, and he goes with a laugh. He leaves you grumbling on the bed, cursing out all the drinks you had last night and swearing to never ever ever drink again.

Wriothesley grins, shutting the curtains of your bedroom as he ambles out the door, dead set on getting you water, advil, and something to eat.

Maybe by the end of the day, you'd add 'endlessly doting' to the list.

[ #Taglist registration here !! ]

[junespriince]

Wally: I sit here today because my uncle retired and you guys just dragged me in here, I didn't have a choice. I was working my own city, the Titans, and sometimes helped other heroes and now I have to work here and come to almost daily meetings? How can I get fired? Can marrying your son in Vegas make you let me leave? I want out of this.

Bruce: the dimension overlord said you must be here, we need a speedster or balance will be distributed.

Wally: how about you disturb deez nuts old man. I don't give two donkeys pucks about this "balance" when I'm forced to look at my two biggest enemies all day.

Oliver: I know Barry raised you, but could you have manners kid?

Wally: can you stop getting pegged by my therapist?

Oliver, blushing as if the league doesn't already know this:

Wally: no? Okay, then shut up.

Bruce: this is a bit excessive, West.

Wally: says the guy who fights his ex father in law/enemy shirtless. I don't know about you, but if my son grandfather challenged me to a duel the shirt stays on.

Bruce: how?

Wally: what does "dating your son" mean to you? Self proclaimed greatest detective over here lady and gents, give him some applause for being stupid. Though, with all the smart women you attracted I guess it has it charms to a certain group.

Clark: a lot of sass today, huh?

Wally: and rightly so Mr. Kent—

Clark: kid, you've known me for years and marrying my kid, it's uncle Clark now.

Wally: sir, I was raised my a Midwestern woman, it's sir, ma'am, and whatnot, deal with it. Anyways, it's rightly deserved, I'm losing a lot of precious time spending it here because Gotham's playboy bicycle decided now he'll have a standard and not fix this problem by helping the dimensions asshat get laid. Do you understand how much this cut into my personal life outside of heroing, Bruce?

Bruce: well—

Wally: shut up sir, you don't because unlike you I don't have a son I was blackmailed into adopting that can run the business, no, I'm an average man here working a real job, and trying to make time for my boyfriend. We get it, you're an emo furry with a tragic backstory that makes it hard to emote, well bucko guess what, I had shitty parents, uncle Hal thinks I have no friends, and what else... OH yeah! I was stuck in the speed force trying to get out and everyone I loved stop trying to save me and assumed I was dead. So, fire me!

Bruce, and his ego™: no. Balance needs to be kept.

Wally: I will make you regret this choice.

Both of them glaring at each other:

Diana: well, at least meetings will be interesting.

Hal: in my defense you didn't have friends over when I visited so how was i supposed to know...

Oliver: didn't Barry told you one time to come because Wally was at my house having a sleepover with Roy?

Hal: ... Okay I'mma be so real right now, I heard come over and the rest was white noise.

Wally: ew. I'm right here.

Hal: kid, hush, the adults are talking.

Wally: ... I'm 29, dude bye. I'm done with this. *Gets up and leaves*

Arthur: he has grown up so much.

Bruce, who knows Wally at his worst teen years: yeah, he's gotten worse.

Oliver: so about this fighting shirtless with your ex father in law.

Bruce: so about you getting pegged by our therapist.

Oliver:

Bruce:

Oliver: I hate you.

Bruce: yeah, yeah, love you too idiot.

[brucewaynehater101]

I come again w/ another Tim Drake au!!

So there's this fanfic "If We Could Only Utter the Words Left Unsaid" by TaintedCure on AO3

And now I wanna share an idea

TW for suicide because of Timothy + death-fueled-time-travel

Basically, whenever somebody kills Tim, they go back in time, and there's no limit to how many times he can die. they go back far enough to prevent his death or not do an attempt on his life

He dies during Titans Tower? Back in time you go Jason!

Cut his line and he broke his neck and died? Damian is now back in time!

Some goon cracked his skull too well? Say hello to the past bucko!

Hell, even accidental murders still register so if you were to accidentally push him off too high a ledge you're getting the Time Travel Treatment

Hey maybe Tim still is aware of his time travel powers, but only when it comes to natural causes (like hypothermia) or suicides, so as a result he thinks he knows it all when he in fact doesn't

So yeah, unless somebody spills, Tim is clueless to the whole truth of his powers

I imagine only old age would do him in at this rate

It'd be like real interesting to see all the POVs, especially if they think they know all the loops

Like there's Tim who's regularly exploited his powers to get perfect results but is trying to convince himself he isn't being too frivolous with his life since he's saving lives or making them better

Then there's the people who did him in and may or may not even be aware that the time travel they experiences was because they killed the Third Robin or got him killed

Then there's the people who've done him in maybe one, twice or multiple times and have clocked into the fact that murdering Tim is an exercise in futility

TW: suicide (powers revolving traveling time by dying), violence/abuse (skip the angst if you don't want the second one), and death.

Now, this is a very interesting concept, and I'm probably gonna get lost in the setup for a bit.

The way that Tim's powers work would have to be defined really well. How far back can he go? In the fic you mentioned, he has a save point, basically. He can die an infinite amount of times, but he'll only return to his save point unless he reaches past the OG time he died. He can play around as much as he wants between the savepoint and his death, but a new savepoint gets set up after he passes his OG death time. It also indicated a decrease in time he went back (or his savepoint was established) so that he'll eventually die for good if he kept using his powers. That solves a lot of continuity issues.

However, the setup for Tim's powers could be like SSS-Class Suicide Hunter. For those who aren't familiar, the MC revives 24 hours in the past. He ends up killing himself thousands of times to end up at least a decade in the past. It's been a while since I've read it, but that's the basics of it.

If we're working off of those rules, anyone who kills Tim is only working with 24 hours in the past. You can add more or less time to fit your AU better.

I have some questions about the setup. You mentioned that the person who kills Tim would get sent back without his knowledge. Therefore, in Tim's mind, has he never been murdered? Or, is it a two for one ride into the past? Does the villain get sent back into the past, but Tim doesn't know the past has been changed? Or does Tim get sent back as well, but he doesn't know the villain is also sent back?

Imma get into the angst in a bit if Tim doesn't get sent back into the past when he gets murdered.

However, the issue with this is fucking with the timestream. If a goon kills Tim, ends up 24 hours in the past, and past Tim kills himself within those 24 hours, what the hell is the timeline? Does the goon still get sent back in time? Does Tim get sent back, and then, when the goon is supposed to, his consciousness gets sent back during that time? Does Tim killing himself wipe out the goon being able to travel back in time?

Continously, I assume if villains found out about the power, they would gun for Red Robin with prejudice because they know they'll get a cheat that way. They get a ticket to the past if they kill the bird. They get a redo.

Alright. Angst time!

~~

Bruce is the first one to find out about Tim's power. He's training with Tim when, as per usual, he takes it a bit too far. The man has a habit of not pulling his punches in a fucked up version of trying to push Tim away from being Robin. This time, when he punches Tim, the kid doesn't get up. It's a wonder he didn't hear the awful crack or notice Tim's neck wasn't quite right. Only not recieving an answer after berating Tim about not getting up causes Bruce to pause. He doesn't hear breathing.

Oh gods. He doesn't hear breathing. Is Tim dead? Did he kill Tim? Did he break his nec-

Bruce snaps to attention mid lecture to Robin. They are both in the cave (not on the training mats not on the mats not on the mats), and it seems the exact same as it was yesterday when he was yelling at Tim about proper batarang maintenance.

Tim, ever the observant Robin, leans forward as if to ask if Batman was okay. Bruce flinches back.

Tim's eyes widen in shock as he takes a step back. In the year or so he's worked with Bruce, he's never gotten that response to initating touch. Tim's eyes flicker down to his hand in recrimination and puzzlement.

Bruce takes a shaky breath in before dismissing Tim for the night. The child is hesitant to flee but follows the request.

Bruce doesn't know what happened and he's not sure he wants to find out.

This cues Bruce being kinder to Tim and less harsh. The detective figures out that Tim has a time traveling power upon death, but it appears as if Tim isn't aware of it (he doesn't know that Tim constantly kills himself for better results in field). Tim never finds out that Bruce's change in behavior to him was born of guilt. He never learns that his dad killed him.

~~

Next angst!

Two concepts with Jason.

One, Jason creates a fucked up timeloop with Titan's Tower where he kills Tim over and over again in fucked up ways until he satiates his desire for bloodlust. If Tim is still aware of the Tower incident, that's because Jason wanted him to be. Whether Jason becomes guilty about this timeloop he created or not could also be explored. There is a fic out there kind of similar to this concept (timeloop Titan's Tower, not the added element of Tim's powers).

Two, Bruce does end up killing Jason in the showdown with the Joker. He batarang slices Jason's neck, the building blows up, and Jason never emerges. There's a few ways to add on top of this angst. If Titan's Tower happened before this (and Tim was left beaten), that means Tim chose to kill himself to save Jason. Jason will never know. That, or Titan's Tower happens afterwards and Jason tortures Tim not knowing the teen saved him from a second death at the hands of his father (ironically Tim also doesn't know that he's been killed by Bruce).

~~

Last Angst!

Damian finds out about Tim's power and abuses it constantly. He's a kid that was raised to be an assassin and found someone he can kill that also gives him the benefit of getting away with anything. As long as the kill goes through, he's golden.

Eventually, Damian starts to slow down on this. He doesn't really want to see Drake choking on blood again.

He one day finds that he hasn't tried to kill Drake in months and he doesn't really want to try to.

Then he finds that list.

Then he cuts Drake's line.

Then he has to relive those 24 hours again knowing he killed someone he was starting to trust.

Bonus angst if Tim finds out, jokingly asks his family members how many times they have killed them, and finds out Dick is the only one who hasn't (Tim killed himself after the 16th birthday incident and he somewhat blames Alfred for that, though he'll never tell him).

[pigcowboys]

Hi boo(i hope that was not too cringe)! Could you pls do a percy jackson, enemies to lovers! story? Like in everyone in the Camp knows their hatred against each other but then they get send on a quest together and end up kissing each other to disguise their quest?!

I would really appreciate it!

Have a good Day!

pairing: percy jackson x gn! reader (2nd pov is used but someone does say 'chick')

summary: much to your displeasure, you find yourself on a quest with the one person you hate the most.

warning(s): BICKERING. mutual pining (they just don't know it yet.), kissing, swearing, enemies to lovers.

a/n: IT WASNT CRINGE DWW HAHA, i tried my best!! school starts for me pretty soon so im trying to write as much as i can before i have to go back.. (also im sorry abt the images i dont know whats going on with my computer.)

you hated them, everyone of them.

that wretched camp and it's obnoxious staff oh, and don't even get you started on that stupid oracle. she set you up! they all did.

gods, why of all people did it have to be him?

perseus jackson - most of the time shortened to just percy jackson, maybe even peter johnson at times. what an ass he was.

believe it or not when you first came to camp half-blood you had actually taken a liking to him. he was cute, full of energy and full of endless bravery, your exact type.

you weren't sure when it begun, your hatred for him, that is. it kind of just..started. when? not sure. your exact guess must've been that one valentine's day when he accidentally sneaked the last muffin at breakfast. yeah, that must've been it.

to be honest though, you didn't need a reason. you just did, and you weren't exactly quiet about it either. from the day you started to hate his guts all his advances to be nice to you were met with a glare or a huff. sometimes you'd just straight up walk away from him.

so, it basically didn't take him long to send you back the same glares or huffs or even the smallest mutter of 'geez, not this chick again..' everyone hoped the feud would dissipate, that the two of you would grow the fuck up and call a truce.

too bad their prayers didn't help.

infact, you were pretty sure that even if the gods themselves came down from olympus and said 'get along or die right here' you'd pick the latter in a heartbeat.

so, when you'd initially been called into chiron for some 'great news' you'd expected him to tell you that percy had finally decided to leave camp - or that you'd won the lottery. fuck, you wished that was it.

"hey, stay on your side, bucko!" you said, nudging percy to the side aggressively. "i'm not on the market, especially for you."

"can you be serious for second!" percy snapped back, his eyebrows furrowed in frustration. "we have to prove to chiron that we can do this." he turned back to face the front. "or...we're in for another lecture."

"i wouldn't mind, really," you grinned. "i've perfected the art of sleeping with my eyes open."

"if only you could perfect the art of silence.."

you glared at him.

the two of you were submerged underwater at the moment in one of percy's bubbles. chiron had asked of you to go to queens in order to do..something? you didn't really pay attention to chiron at the time - besides, you were thinking about drowning yourself in the nearest lake when you'd heard the percy going on the quest with you in tow. the only thing you could remember was that it was super important to not let anyone see you.

something about the appearance of two demigod children to monster being dangerous? you weren't sure why he thought the things wouldn't be able to sniff you out anyways.

the bubble wasn't even your idea to be fair. you'd suggested just taking the train, as it much easier but percy disagreed - as usual. said it would be quicker to just swim over via bubble transfer and although you wanted to disagree, you settled on the idea that the station at this time would be packed as hell.

so you bit your tongue and allowed yourself to be trapped in a bubble with percy for about a half an hour or so.

"ugh, how much longer..?" you asked, adjusting your clothes uneasily. the bubble wasn't by any means uncomfortable just..kind of warm? weirdly enough. percy didn't spare you a glance only opting to shurg his shoulder slightly as he focused on the vast ocean in front of the two of you.

you glared at him from your spot in the bubble, uncomfortably crossing your legs as you turned away from him, jumping when you realized a never before seen fish was staring into your soul from outside the bubble. it wasn't a surprise to you to see the fish, percy was the son of poseidon, you expected him to go full aquaman one day and pull up to camp half blood with a stream of wild dolphins and squids.

still, the beady little dead eyes scared the shit out of you. and in your natural knee jerk reflex, you moved back, inching into percy and bumping his shoulder. he turned to face you with a distasteful look, face contorting in confusion when he noticed the small school of fish now gathering.

your face morphed into one of uncomfort as you gazed at the tons of fish that seemed to spawn out of nowhere. "uh..can you call your friends off?"

percy seemed to share a look with the fish, a look of embarrassment flashing over his face briefly as he glared at them intensely. you looked on at the exchange in silence because, was he really talking to fishes? the fish eventually scrammed after a while and you and percy were back on your way. silence fell over the two of you before you spoke up suddenly.

"i didn't know you spoke fish.."

"drop it."

"i think we're here." percy annouced as the bubble started to drift closer to shore. were you guys there? you weren't sure at all. you were just happy to be out of that bubble - the close proximity was making you break out.

you were in fact there, somehow. and it was by then it hit you that this was a quest - a really important mission for a demigod and since it was assigned to specifically you and percy, it meant you had to deliver.

your duo walked towards the city, looking around for any suspicious looking civilians or any sign of irregular activity. it would've been an easy task to scope out the objective of the mission if it wasn't for percy's loud breathing.

seriously, you could hear him practically breathing down your neck as the two of you walked. him and his stupid big nostrils - you couldn't focus.

"mind breathing a little less loud?"

percy blinked at you. "these requests are starting to get literally concerning." his face contorted in confusion. "how the hell does one 'breathe a little less loud' ?"

"they not be percy jackson."

"that wasn't even english??"

you were about to say something else smart when a couple of people ahead caught your attention, they weren't inherently weird looking but, you got this vibe from them - that they weren't completely human. your mind raced as you looked around as nonchalantly as you could.

there were people here. to your right, 2 parents and their one hyperactive son who clawed at the ice cream in front of him with his tongue, a bright smile on his face and to your left a group of younger looking teenage girls who were chatting brightly. most likely about hair dye because their highlights were so bright they were giving you eye cancer.

you thought fast. pulling percy by his wrist as you dashed down the street, rushing into the nearest store slash tourist attraction you could as you pushed him into the corner roughly, looking behind you to see if the people had followed you.

he gave you a completely surprised look, slight annoyance forming on his face as he exhaled heavily. "is there any reason you felt like dragging me into this.." he looked around, eyes landing on a random cowboy hat that was situated on a hook in the corner of the place. "slightly..cool place?" he finished, grabbing the cowboy hat and observing it curiously.

"i saw them, well - i think i did.." you mumbled out, looking around erratically as you watched out for any signs of being followed. percy quirked an eyebrow at you.

"the IRS finally caught you orr.."

"percy, this is serious!" you exclaimed, growing slightly embarrassed when the store owner shot the two of you a look. you smiled at the owner awkwardly, ushering percy into a corner with your hand.

"look, i'm pretty sure i found the guys we were going here for." you said, still stealing glances behind you. "i saw them..just now, when were walking."

"did they follow us?" percy asked, more seriously now.

"i'm not sure," you frowned.

percy thought for a moment before speaking once more."they wouldn't do anything with all these humans here - we just have to make sure we blend in."

"and how do you suppose we do that?"

percy grinned at you, reaching over to grab another hat that was right next to the one he'd picked up earlier.

you grimaced, who's idea was it to put you two together?

"do you think we lost them?"

"nah, we definitely still need the disguises."

the two of you were situated on the street currently, attempting to look as normal as possible. though, it was pretty hard to with these stupid cowboy hats percy insisted the two of you had to wear. claimed it would be "inconspicuous" but in reality it was extremely, eye catching.

you figured he just wanted you to wear it so he could laugh behind your back about how utterly foolish you looked. it didn't help that he'd picked out the hat with the corniest design for you - and it was bedazzled.

you let of a huff of frustration. "can we switch? this one's too big on me., i'm half blind here, man."

"you'll live," percy reassured. "besides, it's better if they can't see your face."

"what's the use? they'll just sniff us out eventually."

percy shot you a look. "you're no fun."

you opened your mouth to say something when percy's face changed as he locked eyes with something behind you. you barely had time to react when he pulled you into a brutal bear hug, turning you away from whatever it was that was behind you.

your muscles tensed as your face started to burn with embarrassment. a "what the fuck, percy?" was muffled into his shirt as you felt the presence of the monsters nearing closer. your heart sank to your feet as realized how near they were really.

"whatever i do.." percy whispered in your ear. "just promise you won't be too mad."

"what're you talk-"

and then before you knew it, you'd lost your lip virginity. i mean, it wasn't the worst first kiss story you'd have to tell people. boy kissed me in order to distract the bloodthirsty monsters that were tracking us down! wow, how romantic.

in all honesty, you knew percy just did what he had to do. you knew he just had to keep you to keep your disguises up. that was probably the rest why you leaned into the kiss, hands coming up to rest on his chest as his brutal bear hug eased into more a gentle hug, his hands moving the hold your hips.

the kiss had to look real - romantic. that's why you pretend to be so into it that you let out a satisfied hum. you weren't sure if the monsters had moved on from the two of you, you weren't even sure if you were safe at all in the moment. but, it was starting to get hard to think as your mind swirled with various conflicting thoughts that stemmed from your actions at the moment.

percy broke the kiss, his eyes gazing into your curiously as he removed his hands from your hips slowly. you removed your hand from his chest, pulling away gently. your eyes searched his own for any sign of discomfort or disgust as you started to grow weary of the fact he'd just stolen your first kiss.

yet, you were surprised to find that there was none - just confusion and surprise. you tore your eyes away from him, clearing your throat. as you fixed your outfit. "i..i think i saw them go somewhere over there." you pointed at the secluded alleyway not too far from where you and percy stood. "let's go - we can get the drop on them."

percy stared at you for a moment before nodding, slightly dazed and following you towards the alleyway silently.

the ride back home - or should you say float back home was silent, as it always was. though, something different seemed to be hanging in the air this time. a feeling of awkwardness that was mostly unnatural to you and percy.

you wanted to ask about it - the kiss, why did he do it? why was that first thing he came up with? why did he lean into you slightly? why did the world seemed to stop for a second when your lips met and most of all whyyy the hell did you want it to happen again?

you stole a glance at percy. the two of you were a few feet away from each other, on opposite sides of the bubble. maybe you were going crazy or something but did percy look..good? you swore it was just because of the mixed feelings you had about him being your first but you couldn't shake the thought about how beautiful he looked in the moment.

okay, something's not right.

"do you wanna talk about it?" you blurted out suddenly, shifting positions as you leaned forward slightly. percy turned to look at you, he wasn’t annoyed nor angry, not even suicidal. he looked, enamored — and slightly caught off guard by your question.

"talk about what exactly?"

your eyebrows furrowed. "you kissed me, percy jackson." you pointed at him accusingly. "and you liked it."

percy blew a raspberry, a slightly surprised look on his face. "what makes you think i liked it?"

you paused. had you read something wrong? you thought about dropping the idea but thought against it, deciding to die on that hill. "because your hands somehow found their way onto my hips," you started. "and your lips pursed — and your heartbeat picked up little by the little the longer it lasted."

you crossed your legs, inching away from percy as you gave him a small frown. "and..you looked at me weird." percy's face was flushed as he looked at you silently from his position on the other side of the bubble.

"how did i look at you..?"

you glanced at him. "like you didn't want to drown me in the lake and leave my body for the fishes." you joked. "like..you didn't hate me."

"i don't hate you."

your head spun towards percy, your eyes widened comically. you opened your mouth to say something but the words were caught in your throat. percy analyzed you before speaking once more.

"i don't think i ever have, it's just - you're very annoying." percy sighed. "and it sucks because you're more attractive than you think you are." you stared at him in silence. your heart pounded in your chest as you gulped.

"do you like me?"

"do you like me?" percy repeated with emphasis on the me.

you laughed, inching towards percy on the other side of the bubble. "i do." you stopped in front of him, a warm smile on your face as you watched a smile break out onto his face. "i like you too." he whispered, staring at you quietly before leaning forward slightly to test the waters.

you instantly took the bait, leaning forward as well as you locked lips with percy one again. a bolt of lightning shot through you as you leaned into his touch, placing your hand on his shoulder as you climbed into his lap. percy seemed more than happy to have you there, his hands coming to rest on your hips so he could keep you steady.

you broke the kiss, hands slithering around his neck as you looked down at him with a small smile. you were about to say something when your attention was brought to the sickly sight of a line of fish outside the bubble once again. you yelped in surprise, stumbling back slightly and if it wasn't for percy's grip on you, you probably would've busted your ass.

percy looked behind him, slightly annoyed at the presence of the fish. it lingered for a bit longer before dashing off reluctantly. at which point, percy turned to you with a frown. you eyed him curiously.

"what?"

"he's going to tell everyone about the '2 demigods getting it on in the bottom of the sea'. "

[demonicnarwhale]

not the best with clothes and such but I wanted to try figure out some fits these guys would wear. And also messing around with hair styles, I had the head shots done but I didn't get to everyone so I'll share Die's. (he's from the middle of last year...)

i think i'll mess around some more with his hair styles. While short hair is so silly looking, I have a habit of making same length hair styles look too similar, and with the majority of these mfs having short hair. Augh... (same with clothes, it's very obvious im a sucker for long sleeves or just clothes that cover up, i weep cuz there's no snow here... i cannot dress for winter...) Also in my defense, I don't know jack shit bout Harry Potter, I just showed this to a friend who went "Eel I know you have an affinity for the elderly, look up Argus Filch he has similar hair to this guy" and i ascended

Some doodles!!!!:

god you're the best Ms. Paint <3

trying out some designs for Trace on the left, then resorted back to short hair on the right. + a lil comic of idea of HK begging Trace to wear the ridiculous fish tie she got him and Fin

i got lazy with Doze oopsies

PI and HK thought that sweater jacket thing would match Die, who very much thinks otherwise teehee

Of course I hit you all with the Snowbar, how could i NOT

Tryna figure out clothes but wahoo PM and Slick, both got opposite arms prosthetics (reference or nod to when they put the ring on yadda yadda) PM only has one on her left starting from her elbow, Slick er ok like Jack Noir does but fuckin yadda yadda (that whole hoo-ha doesn't matter in this AU) is on the right but from the shoulder (as he also has that robot lookin arm thing for a while in the comics and such cool). I know in their prototyped forms they both lose the same side arm but eaughhhhhh shhh

Also, trying to figure out if I like PM (and PI) having a long looking face instead of a circle. The idea is to try have everyone's head shape somewhat look like their sprites and all that. Or at least try to but oog much to think about.

not related to this au but i just had to draw these buckos in some old Japanese clothes (Edo Era I think) just for fun!!!

I swear I'm working on a lil introduction / portraits for everyone with some basic information (aka THEIR NAMES!??!? oog yes much to plan? but we shall see)

[profounddefendorcrusade-blog]

Starlo apologist speaks again

this picture right here.. i hate it sm.

TIME TO DEBUNK EVERYTHIN', YEEHAW!

#1 Starlo's name is uncool on purpose might literally mean 'Starloser' It fits his character arc. In other words, he's not the cool, badass sheriff he pretends to be (he's not 'North Star'), but a kind, friendly farmer inside

#2 He definitely DOES care about Clover. Why else would he keep saying he's proud of them, praise them, believe in them, get worried about their safety, send them a warning letter, immediately run to check what's going on with them, get angry at Clover for not staying HOME (yeah he really did consider the Wild East their home) tell Martlet to bring Clover to safety, and jump at Ceroba to try and protect them? don't question the love of star daddy

#3 Undyne actually IS a badass. Starlo isn't. He's a softie who cares about pretending to be cool bc he's insecure, even when in a situation where he could die. He wants to be a hero. He wants to be SOMEBODY, not a NOBODY. Maybe he also cared about his own status more than his town, friends and family (which could be the reason he brought a bb gun). Or he just wanted to buy time so the others could hide. Now that I think about it, it's the latter. Why else would Dina say this in genocide after you kill Ceroba: "He was more of a hero than you'll ever be." That's the whole point of his geno fight that, and a lil bit of angst when roba finds him dying IT'S CALLED CHARACTERIZATION

#4 He kidnaps Clover bc they're a human. The only human who's ever set foot on the sands of the Wild East. He's obsessed with human culture. His whole life ARE westerns. Why? Whether it's the sense of justice cowboys represent, the exciting lives they live, or both, Starlo feels like he matters thanks to this nerdy interest, like he can contribute to his community

#5 i see Martlet as a big sis not a mom bc of how young she is, despite that one joke in bits & bites, but to each their own Star jails Martlet bc of the potential of the Wild East getting shut down. She did threaten to report them to Asgore and well... according to him, better safe than sorry. He even admitted he doesn't feel right doing it

#6 It WAS wrong of him to blame and attack Clover like that, all for his own status and ego (and to get his friends back) It's called a flawed character making a fucking mistake. Or did you expect someone perfect, with no room to grow and develop throughout the piece of media? Also, Clover is not an infant, they're a child. If it was meant to be a joke, it ain't funny bucko

#7 he either actually forgot about the fact he himself kidnapped Clover bc he wasn't in the right mindset (understandable), or purposefully ignored the information to avoid responsibility for his actions & shift the blame onto Clover (he IS flawed and thats more than ok)

#8 in neutral, he doesn't apologize bc Ceroba doesn't come and snap him out of his fantasy & mindset

#9 he did his best with the apology. you can't blame starlo. He's not very good with expressing himself and emotions in general (that he has been avoiding for so long via escapism; he also uses escapism to help Ceroba instead of talking openly with her)

#10 he doesn't know how the ceroba & clover interaction played out bc he was unconscious. Maybe he thought Clover had managed to talk her outta fighting. He says in true pacifist "Yall had a fight?? and the deputy won??" In other words he didnt know they had even fought. To add fuel to the fire, his bff just died and star, being the forgiving sweetheart he is, had wanted to give her a chance at redemption, but never got the chance to. He never got the chance to say goodbye, either.

#11 just bc starlo's an adult doesn't mean he can't have these flaws/behaviors. Every individual is unique. Starlo is deff deeply insecure and most likely autistic, too. Please think about that in the future, thank you

my current feelings can best be described by good old Axis

[effy-writes]

Addict (Blitz x Reader)

8: Harvest Moon Festival: Stimulants

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Your body rested on top of Blitz, you were able to hear his heart beat since your head was on his chest. With his free hand he played with your hair. Rubbing the scalp, twirling the strands of your hair.

"Was I too rough?" He said, bringing the cigarette to his mouth.

"I liked it, Blitzy~" Stolas chimed. 

"Not you, her."

"It was fine." You said with a sleepy tone due to Blitz giving you an half assed scalp massage.

The two of them talked about the arrangement and why Stolas had to move it early. You didn't mind doing it early, you're actually starting to enjoy these encounters.

Blitz was about to get up but you held on him tighter, not wanting him to leave.

Stolas continued, "The Harvest Moon is a very special occasion! It's been my annual duty to showcase it in the Ring of Wrath. It's celebrated by a very charming little festival with the locals."

"Wrath, huh? My employees are from there. I've never really been. I hear it's full of inbred chucklefucks."

"Oh! Why don't you all join me at the festival? I can guarantee you all..." Stolas got up and trailed his fingers along your naked back. "special access~"

"Look, I told you, we're not bodyguards. Okay? That was a one-time thing we did badly."

"I'm simply offering a work-free day of fun! I feel quite safe at the Harvest Festival. It's the same every year."

"Then why do you want us to go?" You mumbled, falling in and out of sleep.

"Because! I enjoy hanging out with you two."

"Well if you promise this isn't some fuck fest invite, it does sound like it could be a blast and a half. Plus, it's not like we can do jack shit without your book anyway." Blitz scoffed.

~~~

"Hey, hope I didn't wake ya, Mox! How would you and Mils like to visit the Wrath Ring for some harvest bullshit this year?" Blitz called Moxxie.

"We're already here, couldn't we just tell them in person?" You whispered, Blitz quickly hushed you.

"The Harvest Moon Festival?! Yee-fuckin'-haw!" Millie squealed.

"Well, Millie likes the idea. Wait... Where are you calling from?"

The two of you lost balance and fell on top of the couple.

"Y/n? I was expecting Blitz, but really? You joined in on the stalking?" Moxxie huffed.

"He begged me, sorry."

~~~

"Mama! Daddy!" Millie ran to hug her parents. The 3 talked for a bit before Millie grabbed Moxxie, "y'all remember my husband Moxxie?"

"Greetings, Lin! Joe! How have you been, uh, with all the... flaming twisters and stuff around here?" He nervously said.

Blitz turned his attention to you, "You know I barely saw your parents."

You stiffened, "Yeah, what a shame, nice people."

"I don't do compliments but you look pretty good in a cowgirl outfit.”

You snickered, "Thanks."

You looked back over at M&M and her parents, "Oh, crumbs. My bad! I am so sorry. I- I didn't mean to open that wound... sir." Moxxie said to Joe.

"Hey, watch it! I'm the "sir" here, bucko!" Blitz yelled.

"Oh yeah! Y'all haven't met my boss Blitz! This is Y/n!" Millie got closer to her dad, "I think they're dating. And his hellhound!"

"I'm not just his hellhound." Loona argued.

"Yeah, she's my daughter!" Blitz replied.

"Only on paper." She walked away.

"It's a pleasure to finally meet the sperm and egg factory that popped out this little gem of an assassin. You two raised a sturdy bitch!" Blitz greeted her parents.

"That we did! So... Blitz, is it? Heh heh. That's a fine name." Joe shook his hand.

You awkwardly stood there, turning your head and saw Loona sitting in the van. You opened up the drivers side and sat with her.

"How have you been?" You asked.

Loona shrugged, "It's been whatever. What are you and Blitz anyway?"

"What do you mean?"

"Dating? Friends with benefits? What is it?"

"I actually don't know. And sorta don't care."

There was some silence.

"I know we barely talk other than superficial shit, but why were you in rehab?"

You were lost for words, "Stimulants addiction."

"Just wondering." Loona continued to type on her phone.

You looked out the window and laughed, grabbing Loona’s attention, “Moxxie is wrestling a hog and is losing.”

The two of you got out and Loona hit record on her phone, “This is fucking beautiful.”

"Ow...my clavicle" Moxxie rubbed his neck and left the pin.

"Don't worry, little one... You never stood a chance." Striker said as he noticed you rewatching the video that Loona took. "I didn't meet you yet, what's your name, pretty thang." Striker smirked.

"Y/n."

"Names Striker." He winked and walked away with the dead hog over his shoulder. "Hey, boss man! You wanna help the men skin this thing for dinner?"

Blitz clapped, "Oh, I am always down to skin the manly meat with the manly men!"

~~~

Millie’s parents didn’t have any room for you and Blitz, so you had to sleep together. You offered to sleep on the couch or with Loona so he can have a bed to himself for once but Blitz didn’t want to leave you out of sight.

“You really think that I’m gonna get drugs? From where!”

“I don’t fucking know! You brought this on your own.” He crossed his arms.

“Blitz please get off of my ass for ONCE!”

“SHUT THE FUCK UP.” Loona yelled from across the hall.

You aggressively ran your fingers through your hair. “and you’re making it worse by keep reminding me i’m a fucking drug addict.”

Blitz sat on the bed and rested his elbows on his knees as he rubbed his temples. “Let’s just go to sleep. We gotta do this shit tomorrow.”

You paced back and forth as you bit your nails. Blitz looked up at you and noticed you were stressed or about to have a panic attack. He called out your name in a soft tone, “Come here.”

You shook your head as your breaths increased. The only thoughts running in your mind is that you don’t want Blitz to only see you as a drug addict and if that’s all he’s gonna see in the future. Blitz stood up and placed his hands on your shoulders to prevent you from pacing back and forth, “Lay down, okay? You’re freaking yourself out.”

Blitz took your hand into his and led you to the bed. He helped you lay underneath the covers as he made his way in as well. The moon shined through the country-looking-ass room and he could see your glossy eyes. Blitz gently caressed your face, “You need sleep. Do you want to be little spoon? I know how you like to be held.” He chuckled.

You deadpanned, “You just want my ass against your dick.”

“Maybe.”

“Ugh..fine.” You playfully rolled your eyes and smiled as you turned the other way. And you were right, you felt Blitz’s clothed dick against your ass.

~~~~

The next day everyone gathered for the Harvest Moon Festival.

Moxxie, Blitz, Striker, and you decided to join in on the game. Originally you weren't going to do it, but Striker gave you some "pick me ups" which is just adderal. Thank youuu, Striker.

Stolas walked onto the stage, "Greetings, tiny... Wrath Ring Imps! I hereby welcome you all to another year of celebrating the spoils of your labor that continue to feed the citizens of Hell! I'm happy to kick off the start of these games that will challenge the toughest Imps to show their skill in dominance. Good luck to you all! Especially those sexy little imps down there... Yoo-hoo! Blitzy! Y/n!"

"Ugh. Fuck me." Blitz cringed, but you on the other hand bursted out laughing.

The gun noise pierced the air and everyone sprinted. Moxxie kept getting trampled, Striker and Blitz was in the lead. You were so cracked out that you jumped over so many imps, stepped on their backs and jumped right in front of Blitz.

"Oh that fucker is definitely on drugs." He grunted.

"What? Your plaything? Jealous because she’s beatin' you?" Striker teased.

"Not jealous, disappointed."

Striker, Blitz, Moxxie and you teamed up for tug of war. The adderal was slowly leaving your body, including the strength and stamina, but luckily you made it past tug of war.

However, when wrestling came you lost to a very angry Blitz. "How the FUCK did you get stimulants?" He pinned your arms down. You kept kicking and thrashing, trying to get Blitz off.

"Can't believe you think I'm doing drugs again when I'm actually trying my hardest you dick." You spat.

Blitz got off and you aggressively walked away, "Fuck, Y/n, Im…FUCK!"

Without turning around you flipped him off. You're not mad at him, he's right, you did take drugs, but you can't help to be mad at everyone and everything. It's your fault, isn't it? Letting Striker talk to you, letting him talk about "natural" medicine, buying some from him. You could've stopped but you didn't.

Wally started speaking, "I say, I say, for the first year ever, we have a tie for winner of the Harvest Moon Pain Games!"

Stolas took his microphone, "The winners are... Striker, aaaaand my darling Blitzy!"

"Just say my name RIGHT! Fuckin' dick." Blitz and Striker made their way up onto the stage.

You sat down beside of Millie, resting your head in your hands.

"You okay, hun?" Millie rubbed your back.

"Yeah...just tired."

"I bet." She chuckled, "You were goin' hard!"

Millie expected you to laugh but sense that something is wrong because you two are always goofing off. She soften her look, "You can tell me anythin', you know that, right?"

You lifted up your head and gave Millie a reassuring smile, "I'm fine, Mills. Thank you."

Blitz arrived with a hotdog in his mouth, "Isn't this guy great? It's gonna be nice workin' with him."

"Working with him...? WHAT?!" Moxxie stammered.

"Yeaaaah! I asked him if he wants to join I.M.P."

"Mox, I think you've had enough, for now. Let's head back to the house and get you clean." Millie kissed his cheek.

Blitz looked over at you. You felt him staring at you but didn't acknowledge him.

~~~

"Where's M&M?" You asked Blitz, shutting the front door of Millie's parent's house.

"I don't know, go check upstairs."

As you made your way upstairs you got a hunch that something was wrong. You turned to your left and picked up a hiking stick that was hung up on the wall. Holding it like a baseball bat, Godamn, me and these stupid wooden rods.

You peaked in the rooms and saw Striker with a gun, pointing it out the window. Your eyes widened and placed your back against the wall, exhaling and peaked back in.

You walked in the room and as you was about to hit Striker he turned around and pointed his gun.

"Y/n? Why are you here." He smirked. "Coming to get more adderal?"

You gulped, feeling your body shake.

"Guess not." His finger was on the trigger. You jumped and swung the hiking stick but Striker caught it, swinging it to hit your face.

"Fuck!" You yelled, falling down on your side. Before you could react Striker put his foot on your chest. You flung your legs trying to fight back but he was much stronger than you.

"Bet you need drugs to make you stronger, right?" He mocked.

"How did you know that." You struggled to say.

"I overheard you and ‘Blitzy’ arguing like teen skanks last night. Why did you think I gave you adderal in the first place?"

“You gave them to me on purpose because you know that I was addict? You bitch!”

Striker cocked the gun and pointed it at you. You still thrashed around trying to get out of his grip before he shot you but the fatigued was hindering you. A click was heard from a different gun.

The two of you turned heads.

"Uh excuse me, but what the FUCK?"

"Blitz!" You felt relief.

"Blitz, nice to see you here."

"First you were going to off the only gateway we have to get to the living world AND off her? And I was going to let you join our business." He scoffed in disbelief.

Striker didn't move, his foot was still pinning you to the ground. "Why struggle to run a business that is rigged against you? When you could partner up with me and kill... the unkillable?"  Striker pressed harder onto you, resulting in you groaning due to the pressure.

Blitz clenched his teeth.

"You scared that I'm going to hurt her? You care about her don't you?"

You looked over at Blitz teary eyed.

"Did you know that she got stimulants from me?"

Blitz lowered his gun, "What?"

"Blitz I-"

Striker put his foot over your neck, cutting off some air.

"Oh, you daddy fucker!"

Blitz sprinted and tackled Striker, you gasped for air and grabbed the hiking stick, swinging it and hit Strikers head. He yelped in pain and stumbled back.

Blitz whistled for Loona and waited, but she didn't come. "Fuckin dammit Loona." He groaned.

Striker pushed you out the way and pinned Blitz down on the ground, "I'm getting kinda horny right now." Blitz joked.

"Huh?"

You swung and hit Striker repeatedly on the head and his back. Every swing you hit him harder and harder. Getting your anger out, mainly angry at yourself for getting adderal. Angry because you feel like you can't do anything unless you have stimulants. Angry that your parents forced you to take them to perform better, angry that you ended up getting hooked, angry that you left the circus, angry that you left Blitz.

Striker was lying on the ground, groaning in pain. Blitz was astounded, he stared at your watered eyes and flushed face. You threw the hiking stick and sat down in the corner of the room with your head in your hands.

"Kay, Im here." Loona walked in and noticed the scenery. "Nevermind." She left.

Striker got up from the floor and shoved Blitz aside before getting on top of the window seal. "Maybe you'll get me next time... Blitzy." He escaped through.

Blitz panted, turned his attention towards you and kneeled down.

"You sure do know how to wack." He joked, but felt heart heavy. "I'm not angry."

"It's not only that," Your voice cracked, "Its other things."

"Hey, hey it's okay. Come on." He helped you up. "I know you're sorry, I'm not even mad about it, 'kay? So don't worry."

You looked around the room and realized this was the room you and Blitz slept last night. “Striker overheard our conversation last night. He purposely gave me adderal and-”

“Stop..okay? Just stop. I’ll let this one go because you didn’t actively searched for it, you were tempted to it so..don’t worry.” Blitz reassured but you could tell that he was still pissed off with a hint of disappointment.

[bubbleteasing]

Hello, if you don't mind, could you write about Sans motivating Reader to study?

I'm in college and it's hard to motivate myself without getting distracted by anything.

Been there, anon 🫠 good luck with that!

I'll give this a try... (I ended up making it a bit romantic, woops.)

"how are you still on the same page?"

You jumped on your seat, gasping as you looked back over your shoulder.

"I told you I needed you to stop coming into my room so I could study!" You frowned, covering your notes with both hands.

"let me see," he grabbed your wrist with one hand, resting the other on the back of your chair.

You pouted as he revealed your notes, covered in highlighted lines that you hadn't even managed to read yet.

"why're you still stuck with this?" He flipped a couple of pages with a bored expression. "seems fairly easy to me."

"Well, thank for your words of encouragement!" You grabbed your notes and stood up, walking out of your bedroom.

Sans followed you out, watching you walk into the living room and sitting on the couch, placing your notes on the coffee table and leaning your elbows on your knees to be closer to the notebook.

He leaned on the door frame as he watched you pout, shaking his head at you. "want me to read it to you?"

You sniffed, nodding at him as he walked towards you with a smirk in his face.

"ok..." he grabbed your notes, laying down on the couch and resting his head on your thighs, forcing you to fix your posture. "let's see if you can guess this one: it's a company that a marketing team can hire to produce advertising efforts across a variety of channels, like tv, radio, and print," he then looked up at you, "what's that?"

He didn't say anything about testing you, but the question was fairly easy so far.

"Advertising agency?"

"bingo," he winked at you. "now, this one involves a third-party referring visitors to a product or service on a digital platform, like a blog or podcast." He licked his thumb before going to the next page, "they earn a small commission if that referral leads to a sale."

"Affiliate marketing?"

"i told you it wasn't that hard," he rested your notes against his chest. "you probably remember most of these from class, right?"

You nodded, still avoiding looking at him. "I don't know why I always get stuck with the simplest things..."

"oh, is that how you talk about me?" He looked at you with a fake, offended expression. "had i known that you thought i was simple i would've never asked you out!" He crossed his arms dramatically.

You snorted, shaking your head before looking down at him. "If I remember correctly, I was the one who asked you out."

"were you?" He squinted his eye sockets with suspicion.

"After I took you out to dinner, remember?" You said softly as you scratched his chin.

"maybe you're right... that was so long ago..."

"It was last month!" You pinched the side of his skull warningly.

"not all of us have such a good memory as you, bucko," he closed his eyes, adjusting his position so his chin was tilted upwards.

You sniffed before crouching down a bit, giving him a kiss on his forehead.

He slowly opened his eyes, stretching his neck to get closer to your lips before you pulled away.

You cupped his face as you both kissed tenderly, trying not to complain about the uncomfortable position you were in with your bent back as the kiss went on.

Sans suddenly broke the kiss by suddenly putting his hand over your mouth, making you blink in surprise.

"we can keep going," he presses your notebook against your chest, "after you're done with this."

You closed your eyes, sighing in defeat through your nose before he freed your mouth.

"Ok," you agreed, "I'll keep studying."

"and i'll keep my eyes on you," he laid back down on your thighs, crossing his arms under his head.

"I won't disappoint you," you said decisively, "I promise."

"well, stop talking and marketing it happen," he hummed as you groaned at his pun.

[oatmilk-vampire]

Asking the Scrubs characters their pronouns

JD: He/him! Thank you so much for ask-- (*off-camera* "uh, Betty? they’re she/her, remember?") Wait, don't listen to him! I'm a guy! He/him! He/him!

Dr. Cox: Asking someone's pronouns implies you care about them, and you don't know me so you can't care about me and even if you did know me I still don't want you to care about me; oh, but don't just go assuming pronouns either, bucko, because if you try to put any one person in a box I will put you in a box and that box will be six feet under. Do you understand me? *Saunters away without ever answering the question*

Carla: Oh, uh... She/Her.

Elliot: *On the verge of tears* Is it not obvious? She/Her.

Turk: Oh, nah, man. I'm not like that. No pronouns for me, I'm normal.

Todd: Thanks for asking, ally-five! My pronouns are let/me/she/them/tidd/ies. Haha! Pun-five!

Jordan: *Stares at you* She/Her. Don't even ask me about my son's, I haven't decided yet.

Molly: She/they :)

[stabbyfoxandrew]

Hey Aerie! Could I have some Vampdrew? I remember correctly Andrew licking (and kissing!!!) Kevin's hand in the hallway right?? That wasn't a daydream? Ugh I love them! I wish you a good week 🧡🤟🏼

WIP Wednesday (9/18) | Vampire Andrew AU (Part 179)

He stays there until Nicky comes to collect him. Neil's a bit offended Andrew's little group decided he needed to be escorted, but he'd be lying if he said was excited about this ride. In fact, he'd rather chew off a finger than have to sit next to Andrew Minyard for more than ten seconds. But he's got no choice, not really. So he obediently follows Nicky down the stairs.

When they get to the parking lot, Kevin and Aaron are in the car. Andrew is leaning against the back end of the passenger side with a cigarette sticking out of his mouth. His head snaps up and towards Neil. Eerily enough, it reminds Neil of a nature documentary. The way a big cat jerks to attention when a defenseless deer steps on a twig.

"Hey," Nicky says from beside him. "Don't worry, we don't bite." His face twitches in amusement, or something. "Well, not all of us."

"Which of you do?"

"Uh," Nicky's eyes flit from the car back to Neil. "That's a secret."

Andrew beams as they approach. "You waited for us, how kind."

"I'm a real sweetheart."

"I can tell," Andrew flicks his cigarette towards Neil, making him jump. "Oops, oops. Almost got you, Neil." He says with a smile, then it fades and he steps closer to Neil. "If you want to keep your tongue in your mouth, you'll refrain from mentioning Kevin's hand ever again. Do you understand? I will cut it out. You don't need it to play exy and the sound of your voice grates on my nerves anyway."

"That's your threat? You're going to cut out my tongue?"

"Yes. There are four of us," Andrew gestures to the car, where Kevin is looking out the window at them with a grimace. "And one of you. I think we could manage it. Do you really want to find out?"

Neil finally tears his eyes off Kevin and puts them back on Andrew. "My apology was sincere."

"I thought so," Andrew says with a look. "But then again, I also though you had black hair and brown eyes."

Neil gapes. It seems Andrew was clever enough to check between the slips. He stares at Andrew for a moment and the goalie doesn't blink the entire time. "I won't say it again."

"I know you won't. Now be a good boy and get the car." Andrew says, pulling the door open with a flourish. As if he's a gentleman and not a threat-making delinquent. No matter what Andrew is, Neil obeys and slides into the middle seat. Andrew completes the sandwich and slams the door shut.

"Andrew are you sure you can—"

"Drive, Nicky. Don't make me tell you again." Andrew says with a glare. Nicky peels out of their parking spot like he's just committed grand theft and Neil struggles not to lean on Andrew as he takes a turn.

"Andrew." Aaron says firmly, making Neil look from him to his brother. Andrew is wearing a toothless smile and wild eyes. Neil wonders if he forgot to take his medication. Or if he's been mixing it with something stronger than liquor. Neil makes himself look away and finds Nicky staring at them in the rear view mirror. Is Andrew really so unhinged that he needs constant surveillance? Before today, Neil'd only thought him strange. But now... He doesn't know what to think.

But as soon as Nicky gets them to the stadium, Andrew is all but diving out of the car and rushing inside without them. Kevin hurries after him and Neil watches them go. What the fuck is going on? Suddenly, Nicky's arm is around his shoulders. "Hey bucko, don't worry about Andrew. He's just a little—"

"Insane?"

"We prefer the term 'highly strung'." Aaron says from Neil's other side. Then he leans in. "Don't sit on the couch. Push the chair to the opposite wall and sit there instead."

Neil blinks at the strange demand. "Fine."

"Andrew's real particular about who sits where," Nicky says with a laugh. But it's fake. Neil lets them escort him inside, one on either side, then sits through Coach's meeting trying to come up with a reasonable explanation for their behavior. Anytime Neil lets his gaze wander it lands on Andrew, who's always staring at him first. Kevin snaps his fingers in Andrew's face and the goalie blinks before moving his jaw.

"Is that it, Coach?" Neil asks as soon as Wymack spills the beans. Half the room didn't react and the other half is outraged, but Neil is just... Overwhelmed. He's got to get out of here. There's too much weirdness. From the threat of the Moriyamas to whatever the hell Andrew's problem is, he can't quite breathe. Wymack nods in his direction and Neil rises to his feet. He hears someone stand up behind him and rushes for the door.

[elfieafterdark]

HOUSE SPECULATION TIME!

Living on the 6th has to suck dude, you can't go out for a fucking walk due to the fact that the surface is either going to be 430°C in the day, and -180°C at night.

It makes sense why they live on a space station parked on the pole... It's not a life I'd want to live though, stuck on what has to be a cramped space station you matter how spacious you manage.

SCIENCE TIME!

One saving grace of the planet is that it has a surprisingly effective magnetosphere, deflecting an enormous amount of solar wind despite its proximity to the star. Meaning once you're on the surface, if you're able to survive the temperature, you are safe from radiation... Mostly.

Due to the nature of a magnetosphere, the poles receive more radiation than the rest of the surface, leading me to believe that the sixth house has to have some pretty impressive radiation shielding.

Something fascinating about Mercury compared to the other inner planets is its composition. Unlike other terrestrial planets, Mercury is 70% metallic versus 30% silicate.

This means if you're able to handle the extreme changes in temperature, there is a litany of metals to be harvested. Relatively easily accessible, since the magnetosphere will protect your electronics from being scrambled.

I don't know if Muir has gone into as much thought as I have, but shielding electronics has to be the biggest consideration in the world of TLT when it comes to non-magical shit.

As far as we can tell none of the planets have been terraformed, and space radiation absolutely fucks electronics hard. I wonder if the Sixth is not only a repository for all of their information, but also a testing ground of sorts. Curious.

Still sounds like the sixth house would absolutely fucking suck to live on. Last fun fact, Dominicus is seven times brighter there, once the sun comes up, you're fucking awake bucko.

[creepswrites]

RED CHRISTMAS (CH 2) | Billy Lenz

ah my favorite story Red Christmas time....... i love writing billy lenz character studies, it makes me so happy...

BILLY LENZ + SORORITY GIRLS

SUMMARY: Something stuck with her though: the name Agnes. Billy had mumbled it during his meltdown and it felt personal. It gave her something to work with though. She needed to know more, needed to unravel this man's mysteries. Both as a future psychiatrist and out of genuine concern.

He was strange. She needed to know more.

WARNING: discussion of graphic violence/child abuse

Phyllis Carlson had a lot of patience. She prided herself on being realistic yet understanding, all good qualities to have for a future as a doctor. Because she wasn't going to just be a nurse like her parents had wanted for their good little girl, always so condescending. No, she would be a proper doctor and a damn good one too.

However, sitting here on the couch watching some stranger whimper and cry in the communal kitchen while Jess tried to talk him down? She was reconsidering that whole Hippocratic oath "do no harm" part. "So let me get this straight," she rubbed her temples with her fingers, eyes squeezing shut in pure frustration. The Christmas tree still sat aglow, the soft lights the only light in the living room. It made her glasses-less sight all that much worse. "Some random dude stayed here after the party, attacked Peter, and suddenly Jess is going all psychology major on him?"

She kept her voice a whisper, shooting paranoid glances towards the kitchen, afraid to be too loud and be on the receiving end of the stranger's wrath.

Barbara Coard, in sharp contrast, did not appear at all stressed or concerned. "Good for him, honestly. Petey here can be pretty annoyin' sometimes." She said with a smirk, ignoring the glare the man gave her. "I like him."

Peter huffed in typical drama queen fashion. "He attacked me, Barb."

"Aw shut up and keep fidgeting with your ice pack," Barb scoffed, "And zip it, bucko, mommy and daddy are talking." She turned back to Phyll with an attentive look.

Phyll didn't give that any kind of response. "I'm just worried this guy is dangerous. I mean, I certainly don't remember seeing him."

"Neither do I," Barb said with another drag of her cigarette. "His voice is kinda familiar though, ain't it?"

The two girls shared a look before looking towards the kitchen doorway.

Billy and Jess had sat at the little kitchen table once again. He was staring ahead at absolutely nothing while she wrapped his knuckles with soft, white gauze. They'd started bleeding after hitting Peter and Jess had immediately fretted over the injury. She shushed and soothed his stammering and mumbles, not flinching when he had small, squealing outbursts. "It's alright, you're safe." 

Green eyes fixed on her with an unblinking stare as she worked.

"You really did a number on Peter, y'know. What, um, prompted you to even lash out like that?"

Still, she was met with only silence.

It was very odd to her, considering what she knew about the Moaner. She hadn't told anyone else about his identity yet because she knew without a doubt that that reveal wouldn't go over well for anybody. The memory of Billy's threats to kill them still lingered in the back of her mind and it kept her on edge.

Surely, if he wanted to hurt her, he would've done so by now.

As she finished wrapping his hands, she gave him a warm smile. "Well, there you go, all patched up."

Billy couldn't meet her eyes and instead stared across the room at the candy cane he'd sharpened. After the incident with the pillow, Jess had taken it away to throw out. But his hands itched for a new weapon, for something to distract himself with. The longer he stared at the candy cane, the more compelled he felt to stab someone with it. Whoever he could get his hands on.

She noticed his gaze and stepped away slowly, creeping towards the candy cane knife like she was worried he'd lunge if she got too close. But he stayed still, picking at his cuticles and nails anxiously as he watched her pick it up and throw it away.

His eyes closed as the voices in his head disappeared in a soft breeze of calm.

"Hey," Barb's voice cut through the serene silence of the kitchen. Billy let out a small yelp and scrambled out of his chair to hide on the other side of the table away from Barb. 

"Barb." Jess said softly. "We should, um, talk. With Phyll too."

The other girl nodded before giving a hesitant glance towards Billy. "You behave, alright?" She said, her cigarette hanging loosely between her fingers, a sharp contrast to the pink nightgown she wore.

He watched their backs retreat and hurried to turn off the kitchen light, plunging the room into darkness. Peter scoffed in the next room but Billy ignored the swelling urge to go kill him. Instead, he ducked under the table. Dark and quiet, just like the attics he was used to.

The attic.

The girl he'd left upstairs.

Jess's kindness would surely disappear once she learnt of the girl in the attic. Broken and cold, tied to the rocking chair like she was nothing more than a doll. She wasn't, as far as Billy was concerned. But she was still broken. A broken toy.

"Silly, silly, silly Billy, what have you done..." He whispered as he ducked his head between his knees, suddenly struck with a sick feeling in his stomach. "Billy, Billy, you broke it. Broke it. Broke it. Nasty, stupid Billy!" The words scraped his throat, mimicking his mothers voice. "Nasty pig bitch !" His voice cracked and he slapped a hand over his mouth.

Tears began to fall and he didn't know why.

"Jessie, I gotta be honest, this is a weird one." Barb said as she gestured to the kitchen, now plunged in darkness. "He's, uh, kinda strange."

"Kind of?" Peter protested with a huff. "You can't seriously be thinking of keeping him here."

Jess felt indignant. "Yes, I am. I think we should let him stay. At least for tonight."

Phyll gazed up at the Christmas tree, listening but not contributing. She seemed far away, thinking hard about something.

Their guest's voice was so familiar-

"I'm cool with him stayin'," Barb said with a shrug, "But, uh, no more screamin' episodes, yeah?"

Jess nodded, beginning to drift away to her own thoughts as Barb and Peter argued.

She was a psychology student. Being presented with a mysterious and clearly unstable man was, intellectually, fascinating to her. Had she not heard his comments about pigs earlier, she wouldn't even believe the man who sat in her kitchen and lost his mind trying to defend her from Peter could possibly be the same man who screamed lewd remarks at her over the phone.

How did these things connect? What happened to him? Where did he even come from?

She had to know more.

"He's familiar, isn't he." Phyll said more than asked. She turned to look at Jess, staring her down harshly as though searching for an answer on her face. "Kinda looks a bit like Peter. But I feel like I've heard him somewhere."

The two stared each other down. Jess tried to keep her expression schooled as Phyll searched for something there.

She knew. Or, at the very least, suspected. Jess wouldn't fold. She wouldn't say anything, especially not with Peter in the room.

"Bitch-!" They heard from the next room and Phyll's eyes widened in horror.

Barb didn't seem to notice. "You okay in there?" She called out, oblivious to the way her sisters seemed to have a conversation with just a look.

When Billy didn't answer, she made her way to the kitchen. "Wait, Barb, be careful!" Peter called out which only annoyed her.

"Relax, Petey, I can take care of myself." She sighed before stepping into the kitchen, the cold tile biting at her bare feet.

The limited light that reached the kitchen only faintly highlighted the face of the man gasping through sobs under the table. Green eyes were sharp and calculating, watching intensely as Barb sat on the floor in front of him. "Hey, you alright?" She asked softly, talking to him like one of the animals at the shelter she took care of.

Billy just stared at her, his hand still clasped over his mouth to muffle his crying and whining.

"Hey," she said softly, "You okay?"

He stared at her as tears ran down flushed cheeks. In the dark, the shadows danced menacingly on his face, making him look terrifying. Billy grumbled something though his words were muffled by his hands.

Barb just tried to smile. "You, um… You like music?" When he continued to just stare at her, she took a slow drag from her cigarette. "I've been really into makin' mixtapes lately. It's, uh… It keeps me busy, y'know? I've made a couple for Phyll and Jess too."

Billy continued to stare blankly.

"What's up?" Barb eventually sighed. 

Without hesitation, Billy crawled towards her till their faces were mere inches apart. Barb opened her mouth to say something but quickly closed it as his eyes began to dart back and forth between hers.

As quickly as he came, he recoiled like she'd slapped him, giggling and biting his lower lip as he tried to fight a smile. "You… good?" She frowned, scooting back a little.

He just gripped his hair tight, hanging his head like he'd done something wrong and he felt ashamed. "Silly, silly, silly," Billy whispered through his laughter. He couldn't help his staring. It was her fault, surely. Barb was pretty, he couldn't help but look. All the girls were but he hadn't gotten the chance to look at her properly. Jess had already been so close and he wanted to just get closer-

"Dude, what was that about?" Barb just chuckled good-naturedly. "If you wanted to kiss, all you had to do was ask."

Billy's head snapped up and he stared with his mouth agape. "K-kiss?!" His voice cracked into something higher pitched. "Kiss Billy? Kiss Billy?"

She just laughed. Laughed. Like Billy was funny, like it wasn't outlandish for someone to want to kiss him. Like he wasn't disgusting and ugly and-

Barb scooted closer, running her hand through his wild, curly hair to dislodge his hands. "I mean, you're probably less crazy than my ex boyfriend. He was a real psycho. Wanted me to run away with him to Europe. Like, dude, I have a life here. School 'n shit." She rolled her eyes dramatically. "Almost did it. My mom's a real piece'a work. Might've done it if she didn't beg me to stay."

Billy's eyes were still wide as he listened. A white-hot flare of protectiveness shot through him but was quickly extinguished when she shrugged.

She sighed, as though the mere memory exhausted her. "Whatever. Wanna kiss? I mean, if that's what you were thinkin' about doing. Got real close to me, man."

No. He didn't want to kiss her.

He nodded anyway.

Mother used to insist on affection from Billy. This wasn't different, surely.

The way Barb looked at him was different though. Gentler than his mother. Bile rose in his throat as she scooted closer and he tried to focus on anything else. The cold tile under his palms where he knelt on his hands and knees. Her soft, pale skin and the pink nightgown that rode up slightly when she moved closer. His teeth ground painfully, he couldn't meet her eyes, and he felt compelled to dig his teeth into the soft flesh of her exposed arms or thighs just to make her go away.

But her hands were gentle as she held his face. He didn't want to look at her face, didn't want to see his mother's face looking back.

Her lips were soft when she pressed them to his. Bile threatened to spill and he wanted to scream. She was soft, too soft, and he couldn't help the way he trembled. It was everything like and yet nothing like when his mother demanded he kiss her cheek goodnight whenever he was let out of the attic. Barb was softer, kinder, and it made his skin crawl. If Barb was harsh and forceful about it, at least he'd know to be repulsed. 

This was so different. The repulsion was there because he didn't know how else to feel about kissing. But her thumb gently brushed under his eye and she tilted his head gently so their noses wouldn't bump and he wanted to bite her so she would be cruel to him. He didn't deserve this sweet kindness from a girl he'd only ever known through the floorboards of her attic.

When they parted, he was gasping for air and she just giggled. "What, never kissed a girl before?" Her tone was light, teasing, and she was still holding his face like he was fragile.

No, he hadn't. He'd never enjoyed it, at least. The thought he even enjoyed kissing her made him feel sick to his stomach though. Billy opened his mouth, ready to scream at her, scream at himself, anything but then-

"Hey." Jess's voice broke their little bubble and Billy nearly cheered from relief. He couldn't bear thinking about kissing her again like he so desperately wanted to yet was equal parts disgusted by.

"Hey yourself," Barb chuckled, letting go of Billy and standing up to brush herself off while pointedly ignoring the look Jess was giving her.

Jess just sighed and shook her head, looking down at a trembling Billy. "Phyll says you can stay the night, if you want."

Peter, like usual, was hot on her heels to disagree. "No, absolutely not! I don't care what you girls say, I'm not letting him be alone with you."

Barb's eyes could've pupped out of her head with how hard she rolled them. "Petey, as cute as your white knighting is, we're perfectly capable of taking care of ourselves."

"I'm calling the police." He said with such an arrogant finality that Barb felt the urge to smack him upside the head.

Billy lunged for him and only stopped when Jess got between them. "No, Peter, you're not," she said, pushing Billy back slightly. "We're fine."

Barb reached over to ruffle Billy's hair and smirked when he squealed. "We got a big, strong man to protect us from the bad guys, Petey. We're all set."

Peter looked angry and Billy snorted to himself at the sight. He hated him so much. Rude, dismissive of the girls, forced his will on Jess all the time…

"Sounds like we're having a sleepover," Phyll's tired voice came from behind them all. She stood in the living room with her arms crossed over her chest in attempts to warm up. The fire had begun to turn to flickering embers and it was beginning to become too chilly for the girls in just pjs. 

"I'll make popcorn!" Jess smiled, turning on the kitchen light.

Billy hissed at the brightness. "Popcorn," he popped loudly. "Pop pop popcorn." He mimicked her tone and smooth accent, snickering. "I'll make popcorn."

Barb snorted. "Yeah, crazy. You got it." She yawned loudly and let out a long sigh. "'m gonna go grab pillows 'n blankets from our rooms. And my cigarettes. Be right back."

"Alright," Phyll said as Barb walked past her and back up the stairs. Her eyes never left Billy though, staring him down like a hawk when he turned to hover beside Jess in the kitchen.

Something was off about their impromptu guest and she wanted to find out what.

Peter, despite everyone insisting otherwise, had decided to stay. Despite his wishes, Billy happily sat at Jess's feet as she took her spot on the couch with the girls. The fire was now roaring and some romance movie Phyll picked was playing. She and Jess were enraptured by it while Barb just smoked, quietly bored. Sometimes Jess would play with a curl of his hair absentmindedly, not missing the way he tensed. Jess knew he was obviously not used to being touched but she did it anyways, hoping to help him get used to it again.

Peter sulked in the armchair and glared harshly at Billy all night as though hoping the other would just combust. 

"Alright," Barb eventually said, sliding off the couch to join Billy on the floor. "We usually do each other's nails during sleepovers, so!" She set a little tray full of nail polishes in front of him with an expectant smile. "World's your oyster bud. Pick whatever you want."

A scoff coming from the armchair made Barb roll her eyes again. Billy snorted at the way her face immediately contorted from kindness to annoyance in the blink of an eye. She was really animated when she wanted to be and Billy couldn't help mimicking her face at Peter. "Guys don't paint their nails. Pretty sure that's for fa-"

Phyll threw popcorn at him with a sharp hiss. "Watch it. We're throwing you out if you finish that sentence."

Billy turned his attention to the little tray while Peter and Phyll argued. He'd never been given a choice before and it overwhelmed him. Was there a right answer? Did Barb want him to pick her favorite color?

She must've noticed his hesitation and took pity on him. "You like candy canes, right? Want me to do alternating red and white?"

"Yes." Billy said softly, poking gently at the red polish. Yes, he liked that idea.

Barb smiled at him and took out her nail clippers to get to work. Surprisingly, Billy had rather long nails for a guy, which intrigued her. They were chipped in places and cracking in others but she was able to clip and file them down to an almost almond shape. "You've got such nice skin," she sighed wistfully. "I'm kinda jealous. I get pimples, like, all the time."

Billy didn't know what to say to that so he didn't say anything. Jess's hand was back in his hair and everything felt a little overstimulating but he grit his teeth. Barb wanted to paint his nails and he was determined to tough it out. He didn't want her to be mad at him.

When she was done, though, Billy couldn't help but admire her work. They were pretty. It almost reminded him of the dark colors his mother would sloppily paint her toes with in the living room while on the phone with her friends.

Almost.

Suddenly, a sharp shuddering feeling wracked his body as Jess began to scratch his scalp in slow, methodical circles. He let out a yelp of surprise and clung to her legs like he would drift away if he let go. Billy trembled, biting his lip to keep himself from making a sound. Barb noticed though and gave him a knowing smile. "Hey Jessie, I think he likes that."

"What?" Jess blinked. "Oh! I'm sorry, I didn't realize I was-"

Billy whined, digging his nails into her bare legs and burying his face into the couch cushions beside them. It felt nice. Goosebumps ran up and down his arms and made him shiver.

So she resumed, scratching in slow circles with her nails, uncaring of the way his hair felt a little dirty. Billy whimpered and would occasionally bite on his knuckles - Barb had smacked his hand when he tried to chew his nails - and Jess was struck by how intimate this felt.

It didn't normally. But things with Billy were slightly different, more charged, likely because he was so overwhelmed by gentle touching and genuine care. She'd seen Barb kiss him in the kitchen, she knew there was something about him that pulled people in. It was interesting, in her opinion. She'd met many mentally ill people in her studies so it wasn't the strangest thing she'd come across.

Something stuck with her though: the name Agnes. Billy had mumbled it during his meltdown and it felt personal. It gave her something to work with though. She needed to know more, needed to unravel this man's mysteries. Both as a future psychiatrist and out of genuine concern.

He was strange. She needed to know more.

Jess woke up first. Light peered its way through the windows and shined bright in her eyes. She took in the room, noting Barb and Phyll cuddled up on one end of the couch with Peter slumped over in his chair. She became immediately aware of the soft snoring beside her though.

At some point in the night, Billy had climbed up on the couch and tucked himself against her. The two of them were pressed together, his head resting on her shoulder while her head lay atop his. His knees were bent up to his chest with his arms curled against his chest, like he'd tucked himself into a ball. It made her heart clench a little seeing how little space he tried to take up.

In the light, it was easier to study him. Dirt and dust covered his clothes and hair, now highlighted obviously in the morning sun. Long, thin scars littered his hands in places and it was obvious he chewed on his fingers a lot. He was freakishly pale with dark circles under his eyes as proof he didn't sleep very often. A few stray scars on his face or near his mouth likely meant he'd been hit a few times. The idea sickened her.

Gently, Jess reached over and brushed a stray lock of hair behind his ear. When she pulled her hand back, he was staring at her, his breathing never changing. "Hi." She kept her voice soft to try and avoid waking the others or disturbing the sleepy atmosphere between them. "Do you want to take a shower?"

He looked at her with slow blinks, reminding her of how Claud would stare at her.

She took his hands and pulled him up, leading the way up the stairs towards the communal bathroom. "Here, wait in there, I'll grab you some things." She said quietly before retreating to her bedroom to grab her toiletries and some of Peter's clothes he'd left the few times he'd stayed over. He was skinnier than her boyfriend was but they'd fit him better than any of her clothes.

Billy was easily coerced into taking a shower, giving her time to do some quick research.

Jess made herself comfortable at her desk in her bedroom, cracking her knuckles as she got to typing. Without a last name to go off of, she'd have to get creative. So, she tried a few key words: "Billy and Agnes." "Billy phone calls." "Mimicking phone caller." But nothing had come up yet.

A thought came to her. While it had been rude, Peter had made a comment about an asylum. It was a stretch and not an idea she particularly liked, she googled nearby asylums within reasonable driving distance, added Billy's name, and began to scan through search results.

On the fifth failed attempt, Jess hung her head. "Okay," she sighed, "One last try."

Harmony Heights Hospital... Billy...

Instantly, various articles popped up about a man named Billy Lenz. She straightened up and began scanning through the first few links…

CHRISTMAS KILLER SET FREE...

LENZ BOY LET OUT ON GOOD BEHAVIOR...

THE TRAGIC STORY OF AGNES LENZ...

What on earth was this…

\\\

LENZ FAMILY MURDERED by Axel Waters, Investigative Journalist

Many times over the course of a person's life, we face challenges that seem impossible. Our experiences change us and shape us into the people who we are. These challenges help us grow as people, be it for better or worse. For one Bill Lenz aka The Christmas Killer, things have certainly changed for the worse.

On Christmas morning, Lenz was found by police in his home, covered in blood and holding his baby sister Agnes Lenz. Upon his arrest, Lenz was pleading with the police to not take his sister and had fought so viciously that he had to be restrained in order to be taken to the car. The state of the home, dear readers, was horrific.

Both Lenz's mother and stepfather had been stabbed through the neck with sharpened candy canes. The man - Roger Dirkson - was face down on the stove with various knives lodged into his back, a passionate kill that chilled me to the bone. His mother - Constance Lenz - was far worse; her eye punctured with a sharpened candy cane with her head caved in by a frying pan that lay discarded nearby. Lenz had been vicious and brutal and had the nerve to huddle up with his freshly traumatized five-year-old sister.

Lenz is said to be institutionalized in the nearby Harmony Heights Hospital whilst Agnes is placed into foster care for the time being. While the date for Lenz's trial is not yet in place, I hope that the seventeen-year-old will be tried as an adult for these grisly murders.

\\\

Jess sat back in her chair, letting the words roll over her like smashing waves. Her body thrummed with terror and anxiety as she tried to process what she'd read. He was a killer? He'd killed his family?!

She checked the date of the article, swallowing when she noticed it was from nearly four years ago. Quickly, she began to search for anything more recent, praying for an explanation as to why he'd done it.

An article from a year ago caught her attention.

\\\

A DARK CHRISTMAS INDEED by Marilyn Lowell, Journalist

On a dark, terrible Christmas morning exactly three years ago, a young Billy Lenz was arrested for the brutal, unnecessary murder of his mother and stepfather. 

Or so we thought.

After a difficult trial two years ago, Lenz was found guilty by reason of insanity and was not imprisoned for his crimes.

How could this be?

Evidence later found by police showed overwhelming evidence that Lenz had been gruesomely neglected. Investigators say he was locked away in the attic for days at a time and, based on medical reports from Lenz's physical, it's likely that he was fed very little. He was, undoubtedly, insane. He was unable to form complete sentences and lashed out at anyone who tried to get close.

While it had been impossible to pull any kind of real information out of the traumatized young man, Sheriff Rowan Pierce had this to say about the situation: "He was screaming like nobody's business," Pierce said of Lenz. "All he kept asking was where was [Agnes], where's my sister, all that..."

Agnes Lenz, tragically, bore witness to the murders at only five years old. She was separated from Lenz and became a ward of the state during investigations. She has reportedly since been placed in foster care, far away from her home, her brother, and the horrors that unfolded. Police have refused to give any and all reporters her whereabouts.

Officer Jacob Fowling had this to say: "She's just a little kid. She doesn't need to be reminded of this every day. Anyone who goes looking for an interview with her is just heartless." 

Bill Lenz, now twenty, is said to be released from Harmony Heights this upcoming week. Here's a statement about Lenz, from Dr. Steven Fell: "Bill Lenz has been through a lot. People often overlook the results of a deep abuse like that and aren't understanding of what extreme measures a man can take to save himself. When he came to me, he was practically emaciated and you couldn't even get within five feet of him without him freezing up. It was horrible."

While initially the Lenz children were scorned when the crime was first made public, opinion has since swayed after the evidence of neglect became apparent. As far as I know, the children are both recovering and have reportedly not seen each other since the incident. I can only hope that they will heal.

I send my condolences to the two children and wish all my readers a happy holiday.

\\\

Jess let out a breath she didn't realize she'd been holding. She continued to skim through articles, jotting down whatever information she could on a small pad of paper beside her. Different articles revealed more and more horrific details. Some reports, however, were just trashy, claiming that Billy had eaten his parents' cooked flesh or that Agnes was both his sister and daughter. Clearly just written in hopes of capitalizing on a horrific tragedy.

But she was able to get a clear picture of what happened: Billy killed his family, had been locked away in the attic for most of his life, was physically abused, and cared deeply for his sister despite the favoritism. 

Reading through it, Jess found it harder and harder to be angry about him killing them. It was practically self-defense.

Agnes was difficult for reporters to find. The only article she could find was one about the trial where she'd been called to the stand and unable to recall anything of the incident, clearly having already suppressed the trauma. It made Jess's heart ache for the little girl.

But Jess was no reporter. She was a studying psychologist and she knew there were answers that only the young girl would have. If she could find her, she might be able to help Billy somehow.

Opening a new tab, Jess hovered over the keys. But, instead of Agnes' name, she typed in another: Dr. Steven Fell.

Call it a hunch, but she had a feeling he may know where Agnes went.

 Hot water ran down Billy's neck and shoulders as he hung his head in front of the shower head, staring down at his feet to watch the way dirty water began to run clear. He lifted his hand to chew anxiously on his knuckles and whimpered, mind racing.

After Jess had left, he'd turned the shower on but hadn't gotten in. Guilt gnawed at him, ate away at his stomach until he nearly threw up. Mother. Upstairs. The girl he'd hurt and broke and left to die in the cold attic. As soon as the others learnt what he'd done, he'd be in trouble - thrown out onto the streets or, worse, thrown back into his cell.

Bad Billy, his mother scolded him in his mind, naughty, stupid Billy!

So he'd crept towards the stairs, using the running shower to muffle his steps. Jess was nowhere to be seen and he couldn't hear any of the other girls moving about so he tried to be quick. Before he was caught and thrown away.

He opened the little door to the attic and hoisted himself up, tucking his legs in and shuffling towards the girl still tied to the rocking chair. She was still and cold and he briefly worried she had died in the night. But no, her breath came out in hot clouds.

Scratching at his wrists and arms, he studied her closely while untying her. Not broken then. Cracked, maybe, but not broken.

Billy lifted her up into his arms and carried her down the ladder carefully, making his way back to the room he'd found her in.

He took in the decor, giggling at the photos of naked women performing witchcraft on her walls. Billy lay her gently down on the floor, mumbling to himself. She fell. Yes. She was hit in the head and she fell but she was okay. He set a box nearby to make it look like it had hit her. Perfect.

The door shut with a quiet click behind him and he hurried back to the bathroom. She'd wake up and no one would know. Everything would stay as it was.

Which was where he stood now. Scrubbing himself off with a washcloth in water that was slightly too hot but he was too afraid to try and fiddle with the nozzles. He was just grateful he got hot water at all. Usually, mother wouldn't let him have that, even in the winter.

When he finally stepped out, he got dried and changed quickly, not wanting to see the scars on his body any more than he had to.

But he couldn't help looking in the mirror when he was done.

His hair hung in messy, uneven lengths, water still bogging down his curls that hung just to his shoulders. It felt good to be clean though, flushed warm from the shower and pink in the cheeks. Billy studied himself in the mirror, poking and prodding at gaunt cheeks, tugging around the skin around his wide, unblinking eyes. He looked unpleasant, just like his mother always said. Too tall, too skinny, too ugly.

But he was clean. That was a nice change at least.

The old band t-shirt and sweatpants didn't suit him at all but it was better than nothing. He poked and prodded at the small holes in the shirt, smiling when he heard the fabric snap as he made them bigger. Serves Peter right.

Quietly, he tiptoed out of the bathroom and back towards Jess's room, peering in through the slight opening of her door. She was already dressed in her day clothes and seemed focused on whatever she was writing. Billy didn't want to disturb her, so he just watched her. Bore holes into the back of her head as she wrote vigorously, glancing between her paper and the screen. Minutes ticked by and he wondered what she was doing. But, before he could creep in to get a better look, she turned her computer off, put the pad of paper in her purse, and stood up to leave.

Jess jumped when she saw Billy hovering in her doorway. "Christ, you scared me!" She scolded him as she caught her breath. She pushed Billy aside as she stepped out and took a deep breath. "Smells like Barb and Phyll are making breakfast."

"Breakfast." Billy repeated, mimicking her cadance. He liked the way her voice sounded, like cold water.

She gave him a slight smile and led the way back downstairs.

Peter immediately descended upon them. "There you are!" He rushed over to Jess, taking her by the shoulders to look her over. "What happened? Did he hurt you?" 

Billy growled as Jess pushed Peter's hands off her. She hated feeling coddled and knew his concerns only stemmed from the fact she was pregnant. "Relax, Peter. I was just upstairs doing some quick research while Billy was showering."

The man looked Billy over, scrutinizing him. "What's he doing in my clothes?"

"Nothing I had would fit him," Jess sighed as she headed towards the kitchen, Billy hot on her heels like a needy puppy, sad whimpering to match.

Soft music filled the tiny kitchen as Barb worked. For as troublesome as she could be, no one made pancakes better than Barbara Coard. Phyll was sat at the little table with a mug of coffee and a tired smile. "Morning Jess," she sighed as she took a sip, "And… good morning, Billy." She said, albeit nervously.

Jess pressed a fond kiss to the top of her head before noting the music. "I didn't take you for a Human League fan." She called over to Barb with a wide grin.

"Well, this is my morning mixtape." Barb said over his shoulder, giving Billy a once-over. "Fashionable." She teased him before turning back to the bacon and sausage.

Don't, don't you want me?

You know I can't believe it when I hear that you won't see me

Jess reached for Phyll's hands and, despite her tired protest, pulled her to the center of the kitchen and began to dance rather clumsily together. Phyll squealed with delight as she slid around in her socks and Jess sang along to the music without a care in the world.

Don't, don't you want me?

You know I don't believe you when you say that you don't need me

"Careful! Crazy kids," Barb teased good-naturedly. She noticed Billy standing there awkwardly and, taking pity on him, held out her hands. "C'mere, freak." Was the only warning Billy got before she took his hands and dragged him into the fray.

It's much too late to find

You think you've changed your mind

Alarmed, Jess went to protest on his behalf but Billy let out a sound that was somewhere between a scream and a laugh, clinging to Barbara like they were stood on ice rather than the sturdy kitchen floor. Neither of them were dancing, just spinning each other over their heads and Barb kept trying to tickle him, digging her fingers into his sides and relishing in the manic smile on his face. Soon enough, the four of them were all dancing around the kitchen and laughing.

You'd better change it back, or we will both be sorry

It was the first time any of them had seen Billy really smile.

When the song came to an end, Barb grabbed both sides of Billy's head and tilted him down so she could press an exaggerated kiss on the top of his head. "Thanks for the dance, crazy." She teased with a violent ruffle of his damp hair, hoping to fluff it out a bit more.

Billy meowed like a cat and escaped to sit at the table with Phyll, face bright red and beaming, oblivious to the strange look Barb gave him. "Breakfast's ready!" She said instead as she plated the pancakes, bacon, eggs, and sausage for them all to take from.

Billy politely refused bacon and sausage with another quiet meow as he drowned his pancakes in syrup.

"Real men eat meat." Peter mumbled under his breath, glaring at Billy.

"Stupid bitch." Billy shot back in a scratchy, shrill voice.

The other man's head snapped up. "Excuse me?!"

Jess sighed loudly. "Be nice, boys."

Jess stood at the sink, washing the dishes from breakfast as she hummed along to the music playing on the radio. Phyll and Barb had gone up to shower and Peter was watching television in the living room. It wasn't her turn to do dishes but she didn't really want to sit with Peter and risk him talking about the baby. Besides, washing dishes was methodical and let her turn her brain off. It also gave her the chance to consider her plan of action for the day: call Dr. Steven Fell and, hopefully, go talk to Agnes.

She wasn't… totally sure what she'd do when she got there. But she'd figure that out later.

Soft footsteps approached her and stopped just behind her, observing over her shoulder. "Do you want to help?" She asked with a fond smile. "You can dry them, if you'd like."

Silence. Instead, she felt Billy press his fingertips to her back and she had to hold steady to avoid jolting. The last thing she wanted was him getting scared and running off. Instead, she just resumed humming the song. "Do you like music?"

More silence. But, after a beat, Billy began to hum along with her. Jess smiled and set aside the last dish on the rack to dry. "Do you want to dance? And I mean properly dance, not just spinning around the kitchen." She turned to look at Billy properly, ignoring the glares Peter kept shooting them from his spot in the kitchen. Of course, her boyfriend raised his hackles if Billy so much as looked at Jess but the girl was so fed up she didn't even care.

Billy's eyes shot open in surprise and he began to chew nervously at chapped, peeling lips. "Dance…" He whispered as he stared down at his feet.

Jess took his hands and led him into the center of the kitchen and gave him a reassuring smile. When he floundered for what to do, Jess put his hands at her waist and set her own atop his shoulders. Billy looked a little green but let her move him how she wanted him. "Relax," she chuckled as the two began to sway stiltedly along to Let It Snow. "I won't bite."

Oh, the weather outside is frightful

But the fire is so delightful

Slowly, Billy began to relax and lean into the gentle swaying. It was basically middle school slow dancing - not enough movement to really be dancing but Jess was too afraid to do much more. He seemed easily overstimulated and she was just honored he let her touch him so much. She slid her hands up to loop her fingers around his neck and stepped more into his space, humming to the music.

And since we've no place to go

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow

"Please don't," his voice came soft, barely audible over the music.

Alarm bells rang in her head. "Don't what?"

"Kiss me." He practically pleaded, green eyes finally meeting hers.

It doesn't show signs of stopping

And I've bought some corn for popping

The lights are turned way down low

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow

Jess frowned. "Why would I kiss you?"

Billy swallowed with a click of his throat. His eyes darted to Peter in the living room who had yet to notice their closeness. Because I want to, Billy's mind unhelpfully provided.

She just swayed with him in time to the song, her brain trying to wrack itself why he'd think she wanted to kiss him. "Is it because Barb kissed you?" She tried, biting her own lip now.

Billy jolted but still nodded.

"Barb is just like that," Jess sighed, thoroughly annoyed with her sorority sister now. "She doesn't read the room sometimes and has a habit of kissing anyone she wants."

The two of them flinched when Peter shouted in the next room, cheering along with whatever sport he was watching. Billy growled under his breath. "Nasty pig bitch…"

Jess couldn't help her laughter. "Yes, I'm beginning to agree with you."

Billy felt light and heavy all at once. He wanted to die when he saw her smile yet couldn't imagine a world where she wasn't happy. Peter deserved to die for trying to ruin her life with a baby.

True to her word, Jess didn't kiss him. Billy couldn't help the way his hands tried to follow her when she stepped away, already missing her warmth.

Jess paced her room, listening to the dial tone of the phone ring. She'd swiped the downstairs phone to try and call Dr. Fell in the privacy of her own room. The others were downstairs watching television and she took the opportunity.

She nearly gave up until, after the fourth ring, he picked up. "Dr. Fell speaking."

"Dr. Fell! Hello, my name is Jessica Bradford. I wanted to ask you some things pertaining to a patient." She fidgeted with the cord, keeping her eye on the door in case anyone decided to barge in.

A pause. "Ms. Bradford, I'm afraid I'm unable to provide any information regarding patients to strangers."

"Oh, I don't need patient information."

"Then what?"

"I… Need to know where Agnes Lenz is."

The silence that followed was deafening. She heard his chair creaking and worried for a moment he was going to hang up. "The case was closed years ago. And trying to get an interview through me is rather shameless." His voice was menacing and certainly threatened hanging up.

But Jess was fast. "I'm a friend of Billy's!" More silence. "He's… He mentioned Agnes to me yesterday and I felt compelled to try and find her. I- I don't know when's the last time he saw her but-"

"If you really do know Mr. Lenz, tell me: which of his ears has a chip in it?"

Jess bluescreened, trying to remember how Billy looked. Who paid attention to that sort of thing? She had a fifty-fifty chance… but she decided to take a gamble: "Neither."

Silence. Then a sigh. "Why do you care so much, Ms. Bradford? It's been years since the two have seen each other and even longer since the case was closed."

"I'm not a reporter." Jess insisted, clenching her jaw. "I'm a university student, I live in the Pi Kappa Sig sorority, and I go to school for psychology." A pause. "I want to help Billy."

"And you think reuniting him with Agnes is a good thing?"

"Yes, sir, I do."

Silence stretched on again, longer than any of the previous times. Jess almost worried he'd hung up before he spoke again. "Okay. But if I see anything in the news about an interview with this girl, I'll call the police."

Jess pulled out her pad of paper to scribble down the address.

"I'll only be gone a few hours." Jess sighed as she put her mittens on, trying to push Peter away from her.

Phyll, Barb, and Billy watched the whole tussle from their place on the floor, their game of Candyland temporarily put on hold in case Jess needed aid. Peter was convinced Jess was going to an abortion and all but grabbed her to try and keep her inside.

"Jess, please, don't do this!" He whined, standing in front of the doorway like a petulant child.

"I'm going shopping." Jess sighed, holding up her grocery bags. "Please, Peter, stop embarrassing me." She looked over at her sorority sisters as she pulled on her hat. "You two are find to stay with Billy?"

Barb chuckled and poked at said man with her foot. "So long as he keeps kicking Phyll's ass at Candyland."

Jess rolled her eyes fondly and pushed past Peter to head to her car, ignoring his protests as he tried to follow her. Thank god her lock hadn't frozen or he may have dragged her bodily back into the house. His fake crying was ignored as she pulled out of the driveway, content to let him think she was getting an abortion. She didn't care. Who knows, maybe she'd make an appointment later.

The drive to the little foster home Agnes lived at was about an hour away, giving her plenty of time to think. According to Dr. Fell, Agnes had visited Billy a grand total of twice when he was staying at the hospital. The two hadn't really talked but she didn't seem to hate him for what happened. She'd be around ten now and had been kept secret from any and all reporters. One had tried when Agnes had been seven but, luckily, police had been called.

She didn't seem to remember the traumatic night but both Jess and Dr. Fell didn't believe that.

Now that she was in the car and thinking about it critically, she wasn't sure what she was hoping to get out of this. Even if Agnes's guardians would let them talk, who knows if Agnes would even want to. All she could do was hope she'd talk if she mentioned Billy…

Did she even remember him anymore?

When she pulled up outside the house, she let out a little sigh, watching her breath become clouds in the cold air. It was like a tiny winter wonderland decorated with little white lights that cast flickering glows against the sparkling snow. Tiny snowmen and snow angels littered the front porch and Jess smiled fondly. Kids had certainly been out playing recently and it made her heart clench a little.

It wasn't like she never wanted a kid ever. Just right now wasn't a good time. How Peter couldn't even respect that was…

Shaking that train of thought away, Jess steeled herself and marched to the front door, reminding herself with every step that she had to do this. She had to get answers, had to try and help Billy in some way. He clearly needed it and she had a feeling this would solve a lot of problems.

The elegant green wreath stared her in the face as her hand hesitated over the warm red door. "You can do this." She whispered to herself and squeezed her eyes shut as she knocked.

The sound of footsteps running around became louder and a dog could be heard barking from inside. The door swinging open surprised her and she was met with the face of a little five year old girl stood in the doorway dressed in a cute little dress and holding a doll to her chest. "Hello," Jess said gently and smiled. "Where's your mother?"

All she got was a blank, terrified stare in response, like the little girl had opened the door on impulse and didn't actually expect anyone to be on the other side. "Um. Mm…" She mumbled, clinging tighter to her doll.

"Nora! What are you doing? Mama said you can't just open the door to strangers!" A voice came from within the house and an older girl came around the corner to shoo the younger girl off, watching as she scurried away shyly. She eyed Jess warily, holding onto the door as though preparing to slam it shut if Jess gave her an unsatisfactory answer. "What do you want?"

Jess felt her eyes widen as she stared at the girl. She looked different from the police photos but there was no doubt who she was. The little girl with wild brown curls that fell just past her shoulder, dressed in a soft white blouse and a navy blue skirt, who was staring down Jess with caution in her piercing green eyes…

...was Agnes Lenz.

[dramarising-replacement]

I know, it's the "in thing" to hate on dusthides in general right now, but I really just cannot get behind this breed at all. so here I am, salt blog, to tear into them and let off some of my frustrations. 

I've tried. I've looked at people who have made interesting dusties, I've tried to mess around with making one of my own, but I just cannot get into their weird heads and the strange shape of them. you can argue from dragonhome and back that it makes sense for a digging dragon to not have any horns or antlers, but it doesn't change the fact that the shape looks really strange, and all too smooth, especially for a dragon that is meant to be at least somewhat armored. the encyclopedia says that they look "rigid," but they don't! they actually look highly flexible! nothing about them screams "rigid!" they look so soft in fact, that they don't look like they have any scales at all. like if I were to touch them it'd be smooth, albeit very dry, soft skin.

everyone argues against their wings and I do, too. if they supported the ball rolling thing, it'd be different--but the backs aren't armored, they're actually meant for FLIGHT even if it's short, and would rip too easy, given their lifestyle. they would also get in the way of the ball mechanic. if they could work in tandem with the tail, it'd be fine, but they have to be tucked IN, under the tail. why even have them, then? especially if they'd be a hassle for squeezing into tight spaces? gosh! "they brace tunnels for cave-ins" HEY BUCKO... WHY DO YOU THINK WE BUILD TUNNEL SUPPORTS.... also I don't care. we were promised the option of very varied body types, and this is the most bog standard "dragon" you can get, even if it's peeled. it would have been SO COOL if the hide on the back was how the secondary gene was expressed, and the primary was on the belly/flank/arms, but... alas.

just... even aethers. I love aethers lol. but their second pair of arms should have been bigger. they should have had more eyes. like. ancients come out too fast, and could probably use at least a little more workshopping.

I also hate their giant singular claw, especially when you consider the fact that most animals with claws like that have multiple toes, instead of one big toe and a tiny thumb. sure. it's meant for digging, but it looks almost painful to have such utter lack of maneuverability, for digging, and ESPECIALLY walking. it like, helps to have toes that flex, not giant shovels for hands! with claws like that, it'd be more suitable for them to lay on their bellies and push themselves forward. the feet also just look strange. I can't get over it. I absolutely despise how, especially on the hatchling, they try to make the feet look "cute" by giving them pseudo paw pads. it looks gross and tacky! I can't stand to look at them!!

at least with breeds like banescales it's just a matter of personal taste, and not really feeling excited about them. it's so sad to me that I actually hate dusthides. man. I know not every breed can be a hit, some things will be a flop, but yikes. didn't expect to actually hate an entire breed. oh well. don't gotta own them.

[magpod-confessions]

@ doorkeay-disliker anon

You do know that most doorkeay shippers were shipping it before knowing anything about the age gap? And that these are two consenting adults in at least their 30s? And that after that information showed up, Jonny came out saying he fucked up the timeline like an idiot? That he fucked it up many times? Nobody in that group of people wants that age gap, and shipped them before knowing of said age gap. The general timeline of TMA has so many mistakes, and so many Michaels. The Michael that worked with Eric could've been a different one, or he could know about Michael because Mary told him after binding him to the book to make him feel bad.

If you don't like. A ship, that's fucking fine. It's not your thing. Nobody's telling you that you have you like it. But you need to get over yourself with this whole righteous bullshit. If you actually read what people write for doorkeay, you'd notice they're always making them healthily consenting adults.

Moreso. I've never seen a doorkeay shipper harass anyone, or cause any fights. But people who claim "doorkeay has a problematic age gap!" even led harassment campaigns and told artists and writers to off themselves repeatedly for weeks on end for shipping it, when said artists and writers made it explicitly clear that they had always seen the ship as being about 2 to 3 years different maximum.

I hate when people come after ships between fucking grown adults. Why are you so fucking obsessed with it?

Care when they're shipping a minor with an adult.

Gerard Keay is not a child, he's in his 30s, and before we got his birthyear from Protocol, he could've been born anywhere in the 80s. Including 1980. No matter how much you whine, he's in his 30s. That's an adult worldwide as far as I'm aware in this dimension, bucko.

If we didn't get the exact year, he could've even been 43 at the oldest today (1980 to 2023). Doorkeay shippers have been under this understanding since forever (timeline's fucked. Play with it). And they almost always picture Michael as being close in age. Hell, I know someone who made a whole timeline trying to catch all the options that the mistakes cause and found that there's a chance Michael could've been a year younger than Gerry (before getting the set year from Protocol. That timeline was made over 2 years ago)

And the few times there's been a larger age gap, the authors/artist always make sure to clarify:

THESE ARE TWO CONSENTING ADULTS, NOT TAKING ADVANTAGE OF EACH OTHER, AND CAPABLE OF LEAVING THE RELATIONSHIP IF THEY NEED TO.

Smh. G/d forbid girls like anything

.

[berrypass-de-murdler]

3 - 28 Murder by the Books

neww update!

I finally got into Toyhouse, and will be moving suspect bios there. I'll still keep the sta.sh open as a basic list, but the Toyhouse will be more detailed and also feature other artworks.

It's far from complete at the moment and it's gonna take a while but I'm working on it :3

DON'T READ THE EPISODES WITHOUT READING THE BOOKS!!

The passage through the maze leads right into a hidden library underneath the Institute.

LOGICO: I didn’t know you had this! I thought the Institute had a library already… IRRATINO: It does, but it’s not as hidden as this one! Having a campus full of secret passageways is aesthetically wonderful, buuut from a safety perspective, I have to admit I’ve made some. Poor decisions.

He picks up a librarian corpse by the collar and shows it off to Logico. 

IVORY: Ugh-uh! What are YOU two doing in MY secret library?! LOGICO: It’s not YOURS, it’s IRRATINO’S!! IRRATINO: Calm down- The library is open to all who find it.

A red blob is darting across the room - Cardinal Cinereous is back. Logico forgot about him, or rather, wanted to forget about him.

CINEREOUS: Well, well! Now THERE’S a face I never thought I’d see ‘round again. LOGICO: Same to you, bucko. Now go do bird things - this is a job for actual people.

Cinereous sneers at the unusually racist comment. The third suspect is Gainsboro, but he looks a bit off-color.

LOGICO: B- Gainsboro, are you feeling alright…?

The person looks up, and is in fact, a different book-winged butterfly. 

BUTTERFLY: Excuse me? LOGICO: OH. Sorry. BUTTERFLY: It’s- it’s fine, I just moved here, and I’ve been confused for some author a few times… My name is Russet.

Logico shakes her hand, and is pleased to meet such a friendly person for once. Then he takes a second glance, and figures out she’s reading ‘How to Murder’, Dame Obsidian’s self-help book. He does a withering sigh. Russet moves a skeleton off the reception desk chair and sits back down. 

Statement time is Logico’s least favorite time.

CINEREOUS: Well, as God would say, Editor Ivory broughta fount’n pen. LOGICO: What does God say about this?

He holds an open book behind the bird and is about to slam it shut, but Irratino gets in the way. 

IRRATINO: Logico, look - there’s wax on this book. LOGICO: …Kay.

He notices a room in the back that’s boarded up.

LOGICO: What’s back there? IRRATINO: Nononono you can’t go back there. It’s been Institute staff-only ever since the Epochalypse. LOGICO: The fuck is wrong with- IRRATINO: I DON’T… want to talk about it.

Editor Ivory has a key she shouldn’t have…

IRRATINO: You! IVORY: Pffff-uhh. The librarian REFUSED to stock any of the books I’VE published, even the ones SPECIFICALLY MARKETED for spooky places. What else could I do?

Logico rolls his eye so loudly. But the Tekkies come knocking on the door!

TEKKIES: COME WITH US.

Irratino grabs Logico and runs. But Logico was just about to ask Ivory if she knew who the Bossman was…

The end!

The people chasing them being Turquoise, Eggplant, and Olive isn't canon, but it looks funny so whatever

Fletch is in charge of Russet, she doesn't make many designs anymore but I love the ones she does make

Time for the long and treacherous toyhouse upload

The power of Goat Lord compels you!

See you next time murdlers!