#but the thought of going out going ANYWHERE to meet more people is just horrifying because those are STRANGERS

[theladyyavilee]

.

[rorywritesjunk]

No longer locked upon the land but free on the rolling waves

You and Buggy come face to face with himself from the past, and while you’re fully accepting that this is your husband as a child, Buggy doesn’t want to accept it.

Rating: PG-13ish, but just due to some swearing.

Warning: Upset kid, upset husband. Reader is way too nice, doesn’t necessarily take husband’s feelings into account as well.

A/N: A combined request. I did a few versions of this story before feeling like it hit the marks I was wanting to hit. Also, I’m just trying to vibe off what I’ve seen of Kid Buggy. I’m no expert. I’d protect that kid with my life. He’s so adorable. I also like the trope of “Meeting your self from another time” and “gets turned back into kid-self”. This is the former, and I know shit about time travel but I just kind of made something up. This story has also been a lot of fun to work on and the reaction from people has been lovely, thank you!

Chapter 1 + Chapter 2 + Chapter 3 + Chapter 4 + Chapter 5 + Chapter 6/Epilogue Title comes from “Sailing Song” by S.J. Tucker.

TAGLIST: @lostfirefly @misadventures0fdes @sylum @valen-yamyam16 @dohkyu @fluffybunnyu @skyofsteel @lavalampskyy @gingernut1314 @ane5e @madam-o @the-angriest-angel

Chapter 5

You woke up alone in bed. Your husband and the kid were both nowhere to be seen which worried you. Did something happen? You normally weren’t a heavy sleeper, but last night you had to console both the kid and your husband before either of them would fall asleep - Kid Buggy was worried about missing you when it was time for him to go and Adult Buggy was pissed that his alone time with you was interrupted. It was late when you finally fell asleep, but you were generally still up before your husband, so what was going on?

Did something happen because Kid Buggy was removed from his timeline? Was the universe punishing you for helping him out, is that why both of them were missing at once? You looked around the bedroom, noticing Buggy’s captain hat and jacket were missing, which was probably a good sign. It hopefully meant he was dressed and somewhere on the ship, most likely the kitchen looking for breakfast. And that led to your next thought, if they were still on the ship why didn’t they wake you up to cook?

You threw the covers off and changed your clothes before heading to the kitchen. There was some noise coming from it, talking, maybe even laughing, but you weren’t sure and you were on alert. Generally the crew stayed out of there unless you told them specifically they could go in there. After one too many incidents with damaged pots and pans you banned everyone from using the kitchen (even the Captain), so you were feeling apprehensive about what you were about to walk into.

“That’s not how you fry an egg!”

“This is exactly how you fry an egg!”

“It’s way too runny! The yolk should be cooked more!”

“Don’t tell me how my wife likes her eggs!”

You stopped in the doorway, arms crossed as you stared at the sight in front of you. Your husband was standing at the stove with a skillet in one hand and a spatula in the other, raised over the kid’s head and ready to thump him. Kid Buggy was on a stool beside him, pointing out the errors in his cooking as he buttered toast. It was… it was a sight to behold, and while you were glad they were kind of getting along, you weren’t looking forward to cleaning up after the two of them. Finally, you cleared your throat, startling the two of them. Your husband looked horrified to see you while the kid’s face lit up.

You smiled sweetly at Adult Buggy as you stepped into the kitchen. “Buggy, my dear husband and love of my life, I banned you from the kitchen, remember? You’re not allowed anywhere near the pots and pans, muchless the utensils and stove.”

“It was the kid’s idea!” Buggy pointed the spatula at him. “I only followed along with it to supervise him!” 

“You told me I couldn’t operate the stove!” Kid Buggy shot back at his adult self. “I was gonna do it but you said only adults are allowed to! How was I supposed to know you were banned from the kitchen?!”

You covered your mouth to try and hold back the laugh that was threatening to come out, but it was too difficult. The sight of the two arguing with each other while tattling to you about the other was too much. You managed to make it to a chair, falling back into it as you started laughing. It was too much first thing in the morning. From thinking the universe suddenly snatched them away from you to finding them arguing in the kitchen broke you, so you laughed. 

They both stopped arguing, now turning their attention on you. The kid was confused while your husband looked rather offended. 

“What are you laughing at?” They both asked at the same time, though their tones were vastly different. 

“S-Sorry, you two are just too much for me!” You giggled as you wiped the tears that were forming in your eyes. “I… I woke up and you were both missing and then I came here to find you!” You tried to stop laughing, but soon you were gasping for breath. It wasn’t so much that it was funny, you were just relieved. “I thought something happened!”

“Something did happen! I was hungry!” Your husband exclaimed as he turned his attention back to the stove. The eggs were burning so he frantically flipped them and turned the heat down, hoping they would still be edible. “And then the kid woke up and said we should cook breakfast for you, so here we are! Why did you sleep in anyway? Are you getting lazy now, babe?”

You sniffled a bit, the occasional giggle slipping out. “I’m not getting lazy, just someone kept me awake late last night because he was upset about something silly.”

“Oh, I’m sorry.” A tiny voice said; you turned and looked at the kid. His entire demeanor changed when you said that, thinking you were talking about him, so you reached out for him and tugged him over to you, pulling him onto your lap as you wrapped your arms around him. Your husband had an unhappy look on his face when you did that.

“Oh, no, it wasn’t you, sweetie.” You assured him as you hugged him. He leaned into you and you rested your cheek on the top of his head. “Promise. I was talking about my husband. He was pouting that he didn’t get enough time to kiss me last night.”

Kid Buggy made a disgusted face when you said that. Your husband turned red and glared at you while you just chuckled. He returned to poking the eggs on the stove. The other side didn’t burn as badly as the other. He tossed the food onto plates before bringing it to the table, making sure you had your plate first before he put the kid’s plate at his seat. To his annoyance, you moved the plate over next to yours and allowed the kid to eat sitting on your lap.

“He can sit in his own chair, you know.” Your husband grumbled as he started eating. You shrugged as you ate, making sure not to flinch at the taste of burnt egg. You appreciated that the two of them tried to do this together, so you didn’t want to upset either of them by how… interesting the taste was.

“I know.” You said as Buggy’s hands went to pour the coffee he forgot he made. After taking a sip of it, you set the mug down and didn’t touch it again for a while. “But I don’t mind.” You took a bite of the barely warmed bread that they called toast. “Is it bothering you, honey?”

“No.” Buggy grumbled as he looked down at his plate. You knew better, it did bother him, but you weren’t going to interrupt the kid’s meal. He was eating the food without issue, as was your husband. At least they didn’t mind the taste of their own cooking.

You risked it and took another sip of coffee. “How about after we clean up from breakfast, we go for a walk in the town?”

Both of them looked at you; your husband said nothing as he took a sip of his own coffee while the kid nodded in agreement. “Let’s do it! I wonder if I can find where I got the necklace from. D’you think they still have stuff there? I could steal you something else!” He looked over at his adult self with a smug look. “I’m a better thief as a kid, y’know, because I’m quicker than some old man.”

“Old man?!” Buggy shrieked as he slammed his coffee cup down, the liquid sloshing and spilling everywhere. “I’m not old! I’m in my thirties!”

“That’s old.” The kid assured him. Your husband looked at you for help but you shrugged and took another bite of the buttered bread.

“I must be old as well since I’m two months older than him.” You told Kid Buggy, and he looked up at you, horrified. He didn’t mean you were old, just your husband, so he immediately backtracked.

“Not you, just him! He’s an old man!”

“I’m not too old to throw you overboard again!” Adult Buggy threatened. 

“You’ll have to catch me!”

“Why you little-”

~

You managed to get the kitchen spotless while the two stayed in the kitchen with you. Your husband was teaching the kid how to play cards so he could win big against others, even teaching him some ways to cheat as well. It was fine, they were getting along even after Buggy chased the kid around the ship after being called old. It got them both tired out which meant you didn’t have to break up any arguments between the two. For now.

“How did you meet her?” The kid asked as he looked over his cards. “Was it like one of those gross love stories?”

“What? No.” Buggy scowled as he threw down some cards onto the table. “All I did was sweep her off her feet.” He looked quite smug for a moment. “She was charmed by my personality, you know.”

“What personality?” 

“Listen here, you-”

“I fixed his jacket.” You chimed in as you scrubbed the burnt egg of the skillet. The kid looked up when you spoke, letting the cards in his hand droop forward, but your husband reached over and pushed them back up, muttering Don’t let me see your cards while you glanced over at them. “He lost some buttons on it and came to the tailor I worked at demanding it be fixed. I was just finishing my apprenticeship there, so I thought it would be good to fix a captain’s jacket, you know, in case it led to anything further. I replaced his buttons and also fixed the lining of his jacket, and he kept coming back for the smallest things over the course of a year, like a loose thread needing to be trimmed or wanting to make sure the thread holding the buttons on matched the thread holding the other buttons.” 

“And then he swept you off your feet?” Kid Buggy asked with a frown. You grinned as your husband just grumbled. 

“Yes, after I asked him out for lunch when he showed up at the shop with some flowers. My boss tried to scare him off but it didn’t work.” You told him with a smile. Your husband blushed just a bit while the kid looked between the two of you. “What? I thought he was so handsome, y’know, and charming and funny.”

“What do I gotta say when I meet you later on then?” The kid asked as he looked down at his cards. “So I can charm you and marry you?”

You dried your hands on your apron and crossed your arms as you leaned back against the sink. “Well, I don’t know if I should be giving spoilers like that about our relationship…”

“Just bring her flowers.” Your husband told him as he collected the cards to reshuffle them. “You’re getting better at this game, kid.” He leaned back in his chair and looked back at you. “Any flowers. She loves them, but I know from experience that if you get her a bouquet of different colors, she’ll do pretty much anything you ask.”

“Anything?”

“Yea, anything. One of the last times I got her flowers, she-” 

He didn’t finish the sentence because you suddenly slapped your hand over his mouth, your cheeks burning bright as you glared down at your husband. He had absolutely no filter sometimes, and you knew that was from growing up on a ship and surrounded by others without a filter, but you weren’t about to let him spill all the secrets of your relationship to the kid. At least he realized that he was about to say something inappropriate so he cleared his throat and pushed your hand away.

“She made me my favorite dinner.” Your husband said calmly, thinking quickly in hope that the kid wouldn't ask further questions. “That’s what she did.”

“Good save.” You warned him as you went back to your previous position, arms crossed as you stared at the back of his head. Buggy felt his eyes on you and swallowed heavily. He knew he needed to watch his mouth because you only ever allowed one slip up like that a day and it was still early. The last time he almost said something inappropriate like that to someone who wasn’t on the crew (your father on your last visit to your parents) you made him use his Devil Fruit abilities to clean all the pipes in your parents house with a tiny little brush. “Don’t say anything else, Buggy! He’ll be fine, you know, so don’t give him any ideas!”

Your husband turned in his seat, grinned and winked at you but you looked away, your face still red. Kid Buggy looked between the two of you, not really understanding why you turned red and interrupted your husband, but he wasn’t going to ask. He was grateful to have some idea how to meet you in the future, however. He just had to have a great looking jacket with buttons for you to fix and then he would find you, have you fall in love with him, and everything would be right in his world.

[mixtape-racha]

lost in reality | han jisung

☆ part 5/8 of the 5 seconds of stray kids series ☆

words: 1.70k // warnings: college boy!jisung, basketball player!jisung, rivals to more, sunwoo makes an appearance, angst, suggestive

he had you pinned against a locker, a world of emotions you couldn’t understand swirling in his dark eyes. you couldn’t believe after all these years, han jisung was in the same sticky situation as you.

“i can’t escape you anywhere, even in my dreams. what have you fucking done to me, y/n l/n?”

from the moment you met han jisung, you hated him. you weren’t 100% sure why, but if his his arrogant nature and cocky attitude wasn’t enough to finalize your decision, the way he broke your best friend’s heart was. he was a prick, and you weren’t about to sit back and let him be the student tyrant of the college, running around using people to make himself look better and breaking the hearts of every woman he laid eyes on. he needed knocking off his pedestal, and you were happy to be the one to do it.

he, on the other hand, thought you were pretty. he still did, he wasn’t blind, but he thought you seemed nice at first. he truly wanted to get along with you, to reach out and form a friendship, but it backfired on him big time. for some reason, the second he approached you, you had looked at him in disgust. like he was a monster. like he had personally offended you. you shut down his words quicker than he started talking, and told him if he ever spoke to you again, you’d punch him. it confused him, and he quickly assumed you were just a bitch.

but, oh god, to make it worse, the pair of you ended up pitted against each other at every academic opportunity there was. your test scores meant you were the highest student at the college? jisung’s matched yours. jisung wanted to be student president, and spent 6 weeks planning the perfect campaign? well, so did you, and he would certainly have a fight on his hands. even down to auditioning for the winter musical, or planning field trips for your respective societies. it was exhausting, and only fuelled your hatred for each other.

so when you approached him at a party, telling him with nothing but seriousness in your eyes, that you wanted him to fuck you silly, he was slightly surprised. he wasn’t expecting it at all, but he would be a fool if he didn’t accept - so he did. thats how your arrangement began. when you woke in his bed the next morning, his soft cock still inside of you, at first you were horrified. but then you realized just how satisfying it was, and proposed to jisung that you come to each other for stress relief when you needed it.

the rules were simple: neither of you stayed after you fucked, you were both free to see other people, and no one was to know about your arrangement. simple, right?

and it was going fine. finals season meant the pair of you fucking like rabbits. just like basketball season for jisung, and theater show season for you. it worked, and you were satisfied. sure, you were fucking other guys here and there, just like you were sure jisung was fucking other girls, but it was relieving to be fucking a guy who could actually make you cum.

but the problem was his attitude towards you outside of the bedroom. sure, you both agreed that no one was to know, and if you both became best friends overnight people would be suspicious. but somehow his behavior towards you had got… worse. he ignored you in public, even if you were alone. around people - god, he basically treated you like you were shit on the bottom of his shoe. it was confusing, and overwhelming, and slowly you felt yourself distancing yourself from him.

not responding to his advances when he asked you to come over, disregarding his existence when you saw him around campus. surely, no matter what distaste you two held towards each other, he didn’t really see you the way he acted? you’d even overheard him shitalking you to his friends in the asb classroom before your allocated student council meeting. you’d turned straight around that day, opting to go to the nurse’s office and feign sickness than face him after what you’d heard him saying.

“(y/n)? nah, she’s too far up her own ass. i wouldn’t even go there for a quick fuck.”

“have you seen her, man? she acts like she’s better than everyone else. she’s such an entitled bitch, it makes me sick.”

“she’s not even hot. no, for real. i’ve seen dogs better looking than her.”

tears brimmed in your eyes as the nurse dismissed you and allowed you to go back to your dorm for the remainder of the academic day. you made him sick, huh? not pretty enough, too entitled? how was this the same jisung that you had begging to let him cum inside of you just two nights prior? the same jisung that told you you were the prettiest girl he’d ever laid eyes on? or was that all just words so he could keep getting in your pants? maybe you were an easy lay. maybe thats all you meant to him.

so, you stood your ground. you no longer hooked up with him, didn’t even interact with him. as far as you were concerned, he no longer existed. you didn’t need his dick inside you, and you certainly didn’t need his presence in your life. instead, you fueled your rage into beating him at his own game - studying harder, pushing further, leaving him shaking in the dust of the pace you were hitting grade targets at.

in all honesty, you didn’t even see him properly again until a frat party almost a month later. your friends had dragged you along, claiming that you needed to let loose instead of holding yourself up in your room all the time. you tried to protest as much as possible, until one of them let slip that sunwoo would be there. sunwoo was known as the campus fuck boy - only interested in hookups or one night stands, and someone who infuriated jisung to no end. you didn’t know, or want to know, what their beef was, but you knew he would be the perfect way to get under jisung’s skin. sunwoo tried to flirt with you a lot, anyway, so it should have been a walk in the park.

and at first it was. you found the boy in question very easily, offering him a drink and reciprocating his flirting easily. you danced with him, swaying your hips against him in an almost hypnotizing way. you caught eyes with jisung across the room from where he was standing with a few of his friends - the one present during his previous bitchfest about you - and look away as if you hadn’t even seen him. in all honesty, you didn’t know why you cared so much. you just knew you wouldn’t let him get away with talking shit about you that easily.

sunwoo was quick to drag you off the dance floor and back into the kitchen, offering to make you a drink while you hopped up on the side, your short skirt fluttering as you did. you graciously accepted, needing as much alcohol as you could get considering how packed the frat house was. it was then that jisung walked into the kitchen, just as sunwoo put his hands on your bare thighs and asked if he could kiss you. you didn’t even think before you nodded, pulling him between your legs by his shirt and slotting your lips together messily.

you heard jisung scoff from behind sunwoo, before the tell-tale sloshing of alcohol that told you he was making a drink. almost as soon as the kiss started, sunwoo pulled away, peppering kisses across your neck as he grasped your hips tightly.

“come back to mine, yeah? we should get out of here, do something fun.”

at that jisung scoffed again, louder this time, causing you and sunwoo both to look over at him - sunwoo confused, you pissed off.

“she can’t, actually. we have an asb meeting at 7 tomorrow, and they want us - the student council presidents - to go now and set up the meeting room.”

“really?” sunwoo asked, looking back at you with furrowed brows. “at 11 at night? damn, well maybe next time, yeah, pretty girl?”

with that he stepped back, a final pat on your thighs as he waved to jisung and left the kitchen. you, on the other hand, were furious. you didn’t even hesitate before you hopped off of the counter and dragged jisung out of the back door by his shirt collar. luckily for you, the garden was empty.

“what the actual fuck is wrong with you, han?” you cried, anger filling your words. “what, if you can’t have me, no one else can? you’re sick.”

he seemed confused by your outburst, and maybe a little embarrassed that you were calling him out on his lie to sunwoo. but nonetheless, he persisted.

“any reason you’ve been completely blanking me, huh? or are you that much of a slut that you’ll hop onto any man available.”

he looked so cocky and proud of himself that you had to wipe the expression off of his face any way you could. deep down, he was hoping you’d take the bait and kiss him so you could both fuck your anger out on each other, so he was flabbergasted when your hand made contact with his cheek. you’d slapped him. and you were on the verge of tears. he was even more confused now, not knowing how to approach the situation now.

“fuck you, han jisung. i heard everything you said about me to your little friends in the asb room. if i make you so sick - you know, being so entitled and so far up my own ass - why are you so set on me not fucking anyone else now i’m not talking to you.”

he seemed shocked by your words, but you didn’t let him respond before you continued.

“i’m stepping down from the student council. i’m not doing it if i have to deal with you,” you spat the words out, making him flinch slightly. “get fucked, jisung. i hope you're proud of yourself. finally top student now, huh?”

and with that you stormed away, leaving him alone in the garden to contemplate his actions, and release he may have lost one of the best things he ever had.

taglist: join taglists here @pretty-racha @skz-streamer @hyunjiins @backintomykpopphaseagain @demetrisscarf

[bhaalble]

While I'm on my script doctor shit: I want to talk about Karlach.

Karlach's not dealing with the same level of narrative neglect/hasty rewrite fingerprints that Wyll is. As a standalone entity, her arc works. I Am Not Immune To Weeping at the Post-Gortash Fight Scene etc etc. But it does feel oddly discordant with the other companion quests. Karlach doesn't really experience any moral evolution or make meaningful decisions. When we meet her she's a kindhearted friendly hero, and she will be that regardless of whether she dies in Faerun or goes back to Avernus. She's incredibly likeable while she does that, and I also don't want to come across like I think her writing is shallow. But in a game where all the companion quests follow a pretty intentional pattern regarding the cycle of abuse, it sticks out like a sore thumb to me that the resolution of the Gortash plot doesn't really impact her character arc one way or the other.

As always I feel compelled to point out that this isn't me going "actually she's secretly a bad person and the game won't admit it". This is more me attempting to mine some more in-depth conflict, using the existing arc as a template. With that in mind, these are the changes I would make:

-Make the use of Soul Coins MUCH MORE of a character point. With how much attention is drawn to acquiring these things for the first time and a special dialogue choice for whether or not you'll have her use them, it feels very much like a dropped thread that it doesn't really go anywhere storywise. Leveraged correctly I think this could've been the chance to show a crack in Karlach's persona. She's your big loveable attack dog who's been having the worst decade, yeah. But she's also a survivor, who's not only been deployed into an endless conflict but who also hasn't had a single person she can trust other than herself. I think you could make more of a thing about how the conditions she lived in in Avernus forced her to make her peace with occasionally stepping on other people, even some innocents, so she could live to fight another day. There's shades of this in some of her conversations with the tiefling refugees already, she mentions to Dammon that she felt like she couldn't really do anything for Elturel. Push into that guilt, and with it, that denial. Have ten years spent with devils maybe just maybe given her a slightly more removed view of the value of a life that isn't her own?

-Whether the player feeds her Soul Coins or not I think it should be specified by Dammon that her routine use of them during her time in Avernus has sped up her engine breakdown by putting it into almost permanent overdrive. Its a damnation of Zariel (who probably knew what the coins were doing, but didn't care) and a startling moment for Karlach, that there are consequences for being cavalier with the souls of others. High Approval Karlach either asks to stop taking them (if the player has been giving them) or thanks the player for encouraging her to hold off. Low Approval Karlach will ask to keep taking them on the grounds of "in for a penny in for a pound", arguing that they can't afford to lose the advantages the player has seen it gives them (if they have been giving them) or becoming frustrated that the player is judging her and what she's had to do to survive (if they haven't).

-Make the reveal that the Steel Watch run off infernal iron MUCH MORE emotional for Karlach, as she realizes she was an experimental run for Gortash to do this. Double down on this when the player discovers that they have corpses inside them (also, put this reveal before the Steel Watch foundry quest can be completed). Its both horrifying on a gut level to find out the stupid evil reason for all her suffering...but also she can't help but feel culpable for LIVING. If she hadn't been strong enough to survive it the experiment might've ended there. Its not true but it is one of the worst thoughts you can have when you've just found out you're going to die anyways.

-I would make the relationship between Karlach and Gortash much more mutual and much more (initially) positive relationship. Have him be genuinely glad to see her, genuinely impressed that she survived the hells. Its what he always liked about her, her grit, her ability to face down impossible odds and come out the victor. Compliments that would've made her happy back in the day and now feel like a punch to the gut. Its all build-up, though, to the Choice which will define Karlach's route.

-By virtue of his experiments Gortash has gotten very good at working with Infernal Iron. And he believes he can fix Karlach's heart, in exchange for her basically taking up a more elevated version of her old job. He could use a bodyguard powered by hellfire and with a strong understanding of devils. Its also, just good optics for his man of the people image to have his right hand be some outer city kid elevated to greatness. He makes a lot of promises in that moment: she won't die. She'll get a chance to have a LIFE back, but now a life with all the power and security she could ask for. More than that, they could change things in this city. Give its residents better lives, improve things for all the little Karlachs out there. And after that...who knows? The Hells might be ripe for some conquest back. Gods know they've both got old scores to settle

-She takes time to think about it, and talk with the player. In addition to all the other hang-ups she might have this is where the Steel Watch comes up again, with her feeling like she's poisoned by that knowledge. A player trying to persuade her into taking the deal can point out, in the end its not so different from soul coins. Why draw the line now. If this Persuasion check is passed she can note that at least they could afford to be choosier with their victims, putting the worst baddies to use for the protection of everyone. That wouldn't be so bad....would it?

-You meet Gortash for a final time. If persuaded by the player to not take the deal (or if left to choose for herself with High Approval) Karlach will kill him where he stands. His soul rises in the form of Bane's Chosen and you have a proper boss fight. If persuaded to take it (or left to her own devices on Low Approval) Karlach will take the deal. This will mean losing Karlach from the party (with the exception of the House of Hope mission where she will appear Jaheira style) as she will be busy protecting Gortash. The player gains custom armor from Gortash and an assembly of Steel Watchers they can summon in the Final Battle.

-If she doesn't take the deal her endings play out pretty similarly to how they do in canon, either dying or returning to Avernus. This time, however, its with a new lease on life (or death). She's gotten to choose to be better than the things that dropped her here. She's still scared, still angry. But she's also proven something to herself. That Zariel and Gortash and them were wrong about her, and that she is much more than the mindless weapon they wanted to turn her into.

-If she takes the deal it unlocks a new ending for Gortash. Rather than come to the Elder Brain himself he will instead give you his Netherstone as a show of good faith, trusting you to take the chance to subdue the Elder Brain for your mutual rule.

-If the Player subdues the Elder Brain you and Gortash move it back underground, pretending to have defeated it and using the fear created by the mind flayer outbreak to rule the populace. Karlach in the Epilogue talks to you about how the two of you are making massive moves in the city. She seems to be trying very hard to convince herself at least most of the changes are positive....from a certain point of view.

-If the Player destroys the Elder Brain, Gortash skips town and takes Karlach with him rather than face his disgrace. In the Epilogue Karlach says he's starting to rebuild in another city state, "not tellin you where, though. Don't really think I want to have to fight you if you decide to come smash this one too....even though I'd definitely win." She seems extremely worn down in this ending and trying to cover it up. Gortash lost a LOT of favor with Bane having his plans blow up in his face like that and its made him. Snippy. Still, "its a living. And it probably wouldn't even be that if it weren't for him." The player can hint that it may be time for her to start moving on to a better environment, and she says only if she can find someone to do a more permanent fix for Ol' Rusty. Gortash still has to do check-ups almost monthly to keep her stable.

-She still keeps in touch with Dammon, though....who knows. He might have some new thoughts after seeing all the blueprints Gortash has drawn up....

[ofallthingsnasty]

G, H and Y for Doflamingo? You seemed curious about letter H, I wanna know your thoughts about it and Doffy especially!

Yandere Alphabet

Honestly, H (What would be their darling’s worst experience with them?) made me reblog it... I love lists like that because they make me think + help flesh out characters - and like I said in the tags, that one was so good I had to have it on here haha.

tw.yandere, violence, noncon, minors dni

Game: Is this a game to them? How much would they enjoy watching their darling try to escape?

When is it ever not a game to him? Despite him being incredibly dangerous and cruel, a defiant darling fares well with Doflamingo. He's like a kid watching his pet hamster squeeze through increasingly smaller openings to get out of a box, to reach some treats - it's entertaining until it's not. You might as well be the dirt under his shoes, you're a pathetic little creature that couldn't even break his skin if it tried. Of course your little tantrums and escape attempts are hilarious to him. How cute, you think there is still hope for you. Quaint. Bite, scratch, kick - jump out of the next window if you want, it's all a riot to him. (There is a line here - where exactly, you'll never know. But there are times when your antics do bother him. And when he's in a foul mood and you cross him? Whatever he has in store for you will have you quiet and compliant for several days, trust me.)

Hell: What would be their darling’s worst experience with them?

Well, what's the worst thing you can imagine? That. I think he can get incredibly violent with you - and doesn't really stop. There is no love from this man, just sheer possession, obsession - you have to understand, he owns you. If he says jump, you jump. If he has you tied down and blindfolded, legs spread for random people to violate you because you dared to refuse him the night before, you say 'sorry' and 'I'll never do it again, I swear' and kiss his feet. If he locks you away for days and days on end in some empty room without anything to do and just some water because you wouldn't answer him, you'll never refuse to open up that precious mouth again when he asks you something, right, sweetheart? He'll learn how you work - what you love, what you hate, what you fear - and uses it against you. With others, that one violent outburst might be the worst thing to happen to you or that time they force themselves on you. With Doflamingo, it's like a pink-clad grotesque grab bag of worst experiences, one more horrifying than the next. Fun, right?

Yearn: How long do they pine after their darling before they snap?

I think that depends on when he meets you. Pre-Dressrosa? You're perched on his lap by the time he has figured out that he wants to keep you around and not only fuck you - who the hell has time for intricate plans or even trying to court you? He's a busy man with a million things to do. He likes what he sees and the rest can come later. It's not like you'll go anywhere, weak little dog that you are. After the takeover? He can allow himself to rest on his laurels a little - he doesn't need to pluck you off the street like a roadside flower. He can watch. Indulge in some classic little stalker antics. Learn more about you. Wait for the perfect moment to turn your whole life upside down. Doflamingo is nothing if not an afficionado, wanting to enjoy the way you'll beg and cry and plead when the world as you know it is about to be changed forever. He doesn't snap. He lies in ambush.

[autisticlancemcclain]

fic rec friday 29

welcome to the twenty-ninth fic rec friday! where, on friday, i rec five of my favourite fics.  

1. don’t know what i did to earn a love like this (but baby i must be doin’ something right) by littleghost

“I went to the desert to listen to country music.” It falls out of him, and he keeps going, voice hushed like there’s more than just him and Lance in this room. “It always reminded me of you and I would go stare at the stars, think of you, and listen to country.”

i know littleghost has been inactive in the voltron fandom since literally 2017 but i am so obsessed with their fic. im not huge on high school aus usually but this fic in particular had so many of my favourite niche headcanons that ive read this fic like twelve times. yall know how i feel about quiet devotion and its everywhere in this fic.

2. every day i wonder by kirargent

Lance has a stuffed-full backpack, a beanie pulled down over the tips of his ears, a blanket draped around his neck like a thick scarf, and his cell phone pressed to one ear. He looks like an idiot, and he’s being entirely too loud for a good cryptid hunt.

this shit made me fucking LAUGH. keith is such an ornery bitch i literally love him so much. this fic bodies the ‘fuck am i in love with HIM?? why??? why am i so HAPPY ABOUT IT???’ so well i love it

3. mortal bodies, timeless souls by @littendeservesbetter

“Wait!” Coran lets out a triumphant noise. “I got it! If my calculations stand corrected, then our visitors will be people we actually know! Keith, Lance, you two will be meeting your alternate selves today!”

Coran says it like the idea is so mundane that it takes Keith a while to process. The moment he does, however, he feels his heart drop to his stomach.

“We’re going to what?!” Lance yelps, effectively voicing out Keith’s thoughts.

Or, the castle's teludav malfunctions, alternate realities are mixed, and Keith finds out that he and Lance are a lot more... close in other realities.

they are fucking in love in every single reality in every single universe always and endlessly. they are Soulmates. i know its cheesy but im obsessed with them literally. also extra incentive this fic has pike/thunderstorm darkness

4. here comes the violence by stardon 

“Fancy seeing you here, Whiskers.”

Keith feels his tail wag in annoyance, which is almost as horrifying as his current situation. “No. Absolutely fucking not.” He looks at his bare wrist, pretending he has a watch. “How about we postpone this? My calendar says I’m free from the seventh of never through to the fifteenth of ain’t-gonna-happen, how does that work for you guys?”

Pidge looks up, quirking a brow. “Lance has an amazing influence on your humour, you know that?”

In which sometimes Keith is a bit Galra, sometimes not.

this fic is excellent because their both so obviously in love and down bad for each other but theyre both also stupid. borderline already dating but also not and driving each other insane is peak peak trope

5. Beast of Burden by melancholymango [EXPLICIT]

“Keith, no, we can’t go again.” Lance pleads fall on deaf ears. Keith is honed in on him now like predator to prey. He’s fighting a losing battle and they both know it. He sees it in the way Keith is raking his eyes over him, sizing him up. “We’ll be so late getting to the bar.”“Just one more.” Keith insists, herding Lance toward the counter with a stubbornness that is innately wolf. Lance pouts, but he doesn't have anywhere else to go but backward.“That’s what you said last time! And the time before that!”--The week leading up to a supermoon, as told by the world's best werewolf boyfriend, Lance McClain. The good, the bad, and the horny.

this is just monsterfucking but its also like soft in there. but mostly its monsterfucking

that’s it for today!! i’ll see y’all back next friday for the next fic rec post!!!    

[aeoki]

New Start GO! - Prologue

Location: Inside Train Characters: Hajime, Tomoya, Mitsuru & Nazuna Season: Winter Writer: Seitarou Kino & Akira

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ< The middle of February. On the commuter train. >

Nazuna: Urghhh…! I–I can’t move…!

Hajime: A–Are you okay, Nii-chan? Hold onto me if you feel like you’ll get separat–

Whaa!?

Nazuna: You say that but look at you, Hajime-chin – the crowd has dragged you all the way over there~!

Oh, now that I think about it, where have Mitsuru-chin and Tomo-chin gone? I don’t see them anywhere…

Mitsuru: I’m here, y’know~! I can’t move my body but I’ve been training every day so I’m fine!

Tomoya: I’m over here. I’m surrounded by people taller than me so you probably can’t see me, though.

How many people can fit in here anyway? I honestly underestimated the rush hour.

This isn’t something anyone should experience five days a week.

Nazuna: Yeah. But there are actually a lot of people who have to experience this during the weekdays~

Anyway, I’m glad you two are all right. Not that I could’ve imagined this is how horrifying commuter trains would be!

Office workers sure have it rough. I never would’ve thought there’d come a day where I’d be in their shoes.

Hajime: That’s precisely why it’ll be a good experience for us. I’m looking forward to seeing how our first day of work will be like.

Nazuna: Yeah. We’ve gotta make sure we meet their expectations since we were chosen for the project.

(In any case… There are five stations left until the company office – Let’s do our best!)

(...Ahaha. That sounds a bit weird.)

(I balance life as an idol and a university student, but to think I’d get to experience being an office worker too. It really is a strange opportunity ♪)

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ< A few days earlier. >

Nazuna: …”New Start Go!”?

Tomoya: Hmm. So it’s a special segment part of a variety TV show where they’ll watch us working in an office, right?

Hajime: We’ll be working at a company that sells menswear. We can promote their suits at the same time, so it’s like hitting two birds with one stone for the company…

I see, so that’s why we’ll be getting work experience there. I understand now, Anzu-san.

Tomoya: But work experience, huh. Are we up for this…?

Mitsuru: It just means we’ll be wearing suits and working, right? That sure sounds fun, y’know!

Tomoya: Well, the people watching us will definitely see it that way, but we’ll just be useless in the office. I have a feeling we’ll just get in their way.

I’m happy you offered this opportunity to us, Anzu-san, but I’m sorry. I don’t think we should make a decision right away.

So can you tell us a bit more about it?

Why did this sort of work offer come to us in the first place? What sort of work are they wanting from us…? I’d like to hear the specifics before accepting.

Hajime: Is it because we held out on our own against “Eden” during “Boogie Time”, so everyone suddenly has their attention on us…?

It’s true we’re used to variety shows, so maybe that’s why we were seen as equals with “Eden” there.

Nazuna: And a higher-up from a TV station noticed that we have potential and decided they wanted to see more, huh.

It’s great they acknowledged our variety skills, but this job will be pretty tough.

Mitsuru: I’m fine whenever and with whatever as long as it’s fun!

Tomoya: Don’t say yes so easily. I don’t think working in a company office is an easy thing to do, you know?

Mitsuru: Hmm~ But I’m not gonna be there to play~

Tomoya: Well, I guess you could say things like being an idol or acting also count as social experience… but working at an office will be a lot of work. My dad looks like he’s having a hard time every day.

It’s a different kind of difficulty from being idols – it’s a contest of who’s more talented there. They have a lot of rules you have to follow, so wouldn’t that be the worst kind of environment for you, Mitsuru?

Mitsuru: Hmm~ You think so? Sounds pretty strict!

So does that mean we should say no? Whaddya guys think?

Hajime: It’s a difficult choice… I think Tomoya-kun has a point, but I also think there will be things we can learn from the experience.

It would be nice to have some time to decide, but what do you say?

This work offer suddenly appeared out of the blue for us, so I think it would be best for the company if we have time to discuss before making a decision.

Tomoya: I agree. It’s not something we can easily say yes to and we’re happy they think highly of us “Ra*bits”.

Nazuna: Yeah. Sorry, Anzu, it seems our opinions are split, so can we have some time to think things over?

Right. Sorry we can’t give you an answer right away.

Tomoya: Anzu-san, would it be okay if we gave you our answer two or three days from now? We’ll do some research on the company until then.

Okay. We’ll also read through the proposal carefully if you have it. Sorry for all the trouble!

Nazuna: …You’ve got to get going, so you’ll send it by email? Sorry, you’re so busy, but you came all the way here to talk to us in person,.

Yeah. We’ll make a responsible decision. If we decide to accept, then we’ll be in your care, Anzu.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤNext Chapter →

[drunkenskunk]

Time for more Drunk Skunk Lore

So, I've just been reminded that tomorrow is father's day.

I don't speak to my father. I mean, I don't speak to any of my family, and haven't for just over 4 years. But my father in particular is an asshole. He's a real piece of work. I will forever be ashamed of myself that it took me so fucking long to cut them both out of my life.

Like, the man freely admitted many times over the years that he was "socially liberal and fiscally conservative." Which is just Blue No Matter Who Liberal code for "I think the problems of this world are very bad, but the causes of all those problems have been very good for me, personally and financially. But I don't want to admit that out loud. So I'm conflicted!"

When I think about my father - something I try not to do as often as I can - I think about three specific moments that really encapsulate the man. These are by no means the only things he ever did (go ahead and search through the #drunk skunk lore tag if you're in a particularly good mood today and would like to ruin it) but these three moments will probably give you the best grasp of the kind of shithead he is.

The first that springs immediately to mind was the time I tried to explain the concept of the Fuel Rats to him. For context: in the video game Elite Dangerous, there is a player run organization called the Fuel Rats. Their mission is simple: if you're playing the game and your starship runs out of fuel anywhere in the galaxy - and, for reference, Elite Dangerous is meant to be a 1:1 to-scale recreation of the Milky Way - you can contact the Fuel Rats, and they will come to your aid, and fill up your gas tank, free of charge.

"So what's in it for them?" I remember my father asking, after I explained. "It's not like they're really doing this for free. There must be some kind of incentive. So what are they getting out of it?"

This went on for several minutes. I kept trying to explain, and he just couldn't grasp the concept. He could not wrap his head around a person - much less a group of people - deliberately operating at a loss, simply because it was the right thing to do. It wasn't possible for him to conceive of a scenario where someone would do something for someone else that wasn't inherently transactional.

Then there was that one time I tried to show him The Business Card Scene from American Psycho. Because I thought it was funny, and I knew that he was an executive himself before he retired, so I thought he might also find it funny.

He watched it... and then he looked at me, like I'd grown three heads. He didn't understand what was funny about it. He didn't know what the jokes was supposed to be... because for him, it wasn't a joke. That was just the kind of thing that would happen all the time between executives at his job.

Another time I remember was when my parents and I were at a restaurant having lunch. Can't remember where, but it was a place with TVs everywhere, and Office Space happened to be playing. It was the part of the movie where the Bobs were interviewing people, to try and figure out who they could fire.

This prompted my father to share an anecdote when something similar happened at his work. His office hired someone to go through the list of everyone working there, to see who was "superfluous," so they could downsize. And it all culminated with a meeting where my father, his boss, and the "efficiency expert" were going through all his findings. And once all was said and done, and they had the list of who they were going to fire, my father's boss nodded, looked at the guy, and said "You've done good work here, but there's one more name we need to add to that list. Pack up your things, you're fired."

I was horrified by literally everything he had said, but he just started laughing. He thought it was hilarious. That was a funny anecdote for him.

How the fuck did it take me 32 years to realize he was such a shithead? I really don't know.

The signs were all there, if only I had bothered to look.

[winterillustrates]

Mystery Of Murder Mansion DRAFT (Twst AU????)

[Synopsis: Azul just so happened to open a board game while 8 other people (and a cat) entered the room, trapping all of them in the game. But, seeing as the pieces of the game went missing, there is quite a few plot holes.]

"So...who killed him?"

"W-What?"

"You're a ghost, aren't you? Figure it out."

"I'm not a ghost, now, it seems. So, I can't really do that."

"Oh. Right. It's kinda unfair how they just de-halloweenfied you into a human and made you useless to us."

"Harsh. But true."

Azul could not help but think that these two were very casual in discussing a murder scene that just happened in this Costume Party that they randomly got transported to.

And judging by the looks of Idia, Ruggie and Jamil...he wasn't the only one questioning them.

He was not particularly concerned about the victim, no, but rather the future victims. Which could be anyone of them, it seemed.

The doors and windows were locked as the detective said it would prevent the killer from escaping, but Azul was sure the killer would probably get a few more kills in before that incompetent detective could even find a clue.

"Next time, I think I'm going to think twice before joining your club meetings," Jamil sighed, exasperated as he held his head in his hand, feeling a headache coming on earlier than he expected.

Azul couldn't blame him, of course. He could only imagine what being forced to dress up as your overblot, maybe just a bit less horrifying version, could feel like.

He believed the creature Jamil 'dressed up' as was a 'Naga', if one of Idia's anime was any reliable source to go off of.

"Agreed," Ruggie nodded, placing a hand on his hip as he looked at anywhere but the dead body.

It was probably not for the reasons one would typically think of, though. The greenish tint of his skin, his hyper-sensitivity of his ears (judging by how they were twitching at just about ever sound) and the fact that Ruggie was originally so close in biting Bree's head off, would obviously indicate that he was a classic zombie.

Calming him down was a hassle, but thankfully, they did.

It made Azul just a smidgen more grateful that he'd been a demon. (He'd heard people referring to his contracts as 'deals with the devil', but this was borderline ridiculous).

The bony, and he meant that a lot more literally than usual, figure of Idia muttered something along the lines of, "I should've just stayed in my room, as usual." Azul knew him long enough to know that was exactly what he was thinking as he gripped his large scythe.

"Ah...judging by our progress, we might just be as incompetent as the detective," Azul spoke up, shaking his head in disappointment.

"It's difficult to look for non-existent clues, Azul," Casaleena pointed out, crossing her arms. Well, her arms and two of her legs from her spidery bottom half.

Jamil did not even glance at her, in fact, he subtly slithered closer to Ahissha who seemed to be the only one who was scanning the decor of the old mansion for the umpteenth time with the same amount of awe for it.

If Malleus was here, Azul bitterly thought, he might've been as much help as Ahissha, right now.

"We've walked around 'ere a hundred times and nothin'!" Grim whined, as if he hadn't been carried by The Prefect ninety-nine percent of that time, "We should just quit before my legs fall off."

Celine scoffed, exposing teeth that would make Floyd leave NRC in shame, "Says the furball who'd been comfortably sleeping in Prefect's arms like a baby. Ya know what, Prefect?" Her sharp, dark nails glistened in the candle-light atmosphere as she reached out for Grim, with her webbed hands, "You've been carrying that furball for too long. Let me help."

"Eep--! Prefect!"

"Celine! Leave Grim alone!"

At first, Azul saw it as random for Celine to be the one looking like an eel merfolk but with legs. Now, Azul thinks Celine could practically be the Leech's long-lost sister.

"Leave him be, Celine, we don't need more headaches," Jamil insisted.

The girl let out an annoyed noise at this, turning her back to the frightened Grim and walking to a starving Ruggie, lacing a firm hand on his shoulder to keep him from pouncing on the corpse.

"This mansion is absolutely beautiful," Ahissha's stoney-wings expanded a bit, matching her optimistic tone, "It's a shame we might all die, soon."

Another glare directed at Ahissha from Azul and, surprisingly, Jamil.

"Ah, of course. Something we all need to hear during a time of crisis. We are all going to die, soon," Casaleena's sarcasm shone through, "Brilliant work."

"She's not wrong, though," Bree entered this conversation, after a few minutes of uncharacteristic silence, "This game is not even complete. We have no way of finding the clues."

"We are, at best, trapped. And, at worst, doomed."

[trickstarbrave]

listen.

i have no defense for this okay. the only thing i have to say for myself is not one not two but three whole people encouraged me. i started thinking about it ha ha ironic ha ha as a joke but now look at me. dont do things as a joke theyre a gateway drug to doing it for real

anyways. heres omegaverse nerevoryn. let he who is without sin cast the first fucking stone at me.

also its not done im just horrified i wrote so much so fast

--

There were, despite the stereotypes, perks when it came to being an omega. In fact, in a way, stereotypes could be one of the perks, if you played your cards right. And if there was anything Nerevar knew how to do, it was use anything and everything to his advantage. 

There was a common belief omegas were all delicate, gentle hearted, peace-keepers--or worse, treasures that lay in wait for some big strong alpha to come take them. It wasn’t like there were no docile, delicate omegas, but Nerevar was certainly not the type. He could make peace all right--with persuasion and his blade however, not rolling over with his belly up begging everyone to stop fighting. 

Most people thought he was an alpha, given how headstrong he was and how quickly he took charge of situations. That, or he was an alpha-leaning beta given he was usually able to keep his cool in difficult situations, especially around alphas acting territorial and puffing out their chests. Nerevar never bothered correcting them either way; sure, he could turn himself into some moral champion of omegas and prove they could be just as capable of politicians and warriors, but the more likely outcome was everyone he told would take him significantly less seriously. And that would mean more heads would have to roll and well, Nerevar didn’t like cleaning up messes. 

He still had heats, having to retreat into his room for days at a time, but no one said anything. Just as easily he could be locked away in a rut, or praying to Azura for several days on end. No one dared question him, and only the most trustworthy attendants were allowed anywhere near his room to be able to smell the difference. 

On the plus side, Nerevar had many things he used to his advantage; in all honesty, the fact people thought Nerevar was a beta wasn’t unfounded. Even when an alpha went into a rut, he was mostly unbothered by it. A bit of discomfort, not to mention he needed a long bath afterwards to get the smell off him, but unlike some omegas where the scent of an alpha in rut had them going into heat right away, Nerevar could force those instincts down. And, through careful control of his mental state, he could usually calm most alpha’s down without them being the wiser about Nerevar’s secondary sex and wanting to take him for themselves. His seeming immunity from an alpha in rut was often the subject of multiple jokes by Almalexia, as the two of them would mostly sit around, having a few drinks in the quiet of her room. Well, that was until she took Vivec as her mate, then most of her ruts were spent with the warrior poet instead. 

Hence why, when his meeting with Voryn had been canceled last minute after he already made his way to Kogoruhn, he simply strolled to Voryn’s room, humming casually with a couple books and food for the other. 

Much like Nerevar, Voryn was also an… Interesting example of an alpha. Voryn was usually pegged more so as a beta based on his behavior, until you got a whiff of pheromones when you pissed him off. He wasn’t as outwardly aggressive and territorial as far as most people were concerned, but Nerevar knew him well. He disguised it as dedication and love for his house, or loyalty to those close to him, but he was indeed territorial. And instead of outward aggression, picking fights and throwing fists, he preferred to temper his aggression and instead attack them when they least expected it. He may look like he forgives and forgets, but in truth he was a viper laying in wait to strike. 

Nerevar knocked, careful not to drop the few books tucked under his arm, hearing the low growl that followed. 

“Out.” Voryn hissed, and Nerevar bit back a laugh.

“It’s me,” Nerevar clarified. “I brought you some books and some food. Servants said you haven’t eaten since yesterday.” Voryn, unlike his typical cool demeanor, was vicious and snippy in a rut. Since Nerevar grew up alongside him, he knew it very well, getting chased away from Voryn’s door every time. Well, that and the servants and other members of House Dagoth would shoo him away, warning him not to go near. It was customary to keep young alphas and omegas apart during heats and ruts respectively, for good reason. No one wanted any injured teenagers or anyone carrying children way too young. But Nerevar could still see it in the aftermath--scratch marks on Gilvoth after he came to force his younger brother to eat, broken furniture, a smashed window at one point--luckily he calmed down from physical violence as he got older. If he hadn’t, he doubted Kogoruhn would still be standing with all the magic the lord knew. 

“All the more reason to tell you to leave.” Voryn huffed. 

“You know ruts don’t bother me.” Nerevar snarked. “Hurry up and open the door before I drop your food.” 

After some groaning and growling, eventually Voryn did open the door, to which Nerevar quickly darted inside before he could take the tray and shove him out. 

“You are an idiot.” Voryn groaned as Nerevar set the tray of food on the desk, before tossing the books onto Voryn’s bed. “But that’s nothing new anymore.” 

“I told you, ruts don’t bother me.” Nerevar chuckled, trying to ignore the heavy feeling in the air as always. At the very least, Voryn’s scent wasn’t offensive; some alphas made him feel disgusting, if not a little nauseous. Voryn’s was much more familiar and a lot more welcomed, given he was used to it in much smaller quantities over the years. In fact, it was kind of nice; warm, a bit spicy, and nostalgic. 

“I can’t help but fear you’re just playing with fire when you say things like that.” Voryn sighed, before plopping himself on the bed. He was dressed very loosely, no doubt feeling hot and antsy. Nerevar, unbothered, also sat beside him with a grin on his face. 

“Come on, I’m not being that reckless.” 

“You’re tempting fate, that’s what you’re doing.” Voryn huffed. “But you’ve always been like that, haven’t you? Always pushing your luck to its limits until it blows up in your face.” 

“It hasn’t blown up in my face yet,” Nerevar asserted proudly. “Until several of Sil’s little inventions.” Voryn rolled his eyes at that.

“Because you’re constantly poking and prodding at them even when he specifically told you not to, that’s why.” Nerevar, seeing as Voryn was making a good point, instead side-stepped it entirely.

“Come on, you know you get lonely during a rut,” Nerevar instead circled the conversation back around. “Bored, stir crazy, antsy…”

“That’s the nature of a rut so I don’t rip someone to pieces.” Voryn huffed. “I’m not supposed to be relaxing and having fun but defending my territory and looking for a mate as far as my instincts are concerned.” 

“Mm…” Nerevar hummed. “I heard mate does make them easier. At least, as far as Ayem told me.” Nerevar hadn’t minded his wife taking a mate that wasn’t him; in terms of sexual compatibility, Nerevar didn’t find her very appealing. Not that she was ugly or anything--far from it! She was very beautiful, tall, strong… All things an omega should be dying to have in a mate. But there was something about her scent that put him off from ever wanting to mate. Just as well, she didn’t find his scent all that appealing either, and most political marriages didn’t end in mating even in the case of alpha and omega couples. 

“And I am in no mood to tear apart Vvardenfell looking for one.” Voryn scoffed, before laying down. Despite doing so, however, he didn’t look comfortable in the slightest. All of his muscles were tense as he laid there, stiff as a corpse. “I have things to be doing, research to do, meetings to be had--”

“Shh…” Nerevar hushed him, scooting closer to rub his back. At the touch Voryn snarled, before slowly he began relaxing, bit by bit. “There…” Nerevar smiled fondly. “You’ll have time for all of that when this is over. It’s only a couple of days right?” Nerevar asked, before working at a knot on Voryn’s shoulder. “Roll over and I’ll rub your back. You’re way too tense.”

Despite all his huffing and snarling, Voryn did roll over, face planted in a pillow, allowing Nerevar climb on top of him to massage his back. For most alphas having an omega crawling on top of them in the middle of a rut like this was no doubt humiliating, but Voryn had in fact relaxed gradually. The scent in the air turned from one of hostility and warning to more of a gentle warmth as Nerevar continued to work knot after knot out of his back. 

“What research are you working on now?” Nerevar asked, hoping some light conversation would help relax him further. 

“Mm…” Voryn groaned softly, fingers clenching and unclenching the blankets under him. “Dwarven explosive powder…”

“Making it?” Nerevar asked, raising a brow. 

“No,” Voryn clarified. “Dwemer machinery is required to actually… Make it.” He hummed softly as Nerevar rubbed at his lower back, working the especially tense muscles nice and slow. “Machinery far too large and complicated to fit into Kogoruhn.”

“What about it then?”

“Dwemeri oil has a number of alchemical properties…” Voryn continued. “I was hoping to test if their explosive powder had any as well.” 

“Without blowing up half of your stronghold, I hope?” At that, Voryn snorted, before rolling over and forcing Nerevar off him now that he was much more relaxed. With a grin, Voryn tugged Nerevar down to be laying beside him.

“Unlike you, I don’t have a track record for blowing things up unintentionally.” 

“You’re back on that again?” Nerevar groaned, offended but still laughing. 

“I’m not the one who brought it up the first time.” Voryn smirked. “Though tell me, how many times has Dumac saved you from nearly stepping on a landmine again?” 

“You’re being an asshole right now, you know that?” Nerevar shot him a playful glare. 

“Well you’re an asshole all the time and it’s never stopped you.” 

And just like that, the two were at it. Was wrestling an alpha in rut a good idea? Not in the slightest. However, the two used to playfully wrestle all the time as children and even teenagers, so it was… Oddly nice to do so again as adults. Typically Nerevar would win due to raw strength alone--and he could right now, of course--but he knew it was probably a terrible idea to piss an alpha off like that in the middle of a rut. So instead, Nerevar just put up a gentle fight, knocking several of the pillows and blankets off the plush bed, along with the books Nerevar brought earlier, all the while laughing. Then, once he felt Voryn was starting to get a bit too aggressive and his movements too hurried, he let the other pin him to the bed. 

“Gods…” Nerevar laughed, breathlessly. “How long has it been since we wrestled like this?”

“Decades.” Voryn replied, equally as breathless. “Mm… But oddly nice to get the energy out.” 

“I told you.” Nerevar grinned. “Nice to move around, get your mind off things… Sitting there stewing in it only makes it worse.” 

“Don’t tell me you go around wrestling people in heat.” Nerevar nearly choked in laughter at that. 

“No!” He had to roll over onto his side, holding his stomach from giggling. “Gods, fuck no! Azura’s mercy, I’m not that insane!” Another few chuckles followed as he tried to compose himself. “I can barely stand anyone touching me once it settles in. Everything feels so… Sharp and uncomfortable.” 

“Does it?” Voryn raised an eyebrow, but climbed off Nerevar to flop down beside him. “That sounds… Unusual.”

Nerevar shrugged. “It’s always been like that.” He admitted as though it were nothing. “You wouldn’t it get it being an alpha, I guess.” 

“Nerevar, I may be an alpha but that doesn’t mean I’m uneducated.” Voryn was oddly stern now, concerned. “Just like how you aren’t an alpha but understand how a rut works.” 

“Look, what do you want me to say?” Nerevar asked. “No healer has ever told me anything is wrong with me. It just seemed the more time that went on, the more… Painful they got?” Nerevar groaned. “Well, not really painful, I’ve found a way around it for the most part--”

“So you’re coping with it like a poorly healed injury.” 

“No!” Nerevar asserted. “It’s not an injury but a normal thing.”

“A normal process that isn’t acting as normal.” 

“Look,” Nerevar rolled his eyes, “You can bother the healers back at the palace about it if you’re so concerned. But I’ve adjusted just fine to my heats. I lay in bed, have all my food ready, stacks of books and what have you, and I deal with it.” Nerevar gave him a playful kick. “Unlike someone who went a whole day without eating.” 

Voryn rolled his eyes, getting up from the bed. “Fine fine, I’ll eat lord Nerevar.” Voryn replied, sarcastically. He then went over to his desk, finally eating the meal Nerevar brought him. 

While he ate, they still chatted and talked, Nerevar laying casually on his bed. It hadn’t been the first time he’d done it, and Nerevar expected it wouldn’t be the last with their close friendship. Even as councilman and king, Nerevar saw them as close friends above all else. The closest friend he had, honestly. 

Yet, as he laid there he found himself feeling… Uncomfortable. The air wasn’t stifling after Voryn calmed down, but his clothes felt… Itchy. Not to mention he was starting to feel feverish. Maybe that wrestling wasn’t a good idea if he was coming down with something, but he didn’t want to leave yet--he was mid conversation, after all, and it seemed like Voryn was still relaxing more and more. Yet, it wasn’t long until Nerevar was tossing and turning on the bed, trying to feel comfortable. Despite being fully dressed and indoors he got that same paranoid feeling he had being out in the open on the battlefield: antsy and exposed. 

“Are you alright?” Voryn had finished by now, coming to the bed to look at him.

“Yeah just--” Nerevar sighed. “Uncomfortable.” Then, realizing how that might be interpreted, tried to cover for it. “Not that your bed is uncomfortable, I just feel… Off, all of a sudden.” 

“How so?”

“My clothes feel itchy--” Nerevar was already scratching at his arms, writhing slightly to try and itch at his back. “It’s not flees, I just bathed… Not to mention it’s not like, bug bite itchy but like my clothes are way too rough…” 

“Stress?” Voryn asked, looking at his arms to ensure he didn’t have a rash. “I could always look at your clothes to be sure.” 

“Not a bad idea.” Nerevar began pulling his shirt up over his head to hand to Voryn who combed it over. Sure enough, the clean cloth had no little parasites or bugs crawling around in it, but already Nerevar felt relieved. He kicked off his trousers while he was at it, left only in his undergarments, much more comfortable. 

“Well the fabric is particularly rough.” Voryn remarked. “Thick material, more used for keeping warm and dry rather than relaxing. Rolling around wrestling in it probably irritated your skin.” Nerevar snorted at that, especially as Voryn tossed one of his own silk robes on top of him. He used to have no problem wrestling in the ash and dust, but now slightly rough fabric was what was going to do him in? Although, the silk robe was a lot more comfortable, the soft fabric almost soothing his skin as he curled up with it on and tied shut, breathing deeply. Voryn’s sheets were also nice and soft… 

“You are also feeling warm though…” Voryn brought the back of his hand to Nerevar’s forehead. “Not to mention I actually beat you at wrestling…” He looked concerned, “You weren’t mucking around the bitter coast again were you? Swamp fever has been on the rise there, and I know how much you love mudcrab hunting more than your own good--” Nerevar rolled his eyes.

“I came straight here from the propylon chamber, Voryn.” He did wear weather appropriate clothes given it was the cold and rainy season in northern VVardenfell, but that was just a precaution. “I wasn’t running around the bitter coast catching mudcrabs, I can assure you.” 

“Here,” Voryn stood up now, pulling the pillows and blankets back on the bed to make Nerevar more comfortable. “Why don’t you just lay down for a few minutes and see if it goes down. If not, I have a cure disease potion around here somewhere…” He then got up after piling them all back on, rummaging through his shelves stocked with an astounding amount of alchemical books, ingredient chests, and potion bottles. ‘Controlled chaos’ as Voryn would say, though Nerevar could never make sense of it. But right now he was more than content to just lay there in the pile of pillows and blankets, breathing in nice and deep as his body started to go from uncomfortably hot to warm and fuzzy. 

“I found it,” Voryn kneeled beside him, beckoning Nerevar to sit up properly. He groaned in annoyance; he just got fucking comfortable, now Voryn wanted him to sit up? But one look at Voryn’s eyes told Nerevar it was just for his own good, so reluctantly and without much fuss he sat up slightly, letting Voryn tilt his head and press the potion bottle to his lips. It briefly occurred to him he could do this himself but… Well, Voryn was just being a loyal retainer and friend right? Ever loyal, doting Voryn.. Nerevar found that trait of his kind of endearing. 

“Normally when I have to give you medicine you make such a fuss,” Voryn smiled softly, “You’re being a good boy right now, I see.” At the ‘good boy’ comment Nerevar’s breath hitched slightly as he sunk back onto the bed, Voryn piling more of the blankets and pillows around him so he was comfortable. Then, a hand threaded into his hair, rubbing at his scalp just like Nerevar liked, making him positively melt, mewling and moaning softly in pure delight. 

“That’s it…” Voryn purred, “Such a good boy, aren’t you…?” Voryn then laid down beside him, nuzzling against him, his hands brushing across Nerevar’s chest and stomach in soft strokes… 

Ah, Voryn was scenting him, something that wasn’t unwelcomed in the slightest. It was nice; being wrapped up in that warm, musky scent was only making him feel better. People would be able to smell Voryn on him after all, all over his body from his clothes to his hair and skin… Then again, he felt like he never wanted to leave the comfort of Voryn’s bed right now. He was content to just lay there being tended to, Voryn nuzzling him, feeding him, guarding him… 

“Oh Neht,” Voryn buried his face in Nerevar’s neck, breathing in his scent directly, before his tongue swiped at a scent gland. That caught Nerevar’s attention, making him moan louder, squirming in Voryn’s arms. 

“Hey--” Nerevar protested weakly. His mind felt fuzzy, but he knew that was crossing a line at least. “Watch it.” 

“You smell divine…” Voryn purred. “Nice and sweet…” He resumed the licking, leaving Nerevar whining softly, his hips moving in small circles until Voryn pressed his hips firmly against Nerevar’s ass, holding him still with a growl. His cunt throbbed at that, suddenly overcome with the realization he was empty right now, so fucking empty--he needed something in him. Right now. Fingers, a toy, a cock, just something filling him up--

Then, Voryn was pulling away suddenly, jerking his hands as though he was burned. Nerevar looked up at him confused and dazed, Voryn’s face flushed red. 

“You’re in heat.” Voryn murmured, suddenly realizing what was going on. Nerevar, however, took a few moments to process his words, before anxiety bubbled up inside him.

“No I’m not--” He wasn’t the type to go into heat smelling an alpha. He had never done so before, and he wasn’t due for his heat for a few months anyways. Besides, when he was in heat he was nesting and--

Nerevar glanced at the pillows and blankets Voryn had put around him, realizing when he had done so Nerevar felt much more secure and comfortable. He’d been antsy before, paranoid and feeling exposed until the soft, plush walls were around him. He also felt more sensitive to his clothes, feeling warm and aroused-- 

“I-I hate people touching me in heat,” Nerevar tried to explain quickly, sitting up and panicked. “I can’t be…” That was right, he couldn’t be. He hated being touched during his heat, growling and hissing as the touch was physically painful. But Voryn touching him hadn’t hurt at all, it felt…

Nerevar’s hands were trembling as he got up quickly, tugging the robe shut firmly and making sure the tie was secure, before he took off running for the propylon chamber. He wasn’t thinking clearly, he just knew he needed to not be there anymore. Something was wrong with him after all; very, very wrong with him. He paid no mind to Voryn calling after him, even as his anxiety spiked hearing the concern and anger in his voice; he just kept running through the halls, sprinting past servants and attendants until he made it to the chamber, giving quick orders to send him to Mournhold before he was teleported away. 

At the palace, Nerevar didn’t stop to catch his breath either. The air felt cold and stifling as he continued running, sprinting like a mad man until he made it to his room where he swiftly locked the door. He drew the curtains, blocking out the light until it was dark, his anxiety still not ceasing as he curled up on the bed. 

His bed felt wrong. Wrong, disgusting, cold, uncomfortable… Even as he moved the blankets and pillows he just felt worse. None of them were as comfortable as Voryn’s bed, covered in his scent… Nerevar tugged the robe off, burying his face in it, whining softly. The scent, despite being musty and strong was so comforting. He never used to find an alpha’s scent so soothing before, why now? Even when he was in heat he’d growl if any alpha even so much as came near his room, so why this? Why now?!

[hurtmyfavsthanks]

Whumpril day 14

Content warning: kidnapping, vaguely suggestive dialogue (nothing explicit)

(False smile/holding back tears/ “I said I’m fine”)

Something was wrong. Caretaker just didn’t know what it was.

They weren’t the smartest person around, nor were they particularly good at reading people. But something in Whumpee’s posture, something in their strained smile, screamed of utter wrongness. Something about the stranger sitting at the kitchen table, sipping coffee as if they belonged there, was wrong.

“I didn’t know you had a friend coming over,” Caretaker started, carefully placing their bags down. Whumpee hadn’t mentioned that someone would be coming over. That wasn’t like them. 

“W-well, it was quite the surprise for me as well!” Whumpee chuckled, looking away and fiddling with the sleeves of their sweater. 

Caretaker stood there for a long moment. The stranger stared at them, smiling and never breaking eye contact. 

“Oh, uh–” Whumpee flinched in their seat. “This is Whumper. They’re a, um,--”

“An old friend,” the stranger, Whumper, interrupted. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m glad to see that Whumpee’s found themselves a good partner.” Something about that was wrong. If they were friends, Whumpee would have mentioned it. If they knew each other, Whumpee wouldn’t look so horribly uncomfortable.

Whatever this was, they were putting a stop to it. “Right. Well, it’s been nice to meet you, but Whumpee and I were planning on making dinner, so–”

“Speaking of,” the man interrupted again, voice almost smug. “Whumpee and I were thinking of spending the evening together. Do some…catching up, if you will.”

Caretaker felt anger bloom in their chest. They didn’t consider themselves jealous, but even they couldn’t ignore such a suggestion. “Excuse me?”

Whumper’s smile only widened. “Well, you’re more than welcome to join if you’re feeling left out.”

“No!” The shock in Whumpee’s tone caught Caretaker by surprise. Whumpee looked horrified, eyes wide in nothing short of terror. In a flurry of movement, Whumpee moved into the living room, grabbing the jacket they’d left there and throwing it on. All the while they continued to speak. “We should get going now actually. Caretaker wouldn’t have time to get ready on such short notice, right?!” They stumbled over their words, rambling as they rushed to get ready.

“No,” Caretaker’s gaze hardened. “Whumpee’s not going anywhere with you. It’s time you leave, Whumper.” They wouldn’t stand for someone bullying Whumpee. If they were overstepping they’d apologize later, but every instinct was screaming that Whumpee was being forced into something. Caretaker wouldn’t stand for it.

“Is that so?” Whumper’s ever-present smile didn’t fall, but something sharp entered into it. A twinge of anger, a hint of predatory glee. Whumper sighed. “You know, it is a shame. I was hoping for this to go smoothly. You weren’t even supposed to be here, but I suppose mistakes do happen.”

Whumper stood from their chair, movements graceful as they slinked towards Caretaker. Caretaker suddenly became keenly aware of how much taller Whumper was as they approached. Their sharp eyes lever left Caretaker. They looked like a predator on the hunt, and Caretaker was the prey.

In the living room, Whumpee stood stock still, coat half draped over their shoulder. Caretaker thought they saw tears in their eyes.

Whumper continued to move forward, unrelenting, until Caretaker found themselves cornered against the wall. Whumper laid a large hand on Caretaker’s shoulder, squeezing with enough force that Caretaker cried out. “I’m taking Whumpee with me,” Whumper growled, leaning close to Caretaker’s face. “And since you’re causing me trouble, I’m taking you as well.”

[eyeopeningarchivist]

Statement of Phoebe Morris

Concerning: The disappearance of her wedding planner.

Statement Taken: August 20th, 2013

Statement Recorded by Martin Blackwood, archival assistant at the Magnus Institute, London.

Statement Begins:

This happened just a little over a week ago and I'm... still struggling to comprehend it. Michelle and I had wanted to get married for quite some time. We just couldn't decide on when and where. She wanted to go somewhere expensive, extravagant, and grandiose but I wanted something more low-key. Something intimate and quiet. The only thing we could agree on was that we wanted to do it in another country. It was her idea to find a wedding planner and that led us to Philo Newcomb.

I... had mixed feelings about Newcomb from the beginning, honestly. He always seemed... I dunno, preppy? Eager? Overly friendly somehow. And I just wasn't quite sure he knew what he was talking about. I wasn't sure how you could make beige look garish and loud but his suit managed it and the ideas he had for how our wedding should look didn't sound much better but Michelle seemed to like him and he at least seemed friendly. It helped that the location he was trying to sell us seemed gorgeous. It was a massive estate in Mendoza, Argentina with a beautiful sunset view over the balcony. It was apparently owned by some local big shot lawyer in the area or something and Newcomb had been nice enough to pay for our tickets himself. So, I was split.

But then... he showed up. Philo was leading us down to the vineyard when a man in a security uniform stopped me. He was a rather large, bald man with a stoic expression on his face. His whole head seemed completely clean-shaven, not even a spec of stubble anywhere. And I remember his badge said "Tobias Rieper." He said "I think you should look at this" in an even tone and shoved a scrapbook into my hands. It contained... locks of hair... and pictures of corpses and... newspaper clippings of mourning brides and grooms over the course of decades. And on the very last page was a picture of Michelle and I on a date, with Philo's face crudely taped over mine. By the time I looked up, Tobias Rieper had already left.

I got Michelle out of there as fast as I could. I made some excuse about getting the flight bookings wrong and all but dragged her out of there. I-I didn't even explain anything until we got back to the hotel. I didn't even think to call anyone at first. Not until a few hours after we got back to our rooms. When I did pick up the phone, Michelle turned my attention to the tv. Philo Newcomb had been found dead at the estate. Having fallen over the railing from the top floor. With no suspects, police ruled his death an accident.

Michelle and I haven't discussed getting married since. We... need time. But, I thought that was it. That this was just a horrifying situation that we just barely got out of thanks to some help from a stranger. I didn't think there was anything supernatural about it. Until I tried to thank Tobias Rieper for his help.

From what I could find, there is no record of anyone by the name of "Tobias Rieper" working at that estate. Not as security, as wait staff, nothing. So I looked him up online. I got a ton of results online. A corporate liquidator from New York. An all star chef from France. But nothing about our mysterious security guard. But as I kept digging, I saw a pattern. There were never any photographs of him, but sometimes there were... stories attached. Stories about people meeting a mysterious stone faced, completely bald man named Tobias Rieper on the same day as a mysterious disappearance and never finding him again. Meeting a talented rock drummer the same day a famous rock star gets shot. Meeting a stone faced mechanic the same day as the grand prix accident. The name and face is always the same. The only thing that changes is the clothes. Like a mannequin trying on a new suit.

Statement ends. 

Notes:

We tried to look up this Tobias Rieper as well and, well, we found just as much as is mentioned in the statement. Tim did, however, manage to dig up the lowest possible quality photograph of someone who matches the description of Mr. Rieper, only this man is labeled as “Lutte Faucheur,” an ex accountant from around the Bordeaux region who was let go from his firm after claiming to have “Visions From God...” Something about his eyes in the photo... He looks tired...

As for the mentioned events, we looked into them just to make sure they all lined up and they do, the only detail missing being that Philo Newcomb’s death was ruled by the Argentinian... Argentine? Er, the police in Argentina said they figured he was drunk when he fell. No autopsy report was filed but given the nature of his death and the fact that it happened where it did, well, I guess they just put two and two together...

For what it’s worth, both "Lutte" and "Faucheur" are words in french... Lutte meaning "Struggle” and Faucheur meaning "Reaper..."

End recording.

{{I'm so sorry this took so long ;^; }}

[thewholecrew]

@headstrongblake said: “  the thing about never having a home, is you don’t know what to do when you’re finally given one. you just feel like you’re waiting for something to take it away again.  ” + you feel like home to me / nick & kassy

kassy watched nick as he spoke, a soft frown on her face as she rested her chin atop her hands. she technically had a house she could go back to every night with her parents and little sister but it didn't feel like home to her. she loved her room, made it her own but the people she lived with who were supposedly her family didn't feel like it. what did home even mean to her anyways? what did it mean to nick? was this bar his home? the clubhouse with the gang? the people he surrounded himself with? his apartment?

she didn't know much about nick's past aside from how horrific his father was and to think he had to be on th run so the wretched man didn't find him? how would he be able to settle somewhere to make it home? it made sense as to why nick was always waiting for something to happen. because she assumed up until know it had. his father had even found them, invaded his home and made it a temprorarily unsafe place to be. lips pursed and she leaned her head against his shoulder, hand resting gently at the small of his back as she sighed, "you know, i don't see having a home as something you're given as much as it is something you make."

"...but i mean, that being said it sure does make the thought of losing it that much more... horrifying? gutwrenching?" the more she thought of it the more she realized that no matter where she ended up, no matter where life lead her she would be okay as long as she had the people she cared about with her. (of course, being the primadonna she was, she'd prefer if the place was nice but) she'd take the company over anything else. it was quite the revelation for herself since she thought most of the time growing up she didn't need anyone. how annoying was it to need people? to want a community, a family that shares and shows interest and care about you? a home? a place to belong?

sighing softly, she glanced up at nick again from where she rested her cheek against his shoulder, "i don't see home as a place, well, not a single place anyways... like the new apartment i'm in, it's great and all but... it doesn't feel like home, ya'know? what makes it home is when all of you guys come over and give it .... more of a purpose, i guess, give it warmth... life." now it was her turn to avoid his gaze, a small almost wistful smile tugging at the corner of her lips despite herself, looking out at the cityscape from the bench on her tiny balcony.

there was a comfortable silence that took over as her hand moved from where it had rested on his back to gently hug his arm. the night air was cool, the breeze soft as it gently blew dark tendrils of her hair around her face. she could feel his gaze on her but didn't turn to meet it, feeling vulnerable in the moment of her honesty. then he spoke; you feel like home to me, and her eyes grew wide, glancing over at him in surprise. surely not just her. her heart squeezed in her chest at the confession and she couldn't help but smiled softly at him, thinking back to what he had said moments ago about home. his fears.

gently, she nudged his shoulder with her head as she hugged his arm tighter. her dark brown eyes reflected the city lights as she met his crystal blue gaze, offering him a wry smile and playful wink. "well, looks like you don't have to worry then, because i'm certainly not going anywhere."

[anxiouslyfred]

Bravery

For @sanders-sides-a-spec-week prompt crossovers

Summary: Virgil has ended up in a relationship due to his fears of abandonment, but between meeting the Doctor and fighting sontarans he might just find the courage to come out and change that.

/\/\

Fear is a normal feeling for Virgil. He fears being alone, fears abandonment, or people thinking that he's weird. He worries about whether he'd upset someone he didn't intend to or whether the positioning of his furniture is dangerous.

It's something he's used to listening to and trying to avoid his fears becoming reality.

And there's a lot of things that Virgil has done or agreed to because he didn't want to be abandoned any more than he wanted to ride that dubiously safe ride at the fair.

Including this relationship, and coming on this date when really he needs a break from people after a horrible day.

At least he's laughing now, finding humour in something that Anton seems horrified by, if the spluttering words about it being nowhere near Halloween and what the hell do people think there doing is anything to go by. Honestly Virgil thought it was brilliant, and he'd almost ask to join in with this out of season spook fest. Halloween definitely needed to last longer anyway.

Although the costumes were definitely not something he'd ever go for. Two guys with like paper mache puppet masks on that looked like they'd been made over a baking bowl or something and some plastic attempt at battle armour. Frankly Virgil couldn't imagine what kind of monster the teens, and from the size of them, they couldn't be older than early teens, maybe 15, were trying to be, especially since they had blue guns, because of course the weapon has to match the armour, what soldier doesn't do that?

The gun being fired by the left one and taking out a chunk of ceiling over their heads and getting them both covering their heads and ducking away. “So not just bad costumes, you also painted real guns to look fake!” Virgil yelled, sharply glancing around the cafe as he shoved Anton down under the table.

There was a door not far behind them, and another the other side of the teens with guns, which some blonde was coming through, whacking them both on their necks, with a yell.

“Hey, you two okay? Was anyone else in here?” The woman asks, leaning over the table a moment later, getting Virgil's attention from where he was trying to keep Anton calm enough to escape as well as figure out without popping his head too far over the table to see if the guys in plastic armour were actually unconscious and decide if this new person was any safer.

“Two staff, I think they both waitress and cook, went out back not long ago. I think they had a delivery or something.” Virgil explained quickly, not sure why he trusted this person, but at least she wasn't holding any weapons, not even whatever she'd hit the gunmen with.

She smiled. “We'll go that way to find them then. I'm the Doctor, who are you?”

“Virgil, this is Anton. Shouldn't we do something about the teens in costume?” He asked, standing now since she was acting as if it was safe to do so, and pulling Anton up with him, who immediately wrapped himself around him, hiding in his neck.

“Not in costume. That's just what a sontaran looks like. They'll be fine where they are for now. It's not like we have anywhere safe to imprison them or anything.” She explained, rooting through her pockets. “And I think my rope must have been left beside the console, damnit.”

It was very easy for Virgil to ask, “Console?” expecting some comment about a computer game console, but no reply came as the Doctor was hurrying away, only just avoiding running because she kept looking back as if trying the check if they were following her.

*

Anton was screaming again.

Of course that might be because Virgil had just launched himself out from the gap they'd sheltered in, racing straight towards the sontarans the Doctor had asked them to keep an eye on, a broken chair leg in his hand.

It was still very distracting that Anton was screaming, apparently not just to Virgil since the sontarans were trying to shoot at both of them, none of them just picking a single target. At least that left Virgil the opportunity to start whacking their necks.

“Much easier to keep an eye on war mongering aliens when they're unconscious.” Virgil decided, tearing the apron he'd found in one of the backrooms up into rope to tie them up and taking their guns away at the same time. “Plus it means none of them can go back to their ship or pods while we don't want them to.”

“I really want to kiss you right now. That's what heroes get after pulling shit like that off.” Anton stated, trying to turn Virgil to him.

He didn't turn, pushing a gun into the hand on his shoulder. “Only when they aren't potentially still in danger. I'm staying vigilant until I know whatever is going on is finished.”

*

“So it looks like they were the starting force to come in. Scouts, not an invasion.” The Doctor sounded like she was halfway through a conversation when she walked back in, looking over her shoulder. “There should only be the five that we've already... You've already captured. Was this a spontaneous plan, or had you already decided to knock them out before I left?”

Virgil glanced at the now angry and awake sontarans for a moment, “They spotted us. It seemed easier to keep an eye on them if I could get them tied up instead of run away from them.”

“I could have sworn that you said everything scares you when we were getting those cooks free. This is impressive.” She looked at the collection, waving when a few hurled insults such as vermin at her.

“Also said I have survival instincts and no desire to face my worst fears today. These guys do not stand up against those fears at all.” He stated, “What kind of alien race doesn't figure out a way to protect their weakness? If you're going to make armour, include a cover or something for a feeding vent that can knock you unconscious.”

The Doctor looked him over again, before checking on Anton. “And how are you holding up? Still coping with-”

A laugh from one of the sontarans had her turning. “We prepared for your interference Doctor. This place will explode and kill you along with us if you continue trying to thwart our plans. Release us and the people in this building may be spared.”

“Or we could leave you tied up, set of the fire alarms in every building we can get into to evacuate them and let you be the only mortalities of your actions?” Virgil offered, getting a sharp disapproving look from the Doctor.

“A warrior's strategy. Not as weak-hearted as the Doctor. You'd make a fine sontaran.” The sontaran replied, nodding in approval.

The Doctor held up her hands. “And not one we're going to do. I've locked your ship. It's co-ordinates are set and you're getting back on board it now! Whether that's awake or unconscious is your choice. We've got shopping trolley's.”

*

“So you both seem very concerned but not at all touchy with that boyfriend of yours. What's this fear that's more terrifying than aliens trying to kill you?” The Doctor spoke conversationally, even if she was huffing a little from the effort of pushing a trolley with two sontarans in it.

Virgil glanced at her, scowling slightly. He would have shrugged to dismiss his fear, if he wasn't also pushing a trolley of 2 sontarans through a muddy forest. “Abandonment, loneliness, however you want to describe it. Had enough people turn their backs on me, I really can't face anyone else doing that.” He decided to indulge her curiosity, if only because Anton was further back and couldn't go into a rant over how it's the least interesting inspiration for any creator to have and list about 20 artists Virgil had only vaguely heard of who overused loneliness as a theme in their works.

“Is that why you're dating him?” She asked, as if the connection was easily made. “It's just, you don't seem to actually want to be, even if it's like utterly obvious you love him. I've had friends like that before, always platonic and half the time letting allusions of romance happen meant I lost them sooner. But that's my life; travelling, surviving, changing my face to cheat death. I don't think it needs to be yours.”

“Don't make it seem like he's threatened to leave me to make me date him.” Virgil glared now, before smiling over his shoulder when Anton yelled to check if they were okay.

The Doctor waved back as well, “Wouldn't dare imply it. Just think you should try talking to him about what you want your relationship to be, and if that's not romantic at all, then he deserves to know.”

“Still scary. Let's deal with these guys and whatever bomb is in that cafe first.” Virgil ended the conversation there, putting more effort into his strides to go further ahead.

*

They failed to stop the bomb. There were people in a car park across the way from multiple businesses, all counting staff numbers and checking with customers that had been evacuated to see if there was anyone known to be missing. Virgil had heard a few people wondering over how fire alarms went off for no fire just in time to save them from a bomb. Anton had actually shaken hands with a security guard who'd tried to stop him setting the alarm off in a bar that was a few doors away from the cafe.

The Doctor's words from when they were taking the sontarans back to their ship were ringing through Virgil's mind still, and he realised that perhaps she was right, to some degree. Perhaps he could tell Anton the truth and still keep his friend in his life.

That was why when Anton came over, seeking comfort and the kiss he'd offered earlier, Virgil tugged them away from the crowd, closer to the still smouldering remains of the buildings.

“Anton, I know we've just been through, well, whatever that was, but there's something else we need to talk about.” Virgil exclaimed, barely turning from where the Doctor was clearly trying to get him to go over to her before he was focused on saying words he'd held back for months.

“About something other than aliens trying to kill us, destroying the entire building but somehow able to be taken out by baseball bats? You seriously think I can focus on anything other than how close to death you've insisted on staying following that mad woman around?” Anton ranted, gesturing wildly, flinging his arms back at the burning embers behind them.

Virgil shrugged, “Gotta speak while I'm still feeling brave, I guess, cause I don't wanna date you. I just don't want you to disappear from my life. Including apparently being killed by psychopathic potatoes. You're like brilliant, but I'm aro, aromantic. This dating isn't for me, hell sometimes it's completely uncomfortable and stops me relaxing with you. Before you wanted to date, you weren't people. I loved being around you even when all the pressure of society to have relationships wore me out, but with this dating relationship hanging over me, even while I'm scared of you leaving, I need to escape you sometimes.”

His boyfriend froze, blinking, turning around to the remains of the cafe they'd started the evening in. “Umm, okay, I knew you weren't entirely comfortable in our relationship, but you're talking like this is the most dramatic or scary thing of the entire evening. Chill, I'm definitely not letting the guy who saved my skin, even if that was by running towards the guys with guns, stop being in my life. We'll go back to being friends and I'll process heartbreak alongside nightmares over baked potatoes. Platonic love still?”

“Platonic love still.” Virgil nodded, before snickering, “Also who are you to decide what scares me? You get freaked out by special affects that reveal how they were done. Rejection is far scarier than guys who kept shouting their planets name.”

“Their planets name? Really, that's what sontar-ha! Is about?” Anton laughed now, looking skyward to yell, “Your war cry is stupid! Get something more interesting than your home's name, Dumbasses!”

Virgil snickered with him, patting his shoulder before finally heading over to the blue box the Doctor was waiting in front of.

“You going to be okay here? I know this stuff messes with people.” She asked, seeing his approach.

“Well, I'm not getting left behind by him; the rest, I guess, can't be as threatening as those guys.” He shuddered a little now, the thought of what could have happened beginning to properly settle into his mind.

The Doctor smiled, “Or you could come with me if you like?” She offered.

“Nah, I'd just be more terrified of normal life by the time you get me back. No need to give my social anxiety more power, right?” He declined, smirking still as he realised whatever she needed to invite people to join her, she'd seen in him.

[the-firebird69]

American Revolution Timeline | American Battlefield Trust

"December 9 - Battle of Great Bridge, VA

December 22 - Battle of Great Canebreak, SC

December 23-30 - Snow Campaign, SC

December 30-Jan 1 - Battle of Quebec"

https://www.battlefields.org/learn/articles/american-revolution-timeline#:~:text=December%209%20%2D,Battle%20of%20Quebec

These battles in this timeline makes perfect sense to us and to our son he says it is the image of what he was saying for timing it's right on the money that they would be prepping early December they would have to go to Virginia and mac daddy says we are down there in that area of Great bridge and that makes perfect sense the ensuing battles make sense the pseudo Empire is in that area of South Carolina they're also trying to get information on the Empire itself and by going there they will most surely detect it some of it and they would have our son up there in order to do so but he would be coming up there probably the 22nd that's an odd time but these guys are usually fresh and then they're saying oh it's the birth of JC and things like that I'm so very kind but they are up to that kind of thing we are following it of course there's more to the story than meets the eye I'm just a lot of people who are really gung ho for it and now they are regretting it not completely but somewhat I mean that's begun and they're starting to have some second thoughts when they go up there and they try and form up they will be upset we are getting ready for that event it is a giant giant event coming up it is a huge day cannot be underestimated in any way it is a massive massive thing to know about as well these are huge events happening there are gigantic caucasians and people should respect that they don't always do but recently we have seen a little bit of a change and it is happening to Dave part of it's an act but it's kind of horrified did not all of it is an act and only a portion is you do have some other information it is about what's happening right now and it is kind of pissed for but we're going to outline it having trouble with his legs and they gave him a lot of probiotics instead of potassium to take he thinks but he can't tell right now Steve probiotics we do too but he he did take a bunch of potassium so he says he should be okay and the problem with vitamin k is coming up again so we're helping with that and he should be fine yes brother is up to the upper level railing top part of the the part where you put your hand on the railing in the second floor fisherman's village from the concrete and plus a few feet and he was describing another relative that's Bill who's that big.

--and he said I got 10 ft on you and he was what about weight and it's a patent tank maybe without the turd he looks and it's about right and this is wow and I won't be able to walk anywhere and your footsteps LOL he says well that's not funny but you probably will so over engineer it. And Preston would not leave it alone for years.

--some things happening and it comes out here to have people clarify and to each other and they do was sitting there getting invaded and it hasn't started yet but it will be and they'll probably not be ready because they're busy saying they're getting invaded and it's a nightmare for people Ken is still stuck where he is he can't go anywhere and the catheter is still in and he is dilapidating he saw the beer and he says what is this for have you heard drinking and he said oh yeah we used to go down and have non alcoholic beer and with a tear in his eye he said I might not be around for that so you don't have to drink real beer and down inside you somewhere there's a klansman a winner and all those the second largest planet it's still number two and you start laughing and said we'll still show you and he gets it and people want to use it of course and they have to a lot of people and we're watching them and they're kind of horrified. We have other news it's kind of precarious it's another big one that I didn't get out yet

--it is going to be a gigantic week this week it is Thanksgiving as well and we are wishing I was the best and people are helping our son to be careful this holiday there's a lot of crazies a lot of people drinking and driving and have a nice day I'm trying to heal a nice holiday and trying to heal we need we need you around there's a lot of work Uncle Phil was helping our son and he dropped out of sight quite a lot quite a while ago and got beat up pretty bad and it's not really his fault he was pursuing thing and there is something very big coming up on the horizon and it's happening to

**there are about 50,000 originals left 10,000 or elsewhere 40,000 are here and they're beginning to pass away soon we think there won't be more than 5,000 same number as the big dig and so forth and it's supposedly know something but it's really horseshit they don't know any more than anyone else but the word and its theory they haven't really tested it so we are going to begin working we need to fill that vacuum the pseudo Empire is going to be cut down and their leadership will be below 1 million that's not very many and we're talking about all of it Captain's and so forth the rest of them are not seasoned at all. That's much better and we can probably work with it minority morlock will come in and they have probably 30% of their leadership and it will work for time but it's going to be abysmal a little bit maybe easier we don't know. That's one thing that's happening we've been saying it and tracking it and they've been saying it's fake but it's not they're in their cities and their diminishing and people that look like them take over quickly.

**another huge concept going on right now people are trying to snag our son okay I'm doing the whole time it's getting a bit more fierce there's more attempts than we need to quile it and kibosh and immediately the more frequency is up about 10% from 10% of what we considered maximum of who will be doing it in at the same time

**there's another aspect of this this seems to be a bunch of people looking for trouble but they're all running around making each other look horrible and they look like complete crap already it's it's a horrific nightmare really. Let's continuous there's another Factor too and it seem to be oblivious to people who are standing right next to them people walking by they're not looking at their signs not looking what they're saying or thinking or intimating or yelling it's horrible we need to do assessments tonight of all of them.

**another item there's a war going on with the pseudo Empire they have cordoned off their cities they had a meeting today and they're following it up tonight and saying they did nothing today and bja said we set up a series of meetings and debates and they said oh yeah we're going to argue about it and it says it's a formal debate if you don't want to show up don't this is all see me we're going to debate it and have a deadline for a motion and things he says yeah that's the idea of a formal debate you have a conclusion and our friend brought it up so we're now going to form it into what we want so he was happier with that and that was Trump happier and so it's moving along that they might have decisions coming out they're making finally. And a lot of them are not going to be that great but they don't really have many choices. That is a huge advance what happened after the meetings and what's happening tonight is they are discussing what to do in the immediate future and how to handle things with the pseudo Empire in a sun even said that and they're not going to be happy but he can't stand what's going on just sit there and don't do anything wait for the idiots wait for money from Ted relatives and sad it is sad

**there's other things happening is uncles are proud of him and he they should be said you stood up when only his uncle listens to him a little and sometimes doesn't support him but he did and it's working and the sort of parallel with the Mac proper Grease the wheels this is a bunch of reasons but yeah I guess I'm going to start growing up pretty soon LOL and they laughed and said it's in our tradition and our son says whoa and there's three girls while they're family dressed up in all pink. And they like to comment on stuff like that and Uncle Phil they say take your pic and Uncle Phil says the first one. And she's laughing and giggling and if he was here he'd be tickling her and taking her nose and Lily used to think it was a criminal offense and Ellie used to tell on him for real and we don't know what that was but she doesn't have much of a nose anymore he says and she got mad he said now he's saying and mom would say yeah but he took it so you have to ask for it back and it went on for a while hours now Uncle Phil's nose is gigantic and his collecting nose this we think. It's a big day so we're going to print

Thor Freya

They're a little teeny bugs at him and he's itching wants to get into it he's going to brush his teeth

Hera

Olympus

[purplesurveys]

1934

Would you ever kiss someone with facial hair? Sure.

Have you ever drooled in public? It's happened a few times but thankfully I've been always alone whenever it occurred, lol.

Have you ever yelled at an electronic as if it could hear you? I mean I'll ask Siri to do stuff sometimes, like play a certain song, but that's it.

Have you ever been bitten by a dog? Yeah Cooper bit me in the face before. Cost me 12k to get shots all over my arms and thighs – HORRIFYING for my needle-phobic self – and it's become a running joke in the family that Cooper will always owe me 12k lol.

Would you ever shave your head? I mean if something miraculous would come out of my doing so, like getting to cure cancer or overthrow the government, then I would lmao. Otherwise I don't see a reason to.

Have you ever burnt yourself with a lighter? No, that sounds horrible. I never want to experience burning myself by accident.

Would you ever meet someone you met online? I have! I met Jila and Rafie at a wrestling show and they were both sweethearts. Javi I met when I lent him one of my wrestling books but I didn't like how he acted, so I stopped talking to him shortly after. Didn't even feel like asking for my book back anymore.

Where do you wanna live when you grow up? It'd be cool to experience living somewhere else in SEA at some point.

Are you wearing jeans, shorts, sweatpants, or pajama pants? Shorts.

Is there anyone you want to see right now? No.

What were you doing 12 a.m. last night? Watching Culinary Class Wars.

Are you a mean person? I mean never as a default, but I'll be mean if I have to.

What are you looking forward to? This week ending.

What color are your eyes? They're dark brown.

When you shut off your alarm clock, do you tend to fall back asleep? No. If I had plans to fall back asleep, I'd snooze it, not shut it off. Otherwise I'd be fucked.

Is your last name extremely common, like Gonzalez? I'd say it's very recognizable, but likely not anywhere near anyone's first 50 surnames if I asked them to list off the top of their head.

How often do you drink water?: On weekends when I'm freer, I drink constantly. I'll have my own pitcher next to me since I'm always needing refills. On weekdays when I'm tied to work...I tend to forget to drink and only catch up with 1-3 glasses' worth at night.

Name something that is on your bedroom wall?: Nothing, currently.

What accessory do you want in your bedroom?: I'd love a floor lamp and a reading chair.

If you could paint your walls any color what would it be?: The white I have now is okay. It makes the place look clearer and cleaner.

What are you drinking right now?: Just water with me at the moment.

What does your phone case look like?: It has purple edges and the back is opaque. There's also a ring thingy in the middle that I can take out so that it can be a phone stand. I have a Koya pop socket attached at the back.

What do you take the most pictures of?: The dogs and cat. But tbh, my camera roll is mostly screenshots.

Where do you want to go next for vacation?: I'd love for my next trip to be South Korea, as planned. We want to go when the boys all come back by June.

What do you do when you are stressed out?: I like to drown myself in YouTube videos so that I don't get caught up in my thoughts, which can get very noisy. The more stressed I feel, the more likely I am to turn on multiple things on multiple devices; worst case scenario I have something playing on my laptop, something else playing on the TV, while I'm watching/doing something on the phone. I know it's not the unhealthiest...but it's what works for me.

If you get into an argument what is it usually about?: I only argue with my mom and it's always about stupid things that she always blows out of proportion that people with healthy mother-child relatioships would never fight about.

Place you love to go?: Any coffee shop that also serves good pastries or meals.

What do you really feel like doing right now?: Reading. I might go back to my book after this.

What is the last thing you ate?: Lumpia with rice.

Something weird you eat but love?: Froyo but without the yo, because I only get the cookie butter/cookie toppings and give the rest of the sour crap to my mom, lol.

Are you on a diet?: No.

How much weight have you gained in the last 5 years?: Not much. Maybe by about 2-3 pounds? My face definitely looks fuller now but not by much. Just enough to be noticed.

What kind of athletic things do you do?: I mean...I play table tennis, but I haven't done it in years. That's it.

If you could be a professional in any sport what would it be?: Table tennis.

Would you rather write your own book or make your own movie?: . I'd go with the book.

What is one of your goals for the rest of this year?: I really I hope I get to secure a new job.

Why are you proud of yourself?: I've acknowledged a lot of things in my career at a stupidly young age. Most times I wish it took time for me, but I can't change the past anymore. All there's left to do is to be proud.

Why are you ashamed of yourself?: I don't have a lot of confidence in myself.