#cleo wasn't going to be made a fool

[genericflower]

So in the first episode Gandhi says that he was Cleo's foster brother for 10 years before she convinced their parents to get rid of him,

and Abe and Gandhi were friends since they were babies

So that means Cleo and Abe at least knew of each other back then so my head canon is that Cleo had a crush on Abe since elementary school

[arthropod-concoctions]

And here's a treat i wrote for @oshawottarchive, inspired by @greenix' fantastic artwork "The statue queen and her knight!" very happy i managed to finish this one in time for the @mcytrecursive exchange.

Rating: Not Rated

Archive Warning: Major Character Death

Category: Gen

Fandom: Secret Life SMP

Relationships: Ethoslab & ZombieCleo, Grian & EthosLab

Characters: ZombieCleo, EthosLab, Grian

Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, kind of; theres monsters at least, Weeping Angels - Freeform, EthosLab (Video Blogging RPF) is a Weeping Angel (Doctor Who), Gorgon ZombieCleo (Video Blogging RPF), Time Travel, petrifcation

Summary: What happens when two monsters that can't kill each other cross paths?

Fic below the cut!

Deep in the labyrinthine halls of an abandoned temple that only the exceedingly reckless dared enter, a gorgon stood next to a petrified warrior, trying on his armor.

Cleo fastened the clasps of the breastplate, but quickly unclasped them after seeing how poorly it fit. She sighed as she put the armor back onto the warrior's body. She was getting a bit tired of the dress she was wearing, but none of her recent victims had anything that fit her. It's because female warriors are going out of fashion again, she thought, and no civilians ever enter this temple anymore. Maybe she should try going out into their settlements again. That didn't end too well for her last time, but honestly, she was starting to get bored all alone in here...

“ˈiːθəʊ?” a voice suddenly called out. “hɛˈləʊ?” Cleo froze in place, almost like one of her own victims, trying to determine the source of the call. It was clearly a human, but that wasn't a word in any human language she knew. she also heard footsteps now, seemingly getting closer.

The same words were called out again, and the footsteps grew louder. Maybe this was some fool from foreign lands, who hadn't understood the locals' warnings about this place. That would be a nice opportunity. Cleo began to move towards the sound.

A man with unusually light hair turned the corner, and Cleo watched the expression on his face go from concern to relief to horror within a second. He screamed, first wordlessly in terror, then again in some unknown language. “ wɒt ɑː juː-”

Cleo lifted her veil, and the scream died on stone lips.

“An honour to meet you too.” Cleo said. She moved over to inspect her newest statue, but she could already tell it was going to be a good one. Most of her recent work didn't show abject terror like this one, they were too prepared for her presence. And the clothing-

Huh. The clothing wasn't like anything she'd seen before. The man wore tight-fitting trousers that were almost as grey as his skin now was, made of a material she could not identify. By contrast, the garment he wore over his torso was as red as blood, and very soft- soft enough to make Cleo gasp slightly as she ran her finger over it. it didn't fit the man's form in the slightest, almost as if it'd been made for somebody else. Fortunately, that meant it might fit her as well.

“I'll be taking this... whatever it is, thank you,” they said as they lifted the garment off of the statue, and chuckled. Who were you, oblivious wanderer? She found herself wondering. Where did you come from?

– – –

Etho stalked restlessly through the overgrown stone building. He'd picked this spot to camp out, hoping he'd easily blend in with the statues all around, but that was days ago, and he hadn't seen a single human since. And he was getting hungry. He was beginning to suspect humans purposely avoided this place. Maybe they did that because of the statues? He'd heard once that some humans were scared by statues. Which was stupid; why would they make statues if they were scared of them? These couldn't possibly all be his fellows either. He froze in place, which told him that there was somebody seeing him. Finally, he thought. He couldn't see anybody, which meant they must be behind him. He could hear footsteps, and then, a voice.

“...You're new,” the voice said, and then the human it belonged to stepped into Etho's view-

Nevermind. Etho was quite certain humans didn't usually have snakes emerging from their heads. The not-human woman was wearing several layers of mismatched, brightly coloured clothes, and a veil covering the top half of their face. They circled around him, hands clasped behind their back, almost as if they were inspecting him. Infuriatingly enough, Etho saw them blink, but couldn't regain his mobility; the eyes of the snakes watched him too, not leaving him unobserved for a moment.

“I didn't even know i could catch other monsters,” they said, and Etho felt them touch one of his wings. He wasn't sure how he felt about that statement. “You're definitely getting a place of honor... but first, I'm gonna try on that mask.”

Then they did something Etho definitely did not like: they reached towards his mask, aiming to take it off. That would nullify his only trump card, unless he played it now.

“Please don't,” he said. The woman stopped.

“What!?” they yelled out, then took several steps backwards. “How are you talking?” they demanded. The snakes on their head seemed surprised by their sharp voice, which was good for Etho; it meant they at least didn't consciously control two dozen eyes.

“You're not technically looking at my mouth. The mask covers it,” Etho replied. It was a trick that most of his fellows knew, but few ever used it. The mask just got in the way unless you liked talking to your victims, like he did.

“That's not how this...” the woman trailed off, flabbergasted. “Oh, whatever. Monsters petrify by different rules, i guess.”

“Monster? Oh, come on now. I'm just a regular human. Who turns to stone when you look at him. Something which you are used to, apparently,” Etho rambled. If he had an organic body, he would be sweating right now. Normally he'd be having these kinds of conversations with regular people, and he'd be able to move about two percent of the time, leaving him comfortably in control. With this creepy snake lady his mobility was reduced to zero percent, which was a whole different story.

They just chuckled at his remark. “And has wings. Can't forget about that.” They briefly placed their hand on a wing again, then took it off. “What's your name?”

“Etho.”

They turned their head sharply at that. “How long have you been in this temple, Etho?”

“...Two, three days?”

“Well now that can't be true,” they said, eyes narrowing, “because I've been getting confused wanderers walking in here calling out your name for at a century.”

Ah. He figured this had to come up eventually. “...It's complicated. Let's just say, those people haven't entered the temple yet.”

They grunted. “Traveling through time, then? Doesn't seem that complicated to me.

“Well, Etho, I am the gorgon Cleo. I'm the scourge of this temple, as they say, so I'm supposed to chase out or kill anyone who dares enter, but...” a small smile quirked their lips. “Well, clearly I can't get rid of you, because you have to be around in the future to send these people to me. So it looks like I'll have to... tolerate your presence near me.” Despite their words expressing disappointment, Cleo's voice didn't sound disappointed at all. They sounded happy about it, even.

“...Thank you?” Etho replied. He decided to keep to himself the fact that he was unlikely to stay here for much longer if there really were barely any people. Unfortunately, they did have a point; causality dictates that he would have to hunt here at some point in time, and it didn't seem like he would ever be able to get to Cleo, given the amount of eyes they had. So, it would be better to keep them happy for now.

“You're welcome,” Cleo replied, still smiling. “So, I understand you can't move as long as I'm looking at you?”

“Maybe,” Etho replied. “Maybe I'm just standing really still for fun, though.”

they laughed at that. “Right. Well, I can't keep you here forever, so I suppose I'll get out of your way for now. Until we meet again, angel Etho.”

With that, Cleo turned around and walked back the way they came. Before turning the corner, they looked back to see Etho still standing where he was; some of the snakes on their head had been lookng in his general direction still. They waved at Etho.

Then they turned, and as soon as Etho was removed from all their lines of sight, he was gone. That was by far the strangest conversation he'd ever had. It looked like he would have to abandon this hunting ground, which was a shame-- it really would have been a fun one, had it not already been occupied. Although, the gorgon didn't seem to mind sharing the space with him. they seemed happy about it, even. That was the weirdest thing; never before had he ended a conversation with someone on good terms. They always ended with one person hunting the other-- but he could never hunt Cleo, and they could never hunt him, so instead they were... friendly with each other. Fascinating.

Maybe he'd give the temple another shot after all.

_ _ _

This is it, Grian thought to himself as he took a deep breath, then stepped through the gate-like shape of the rubble, into the gate filled with statues. His head swiveled around, looking for one that seemed out of place. He wasn't entirely sure what to expect-- well, no. He knew exactly what to expect: a talking statue. That's what this ruin was known for, after all. He just didn't know the details; what did the statue look like? Did it move as well as talk? This place didn't have as much documentation as other monsters' domains in the area, which is exactly why Grian was drawn to it.

“Hello, weary traveler!” A voice suddenly spoke up, interrupting his thoughts. Grian turned around to see the answer to his questions: a stone statue of a winged figure, wearing a scarf across his face. He was standing with his hands on his hips. “What brings you here?” he asked.

“Oh. You, mostly,” Grian replied. Honestly, he wasn't expecting his exploration to be over so soon. Did the statue really have to come right to him?

“Aww, me? You shouldn't have. I'm just a humble tour guide.” Grian never saw the angel move, but every time he blinked he had a different stance- and was standing slightly closer to Grian. “There's so many beautiful statues here. Don't you want to take a look at them?”

Grian shrugged. He might as well make the most of this trip. “Sure. Lead the way.”

“Great!” the angel responded, and didn't move. Grian blinked, and he moved about a foot, then stopped again. “Uh, maybe you following me isn't the most efficient way to do this. Just wander around, and I'll provide the commentary.”

Grian snorted, then followed the angel's advice and started looking around the yard. The first thing he noticed was that all the statues-- apart from the angel-- were naked. Some of them were holding what looked like weapons and shields, but they were rotting, not sculpted from stone like the bodies. And most of them were striking thoroughly unimpressive poses. The whole thing weirded Grian out a little. The statues didn't look anything like what he would call art, realistic though they were. “Do you have any idea who made these?” he asked the angel.

“An old friend of mine,” he replied. Then he asked: “So, I'm famous, huh?”

“Yeah, kind of.” Grian turned around and searched the room for the angel, and saw that he was standing between some sculptures, filling a gap in the rows. He fit there weirdly well. “Everyone knows this as the ruin with the talking statue. Uh- do you have a name, by the way?”

“Etho.”

Grian hummed. It was a surprisingly... modern name. “My name's Grian,” he replied, then continued looking at the statues. He'd noticed some of them were covered in some weird dust, which he figured might be the remains of fabric clothing. Whoever made these statues had apparently decided to dress them in actual clothes, instead of simply sculpting them clothed. In order to avoid looking at what the decayed clothing was failing to cover, Grian now focused on the faces of the sculptures. Some of them-- mostly the ones holding decayed weaponry-- had an expression of noble determination on their face, but the majority of the statues looked scared. And they were incredibly detailed; to the point it gave Grian the creeps. “Your friend had some... interesting artistic visions,” he said.

The angel-- Etho-- chuckled. “Isn't it great?” he asked. Grian decided his honest answer to that might not be what Etho wanted to hear, so he didn't respond.

Etho spoke up again. “'The ruin with the talking statue', you say... is that all this place is known for?”

“...I think so, yeah. Why?”

“No stories about, like... people who go inside and never return?”

That did not help with Grian's creeps in the slightest. “Why would you ask that!?” he asked, spinning around to face Etho.

“Oh, no reason. Hey, have you seen that statue there yet?” he replied, moving with a blink to point somewhere behind Grian.

Grian hesitated to turn around, suddenly worried what Etho might do behind his back. This feels like a trap, he thought; but at the same time, he was very curious what the angel was getting at. He took a few steps backwards, ensuring that Etho didn't get too close to him-- then he turned around. Behind him was another statue with face and limbs contorted in apparent terror- A very familiar face, actually. The face Grian saw every time he looked into the mirror. Grian's blood ran cold. There was a statue of him in this ruin. Why the hell was there a statue of him? Was this some kind of elaborate prank someone pulled on him? The statue's moles lined up exactly with his own. No, it couldn't be a prank, he hadn't brought anybody with him on this trip. He was alone in this ruin with Etho- Etho! Grian whirled around to face the angel, but couldn't find him. He'd only been turned around for a few seconds, where could he have gone?

“Oh, wonderful!” Grian heard a voice behind him, and spun around again to find Etho's face inches from his own, his hand reaching towards the scarf around his neck. “Looks like you get to meet my old friend!”

Grian backed away, breathing deeply. He looked at Etho, avoiding blinking as long as possible- but it wasn't long enough. The second his eyes closed, he heard an indescribable static noise and felt a horrible squeezing sensation around his entire body... And then it was over, and Grian was still in the ruin, and he felt fine. Except... was he still in the ruin? The sun was coming from a different angle, the place looked less decrepit than it did before, and there were significantly less statues. There was no sign of Etho.

“What in the... Etho?” Grian called out, his terror having mostly changed into confusion. “Hello?”

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

[note: the bits in IPA read "Etho?" "Hello?" and "What are you-" respectively.]

[waytooobsessedwithmcyt]

While writing a post I was struck with inspiration and I needed to write it, not going to be good because I'm writing this quickly and not proofreading

It's the part of the post about Cleo maybe not being able to remember the last games because it was an April fools episode

Scott saw as Gem fell, and he knew in that moment that Cleo would win, the watchers wouldn't let him win again. When the zombie bite took his life, he wasn't surprised.

Scott spawned into the holding cell of the watchers, he tried not to look at the other members, as it only hurt to see them looking confused. He made his way to the winners circle, where Grian, Scar, Pearl, and Martyn all sat.

"is Cleo going to be considered a winner?" Martyn was saying to Grian.

"I don't know, it was April fools, so I guess whether or not is up to the watchers."

"You are a watcher!" Pearl crossed her arms, she was clearly upset, and Scott probably guessed that it was about Gem not recognizing her.

Grian sat down on his chair, sighing, "I don't know, they don't tell me anything."

Cleo was walking around, seemingly as dazed as the non winners, but when their eyes landed on the winners, the cloud left her eyes and she ran to them.

Pearl and Scott instantly swept them up in a hug, "gaslight gatekeep girlboss is back!" Pearl cried.

"Yeah," Cleo still seemed a bit dazed.

"I'm being left out again," Martyn mumbled, "maybe we should give them some space? They just went through a traumatic experience."

Grian pushed his way out of the circle, "everybody away from Cleo, what do you remember?"

"The game? That's kind of it?"

"Ok, when you step through this metaphorical gate the memories of all the past series will come back, it can be a bit overwhelming, make sure you're ready." Scott could remember his win, only Grian had been there to welcome him, and Grian hadn't known how bad the memories could be, so he hadn't gotten a warning. It had only gotten worse as the seasons went on, Scar had handled it well, but Martyn had been the worst. He had broken down crying and apologized profusely to Pearl for leaving her, then begged Scott for forgiveness for killing him.

Cleo shrugged off Grian's warning, "I'll be fine." They stepped over the line into the circle, and gasped, squeezing their eyes tight. Scott pulled her into the sixth seat so she could sit. Cleo shakily opened her eyes after a few seconds and stared at Martyn.

Martyn studied her expression, but Scott couldn't read it at all.

"I'm- I'm really sorry for abandoning you Martyn," they reached a hand out to Martyn, which he took.

"I mean no hard feelings honestly, it was seasons ago," but his voice cracked in a way that clearly showed he was not over it.

"I think we're all a little sorry for double life," Grian cast a glance at Scar, who was looking down.

A new shape appeared in the sky.

"Cleo, you have been officially considered a winner, and the sky has spoken, Pluto has claimed you, and you have joined our ranks."

[s1urpjuic3]

More Scathing hot takes

RANDOM DISCLAIMER I have not watched not a nan lick of g3 Monster High, this is entirely based off of Tumblr post, y'all please inform me of wtf be going on over there.

Tonight, I will be touching on Monster High, because honestly, I don't see enough people talking about my opinions so I'm forcing y'all to see it lmaoo

THE WORLD SHALL KNOW PAIN

Anyways, I feel like this is gonna come out so wrong omgggg but

I DON'T LIKE HOW THEY BROKE OFF ICONIC SHIPS AND MADE EVERYONE LGBT+!!! I don't even care that their gay, it's just the fact that I feel like when shows/media wants to be inclusive when they remake/bring back old shows, they get lazy and just rewrite the existing characters to fit their agenda.

The only time in media it really makes sense (to me) is when a character is going through change, or left a traumatic situation, OR they were always written as a queer character

ie: Harley Quinn. Yeah, I (think) she's always been Bi, but i'd definitely wanna stay the hell away from men after The Joker. I say this as a lifelong Jarley fan. #GoJivey.

And before I go any further, girlllll everybody alr new Clawdeen was lesbian she wasn't fooling nobody���� it makes SENSE for her character.

Like I know there are now hardcore Cleo x Frankie shippers, and that's fine, I love when people ship characters like that, it's expression of the love for the show, but making it canon??? *Faints*

Maybe i'm just a diehard Cleuce fan idk lmaooo

What I (personally) think they should have done is just introduce new queer/gender neutral/LGBTQ+ characters! I think that would have been so cute and unique cs I feel like no show does that and it's lame.

Like, I just feel like it's such a missed opportunity to make their love interest dynamic, y'know? Like, give them actual depth outside of liking their ghoul.

ie: Deuce. They could've gone into depth about his career and his hopes dreams and aspirations was, and it still ties into Cleo because of her dad and things of that nature.

(Sidenote: Clawd & Jackson/Holt could literally take over the Monster High fandom if they wrote him better in all the gens but y'all not ready for that Convo.)

THERE WAS SO MUCH POTENTIAL FOR JACKSON/HOLT OMG

I WANT NEW QUEER/LGBTQ+ CHARACTERS

Especially the boys ;)

Anyways, that's my hot take for tn, first moderately sized post (Hooray)

Post Script: What is this narrative that G1 Frankie liked too many boys?? Y'all be so frl. She liked 2 people. Jackson and Holt were the same people stop playing in my Tumblr space like that :|

Post Post Script: They had low-key pmo not giving lala some depth we all know she a bad bitch stop acting like she static.

[kimtiny]

Ok so like about the ghosts au, what do the ghost parents think of their clone kids relationships (specifically friendships and romances) with each other, do they approve?

Oh that's a very interesting ask, we didn't talk much about this but based off their personalities (at least the one we gave them) here what they would think: Joan x JFK: John approved 100%, he kinda always approves what JFK does anyway but he wasn't that sad when they broke up! One lost 10 found! Jeanne on the other hand wasn't such a fan, she did not disaprove but she did not complain about the break up! Joan Abe friendship (n romance): Jeanne was honestly very tired of Joan's desperation for Abe's attention and prefer them better as friends, she thinks Abe is a great guy so she wouldn't mind them getting together. Abraham doesn't think they would make a great couple based off his own experience, and he knows his son is a bit too oblivious to be able to answer's Joan's need. Cleo x Frida: Both the women are big fans, go lesbians go!!! JFK and Confucius friendship: Kong Zi beleives that friendship is very important and so he's extremely happy Confucius found such a great friend as JFK, grandpa applause when JFK conforted Confufu. John likes this friendship as well, like Kong Zi, he's happy JFK got a great guy friend! Harriet and Joan friendship: Og Harriet was a bit wary of Joan, and she was very angry at her during the musical episode. But she came around and accepted their friendship, while still having her eyes on Joan. Jeanne is very happy Joan has a group of female friend, but Joan's behavior made her very worried that she would loose them- well.. she wasn't wrong to be worried Topher and Abe friendship: Abraham is always happy when his son meets new friends, and he beleived Topher wasn't that bad. Same for Cristoforo who liked to know Topher had a friend! Let's say episode 8 left them 😨😨, for different but oddly similar reasons. JFK and Abe friendship: John was honestly unexpecting for them to become friends due to their history, but when they did he was super happy! Same for Abraham, but he always wished the two would put their difference aside to let a friendship bloom Harriet x Confucius: Like with Joan, og Harriet was wary of Confucius- especially because he lied to Harriet in order to gain her attention, but after realizing it was just because of his insecurity and he's actually a really nice boy, she approved the relationship. Kong Zi also found it fooling to lie and pretend, and he was glad it turned out okay. Both find the two to be a bit 'too much' and idiots, but it's just what love does sometimes.

Harriet x JFK (briefly): John was ALL IN, get the girl boy! What if it's cheating? Nobody's perfect! Og Harriet was less then happy about it, and releaved there wasn't any bad conscequences- even if it was her, her clone daughter owuld have been grounded for 2 weeks.

Harriet and Frida friendship: The two girls have been friends since forever, of course the mothers are happy with it!

[hollowaluminumvessel]

oh yeah I watched grians secret life finale like 4 hours ago and I forgot to document a few things-

to start. WOW. what an amazing season that was. I feel like after watching it that it was perfect! great job players AND admins for a certainly unforgettable experience. 👍

Now, for regular notes on various parts of the series. what i think should be first to be mentioned, is the fact that grian STILL died after all his teammates. that curse remains. but Jimmy! yay Jim! he wasn't first out this season! but also poor lizzie. nobody went to her birthday party and then she was the first out. rip 🙏. and mumbo, oh mumbo, you sweet, naive fool. who could've thought that something so innocent could become so deadly. be careful around fences, they're meant to keep you out 🤷‍♂️. but the warden and wither hard task was probably my favorite. what an episode! close second of course would be the boogey-pocalypse. the fact that grian hiding in a tower made gem fail her task is crazy. I haven't watched Scott's series yet so I don't even know what happened there and I'm not quite sure I want to! Scott is Scott! he's a mystery to the human mind! and to the boogey men apparently! but I did see somebody point this out and I can't remember for the life of me who or where, but grian and cleo are the only ones to have not gotten the boogeyman curse, and when Scott got it, he didn't kill anyone. idk about limited life cuz I think he got boogeyman man in the beginning but I haven't watched LL since it came out lol. but the fact that Grian Cleo and Scott, the only ones that havent killed for the boogey, didn't get infected during the whole shebang?! you look me in the eyes GrianMC and tell me that this series isn't scripted! BUT OMG OMG OMG APPARENTLY SCAR WON?!?!?!?!?! LITERALLY WHAT?!?!?!?! AND- on the topic of scar- HIS RED SKIN AAAAAAAA. the lilacs and poppies :( WHY :( WHO MADE HIS SKIN I NEED TO HUG THEM NOW :( and scar being the quote "villain" this season? woah. anyway I still need to go watch other people's series (starting with gem and scar ofc) and I'll probably make a post for them too if I get invested. I'll also probably reblog if I have anything else to add so stay tuned if you like. peace ✌

[findingcrow]

I'd like to think that Cleo wasn't like the other winners.

When she met all of them after the game, once she had earned her new shiny crown to join the rest of them, it wasn't the same. Their crown was more goopy, like fool's gold being melted in a pot. And maybe they pushed this thought to the side, because she was a legitimate winner, so who cared if her crown was made a little cheaper by the Watchers?

But then, as they engaged in conversation with Grian and Scott and Pearl and Martyn and Scar, it continued to melt. It left golden droplets all over the floor, on her arms, in her hair. And maybe the others tried to help, begged them to take off the crown, and maybe they refused.

After how many seasons? After how many failed duos? Failed trios? Broken families? She earned this win. She earned this crown. And nothing, not even it trying to force itself off of her head, would take that away from her.

The winners began begging rather than asking, Martyn going as far as to try and grab it from her. But an accident occurred, maybe, and instead of staying on her head, it fell and hit him. And maybe he turned to gold where he stood.

And while everyone else stood in shock, Scar reached next, curious about the glimmering pile of what was only barely the structure of a crown. And he turned to gold, too.

This was enough to get the rest to back away, but it was too late; it was spreading like roots, searching out every one of them. It took Pearl and Grian next, them becoming statues of fear-stricken faces and desperation, of a fear Cleo hadn't even seen at the end of each of their games.

Finally, it was just Scott left. And as he turned to gold, shining like the star he always was, he turned to Cleo and stared into her eyes and said, as one last goodbye,

"Cleo, what did you do?"

[layanasstories]

Cause of pain

Part 9

Not long after, the others arrived too and the evening began with some small talk. Cleo had made so much food that ten more people could have joined in. She had mostly made all sorts of different appetisers rather than whole dishes. Consequently, they had not set the dining table, but the coffee table was filled with all the goodies. We had made ourselves comfortable on the sofa and chairs that had been put around. I thought I was being smart not to sit next to Jake, but as a result I was now sitting even worse, right across from him. Every glance I did around the group always fell on him last.

After chatting with each other for a while, it was Dan who wanted the group quiet, tapping on his glass. "Friends, as you have noticed, we have our long-lost friend in our midst. And she has something to tell you." A blabbermouth he always is, but with a drink it is only worse. I sigh deeply to release the tension. I'm not going to tell them anything about the body, so I think up a story on the spot. "Thanks Dan." I nod and give him an obvious fake smile. "I don't want to dampen the good vibe. But, as you know, it's been a year since we found Hannah. Which is of course amazing. But we also lost friends, and in hindsight we didn't needed to lose. That's why I want to toast." I grab my glass of whiskey, which had just been poured, and lift it up. "To Richy, who made stupid choices but had a good heart. And to Hannah, for being here with us. And lastly, for being especially special to me. To the love of my life, wherever he may be. Cheers!". All raised their glasses and cheered. Nobody noticed that Jake and I looked at each other for a long time while I emptied my glass in one gulp.

The evening progressed with lots of chatting and laughing, sometimes singing along with the music. I caught up with the girls and even occasionally had a normal pleasant conversation with Jake. As if nothing was going on. And the later it got, the more booze flowed. Which made my anger towards him grow less and less, and my desire only more and more. The battle in my mind is strong, will I let it go for tonight or will I be cold and distant? Can I pretend it's part of the play or will I not get away with it? Can I blame the alcohol or am I betraying myself? Or am I just torturing myself more to hold on to the anger and desire? Do I have to choose right now?

What has become quite a habit lately I am taken out of thought, because Dan pokes me in my side. "Why are you staring at Mark like that? You think he's cute huh!" He laughs a little uncomfortably because he immediately realises how inappropriate his joke is, after what I had told him this afternoon. But I seize this opportunity to show no interest in my anger tonight and blame it on the alcohol. "You know Dan, yeah, I think he's cute. And who knows, maybe I'll end up at his place tonight. If only to have some distraction." Consciously, I say it a little louder so Jake could hear. His puzzled look was priceless.

"Woah, woah, woah. That wasn't what I meant. Don't jump to conclusions right away, you've only known him for a few hours." Dan's defence was weak given his own reputation, and I immediately made that clear to him. "Must you say! Anything that even slightly is fluttering her eyelashes can go home with you." I give him a wink so he realises I'm fooling around. Sideways, I look towards Jake, who follows every word closely, but then quickly recovers himself. "You know Dan, I do indeed think I need to become a bit more like you. Layana, flutter those beautiful eyelashes of yours for me.". I do as he says, and flutter my eyelashes excessively. He leans a little further forward my way "Oh that's sexy, are you coming to sleep with me tonight?" The playful grin he conjures up makes me swallow for a moment before answering a little flirty and ambiguous. "Maybe I will, I'm not ruling anything out." I can seriously blame the alcohol now, because I would never have said that without it. And to make it worse for myself, is that when I see the doubt in his eyes whether I mean it or not, I give him a wink.

[geekinclara]

Soup Group Traitor AU: A Zombie In Your Way

"Oh, Cleo. What a nice surprise, what brings you to my base?" Gem smiled.

"Don't take me for a fool, Tay. What are playing at?" Cleo crossed her arms across her chest, glaring at her.

Gem decided to play dumb for a bit, if someone was likely to discover, it would be Cleo. "Me? Just rebelling against Ren's monarchy, nothing more. Do you want some tea, by the way?" She turned towards her kitchen, but was blocked by Cleo's arm.

"Don't play dumb with me, Tay. I know of your reunions with Ren, that coincidentally happen always just before he gets new information about your group whereabouts." Her glare deepened. While Gem's kept her same innocent look.

"Yes... I have met with Ren, only to threaten him, and try to back down." She smiled.

"Aha... so tell me, what kind of threatening involves laughing with him in his throne room?"

Gem looks finally changed, she grinned, and her eyes relaxed. "Bravo, Cleo, you figured out, I'm a traitor. What are you going to do?"

"I don't know yet, but I'll figure out. I just needed confirmation." She grinned, and turned around, but suddenly, she got a big headache, that made her drop to the floor.

She heard Gem's footsteps.

"I'll tell you what you'll do. You won't say a word of my betrayal, to anyone, and you won't say a word of what you see today, because, you'll guess that if I can do this. Then I can do so much worse."

Those last few words echoed for Cleo, while her headache went away, and she opened her eyes, only to find out that she wasn't on Gem's base anymore, but on her own.

[xbadgerbearx]

i guess they are pretty funky

word count: 1.5k

Can’t Sleep: [2] … [4]

Your team prepared themselves as you started your journey to your new destination. You and Abner were talking about random things as you walked.

"You really like the dots?" Abner timidly asked.

"Are you kidding? Of course! You're so colorful," you said quietly with a smile.

Abner smiled to himself before motioning to your outfit. "I like your uniform too, it suits you. It makes your eyes stand out."

"Thank you! Ya know, I always thought you had a really nice nose- whoa, Abner, are you doing alright?" You cut yourself as you faced Abner for the first time during this walking session. He had those glowing dots on his face again.

"Oh! Those?" He was nervously covering his face. "Don't worry about-" splat. Abner tripped over a rogue tree root and fell face first into the mud. As you went to help pick him up, Flag turned around.

"What the hell are you doing?"

Everyone turned around to look at you two, well, minus Cleo, but she was sitting on a fallen tree almost asleep.

"We're tired, Colonel. We need a rest," she whined.

"Goddamn hobbyists," muttered Chris.

Soria turned to Flag, "We cannot stop. We need to hurry if you're going to help my people."

"Hey," DuBois intervened. "We're not here to help your people. But she's right, we gotta keep moving."

"I carry friend?"

"It's okay, Nanaue," Cleo said before turning to Abner. "It's happening to his face again."

"It's nothing, I tripped," he brushed off.

"Hey," Peacemaker said as he shoved Abner back. "Norman Bates, if that shit's contagious, we need to know."

"It's not," Abner tried moving forward before he was pushed again.

"What is it?"

"What's your deal, Chris? Stop pushing people around before I turn into something you're really not gonna like. And what's up with the obscure references?" You were getting fed up with Chris' bullshit.

"Oh yeah? And what's that?"

"I don't know, how about your dead father? The one that killed himself in front of you when you were a kid?"

"How do you-"

"You'd be surprised how much your mom loved recording all your childhood achievements. Your fifth birthday—ring a bell?" Peacemaker had an unreadable expression on his face as you got in his face and lowered your voice. "You wouldn't believe how much information you can get on your hands if you're able to disguise yourself as a high ranking employee in Belle Reve."

Before any of you could make the situation worse, Abner cleared the tension with a sigh.

"It's a... it's an interdimensional virus."

"Fuck is that?" Peacemaker asked after seemingly forgetting what just happened. You think he was trying to not think about it.

"My mother was a scientist at S.T.A.R Labs, and she was obsessed with turning me and my brother and sisters into superheroes."

"Oh, Abner," you softly said as you placed a hand on his arm. Peacemaker looked between the two of you with a hard expression.

"She infected me. Now, if I don't expel the dots twice a day..."

DuBois asked, "Then what?"

Abner made a face that was hard to read as he said, "They'll eat me alive." He then chuckled dryly as if he himself couldn't believe it.

"What happened to your brother and sisters?" Flag questioned.

"Some lived. Some... died."

Cleo, now standing, asked, "And your mom, where is she now?"

Abner looked to you before turning to his team.

"Almost everywhere."

Everyone just looked at Krill for a few moments.

"Okay," Flag turned around. "Let's move out."

"Come on, we must hurry, or we'll be late to meet my contact," Soria ushered.

Sooner or later, well, later, you made your way to this blockade where a driver in a large van was being investigated. During your trip Abner had to expel the dots, and although he was embarrassed about the situation, you and Cleo tried keeping his mind off it. The soldiers surrounded the van after a minute and started banging on the door. That was your cue.

Peacemaker started taking people out with a silenced pistol, Bloodsport shot with his arm crossbow, and King Shark ate a guy. The rest of the team moved from their hiding spots once the soldiers were dealt with. Success.

Bloodsport banged on the van's window before asking, "Are you Milton?"

The driver choked out a tearful "Si."

After Soria directed him to a nearby pull off spot, you started looking at the contents in the boxes that were pulled out.

"Milton will drive you through town and to La Gatita Amable. There are clothes in the boxes for all of you so you can blend in." Cleo started putting on a random pair of sunglasses as you pulled out a fedora. Soria continued, "That said, the walking tiburon is gonna have to stay out of sight."

"I wear disguise," Nanaue said.

"Ohhh," Cleo drawled. "You're going to wear a disguise?"

"Si."

"Hey, he's learnin' Spanish," Peacemaker said offhandedly.

"And what kind of disguise?"

"Fake mustache," he said smugly.

"Yeah," DuBois interrupted as he moved more boxes. "Fake mustache isn't gonna cut it, mate."

"Aww come on," you cooed. "What if he wears a hat?" The fedora you picked up earlier was now sitting on the King of the Ocean's head.

"You still look exactly like yourself."

"That's the worst fake mustache I've ever seen," Chris added.

"And if you had fooled us, we'd have to kill you, shark-shaped bloke with a mustache creepin' up on us like that."

"FUCK!" Nanaue yelled as he stomped off. You snickered before turning to Abner with some clothes in your hand.

"What do you think?"

"Hmm? Oh, those look nice, although I saw something in another box that I thought you might like. Let me go get it."

As he walked away towards another box, you dropped the clothes you were holding as your face softened. Someone saw something and thought of you? That hasn't happened for a very long time. You started sifting thoughtfully through a nearby box when he came back.

"Here," he showed you the clothes. "I hope you like it." It was sweet how anxious he was getting over this. He must not socialize often.

Taking the clothes from him, you observed the material. It was... actually really good. It was something you would've loved to wear if you weren't forced to wear that stupid prison outfit, and it looked like it'd fit.

"Abner, this is great! It's a lot better than what I was originally going with," you laughed. "Oh! Here, I saw these pants and thought it would match the shirt you picked up."

"Thank you," he said shyly.

"I'm gonna change over there. Stand watch, please?"

How could he say no to you? "Of course," he said while respectfully turning around. As he waited, Peacemaker appeared.

"(L/n) around?"

"Huh?" Abner said, startled from Chris's sudden presence. "Uh, yeah, they went over there to change into their disguise. I'm looking out for them."

"Oh, you're looking out for them? Well look out for this, Patrick Bateman," Peacemaker wasn't looking so peaceful as he leaned in towards Abner. Dropping his voice, he continued. "I don't know what you think is going on between you two, but leave it, you understand me? Why would The Mimic want to go for someone as lame as you? You throw polka dots at people?" Peacemaker scoffed before finishing, "Quit getting in my way, or else."

Stay away from you? There was no way he could do that. You were seemingly the only person who liked him, and now he would have to end that? Fuck that.

Abner, admittedly with a little less confidence than what he hoped for, challenged him. "Or else what?"

Gosh, three words and his heart was already pumping.

"Excuse me?" Chris raised a brow.

Luckily before anything could be done, you emerged oblivious from the jungle while dawning your new attire. Your uniform was neatly folded and tucked under your arm. Both men looked at you and... wow. Abner was speechless. Literally. For the second time within you knowing him, you made his breath hitch.

"You look stunning," Peacemaker quickly said before Abner had a chance. That wouldn't really matter since your response was quite the cockblocker.

"Thanks! Abner picked it out for me," you smiled. You even gave a twirl to show off the outfit to your teammates. Abner just looked at you with such affection in his eyes.

"Anyways, your turn," you ordered as you took Krill's watching place so he could change. Peacemaker tried making some move on you, but you were clueless. Instead, you went into Mission Mode™ and discussed some tactics and strategies you could implement. Sighing, Chris humored you and joined your planning. Not too long later, Abner walked out with his disguise on.

"I'm not sure about this," he said while standing awkwardly.

"You look like an idio-"

"You look great!" you voiced over Peacemaker. "I love those pants on you."

"Really?"

"Yeah," you laughed. "They're funky."

"I-" Krill let out a laugh of his own. "Yeah, I guess they are pretty funky."

"Alright, well, we've gotta get back to the van," you announced while walking away. Abner blindly followed you with a dumb little smile on his face while leaving Chris just standing there in disbelief.

[stonedsmiles]

1, 9, and 21!!

1. (Basics! Name, age, personality, etc. What do they look like? Are they a new or old oc?)

- Willow Mercury Hawthorne. (Her mom is from earth and her dad is from space, so they incorporated that into her name. They followed that pattern with her two younger siblings. It wasn't until after her brother was born that they remembered that hawthorn is also a type of tree, so all three of their names are Tree Tree. Her parents thought that was hilarious.)

- She's 22 (her birthday is May 28th. Mark your calendars.)

- Personality-wise, her mom always told her she’s a carbon copy of her dad. Willow’s charm and wit reminded her mom of Alex, but she swears that her intelligence comes straight from her.

This is from the most recent Willow run I’ve done:

- She’s still a relatively new oc I guess. I made her in late April/early May when I first started playing the game.

9. (What do they think of the factions? Are they liked or disliked by any?)

Willow likes most of the factions, but she favors the Groundbreaker. She is well respected by everyone who isn’t a part of a corporation. Spacer’s Choice and Auntie Cleo’s people definitely don’t go out of their way to ask for her help. Not surprisingly, the Board is not a fan of her by any means.

21. (A song that reminds you of them.)

Maneater by Nelly Furtado and Fooled Around And Fell In Love by Elvin Bishop

[bellshazes]

truly i don't expect anyone to read this because it does spoil the finale of the fic but i've also never finished a fic that wasn't a one-shot in my entire fucking life so here's 1500 words of Etho And Bdubs Realize They'll Always Choose (to Murder?) Each Other Given The Chance. and also the missing finale punchline about who loves who

“You know me, Bdubs,” says Etho, but this time it’s honest. “I didn’t win it for you.” Bdubs waits. Overhead, thin clouds are crawling by; there is faint moonshine beginning to climb its way above the trees. The grass beneath them is cool and beginning to grow damp with dew, but Etho’s a warm presence against his shoulder. “Of course, you didn’t win it for me either.”

“No, I sure didn’t.” Bdubs turns his head toward the sky again, reaching his free hand above him. His fingers move through the motions of rummaging through tattered pockets for a weapon, a flower. “I was so reckless, but for all your complaining you never complained about that. It never did feel quite real, even before, I guess.”

“You weren’t there, when I died,” Etho says. Bdubs keeps his gaze fixed on the stars as the silence stretches on. “I went laughing, after it all was over, even though you weren’t there. One last joke for you, in case you were still listening.”

“Yeah?”

“Uh huh. You really don’t remember that? You weren’t there?”

Bdubs thinks about rolling over on his side to look at Etho directly but settles for squeezing the hand that’s still curled around Etho’s arm instead. “I stayed longer than anybody should, you know. I dream about it all the time, stuck in a cold dark place and watching as a ghost. You never said anything about me or to me while I was there. If you weren’t gonna win it for me you could’ve had the decency to die a little quicker and not make me wait.”

“I thought it didn’t matter,” says Etho. “I don’t know about you, but I remembered last time. I mean, last time, I remembered all the other times. Or some of them. I knew it wasn’t our only chance. You’re always there, so if I won it was our victory and if I didn’t, you’d turn up again. Like a bad penny.”

“Speak for yourself!” Warmer, more distant memories float by: a castle, a rail line, a firing squad. He winces. “I remembered. I don’t think we were supposed to. Cleo did, a little. But you and me...”

“What’s one more murder or death at this point? After you died that last time, she trusted me because you’d trusted me, because of the time before when it was the two of you instead. I can’t get people to give me things to save their own lives and you just trick people into trusting you across lifetimes, that’s not fair. You don’t even use it to your advantage.”

“I can’t help that I’m such a likeable, honorable, trustworthy guy, unlike you. Maybe next time I’ll just have to start spreading rumors to prove I can do that better than you, too.”

“The time she was talking about was in a world where you killed me, directly and on purpose!”

“This again,” groans Bdubs, as Etho says “I’d never kill you,” over him in a terrible mocking imitation of Bdubs’ voice. “I get it, I get it, the boogeyman stuff was funny because you knew that I knew that never was maybe a strong word. But I meant it. I never even thought about killing you. It’s fun when we aren’t on the same side but we aren’t always that lucky. I knew you knew that too, even if none of those reds believed me when I tried to tell them you cared. Man, was that a bad dream when I didn’t remember you did. Thought I made a fool of myself up there in that stupid fort we never finished, the place all blown to hell and me almost blowing my cover by telling them you loved me even if I was still red. He cares, he does! If he loved you, why didn’t he give you a life, they said. And then to go off and die shouting your name? Oh brother, what a bad joke.”

Etho sits up and scrubs at his face, hunched over his knees. “That’s the wrong punchline,” he says, shoulders shaking. His voice wavers and Bdubs sits up in a hurry, but Etho keeps talking. “I didn’t know about that until just now, and you didn’t stick around long enough to hear the rest of the joke.”

“This better not be another set up about your stupid comedy class,” Bdubs says, wary.

“It’s not,” Etho says, and then it becomes clear that he’s laughing, and every time he starts to collect himself he doubles back over and hangs his head between his knees again. “When I said - I was telling you, I didn’t win it for you, but you didn’t win it for me either.”

“We’ve been over this, yeah! What’s so freaking funny, you? We were - we were having a moment! Now who’s losing his mind?”

“No, no,” Etho says as he looks up at Bdubs, trying to get himself under control. Bdubs glares, which just makes Etho giggle and turn his head away, clearing his throat to try and ward off whatever hysteria is possessing him. “You did know the whole time. I said, but he didn’t win it for me either. Just kidding, Bdubs, you know I -”

“I know what,” Bdubs says, patience running out when Etho trails off again. “I’m starting to think maybe I was wrong about being wrong about you in this life, the way you’re treating my extremely fragile revelation about my last words.”

“I’m trying to tell you mine.” When Etho looks up at him this time, he’s smiling, plain and honest as Bdubs has ever seen him, the same face he’s worn every time he beats Bdubs in a board game or they pull a prank on Tango together, or the day they brought Pineapple Pizza home for the first time - the same face he saw last time as light up at this brings back memories. “You already said it. You knew, even though you weren’t there to hear it.”

Bdubs folds his arms over his chest, the urge to smack Etho again fading but still present. “I’m too tired for riddles, Etho.”

Etho just keeps smiling at him, elbow on one knee and head leaned against his knuckles, waiting.

“Etho,” he pleads, knowing it’s futile. “Just kidding, I know you - what? What could be so funny?” Etho has always been willing to play the long game; they’ll sit out here all night if he can’t figure it out, or the moment will pass, and he can’t bear it. He’s waited two lifetimes to hear the end of this sentence. 

A man dies and wakes up in a murderer’s club. His partner makes him a secret deal, and he tells the murderers that his partner loves him, and is believed by no one. He dies, and they all laugh because he was wrong. Even knowing what he does now, alive and with Etho at his side, it’s a bad joke if it ends there. The partner dies too, so it doesn’t matter, and when he goes no one’s around to hear it, but the funny thing is, he says, just kidding -

I love you. He cares, he does.

“I was right,” he says, the joke finishing itself at last. “I say it in front of everybody and you just say it when I’m not even around to hear, but I was right.” He uncrosses his arms and slaps his hands down on his crossed legs. “I knew it the whole time! You didn’t have to get all hysterical about it.” 

“It’s just funny,” Etho says, still looking at him. Finally, Bdubs breaks down and smiles back. “I knew you wouldn’t make me say it again.”

“As far as I’m concerned you never did, you weirdo! If a tree falls in the forest and no one’s around to hear it, it doesn’t make a sound.”

“I don’t think that’s the point of that saying,” says Etho, bumping his shoulder against Bdubs’. “I say it all the time. As long as I have a choice, I end up choosing you, don’t I? One way or another.”

“Actions aren’t words, Etho. Trying to blow up my perfect crastle multiple times is not the same thing as saying it out loud.”

“They speak louder! You got the message.”

“Stop it with the sayings, I swear, I’m not arguing about this with you of all people.” But he’s laughing now too, bumping Etho’s shoulder back. “You can act like you’re obsessed with me all you want, but it’d be nice to hear you say it, just once.”

“You’re one to talk about being obsessed,” Etho says, but instead of retaliating back he just leans his weight into Bdubs’ shoulder and looks up. 

“Etho,” says Bdubs, refusing to take the bait. “Do it again, and I’ll never ask.”

And finally, on a different cool night under a different sky, together by choice for as long as this world will allow it, for neither the first or the last time, he does.

>write fully 700 words on do it again for the first time in over a month

>it's the very finale scene that I still might scrap and have at least 2 more chapters before I get even close to