#continue to captivate me. ok im only human

[evilrobot-bill]

Finally started doing an assessment due in a few days. Why did my professor suggest articles fully in German

@evil-robot

[pool-floatie]

Tall Tales Part 2.

OK! Back by not-so-popular demand and more just because it was finished and I wanted to, here is part 2! Dont expect this frequent of updates all the time, I literally just have the first 3 or so chapters written just waiting to be edited and I got my first comment! Which inspired me to want to post this (before I forget thank you @gt-daboss!!)

Sheltering the small human in one hand held against his chest, Jace continued toward his destination, his enormous strides cover the distance quite quickly, but the journey still took a while, the sun neared its horizon and Jace couldnt help but stare.

"Av, have you ever seen the sunset from this high up?"

Avril slowly lifts their head up, shaking it 'no'

" You have to, its breathtaking!"

The human sighs, curling up tighter into themself.

"aww come ooon"

Jace pokes them

"Avriiil, knock knock~"

He gently pokes their head, -they look so cute when they're angr-

Gaah!!-

"shit! Did you just b i t e me?!"

Jace yanks his captive up by their shirt, Avril shrieks, they scramble to grab their shirt for dear fucking life. Staring down at their death sentence.

Avril doesnt hear the behemoths scolding, their ears ringing and vision starting to go fuzzy.

They begin to hyperventillate as they dangle helplessly at they giants mercy.

Avril cries out " putmedown !" their words being shouted between breaths

Jace rolls his eyes and snickers, "What, not enjoying the view?"

The ground, 80 ft below, seems to rush toward them.

-Im gonna fucking die I am not ok shit shit shit- Av thinks as their gasping breaths become more audible. Tears slip from their eyes.

Jace is enjoying its panic, helping to relieve his anger, but oh boy, he wanted more...

"aww, ok if you insist~"

With a flick of his wrist the human is sent flying. Avril tumbles through the air, feeling the wind rush past them, they dont even notice the shriek that tears from their throat.

-oh, im going to die.-

tears fall from their closed eyes, and Avril slips into unconciousness

Jace playfully tosses the human up, it lands not so gracefully in his waiting palm.

" whoops ~" he teases

Jace looks down,

"heheheh, you good short stack?" the human doesn't move or make a sound.....

Oh.

Oh shit.

Jaces face quickly turns panicked as he realises his tiny captive might be fucking unalived

He lays its lithe form in his other hand, places a finger to its stomach, and, feeling small breaths rise and fall, He lets out the breath he didnt know he had been holding.

Jace felt its face, it was wet, he realised, from tears.

Shit shit shit.... Jace, you fucked up.

Jace takes a deep breath to calm himself. He lifts av's shirt to see if any injuries or blood loss could have caused unconciousness, , , or fatality , , ,

Staring down, he sees it's bruises.

It's arms, legs and midsection had bruised spots where jace had so carelessly slammed his hand down. And on it's middle where he had plucked it up holding it tight.

-Oh fuck, jace you scared the living shit out of it, and hurt it, and probably traumatised it, it wasnt trying to ignore you it was probably having a panic attack, you asshat !-

Jace ate at himself as he speed walked, trying not to jostle the human and aggrivate any injuries.

He just hoped it would be ok...

(Timeskip 20 minutes)

Back at jaces "home" (just a clearing in the woods with some fallen trees and boulders)

Avril was beginning to stir, Jace heard a groan of pain, and then a little cough from behind him and turns to see tired eyes, looking around, groggily wondering wtf was going on.

Avril has had a rough few hours.... They are glad to have had some rest, and do not entirely remember where they are... Or if those few hours were only a dream... Wait , , ,

Av tries to sit up, but finding that painful, they lay with their eyes open, looking around they realise that: A; they are in a quite large clearing in the woods, surrounded by a kinda scratchy cloth.

And B; those past few hours were, in fact, all to real.

Av turns their head to see the giant they had had the /pleasure/ to meet not too long ago.

Their eyes widen.

Ignoring the pain, Avril Jolts back, they sit up, knees to their chest and pull the cloth up to their eyes to hide themself.

The human was finally awake!

Jace approaches the rock it had been placed atop for safekeeping, crouching down, placing his elbows on either side of the rock, Jace smiles down at it.

-it looks sooo cute wrapped up in that jacket~!-

The human, especially fucking terrified, curls into itself as Jace speaks above them.

"Hi there, glad your awake again :)"

He trys to sound less threatening, however he is looming over them, and almost literally has their life in his hands, sooo....

"......"

the human shifted a bit but did not otherwise answer.

Frowning at its lack of response, jace tries again.

" how are you feeling? " he questioned.

Avril, now realising they needed to answer, checked up on themself, unfurling a bit to feel everything.

"... I- I'm, i'm, f- Fine .."

Ah, yes. I, too, would be fine after being kidnapped and manhandled.

"Hurts anywhere ?"

" uh- um.... " the werent sure how the titan would like them to answer...

Jace reached out a hand towards it ,wanting a better look.

The tiny jolted, startled.

"n-no- !" well, giving no answer was definitely wrong. Avril ducked under the cloth, their only security.

Jace sighed and peeled back the cloth of his jacket, revealing the shuddering thing, it squeaked, seeing him take away its "shield"

Jace looked down pityingly at it.

"Little one, lemme get a look at'chu'"

The human cowered, letting out little whimpers as jace reached for it. Jace was more gentle now, he placed one hand behind it and scooped it into his other palm, he could feel its shaking.... Gently , he stroked its head, it didnt do much to calm the human, only making it clench up more.

With a huff, jace stood, and began to push its shirt up its back, the human retaliated, it screamed "n-n-no,, please d- dont--!" and shoved their shirt back into place before resuming their egg position.

"-Im just gonna check on your bruises, calm down."

Jace pushed the shirt up again, now with minimal resistence from his tiny captive. Jace could now see the purpling bruises where he had grabbed it,,, his calm face faltered, again seeing the pain he had caused to such a little thing... Jace lightly ran a finger down the tinys' back, not sure who he was comforting with this action...

[amethystfairy1]

hello internet stranger,

i am in love. you've infected both me and my sister with your brainrot and captivating fics, we've talked about it non-stop the past few days, so naturally we have some questions.

But first, i want to ask what your boundaries are w/ fanart and writing. i've already drawn a couple pieces, are you alright with me posting them, and what should i tag them with? Also, i'm feeling very inspired to write more zed and tango for the travelling thieves au, is that alright if i take your ideas and just yoink them? Im not planning to post whatever i write at this point :P

anyways, moving on, i have a few world-building questions for you, starting w/ traveling thieves:

how does the mercenary guild and hits system work? Can anyone put a hit out on anyone, or do they have to be a wanted criminal? also, how does gem choose her targets? i like to believe she has some sort of moral compass in picking, but knowing the world they live in, i can't be certain

this is less of a question, but i don't see how the world can be resolved. For ttsbc, the obvious solution to the undercity folk living freely is that they overthrow the overcity government or just remove the laws keeping them banned. Sure, it'd be difficult, but from what we've seen, most people don't actually have strong prejudices against the undercity, they just vaguely believe they're evil, which can be very easily disproved. For traveling thieves, it's completely different, because not only is the discrimination in the government, it's in the people themselves; merely changing the laws would not change how people see hybrids, so how can that be fixed? My best solution to them all getting a happy ending is that they run away and found their own civilization where all hybrids can be free, but it doesnt seem like a likely scenario

again, not really a question, but I'm so so so happy in the latest fh piece that they looted the bodies of their attackers. the first time i read it through, i was practically screaming at the screen, telling them to grab the loot and weapons before they continued

next, ttsbc:

4. how do the mobs work? do they act like any normal animal, in that they just kinda exist and happen to be very hostile, or do they follow minecraft mob mechanics and spawn into existence from nothing when the conditions are right? could they theoretically all be exterminated? do all of them dislike light, like the zombies in the cleo bdubs fic? if they do, why are they making their way to the overcity?

5. how did the undercity become a thing? Was it just always there, or was it manmade? did hybrids and mutants always live underground? are the pits really bottomless? and if so, is the world a globe, or is it flat? i understand you might not have thought very deeply about these things before jumping in, but my sister and i were theorizing about different answers. i figured the undercity isnt manmade just like the grand canyon isnt manmade, it just came about through natural processes, and mutants and hybrids just evolved(?) seperately from humans, underground, which is a whole other can of worms with the science behind that. an idea about the "bottomless" pits has to do with physics. at the center of the earth (if it were hollow), you wouldn't feel gravity because it would pull on you equally in all directions. so maybe the bottomless pit really just leads to the center of the earth, and you're not really falling forever, you're just suspended in the center forever lol. not falling, but not hitting the bottom, either

anyways, this was a really long ask (i hope thats ok), and i still have more to say, but i'll leave it there for now. again, i love the angst, and have a wonderful day. im gonna try to get some work done, but it probs wont happen with all the brainrot XD

Hello hello! ✨

I'm so honored that you and your sister are enjoying my AUs and fics so much! That you've been talking about them and theorizing over them is so awesome to hear! Knowing that they've become something fueling discussion is super cool!

I LOVE IT ALL! Fanart/fanworks/fanfic I wanna see all of it! I would absolutely love it if you would post your fanart! Please use either the (#traveling thieves au) or (#through the sky blue cracks) depending on which AU it is for and mention me in the post (@amethystfairy1) so I can see it! And of course you are welcome to write fics based in my AU or using my characterizations, in fact I'd love it if you did! It's the best thing to hear that my writing has inspired someone else to get creative! I know you said you had no intentions of posting it, but if you ever do, please use the same hashtags here if on tumblr, or if you use A03 list the appropriate fic/series as inspiration and please credit me in the notes if you don't mind! I'm looking forward to seeing anything either fanart/fanfic related that you've created!

ONTO THE QUESTIONS 🏃‍♀️

The mercenary guild is basically like the underground/illegal version of the adventurer guild, and they'll take any jobs that the adventurer guild won't. Blackmail, assassination, smuggling, you name it. Gem has something of a moral compass, but it isn't exactly the strictest thing in the world. We learn when she meets Mumbo in Grian's wing preening fic that she is on her way to assassinate a noblemans son, and while that is a bit of a wink wink nudge nudge if you can figure out who that son is, exactly, it's still Gem agreeing to kill a teenager who is guilty of little more than pissing off the wrong person. Cruel world and all.

Perhaps that's exactly point? 😌 With Traveling Thieves, I did not set out to make a world that could be resolved or escaped from...the whole point is that it is cruel and inescapable, and the best you can do is continue to protect yourself and those you care about...and even then, you might fail to do that. You might be set up to fail in a sick system that would never give you a chance in the first place. And the best you can do is try to put the pieces back together in the aftermath. I don't want Traveling Thieves to resolve in any traditional sense of the word...for where that'll lead all our various characters, well, you'll have to wait and see. 🤔

Loot that body LOOT THAT BODY NOW 💃

They're like your typical minecraft mobs, they spawn in places with low light levels! We've also got some homebrew monsters that I've come up with, such as the bird-men, that we will be meeting as time goes on. Certain monsters such as zombies do avoid light, but there are plenty of monsters will go above bedrock just like certain monsters in minecraft can survive in the sun, like creepers and endermen. No, they can never be exterminated because of how they spawn!

The pits aren't bottomless, we've seen the bottom after all, where Pearl, Jimmy, and Grian were in the Depths! It is a natural chasm beneath the bedrock, and the various caves and tunnels stretch are incredibly huge and diverse, so while everything connects back to the main cavern of the under-city that's so huge, there are also other caves and tunnels where other groups live that we will be learning about eventually, such as the blaze-born pyres or where Cub is from in the Deep Dark!

It is completely totally 100% ok! I love getting long asks like this that give me the chance to develop and worldbuild the AUs and mention some details that might never really show up within the fics themselves! So by all means send more questions and thoughts! And I'd also love to see the fanarts you mentioned if you still are up to posting them, I can't draw so anything anyone draws that has anything to do with my AUs makes me incredibly happy! 😆

Thanks so much for coming by! 💖

[beomglocks]

in the morning ; k.th

summary : taehyun tries to keep you safe from the world’s wandering eyes.

pairing : yandere!taehyun x “captive” s/o!reader

warnings & other : angst (?), blood, there’s a dead person, yes the body is described (not in too much detail), enclosed spaces, dehumanization (?), honestly ignore the title i didnt know what to call this

w/c : 1.7k

your bedroom door creaks open allowing a sliver of light to shine onto your bed and down on to your face. you scrunch your face in frustration but merely turn over to face the wall to continue your peaceful slumber.

a finger pokes at your face annoyingly and you swat at it to leave you alone. "my love, wake up," you hear someone whisper.

you groan but make no indications that you'll be listening to the annoying voice in your head. you feel something cold drift across your face and down your neck which makes you shiver. when you bring your hand up to your neck to pull it away, you flinch and sit up quickly.

"ow!" you inspect your hand which now has a large bleeding gash from gripping whatever was on your neck. now that you're semi fully awake, you look up to see taehyun. great, he's back from doing whatever it is he does at this godforsaken time. you wonder if it's a normal day when he's home but no- you know there's a reason why he's in your room right now.

"i wouldn't have gripped that like that if i were you," he snickers playfully. you look down at what he's holding and frown at him. "what...did you put a knife to my neck?" crazy bastard, you knew something would go wrong whenever he was within 10 centimeters of you.

"had to wake up the sleeping beauty somehow," he grins. his face immediately goes stony and he grabs your hand, looking at the aftermath of his actions. it scares you how quickly he could change his expression. sometimes you weren't sure how to act around him because you weren't sure how he would react.

"im sorry though, i'll clean it up right away." he quickly gets up and grabs some alcohol and tissues that are laying around, and rushes back to you.

"so no light today?" you ask quietly while he cleans the wound skillfully. he stays quiet for a moment and you're about to ask him the question again in case he didn't hear you but he soon speaks up.

"n-no not today.. i don't wanna be seen like this. it could scare you," he laughs dryly. he scrubs your hands with more haste now, afraid that you'll take initiative to turn on the lights.

you sigh. how considerate of him however it's not like you haven't seen him with blood splattered across his glass skin before. it wasn't out of the ordinary to see him like this after all. your room only has a tiny window above the bed and you couldn't even look out from it since it was too high. the only light that was available to you was the moonlight. unfortunely it didn't even reach far enough to shine down on taehyun to give you the luck of seeing him.

"when are you going to stop this?" you ask mostly to yourself. "i'll stop when it gets through people's heads that you're mine."

he grips your injured hand as the anger of what he had to witness today comes rushing back to his memories. "t-tae my hand," you wince.

he loosens his grip just a little bit, enough for you to not feel that much pain but obviously, it still hurts. god, you really wish he wasn't here right now.

"why...why did he- it's his fault you know. it's not like i wanted to kill him," he says. you can hear the anxiety in his voice and it makes you want to comfort him a little bit. only a small part of your brain feels bad for his current mental state but that's only because of how kind taehyun was to you way before well- this. somewhere in you, you hope that he will change but you know he's too far gone at this point.

"he had it coming though," taehyun smiles, looking down at your wound. "he should've known not to mess with other people's property." you clench your jaw at his words. it's unfortunate how taehyun doesn't see you as a human anymore, only an object for him to keep enclosed in a glass case, like some china doll.

"you're not entirely innocent y/n," he grits. he grips your hand purposely and you let a tear roll down your face now. "taehyun you're hurting me," you manage to choke out. he pouts mockingly at your plea.

"you hurt me and you hurt that guy i had to kill," he says in a matter of fact tone. "when he said hi you should've just kept your mouth shut but no you just had to make conversation and let him hug you like some-"

he cuts himself off before he can say something that he might have to force himself to apologize for later. you both sit in silence minus your ragged breaths mixed with his heavy ones.

"you killed him," he says simply. "what?" you breathe out. "you killed him y/n! if you had just focused on me like i focus on you then i wouldn't have been forced to kill him like i did."

"taehyun i-"

"go say sorry," he sighs. you look at him bewildered but it only takes you a moment to realize what he means. "taehyun," you sob. you don't want to say that you can't believe he brought a dead body home but the sad fact is that you can believe it. he mustve had no where to hide it once he was done. taehyun is not one to make empty threats. he chuckles, shaking his head, "go say sorry to your friend."

he tries to pull you from the bed but you cling onto the bedsheets, adamant about not moving. "what so now you don't want to give him the time of day? earlier you seemed just so over the damn moon speaking with him!" he shouts.

you shake your head frantically. you want to speak, to reason with him, but nothing comes out your mouth other than choked sobs. "don't be like that, it's for your own good. now let's go," he says.

this time he uses all his force to rip you from your hold on the bed. "my love...im gonna teach you something about respect," taehyun speaks lowly. his monotone voice sends chills throughout your frigid body. you kick and scream and punch his back, hoping that you can shake him enough to let you go but nothing you do phases him.

he walks through the house with you slung over his shoulder for about a minute before stopping in front of the jacket closet. he sets you down as gently as he can in front of it and you stare blankly at it, not ready to face whatever is inside.

"it goes both ways," he finishes. you hesitantly look up at him, finally seeing his face for the first time since earlier today. you flinch when you notice just how much blood is scattered over his face. the kill must've been brutal enough to send that many splatters of blood flying.

"don't look at me, look at him. don't be disrespectful," he says. when you turn back towards the closet you flinch harshly at the sight. the guy whom you spoke to earlier was now slumped over in your closet. you remember how lively he was when speaking to you but now his skin was completely drained of life and pale in color. his lips were dry, probably from trying to heave in air to try to live. you're afraid to further gaze at the body because the further down you go the worse it gets. so much so that it's practically dosed in blood.

"say it, say you're sorry!" he commands. you know that you're not really saying sorry to the dead man in your closet. taehyun wants you to say sorry to him. you know he couldn't care less about this man. he wants you to regret putting him in the position to kill another human being.

"i-im- im-" taehyun sucks teeth impatiently. "if you don't say it naturally i will lock you in here all night. i don't want to do that so you better do it right."

a noise leaves your throat when he shoves you closer to the body. you whine, trying your best to control your voice and tears. "i-" your voice gets weak but you use every bit of force in you to say it. you don't wanna risk having to stay in that closet all night.

"im sorry," you blurt. you hear taehyun chuckle behind you, satisfied for now. "was that so hard?"

"y/n you're mine and only mine. i feel so livid when others so much as look in your direction, do you understand?" he says calmly. you nod, already wanting to be back in your bed, under the covers, away from all of this.

you hear taehyun hum and suddenly you're shoved into the closet. it catches you so off guard that your body slams into the dead one. you yell in panic and scramble as far away from it as possible. "taehyun! w-what's going on?!" you call out.

the closet is so dark when it's closed that you can't even see anything. atleast you know you're not near the body. "y/n- i-i'm doing this because i love you ok?" he says uncertainly. "this way no one can look at you or talk to you and try to seduce you."

you bang on the door, your heart beating with each slam. "p-please let me out," you plead weakly. you already know that once taehyun has done something he doesn't change his mind so it's no use trying to reason. "i-im scared- please."

he stays silent for a moment and you're about to burst into tears again thinking that he's already left but he speaks up after a couple beats of contemplative silence.

"don't be scared ok y/n. you'll be fine. i'm going to come back for you in the morning." he goes silent again and all you can hear is your heavy breathing and wet sniffles. "please don't be too mad at me, i love you," you hear him whisper before you hear his footsteps retreat.

the night is spent without much sleep and your fist pounding at the closet door, hoping for an early release but it never comes.

[blurrycow]

Ok, but Mad IQs by IDKHOW is SUCH a Five Hargreeves song.

TIME FOR A SONG ANALYSIS, which is what I do best.

Let’s start with looking at the chorus. Come inside Twist the knife Like it's something to do I'm a voluntary victim Watch your colonial tongue I'll watch you tighten the noose I'm burning in your mad IQ

alright. Right off the bat, this song is giving off huge five vibes. Indicator- knives. Come inside, twist the knife like it’s something to do- I’m a voluntary victim. Since I am dumb I had to google what voluntary meant and it means ‘willing’. So, im getting that this sort of means that- in the scenario that this song IS him, the ‘come inside’ would be like he’s got walls, ya know? So he’s letting the person in, and they betray him (‘twist the knife’). ’voluntary victim’ could be his family- he’d willingly kill himself for his family. So he’s voluntarily killing himself by someone else for his family which is SO something he’d do. ’watch your colonial tongue, I’ll watch you tighten the noose’ not sure how this would work as him actually but we must keep in mind that not every lyric in this song was written for our short murder man because it WASNT written for our short murder man 🙄🙄 thanks dallon weekes 🙄🙄🙄 and then of course mad iq would be because he’s a fucking genius, that’s self explanatory.

ANYWAY moving on to the actual first verse because I am stupid and skip around a lot.

Oh, you will never, ever stop me 'Cause I'm never gonna quit Gonna get just what I want And I am gonna get it quick

Lose yourself inside the city Lose your mind inside a week You can lose all of your money You can find enough to sleep

In this world to survive We can live while we're alive Or we can die

oop idk why it did the line thing on the side but I’m still figuring out tumblr so whatever

looking at this first verse is like… yeah. Five Hargreeves. The entire first verse- not counting the second part- kind of sums him up. He’s not gonna stop, he’s not gonna quit. He’s gonna get what he wants as quick as possible and skeddaddlydo. For the second part I’m thinking maybe because he has flashbacks and stuff he gets lost in his own mind, and idk about those last two lines in the second part but again I shall reiterate not every song is specifically written for murder man so I have to keep that in mind ugh. Last part- I’d think he’d want to live his life to its fullest because you’ve only got so long on earth, ya know? And he’d know that as well as anyone.

cONTINUING ONTO THE SECOND VERSE AFTER THE CHORUS.

Oh, the apocalypse is coming Don't you lose all your control 'Cause you can't get into heaven If you haven't got a soul

You can never, ever stop me If you're sick or you're obscene You can bend or you can break But they'll replace you with machines

i feel like I don’t even have to explain the first part. but the second part- I’m thinking along the lines of the commission. You can die, but they’ll replace you with another moving part. And the first part of that section, also self explanatory. You can’t stop Five Hargreeves.

finally, the bridge section.

Paralyzed by the sum of your parts, oh-oh Abstracts with a human heart Captivated but I'm so confused, oh-oh Burning up in your mad IQ

His dna has been altered, he doesn’t know HOW to be a real person, society’s definition of a real person, and he So Wants to be that person but he can’t, because he doesn’t know how.

anyway this was fun thanks for reading

[caramelcal]

corrupted love.

summary: calum’s girlfriend finds out about gang!cal’s occupation in a not-so-friend way.

request: “ Hi!!! I’ve never done this so I’m a bit scared but I saw you were in search of gang/criminal aus and let’s give it a go. Could you do one with Cal getting into a fight unaware y/n was watching and unintentionally scaring her and he works trying to get her back and regaining her trust. If it’s alright, if not I completely understand I also just wanted to say I really love your writing. I’m so hooked on Fool For You it’s unreal and I cant wait for the update!! Pls and thx :) x “ IM SO SORRY I JUST REALIZED THAT YOU ASKED FOR THIS TO BE AN X READER AND I DONE AN X OC (i can redo it if you want so that it isn’t specified, i just prefer to as i can play around with their appearance and personality a little more but i will 100% redo it if you want me to)

word count: 2.7k

a/n: apologies, i am working on other fics but i got a sudden burst of inspo for this one. enjoy lovelies x 

also...y’all wanting parts after this where they reconcile? 

Her soft giggles sounded throughout the room, face lit up by only the tv her eyes were trained on, a wide but beautiful smile spread right across her face. She sat between his legs, hands in his as he softly trailed patterns on her palms.

She was solely paying attention to the tv, a random movie that Calum knew she would like, playing. He was right, mind you, she hadn’t taken her eyes away from the screen since he had pressed play, too captivated by the cartoon. However, Calum hadn’t been watching because he hadn’t taken her eyes off of her.

He pressed a soft kiss at her temple, lips trailing gently down the side of her face as she leaned closer towards him, her back against his stomach as she snuggled against him. The smile didn’t leave her face, in fact, it hardly ever did. Melanie, -or Mel as she insisted everyone called her-, was a smiley girl, much more than him. She was happy, carefree, like an angel; his angel.

Calum had never been one for romantic relationships. He was far too busy for that, but as soon as he caught eyes on Mel he knew he wanted her. He wasn’t sure what came over him, maybe it was the smile, or her carefree attitude, or the way she was so eager to help everyone in that small Disney store that she worked in. He just knew.

She was so different from him but they worked so well together. Or, at least, that’s what Calum liked to tell himself. He liked to ignore the fact that he kept so many secrets from her. It’s to keep her safe, he would tell himself but he knew that wasn’t the only reason. It was the impending fear that she would hate him, even if there wasn’t a cell in her body that could ever muster a disliking to anyone, especially him.

So he blocked out all of the thoughts. All of the ones that told him he had to tell her before she found out in a way he didn’t want her to, or before it became too late.

When the credits started to roll of the movie, Mel turned around in Calum’s lap, brown eyes meeting his as she stared up at him, kissing his lips before smiling at him. Calum stared back down at her, struggling to keep the smile off of his face as his hands held her securely by her hips.

“What’s goin’ on?” Calum questioned at the look he gave her, almost expectant as if she was waiting for him to do something.

“Movies finished.”

“I know,” Calum nodded his head at her statement, lifting a hand to brush a curl out of her face, “Pick another one.”

“I want you to pick one out. One of your movies.”

Calum went silent for a moment as she shifted back around to face the large flat-screen TV that took up a large chunk of the wall. It was significantly larger than the one that was in her and her roommate’s apartment, not that she lived there much anymore anyway.

It looked very expensive, and it was, but she never questioned it, just figuring that Calum had saved up a lot for it. Calum’s apartment was decently extravagant, but not completely in-your-face rich. Melanie had asked him on their first date what he did for a job, and although he said a bartender, which probably wouldn’t pay for all of the stuff he had, he had never done anything that would make her suspicious that he was lying.

Or maybe she was just too trusting of people.

“Alright,” Calum nodded his head as she passed the tv remote to him, “What about a gang movie? I like those.”

His eyes were trained on her face, and even though she tried to hide it, he saw the way her face clenched up slightly. His heart clenched and he started to stutter lightly, “O-Or we could watch an action film? Superheroes? I like those too. Probably more than gang movies if I’m being honest.”

“Cal.” She cut him off softly, rubbing his arm as she leaned against him, “If you wanna watch a gang movie we can watch one. I wanna see the type of stuff you like.”

The funny thing was, even though she didn’t know about the particularly dark part of his life, she knew everything else. She knew more about him than he ever cared to share with anyone. The only people that could probably rival her knowledge would be the three boys that he had known since he was a child.

“Ok,” He let out a breath of air as he clicked on one of his favorite films, holding her flushed against his chest as he tried his best to not get nervous. It was strange, how nervous he got over something as dumb as a movie with his favorite person.

Calum, admittedly, didn’t really watch the movie. He was far too bothered by the small flinches that Melanie made every time something gory or violent happened, the way that sometimes she turned around to hide in Calum’s chest, completely oblivious that the man she was using to hide from the violence was as violent as they come.

“Didn’t enjoy that much, did you baby?” Calum tried to joke lightly, trying to ease his own nerves with a joke as he looked at the girl who hugged against him. She wasn’t scared by any means, too calmed by being in her lover’s arms, but she knew she certainly wasn’t a big fan of stuff like that.

“Uhm,” She hesitated, trying to find the right words to say as a deep chuckle emitted from Calum’s chest, his hand gently running over her messy curls.

“It’s okay if you didn’t, Mel. I know you don’t like violence much.”

“Violence doesn’t solve anything. It just creates more issues and people get hurt,” She mumbled lightly as she looked up at Calum, who flashed her a tight-lipped smile.

If only she knew, he thought bitterly. If only she knew just how much violence that he caused, how many punches he threw, how many people had been sent into the hospital or even to the bottom of the river because of him. If only she knew about the crimson-stained clothes that he threw away just before she arrived that night, just in case she found it. He didn’t want that.

He didn’t want her to view him as the monster that he knew he was.

“How about we go make something?”

“Like cookies?”

He sent her a lopsided grin as he spoke, knowing from the way that her eyes lit up that cookies were going to be the only thing on her mind until they made some. Who was he to deny the gorgeous girl with the beaming smile on her face her cookies? “Why not?”

Her hand held tightly onto the whisk as she tried her best to whisk the mixture, sitting up on the counter with Calum watching her intently with a smile on his face. He could see as her arm went tired from the constant, intense whisking but she didn’t say anything, continuing to try and whisk it by herself.

“You want help there, baby?”

Her brown eyes glanced up at him, sending him a bashful smile as she rapidly held the bowl out to him, “Please.”

His arms, which had been crossed over his chest grabbed onto the bowl as he kicked himself away from the counter and closer towards the girl, muscles flexing as he began to whisk the mixture. She watched him with a small smile, admiring how he looked so perfect in a simple black t-shirt and trousers.

He was perfect. To her, he was anyway.

Soon enough, the cookies were unevenly spread out on the baking tray, due to Mel being distracted to stop Calum from eating the raw mixture. Every time that he tried, she would swat his hand with the spatula, and it was surprisingly sore for such a light hit with such an unthreatening object. They were popped in the oven -which they had forgotten to preheat- and left the two to chat, and for Calum to steal kisses in between their words.

He stood between her legs as Melanie sat up on the counter, his hands on either of her thighs, smiles on both of their faces.

“I love you, Cal,” Melanie whispered quietly, leaning in to softly press her lips against Calum’s, hands tangling in his t-shirt, playing with the soft fabric.

“I love you, Mel.”

It was beginning to become too late to tell her.

  It was almost as if Calum had this switch. A switch from where he went from being so happy and love-y with his girl, to an aggressive douchebag. Calum, if he wanted to be, could be cold, detached, and an ultimately scary human being. He was like that with most, and in fact, he was sure the only person he hadn’t been like that with was the person he loved most. 

At this current point in time, while his fist was colliding with a bruised and bloody boy, one that had very stupidly crossed the gang, he didn’t think of Melanie. It had to be the first time all day that he didn’t.

The boy in front of him was younger than him, by a few years, it seemed. Maybe eighteen, nineteen. This wouldn’t be the first time that Calum has had to deal with kids, unfortunately. Most of them far too dumb to realize what they were getting into. This one, however, he didn’t feel much remorse for since they had knowingly been spying on the gang, to feed back the information to someone. Calum needed to find out who.

“What’re they givin’ you, Kid? How many punches to the face before you start talking?” Calum aggressively called out, grabbing the beaten kid by the collar of his shirt, pulling him towards Calum slightly, making him look the gang member right in the eyes.

The boy limply turned his head to the side, spitting out the blood that was in his mouth before he looked back at the Maori boy, mouth parting as he began to talk, coming out in a rasp, “You’re Calum Hood, right?”

“What’s it to you, Kid?” Calum spat out aggressively. He was well-known, he knew that, especially amongst that world. Of course, the kid knew who he was.

The younger boy chuckled lightly, teeth showing off the red stain that Calum had made them, “My sister really is an idiot, isn’t she?”

“Your sister got you in this mess?”

“No, but she did get into a mess,” Calum stared down at the boy, eyebrows furrowed and getting more and more annoyed by the second when he couldn’t fully decipher the boy’s words. The boy scoffed as well as he could before mumbling, “God, Mel, you’re so stupid sometimes I swear.”

It was barely a mumble, but Calum had heard her name as clear as day, eyes widening slightly in disbelief.

“What?” Calum spat out, hand curling further into a fist as he stared down at the boy for asking.

“You might not know me, Calum. But you know my sister,” The boy drawled out, a sickening smirk somehow coming onto his face, despite how bloody, bruised, and swollen it was. The boy wasn’t dangerous, far from it actually, but right now he had the upper hand against Calum, “Melanie, her name is. Fairly acquainted are you not? It’d be awkward if you weren’t, to be honest.”

That’s when it clicked, Calum’s brown eyes ghosting over the boy’s beaten face, and it became so obvious. The curls, the distinct freckles...Even though the boy was beaten, he could still see the clear similarities between the boy he had just beaten up to the girl he loved with every fiber of his being.

“What the hell do you want?” Calum said with gritted teeth, hand tightening around the boy’s collar once again.

“What do I want?” Melanie’s brother asked, “I want you to turn around, Calum.”

Calum couldn’t help the defeat he felt when he did. All the anguish, grief, and guilt rising to the surface when he saw her standing there, staring at him with tears thick in her wide eyes and a terrified expression on her face.

“Mel...” He took a step forward, but she took a step back, profusely shaking her head.

“Don’t...Don’t come near me!” She had her eyes screwed shut, back up against the door behind her as she choked on her words.

She was terrified; something Calum never wanted her to be. He had vowed to himself that he would save her from every single fear she faced but this time he couldn’t. He couldn’t save her because he was her fear.

Melanie was scared of Calum.

“Flynn?” The girl called out to her brother, eyes briefly drifting over to him before flicking back over to Calum, making sure he stayed where he was. Flynn looked at his sister, the sight of his beaten face staring back at her making her feel sick, “Go outside. Please.”

At the sound of her broken plead, Calum felt like his heart had shattered in half. The gang member, in all of his life, had never felt so much pain, so helpless in his entire life. All because of one girl.

“Melanie...Baby, please, let me explain,” Calum didn’t take another step forward, scared that it would cause Melanie to run away or to cower away from him.

“How could you do this to him?” She asked, looking up at him with tears falling down her soft cheeks. All Calum wanted to do was hold her close and kiss her tears away, to comfort her but he couldn’t. When he didn’t reply, she pushed further, “How could you do this to me?”

“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry Mel, please understand-” Calum broke down, tears pouring out of his eyes, “I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

“You’re a monster, Calum.”

Melanie had never felt more betrayed. She trusted Calum, with her life. She trusted him to make her feel safe; to keep the monsters in the world away from her. But he was the biggest monster she had ever met.

Their love, which she had thought of like a fairytale, a pure, white, fruitful love that she had cherished with every part of her existence, was destroyed. Every piece of comfort she had ever felt with the boy slowly crumbling and slipping through her fingers. She loved Calum, but she couldn’t love the monster he was hiding beneath. 

Melanie leaving him in the warehouse left a hole in his heart, he had never felt so weighed down in his entire life. After everything he had been through, every person he had punched, every person he had killed, it had never brought him so much emotion. Melanie was his weakness.

He leaned against the wall of his apartment as he kicked his shoes off, blood now nowhere to be seen on his body. Michael, god forgive him, had found Calum in the warehouse after Melanie had left, and had cleaned Calum up. Calum couldn’t even think about Melanie’s brother’s blood staining his clothes, the guilt and pain eating him alive.

Coming home certainly didn’t help.

It was void of her warmth and all of her things. The apartment was empty of their love like she had never even existed in his life. The only thing that even hinted towards her existence was the keys that sat on the kitchen counter and the note. A piece of paper that had clearly been ripped out of her favorite Disney notebook. 

‘here’s your keys back’ it read in her loopy handwriting, sealed with a mostly-dried tear that had fallen from her own eyes as she wrote. 

Calum had never felt more alone in his entire life. How could he ever have allowed himself to corrupt such a pure love with his tainted heart? 

[hellerism]

I want an essay on #12)

12. symbolism: tell me about some cool symbolism in spn! your pick

*puts on my english major hat* im about to put more effort into this than anything ive ever written for college. ok top 10 supernatural symbolism...this isnt in any particular order its just whatever i think of first. also it might not be actual top 10 im just remembering random shit. this has gotten out of hand so im putting it under a read more

1. the most obvious one, the impala. many have discussed this before me and im probably just repeating what others have said, but the impala is an extension of deans body/a representation and mirror of both his physical and mental state. obviously the impala gets destroyed in the season 1 finale when dean is dying. and he rebuilds it in season 2, while he is trying to regroup and rebuild from the death of his father. ive seen a post about how dean losing it and smashing the impala is a metaphorical form of self-harm which is :(( also, the impala staying covered and hidden away while dean is living with lisa and ben with this reading is so interesting. i do think dean loved the idea of a normal life with lisa and ben more than the reality (not that i dont think he loved them! any scene with dean and ben makes me soft). but this also makes it that much sadder because supernatural considers dean unable to live a life that doesnt involve hunting; the impala is hidden and dean is a shell of his real self. in season 7, they once again have to hide the impala away and use other cars. the impala is gone and hidden away; something is wrong. dean is hurting. he isnt his full self. why? whats missing during that time? cas. and in season 10, when dean is a demon, he stops caring for the impala. you know, because something is wrong with him. because hes a demon.

2. dean knocking over and breaking the angel statue in the beautiful room. he makes it fall with a single touch, hardly a push. and all it took cas was a single touch for him to fall and break. dean, of course, doesnt mean to shatter cas, though he does mean to make him fall. dean repeatedly argues with cas, acting as the human opposite to cas’ emotionless faith in heaven, pushing him toward the edge, pushing him to rebel, pushing him to choose humanity. and it works; cas learns to love through dean, and through that he rebels against heaven and falls in “every way imaginable.” and when he hits the ground, he breaks, shattering all his faith in god and everything, leading into the godstiel arc as he tries to put his pieces back together.

3. the streetlight as a halo over cas’ head in on the head of a pin. it flickers when anna appears, which is physically meant to show her power. however, it also shows cas’ wavering faith in heaven. interesting how anna, the angel who chose humanity over heaven and decided to fall, is the one making cas’ halo flicker. he is beginning to question things. he is beginning to feel. he is beginning to fall.

4. deans leather jacket in the first few seasons. its not actually dean’s, of course. it belonged to john. dean picks it up and puts it on while he and sam are searching for him, physically shouldering the weight of johns expectations of him. its too big on him. and dean is 26 at that point. hes well past done growing; he’ll never fit perfectly into that jacket. no matter what he does, he’ll never fit perfectly into johns expectations: the perfect son, the perfect soldier. and leather jackets are heavy even if they fit well. there is a physical weight on his shoulders now, a manifestation of the weight of the world and the weight of being a parent for his younger brother and everything john has piled onto dean since he was a child. he eventually stops wearing it (bc some absolute legend stole it irl), and i wish they’d taken that as an opportunity to have dean grow out of the shadow of his father, but supernatural is a bad show so they didnt.

5. mary, who just happens to be named after the mother of jesus. the perfect wife, the loving mother, the tragic figure, the victim, clad in white, the color of innocence. except shes not. she was raised a hunter. shes lived the bloody dark side of the world hidden from most. she loved her children, but she wasnt a perfect wife and mother. she didnt know how to cook. she and john fought, and he even moved out for a few days, and she needed her four-year-old son to comfort her. she is not the virginal mother; shes an imperfect person just trying to do her best. the dabb-era deconstruction of the very concept of mary makes me crazyyyyyyy if you couldnt tell.

6. these shots from 9.14 captives

in the first shot, we have a statue of cupid over cas’ left shoulder and a cross over his right. and in the second shot, there is a bible on the right side of the table, and nothing on the left. and cas turns to the left. he turns away from god, continuously choosing to turn away from stability and what he always knew in favor of love and humanity. there is nothing on the left side of the table precisely because there is nothing certain in cas’ future with humanity, but he chooses them anyway. plus, cas inventing free will by falling in love with dean retroactively makes this shot that much better; there is nothing on the left side of the table precisely because there is nothing written for him. cas falling in love with dean created an empty space in gods story. this show is pure fucking insanity oh my god.

7. serafina the angel (the pantheistic view in that episode makes me crazy but we wont get into that). serafina, whose name is audibly similar to seraph, the class of angel that cas is. coincidentally, the only seraphim we see in the show are cas, who falls in love with dean, and akobel, who married lily sunder. serafina, who fell in love with adam, the literal progenitor of humanity. and who is the character in supernatural that has always stood for humanity as a whole? dean. serafina literally had me convinced that deancas would happen in the finale.

8. the removal of -iel from cas’ name. dear god this one drives me crazy and i doubt it was on purpose. castiel, the shield of god. for eons he existed as a warrior and tool of god. and then along comes dean winchester, who does a very human thing. he gives him a nickname. cas. he removes the “of god” part. he removes god from cas, because dean doesnt value him for being a good soldier or a good son. he values him simply because hes cas. and cas questions everything, his loyalty to heaven, his blind faith that god would one day return. he is no longer a warrior of god. he is simply cas, the shield, and this time he chooses to be a shield for humanity, for the winchesters, for dean. for the michael sword. the shield protects the sword. cas dies shielding dean. this got off topic but its just sooo insane.

9. this shit from 2.13 houses of the holy. i know it was an unplanned coincidence but jesus christ.

10. ...lamp. i know i know but it still boggles my mind. the completely out of place tap dance that they had to spend time and money on to train two actors who had never tap danced before. the lamp being a source of light. divine light. cas. the whole thing being set to the song lets misbehave. WHY LAMP.

[albino-whumpee]

Alien whump 3

CW// conditioning, captivity, muzzled, defiant whumpee, implied abuse, manhandling, betrayal,  

They let out a melancholic whimper next to Frank’s feet. Their own, bandaged up and razored. Awkwardly long limbs for their lean and small body. Their adult fur was starting to grow. Thick and raspy if you stroked it one way. But Frank knew how to feel the real fluffness of it.

“What’s wrong bud?” Frank stroked their head, patted it as Sam leaned on to the touch and let him scratch behind his ears. “Do they hurt?” Sam shooked their head. Unconsciously imitating the way Frank and the other humans did. Frank got wide eyed like he sometimes did.

“Sam?” They looked at Frank without thinking. “Do you really understand what I say?”

Sam blinked at that. Tilted their head up and down slowly. If they remembered well, that was how Frank said yes when he was too busy to talk.

The man pulled Sam up from below their armpits. A wince involuntarily coming out as the stitches on their stomach hadn’t quite healed yet. Frank put them down immediately “Im sorry! Holy- this- that’s- woah!” They stammered holding their head with one hand and brushing his head fur with the other. “Stay there, ok? I have to call …who am I even going to call? Oh my god! He understands! He can learn!” Frank’s excited voice got drowned in the space between them as he went away. Sam was obedient and stayed still on their place. Shoving the anxiety of seeing other humans deep down. Sam Looked at the box Frank loved to see all the time. Tiny things on it scrambled together next to a copy of Frank and someone else. A much smaller human. A much smaller Frank holding to him while both showed their teeth.

Family.

They couldn’t help but look down to their bandaged limbs letting them get damped with breathy sobs. Sam couldnt help but miss their siblings. They were still just a pup when they took them after all.

Sam stared at the little Frank until the tears dried up and the man came with a few other humans. Sam knew better than to jump away when they got too close suddenly. Reaching to put the muzzle on and pull them to a part of the ship they hadn’t see before.

Sam was forced to sit before a box with a black glass. They looked at Frank anxiously aware of the activity on the room. The man was too excited to notice.

The human who always held the baton (as they had learnt it was called) grabbed them by the collar and forced them to stare into blue eyes.

“So you just actually ignored me all the time huh?” He said teasing the baton’s end over their head making them slightly shrink on themselves “glad to hear we will understand each other better now” he showed his teeth but in a different manner than Frank before pulling away and buckling the D ring of their collar to a wire on the ground. Too short for them to sit completely straight “get the show on then doc”

Sam looked with a pleading look at the man but he only pressed on to the camera. Frank only helped Sam when they weren´t tied.

Sam saw another human on a similar box to Frank’s. A woman that had cold eyes.

Sam couldnt help but curl in fear at them. So similar to the looks the humans at the lab gave them at the beginning.

“So there has been a development with sample four?” her tone was easy, but so heavy and intimidating Sam´s fur sticked up. Attempting to appear scarier than those cold eyes and failing miserably. “I told you to only call me if there was a significant advancement with it, Cully. It still looks like an stray cat. Just like the others” Sam´s ears went up.

Others?

“Yes, ma´am. Samples one to three were a complete failure. We made some progress with SAM-5 and there´s still some hope with SAM-6, but this SAM, SAM-4, has showed the most developmental improvement of the batch” Sam felt like they couldn´t breathe “They have learnt. Not only words, but mannerisms. Ma´am, mannerisms!”

“Curling behind their tail isn´t exactly a mannerism, Cully” She scolded Frank. The man showed his teeth again.

“Right…I will show you then!” Frank walked to them. Positioned in a way they didn´t obstruct the camera. Whispered very low so only they heard him. “Sam, I need you to do the exact same you did back there. You know. That movement with your head” Sam heard him say, but the anger inside them was brewing so intensely. It was dazzlying and hardened his limbs in anticipation. Their fur went up and their pupils went slinted. A hiss escaped below the muzzle when Frank tried to touch them in an attempt to calm them down.

“I´m losing interest, Cully” she presed. Sam´s anger getting even more fired up as the man reached behind their ears. On to the soft spot they melted everytime he touched it. But this time he slapped his hand away with a declawed paw.

“Sam? What´s wrong?” Sam growled at him as reply. Frank´s eyes widened and catched the other human approaching with their baton. “NO! Wait!”

“Are you gonna let this one eat someone? Like with Sam-1? They like meat, Cully” the human turned the baton on and Sam´s pulse quickened at how he swinged it. The first few moons had given them a firm reason to despise the object and the little sizzle of electricity that filled the silence. “No matter how much fruit you give them, they want their meat” Their eyes locked on as Sam swished their tail. An instinct they had shoved deep down overtaking them. Filling them up and spiking their fur as they growled in rage. The man responded readjusting the baton on his hand “And I was actually beginning to think you wouldn´t bite back” he said before pulling the baton up and striking down to the floor. A second too late after they jumped away. Not too far as the wire held them down. But just enough to get close and impact their tail with full force against the man´s ankles. Making him lose his balance and fall. Sam didn´t have claws or fangs to fight now, but just the pure rage from learning, too late, they hadn´t been the only one captured.

Sam was about to jump above the human´s throat, when Frank held them down. A violent snarl that came with trashing easily seized and won by size alone. Cully was a two meter tall man, Sam was just a few centimeters above the meter and half.

“No! No, Sam!” The man shouted “Shut off the camera! Now!” he screamed at a petrified assistant. Sam continued to struggle before the other human pressed the baton´s end against their neck. A cry making Frank put himself between the human and them. “Stop it! You´re scaring him more!”

“He sure as hell scared me! Move it Cully! I´m just gonna make him go take a quick nap” he said shoving Frank away. Sam´s fur spiked up again as a deep, threatening growl came out from the depths of their stomach. The man didn´t care and even put the voltage up. So when he struck them and left the baton there for far than four seconds, Sam let out a ripping howl before falling limp on the floor.

[myfeetkeepdancing]

Numb | Tom Holland x Male!Reader

Words: 9091

Warnings: Smut and negative thoughts?

A/N: Sit yourself down for this one. This is loooooong! It’s completely different from what I usually write. Still had an absolute blast writing it. 

Check out the request description below!

Requested by: @idwithoutthesuperego​:  Ok, but a fic where tom sells his body for money because he just needed the money and reasons. And male reader's friends buy a "night" with him without telling reader after a bad breakup. But they just click, and MR kinda falls in love n wants to do the "i'm gonna date you and get you out of that life". But tom is just like "i dont believe in people anymore and im destined to die in some alley being used". This is oddly especiffic, but is something i would just love to read about if u can, plz.

Oh, and if you consider being a good soul and wirtting a fic for my ask, PLEASE make a happy ending hahaha My heart wouldnt be able to handle that drama without the happiness

Tears dry up. Eventually. Suppressing the pain. Left with unanswered questions. For weeks they bothered your conscience. Hang around your neck like a millstone. A burden on your soul. Pondering. That’s what you’re left doing. Your day to day life slowing down to a grinding halt. Everything went on auto-pilot. While your mind pondered over every moment of what could have been. What if… And, if I…

 Circling in your mind forever. Sleep didn't come easy. Nor did any desire for anything. Friend and family kept summing up the logical steps of coping. Stages of grief. "It'll pass." Those little sentences stuck with you. “It’ll take time.” Each and everyone kept repeating it. But what value did it have? What lessons could you take from those words? For you are left with an empty house. An empty couch. An empty chair. And an empty place beside you. Alone. Trapped within your own mind.

 Pondering over every thought and every memory.

 That feeling of nothingness. It’s strange at first. You manage to go on with your life. Sleep returns at night. And waking up wasn’t at painful as it was at first. You couldn’t put your finger on it. But it could be described as numbness. Everything went on autopilot. And feelings were shut off. Barricaded behind layers of overthinking and mind-boggling thoughts. No sense of desire anywhere. The impact of a broken relationship was far worse then you imagined.

 Just comfortably numb.

 "This will do you good." Your friend tries to convince you again. Pushing the flyer into your hand. “For a moment, try to think ab-...” The words reach your ear in waves. Disturbed by sounds coming from somewhere close by. Ringing in your ears. Folding open the flyer, you see some sort of menu. You squint again, slightly intoxicated by the last few beers. This wasn’t some ordinary menu, like a Chinese take-out restaurant. You feel your blood boiling. Heart racing in your chest cavity. You peel your eyes from the fat printed letters. “Men of your choosing."

 “Give it a shot." Your friend nudges you against your shoulder. Seeing the fury in your eyes building, as you look up. "I choose this one for you." Pointing to a loosely attached picture. "He looks nice, doesn't he?"

 “Why would you…?" You mumble, shaking your head in disgust. “Get out.” Tossing everything his way. “Just get out…” Pushing yourself up from the couch. Pacing back and forth across the room, before turning into the kitchen. Raking your fingers through your hair. Letting the cold water from the tap, run across your face. Why do people keep meddling in your business? It's exhausting. A sudden burst of rage and anger courses through you, but it ebbs away as quickly as it came. Leaving you feeling defeated and numb again. Falling back into the kitchen chair. Gaze fixated on the moonlight illuminating the scenery in front of you —mind blank.

 Footsteps approach from behind you. You’ve heard the door open and close. You assumed your friend left. But an unknown voice calls to you. "Hey…"

 "You can go." You respond instantly; without looking,  waving him away. "Please." Releasing an unintended long sigh. Sinking deeper into the chair. Your gaze fixated on the endless void in front of you.

 "I can't." The voice says calm and controlled. "I'm booked for the entire night."

 "I don't care." Shrugging your shoulders. "Please just leave me be. Tip yourself on the way out, wallet is in my coat." You just sit there, sulking in your own misery.

 It's quiet for a good moment. You guess he's probably still there. Standing a few feet behind you.

“You’re awfully calm for a situation like this.”

 "Right…" You chuckle to yourself. “Thanks.”

 "Your friend told me." Hearing his footsteps approach instead of fading away, sending you an uneasy feeling down your spine. "It's ok…" You hear him right behind you. “He means well.” Your body jolts up in the chair, as his hands rest upon your shoulders. His hands just rest. Nothing more. Yet you feel every touch of his finger, every point of contact upon your body. A weird sensation. Even more, as his thumbs begin pressing and rolling around the lower part of your neck. Rubbing your skin. Slowly massaging your sore muscles. A sudden involuntary grunt escapes you.  "I know it's difficult."

 "I… I don't know if… I…" You try to shake the thought of it out of your mind. It conflicted deeply within you. Yet, his touch. So simple, yet strangely satisfying. A different kind of emotion began to rise. Something that had been locked away, far and deep.

 "Please…" He says with subtlety and kindness in his voice. And as he moves past you. The man came into view. Your eyes are somehow captivated by first sight. As he sinks down onto his knees. A thin smile cracked his wistful glance. "It's going to be okay."

 He looked so young, yet worn in a way you couldn't put your finger on. A sorrowful face you had never seen. Long, brown curls gracefully tumbled down his head. The contours of his face were absolutely stunningly shaped. The thin lips and sharp jawline. A work of art. A little imperfection on his right brow. Small hairs rebelling against the flow. Yet his face drained with a gaunt stare. The eyes didn't fool you. Set deep into his face. Small and brown, caramel-like of color. They showed little signs of life left in them. Hollow. Like a flame died out long ago. A spark long lost. A view into the past what once used to be. It lost its touch. It’s humanity...

 Yet, somehow you feel magically drawn to those sorrowful and silent features. Most fascinating, almost hypnotizing. The moment of eye contact was unexpected long. His touch sending you back reality.

 With both his hand on your inner thigh, slowly rubbing his way upwards. The touch of his fingers sends shudders through your systems. They felt so warm. You close your eyes for a moment, shielding your crotch. A moment of insecurity. You couldn't do this. This feeling. Your body, its sending signals you haven't felt in ages. "I… I… don't think I'm ready for this, I'm sorry…"  

 “I get that.” He says, while with one hand lifting your chin. You feel his soft fingers on your cheek. The first touch of a man in months. Your heart flutters excitingly.  And before you open your eyes to meet his. His lips tenderly grace yours. For a brief moment, they join each other. Soft as a cushion, and so warm. It happens quickly. But you want it to last forever. As he disconnects, his dark brown eyes stare at you with compassion. "Your body is, though." He smiles thinly, interlacing his fingers with yours. Gently rubbing down onto your growing bulge.

 “W-Wh …” You stutter and try to protest. But your hands pull back slowly, bit by bit.

 He seats himself back on the floor, spreading your legs apart. Positioning himself closer. With care, he begins to remove your belt. Halting at the first button of your pants. "Try to relax."

 You hesitantly look on. As the zipper opens up. Latching both fingers on the band of your underwear, he slowly pulls in down. Removing your pants, revealing your member, semi-hard. Waiting for the action.

 Leaning forward, he tilts his head and slowly begins working. One simple touch and you were gone. This soft, warm tongue, stroking gently along your length. In a matter of seconds, it's standing full mast. Wrapping his fingers along the base, he continues at a slow pace. Meanwhile, your heart was beating like crazy against your ribcage. You're breathing fastened and irregular.

 “W-What’s your name?” You interrupt. His eyes connect with yours as he looks up through his laces. But doesn’t respond. “P-Please…” You whimper softly.

 He stops, holding your length in one hand. “I’m Tom.” Wetting his lips as he watches you struggle. “You doing alright?”

 You nod quickly, struggling to get your words out. Swallowing the lump in your throat. “T-T-T…om”

 But before you manage to utter another word. He brings his tongue in contact with your tip. Keeping eye contact with you. With a few simple licks, slicking it wet with his saliva. The sensation of his tongue working his way round and round your tip was tantalizing. But the sudden, slide of your tip past his lips and down into his mouth was heavenly. Your body tenses up, hip bucking into his grasp. Moaning his name in response. With your hands clamped to the side of the chair, your fingers digging deep into the wood. Turning your knuckles white, the muscles in your arm cramping up as you can't hold up. You shudder from pure bliss. Only a few strokes up and down with his hands combined with his mouth made you groan deeper and deeper.

 Your eyes widen as he suddenly stops. He rises to his feet, keeps his gaze at you, and with both hands lifting the hoodie over his head. And as the hoodie came off, your eyes hunger for every bit of exposed skin you could possibly find. Giving you a glimpse of a well-trained body. A sneak-peek of a six-pack. Broad shoulders, pecks shining through the shirt. Leaving a much revealing, loosely hanging shirt on his figure. But you feel somewhat caught the moment you get eye contact with him again. His expression was painful to watch. You could almost sense his disappointment. His misery. It's only then you realize the shame. The realization hits you that you view him as an object. As lust.

 "It's ok." Seeing his eyes soften before you, followed by a small smile.

 But it's only a split second before he's back at you again. You can't help but peak past his face down into his shirt. Past his collarbone, onto his muscular torso. God…  

 You snap back to reality, feeling his hand reach for yours. Pulling it from your side. "Hold my hair."

 "W-What…?"

 "Fuck my throat." Sliding his mouth over your member again. Slowly picking up pace. "Go on." He gurgles. Keeping eye contact the whole time.

 “Why are you doing this, Tom?” You ask with a slight tone of disappointment. "You seem so out of place." Lifting his face from your member. "Terribly out of place."

 "Please don't (Y/N)." The mention of your name makes you blush.

 "No, Tom. This isn’t right." You point at his shirt. “Let me look at you.”

 "Wha…-" He sighs, hanging his head down in shame. "No, please don't."

 "Tom, I mean no wrong." You couldn’t help yourself. You could foreshadow what was beneath that shirt. Being in that sort of business took its toll. You caught a glimpse of it when he got rid of his hoodie.

 His gaze was stuck to the floor for a moment. Contemplating on his actions. Before taking to his feet. Slow and defeated. Averting your gaze before turning around. With crossed arms, he takes the corners of his shirt. And pulls it over his head. Waiting for your reaction. You swallow the lump in your throat once again. Seeing the small spots of discolored skin on his back. The bruises. Some larger than the other. Some bright red, the others darkened. The words stock in your throat, feeling the tears well in your eyes. The thought of him suffering by the hands of others made you sick. The poor thing.

 You rise to your feet, closing the distance between you and him. Gracing your fingers on the bruises. “Do they… hurt you?” Tracing your fingers down his side. Partly feeling the muscles under your fingers. But the fact that he didn’t answer your question made you more than worried.

 “Promise me one thing, (Y/N)…” He stops your hand from trailing along the side of his figure. Resting his hand on yours. He’s glowing. Warm to the touch. You can’t help but close the distance. Placing your other hand on his hip.

 With a thin smile, he turns around. Your eyes take in every inch, from his pecs to his abs. A breathtaking body stood in front of you. Strong and masculine. But not too big. "God…" You awe. "You're g-gorgeous-..." Your throat falls dry at the sight. You feel flutters deep down. “I… I’m sorry.”

 “It’s okay.”

 Small bruises dotted down his side. Dark from color, pain from long ago. "Tom…" You mutter worryingly. All the time you awed at his body, he averted his eyes. Looking aside. You now understand why. As your eyes sink lower and lower. You spot the bulge in his pants. Impossible to hide. "Are you…" Not finishing your question because of the obvious. The red rushing to his cheeks.

 He still nods in acknowledgment. "I…I… never had this happen before.”

 “Do you…” A finger on your lips silences your words. Stepping very close to you, spotting his watery eyes up close.

"Yes! Yes, I do!" He confessed, with tears welling in the corner of his eyes. Shaking as he struggles to get his words out. "But promise me…that when…” His nostrils flaring. “-This will never work (Y/N)…" Smashing his lips into yours. You didn’t want to listen to his words. None of it. His arms reach around you, pulling you in. Wrapping your own around him, feeling every part of his skin. Pressed tight against him. Ripping the remaining clothes off your body. You just wanted to feel that perfect body. And so did he, roving his hands all over yours.

 Every kiss has a raw intensity. There’s just too much skin and too few hands and tongues to worship it all. Both your bodies collide against each other completely naked. His firm and rigid cock pressing against your skin. It glides through your hand as wet as it can be. Tom jerking you off at the same time. Moans and grunts fill the room. Tom’s member too slippery to even get a hold of. The sight of it makes you weak in the knees. The chair behind you topples over from your vicious play. As you stumble out of the kitchen. Against the doorpost, over the couch. Towards the bedroom.

 Together you fall onto the mattress. Rolling back and forth. An intense play of hands and lips. Dry humping against each other. You both can't get enough of each other. His lips kissing every inch of skin. Forcing his weight onto you, making you lay flat on your back. He arches back, and sensually starts grinding his pelvis onto yours. Rubbing your balls and cock together into a soaking wet mess. He must have done this hundreds of times. It looked so smooth and sensual. Moaning softly as he held both of your members together. With gentle hands, but a firm grasp nonetheless. Thrusting both cocks through his hand. His fingers teasing the ridges along the lengths. Spreading the pre-cum with the pad of his thumb. Looking at his face, he's so concentrated that you once again get caught staring at him.

 Both moaning, the air is thick of pheromones, the smell seeping into your mind. Both wanting it badly. As he locks eyes again, he smoothly reaches round with one hand. He seemed really flexible, propped on his knees. Arching backward as he lifts his ass up, guiding your tip to his entrance. A slight resistance gave way, allowing you to slide far and deep into him. The moment you sheath yourself into him deeper and deeper, you watch on as he shudders. Contorting his face. Both hands cling to your chest. With both his hands resting on your torso, the fingers dig deep and hard into your skin. Feeling his shaking and shuddering throughout your body. He closes his eyes for a moment, moaning your name in pleasure. And sinks further forwards to your chest. Panting heavily. After regaining himself, he adjusts his hands on your shoulder. And locks lips with yours. "Y-You… f-feel amazing." Moaning into the kiss. The praise turning you on immensely. Growing impossibly large inside of him.

 And so he slowly begins grinding his hips back and forth with your shaft deep inside him. Feeling yourself widen him further and further. Tom’s moans become long and raw. Sitting up straight again, he takes one hand and forces your cock deeper into him. Reaching further and deeper. While trying to clench his cheeks around you. Hitting different and deeper spots. The sudden increase in pressure and warmth were becoming too much. Not only for you. You see Tom's mouth fall open, gasping for air, his eyes shut tight from ecstasy. His other hand caresses the skin of his neck.

 Your grunts become shorter and shallow. You’re a lost cause. Your mind is blank, completely lost at the sexual pleasure coursing through your body. Racing towards your climax. Both hands clinging to his hips, but your strength wasn’t helping much.

 Tom could feel it coming. Your balls churn. A pent up force, craving to be released. And all it takes is a look into each other’s eyes for you to fill him up. And before you tip the point of no return. He picks up the pace. Making sure to milk every drop by clenching his cheeks harder on you. A loud gasp follows. Shuddering your body to the very core. Your hands dig deep into the side of his hips. The splashing inside is intense as you cum, spilling all over. And Tom just keeps riding. Until you just turn limb. Gasping out his name.

 "Felt good?" He asks, breathing heavily, watching his chest heave up and down. A smile on his face. You again realize what a beautiful person he was. His body atop of yours, glistening with sweat. And a damn cute smile.

 “Out of this world.” You pant, laying your head to rest on the cushion. “You’re incredible.”

 "Good." Cupping your cheeks with both hands and kissing you. The smile on his face was larger than you'd ever seen. "I'm glad you enjoyed it." You notice a sudden sparkle flaring in his eyes. Something igniting deep within.

 "How about you…?" Eyeing his erection. "You didn't blow your load." Wrapping your arms around his neck. Pulling him towards you for a slow and passionate kiss.

 "Don't you worry, I did enjoy it very much." He smiled. "More then I should." Pushing strands of hair from your forehead. "I was close…" He confesses softly.

 "Then why didn't you keep going?"

 "Because that would hurt you…" He blushed.

 "How?"

 "You can't just keep going if you blow your load. At first, it's really sensitive, but then it becomes increasingly itchy, to a point it feels like it burns. Quite painful."

 You're both lost in each other’s gaze. As he falls beside you, curling up to cuddle. Tom resting on your chest. Your fingers playing with the brown silky smooth curls of his. "What can I do to make you feel good?" You whisper to him.

 "You already did." Pressing a soft kiss on your lips. You can't help but notice the way he smiled. It's wholesome. To the point of a complete cuteness.

 "Tom, I want you to feel good too." Slowly tracing your fingers up and down his spine. "Because that smile suits you."

 "But, I don't want to hurt you (Y/N)." He looks up with a growing expression of worry on his face.

 "It won't, Tom." Cupping his cheek. "I want to feel you."

Through all the glistening sweat and wetness on your bodies. You feel his length grow against your thigh. Yourself following along. "Give it to me, baby…" You whisper close to his ear.

 Tom helps himself on his knees. His member standing fully erect, ready for you. A jolt of excitement shoots through you at the sight. It's been forever since you've been pleasured since your break up. Something you actually look forward to now. So you roll onto your knees. "Wait…" You look back at Tom. "Turn over."

 On your back again, eager and waiting, Tom takes you by the hips. Reeling you in. Positioning himself behind you. And turns you on your side.  “This is most comfortable for you.” Kneading your ass cheeks with gentle hands. Captivated by your hole. “Alright?”

 You can’t help but chuckle at his carefulness. How soft and tenderly he was approaching you. Putting a cushion under your hips. Rearranging the sheets. Therefore receiving a semi frowned questioning look from Tom.

 “Sweety, I know what you’re going to do.” You give him a reassuring smile. “I’m ready.”

 “Trust me, if you do it wrong, it’ll hurt like hell.” Giving you a little kiss. “I wouldn’t want that to happen.” You stare at each other for half a second. You draw a deep breath, dizzy with anticipation.

 He moves one leg aside, revealing your entrance. A little gasp of excitement leaves, as you feel his tip slowly slide at your hole. “Please tell me if it hurts.” He asks. You nod eagerly. His hands grip onto your hips, the pressure on your entrance increasing. You lick your lips and suck in another deep breath.  You stifle a groan as you feel your sphincter grip the head of his cock. You’re legs feel numb. You close your eyes, overwhelmed by the feeling, releasing a silent moan.

 He holds the moment your face contorts even the slightest, waiting for you to adjust. Slowly accepting his length. Every inch he enters you, you hear his grunts become heavier. Your warmth and light wetness guiding him deeper. “Y-You’re tight.” He moans, trying to regain this breath. “Fuck…” Wiping the sweat from his face.

 Your dick is throbbing, there was no other way to describe it. Pressed against the sheets. No stimulation but only the motion of his thrusts. Stimulated by his presence. His looks. His thrusts. You're breathless, staring at his physique. He is masculine, but not too much. So complete. The view of his muscles tensing and relaxing. Utterly mesmerizing to watch. Even as he begins to move back and forth. Sweat breaks out all over your body at the first couple of thrusts. Very slow and lovingly.

 Stretching your further as he goes in. His breathing slow and ragged. He pushed deep. Reaching far inside you. Warming places you didn’t know you had. The feeling of his dick fully inside you was driving you to the point of an unexpected climax already. The rigidness of his cock, rubbing your insides. Making you shudder to your very core while praising his name. Your cock already leaking on the sheets.

 The pressure inside you rising faster than ever before. It’s impossible to think straight, his pace was slow and passionate. Yet, you only feel his cock hitting your insides. You grip your sheets, whimpering uncontrollably. You only manage to utter his name, squirming under his pressure. The cum just starts pouring out of you, uncontrollable amounts soaking the already wet area. Tom follows up with another thrust, making you squirt even further. You moan long and hard, feeling your entire body shudder from the release. “Holy s-shit… Tom.” You sputter.

 As you open your eyes, you watch Tom hunched forward. Panting heavily. Eyes clenched shut. "Tom…?" You ask. He holds his hand up to you. Signaling you to wait. After he regains himself again, he positions himself further above you. You hear his hot ragged breath, tightly hugging his hips against your ass cheeks. Cock buried deep inside you. “F-Fuck, (Y/N)…” He grunts. “That was hot…”

 He takes a moment to gather himself again. You do the same. Catching your breath and calming your senses. You wait for Tom to move again.  Before he does, he starts to pepper your body with wet, hot kisses. Moaning your name softly as he begins to roll his hips.

 Goosebumps shoot across your skin at the mention of your name. A sudden yelp escapes your lips, grabbing his attention immediately. To your surprise, you feel a moist sensation touching your cock. You gaze at your member, while it hardens without touch. Only by a few thrusts from his shaft.

 “Shit…” He grunts as he wraps his fingers around your length. An awkward position, but he manages. Stroking your cock, coated by your own cum, slow and steady. Completely captivated by it. You sense it's turning him on immensely, as you feel him thicken inside you.

 You release a silent moan as your mouth falls open. Feeling his girth stretch you even further. The ridges rubbing you in unexpected ways. After a few strokes, he loses his grip, licking the wetness from his fingers, one by one. You watch as he sucks each of his fingers dry in his mouth. “Fuckin’ hell...” He groans. “That’s really good." Leaning in, he lands his lips on yours. "I'm getting close, baby." He moans into the kiss.

 “Go for it.” You whisper into his ear. Holding him close. “Blow your load for me.” As he picks up pace. Desperate for release. His cock feeling incredibly hard inside you. Swelling even further at the mention of your dirty talk. “Blow it all inside me.”

 He grunts deep and hard into your ear. Rolling his hips faster and faster into you. “C’mon, baby.” You encourage him. Feeling his cock grow inside you. His breathing quickens, as does his momentum. Rutting into you faster than before. Not relentlessly, but with a comfortable pace.

 Already widened and stretched from before, you feel his cock hitting you deep again. Each time he hits your thrust back, hitting that same spot, you feel the sensation ache in your cock. Twitching from pleasure. “R-Right there, Tom.” You gasp again.

 He shoots a look at you, realization hitting him that you’re getting close again. “Keep going.” You moan out loud. Not a moment later, you feel him pulse inside you. With a cry, he thrust once more, deep and hard into you. You lift your ass to meet his thrust, his balls slap against your skin. The splashing inside you as he cums is so intense that you feel it spilling down your cheeks. Your mind goes blank. Watching him pump load after load into you. Your cock twitches, barely holding on. As your insides were coated.

 He just pulls out, like a plug of a bathtub. You gasp of relief, feeling the wetness seep outwards.  Drops of wetness fly from his still erect member as it bounces upward. Giving a quick tug on your legs, so you end on your back again. Spreading your legs.

 You’re out of breath for a moment. Not sure what he was going to do. Watching your own dick spring back into view again. All wet and swollen. With force, he pulls you to the side of the bed and kneels down. His fingers wrap around your member. As he suddenly starts suckling on your balls. It's strange ticklish feeling at first, but combined with his firm grasp on your length, and strokes, it became more than that. Your balls begin to churn. Gripping the sheets around you, your head falls back onto the mattress, overwhelmed by this quick handling.  

 “T-Tom!” You cry out. “God!” You plant both your feet on the mattress. You shut your eyes tight, pressing your head back into the mattress, thrusting your hips into his grasp. But he doesn’t slow down.

 “Tom!” You burst out, not only in words. Your eyes widen, gasping out loud as he rubs down hard on your shaft. Cum jets from your swollen cock. Stroking you hard, milking every last possible drop.

 It's only hazy from thereon…

 You’re not sure if you passed out, but it felt like you sprayed the ceiling with your load. The next moment you open your eyes, you find Tom cuddled up against you. Just some sheets covering a few parts. “Did I pass out or…?”

 “You didn’t.” He chuckles, looking up at you with a smile on his face. “You dozed off very shortly after. I don’t blame you.” He sniffles while tracing a finger up and down your chest. You wrap your arm around him. Just living in the moment. "I'm so happy, your friend picked me." He whispered to you. That comment stuck with you.

 "Thank you, Tom." Pressing your lips on his forehead, tasting a taint of salt. Picking a few strands of hair from his forehead. Cuddling together in the safe comfort of each other. The sharing of interests you had in common. Followed by simple chatter about the things in life. Making each other laugh. Having a good time. For once, in a very long time, you felt whole again. His smile. His presence, something felt right. Something clicked.

 And it's that sort of thing you just can’t get enough of. Your eyes are glued to him. The heat rising in your system. That flutter in your stomach. It hurts. In a good way. He is everything you ever wanted in a man.

 You love him.

 All cuddled up against each other, it falls to you how sticky everything actually really his. His skin glistening with sweat and wetness.

 “How about we freshen up?” Rustling your fingers through his curls. “Shower is big enough for both of us.”

 “Good idea.” His lips meeting yours in agreement. "I'll gladly join you."

 Being close to together, naked, warm water, and soap. Things get heated again. You don't know how long you been in the shower. And you don't mind. Because for the time, you felt the rush of living again. Being alive. Receiving praise. Kind words whispered into your ear.

No denying that his smile was infectious. A smile that wouldn't disappear, you noticed. Tom was a whole different person to the one that stepped in earlier tonight. Deep down, you could feel that this version of him was the real him. Loving, caring, passionate.

 And no matter how dangerous shower sex was told to be. You did it. And more. Memories burned into your mind forever.

 You take a moment longer to rinse off the sweat and wetness under the steaming hot water. Recollecting those wonderful moments again. Tom already out. You can't seem to shake your smile. This was right. This is how life should be.

 Turning into the bedroom with your towel wrapped around your waist, your smile drops immediately. "Where you going?" He hastily pushes his phone back into his pocket. Tom was already dressed, ready to put on his jacket.

 "I have to go." He mumbled, avoiding your gaze. His smile nowhere to be seen.

 "Please, just stay."  This moment was bound to happen. But you weren’t going to give in. You’ve seen enough people leave through that door. "Stay with me."

 "I… I… can't�� I need to go." Checking the time on his phone.

 "You don't have to do this, you know. I can-" But midsentence, you're cut off.

 "Don’t… (Y/N).” His voice skips a beat. You’re pretty sure you could see tears welling in his eyes. You have to fight to keep them back as well. “P-Please…” He stutters, rubbing his eyes with the palm of his hand. “Don’t make this harder than it already is."

 "Tom, it's doesn't have to be this way."

 "I warned you. It can't be helped." He sobbed. An hour ago, the man standing in front of you was majestic, beautiful, and full of life. What remained now was nothing of that. Hunched shoulders and hands stuffed into his pockets. Eyes wet from tears.

 "I'll take a chance."

 "Please, stay out of it. Just leave me be. Forget about me."

 "Oh no, I can't. Not in a million years. I'll get you out whatever shithole you got yourself into." You’re just glad he didn’t walk right out. Otherwise, you wouldn't be able to follow him. Something was holding him back.

 "It's not worth it. It can't be fixed."

 "Everything takes time to heal."

 "Not me, not me." He snickers. “I… I need to go.”

 You rush to your drawers, pulling fresh clothes out as fast as you can. "Wait, I'll bring you wherever you're going."

 "You'll get into trouble if they see you."

 "I don't care." You quip while jumping into a pair of pants.

 "But I do!" He cries. “I do!”

 "The feeling is mutual." You growled. With your shoes and jacket on, you interlace fingers with his. Dragging him outside. And as you open the door, the pizza delivery shows up. “P-… Pizza delivery?” The man hesitates, looking at the both of you weirded out. “Here.” You shove a bill of cash into his hands. "Now, go!" He instantly rushes off onto the street. With screeching tires, the little scooter darts back up the road. In a big arch, you toss the pizza inside, cheese, and all flying everywhere before you close the door behind you.

 The car ride was uneasy, to say the least. No music. Only darkness and the rain hitting the windshield. Sometimes a finger, pointing you in the right direction. You appeared mad. To say you weren't was a misconception. But not at him. And what kind of music was even appropriate at that moment? Your mind was conflicted. You could just drive the opposite direction. Away from it all. He would be save.

 Would he?

 You couldn’t judge if you didn’t know where he was living. What if they came after him? That would endanger you as well. No, this required a different approach. This needed planning. God, you were in a state to do anything.

 Breath in, breath out. Calm yourself down.

  Hope.

Was it misplaced hope

?

 Hope for a happy ending.

 But hope is the worst of all evils, for it prolongs the torment of men. Words from an old book. Spoken by wise old men as they say. But in the end, the truth runs from the first to the very last word. How naive could you be? Deep down, you knew this was impossible. His words spoken earlier that evening kept circling in the back of your mind. Yet, you cling to that glimmer of hope. Those words in the shower. Those moments together. This couldn't be it?

 You hoped not.

  “Stop here.” He says. “It’s down that alley.” Pointing to a small flickering light in the distance. You could only get a glimpse as the windscreen wipers came by to clear the pouring rain from your window. You spot the outline of a figure standing there. "Turn around the moment I enter that alley. Don't come near.”  

 “I need your number.” Pulling out your phone. But he had already opened the door. “Tom!” You hissed, leaning over to passenger’s seat. Barely in time to get a hold of his arm. “How can I find you?” The wind and rain washing into the car. You have to blink once or twice to keep the rain out of your eyes. “Tom?!”

 “T-Thank you for tonight, (Y/N).”

 "No! Tom!" Tears welling in the corner of your eyes. Awkwardly constrained by your seatbelt, struggling to get a firm grasp on his hand. "Don't do this!" Your fingers begin to lose their grip on his hand, the rain hitting you relentlessly. This sting of pain. You felt this moment before. Slowly slipping away from your fingers. "Not like this!"

 "I'm so sorry…" And with a tug, he pulls his arm free, slamming the door into your face.

 You scream from the top of your lungs. Tears rolling down your cheek, you fumble with the seatbelt. But it won't open. Tears cloud your vision, anger raging from deep within. Forcing you to watch him run through the rain towards that accursed alley. You let your fury loose on anything in range. Until you're deprived of energy. Resting your forehead against the steering wheel. Watching the tears fall from your cheeks. You lost.

 A knock on your window makes you jump. “G-Hello?” A thick accent calls out to you. Your eyes spot the contours of a man. His face closing in on the window. His features unpleasant to the eye, looking like a common fugitive. Not with the best intention. "You zhould not be ghere.”

 So many things raced through your mind. You could just mash the door against his burly, ugly set face. Giving you an advantage to whatever came next. But… What would you achieve with that?

You nod quickly and steer your car the way you came. Driving around mindlessly. Gaze fixated on the horizon.

 It’s been minutes, hours, and days. They’re as grueling as you could possibly imagine. Tormented by your own thoughts. How could you save Tom? You couldn't admit to yourself that you actually knew nothing. There's only a location. That's all.

 Taking a few days off only makes it worse. Sleep doesn’t come at all. Falling back on drinking makes no difference. It only forces out the anger. Until the tipping point of intoxicating takes over your senses.

 Until your eyes spot the flyer, you’re hands tremble as you gaze on the picture of Tom. In all fairness, there wasn’t even a name mentioned. Only a number, like a damn menu. You scramble for your phone, shaking with nervousness. It takes a moment for the number to connect, until you hear a lady’s voice call out the name of the business.

 “Ehm… Hello, I… want Tom, p-please." You stutter, sweat breaking out across your body. While your fingers play with the edges of the picture. Gaze stuck on the picture of Tom. It remains silent on the other end of the line.

 “He doesn’t work here.” That single comment makes your blood boil. The thought that some filthy businessman groping him was sickening.

 “I meant number 26.”

 “I don’t know either. Anyone else?”

 “JUST GIVE ME FUCKING TOM!” You scream from the top of your lungs. “How hard can it be!”

 "I'm afraid I can't help you, sir." And the line disconnects. You're fumingly mad. Realizing your failure.  Gritting your teeth, you barely able to control yourself. Your thoughts sink deeper, and deeper in desperation. You could pull each and every single hair out of your skull out of frustration. Kicking chairs over and destroying stuff didn't satisfy in any way. Only the pain halted you momentarily. This couldn't be the end. You wouldn't let it end this way. You can't.

 You can’t let him go.

  - - - - -

From around the corner, you watch the alleyway. It’s been days. You thought this through countless times. Overthinking is what they call it. Days on end. If Tom was there, you needed to take a shot. You have to do something. What else is there to live for anyway? That is one way to boost your morale you chuckle to yourself. You take one last sip from the bottle before putting in back in your car. Releasing a hiss as the strong liquor burns its way down your throat. In a weird way, it makes your head clearer. Calms the nerves. Brings peace to your mind. Boosts your confidence. If only for this moment. You double-check the surroundings. Everything's in place.

 With confidence in your step, you lock your car around the corner and make your way down the street. You straighten your collars before sheathing them in the pockets of your jacket.  It takes quite a few steps to get there. The man on the corner of the alleyway can’t help but notice you. Trying casually to walk towards you. And as you approach the man, you notice he’s definitely one size larger than you. It surely wasn't the man that warned you in your car. This one had a more pleasant and kinder look to him. "G-Hey you…" He nods at you. "You ghot businez here?” Speaking with the same Eastern European accent as the other.

 You halt in front of him. Taking a moment to answer him, trying to keep your nerves in check. While looking calm at the same time. “I’m here for this.” Revealing the flyer from your pocket. “Is the manager in?”

 “Da, but why zhould I let you through?”

 You sigh with discontent. Revealing a stack of money from your pocket. "Here." Handing him twenty or so bills. "Don't bother me anymore." And take the gamble by walking past him. You hear a whistle behind you. Just as you are about to turn into the dim-lit alleyway, another man halts you. An impressively large man. You weren’t small either. But he towered over you, by far.

 “Got any on ya?” Surprisingly, this man wasn’t Eastern European looking or sounding at all. Holding your hands up beside you, you shake no. But the man still searches you. Keeping an eye on you at all costs. Mumbling to himself a few things. "Follow me."

 Through the dark passage, you’re led towards a metal door. Only a dim light above it shows the entrance. The rest is barely visible. The man engages the locking mechanism and opens the door. Through a series of corridors and stairs, you get the impression of this operation. A series of rooms, followed by cells. Giving you an inside look of how dilapidated and horrifying the building actually is. Your worst nightmare just becomes a reality. It's beyond belief how Tom managed to survive in these conditions.

 You try to keep your gaze fixated on the man in front of you as you follow him. But you desperately hope to see Tom here somewhere. What if you don't get out of here… alive? You draw a deep breath and focus on what’s next. A sudden halt at a room, makes you jump a little. “In here.” Pointing inward to an older lady behind a desk. "Make your request." He grunts, crossing his arms as several other people in the room watching you enter.

 “How can I help you, sir?” The woman kindly asks you. You recognize her voice from the phone earlier this week.

 “Alright.” You say, unimpressed. “Cut the middleman.” Turning around to the large man. “Bring me to the manager.” His gaze far from friendly. From the corner of your eyes, you see the nearby, you guess guards, take a step closer. Some whispering to each other. As the large man takes a few steps towards you. Ending up so close to you, he’s literally looking down on you. The smell of smoke and sweat hinted at your nostrils. His warm, foul breath fanning onto your hair.

 “Why should we… little one?” He growled demeaningly. Not a smile in sight. “You walk into here with loads of cash, and demand to see the manager. What is so important you have that you need to see the manager?” Crackling his knuckles close to your face. His hands were large, fingers short but fatty. Stained by all kinds of things you rather wouldn’t know about. “For all I know, you were never here, to begin with…”

 “Excellent threat." You sniffle, revealing a stack from your pocket. As you do in the process, you hear guns being cocked. "Here." Stuffing the stack into his pocket. “Problem is, my burly friend…” You gaze up to him, forcing a grin on your face.  “I didn’t wander in here unprepared. You see, If I don’t return within… let’s say… the next two hours-…” Letting the moment sink in. Eyeing the people in the room. Everyone eager listening in on your little conversation. “-shits going down.”  

 “What did you call me?” His hand resting upon your shoulder, leaning down.

 “Do you call the shots for your boss?” You tilt your head slightly. Looking at him with a playful smile. “I don’t think he’ll appreciate the news I have regarding his ratline from Europe.”

 The man looks past you, nodding to the lady behind the desk. Returning his gaze to you.

 "Not willing to take the risk, hmmm?" You joke. Behind your back, you hear several whispers. The eyes of the man shot back and forth between the lady and you. Before pushing you down the hallway again. Again leading you through some corridors, down the staircase. Ending up in a luxurious room.

 Behind a desk sat a figure, so bulbous and fat, you’d never seen anything alike. Gold rings on his meaty fingers. The room decorated in some sort of Russian style. The left wall accommodating a series of monitors. Probably surveillance. But as you keep your eyes longer on the screens, you see the prostitutes. Man and women. You try to keep a straight face. “I heard interesting things about you, young man…” The blob of a man behind the desk mutters.

 “I always thought Russians started with a drink, before doing business.” Keeping a straight face.

 The flesh of its body bounces and flays around as it laughs loudly. Signaling the large man to pour the glasses. He couldn’t even do it himself anymore, his fat little arms limiting his movement. “Nasdrovia!” You both cheer and cling the glasses, chucking the content.

 “Let’s talk business.” The man says with a thick voice.

 "I have intel, concerning the safety of your cargo." You glance over to the guards. "Can we get the room to us.” Looking at the Russian for a confirmation.

 "Give him a minute." He waves at you with his fat fingers. "Continue." The large man that led you here hesitates. Keeping his eyes on you. "Go!" The Russian shouts again, waiting for the door to close.

 You take a deep breath. And focus on the conversation. The details are important. Focus.

“You need to relocate within the next… 24 hours.” Checking your watch. “They’re on to you.”

 “How do you know?” He burst out laughing. “Do you have any evidence? Because my business is at an all-time high. My man and woman are booked like never before. I even have a new shipment comin-”

 "Container #556121 on the SSE Georgia has been snitched." You say with a reassuring tone. "Go ahead. Tell me if I'm wrong." He has a distrusting look on his face, hesitant to believe you. But still goes ahead to unlock his drawer, revealing a sort of book and a laptop.

 Bluff. Neither the name of the ship or the number was anything close to what you were supposed to say. Through all the nerves, you just made something up. You just simply couldn't remember what the police told you. Your heart pounded in your chest. It's now or never. Everything depended on the next few minutes. On that little wire, you were carrying. The strength of your arms. Your will. And above all, the speed of the police. Your fingers tremble as you grab your watch. It's bound to happen at any moment.

 What happened next went so fast. It's all a blur. One distant gunshot set off a chain reaction. You jump over the desk as the door behind you swings open, blood splatters all across. The razor-thin wire detaches from your watch, and you swing it around the neck of the bulbous man. His fat little arms couldn’t reach around. Shielding behind his humongous chair and body, you restrain him. You watch the bullet impacts on the wall near you as the guard curses loudly. The fat man’s arms flap around.  “Tell me about Tom, you fat fuck!” You shout. “I need to know!” Tightening the wire. With your “Where is he!?” Bashing his head from behind. “WHERE IS HE?!”

 The man fights and struggles heavily, barely able to breathe—coughing and desperate for air. The giant oak chair the man sat in, shook and trembled on the floor by the man's panicking movements. Screeching back and forth. His spasming legs hit the desk to the floor. Sending loads of stuff flying. The man points his finger to the guard. “K-K-Kill T…Tom!” He gurgles to the guard. The words reach your ears moments later, processing what the man just said. You panic as the guards suddenly darts off, grabbing his phone.

 “Noooooo!” Storming off towards the door, fueled by rage. Blinded by anger. Falling over several items on the floor. You regain your footing and continue to run towards the door. Turning the corner without a second thought.

 A bright flash. A high pitched noise. A ringing in your ear. A wince of pain, tearing into you, forcing every thought out of your mind, paralyzing your body. Only by a deep groan. Your eyes are blurry, your vision doubles as you stagger on your feet. Trying to blink it away didn’t help. You feel the pain worsen. Deepen. Sharp pain lances at your abdomen. Another flash close by. Jerking your body around.  Excruciating pain. It all happens with such force. It sends you stumbling backward. Your hands reach for the doorpost, trying to remain afoot. Holding on for life. But strength ebbs away. Your limbs feel numb. Fingers shaking, losing its grip. Slumping down to the floor, onto your knees. Everything hurt. Sharp, deep, unstoppable pain. Each exhale of breath stings your insides. Chocking the breath from your lungs. Your vision blurs, slowly turning red—darkness pressing in.

 But it wasn’t your vision turning red. It’s the pool of crimson red blood forming under your hands. Warming your pale, cold hands, oozing from your wounds. Panic hits. You’re short of breath, experiencing extreme difficulty with breathing. The cold gripping you. Your words strangled by the welling of warm blood, filling your throat. “T-Tom…” You manage to bring out in faltering gasps. Draining the last bit of energy left in you. “T...o...m…” Before your arms give in. Your head slamming against the crimson tainted concrete.

 Then silence.

 Silence.

 …

 …

 ...

 Is death near?

 …

 …

 ...

 That ringing noise in your ear. Coming closer.  Your head felt heavy and painful. As you slowly regain consciousness. You blink a couple of times to readjust to the intense light blinding your eyes. After a moment, you notice the light that shines in your eyes are rays of sunlight. Your try uttering a few words. But your throat was as dry as the desert, and rough like sandpaper. Forcing out an awful cough. "Am... I in heaven?" Your voice sounding croaked and harsh. Followed by another coughing fit. Your lungs hurt. A sharp pain lancing in your chest. Contorting your insides. Everything hurts. Each movement you made, your bones and muscles ache in response.

 “Sir?” A calming voice of a woman called to you. “Sir, how are you feeling?”

 “Terrible.” You cough, struggling to breathe. “Where am I?”

 “The hospital.” A young woman in nursery clothing showed up in your field of view. “You’re in good hands.” Everything looked pale white. Painfully white to the eyes. “You’re going to be fine.”

You have difficulty in paying attention to her. Your vision doubles, sound dissipates. She was trying to say something, but you couldn’t follow it.

 “The man that saved you is here.” Shaking your arm. "Sir..." Trying to keep you from passing out. "Look.” Helping you up. Your eyes slowly adjusting to the light, taking in the room. Loads of flowers decorated the space. Accompanied by colorful cards on the wall. “He stayed by your side the moment you came in. We could-"

 Her words fall to deaf ears. You couldn't believe your eyes. Blinking repeatedly. You try to sharpen the image. The tears welling in your eyes, not helping a bit.

 “This is heaven.” You mumble. The woman stops and looks at you. Giggling at your comment. Sitting there beside you, resting his head against the side of your bed. Eyes shut, snoring softly with his coat wrapped around him. "T-To…m…"  You try to say, falling into a terrible cough.  

 He jumps a little in his seat by the touch of the nurse. Rubbing the sleepers from his eyes, taking a moment to gather his bearings. But that moment you make eye contact. “(Y/N)!” He cries out. You can’t believe your eyes.

 “It’s really you.” You cough while trying to sit up. Tears streaming freely down your cheeks. "T-Tom!"

 "I can't believe it!" He snickers. Diving onto you, his arms closing around you, sobbing against your neck. You remain like this for a while. Deep in his embrace. Tears, only tears. But tears of happiness. You couldn’t remember when you experienced those.

 “T-Tom…?” You’re afraid to ask but needed to know. “Is… is it over? Is it done? A-Are you free...?”

  “Yes…” He nods, wiping the tears from his eyes. "Yes, I am. You did it. It's over." Cupping your cheeks with both hands, kissing you like you never been before. Euphoria. Blessed. Relieved. You feel alive.

“I cried myself to sleep that night (Y/N). Thinking I would never see you again.”  

 You nod. "I felt so lost without you." Knowing precisely what he meant. "I was so scared, Tom. I… I… thought I… was d-dying." Your body shakes at the thought and recollection of that moment. "It all… happened-d… and… I… I… m-missed you… so m-m-much." The sobs turn into long wails of emotions running freely.

 "It's ok." His arms reach around you, hugging your fragile body close to him. Letting all the tears flow freely. Crying in each other’s arms. "We’re going to be fine.”

 You hold him close, not ever wanting him to go. Locking eyes with him again. The reality of him beside you was heartwarming. That wonderful smile. It filled you with joy and happiness. But the questions burned at the back of your mind. "The nurse said you were the one who saved me? How…?"

 "I found you..." Enveloping your hands in his, pressing kisses to your cold fingers. "-on the floor." His eyes turn red, the tears running down his cheek. Crying for a moment, before he continues.

"A-A-After I heard the first shots close by, everything went so fast. I... saw guards being shot, and I ran… I knew something was wrong. I heard more shots. And… that’s when I turned the corner… I found you..." He weeps. "One moment you were there…" His blood-red eyes look at you with terror. "-the other I realized you were… close to… d-dying in my arms."

 You can't help but kiss him, hold him close. Comfort him as he wailed softly.

"Poor thing." The tears rolling down your cheek. “It’s going to better from here on out. I promise, Tom. I promise you.”

 "I love you (Y/N)." He whispers. His watery eyes lock with yours. "I love you with all my heart."

[vgckwb]

P5R: Rebel Girl (A FeMC Story/P5R Rework) Chapter 24: Blooming Heroes

On Sunday, Ren was sitting in a booth working on some school work. Sojiro looked at her. “Whatchu up to?” he asked.

“I’m waiting for some friends,” Ren said. “Midterms are coming up, so I figure I’d better study a little.”

Sojiro smiled. “Well it’s nice to see you’re finding a balance.”

Ren didn’t seem amused. “Whatever. I’m just worried that if I don’t do well that’ll be enough for them to flunk me.” She continued to do problems.

“Heh. Fat chance” Sojiro said. Ren was surprised. “I won’t let them.”

“And they’ll take you for your word?” Ren asked.

“Well, I have connections,” Sojiro said. “Although, they can only go so far.”

“I see,” Ren said. She did a few more problems. “So.” Sojiro looked up. “You have connections, and you know people in prison.” Ren set her pencil down. “Just what kind of man are you?”

Sojiro smiled sharply. “If this were a date, I’d tell them ‘I’m one of a kind’. But it’s just a bunch of baggage from my old job.” He sighed.

“You know, if you’re looking to settle, that angle might work” Ren said. Sojiro’s interest was piqued. “‘Oh, I’m not looking for too much excitement. I’m just looking for a nice woman to settle down with.’ People will go for that.”

“Hm. Thanks kid, but I ain’t looking to settle” Sojiro said. “I’m not that kind of person.”

Ren was curious. “So, does that mean you’re actually batting for the other team?” she asked, half joking, half hoping to find some common ground between her and Sojiro.

“What? No” Sojiro said. “It’s just,” he sighed, “the woman I would have done that with… she’s no longer here…”

“Oh. I’m sorry” Ren said.

“It’s OK, you didn’t know,” Sojiro said. “Just more baggage from my old job.”

“You know, that could work for getting ladies too,” Ren added. “You could have them thinking ‘Oooo. He’s so mysterious.’”

“Heh” Sojiro sputtered. “I’ve been there before. Usually when a woman thinks you’re ‘mysterious’ they think it gives them permission to leave nail marks on your back.” Ren looked at Sojiro in disbelief. Sojiro’s face turned red. Ren was about to laugh. “F-Forget I said that!”

The bell rang, mercifully relieving Sojiro from continuing that conversation. “Hey,” Sumire said.

“Oh, hello,” Sojiro said. “Is it just her?” he asked Ren.

“No,” Ren said, hiking a quick blush at the thought of her and Sumire being alone together. “We’re waiting on a few more.”

“I see,” Sojiro said. “Well, have a seat.”

“Oh, thank you,” Sumire said.

“While we’re waiting, Sojiro was just telling me about the kinds of girls he dates,” Ren said.

“No I wasn’t!” Sojiro snapped back. Ren chuckled.

“Um, do you enjoy antagonizing people?” Sumire asked. Ren was shocked. She then felt guilty.

“I let her do it,” Sojiro chimed in. Both of them were surprised. “Partially because I feel I deserve it a little, but partially because she’s in a rough spot and needs to blow off some steam a little.”

“I see…” Sumire said.

“Thanks boss,” Ren said.

Ryuji and Ann walked in. “Sup” Ryuji said.

“Is this everyone?” Sojiro said.

Renn shook her head. “We’re waiting on one more.”

“We are?” Sumire asked. Ren, Ann, and Ryuji were shocked.

The bell rang out one more time. “Hello,” Jose said.

Sojiro was shocked. “Him?” Ren nodded. “But he’s a child?!”

“I may be” Jose said, “but I’m what you call a prodigy. I’m a first year at Kosei. I transferred in just now due to an error in the paperwork.”

Sojiro was befuddled, but everyone else was confused. Ren decided to pick up the ball and roll with it. “Yeah,” she said, gaining everyone’s attention. “He was feeling down about that yesterday when we ran into him. He wanted to do an art project to ease his nerves, so we agreed to help.”

“Um, yeah” Ann said. “It was so interesting to be working with someone like him.”

Sojiro glanced at them. “Heh. I’m impressed. If someone your age can get into Kosei, then you must be impressive.”

“Oh, it was nothing,” Jose said.

“Well then, shall we?” Ren said.

“Wait! Are we not doing this here?” Sumire said.

“Oh, no,” Ren said, slightly embarrassed. “I just wanted to meet here because I felt like it was easier for everyone.”

“Oh. I see” Sumire said. The group left to head towards the diner on Central Street.

Morgana popped out of the bag. “Thank goodness you came when you did. I didn’t want to have to hear more about Sojiro’s dating life.”

“Oh, you would have loved it,” Ren said.

“Wait, you were talking about that?” Ryuji asked.

“Um...Is it just me...or is the cat talking?” Sumire said.

Everyone except Jose was surprised. “Did you not know?” Jose said. “Mr. Morgana is a talking kitty.”

“‘Mr…. Morgana…’” Morgana repeated. He smiled. “I like that.”

“You were SO down on him yesterday,” Ryuji pointed out in disgust.

“AHEM!” Ann said, trying to get the conversation back on track. “That’s, um, one of the things that needs explanation” she began. “So, that other world we were in yesterday?” Sumire nodded. “Because you were in that world, you can hear Morgana speak. Otherwise, he sounds like a cat.”

“I see,” Sumire said.

“I’ll explain everyone once we get to the diner,” Ren said. They kept walking.

Once they made it to the diner, they grabbed a booth. They all placed an order, and were waiting.”Um, isn’t this place kind of public to be talking about all this?” Ryuji asked.

“We’re her because it’s public,” Ren explained. “If we don’t scream and shout, people will think it’s just a conversation among friends.”

“Ah. Gotcha” Ryujis said.

“So, while we’re waiting,” Ann said, “do you have any questions right off the bat Sumire?”

Sumire pondered for a second. “Well… I don’t know. There’s just so many things.”

“I see,” Ann said.

“That makes sense,” Ryuji said. “She got flung into this headfirst.”

“Hey” Ren said, placing her hand on Sumire’s. “I promised I would explain everything, so I will.” Sumire nodded. Their food came and they began eating. “This is going to be a lot to take in, are you ready?” Sumire nodded again. “OK.”

Ren took a deep breath. “So. That other world, the metaverse, is basically the collective human unconscious. That figure that had you trapped, Eris, took over that place in an attempt to sew chaos in the real world. For whatever reason, I’ve been tasked with stopping her.

Assisting me thus far, is this guy, Morgana, Ann, and Ryuji. Morgana was created to help me, while Ann and Ryuji stumbled upon this sort of like how you did. Are you with me so far?”

“I think so?” Sumire said. “You’re tasked with using the metaverse to stop that Eris person, and you’re getting help from Ann-senpai, Ryuji-senpai, and Morgana-senpai, right?”

“‘M-Mogana-senpai’” Morgana repeated gleefully.

“Correct,” Ren said. “You seem pretty quick on the uptake.”

“Well, I’ve seen it for myself,” Sumire said. “It’d sound hard to believe if I didn’t experience it first-hand.”

“Right,” Ren said, slightly embarrassed. “Anyways, the way we do this is by stealing desires.”

“Stealing desires…” Sumire repeated. “Wait, but that means-”

Ren nodded. “We are the Phantom Thieves.”

Sumre was taken aback. “Huh.”

“In order to help do that, we’ve been granted the ability of persona, like the one you summoned to break you from captivity” Ren continued. “We have to continue this fight to stop Eris.” Sumire looked worried. “But you don’t.” Sumire looked up. “Whatever you decide is fine. But can you promise not to tell anyone about us?”

Everyone else was shocked. Sumire thought about it. “Well, I promise I won’t say anything…” Everyone else looked at her. “But as for joining up… I’m going to need a bit more time to think about it.”

“And that's fine,” Ren assured her. “After what happened with you, anyone would be hesitant.”

“Well, you aren’t” Sumire pointed out to Ren's surprise. “You were framed for something you didn’t do. You were driven away from your home. You barely had time to process all of this before getting thrust into this mess, and you seem to be doing well enough.”

Ren was shocked. “Oh…”

“Sumire-chan?” Ann asked. “Do you think you have a good grasp of the situation for now?” Sumire nodded. “OK. We’re going to let you think for now. There’s something else we need to discuss. Jose?”

“Yes?” Jose responded.

“...Are you...actually going to Kosei now?” Ann asked.

“Yup” Jose answered.

“How’d you manage to swing that?” Ryuji asked.

“Well, I made up some documents that said I had applied and mad them think they didn’t register me in time” Jose said

“Woah! You faked documents?” Ryuji asked.

“Well, I’m not sure how ‘fake’ they are,” Ann said. “Considering that he’s not from this world.”

“I guess you have a point…” Ryuji said.

“But why Kosei?” Ann asked.

Jose smiled. “Well, I did some research.” He took out a phone. “I bought one of these and looked up a few things. Kosei is a school that offers free lodging to students. So I applied.”

“Wait, isn’t Kosei like an art school or something?” Ryuji asked. “What did you get in with?”

“Flower arranging,” Jose answered.

“I… guess that makes sense,” Ryuji responded.

“So, Jose, I’m assuming we can count on you to join up with the Phantom Thieves from now on?” Ann asked.

Jose nodded. “You’re helping me study humanity. The least I can do is help you with this.”

“Wait, study… humanity?” Sumire said.

“Oh yeah” Ann said. “You weren’t there. Jose isn’t technically human.”

“What?!” Sumire said.

“It’s true,” Jose said.

“I’m not either,” Morgana chimed in.

“Oh, but you’re a cat, right?” Sumire asked.

“I am not a cat!” Morgana said.

“Morgana just has the form of a cat” Ren added. “Much like how Jose has the form of a human.”

“I see,” Sumire said. “Question:” Everyone looked at her. “Does this metaverse thing have anything to do with Shiho-senpai trying to burn down the school?” Everyone was surprised. “It’s just, when she showed me around earlier, she seemed like a completely different person…”

Everyone was a little solemn. “Yeah” Ren answered. “That’s part of Eris’s plan. It’s kind of complicated. Basically what was happening is that some...thing named Yaldabaoth originally set everything up to impose high order. However, Eris defeated Yaldabaoth and converted their plan into her own.

People like Kamoshida have what are called palaces. Essentially, these are areas in the metaverse that are heavily distorted by the people that control them. These were part of Yaldabaoth's original plan.

What Eris is doing is she corrupts people who have an ax to grind with palace rulers so that they will kill them. And that’s what happened with Shiho, and that’s what will continue to happen. So we’re here to put a stop to it.” Ren finished. Sumire was speechless. “Are you OK?”

Sumire slammed her fist on the table. “Count me in!”

Ren was surprised. “Um, what?”

“You heard me!” Sumire insisted. She calmed down. “I’m sorry. It’s just… I did promise to help you after you all helped me out so much.”

Ren looked at her. “You don’t have to-”

“But I want to!” Sumire interjected. “If I’m going to be honest, I…” she gulped. “I wasn’t sure how I felt about the Phantom Thieves when the calling card was posted. I wasn’t sure about this forceful intervention. But I know what it feels like to be at your lowest. To feel so helpless that anything would seem like a good idea.”

Sumire grew determined. “So if that’s what you’re fighting, I want to fight that too! I want to help people because I’ve been there! I know how terrible it can be. I know that you can’t escape on your own. I want to be that light for others.”

Everyone was stunned at Sumire’s convictions. Ren spoke up. “Wow. I’ve gotta say, I’m impressed. If that’s the case, welcome to the team.”

“Oh, thanks,” Sumire said.

“Alright! Now we gotta think up codenames” Ryuji said.

“Codenames?” Sumire asked.

“Yeah” Ann added. “We do it because we don’t want to repeatedly yell our real names in the palaces of those we’re stealing from. Also, it’s kind of fun.”

“I see,” Suire said.

“So, what do you want your codename to be?” Ryuji asked.

“Oh! Um, what are all your codenames?” Sumire replied.

Ren smiled. “Ann is Panther, Morgana is Mona, Ryuji is Skull, and I am Joker.”

Sumire chuckled at Ren saying her codename with gravitas. “How fitting. Oh, but what about Jose?”

“Oh, I don’t have one yet,” Jose answered.

“Yeah, we just found him yesterday,” Ann explained.

“Does he need one?” Ryuji asked. “I mean, we did kind of find him in Mementos.”

“Yeah, but if he’s going to go to Kosei, people will know of him,” Ren explained.

“Besides, I have a codename, and most people think of me as a cat” Morgana interjected.

“Right,” Ryuji said. “Sorry.”

“It’s fine Ryuji,” Jose said. “I can see why you would ask that. But as for a codename, hmmm.”

“What about Florist?” Ryuji asked.

“Mmmmm, I don’t think it fits,” Jose said. “It’s too technical.”

“I like flowers as a motif for you though,” Ann said.

“I guess, but the flowers were just a means to an end” Jose explained. “Personally, I’d like something more themed around light.”

“Light?” Ann asked.

Jose nodded. “I’m wishing to find the light of the truth. I want something that incorporates that.”

“Why not both?” Ren said. “Since flowers need the light of the sun to grow, how about Sunshine?”

“Sunshine, huh…” Jose pondered. “I like it!”

“Alright! Let’s go Sunshine!” Ryuji said.

“So, do you have any ideas Sumire?” Ann asked.

Sumire thought. “Well...a codename feels like I’m hiding my identity.”

“It… Is?” Ryuji said, confused.

“But after living as my sister, I don’t want to hide who I am anymore,” Sumire explained.

“Oh. Right. Sorry” Ryuji apologized.

“I think that’s fine,” Ren said. Everyone was surprised. “We could just call you Violet.”

“Violet?” Sumire said.

“Of course!” Ann said. “Violet is Sumire in English!”

“Violet” Sumire repeated. She smiled. “I like that. A lot.”

“Alright!” Ryuji said. “Now that that’s settled, what now?”

“Well, we need to look into that name Nakanohara gave us,” Morgan reminded them. “Madarame.”

“Right,” Ryuji said.

“Something else has been bugging me too,” Ren said.

“What is it?” Ann asked.

“Well…” Ren began. “When Eris left us yesterday, she said that the chaos she’s sewing will save humanity.”

“Yeah?” Ann said

“But those shadows that tried to stop Jose,” Ren continued, “they seemed like the chaos that was happening would doom humanity.”

“Really?” Ann said.

“So, what does that mean?” Ryuji asked.

“I’m not sure,” Ren said. “It seemed odd, so I thought I would bring it up.”

“So, we have to figure out if that means anything,” Morgana said. He smiled. “Sounds interesting.”

“Oh, right,” Ryuji said. “We should add Sumire and Jose to the group chat.”

“Right,” Sumire said, a little flustered. They all got out their phones and exchanged contact information.

“Alright. Now if we have anything, we can tell each other right away!” Ryuji said. “Now let’s hunt for this Madarame character.”

“Wait!” Sumire blurted. “Um, aren’t midterms coming up?”

Ren smiled. “You’re right. Maybe the best thing to do for now is lay low and focus on that.”

“But...thieving…” Ryuji said.

“Ren’s right. You can't be a thief if you're being punished for not doing well on your exams” Morgana chided.

Ryuji was silent for a moment. “Ugh, FINE! I guess I need to go study.”

“Yeah, I think we all should,” Ann said. “Especially you Ryuji.”

“Look who’s talking!” Ryuji sniped back. “The only thing you’re good at is English!”

“That’s better than not being good at anything!” Ann retorted. She and Ryuji grrred at each other.

“So, I think the plan is clear,” Ren said, trying to get some form of order in this. “Focus on midterms for now, then investigate Madarame. Got that?” Everyone nodded. “Good. I think we can do this.”

“Hell yeah!” Ryuji said. “After all, we have two new members on our side!”

“Right!” Sumire said with enthusiasm.

“Sumire,” Ren said. “Are you absolutely sure you want to do this?”

“Of course!” Sumire said.

Ren sighed. “Very well. Welcome aboard Violet. Sunshine.” Everyone nodded.

Fool-The Phantom Thieves: Rank 3

The thieves finished their food and left for their homes.

Ren walked into Leblanc. “Must have been a fun day” Sojiro commented.

“Mm hm” Ren nodded.

“Heh” Sojiro grunted back. He got a little more serious. “You know, even though you didn’t hit that guy, I still think Tokyo might be a better fit for you than your hometown.

Ren was confused. “What do you mean?”

“Oh, well, uh…” Sojiro said. “Your parents gave me a description of you to help me be a better adult for you”

Ren was now curious. “What did they say?”

Sojiro thought for a moment. “Hmmmmm. Well, they told me you were kind of aloof. Disinterested in the world around you. You didn’t seem to like people and kept them at bay. But that seems different from the young lady standing before me. She’s outgoing, sociable, and making friends, even in the unlikeliest of places.”

“I see,” Ren said. I guess I was like that. No one wanted to be my friend or even liked me all that much. So I guess I put on a facade. She looked around Leblanc. I guess what they say is true. Every cloud has a silver lining.

“You know,” Sojiro began, capturing Ren’s attention once more, “this doesn’t just have to be a temporary thing. If you want, I could call your parents and make arrangements to have you stay permanently.”

Ren smiled. “I’ll think about it.”

“Well, it’s your call,” Sojiro said. “I’m gonna head out for the night. Take care.”

“Seeya” Ren said as Sojiro left. Her smile left her face. She then got a message and checked it immediately.

Sumire: Hey everyone.

Ann: What’s up?

Sumire: ...

Sumire: I wasn’t entirely honest with you all.

Ryuji: ??

Ryuji: How so?

Sumire: Well…

Sumire: I do want to help people

Sumre: But I’m also doing this to help myself.

Ren: ??

Sumire: See, I think I haven’t found as much of myself as I thought I had.

Sumire: And I feel like I’m at my best when I’m with you all.

Sumire: Sorry for being so self-indulgent.

Ann: Sumire…

Jose: What’s wrong with that?

Jose: I’m helping the team out of my own self-interest too.

Ryuji: You could have phrased that better dude.

Sumre: Actually, I think I needed that.

Ryuji: Huh?

Sumire: That sort of blunt approach really shook me out of it.

Sumire: I’m feeling better about this

Sumire: Thank you Jose.

Jose: You’re welcome.

Ann: Well, I guess that works.

Ann: But maybe we need to work on that.

Ryuji: Yeah, it’s not an approach that would work with everyone.

Ren: …

Ann: ??

Ann: What’s on your mind?

Ren: Well, I was just thinking…

Ren: Would any of you be my friend if none of this had happened?

Jose: No, but then again, I wouldn’t know you, so the point is kind of moot.

Sumire: OF COURSE I WOULD!

Sumire: Sorry. Sorry.

Sumire: But I would. Yeah.

Sumire: You helped me out when you had no need to.

Sumire: I didn’t even know about all of this stuff until yesterday.

Sumire: So yes.

Ryuji: Wow.

Ryuji: That’s a lot.

Ryuji: But to answer your question, maybe.

Ann: Maybe?

Ryuji: Well, you and her were so buddy buddy.

Ryuji: And we were both still caught up in Kamoshida’s bullshit.

Ann: Right…

Ryuji: But if Kamoshida wasn’t being a piece of shit, then I’d say so.

Ann: I think we’d be friends too.

Ann: You’re very real, and when you’re someone like me, that can be hard to come by.

Jose: I think I’m starting to understand something.

Ren: ??

Jose: You are all kind of similar.

Jose: Which I think is what draws you together.

Jose: The metaverse only served to accelerate this connection.

Ren: Thanks Jose.

Jose: You’re welcome.

Jose: I have to go to bed now.

Jose: I don’t want to be late for my first day.

Sumire: Goodnight Jose.

Ann: I should go too.

Ann: Goodnight.

Ryuji: Same.

Ryuji: G’night everyone.

Ren: Good night.

Ren stood there and smiled at the conversation. “Well well” Eris said. Ren looked up to find the cloaked figure sitting at a booth. “You all compliment each other. How sweet.”

Ren sat down across from her. “What do you want?”

“What, no banter?” Eris asked. “I just came by because I felt some chaos in your heart is all. I want to make sure you’re feeling alright. Or not, and you’d join me.”

“I’m doing just fine,” Ren said. “It’s just a bit of growing pains.”

“Does it usually take the form of chaos?” Eris asked.

“Sometimes” Ren answered. “Life can’t be perfect. It’s how we deal with it that makes us who we are.”

“I see…” Eris said. “And you’d rather deal with it the right way? Why not go hog wild and let your inner beast out?”

Ren paused for a moment. “I don’t want to hurt anyone. If I think only for myself, then I’m no better than the type of people who despise me.”

“What’s that going to get you?” Eris asked. “A handful of friends? A little bit of self-satisfaction? People will still despise you. People will still not respect you. Why not go crazy and MAKE them respect you?”

Ren smiled. “It’s simple. I don’t care.” Eris was shocked. “People can do what they like. As long as I have people I can trust, I don’t care.” Eris was seething. “By the way, maybe you should take some of your own advice.” Eris was curious. “You go on and on about how diving the world into chaos will make everything better for humanity, but some of your shadow friends would beg to differ.”

“Are you saying that those lovely shadows would go against me?!” Eris asked.

“Nope. They’re saying that” Ren replied calmly. Eris was fuming. “And now you see the effectiveness of my approach.” Eris stopped. “Pure chaos can help, but a controlled chaos can be useful too.”

“Oh. I see. You were just trying to teach me a lesson” Eris said. She began laughing. “Of course my lovlies wouldn’t do anything to go against me.”

“Um, no,” Ren said. “They really did say that.”

Eris stopped laughing. “Listen. I have full confidence that my chaos will win you over.”

“And I have full confidence otherwise,” Ren retorted.

“Well, I guess we’ll know who'll win in the end” Eris said.

“Maybe” Ren said. “Or you could surrender now.”

“HA!” Eris said. “I’m not through with you yet! Not by a long shot!”

Hunger-Eris: Rank 2

“Seeya” Eris said. She faded out. Ren started, shrugged, and headed upstairs.

After she put her pajamas on and got into bed Morgana chimed in. “Hey. Like Jose said, we probably wouldn’t have met under normal circumstances. But I think if I were to exist in some way, I think we’d be friends.”

Ren smiled. “Thanks Morgana.” She scratched his chin. Morgana started to pur. “Oh my GOSH YOU’RE PURRING!” She grabbed Morgana and started cuddling him. “You're just the sweetest thing.”

“AK! OK. Can you let me go now?” Morgana asked.

“Yeah,” Ren said. But she didn’t let go. She fell asleep.

Morgana looked at her sleeping face. He considered the fact that he was trapped in her hug. “Well, I suppose there are worse things.” He yawned and promptly fell asleep as well.

[knifehecker]

undertale day [long post]

it’s the 15th!! happy 4th birthday undertale!!! normally i try to do a little art or something but this year i decided to do something a little different. there’s a lot of content that’s become core tenets of my experience with the fandom -- changed the way i thought about the characters, how i engage with the fandom, opened my eyes to new ways of writing -- and i thought it’d be neat to compile some of those into one post to share with other people. so without further ado!!!

40-minute Deltarune Piano Medley - FaceImplosion [MUSIC]

ok, i know this is deltarune and not undertale, but this medley incorporates songs from both games so i’m gonna say it counts. and honestly, i could say a LOT about this piece!! i’ve watched and listened to a lot of ut/dr medleys, and this has to be the most lovingly crafted of its type that i’ve ever seen. Ever. a lot of care has been put into the order and combination of the songs (some funny, some sad, some mindblowing, ALL amazing) and the art is so good that every time i listen i find myself watching along. there’s a lot of easter eggs, especially for the attentive listener/watcher, and this medley deserves far more than the 6k views it’s gotten so far.

Undertale Album Project - Various Artists [MUSIC]

Songs From Mt Ebott is a collaborative album project that contains dozens of tracks from a score of different artists. i have a lot of favorite tracks from this album, not to mention the individual track art created for each, and if you’ve never heard of this project before, i really recommend giving it a listen! (FaceImplosion also did a piano track for this album, by the way, which i’m linking separately because it’s one of my aforementioned favorites.)

Chara - tigerblossom [MUSIC]

im not gonna lie. this was my favorite piece of fan music for a long time. it’s a medley mashing a few different songs together, short and sweet, but it comes together in such an incredibly heartfelt way at the end that whenever i end up listening to it i find myself wishing the track was about five minutes longer. they also have an underfell version of your best friend that i recommend giving a listen!

Photographs - FuriousPoplar [FIC]

in terms of “post-paci everyone lives au”s, there’s been a lot of ground covered by a lot of different people, and after a while the concept feels almost a bit...same-y? but this fic covers a sorely-needed conversation between an alive chara and asriel in a way that i’ve never seen approached by anyone else before. it’s cathartic, it’s extremely well written, and it doesn’t shy away from the ugly sides of trauma and recovery, which is so greatly appreciated. it also hit me...REALLY hard, which i think is a testament to how amazing this piece is.

Turn Back - foxsgloves [FIC]

i read this one pretty early on in my time in this fandom, and it’s continued to influence me long after. the premise: frisk keeps loading over the brief time asriel has his body in the epilogue, and simply spends time with him as they both prepare to move on towards the end. it’s sad. it’s cute. it’s amazing. it’s something i go back to reread sometimes late at night when i want to reread something friendly and familiar and a little sad. and its been one of my favorites ever since i read it.

You Wear Your Grief Like a Badge - Draikinator [FIC SERIES]

how do you even TALK about ywyglb? do i talk about nate’s impeccable voice in their writing? how true to character they are with the kids? how they set the scene of a post-pacifist world still shaking with the echoes of the past? the series starts with flowey taking frisk’s soul captive while chara and sans form an uneasy alliance in order to get them back, and then spirals into a tense, sweet, funny, awful, heartbreaking experience that reshaped how i viewed the boundaries of my own writing. draikinator’s writing has been and continues to be a huge inspiration to me, and i heartily recommend giving any of their stuff a try.

A Numbered List of Things That Aren't as Badass as They Sound (ex. Monsters, Suicide, Burning in Hell) - rosyy [FIC]

a brief glimpse into chara and asriel just before It Happens, While It Happens, When It Happens. the prose here is the sort of flowery delirious feverdream you’d expect from a kid dying of buttercup poisoning, and i love it to bits. i also want to mention a dr who crossover by the same author, because it has kris as the doctor and frisk as the stray they adopt, and its also the perfect antidote to the angst the first fic provides.

Risen Up (or, Of Fallen Children and Mountain Kin) - paradoxpangolin [FIC]

oh jeezums, how do i even start with this one? post-paci, frisk comes to the conclusion that the best way to ease the tensions between human and monsterkind is to put on a musical about their time in the underground!!!!.....except this leads to its own host of complications, and things get a bit Messy. this fic hasn’t updated in a bit, but it contains so much in its 140k of already published writing that i feel the need to urge you to read it anyway. i’m really partial to autistic frisks, and this fic has what’s got to be my favorite portrayal of that in ... probably the entire fandom? honestly, most (if not all) of the characters in this fic are autist, and it’s just. very good. i love.

you’re like a mirror, reflecting me - batterytriplicate [FIC]

a daemon au exploring what frisk and chara’s journeys might have been like with the extra distinction between monster dust and daemon dust. i completely forgot about this fic until i was trawling through my ao3 history for this post, and i’m really really glad i found it again. i think i was in the middle of trying to figure out this exact au when i first found this fic, and it did everything i was thinking of (and more) so much better that i felt more than content leaving it at that. so if you like his dark materials and want to see a fantastic little daemon au, give this a shot!

soulless-pacifist - vsemily [ASK BLOG]

soulless-pacifist..... if you’ve never heard of this askblog, you’re in for a treat. i wasn’t with it from the very beginning, but i started reading towards the  middle of its main story arc and stuck with it to the end, and suffice it to say, it has to be my favorite fandom askblog to date, purely for how well its written, how well its drawn, and how it’s one of the....only askblogs i’ve ever seen come not only to a FULL conclusion, but to a satisfying one! the mun also worked with a programmer to create a fangame for its final arc, which is so above and beyond that im still kind of in disbelief. in short: this askblog followed frisk and their passenger after the events of a soulless pacifist route, and continues on with them as they grow together and find their place with a whole host of twist and turns in store.                also, memes.

Shine your light with me, chase all the dark away - FancifulRivers [FIC]

this au follows frisk and chara after the events of the game. unlike most post-paci runs, though, chara has their own body back, while they and frisk are hiding back in mt ebott after the monsters have left to avoid the complications of being runaways and also.... incredible guilt and trauma. things don’t really work out like that, though, and i really recommend this read. fancifulrivers has also been an incredibly prolific writer who’s uploaded a lot of really good ut fics, so this is a great starting point to jump off of for their other stuff!

repercussions - proximally [FIC]

this fic... i think this one fic is the one that’s impacted me the most during my early days of this fandom. it’s short, and sad, and is a twist on the soulless pacifist ending that i was left thinking about literally for months after i first read it. instead of saying any more and risking spoiling it, i’ll just leave the author’s desc:  “You made a mistake, and you pay for it with your life. “

The Great Boondoggle - Masu_Trout [FIC]

the premise of this fic is pretty simple. post paci, frisk is walking home. they come across a Bad Guy. hijinks ensue. but what sets apart this fic from others for me is the way frisk is written here. when this fic was published in early 2016, most frisks i came across were the...sweet harmless woobies that were pretty typical from the fandom. this is one of the first frisks i came across that was kind of mean, and a little cold, and had very obviously had a long upward climb to being the sort of person who chose mercy instead of fight. this portrayal is a lot more common nowadays, which i’m super grateful for, but since this is one of the first fics i came across that really nailed this portrayal, i felt i should leave this here. i also recommend their pokemon/ut au, which is toriel and frisk centric and i also love to bits.

and....well, i was gonna say “that’s it”, but i honestly had to cut quite a few things from this list to keep it from stretching the dash too much. there’s been a lot of incredible content created by this fandom over the years, and this is by no means a comprehensive list of my favorites. but these are some of the ones that impacted me in a really special way, and if you were kind enough to check them out and maybe even liked them, please consider leaving a kind comment for the creator! if you’re the author of one of these pieces reading this right now: thank you so much! im looking forward to finding even more favorites in this year and the next.

[ladybugg1235]

Collision

Part 1 ( teaser)

A little thorin x human reader teaser im trying out if it does well Ill add more in parts i haves a few ideas where it's gonna go I may change it a bits in parts depending how well it does i did had a beginning before this part but I thought i try this first to test out it's bit short sorry about any mistakes punctuations ect still perfecting my writing😳 i hope y'all like ❤let me know what y'all think:)

"We few have survived and I thought to myself then there is one I can follow there is one I can call king" as balins words lingered I, the air as thorin turned back to the dwarfs each one standing with a looks of admiration. "

All was quite the clouds started to swirl taking shape of a big moving circle.

At that moment a strong gust of wind blew through the camp knocking thorin on his back followed by a loud massive boom. Mist covered the earth floor of the camp.

Then silence

Slightly delirious the company stood up trying to access what just happened all seem normal until they looked to their leader.

Thorin still on his back felt a slight weight on top of him he slowly opened his eyes, shock was an understatement

No he couldn't believe what he was seeing for first time Thorin Oakenshield was left speechless and completely unable to move.

You slowly lifted your head a bit dizzy and disoriented as you opened your eyes memories began to come focused

The shop

The crazy witch lady

The northern light stone.

This was real? that crazy chick was right.

Now Here you were staring into the Beautiful eyes of thorin oakenshield.

"Thorin ???" "It's really you? "I can't believe this is happening" you sat up with a tiny squeal bouncing on him a bit in the process "This amazing!!!"

"I can't believe this I'm in middle earth she was right !!" oddly he continued to stare as if captivated but you were much to in awe and utter disbelief .

Missing the awkward and bizarre stares( or lack of) from the company.

"Woo wee I'm a bit dizzy I feel like I had 4 glasses of wine ..weird..." You looked back at thorin Finnally taking notice of his silence.

"Are you ok ? Oh God i think I broke him". "Is he ok ?" Looking to the company only getting silence and avoided glances.

Gee thanks for the help guys

You leaned in closer.. Good god he's beautiful and smells lovely ..Y/n not right now focus.

Thorin's eyes started to dialate moving from your e/c eyes then down then quickly back Clearing his throat a bit a slight blush tinting his cheeks.

Why on earth is thorin Oakenshield blushing ?

Why is the company looking at me like that. Or more likely looking at everything but me?

Looking down it all came crashing down you were straddling thorin oakenshield stark naked.

Yes... let that image simmer a bit.

you quickly went to get up only to be hit by another wave of lightheadedness causing you to fall back on top of him "I'm so sorry " he grunted in response you bit your lip.

Oh Lord even his grunts are sexy

In that moment Gandalf took the initiative to fix this awkward situation (gotta love the guy really.) Apparently everyone's to in shock to even address this ...situation.

He lend a hand and brought you to your feet placing an old cloak around you all the while the dwarves avoiding looking in your direction.

Great ... You thought what a good first impression how on earth am i gonna fix this . That cheeky witch... I have a feeling she did that on purpose looking up in the sky with a shit look on your face all the while hearing an high pitch cackle of said witch echoed in the air.

For real lady ?? You sound like a hyena just saying

You sighed pulling the cloak closer feeling the need to sit down hoping that whatever the effects from being sent here will pass.

As you gain some form of composure you looked up seeing 15 set of curious eyes looking at you expectantly.

Thorin slowly approached you looking more collected his eyes access you from head to toe his hard but curious stair making you feel A bit small and maybe a bit flustered.

"Who are you"

Sigh it's gonna be a long night...

To be continued...

@fizzyxcustard @thewarriorandtheking

@burningcoffeetimetravel @ladyoakenshield. @thorinoakenshieldconfessions @thorinanddwalinsdwarrowdam @keepalydsonit. @angela331 @the-durin-boys @emrfangirl @thatdamndwarf @ithilwen-lionheart

and alot more i missed hard to add on phone 😳

[lettersofsky]

An Agreement

Ok, so I have two characters that I’ve been fleshing out and developing on their own and decided to try writing them together as they’re supposed to be for once! So I wrote something to try playing around with the two of them and another of my characters in a fun little thing to actually get myself back into writing. Especially to make myself try to describe characters more as I write them which I’m pretty awful at XD

Mihal, Duelek and Orrin are all mine This is a kind of mythical creature/monster au of sorts! Mihal and Duelek are both kinda finned snake people things. Enjoy!

Ko-Fi

~

“Ya shouldn’ta bothered with ‘im.”

“He needed help though.”

“Ain’t no problem a ours none.”

“I be known but still… ain’t wanted ta leave him out there like that.”

“Woulda been his own fault.”

Orrin groaned, alerting the two arguing voices to the fact that he was returning to consciousness from the empty darkness of rest accompanied by a vicious pounding in his skull. He lifted his hand to his glass-covered clenched shut eyes, trying to further shade and protect them from the weak spring sun above him trying to pierce into his skull aided by the lenses that usually assisted him in the task of perceiving the world around him, only to find his path blocked by a different pair of hands, cold and wet and… off in a way he couldn’t quite make sense of.

“Ya real shouldn’t be touchin ‘im.”

“Hush yaself,” the snap was soft, distracted and from somewhere directly over Orrin’s face, contrasting the rougher voice that sounded a bit further away. Then there’s an odd cooing accompanied by the feeling of thumbs rubbing the skin of his cheeks, nails of some kind as well. “He’s needin help, we should be givin it.”

“I tried.”

“I said hush,” a sharp edge entered the voice above his head and Orrin flinched ever so slightly, drawing attention back to himself and a shadow over his face. “Ya alright?”

“I… do not believe so,” he groaned again, blue eyes squinting open so he could see exactly who was above him. “My head feels—” He cut himself off as the individual shading him from the shadow over his face came into focus.

A human face, skin dark in colour than Orrin himself was, if not for the purple scales lining it, settled around eyes that were dark and empty similar to that of a snake and fanning across sharp cheeks and their forehead leading into long, dark brown water-soaked curls. There were a set of fins to either side of the face above him, fluttering and fanning out in rapidly increasing motions.

This certainly wasn’t a human.

The creature drew it’s hands back towards itself at Orrin’s silence and inspection, curved fangs biting into it’s bottom lip as Orrin looked to them itself of the face over his. While humanoid at a glance it was obviously that instead of fingers it had claws, each one ended in a chipped nail far longer than any Orrin had ever seen before and covered completely in scales in every shade of purple from the elbow to the joint of it’s fingers.

“Told ya ya was better off leavin ‘im be.” The voice comes from somewhere behind the individual over Orrin and it turns back to hiss at the other voice, a short, low sound reminiscent of an annoyed or irritated snake.

“Shut up!” The fins on the side of it’s head flared out in a striking contrast of colour against the darkness of it’s hair. “S’just a little scared, s’all.”

“Scared and gonna tell people ‘bout this shit.” The other shot back, sounding much calmer than there was any right to be whilst implying that it was better to dispose of Orrin than not.

“If I could interject,” Orrin spoke around a pained noise as he forced himself to sit up, finally getting a better look at the first individual as well as his first on the other in the scenario, carefully pushing himself back from their proximity ever so slightly. The other was very similar to the first, if a bit sharper in it’s face and the sharp line of it’s shoulders, or what Orrin could see of them from where it was reclining on the shore of the nearby lake, arms folded and chin resting upon them. It’s hair was shorter than the first’s as well and closer to a black than the deep brown of the other. Both of them had long tails where their waist and legs should have been, bright scales glittering and shifting in colour tone before his eyes as they twitched and shifted gently, tipped with a pair of fins similar to those at the side of their heads.

Wholly inhuman and nothing Orrin should have ever involved himself with. Though how he had come to do so was a mystery to him.

“I will not—”

“Nah.”

“Excuse me?”

It was the other one that had spoken and cut him off, chin rested on scaled claws, nails scoring into the wet soil at the edge of the lake. It’s eyes were half-lidded, hair fallen into it’s face and remaining stuck there in clumps of water-soaked strands. It rolled empty eyes at him, lips pulling back just enough to show off rows of needle-sharp teeth.

“Ain’t caring ‘bout whatever ya have ta ‘interject’ with,” it said, tail moving lazily in the water, a blur of formless purple. It’s lips pulled back further, baring more of it’s teeth and the stark white of it’s gums. “So shut yaself ‘fore I drag ya back under.”

“… that is incredibly rude of you.”

It’s all Orrin can really think in that moment and it’s far from what he wanted to say to the thing that was threatening him. It seemed that the two of them weren’t expecting to hear anything like that either if they way they both turned to stare at him in question was to go by, fins fluttering and head tilted similarly to a dog’s.

“Tryin ta be amusin ain’t helpin ya much.”

“We can’t just be makin threats afta savin ‘im!”

“I can,” the farther one dropped further back from the inquisitive lift it’d taken up at Orrin’s words, placing it’s chin back onto it’s folded arms, peering at Orrin from the corner of it’s eye, face turned towards the other. “I didn’t save ‘im.”

“Ya can’t—!”

“What if I swear myself to silence?” Orrin questioned, cutting off the softer of the two off as he felt that things were taking a turn for the dangerous. “Swear to not saying anything about either of you to anyone? Would that be enough?”

“Shake on it.”

“He doesn’t need ta—”

“He does.” The words rung with finality and Orrin felt his heart freeze in his chest, unsure of wht exactly what the rougher of the two was suggesting entailed but not sure he liked it either way. “If he don’t then Imma drag ‘im back down. No matta what ya want.”

“But…”

“I will do it. I will shake on it.”

The two creatures turn back to him, the sharper looking pleased with his decision while the other’s face fell. His decision made Orrin chose to focus on the sharper of the two, meeting half-lidded eyes as levelly as he was able.

“Good. Go on bro, he’s wantin ta make the deal.”

The softer of the two looks between Orrin and the other, fins fluttering before they pressed close to its skull and it turned back to Orrin, face turned towards its own hands.

“Ok.” It breathed, tail stretching out as it shifted closer to Orrin, offering it’s claw towards him. “Promise not ta be speakin’ ‘bout us ta no other and shake.”

Orrin hesitated a moment, just a moment as he looked at the outstretched hand, offering his own when he heard the noticeable sound of water moving and taking it, the tone of his own skin a lighter contrast to the creature’s own.

There’s a sting, a bite where the tips of its nails sink shallow indents into Orrin’s skin, his eyes move away from the one watching the proceeding to see something like ink curl from the indents into a band at his wrist, cleanly encircling the flesh in a brand that would lead to nothing but question.

“Is that all?” That didn’t really seem to have much of any kind of purpose really, aside from the ink on his wrist that the creature holding his hand had raised his captive arm towards its face to inspect.

“S’alright,” there was an air of contentedness about the onlooker’s voice as Orrin’s hand was releasing, the creature stretching it’s torso out on the edge of the lake in a lazy sprawl. “Ain’t gone be able ta get ta chatterin with that, free ta do what ya want now.”

Orrin blinked, opened his mouth to say something only to stop as the one closest to him spoke up. “So he can stay, yeah?”

“What?” “Excuse me?”

It wilts a bit at both of their attention focused onto it, shoulders hunching up closer to the fins pressed tight to the side of it’s skull once more, voice losing volume and becoming shaky as it continued. “Iffin… Iffin he wants a course… ya said he could do whatever he wants now that he’s…” it trails off into mumbling that Orrin can’t catch and catch be sure that the onlooker didn’t.

“… suppose yeah.” Orrin’s attention snapped back to the onlooking creature who seemed uninterested in the situation once more, inspecting the nails of it’s own claws with a languid pace. “Iffin he be wantin’ ta.”

Remaining here for any length of extended time did not really sound too appealing to him, but saying so outright might be rude and he didn’t know how either would take such an abrupt and clear dismissal of his continued presence on their lakefront.

Even more so when the softer of the two turned back to him, a gleam in it’s eye and small, hopeful smile on it’s face. “Mayhaps… ya could stay a bit? S’not… S;probably s’not real good ta move too soon, yeah? Ya should stay here a bit and rest, yeah?”

“I think I should leave.”

It’s smile drops and its fins droop, arms crossing over it’s torso as blank eyes turned away from Orrin to focus on some point at the ground.

“Oh.”

“Lookit you bein all heartbreakin afta he saved ya ass, rude.”

“I am completely soaked,” Orrin continued, ignoring the cold near snarl from the water. “I more than likely have an untreated concussion and I need to go be looked over and change before I freeze to death.”

The closest of the two perks up at his words, brows furrowing and mouth twisting as it splayed it’s claws out towards him, missing Orrin’s flinch even if the further of the two creature’s didn’t, motioning him off with small, quick motions. “Ya right! Ya warm blooded ones get cold and sick from the water, ya should go, it’s bein for the best.”

“Ya just—”

“It’s for the best.” It repeats, tail stretching out more from the curl of it Orrin had yet to notice as it pressed closer towards him, putting it’s face only a scant few inches from Orrin’s own as if to inspect him better. “Ain’t wantin ta waste hard work by ya gettin sick on us, yeah? Then ya really wouldn’t come back.” It chuckles the last little add-on but it rings hollow and aching, accompanied by it’s fins fluttering and flaring away from the side of it’s head.

Orrin looked between it and the other, teeth biting into his bottom lip and considering what to do now. It would be simply enough to take the opportunity granted and leave, escape and never come back. It wasn’t as if these creatures could really come and track him down, at least he certainly hoped they wouldn’t, whatever they were.

He was free to go, free to stand up and leave the lakefront and never look back on or think about it again. It was so easy to do.

“I will… try to return when I am… able to stay longer.” Or perhaps he could put his foot into his mouth and give another promise to these creatures, as if the first hadn’t been enough to cement how awful an idea it was to do so into his head.

It brightens up the creature in front of him though and it grins at him, showing off the odd backwards curve of it’s teeth towards the back of it’s own throat.

“Then we’ll be waitin ta see ya again!” It pauses, brow furrowing at Orrin. “Ain’t real knowin’ what ta call ya.”

“Orrin,” he doesn’t mention anything about his last name and that seems to be more than enough for the creature to return to grinning at him.

“Orrin.” It repeats, the name sounding a little off on it’s vocals. “Ya can call us Mihal and Duelek, yeah? For next time.”

“I will… keep those in mind for when I return.”

[vixenfur]

Tag at least 5 people you love and give a few words on why!

OH MY GOODNESS!!!

Since there was so much BS in the fandom today, time to share some love! :)

- @zeta-jane is an absolute godsend of a friend. They are sassy, funny, talkative, energetic and so full of amazing ideas!!! Zeta is always there for me when I need someone to lean on. They’re such a kind friend and they will not hesitate, baitch to fight people who hurt me- probably because they know I’d do the same for them! They’re such good company both online and IRL, and I am blessed to have met them! I am even more blessed to be writing City of Dust and Shadows with them, which has become the longest fic either of us has ever written! We may or may not surpass it with our future collabs, however ;) They are just the coolest person ever and they deserve all the love in the world. I adore them so much!!! TUT 

- @mikayu-chan is such a got damn SWEETHEART. They are trying to see the positive side of things, especially after so much fandom drama in the past, and I’m so so proud of them for trying their hardest to live their best life. They have it way too hard and I want to give them a big ole hug and many days of fun!!! They always make me laugh and we have a great time on calls! I’m glad that we see eye-to-eye on so many things and that we continue to teach each other new things all the time!! They are really an irreplaceable friend and such a joy to talk with, to write with, and to laugh with. I love you Chan

- @crazyloststar deserves the entire world and more!!!! oMg I cannot express how much I love Alex!!!!! Alex is just a big bundle of happiness and fun and she makes me so so so so so so so happy. I love calling with her and talking, I love writing with her and everything else!! We always have so much fun, I swear I can’t talk to her without laughing my ass off at least once XD we’re always DJDJDHDHDHDJD’ing at each other because we just can’t find the right words to express how hard we’re agreeing with each other/laughing omfg. I adore her and I cant WAIT to cosplay KimiYoi and RyuuTenn with her hopefully at next year’s Yaoi Con WOOT WOOT :D!!!!

- @yuudefensesquad is sUCH A GOOD BEAN who deals with SO MUCH and she just needs a big ole hug and lots of Yuuchan i stg. Caydence is such a funny funky lil nugget and I protecc her with my life okay. Her art? Flawless. Her shitposts? FUCKIN HILARIOUS. Her meta? Super engaging and intriguing! Her bravery? ABOVE US ALL LOL. She is just awesome and I’m glad I forcefully adopted her into my lil family of mikayuu nerds bc it just wouldn’t be the same without her. Caydence ily never stop being you. A lot of shit challenges her irl and everywhere else, but she still keeps her head up and man I really respect her.

- @mikaisatop is MY FRICKIN RIGHT HAND MAN. My SOULMATE. SARAHHH I ADORE YOU. You might be busy rn but I love you so much girl ;__; even though she’s busy I always bother her bc I want her to know I wouldn’t ever forget about her!! I’m so happy we got to collab so much and will continue doing so!! Winter’s Waltz is so much fun to write and I’m so happy she is writing it with me anyways despite such a busy schedule. If it weren’t for Sarah we wouldn’t have so much good MikaYuu content and I applaud her for it!!

- @6lilystrings9 IS JUST THE BOMB DOT FUCKIN COM. Lily and I didn’t super duper connect until more recently but omg talking with her is just a freakin BLAST. We always get so hype with each other, even over each other’s fandoms that we aren’t even in!!! Something about the energy in her pulls out the energy in me and we just get GOING lmao. She is so very talented and amazing and a fascinating person all around! I’m so glad we got to hang a bit at KatsuCon in 2017 but I hope we can do that again in the future! I miss her all the time!

- @weirdfairytales is the MAN. THE MYTH. THE LEGEND. Anna is just the biggest definition of a meme I can think of and I LOVE her for it. I’m so glad that we met way back when MikaYuuHell Skype existed and that she thought of the masterpiece that is Cherry Boy one wild night. I’m so glad we continued to be great friends and talk about so many things. I love when our messages get super long cause we just have so many things to say XD Cosplaying Victuuri with her at Katsu was so lit, and I can’t express how much I love her Victuuri fic too!!!

- @hannaadi88 is such. a. sweetheart. I can’t say it enough. Hanna does so much and gets so little I stfg yall need to APPRECIATE HER MORE. Her writing is STUNNING and the projects she makes for this fandom are just outstanding!!! From gift exchanges (I SAID ONS REMIX BEFORE IM SORRY i was wrong XD) to 365 Days of Mika and Yuu, she has put in so much for us constantly! She has also granted us with the lovely fic Scented, and not to mention one of my favorite fics of ALL TIME, Eye of Horus- the Ancient Egypt take on Unwritten!!! And she named it that without knowing my first tattoo is literally the eye of horus! XD I was shook lmfao and I still am. Meeting Hanna was amazing and the day I spent with her and @ihavetobenkyou (who is also a-freaking-MAZING and a big bundle of goodness!!!!!!) is one I’ll never forget. She’s so chill and just gives off this ‘wise’ aura idk why but I just look up to Hanna so much. No matter what she writes I will always support her and you all should too!!!

- @just-another-dream-about-yuu is ONE OF MY FAVORITE HUMANS TO EVER HUMAN. Julia omfg I cannot express how much I love you. TwT Julia is not only one of the most talented artists I have ever seen, but she is so sweet and fun and so full of energy and excitement!! She’s super busy with adulting so she’s not around in the fandom a whole lot but I always make sure to include her bc I won’t let her leave XD JULIA YOU CANNOT ESCAPE…. lmfao I will always drag you back… I won’t ever forget the day I got a twitter notification that someone drew me Unwritten fanart and the croaking sound I made was insane LMAO my friend who was with me was like WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED XD I was so excited!!! I still adore every piece of fanart she’s given me and I always will. Thank you, Julia, for bringing my imagination to life so many times, for showing me what you saw when you read my writing. It means more than I can say.

- @coleglend is the most underappreciated person in this fandom I swear. Or, who was in this fandom- Cole is off doing other things besides OnS, but regardless, she is so very amazing and beyond talented. I can’t even express how beautiful her art is and the emotions each piece sparks in me. Even her new Marvel artworks are just breathtaking and I truly admire them!!! I don’t know anyone who can make such detailed, visually engaging art- everything she creates belongs in a museum I swear. I want to print them and frame them for my walls!!! I look at her art all the time!!! Now that I’ve established how gorgeous her art is, talk about Cole as a person! She’s so sweet and kind and I love seeing her little posts on Instagram and such, even though I can’t understand most of them, I like seeing that she’s with friends and having a good time.

- @linnpuzzle is one of the coolest most amazing people in this fandom!!! Her art is STUNNING and as she knows, I will drop everything to commission her and buy her merch because I just am addicted to her gorgeous art!!! I am so honored to have some of her art as part of my collection of OnS things and I am forever going to treasure the commissions I’ve purchased from her!! Besides being a great artist, I love talking with Linn, too! I’m so glad we have things in common outside of MikaYuu, like Voltron and Kyo Kara Maoh :D Linn is truly too good for this world and she deserves everything okokok.

- @zilleniose-chu is truly an ICON of this fandom. We don’t talk alot outside of business stuff lolol but they are just freakin amazing!!! I adore their art so much- I always have, ever since I first saw their page!!- and I LOVE their AU’s and headcanons!! They are full of such great ideas and humor and they can share those ideas through really stunning and captivating artwork

- @absolute-exclusivity IS AN AMAZIN. ABSOLUTELY AMAZING BEAN OH MY GOODNESS i cANT TELL YOU ENOUGH HOW MUCH I LOVE LYSIA. AAAAAAAAHHHH THIS GIRL IS GONNA SPEND MY BIRTHDAY WITH ME OUT IN LONDON LESSGO GIRL!!! I’m so excited you have NO IDEA. Lysia is so so so energetic and cute and overall such an amazing friend!! She’s so caring and always willing to listen even when things are busy for her!! She’s full of hilarious, tragic, and heart-pounding ideas and AU’s. We always get lit together talking about fics and headcanons and I wouldn’t trade those moments for the world. I can’t wait to meet her and I can’t wait to collab with her and Zeta soon, too!!

- @rindartist is absolutely one of my favorite artists of ALL TIME no doubt about it. Rin is so amazing, always making so many beautiful artworks of MikaYuu, and now of other lovely series aswelll! I may not be into GBF but her art of it is just lovely and I suggest everyone to commission Rin if they have the means!!

- @p0isonpez is someone I’ve only seen from afar but I absolutely love her art and posts!! I am so happy to see someone new in the fandom sharing such lovely things and interacting with the rest of us!! you seem so friendly and kind and I hope we can talk more sometime! :D

- @temesasu is such a sweetheart!! We’re just starting to talk a little more, but I am soso happy!! They are such an amazing cosplayer and their ONS cosplayers bring such a big smile to my face. They are beautiful and able to make themselves look like so many different characters!!! They are so talented with makeup, I am in awe!! :D And they are so kind and fun to talk to, and I hope we talk more! Thank you for sharing your cosplays with us, you are amazing! Don’t stop!

- @seraph-star is such a good precious person who makes endless good content!! Omg, their edits are just so awesome!! they always have me bouncing my head along, or completely enraptured and breathless, or laughing!! They are so good at evoking different emotions through video editing and as a very casual video editor myself, I am so impressed with their work!! I also love their memes and art and everything else that they share!!!

- @angeru-artist is a precious PRECIOUS ANGEL who deserves the entire world!!!! Omg, Angeru makes such amazing art, with such expressive characters and cute little attributes!!! I love it when I see their art and I’m so glad that we share a few fandoms together rather than just one. Angeru is really bighearted and she goes through way too much hard times, and I wish I could just take her away to somewhere better!!! One day my friend we will forget about the world and just have fun!!

- @maqui-chan iS ONE OF THE BEST ARTISTS I’VE EVER KNOWN OMFG. her art is iconic and unforgettable!!!! Maqui’s art has always been one of my favorites of all time and I can’t even count the amount of times I’ve commissioned her LOL!! I JUST LOVE HER ART SO MUCH OKAY!?? ITS SO GOOD GO LOOK AT ALL OF HER GLORIOUS CREATIONS! she is so talented and she can create anything, from angst to smut to humor, leave it to Maqui to create amazing things!! And omg Maqui ignited the fire in all of our ShuuNaru hearts amiright!??? GOD her art inspired me so much to the point to where I wrote a ShuuNaru fic and it was so much fun!!! Maqui, thank you for drawing so many awesome things and creating so much for the fandom!! Even if you’ve mostly fallen out of it, your creations are always going to be treasured by me and many other people- you’ve impacted people way more than you know! Thank you for always making me laugh on twitter aswell XD you’re amazing and ily!!! 

OK OK I;M OUT OF STEAM I’VE BEEN TYPING THIS FOREVER OK i could go ON AND ON about even MORE people in this fandom but that would take me literal ages LMAO

TO EVERYONE ELSE, WHO I DIDN’T MENTION BC MY BRAIN IS JUMBLED AND I AM EXHAUSTED: I LOVE YOU SO MUCH. DONT STOP CREATING. THE FANDOM IS A FLAMING GARBAGE HEAP SOMETIMES LIKE IT WAS TODAY. But DON’T LET THAT STOP YOU from having a good time, doing what you love, and creating things that you are proud to share!!! And if your heart leads you elsewhere, to a different brand new fandom, I hope you always remember the people you inspired with your work!! I hope you forget the bad memories and always treasure the good ones. I hope that we can be friends and/or that I can continue supporting you no matter where we all end up in the years to come. And if you decide to support me too, I give you my biggest, most heartfelt thanks.

No matter how ridiculous this fandom can get and how much stupid discourse can dampen the mood and disappoint me, I will never let it stop me from loving MikaYuu and OnS and what I do. I will never let it stop me from writing all that my crazy little heart wants. I will continue to write until my passion dies, and when that day comes I will probably cry as I say goodbye and resort to watching from the sidelines as everyone else carries on. I will never forget the fun I had here. These past 3 years have been so impactful already, and I know the future ones will continue to be- with the old friends, with the new friends, and with friends to be made!!

Let’s spread love more often rather than hate. I encourage anyone who feels inclined to make posts (maybe not as long as mine if you dont want XDD) talking about your favorite creators and friends in the fandom, too! Or, if that seems too corny to you, just continue to draw, write, edit, and cosplay! Continue to make people laugh and smile and cry and swoon! Continue to support creators by leaving comments and kudos, by liking and reblogging, by following and commissioning, and sharing and crediting their work wherever you can! Continue to make a difference!

I love you all so much!

[clown-bait]

A Very Monster Christmas (Monster Roommate AU) Pt2

WOWW I finally got this out. This one was hard cause theres so much dialogue and I’ve also been dealing with a lot of vacations and work shit going on in my personal life. Finally getting this done though! Lots of Freddy in this chapter. 

-----------------

Gifts

Charles Lee Ray sat up from his bed with a scream. The doll frantically checked his body where moments ago clown/vampire hell spawn had been tearing into his rubber synthetic skin. His wife groaned and rolled over greedily pulling the sheets with her, it was too damn early to deal with Chucky’s bullshit.

“J-just a dream just a fuckin’ dream” he mumbled Tiff flipped onto her back and stared at the ceiling through her eye mask. “It’s six in the damn morning Chucky” she growled.

“I’m gonna go downstairs and everything will be fine and normal and Fangs will be smoking a bowl and not filled with demons.”

“Chucky.”

“And they wont explode out of her and eat me alive.”

“Chucky!”

“And Jingles wont be fuckin’ laughing at me”

“CHUCKY!!” Tiff ripped off her eye mask as she sat up. “IT’S SIX IN THE FUCKING MORNING.”

The killer doll stared shocked and silent at his enraged spouse.

“Go back to sleep.” she grumbled as she attempted to lay down again.

“Look its a valid fear.” Chucky began to ramble and Tiff’s eyes slowly rolled back open. “You saw what happened when we had the twins!! Think about what their hell-spawn will look like!”

“Most of what happened was your fault dear.”

“Ok but Jingles and Fangs are both twice as unstable as we are! At least I don't look at a fuckin toddler and think breakfast!”

“I think you’re letting him get to you. By the way did you tell the clown the kids are coming?” Tiff asked deciding that going back to sleep wasn't an option at this point. Chucky’s eyes went wide.

“Fuck.”

“YOU FORGOT?! If he tries to eat them you're gonna be in a load of trouble!”

“Tiff! it'll be fine! At the worst he’ll just eat Glenn and thats not so bad is it?”

“CHUCKY!”

“All right, all right! I’ll let him know sheesh.”

The doll slipped on a Christmas sweater depicting some sort of reindeer gang bang and shuffled down the stairs of the old house. He heard a loud pleasured groan coming from the couch which usually meant one of two unsavory things in this house both of which Chucky would rather not witness.

“Hey Jingles put your dick away my kids are coming over!” he shouted down from the middle of the stairs deciding that proceeding any further would result in seeing something that would ruin his holiday before it even began. The doll was answered with a gruff swear and grumbling.

“Did you hear me clown?” he called down the steps again.

“Shut up Chuck I'm trying to enjoy my holiday!” a shout called out through the rotting halls.

“Krueger? The fuck are you doing here?” Chucky groaned walking down the stairs and into the room then quickly turned around and swore when he saw the scene on the couch.

“Getting laid jackass what does it look like?” Freddy grumbled zipping up his pants as Chris popped his head up his hair a total sweaty mess under Freddy’s signature fedora.

“You have your own damn house for that shit! Where the fuck is Jingles?” the doll turned away. Great holiday already ruined.

“He’s throwing up with Fangs in the basement.”

“And here I thought you were the freak.” Chucky rolled his eyes.

“He is.” Chris added wiping his mouth.

“Oh come on Chrissy you haven't been complaining.” the dream demon swung a clawed hand over his shoulders in a way that came off more as threatening than affectionate. His knife tipped fingers dug slightly into the humans shirt and a disgusting rotten tongue peaked out from between Freddy’s ruined lips.

“I’m fucking you cause I have nothing left.” Chris flinched at Freddy’s touch.

“Isn’t he great?” the dream demon grinned.

“Yeah pretty sure you traumatized this guy.” Chucky folded his arms over his chest

“Nah Fangs traumatized him, I just cleaned up her mess and stole her leftovers.”

“Your friends are awful people.” Chris hissed at Freddy.

“You’re not wrong buddy! Speaking of I need to find Jingles before he eats my kids or whatever.” Chucky turned to make his way to the kitchen.

“Wow you're a real model parent Chuck.” Freddy called after him striking a nerve.

“Like you know anything about being a dad.” The doll turned around and snapped.

“I do! I was great at it!” Freddy leaned back clicking on the old tv.

“Didn’t your kid try to kill you?” Chucky squinted.

“Didn’t your’s?” Freddy cocked a ruined brow.

“I’m sensing a trend here within our community and our parenting abilities.” the doll said deep in thought.

“So how long do you think Jingles and Fangs will last?” Freddy smirked placing his hands over his head.

“I’ll give em a week.” Chucky laughed.

“Eleven minutes.” Chris chimed in and Freddy laughed.

“Harsh Chrissy. You're probably right.”

“Wellp I’ve lost focus back to bed for me.” Chucky stretched and yawned.

“You’re not going to tell Jingles to forgo the Christmas dinner? Tiff’s gonna cut your nuts off.” Freddy began making a dramatic snipping motion with his claws inches from his human’s nose for dramatic effect.

“Eh knowing Glenda she’ll probably scare him first.”

Freddy laughed and placed his arm around his captive once again as the movie he was looking for began to play. “There goes a very brave and stupid man Chrissy.”

“Fuck you too Fred.”

———————————————

“Hey Pen? Is there any way you can make me forget that?” Leech groaned her back against the clown’s as the pair waited for the nausea to die down in the basement. One of his eyes peeled open and a single molten pupil rolled back in her direction. Pennywise let out a long disgusted growl at the memory he'd just received.

“I’d like to do the same for myself” he finally muttered out and felt a chuckle vibrate against him.

“Well I got the next best thing if you’re interested.”

The eldritch exhaled a gravely sigh “For once, I'm not in the mood.”

“Yeah wasn't talking about that Pen. Sheesh and you say my mind is the one that’s always in the gutter!”

“It is.”

The clown sat up and turned his head to his mate as she pushed off him to walk over to a pile of ancient junk. Penny began making clicking vocalizations indicating interest and skittered up to her the sound of insectile limbs that weren't there trailed behind him as he moved. His noises got louder and Leech felt a large presence behind her trying to nose its way into what she was doing. The vampire batted the giant beast away.

“No peeking big guy and no mind reading this is a surprise.” she scolded him Pennywise grumbled and turned around as she dug into her hiding place. He began to ponder how she was able to get past him when suddenly he got an idea and a faint glow began to illuminate from his eyes. “You have no idea how hard it was to keep this from you, I wanted to give it to you at the end of the celebrations but Fred had to go and be gross.” she rambled not even noticing that her mate had vanished. “I know you collect this shit so I threatened and tortured several people to get this done since you're incredibly hard to shop for.” she continued to ramble to nothing as she pulled out a large flat gift.

“Ok you can look n-Pen?” the nosferatu looked around behind her. “Pennywise?” she called out to him but got no response. “Oh come on I worked really hard on this!” Leech snarled in frustration. “Pen for real this is important to me where the fuck did you go?” after more silence the vampire sent a cacophony of curses into the air before letting out a frustrated screech. Leech felt her vision blur and her offspring threaten to take hold of her again as her temper flared. She grabbed her abdomen and fought them back. “Kids mamma loves you, but we have got to talk about our tantrums.” she grated out against their hold on her, trying to calmly slide Penny’s gift under her arm and climb up the stairs of the basement.

“I take back what I said about your father being a good mate, fucker has the attention span of a goldfish.” she felt a swell in her mind and slammed the door a little too hard behind her. “What don't agree with me? Please don't tell me you've already inherited his superiority complex, some of you gotta be at least a little like me to balance this household out.”

“WHO ARE YOU TALKING TO FANGS?” Freddy yelled from the couch.

“My spawn Freddy go back to getting your dick sucked!” she snarled at the dream demon.

“Man those kids are going to be fucked up!” he laughed “I’m already finished with that anyway get in here were watching Grinch!” Freddy heard a sigh and Leech grumpily placed the unopened christmas gift by the tree before flopping next to her friend and the man who cut off her finger only a few hours ago.  

“So you're dating someone.” the vampire side eyed the dream demon and made a face when she saw he hadn't bothered to put pants back on.

“You can talk to me too you know I'm right here.” Chris grumbled.

“I’m fucking someone theres a difference Fangs.” He huffed.

“If you were just fucking you wouldn't have brought him home.”

“Wow again right here-”

“Be grateful I didn't eat you too Chris.” Leech snapped.

“What a surprise, the vampire is getting moody. This is why Im fucking a human way less bitchy.” Freddy rolled his eyes and cleaned his fingernails with his claws.

Leech hissed low in her throat as her upper lip twitched over her fangs in warning. Chris quivered a bit in fear remembering the last time he heard such noises. Her mere presence alone made him even more uneasy in this house now it sounded like she was about to snap again.

“I-I oh god how did I end up here what have I done.…” the human ran his fingers through his hair and Freddy rolled his eyes. Great another damn break down.

“All right babe deep breath daddy Freddys here shhh.”

Leech looked up from the dusty decrepit tv “Wellp I’m leaving.”

“Oh yeah like I don't have to endure this all the time from you!”

“Daddy really?”

“You call the clown Snuggle Muffin!”

“Yeah when were alone. By the way Chris, Fred can regrow his fingers. Do me a favor since you owe me one and put him in his place.”

“Sheesh you're grumpy Fangs” Freddy rolled his eyes and placed his gloved hand around the human that Leech was pretty sure experiencing some form of Stockholm syndrome.

“All my friends are dead.”

“Did we traumatize him?” she asked the dream demon.

“I dunno probably. Rides a dick like a slut though!”

“Well I'm glad someones having a Merry Christmas.”

“Hey fangs do me a favor and open the damn red box already I'm getting real tired of your moping. Put up with that enough from Drac.”

“What?”

“Look behind you moron.”

Leech glanced behind her and saw a perfectly wrapped gift sitting in the center of the archway a balloon tied to it sitting unnaturally still in the dim light of the house.

“That motherfucker!” the vampire swore as she stood to pick up the package. It was impossibly light in her hands and there was a little tag hanging off the end. The nosferatu gently opened it and her scowl shifted into a warm smile

Me first Peachy.

It read in poor crimson handwriting with a smiling heart shaped balloon in the corner. The nosferatu’s un-beating heart was practically singing as she tore off the wrapping. She didn't even expect Pennywise to participate and yet he got her a gift! Leech lifted the lid and was flung backwards as something enormous sprung from the present like a giant demonic jack in the box. IT cackled with glee through its horrible rows of sharp teeth as it shot up almost too big to fit in the room. Leech scampered back in surprise and shock claws tearing into the couch as she screamed in reflex to being caught completely off guard.

“I AM GOING TO FUCKING KILL YOU” she yelled at the cackling clown that was swaying back and forth holding his sides. Behind her Freddy snorted joining in on the laughter and chris had fainted from shock. “That was fuckin amazing Jingles!” the dream demon shouted to the clown who couldn't stop his cackling.

“YOUR KIDS ARE GOING TO GROW UP FATHERLESS CAUSE I’M GOING TO KICK YOUR RUFFLED ASS ALL THE WAY BACK TO WHATEVER HOLE YOU CRAWLED OUT OF YOU MOTHERFUCKING PIECE OF- whats this?” Leech began to scream at him but stopped when a huge box was presented to her, the fang filled grin on her clown growing even wider.

“Take iT!” the beast hissed.

“I don’t trust you anymore” Leech narrowed her eyes at him.

“Take iiiitttt!!!”

“If anything jumps out at me or bites me or screams at me I am not letting you have the second half of your present.”

“Mouth or ass Fangs?!” came a shout from the couch.

“FREDDY I SWEAR TO GOD! ……………….mouth….”

“Heh nice.”

Penny’s smile closed in realization “Wait ass is an option now?”

“We’re not going there.” Leech sighed not wanting to discuss THAT again with him. She opened the large case then quickly shut it. “PEN! This is a fucking guitar case!”

“Oh shit looks like Jingles is getting both tonight eh sweet lips?!” Freddy elbowed the dazed and traumatized human who was currently questioning every choice he had made in the last twenty four hours.

“I only had to threaten one person to get your gift” Penny smirked, finally climbing out of the small red box and shrinking back to what could be considered normal size. He shook himself a bit and begun to fix his hair “Your servant scares easy, I almost made a meal of him.” he snickered while twirling the top of his baby curl into place. “Well go on then play us a tune Peachy.” he grinned a little too satisfied with himself for Leech not to be suspicious.

Leech took the instrument out of its case and inspected it carefully. She certainly wasn't amazing at guitar but after traveling with a band for so long she picked up the ability to play a few songs. Her fingers ran up along the neck and brushed a small chain she quickly pulled her hand back in fear that it was another trick from the clown. Which it was judging from the excited grin on Penny’s face as his mate’s fingers traced solid gold chain.

Leech glanced up and glared at him. “What the fuck is this? Where the hell did you get this Pen?”

Pennywise placed his finger on her cool lips stopping the confused swearing from pouring from her mouth. The clown gave her a cheesy wink and with his other hand reached into his ruff. He gave a quick tug and plucked out an ancient tarnished silver bell which he presented to her in his palm not saying a word. Penny’s great blue eyes seared into hers in anticipation as Leech reached to take it but pulled her hand back with a hiss when the silver singed her skin. Pennywise seemed caught off guard then came to a realization swiping the gold chain from his mates hands. His large fingers closed around both objects and squeezed when he opened them the bell shined gold like his eyes before the kill. Pennywise fastened the bell to the necklace and held it up again this time with his signature goofy smile in place. “Pen seriously what is this?” Leech asked quietly now as she took the necklace and slipped it on.

“For you.” the clown grinned wider. “It’s part of me!”

“Just get married already!” Freddy yelled from the couch turning up the volume of the old tv.

“You motherfucker you know how I feel about sappy shit.” the nosferatu grinned twirling the bell in her fingers “Well? Go on get over here.” she smirked glancing up at him. Penny snaked his arms around his mate and held her against him “I hate you” the vampire mumbled into his costume rubbing her nose into his chest. “I hate you too.” Pennywise replied warmly he pulled her back and leaned in but Leech stopped his lips from pressing into hers.

“Hold that thought! I need to finally give you yours!”

“This is disgusting, were trying to watch a movie here!”

“Oh yeah says the guy who just moments ago was getting sucked off on my couch!” The vampire flipped Freddy’s hat off his head as she passed by him.

“At least we weren't doing any romcom crap!” He called after her

“You could always get out of my house.” the clown grumbled

“Nah I keep my bong here! Plus your sofa’s more comfortable than that victorian era piece of junk Drac has.”

“You people and your antique furniture. Ikea exists you know!” Chris grumbled.

“I’m cultivating eeriness human, also there better not be any stains Krueger.” Penny snarled.

“Like you'd be able to tell Jingles, this thing could probably get someone pregnant just by sitting on it…..wait is that what happened to you Fangs?”

Leech rolled her eyes at him while shoving her gift into Penny’s arms. “Freddy for once in your life just shut up.”

the clown clicked and rumbled tearing open the package with claws and teeth. then held the large frame out in front of him. “the derry circus!” he said excitedly and he viewed the poster. “featuring me!” he giggled with pride at the picture of his likeness grinning back at him and beckoning for someone to step closer.

“Had it custom done! Its not as amazing as what you gave me but I hope you like it.” Leech leaned back against the edge of the sofa behind her overly pleased with herself. Pennywise set the frame down and stalked forward pinning his mate against the couch with his hips long limbs wrapping around her. “You’ve given me plenty.” He grinned placing his large hand on her abdomen. “I didn't plan on that part.” the vampire smirked thumbing his ruffles in her fingers. “Comere asshole.” Leech hissed and pulled his ruffles. The clown leaned down and kissed her dipping her back so she could wrap her legs around him as he explored her mouth.

“Look I'm not complaining about the sex but this asshole’s about to swoop in and ruin Cindy Lou Hoo’s day and you two tend to get way too loud.”

Pennywise bit down on his mate’s lip then sunk his teeth into her neck bucking his hips sharply against her making Leech moan. “Ahhh! Penny!!” she shouted enthusiastically.

“I’m warning you Jingles if I miss the damn song I'm gonna be pissed!”

Penny clamped down harder and growled, loudly smacking Leech’s ass through her thin pajama shorts. The vampire hissed in response spurring her mate on to make deep lust filled vocalizations into her skin.

“FINE FUCK YOU THEN! Come on Chris if we hurry we can at least catch the ending.” the dream demon grumbled and yanked the human up who was eager to leave. A moment after their departure the vampires eyes flew open.

“Are they gone?” Leech panted claws running through her clowns hair. Penny grunted and retracted his fangs from her flesh. “Fuckin finally, the couch is ours!” she shouted hopping over the side. “I’m telling ya if I had to sit through The Grinch one more time this week I’d probably go postal.” Pennywise grumbled in agreement and stretched his back shaking himself out his after his spine made a series of loud pops and cracks. “That sounded terrible.” Leech commented thumbing through her movie collection.

“You kept me waiting in that box forever.”

“Aaawww does Pennywhine need a back rub?”

The impossibly tall monster leaned over the edge of the couch to glare at her. Leech grinned up at him and tapped him on the nose with a dvd sticking her tongue out to mock him. Penny snarled and lunged over the edge of the couch at her the two aggressively wrestling trying to pin the other against the sofa. Pennywise was on his way to victory as per-usual, when he saw his own eye color flash through Leech’s glossy blues. Suddenly his back was against the old couch claws pinned against the top his eyes narrowed at his captor.

“Using my offspring against me is cheating!” he snarled at her.

“Cheating? I call it leveling the playing field!” Leech scoffed. She planted an obnoxiously rough kiss on his lips and released him flopping over to the side and crossing her legs over the eldritch’s. The vampire picked up her white and black guitar and thumbed out a cheesy romantic christmas tune, softly singing aloud. Pennywise watched her for a moment taking note of the soft glow peeking out from under her shirt almost flashing to the rhythm of the music. She had a belly full of future dancing clowns. He smiled to himself, leaning back and shutting his eyes. In this moment things were absolutely perfect.

All until there was a honk and a banging at his front door.

--------------------------

Awww Pen’s so nice when he wants to be. 

[verdigrisprowl]

Jan 20 Bevel’s Movie Stream - Star Trek: Discovery Ep. 5 & 6

Prowl was about ready to give up on the series, but then the thoroughly dislikable people being documented in this series became about 1% more likable, so he’s giving it another week.

Bevel 7:30 pm *the usual set up, a few bedraggled couches and a table of snacks, nothing fancy but it'll do* ItsyBitsySpyers 7:32 pm *Soundwave was already out and about on errands today, so instead of bridging he'll just swing round and fly right up before unfolding and skidding to a halt at his couch. Hooray for buildings still under construction!* Ratchet 7:32 pm Thriller! *pops in and immediately starts dancing* ItsyBitsySpyers 7:33 pm *And then gracefully takes his seat like he didn't just risk crashing into the damn thing for the tiniest of inefficient thrills.* [[Bevel, Ratchet.]] Bevel 7:33 pm *grins* Ratchet 7:33 pm Evening. Bevel 7:34 pm I found more of the Starfleet stuff! FakeProwl 7:34 pm *arrives just in time to miss this act of reckless grace* Ratchet 7:34 pm Heya, Prowl! FakeProwl 7:34 pm Evening. Bevel 7:35 pm *small wave to Prowl* FakeProwl 7:36 pm *hesitates, then nods. would be rude not to acknowledge the host.* Bevel 7:36 pm *internal yay* Ratchet 7:37 pm *hovers a few moments to see where Prowl will sit* FakeProwl 7:39 pm *with soundwave, as usual* ItsyBitsySpyers 7:39 pm *Nods to Prowl.* FakeProwl 7:39 pm *nods back. hello.* Ratchet 7:40 pm *ah well. he'll sit with Bevel then* ItsyBitsySpyers 7:40 pm [[You do know he doesn't have the capacity to bite.]] *Taps his visor at Ratchet.* Bevel 7:41 pm *giggles* Ratchet 7:41 pm Cute. But I'm all right over here. Tarantulas 7:42 pm *stepping thru a portal, tarantulas almost says "false" to sw's claim, but stops himself just in time* Bevel 7:42 pm ((last song and then i'll start ItsyBitsySpyers 7:42 pm *BOI* Tarantulas 7:42 pm *he'll just stick with a snicker* FakeProwl 7:43 pm *had to fight the urge to say "i would know if he was." you're surrounded by reprobates, soundwave.* Tarantulas 7:43 pm *at least sw is the only telepath in here tho, be glad for that* ItsyBitsySpyers 7:44 pm *Primus below. How is he supposed to keep personal secrets with you lot around.* Ratchet 7:44 pm *it's fine, Ratchet is blissfully unaware* Ratchet 7:46 pm *let's keep it that way, shall we? the last thing he needs is _another_ reason to.... nnnnot lust after Soundwave. that one* *look he just doesn't need to know about any aspect of Soundwave that's attractive. cool? cool.* ItsyBitsySpyers 7:47 pm *Mmhm. Sure.* [[Ah! We return to the Starfleet timeline. Good.]] Tarantulas 7:47 pm *also thanks for the amenities bevel but tarantulas brought his own seat, he's currently busy slinging it from the ceiling* Bevel 7:48 pm *enjoy, there's plenty of ceiling to hang from* Tarantulas 7:49 pm *he's set up right behind and nearly on top of prowl and soundwave, hello there* ItsyBitsySpyers 7:50 pm *Soundwave raises a feeler to offer a greeting tap and/or a hold if Tarantulas wants thought contact.* Tarantulas 7:51 pm *paw-bump the feeler* ItsyBitsySpyers 7:51 pm [[And where do they plan to GET the other... tardigrades? That they found one was a fortunate accident.]] FakeProwl 7:51 pm ((SDLFIJLJ WHY)) Tarantulas 7:52 pm If I were younger and more naive, I'd say they should clone it. Bevel 7:52 pm ((oh snap, warnings, i forgot warnings FakeProwl 7:53 pm Hm. Finally. Someone who recognizes the possibility that blaming her for the war might NOT be justified. Bevel 7:53 pm ((mention of rape, torture, violence, blood, all that goes with the TV-MA warning FakeProwl 7:54 pm ((and things straight to the eyeball in closeup)) Bevel 7:54 pm ((yes i'm soooooooo sorry FakeProwl 7:54 pm ((im ok ill live)) Bevel 7:54 pm ((i legit forgot he did that, probably to protect my own dang self because augh ItsyBitsySpyers 7:56 pm *Stretch arm across couch and settle in. He is ready to find out what's going on with the second-in-command Klingon. What is her name... L'Rell? Yes. What is she doing while the Voq Klingon is away?* FakeProwl 7:56 pm *... Would that arm be across the couch in Prowl's direction?* Bevel 7:58 pm Aw, no. I hope they find out what is wrong with the tardigrade. Ratchet 7:59 pm [[ saru's ganglia squick me something fierce goddddd. why they gotta do that. ]] FakeProwl 7:59 pm *... Is Saru going to try to eliminate Michael. Please don't. He'd like them to get along.* ItsyBitsySpyers 8:00 pm *And yes it is.* FakeProwl 8:02 pm *WELL then. Sits up straight. That's a bit much for mixed company.* ItsyBitsySpyers 8:03 pm *Well. He's... sort of glad that part is over. Now that he's out of the war, he tends to avoid thinking about all the times similar actions were taken during its run. And thinks about other times. ... Never mind, there it is again.* *Tiny glance. Too much, he supposes. Pulls his arm back onto his lap.* Tarantulas 8:05 pm S-Stuart. Hyeh. ItsyBitsySpyers 8:06 pm [[Hm. The little creature reminds him of Zori.]] Tarantulas 8:07 pm *chinhands happily* Tarantulas 8:08 pm *agrees, this is definitely Fucking Cool* Bevel 8:08 pm *giggles* FakeProwl 8:09 pm *... no one in this show is likable.* Bevel 8:09 pm *hopes they find a workable solution* FakeProwl 8:09 pm *no one is likable and no one likes each other.* Bevel 8:09 pm ((fun fact, Klingons have two of everything ItsyBitsySpyers 8:10 pm ((*throws bricks*)) FakeProwl 8:11 pm *it even takes the joy out of the science.* Tarantulas 8:11 pm *science IS joy, shh* Bevel 8:13 pm 😔 FakeProwl 8:13 pm *not when every single person performing it is insufferable* ItsyBitsySpyers 8:14 pm *ALARM BLIP* Bevel 8:14 pm Hey! It was just a bug. It only did what it was told 😔 ItsyBitsySpyers 8:14 pm [[Will it be all right?]] Bevel 8:14 pm He said Lorca almost killed him. Maybe Stuart is ok then? ItsyBitsySpyers 8:15 pm *Has finished deciding that he does not like Lorca at all.* [[He hopes it is.]] Bevel 8:15 pm Ha. Tarantulas 8:16 pm *pings prowl a set of data that, if calculated, will predict if stuart died, and if not, how badly injured he'll be - all prowl need do is add his own numbers and calculate* Ratchet 8:16 pm I don't think the civilian is the spy. ItsyBitsySpyers 8:17 pm *Another alarm blip, quieter.* Tarantulas 8:17 pm You can't simply rehydrate the tardigrade, pft. See? Bevel 8:17 pm Good doctor trying to protect it. ItsyBitsySpyers 8:18 pm *They've almost killed a creature capable of calculations like those required for a space bridge. How displeasing.* ItsyBitsySpyers 8:19 pm [[Why don't you believe the civilian is the spy, if he may ask?]] FakeProwl 8:20 pm *... what, is this a simulation? based on what data?* Tarantulas 8:20 pm *guesstimates* *he has a lot of zori's data* *well, not a LOT but some* ItsyBitsySpyers 8:20 pm *More than most.* FakeProwl 8:21 pm *meh. plugs in a couple of numbers before he gets bored of it.* Ratchet 8:21 pm Seven months. ItsyBitsySpyers 8:22 pm [[What of it?]] Ratchet 8:22 pm The Captain thought it was a long time for someone to survive captivity. Tarantulas 8:22 pm *ur supposed to reassure sw, prowl, tarantulas was being strangely nice* ItsyBitsySpyers 8:23 pm [[The L'rell Klingon... favored him. She would not allow something she considers a preferred toy to perish.]] Tarantulas 8:24 pm Oh dear. ItsyBitsySpyers 8:24 pm [[Just as she did not want to let him leave.]] Ratchet 8:24 pm I continue to be suspicious. Bevel 8:25 pm ...oh no. ItsyBitsySpyers 8:25 pm *Scoots forward a little. Is that--?* Tarantulas 8:25 pm *snickers along with stamets' laughter* FakeProwl 8:29 pm *oh thank god, finally SOMEONE is getting along with each other.* Bevel 8:29 pm *hopes this works* ItsyBitsySpyers 8:30 pm [[...Good.]] FakeProwl 8:30 pm ((fire the tardigrade cannon)) ItsyBitsySpyers 8:30 pm ((LOL)) Tarantulas 8:30 pm Why did they - awh no. Ratchet 8:31 pm [[ oh no they're cute ]] FakeProwl 8:31 pm ((it's about damn time)) Bevel 8:31 pm ((dear doctor <3 FakeProwl 8:31 pm *oh look! two more people who like each other! FINALLY.* Tarantulas 8:31 pm (( fuckin cute ItsyBitsySpyers 8:32 pm [[...Is that - that is not normal for human mirrors. Is it?]] Ratchet 8:32 pm [[ why........ why did it end like that ]] Tarantulas 8:32 pm (( wait what happened at the end i missed it Ratchet 8:32 pm [[ i missed what happened but something was weird and now i;m concerned ]] ItsyBitsySpyers 8:32 pm ((he walked away. his reflection stayed in the mirror a little while before smiling and leaving)) Bevel 8:33 pm ((ok, warnings for... Vulcan mind melding to the extreme and that's the only thing I remember from this episode but keep in mind past warnings just in case ItsyBitsySpyers 8:34 pm *Lovely angular architecture on a hot desert-y planet. How wonderful, their planet.* Ratchet 8:34 pm [[ anyway i'm just saying, it's real convenient that there was one spy in that room and now someone from that room has accompanied captain lorca back to the ship with the new propulsion system ]] Bevel 8:35 pm Mirror do not act like that. Ever. They are just glass. ItsyBitsySpyers 8:36 pm *Back on a ship?*

[[Then that does not bode well.]] Ratchet 8:38 pm Hmm. Bevel 8:40 pm That was Michael's dad, right? ItsyBitsySpyers 8:40 pm [[The one who was not making a martyr of themselves.]] Bevel 8:40 pm Yeah. Tarantulas 8:40 pm Father? I assumed he was adoptive or something of the sort. FakeProwl 8:41 pm Well, we know he survived. Bevel 8:42 pm Yeah, Michael said foster parents. They are still parents. ...scuttlebutt FakeProwl 8:42 pm I knew a mech named Scuttlebutt. *he's wrong. the mech's name was Shuttlebay.* Bevel 8:42 pm *omg* ItsyBitsySpyers 8:43 pm [[...One hopes he kept his aft away from boats.]] *Oh. He knows this feeling.* ItsyBitsySpyers 8:46 pm @P: [[...Not unlike this when they died.]] *Tiny glance to see how he's doing with all this mental melding talk.* FakeProwl 8:46 pm @S «... Through the spark bond?» FakeProwl 8:48 pm *it's between people who get along with each other, not forced by a puppetmaster upon an unwilling puppet, and no mind-control is involved. he's fine.* Bevel 8:49 pm *Bevel would be glad if she knew* ItsyBitsySpyers 8:49 pm @P: [[Correct. Together with telepathy, in some cases.]] *Not the twins. And, good. Looks like no emergency avatar deactivations.* [[Ravage was - the worst. The others perished quicker.]] FakeProwl 8:50 pm *huh. the scientist has become more tolerable.* Bevel 8:50 pm *mimics the explosion sound* ItsyBitsySpyers 8:51 pm *Nods to Bevel. Approves.* Bevel 8:51 pm *grins at Soundwave* Tarantulas 8:52 pm *tarantulas makes a mental note to poke soundwave about how his telepathy works bc of this katra mess. he's not quite believing the science of it* ItsyBitsySpyers 8:52 pm *That'll be an interesting conversation.* Bevel 8:54 pm Why is genetic manipulation so bad in this universe? FakeProwl 8:55 pm Haven't they made allusions to some sort of war with genetically-manipulated humans? Or a rebellion or something? ItsyBitsySpyers 8:55 pm @P: [[...Your alternate signed off on Ravage's interrogation. He has always wondered if she knew what was happening.]] *Another small look. He's searching for - something. Confirmation? Denial? Who would be able to calculate the probability better than an alternate?* FakeProwl 8:58 pm *he doesn't pick up the implied question.* @S «... I see.» *but he does feel like he's supposed to say something.* «... I'm sorry. To hear that.» ItsyBitsySpyers 8:59 pm *Waits a moment to see if he will say anything else. But, that'll do for now. Apologies are better than nothing.* @P: [[Thank you.]]

*And broadcast more widely:* [[They have. There was a... where are his files on this. One moment.]] Bevel 9:00 pm Have they? *might have missed some things, or they might be in episodes she hasn't actually seen* Tarantulas 9:01 pm *tara's gonna conduct an experiment as they watch - down comes a thread to touch sw's shoulder* @SW: [[Push me a thought if you can hear this.]] Tarantulas 9:02 pm (( OH DAMN FakeProwl 9:03 pm *... all right, okay. NOW it's getting uncomfortable. what with the aggressive insistence that he let her into his mind.* *but it's over quickly.* Bevel 9:04 pm *oh wow a dad worse than hers, have all her sympathies, Michael* ItsyBitsySpyers 9:06 pm [[In other pieces. And Saru mentioned it.]]

[[The humans attempted genetic manipulation and upgrading a couple of hundred years before this time period.]] *Gesture to screen.* [[The humans produced used their new bodies and minds to seize power in many countries across the world. They were the cause of multiple extreme wars and eventually lost.]]

[[Some were finally captured and tried as war criminals. They disappeared before they could serve their sentences.]] [[...And it is satisfying to see his abilities used for good. For once.]] *Soundwave is intrigued by the thread - and what he heard through it. He winds the end around a finger and looks at it.* @T: [[Confirmed.]] Bevel 9:07 pm Oh! Then yeah, it really is. Stamets is being really helpful. Even with the mirror being weird. Bevel 9:09 pm *cheers Michael on* FakeProwl 9:10 pm Emotions are not Vulcan. But passive-aggression is. Tarantulas 9:10 pm *curious quirk of his visor. hmm* @SW [[Humor me - just a moment.]] *and the thread is withdrawn* ItsyBitsySpyers 9:10 pm *Finds it interesting that he acts different from the others yet chose - HUFF, Prowl, that was lovely - the "superior" partially Vulcan child over the fully human child.* *And that he did not know Spock well enough to predict Spock's actions.* *Lets the thread go and watches its slow retreat, curious.* Bevel 9:13 pm I really like Michael. Bevel 9:14 pm *somehow not surprised by this turn of events* ItsyBitsySpyers 9:15 pm *...Suspicious.* FakeProwl 9:15 pm He's quite pleased to leave her there, isn't he. Bevel 9:15 pm He just wants to keep his ship. ItsyBitsySpyers 9:16 pm *Oh good. It's not just him.* [[It seems so.]] FakeProwl 9:16 pm Selfish. Tarantulas 9:16 pm This message has been removed. FakeProwl 9:16 pm *all the same, he wants to know how he cheated his psych evals.* ItsyBitsySpyers 9:20 pm *Soundwave responds every time a thread still attached inside the generation point touches him. Not so much any held in a paw.* Bevel 9:20 pm ((i'm so sorry ((did not mean to do that, i click and highlight things i'm reading and did it by accident Tarantulas 9:21 pm (( oops lol ItsyBitsySpyers 9:21 pm *And cheating on tests seems to be a common problem in Starfleet commanders. Hmm.* *Can't decide if he approves or not.* Bevel 9:21 pm ((*buries face in hands* Tarantulas 9:21 pm (( puff did u happen to log my comment or should i rewrite jic? FakeProwl 9:22 pm ((i did not, on rabbit i don't log it til the end)) Tarantulas 9:22 pm (( o7 ...actually nvm, we all know what happened, tarantulas sent down different threads etc Bevel 9:23 pm ((all the threads Tarantulas 9:24 pm *curiouser and curiouser, sw. tarantulas notes the organic interference, then eventually pulls all the threads up and disposes of them* FakeProwl 9:24 pm *... bevel are you trying to get prowl's attention* Bevel 9:25 pm *...you can't prove anything* FakeProwl 9:25 pm *you're playing The Titanic Song* ItsyBitsySpyers 9:25 pm [[...This is a rearrangment of the Titanic music.]] *Pause.* [[He likes it better than the original.]] Bevel 9:25 pm Yeah, same. ItsyBitsySpyers 9:25 pm @T: (txt): Experiment successful? Bevel 9:25 pm *did it work?* ItsyBitsySpyers 9:26 pm [[It is not as wistful, but it sounds more - celebratory. That feels like a better ending.]] FakeProwl 9:27 pm The end of the Titanic wasn't celebratory. Bevel 9:27 pm The ahistorical ending? Tarantulas 9:27 pm @SW: ::Every experiment is successful if you come into it with an open mind.:: ItsyBitsySpyers 9:28 pm [[No, no. Celebrating her memories of when she was content with the Jack human.]] *Tilt. Tilt the other way.* [[Or believed she was. He still does not think it was a good relationship.]] FakeProwl 9:29 pm Oh, it was absolutely not. ItsyBitsySpyers 9:29 pm @T: (txt): New viewpoint heard, considered, appreciated.

*Hmm. Does Shockwave think like that?* ItsyBitsySpyers 9:30 pm [[Then this song following it was a good choice. Well done, Bevel.]] Bevel 9:30 pm *grins* Tarantulas 9:31 pm *shockwave would be a shitty scientist if he didn't, in tarantulas's opinion, therefore he must* FakeProwl 9:31 pm His death was the best thing that could have possibly happened to her. It allowed her to leave with the memory of the brief freedom she thinks she experienced and opportunity for liberation that that experience provided her, while saving her from the eventual and inevitable controlling, manipulative, and abusive behavior he would have strangled her with. Tarantulas 9:34 pm *hhhm. briefly tarantulas wonders if that's what prowl thinks of him in turn* ItsyBitsySpyers 9:35 pm [[...Like the timing he suggested with the Council. A similar concept.]] FakeProwl 9:36 pm ... Still on that? ItsyBitsySpyers 9:37 pm [[Not on that discussion specifically. He understood what you were going for.]] *No need to fret all over again.* [[But it is a thing he has often thought about over the years. Among other problems of timing.]] Bevel 9:37 pm Council? FakeProwl 9:38 pm *he reacted extremely strongly in the negative for someone who supposedly understood what he was going for* ItsyBitsySpyers 9:38 pm [[It just reminded him of that. Removing a controlling force and then disposing of the one that would turn corrupt.]] *Small shrug.* [[He thinks in terms he understands.]] ItsyBitsySpyers 9:39 pm *Perhaps, but he did demonstrate that he got it once he stopped focusing on the example itself.* ItsyBitsySpyers 9:41 pm [[He also wonders what would have happened if he himself took certain data to the Council instead of bringing it to Megatron, back when he had that moment of doubt. And whether he should have spilled certain secrets to save his life or died to keep them quiet.]] [[They're just moments that gnaw at him and give him frames for processing other contexts.]] Bevel 9:43 pm *didn't get an exact answer but she's read enough history to follow where Soundwave was coming from now* It is important to think about the things you did and think about how you could have done better so you can make better decisions, in the future, right? ItsyBitsySpyers 9:44 pm *Soundwave leans to one side to get a better look at her.*

[[Now where did you get a lesson like that...?]] Bevel 9:45 pm *looks away from Soundwave and at the ceiling for a moment* From talking to people. FakeProwl 9:46 pm *is people* Bevel 9:46 pm *indeed* ItsyBitsySpyers 9:46 pm [[He's a telepath, Bevel.]] Bevel 9:46 pm 😐 You are a polite one. ItsyBitsySpyers 9:47 pm [[True.]] *Leans back. Like he's gonna poke at her thoughts too much in front of Prowl.* [[But he IS curious, still.]] Tarantulas 9:48 pm *visor quirk, what the heck is this chattering about* ItsyBitsySpyers 9:48 pm *Some suggest asking when it comes to things you want to know. He's a big voice for that.* Bevel 9:51 pm I... *her armor and paint start to change subtly to match the couch she's sitting on, but she controls the urge and settles back smoothly into the frame she's been wearing all night* I have been thinking. About stuff. Important stuff. Not council important! But important to me. Tarantulas 9:51 pm *tarantulas is too stubborn to ask about things he'd rather pretend to know or to figure out himself, if you're referring to him, sw* ItsyBitsySpyers 9:55 pm [[Go on. Such as?]] *He was.* Bevel 9:55 pm Not now. *she has to talk to someone else first, else word get around somehow, she only trusts like one and a half of the bots still here* Tarantulas 9:57 pm *wait what the heck was that, bevel. weren't YOU the one who was saying mirrors don't behave like that? strange, when tarantulas just saw you behaving in a way wholly unlike a typical mech. no way was that a trick of the light* ItsyBitsySpyers 9:57 pm [[As you wish.]] Bevel 9:57 pm *grateful smile at Soundwave* Tarantulas 9:59 pm *tara's gonna keep that to himself for now. he's got enough to chew on from this evening as it is* Bevel 10:01 pm *gonna just.... go back to picking music clueless about what's going on with Tara* Tarantulas 10:06 pm ...Oh! Bevel 10:06 pm ? Tarantulas 10:08 pm Do forgive me for forgetting for so long. I owe each party in this room three cephalopod acquaintanceships, don't I? ItsyBitsySpyers 10:08 pm *SNAP ALERT AWAY FROM MUSIC congrats that was the impossible* [[Yes. You do. Does this mean...?]] Bevel 10:08 pm Yes! *sits up* Tarantulas 10:10 pm What this means is that I don't yet have the specimens, but I can acquire them, say... before we meet here next? FakeProwl 10:10 pm *turns slightly. go on, he's listening.* ItsyBitsySpyers 10:11 pm [[All of them?]] Tarantulas 10:13 pm Of course. *a bit affronted* Bevel 10:13 pm You have some time. It will be a little bit before I can get everyone here again. ItsyBitsySpyers 10:13 pm *No harm meant. He's just - quietly excited.* Tarantulas 10:15 pm If meeting here is the problem, we could all meet elsewhere. That is to say, you'll all be coming to my lab anyhow. FakeProwl 10:16 pm ((IS THAT FUCKING SAX FLAMETHROWING)) Tarantulas 10:17 pm (( oh my god FakeProwl 10:17 pm ((MAD MAX: POSTMODERN JUKEBOX)) I'll be able to come unless some emergency comes up that requires my attention. ((so that's why he's by the open window)) ItsyBitsySpyers 10:18 pm [[He will make the emergency wait for his attention to exist.]] Bevel 10:18 pm *giggles* ItsyBitsySpyers 10:19 pm [[Which is impossible. But that is how much he looks forward to this. If it wasn't yet clear.]] FakeProwl 10:19 pm Unfortunately, emergencies that require a police captain's attention frequently don't care what other people think. Even when cephalopods are involved. If I can't come, don't delay it on my behalf. Soundwave can record the event for me to watch later. Tarantulas 10:20 pm Nono, you /must/ come, really. Bevel 10:21 pm Yeah, we planned this with you, Prowl. ItsyBitsySpyers 10:21 pm [[Perhaps he can bribe all of Iacon into behaving for a single day...]] *That is a joke. Please do not arrest him for bribery.* FakeProwl 10:21 pm It's all right. I'm not planning to touch them, so it doesn't make a difference if I see them in person or via video. Bevel 10:21 pm That would be a lot of bribes. Tarantulas 10:22 pm You're coming. *stated definitively* ItsyBitsySpyers 10:22 pm [[Never underestimate his abilities, Bevel.]] FakeProwl 10:22 pm *honestly Prowl's pretty neutral on the whole thing. The only reason he asked to come was so that he could request another couple of creatures for Soundwave to see.* Bevel 10:22 pm Never. *laughs* FakeProwl 10:22 pm *but if Tarantulas seems determined that it won't happen until Prowl CAN come...* ... Very well. ItsyBitsySpyers 10:22 pm [[...They won't be exposed to the Noisemaze, correct?]] Bevel 10:23 pm Noisemaze? Tarantulas 10:24 pm Ah, no, of course not. They'll be directly bridged in. FakeProwl 10:24 pm *... is that alright to mention in front of Bevel? PROWL wouldn't have mentioned it in front of Bevel* ItsyBitsySpyers 10:24 pm *Prowl wouldn't be the one getting his aft beaten to within an inch of his life if Bevel went to the lab and was lured out there and hurt somehow.* *Soundwave would really like not to anger Ratchet like that. Tarantulas already tried to convince her to be a Science once.* Tarantulas 10:26 pm *he plans on convincing her to be a Science somehow through the cephaloparty as well, but sw need not know that* FakeProwl 10:26 pm ((*judges song intensely for changing the pronouns*)) ((make them lesbians you cowards.)) Tarantulas 10:26 pm (( make it GAAAAY Bevel 10:27 pm ((*same, hadn't heard this one yet* ItsyBitsySpyers 10:27 pm *Tarantulas better hope Soundwave doesn't find out* FakeProwl 10:27 pm ((the music video was about gay men. you can make the song about lesbians. it's okay.)) Bevel 10:27 pm ((just for this i'm gonna play a cover of rude after this that I know is gay af Tarantulas 10:28 pm *is ignoring bevel's question ftr* Bevel 10:28 pm *is ignored boo* *will just assume it's a maze. with noises* FakeProwl 10:30 pm ((a hedge maze and from the hedges comes the wild dooting of kazoos)) Tarantulas 10:30 pm (( a kazzorchestra Bevel 10:30 pm ((and now for something not post modern ItsyBitsySpyers 10:32 pm ((soundwave volunteers to hunt down the wild kazoo)) Tarantulas 10:35 pm *claw tap to mandibles* ...I haven't thought of what to do with them once we've wrapped things up, though. FakeProwl 10:35 pm ... Take them home, I'd assume. Bevel 10:35 pm Let them go? Tarantulas 10:35 pm *funny look as if that hadn't occurred to him* Well, maybe. Though they might not be safe to return. ItsyBitsySpyers 10:36 pm [[Why wouldn't they?]] Tarantulas 10:37 pm I'm trying to think of the logistics, hold on. ItsyBitsySpyers 10:37 pm *Growing vaguely alarmed. He does not want them to be made into a Science.* FakeProwl 10:37 pm Are you concerned they're going to share the awesome things they've learned about Cybertronian technology with their octopus militaries? Tarantulas 10:38 pm *SNORT* No, not in the least. FakeProwl 10:38 pm Then I don't see what the problem with taking them home is. Tarantulas 10:38 pm One does not simply take a cephalopod home, Prowl. FakeProwl 10:39 pm Why not? ItsyBitsySpyers 10:39 pm *Has a worse thought than Science.*

[[-No eating them.-]] Tarantulas 10:40 pm Hyah, nono, I'm not going to eat them. I'm not partial to seafood. Tarantulas 10:41 pm The matter of putting them back - much less taking them back - is that I can't just reverse the process, that's all. (( I LOVE THIS ONE FakeProwl 10:42 pm Why not? If anything, it should be EASIER to return them than to pick them up. Picking them up involves effort to figure out where they are so you can get them. Taking them back involves only taking them directly back to the very spot you took them from. Tarantulas 10:43 pm This message has been removed. I mean, I could do that I suppose, it'd just be a mess, and not worth the time. FakeProwl 10:44 pm So open the bridge horizontally, one inch over the ocean, and drop them in. Tarantulas 10:44 pm No - but - hyah. *starts laughing* Bevel 10:45 pm ((gd self stop clicking things ((*puts mouse in corner* FakeProwl 10:45 pm ((for the chat record, could we get a re-statement of the now-deleted quote)) Tarantulas 10:46 pm (( something something "unless someone has tech i don't have, i can't just open a hole in the ocean and stick them back in" Bevel 10:46 pm ((yes plz i'm so sorry there needs to be a way to undo that omfg ItsyBitsySpyers 10:48 pm [[Could you not build a container to hold all the water coming in as you replace the creature, then bridge all that water back over the ocean?]] FakeProwl 10:53 pm ... What's wrong with the bridge one inch over the ocean? *all he got was a no and a laugh.* ItsyBitsySpyers 10:59 pm [[Oh, yes. From what he understands, not all life in the Earth's ocean can sustain itself at the same level because of the pressure, lighting, and fuel available to them at different depths. If some of these creatures live lower down, we may well be condemning them to death by dropping them in at the top.]]

*...What? Anglerfish and their horrible fangy deep sea brethren with their own biolights fascinated him just as much.*

*At least you know he values -some- organic life forms, Prowl.* Tarantulas 11:00 pm *finishes laughing with a huff* I just adjusted my capture plans. I'll be able to put them back. ItsyBitsySpyers 11:01 pm [[Are you sure? How?]] FakeProwl 11:01 pm So put them in a container that maintains their needed pressure, put it on a cable, and lower it through the bridge. And have it open when it reaches the proper depth. Tarantulas 11:03 pm I don't remember the species, but the ocean is rather deep, which means that'd entail more effort than I'm willing to put in for a small party like this. But it's alright, the solution is similar. ItsyBitsySpyers 11:03 pm *Excuse you. Every single one of those beings is worth all that effort. Not that he'll say as much out loud. In front of Bevel, anyway.* *He's still listening though.* Tarantulas 11:05 pm I'll prepare pressure-contained tanks, fill them with the appropriate environment, hook them up to my portal one at a time, target the creatures so they navigate into the chambers when the portal's opened, and voila. Simply do the reverse for release. (( IT'S MY JAM Bevel 11:06 pm *is listening to make sure all the cool critters will be safe* Tarantulas 11:06 pm (( *sings along* ItsyBitsySpyers 11:06 pm *Soundwave taps his fingers against his leg.* [[That sounds... reasonable.]] Bevel 11:07 pm ((This song is so damn good Tarantulas 11:07 pm (( also the music vid A+ ItsyBitsySpyers 11:07 pm *He was about to start researching what it would take to keep them on Cybertron. So, y'know. This is better.* Tarantulas 11:07 pm *no more additions to your collections, sw* Bevel 11:08 pm ((So good, ladies supporting ladies ItsyBitsySpyers 11:08 pm *One plant is hardly a collection!* ItsyBitsySpyers 11:10 pm *...And he never brought the human into the habitat that was built for them, so there.* Tarantulas 11:10 pm *keeping humans is amusing, sw should try it sometime* FakeProwl 11:11 pm *NO* ItsyBitsySpyers 11:11 pm *IN HIS DEFENSE, THEY WEREN'T ENTIRELY AGAINST IT* ItsyBitsySpyers 11:12 pm *He's definitely never mentioning the idea to turn them into a cassette though. That'll just. Stay out of an entire timeline's worth of hearing range of Prowl.* Tarantulas 11:13 pm *divert it in tarantulas's direction, he'll never speak a word* ItsyBitsySpyers 11:13 pm *It was a more desperate time. Don't you judge him.* Bevel 11:13 pm *the brief mention of a plant reminds the mun that Bevel needs to identify the plant she traded for that one movie night* ItsyBitsySpyers 11:14 pm [[...He will bring some patterns for them. Buzzsaw can make them.]] Tarantulas 11:14 pm Patterns for - ? ItsyBitsySpyers 11:14 pm [[The cephalopods capable of changing their colors.]] [[Something for them to exercise their minds on.]] Bevel 11:15 pm Can I help? Tarantulas 11:15 pm Oh, oh, yes, I see. Mind you, I'm not certain how much of their mind is exercised by their color changing. Bevel 11:15 pm *she's gonna be having a hard enough time resisting the urge to shift and see if they'll change colors to match* ItsyBitsySpyers 11:17 pm [[Yes, Bevel. He would like that.]]

[[And neither is he. If nothing else, it will be something they do not have in the ocean. It is all he can think of they might li... jars. Jars and - fish. He will procure fish.]] [[Ravage should be able to gather some of that.]] ItsyBitsySpyers 11:19 pm *Maybe a couple of crabs? Or clams dug out of the sand? Some of them might have preferences...* Bevel 11:20 pm Awesome. FakeProwl 11:20 pm ... Do they like jars? *that seems like an odd thing for them to like* ItsyBitsySpyers 11:22 pm [[He thinks so. He has seen captive ones open them to get what it is inside. There are some that carry large seed shells with them as well.]] Tarantulas 11:23 pm Hyeheh, it's true. I'll leave you in charge of their entertainment and mental stimulation, then, Soundwave. ItsyBitsySpyers 11:24 pm *Soundwave plays back a small fanfare. He is legitimately happy to be assigned this role.* Bevel 11:25 pm *grins, this is gonna be the coolest trip* Tarantulas 11:26 pm *tarantulas hopes so. maybe he can trick you into revealing some of your tricks too, bevel* ItsyBitsySpyers 11:26 pm *Agreed. Whole-sparkedly.*

*...Not on the revealing tricks bit, but he can't hear that hope.* Bevel 11:27 pm *is gonna try to be good but she never found a shapeshifting teacher* ItsyBitsySpyers 11:27 pm *Unable to quite contain himself, he allows himself to send Prowl a gif of falling foil confetti and an accompanying excitement tag. And a restraint tag. Just so Prowl understands he's not going to burst out and suddenly start yelling or whatever it is other people do.* ItsyBitsySpyers 11:28 pm *He then sends Bevel a task: acquire the largest pair of co-co-nut shells she can find and make a replacement out of sturdier supplies.* *There is a promise of payment attached.* Bevel 11:29 pm *can definitely do this! excited ping back* Tarantulas 11:30 pm *is sliding out of his sling/hammock and casually disattaching it* FakeProwl 11:31 pm *... ping ping ping.* Bevel 11:33 pm ((cro has request, i play that instead ItsyBitsySpyers 11:33 pm *And one of intense affection.*

*Ah. Are we leaving? Tarantulas is leaving. He should take the hint.* [[He should be on his way shortly. There is something he must do tomorrow.]] FakeProwl 11:33 pm Oh? ItsyBitsySpyers 11:33 pm ((the mun says as she promptly forgets what she was going to have him do...)) Bevel 11:33 pm ((whoops Aw, ok. ItsyBitsySpyers 11:34 pm ((OH YEAH i remember now)) [[Yes. He ordered a special item. Its creator informed him earlier today that it is ready.]] [[Among our other trades, per usual.]] FakeProwl 11:35 pm Ah. So you need to be in to pick up the delivery. Bevel 11:35 pm Can you say what you ordered or is it a secret? Tarantulas 11:36 pm Can you say who you ordered it from? That might be more informative. FakeProwl 11:36 pm *asks absolutely no questions about it, which may be informative all by itself.* Bevel 11:37 pm ((not at all ic Tarantulas 11:37 pm (( lmao ItsyBitsySpyers 11:37 pm [[He does.]]

[[Ah. Rumble and Frenzy have been asking for Arcade to replicate a new game console.]] *Not technically the item he meant, but also something he has to pick up personally. It's a surprise for them. And it'll stop them asking why Prowl isn't asking. He hopes.* Tarantulas 11:38 pm *doesn't 100% believe sw but doesn't feel like poking* ItsyBitsySpyers 11:38 pm *He can call in and check if he wants. It's true.* Bevel 11:39 pm *isn't observant enough to wonder why Prowl isn't asking, besides Prowl might already know since he's a, uh, friend* ItsyBitsySpyers 11:39 pm *FUNNY YOU SHOULD THINK THAT...* FakeProwl 11:39 pm *... now not sure if that's actually what it is, or if that's the cover story for the others* Bevel 11:39 pm I bet they will really like that. *100% believes him* Tarantulas 11:41 pm Certainly. *stretching* I must be on my way as well. ItsyBitsySpyers 11:41 pm [[Oh yes. Something about being a... what is it called. Switch? In any case, it's supposed to be important.]] Tarantulas 11:41 pm (( is that a double entendre (( it is isnt it Bevel 11:42 pm I do not know much about Earth games. *Bevel no* FakeProwl 11:42 pm *... okay now it's definitely the handcuffs.* *mystery solved* ItsyBitsySpyers 11:42 pm *Soundwave rises, enormously pleased with himself for that one, and nods to them all in turn.* [[Goodnight, all.]] Tarantulas 11:42 pm (( i cant fuckin believe you cro FakeProwl 11:42 pm Evening. ItsyBitsySpyers 11:43 pm ((u better believe it)) Tarantulas 11:43 pm Until next time. I'll be making preparations, hyeh. FakeProwl 11:43 pm ... Let me know if you're going to need help playtesting the new machine. *so very, very cool and casual* Bevel 11:44 pm ((*physically resists having Bevel query about that remark because tired ItsyBitsySpyers 11:44 pm *With any luck, so will he.*

[[Thank you. He'd like to make sure it doesn't have problems with locking up.]] Tarantulas 11:44 pm *since when has prowl been into gaming, tarantulas wonders* FakeProwl 11:44 pm (("what, do you think i don't play video games?" says prowl, who probably doesn't know how to hold a controller right-side up)) Bevel 11:44 pm ((Prowl, expect Bevel to ask you about how playtesting went later. FakeProwl 11:45 pm ((GOOD)) Tarantulas 11:45 pm *is off home now, au revoir* Bevel 11:45 pm *waves* ItsyBitsySpyers 11:47 pm *Follows suit by heading to the edge of the open wall, jumping off, and zipping on home in alt mode. There's some energy to work off after that last little innuendo-laced exchange.* FakeProwl 11:47 pm *SOUNDWAVE THIS IS A CITY* *WHAT ARE YOU DOING FLYING BETWEEN BUILDINGS* ItsyBitsySpyers 11:48 pm *WHAT ARE YOU GONNA DO, ARREST HIM?* FakeProwl 11:48 pm *HE COULD CALL HIS ALTERNATE* ItsyBitsySpyers 11:48 pm *-HE WOULDN'T DARE.- BEVEL DON'T LET HIM DO IT, DISTRACT HIM* *SOUNDWAVE WILL PAY YOU* Bevel 11:49 pm *this universe's Prowl does not look forward to that call because she'll have to send someone to follow up on it* *don't do that to Chase, he's barely an adult, Prowl* FakeProwl 11:50 pm *would having an uncomfortable rescue bot awkwardly asking questions be enough to discourage soundwave from RECKLESSLY ENDANGERING HIMSELF AND THE NEARBY ARCHITECTURE again* Bevel 11:51 pm *Bevel used Distraction! It's... not very effective. Especially since she's trying to think of how to complete the task Soundwave gave her* ItsyBitsySpyers 11:51 pm *Who's recklessly endangering anything? Is this not common where Prowl's from? Why the Pit do they have balconies on their apartments then? Is this why he's getting odd looks all the time?* FakeProwl 11:52 pm *you're supposed to go UP in the SKY and be OVER the buildings* ItsyBitsySpyers 11:54 pm *That's for work. And most every other time. Today he wants to feel his wings.* ItsyBitsySpyers 11:58 pm *But anyway, he's gone. He'll attend future meetings a lot less recklessly.* FakeProwl 11:59 pm *HE'D BETTER* Yesterday Bevel 11:59 pm *awkwardly waves to Prowl, who she assumes is probably not staying long since everyone else left* FakeProwl 12:00 am *now that he's done gaping in outrage at soundwave's departure? no, probably not.* *farewell, he is gone.* Bevel 12:01 am *oh good no stilted attempts at conversation, she'll get to cleaning up now*