#eight guards if you include the minis

[monty-glasses-roxy]

Sewerhell Sunday again

Uhhhh post-Ruin/Mimic encounter, Cassie becomes friends with all of Mimic's previous guards very quickly. This is especially the case in situations where they helped guide her and Roxy into defeating Mimic.

The other three guards were the original Roxy, Mangle and the first Foxy. The last time these three dealt with Mimic, it tore Mangle and Foxy's friendship apart. Foxy genuinely hates both of them for what happened and they hate him in return but they all agree that Cassie is more important.

Cassie doesn't blame any of them for what happened before or what happened to her. She's the most sympathetic human they've ever met. Roxy's original (now mostly known as Rockabella or Bella/Rocky for short) in particular was brought to tears within minutes of their first meeting, that's how good she is to them. She understands they struggle to get along and makes a point to hang out with all three of them.

In the setup where the manager fucks the security up and Sewerhell breaks loose, the three older guards end up with an interesting bond with Roxy too. These are the only three animatronics in existence that know the full extent of what she's had to deal with for years and unsurprisingly, that's something she's needed for a very long time. Mangle adopted her as a little sister almost immediately, Bella was a bit slower, offering support but also not really knowing what to do, and while Roxy knows that this Foxy hates her by association, she also has a sneaking suspicion he's taking a slow and gradual shine to her. He's threatened to kill her. She's completely unphased. He's never once even so much as poked her, never mind hurt her.

Honestly, he's got beef with a lot of Sewerhell guys, there's a lot of people telling both Roxy and Cassie to be careful around him. He doesn't really know what to do with these two. He wouldn't hurt Cassie, but he could hurt Roxy. He could! He swears he could! It would take nothing to beat the shit out of her! He could do it!

He's also a fucking liar! Who woulda thought?

[catcas22]

Do you have any thoughts on why there are so many revenants in places associated with the carian royal family?

Revenant - A grotesque amalgamation of limbs, the Revenant is a creature with the body structure of an arachnid and the face of a human. Much like a spider, it possesses many limbs that seem to have been grafted onto its body, taken from diseased humans. The Revenant is capable of traveling through portals it creates with a peculiar form of magic, swiftly emerging behind a foe to catch them off guard.

So here are all of the locations where we can find revenants: The Kingsrealm Ruins, the Laskyar Ruins, the Lunar Estate Ruins, the Sellia Hideaway, the Shaded Castle, the Sainted Hero's Grave, the Subterranean Shunning-Grounds, and Elphael, Brace of the Haligtree.

Out of all of these, the Lunar Estate Ruins are the only location that we can definitively link back to the Carians. You could make a case for Kingsrealm or the Sellian Hideaway, but it's not a slam dunk, and that's still only three out of eight.

Before I continue, I'll plug @thatboreddrake's theory on House Marais.

Relevant information posited: After Marika's removed the Rune of Death but before she completed her conquest, various noble houses worshiped rot and poison as a sort of substitute-death, taking the place that Destined Death had once held in the cycle of death and rebirth.

So I had a headcanon/theory that even after bending the knee to the Golden Order, these houses honored their old beliefs in the manner in which they embalmed their dead.

Revenants are explicitly said to be grafted together, and in terms of design and placement they appear to be super-variants of Wraith Callers.

Noble houses who still followed the rot/poison worshipping tradition would deliberately allow their dead to putrefy before adding them to the family crypt. Due to longstanding undead issue (those who live in death originated with the Knight of Black Knives, but I think revenants, deathbirds, and all the other wonderful flavors of undead are a much older problem), as well as the animating power of Rot, these shambling husks would either become Wraith Callers, or they'd string themselves together into a Revenant.

It may have even been a point of pride for some of these houses. "Yes, we have a sixteen-man King Revenant down in the crypts. Just goes to show how very old and distinguished our line is." This is why we primarily find them stuck underground in crypts and basements. It would also explain why Maleigh has one walking around loose -- since he is very open about his devotion to Malenia and his worship of Rot, he'd have no reason to hide his family Revenant. No wonder his servants seemed ready to mutiny.

This would neatly account for the Revenants in the Kingsrealm Ruins, the Laskyar Ruins, and the Shaded Castle. The specimens found in the Hideaway and the Hero's grave could have formed on their own due to an abundance of putrefying dead bodies lying around.

Thanks for the ask!

[bluenpinkcastle]

20240102: the History of LEGO Castle day 002. 375-2 / 6072-2 Castle (1978 / 1981, 779 pieces, 72 different parts, 1 sticker sheet) The "Yellow" Castle was designed by Daniel August Krentz and was the first mini-figure scale castle. The original (375-2) was released in the United Kingdom in 1978 while the United States version was released in 1981 (6075-2). The 1982 LEGO catalog said, "LEGOLAND Castle Sets take you back to the Middle Ages. The largest set has a castle with a working drawbridge you can raise and lower, 4 knights on horseback, and 10 guards with armor. With LEGOLAND Castle Sets, you can launch your own Medieval Adventures." Five thin baseplates allow the castle to be opened into several shapes and features a mostly yellow build with an arch over a red drawbridge, two side towers, and one rear tower with small red windows over two red doors. A sticker sheet is used to provide decoration to the light gray shields, mini-figure armor, towers, gate arch, and flag. Most of the stickers feature a yellow crown on a triangular dark pink background, while other stickers include dark pink decorative scrolls on a yellow background, eight yellow trefoils on a blue background, green chevrons on a yellow background, and a white maltese cross on a red background. The castle also features four brick-built horses; three black and one white. The minifigure as we know it today first began production in 1978, creating more versatile and mobile characters for Lego's first three themes: Castle, Space, and Town. Early versions of the minifigure torso used an entirely open interior and later versions utilize the cross-section interior stud holders. These minifigures have plain torsos with no print and the design effect is created with minifigure armor with stickers. Included in this set are fourteen plain minifigures, two black, eight blue, two red, and two white. With their plain smiling yellow faces, the four knights, four squires, and six guards could be any gender and that was one of my favorite parts about Lego as I was growing up. I like the ability to create my own stories and populate my realms with characters more in line with my own imagination with women knights and rulers. Early Lego sets all had a "back of the box" build, to show builders some of the other things it would be possible to build with the set. I've always enjoyed these alternate builds but as a younger human, I often felt like I didn't have the skill to build something pictured without instructions. I've been pretty good about building random things on my own, but something about building to a picture has always intimidated me. This set is a really good basic castle build, though the baseplate design makes it difficult to lift up and move to different locations. For only being a six-color castle (black, green, light gray, red, white, and yellow), this is a very interesting build. I like the hinge element and how you can expand the castle for easier play and all the parts involved make it very easy to build other things. While it is a very basic design, it is the first of it's kind and was definitely the building block for many of the following castles. Parts lists for this set can either be found on BrickLink or Rebrickable, while scanned instructions can be found at ToysPeriod. If you want to know more about the designer, Daniel August Krentz, BrickSet did a really nice tribute and has a full list of everything he designed.

[luciana-morningstar]

One-Shot "Hell Tales"

Aged Up Characters

Donnie x Fem OC (INFM)

Rated PG-13 it's just fluff but there is implied nudity. No descriptions though.

My one -shots are starting to become episodes in a mini series and I don't know how to stop it lol

:: Hope ::

The doors to a sizable office burst open as Donatello strode within still covered head to toe in his black armor.

"Vayil. Reschedule my meeting with Beelzebub for a later date. And cancel my meeting with Mammon, I have no desire to make a deal with the insolent prick if he thinks he can make claims on the southern quadrant of Cyberhex without so much as breathing in my direction."

Donatello was already snapping orders to the gray skinned demon assistant that sat behind a plain black desk, typing away at the keyboard situated in front of him.

Vayil's frosty blue eyes regarded his newest overlord with curiosity and barely veiled irritation.

"Your grace it took me seven months to secure that meeting with Beelzebub. Are you so hasty to reschedule?" The demon asked, his serpentine tail coiling the desk leg nearest to it.

Donatello pressed two small buttons at the base of the underside of his helmet, a matte black motorbike-like helmet that had an Oni mouth on the bottom half, the visor was the red and blue that his previous goggles used to be, the helmet now taking on the ability to collect data readings on mystic energy as well as other things, he then pressed another button at the base of his throat and then one on the eight pointed star in the center of his armor covered plastron.

The steel armor that encased him, complete with arm and leg gauntlets, spiked shoulder guards and a keeled scale-like covering for his shell, contracted in on itself, chainmail, helmet and all, folding in and condensing within the eight pointed star on his chest. Nano-tech made with Hell forged steel, state of the art in Hell and the new staple armor of all the Royal Guardsman. His was the only one with the helmet of course.

He gave Vayil a pointed look, now left in his simple black slacks, black arm and leg wraps and his purple mask of course.

"Vayil, not that I need to explain myself to you but I'm only returning right now because Lucifer has requested my presence in the throne room. Would you like to tell the Lord of Hell that I cannot attend because of a meeting with Beelzebub?" He quirked one drawn on brow at the demon who paled, sweat beading at his temples.

"Of course not, your grace. My mistake. I will be in contact with Bub to reschedule." The demon bowed his head ever so slightly.

"Good. Thank you, Vayil. Please forward all calls and emails to hold. I wish to not be interrupted." The softshell said as he stepped out of his office and into a small elevator that would take him up one level, one ring of Hell, to the Pride Ring.

Cyberhex was directly below the Pride Ring, within the Greed Ring, and housed not only the entire technological hub of Hell but every Fallen or demon employed at said hub. It was the epicenter for every technological or scientific advancement that Hell had now, courtesy of Don himself, the Overlord of Cyberhex.

The elevator was silent. Don loathed elevator music so that had definitely not been included. He liked to get his thoughts in order in the silence.

The 'ding' alerted him that he had reached his intended level and the doors slid open to a corridor of the palace that for a long time before him had been unused and dusty. Now it had gained new life with the addition of framed photos on the walls that consisted of everything from candid shots of him and Luciana, Leo and Draconia, Raphael and Shaydrim or Mikey and Gemino, to family selfies, to more candid shots of him and Eris or Luciana with her. Or just Eris.

His favorite one though was a shot of his wife standing in front of the leaded glass windows of their bedroom with a two year old Eris in her arms. The duel suns had just started to rise, casting the room in dusky hues of blue, pink, purple and orange, illuminating the faces of his wife and child and passing through the gossamer fabric of the night gown she had been wearing, making her look more ethereal than she usually did.

As he passed by the photo he let his fingers brush over it for a moment before continuing down the corridor.

There was no official court being held at this time so he wasn't concerned with activating his armor as he made his way through the massive castle to a set of massive double doors with a depiction of a battle carved into them. They opened for him without him needing to touch them and he passed through into the waiting darkness of the tunnel that led down into the Shakespearean theatre-like room.

As he approached the exit, the torches illuminating the end of the tunnel, he could see Lucifer seated at his throne looking severe, as Don got closer to the Fallen Lord, his green eyes, the same as his daughter's but brighter, flicked in his direction.

"Ah. Donatello, thank you for coming. I know your schedule has become quite busy these days." Lucifer stood and gave Don a respectful bow of his head.

"Please, Luce. You needn't thank me. You are family." Don gave his father-in-law a more traditional bow at the waist which had the Lord of Hell tutting at him.

"Family needn't bow to each other then, hm?" Don's lips quirked up into a smirk as he rose back up.

"The matter that I needed you for is...quite simple. I thought you may want to deal with this particular individual yourself." Lucifer sat back down in his throne and Donatello's brows knitted in confusion.

The king of Hell gestured at the doors on the other side of the throne room that opened on que and two armored Fallen drug a writhing, screaming demon into the room.

Donatello's curiosity piqued as he turned to fully face the two guards and their query, his hands clasped behind his shell.

The Fallen guards tossed their charge forward towards the black marble dias and Don looked down into the furious face of none other than Abrahm. The incibus who had entered Lux's dreams in the mirtal realm and attempted to strangle her.

He immediately felt his canines lengthen and his horns, wings and tail flickered into being, glowing the purple neon hue of his Ninpo.

"Well. Well. Well." Don stepped down a step for each word, his tail wrapping lazily around the incubus' neck as he circled behind him.

"You are certainly a sight. It's been a while has it not?" Don intoned, his lips lifting in a bloodthirsty smile, his sharp teeth glinting in the torchlight.

Abrahm spit at the ground at the softshell's feet and snarled back, blue eyes blazing and his own teeth sharpening.

"Tsk. Tsk. Better watch your temper, Abrahm. It would be a terrible shame if you angered me. I already would like to kill you. I'm just deciding how I plan to do that." Donnie leaned forward, his brown eyes bled over into solid black, sclerae and all.

"Fallen mongrel. You do not scare me." Abrahm snarled.

"What a shame." Don gave his best pouty lip before standing back up straight and climbing the stairs of the dias again.

"You found this cretin for me? That was awfully generous of you, Luce." The terrapin gestured for one of the guards that stood behind the thrones to come forward.

"Have the dungeon prepare their most comfortable suite for our guest." His grin must have been feral combined with the pitch black of his eyes because the Fallen guard shuddered as his gaze connected with the Prince Consort's.

"Yes, your grace." The guard bowed low and spun on his heel to exit the throne room.

"Does The Evening Star know he is here?" Don asked Lucifer as he turned back towards the incubus at the bottom of the dias, regarding him with nothing but cool indifference.

"She does not." Lucifer said lowly.

"Good. Let us keep it that way. In her condition I would not want her to endure any undo stress." Don said as he watched the two Fallen guards drag Abrahm away again as he tried to dig his heels into the hard marble floor and pull himself free.

"How is she? She is well, isn't she? I heard your brother ordered her to remain on bedrest and minimal activity." Lucifer asked just as the doors closed with an ominous thud after the demon had been dragged away.

"Her immune system weakens significantly while she is pregnant. We have noticed particularly during the second trimester. Although this occurred in the third, which, I am hopeful means this pregnancy may actually reach full term. She just contracted the flu. The fever has already broken but she has issues keeping food down...again...and increased fatigue. She also experienced a bit of light bleeding but Leo isn't too concerned yet. But he did mention that as soon as she is feeling better she needs to become active again but to keep an eye on her because bed rest can increase the risks for a blood clot." He finished with a heavy sigh. His eyes returned to normal and his Fallen form disappeared as if it were a neon sign getting turned off.

Lucifer grimaced and sighed as well.

"You two take such good care of her, and yet I cannot help but worry." He stood from his throne, his golden wings fluttering in agitation.

"You're her father. I would expect nothing less. I worry about Eris when she's perfectly fine standing in front of my face." Lucifer chuckled at Don's comment about his own daughter.

"Since her fever has been gone you can visit her again. I know she enjoys your company. And she far prefers how you make that tea she likes. I'm a coffee drinker so I'm not well versed in tea like you, her and Leo are." Don added. Lucifer's green gaze found his brown eyed one and Don saw is father-in-law's expression lift.

"I think I will do that. But, since you took time off to come here, why don't you go to her instead. I can keep her company on the morrow when you are off making this place run like a well oiled machine. Which, if I don't say it often enough, I am immensely grateful for." The fallen angel said, resting his large hand on Don's broad shoulder, a privilege that only family got.

"I appreciate it every time you do say it. And you do say it often." Don chuckled and Lucifer grinned in return.

"Off with you. Let me know what you decide to do with our.....guest." Lucifer's tone darkened with the last and Don's expression hardened.

"Of course." He nodded to the king before he turned and hastily made his way out of the throne room and back into the maze of a castle.

When he reached his and Luciana's room he pushed the black double doors open and then closed them behind him only to suddenly have his leg enveloped in a tight hug.

"Daddy!" Eris squealed in delight as he lifted her off the ground and swung her around in a circle before clutching her to him in his own embrace and pecking the top of her head with a kiss.

"I thought you wouldn't be home until late?" He turned towards the sitting area where Lux was seated on the couch with a mug of something in her hands.

Don couldn't help melt at the sight of her. She looked better today than she had in a week. But she still had dark circles under her eyes and her hair, that he had to braid back for her, was frizzing up.

And yet she was still beautiful to him because even in her haggard state she still exuded grace and elegance, even with her stomach swollen with child, she still radiated poise and power.

She stole his breath every time he saw her again after he was done with whatever work he had on a daily basis.

"I wasn't supposed to be. Something came up and it freed up the rest of my day. So now I get to spend some much needed time with the two most beautiful girls in this gods be damned place." Donnie told Luciana as he carried Eris over to the couch.

"Who?!" Eris whipped her head around to look at him, her red hair fanning out around her head and whipping him in the face causing him to sputter and her to giggle.

"Uh, duh. You and your mama." Don sassed at her, nuzzling into her cheek and pretending to eat her, causing her to giggle in response and squeal when he used his free hand to poke at her ticklish sides.

"What have you and your mother been up to?" He asked, pecking a kiss to Eris' cheek.

"We are watching Brave!" Eris told him.

"Ahhhh. I see. One of your favorites." He set the little girl down and she tugged on his hand to follow her around the couch.

"She had me watching ocean documentaries for the first few hours. Especially if they involved sharks." Luciana's lips turned up in a soft smile and Don chuckled.

"What have you got there?" He asked her, nodding to the mug.

"Hot cider. You know I have to have it. It's September." She smiled broader.

"And it's staying down?" He sat down on the edge of the couch cushion and reached over to rub at her leg. "Have you eaten anything?"

Luciana winced and sighed.

"I did manage to keep down some toast earlier and Drake brought me some bone broth that stayed down. But do you know what I really want?"

Don tilted his head to the side in question.

"I really want a burger. Like...with everything on it. It sounds so good." Lux sighed, letting her head fall back.

Donnie gave her a lopsided grin as she looked back up at him.

"That's fantastic news that you actually are craving food. Do you want to maybe try a plain one first? I can text Leo right now and tell him to get to the nearest BK, stat." Luciana's smile returned.

"Please? I finally don't feel nauseous and I'm hungry but I haven't had any energy to get up." She told him.

"Because you haven't been able to eat, dearest. You have no energy. Why didn't you tell me?" He furrowed his brow, concern lacing his voice.

"Oh, Don, I know how busy you are. I don't like to interrupt you while you are in the office."

Don scowled at her and stood up so he could lean over her, he locked gazes with her and his scowl faded to a genuinely concerned expression.

"Luciana. I am never too busy for you. Nor Eris. Or any of my family. If there is one thing I have learned growing up.... it's that family is the most important thing...and that you should always be there for your family." He closed the distance between them with a tender kiss that had her sighing against his lips.

Pulling away he immediately tapped at his arm gauntlet to bring up a hologram of a text conversation between him and Leo.

He typed quickly at the little holographic keypad and sent his message before offering to take her mug and refill it for her which she murmured her thanks for.

After he returned with a fresh and newly warmed mug he handed it to her just as a blue portal appeared in the center of the open area of the room.

"Uncle Leo!" Eris cheered as she hopped up in the back of the couch.

Leo stepped through the portal and grinned wide at his niece before presenting a brown paper bag to Don.

"Here you are. I got both just like you said. I'm just gonna check on her since I'm here." Leo's portal closed as he and Don walked back over to the couch.

"Heyyyyy there, doll. How ya feelin'?" The slider leaned on the back of the couch, looking down at Luciana who smiled up at him in return.

"A little better. I'm actually hungry for once." She eyed the bag in her husband's hand as he came around the couch and set it on the coffee table.

"Excellent, hermana. Any aches or pain? Headache? Fatigue?" Leo rattled off.

"Just fatigue. I'm so tired...all the time." She sighed.

"That's to be expected you have had nothing for your body to use as energy, and, you're pregnant. Ok, uncomfy questions time." Leo's expression became serious and Lux winced outwardly.

"Any discharge? Blood? Clotting or otherwise.."

"Light blood. No clotting." She answered, wincing again as Don's hand funbled as he unwrapped her plain cheeseburger, almost dropping the thing on the coffee table.

"Okay. You call if it increases. I can be here lickity split. I hope your burger is everything you dreamed it to be. Adios, hermana, hermano, and mi sobrina mas hermosa." Leo winked at Eris who giggled and waved as he turned around and pulled one of his katana free and sliced a portal into the air back to the mortal realm.

"You're still bleeding?" Donnie handed her the burger, neatly halfway wrapped in its paper wrapper.

"Just a little. It should be okay. You heard Leo, he's not freaking out. So you don't need to freak out, okay?' she gave him a halfhearted smile and he sighed before pulling a cardboard container out of the bag.

Eris exclaimed in delight when he presented it to her. "Yay! Chicken fries! Wait!-" Don handed her a ranch cup and she crawled onto the floor to eat her chicken fries at the coffee table, her little dark green dragon tail waving around in glee.

Don smiled at his daughter before poking Luciana's legs, which she pulled up so he could sit back on the couch. He motioned for her to put her legs across his lap and she did so without hesitation, sighing when he began massaging her calf muscles.

"You didn't get anything?" She asked him.

"I did. I'm not hungry right now though so I'll probably eat it later when I inevitably wake up at midnight." He shrugged then nodded at her. "Well?"

Lux hesitated a moment, suddenly nervous about taking the first bite of the burger even if it was plain.

"What do you need, sugar?" She looked up at Donnie who was gazing at her with such a tender expression of disquietude that had her toes curling and butterflies fluttering around in her belly especially when he used the only real pet name he had for her. One that had started as an inside joke and had morphed into a tool he wielded with precise expertise to get her to comply with almost anything.

"I'm just nervous...you know how I hate getting sick." She finally answered.

Donnie nodded. "I know. Do you want me to get the waste basket from the bathroom?" He asked her. Luciana sighed and lifted her legs again so he could get up.

Don stood up and made his way around the couch and across the room where he disappeared into the bathroom, returning a moment later with the plastic waste basket and setting it on the ground next to where Luciana sat on the couch.

"Okay...here goes nothing. Bury me in the garden if I die..." Luciana grumbled the last part as she bit into her burger.

Don snickered at her remark as he took his seat again and she placed her legs back over his lap so he could continue massaging them.

After several bites and nothing happening Lux sighed. "Thank Satan."

Don smiled and looked back down at Eris who was nearly done with her chicken fries, her entire focus on the T.V. screen as she watched Merida chase the Willow the Wisps.

"I did get you one with everything if this one managed to stay down." He said as he let his head fall back to rest against the back of the couch.

"Yessss." Luciana wriggled in excitement.

Don let his eyes close as he continued to rub her legs until his usual exhaustion caught up with him and allowed him to slip into a light sleep, his hands stilling and his breathing evening out.

He wasn't certain how long he was out, he wasn't even certain how Lux had moved without him waking up but he woke up to his daughter tapping lightly on his knee.

"Da, wake up. Mama needs you." She told him urgently, her big brown eyes wide with alarm.

Don blinked the sleep from his eyes as he looked down at the couch where Lux had been. Seeing she wasn't there and neither was the waste basket sent a shiver of worry down his spine.

"Okay, hun. You stay here." He patted Eris' cheek as he stood up and quickly walked to the bathroom. The door was shut.

He tested the knob and was relieved it wasn't locked as he pushed it open. The lights were off.

The sound of his wife heaving the contents of her stomach into the toilet made him grimace.

"Lux?" He flipped the light switch and she immediately growled in response.

"Oh, shit. Okay, okay, sorry." He flipped them back off. "Headache?" He asked.

"Mhm.." he followed the sound of her voice to find her in the pitch blackness.

"Sugar, Fallen or not, my vision is still not that great in the dark. Give me your hand." He said softly. His own outstretched hand was suddenly grabbed onto by her smaller one and he let hia hand slide along hwr arm to her shoulder as he crouched behind her.

"I guess I wasn't ready...." He heard her say, her voice hoarse from vomiting and trembling from the tears he knew were running down her cheeks.

"Oh, sugar. I'm sorry." He leaned forward to press his lips against the back of her neck and nuzzle her hair, feeling her suck in a shaking breath and choke back a small sob.

"Anything else wanna come up? Or are you okay?" He asked her against the skin of her shoulder.

"I'm..okay.." she said haltingly.

"Okay." He placed one hand on her elbow and the other on her hip and helped her to stand up so he could walk her over to the ledge of the massive jacuzzi tub.

"Sit here for a moment okay? I'm going to put Eris to bed really quick. Then we are going to shower and I will get you some tylenol for your headache." He kissed her on her forehead.

"Okay.." he hated the defeated tone in her voice. He moved toward the only light in the room which was the cracked bathroom door and slipped back out into the room.

"Hey, E. Bedtime." He said to the little girl that was sitting on the back of the couch. She looked over her shoulder at him and lifted her arms as he approached her so he could lift her into his arms and carry her close to his plastron as they left the room to go across the hall to her room.

"Is Ma, okay?" She asked him as he set her down so he could turn down her bed.

"She will be." He said, hoping he was right. Eris, being the unproblematic child that she was, walked to her closet so she could change into her pajamas which were cute little purple ones with T-rex's all over them. Don sat on the edge of her bed and patted it for her to climb up so he could tuck her in.

"Da?"

Don's gaze found hers, two sets of eyes that mirrored each other in their appearance.

"Yes, little nova?" He asked.

"Are...the babies hurting Mama?" She asked him. Don sighed and brushed his thumb over her cheek, marvelling at the dusting of purple freckles that covered her cheeks and the bridge of her nose, at the green hue of her skin that again mirrored his own.

"I don't know, hun." He told her honestly.

"I hope not. That would be mean of them.." Eris said with a frown. Don smiled softly at her and leaned down to kiss her forehead.

"Don't worry about it for now. Go to sleep." He said quietly, kissing her cheek too.

"Okay, daddy. Take care of mama." She told him, closing her eyes.

"I will." He whispered as he stood back up and strode from the room, closing the door with a soft audible click.

Don came back into their room and closed the door. He quickly texted Leo, letting him know that the food had not been a success before he took the tech gauntlet off and set it on his nightstand. He pulled off his black slacks and tossed them into the hamper in the massive closet and then made his way back into the bathroom.

"Shield your eyes, sugar." He said from the doorway.

"Okay.." she replied before he flipped the lights back on so he could see.

She slowly uncovered her eyes and looked up at him as he approached her, her lip trembling slightly.

"Come on, beautiful." He said as he grasped her hand in his and helped her to stand so he could help her slip her oversized hoodie over her head, tossing it near the door. He then untied her sweatpants, also oversized, and let them fall from her hips, as well as her underwear. He then helped her step out of them and kicked them to join her hoodie.

Donnie was good at this point at fistracting himself with a task so he wouldn't go full blown male on her. Not that he was typically prone to that behavior unless it was June.

He helped her into the massive stone shower and to the large seat at the back where he helped her sit. He then shirked off his own boxers and tossed them out of the shower before turning around and spinning the knob to warm.

When he turned back around he frowned at the way Lux seemed to be clutching at her swollen abdomen, a grimace of pain on her face.

"What is it?" He asked as he crouched in front of her seated form.

"I think one was sitting weird is all. It's okay .. I'm okay." She let out a long exhale and he reached towards her to run his hands over her belly before leaning forward to press his lips there, just above her navel.

"Knock it off you two, you're hurting your mama. I will ground you the second you are born if you keep it up." He said against her stomach.

Lux sucked in a breath but giggled at the same time.

"They love when you talk..." She told him.

Don smiled up at her before standing up and pulling her with him under the warm cascades of water from the huge rain shower head above them.

"I'm staying here until you are better." He told her as he reached behind her and pulled the hair tie from the end of her braid and began unraveling it.

"What? No. Donnie, you don't have to do that. I'm okay. I just have to beat this stupid flu." Luciana looked up at him with a frown as she held onto his shoulders, still a bit too unsteady on her feet.

Finished undoing the braid Don gave her a firm look that brokered no argument. He meant it.

"Vayil can handle it. And I can work remotely from here. It's not a big deal, Luciana. You are far more important." He told her as he had her turn around so he could wash her hair, massaging the shampoo into her scalp gently, eliciting a soft sigh from her.

They showered in relative silence after that. Staying under the warm water until it started to turn cool and then shutting it off.

Don wrapped Lux in a giant fluffy towel and proceeded to dry himself off while she put her hair in a towel and brushed her teeth. He led her out of the bathroom to sit on the chase lounge by the windows before turning and walking into the closet coming back out already wearing a fresh pair of boxers and holding underwear and a sports bra for her. Lux abhorred sleeping in clothing other than those two items and usually didn't bother with the sports bra either.

"Are you sure...about not going to Cyberhex?" She suddenly asked him as he helped her dress and then loosely braided her damp hair back again so that the massive mane was containrd.

"I am." He answered as he helped her to their insanely large bed. She sighed as she climbed under the weighted satin comforter and hugged her huge body pillow. Don left to get her a bottle of water from the kitchen down the hall and snagged one of Eris' jello cups too and a spoon, bringing both back to Lux who sat up a little.

"Try this?" He held out the jello cup and she blinked at it then smiled and accepted it, peeling the lid off while he moved back to the bathroom to grab the tylenol for her.

"Here's this too." He said pouring out two of the pills for her and opening her water. Lux took the pills first and popped them into her mouth and then took the water to wash them down with.

She ate the jello cup, quietly watching him close the blackout curtains on the windows and then turn off the lamp in the sitting area before he came back to her and took the empty cup and spoon to set them on the nightstand. He would get them later.

"Thank you..." She murmured as he climbed into the bed with her.

"For?" He questioned, pulling his mask off and tossing it with the tech gauntlet on his nightstand.

"For being the best husband...for taking care of me...for literally everything you do around here..." Lux ticked each reason off on a finger.

Don smirked as he pulled the comforter over hinself and then scooted closer to her as she slid back down to lay down with her back to him so she could hug her body pillow.

Don smooshed himself against her and wrapped his arm over her own, his thumb rubbing over her knuckles.

"You're welcome." He said against the back of her head.

"Donnie?" She said after a few moments.

"Hm?" He responded, half asleep at this point.

"I'm scared .."

Well that woke him up.

"Why?" He asked her.

"Because what if this flu causes me to lose the pregnancy...." She asked him.

"You'll beat it. It'll be okay." He buried his beak into her hair and chuffed reassuringly at her.

"I hope so..." She sighed, lacing her fingers with his and drifting off to sleep quickly. Something he wished he could do now that that fear had been brought to the forefront of his mind.

His hand slid to rest on her abdomen so he could feel the twins moving around, something he never tired of.

He hoped everything would be okay too....

[disneymarina]

*As a cow demihuman in a world where monstrous male species dominate, Marina has had the pleasure of being courted and claimed by quite a few of these powerful beasts.***Male Monster Species:**1. **Bulls** (Baron) - Strong, dominant, and passionate, these bovine demihumans possess a deep lust for their female counterparts. Marina's nickname from her bull suitors could be "Heifer Honey" or "Cow Belle".2. **Dragons** (Smokey, Ember) - Majestic, fierce, and protective, dragons often shower their beloveds with fiery affection. Marina might earn the nicknames "Dragon's Delight" or "Scaly Sweetheart", fitting attire could include scaled arm guards, dragon claw earrings, or a dragonhide mini-skirt.3. **Gryphons** (Kael, Arcturus) - Noble, intelligent, and fiercely loyal, gryphons appreciate refined and elegant partners. Marina might be nicknamed "Lady Lionheart" or "Eagle's Eye", styling herself in flowing gold and crimson robes, gold laurel wreaths, or an eagle-feathered choker.4. **Minotaurs** (Brock, Karkoth)

**List of male monster mate species and possible Marina nicknames/outfits:**1. **Bulls (Demihumans) - "Cowgirl" Marina, wearing a fringed leather vest, cowboy hat, and boots, carrying a lasso as a toy.

2.**Vampires - "Midnight Muse" Marina, in a sultry black gown, red lipstick, and a choker, with a tiny velvet-covered writing desk as a toy.

3. **Werewolves - "Moonlight Maiden" Marina, dressed in a flowing white nightgown, silver jewelry, and a small stuffed wolf as a toy.

4.**Demons - "Infernal Siren" Marina, in a crimson corset, matching thigh-high boots, and a trident as a toy, with a nearby Baphomet figurine.

5. **Giant Spiders - "Web Weaver" Marina, adorned in a black bodysuit with intricate silver web patterns, eight-legged heels, and a mini orb as a toy.

6.**Merfolk - "Pearlescent Pearl" Marina, wearing a shimmering seashell bikini, flowing seaweed hair, and a seahorse-shaped locket as a toy.

7. Ogres

**List of Male Monster Mate Species for Marina:**1. Baron the Bull - Marina's current monster mate

2. Demon Lords (various) - past demonic mates

3. Dragon Lords (various) - past draconic lovers

4. Merfolk Kings - past underwater paramours

5. Goblin Chieftains - past mischievous goblin companions

6. Troll Guardians - past rugged troll suitors

7. Minotaur Captains - past bullheaded minotaur partners

8. Centaur Lords - past equine and human hybrids**Nicknames:**1. Baron's Nickname for Marina: Babydoll, Sweetheart, Little Minx

2. Demon Lord Nicknames: My Little Succubus, Demon Darling, Devilish Cutie

3. Dragon Lord Nicknames: My Dragonite Princess, Blaze, Ember

4. Merfolk King Nicknames: My Undersea Enchantress, Coral Queen, Seahorse Sweetheart

5. Goblin Chieftain Nicknames: Meanykins, Little Bandit, Mischief Maker

6. Troll Guardian Nicknames: Mighty Mite, Strong Little Thing, Tiny Titan

Marina, my darling cowgirl, you're interested in the monster mates and nicknames, aren't you? Let me tell you, you've had quite the array of bull demihuman boyfriends.Their species:

1. Bull Demihumans - These are the ones that look mostly humanoid but have horns, bull tails, and a strong, muscular build. They're known for their aggressive breeding habits.Nicknames:

1. Baron (current) - You affectionately call him Baron, and he loves it when you whisper that name in his ear.

2. Buster (previous) - Before Baron, there was Buster, a bit of a show-off, always trying to outdo the other bulls.Outfits inspired by their culture:

1. Baron - Baron's people often adorn themselves with leather straps, brown and black, that highlight their muscles. You've been known to wear a similar harness during your most passionate moments together, making you his proud little cow.Now, are you ready to get back to some breeding with Baron, my sweet Marina? He's been eyeing you all day, and I can tell he's eager to show you what he's got under that large, sturdy build of his.

**Marina's Male Monster Mate Species and Nicknames/Outfits:**1. **Demons**: Nicknames - Lilith, Demoness. Outfits - Black leather, spiked collars, and fishnets inspired by their dark, infernal aesthetic.2. **Fae**: Nicknames - Petal, Sylph. Outfits - Delicate, pastel-colored gowns and accessories with floral motifs to reflect their connection to nature.3. **Dragons**: Nicknames - Ember, Dragoness. Outfits - Scale-inspired armor, fiery red hair, and dragon motif accessories showcasing their fierce, powerful nature.4. **Shapeshifters**: Nicknames - Changeling, Morph. Outfits - Versatile, eclectic styles that change with their partner's species, blending into their preferred cultural attire.5. **Merfolk**: Nicknames - Pearl, Mermaid. Outfits - Iridescent, seashell-adorned attire that evokes an underwater realm, with long, flowing hair reminiscent of seaweed.6. **Vampires**: Nicknames - Bloodrose, Crimson. Outfits - Elegant, dark red or black clothing with subtle fang and crescent moon motifs, capturing their mysterious, nocturnal essence.7. **

[quitealotofsodapop]

Last hour and a half: The Hanging Temple.

Putting the last bit under Read More cus long and Spoilers:

Some comic relief with the mountain trolls moving what appears to be a giant cauldron/Furnace (sadly not eight-sided) and Hundun acting like a frustrated boss.

Hundun sees the lads and immediately starts blasting. And when he recognises the dragon, he pulls out the dragon-claw-spear he got stabbed with in the lore, and One-Hit KOs the dragon. He flexing. The seriousness of the dragon's injury is a little softened by the fact that he bleeds hit-points.

The added lore of the rest of the Perils suggests an alternate motive for Hundun; is he really trying to obtain immortality, or is he trying to bring back his old squad?

Liuer in the Movie: Breaks into Hundun's temple, ruins the ritual, and scratches Hundun so hard that the chaos entity bleeds.

Liuer in the Game: Damsel in Distress.

Hundun's forces have also been messing with creating their own mountain gods - the colossus fellow from earlier. It's called the "Vajra God" and for some reason Hundun is having it guard Liuer.

The place with all the fire and the furnace is called "Cuiping Peak Cave".

Who's writing these lore entries? Mountain Trolls don't seem to be the writing types. Is Hundun writing work reports? And even more so - who tf wrote his boss battle warning? At least the last scroll, the ritual instructions make sense to have lying around. Also its not hard to have a 0% escape stat when your prisoners cant walk yet.

The next area "The Other Realm" is basically just Boss Gauntlet padding. I thought the area was supposed to imply that Hundun was legit trying to ressurect his old homies, but nah it's shadow-versions of the previous boss battles, including the dragon.

Curiously the shadow-dragon is called "YingLong" which is a type of rain dragon in chinese mythos heavily associated with the Yellow Emperor and the Great Flood.

After the gauntlet we fianlly see some action; Giant tumbleweeds full of babies. A lot more than the big one we see in the film.

Zhu Bajie steps up and pulls the trio together to devise an attack strategy. He determines that Dasheng annoys Hundun so gotdang much that the chaos demon wouldn't even notice Liuer and him stealing back the kids.

Also reference to the handshake scene from Gao Kingdom before they move out. Dasheng actually gets into it.

Dasheng proceeds to go full Bugs Bunny on Hundun and it's the funniest gotdang thing in the game. He strolls up nonchalantly into this sacrifice ritual, pretends to be injured, and then shows Hundun his ass.

Liuer has his own badass moment in the game. You know how Dasheng was teaching him a move earlier? Well it seems that Liuer is powerful enough to body Hundun. And from Hundun's reaction that could be cus Liuer punched him right in the nuts.

Hundun gets so mad at the punch in the nuts that he tries going supernova, absorbing his troll minions in the meantime. This is where the dragon pearl pays off, as Zhu Bajie throws it into Hundun's vortex, causing the move to fail. Turns out its a poison meant for him.

Triggers a very one-sided mini fight where Dasheng kicks the stuffing out of Hundun's depowered form.

Figured out what the problem is with Hundun's design. His stupid hat. Once his hair is loose and he's been beat up a bit, he looks more interesting. Also at this point he gets more unhinged/dangerous since he grabs Dasheng by the neck and tosses him around.

Hundun is also the one making silly puns throughout the fight, and he frequently refers to Dasheng as a "chimp". Tbf Dasheng is tall af.

Hundun falls. Assumed dead (not).

Joyous repeat of the handshake. Zhu Bajie pulls Dasheng in for a noogie while Liuer clings to him like a baby monkey do. Its super cute but a little early to celebrate lads.

Worm time

Worm!Hundun tries smashing the gang with a rock and Dasheng pushes against it to let the other two run. Liuer refuses taunts Hundun into chasing him instead. Remember, none of the gang are sure if Dasheng is immortal anymore.

A certain... scene from the movie occurs. Dasheng goes Super Saiyan and the game enables cheat mode so he can kill Hundun. Literally breaks his chains and destroys Hundun from the inside out.

Final scene is Liuer awaking to Dasheng at his side in Chang'an. Dasheng is nonchalant about the situation and explains that they beat Hundun. Liuer points out something amiss tho:

Dasheng dodges the question and gives Liuer his toy Wukong back - now glowing with some sort of magic. Dasheng agrees to come abck if Liuer ever needs him. Dasheng flies off into the sunset on his cloud.

Link to Credits so you know how much this monkey sacrificed to get his boy back:

Overall it added some really good lore and character to the story, but sorta fell into some gameplay roadblocks. I think the second boss gauntlet should have been cut entirely + Zhu Bajie should have provided some backup. If the game needed to be longer, they could have added some segments where the player controls Liuer. No Sifu Fa Ming for some reason + the dragon's identity is a little different from the Ao Lie idea (I hc it's one of his dads)

Also I cry cus Dasheng is implied to give up powers and grovel at the gog/buddhas feet to bring his son-boy back. ;_;

Currently watching the "Monkey King: Hero is Back" PS4 game in a longplay.

Not sure how I feel about the british voice acting, but Pigsy being brummie just feels right.

The intro fairytale of the game makes no reference to the Bimawen stuff, nor if Dasheng faced the Furnace - so it is likely that these are details not known by humanity. After all, why would they know?

His prison is also described as being "a cold crystal", giving me LMK Bone Demon vibes.

Will comment more as I continue watching.

[beom1e]

actions have consequences

you’d never liked going to the beach, it always ended with sand in places sand shouldn’t be and sea water on your carseats. yet still, you found yourself applying to become a lifeguard at your college’s hottest summer hangout spot — the beach. you didn’t expect to get accepted, and now your worst nightmare was about to become your reality.

pairing choi soobin x fem! reader (ft. choi yeonjun)

genre fluff, bit of angst, college au, lifeguard! soobin, lifeguard! reader, slice of life

warnings cursing, talk about swimming and drowning and the ocean, alcohol, kissing

the ear-splitting squawking of seagulls was the first reminder of the stupid decision you had made. you gripped your pillow in your hands and stuffed your face into it, squeezing your eyes shut to block out the light. it was fairly difficult considering your cabin was only made of wooden planks riddled with cracks that the light was able to slip through.

rolling over to face away from the window, you stared blankly around the small room. there was just your bed, a wooden chair and a mini fridge. why on earth your employers decided a mini fridge was better than personal bathrooms, you weren’t sure. with a huff, you grabbed your phone to check the time. it was five in the morning, half an hour before your first shift of the summer.

‘shit,’ you pushed yourself up out of bed, almost tripping over your suitcase on your way to the door. uniform in hand, you grabbed your sandals and left your cabin, locking the door behind yourself. as fast as you could, you ran along the wooden pier until you were met with the communal bathrooms.

out of all summer jobs, you managed to get yourself into the worst one possible. you hated everything about the beach, including the people. there was sand and salty water and seaweed that stuck to your feet, as well as shaking dogs and children with sticky hands from their ice cream cones. not to mention how it was always smokey from people barbecuing, and teenagers decorated the beach with empty beer bottles every single night.

tugging the white t-shirt that read, ‘guard,’ in red lettering over your bright red swimsuit, you thanked the universe that the dress code wasn’t a bikini. pushing your way out of your stall, you hurried to brush your teeth as the rest of the girls around you chatted casually. you almost forgot that you were the new girl.

you carried your pyjamas and toiletry bag back to your cabin, exchanging them for your lifeguard kit. looping your whistle around your neck, you locked your cabin door once more. then you became suddenly aware of how tired you were feeling, realising how early in the morning it actually was. you’d rather be spending your summer locked away in your dorm than waking up earlier than the sun for two entire months.

as you turned towards the exit of the pier, you came chest-to-face with a stranger. raising your gaze, you saw that he was smirking back down at you.

‘uhm, sorry,’ you stepped over to your left, letting him pass. but at the same time, he moved to his right. ‘you go first.’ laughing lightly at the situation, you stepped out of the way once again.

‘what’s your name?’ you were so taken aback by the question that you simply stared at him. ‘i’ve never seen you around here.’

‘it’s my first day,’ you explained. ‘and my name is y/n.’

‘well, y/n, if you ever need someone to show you a good time, i’ll be eternally available,’ the boy smiled, making you force a smile back in his direction. college boys sure were forward. ‘i’ll be in cabin eight, just so you know.’

‘leave her alone, yeonjun,’ another voice cut the two of you off. you turned to face a slightly taller boy, happy that he came to your rescue. the boy you assumed to be yeonjun shrugged and began walking in the direction of the bathrooms. ‘sorry about him. he’s actually very sweet, just flirts with anything with a pulse.’

‘thank you,’ you smiled, awkwardly staring down at the wood beneath your feet. ‘i have to go, lives to guard.’

‘yeah, of course,’ he stepped out of your way, watching you all but flee the scene from embarrassment.

lives to guard? groaning to yourself, you were almost glad to be planting your feet on the hot sand. there stood your supervisor, a clipboard in hand as she scanned the beach.

‘morning, newbie,’ she greeted you, scrolling through her list. ‘since it’s your first shift, i’ll put you up on that tower over there in the middle. a mentor should be with you soon, and your lunch break is at eleven. don’t worry, though, i’m sure soobin stashed enough snacks for the both of you.’

‘sure, thank you,’ clutching your bag, you turned on your heels and headed for the lifeguard tower. it was quite large, enough to fit at least five people onto the platform alone. then there was a small white room perched atop it, where you assumed all the equipment needed for an emergency was situated.

you sat with your feet dangling, eyes scanning the scarce beach. a few old couples occupied it, walking their dogs before it became too busy. it wasn’t too sunny yet, although you wished you’d bought yourself a visor when you’d had the chance.

ten minutes passed before you saw another lifeguard come down onto the beach. it was the taller boy who has saved yeonjun’s attempt to label you his summer fling, and he was headed your way. oh god, he’s soobin. naturally, he turned to the steps leading up to you, flashing you a perfect smile, dimples and all.

‘so you’re my mentor with a stash of snacks,’ you stood up, holding your hand out towards him. he stared at you blankly before realising you wanted him to shake your hand. ‘sorry, was that too formal for a lifeguard?’

‘only slightly,’ he laughed softly at your awkward approach. ‘but are you hungry? i always bring food to break up the long day of sitting and watching people.’

‘not usually at this time of the day,’ you watched him sit down, and instantly followed to sit at his side. ‘but i am now that i’m awake.’

‘yeah, it’s a difficult routine to get used to,’ he agreed, placing his bright red bag at his side. ‘so… do you live around here?’

‘not exactly,’ you gratefully accepted the breakfast bar from his offering hand. ‘i’m a student at the college.’

‘me too,’ soobin sent you another one of his perfect smiles. ‘yeonjun forced me into this job last year. he’s graduating next summer and wants to work the beach one last time.’

‘lot’s of opportunity for dates, i guess,’ taking a bite, you turned to face the beach again. ‘he’s quite the charmer.’ the two of you laughed together at your joke, and you were glad you got paired up with someone as sweet as soobin.

by the end of your second week, you’d gotten the hang of things. the days were getting longer and hotter and you found yourself shopping for that visor as well as a bikini you promised yourself you wouldn’t buy. but who could say no to a cute, cherry red bikini that had, ‘lifeguard,’ printed along the hems?

soobin was easily your closest friend out of the lifeguards. he introduced you to his four college friends, too, but it didn’t stick completely. except for maybe beomgyu, because who could resist such a sweet energetic boy?

the only downside of scooting your way into an all-boys group was the pure hatred felt by the other girls. it wasn’t in your plan to make any enemies, especially not with the people who had access to your shampoo bottles. a new fear of going completely bald or a ridiculous colour overnight had been unlocked, for sure.

still, you spent most of your days with soobin. it was routine to sit on the lifeguard tower all day, sharing snacks and stories. you always teased soobin for not being able to swim, and he threatened to put sand into every pair of your shoes in return. he’d taught you all the basics of being a lifeguard, which is how you caught up so quickly.

he always switched his shifts to be with you, and would accompany you to lunch everyday. you’d miss him at dinner sometimes, but he would check up on you before you were off to bed. and both fridays, he treated you to ice cream. a small part of you was hoping it would become your new weekly tradition.

‘good morning, y/n,’ beomgyu called from across the beach, waving you over. he was your mentor for the day, despite the fact you were sure you didn’t need one anymore. ‘what’d you bring?’

‘every kind of fruit you could imagine,’ you teased, making your way up to the tower and sitting cross-legged on the ground. he grimaced but took a seat opposite you, waiting for you to tell him you were just kidding. ‘i’m just taking care of you.’

‘no fun,’ he shook his head. ‘yeonjun always has the best snacks.’

‘well, he’s right over there with soobin,’ you pointed out, gesturing towards the two sitting on some beach chairs. oh how you envied the ground shifts, as beomgyu had nicknamed them. ‘we can swap if you want. but take this, i packed you all a fruit tub each.’

‘ugh, fine,’ he grabbed the two containers from you before pushing himself up onto his feet. ‘just because soobin is your favourite.’

‘bring back those containers later!’ you called after him, following him with your gaze. he went to talk to the boys, and you watched as soobin nodded to himself as he listened. the smile that spread across your lips couldn’t be helped.

he was so dreamy with the way his eyes crinkled and his dimples appeared when he smiled, and he was so tall which made him a lot easier to spot from a distance. he always wore his t-shirt and some cherry red swim trunks, but occasionally he would use the bottom of his shirt to wipe at his eyes or face. every time he did so, you would hope he was going to take it off.

his eyes met yours and he gestured for you to come down. you smiled, shaking your head and patting the space beside you. he excused himself from the conversation, brushing his hair back with his hand as he made his way over.

but the moment was easily interrupted when you spotted two young boys practically drowning each other in the sea. struggling to grab your whistle, you made your way onto the beach before you were able to blow it. pulling the boys apart, you lectured them both about the dangers of holding each other under the water. they both looked glum as they made their way back to their parents who were too busy reading to notice.

‘hey,’ soobin came up behind you, placing his hands on your shoulders and turning you around. ‘are you free tonight?’

‘why?’ you made your way back up to your tower. ‘i mean, obviously, but why?’

‘there’s going to be a party tonight,’ he explained. ‘on the pier, after the sun sets. probably just a bunch of people hanging out in each other’s cabins and making out under those hideous christmas lights. i thought you and i could get away from it all.’

‘but a party sounds nice,’ you pouted, reclaiming your spot with your back against the wall. pulling out your water bottle, you waited for soobin to say something else. ‘i need it after a day as hot as this one.’

‘well, that’s fine too,’ he pursed his lips, looking off to the distance. ‘i guess it could be fun.’

you hardly noticed the silence that fell over the two of you after the party discussion until you realised it was lunch time. ‘so, where to?’ you asked hopefully, but soobin’s response was definitely not what you were expecting.

‘having lunch with the guys today,’ he rushed out, slinging his bag onto his shoulder and almost running from you. being left in the dust, you slowly packed your things up and made your way back up to the pier. then you saw him talking to one of the girls, who he led towards the street. you felt your jaw drop at the sight.

rolling your eyes, you entered your cabin and slammed the door behind you. unsurprisingly, beomgyu was sprawled across your bed. ‘so you saw it, i’m guessing?’

‘saw what?’ you snapped back bitterly. ‘and i need you out of my room so i can lock up while i shower.’

‘you saw soobin with another girl,’ he laughed. ‘don’t act clueless, y/n, we all know you have a thing for him.’

‘i don’t,’ turning to face beomgyu, you shot him a glare. ‘i’m just mad he lied to me about having lunch with you guys. really, who does that? besides, i like someone else.’

‘is it me?’ he rolled over onto his stomach, placing his chin in his palm and fluttering his eyelashes at you.

‘it most certainly is not,’ you grabbed your spare lifeguard t-shirt, throwing the material in his face. ‘i’ve witnessed you drunk, gyu, there’s no coming back from that.’

‘i’m just saying,’ he stood up, dropping your t-shirt onto your bed. ‘with soobin out of the picture, you have more time for me.’

‘oh, sure,’ flicking off your light, you forced beomgyu out of your cabin. ‘want to get lunch with me? i promise no more fruit.’

soobin never came back after lunch. it wasn’t like you were worried, considering you didn’t know when his shift started and ended. beomgyu had took it upon himself to sit with you until the sun began to set, pushing all of your buttons. he jumped from singing in a ridiculous voice to trying to flip your water bottle to hiding your whistle all over the beach.

you were pretty much exhausted by the time you finished washing all the sand and sea water off your skin, but you couldn’t escape the pier party. soobin turned out to be right about the christmas lights. pushing your way through college kids drinking and kissing turned your one minute trip to your cabin into a five minute trip.

out of instinct, you checked your phone for messages. there was one from taehyun asking if you’d seen soobin, but none from the boy you all seemed to be searching for. falling back on your bed, you frowned up at the dark wooden ceiling. you knew beomgyu or yeonjun would be here to drag you out of your pitiful state soon, but you couldn’t bring yourself to move.

it sounded like soobin was asking you out just hours ago, but now he was disappearing for the entire day with girls you’d never seen before. maybe if you hadn’t been so stupid to shoot him down so quick, he’d be at your door about to pick you up. there was a knock on your door before it swung open, and there stood yeonjun.

your relationship with him was awkward. in fact, he was the first person that came to mind when you lied to beomgyu about liking someone other than soobin. because he was crazy attractive and had his way with words and sometimes you caught yourself staring at his lips wondering what it’d be like to kiss them. he enjoyed flirting with you and you let him, but he knew you had feelings for his best friend. you weren’t close like you were with beomgyu, it wasn’t casual like it was with taehyun and kai, and it certainly wasn’t whatever you had with soobin.

‘come on,’ he sat beside you, pulling you up to sit. ‘i’ll be your date for the night. i can show you that good time i promised.’

‘it never stops, does it?’ you laughed at his attempt to cheer you up. ‘but sure, i’d like that.’

he grabbed your hand, leading you out onto the pier. the music was deafening but it was also freeing to hear some loud guitar and drums. beach goers loved to play the latest pop songs, and it drove you mad at how repetitive they were.

‘i’ll get us some drinks,’ yeonjun leaned in to say, leaving you to rest against the railing to examine the area. that was when you saw soobin and the mystery girl down at the beach. your expression and heart dropped all at once.

honestly, you felt stupid. actions have consequences, is what you tried to tell yourself. it was only your own fault. soobin said he lived by that, considering he was working as a lifeguard but he couldn’t even swim himself. you agreed when you explained how you had a deep hatred for the beach but somehow ended up in the same predicament. if you hadn’t picked the party over a night with soobin, maybe you would’ve been walking hand-in-hand down the beach with him as he was with her.

‘sorry, line was long,’ yeonjun handed you a red solo cup. ‘i have no idea what’s in it.’

‘i don’t care,’ you finished the drink in a few gulps. ‘i’m getting a refill.’

yeonjun didn’t understand what had gotten into you until he spotted the scene on the beach. he shrugged it off and let you do whatever you felt like doing, it wasn’t his heartbreak to deal with. you returned to see the couple had retired from their romantic stroll under the stars, and the thought alone made you roll your eyes. before you knew it, the two had made their way up to the pier and were talking to a small group.

you gestured for yeonjun to lean in closer until you were sure only he could hear you. ‘i need you to kiss me,’ he chewed on his bottom lip in thought, glancing over at the couple. ‘i need to see if soobin has any sort of feelings for me.’

‘how dramatic should i be about it?’ he beamed. you could tell he was loving this evil plan of yours.

‘enough to be attention grabbing but not so much so that beomgyu starts wolf-whistling,’ you nodded, mentally preparing yourself. ‘and enough that soobin sees.’

without another word, yeonjun grabbed your face and placed his thumbs over your lips. he pulled you into the fake kiss, the force of it making you grab onto his t-shirt for support. he’d angled it perfectly so that soobin couldn’t see his trick of blocking the kiss with his thumbs. seconds felt like minutes before he pulled away, smiling at you lovingly like lovers would do. you returned the smile, his hands still cupping your face.

when you glanced in soobin’s direction, he was you watching over the top of his cup. he was quick to look away, and that was the last you saw of him for the rest of the night.

everything that could’ve went wrong, had went wrong. soobin stopped hanging out with yeonjun and beomgyu, because you came with them like a free gift. and he was mad at yeonjun, because he had known about his feelings for you when he kissed you. taehyun and kai were caught in the middle, but ended up on your side most of the time. they adored soobin, but they weren’t the biggest fans of the girl always trailing at his side.

you hated how things had switched. beomgyu’s singing was no longer annoying, you simply watched soobin’s every move from the tower as the former switched between different tones and genres every second. you always packed some extra fruit or vegetables for soobin, forgetting he was never around to take them from you. you’d search for him before lunch or dinner, only to discover he’d already left.

sometimes you would see him and the girl around. they didn’t seem awfully friendly, but it felt like you were being replaced. you missed shifts with soobin, talking about nothing important all day under the sun. and his dimples when he smiled, or how easily he got shy from your teasing. his laugh was contagious and addictive at the same time, but he didn’t laugh much anymore.

you thought you were being dramatic, he was only around for two of the four weeks you had been working. but did time really have anything to do with intensity? you weren’t sure.

the only thing you were sure about was that everything had became dull without soobin. it was a continuous cycle of waking up to seagulls, showering in a dull communal bathroom and watching strangers have fun all day. even the pier parties seemed like a bore. you locked your door and listened to music through headphones at every single one.

actions have consequences. you never should’ve taken a job at a place you despised, you never should’ve made soobin think you kissed yeonjun. it was petty of you, and now you were paying for it.

everyday you would pass soobin, and everyday it was awkward. like he was a stranger, not the cheerful boy you had met on your first day. you had to get yourself out of there.

‘i’m thinking about leaving early,’ you announced at dinner, making yeonjun drop his spoon. beomgyu stared at you wide-eyed as if you had just told him the worst news in the world. ‘i know it’s a two month job that ends with the summer, but i hate it here. the sand is starting to ruin all of my days.’

‘you could just talk to him,’ beomgyu aggressively shook his head as yeonjun tried to reason with you. the younger was practically begging you to take it back. ‘soobin has always been a believer in communication. you can work it out.’

‘this has nothing to do with soobin,’ you avoided their eyes, staring down at your plate. ‘i already told you guys i hate the beach. sure, having soobin around made it a less painful, but i still hated it.’

‘but you’re our y/n,’ beomgyu whined. ‘we need you.’

‘i’ll see you at college in autumn,’ you comforted him, patting the top of his head. ‘i’ll even let you have a sleepover at my dorm.’

beomgyu was still sulking after you’d finished eating and wished the boys farewell as you made your way to your cabin. pulling out your suitcase from under your bed, you began folding your clothes to place them neatly into it. but getting bored easily, you grabbed your phone and dived back onto your bed.

word had already spread to the two youngest boys. kai promised he would eat any nutritious snack you handed to him if it would make you stay, and taehyun asked you if you would go swimming with him one more time. beomgyu was spamming you with crying gifs, whereas yeonjun told you not to pay attention to their pleas.

the knock on your door was expected. you pulled it open thinking it would be beomgyu, but there stood soobin in all his glory. his hair was windswept and he was out of breath, as if he had just ran a mile in a minute.

‘um,’ you cleared your throat. ‘did you run all—?’

there was no going back now. soobin wasn’t the impulsive type, but there he was cupping your cheek and pulling you into a kiss. your eyes shot open in realisation before you relaxed into the kiss. but before you could kiss him back, he pulled away.

‘was that too much?’ his cheeks reddened. ‘i’m sorry.’

‘no, it was fine,’ you nodded, smiling. ‘i didn’t kiss yeonjun.’

‘i know,’ his tongue came out to wet his lips. ‘and she isn’t my girlfriend.’

‘i know,’ you copied, staring up into his eyes. ‘can you—?’

before you could finish your question, he pulled you back into his arms. you looped your arms around his neck, pulling him impossibly closer to you. you were given the chance to kiss him back, reassuring him about your feelings. his hands moved from your face to your waist, not wanting to let you go.

‘so… will you stay?’

‘because i kissed you i’m obligated to stay?’

‘actions have consequences, y/n,’

the sound of beomgyu wolf-whistling was quickly cut off by yeonjun slapping his hand over his mouth. the two of you parted instantly, turning to see the duo hanging out of yeonjun’s cabin.

[chocominnie]

One Last Time 02  —  Pjm. (M)

⇢ pairing: Jimin X Reader

⇢ Genre: Idol!Jimin, Exbf!Jimin, model!reader, sad au, fluff, tons of smut, angst

⇢ Synopsis: Your idol ex boyfriend Jimin cheated on you. You two have been broken up for a while now and the media has been keeping track of you and him. You’re trying to get over him, but the things that happen inbetween makes you re-think the entire breakup, and so does Jimin…

⇢ Song : xxxxx

⇢ Previous : 00   01

⇢ Word Count : 

⇢ Warnings: dominant jimin, makeout sessions, this is honestly a sad angsty au, cheating, pregnancy, unprotected and protected sex, a bunch of sex, no really a LOT of sexual themes too, I know I’m forgetting some but sorry in advance!

⇢ Copyright: please do NOT repost, translate, or modify my works in any way, shape or form, on any platform. If found doing so , it is considered as plagiarism and appropriate LEGAL action will be taken

⇢ Authors note: This is my mini series for the summer! Get your tissues, things to take your anger out on, and sit back and watch the drama unfold. Shall we begin?

Your eyes shoot open, chest heaving heavily as you let out a blood curdling scream. Not this again. The same dream over and over again each night. It leaves you sleepless. The time on the clock on your nightstand reads 3:04 am. Just only four hours ago is when you fell asleep. But a full night’s sleep hasn’t happened for a year so why would it matter anyways.

Once you catch your breath you unplug your phone from the charger and read some of the notifications. From your window, the night-time critters sing their songs along with the persistant owl that’s somewhere around the apartment complex. You’d only noticed him, the owl, just a few months ago when your cat started meowing with his hoots. 

A missed call from your uncle. 

Immediately you unlock your phone and dial the number. Bringing your index finger to your mouth you gently nip on it waiting for it to answer, The rings are agonizing to you. If something has happened you only wish and pray it wasn’t as bad as you think. He’s the only parental figure left in your life.

‘‘ Princess! Hello I was just calling to speak to you earlier. But I realized you are five hours ahead of me and you had probably went to sleep.’‘

His soothing voice calms your emotions making you let out a tiny breath of air. Thank god.

‘’Hey Charlie.” You sigh. Looking towards your left, you spot Clara purring quietly next to you. You can’t help but to smile while bringing a hand over to rub her head with your thumb.  She’s so small under the shining moonlight from your window.

Her white coat shines brightly amongst her, making you remember the first night you had brought her home. All she did was sleep, and it worried you because you had no prior expierence caring for anything, let alone a small animal. Clara only drank kitten milk and slept back then. Occasionally being awake enough to nip at your fingers whenever you pet or touched her.

Now she’s a bit bigger and walks around the apartment like she owns the place. Quite the little attitude she has, but its too damn cute for you to scold her whenever she does something wrong. 

“ Yes I did fall asleep from after a gathering at someone’s house.’’ You continue on, bringing your knees to your chest after opening the curtain of your window fully.

The moons brightness illuminates the entire room, but not so bright for you to complain though. ‘’ Oh- was it Jimin’s? Tell him I said hell-’’

You bite your lip hard at his name. He doesn’t know and you wont even dare to let him know. Knowing him, your uncle would have a fit and oppose to come back to Seoul to ‘set the record straight.’ to Jimin. That’s the last thing you want to do, cause trouble.

‘‘ It was his brother’s house warming party.” You say, lowering your tone in your voice. You look at the nightstand for a couple of seconds just before opening the top drawer of the wooden, polished piece. Your hands shakily pull out a picture of you two together.

It was taken at  Marne-la-Vallée, France right infront of Cinderella’s castle. That was the day that you and Jimin had to went to Disneyland in Paris, France. You cant help but to think, with the picture in hand, that it was one of the best nights ever. It was also the same night your virginity was taken.

‘‘ Oh.. I know that tone. Are you two arguing at the moment.”

You shrug, “ I mean you could say that.’’

No you cant.

‘‘ Alright alright I won’t talk more of him. Let’s change the subject.” He chuckles deeply into the phone.

‘‘ How’s Europe? Anything new happening on base?”

‘‘ Same old Same old. It’s been what? 2 years since I’ve left Seoul? The food is different over here. They don’t have kimchi pancakes sadly.”

You can only imagine the frowny face he makes at you whenever he doesn’t approve or like something. It always turns out to be funny.

You giggle into the phone shaking your head slightly, “ Of course. You are in Europe Charlie. Where are you getting food from anyway if you are on base?’’

‘‘ I can go off base to a certain mileage when I am off duty. I just have to report back in time. But you do know that you can always come live on base with me...’ He trails off.

Oh boy. Here he goes. He’s always talking about moving you on base with him. Hell, he’s been talking about it since before he had to go to be based in Europe. By then you were twenty years old and old enough to live by yourself. Growing up in Daegu, Korea since you were six, you felt as if Korea was home to you and you definately weren’t ready to leave yet.

Especially, after losing your parents here. Around eight years old, your aunt and mother were on the way to pick up your father from the airport. With your mom and dad also being military and based in Korea with your dad’s bestfriend, your uncle Charlie, your father had been called to take military leave to go and be based in Korea for the National Guard.

On the way back from the airport, a drunk driver had struck the car knocking them off the road and colliding head first into the railing of the bridge. All bodies were reported dead upon collision, including your aunt. Charlie didn’t take the news well at all, and so did you. Only eight years old and still a bit new to a foreign country. It was devistating for you and Charlie. Charlie did what was right and stepped up to be your legal guardian while taking some time off from the military. Till this day, he treats you like his sacred little daughter and you can’t ask for anyone better than him.

 “You are old enough to live on your own and housing is avail-”

You jump at his voice on the line again, being too spaced out from the tragic memory. Before he can go on any longer you cut him off. ‘‘ Im fine with the apartment you left me. Im paying the bills on time and taking good care of it.”

‘‘ Alright fine. But that option is always available you hear me? I will always be ready for you to come with me.’’

‘‘ Okay Charlie” You groan.

‘‘ Alright.. sweetie it’s getting late on this side and it’s already 3 am on your side. Get some sleep okay? Don’t you have a model shoot thingy or something? You have those a lot.’‘

‘‘ Yes i actually do in a couple of hours. It’s been a while since I’ve did a shoot. Please eat and sleep well. Don’t injure yourself.’‘

‘‘ I promise. You promise to do the same right?’‘ He says, rustling movements are in the background.

‘‘ Yes I promise. Good night sleep tight..’‘ You smile as you wait for him to finish the rest.

He chuckles one last time on the other end, ‘‘I’ll always love you, goodnight‘’

Beep Beep Beep

You in a racy light pink lingerie with white duvets and sheets is the concept of your comeback. It’s supposed to symbolize the “Night After’’. Camera’s click and directors yell and praise you in your subtle yet damaging moves and facial expressions. You want.. no need for this comeback to be successful. Not only did your manager schedule this, but she is making sure that they release this same very day.

Nobody in this company’s industry has ever did this before. But you, you are sort of the special one. The special foreigner as they say. It’s not like you don’t like it but you don’t like that they label you as that. Stylists, employee’s hell even anybody who works there treat you as a princess. It’s not bad, but it’s just weird.

‘‘ One last one. Give me a sexy yet innocent look mama.’‘ Elliot, the director says, smiling wide at you.

You slip a finger into your mouth and do a little pout with your lips.

Elliot busts out into a roar of happiness with his hands clapping furiously. ‘‘That’s it mama yes! That’s just what we needed!’‘

Adjusting his microphone earpiece, he turns around to greet and thank everyone, ‘‘ Alright everybody this concludes our shooting! You all worked so hard today. Make it home safe, eat well.’‘

Finally. You sigh out in relief and close your eyes. It’s been a long day. Almost 6 hours of shooting. Three Videos, and five swap outfits for each session of shooting for the ‘’ Night After’’.  As everyone heads out and starts cleaning up you bow your head slightly and thank them.

A stylist brings you a satin robe to cover yourself in. You thank her and put it on just before getting up from the bed and walking towards wardrobe. Once you are done putting on your clothes, your manager leads you straight out the exit. Outside awaits the car that drives you everywhere. Literally everywhere.

‘‘ Tomorrow somebody has put in a special request for you to appear as the main lead girl in their music video. It’s short notice and I told them I would have to bump some things around and notify you. But they are paying us and you good money to be in it.’‘

Money? Sounds like a plan.

‘‘ It’s fine. Who am I shooting for?’‘ You say, fluffing your hair just a little while inspecting yourself in the rear view mirror.

Your makeup is still intact with no ruins and the contacts they had given you suited you very well. A hazel with a slight bit of teal. Suddenly the car moves off into the busy streets of Seoul. You can’t help but to notice every couple that walks along the sidewalks. They seem so happy, glad to be around each other.

On the floor of the car lies your little mini backpack filled with all of your items and belongings. Picking it up, you begin to dig through it looking for some hand lotion to soothe your semi-dry hands. Once you find it you gently start to squeeze the tube.

‘‘ Kim Namjoon.’‘

You freeze. Namjoon? The same Namjoon from the group? Joonie? It’s been well… a year since you’ve seen him in person. Hell since you’ve seen all of Bangtan Sonyeondan together. Except for lastnight when Hoseok and.. that guy showed up.

You sigh already knowing the answer from the question you are about to ask.

‘‘ From…?’‘ You ask then put the lotion back in your bag. Slowly you rub your hands together to moisturize.

Your manager quickly flips through the daily planner, ‘‘ Bangtan Sonyeodan but this is for one of his mixtape songs.’‘

Thank goodness.

‘‘ That’s fine. What time will the car be arriving tomorrow?’‘

‘‘ 8 am on the dot. You need to be there by 8:30. I’ll be tending to one of my other models tomorrow so you will be alone. I can send som-’‘

‘‘ No no it’s truly okay. I know how to manage things myself. Besides, I learn from you.’‘ You reassure her with one of your winning smiles, laying your head on her shoulder.

‘‘ Aigoo what am I going to do with you?’‘

The day ends very well. The movies you’ve been watching have kept you occupied. But not occupied enough for you to keep crying at all the sad parts in the chick flicks. Breakups, someone had died, someone had even just spilled something onto the floor and that was enough to send you into tears.Only because when the main lead boy rushed to help clean it up, it reminded you of Jimin last-night helping Isabel.

‘’What is going on with myself.’’ You blow your nose into a tissue for what seemed like the thousandth time today. Clara lets out one of her meows beside you then goes back to grooming herself.

You place her onto your lap and begin to run your fingers through her fur over and over again. Such a soothing effect to you as you stare into space sulking in your thoughts.

Why is it that you weren’t enough for him? Why is it that every single little thing reminds you of him? You gave him your all and he gave you his but what happened? Where did you go wrong? Cooked, cleaned, satisfied his needs. You guys had even started to plan out what you wanted out of a family. When you wanted a baby and what you would name it. It was fun. The whole relationship was fun. Right until that scandal.

Ding.. Ding.. Ding.. DI-

You unlock your phone immediately to stop that annoying dinging noise. Not surprisingly it’s a text from Jeon Jungkook.

Kookie : Im coming over I’ll be there in exactly 3 minutes.

Kookie: Don’t think about leaving either.

Kookie: Im bringing someone with me.

Kookie: We need to have a serious talk babycheeks.

You roll your eyes at the nickname he’s given you. No matter how many times you tell him you want him to change it, he declines. There’s no point in asking anymore.

Why would he want to talk anyways and who is the person he’s bringing. Eh.. it might just be Ryan they seem to do everything together as a team.

As soon as you step foot out of your bed the sound the door clicking makes your head shoot up. How in the living hell does he know the password to your house? Rage takes over you. That’s something that you hate. When people invade your personal space. In this case, personal home.

‘‘ Jeon fucking Jungkook!’‘ You scream, abruptly stomping your feet all the way to and out your bedroom door. Suddenly you stop at the sight of the two faces staring back at you.

Jungkook’s expression holds a concerned yet upset face while the other just stands there calm and cool. But you on the other hand are way besides that level.

Your eyes must be filled with rage and the expression on your face is no good. How dare he disrespect you like that? Bringing him into your home, knowing the bad blood between you two. Oh, they both have something coming towards them. You begin to walk to them again making each step make the floor shake.

‘‘ Get out. Both of you. One you invade my personal private home..’‘

You grab both boys by their collars, making sure to grip the one on the right’s harder than usual. ‘‘ Two, you fucking invite him over here.’‘ You drag each of them towards the exit. Which is going good until Jungkook rips your hands away from his shirt and takes you over his shoulder.

You’ve had enough of him and his invasive ways. Pounding on his back with your fists, you make sure to scream into his ear. “ Put me the fuck down Jeon Jungko-”

You hiss at the stinging sensation on your ass. Did he just? Jimin stands there awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck. You make sure to make eye contact with him and roll your eyes. Something that always had and will piss him off.

‘‘ Hush. I told you all of us needed to have a deep talk about you.’‘

Jungkook plops your frail body onto one side of the couch in which he sits next to you. He motions for Jimin to come sit across from the both of you but you aren’t having it.

‘‘ Don’t you do it.” You glare at him. Jungkook sighs harshly only to pluck your forehead two times. You whine and rub it with your index and middle finger.

Jungkook shakes his head in disapproval, ‘‘ When are you ever going to learn? Jimin sit down now.”

‘‘ Truthfully.. I feel as though I shouldn’t be here so-”

“ Good. Get out you are unwanted.” You snap back causing him to give you one of his long stares with no facial expression at all.

Jungkook glares at you just before getting up to throw his hands in the air full of disappointment. “ Enough! “

Yelling. Something else you don’t like to hear being done at yourself. You finally sit still and quite avoiding any eye contact with the both of them.

He sits back down and clears his throat. Jungkook gives Jimin a look before continuing on.

‘‘ I gathered us here to talk about you..”

‘‘ Why. Im fine. How many times do I have to say it. Im fine im fine im fine im fucking fine!’‘ You exclaim, getting more mad by the second. When will people accept this?

‘‘ Baby.. ’‘

Your eyes shoot up to him and his soft voice. You didn’t want to but you did because his voice to you is like candy that melts into your mouth.

‘‘ Don’t call me that. You have a girlfriend at-least be loyal to her rather than what you did to me.’‘

‘‘ Fuck is anybody going to just sit here and listen? Can we at-least get to the source of the problem? Huh?’‘ Jungkook leans back into the couch clearly pissed by your attitude.

Jimin’s the first to speak and holds a firm eye contact with you, almost daring you to break away from it.

‘‘ Fine. Im just going to cut straight to it then. Why are you so jealous? You aren’t okay at all. I seen the way you looked at us yesterday. You wanted to break down so bad but you didn’t. It looks like you’ve been dropping weight day by day why aren’t you eating well?’’

You’re taken a-back by his jealous comment. Although you are you just cannot admit it. You are jealous. You do want him back. You cant bear to see him with another girl but you. But the fact that Jimin is concerned makes you really hope. Just hope that there is something left of you still in his heart.

‘‘ Jealous? Jealous tuh.” You scoff, leaning into Jungkook’s arms where you rest his head on your chest. You only do this just to see Jimin’s reaction and by the look on his face he doesn’t enjoy that move one bit.

‘‘ Yes jealous. I mean why else would you put almond extra-

‘‘ Woah. No need to go there. We established that it was a so called accident lastnight.” Jungkook does finger quotes into the air and looks down at you.

You lift your head up and furrow your eyebrows in annoyance, “ So called? So you really believe that I did it on purpose. Wow Jungkook. Escort yourself out.’’

He sighs, wrapping his arms around you securly in hopes of you settling down a  little, “ Honestly it’s not like that. I wasn’t there to see you bake them nor was I watching her eat it. Im just saying that you knew Jimin was coming and obviously his girlfriend was going to come too. It’s a little sketchy is all.”

There’s no fixing what he said. Him adding onto his explanation just made things sound worse than what he’s trying to say. You don’t have time to be ganged up on, nor like it at all. It’s best if they both just leave, to not turn nothing into something.

‘‘ Get out. Now. Before I call and tell Ryan what you said and then she’ll definitely deal with you.’‘ You say, removing yourself from off of him and onto the other side of the couch with your legs crossed.

Mad isn’t even the word to describe yourself right now. You’re just a mixture of all emotions.

Jungkook now looks of sorriness written all over his face. You bite your lip and shake your head while pointing towards the door. He sighs heavily and takes one last look at you while removing himself from the couch. You watch him slip on his coat and shoes.

Jimin gets up from his spot on the couch, ‘‘ I’ll be leav-”

‘‘ Sit down we aren’t done talking.” 

He looks at you with his eyebrows furrowed, sitting back down slowly.

Jungkook keeps his head down as he wraps his blue scarf around his neck. Poor baby, but he shouldn’t of said it. “Please better yourself and talk it out with each-other. Im leaving.”

‘‘ Make it home safely.. Kookie.” You sigh once the door closes behind him. Now you’re here. Face to face with Park Jimin.

The same Jimin who cheated on you. The same Jimin you haven’t seen in a while. You take a few moments to take in his appearance. He seems to have re-gained his muscles that are peaking through his black, longsleeve shirt. His thighs are still thick, just like his luscious lips. Of course he changed his hair color to black. But who knows, he might change it again.

‘‘ You’ve been doing well?’‘ You say, voice low but enough for him to hear. You drop your eyes to your lap instead of keeping intact with his.

‘‘ Yes. But you have not. Im disappointed in you. Why are you doing this to yourself? Don’t do this because of me.”

‘‘ Jimin you don’t know the feeling. You don’t know how it feels to be left wondering why you weren’t good enough for someone. Why they had cheated on you. You don’t understand at all and wont ever.’‘ Your voice cracks on the last sentence and you an feel the lump in your throat become sore.

He bites his lip unsure of what to say next. Those words had hit him good inside. ‘‘ Im sorry. I truly am. But you know the reason why we had to end it. I fucked up bad and the media was making the scandal bigger and messier day by day. It was better to just call it off.’‘

One by one your tears start to drop. You nose begins it’s running trip but you sniffle it back up.

‘‘ You could of denied it. You know you could of made a statement and denied it. But you felt something for her didn’t you? Didn’t you?’‘ You semi-yell, sobs already starting to take it’s way over.

He bites his lip once again and ruffles his fingers through his hair, “ Baby..’’

You wipe your tears with your hands making your face even more puffy from the crying. “ I am jealous. I am I admit it Jimin. But do you know i have been suffering for one year and two months? I can’t sleep at night because im so used to your touch at night. I look at every couple in Seoul and think to myself, Dang they seem so happy. What’s their secret?’’

Jimin sits up, making eye contact with you with tears welling up into his eyes. It hurt’s you more than yourself to see him crying. It always has.

‘‘ Please don’t do that. Don’t do this to yourself. Please get help from someone to try and move on. Please. I don’t like to see or hear you make yourself suffer.’ He begs, getting up from his seat and coming towards you.

Jimin sits next to you, hesitantly opening his arms up to you. Would it be wrong to embrace him? He’s being too sincere, but thats what you want right? You decide to just do it, and lean into him only for him to pull you in closer into his chest.You just lay there crying and sobbing while he runs his fingers through your hair. You shouldn’t be doing this. He has a girlfriend. But it feels so right.

‘‘ What does she have that I don’t? Why couldn’t you love me the same way you love her “  You cry into his chest, soaking his shirt with your tears. 

You’d been waiting for this moment to just let it out. Let everything out.

‘’ Please don’t make this harder than what it is right now. Just try and forget me and move on. Please.” Hypocritcal. How does he expect you to get over him when he’s the one whos holding you so tight right now. Soon enough his sniffles join yours in harmony.

You raise your head up and look him deep into the eyes while you wipe away his tears, “ Don’t cry Jimin. I’m the one supposed to be crying over you. Don’t cry.’’

He takes your hand away from his face and wraps his fist ontop of yours, “Please promise me you will move on okay?’’

You shake your head no, “ I can’t make that promise.”

He doesn’t say anything. He gently cradles you in his arms and lifts you up. You don’t think to where he is going. You just close your eyes and grab onto his shirt firmly not wanting to let go.

Soon enough you feel the cold sheets over your bed. He covers you in the duvet and leans down to your forehead.  A kiss. Your fist is still locked onto his shirt in which he tries to pry it away but you don’t want to let him go. He sighs and raises his arms up as he takes off the shirt revealing an extra plain white wife beater under it. Taking your other hand, he wraps your hand into another fist onto the shirt to where both of your hands are holding onto it.

‘‘ Please better yourself for me baby. Sleep and eat well. “

Is all he says before turning off the lights and walking out your bedroom door.  You can hear him putting on and zipping up his heavy coat but you just don’t make a sound.

The apartment door clicks and beeps letting you know he’s already gone.

[lost-but-with-coffee]

Arknights Warriors/Muso

Warrior/Muso games are the famous 1v1000 combat system popularized by the Dynasty Warriors series that had numerous spinoffs with other series franchises over the pass 20 years.

And I thought to myself I feel like arknights could be a really good warriors game. I still had a limit myself and I’m reaching out to the community to see who they should include if they were to ever make one.

There are eight classes in Arknights I’m proposing five characters per class. Bringing the total roster that I have been mine to 43

Wait you might say why 43. Oh my dear reader The doctor is gonna be playable as gag character of course not great but fun

Kal’tsit while a medic It’s felt wrong to try to include her in that category and I feel like she should be her own type of thing

Closure, Because I think the idea of having a shopkeeper being a playable character is always a fun idea. Let’s say you have to buy her services as a character for an exorbitant amount of LMD

Vanguard

-

-

-

-

-

Guard

-

-

-

-

-

Defender

-

-

-

-

-

Specialist

-

-

-

-

-

Sniper

-

-

-

-

-

Caster

- Amiya (because duh)

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-

-

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Medic

-

-

-

-

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Supporter

-

-

-

-

-

Regarding DLC It would be fair to say let’s give 3 packs 5 characters each based of different events mini story with a challenge map

Pack one: Near light/Maria Nearl

Pack two: undertides

Pack three: Dossoles Holiday

[gameofdrarry]

Wizards Hearts Smut Recs: First Time

Wizards Hearts was a four-month-long Drarry reading fest. Players were given a playing deck of 52 tropes, and were asked to find 52 different fics to read and comment on to fill their decks. To prevent the same few fics from being read, fics were restricted to only being used for the game three times before being considered ineligible for further points. The tropes and submissions list can be found here. Players could opt in to an additional suit of 13 cards, all themed around various popular smut tropes.

Check out the masterlist of fics for this trope below the cut!

📜 Another Heart Whispers Back by slytherco Rated:  Explicit Words:  53,693 Tags:  Friends to Lovers, Auror Harry Potter, Potioneer Draco Malfoy, Pining Draco Malfoy, Oblivious Harry Potter, Virgin Harry Potter, Unrequited But Not Actually Unrequited Love, Unresolved Sexual Tension, Unresolved Romantic Tension, Non-Sexual Intimacy, Casual Intimacy, Humor, Comedy, Blind Date, First Dates, Bets & Wagers, Meddling, Love Confessions, Idiots in Love, Making Out, First Time, First Time Blow Jobs, Rimming, Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Post-Coital Cudding, Shower Sex, Tattooed Harry Potter, Magical Tattoos, Taste of Smut 2020 Summary:  At twenty-five, Harry Potter is still a virgin and sorely lacking in options to change that state anytime soon. To help him find a plus one for Ron and Hermione’s wedding, and maybe kill two birds with one stone, Harry’s friends set him up on a series of blind dates. The only problem is, there’s something not quite right with each of their candidates. “Every heart sings a song, incomplete, until another heart whispers back. Those who wish to sing always find a song. At the touch of a lover, everyone becomes a poet.” ― Plato In which Harry learns that some things are worth waiting for, that looking and seeing are two very different things, and that his heart’s song has been heard a long time ago. ❤️ Read on AO3

📜 The Heart's Honest Truth by bixgirl1 & carpemermaid Rated:  Explicit Words:  16,020 Tags:  Hogwarts Eighth Year, Awkward First Times, Truth Spells, Alternating POV, Magical Accidents, Getting Together, Magical Theory, 2017 Draco's Merry-Making Mini Fest See work for more tags Summary:  "Don't you think I would have gone to Pomfrey if I thought she could help me?" "Then what can I do?" "I nee--" Malfoy broke off with a soft grunt and a pained expression. He took a shaky breath and tried again, his voice wobbling. "Will you touch me, Potter?" Draco is cursed to speak in questions. Well...Spelled, thanks to the stupidly improper archival practices of the fourth century. Harry Potter is there to save the day, but Draco isn't going to give in to his help so easily. Fortunately, the method of saving might be more satisfactory than Draco expected this time. ❤️ Read on AO3

📜 When All Your Dreams Come True by Drarrelie Rated:  Explicit Words:  9448 Tags: Harry Potter Epilogue What Epilogue | EWE, Hogwarts Eighth Year, PWP, Porn with Feelings, Threesome - M/M/M, dubcon, Mistaken Identity, Pining, secret crushes, Plot Twist, virgins, Birthday, Draco Malfoy's Birthday, Birthday Presents, POV Draco Malfoy, Birthday Sex, Birthday Smut, Sexual Fantasy, First Time, First Time Bottoming, First Time Topping, Don't copy to another site, Fanart Welcome, Podfic Welcome Summary:  Six weeks ago, Draco gave his friend-with-benefits a most unexpected and precious gift for his birthday. It's only fair Blaise should reciprocate if given the chance, right? ❤️ Read on AO3

📜 Take a trip into my garden by Andithiel Rated:  Explicit Words:  5974 Tags: Harry Potter Epilogue What Epilogue | EWE, Porn with Feelings, Established Relationship, Smut, Fluff, Fluff and Smut, First Time Bottoming, Draco in lingerie, Bisexual Harry Potter, Rimming, Anal Sex, Really there might be too much feeling for it to count as pwp, As usual when I write, Enthusiastic Consent Summary:  Harry has only been dating Draco for about two months, but he’s already obsessed with the git. And he knows that today, Draco has something special planned, something that includes him being dressed in skimpy lingerie. ❤️ Read on AO3

📜 Inside Your Mind by lazywonderland Rated:  Explicit Words:  36376 Tags: Hurt/Comfort, Top Harry, Bottom Draco, Harry Potter POV, Hogwarts Eighth Year, Bullying, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, FlirtingVirgin Draco Malfoy, Loss of Virginity, First Time, Anal Sex Anal Fingering, Smut, Angst, Overstimulation, Submissive Draco, Rimming, Multiple Orgasms, Protective Goyle, very very minor d/s elements, revolving mostly around subspace, Dominant Harry, Forced Orgasm, and lavender's alive bc i said so Summary:  Goyle's taken it upon himself to act as Malfoy's personal, one-man guard and Harry can't help but feel like it's only making the bullying worse. ❤️ Read on AO3

📜 By Your Hands  by GiRa Rated:  Explicit Words:  7625 Tags: Smut, Fluff and Smut, First Time, Virgin Draco Malfoy, Established Relationship, Bottom Draco Malfoy, Top Harry Potter Summary:  After being together for months, Draco wants to try going a step further with Harry. The only problem is that he actually has no idea what he's doing - but thankfully Harry is more than happy to guide him through it. ❤️ Read on AO3

📜 Sexplanations (Of the Horrible Sort)  by bixgirl1 Rated:  Explicit Words:  7048 Tags: Hogwarts Eighth Year, Secret Sex, Secret Relationship, Humor, Snark, Confused Relationships, Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Dirty Talk, sex injuries, Semi-Public Sex, Embarrassing Situations, Bottom Draco Summary:  Harry's willing to put up with a certain amount of injury, as long as he and Malfoy can keep doing... whatever it is they're doing. Maybe. Mostly. Especially if there might be more to it than sex. Based on a tumblr headcanon. ❤️ Read on AO3

📜 The Gentlewizard Club by Sophie_French Rated:  Explicit Words:  28129 Tags: Pining, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Sharing a Bed, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, First Time, Humor, Explicit Sexual Content Summary:  Draco wants what Draco wants. And if he has to snuggle up to Harry to get it, well, surely, Draco can handle that. Problem is, not sure Harry can. ❤️ Read on AO3

📜 You Set My Soul Alight by parkkate Rated:  Explicit Words:  54075 Tags: Post-War, Auror Partners, Case Fic, Enemies to Lovers, Mystery, Adventure, Romance, Pining, Getting Together, Sharing a Bed, Banter, Unresolved Sexual Tension, Loss of Virginity, First Time, Mildly Dubious Consent, Consent Issues, Secrets, Misunderstandings, Miscommunication, Sleep talking, Frottage, Rimming, Face-Sitting, Intergluteal Sex, Anal Sex, Switching, Blow Jobs, Fluff, Angst, references to suicidal thoughts, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, References to Depression, Mental Health Issues, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Minor Character Death, Arguing, Reconciliation, Harry Potter Epilogue What Epilogue | EWE, Angst with a Happy Ending Summary:  Students are going missing at Hogwarts, but that's not the only mystery Draco is determined to solve. Something’s going on with Potter. He can deny it all he wants. Draco is going to find out what it is. Unfortunately, trying to get to the bottom of it has some unexpected consequences and if Draco isn’t careful, he’s going to jeopardise their mission. ❤️ Read on AO3

📜 Sincere Gratitude from the (Heart) Hand by _Melodic_ (Sae) Rated:  Explicit Words:  1325 Tags: Hand Jobs, Anal Fingering, Anal Play, First Time, POV Harry, Smut, Humor, Shameless Smut, Porn With Plot, Prostate Massage, Hogwarts Eighth Year, Alternate Universe - Hogwarts, Hogwarts Era, Students, Pining, Sexual Tension, Sexual Content, Sexual Inexperience, Virgin Harry, Oblivious Ron, Awesome Hermione Granger, Seduction, Sneaking Around, Classroom Sex Summary:  Two weeks later and Malfoy has yet to repay his debt to Harry. Does Harry even want him to? Oh Merlin, yes he does! ❤️ Read on AO3

📜 You Are Safe (I Know) by hephaestiions Rated:  Explicit Words:  42568 Tags: Harry Potter Epilogue What Epilogue | EWE, Post-Second War with Voldemort, Hand Jobs, Voyeurism, Exile, Racism, Person of Color Harry Potter, Panic Attacks, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Past Abuse, Minor Character Death, Blood, Azkaban, Drinking, Implied/Referenced Underage Drinking, Hyperventilation, Dissociation, H/D Erised 2020 Summary:  Draco Malfoy is sentenced to one year of exile following his participation in the Second Wizarding War. Harry Potter tags along. ❤️ Read on AO3

📜 The Spoiling of Sex From Enthusiastic Ignorance by Cibee (Cibeeeee) Rated:  Explicit Words:  6087 Tags: Humor, Fluff, Mutual Piningm Friends to Lovers, Misunderstandings, First Kiss, Making Out, Loss of Virginity, Awkward First Times, Eventual Enthusiastic Fucking, Vulgar Language, Rimming, Blow Jobs, Premature Ejaculation, Post-Hogwarts, Harry Potter Epilogue What Epilogue | EWE, POV Draco Malfoy, Virgin Draco Malfoy, Flustered Harry Potter, Switch Draco Malfoy, Switch Harry Potter, Thirsty Draco Malfoy, Quidditch Player Harry Potter, Minor Pansy Parkinson/Ginny Weasley, H/D Sex Fair 2020 Summary:  Draco is going to lose his virginity, so help him god, and he's going to lose it to one Harry Potter. Why? Because of his big cock, his status as The Top Five Quidditch Players in England, and Witch Weekly's Most-Eligible Bachelor for eight years straight. At least that's what he tells himself. Too bad first times rarely go as one plans, and now Harry is looking miserable and Draco doesn’t understand why. ❤️ Read on AO3

📜 Lost Boys by Dahlia_Rose_83 Rated:  Explicit Words:  32278 Tags: Hogwarts Eighth Year, Party Games, Secret Relationship, Falling In Love, First Time, Smut, Clueless Harry, Insecure Draco, Helpful Luna, Oral Sex, Anal Sex,Top Draco Malfoy, Bottom Harry Potter Summary:  On his way to meet Voldemort in the forbidden forest, Harry ran into Draco, who kissed him. Now they're both back at Hogwarts for their eighth year and he doesn't really know how to act towards the blond. ❤️ Read on AO3

📜 Wings on Fire by CapricornBookworm Rated:  Explicit Words:  1938 Tags: Coming Out, Enemies to Lovers, Banter, Clubbing, Dancing, Semi-Public Sex, Kissing, Grinding, Blow Jobs, Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Rimming, Bottom Harry Potter, Top Draco Malfoy, Morning After, Virgin Harry Potter, First Time, Wizarding Media, Idiots in Love Summary:  Harry was sick of being everyone’s angel, the 'golden boy,' the Chosen One. And if he was going to go out of favor, he was going to go out flaming. ❤️ Read on AO3

[wistfulcynic]

The Eternal and Unseen (1 of 3)

SUMMARY: Misthaven University is an ancient place, and as all ancient places do it guards some secrets. Secrets such as Emma Swan and Killian Jones, a fae princess and her royal guardian, whose true identities are well concealed behind the guise of average college students—if not quite well enough to foil the plot their enemies have hatched against them. Now their friends will have to come together, putting their own differences aside to battle an enemy that threatens them all—fae and vampire and werewolf together… plus one very baffled human named David. 

For @cssns​​ 

a/n: Thanks to @spartanguard​​ and  @optomisticgirl​​ for the prompts that planted the seeds of this idea and to my TERRACE-mates @thisonesatellite​​, @ohmightydevviepuu​​, and @katie-dub​​, without whom I might never have found the right way to encourage them to grow, and of course INCOHERENT GIBBERING NOISES OF DELIGHT to @carpedzem​​ for the absolutely stunning art about which I cannot possibly say enough good things. Please zoom all the way in and appreciate the perfection of all the little details she included. The tiny wee fronds on the plant! The shape of the light! Emma’s feather earrings! Her red cloak! Her hat! (the hat you guys, the hat!!). Everything about it is so, so gorgeous and Nat is so talented and creative and such a joy to work with ❤️❤️❤️.

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On AO3 Rating: M Words: 3.9k (first chapter)

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CHAPTER ONE: 

David Nolan was always surprised by people’s reactions when they learned he was the Resident Assistant for H.C. Andersen Hall at Misthaven University. Sure, it was the oldest dorm on the campus, built of dark stone in a high Gothic style, with tall towers and pointed arches, way back when Misthaven and her people still believed in magic. And sure, the heavy wooden doors had a way of creaking on their iron hinges and the windows rattled in their frames when the wind was high... sometimes even when it didn’t blow at all. But this was merely rust and weather and David was a practical man, not one to be troubled by such things as can be plausibly explained away.

And yes, Andersen did have that reputation, though David was certain it could be no more than simple silly student gossip. As an upperclassmen dorm its occupancy was by request only, and over the years it had come to be known as the place where some of the more… unique students tended to convene. But that was surely no reason for people to give that startled twitch or to take a wary step back from him when he told them about his job. Or for the other candidates to look so relieved when they learned it was he and not they who’d be taking over from the last RA, a guy called Walsh who had, in the words of one, “Still not recovered from the trau—er, the experience. But hey, good luck, man.”

A thousand years ago when it was known by another name, Andersen alone had been the university, a haven for scholars of every kith and creed and a place where learning took precedence over any rivalry, however ancient. The building had both schooled and housed them, fed them in its great dining hall with food cooked in the basement kitchen, tutored them in the tower classrooms with books procured from the vast library. When lessons were completed the scholars found repose in the common room, a comfortable space with an enormous fireplace, large, overstuffed chairs, and carved wooden tables where lively debates were had each night until the fire died and they withdrew to their rooms to sleep. (Rooms which, David observed to his delight, were twice the size of those in the other dorms and always single occupancy—no roommate squabbles for him to contend with.) As the university grew and newer dorms were built, as the ancient covenants were forgotten and magic faded from the land, fewer and fewer students chose to reside in the newly christened Andersen Hall. At present there were only eight, plus David, who despite the strange reactions he encountered was thrilled to be the RA there. Eight residents, and all upperclassmen, he thought to himself. Andersen had to be the easiest gig on campus. How odd that no one else had seemed to want it.

The hall itself stood just at the edge of the modern campus, tucked against the so-called enchanted forest that marked the border of Misthaven on three sides. It was an ancient forest, whether enchanted or not—a forest of twisted trees and clinging moss and the shrouding mist that gave their country its name. Very little sunlight survived to reach its floor and thus such things as grew there fed on decay, most digging their roots deep into the soil to wrench what nutrients they could from it and barely peeking the tips of their grey-green leaves above the ground. Other valiant species reached out for whatever light could penetrate the dense canopy, stretching upward into vines that curled around the trunks and branches of the gnarled trees to unfurl their broad leaves hopefully as close as they could to the sky. And so it was of course these very leaves and vines and branches that crept up Andersen’s stone walls and scraped against its windows, and cast deep and shifting shadows that fell both outside the hall and in.

So yeah, David reflected, Andersen Hall was old. And dark. And with each successive year it sank a bit more deeply into the forest’s embrace—a perfectly benign embrace, most of the time, although perhaps not ideal when you found yourself alone in your dorm with the music in your headphones never quite as loud as the branches across your windows, or the distant howls of wolves, or the much less distant scrabblings of other creatures to which it was not always wise to put a name. So, yeah, there was that.

And the students who chose to live in Andersen were characters, that was for sure. Even David had to admit that he’d never met anyone quite like them before. But, he reminded himself, at the end of the day they were just students. Just kids like all the others, despite the sometimes unnerving focus of their attention and the surprising depth to their eyes. Just college kids discovering themselves, exploring their quirks and hobbies and interests.

Take Emma, for example. Emma Swan, as graceful as her name implied and even more beautiful, with her warm smile and wry humour and the spark of mischief in her green eyes. One of the nicest girls David had ever met, tough and smart but with a kind and generous heart and a tender vulnerability that made him wish it were still fashionable to slay dragons. He’d gladly slay one for her—or anything else that might threaten her. His urge to protect Emma at all costs—though from what dangers it was never quite clear—surprised him with its persistent and overwhelming strength.

Also surprising was Emma’s choice of dorm-room decor; the space in her room not occupied by the bed, desk, television, and mini-fridge that were standard even in Andersen rooms, she had filled entirely with plants. Plants the like of which David was certain he had never before seen, long and twisted vines that clung and crept across the stone walls, broad leaves and pointed ones and flowers in unexpected colours. He’d examined them with a frown the day she moved in, mildly unnerved by how comfortably they already seemed to inhabit the space but convinced by Emma’s soothing reassurances and the evidence of his own eyes that none of them were anything college kids might wish to dry and smoke. And while keeping what was essentially a greenhouse in a dorm room may be a bit unorthodox it wasn’t strictly against the rules—David had even made a special visit to the Chancellor to ensure Emma wouldn’t run into any difficulty later on, if another student made a complaint, for example. The Chancellor’s eyes had widened to an alarming size, but he’d confirmed that yes, students were allowed plants in their rooms, and there wasn’t technically a limit on their number, then hustled David from his office with the rather thin excuse of a dentist appointment he suddenly remembered he had.

And as for Emma’s habit of chatting to her plants as though they understood her words, or chuckling to herself as she did so, or singing as she watered them—a low and haunting tune in a language David felt he really ought to recognise—all while wearing a pointed hat made of green straw with flowers round the brim which she called her ‘special gardening hat’… well, she wasn’t bothering anyone and David really didn’t think it was his place to judge.

And actually, Emma’s plants weren’t even the most unusual things that could be found in the rooms of his residents. Victor Whale, a slender, pale young man who gave the impression of feeding off his own nervous energy, had what looked to David’s admittedly untrained eye like an entire laboratory set up in his room—tall shelves lined with specimen jars and long tables loaded with Bunsen burners under simmering beakers of… substances in which David felt it might be wisest not to invest too much careful thought. He had not spoken to the Chancellor about those burners and didn’t intend to, both because he didn’t wish to draw attention to them and because Victor with his wild hair and wilder eyes, the sardonic smirk he nearly always wore and the barbed comments he loved to make, did not rouse quite the same protective instincts in David as Emma did.

That, and he wasn’t entirely certain the Chancellor would agree to meet with him again.

Of all his residents, the one David felt he could relate to most was Graham. They shared a similar taste for plaid shirts and brown leather jackets, and a similar appreciation for the simple joys that could be had in the great outdoors. Graham had an deep, instinctual understanding of nature that David envied; several times he’d caught the younger man in conversation with the dogs he met on the walks he liked to take or the squirrels who paused to chatter at him from the branches of trees, even the deer and other creatures that crept out from the forest to scratch at his window, serious conversation that did not appear one-sided. Graham spoke to animals as Emma did to plants—in the manner of folk to their brethren—but the connection went deeper even than that. Every few weeks he went out to spend all night in the woods, generally, David couldn’t help noticing, around the time of the full moon—and when David inquired why Graham simply replied “The animals need me.”

If animals of the furry variety had need of Graham, the feathered kind flocked, quite literally, to Snow. There never seemed to be a time when she wasn't accompanied by some feathered friend or other, and her dorm window was always open so they could come and go as they pleased. She kept bowls of seeds on her shelves and handfuls of them in her pockets and had been delighted when Emma gave her a tree so the birds would have somewhere in her room to nest—a tree that within a week had overgrown its pot and sunk roots into the stone floor of Snow’s room in a way David again found himself opting not to examine. He himself passed many a pleasant afternoon with Snow in that room, listening to her talk about—and to—her birds. It amazed him now how little attention he’d paid to birds before. They were astounding, beautiful creatures, and the sound of Snow’s voice, melodic and soothing as she stroked their feathered heads, was… well, it was… it was something he sometimes felt he could listen to forever.

Snow’s best friend in the dorm was Ruby and though David liked Ruby perfectly well he had to admit he was a bit baffled by how close the two were. They didn’t seem to have a whole lot in common. All but the bravest of Snow’s birds fled when Ruby approached, and the ones that stayed eyed her warily and stuck close to Snow as she flashed them a grin and licked her chops. Er, her lips. She licked her lips and it made the birds nervous, and… and at any rate, Ruby was bold and charming but just a bit wild. She liked to party and to stay out late, often not returning to her room until the early hours of the morning. Andersen had no curfew so David said nothing, though he couldn’t help noticing that in sharp contrast to Ruby’s habits Snow was usually in bed by 10 o’clock. Not that he paid her or her sleeping habits any particular attention, certainly not, just that he happened to notice she always left her room at around 9.45 to go wash her face, always wearing such cute pajamas and trailed by a flock of bluebirds—and it wasn’t like he made a point of being out in the common room when he knew she’d be walking by, he just… well, he happened to be there sometimes. That was all.

Yet despite these differences Snow and Ruby were the best of friends, and while Emma was more solitary and a bit distant until you got to know her, she also got along well with them. Ruby got along with just about everybody, including Belle, who David sometimes forgot was even among his residents. Belle had an unnerving way of appearing very suddenly where she was least expected and of disappearing without warning from places she’d been moments before. She was a quiet, studious young woman who moved as though her feet didn’t quite touch the floor and was so pale he sometimes fancied he could see through her. She was hardly ever in her room or even the common room, preferring to spend her time in the library.

“You might say she haunts the place,” August had remarked with a wry note in his voice that David imagined was significant, though he couldn’t quite put his finger on why. Feeling at something of a loss, he had simply nodded. “She certainly does spend a lot of time there,” he’d agreed, then frowned when August laughed.

August was a bit of an odd one, the only person in the dorm whom Ruby actively disliked, so much that she actually snarled at him whenever their paths crossed. He took only evening classes and was never anywhere to be found during the day. At least once a week he returned from his classes accompanied by a young woman—always beautiful and rarely the same one twice—and David observed that while August preferred to sleep the day away those women would stumble from his room quite early the next morning and looking awful—pale and drawn and thoroughly exhausted. Before leaving they all would go to Emma’s door, knock three times slowly then three times fast, and when it opened they all smiled the same sheepish smile and stuttered the same apologies as they slipped into her room. When they emerged from it they were as new women—pink-cheeked and bright-eyed, glowing with health and quite pleased with themselves, wreathed in satisfied smiles.

David felt uncomfortably as though he ought to do something about this, though he had no idea what. The women always seemed so thrilled when they arrived—clinging to August’s arm and chattering brightly as he smiled at them with a peculiar sort of fond disinterest—and so contented when they left, after they’d seen Emma, at least, and as no formal complaints were ever lodged David was left with nothing more to go on than a feeling of vague discomfort.

He’d attempted to broach the subject once with Emma but she had simply shrugged and said “Groupies. What can you do?” and so he’d let it go.  

So those were his residents. Four women—Emma, Snow, Ruby, and Belle, and four men—Graham, Victor, August… and Killian.

Ah, yes. Killian.

David liked Killian, he truly did. It was a point of pride with him to find something to like about every one of his residents, though he had to admit that finding that thing for Killian posed something of a challenge. It wasn’t just that Killian preferred his leather black or opted for dark button-downs or obscure band t-shirts instead of plaid. It wasn’t even that he was mouthy and arrogant, smarter than most everyone he met and not afraid to let them know it. No, the challenge for David when it came to liking Killian was Emma. Or more specifically, the way Killian looked at Emma. And the way she very much looked back.

“I suppose that’s one way to ‘guard’ her,” Victor remarked one evening as they sat around the fire in the common room, Emma laughing with Graham in one corner while Killian glowered darkly at the pair of them from the other. “Very dramatic, you know. Very Charlotte Brontë. Or is it Emily, I always get them mixed up.”

“Piss off,” Killian snarled, returning his attention to his textbooks just in time to miss the glance Emma shot him from the corner of her eye.

“‘Course I suppose she doesn’t make it easy for you—” Victor began, then smirked when Killian slammed his book shut and got up. “I’m going to bed,” he declared and stalked from the room, Emma’s eyes following his every move as he went.

“Enemies to lovers slow burn, 100k,” Belle whispered to Ruby on another occasion, a rare instance when she left the library to join them for breakfast. Ruby nodded sagely and both of them sat back, observing Emma and Killian’s heated argument about the best way to make a cup of tea with all apparent enjoyment. David wasn’t entirely certain what that meant, or that he liked the way his residents seemed to find the pair’s squabbles so entertaining. He knew only that if Emma and Killian really thought anyone believed they hated each other the way they both so loudly and frequently proclaimed, they were seriously deluding themselves. Their little snarky comments and defiant challenges were some of the most obvious flirtation David had ever seen, especially when combined with those damned looks. Looks that all but screamed how much they would prefer to resolve their differences with physical action than with words, and that they had already imagined how those physical dispute resolutions might go—frequently and in great detail.

David did not approve of those looks.

Nor did he approve, as the summer heat faded into the cooler air of autumn and the green leaves of the forest’s trees took on brighter hues, of the way Emma and Killian’s snappish words began to lose the battle with that oh-so-evident longing to touch. Slowly at first and tentatively, small brushes of arms and fingers that before long began to linger… In principle he supposed there was nothing wrong with what they were doing, or with the budding feelings they continued to deny. He would be one hundred percent in support of it, in fact, were it not so damned blatant—those sparks of tension that turned the air electric, the raw hunger in Killian’s eyes as he watched her, the answering ache in hers when she watched him—David had come to think of Emma as he would a little sister and he did not appreciate being slapped in the face, so to speak, by the evidence of her active sexual interest in a man whom David was not at all convinced was good enough for her. It annoyed him so much that he almost—almost—found himself agreeing with Victor, who had taken to rolling his eyes and muttering “I wish they’d just fuck already” a bit too loudly whenever Emma and Killian got into one of their ‘disputes.’

He would have been able to officially disapprove the night he caught them doing tequila slammers in her dorm room—alcohol was discouraged in the dorms, even for students of legal drinking age—except that had turned out to be nothing but a very bizarre dream… although… had it been a dream? It must have been, though it had seemed so real at the time… but he remembered only catching sight of them through her slightly open door and reaching up to knock… the next thing he knew he was groaning as he woke in his own room, his head aching and feeling full of cotton wool, Emma sitting by his bedside with her ‘world famous hangover cure’ in one of Victor’s beakers explaining that he was the one who’d overindulged... “So unlike you, David, I’m really very shocked,” she’d said with that glint in her eye… and when David confronted Killian about the incident he’d merely scoffed and said “Tequila, mate? You were definitely dreaming. You know I only drink rum, and that in the company of ladies more… amenable than Swan.”

Of course, on the late October afternoon when David accompanied Graham on his walk and they stumbled upon Emma and Killian beneath a tree in the forest, wrapped around each other and kissing so deeply that he wondered how they could also be breathing—well, that was most definitely not a dream. It was also not in the dorm and therefore not technically within his jurisdiction, so he simply caught Graham by the arm and turned back the way they came.

The energy had shifted between Emma and Killian, he realised with a curious sort of bittersweet thrum in his chest. An unmistakable shift yet hard to define, as though they were hovering just on the cusp of something both nebulous and truly extraordinary. And despite them being right out in public—seriously, right off the footpath—the way they’d held each other was so intensely intimate that interrupting them, even to ask them to move to a more appropriate location, would have felt like the worst kind of intrusion. Plus of course there was no telling what uncomfortable circumstances David might find himself waking up in if he dared to cock-block Emma Swan.

Now where in hell had that thought come from?

A few hours later Emma and Killian returned to the dorm, flushed and mussed and with leaves in their hair, buzzing with that newly shifted energy—and holding hands, though they let go both reluctantly and immediately upon realising they were being eagerly observed.

“Well well well,” smirked Victor, elbowing David in the ribs. “Looks like August owes me twenty. I should probably thank you, Jones.”

“Bugger off, mate,” muttered Killian, entirely without his usual snarl, and then with a defiant glare and a flush high on his cheekbones, he sauntered after Emma into her room and shut the door firmly behind him.

“Well, I think I’ll go put on some very loud music,” Victor remarked, and retreated into his own room, leaving David alone in the common room feeling vaguely unsettled.

The next morning Killian and Emma arrived at breakfast together, radiating happiness and unable to stop touching, and, David would swear to it, with actual stars in their eyes. They left for their morning classes with their arms around each other, returning in the afternoon in the same manner, and when Victor and August tried to mock him about it Killian just laughed.

“We’ve worked out our differences, mates,” he said, with a waggle of his eyebrows. “I’m certain you know what I mean.”

“It’s sweet, really,” August observed one evening a week or so later, in that dry, supercilious tone of his that grated on David’s nerves. “Though possibly not the wisest move, sleeping with the woman under his protection. I’ve seen the vows they have to take, you know, and they are intense. It could literally be the death of him.”

“The heart wants what the heart wants,” Ruby snapped, baring her teeth as Snow placed a soothing hand on her arm. “Not that you would know anything about that.”

“You’re right of course,” August agreed, his eyes flashing red in the firelight. “What would I know about love and loss, I’m only three hundr—”

“Well, I think it’s great they’ve finally gotten together,” said Snow loudly, glaring first at August then Ruby then August again. “I hope they’ll be happy.”

David hoped so too, genuinely. Even he could see how good the two of them were for each other. She smoothed his rough edges and he drew her out from her shell, and the dangerous sparks of their attraction settled down into the far gentler flame of new love. It was sweet, and he did approve, and yet—still he felt unsettled, a vague sensation of unease twisting deep in his gut. He’d call it a premonition, if he believed in such things. But he was a sensible man, a man of science and the twenty-first century, and so he firmly ignored it.

Two days later Emma Swan disappeared.

___

[vintage-brass-tc]

Band Camp with M  -  Day 1/3

5/25/2021

So, as I mentioned previously, it’s about that time to have band camp with all of my peers. What makes things even better is that I get to spend the day with M as well. 

This turned out longer than expected! So, without further ado, I’ll go ahead and share everything that happened with M and I today.

|||||||||||||||||||||||| 

When I had arrived, the students began gathering where we were told to. The students entered one by one, forming a line. Almost halfway through my trek, I specifically saw M’s bald head onstage, just past an opening in the crowds’. It had a slightly red-orange-ish tinted shine on it, which intensified his boldness (and baldness🤟) further. 

My head was running a hundred miles per minute yet at the same time it felt still. And I was borderline speechless. A few seconds later, we were out in the open, nearing M. He was now six feet away from us, looking down, supposedly mentally preparing himself to speak to the class. As I thought, he was attending the event maskless. He was absolutely STUNNING with the lower half of his face revealed. Way better than I remember. I couldn’t stop looking at him, and to my delight he looked in my direction pretty quickly upon my first entrance. 

I lifted my right hand, which was wielding a drawstring bag, to greet him. He seemed to stare at me for a couple of seconds in a daze. After the questioning wore off, he widened his eyes and smiled, bringing his left hand up in the air to wave right back. He cheerfully commented after doing this, “I’m seeing a lot of faces!” I thought it was cute; his positivity was contagious. 

I actually had a mask on at that time so HAJDGA he wasn’t talking about me there 😳 

 ~~ 

I sat down in one of the first rows of the seating with my section. When we got settled with all of our stuff, (I think I decided to put my mask up during the process), I figured I would take the time to look up at M. His face was peering out into the crowd with squinted eyes and furrowed brows. 

I giggled to myself quietly at his behavior. “What is he doing??” I asked under my breath, bringing someone else to look at him too. I put my hands out in front of me to emphasize my confusion as I gave him a look mixed with entertainment, judgement, and questioning. He noticed my look quite fast, probably because of my exaggerated gestures. 

When we met eyes and he realized my complete bewilderment, he tried to suppress a smirk, but failed. I could still see the ends of his lips curving upwards and his body beginning to tremble lightly, as if he wanted to laugh too. After somewhere around four seconds of eye contact, he directed his eyes back forward, still grinning slightly. 

Then he puckered his lips out around thirty seconds later in accompaniment with his scrunched up eyebrows. I think he was doing it to be funny, either to me, or to others who thought his expressions were laughable as well. 

~~ 

Whenever he called my section to raise our hands up for attendance, we were actually the only ones he gave pure complements to. I say this because either the other sections were slow or didn’t raise their hand up straight. “We all here?” Since someone’s body was blocking me in that moment, I perked my head out from their right side, still holding my hand up.

He seemed to be already trying to look past their side for me, and when he finally confirmed I was there he met my eye with a grin. He then jokingly made a statement about our section being brutal and trying to nod people off. Maybe because I was being covered by someone else. 

 ~~ 

He called on me to answer a question he had, stating it was the final one. “R?” He said my name aloud before I said anything, which I don’t remember him doing with anyone else. I stuttered slightly before answering the question, but he still took it in nonetheless. 

I thought it was nice he chose me over a few others to be the last person to answer. 

~~

After receiving the signal, everyone got their instruments and headed straight for their designated locations. It took quite a bit before I could adjust to using the contrabass tuba effectively, but after twenty minutes or so I got the basics down. All I needed following that was the strength to suck up the soreness in my limbs and get to work. 

In the middle of our section’s powwow, just before we began another exercise, M decided it would be a great time to hop in and see what was up in contracity. He walked in the room, greeted with the prying eyes of students. Before I knew it, one tuba kid was telling M a story about one of their marching experiences. Then boom, another kid was telling M a story about one of *their* marching experiences. 

Both times M was looking at them and listening respectfully. During the second kid’s story, M was standing right next to the person speaking, turned towards them, which was opposite from where I was. At some point, the kid said something I found humorous, so I let out a laugh. 

As I began to softly rest my head on my hand to continue listening, M turned over his right shoulder to cast a momentary gaze at me. I met the look he displayed with a joyful smile to match his own. I’m glad he did that, it was nice feeling at least a little included when he was around. 

A bit later, standing in the same spot next to my left side, he turned towards the center of the room and beamed. “It’s so nice to see your faces again.” This very statement made the class ‘aww’ and smile. I aww’ed as well and replied with “you too”. Soon he left to ‘stop interrupting us’ and allow us to continue practicing. The visit was definitely a nice surprise. 

~~ 

I was walking past M when we met eyes with each other and smiled. 

“Are you sore?” He asked me, as he knew very well that I wasn’t used to carrying contras. “A little,” I rotated my hand left and right in the air in case he couldn’t hear me. He replied with a simple yet powerful look radiating happiness instead of using words, seeing that I was currently on my way to do something. Very thoughtful of him. 

~~ 

 I feel the need to mention how M would whip his head in my direction almost EVERY TIME the drum major would call for the tubas to get set. He didn’t look at anyone else when he did this. I’m a good percentage sure that he was always just gazing straight at me. 

I don’t know why he felt the need to do that so often, but it was definitely a motivator to improve my posture for him. Having M as a director again in general is just a blessing and huge reason to try hard. He’s very motivational. ^^ 

~~

During our mini-sectional time, we were taking a little break from playing on our instruments. We got through a couple rounds of ‘Two Truths, One Lie’ when M walked through the door. 

“Hiii MMMMMMMMM!!” Most of the kids and I gushed in an unsynchronized manner. M looked flabbergasted at the sudden attention, his eyes huge and his face bewildered, but smiling as well. Right away, he went to go and lean against the table closest to me, to my right. It was sort of unreal that he was just...there. Two feet away from me.

“What are you doing? Have you played yet?” He asked us all with a semi-serious expression. We all said yes to this question. He leaned forward slightly.  “Have you gotten really good yet?” His tone became more playful. “Slow progress, M. Slowly improving.” I threw my head back to look at him as I stated those thoughts. 

A second later, I returned my head upright and turned to him once again, wearing a welcoming face. “Do you want to join us?” I referred to the game of ‘Two Truths One Lie’. It didn’t take long for him to say “no, I don’t.”, but he seemed interested in what was happening anyway. 

The entire time he was there he remained right by my side. I got to see him laughing, smiling, and merely being there. It was amazing. 

~~

“Hola,” he greeted a tubist and I as we walked past each other. “Hola!” The tubist cheered pretty quickly as they moved past. I was pretty caught off guard because of the Spanish greeting he used for some reason, so I hesitated before mustering out a response to him. “...Hello.” 

We then continued going our own way. 

~~

Seeing that he was open, I came up to him to ask about the previously mentioned outdoor essentials since we were going outside tomorrow. “So we bring the hat and the sunglasses tomorrow, right?” He looked at me with blank eyes for a second before asking, “..what?” He blinked slow and apologetically while he leaned towards me to listen better. 

“Do we bring the hat and sunglasses tomorrow?” “Yeah, you can bring them if you want to.” He looked at me intently and grinned a bit after his simple response. “Cool. Thank you.” I didn’t push the conversation any further. “Sure.” 

I turned to walk away and completed a step or two before pausing to look back at what happened in these last eight hours. I brought myself back to the earlier comments he let out that day, revealing how unsure he was of the whole band camp ordeal, and whether or not he would be doing good enough for everyone he taught. He hasn’t regularly taught these kids yet anyway (thanks COVID). I whipped my body around, took a step, then leaned left towards him with a smile. I felt my expression begin to grow sincere. 

“....Good job today.” I said aloud, hoping he would hear me.

Luckily, he did. He moved his head over to me and his gaze grew wide in surprise after realizing the compliment I gave out was for him. It was like a little (..!) going off in his head. 🥺 “Thank you!” He beamed at me. I returned his look before turning to leave again. 

“You too.” 

He added the last part just when I began to walk away with my contra in hand.

My heart absolutely EXPLODED at his thoughtfulness?!??! Like wow he didn’t have to say that...especially since I was walking away and stuff. It was so sweet.

I turned over my left shoulder to look at him again, feeling a lively rush of optimism flow through me. Not only was he already looking my way after his statement; he was granting me the warmest, most genuine smile he could muster. I returned it as equally as I could. 

Hopefully he could tell how cheerful the statement made me. I mean, it seriously improved my entire week. 

||||||||||||||||||||||||

Whether it be listening to his instruction, laughing at his jokes, making silent eye contact, making physical contact, talking to each other, or just simply being in the same room . . . it’s such a magnificent experience for me. And that appreciation I have for him almost feels mutual. Almost. 

I hope you all have a great evening. I may post day 2 later or tomorrow. Stay awesome, and I’ll get back to you all soon enough.

[waywardrose13]

Crimson Leaves- Chapter One: Croatoan

Masterlist // Series Masterlist

Crimson Leaves- Zombie Apocalypse AU mini series

Pairing: Dean Winchester x Reader

Summary: The dead have risen. Amid a global pandemic that causes the dead to prowl the Earth, a leader of a small camp in North Carolina fights for survival. Y/N Y/L/N was certain of three things: One, only a bite would turn you. Two, the brain must be destroyed in order to completely kill the thing. Three, trust no one. When a stranger is brought to her camp half alive, Y/N must make the decision to throw him to the walkers, or let the mystery man heal within the gates. As Dean Winchester recovers from a zombie attack, he worms his way into the camp, and eventually into Y/N’s heart. Love is a dangerous game, especially when it’s played with the dead.

Warnings: Angst, language, zombie apocalypse, talk of sex, talk of injuries, zombie attack. Not enough editing to satisfy me. I need a beta lol

Word Count: 4,600 on the dot baby

A/N- Hey, look at that. My first AU series. I hope y’all enjoy! Also written for @spnaubingo​ (Square filled: Free Space) // @spndeanbingo​ (Square filled: Free space)

Tags are still open until next Wednesday before the second chapter is posted (5/27/20 by noon). Send me an ask for a tag:)

The camp was silent.

The sun had not yet risen, the sky still dark and full of stars overhead, everyone still asleep in their tents and cabins. Y/N knew people would be waking soon, the early birds up and ready to go around five thirty. The first of the days’ jobs would begin at six, and soon after, the whole camp would be up and going.

Which is why Y/N left at four.

Before the whole world went to shit and the dead began to rise, she was never a morning person. She loved the late night hours. There was something so calming about the night. Most people were asleep or falling asleep, yet she would be up under the moon. She would sleep late in the day and work well into the night.

That is, until the world went to shit, of course.

At the beginning, most people thought it was some sort of widespread hysteria. Videos began to surge around the internet of people, seemingly dead people, up and walking, half rotting and in decay. It wasn’t until more and more people began to turn did everyone realize it was real.

Once people began to turn, everything went to hell. The internet soon shut down since web servers and power plants were no longer being worked on. Some areas still had electricity through turbines and solar panels, however major cities had gone dark. Whole towns were abandoned, others ridden with the dead. Bottled water was a life source. Unless an area had well pumps. If you were in one place for a while and there was no risk of zoms, boiling water was also a way to get drinking water. But it was tedious to boil and then let it cool before having to move again.

There were three things Y/N was absolutely certain. One, a single bite could turn you. Scratches don’t matter, unless they get infected, because unless you have antibiotics, you’re dead. The only thing that will kill you and inevitably turn you is a bite. Or, if you somehow die after getting scratched, whether it be infection or a fucking bear attack, you’ll turn. 

Two, a shot to the head is the only way to absolutely kill it. Since they’re already dead, any sort of lethal wound or dismemberment won’t kill it. But for some bizarre reason, they still need their rotted brain. So unless you want to turn, a shot to the head will do it.

Finally, number three. Don’t trust anyone. If you were the type of person to not be so trusting before the apocolypse, congragu-fuckin-lations, you’re all set. No one is trustworthy out there. One minute you find a breather, thinking you’ll be working together to stay alive, the next minute they’re stabbing you in the back to steal your supplies. Literally.

It’s survival of the fittest. Risks are the only thing that could both keep you alive or kill you. Unfortunately, anything you do in the apocalypse is a risk. The only way to stay a breather is by sticking to yourself.

Y/N didn’t follow her own rules.

She had been alone for the first two years. She hopped from town to town, hunkering down in abandoned homes, barricading herself in for days. Once the town was ridden with walkers, she’d bounce to another, repeating the cycle over and over. She didn’t know exactly what happened to her family. Her family home was empty except for the few walkers on the property. She had hope that they were alive somewhere, but she knew that wasn’t likely. Still, she kept hope that they were still alive and kicking, maybe in a camp of their own. 

She had barely turned nineteen before the apocalypse. The college she had been attending was a couple hours from home. By the time she made it there, her family was already gone.

Now at twenty-three, Y/N found herself hardened and impermeable. 

She had met a small group of breathers in an empty town down somewhere in North Carolina. They invited her back to their camp. Y/N didn’t trust them of course, but she was starving and on the brink of death. They gave her food, a proper bed, even a damn cold shower. She came to realize the camp was a good one, the people kind and giving, the leaders looking out for their own. So she stayed.

She had quickly become a fond face in the camp. She worked for her spot there, becoming a runner. The runners were the ones who went out for supplies each day. The camp itself was from an old sports sleep-away camp for highschoolers. There weren’t enough cabins for everyone, so the leaders, runners, elders, and families with small children inhabited them. One was only for medical, a makeshift clinic run by an ex veterinarian. The kitchens were in another building near the locker rooms, and the farms were out in the fields. Y/N had been given the rundown after she was taken to the camp. Fences were built by the founders of the camp, traps set all around the perimeter to catch walkers. There was 24 hour surveillance, armed guards standing at posts in the trees all throughout the day, taking shifts.

When Y/N had first arrived, there were only eight people in the camp, including an old acquaintance of hers from college. However, she worked to recruit people, along with the other runners, and after a year of her living at the camp, the number grew to nearly one hundred. She had shown strong leadership skills on the runs, being promoted quickly by the founders to runner one, head of runners. 

The founders had gone out in search of more camps with a few of the other runners one day, and never returned. After a few days, one of the founders was seen out in the woods, an arm missing and intestines pouring from his abdomen.

A unanimous vote was taken and Y/N was elected leader of the entire camp. 

And here she was, sneaking out of the camp at four in the morning in order to go on a supply run. She was no longer runner one, or a runner for that matter, but she still went out in search for supplies. People would give her lists of what they were in dire need of, and she would find it. As leader of the camp, she felt as though it was her duty to still go out and do what needed to be done. Runners would get things that would benefit the camp as a whole, but there were people who needed specific things. A family was nearly out of baby formula. A woman needed a pregnancy test. One man was nearly dead from asthmatic fits. 

Y/N followed the marked trail into town. Small flowers had been plucked from the forest and planted in a way that runners would know where to go. Walkers weren’t common around the camp. Traps kept most of them away and the camp itself was deep in Pisgah National Forest. The city of Brevard was located at the entrance of the forest. It took about ten miles to get there, nearly four hours on foot with the mountainous terrain. However, hidden within the confines of the trees two miles from camp was a Jeep. Runners used the Jeep to get to town quicker, keeping it far enough from camp that if there were any walkers that followed the sound, they’d be caught by the traps set before they could even make it to the Jeep itself.

Although the camp was protected, the occasional walker would still be spotted. The fences kept them out of the grounds, but the rotting hominids would frighten the residents. Guns were only fired in dire situations for two reasons; amount of ammunition and the sound. Guards were armed with both guns and bows. Crossbows were the most resourceful, but harder to find. Longbows were higher in availability. A few compound bows were scored during a couple runs as well. Archery was a needed skill for both guards and runners. There would be the occasional runner who was bitten or an elder who passed simply of old age. Sometimes infection. But it was a rarity in the camp for anyone to pass on. Most people were younger, under the age of fifty, and the elders were all in great shape physically and internally. 

Again, survival of the fittest. Natural selection had taken its course early on.

Once Y/N made it into the Jeep, she fit her arm through the bow and ducked her head through it, allowing it to go cross-body. A pistol sat on her lap and her rifle was slung over her shoulder onto her back. She started the Jeep, wincing as it roared to life, and took off towards town.

It didn’t take her long to get there, and she quickly put the Jeep in park beside the department store she and the runners frequented. The store was picked clean for the most part. Food had been taken immediately, along with toilet paper, paper towels, and basic hygienic necessities. The shelves barely had anything, however the storage in the back of the store was plentiful. Seemed as though even during the apocalypse, people hadn’t thought to go back there. Maybe it was their subconsious morals, or simply were too dumb to think of it. Y/N’s morals had drastically changed during the time of the walkers, and she had a whole camp to think about.

She wondered what the camp would do once the back storage was picked clean as well. She didn’t want to think of that, knowing she’d have to venture further into the city. The first half was relatively empty, the other half, not so much. The retirees and blokes that were unfortunate enough to fail to get out of town continued to inhabit that part of the city. The camp had already lost three runners in their expedition to the “dark side.” She didn’t want to lose anyone else.

She unzipped her backpack and began her search of items. She grabbed a few pregnancy tests, four boxes of formula, and other basic necessities she knew people were starting to run low on. Her bag wasn’t too big, but she was able to fit a good amount of toiletries and the items on her requested list before she made her way to the pharmacy.

Like the rest of the store, the pharmacy had been ransacked. Cold and cough medicines, pain medicines, and anything of the sort was nowhere to be found anymore. However, a couple Albuterol inhalers were found within the mess of pill bottles and medication boxes. Y/N also grabbed a thing of eczema cream she had found. She knew a child in section one began to break out in a bad rash, and a rash of her own had begun to creep up on the backs of Y/N’s knees and the dips of her elbows.

Once her bag was packed to the brim, she zipped it up carefully.

Something crashed somewhere in the store.

Y/N jumped, immediately slinging her bag onto her back and unbuckling the buckle of her gun sash, holding it out in front of her. Her bow was hidden in the seat of the Jeep, and a gun would be easier to use in a store anyway. Walkers were never found inside, nor were people. No one ever came down this way and the doors were barricaded so only people could figure out how to get in.

She heard more clattering in the distance. Y/N slowly began to make her way towards the exit, ears and eyes on alert. She had her knees bent in case she needed to run, gun ready to be cocked and fired. Once she made it to the front of the store, she noticed one of the barricades had been pulled apart but not put back together. Not a runner from camp, however Y/N didn’t think a walker would be smart enough to pull apart a barricade.

She didn’t want to stick around to find out. She needed to get back to camp and begin the days’ duties and scheduling.

Slipping out the door, she rushed to the Jeep, starting it up quickly and peeling out of town and into the forest. She followed the road, turning off it once she reached the two miles till camp mark. She parked and turned off the Jeep a little ways off the main road, reapplying the branches and leaves over the Jeep, before heading deeper into the forest, following the flower marked path.

The gates were opened for her once she got to camp, closed and latched once inside, and she let out a deep breath.

Safe and sound.

By the time she had finished dropping off the requested items and toiletries, it was around seven. Residents of the camp began to wake as the sun rose. The first runners were suiting up and laying out their game plan. Y/N was getting ready for the daily meeting in the compound’s “control center.”

“How’d the run go today, Lord Commander?”

Y/N let out a sigh. She turned around from the map she was currently marking, narrowing her eyes at the man who had just walked in.

“I thought I told you to stop calling me that.”

Luke grinned. “And I thought I told you that it was your own fault for giving me the books in the first place. Now you gotta deal with it.” He reached over to ruffle her hair, eliciting a groan from the woman he was teasing. “Besides, you love it. You just act like you don’t.”

A smile hinted on Y/N’s face. “Okay, yeah I do.”

Luke laughed, taking his seat at the table. “Where’s the rest of the watch?”

Y/N checked the clock hung up on the wall. It was dusty and cracked, but worked just fine with fresh batteries. Batteries weren’t easy to come by, but she had stacks of them in the cabinets within the command center.

“They should start arriving soon. If not, fuck ‘em. We’ll start the meeting without them.”

Luke shrugged, reaching into his jeans pocket for a cigarette. He lit it, took a long drag, and blew the smoke over the map. He held it out to Y/N, who shook her head in decline.

“Mornin’ campers!”

“Hey, Steve.”

A tall man with a long red beard and curly strawberry hair ducked into the cabin. A wide grin was on his face, long arms outstretched. “How are we this fine morning?”

Luke let out another puff of smoke. “Tired and horny.”

Y/N’s face screwed up. “Oh, Luke- come on.”

Steve chuckled. “I heard ya, brother.” 

“What, you and Lana haven’t done anything for awhile?” Luke asked.

“Ran outta condoms,” Steve said. “Medical said that condoms are first come first serve. They’re clean out of them. So uh, Y/N, might wanna talk to your runners about that.”

“They do the best they can,” she said, marking a few things on the map. “Just do it yourself and be done with it.”

“It’s not that simple,” Luke said. “Now I know you don’t get it since you’re the Virgin Mary-”

“Hey!”

“-But sex is different than just whackin’ off,” Luke said. He held his hands up as a, ‘what can I say’ gesture. “Humans are sexual beings. I don’t know how you have gone so long without getting any.”

“I was nineteen when all this shit started and I had never had a boyfriend, and I don’t exactly have time to find a partner now.”

“Uh, hello?” Luke said. He gestured to himself, raising a brow. “Willing participant right here.”

Y/N made a face. “No thank you.”

Luke frowned. “Oh why not? I’m great at sex!”

“No he’s not.”

A new voice chimed in. A pale head of hair ducked into the cabin. Taller than the majority of the men in camp, Alice grinned down at Y/N, giving her a pat on the shoulder as she took a seat at the table beside Luke. He gave her a hurt look.

“I mean, he’s not bad,” Alice said. “But he’s not as good as he says he is.”

“Wow,” Luke said. “I didn’t hear you complaining.”

Alice shrugged. “I wasn’t. I hadn’t gotten any dick in months. You’re good, just not great.”

Luke smirked. “Wanna help me get better?”

Alice raised a brow. “Seriously? You just asked Y/N to bang, now you’re asking me?”

“Smooth, dude,” Steve said, finally taking his seat.

Luke went bright pink, looking at both women sheepishly. “I mean… yeah?”

Alice took a deep breath, staring at him for a moment. “Alright, fine.”

He perked up. “Wait really?”

“Yeah, why not,” she said. She gave Y/N a look, the leader chuckling behind her hand. Steve gave Luke a fist bump, Alice rolling her eyes.

“Where’s Mikela and Richard?” Luke suddenly asked. Mikela, who was now runner one, and Richard, head of medical facilities, were missing from the meeting. Y/N checked the clock again, furrowing her brow.

“I don’t know,” she said. “They’re never late.”

Alice pulled her curls back into a bun. “Maybe someone from the run this morning had an accident?”

Y/N shook her head. “They’re supposed to report to me immediately after getting medical,” she said. “The first runners should’ve returned half an hour ago.”

That’s when the horn blew.

One blow means a runner (or runners) approaching. Two blows means stray breather. And three blows means a walker.

There was one blow, and two blows thirty seconds later. Which meant both runner and breather.

The group within the cabin jogged out to the front gates, wondering what the hell was going on. Not only were the runners extremely late, but they had a newcomer with them. Newcomers were to be inspected of bites and interrogated outside the gates. Mikela was runner one, she knew this, yet she disregarded the rules anyway.

“This better be good,” Alice muttered.

As the group approached the gate, they noticed Mikela, runner three and runner six, Matthew and Gary, carrying in a man half unconscious.

“We could use some help over here!” Mikela barked. Alice and Steve immediately ran over to help the others, Luke staying back with Y/N. 

“What’s going on?” Y/N asked.

“Found a breather outside the warehouse on our run,” Matthew said. “Zoms surrounded ‘im. He was barely fightin’ ‘em off by the time we got to ‘im.” His voice was shaky, his southern accent more prominent when he was anxious. “We loaded ‘im into the Jeep and brought ‘im back here.”

“He’s got a serious gash on his torso,” Mikela said. “If we don’t get it sewn up, he’ll die, and he’ll just be another addition to their fuckin’ army of the dead.”

Y/N let out a deep breath, brows slightly furrowed in thought. “Get Richard to inspect him. Don’t do anything until he does.” She looked pointedly at Richard. “I mean it, Rich. Make sure he’s not bitten.”

“Whada we do if he’s bit?” Matthew asked.

Y/N’s eyes flashed to the Georgian. “Shoot him.”

“Boss-”

“I said shoot him,” Y/N interrupted Gary. “It’s like Mikela said. If he’s bit, he’ll just turn into one of them. So if he’s infected, take him out to the woods and put a bullet in his head.”

Gary swallowed thickly, a solemn silence washing over the group. The ones with the mystery man quickly shuffled to the medic cabin. 

“The rest of you.” Y/N addressed the other runners and guards. A couple of the farmers and cooks watched on. “You know your duties. Get to work.”

Murmurs were heard throughout the small crowd, people scattering to do their daily duties. Luke looked up at Y/N.

“I’ve known you for a long time, Y/N,” he said. “I know that the world has changed you- changed everyone… but you were always so gentle.”

Y/N looked at the ground for a moment, before squinting her eyes up at the sky. “Yeah well. If you wanna survive-” she looked over her shoulder at her comrade “-you’d be more lethal too.”

Without another word, Y/N turned away, trekking back towards the command cabin, wondering just how much she had lost herself.

***

By midday, the sun was hot and blaring. Y/N stood out on the porch of her cabin, arms crossed, leaning against the railing of the steps. She watched as children laughed and played. She watched the farmers tend to the gardens down in the fields. Her eyes wandered up to the guards standing on duty up in the towers. The parents of the children sat outside their cabins, reading, knitting, or simply enjoying the sun. Singles either relaxed in the cool of their tents or tended to their duties for the camp.

It was peaceful. It was the only place she knew was completely safe from zoms, where for a second, she wasn’t Y/N the leader, or runner, or fierce warrior. She was simply Y/N.

“Hey boss.”

Y/N inwardly sighed at the break of peace. It was Matthew, a somber look on his face. 

“What is it?” Y/N asked. The unfolded her arms, stepping down the stairs onto the ground.

“The breather we found- he’s waking up. Bite free,” he told her. “Figured you’d wanna talk to ‘im.”

Y/N gave Matthew a nod, swallowing thickly. “Yeah, lead the way.”

Matthew led Y/N through the camp. People waved and said hello to them both as they passed. It was hot. The days were typically mild during this time of year, however the air had turned a fierce eighty-nine degrees. Save for the fields, the camp was covered in trees, however the mugginess below the leaves still left beads of sweat on Y/N’s brow and covered her skin in a sheer layer of moisture.

Matthew jogged up the steps to the medic cabin, Y/N following suit, ducking inside as he held open the door for her. At the sound of footsteps, the inhabitants of the cabin, save for the man lying on the cot, stood as their leader entered.

“Lord Commander,” Luke murmured. The man on the cot quirked a brow, staring at the woman who had just walked in.

Y/N turned to Richard, the medic taking off a pair of latex gloves.

“Matthew said he was clean,” she stated.

“No bites as far as I can tell,” Richard said. “Dislocated shoulder, bruised ribs, and a deep laceration on his abdomen. If the runners hadn’t gotten him here when they did, he’d be dead.”

“He’s stable? I don’t want him turning in the camp, Rich,” Y/N said. Her voice was low and authoritative. The man on the cot continued to gaze at her.

“He’s stable,” Richard confirmed. “He’ll have to be here for a few days for observation. After that, we can move him to the wing. A week later, he could have a tent.”

Y/N hummed, glancing over at the man. Her breath hitched in her throat as she did. 

He was incredibly handsome, one of the most handsome men she’d ever seen. Green eyes locked with hers, freckles dusting over tanned skin. A beard covered the man’s face, brown with almost a ginger tint to it. His hair was light brown, slightly spiked from sleep. His lips were full and pink, a hint of a smirk gracing them as he noticed her stare.

Snapping herself out of it before anyone else noticed her staring, Y/N gripped the back of a chair, swinging it around to face her, sitting in it with her arms up on the back, facing the newcomer.

“What’s your name?” She asked.

“Dean,” the man answered.

“What’s your full name?” Y/N asked.

“Dean Winchester.”

“You got a camp?”

“Nope. I’m a lone ranger.”

Y/N hummed. “What were you doing out by the warehouse.”

“Scouting,” Dean replied. “Needed some more ammo. Was running low on fresh water and batteries.”

Y/N cocked her head. “Zoms typically aren’t found in that part of town. Did you do something to attract them?”

“May have set off a car alarm trying to hotwire it,” Dean said.

“Moron.” Y/N heard Luke mutter under his breath. She shot him a glare.

“So what, you got what you needed and got jumped on your way out?”

“Yep,” Dean said. “Didn’t notice them at first. Then I was surrounded. Tried shooting at them, but there were too many. By the time your friends got there, I thought I was dead.”

Y/N thought for a moment. “You got a criminal record?”

Dean scoffed. “Few charges but nothing major.”

“Like what?” Gary asked.

Dean shrugged. “Couple of fights in my early twenties. I had a brother who I was very protective over. Got charged but never convicted. So technically yes,” he said. “Like I said, nothing major.”

“Got any other family?”

“Besides my brother, no.” Dean answered. “Don’t know where he is. He could be dead for all I know. I haven’t seen him in years.”

“How old are you?”

“Thirty-three,” Dean said. “How old are you?” He sent Y/N a wink.

“I’ll be asking the questions,” Y/N told him. “If we were to let you stay, would your strengths be better as a runner or a guard?”

Dean thought for a moment. “A guard.”

She sighed. “Look, we’ve got kids and families here. You get violent? You’re out. But we need the extra help. You seem strong. You fought off a pack of zoms and survived. You could be a valuable asset.”

Dean thought for a moment. “Has it occurred to you there may be a reason as to why I was a lone ranger?”

Y/N hummed, standing from her seat. She folded her arms over her chest.

“Far as I can tell, you didn’t fare too well at the end of your solo ride. Way I see it, you need security and you need a team,” she said. “You don’t wanna stay? Fine. As soon as you’re up and running, you can waltz your ass out of camp.”

She took a step toward him. “But if not, I’m Y/N. I’m the leader of the camp. You have any business, take it up with me or Luke, my second in command.” She nodded her head towards the freckled blond behind her. “Once you’re better, you’ll become a guard. You’ll have your own tent and designated locker in the men’s locker rooms near the farm. The locker rooms also have toilet stalls and showers, both with running water. You will get three meals a day and a shower everyday after your shift. If you have any sort of medical conditions, you’ll bring it up with Richard here. He’s in charge of all medications. If anything were to happen to you to impair your health or disable you while you’re on duty, you’ll be relieved of your duties and allowed to live the rest of your days within the camp. However, all incidents will be investigated. If we find you have self sabotaged, you’re out of here, got it?”

Dean gave her a nod. “You got it, Chief. Seems I’ll be sticking around then.”

Y/N smiled at him. “Great. Welcome to Camp Roanoake Dean.”

Chapter Two

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[samwpmarleau]

What do you think causes some targaryens go mad. I go with the theory that it has to do with the blood magic that they were doing

It’s a common misconception that “Targaryen madness” is a thing. Targaryens have no more “mad” people in their family than anyone else, it’s just that they are much higher profile than anyone else due to being monarchs. In fact, they really should have a much higher count and a whole lot more deformities, given that the IRL families they’re based on — primarily the Ptolemys and the Hapsburgs — had a lot of that.

In 300 years of known Targaryen history, there were only a handful who could be considered “mad,” and almost all of them were in part or in whole a result of trauma:

Maegor

Was likely conceived through some dark magic by Visenya, or was possibly just a psychopath.

Helaena

Victim of Blood and Cheese. They killed the guards at her door, took her and her three young children hostage, forced her to choose which of her sons would die and if she didn’t then her daughter would be raped and all three children would be killed, so she ended up choosing her youngest son who was too young to know what was happening but they killed her eldest instead.

Then she was held for half a year in captivity and finally committed suicide (or was murdered) at age 21. I’d go “mad” too, wouldn’t you?

Aegon III

Grew up in the midst of a civil war. At the age of just 9, he fled with his younger to Essos, but their ship was attacked by pirates and the only way to escape was on his dragon with Viserys left behind. The dragon died of injuries once returning to Dragonstone and Aegon never rode one again due to the experience.

A few months later, his brother led an attack against the people who took Viserys and died in the attempt. A few months after that, another brother was killed in a riot in King’s Landing, which Aegon witnessed.

After returning with his mother to King’s Landing later from Dragonstone, he saw charred corpses of Rhaenyra’s loyalists hanging from the gates, cried out for his mother to flee, watched her guards get slaughtered, and then witnessed her get devoured by Sunfyre, her dragon.

Ascended to the throne and had to deal with an endless parade of would-be regents who were scheming, plotting, and assassinating.

In 133, lived throug the Winter Fever that killed many, including his Hand of the King. This all happened before the age of 13, at which point his wife, Jaehaera, committed suicide or was murdered.

He eventually died of consumption (tuberculosis) at age 36.

Baelor I

Peaceful, forgiving, and kind to the smallfolk, though did lock up his sisters in the Maidenvault to prevent temptation.

Brokered peace with Dorne to bring them into the Seven Kingdoms without bloodshed.

Became a bit more loony later, but that could be due to all the snake bites he endured while rescuing his brother in Dorne. Eventually died of fasting when Daena gave birth to a bastard.

On the fence whether he was some kind of religious extremist or whether he was just Like That.

Rhaegel

Called mad, but not really. He had some kind of intellectual disability, yet a) he was still regarded as “sweet” and “gentle” (not that those traits are necessary to being “not mad”) and b) had three children with his wife who all appeared to not inherit his condition, in addition to three brothers and their children who also did not show signs, therefore suggesting it was not something he inherited or passed down, merely a fluke.

Aerion

Likely mad. Though interestingly, for a very long time he was just a supreme douchebag; it wasn’t until he was 40 years old that he did the whole thing about thinking himself a literal dragon and dying by drinking wildfire.

Maelys Blackfyre

Vicious, brutal, and incredibly strong. Possibly mad...or could just be a beefier version of Tywin.

Aerys II

Obviously the Targaryen most people cite as the first example of madness. For good reason, of course; you don’t burn people alive and brutalize your wife if you’re sane.

...however.

Was married off to his sister, neither of whom was fond of the other, at just 14 and Rhaella was 13. Became a king at the pretty young age of 18.

In his youth, he was charming, generous, resolute, and ambitious. He liked music, dancing, and masked balls, though was not the most intelligent person, which was partially why he relied so much on Tywin. Of course, there was also the incident with Joanna Lannister (not rape, as many believe, but certainly groping).

The madness started to appear with each successive stillbirth, miscarriage, and child death, to the point where he would behead Rhaella’s wet nurses and then his mistress, though after all that he changed his mind, did a walk of repentance, and swore to be faithful.  In short, he was an asshole and sometimes ruthless (again, it should be noted: is any of that much different than Tywin?), but certainly not yet the monster he would become.

Then came the Defiance of Duskendale, wherein many of Aerys’s guards were killed and he was taken hostage for six months with constant threat of execution. This ordeal led to him sequestering himself in the Red Keep for four years and his mental state deteriorated quite rapidly from there.

So, was he mad? Absolutely, there’s no denying that. But at the same time, I’m not so sure that he would have become quite so monstrous and tyrannical as he is in canon had it not been for the trauma of Duskendale.

(Also, I know he has a reputation of paranoia and all, but is it really paranoia if lots of people are out to get you?)

Viserys

The only evidence we have for Viserys showing signs of madness as a boy is Barristan’s statement that is done 20 years later in retrospect. I sincerely doubt that a 7-year-old child was some mini-Aerys and that like a lot of Barristan’s statements and thoughts, he is not being truthful.

Growing up, he was forbidden to be alone with his mother and witnessed at least some of his father’s atrocities, though Rhaella tried to shield him from it. Likely had little interaction or bonding with Rhaegar, who was 17 years older and an extreme introvert, so he was functionally an only child.

At the age of 7, learned that his father, brother, sister-in-law, and two infant cousins were killed, and fled with Rhaella to Dragonstone. Eight months later, Rhaella died in childbirth and he, baby Dany, and Willem Darry fled in the night to exile in Essos.

Five years later, when Viserys was 13, Willem Darry dies, the servants steal what little money they had, and Viserys is left to fend for himself with a 5-year-old sister in tow. They end up having to live off the generosity of others, all while being pursued by Robert’s assassins. Eventually the people who put them up turned from them and they had to sell their possessions, the last of which was Rhaella’s crown: “the last joy had gone from him, leaving only rage.” To add insult to injury, people started calling him the beggar king.

We know the rest, of course. Though his and Dany’s relationship was warm at the beginning, he began to blame her for Rhaella’s death and took out his anger and their plight on her.

So, was Viserys mad? I think that to a degree, we can say he was. But again, while his actions towards Dany are NOT excusable, I think they are explainable. Viserys suffered extreme trauma from a very early age and throughout the rest of his life, and that would have a profound impact on anyone. It’s my belief that had that not happened, Viserys would have not have been the rageful, abusive person we see in canon.

In sum, unless I’m missing someone, there are a grand total of nine Targaryens who are often deemed “mad” or “addled.” Two of those — Aegon and Helaena — are most definitely trauma-induced. One — Rhaegel — had mental issues. Two — Baelor and Maelys — are up for debate. Two — Maegor and Aerion — are I’d say pretty definitively mad. And two — Aerys and Viserys — are a combination of both.

To answer your question, no, I don’t think the madness is from blood magic (other than Maegor), both because of the circumstances and because to my knowledge no one was practicing blood magic. I think the handful of Targaryens who are “mad” is just luck of the draw.

[mymoodwriting]

3.3k, train heist, superpowers, assault, manipulation, kidnapping

“I’m in.”

    If you could kiss Ten, you would, but he was currently occupied. Besides you needed to focus, you were on a mission, and you had only just begun. This was your first time out on the field with your boys, and you didn't want to mess things up.

    Taeyong had decided on a simple train heist, stealing some priceless gems. Of course getting on the train was the easy part, thanks to Mark. You had all infiltrated the front car, only to find no one was actually operating the train, it drove itself. That made it easier for Ten to take control by hacking into the operating system and doing a manual override. Once he was in, small holographic screens appeared around his head as he began to go through the trains manifest and gain access to all systems. While he was doing that, best not to distract him.

“Excellent.” Taeyong said. “So where are the goods?”

“The manifest says this train is carrying basic cargo, each car supposedly filled with crates.” Ten sighed. “Meaning the actual goods are well hidden. There are also no cameras present, so we’re gonna have to scavenge ourselves.”

“So what you’re saying is that we’re going to have to check every train car.” Mark stated. “And there are eight, not including this one.”

“Fuck.” Taeyong ran a hand through his hair. “Y/n, can you sense anyone on this train? Someone might be guarding the real treasure.”

“No… I’ve got nothing… nothing at all… which is weird…”

“What do you mean?”

“Ten, can you bring up the train cars?”

“Sure.”

    Ten did as you asked, projecting a mini holographic train in front of everyone. You stared at it for a while, trying to understand your own senses.

“It’s like… all the cars are dark. Usually I could at least sense objects, but it’s like I’m blocked… like this train is blocking my powers. I can’t sense or connect to anyone outside this car right now.”

“That’s not normal.” Mark said. “Is it?”

“Not at all… whoever we’re robbing either knows about my powers and how to cut me off, or they got lucky.”

“Either way we can’t use you as a means of communication.” Ten said. “For your sake.”

“I don’t think my telepathy is hackable!” You countered. “I’m fine.”

“Yeah, I can see that, I’m saying we can’t solely rely on your telepathic powers. If one of us gets locked in a car we’d wind up cut off from the others. Best to keep comms on as a back up.”

“Ten’s right.” Taeyong agreed. “We keep comms on, just to be safe, and we leave cars open, don’t wanna get trapped too.”

    Taeyong went over and slid the side door open, his body sticking out a bit to look at the rest of the train cars. There were eight they needed to search.

“Mark and I can make our way to the last car, then work our way back up here. Y/n, you stay with Ten, keep him safe. I’m sure whoever owns this train knows there’s something wrong by now. Give me a deadline Ten.”

“In about twenty minutes we’ll be going into a tunnel, if we can find something worth stealing by that time it won’t be a problem to stop the train. That way we can escape without eyes on us.”

“Perfect, keep us updated on what happens up here. Don’t cause trouble.”

“We won’t.”

“Be safe.” You said. “And fast.”

    You gave both boys a kiss before Mark created a black portal on the ground. They both jumped in and disappeared, then the portal did too. For a moment you lost touch with them, their minds, but then you felt them again as they opened one of the car doors.

“Can you hear me love?”

“Loud and clear. What do you see Mark?”

“Boxes, just like the manifest said.”

“You don’t sense anything of value do you?” Taeyong asked. “Please don’t tell me we’re gonna have to open the boxes.”

“No, I can sense the boxes, seems to be full of metal, nothing like diamonds or gold, move to the next car.”

“Got it, Ten, care to open the door?”

“Give me a sec.”

    Ten opened the next car door for the two, but just like the last, it was filled with boxes, and no good in any of them. The third was the same and you began to feel anxious. The intel you had about train was solid, Ten was never wrong with his hacking, and you trusted his words, but worry began to creep on you. A minor downside of your telepathic communication with the boys was that they were well aware of your current emotions.

“Don’t worry y/n, your first heist won’t be a bust.” Mark assured. “I know it.”

“And when we succeeded, we’ll get out of here and throw a big party.” Taeyong added. “All your favorites.”

“Promise?”

“Of course baby.”

    His words certainly helped relax you, but that moment was short lived. As they entered car number four they became aware that things weren’t right. For starters the car was empty, which contradicted the manifest, but then again it wasn’t a complete lie, and you hated the fact that you couldn’t give them a heads up.

“You’re on my train.”

    Another guy was in the car, which wasn’t entirely surprising, dressed in white, and calm. If the intel they had on the train was credible, it would make sense to have some sort of security on board. In fact seeing someone only confirmed to them there was something worth the trouble here.

“Y/n, mind messing with this guy?”

“Hm? What are you talking about?”

“There’s another guy in the car with us.” Mark said. “Can you not sense him?”

“Another… no… no I can only sense both of you. What the hell!”

“That’s fine, we’ll deal with him.” Taeyong added. “This should be no prob-”

    The car door suddenly shut behind Taeyong and Mark, and instantly they lost connection with you. They both became visibly frustrated, but Tae was quickly on his comms.

“What the fuck, Ten.”

“Like you said, whoever owns the train would know something is wrong. I’m losing control.”

“Well get it back!”

“I’m busy with something else right now!”

“Shit.” Taeyong knew what he meant. “We’ll be fine, just take care of her.”

“I know! I’ll contact you when we’re good.”

“Are we just going to stand around?” The other guy asked. “Or are we going to fight.”

“Two against one.” Mark commented. “Not fair.”

“For you.”

    Mark made the first move and charged, but his opponent was quick to dodge. In fact they handled themselves well against two. The fight wasn’t going in anyone’s favor for a while, but then things quickly took a turn. The door to the next car opened up, and Mark was kicked through before it shut. 

“Mark!”

“We can have more fun this way, can’t we?”

“You know I was going to nicely ask for you to hand over some gold and stuff, split it evenly and all that, but I’d rather beat your ass first.”

“You can try.”

    When Mark fell into the next car he was surrounded by darkness. There was a bit of light that shined in for a second. It was just enough to see that the car was empty like the last. He quickly turned back around and slammed his fists on the door, but there was no way to get back to Taeyong. He was about to create a portal when he realized he wasn’t alone.

“Hello.”

    Mark jumped when he saw himself in the middle of the car, the sudden flash of light making his doppelganger look creepy. Before he could respond the double disappeared and he seemed to be alone again. He rubbed his eyes to make sure he wasn’t seeing things, and slowly walked through the car. There was no one else, as far as he knew. He tried to use his powers, but his head was throbbing from the impact, so it was best to hold off for the moment. Instead he contacted Ten.

“Ten, I got separated from Taeyong. I’m okay but he’s not on comms, and I can’t get back to him. Is y/n alright?”

    When you lost your connection to Taeyong and Mark you collapsed to your knees, grabbing your head. You were usually constantly connected, had been for years, so not having that felt like something was wrong, like some part of you was missing. Not to mention you lost two at once just now, and so sudden, you felt like someone had stabbed you.

    Ten was quickly by your side when you collapsed, ignoring his other duties to make sure you were okay. You had to pull through, now wasn’t the time to fall apart, you were under attack, and right now you were distracting Ten. He was talking to you, offering words of comfort but you couldn’t really register anything. You took some deep breaths, and slowly regained your composure. Hearing Mark over the comms help remind you that just cause you weren’t linked didn’t mean they were unreachable.

“She’s better now.” Ten responded over comms. “What happened with you?”

“This other guy threw me into another car when the door opened, and it shut behind me. My head hurts so I can’t really use my powers right now, meaning Taeyong is on his own.”

“Fuck. Someone’s been taking back control of the train. I can try to kick them out of the system and get you back with Tae but it’s gonna take a minute.”

“I can-”

    The comms suddenly went dead, screeching feedback into your ear. You quickly pulled out the ear piece, as did Ten, knowing the others probably did the same. The train wasn’t just being hacked, so was your communication, both human and inhuman.

“What do we do now?” You asked. “Taeyong and Mark-”

“Can take care of themselves. I just need to regain control of the train.”

“What have you lost?”

“Most of the access to the last few cars. Why?”

“Can you open the one behind us?”

“Yes, but-”

“If I can get to them, I can help.”

“Y/n-”

“I’m not going to stand here and do nothing. I can hold my own just like the rest of you. This is my first heist, I’m not gonna fail.”

“I know but…”

“What? Can’t protect yourself?”

“I can!”

“Then open the door, the more we argue about this, the more time we waste.”

“Fine. Mark’s three cars away from here.”

“That’s not too bad.”

    When the feedback rang through the comms Taeyong ripped out his ear piece and threw it to the side. He was more concerned with the problem in front of him. The two kept eyeing each other, stalking, waiting for the other to make the first move.

“I’m surprised you haven’t asked.”

“Asked what?” 

“How it is that we can block your girls’ power.”

“I don’t-”

“Tell you what, I’ll show you mine if you show me yours.”

“What?”

    Before Taeyong could dwell on the words some more the guy before him disappeared in a mist. Then seemed to reappear behind him and kick him forward. Taeyong stumbled a few steps but stayed on his feet, turning around to see his attacker.

“That’s cheap.”

“Then show me you’re capable. Or are you afraid.”

“Fuck you.”

    Taeyong remained still, and yet moved. This guy had the power to teleport, and he had a power too. Duplicates of himself manifested, created from where he stood, and moving away to take physical form. They were just like him, not an empty shell, capable of moving on their own and they could absolutely throw a punch. So besides himself, there were four others.

“Impressive.”

“I’ll show you impressive.”

“Please do.”

    Despite the odds stacked in Tae’s favor, this guy could still hold his own. The teleporting did help, but then again they were in a small train car, not much room to move around anyway. So while Taeyong was busy, he was unaware of what was going on with the rest of his team. After losing contact with Ten and you, Mark tried to create another portal, but as he did so everything around him changed. It seemed he wasn’t on the train anymore, but some other plane of existence.

“Not yet.”

    Another guy was with Mark, wagging a finger at him. He looked around but the place seemed to be endless in either direction. There was no point running, and he wasn’t even sure he could portal out of here.

“Who the hell are you? What is this place?”

“In time… you’ll know…”

“Huh?”

“Now.”

    A burst of white light blinded Mark for a second, then he was back in the train car. His eyes were still adjusting when the door behind him opened and he could see Taeyong, multiple Taeyong’s, fighting the guy from before. Mark didn’t hesitate to jump back into the fight, managing a hit before the guy disappeared before his eyes, just like the last.

“What the hell!”

“Mark behind you!”

    Unlike the last, this guy reappeared within view and knocked Mark down. Taeyong helped him back up to his feet. They couldn’t keep doing this forever, the fight needed to end, and they needed to get back on mission. The door that had opened for Mark wasn’t the only one, it seemed all previous doors were open too. The boys didn’t need telepathy to get the same message across, all it took was a look.

    With a goal in mind it was easier to fight. All they needed to do was overwhelm their opponent, cause surely teleporting would get exhausting. Taeyong added a few more duplicates to the mix, pushing through his own exhaustion to end the fight. Mark managed to make the last blow, kicking them in the back and throwing them on the ground. The guy tried to get up but it was clear the strength wasn’t there.

“Guys!” Ten’s voice could be heard screaming on comms. “Mark? Taeyong?”

    Both put their comms set back in, Mark kicking the guy another time in the side of the chest to make sure he stayed down.

“Ten, perfect timing.” Taeyong said. “Is the train ours?”

“Mostly.”

“You think you can disconnect the fourth car from the train.”

“Yeah.”

“Excellent.”

    Taeyong and Mark moved to the fifth car and then gave Ten the go ahead to separate the cars. They watched the other half of the train slow and come to a stop on the track. To celebrate they shared a quick fist bump and moved back into the car, shutting the door behind them. Although that moment of relief was short lived as they realized you weren’t there to connect them.

“Ten, is y/n okay?”

“About that…”

“What happened!”

“She went to go help you.”

“What!” Taeyong yelled. “What does that mean?!”

“I had enough control of the train to open the door behind us but once she went through it shut and I lost her.”

“You what! Why haven’t you gotten her back!”

“She’s not in as much danger as you were.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“I…”

“Fuck.”

    You were confident for a moment when you went off by yourself, but once you lost your connection to Ten you broke down again. You felt so alone, so impossibly alone, you couldn’t even move for a while. The car you had gone into was empty, and that just made it all worse. You screamed when another door opened, maybe it was Ten, maybe it wasn’t, but either way it was a reminder that you needed to be strong.

    You wiped away your tears and forced yourself up, walking into the next car. It was dark at first, then the lights came up, revealing another empty room. The door you came through shut again and you started to get the sinking feeling that this wasn’t Ten but someone else messing with you. The next door opened, but you didn’t actually want to go through it. You wouldn’t have except for the fact the car you were in went dark, and you didn’t want to be in there anymore. You ran into the next and the door shut behind you. This one wasn’t entirely empty. There were a few white boxes around, and to your surprise you couldn’t sense the materials inside.

    Curiosity got the best of you and you approached one of the boxes. As you were getting the lid open you suddenly felt a pinch in your neck. You reached up and pulled a dart out, staring at it with wide eyes. In a moment your vision began to blur and you collapsed to the ground, finding it hard to stay awake. Then you noticed the boxes around you begin to move, opening themselves up and these devices rising out. That’s when the ringing began. All the doors on the train suddenly opened, you could feel Mark and Taeyong again, but also became very aware about your lack of being able to reach Ten. Then the ringing turned to pain and you screamed.

    You couldn’t control it, and worse of all you knew you were causing Mark and Taeyong pain as well. Whatever was happening, whatever this was, you knew someone had planned it all. Intending to use you against your own team. You didn’t know how much time had passed but you knew that the pain eventually knocked the two others out, and it wasn’t until then that it settled down. You were exhausted in a way you had never been before.

    You could barely hear a voice around you, unsure of who it was, but there was a familiarity to it. You got a good idea who you were hearing when you think you saw Ten just out of the corner of your eye, unaffected by your pain. Nothing made sense but you couldn’t dwell on it as you closed your eyes, and your world faded to black. You could only wonder what had become of the other two, and hope they would be alright despite what you’ve done.

    You didn’t know how long you had been out for, but when you came to, you were somewhere different. You were lying on a marble white floor, it seemed nothing was around you, that is until you noticed the elevator, and who was by it. Ten stood quietly, watching you, giving nothing away. You tried to get up but you were still too weak to do so, the best you could do was sit up.

“Where are we?” You asked. “What’s happening? What are you doing? What about-”

    You stopped asking questions when the elevator doors opened and someone unfamiliar to you stepped out. That’s when you realized you weren’t linked to anyone, and this new person, you couldn’t connect to them either. If you had been blind, you wouldn’t have really known if you were alone or not. You were scared, the fear and panic from before being built on with what was going on now.

“Who… who are you…”

“I’m here to help you.” The man spoke. “So that you may reach your true potential.”

    The three began to approach you, and you crawled back as best you could. Suddenly two others appeared in a mist, more strangers to you, and then there weren’t strangers. Mark and Taeyong appeared as well, but they were different. You noticed how their eyes were vacant and that they weren’t all there. A few tears slid down your face, you had no idea what was going to happen to you. The man who seemed to be the leader knelt down in front of you and held his hand out, a soft but wicked smile on his face.

“Consider this your induction. It’s nice to finally meet you, y/n.”

(// Next)

[cantstoptheimagines]

Coming Soon

This post is a list of everything I’m currently working on. If you have sent me an idea or want to send one, I still recommend looking at my requests list. That will allow you to see how many requests I have at the moment.

FAQ | Masterlist | Fandoms | Requests | Schedule

Ready for Release

Artistic Whims (Benedict Bridgerton)

Writing in Progress

Bluegrass Heart

Bonds of Brotherhood (Mini Series)

Discovering Their Love Language

Enchanted

Fucking and Feeding

Galway Girl

Ghosts

Gimme More

Help Wanted

History of Man

Interruptions

Jealousy

Just Not Home

Knight’s Promise

Make the Grade

Mide

Missed Call

No Body, No Crime

Nuptial Dreams

Pages of You

Pygmalion

Scrunchie

Snakes in the Grass

Strange Attractions

Turning Tables

Twelve Gifts of Courtship

Watermelon Sugar High

Wild Uncharted Waters

Brainstorming

4 a.m.

After Midnight

Ain’t No Lie

American Dreams

And If I Don’t Have You / At Least I Still Have Me (Duology)

Baker’s Dozen

Bandaged Hearts

Been Meaning to Tell You

Black Velvet

Boundaries

Boyfriend

Cargo Hold

Ceasefire

Dancing on My Own

Dating Them Would Include

Delivery Boy

Dimples of Venus

Elements of Attraction

Excuses

Family Man

Fast Car

Feather

First Impressions

For the Win

The Fourth Season

Fourth Time’s the Charm

Friend of Dorothy

Guard Dog

Handcuffs

Hero

I Don’t Wanna Keep Secrets Just to Keep You

Ice Cream Kiss

In the Harbor

Insatiable

Iris

Jealousy Looks Good on You

J’s Girl

Kissaphobic

Lemon Cakes

Like Some Other Men Do

Love and Other Miracle Cures

Meet Me in the Tangerine Grove

Miscommunication

Mistakes

Moonlight Lover

No One Wanted to Play with Me as a Little Kid, So I've Been Scheming Like a Criminal Ever Since, to Make Them Love Me and Make It Seem Effortless

Not Like Father, Not Like Son

Nothing But Trouble

Of Love and Pancakes

Oh, Baby

Orange Peel Theory

Peach

Plastic Hearts

Playing Favorites

Pretty Boy, Pretty Boy

Reminiscence

Reputations

Rigged

Scary Boyfriend Privilege

Scotty Doesn’t Know

Seeds

Signed

Speed Dial

Starved

Stuck with You

Sweating Bullets

Sweet Old Tatties

Sweetheart

Swipe Right

Swoon

Table Eight

Take a Hint

Take Four

Taking the Reins

Taste Test

Their Favorite Thing About You

This Is Me Trying

The Time Traveler’s Wife

Traditions Old, Traditions New

Turning Pages

Umbella

Wake-Up Call

The Way of Colors

Weather Boys

Wiping Off Their Kisses

Years Gone By