#eldritch remus

[caffeineinmyspleen]

The brain rot sure do be rotting

[soysaucevictim]

Feeling a bit experimental with this eldritch lil shit that hasn't let go of my brain since his debut. :I

Yeah. Remus truly is an intrusive thot.

[sanders-sides-uncorrect-quotes]

Imagine: Remus and Virgil brainstorming ideas for eldritch spider creatures together

[tulipscomeinallsortsofcolors]

I commented on the ask about friends for Prez, then realized I should just send a proper ask. What about Remus's and Io's kids, as well as Dizzy's and Finn's kittens? I assume Prez would be able to hear the kittens just like Roman can. Local butch lesbian baby witch makes friends with semi-feral nymph children and Cait Sidhe/familiar hybrid kittens, untold oceans of chaos ensue, news at 11.

she's right smack in the middle between remusios kids and the brian-linda generation, so she's theyre baby sitter

the cats however are in fact some of her best friends and she really lives up to that tiny butch goth reputation. catch her in the middle of the road with a crow on her shoulder and six cats of various eldritch horribleness clustered around her ankles. Roman too charming to have the same kind of 24/7 pants-shitting aura may and greta had but prez has it in spades

[dndeceit]

Fander Fic Rec Friday (#22)

(A Self-Indulgent Double-Helping of Janus-centric fics)

Because it was his birthday this week, and because it's the 22nd rec list, but mostly because I say so.

Mind the Gap by parallelmonsoon Canonverse (Gen) Rating: T Thomas sneaks a peek at Janus's room without his permission and winds up getting a whole lot more than he bargained for. Notes: Part of a series/concept called "Eldritch Rooms", this is a wonderfully surreal bit of speculation into Janus's room and how it might reflect him and his role in the mindscape. It's also the first of a trio of semi-related fics (including the next two below) that have long been favorites of mine.

fall into a hole you couldn't see (the friends on the inside remix) by arealsword Canon AU/Inception Crossover (Gen) Rating: T Thomas becomes the target of a dream heist, but Janus is not about to let thieves run amok in his domain. Notes: Inspired by Mind the Gap/Eldritch Rooms. No real knowledge of Inception is needed to follow this one (I never watched it myself). But if you love BAMF Janus and the sides being lowkey terrifying, this is an amazing fic.

Those Good Lies by Agent_Ravensong Canonverse (Gen) Rating: G Thomas tries to understand the part that Janus plays in his life, both now that he knows him and before he knew he existed. In the process, he winds up reaching for answers that Janus isn't yet willing (or perhaps even able) to give. Notes: Inspired by "Mind the Gap". This is probably the fic that had the most impact on my concept of Janus, both characterization wise and his role in the mindscape. In particular, my headcanons about Janus's ties to the suspension of disbelief (indirectly) and the part he plays in both cultivating and sustaining hope (very, very directly) were born out of this fic.

(Series) Janus and the Technicolor Keyring by Ptolomeia Canonverse (Gen) Rating: M After the events of Putting Others First, Roman hands control of the imagination to Remus and ducks out, locking himself in his room. Janus is left scrambling desperately trying to keep things from falling apart, but Thomas's only hope might require Janus to give up his only hope of escaping the role of being the villain. Notes: This one is intense.

Cold Comfort by Anonymous Canonverse (Gen) Rating: T Following Putting Others First, everyone is a mess. Janus soon finds himself putting out so many fires among the other sides that he runs himself into the ground. Notes: This is basically the "coming back with pizza and everyone is bleeding and the room is on fire" meme gif in fanfiction form. Everyone falls apart at least once and it is glorious.

the last line of defense by frey_the_notorious_gay Canonverse (Moceit) Rating: G When one of Thomas's repressed memories threatens to resurface, Janus takes the brunt of it. Notes: I love fics that explore Janus as a defense mechanism, and this one approaches it from a very interesting angle.

Shedfics (These are some of my favorite kinds of fic in this fandom. It's such a weird, wonderful and unique form of hurt/comfort and I'll really never get enough of them.)

A Mask by NoblestRomanOfThemAll (AnxiouslyGoingIntoTheVoid) Canonverse (Gen) Rating: NR Janus's obvious differences from the others are unsurprisingly the subject of a lot of grief, though not in the sense that most would suspect. Remus helps in his way. Notes: Short, but such a good bit of character study.

Unexpected Change by NoblestRomanOfThemAll (AnxiouslyGoingIntoTheVoid) Canonverse (Gen) Rating: G Janus gets a rude surprise one day as his snake traits suddenly intensify. Remus pays Virgil a visit to confirm the cause. (Takes place just after Accepting Anxiety). Notes: Kind of angsty, kind of sweet. Remus is often a helper in fics like this, but some of his lines in this one are so fucking funny...

Shedding by NoblestRomanOfThemAll (AnxiouslyGoingIntoTheVoid) Canonverse (Gen) Rating: G An awkward encounter leads to Thomas learning that Janus sheds his skin. Notes: Hurt/comfort with a slight emphasis on the comfort.

Deny It All You Like- Thomceit Shedding Fic by Cherry_Sofa_729 Canonverse (Thomceit) Rating: G Having convinced himself his shed hasn't come early (and frustrated by the prying attention of the others) Janus flees to Thomas's apartment for some peace and quiet (and gets some TLC instead). Notes: The other sides are kind of assholes about it, but the rest of it is very cute.

Scales by NikaylaSarae Canonverse (Gen) Rating: G Something about Deceit's shed is...off, causing it to take far longer than it should. Fortunately, the others notice and ready to lend a hand figuring out what's going on. Notes: This one has a very fun, very unique twist to it that I wouldn't want to spoil. (Additionally, this one may technically qualify as a beach episode.)

Truth Hurts, Doesn't It? by LostinScribbles Canonverse (Gen) Rated: G Logan stumbles upon Janus incapacitated and mid-shed, and takes it up on himself to care for him. But lying to soothe Janus during the process winds up uncovering some uncomfortable truths. Notes: Shedfic with a side-dish of Logan angst.

Shedding by sevenstevearmy Canonverse (Gen) Rating: G Janus is shedding and Remus is determined to help this time. Notes: Remus helps, and is very Remus about helping.

[miloinouterspace]

The Marauders Era Characters

As Unhinged Quotes from my friends + I ~ Part 2

☆ James:

“You're just mad because I pull no bitches.”

(Sirius: “You wanna try that again?”)

☆ Remus:

“I'm kinda between Eldritch Horrors right now..."

☆ Sirius:

“Are bagpipes an actual thing??”

☆ Peter:

“I GIVE OFF RITZY’S BASEMENT ENERGY?!?!?!???!!!???”

☆ Regulus:

“Calm down,it was just a threat.”

☆ Lily:

“And I'm not involved! Not even in a threesome way!”

☆ Mary:

(To Sirius)

“Please do not whisper ‘furry’ seductively in Peter's ear.”

☆ Marlene:

“Sirius, how much tit should I give your Sim?”

☆ Barty:

“Math makes me want to replace the A with an E, light it up and get the vibes going.”

☆ Evan:

“I'm not just a cross-dressing supporter, I'm a cross-dressing advocate. I think there should be more cross-dressing.”

☆ Pandora:

“I don't trust horses because their faces are too long”

☆ Dorcas:

(To Barty)

“Well you said you had to go piss and then you did about twenty laps-”

☆ Alice:

“Frank, can you move your gigocious head?”

☆ Frank:

*loud whispering*

"I AM NOT PAYING MY TAXES"

[rotting-clowns]

Some hcs on the marauders and D&D:

- Remus introduced them to it, and it became a regular occurrence in their dorm.

- They used their marauder aliases for character names, watch out for Palladin Prongs and his antler adorned helmet

- They tweak with the adventures so that any werewolf they meet is friendly and tags along with them for a while

- Remus collects die, Peter has one trusty set, James doesn’t have his own bc he keeps losing them so he uses Remus’ and Peter’s, Sirius has expensive-ass sets (only three, and they’re sacred, no one else can touch)

- Peter probably dms, sometimes Remus too. Both James and Sirius have tried before, but James was adamant on not letting any characters die even after they clearly did, and Sirius was an enemy/npc building mastermind and orchestrated foes that were too difficult to beat . he also got a little drunk on power

- They transfigure things into miniatures and pieces for scenarios and grids. Remus also handcrafts stuff on his spare time

- Remus owns the player’s handbook and the monster manual (gifts from his parents), he magicked it so the figures move on the pages. If one of the marauders gets under his skin he hides them

- Sirius tried to reach Regulus and his friends how to play (an olive branch) but Regulus’ friends kept making chaotic evil characters that fumbled missions on purpose so he dropped it (Regulus will sometimes play in random marauders one shots though)

- James tried to have Paladin Prongs woo Lily’s character the whole time for the one session she joined them. She eldritch blasted him (Remus let it happen)

[shiveringfrogspawn]

“He stares at Remus like he's a god, and also possibly a terrifying eldritch horror come to ruin his life.”

“That's what they do, just that, and Sirius clenches the sheets between his hands and lets Remus slowly, oh so slowly, coax him away from his shame, leaving him in shambles from kiss after kiss after kiss—and all he can think about is the moon and the stars, how they can't steal them or keep them, but it's worth it to love them anyway. 

That's this, he thinks. 

That's this. 

That's us.”

[in the notes] “just friends, my ass. not on MY watch.”

"I'm literally begging you to stop opening your mouth and letting out relentless stupidity," Sirius says, his voice strained

"I'm—I think I'm really high," James says solemnly. 

Part 14/? of Crimson Rivers quotes

[consistentsquash]

This rec list from eldritcher probably got lost on Dreamwidth posts. But I got permission to crosspost so I am gonna copy/signal boost here.

@hprecfest folks ofc don't reblog if you already have it.

I've brought a few cherished fics to this lovely fest. 1. A favorite fic under 5k: Blishen's Firewhiskey, written by @givereadersahug Draco/Lucius. A sinister ficlet. 2. A comfort fic: All of Time and Space. Dudley, Ninth Doctor. All of time and space, indeed! 4. A fic with art: Bringing up Babymort, created by @my--witch and grooot, a terrific Snapecase entry. Severus Snape/the marvellous Hermione Granger. 5. A non-AO3 fic: The Wandering Hat, written by whimsickle. A bright ray of sunshine in a bleak life. Severus Snape, as a child. A terrific Snapecase entry. 6. An unreliable narrator fic: The Residue of His Mind, written by @paulamcg. Sirius, in the throes of dissociation. The pairing is Sirius Black/Remus Lupin. 7. A canon-compliant fic: Before I Am Old, written by @maeglinyedi. Tom Riddle, in his youth. This ficlet has had an enduring influence on my works (when I'd scribbled stories in that corner of fandom). 8. A canon-divergence fic: Friday's Child, written by deslea. This piece has had an enduring influence on how I've written Narcissa Malfoy (when I'd scribbled stories in that corner of fandom). 9. A rare pair fic (less than 2000 fics on AO3): New Joys by @paulamcg. Tenderly wistful. Amelia/Molly. 10. A fest fic: Candles Lit Against the Dark, written by @perverse-idyll. The pairing is Minerva McGonagall/Wilhelmina Grubbly-Plank. A terrific Snapecase entry. 11. A dark fic: Too Old for Playing, written by @paulamcg. A brooding, unhappy piece. How could it be anything else? This is Severus Snape's Worst Memory. 16. A fic that made you laughed: Jeeves and the Secret Society, written by @perverse-idyll. I did feel sorry for Severus Snape, but Jeeves and Wooster sailed me over to an ocean of laughter. Albus Dumbledore/Severus Snape. 17. A fic that made you cry: Work is Good, written by iulia_linnea. Deeply moving and heartwrenching. The pairing is Tobias/Eileen. 19. Fic with the hottest smut: A Slytherin Gathers His Rosebuds, written by @kellychambliss. A ravishing concoction of Minerva/Severus. 20. A fic rated G: Egg Nog, written by delphipsmith. A terrific Snapecase entry. Severus Snape. 21. A thought-provoking fic: Teardrop in Your Palm, written by @danpuff-ao3. A wretched soul wants something he can't have, and stoops to despairing lows. Scorpius Malfoy (Draco's son)/Harry. 24. A holiday fic: How do you solve a problem like a DADA teacher?, written by gracelessmary. Assorted Hogwarts residents. 25. A fic rated T: The Ice cream Man and the Potions Master, written by @squibstress. I would gladly join the queue at Florean's shop (and not only for the ice-cream). Florean Fortescue and Severus Snape. 26. A fic with an ending you can’t stop thinking about: Sybil Trelawney and the Unexpected Gift, written by @squibstress. Satirical, intimate, clear-eyed, and flayingly insightful. Trelawney. 28. An under-rated fic: Gossip and Mischief by bluedreaming. Assorted Hogwarts residents. 29. A post-canon fic: The Eyes Have It, written by lash_larue. A Hoggywartyxmas present, written for me! I couldn't have foreseen this marvel in my wildest dreams. I am utterly in love with it! Ollivander and Trelawney. 31. A fav amongst favs: Accommodations , written by @kellychambliss. An unforgettable entry from Minerva Fest. Minerva/Severus.

[I'd also wanted to say it's wonderful to have a fest like this. Thank you for running it, and for running it on Dreamwidth as well.]

(source)

[a-small-batch-of-dragons]

Starved

*materializes into existence*

Hey :D

[beware, this is long]

Idk if you're doing prompts rn (if not, that's okay; remember to take care of yourself). But if you are, may I request some Creativitwins h/c? – oatmeal-stans-the-trash-rat [i'm not putting the whole req here just cause she LONG]

Read on Ao3

Warnings: starvation, intrusive thoughts, panic attacks, body horror (sort of), nightmares

Pairings: none

Word Count: 4250

For Remus, tending to the nightmare realm is just another chore. Eldritch monstrosities, terrifying landscapes, that's just how it is.

But when a new destination appears one night as he's going about his rounds, well, he has to stop in to investigate. What he finds is a horrifying town that has an almost cult-like relationship with hunger. One of the Sides, clearly, suffers from a particularly terrible strain of intrusive thoughts, but who?

    "I mean, it just makes sense, really."

Roman snarls, throwing himself against the invisible barrier, but it shimmers mockingly as he's forced to claw and screech in vain, soundless behind its impassable force. On the other side, close enough that he could reach out and touch him—so close, so fucking close—Remus smiles.

"Of course," Logan says softly, reaching out to cup Remus's face as though he's precious, "the Creativity unbound by the shackles of expectation, what else could we hope for?"

"And the passion!" Patton claps his hands, each one making the barrier thunder against Roman's palms. "Where else are we going to find someone with this much drive and motivation?"

"I know, maybe we'll actually see finished products once in a while," Virgil snickers, playfully elbowing Remus in the ribs as a dagger lodges itself in Roman's side.

He howls in pain, still scrabbling at the wall, but it's no use; Remus isn't even looking at him anymore, no one is, they're all too focused on each other, on how perfect Remus fits in now that they're stopping to look at it, and that's what he wants, that's good, he missed his brother so much, he wants him back, he wants him back, he just wants—he wants—

But he's a fool, and he didn't specify that he's selfish enough to want to keep both things.

And now, as he watches Remus pulled into Patton's arms, as he watches Logan smile gently and ruffle his hair, as he watches Virgil grin and rub his hands together gleefully, as he watches Janus turn to look at him—

Janus stares at him through the barrier, a smirk playing on his lips. But it's not a cruel smirk, not a malicious smile, it's the crooked smile every hero has just as they deliver the last quip of the movie.

"Oh, Roman," he whispers, even as his words ring in Roman's ears, "thank god you don't have a mustache."

Roman wakes up.

He's shaking. He's burning under the sheet. He's panting like he's run for his life. He's frozen. He can't move. Why should he move? The barrier will stop him. Wait, no, that's when he's asleep. He's not asleep anymore. He's not, is he? He's so cold. He's so hot. He's so scared.

God, he's so scared.

But why is he so scared? Is it the fact that Remus was accepted? How awful is he, to be scared of that? To be scared that if they find out how wonderful Remus truly is—and he is, Remus is so, so, so wonderful, he is and Roman loves him—that they'll want to keep Remus and get rid of him? That's awful of him! He's not supposed to be scared of his brother being accepted, he's supposed to look forward to it! He's not—he's not—

He's crying, isn't he? That's why he's still shaking. He's scared. He's scared and he's awful and he's crying, why is he crying? What right does he have to cry? Crying is for people who are hurting and deserve comfort. What comfort does he deserve? Because his Imagination conjured up some horrifying reality for him, so horrifying that he got to watch his brother finally get the love and acceptance he deserves and the natural consequences of it? What right does he have to demand comfort after that? He doesn't. He should stop crying. He should stop. Right now.

Oh, god, he can't stop crying.

He's still hurting. His chest is still burning. Why can't he breathe properly? This is stupid; if he's going to be as selfish and needy as he is, he should at least be breathing properly. He can't pretend to be anything other than helpless, can he, that he would steal the air from others' lungs and then not have the decency to breathe it properly? How cruel of him. How unjust of him. How awful he must be.

He should be locked behind a barrier. He should be pushed far away from everyone else. Then he couldn't hurt them. Then his hurt would only hurt him. Then he could be as messy and needy and selfish as he had to be and he would only cause himself pain. That was right. That was better. He should—he should have—should he have realized this years ago? How awful he is, how much he deserves to be put behind a barrier?

The room is closing in. The walls are getting closer. His bed is shrinking. The blankets are pressing him down into the floor, he can't breathe, he can't breathe, he can't breathe—

He can't hear anything. Oh, god, has it happened already? No, no, he wasn't ready—he was just thinking about it, that didn't mean he wanted to go right now—no, he wants one last chance to say goodbye, he's sorry, he's sorry, he's so sorry—

It's so cold.

It's so cold.

***

    Remus whistles under his breath as he steers the little rudder on the wooden dinghy, around the desecrated shell of some great eldritch beast. He gives the scale an absentminded pat as he drifts by, resolving to come back and check on it later. Perusing his nightmare gallery never did get old, but as far as dreams went, there were certainly better ones to be had. After all, hardly anyone wants to go to work as soon as they fall asleep.

"Win some, lose some," he remarks to the bear cub sitting in the bottom of the boat next to him. The bear cub growls low in its throat and gnaws on a spare bone. "Atta boy."

As he turns to go back towards the mainland, he catches sight of something rising up out of the water to his left. Looking over, he blinks in surprise to see a skeletal forest framing a new mouth of the river, long and jagged shadows reaching out over the water's surface. Frowning, he steers the boat over there, watching as the trees coalesce to form the silhouette of a starving bear. His bear cub lets out a low snuffling noise and shifts closer to his leg. He rubs its head and frowns as they drift under the bear's snarling mouth.

"Do you know what this is?" The bear cub huffs. "Huh. Me neither."

Surprisingly enough, the river ends at a seemingly normal dock. Well, normal for everyone else, in here, that's a little strange. Crowds mill about, each talking gruffly to their immediate neighbor, and someone throws Remus a small rope to tie off his dinghy. He does, the bear cub lingering close to his heels as he starts to walk into the town. Thankfully, he's not in his costume, but a set of plainclothes that he quickly shuffles around to hide the eldritch goo.

The air swirls with a strange miasma, not quite visible enough to put his finger on, but—there's something here. A feeling, almost, a terrible energy that permeates everything he can see. Most wear some sort of face covering, a scarf pulled up over their mouths, or hats worn so low he can only see glimpses of their chin. Those that don't are haggard, bone-weary, with eyes sunken and pulsating deep within their sockets. He can see what should be market stalls hanging their striped banners, but nothing looks to be on sale.

"Good thinking," he hears a raspy voice to his side, and he turns to see a crew of urchins smirking and huffing at him, "having a cub for you, or you for the cub."

His cub—he looks down to see where the cub should've been only to see it's wandered off, sniffing at something, and now whining and growling as a group of long-fingered strangers inch towards it, their mouths open. He whistles sharply and the cub turns tail and runs back to him, gnawing gently on his pants leg.

"Stay close," he bids under his breath as they keep walking, "I don't know what's going on here."

He keeps walking. The bustling streets fade quickly into tiny alleyways, each blocked off by a different makeshift wall that looks like it's designed to be lifted back and forth, a strange gate of sorts. Big, bulky things, the kind that would take at least two strong people to lift. He glances around at the twig-thin limbs and skeletal muscles he can see of the few people that aren't wearing big coats and proper clothes. As he nears one, he frowns. It's made of what looks to be old hide, bound and lashed together with something, but what could possibly be—

A low moaning and the murmur of a crowd.

He turns again, his cub at his side, looking for the source of the commotion. Down the main street a ways, at the mouth of presumably another alley, he sees a group of people peering at something. With one hand tangled in the fur at the cub's neck, he walks over and shoulders his way in to see what's so fascinating.

His eyes widen.

An old man, an old man, who looks barely alive save for the hysterical zeal in his eyes, is hobbling after something rolling along the ground. Every time he's about to pick it up, one of the men in some sort of uniform comes up and kicks it further away from him. The thing rolls through all manner of filth and still the old man hobbles after it. A sick sort of fascination takes hold of Remus's stomach—he should put a stop to this, shouldn't he?—but he finds himself paralyzed, only able to hold his bear cub close.

As the man continues to hobble, he lets go of his cloak. His ribs stand out starkly, each vertebra of his spine clearly visible, and someone in the crowd quickly snatches it up, hoarding it to their chest as a few squabble for it until the uniformed man barks at them to settle down. The man hobbles on, undeterred.

Another shadow lengthens on the ground.

Remus is one of the few that turn to look.

Another man, tall and whip-thin, with an ashen-gray face and monstrous dignity, walks slowly after the pair. His coat, fasted together with large gold buttons down the length of him, flutters in the breeze as though he would blow away at any moment. His hands, the same ashen color as his face, clasp in front of him. A gold signet ring gleams from his finger.

Who, Remus thinks as he clutches the bear cub, who has the sense to be utterly silent, the fuck do you think you are?

"Do you see," the man whispers, his voice picking through the crowd as a centipede picks through the undergrowth on the forest floor, "how desperate we become if we are slaves to our hunger?"

The man in uniform kicks the thing through a puddle that Remus is going to believe is water. The older man still hobbles after it.

"How low our standards become, how quickly we become nothing but beasts, savage and primitive? And how unhappy we are…" The gold signet ring catches another flash of light. "And we are never sated once we give into the need to feed."

The old man finally catches the thing. It drips and cracks with who knows what and still he shoves it in his mouth as though it were the finest feast in all the land. As the crumbs and sludge drip down his face, Remus realizes that it once might have passed for bread.

"And look," says the man as the old figure lets out a howl of despair, "it is never worth the price it takes to feed it."

For even that short hobble seems to have sapped the last of the life force from the old man's wheezing lungs and he keels over right there, still moaning and twitching as the bread rolls limply away from his hands. The uniformed man stands over the corpse and raises a whistle to his lips.

"We are the masters of our own hunger," drones that fucking whisper as many-limbed shadows materialize from the other end of the alley, "until it becomes master of us."

The crowd turns away in shocked horror as the spider-shadow-demon beasts fall upon the corpse. Remus watches the man impassively observing it, idly toying with that fucking golden ring. Then, as if Remus were invisible, he turns and walks back into the crowd, the beasts scuttling after him.

"So," Remus murmurs to the bear cub who was thankfully too short to see any of that, "that was fucking weird."

This isn't one of his. Obviously, because then he would've known what the fuck to expect. As it stands, he can only drift to a somewhat abandoned corner and stare around, trying to discern who this might belong to.

Hunger, that was clearly a theme here. Starvation, almost, given how little food there seems to be and how everyone keeps looking at his bear cub. But a culturally enforced starvation, given by the weird cult vibes of the creepy dude with the ring—a religious figure, maybe? And some nonsense about being masters of hunger, so clearly there was prestige given to being hungry but not giving into it. Those who outwardly expressed their hunger being shamed—well, shamed and humiliated and executed for it.

The bear cub whimpers and Remus crouches down, letting it snuffle into his neck as he strokes its shoulder. A cart drives by with a fancy-looking crest on one side and he squints to make out 'By the Grace of N. Schaumburg' as it passes.

"That must be creepy dude," he murmurs as the bear cub growls, "yeah? What do we think, who's hungry?"

He looks around again. Despite the fact that it's pretty mild weather, everyone's bundled up as though it were the dead of winter. Those that don't wear thick heavy coats huddle together, shivering, mindless mumbling coming from the groups. If he listens closely enough, he can just make out the words, but they don't make any sense.

The bear cub whuffs and tugs on his sleeve.

"What?"

The cub sniffs at a piece of paper blown closer to them. Remus picks it up. It's a pamphlet of some sort with the same crest, announcing an earlier enforced curfew. On the back is a short verse.

Selfishly feed and forever go hungry.

Free and unshackled by hunger are we.

Feeding the beast is an endless task.

Embrace the hunger and be free at last.

"Free from what," Remus whispers to the cub as he finishes reading, "having a body with needs?"

The cub just whines. Remus rubs its head and pockets the pamphlet, standing up slowly and looking around. Okay, so definitely shame associated with needing to feed, something about trying and failing to sate the hunger only leading to it growing, okay…definitely more guilt flying around here than he'd like but they were raised Catholic, so that's not completely unbelievable…

"You there." The uniformed man from before jerks his head at the cub. "What's with the animal?"

"'S my emotional support bear."

The man frowns. "Your what?"

"Nasty business," Remus says instead, nodding toward where the corpse used to be, "does that happen often in this part of town?"

"Not as often as it used to, population's getting better. Since Schaumburg came out with the pills instead of the rations it's been easier to keep the worst of them down." The man glances behind him. "Still. There'll always be a few of them."

"Is that why the new curfew's been enacted?"

"Well, it always gets worse at night, you know. That's when all the rational thought leaves these people and they start scrabbling about for something to feed on. Makes it easier to manage if they're all already indoors, you see."

Okay, so something about not being around others at night, okay, who do we know that's been skipping out of things lately?

"And I've never seen him around either," Remus says, lowering his voice a bit as he nods toward the direction that creepy dude went off in, "is that normal around here too?"

"Oh, Schaumburg doesn't normally come out—" bingo— "but with all the panic about that cold front last night, well…I guess he thought it was necessary."

Cold front last night, cold front last night…what happened last night?

It was movie night last night. Did someone get freaked out by the movie? But it was The Sea Beast, it had cleared everyone's trigger list, everyone had enjoyed it, was that the problem? Or was it something else?

"Now, you seem like a nice enough man—" Remus tries not to take offense, this seems like a good thing in this case— "so I'll just let you off with a word to the wise: get that bear of yours registered with an approved tag or someone's liable to tear it apart, you hear?"

Remus just nods as the official turns away. He looks down at his cub, who's all but cuddling his leg, and glances around.

Several people hug their cloaks or bags close to their chests. A few more stand so close their arms are near around each other as the carts and wagons drive by. A parent tucks their child into a fold of their coat. He remembers the feeling of being snuggled on the couch and how cold it had been when he got up to get a drink. He pulls out the pamphlet and looks closely at the crest, fingers tracing an upside-down crown with teeth mangling the metal.

As if on cue, he hears Roman scream.

***

    Virgil huffs, turning over in bed. Remus must be busy tonight; his mouth's been filled with bitter-tasting grossness all evening. Every now and again he gets this awful roaring emptiness in his stomach and he just wants to sleep. He's almost ready to storm down there and tell him to knock whatever he's doing off, it can wait until tomorrow, when he suddenly hears someone scream.

That's…not what Remus's screams sound like.

***

    Remus shakes himself awake, grabs his trusty teddy bear, and sinks right into Roman's room. Immediately he's prying Roman's hands away from his face, letting out these soothing little noises and trying to get his attention.

"Hey, hey, Roro, shh, shh, it's okay, c'mere." Roman gasps and shakes and Remus leans in to kiss his forehead. "Hey, hey, c'mon, Ro-Bro, it's just me. It's just me, hey, can you look at me?"

"Re?"

"Yeah, Roro, it's just me, it's just me. Hey, you're doing so good, can you listen to my voice? Just listen to me, I'm right here, we're in your room, we're safe, you're safe, we're all okay." He nudges the teddy bear into Roman's lap and nuzzles it under Roman's chin. "See? All good."

Roman's hands are shaking and in the distance, Remus hears the echo of Schaumburg's voice. He growls and reaches out, taking Roman's hands and looping them around his neck, pulling his brother into a cuddle.

"Hey, Roro, you stay right here with me. Can you do that? Can you hold onto me?"

"It's so cold, Re—it's so—so cold—"

"Shh, it's okay, you can be warm now. I'm warm, right?"

"You're so warm—how are you so warm—"

"Come steal all my warmth, okay? Come steal all of it, it's all for you, I'm gonna give it to you." Remus tucks Roman's head under his chin and rocks him slightly back and forth. "There, there you go, shh, shh, it's okay, Roro."

"I'm sorry," Roman gasps out and Remus's chest aches, "I'm sorry, I'm awful, I'm so sorry!"

"You're not awful, Roro. Nope, no disagreeing," he says softly as Roman opens his mouth to protest, "you're not awful. You had a really fucked up nightmare and your intrusive thoughts are way too loud but you're not awful."

Roman freezes. "You—you saw it?"

"I didn't see your nightmare, no, but I—your intrusive thoughts made a place in my nightmare realm and I saw that."

"I'm so sorry—"

"Hey," Remus murmurs, pulling him back enough to cup his face and make him look at his eyes, "don't apologize for the shit your brain does, okay? You're safe here with me. I'm gonna be right here, okay? I got you."

To his dismay, Roman's lower lip trembles and big tears bubble at the corners of his eyes again. "B-but I—"

"Roman?" That's Virgil's voice, why the fuck is he—oh, right, panic. "Princey?"

"Hey, shh," Remus soothes as Roman tries to hide in the lea of him, "hey, it's okay. I won't let him hurt you."

"Remus? Is that you?"

"Yeah. What do you want?"

"I heard the scream, I've been feeling his panic—look, I don't wanna shout through the door, can I come in?"

"Can he?" Roman takes a little too long to nod but he does. "Yeah, Virgil, get in here."

Virgil slips through the door and takes one look at Remus hovering protectively over his brother and immediately changes into the softest hoodie and sweatpants he has. He crouches down so it's easier for Roman to look at him and his voice drops to a low rumble.

"Hey, Princey," he says gently as Roman turns to look at him, "seems like you're having a real rough time right now, can I come help?"

"S-sorry."

"It's okay, bud, I'm not mad. You're gonna be okay. I just wanna help."

"I won't let him hurt you," Remus whispers, rubbing his back, "you're safe here."

It takes another long moment, but Roman slowly reaches out a hand and Virgil takes it, letting Roman draw him onto the bed. He joins Remus in rubbing up and down Roman's back, gently carding his fingers through his hair.

"Hey, Princey," he murmurs, still speaking softly, "you have a bad dream? Yeah? You wanna talk about it?"

Roman shakes his head.

"Can I ask Remus what's going on? Yeah? Thanks, bud."

Remus sighs, letting Roman cuddle into him. "He's not been having a good time recently, what with…everything going on. I think Patton and Janus blowing up about selfish stuff got into his head and Logan's whole…deal about rising above what he calls 'base' needs isn't helping."

"…yeah, shit, that sounds—that's not great."

"And, you know, being insulted and belittled every time he opens his mouth isn't helping either," Remus adds, glaring at Virgil as he winces.

"I know. I—fuck."

"Yeah. So be really fucking careful right now."

"Hey, Roman," Virgil calls softly, giving Roman the gentlest shake to get his attention, "hey, Princey, can you look at me for a second?"

Roman's head peeks out and Virgil smiles, reaching out to wipe a tear from his cheek.

"Hey, there, bud. You're okay. Was what Remus said right, are you—is shit a little too much right now?" Roman nods. "You want some reassurance, or do you just want us to be here?"

"'M sorry," Roman mumbles, "'m not—'m not trying to be needy."

"You're not being needy, Princey, you're upset and you want to be comforted. That's not needy."

"Or selfish either," Remus says when fucking Schaumburg starts whispering again, "you're allowed to want things and have them. That's not something to be ashamed of or feel guilty for."

"Shit," he hears Virgil mutter under his breath before there's another set of arms around Roman, "no, Princey, you're not bad for wanting things. Is this—I'm sorry I didn't realize it sooner. I shouldn't have left you alone for movie night last night either."

Right. Right, everyone else had cuddled up on the couch and Roman had arrived later when there was no room—fuck, Roro, I'm so sorry.

"It's okay, bud, you're okay. You're okay, you're safe, we're not going anywhere."

"I'm sorry," Roman cries out, hiding his face in the teddy bear, "I'm not—I'm trying, I'm trying, but it's so cold, I'm sorry—"

"Don't be sorry for wanting," Remus scolds lightly, glancing at Virgil who nods and starts gathering the blankets, "you're allowed to want things. And you just had a nightmare, that's an automatic you-get-cuddles-now. We can figure everything else out tomorrow, okay?"

Finally, finally Roman sniffles and looks up at both of them. "You guys really don't mind?"

"Nope!"

"Nah," Virgil says, ruffling his hair, "come cuddle, Princey."

As they all start to get ready to fall back asleep, Remus makes eye contact with Virgil. Virgil nods as Roman starts to doze—poor Roro, he must be so tired—and they close their eyes together.

***

    Remus's bear cub growls lightly at Virgil as they reappear in the abandoned corner, but he pats its head. "He's a friend, it's okay."

"Yeesh," Virgil mutters, looking around, "this whole place feels like panic attack, is it always like this?"

"Roman's just really not having a good time right now. Just be glad you weren't here earlier."

"You know what, I'm not even gonna ask." Virgil takes a deep breath and tugs a little on his jacket, glancing around. "So! What's the plan?"

"I'm feeling like some anti-government arson and a side of political assassination, how about you?"

"Let's go start a riot."

The bear cub growls, swelling and growing until it's the size of a nearby wagon and Remus grins.

We gotcha, Roro. Sweet dreams.

General Taglist: @frxgprince@potereregina@gattonero17@iamhereforthegayshit@thefingergunsgirl@awkwardandanxiousfander@creative-lampd-liberties@djpurple3@winterswrandomness@sanders-sides-uncorrect-quotes@iminyourfandom@bullet-tothefeels@full-of-roman-angst-trash  @ask-elsalvador @ramdomthingsfrommymind@demoniccheese83@pattonsandershugs @el-does-photography @princeanxious@firefinch-ember@fandomssaremysoul@im-an-anxious-wreck@crazy-multifandomfangirl @punk-academian-witch@enby-ralsei@unicornssunflowersandstuff@wildhorsewolf @thetruthaboutthesun @stubbornness-and-spite @princedarkandstormv  @your-local-fookin-deadmeme @angels-and-dreams@averykedavra @a-ghostlight-for-roman @treasurechestininterweb @cricketanne @queerly-fluid-fan @compactdiscdraws@cecil-but-gayer@i-am-overly-complicated@annytheseal@alias290@tranquil-space-ninja @arxticandy @mychemically-imbalanced-romance@whyiask@crows-ace @emilythezeldafan@frida0043 @ieatspinalcords @snowyfires@cyanide-violence@oonagh2@xxpanic-at-the-everywherexx@rabbitsartcorner @percy-07734@triflingassailantofmyemotions @virgil-sanders-the-gay-emo@cerulean-watermelon@puffed-up-bees@meltheromanstan@joyrose-fandomer@insanitori@mavenmush@justablah65@10paradox10@uhhh-hi-there-i-am-nervous@cutebisexualmess@bella-bugatti-frogetti-baguetti@ultrageekygirl

[where-are-the-spooky-gays-2]

I might not care about Sanders sides anymore but fuck it, I got ideas 🤗

- Do y’all think Vee throws shit at Remus to see if he catches it (either he does with his head turning around like an owl or it smacks him in the back of the head) (no in between)

- Vee always reminded me of a cat, so he should have a cat and name it nightmares or something

- Virgil will randomly lay on Remus and not move. So Remus either has to stay there or pick Vee up and take him to where ever he’s going to

- since Roman knows Spanish as the language of love, Remus should know Latin. As in the summoning eldritch horrors language

- Virgil should know French. (Because I’m learning French and projecting)

- they both HATE the cold and cuddle together, even if Remus is cold to the touch. Virgil isn’t. He’s like a fuckin furnace (it’s 100% that big ass coat)

- they watch supernatural together, vees fav is Sam, Remus’s fav is dean

Ok that’s all, bye y’all 🫶

- Vee 💜

Y E S I L O V E A L L of this!!!

• Absolutely that chaotic Duke has feral Dog instincts and can and will either catch whatever's thrown at him with his mouth or get smacked

• Nightmares is definitely the Spooky Beloved's Cat child (They L O V E to spoil their fur baby rotten with affection and gifts)

• Ree's a winner either way he gets to have a cozy Emo in his arms just from laying down or carrying him

• Ree L O V E S to freak Ro and everyone else out by randomly chanting shit in Latin (Bonus points if he does it in his deep creepy voice)

• French speaking Vee is very underrated and I L O V E that for him

• Ree has his own personal Emo heater while Vee has something to help cool him down they're both winners in the end

• Ree's definitely the one that convinced Vee to watch it with him

[soysaucevictim]

I just felt like drawing Remus again, all fast 'n scribbly. I love this eldritch abomination to pieces, man... orz

Okay, me, didja get it outta your system? Can we write?? ?

[ax3-e0ns]

I have another offering for you, goddex of crossshipping. Janus x theraprism bill

Janus crossed with any suit-wearing deal-making slimeball is an automatic self explained ship waiting to happen. It escalates both most negative traits past a boiling point, and can manifest in a lot of ways... especially as toxic old man yaoi-

Janus x Bill though adds new layers to explore in contrast to other options:

Depending on the scenario of Janus existing within the world of Gravity Falls or if Bill Cipher exists within Sanders Sides as another character within the main character's imagination, you can play with who would hold more power & what they would each do to one up the other. (You can also go the route of creating a mutual playing field AU like a fantasy or thieves AU but both of these freaks can sprout multiple arms like eldritch abominations, abstract stuff would be really amplified with these two)

However, throwing in specifically Bill while he's in Theraprism brings in an additional angle of "I can fix him" that not a lot of other options would have at the ready, as Janus also embodies things like self care. But Janus also embodies repression, so you can also throw in having Janus act as an obstacle that keeps Bill from leaving Theraprism (whatever Janus would get from doing that, at least).

There could also have Janus psycho-analyze Bill to better understand Ch!Thomas's needs in some way, but that would require deeper thinking skills that I unfortunately I am too small-brained to cook up right now lmao.

The only obstacle for much is whether or not you go with tumblr sexy man Bill or Triangle.

... Full triangle would be really funny though-

Have these two rough doodles for this ship concept. I've done art for the others, it would be weird not to do it here. The first one was meant to be a reference to Silent Hill 2 because mind games made too much sense for this combo in particular. The second is a straight forward reference to Bill's deals.

(guilty admission, the longer I was thinking of Bill in context to the Sanders Sides characters the more I thought of Bill as Remus and Janus's illegitimate child. Which wasn't the prompt but felt like it was worth sharing anyways.)

[will-die-for-janus]

NEW ASIDES 👁️👁️

NEW. A.SIDES.

I love this episode it’s everything i’ve ever wanted and MORE!!

Every time I rewatch it there’s something more to appreciate :]

I mean the fact that the episode start with Logan not having a christmas hat and then *boop* it gets summoned

I love how Mr. Fuzzy 100% is an eldritch horror that Remus created

And Thomas’ gift to Nico includes all the sides suggestion so no one got left out, it really is christmas 🎄🥲

[mothlau]

I just think there needs to be more monster/human fics for the marauders and I'm not talking about fics where they explicitly use remus' werewolf nature for the monster bit. give me fucked up eldritch creature Sirius who falls in love with the first human that isn't scared of him in 1000 years, who accepts him for who he is, who loves him for who he is. give me marlene, who is a gorgon, unable to show her face out of fear that she will turn people to stone. marlene, who meets a blind girl and for the first time she can be herself around someone. give me boogyman barty, seraphim evan, arachnid creature mary, minotaur james!!!! unhinged monsters who fall in love, who get to understand humanity yet don't lose any of their traits because of it. who still kill, who are obsessed with their humans, who kill for their humans!!!! unhinged!!!!! marauders!!!! monsters!!!!!

[hp-podfic-mini-fest]

HP Podfic Minifest round up

That’s a wrap for the 2023 minifest! We hope you have enjoyed the variety of audio works that have been revealed over the past two weeks. Thanks to all of our wonderful creators for participating and submitting their works under our banner!

Harry Potter/Draco Malfoy I, Ferret by curiouslyfic, read by @reveriepi (15m) What's Mine Is Yours by @fluxweeed, read by @lastontheboat (1h46m) Yes, But It’ll Cost You by @mintawasalreadytaken, read by @schmem14 (36m) Right Question by @xx-thedarklord-xx, read by @lenalawlipop (10m) Invitation by @stargazing-enby, read by @wilfriede (1m) Percy Weasley drops in the bucket by @xslytherclawx-writes, read by kitsunerei88 (6m) Oliver Wood Is Still Mad ‘Cause There’s No Quidditch In 1994 by Eleanor_Elizabeth & @micha-making-podfics & bluedreaming & @wilfriede (7m)

Sirius Black A Million Light Years From Home by @cacchieressa, read by pezzax (48m)

Sirius Black/Remus Lupin A Potter's Field by MsAlexWP, read by @itsaash, MsAlexWP, R33sesPieces, and @burningaurora (1h16m)

Marcus Flint/Percy Weasley Better Late Than Never by @hchollym, read by @elisedonut (6m)

Rolanda Hooch/Minerva McGonagall Bad Girls, Bad Girls, Whatcha Gonna Do? by @kellychambliss, read by @wilfriede (3m)

Hokey/Winky Madam Smith by @lumosatnight, read by @wilfriede (2m)

Bartemius Crouch Jr.’s Mother/Hepzibah Smith In A Smile by BleepBloopBotz, read by @wilfriede (2m)

Celestina Warbeck/Ginny Weasley come take a sip by @nanneramma, read by @wilfriede (2m)

Rita Skeeter/Marietta Edgecombe Lately She’s Been Dressing For Revenge by thistlecat, read by @wilfriede (3m)

Hermione Granger/Andromeda Black Tonks Single by @lumosatnight, read by @wilfriede (2m)

Hermione Granger/Amelia Bones Plenitude by eldritcher, read by @wilfriede (14m)

Luna Lovegood/Pansy Parkinson Landlocked, Oceanbound by @nanneramma, read by @lumosatnight (44m)

With much appreciation and love, bluedreaming and lastontheboat your HP Podfic Minifest 2023 mods