#for the record i have yet to play her and black forests event

[badlydrawn-cookies]

Wedding Cake please! She's one of my new favs XD

“Ah, right! sorry! have to go now, coming!”

[tratserenoyreve]

finally finished 3.2 quest! spoilers ahoy!

while i feel the story being told and the way they bring all the moving pieces together is a general upgrade, i do feel genshin still struggles with balancing showing and telling.

there were many times where i was hype to Play As someone doing a cool story beat, but instead we get a fade to black and jump-cut over to another character. i get dehya and alhaithem aren't fully implemented yet as playable characters but that only makes the story more frustrating for me when it is set up to make you think you're gonna get to see them in a fight but are let down with just text.

while a lot happens, the game had me flashing back to xenosaga where i'd spend half an hour in a cutscene then walk a little and spend another half an hour in a cutscene. you're told about a lot more of what's going on while not really participating, which i think is why people feel that sumeru is an exceptionally long chapter. the action is mostly verbal.

while i like characters having complex motivations and mixed priorities, like how nahida personally doesn't want to violate her people's autonomy but is fine with using the traveler to do it for her or in overriding the potential consciousness of a manmade puppet like katheryne, the game isn't going to really think about that for ages. like, the irony of nahida not seeing katheryne or scaramouche as fully being people when we have evidence that they Kind of Are is a neat flaw for her to have, but i doubt it'll be adequately explored as the story hurries onward.

the scene with scaramouche desperately trying to grab the gnosis was very good! but also presents another writing problem, it only has so much impact for me because i've bothered to pay attention to sidequests, events, and artifact lore that explains what scaramouche's deal even is. they tried to summarize it with that animated cutscene last patch but while beautiful it is Very Vague and difficult to understand the context of.

i think scaramouche is a neat antagonist! but if all you know of him is from the main story you don't really get Anything at all other than he's a manmade puppet who hates people and wants the gnosis.

the scene with nahida "meeting" rukkhadevata was bittersweet tho i wish they'd gone thru the trouble of like. i dunno, using something like an animated cutscene to represent her rather than cloning the baby elf model. her requesting her memory be destroyed wasn't surprising, but what is is how -thoroughly- she's erased.

after completing the quest, literally every mention of rukkhadevata is deleted from the game. traveler profile dialogue, books you have, npc comments, are all changed permanently to have her removed.

most terrifying is players discovering the aranara quest itself is different if you do it after doing the archon quest. the story quest about enduring memories is actually fully distorted by completing the archon quest. the forest does not remember rukkhadevata, you helped obliterate her memory as she asked. she is fully, irrevocably, gone.

only the Traveler remembers.

which is important, only the Traveler remembers the other worlds they saw with their twin. their memories are proven to be the most honest and consistent. so, if the Abyss twin is recorded in irmunsul after appearing in khaenri'ah, their memory is now susceptible to being changed. which is why the Traveler twin is so confused and may be part of why the Abyss twin is "different" now.

nahida makes a point of saying the Abyss Twin "appeared" in khaenri'ah, the nation whose king is the namesake of the irmunsul tree.

theory: the Traveler's memory is correct. the game spends too much time frequently presenting how the Traveler's immune to time distortion (the Chasm and their profile dialogue on teyvat's days being short) and how them not being a part of the world allows them to be a Witness (zhongli asks they carry on the memory of everyone in his story quest specifically as a Witness).

the Abyss Twin being recorded in irmunsul means -they are now susceptible to having their memory and identity changed-. this may be acting as a shackle for them, preventing them from leaving. i also believe the Abyss Twin is actively guarding the Traveler from being recorded by the irmunsul and obfuscating their presence.

the Traveler isn't wrong, both of the star twins aren't from teyvat. they just "appeared" in khaenri'ah after all. but, there is a potential that the Abyss Twin may have either purposefully struck the Traveler from the record and/or sacrificed their own freedom (and possibly identity) to guard their twin.

because the Traveler has no memory at all of teyvat when we start the game, and history there can be wholly rewritten, in a way reminiscent of how dainsleif describes the curse that befell khaenri'ah. how higher powers can rewrite who they were completely, erase their identity wholly, and there's nothing they can do about it.

[seraphinarh]

✿ * · (  jorja smith  ,  cis woman  ,  she / her   )   a  little  birdy  told  me  SERAPHINA  RENEE  HAMILTON just  moved  to  sunset  hills  .  have  you  met  them  yet  ? they  look  somewhere  around  TWENTYTHREE  ,   if  i  had  to  guess  ! pretty  sure  i  heard  them  driving  down  the  street  playing  PEARS  by  WESTON  ESTATE  ,  they  sounded  a  little  pitchy  but  they  had  the  spirit  !  must  be  their  favorite  or  something  .  hey  …  it  looks  like  they  just  moved  into  DUSK  DRIVE  .  have  you  heard  about  what  they  do  for  a  living  ?  someone  told  me  they’re  a  BOTTLEGIRL/WAITRESS  @  AFTER-HOURS  &  WORKING  TOWARDS  HER  MASTERS  IN  NURSING  ,  but  who  knows  if  that’s  even  true  .  guess  we’re  just  gonna  have  to  wait  and  see  .  nervous  ? maybe  you  should  be  .  sunset  speaks  just  posted  about  them  …  apparently  they're  RESIDENT  ID  020  ?  between  you  and  me  ,  i  think  that  might  spark  some  things  in  the  community  …  but  what  do  i  know  !  you  guys  might  get  along  just  fine  !  (  fd  ,  she/her  ,  22  ,  est .  )

 wanted connections + musings + headcanons + memes + tags

.🔥° › about !

name: seraphina renee hamilton nicknames: sera, phina (emory) renee (mother’s side), phiphi (father’s side) age: 23 birthday: febuary 2nd, 1999 ( aquarius ) height: 5′ 3″ hair: depends on the month; braids, silk press, natural, ponytail, & wigs eye: dark brown scent: daily cocoa butter & vanilla ; bumbum cream evenings kay ali vanilla piercing: ears & nipples aesthetic: blurry  pictures, dancing on tables, natural baby face, sunkissed chocolate & vanilla, aa’s y2k, everyday is a fashion show, sleep during the day, overdressing to every event, fairy lights in the forest, all black everything, party all night & work all day, crocs & high heels, smart girl with a bad side born: brooklyn, new york romantic orientation: panromantic sexual orientation: pansexual marital status: single languages: english, french, and haitian creole likes/dislikes: eating out, career choice, shopping, taking pics, / being alone, liars, loud mouths traits: loyal, distant, aloof, bubbly, intelligent, spiritual, calculated, reserved, people pleaser, determined personality tropes: aquarius sun, fearful avoidant attachment, entp, gryffindor/hufflepuff, the mystic & the maiden (feminine archetype), oldest daughter syndrome criminal record: n/a drugs | smokes | alcohol: no | no | yes

.🔥° › this or that !

introvert | extrovert | ambivert organized | disorganized risk-taker | cautious close-minded | open-minded quarrelsome | peaceful calm | anxious | restless generous | stingy | in-between disagreeable | agreeable | in-between patient | impatient modest | conceited | in-between outspoken | reserved tardy | punctual leader | follower | flexible empathetic | un-empathetic frank | secretive optimistic | pessimistic | realistic traditional | modern | in-between polite | rude | in-between hard-working | lazy manipulative | straightforward | both switch | submissive | dominant

.🔥° › snapshot !

seraphina is the daughter of two immigrants. her father is english while her mother is haitian. they met in new york city where she’s originally from. being the eldest of three children, she’s basically been a part-time mother once she was old enough to watch her siblings.

if there were two things her parents valued it was an education & religion. in their eyes the only way to move up in society was through school and faith in god, so growing up seraphina went to a catholic school until she was in high school then she went to a public school. she isn’t religious at all. she believes in the christian god but also has a lot of interest/beliefs in other religions and spiritual practices. she’s a fake catholic.

she moved to california the summer before high school. it was a complete culture shock. it wasn’t even big things that affected her, it was the small nuances that made her feel out of place. her new york attitude didn’t clash well with her peers. 

the way she talked, dressed, and held herself made her seem like a threat. seraphina was everything but intimidating or conceited. she was a sweetheart, introverted, naive, and somewhat of a pushover since she came from such a strict environment. 

she spent her freshman and sophomore year in the shadows, mostly alone. she was always smart so she had acquaintances who often asked for help with assignments but that’s about all. never really had friends. she got picked on a few times, once even getting into a fight however, that treatment didn’t last for too long.

mid sophomore year seraphina became close friends with her science lab partner. through that, she joined student government which forced her to socialize more and start to fit into/have a role at her school. by the time she graduated high school, she was vice president of student government, one of four co-captains of the caribbean dance team, and valedictorian.

she was able to earn a full scholarship to shu as an undergrad. sera started out as a premed student however her gpa wasn’t high enough to get into the program so she changed her major to nursing her sophomore year. she graduated within the top five percent of her major. she decided to work for a year as a nicu nurse before going back to school for her masters. being a registered nurse, seraphina only worked roughly three days a week for 12 hours a day, so it was easy for her to be to have side hustles. she only stopped working when the semester started. she learned from past mistakes that it’s physically too much for her to work 2 jobs while in school. she’s currently trying to get her masters in nursing with the plan to become either a traveling nurse practitioner or simply a nicu nurse practitioner. 

sera’s been working at after hours as a bottle servicer & waitress, sometimes a bartender if they’re under staffed or busy since her freshman spring semester. seraphina loved a good party and she loved getting tipsy at work even more so. the only reason seraphina decided to work at a strip club was because she’d be damned if she didn't take advantage of misogamy while she was “young and hot.” she perfered the strip club in comparison to the actual club because sunset hills is a college town which means most people going to the clubs are broke students. at the strip club, the guests show up with the intent of spending money on girls which applies to the waitresses as well. she mostly works weekends when she’s managing two jobs but once she went back to school, after hours became her main job again.

sera is the type of student who sleeps in the middle of that day. she likes to have her classes in the morning. so even on work days she’ll do an overnight shift at the club, come to her room, shower, eat and then head to class. after class she would either hang with friends, do her school work or go home to have dinner and sleep before heading to work, this is the same routine now that she lives on dusk drive.  

she’s also the type to do everything last minute. there’s been a number of times where seraphina would be sitting in the backstage, doing her assignment because something’s almost due or just late. this is also her philosophy in life — she runs on black people / caribbean time

on her off days, she could be found doing someone’s hair, chilling in the middle of the courtyard, eating, singing, or dancing. she used to be more active in clubs when she started at shu but she realistically doesn’t have the time

seraphina often comes off a bit standoffish with a rbf but she genuinely isn’t mean unless shes provoked. in that case, she’ll drag the fuck outta you with no cares in the world. probably not physically because she’s very social and tends to know damn near everyone’s business.

currently opened to all connections

[fablesoffantasy]

Two Worlds, Two Hearts: Chapter Five

Summary: News of Jareth's disappearance affects Sarah in ways she didn't expect, and brings on a new wave of conflicting emotion.

Warning(s): complicated relationships, creepy nightmare (which is all italicized so it'll be easy for anyone to skip over), and Ludo tears! If I missed anything please let me know!

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

The Labyrinth was crumbling.

Jareth was missing.

And now Ludo was crying with such an intensity the ground started to shake.

Hoggle didn’t know how much more of this he could take. The dwarf wove his way through withered hedges till he came upon Ludo, the great beast brought to his knees, thick tears streamed down his face, and a pitiful cry lurched from his throat. Sir Didymus stood before him with tiny paws rested on Ludo’s forearm. Uncharacteristically quiet in the face of his brother’s pain.

“Sarwah,” Ludo’s lower lip wobbled and he tried desperately to pull a string of snot back up his nose, when such an attempt failed, he instead wiped his face on his left forearm.

Hoggle grumbled to himself but still decided to ask, “whats tha matter with'em?”

Sir Didymus perked his ears, looking to Hoggle with a defeated express, “Sir Ludo claims to have seen young maiden over that way.”

The dwarf glanced in the indicated direction, just as he'd thought, no one was there. Hoggle even approached the area and walked around it. Like he was trying to prove to Ludo that his eyes had played a cruel trick on him. Hoggle understood it though, to a degree. Ludo claiming to see Sarah became a common occurrence over the years. Each time, it was harder and harder to explain to Ludo it wasn't real.

“If she ain't been back already then she ain't never comin' b-”

A whisper carried in the breeze and cut him off, “Ludo...” 

Curved horns raised from the ground as brown eyes widened, and basset-hound shaped ears desperately searched for the sound.

Sir Didymus behaved in a similar manner, his bushy tail swishing side to side in a blonde blur, “My lady!” 

Hoggle whirled around, eyes wide as dinner plates. He stumbled back and fell into the dirt. Gazing up at the translucent image of a woman standing over him. Tall, with long black hair, and pale-green eyes. Hoggle rubbed his eyes but still, the haunting presence lingered like a ghost in a graveyard.

If he’d been by himself he would have discredited it easier. With Ludo and Sir Didymus in his company, not even he could deny the sight of the specter before him.

“S...S'it really you?” desperation clung to his words, along with a loneliness he'd kept buried deep.

The image of Sarah looked around, confused at first, and then she saw him. 

Hoggle tried to swallow the knot in his throat as he extended a shaky hand towards her. The thin image of her flickered, and upon contact, Sarah disappeared again.

-----

“Sarah?”

She didn’t look up from the floor, focused on the arguably-ugly patterned carpet like it offended her. Sarah was at her wits end. First she had a Spriggan to deal with and now a Fiery of all things! She didn't even want to think about Jareth, Toby's claim of him missing affected her in ways she didn't understand.

Her name was called again, “Sarah.”

The tick of a clock brought her senses back one by one, slowly, she raised her head. Tired eyes shifted to the old fashioned clock nestled on the corner of the wooden desk. Sarah set her sights on the coffee table next where a teacup sat in front of her. It's contents long abandoned, the liquid just as cold as the blood in her veins. 

“You drifted off,” a melodic scratch of pencil against paper mixed with the question, “where did you go just then?”

Sarah studied him for a moment, Dr. Zakar looked more like an Oxford Professor than a therapist. His brown suit was freshly pressed and his shoes polished. Red hair slicked back save for the few strands hanging just about his brow. Black, thick framed glasses obscured his eyes so she couldn't look directly into them.

A lie would do little for her, yet Sarah couldn't find it in herself to give him the truth. Not the whole truth anyway. He would call the whole incident a wild hallucination.

“I don’t know,” She admitted. Leaning forward to drop her head in her hands with a sigh, “I’m sorry. I didn’t get much sleep last night.”

He set aside the notepad, giving her his full attention, “Another nightmare?”

“No,” Sarah managed to compose herself. Without realizing it, she started to gnaw on her thumb nail.

“Remember that my job is not to judge you, Sarah. I am here to help encourage you through your struggles. You already have everything you need to conquer them,” Zakar explained calmly, recognizing the anxious habit. “That being said, I cannot give you any guidance if I don’t know the root of the problem.”

He had a point, she couldn’t deny that. As the events of the previous night played in her head like a broken record Sarah wondered where to even begin. It all spiraled out of control in a way she could barely process.

“Last night I found out someone I knew was…” the words trailed off into tense silence. Did she mention the Spriggan and the Fiery or leave it at that? “Missing. He went missing and honestly? I don’t know how I feel.”

“It sounds as though this person left quite an impact on you, I take it you were close?” His inquiry was laced both with concern and caution, showing his condolences but not wanting to further upset her.

“It was complicated, and it was a long time ago. We were different people then. I knew him without really knowing him,” Sarah clenched her hands tight in her lap, “some part of me feels like I should be worried, like I should run through every worst case scenario. What if something bad happened? What if he’s hurt? But...”

Zakar tilted his head, “another part says otherwise?” 

“It’s been fifteen years since we last saw each other. I wouldn’t even know what to say if I saw him again,” Sarah rubbed her temples and groaned, dark brows pulling together.

The clock on his desk chimed twice.

A frown pulled his features, “It seems we’ve reached the end of our session. Though I want you to know, Sarah. You will overcome this grief. Nothing has to be resolved tomorrow, there is a lot to process, and even more to work through. Go home and paint your frustrations, or write them down. Anything to get them out.”

As Sarah left the office she noticed the air felt significantly lighter than it had before she went in, Dr. Zakar’s parting advice stuck with her. She hated how much she thought of Jareth. Even before the news of him missing, the Goblin King often dwelled in a dark corner of her mind. If Jareth wasn’t in the Underground then where else could he possibly be? Sarah started her car and focused on the road ahead.

Upon return to her apartment, the last bits of anxiety washed away as the sound of whimpers and nails against hardwoods echoed behind the door. Sarah didn’t realize how much she missed having a dog till Gwendolyn came into her life. “Hey pretty girl,” Sarah cooed once the door opened Kneeling down to greet her three legged companion. Gwendolyn was a five year old pitbull with a coat the color of caramel and big brown eyes. Sarah’s heart went out to the pup, who came from a hard life on the streets. She felt like she couldn’t leave the shelter without her.

Sarah scratched behind her ears and paused as she set her keys down on the kitchen counter. She stepped towards the half finished painting, the one she’d done the instant she woke from her dream. At first she’d been in the forest with Hoggle, Ludo, and Sir Didymus in her company. Then the forest fell into a sea of white and silver. Sarah shuddered as the details haunted her:

She descended into a broken ballroom. Once pristine chairs and tables were thrown to various parts of the room, scuffed, bent, and broken. Shattered glass and glitter covered the floor, save for a bare circle where Sarah stood in the center of the room. Dawning the white princess dress she’d worn fifteen years ago. Frantic eyes took everything in as her head whipped around. Dancers laid sprawled over one another like puppets with their strings cut. 

Except for him.

His name left her tongue barely above a whisper, “Jareth.”

Rather than address her, the Goblin King stood frozen. The dark mask with twisted horns remained against his face, hiding his eyes from her. In an unusual motion he reached a hand out for her. Though he didn’t move in the same fluid, captivating way he had before. Instead Jareth moved like an old toy being wound up for the first time in forever. A crystal appeared in his hand, and his last words echoed around her.

“I ask for so little.”

He stepped towards her.

“Just fear me,”

Another step.

“Love me,”

Sarah retreated with each advancement, eyes wide, and skin white as a sheet. Whatever defiant remark she had ready to shout at him died on her tongue. Jareth loomed over her now, her back flat against the wall. She had nowhere to run.

Forced to look into vacant eyes as he sounded so defeated.

“Do as I say and I-”

Gwendolyn whimpered beside her, gently butting her head against Sarah’s leg.

Black curtains cascaded down her back as she turned to look at her companion, Sarah gave her a sad smile and smoothed a hand down her neck, “It’s okay. I’m okay.”

Sarah looked back at the expression she’d been so desperate to capture. Why should she be worried about Jareth? Why did her heart absolutely ache at the thought of him cold, alone, and hurt? Her hand started to reach for his half painted cheek but something stopped her. Sarah bit her lip in wonder as the idea of calling him raised to the surface.

With a small shake of the head, Sarah covered it, and tried to bury any other thoughts of him away for the time being. She had other things to focus on. The Spriggan, the Fiery, and Toby’s growing obsession with the Labyrinth. She took one final glance at the painting, “Where are you Jareth?”

———————

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Taglist:

@faeriexqueen​

@tangentasilem​​

@withinthecrystal​​

@purplesigebert​​

[seijorhi]

asks :))

what i have learned today is that y’all wanna get fucked by some monsters...

What does nostos mean? What language is it in? 🤔 also I of course loved it, mind blown as usual queen

it’s ancient greek! it means homecoming, the idea of a triumphant return home for the hero after a long journey. i found it through looking at the root of nostalgia. in this fic of course it’s kind of a grim tongue in cheek play on it. the reader’s coming back to the mountains, but she’s running away after a bad breakup, and the welcome she gets is... shall we say less than ideal haha

Just read nostos-

First of all as a person who reads monster shit- hell ya. Mhm. That’s some good shit right there. That was DELICIOUS horror. It actually had me a bit nervous and afraid to read what was gonna happen next 😳

Secondly- omg I wanna know what happened next (at the end) 👀 know what I mean??? 😼

ANYWAY AS ALWAYS you never disappoint and your writing is fantastic (if/when you write horror yandere stuff again I’ll be there- frothing at the mouth. A+++++ work ILY💖)

you want me to write the monster porn, just say it bby ghfjdkshgfjkd but ty

Omfg that fic was so good!

Did the readers mom know about monster kuroo?? Or was she just worried because of the previous murder? And did Kuroo somehow manipulate reader into coming back to the forest or was it just a big coincidence? (👁👄👁 there's no such thing as a coincidence)

Looking forward to your future work <3

ty nonnie!! i didn’t have the right space for it, but after kohsuke was ripped apart and eaten kuroo stayed by the reader’s side until late in the night, only disappearing when he heard the reader’s parents/search party approaching. they found her lying in pools of blood (and scattered half eaten body parts), shaking and unresponsive – they knew no animal could’ve done something like that. so they knew something lurked in those woods, but considering the reader had repressed the memories, her mom couldn’t just come out and say it <33

You are an AMAZING horror writer!!!

The uneasiness I got from the conversations with the mom is just *chefs kiss*

A+++++

ahh thank you!! horror is such a hard genre to write because i’m never sure if the suspense and everything’s gonna hit right haha

I read Nostos before going to sleep last night and at the time I was like “sure hope this doesn’t give me nightmares” and thankfully it didn’t lol. But I think I’m willing to take that chance again because it’s so GOOD and I think I’m just going to have to relive it – @ohno-otome

fhdjgbfhjkdfn i’m glad it didn’t give you nightmares bby!! but i also appreciate that haha, i’m an absolute wimp with scary movies and stuff but i just can’t stop watching them haha

I just wanna say that I was listening to "You're a psychotic villain playlist" on youtube while reading Kuroo's oneshot and I can't explain the emotions I felt, but I'd let Kuroo do things to me asdfghjkl – @itishebihime-samaforyou

ooh nice! sometimes the right playlist makes things doubly as fun haha

OH MY GOD!?!?! Nostos was soooo GOOD?!?!? Like it was so creepy (but in a good way), and scary and suspenseful!! And the ending!?!? Omggg honestly one my fav fics from you!! You did my mans Kuroo justice 🥺💖💕

TYYYYYYY i was genuinely concerned i was gonna scare everybody off haha

Ah! The new fic! Chiefs kiss! Magnificent! Bravo!🧚‍♀️✨🧞‍♀️🦖🦭🌹💫

tysm nonnie!!! <33

i’m pretty sure i’m in the same/similar timezone as you? and i do be staying up late to be one of the first to read your fics (i usually stay up late anyways). so imagine my surprise when i see you post in the afternoon. in conclusion, whether you post to align with your european and american readers’ timezone, my gmt+10 arse will still be one of the first to read your fics. also nostos sjdufigyyjf i have to admit, i recently just found out about monster fucking and nostos scratched the itch😫 i feel bad for kohsuke though

bby i always post at like 2-4 in the morning please get some sleep!! the fics will be there in the morning lmao. i kinda low key forget about my aussie/gmt+10 followers because i think there’s like... 3 of you haha

Honestly if i could give u a dollar everytime i got off to your fics, you'd probably be rich by now

lmao the idea that people find my fics hot enough to get off to still blows my mind lol

your newest kuroo fic was so SO good!! its totally okay if you dont want to answer this so you can keep things ambiguous but is monster kuroo planning on killing the reader after he's...done with them

thank you, bby!! but no, monster kuroo isn’t gonna eat her – he’s had plenty of chances to do that if that’s what he wanted, but he has other plans for the poor reader

RHI, I WANT TO STATE FOR THE RECORD THAT I AM OKAY WITH MORE MONSTER FUCKING IN THE FUTURE. i also want to say im not a monster fucker, but that just feels like a lie at this point. okay, now that that's off my chest, i love it. the mystery, the connections of kuroo to a cat. kuroo's probably gonna go and batter around his prey once they're under his grip like my cat does. hopefully the reader will come out somewhat unscathed, if they are ever allowed to leave 😌 love this, love how different it is, the way kuroo just tries to weasel in. very monster and yandere vibes, very you. have i said i love this yet?? id willingly let him get me drunk on his cock, maybe never leave the peace of the mountains again

‘i want to say that i’m not a monster fucker’ bby the denial will get you nowhere haha. just lean in and embrace it hgfjkdlkfgjnkdl ahh but thank you this is such a sweet ask ILY!!!

Omg omg the monster thing kuroo was in ur latest fic is so familiar to me abdhdmfnjfjf. I remember being told abt a monster with VERY SIMILAR characteristics to it (aka the not being able to go inside a house unless invited and using fire to lure ppl out) AND JFC IT TERRIFIED ME. Esp how when i told ppl around me and they didnt recognize what it was, but it was somehow known to the kid that told me abt it.

(Some ppl thought it was familiar but still didnt know what it was)

Do u know what im talking abt? Hopefully u do

-🥚

GHFJDK so the monster in this is kind of based off the nekomata spirit in japanese folklore - they can appear like people, torment victims by reanimating the corpses of their loved ones, they’ve been blamed for forest fires, so it was just fun to use that as a basis and then go buck wild haha. anyway thanks for the ask bby!

Rest In Peace Kohsuke, you would’ve loved Haikyuu season 5😔✊– @joyvstheworld

poor kohsuke deserved better, i’m just mean to the oc’s i throw into fics haha

Monsterfucking ❤❤❤❤❤❤ a little annoyed you're making me simp for yan Kuroo though (a vibe tho tbh). You're so extremely talented!!!! &

This is probably a stupid question, but how did Kageyama react when he couldn't find y/n? How is life with yan Suga? I imagine probably awful BUT yknow maybe the stockholm syndrome set in fast lmao. Sorry, I'm going on a binge reading your stuff. - @oracleofdin

i will not apologise for making you simp for kuroo he deserves it the man’s a snacc. and as far as your second question, suga’s a very caring, very smothering kinda yandere, so i guess in some ways it’s better than what the reader had with kageyama but... pick your poison haha

That was so good. I’m so shook rn I can’t comprehend anything but how good that was and how good a writer you are

TYSM NONNIE!!! <33

Ok, so, I just read Final Girl and the lil' ticket addition to it and just---

Well, ok I've been playing Dead by Daylight a lot lately? And I'm just picturing Tetsu as the newest killer "The Trickster" and I'm positively RANDY.

Your writing is ALREADY thirst inducing and just as satisfying, but this has SENT ME- If you're not familiar, please...

https://youtu.be/iowkiPobYYQ

Understand my thirst. (I'd also like to clarify, I use a different skin for him that gives him black hair and he looks like Kuroo with an undercut.)

~ @the-casual-hedonist 🌸

i love how feral y’all got for final girl kuroo. like bo and akaashi had his fans, but i put a spiked bat in kuroo’s hands and y’all lost your goddamn minds and i love to see it. fghdjkvhfjdkls thanks for the ask bby

idk why but I love preggo reader as long as I don't pretend it's me 😢✋ I hate babies n pregnancy anywhere else other than horny haikyuu fics

i think that’s a valid thing for a lot of fans. the idea of breeding is sexy, the actual getting pregnant and having a kid thing... not so much. but especially with non-con scenario’s, it’s more about the aspect on control than the actual desire to have kids. but yeah, i feel you

Sorry to bother but uh was just wondering in fracture did Osamu kill his wife or was it actually an “unfortunate event” ? Love your work btw!!

he most certainly did :))

LMFAO RHI i totally get not liking cheating/infidelity fics (towards reader) bc IT HIRTS ME SO BAD I CANNOT HANDLE THOSE.

id be reading fics those fics like: tf you mean my yandere aimt gonna baby me and only want me??🤨🤨🤨⁉️‼️

EXACTLY! listen i get that it’s a fucked up fantasy, but in my fucked up fantasy you damn well better have the decency to be loyal smh

Finders keepers is the most beautiful thing I've read by you: I read it twice like I normally do and here's what I figured out the second time (that's when I analyze it and find the little tidbits of things that are much darker than they appear (: )

To start I LOVE THE DETAILS OF THEM NEVER TEACHING READER ANYTHING- at first I assumed "oh they might see her as a little sister or child or something" but realized thAT WAS THE ISSUE!! they infantilize her and isolate her from everyone but her group. the small details like that are what make the story amazing 😎💅

ahh thank you so much, nonnie!! pls this is making me soft 🥺

I just wanted to stop by and say that I love your writing and I hope you're doing well!!! Drink plenty of water and keep up the amazing work :) but seriously you're one of the best fanfic writers I've seen on tumblr! I read your "Imitation" piece about kuroo and i keep coming back to it, it's so good! I did want to ask if you think it'd be possible for the reader to ever escape with the baby (or at least attempt to). Or if Kenma would "help" at all just to put an end to kuroo's antics lmao

kenma would in no way help the reader, and tbh by that point if kuroo did get her pregnant, she’d be far too emotionally dependant on him to actually even want to leave, but thanks for the ask!

You know who I think would be a perfect Yandere in the JJK world? Choso.

🚨Spoilers Ahead🚨

After being locked in a glass jar for however long he was, and all that happened with his brothers, I feel like he would absolutely never let his darling out of his sight. He would be possessive. Obsessive. And Oh So delusional. Sure he’d be your anything - he truly is a softy - but to what end?🤤

choso would make an excellent yandere, ngl 😌

what au/troupe of your fav character(s) that you have written do you like the most?

(rlly hope this makes sense🙏)

i am always a slut for soulmate au’s :))

[clearsky]

My Top Comfort Characters/Kins and My Main HCs For Them

(Note, not all my kins/comfort characters are on here, just the ones I have more than 5 hcs for)

CW: Korekiyo Shinguji (DRV3), Himiko Yumeno (DRV3), Shinsou Hitoshi (BNHA), Kyoko Kirigiri (THH), Tsuyu Asui (BNHA), Entrapta (Spop), Ibuki Mioda (SDR2), Celestia Ludenberg (THH), Funtime Foxy (FNAF), Peril (WOF)

Korekiyo Shinguji (DRV3)

Nonbinary

He/They pronouns

Autistic

Chains and loose accessories are for stimming

Likes the feeling of silk and cotton

Can't stand the feeling of anything rough or bumpy

He likes collecting small trinkets and the bones of small mammals

Can't stand anything salty. He'll eat it but he certainly won't enjoy it

Dating Rantaro

Can flirt, but only if he doesn't try

Petnames are a hell yea

Gets sunburnt really easily

Group dates with Celesnaegiri and Ikuzono

Can't cook for s h i t

Had a scene kid phase in middle school

Went to the same middle school as Celeste and Maki

Knew them when Celeste went through her "I'm not like other girls" phase and Maki was a Band Kid™

Himiko Yumeno (DRV3)

Female

She/Her pronouns

Lesbian

Can force herself to fall asleep within seconds regardless of where she is

100% forces herself to fall asleep when she doesn't wanna listen/talk to someone

Himiko/Angie/Tenko relationship. I'm calling them the Traffic Light Trio

She likes taking naps in the forest

She prefers enclosed/tight spaces more than open ones

Has several hundred stress balls and squishies laying around

She overheats easy

Shinsou Hitoshi (BNHA)

Questioning his gender, but goes by any pronouns

Knows he's Asexual, at least

Has no clue what his romantic orientation is though

The kind of person to carry treats in his pocket just in case he runs into a cat

Will stop to pet literally every cat he comes across

Great at reading people

Doesn't talk unless it's 100% needed

Hangs with Tokoyami, Jirou, and Denki most often

Aizawa has 100% unofficially adopted him

Fosters kittens

Not a big fan of physical touch

He is 100% in the bakusquad. Anyone who says he's in the Dekusquad is a c o w a r d

He and Tsuyu vibe

Knows a bunch of random facts

Dark humour? Dark humour

*skates backwards into his therapist's room slowly sipping from an absurdly huge cup of coffee* Candice you're not gonna BELIEVE the shit I just went through

In case I forgot to mention it, he skates

Kyoko Kirigiri (THH)

Mtf

She/Her

Bi with female preference

Burns go up to her shoulders/collarbone/chest

Prefers to just listen as opposed to saying anything

Knows a ton of random trivia about everyone else in her class

She keeps a notebook she fills with all the trivia

Doesn't celebrate her birthday. She just doesn't see the point of it

Doesn't hate sugar/sweets, but if given the choice she would choose literally everything else

Cuts her own hair

A cat person

Permanent dark circles

T-Tall 😳

Like,,, 6'1 at LEAST

Only person taller than her is Yasuhiro (6'3)

Canon no longer exist

Ahahaha healthy life habits? What are those?

Can't handle horror games

She's the kind of person you'd go to if you needed to rant but didn't want any advice

Polyamourous yo

Celeste/Kyoko/Makoto

She's a dom yall are just scared to admit it

Tsuyu Asui (BNHA)

They go by They/Them

Lesbian

They and Ochaco are dating

They like to hang with Shinsou

Which mainly just means the two sitting in one of their dorms in near total silence doing whatever

Can speak English and French as well as Japanese

Learned English from cartoons

Picked up French bc they thought it'd be fun

Prefers to stay neutral in the whole Bakusquad / Dekusquad thing

They're invited to all outings/events by/for both squads

They like puns

They're a dumbass but willingly, and for fun

Like "someone says they like dark humour and they'll turn off the lights before telling a joke" kind dumbass for fun

Great at poker

Likes Disney Movies

Very touchy once you get close enough

Not in a sexual way, just likes physical contact

Especially fond of piggyback rides and cuddles

Extreme fear of needles

Entrapta (She-Ra)

She/Her or It/Its

Doesn't bother trying to figure out whether she's cis, trans, nonbinary, or what

Was AMAB though

Short as fuck (4'7)

Strong as fuck though

Cuddle game strong

Physical touch is a fuck yes

Cuddles

Piggyback rides

Hugs

Anything where she's touching someone is wonderful in her book

As long as she's the one that initiates it

Anyone else touching her without her permission makes her freak

Prefers being high up

Makes it harder for anyone to sneak up on her

An ace at video games

When it comes to sexuality she just says she's Questioning

Ibuki Mioda (SDR2)

Any pronouns + Pup/Pupself + It/Its

No idea what their gender is otherwise

Biromantic Asexual

Just likes sexual jokes

Gets distracted easily

Has severe hearing problems

She's plays her instruments as loud as possible, with the amp right next to her, without ANY ear protection

It's caused some damage

She talks so loud bc she has no idea how loud is considered acceptable

Wears hearings aids most of the time

Several piercings and tattoos

Likes hearing things jingle

She has a bracelet with a few bells hanging from it

She'll shake it whenever she's bored

LOVES hair accessories

Ribbons are a particular favourite

Occasionally she'll hang little charms from her hair "horns"

The kind of person who never takes any pills/medicine bc she keeps forgetting she has to

Frequently uses emojis

Skates everywhere but she isn't very good at it

She keeps crashing into everything

Has broken every bone in her body at least 3 times

Most of which was bc she keeps trying to kick in doors and skating down the stairs

Celestia Ludenberg (THH)

Nonbinary

Any pronouns, mainly goes by She/They

Bi, 70:30

Collects mini hand sanitizers and can tabs

Has single handedly gotten Mario Kart, Mario Party, Monopoly, Uno, and Clue banned a grand total of 17 times (and counting)

The kind of person to purposefully target someone regardless of what game was being played

Favourite victim is Byakuya (bc he gets so upset about it and she finds that hilarious)

Mains Waluigi

Celeste/Kyoko/Makoto

Has several banned Twitter accounts bc whenever she's bored she'll start discourse on purpose

Hangs with Korekiyo, Ibuki, Byakuya, Yasuhiro, and Leon most often

It's a weird friend group but everyone's sorta gotten used to it

She and Byakuya gamble together occasionally

She tries to avoid it bc he'll willingly blow his entire fortune in an attempt to beat her

Autustic

Can't stand the feeling of water

Mainly bc she can't swim for shit

Horror movies? Hates them

Gets flustered super easily

Taka is her twin brother

Kotoko, Kokichi, and Gundham are their half siblings (Same father)

Peko and Toko are their cousins

She sucks ass at go fish

Fuck canon she's 4'11 now

C h u b b y

Freckles

Once she gets comfortable enough with herself she dyes her hair in the peekaboo style

Either black and red or black and blonde

Haven't decided yet

I'll be doing Celesnaegiri hcs as a seperate post but I just feel it's important for you to know that she expresses her affection verbally and is a very touchy person

Went to middle school with Maki and Korekiyo

Has horrible eyesight

She wears contacts most of the time but she always puts off buying more

After the 5th or so time she ended up blindly stumbling around a week after her contacts ran out Kyoko convinced her to buy glasses as well

Religious accessories yo

Like chokers and dangly earrings with crosses and pentagrams and shit

Likes wearing wacky earrings

Can run and do all sorts of tricks in heels

She and Mukuro are exes yo

Keeps her hair short so it's easier to manage

Hair never gets longer than her shoulders if she can help it

She seems like the kind of person who'd keep her bangs grown past her eyes regardless of how frustrating or inconvenient it is

She's a sub yall just don't wanna admit it

Funtime Foxy (FNAF)

I'm going on the record to say this

Funtime Foxy is genderfluid and that is that

Goes by Funtime

Any pronouns, They/Them most commonly

Plays music (keyboard and guitar mainly)

They and Funtime Freddy (Freds) mainly play with the kids

Freds mainly tells stories with Bonbon while Funtime more so plays one-on-one

Has nicknames for everyone

Circus Baby - Ringleader

Ballora - Bells

Funtime Freddy - Partner

Bon Bon - Bun

Peril (WOF)

I like both Nonbinary She/They Peril and Mtf She/Her Peril

They're both such good concepts

She's a lesbian, Harold

She only had a crush on Clay bc he was pretty much everything she was supposed to like in a guy

Gimme a moment while I force all my mental disorders onto this poor child

Autistic, Anxiety (Social anxiety, mainly, but she has most types), Adhd, PTSD

I'd like to reiterate yet again that She's a lesbian

Sunny and Glory were her gay awakening

Peril in Book 1: Damn, Sunny and Glory sure are pretty. Anyone would be lucky to date them. Clay would probably go for them over me. He would be stupid if he didn't. I myself would willingly date them over someone like me. They're just so pretty :(

Peril waking up in a cold sweat in the middle of arc 2: WAIT-

Rarepair alert but Peril/Sora

Peril meeting Sora: "Hmmm She's attractive. I would love to date her. Too bad I'm straight and in love with her brother lmao :P"

Peril, a mere month later, waiting for Ruby to leave Jade Mountain, pacing in her cave, running face first into a wall: WAIT-

I remember reading this one amazing story where Sora taught Peril to read/write and Peril found out she set off the bomb and comforted her/convinced her her run so that's canon now

Btw if anyone can remember what that story was called/what platform it was on and could tell me I'd appreciate it very much

I'd even be willing to draw a character of your's or make you an icon or something

I usually don't accept requests bc I get burnt out easy but this is a special case

She runs into Sora again sometime between the beginning of TOP and the end

I like to imagine she just goes wandering around

Anyway she confesses like a mere few minutes after running into her again bc Peril is just subtle like that

The actual confession takes 15 minutes and the entire time Sora is just sitting here like "👁👄👁 sure"

Bam Peril/Sora

Peril plans to keep it a secret for a little while longer but she spends 3 seconds around Clay and pretty much blurts it out

Clay, who wasn't even aware that Peril was a lesbian, is just "👁👄👁"

I wanna say Clay doesn't know what a lesbian is but in my canon Sunny is a lesbian so Starflight has already told him

Anyway he's super supportive

From that point Peril is sorta open about her sexuality?

Like, she gives Clay permission to tell the rest of the D.O.D bc she isn't about to risk being in front of them when they hear the news

(When Sunny starts actively seeking her out as a hang out buddy and Tsunami, Glory, and Starflight appear to tolerate her presence just a bit more afterwards she pretends she isn't confused by the change)

She's pink, white, and blue bc I said so

If you look at a certain angle in the right lighting her eyes, mouth, fire, and under her scales all look purple

But her fire is normally white and blue bc I said so

Also she pale as fuck bc in my canon their fire just sorta burns their colour away

You know how you leave something outside for too long and it gets sunbleached? Where it gets all washed out?

Like that but more extreme

By the age of 10-12 firescale dragons are just white with pale eyes

That's right not even the eyes are safe

Ram horns :P

I'm also fond of Peril/Sunny

Or maybe Peril/Sora/Sunny

But Peril/Sora is the main thing

On the topic of that bringing in my hc that if one sib in a sib group is fire resistant all of them are

She,,, She can change her scale colour

But only slightly and only if her emotions are strong enough

Bc I don't give a fuck about Darkstalker's scroll we were robbed of hybrid Peril

Unfortunately all of Peril's emotions are strong

Rainwing ruff along her head and neck

It's like a hood

It's mainly smoothed to her sides but when she's startled it flares out

RAINWING PUPILS

Y'all will know what those look like as soon as I get off my ass :P

She,,, She can mimic bird cries

Hates the summer

She has more than enough body heat already and the outside is just hot enough to add on and make her feel sick

She can somewhat control her heat but most of the time it's based on her emotions

It can go from standing-in-the-middle-of-a-burning-building-cant-see-your-nose-smoke-is-so-thick heat (Strong emotion) to Hey-thats-a-nice-cozy-campfire heat (Calm/"weak" emotion/Sleeping)

I'm just gonna make a different post with all my Peril hcs cuz there isnt enough room for all of them here

[author-a-holmes]

Underwing Challenge Day 3

"Who is your main cast? Describe as many of your OCs as you can cram into one post."

(Event Link) - (Day One) - (Day Two)

As many as I can cram into one post? Whooo-boy, you have no idea what you've asked for <3

Because Stolen is a Fantasy Romance, it's written in Third Person Close/Limited from the points of view of Stella Korazon and Reilly Mosswolf.

Stella Korazon

"Loving someone forever is the easy part, so long as you actually love them in the first place." - Stella

At the start of Stolen, Stella is a young but very talented thief. She was raised by her Da', Colm Korazon in a wagon that they used to travel the East Coast caravan route of Moryann.

Her greatest skills include being able to read a persons body language, and her pick-pocketing. She was taught how to fight, but her preferred reaction is to evade, dodge, run, or a mixture of the three.

Physically she's small. Short, and very slim, and with long blonde hair to her waist/hips and large blue eyes that make her look younger than she is, a look that she often uses to her advantage.

Stella's also a very good mimic, she can copy people's patterns of speech and behaviors as long as she's given sufficient time to study them.

Her biggest disadvantage is innocence. While Stella isn't naive to the dangers of Moryann, or the darker sides of the world she lives in, her Da' always encouraged social isolation. Teaching her to trust him, herself, and no one else. This makes for a strange dichotomy to her character that I enjoy playing with where she might be able to flirt with a mark and fluster them enough to rifle through their pockets unnoticed, but blush and stumble when being on the receiving end of genuine thanks or kindness.

Reilly Mosswolf

"You're in trouble, and I can help. Do I need more of a reason than that?" - Reilly

Reilly's parents were murdered when he was very young. He's elven, so very young for him was around 22 years, the developmental equivalent to mid-teens.

After his parents death, Reilly had his younger sister to look after, so he took to stealing. He was rather bad at it, and was caught. Luckily, for him, but the Guild Master of the Antillune Thieves Guild, Aldune Lamuird.

Instead of turning Reilly over to the guard, he took Reilly and his sister into the guild and looked after them, training both siblings himself when they expressed a desire to learn the trade.

At the start of Stolen, Reilly is 252 years old, and the current guild master having inherited his position from Aldune. Despite that he, and the guild, are in trouble.

For the previous year or two, there has been a rival guild from the Western side of Moryann beginning to encroach on the Antillune Guild's territory and while it hasn't yet escalated to an all out war, tensions are building.

Not least because around 6 months prior, Reilly's sister was found dead, having been clearly tortured. While Reilly is sure that the rival guild are responsible, he has no evidence and won't put the thieves under his protection at risk for a personal vendetta.

Physically, Reilly has the black eyes and sun-burnished skin of his mother's Desert Elf heritage. He also has black hair that he keeps shoulder length, and a scruff of a beard that helps give a messy edge to a face that would otherwise stand out in a crowd. He also has the traditional Forest Elf tattoo's that span from shoulder to wrist along his left arm; His family history written in elven.

His strengths are his experience, and his willingness to listen to opinions and advice other than his own. Reilly is a strong fighter, and Aldune taught him to carefully balance the racial specific talents of both his parents bloodlines, and to use them to his advantage. He has the powerful blows that belong to the forest clans, but the speed of the desert elves, making him a formidable opponent before he even picks up a blade.

Reilly's biggest disadvantage is his fear of losing people. Over the years, Reilly has lost almost everyone he's ever loved or cared for. His parents, Aldune, his sister Eryn, even a lover or two. He has an inner circle of people he relies on within the guild, six people he trusts above all others, but his best friend and the only one truly able to get through to him is Dara Brookor.

Reilly uses nicknames and pet-names to distance himself from his guild members, giving the illusion of closeness, but using the affectionate names to distance himself, and make sure he can't put a real name to a face should one of the people under his protection turn up dead.

It's when Reilly begins to use a person's real name, that they've truly begun to worm their way under his armor.

***

Stella and Reilly are surrounded by a small supporting cast, each of whom has a very important part to play in either the main characters lives, or the main plot, although that may not come to fruition within the first book...

Dara Brookor

"So you're trying to tell me that, when you realised you were developing a meaningful connection to a person you have known for less than a decade, you didn't panic, pull back, and avoid them like a complete moron?" - Dara

Dara runs most of the administrative side of the Antillune Thieves Guild. She handles all the records, job allocations and thief payments, and is also responsible for pairing up thieves whose skills will compliment each other.

She's also the best friend to Reilly Mosswolf. She met Reilly, and his sister Eryn, when they were attempting to steal from one of her clients. Before joining the guild, Dara ran a brothel in Antillune, and when Eryn Mosswolf tried to disguise herself as an employee to get close to her target, Dara interfered in an attempt to protect her staff.

Once the situation was explained, she ended up helping Eryn and Reilly with their job, and occasionally passing along information on good targets if a client tried to skip out on their bill.

Dara is over six feet tall, and almost half as broad, which is the only sign of her part ogre heritage. She has honey-blonde curls that she keeps cut to her jaw, and dark blue-green eyes.

She made good use of her imposing form to keep her staff protected and her clients in line, but eventually her establishment was set on fire by a competitor, which is when Reilly asked her to work for him instead, in the administrative side of the guild.

The fact that it meant Reilly got out of most of the paperwork was, he swears, simply a bonus.

Dara's strength is her ability to connect with people. While she isn't a thief, her long history in Antillune has given her a network on contacts across the city that feed her a steady supply of information, and Dara can quickly utilise those contacts to seek out any specific leads she or the guild needs.

Her weakness is that she doesn't want to think badly of anyone, and it can cloud her judgement. She doesn't automatically look for deceit and deception, which has often led to her finding herself in dangerous situations.

Thankfully, Dara strikes an intimidating form, can curse like an Antillune sailor, and knows how to wield blades well enough to back up her threats.

Myris Orinan

"I am not the youngest graduate from the college of Wizardry in nearly two centuries for nothing." - Myris

Myris Orinan is, simply put, a genius.

A forest elf in possession of extremely powerful elemental magic, Myris is one of only 3-4 people in Moryann who can control all four branches of elemental magic and manipulate them simultaneously to access the rare Kurro or Healing magic.

He completed his training at the College of Wizardry in less than 100 years, making him one of the youngest graduates to ever complete the training and he is also passable-to-fluent in over ten languages.

Myris is also entirely mute.

Married to Tanar Orinan, the pair met when Tanar had been hired to steal something from the library in the College of Wizardry. Myris discovered the thief, mid-job, because he'd been working late into the night and bound Tanar before demanding an explanation for his presence.

Tanar agreed to surrender the book, and forfeit the contract, in exchange for being allowed to court Myris and the pair were quickly inseparable.

Due to this close association with the Antillune Guild, however, Myris was attacked, kidnapped, and tortured for information on the guild, and on Reilly Mosswolf in particular.

Even though, at the time, he had no knowledge to give, his attackers punished him for withholding information by forcing an alchemical mixture into him that burnt away his vocal chords, effectively rending his magic useless as it's commonly accepted that without the ability to speak a spell, spellcasters and wizards are rendered powerless.

Myris proved everyone's theories on elemental magic wrong however by slowly developing his own language using hand positioning and finger shapes to communicate words and phrases, and with practice and strength of will he gradually taught himself how to cast spells with a non-verbal trigger, instead of a spoken one.

While Myris has physically recovered as well as he can from the experience, and his magic is as strong as ever, despite requiring more effort to cast non-verbally, Myris has been left with a powerful hatred of Vine, and an ever encroaching fear that such an attack will happen again.

After his recovery, and several assessments by the College to prove that he could continue to retain his Wizard title, Myris moved to the Antillune Thieves guild to work as their wizard in residence, providing wards and magical services to the guild in exchange for a modest fee and even working to create unique items to help the guild function better and to keep its members safer.

Myris does not leave the Guild grounds without Tanar by his side, and even then only in exceptional circumstances. If he is required to leave the guild for any reason, it also tends to leave him with nightmares for several weeks.

Honorable Mentions

I had some others I was going to do but this is so long already, and I'm already 7 hours into Day Four that I'm pushing them into an honorable mentions section instead.

Tanar Sotor Orinan, Indre Larieth, Lurall Penrith and Nilion Kurez are all additional members of the guilds Inner Circle.

Tanar is half plains elf and half human, and is married to Myris. He used to be the thief partner to Eryn Mosswolf after Reilly was made guild master.

Indre Larieth is a half-elf who was recruited by Nilion Kurez, but has remained steadfastly loyal to Reilly for many years. Due to her Snow Elf heritage she can appear stand-offish and cold, but she cares deeply for her chosen few, and will go to extraordinary lengths to do whatever she thinks is nessecary to protect them.

Lurall Penrith was once trained by the Ikhari guild of assassins. It wasn't a path he chose, but instead of running her decided to become good enough that the guild would have no choice but to allow him to leave. After he met Reilly, he leveraged the backing of another guild to convince the Ikhari to let him walk away. Lurall now runs the Guild Outpost in the Western Desert, but frequently visits Reilly in Antillune.

Nilion Kurez is a Forest Elf, and has been a member of the Antillune thieves guild since Aldune Lamuird founded it. He helped write many of the guilds laws, and has known Reilly most of his life, having watched him grow up inside the guild, and in many cases been one of Reilly's teachers.

Hawk Denill is the face of Vine in Book One, and the person who hires Stella to break into the guild and steal from Reilly Mosswolf. He is a dark character who I intend to be a thorn in Stella and Reilly's side for at least the first three books. Once a member of Reilly's own guild, Hawk was banished when the guild discovered he was responsible for a series of grisly murders in Antillune. Hawk has returned to the city only recently, confident with the backing of a new guild.

Liandra 'Andy' Jenkin is a bright but brash young thief who Dara partners with Stella once she settles into the guild. Andy is Human, but makes up for the disadvantages this gives her in speed and strength by sheer enthusiasm, and stubborn determination. Andy has a grudge of her own against Vine, since their people laid an ambush on her last job that injured her and killed her previous partner.

Colm Korazon is Stella's Da'. While Colm is also a thief, he's not a particularly good one. He raised Stella in a travelling caravan, using it as a base to sell all sorts of false herbal remedies, imitation magical items, and any other junk he could con people into purchasing. All the while training Stella to do what he could not. By the time she was old enough to blend in with the crowds that gathered around his stall, the items he attempted to sell were merely a distraction to allow Stella to silently search through pockets.

[kellyedith]

She is so noble, so enthusiastic, and at the same time such a naive child, and in fact so like himself in character.

She is so noble, so enthusiastic, and at the same time such a naive child, and in fact so like himself in character. Yet, he tries. From my three hours’ conversation with Katya I carried away among other impressions the strange but positive conviction that she was still such a child that she had no idea of the inner significance of the relations of the sexes. All donations will directly help the refugees at the border.. Cersei sat as still as a stone statue as the shears clicked. However, using that as a statistic is misleading, since many people gave up their voice and their say zapatillas de tacos futbolin the election by not voting. One of Illyrio’s chests had been packed with a child’s clothing, musty but well made. Great Wolf would only say the facility would reopen next winter though city planning documents indicated the refurbishing of the complex was to be completed in November.. If you doubt me, ask Bronn. An event was recorded the first year

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[psychosistr]

Kings

Summary: Domino is forced to attend a party for FOWL’s top agents, and is having a hard time enjoying himself when the presence of someone in particular makes him feel very uncomfortable. Good thing Steelbeak’s there to provide both a distraction and some surprisingly good advice.

Notes: This was a little something written to wish @thefriendlyfour a happy birthday! Thanks for everything you do!

(P.S.- All OC’s in this story belong to her, not me)

Dominic was not having a good time…

It wasn’t often that FOWL High Command granted permission and spared funds on things deemed “unnecessary” for work. Everything from bank heists to political blackmail schemes and even the smallest pieces stolen from museums- every cent earned was carefully accounted for, recorded, and allocated properly. FOWL was a big organization that had many facilities to maintain- and even more workers to pay (maintenance and repair men, scientists, eggmen, all the way up to the special agents) to keep everything running smoothly.

Still, even with everything that had to be paid for, High Command understood the basic concept of things like “morale” and had to relent and reward their workers- particularly their top agents- every once in a blue moon (though it was mostly to make sure that they would feel content with their jobs and not try to leave and use their skills and training to make it as solo villains). Parties seemed to be the easiest and most effective way of keeping employee morale up: It only took one day of actual work, and food and beverages were easy to acquire and serve. After that, all that was required were a decently sized venue and some half-way decent music.

That was how the chief officer of FOWL, Steelbeak, and his partner, Dominic “Domino”, found themselves spending the evening in a heavily fortified and closely monitored outpost several miles away from Saint Canard at a party for FOWL’s most accomplished agents.

The large central room of the relatively unused outpost had been cleaned up and hastily decorated with a few different colored lights and decorations that were likely leftovers from the last party that had been thrown there. There were tables of catered food and drinks ranging from standard soda to a large punch bowl and even a fully-stocked bar all along one wall, leaving the majority of the floor open for agents to mingle and converse freely. The wall opposite the food and drinks housed a small stage that was being used for the evening’s entertainment: A small but highly talented orchestra with a full string section and a full-sized grand piano that had been brought in just for the occasion.

The party had been in full-swing for more than an hour already, but Dominic wanted nothing more than to leave and it was for one reason and one reason alone…

It wasn’t because he hated parties. Granted, he was by no means a party-loving social-butterfly, but he could still have fun and enjoy himself so long as the venue wasn’t overly crowded and his fellow partygoers weren’t so intoxicated that they forgot to respect his boundaries. In fact, compared to the parties he’d been dragged to at the northern base (which tended to involve excessive amounts of alcohol, brightly colored flashing lights, deafeningly loud pop music, and half of his team drinking to the point of passing out while he stayed sober to keep them from getting into too much trouble), this was one of the nicer soirees he’d been to in a while.

It wasn’t because he disliked his fellow agents. While there were still many new people that he was getting acquainted with and had yet to familiarize himself with each and every person present, the others in attendance all seemed like intelligent, capable, reasonable individuals who were pleasant to converse with in small doses. They also had enough common sense to not trust one another, so no one was trying to get hammered- meaning no loudmouthed or clingy drunkards to deal with, which always made for a much more pleasant evening.

It wasn’t because of his partner- if anything, the other man’s presence was one of the only things making this whole evening more bearable. As chief officer of FOWL, Steelbeak’s presence was required at any gathering of its most elite agents, which meant that Dominic, as partner of the current chief officer, was also required to attend. To the loon’s surprise, Steelbeak seemed even less excited to attend the event than his partner, stating that he found High Command’s mandatory gatherings boring and repetitive (if they were all like THIS, though, Dominic could certainly understand why the rooster felt that way after eight years of forced attendance). The lighter fowl’s hushed banter and sarcastic remarks about the party and some of the other agents never failed to bring a small smile to his more serious partner’s face and even elicited a few quiet laughs that were drowned out by the music.

No, everything else at the party was somewhat boring, but otherwise tolerable…except for one thing…one frustratingly perfect, ever present thing that he tried VERY hard to stay as far away from as possible…as long as he stayed by the wall and what he was trying to avoid stayed in the center of the room conversing with another agent about who knows what, then he’d be fi-

“Geez, short fuse, ya look like you’re waitin’ for a bomb t’ go off.” The familiar voice of his partner offered the loon a much needed distraction from his thoughts.

Dominic glanced away from the crowd of agents in front of him and looked instead to his approaching partner who’d broken away long enough to join him in his sequestered corner against the wall by the stage. “If that were the case, we might have a valid reason to get out of here.”

Steelbeak leaned against the wall beside the loon, looking across the room at the bar as if he were seriously considering it as a solution to their current predicament. “Well, there IS a full bar over there…find me a microwave an’ a can of that spray-on oil from the kitchen and I could whip somethin’ up.” It was hard to tell how much of that was actually a joke.

A smile tugged up the corners of the darker bird’s beak even as he shook his head. “Tempting as that is, we would probably just receive orders to turn the event into some sort of ‘garden party’ in the woods..and I know how much you love nature.”

A visible shudder ran down the taller fowl’s body at the thought of spending that much time out in the forest. “No-ho thank you, all that fresh air makes me gag.” He even made a retching sound to prove his point, earning a quiet laugh from the other man that made him smile and laugh along for a moment. “So, if we’re not all ‘bout t’ go out in a big ball of fire, then why’re ya over here lookin’ like you’re ‘bout t’ dig someone’s grave?” He asked after they’d both had a moment to regain their composure. “I’d ask if someone touched ya or somethin’, but I haven’t seen anyone go flyin’ through a wall or stuffed inside a cello case, so it can’t be that bad.”

Darn it, Steelbeak had gotten too good at reading the darker bird after three months of dating him. At times like these, Dominic wasn’t sure if he was more annoyed or grateful for that fact…

“No, nothing that extreme yet.” Red eyes glanced over the crowd and once more found their target. “I’m just…trying to avoid someone..”

Dark grey eyes followed the other’s gaze and landed on a well-dressed man who stood out among the crowd. “Wait…Osprey? Ya know ‘im?”

Of course he knew him. Who didn’t?

Agent Edward Osprey was a statuesque brown and white hawk that was even taller than Steelbeak. Everything about him was elegant and perfect from his immaculate feathers to his tailored blue suit coat, long-tailed shirt, black pants, and neatly folded white ascot. On top of being well-groomed and well-dressed, the man was undeniably handsome with his sharp features and piercing black eyes offset by yellow sclera- his eyes were even accentuated further by the brown band of feathers that cut perfectly across the lighter feathers on the rest of his face. He looked like he’d just stepped out of a painting; to have such perfect features shouldn’t have been possible in nature.

Oh, but the perfection didn’t end at the osprey’s looks- oh no. He was one of the most musically talented men Dominic had ever seen, being both a concert-level pianist and conductor- the orchestra which provided most of the evening’s music had been led by him when he wasn’t playing the grand piano for the crowd’s applause. The hawk was also an incredibly skilled agent specializing in sharp objects and weaponry with a nearly flawless track record under his belt. Add to that the fact that he was nothing but charming and gentlemanly to everyone he met (enemies not withstanding), and you had the walking reality-defying-perfection that was agent Edward Osprey.

“We’ve..met before, yes…” Dominic folded his arms over his chest, trying to look away while still keeping the source of his current stress and anxiety in his peripheral vision.

“Ya don’t sound too thrilled ‘bout it.” Steelbeak pointed out while eyeing his partner with one brow cocked. “I’m guessin’ ya don’t like the guy?”

Oh boy, now THERE was mine field that was difficult to navigate.. “I don’t…dislike him..”

“But ya don’t like ‘im either, right?” Once again, Steelbeak proved how good he’d gotten at reading the loon over the past few months.

Exhaling a heavy sigh, Dominic closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the wall behind them. “…Promise you won’t laugh.”

“Hmmm, weeeeeellll~” The fake contemplation ended when a single red eye opened just enough to side-eye the rooster with a warning glare, making said rooster break into a grin. “Alright, alright, I’ll hold it in.” The red eye narrowed at him and he held up his hands to show he wasn’t crossing any of his fingers. “Promise.”

Though he hardly trusted the other man’s word, Dominic would take what he could get. After taking in a deep breath and closing his eyes again, the words he’d been trying to avoid speaking aloud finally came out. “He makes me feel………uncomfortable..”

A brief but repressed snicker was heard before his red eyes opened and gave the taller fowl a warning glare. “Sorry, somethin’ in my throat.” A clear lie, but Dominic let it slide (this time). “So, why does Mr.Fancypants over there make ya uncomfortable? Knowin’ ‘im, he probably didn’t do nothin’ to ya on purpose- the guy takes it as some sorta personal offense if anyone forgets their manners ‘round ‘im. Think he’d have a stroke if he was the one bein’ rude for a change.”

“No, he isn’t rude- I don’t think he has it in him to be anything less than an absolutely perfect gentleman.” The loon looked across the room again, making sure the man in question was still far away and that no one was close enough to overhear him aside from his partner. “And that’s part of the problem: He’s just so..so-!”

“Practically perfect?” Steelbeak supplied, the look he gave the shorter fowl both amused and understanding.

“Yes.” Dominic groaned, rubbing a hand down his face in frustration. “He’s just so perfect in everything he does- he’s attractive, strong, clever, talented, gets along with EVERYONE, and has the highest record of successful missions in FOWL ever.” His eyes lingered on his hand as it lowered once more. “He’s so infuriatingly perfect that it makes me seem so…” His words trailed off into a mumble at the end, not wanting to voice how the hawk really made him feel…

“So, just t’ make sure I’ve got this whole thing right-” The lighter bird began without waiting for Dominic to repeat himself (likely because he knew he wouldn’t do so willingly). “Osprey’s so perfect that ya feel less perfect bein’ around ‘im?” Darn it, three for three- Steelbeak was on a roll tonight.

“Who wouldn’t?” He didn’t bother to look at his partner again while muttering his response.

He was right, of course: Who wouldn’t feel inferior next to someone like Edward Osprey?

“Heh.” The answer he received was a short, clipped laugh followed by the sound of retreating footsteps.

By the time Dominic looked back up to see what the other man was doing, the metal-mouthed fowl was heading towards the stage. “Steelbeak?” He called after him, but received no response.

One by one, others in the room began to notice the new figure stepping up onto the stage. It had been vacant for about twenty minutes now, allowing Osprey and his orchestra to take a break and enjoy the festivities themselves. With this in mind, it was understandable that the others in attendance were reasonably surprised to see none of the previous performers take to the stage- but the chief officer himself.

Steelbeak ignored the confused looks and hushed whispers as all eyes in the room were suddenly on him. He simply cracked his knuckles and shook out his fingers before seating himself at the grand piano, never even acknowledging them or saying a word.

Then, after taking a quick breath, he began to play.

The melody was captivating- soft but passionate; steady but rapid; light but powerful. Everything about it was such a contradiction, but it somehow just worked. It seemed to change and evolve as the song progressed, sometimes changing to the point of almost seeming like a completely new song, but then that familiar pattern would find a way to weave itself back in naturally to connect it all back together.

And then there was the sheer amount of skill and movement of those off-white fingers across the keys; they were practically a blur during the crescendos. The notes came so quickly that Steelbeak’s hands were never still, even for a second, often having different fingers of the same hand playing at completely separate rhythms from one another. Honestly, it was astonishing that they didn’t trip over themselves. It was almost mesmerizing to watch them fly and jump from one key to the next with expert timing.

Dominic was transfixed by the sights and sounds. While Steelbeak had told him of his experience as an undercover concert pianist on their first date, he had never actually heard him play before. He’d also never heard this song before, but there were no doubts in his mind that few could play it as well as Steelbeak was then and there.

Managing to tear his eyes away from the spectacle long enough to look around the room, it seemed he wasn’t the only one to feel that way. Everyone was staring in awe at their chief officer’s jaw-dropping performance. Even Osprey, who’d worked his way closer to the stage since the song began, seemed genuinely shocked and amazed by Steelbeak’s playing.

The song reached its final crescendo and Steelbeak let it drag on for a moment. Before anyone could pick their collective jaws up off of the floor and react appropriately, however, he immediately began to play another tune.

While still incredibly difficult to play and requiring a good deal of hand-acrobatics to hit each note properly, this one was softer than the last. There was something light and almost..sweet to it- as if the first one was to show off, but this one was to communicate something deeper.

This was another song that Dominic was unfamiliar with but, judging by the similar movements required to play the complex melody properly, it felt like it was by the same composer.

It stirred something in him as he listened, the gentle tune causing a pleasant shiver to linger in his body and a warm feeling to blossom in his chest. For a moment, he thought of the love songs he’d heard in the past- of their cheesy lyrics declaring adoration that ultimately became meaningless with how many people sang those words over and over again. Those songs were cute, but they ultimately felt hollow without a sense of genuine romance to them.

This song, though…This one, without any words or blatant messages to project, somehow felt more like a true love song than any the loon had ever heard in his life. This was raw, passionate, gentle, and beautiful all at once…and he’d be lying if he said the thought didn’t have him blushing a little..

By the time Steelbeak finished playing and stood up, the partygoers had recovered from their initial shock and finally applauded the exemplary performance they’d been treated to. Steelbeak, for his part, just smirked and gave a quick wave over his shoulder as he left the stage, not even taking a bow despite how well-earned it was at that point.

“Not that I’m complaining,” Dominic began once the other man joined him against the wall once more. “But what was that about?”

Steelbeak looked down at him with a smirk, but it was less teasing and far softer than usual. “Just MY way of answerin’ your question.” Before the loon could ask for clarification, Steelbeak looked towards the piano he’d just been playing. “You were askin’ who wouldn’t feel less perfect ‘round someone like Osprey: I wouldn’t ‘cause I know I’ve got somethin’ I’m better at than him.” Dark grey eyes returned their attention to the red ones still looking up at him. “One thing I’ve learned from bein’ chief officer all these years is that ya can’t be better than everyone at everythin’, someone’s ALWAYS gonna have somethin’ they’re better at than you are. The trick t’ stayin’ on top an’ remindin’ everyone why YOU’RE the king an’ they’re the pawns is t’ find the one thing you’re better at than whoever you’re up against an’ make ‘em feel like you’re superior ‘cause of it.”

Dominic took a moment to digest this new philosophy. It certainly seemed to make sense, and would probably explain why Steelbeak always acted like he was better than everyone- it was a way to stay on top and keep others from challenging him by appearing superior. While this information was useful, there was still one part of the chief officer’s advice that was easier said than done: “So you’re saying that I have to find something I’m better at than him? That’s asking a lot since I don’t have any comparative talents like you do.” Dominic didn’t really have much experience with playing instruments or conducting, so he couldn’t use that for any sort of advantage (and while his singing voice was pretty good, he’d never heard Osprey’s so it would be hard to compare them). They were experts with completely different weaponry, so no luck there. The hawk had a better track record for missions than he did, so he couldn’t use anything work related. “I don’t think-”

“You’re a better leader.”

Red eyes blinked in confusion and stared up at the taller bird. “What?”

“You’re a better leader.” The other repeated once more, looking down at the loon with an expression halfway between a smirk and an encouraging smile. “Osprey’s got one heck of a record with missions an’ gets along with everyone, but you’re a better leader than him: Ya know when t’ be nice an’ when t’ be serious. Ya know when t’ listen t’ others an’ when t’ make ‘em listen t’ YOU instead. Ya walk int’ the room an’ command guys three times your size t’ shut up an’ do what they’re told an’ put ‘em in their place if they even THINK ‘bout talkin’ back.” With a smirk, he inclined his head in the general direction of the crowd. “That’s why you’re over here with me an’ he’s over there with them. Sure, his track-record’s higher, but YOU’RE the one High Command picked t’ stand at the top with me- ya beat him an’ everyone else in FOWL for your position ‘cause ya deserved it.” Having made his point, Steelbeak reclined fully against the wall once more, his hands raised to cushion his head against the hard surface in a casual manner. “If anyone ever makes ya question yourself, just remember: I actually listen t’ YOU.”

Dominic was floored (and..maybe a little touched?) by his partner’s words.

After a moment of contemplation, he began to feel a smile slip onto his beak. Steelbeak had a valid point and wasn’t just stroking Dominic’s ego: The loon WAS a pretty good leader. He could coordinate teams ranging from two people to two hundred. He learned his teammates’ strengths and weaknesses and planned around them accordingly to complete any task he’d been assigned.

And, if nothing else, getting someone as bigheaded and arrogant as Steelbeak to listen to him HAD to count for something.

Before he had the chance to thank the chief officer for his rare-words of encouragement, another voice added itself to their conversation. “Steelbeak, your performance was absolutely awe-inspiring!” Looking away from one another to see who’d come to join them, the deadly duo saw none other than Edward Osprey approaching them. He smiled and bowed his head politely. “Do forgive my intrusion, but I simply HAD to commend you for your beautiful rendition of La Campanella: That is an incredibly difficult piece that I struggle with even after a few warm-ups.”

Steelbeak ate up the praise as one would expect, giving Osprey a smirk while idly bringing one hand around to inspect his fingers like a girl checking her nails for imperfections. “Woooow, really? That’s what I play FOR my warm-ups. Start with the harder ones an’ everythin’ else’s easy, y’know?”

“I suppose you’re right.” Osprey was quick to agree, never losing his genial smile. “Though, I must say, I didn’t know you were so familiar with Liszt. Your playing of Love Dream was very emotional- anyone in particular you were dedicating that performance to?”

That actually seemed to trip the rooster up a little, Dominic catching a bit of red on the other’s cheeks between his light feathers as he tried to play it off cool-and-casual. “I mean…maybe…it’s just a song, though, no big deal..”

It was Dominic’s turn to smirk knowingly at the other man. “Well, if there was someone you had in mind while playing it, I’m fairly certain they would have found it beautiful and charming.”

Steelbeak side-eyed the loon, his cheeks going a bit darker, but was saved by another agent coming up to them. “Hey, can you play one more? Everyone loved you out there!” To the trio’s surprise, the request was directed at Steelbeak rather than Osprey.

“Eh, I dunno-” Steelbeak started to say, but his eyes wandered over to Dominic and something in those dark grey depths shifted. “…Ya know what? Sure. I can handle one more.” Then, to everyone’s delight, he walked back up to the stage and took his seat at the piano once more.

“I had no idea he was so talented.” Osprey admitted to Dominic once the lighter bird was out of earshot. “I must admit, I’m a little jealous that you get to work so closely with him- that man’s been chief officer longer than some of us have even been agents.” He looked away from the stage to meet the loon’s gaze directly. “I can only imagine what you must have gone through to earn his respect and companionship.”

“Thank you. It has been.. a journey, to say the least…” Dominic was more than a little surprised..but not necessarily by the taller man’s words- Osprey was polite to everyone and was no stranger to sincere flattery. No, what REALLY surprised the loon was the fact that he just had a conversation (albeit a brief one) with Edward Osprey without any feelings of anxiety or inferiority rising up within him.

What Osprey said next was lost on Dominic as he heard Steelbeak begin to play. This song was different from the others. It was a completely different composer, era, and genre of music- one that the loon was all too familiar with since it had been played in his car a couple of times while his partner sat beside him in the passenger seat praising his singing of the accompanying lyrics. A soft smile tugged at his beak as Dominic listened to the equally soft melody, knowing that this was likely just Steelbeak’s way of driving his earlier point home and wasn’t really meant to be recognized by anyone else.

It was Dominic’s turn to receive a few stares- first from the other agents in the room, and then from Steelbeak himself when he passed in front of the piano to grab the microphone that had been left in its stand nearby. Once he removed it from its spot and made it more mobile, Dominic walked closer to the piano and leaned against it casually. He did a circular gesture with two of his fingers and Steelbeak smiled, instantly knowing what his partner wanted.

Without missing a beat, Steelbeak smoothly looped the song back to the beginning and nodded to Dominic when it was time to join in.

Nodding back, the darker bird brought the microphone closer to his beak and closed his eyes as he began to sing. “You're a-lone. You're on your own. So what? Have you gone blind? Have you for-got-ten what you have and whaaat is yours?”

He blocked out the stage lights; blocked out the crowd around them and their eyes on him. “Glass haaalf empty~, glass haaalf full- well~, either way you won't be go~ing thirsty; Count your blessings, not your flaws.”

There was only one set of eyes on him that mattered right now, and he knew the look they held without even having to see them. “You've got it all~ You lost your mind in the sound. There's so much mooore, you can reclaim your crown. You're in controoll- Rid of the monsters insi~de your head…Put all your faults to bed…You can be king a~gain…”

Another quick breath stolen between verses and he gained the confidence to open his eyes, but he kept his gaze locked solely on the one gazing back at him with awe and adoration. “You don't get wha~at all thiiss i~s a~bout. You're too wra~pped up in your self-doubt. You've got that young blood, set it free…”

The smile on Steelbeak’s face was brighter than any of the lights pointed at the pair on stage, making Dominic feel twice as warm and making him smile just as much. “You've got it all~ You lost your mind in the sound. There's so much mooore, you can reclaim your crown. You're in controoll- Rid of the monsters insi~de your head…Put all your faults to~ bed…You can be king.”

There was a spark of something in the air between them- that same connection they shared when they were working together to take down an enemy that made both of them feel so much more aware of one another on a completely different level. “There's method i~n my ma~adness…There's no looogic in your sa~dness…You don't gaaiinn a siinngle thing from misery~yy…Take it from mee~ee…”

He used his free hand to close the piano’s cover, careful not to let it drop and ruin the gentle decrescendo of the song. “You've got it all~ You lost your mind in the sound. There's so much mooore, you can reclaim your crown. You're in controoll- Rid of the monsters insi~de your head…Put all your faults to~ bed…You can be king.”

Dominic gracefully lifted himself up to sit on the closed piano, one hand holding the microphone in front of him while the other was braced behind him so he could lean back with his legs crossed in front of him- head tipped back as he belted out the notes of the final verse. “You've got it all! You lost your mind in the sound! There's so much mooore, you can reclaim your crown! You're in control- Rid of the monsters inside your head! Put all your faults to bed…You can be king again!”

Red eyes met dark grey, one additional line being sung softly and with so much more feeling than any other line before it. “We can be kings a~gain.”

Steelbeak’s playing came to an end and the two were left staring at one another fondly. There were cheers and applause and words being called to them, but neither man payed them any mind.

After all, they were the kings standing at the top.

End Notes: For anyone who’s curious, here are the songs that Steelbeak played in order: The first is La Campanella by Liszt. The second is Liebstraum No.3, also known as Love Dream, also by Liszt. And the final piece that Domino sang along to at the end was King by Lauren Aquilina.

When choosing the first two songs for Steelbeak to play, I asked a couple of my friends who were piano majors in high school what the most difficult type of music to play is that still sounds good. The general consensus among most of them was, and I quote, “people who hate their hands but love to please others usually play Liszt”- and La Campanella came up repeatedly as one of the hardest songs to play, so I went with it xD

Once again, happy birthday to @thefriendlyfour / @eleanorose123 ! Hope you had a good one and thank you for another year of awesome content!

[gothpanda]

A Little Bit of Attitude Ch. 31: Last Night

WORD COUNT: 6.0k

A/N: I just realized i’m lowkey inspired by That 70s Show. If ya know, ya know!

WARNINGS: angst

TAGS: @madamsixx @emariehorror​ 

Read on ao3

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September 1st, 1986

San Francisco, California

Staring up at an unfamiliar white ceiling, laying flat against her back, Sammi stayed silent as she was a guest in this stranger's bed. Sammi rubbed her tired eyes, not caring if her eye makeup was going to smudge, a growing throbbing feeling from them. Sammi's breath tasted like a mixture of drinks staining the tongue. She looked to her left, seeing a snoring man with his face half-covered by the pillow. Sammi felt somewhat embarrassed about not knowing this man's name, not remembering him, even telling her his name. Sammi remembers talking to the man at a bar, accepting all the drinks he gave her, and then agreeing to go home with him but not his name. Sammi gently raised her head from the pillow, looking around the room in search of her clothes. A short blue dress was tossed by the bed's foot, right by Sammi's underwear and bra. Her leather jacket was on a chair in the room, where her heels also were. Carefully, Sammi lifted up the thin duvet that covered her, slipping off the bed to the best of her ability to not wake the man and tiptoeing away. Sammi glanced over behind her, proud when the man remained dead asleep, snoring loudly at random moments.

After miserably playing ninja for 10 minutes, Sammi managed to leave the random apartment without making a sound, sighing out loudly to the breezy air. Sammi swung her purse onto one shoulder, pulling out her pack of Camels as she walked down the stairs. Once reaching the first floor of the outdoor apartment complex, Sammi soon realized she was completely unfamiliar, not recognizing the streets. There was more forest to hide the complex, making Sammi scratch her head for ideas. Even after being here for a few months in a city that was an island, Sammi still managed to get lost.

Nevertheless, Sammi started walking down south with a lit cigarette between her lips and a scowl. The sun was too bright for the hungover girl, mentally complaining about the headache. Stares coming from passing hobos made Sammi uncomfortable, trying to make herself feel small. After wandering for 30 so minutes, a street corner diner came into Sammi's sight, hurrying her pace in hopes to find a payphone to call a cab. The ring from the handbell echoed throughout the almost empty yellow diner, Sammi strutting up to the bar top where her heels were the only other sound. Sitting down, an older waitress in a matching yellow uniform began to hold a glare at Sammi, hand on one hip. Sammi mustered up the best smile she could to the woman, setting her purse down.

"What can I get for you today, Tart?" the waitress asked, remaining her glare at Sammi.

Sammi scrunched her brows. "Tart? What's a tart?"

"Use your brain, sweetheart, or at least what's left of it," the waitress said, beginning to walk away from Sammi to refill coffee for a man two seats down. The man looked over his shoulder at Sammi, not hiding his prominent wandering eyes. Sammi grimaced, zipping up her jacket all the way up.

"I'm not a hooker. Can I just get some coffee, please?" Sammi asked, frowning at the old woman.

"Could've fooled me," the waitress said, placing a mug between them and poured some hot black coffee. Sammi fixed up the coffee to her liking with a frown, blowing on it to not burn herself as she drank the little pick me up. Everything around her felt cold and quiet in this diner, giving Sammi a moment to think, which she avoided doing. She had to admit to herself that right now felt gross to her, never being a person who partook in one-night stands. Sammi racked her brain, trying to remember the man's name, rubbing away any wrinkles on her forehead. Sammi wondered if this was how the guys felt after a random night of partying, having sex with accidental women when they felt like it. Unlike her, though, none of the guys cared if they couldn't remember a girls name for a one night only event. Sammi got lost in her thoughts, beginning to wonder what Motley was up to now but knew she had to think about herself. Sammi soon eyed the payphone on the diner's far corner, remembering she needed to get home. A clock on one of the walls read 11:30 am, traffic beginning to make its way. Sammi glanced at the sullen waitress, frowning down at a row of mugs, she wiped clean.

"Um, excuse me, would you happen to have a number for a cab company?" Sammi asked the waitress. When the waitress kept her side-eye at Sammi, she didn't bother uttering words, only pulling out a thin pamphlet of different phone numbers from behind the counter. The waitress tossed it over, giving her back quickly to everyone. "Thanks…" Sammi mumbled, sliding off the barstool, reading down the list as she made her way to the payphone. She soon began praying for some spare change tossed in her clutch.

"Hey, you better pay for your coffee!" the waitress yelled out, slamming a clean mug hard on the counter.

"I'm not leaving yet!" Sammi yelled out, adding a quarter into the coin slot, punching in the first cab on the list. "Bitch," Sammi mumbled as she shut her eyes, resting her head against the wall. Sammi desperately wanted to go home after this long night turned into morning. The only problem was home was five hours away down south.

*

The cab came to a soft stop in front of Sammi's apartment building, Sammi's tired head resting against the window as she peeked out of it. Sammi was thankful for the cab ride after realizing she found herself all the way to South Berkley, knowing public transits would get her most lost. Sammi paid for the cab fare with a smile that took quiet the energy to muster up. The cab driver didn't care to say a thank you or give a smile back, only waiting to speed off as Sammi got out to continue his day. Sammi kept her head down low from the sun, disheveled hair covering the sides of her face as headed to the building door.

"Sammi!" a familiar voice yelled out of nowhere, Sammi halting in the middle of the building stoop. Sammi timidly looked to her right with a confusing twitch, eyes growing wide when two recognizable faces inched their way closer. Vince and Skylar. "Well, good morning to you!" Vince said, carrying Skylar on one hip, a backpack on his back. His dopey smile was bright for the time of day, Vince staying at the bottom step. Sammi couldn't believe the sight in front of her, frozen with a growing smile pressed on her lips. Little Skylar smiled at Sammi, showing straight away to everyone who she inherited from. Sammi slowly stepped down the short stairs to not trip over herself, staring dead in Vince's eyes with shock and joy. Vince only smirked, pleased with Sammi's reaction to his surprise.

"What on earth are you doing here?" Sammi asked.

"I told you we'd visit you. I'm just holding up to my promise," Vince answered back, kissing Sammi on the cheek in a way to greet her. "Wanna say hi, Skylar?"

"Ie," Skylar somewhat said, trying her best to wave to Sammi. This only made Sammi smile greatly at Skylar, holding onto her little hand like a handshake.

"Hi, Skylar! I've missed you," Sammi said in a sweet voice, Skylar keeping the smile her father gave her. "So why exactly are you here? Besides seeing my face so early in the day," Sammi asked Vince.

"I got Skylar for a couple of days longer, and it's boring down in L.A so I thought, why not have a little vacation," Vince said, shrugging a shoulder. "Looks like you're already having fun," Vince mentioned, looking down at Sammi attire. Sammi's cheeks grew hot, crossing her arms against her chest in a form to cover up.

"I'm always happy to see a familiar face up here. Let's get upstairs. My feet are killing me," Sammi said, turning back up onto the stoop, pulling out her key from the clutch purse. Vince followed suit, surprised at how bland Sammi's apartment building was compared to back home once inside. Everything could be compared to a shoebox, even the elevator being tiny for the two of them. But Vince kept to himself, bouncing Skylar on his hip to not have her fall asleep. From the short walk through the hallway to apartment number 321, Vince carefully put Skylar down, taking in the interior of Sammi's new place. It still screamed Sammi, seeing how hard she tried to make the apartment look like L.A. Splashes of color in some areas like the throw pillows on the black sofa, and everything kept straight in its rightful place. Photos of everyone on the tv stand. Vince was noticing the group photos of Motley and Sammi. He was almost surprised Sammi decided to frame those.

"So in no way am I judging, but were you just coming back from somebody's place?" Vince asked with a smirk as he pulled out a toy for Skylar to play with, sitting on the sofa.

Sammi rolled her eyes with burning cheeks, offering a Pepsi for Vince as she drank water. "Please do not tell Tommy when you get back. The last thing I need from him is giving me the third degree. I'm supposed to be an angel," Sammi said, sitting next to Vince with a far distance.

"Hey, everyone gets to have fun in a new city. I promise I won't tell him anything," Vince says, making a cross on his chest.

"How is everything in L.A anyway? It feels like every time I call someone, it's only for a minute," Sammi asked, messing with the fringe of a pillow.

"In more detail, everything is boring in terms of partying. Tommy and Nikki pretty much have to entertain themselves now. Mick is okay, I guess. We go out altogether as a band, and that's it,"

"Oh, you poor souls," Sammi teased with a smile.

Vince chuckled. "We're going to start recording a new album in January, but I doubt that," Vince mumbles in the last of his words, staring down at Skylar.

"Why? Is everything okay with Elektra?" Sammi asked, scrunching her eyebrows.

"It's not Elektra. It's freaking Nikki," Vince said, frowning.

"What's going on with Nikki?" Sammi asked, beginning to worry even if she tried not to. Vince only looked at Sammi for a moment before speaking.

"I haven't talked to Nikki at all, but I do know he's hiding in his house, having drug parties. Which means I doubt he's writing anything. Which means there'll barely be anything by the time we have to record. And even if Nikki does pull something out of his ass, I'm sure it'll suck," Vince said with malice.

"Vince, be nice to Nikki. He's still your bandmate. If you think Nikki isn't going to write in time for the album, which he does have time for, then talk to him," Sammi advised.

"Why'd you gotta take his side for everything?" Vince asked, frowning at her.

"I'm not on his side," Sammi muttered.

"Yeah, you are! Why else would you say be 'nice' to Nikki?"

Sammi rolled her eyes. "Just because I say be nice doesn't mean I'm on anyone's side. I'm only giving you advice for you not to deal with dumb B.S. It's also your ass that's in Motley. How about you give a shit about your band?" Sammi asked, scowling towards Vince.

Vince sighed out, pulling his ear lobe. "Alright, you're right. I'm sorry,"

"Thank you!"

"Why do you always have to be right about stuff?"

"Because I'm the only one that actually uses my brain from the four of you," Sammi teased, making Vince rolled his eyes playfully. "Now, were you planning on just visiting, or did you have an idea of going somewhere?" Sammi asked, one eyebrow raised.

"Do you want to go to the aquarium? I think Sky's old enough to react to the animals," Vince asked, with a small smile.

"I'd love to. I promise I won't take long getting ready," Sammi said, jumping up from the sofa. "Oh, and help yourself to whatever's in my kitchen," Sammi added before disappearing into her bedroom. Vince only kept his smile on Sammi when she left him and Skylar alone, sighing out as he sat on the floor next to his daughter. Vince couldn't help but feel joy from the idea of a small calm day with Sammi, just like old times.

*

"I forgot how cute you look with your glasses," Vince said to Sammi, opening the car door for her. Sammi only smiled and slid in the front passenger seat, trying to play down Vince's obvious flirtation. For a Monday afternoon, San Francisco felt lively and calm compared to the other days of up and down the chaos. A developing hangover didn't paralyze Sammi surprisingly, getting a chance to enjoy the city for what it was for what felt like the first time. Sammi had had the habit of only leaving her apartment for school or food. The aquarium was nearly empty as kids were already back in school, letting Skylar roam freely around like a princess. Vince loved Skylar's fascinations with the sea creatures; her mouth opens in wonder the entire time. When the three reached a grand display window that covered every inch of the wall, making the room a dark blue, Skylar couldn't help but sit right on the floor to stare in awe. Vince almost reached down to pick Skylar up, but Sammi beat him by sitting next to Skylar and prompted her right in her lap.

"Sky, look at that fish over there," Sammi softly said in Skylar's ear, pointing out to a colorful fish with a long-finned tail. Vince only smiled down at the two girls, wishing he had a camera for this sweet moment to freeze in time. "Not gonna join us, Dad?" Sammi asked Vince, shrugging his shoulders and joining them on the floor. "This was a good idea, Vince. It's cute seeing Skylar look shocked at everything,"

"Yeah, I get them every now and then, especially for this little girl," Vince said, rubbing a knuckle against Skylar's cheek.

"Did you tell Sharise you were coming up here?" Sammi asked.

"Yeah," Vince shortly answered. Sammi scrunched her eyebrows at him.

"Are you lying to sound nice, or did you really not tell her about leaving?"

"I told her I was taking Sky out of L.A., I just didn't mention coming to see you,"

"Vince!"

"What? I didn't want her yelling at me for coming to see you. That's my business. And if I want to bring Skylar along, I can do that. I am her dad,"

"Yes, but come on, dude, I would want to know where the hell my child was going every second and who would be around her. Especially if the father of my child was going to go see an ex-girlfriend,"

"Sharise goes out to visit ex-boyfriends, so I don't see the big deal. Also, she knows you and knows Skylar likes you. You're not a stranger to anybody,"

"Have you ever thought she might not like that? Even if I'm not a total stranger,"

"What do you mean?"

"All of a sudden, her daughter likes someone new right away that happens to be an ex. You don't think that's pouring salt right on the wound? I'm just trying to tell you what a woman could be thinking,"

"And thank you for that, but Sharise and I are fine talking only about how happy Skylar is. I'm sure Sharise doesn't mind a responsible person being around our daughter at all,"

Sammi shrugged her shoulders, turning back to the aquarium, seeing clownfish swim near the glass. "I guess," Sammi mumbled, keeping a hold onto Skylar.

Vince glanced over at Sammi, seeing the worry on her face, sighing out. "I'll tell her when we get back home. We're leaving tomorrow afternoon anyway,"

"Good. Let's keep moving than before Skylar gets bored. I know I already am," Sammi said, shifting Skylar in Vince's lap to stand up before taking the toddler in her arms.

"You're okay carrying her?" Vince asked, standing up as they continued down the designated path the aquarium set up.

"Why wouldn't I be? She's a good arm workout," Sammi teased, lifting Skylar up and down gently like a dumbbell, earning a laugh from the baby and Vince. Vince enjoyed the day more and more, feeling confident enough to rest an arm around Sammi's shoulders. Vince and Sammi looked like young parents with a beautiful growing toddler in Sammi's arms in the eyes of a few passing strangers. No one recognizing Vince made the feeling of blending in again reachable to Sammi and Vince. The 'little family' continued to roam the paths around the ginormous aquarium, finding calm sharks on one side and smaller octopus on another side until walking to the outdoor seal and sea lion sanctuary.

"Man to be like that seal, getting a tan on a rock, enjoying life," Vince said as Sammi switched Skylar to his arms.

"Vince, you already do that every time you go down to the beach," Sammi teased, leaning over the railing to see a school of seals hiding from the sun in the water.

"Not all the time, I go to the beach. I also drink and try my best to surf!"

"You trying to surfer and failing will forever be a highlight to our beach dates,"

"Good to know you still remember them," Vince said, winking at Sammi. Sammi only looked away from the man, shaking her head as she continued walking around the area, Vince and Skylar following behind.

"I still remember us being in a relationship, Vince. It's not like I completely erased everything the moment we broke up," Sammi said over her shoulder, a cold feeling trailing down her body. She wished it was so easy to erase memories of past happiness. Sammi came to a far halt from Vince, turning on her heels to hear Skylar begin to cry, heading right next to Vince. Vince tried to calm Skylar the best he could, bouncing her on his hip gently, Sammi gently shushing in Skylar's ear as an attempt as well. "Hey, can you see what time it is?" Vince asked Sammi, looking out into the distance where the sun was beginning to set. Sammi glanced down at the thin silver watch on her wrist, seeing 5:30.

"I think it's time to call it a day. It's already getting late," Sammi said, showing Vince the time on her watch. "Where's your hotel?"

"Oh, hotels aren't for a family man," Vince said with a smile as Sammi raised an eyebrow. "Come on, let's get some food. I'm buying,"

"Okay?" Sammi said with scrunched eyebrows, following Vince through the path to leave the aquarium. "Where are we going now?"

"Just trust me!"

*

Vince drove out into downtown Oakland on the San Francisco Bay area's east side, parking in front of a rustic apartment building. Sammi didn't say a word the whole time, only helping Skylar out of her car seat with her bag. From the first few steps of entering Vince's apartment, Sammi couldn't help but become envious of the warmth she could feel compared to her little 'home.' A spacious two-bedroom that was almost entirely exposed brick walls. Vince was able to have the luxury of renting an apartment like this, Sammi imagining how much regular rent would cost for a place like this. "How about you order us some Chinese, Sam. I'll take care of the little princess," Vince said, grabbing a grumpy Skylar from Sammi's arms. Sammi followed, ordering takeout like back in Redondo Beach, remembering Vince's usual order as hers. It didn't take long for the two to finally eat, Vince opening a bottle of wine to pass the time. Sammi sat right across from Vince on the dark oak dining table for four, pouring out a small amount of shrimp fried rice from the container. Vince ate straight out of the container, chewing on a piece of orange chicken, watching Skylar try her hardest not to make a mess as she ate chopped bananas for dessert.

"You really just thought of everything, haven't you?" Sammi asked, happily looking at Vince, sipping on red wine.

"Listen, I thought if I'm going to take my child on her first Daddy Daughter vacation, it had to be planned greatly. Besides, hotels just remind me of being on tour, and I don't like that right now,"

"You don't miss the feeling of touring?"

"Depends. Sometimes I do if it's been a long time, but I prefer being home most of the time. Or at least with family,"

"That's understandable," Sammi said, taking a spoon full of rice.

"I haven't asked you yet, but you haven't spoken to Nikki, have you?" Vince asked out of the blue, catching Sammi off guard. She looked at Vince, then down at her food, as she swallowed.

Sammi shook, scratching the side of her head. "No, I haven't. I haven't spoken to him since the wedding," It wasn't a complete lie. Vince nodded, wiping his mouth with a napkin. Sammi finished what was left of the red wine, debating to pour another glass.

"It's for the best then. Like I said, he only cares about hiding away in his castle. He has new friends. I see them around him sometimes,"

"That's not completely true, Vince. Nikki cares deep inside his tiny little heart," Sammi mumbled, eyes gazing down at the table.

"You're so sure about that? Then why hasn't he asked about you?" Vince asked, raising an eyebrow.

Sammi stared at Vince, the heart began to beat fast, shrugging. "Nikki knows I'm gone, right?"

"Yeah, he does. He's known for some time now,"

"Then you're just lying to me. Nikki has to at least have asked Tommy about me. I'm sure if I call him right now, he'll say yes,"

"I'm sorry to break it to you, Sammi, but he hasn't asked about you to anyone," Vince said with a little smile. Sammi sucked the front of her teeth, looking past Vince into the kitchen.

"You know I'm going, to be honest, I still have no idea when you're lying or not," Sammi said with a repressed smile.

"I don't need to lie, Sam. Do you really want Nikki to be calling you when you're focusing on yourself? Drunk dialing randomly?"

Sammi frowned, blinking away anything from her eyes. Vince could tell the sadness was there. "No… I guess not,"

"Good. Because there's something I've meant to tell you,"

"What is it?"

"Nikki also moved on with another girl," Vince said with a shrug.

"How do you know?" Sammi asked, her frown turning soft.

"I see them around when they come out of hiding,"

Sammi didn't say anything else, only rising from her seat to head straight for the cabinets in search of something vital. "Do you have tequila in this place?" Sammi asked, hands on her hips to face Vince.

"The first cabinet to your right is where all the other booze is. Wanna have a little party?" Vince asked, smirking. Sammi pulled out the only bottle of silver tequila in the crowd of alcohol, screwing off the cap to take one straight shot, turning into two. Vince only kept his smirk on his lips, eyes turning lustful on Sammi as he finished the rest of his glass of wine. Sammi offered the bottle to Vince, the man taking it and taking a small sip due to Skylar looking right at him with big eyes. "Okay, little princess, it's time to go to bed," Vince said to Skylar, pulling her out of the high chair and taking her to what was her room for the night. Sammi could already feel a buzz coming on, strutting over to the table to grab the bottle, heading right for the grey sectional sofa. She dropped herself onto the piece of furniture, taking another big gulp of tequila. Vince returned fast, thanking God Skylar went out like a light when he put her to bed, sitting right down next to Sammi. He placed an arm right behind Sammi, taking the bottle from her for another shot.

"Fucking asshole," Sammi slurred, eyes closed with her head resting on the sofa frame.

"You're right, he is. Open up," Vince said, pouring tequila straight down Sammi's throat. "You don't need that in your life," Vince said, fingers lightly caressing Sammi's bare arm.

"Exactly! I'm doing great out here! I'm moving on! I need to worry about me!" Sammi said, not noticing the more vivid touches from Vince. "If he got a girlfriend, then good for him!" Sammi didn't believe anything of what she was saying.

"You are doing great out here, way better than him," Vince said, cradling Sammi into his side, her hair tickling his cheek. He could smell the scent of Sammi's favorite perfume on her neck. This tempted him to a greater power. To Vince, everything was set in stone for him, looking like the perfect man right now. Vince lowered his lips down to the nape of Sammi's neck, lightly kissing in the spot he knew she loved. Sammi pulled away, lips parted as she stared at Vince for a moment. Instead of what Vince thought might be rejection, Sammi leaned in, crashing their lips together for the first time again. Vince immediately reacted, cradling his hand on the back of Sammi's head, bringing them closer together. Sammi clung onto Vince, the tequila making everything feel fast even when not. Tongues were beginning to slip past each other. Vince pulled away; his breath was almost taken away. "Let's go to the bedroom," Vince said, swiftly catching Sammi into a bridal carry. She only giggled along, attacking Vince's neck as he walked down the hallway, soon placed gently in the middle of the king-sized bed. Sammi brought Vince back down, kissing him deeply with a sense of passion. Vince took his time with his wandering hands, lifting up Sammi's shirt and caressing her thighs through her denim jeans. The two didn't need to speak, remembering everything like it was and getting lost in the feelings once again for this one night.

September 2nd

Sammi snapped open her eyes, her breath caught in her throat as if she was having a nightmare. Everything around her was almost pitch black, the window only giving in a bit of light from the outdoor streetlights. Sammi frowned to herself, realizing she was naked under the blankets, slowly resting up on her elbow. She blinked to wake up with the worse blurry vision, reaching out to feel for the nightstand as if it were her standard room, hoping to get her glasses. It didn't take long for Sammi to find her pair of glasses, putting them on to see a dark place that belonged to someone else.  Fuck  Sammi thought, staring out the window through the blinds. Her buzz from earlier had gone away; grateful to not feel the after-effects of alcohol again, Sammi sitting up, covering herself as she looked at the clock radio. It was 1 in the morning. Soon a soft snoring sound caused Sammi to look over her bare shoulder, finding Vince naked under the thin blanket, hair covering his face. Sammi bit her lip to not make a sound, lifting the covers and quietly tiptoeing out of bed. Her clothes weren't far from the bed, almost all in one pile for Sammi to quickly change into. The entire time, Sammi looked over at Vince, praying he wouldn't wake up suddenly. Vince didn't move an inch, dead asleep while Sammi faintly slipped out of the bedroom. She paced down in soft steps to the front of the apartment, grabbing her sneakers that were tossed next to the sofa. Sammi looked around for a piece of paper, debating to leave a note for when Vince woke to not worry him. Unfortunately, while napkins were scattered on the table, there was no pen in sight for Sammi. She let out a quiet sigh as she grabbed her purse, tiptoeing in socks to the door, and with quick stealth left. Sammi thought how she didn't want to do this again, cursing at herself while slipping on her shoes. Tossing her disheveled hair to one side, Sammi sped down the hall to the 3 flights of stairs, running right out of the rustic apartment building, gasping for fresh air. The city was still wide awake, taxis passing not far, Sammi lifting her arm to catch one's attention.

"Good evening, little lady. Where are we off to?" the man asked over his shoulder, slowly driving off.

"To the middle of San Francisco," Sammi muttered, head resting against the window.

"Good thing I know every part of this bay area," the man said, raising the volume of the radio a bit to an American Top 40 station. Sammi shut her eyes, wanting the tired feeling to go away.

*

Yawning out in an empty classroom, Sammi rubbed her tired eyes to stay awake, dark circles forming from two nights of inadequate sleep. Sammi looked forward to a morning class to soon become a dread, the professor lecturing as expected, but nothing was sticking to the young girl. It took two cups of coffee from the library for Sammi to wake up and understand what was written in her notebook. Sammi rubbed her temple as she wrote down the chapter spoken in her lecture, different definitions from a Pharmaceutics textbook, thankful for only having one class today. Sammi looked over to a clock on the wall as she drank a bottle of water, wondering if Skylar had woken Vince up for breakfast. Sammi shook her head, letting out a heavy sigh, dropping her head on the lab table. She felt exhausted to the degree that wasn't due to heavy workload; to was the exhaustion of being overwhelmed by others. Sammi thought being alone in a city would help, but clearly, it wasn't the case. When she lifted her head up, Sammi's eye fell on a familiar man standing in the open doorway, staring at her. He walked right up with a nonchalant smirk, proudly standing right in front of Sammi. It wasn't until he got closer did Sammi fully remember his face.

"Hey," the man said, fixing the straps of his backpack. "I didn't know you went to school here. I guess we never spoke much about school the other night," Sammi showed a tight-lipped smile at the man, nodding as she fidgeted with a pencil between her fingers. "Damn, your notes are impressive. I never would've thought you were a scholar type. How are you doing?"

Sammi scrunched her brows at the man. "Okay, I'm sorry, I can't fake it. I do not remember your name at all,"

"But you do remember me, right?" the man asked.

"Yeah. You're the guys whose apartment I snuck out of in the morning. I didn't think I would run into you at all after that," Sammi said with a shrug and a polite smile.

"It's okay. I already came to that conclusion way beforehand. I'm David," said David

"Oh well, great. I'm glad we both knew it was just a one night stand. Nothing else,"

"Of course, it's pretty clear as day with someone like you, Samantha," David said, shoving his hand in his jean pockets.

Sammi scrunched her brows together up at David. "I'm sorry? Someone like me?"

"Oh, come on, Samantha, don't play dumb. Your brother's Tommy Lee! A rockstar who always slept around with randoms. I figured it has to run in the family, and clearly, it does," David said with a smirk.

Sammi curled her lip, rising up from her seat, folding in her arms against her chest. "What the fuck did you just say?"

"Oh, did I hit a soft spot? I'm only pointing out the facts that you're just as easy as your brother. Why do you think I kept buying you drinks?" David asks. Sammi didn't say a word, only scuffing at the imbecile in front of her and rolling her eyes, getting an idea. Instead of shouting at David for being a rude person, Sammi carelessly grabbed her water bottle and took a big gulp of water, holding it in her cheeks. She leaned over the desk a bit, inching closer as Sammi spit all of the water right in David's face. David immediately reacted, pushing Sammi away from him, almost stumbling on his feet as he wiped away the water from his eyes. Sammi tripped back down to the chair, glaring right up at the man.

"Fuck you, asshole!" Sammi shouted.

"I'm an asshole? You're the bitch who just spat in my face!" David yelled, drying his face with his shirt.

"Only because you just called my brother and I sluts!"

"It's the truth! How the hell did you even get into this school?"

"Because I'm smart and mind my business, unlike you. Now fuck off before I pour this whole water on your head!" Sammi ordered, standing up again. David didn't say another word, storming out of the classroom, almost being able to see smoke come out of his ears. Sammi shook her head, nostrils flaring with anger, slamming her book shut. She shoved all of her belongings angrily into her satchel, storming out in the opposite direction of David. Sammi didn't care about studying today, only wanting to go back to sleep in her own bed.  

*

After a nap and a long relaxing bath, Sammi strolled over to the answering machine with green tea in a warm mug, remembering about the blinking red light when she got home. She knew it was something that could pile up if she let it. Sammi pressed play, sitting down on the loveseat as she blew on the drink before taking a sip.

"Hola Sammi! It's Em, just wanted to let you know, it's been a full two weeks of living with Sabrina, and we haven't killed each other! Maybe we can live together in harmony. Call me back. Love you. Miss you." Sammi giggled along at Emma's voicemail, happy to hear her voice again.

"Hi Sam, it's your sister that you need to call back because I'm bored and mama is worried. Please call her at least! Bye, love you,"  Sammi rolled her eyes, making a mental note to call her parents and Athena. Maybe even Tommy while she's at it.

"Hey Sam, I know you were probably in a hurry to leave this morning. Just wanted to say it was great seeing you. Hopefully, you come down to L.A soon. Skylar says bye-" Sammi deleted the message fast, waiting for the last one.

"Hi, Princess," Nikki slurred.  Sammi froze in her place, eyes darting to the answering machine.  "I know it's been a while. I'm sorry about that. Tommy just gave me your new phone number, in your new apartment, in a new city," Sammi could hear in Nikki's words; he had been crying, his voice sounding broken and rough.  "I just wanted to call and let you know... Nona passed away a while back in the summer. I know she loved you," Sammi almost dropped her mug right from under her hand, warm tea staining the carpet. Sammi quickly felt the tears creep in her eyes, thinking of Nikki's grandmother. Gone.

"I'm sorry I'm high right now, but I just needed to call you. I want you… I miss you. Please-" Sammi let out a shaky breath, tears blurring her vision. She took off her glasses, placing them next to the mug on the coffee table, tears cascading down her face. Nikki's feelings couldn't leave Sammi's mind, even after a night that shouldn't have happened. She wanted to call back. She tried her hardest to call back but knowing Nikki was still high stopped her. If what Vince said was even a quarter of the truth, Sammi couldn't handle it. Sammi curled onto her side on the loveseat, weeping out a sob, almost as the ones she let out when she couldn't say goodbye to Nikki.

[justasparkwritings]

Merry & Bright {18}: Did You Know?

Previous: That’s Christmas To Me

Pairing: Kim Namjoon x Reader

Genre: Angst

Rating: PG13

Warnings: Swearing!

Summary: Your reoccurring Nativity dream brings big questions as you share the holiday with Namjoon’s family. 

           Dreams are often ways in which our minds process information. They manipulate people, they change the settings, they extort emotions for the sake of clarity. It’s your brains chance to reset every day. But for you, your dreams always pulled you further and further away from yourself. They took you deep into a forbidden forest or left you alone on a mountain top. As the holidays approached, you kept having one reoccurring dream… every night intensifying as if to signal an impending message, like an angel appearing to you.

          Each evening as you drifted, you found yourself back in that same place, invisible to the people around you. The dust from the dirt road drifting around you, the smell of unwashed bodies and animals swelling around you. You always started in the same place, walking side by side as a donkey carried a pregnant woman, her husband knocking on every door asking for shelter, always being turned away.

          Your first night in this dream of Bethlehem, you’d recognized your surroundings immediately. Hadn’t you read the story a thousand times? It wasn’t until the second night that you tried to intervene, to no avail. By the third, you’d progressed from the journey of Mary and Joseph to the shepherds, guarding their flock. On night four you awoke with a start, the angels having just appeared, trumpets blaring, Hallelujah chorus playing softly in the distance. When you finally reached night seven, and witnessed the birth of the baby Jesus, you were taken aback by the scene in front of you. For it wasn’t Mary and Joseph, but the Kim family, and baby Jesus was none other than Namjoon. Dream you jumped, scared and startled by the revelation. As you unwillingly awoke from your dreams, you couldn’t help but stare at your partner.

          “Kim Namjoon, the great I am?” You asked yourself, unable register the meaning of your dream. It was on nights 9-14 that you discovered the parameters of your think space and began exploring the nativity scene, patiently awaiting the Wise Men to arrive from the east. Every night, you watched intently as the scene played out. Jesus, or Namjoon, being born, wrapped in swaddling cloth and laid in a manger. Every morning you awoke, less confused but still searching for meaning.

          Namjoon wasn’t religious and had acknowledged that he believed there was no god. And yet, every night, you dreamt of him, his birth being proclaimed, the star guiding worshippers to his cradle.

          You found yourself staring at Namjoon more and more, mind working as you looked at him, racing with questions and judgments. Wandering to uncharted territory that you’d dip your toe in, a step too far and you’d never come out, but enough that you could find your way back… back to him. Back to your body, back to this space, not Bethlehem, not Judea, but your apartment in Seoul.  Namjoon would turn to you, calling your name or saying “jagi, come back”, knowing full well you had indulged your whims.

          “Jagi, you’ve been acting, different,” Namjoon said one morning over coffee.

          “I keep having this dream,” You said, staring at him.

          “Oh?” He’d asked, sitting down and staring at you.

          “It’s the same one, every night,” You told him, eyes still squinted as you recounted the events. “I, I don’t know why I’m having it, but it comes to me every single night,”

          “Do you want to tell me what it is?” Namjoon asked.

          “No, no, I haven’t figured it out yet,” You shook your head, eyes still confused. “When I figure it out, I will.”

          That evening, you ventured to visit Namjoon’s parents for a celebratory dinner. They had many things to celebrate: Namjoon’s year of success, his definite return from military service, your impending engagement, and last of all, Christmas. Entering their home, you both bowed, acknowledging your elders before they pulled you both into a hug. The embrace was familiar, the house, familiar, the occasion for their dinner? Familiar. All you felt was an uncertainty, an imbalance within yourself. The dread that something was going to happen, and in the most outrageous parts of your mind, you wondered if Wise Men would arrive from the east, or if a star was shining down on the apartment complex, letting everyone know the great savior, Kim Namjoon, was here, eating dumplings with his family.

          Retiring to the living room for dessert and drinks, you found yourself looking at old family photos with Namjoon’s mother, the tugging in your heart growing.

          “Did you know?” You whispered, staring at Namjoon’s first Christmas photo.

          “Did I know?” She asked you, eyes confused and staring into yours.

          “Did you know that he, did you know that he would be,” You couldn’t get the words out. There were too many possibilities.  

·      Did you know that your baby boy would one day sing to millions?

·      Did you know that your baby boy Would travel the globe?

·      Did you know that your baby boy Would set records for albums sold?

·      Did you know that he’d earn Hwagwan Orders of Cultural Merit before turning 27?

·      Did you know that he would speak to the United Nations General Council, twice?

·      Did you know that he’d help raise 1.4 million for UNICEF through the Love Myself campaign?

·      Did you know that he would help donate over 2 million to Black Lives Matter?

·      Did you know that he’d have five consecutive albums chart at No. 1 on the Billboard 200?

·      Did you know that he’d have the most No. 1s in iTunes history?

·      Did you know that he would greet the President of Korea?

·      Did you know that he would lead the greatest band to grace the planet earth?

·      Did you know that despite your words, your hate, your misunderstanding of his career, would spur him on further?

·      Did you know?

          Staring at her, your eyes filled immediately with tears. The possibilities, the potential, the endless universes that Namjoon could create and was creating… The drive, his push to be better than he was yesterday, to think about the moments he’s been happiest, to understand the complexities of the universe, to bring out the best in everyone, his perfectionism and depression be damned. The suffering he endured, the heartache, the failures, the never-ending self-doubt that what he was doing was right and just. His music reaching every nation. Namjoon, the sun and the stars at his disposal. Namjoon, the dimpled boy making a name for himself off of a Maple Story character. Namjoon, the mighty, Namjoon the brave, Namjoon, the great redeemer.

          “Did you know he’d be…” Your voice was gone, emotion taking over as your eyes try to plead with her.

          “No, I didn’t,” She said, hand reaching to rest over yours.

          “Mary didn’t know either,” You whispered.  

Next: We’re Happy Tonight

[spiritmaiden23]

CHARACTER SHEET FOR ZELDA!! 

This is a headcanon sheet that will go deep into the depths of Sky Zel, namely for fantasy verse because I do have another post to dissect Zel’s character as a whole coming up! Fantasy verse I feel needs more info than what I have for her character sheet this way more people can understand her and hopefully play around in that verse because hunny witch zel is an excellent concept I refuse to go to waste. I’d love to rp with more people in this verse because it’s refreshing as well. Anyhow! Bear was kind enough to provide the sheet and now here I am taking advantage of it! Be warned fellas, it’s gonna be a long. Like very long, this took like an hour or two to complete. With all dat juicy details. Feel free to copy and paste this if you want, it’s good for main characters or OCs. But it is long as hell! Let’s jump into it! 

Character’s Name: Zelda Lockewood  Character’s nicknames: Zel, Zellie, Zeldy, witch of the woods, Hylia’s apprentice Gender: Female  Righty or Lefty: Righty  Age: 19-20  Height: 5′3 around 161 cm  Weight: 104 lbs  Eye Color: Light blue, similar to the skies. They twinkle with mischief intent yet benevolence is within her gaze. Hair color: Golden blonde, often tied with ribbons and in a very low ponytail  Distinguishing marks: She has a scar on her chest below the collarbone and at the end of her ribcage where the scar has a slight turn to it towards the left, right above her heart. After a summoning spell gone wrong, she was stabbed there by the creature, thankfully miss OP Hylia was there to save her from dying.  Describe physical traits in one passage: Whew, ok I sound like a broken record but here we go. She often has red cheeks that tend to grow redder when angry or embarrassed or shy or when she has the dokis. Very long ears that also can grow red towards the tips, as such people have mistaken her for an elf which is why she wears the witch’s hat in the first place. She likes to tie her hair in a low ponytail in order to work without it getting in the way but out of her hair is super long to the waist. She has blunt bangs or hime cut as I like to call it! And is petite but don’t let that fool you, she does have monster strength much like main verse.  FAMILY/ RELIGION  Parents: Hylia is her biological mother within this verse, she’s unaware of the fact and believes her mother to be dead. She lives with her adoptive father, Gaepora.  Siblings: An only child  Significant Other: None thus far! But I’m open to shipping here ;v;  Children: Again, none but it’s something she’d want in the future!  Other relatives: Gaepora keeps his family at an arms length, though jolly and wise he tends to be a bit of an introvert at times as such Zelda doesn’t really get to meet with her family too much or get to know them.  Pets: Her familiar, the Loftwing Indigo! Black cats seem to like her as they surround her though! Friends: Tons! But well in case future RPers are interested I can’t really fill it out.  Enemies: Sorceresses are typical enemies to a witch, she tends to avoid other witches too due to their cold-hearted nature.  Relationships (other): It’s tough to put Wylan in a category so this might be best. Though he is an annoyance and she finds him a bit of a troll slowly she’s starting to get to know him bit by bit.  Ethnicity: A witch! With connection to the gods thanks to her mother being the Goddess of Witches who goes by the name Circe to mortal realm and witches, her true name is Hylia though so don’t be confused by this. She comes from a nation called Lanayru, so prehaps Lanayruen if you wanna call her that! Religion: Most witches tend to follow something akin to Wiccan belief, Zelda follows that! Superstitions: When making a potion, she often likes to pray to the Goddess of Witches and sing a small tune while making sad potions as a means to break the silence. She doesn’t look at mirrors in the dark or but two mirrors opposite of each other as it’s believe it could make a portal of sorts for demons and other evil beings, as such she often covers her mirrors and doesn’t look at them too much aside from when she has to get ready. It’s silly, she knows, but it’s trauma from opening the portal when summoning a being far beyond her skill.  Diction, Accent, ETC.: So, she has a light accent that’s typical for those coming from Lanayru. Certain words, you can hear it spilling out. It’s best to describe it as a sing-songy accent where certain vowel sounds are stretched out. She’s learned to shorten the vowels though, trying to fit in with the nation she lives in now! Which is Hyrule a land far more bigger than her humble homelands with advancements in magic and certain technology. They have a more... I wanna say North american accent that can range from Canadian to the typical eastern accent for USA to southern accent from again, USA.  SCHOOL/ WORK / HOME  Education (Highest): Hmm, college equivalent of fantasy world? She was a fast learner and skipped a few grades which is why she graduated so early (it helps being the daughter of the Goddess of Witches too, demi god to be exact haha) she and had a natural affinity for magic, also she was studious as well and often aced tests.  Degrees: Oh damn... well she doesn’t have the title Hylia’s Golden Apprentice for nothing. So let’s consider that a degree, or maybe a degree in magic pft! Vocation/Occupation: A potions seller! Employment History: Let’s explain how she has experience in this! She worked with a brewing master, who owned a shop that was full of wares and while some cursed and forbidden, as well as the owner being sketchy, she learned about how the potions business works while working for him from 14 to 18. Four short years! Nice! Upon moving to Hyrule, she kept her potions making a bit lowkey. Selling her wares in the small town near the lost woods known as Tarrey Town. Under the guise as a merchant, it was soon discovered that she was a witch and while certain residents tend to avoid her due to low reputation of witches as a whole, many are attracted by her refreshingly friendly nature and excellent quality in potions. Rumors begin to spread out and she does tend to travel to the big city, Castle Town, from time to time to sell her wares. Though she’s still learning the ropes, and though her business isn’t really that big, she’s doing not too bad. Salary: Potions aren’t cheap, she’s her own boss as well. So, let’s put it that way. HWEOH  Status and money: Despite how well her business is doing, she’s not exactly rich but she’s not too worried about her money situation either. Resourceful, she tends to save her money by collecting her own ingredients in the Lost Woods, though if she has to she will go out to get the ones she couldn’t find within the forest and while some are expensive, she tends to barging with cheapening the price somewhat.  Own or Rent: OWN! She made her little hut deep within the woods through magic of course, it’s hard to find unless you know how to navigate within the ever changing nature of the Lost Woods. It’s a bit like OOT in that regard, ALTTP with the mysterious fog you can get lost in, and well... I’m also taking small inspiration from Paper Mario 64 with the spooky forest in one level since the Lost Woods here is a bit... well, spooky!  Living Space: It’s a small, humble sized cottage crafted with grey bricks for the chimney and front entrance sticking out with some tudor elements to the building where the house is half-timbered walls! The outside has a white little gate with a plant arch full of roses, and there is a garden full of flowers and herbs, with ivy crawling up the building towards the back of the house along with a weeping willow within her large yard, a lake is nearby and there is a lovely waterfall but beware of the creatures lurking within! The window in the kitchen is the biggest window in the house, almost like a bay window of sorts but you can’t exactly open that window yet there is a another on the lower floor where you can, while her bedroom has a slightly smaller window where they are opened outwards and always opened in the daytime, there is a large window seat, large enough to sleep on it with comforting pink cushion as well as little pillows she’s knitted herself. There are drawers underneath where she stores extra stuff. Now, as for the inside, aside from the kitchen and her bedroom along with the bathroom, it’s a big mess! The small space is cluttered with tons of books and tomes, some on the millions of shelves (along with tons and tons of potion battles) she has and some on the floor with pages scattered throughout the wood flowering. She has plants like wisteria hanging on the walls and several others like witch’s herb among other examples hanging from the celling. There’s a small sitting area with a wooden desk and stool and that’s where she often works with her research. It’s pretty much well lived in and is the result of working too much to notice the mess. It’s two stories, with a small attic being the second floor. Her bedroom is located on the first floor and despite the window seat, she has a nice slightly small queen sized sleigh bed in the center and up against the wall, it looks super comfy, like you can sink into it and well it’s possible! Along with a vanity mirror with brushes for light makeup she wears for special events, and a small bottle filled with flowers, her knitting area with a small basket full of yarn balls and a wooden wardrobe to keep her clothing in. There is a cute rug on the floor to bring the room together. Along with book shelves. It’s a cute yet ery simple style.  Work Space: As described above, it’s a wooden desk within the main hub area of the house. It’s in the corner of the room, near a window as a means to get sunlight and fresh air! Her cauldron is not too far from the desk and once again, she has tons of flowers. There’s always her research papers and books on it, a quill with a feather, annnnd a small candle stand in case she’s working late in the night! Main Mode of Transportation: Either her “broom” which is an enchanted feather from her Loftwing or her Loftwing himself! She thinks it’s silly to ride on a broom and wanted to be more creative! PSYCHOLOGY  Fears: Well when you face near death and actually saw the reaper’s scythe coming at you hot, you tend to not fear much. She doesn’t really like to summon things though due to that accident, so there’s nervousness whenever she absolutely has to. Mirrors there’s a slight fear due to how they can act as portals into the other realm. And losing loved ones, failing to protect them. Perhaps knowing the truth about her birth is also a fear, as she will deny being a demi god let along to the Goddess of Witches. There’s this feeling she has where she knows she’s not an ordinary witch but out of fear she does not investigate too much with a slight hint of curiosity.  Secrets: Much like main verse she can hear the gods and spirits of the realm, something she denies and keeps to herself. While she can do wandless magic, a feat only known to Hylia, it’s a bit hard and her spells tend to go wild so it’s why she likes to stick to tomes as it better handles her powers. Whenever mana blockage happens, she tends to get embarrassed and will only reveal it if she has to.  IQ: VERY HIGH as expected of someone with a lot of wisdom despite her age. That is all for this one... Eating Habits: NOT VERY GOOD!!! She just throws together anything that’s edible enough and eats it, while it doesn’t taste good she’s always in a rush to get back to work because she’s a bit of a workaholic in this verse! Sometimes, she’ll take elixirs to suppress her hunger if she’s working very hard on something like research or recipe hunting, at times she doesn’t always get the potion right so she tends to try again and again until she does. Neglecting her need to eat. Pretty much, it’s like putting fried rice, egg, and leftovers in a blender and eating that disgusting mess. And though she can cook mainly simple enough dishes, she tends to not do it too much. Someone get this girl some food.  Sleeping Habits: AGAIN NOT VERY GOOD THIS POOR BABY!! When cramming in the night, she gets so focused she tends to stay up until four o’ clock by drinking lots and lots of coffee... and that’s when the sleepiness tends to hit her once that caffeine is all gone, you’ll most likely see her asleep at her desk. Being an early bird though means she won’t get much sleep so ;v; That said when not cramming, she tends to get sleepy once the sun’s down so she does get normal hours of sleep mostly. She loves the morning and always wakes up to the sun greeting her as she tends to leave the curtains open, not at all afraid to do that since like... no one goes deep into Lost Woods aside from Wylan pft.  Book Preferences: She loves reading research and recipe books! It’s always fun for her to learn new things and as such she always has her head buried in a book that discusses tons and tons of research. When not learning and sitting back to relax, she likes tales of adventures and will sometimes read romance novels as well.  Music Preferences: Harp and lyre along with other string instruments! She tends to love folklore as there is a history behind it and she does find that super interesting. Though she can somewhat play the harp/lyre she’s not as talented as say the bard Kina! Groups or Alone: While good enough in a group as she does like teamwork, she’d rather do things on her own. Blame being responsible to a fault for that one alongside slight hero complex for more dangerous things she has to face HJKA! Leader or Follower: Are you kidding? Leader all the freaking way! She has a natural charm about her and is ambitious in a sense, she would make a good leader because she’s wise enough to make good decisions when in a pinch. That said she can be a little bossy when worry wart tendencies pops up and will def assume that you need her help. She’s just trying to be a good friend who believes in you and your potential, don’t mind her. Just... her supportive attitude is pretty strong haha!  Planned Out or Spontaneous: With her carefree nature, you’d think she’d be spontaneous and while she can be at times because adventure is fun, she tends to plan a lot of things out... of course, her plans never work out. But again, she’s resourceful enough to work around the issue she may come across.  Journal Entires (Do they keep one?) YES OF COURSE MY GIRL LOVES TO WRITE!! She actually has a few, four in total. One for researching plants and other things, another to keep track of her inventory, one for folklore and ghosts/monsters findings perhaps, and one for her personal feelings. If you find the last one, she will end your life.  Hobbies, Recreation: Girl loves to knit! It’s very relaxing and she’s really good at it along with sewing her own clothing! She loves flying, and collecting plants in case that wasn’t obvious already. She also loves monster hunting despite how dangerous it can be, but due to how unique the monsters are in Hyrule she just can’t help it! Catch her taking pictures whenever she comes across one while a friend grabs her and runs for dear life. Jam making is a fun things she enjoys and gardening. Overall, really good hobbies she has! How Do They Relax: A nice bath filled with floral oils that’s meant to relax you and certain flowers as well. It’s how she’s got that flowery scent after all. She tends to read in the bath, and well reading in general along with writing is how she unwinds! She loves knitting and gardening and jam making is relaxing from time to time. Drinking tea while sitting underneath the weeping willow. She does love practicing her magic and hexes too!    What Excites Them?: MONSTERS DESPITE HOW DANGEROUS THEY ARE AND SNAPPING PHOTOS TO RECORD THEM, finding new spells, new tomes and other books! Seeing friends will make her super happy, flowers, wild plant life never seen before. Whenever other people from distant cities learn about her potions shop, new cauldrons, successfully making a new potion, exploring new cities and towns, traveling, flying, learning new things because she’s a nerd with a thirst for knowledge... pretty much she’s very excited over tons of things, it doesn’t take much to excite her, actually haha! Pet Peeves: Wylan breaking into her house, she has tons of charms in the place so it’s a bit worrying and annoying to find him in there doing whatever, messing up with a spell or burning potions, hunger pains when she’s deep at work along with her natural sleepiness once it’s dark out, prideful hero types mayhaps where they’re all talk and no action more like (she does value bravery though), bullying since strong sense of justice, and finally gossip and judgement.  Prejudices: She... doesn’t really have one? Aside from not liking bullies and again prideful hero types who are all talk and no action... liars too? And creeps who flirt with her. Flirting is fun but not when it’s unwanted. Yeah... that’s about it I think! Attitudes: Very determined and ready to face the day and is a hard worker! She’s a cheery girl through and through and very kind but don’t let her kindness fool you as she’s not afraid to put her foot down and call you out. She’s charming and a playful girl who has a love for learning. And is very supportive but can be a busybody if she worries for you. And though somewhat scared about the truth of her origins, once the time comes she’s ready to face those fears. She tends to get either angry or embarrassed (it’s ambiguous really) whenever Wylan is around doing... Wylan things actually haha! Stressors: I guess failure or deadlines that she can’t make if the recipe for the potion is too hard. As well as vague customers too because what sorta potion do you want from her she can’t read minds? Tarot cards and palm reading, while she knows how to do these things as it’s natural for all witches, knowing the future is scary and she’d rather live in the now while looking forward to the what the future has in store without knowing of her fate. Also, dark magic. She tends to stay away from it, corruption is a thing that can happen causing her to become a mindless yet very OP being known as sorceress.  Obsessions: WORK. Very much a hard worker to a fault actually due to her high sense of responsibilities playing into that. It’d be cash money if someone could help with relaxing her.  Addictions: Book collecting, along with flower collecting too and finally she has a super bad sweet tooth. That’s about it.  Ambitions: Right now, she wants to become a bigger name in order to help out people as she loves helping others, and well, the extra money doesn’t hurt either. She wishes to become a bit more powerful as she already is, up to the Grand Witch Hylia levels and wishes to increase her mana, not that it’s low but just in case! As Seen by Others: A cutie pie! Who’s kind though sometimes people do avoid her since Witch.  As Seen by Self: She’s cute and she knows it haha! Aside from that she doesn’t see herself as kind but someone who wants to do the right thing, there’s no reason behind this aside from it’s natural for her to be this way. That said she wants to work harder than she already is someone stop her. ASTROLOGY/PHISIOLOGY (hoo boi i know shit about that but let’s go) Birth Date: March 20 Time of Birth: 3:07 AM, right during witching hours with the magic number seven in it, that’s why Hylia went “oh crap she’s gonna be powerful like me and make poor life decisions if she sticks with me time to yeet this baby outta here” Western Astrological Sign: Pisces  Traits Associated with Western Sign: I’m lifting this from a sight but strengths are Compassion, artistic, intuitive, gentle, wise, musical. While weakness is fearful (not really she’s pretty brave but does have some fears) overly trusting, sad, desire to escape reality, can be a victim or a martyr. Some traits don’t really fit her, I guess you can say she’s the odd man out with typical pisces haha!  Chinese Zodiac Sign: That’s a little difficult since it goes by year rather than date but I’ll try! Year of the Monkey! It fits her best I feel! Traits Associated with Chinese Zodiac: according to this site monkeys are fast learners and crafty, they tend to have many interests, they are clever and creative and love to accept challenges. They tend to have magnetic personalities are witty and intelligent but can be naughty aka playful. I feel this fits her better than Pisces... or maybe a mixture of both haha! Handwriting: DOCTOR’S WRITING!! SHE... HAS SLOPPY CURSIVE THAT ONLY SHE CAN READ HWEOH but she can write neat cursive it’s just she’s always in a rush to get her thoughts out there.  Sexual History: Girl was too focused in her studies she did not date anyone. She’s not one for ahem “hooking up either” So... no history there I guess pft.   General Health: Healthy as can be! Medical History: Aside from that one time where she almost died, her medical history is really not that interesting. She does get mana blockage from time to time and they hurt hard and makes it harder to use magic. Her spells going haywire.  Allergies: Hmm... I don’t think she has any. Chronic Illnesses: Nope again! Handicaps: And again no on that either.  OBJECTS Purse / Bag: She has a leather bag around her waist, it’s charmed to be a hammer space of sorts so like... tons of things. Books, tomes, scrolls, diary for ingredients gathering, another journal for folklore and monster tracking, pictograph/camera athame knife just in case because you never know, wallet and plenty of others stuff Wallet: Well, it’s a pouch that’s full of money, a lot just in case. That is also a hammer space of sorts! Fridge: NOT A DAMN THING she’s better at storing bird food for her loftwing and cat food for any stray cats hanging around her area but her fridge is like... leftovers from the little meals she makes from time to time, jam, potions that need to be stored in cold place, veggies, and one battle of water that’s it.  Medicine Cabinet: While she knows some healing spells it doesn’t hurt to have bandages just in case! Along with medical brews that’ll help with things such as colds and other illnesses. Tooth brush and paste of course... and uh the little makeup she has because this girl a goddess and doesn’t wear it too much.  Glove Compartment: CARS DON’T EXIST BUT ACCORDING TO BOTW MOTORCYCLES DO, that said she doesn’t have a motorcycle so like... nothing! Junk Drawer: Utensils, knives for food... for one draw. As for the other real junk drawer full of papers, dried and pressed flowers, journals, and extra quills alongside some cute jewelry! Kitchen Cabinets: Plates, bowls, and glasses of course with spices in another and any food to help with cooking!  Bedroom Hiding Place: Underneath her bed is where the personal journal is... for the most part. Closets: Clothing, it’s a small closet along side other junk like her old wand, and anything relating to her school memories such as supplies.  Backback: Isn’t that the same thing as purse/bag? Either way, read above! Locker: None Desk: WEEPS DO I HAVE TO REPEAT MYSELF ON THIS? Read above with living situation.  Clothes pocket: Mostly letters for her father... a pocket watch, and sometimes she’ll have the athame knife in there too. There’s not much she can store with her dress apron! 

OTHER (bitch we almost done!!)  Halloween Costumes: SHEET GHOST!! She won’t go as a witch since well she is one, sheet ghost is probably meant for laughs really. Also she’d make her own black cat costume due to her affinity with them. A black dress, with cat ears and whiskers drawn on... yeah that seems good! Tricks: Little things like charming you to float! Or having giant rabbits chase after you before they cuddle you! Spiders crawling out from your ears! Bats following you. See? Nothing harmful but something funny to witches yet not so much to mortals or other supernatural beings for that matter.  Talents: Magic, she’s insanely talented but it helps having a Goddess mother who created magic and witches/mages in the first place! She’s good at knitting as we established and sewing, very good at brewing all sorts of potions as they’re always high quality, very good at researching stuff. ETC ETC.  Politics: Hmm well,,, Hyrule is absolute monarchy where the king and royal family lie about being descendants of gods so... yeah! Not much to say there since she’s not one who’s tied to mortal virtues.  Flaws: Worrywart which turns to her assuming things and taking the wheel so to speak she’s trying her best to support friends but well being nosy and like this isn’t always the best, sometimes while good with words and advice to comfort someone she doesn’t always say the right thing to comfort said person, she works too hard and is responsible to a fault, she often likes to give others the benefit of the doubt despite being screwed over. And perhaps... she doesn’t worry about herself so much as she worries about others. Not only does she think she can handle most things but also it’s a bit of a hero complex or something similar to that where she always sacrifices herself for others. Because, it’s the right thing to do. She tends to get embarrassed easily and has a bit of a nasty temper at times but it doesn’t take long for her to get overall as she’s not one to hold grudges.  Strengths: Very joyful and charming, many find themselves drawn to her as the result of this. Kind as well to everyone, aside from mentioned above in prejudice section and dislikes, she likes to treat everyone equally as best as she can. Reasonability is her middle name and tends to always get things done. She’s also very wise for her age and someone who encourages you to do your very best because she believes in you and sees this great light in you that gives you great potential for the bright future. She can be a little flirty towards someone she likes once she gets over her initial shyness upon discovering her feelings but well romance is new to her so sometimes she’ll miss certain romantic intentions. And playful girl who’s a bit witty too. She has talents for magic and is a fast learner for the most part. Also love learning too and is a nerd. She has a creative side to her! Drugs/Alcohol: Nope! Passwords: Probably her birthday for like things that require numbers such as safes and the like! Email Address, Home Page, Blogs, etc.: Well none pft Time and place: Very vague middle ages that takes inspiration from the Magic Technology BOTW has along with other games too such as TP and SS.  Special Places: The sky... does that count? And the Haunted Grove deep within the Lost Woods.  Special Memories: Meeting her familiar for the first time, any time spent with her dad as he was loving and kind, getting accepted to become a student for Hylia despite her wanting to keep a distance but takes her under her wing just in case. 

[papipopsicle]

DOUBLE DARE

Pairing: Billy Hargrove X Harrington!Reader

Genre: angst, fluff

Summary: In which Billy isn't 'King Billy fucking Hargrove' after the events at the Byers house, he's remorseful and in so much more pain than anyone ever seems to notice.

Song: Dizzy by Waterparks

Warnings: swearing, symptoms of PTSD

Words: 2.8K

feedback is always appreciated

Hawkins wasn't the kind of place a teen could take angsty strolls, look up at the sky for a while and all their life problems would be solved. Winter lasted until February, and summer started at the end of July, the months between left void of the joy of sun or snow. It was within this time that Y/N and Billy found solace in each other's chaotic existences.

They'd met a couple times before their relationship had a label, once not knowing each other, and the next, knowing too much.

The first was in the bitter winds of a November night. Y/N Harrington was forced to transfer to Hawkins High after fighting with another girl at Lakewood Academy over something nobody knew. She wasn't happy about it, after working her arse off for the last seventeen years of her life, only for the dream to be someone special and someone her parents would be proud of, to be ripped away from her.

Steve never made it any better, it was fine when he'd bring home random girls while their parents were away (which was more often than not), at least then her record player was loud enough to shut out the moans.

But Nancy had to come along and fuck everything up. Y/N was sickened at the idea of her brother dating her childhood best friend. That wasn't even the worst part though, the sick fucker had to go break his heart too.

Having Steve wallow in self pity for a few days was one thing, but hearing him cry himself to sleep days on end was entirely another.

She took her eye off the ball to make sure it was a sound that never met her ears again. And people at Lakewood began to talk, next thing she knew, Y/N was thrown out when Bethany Wyatt somehow fell unconscious and woke up with a black eye and busted lip.

Her older brother was surprisingly comforting, but the house felt all too suffocating, even without their never-to-be-seen parents around. It took six days for her to finally snap- being cooped up in the same four walls, sappy romcoms playing in the background whilst Steve tried to shrink her after getting an 'A' on his latest psychology paper.

"Leave me the fuck alone, for Christ's sake I'm not one of those kids you babysit! Go piss in Declan's cereal." Y/N roared, cartoon steam clouds escaping her ears.

She and Steve weren't close like some siblings, they didn't do hugs or say 'I love you'. They clashed and fought; the older boy thinking he's always right and that he knows everything, only setting off Y/N's explosive anger.

Steve groaned and stormed up the stairs, following his sister to her room, "His name's Dustin- fuck! You're so immature, you know that? Maybe I do need to babysit you, maybe then you'll learn to accept that you're sad about being kicked out of Lakewood, instead of biting my head off like a little bitch."

Y/N looked up at him incredulously, as if he'd just killed six puppies. She got up from her bed and stood right in front of him, pressing her index finger against his chest accusatory, "I'm not sad, dickwad, I'm furious because I defended myself against a bully and I'm the one who gets punished. It's not my fault she learnt to fight with her words and I fight with my fists. It's not my fault I'm like this, Steve!"

He stared at her for a few moments, watching his little sister's entire body move as her breathing became laboured and heavy.

She pushed past her brother and ran downstairs, "If I'm not back before you wake up, the demogorgon attacked me!"

"That's not-." Steve shouted, only to hear the front door slam shut halfway through his sentence, "funny."

It had been three months since Eleven had returned and saved Hawkins for the second time, Y/N knew they were no longer out there. She also knew it would strike a nerve in her brothers damaged soul and in that moment it was exactly what she wanted. The Harrington girl would probably regret it when she arrived back home in the early hours, knock on Steve's door and he'd tell her he was the one out of line and that it was okay. After all, he was the reason behind why she got expelled.

Y/N found herself running towards the school. In her short pleated skirt, fishnets and combat boots, the girl sprinted all the way through the woods until she found a clearing, and began walking on the side of the road. She should've been terrified to be out in the darkness all alone after the sights that had scarred her eyes, but it calmed her disturbed mind. Her problems faded to insignificance at the idea of being attacked by an inter-dimensional monster.

Her anger had dissipated after an hour or two of strolling back up and down, and she finally began to feel at ease in the cool midnight winds. That's when the sound of a turbocharged engine collapsed her serenity. She turned on her heel, letting the asphalt crunch under her foot as she squinted into the oncoming headlights.

Numbness had spread far enough over her body not to care whether the driver was Steve, a total stranger, or maybe even a creature from the upside down ready to kill her. Y/N shrugged it off and continued wandering, moving into the forest clearing so the muscle car didn't hit her if the driver wasn't paying enough attention.

Her steps became hurried as she heard the engine quieten, gaze kept forwards until the car picked up enough speed to pass her then completely stop. The air in her lungs felt trapped, feet planted to the broken up edge of the road.

"Hey!" A young yet deep male voice called, a mop of gentle dirty blonde curls appearing over the roof as the sound of the metal door opening and shutting cut away at the silence Y/N found herself stuck in. She didn't dare to move, eyes wide in a hazy mix of fear and intrigue.

He began moving around the car, closer to her frozen figure and stopping at what he deemed a safe distance. Billy looked her up and down, not in his usual 'I wanna fuck you' way towards the opposite sex; he checked over every inch of her exposed skin to make sure there were no signs of injury. When he finally met her eyes, he was stunned. They were the colour of milk chocolate edged with a deep forest-green. The two colors seemed to swirl together like moss creeping over rich soil.

Beautiful, he thought, not noticing the deep violet bags which sat beneath them. Y/N hated her eyes for them, yet they hadn't crossed his mind.

"Are you okay, Bambi?" Billy asked cautiously, taking a small step closer to her. His voice felt soft like a warm hug, yet she knew how it could easily be laced with venom. She'd seen his type before, knew how they could act so smooth then at the flick a switch be encased by rage if the word 'no' was introduced to them. She'd dated that type, been manipulated by their silver tongue and soft touch.

"I'm fine." Y/N's voice found the courage to speak, her body pushing past his and continuing its disassociated roam down the empty road ahead. She didn't feel like speaking to anyone, didn't feel like doing anything. Her mind was a wormhole of desolation and all she wanted was some peace away from home life and school life.

"If you want me to get in my car and carry on, I can. But, chances are you're feeling alone and don't-" Billy tried his best to do what he thought was right, he didn't have to stop when he saw her shivering figure at the side of the empty road. Hell, he probably shouldn't have.

"What you do doesn't really affect me, kid." Y/N snarled with no enthusiasm, her words falling hollow and getting lost in the wind.

The girl noticed he didn't speak after that, yet she hadn't heard the distinct sound of a car door opening and shutting either. She turned her head a fraction, not wanting to give him the attention he seemingly so desperately wanted from her but interested to know if she was about to get killed. Y/N rolled her eyes irritably as his taller figure appeared beside her own.

A few minutes passed as they ambled along the never ending barren road side by side without a word exchanged. Y/N felt oddly comfortable, more so than she did in that stupid private school or at home with Steve in constant seldom silence or rage filled bickering.

This silence was pleasant and held no secrets. Mostly due to the fact they were perfect strangers, no lingering expectations to be great or even good. Y/N stole another glance at him through the dark moonlight, his thick shoulder length hair appearing soft in its naturally curly state, and his flawlessly chiselled face hidden by plump cheeks and long eyelashes.

He could've committed some kind of atrocity for all she knew, but is company felt comforting and she wasn't one to judge.

"D'you just plan on following me around all night, then?" Y/N's voice sounded much more mellowed and velvety, her heartbeat no longer erratic in her ears allowing her mind some peace.

Billy sighed and rubbed a hand across his face before stuffing both into the pockets of his denim jacket to find some kind of warmth, "Haven't exactly planned that far ahead, gotta be honest with you. I don't know, I just needed to clear my head, and it seemed like you were doing the same."

"You could say that." Y/N scoffed, her numb mind somehow still managing to make her legs move forwards without stumbling. The biting cold air pricked at her paled skin, but she enjoyed the feeling. It was better than feeling nothing at all. "Fucked up shit happens a lot considering nothing happens around here."

"Did someone hurt you?" The words filled with unease tumbled from his mouth before he had the chance to catch them. Billy couldn't tell himself why he cared, why he was still walking along side this stranger in the dead of night on a Tuesday. Wednesday, now. But after the events at Mrs Byers' house, he had realised he'd become the monster he feared most- his father. If there was anything he could do to stop that, it was all he had done for the past three months.

Y/N smiled at her own stupid actions coming back to the forefront of her memories. She shook her head, still smiling, "That's too complicated to answer right now. Unfortunately, I managed to fuck things up pretty bad all on my own this time."

"I'm listening." Billy's eyes wandered across the unending tree border as he let the girl gather her thoughts and decide whether to indulge him or not.

She did.

"A couple weeks ago I overheard some skanks from my school trash talking my family; you see my brother slept with this girl named Rosie once ages ago so she put herself on a pedestal and thinks her words are gospel now. She was joking with her friends about how we're basically orphans. And then, this is the real kicker, she made up a rumour saying I'd got crabs from sleeping with the gym teacher. Which is hilarious because I'm a virgin still. So, I confronted her, she denied it, and I may or may not have blacked out and beat the living daylights out of her. Last week the dean decided to kick me out, so as of next Monday I'll be back at the shit show they call Hawkins High."

It felt easy to spill her thoughts to this oddly handsome person she'd never met before. Y/N felt like adding, 'oh and there's supernatural demons running around trying to take you to another dimension and kill you, but don't worry, our telekinetic friend saved us. Twice.' But she liked him enough in that moment not to want to scare him away.

"I would've hit her, too." Billy chuckled dryly, realising this girl was stronger than she seemed. His voice picked up after a beat of silence, "Billy, by the way."

"Y/N." She smiled her first warm, genuine smile for a rather long time, and it felt strange and satisfying all at once. Silence fell upon them once again after that, not feeling unpleasant in the slightest. They walked side by side with no destination in mind, Y/N's body bumping against his every now and again. The fist time was an accident, after that she kept on doing it to see the small smile pull at the corners of his lips from the contact.

Her combat boots halted on the torn up asphalt, kicking up small stones a few feet across the road. Without indication to her newfound friend, she switched direction and began walking back towards the other end of the endless road back towards Hawkins away from Lakewood.

"Alright then." Billy quirked an eyebrow at her odd behaviour as he followed and fell back into aimless step with her.

"Billy," she enjoyed the way his name rolled off her tongue, "could you drive me home?" She looked up at him with hope in her eyes, half feigned half real. Y/N was a shell of a person, broken and cold after what her eyes had witnessed, but she really liked the way her mind felt at ease around this boy with fluffy hair and muscular arms.

"Sure."

They made their way up to the car in silence, time running by much quicker with Y/N's spirits lifted. Billy unlocked his Camaro and the two settled into their seats, the heater almost instantly turned up to the highest setting.

"Where are you from, Billy?" Y/N couldn't help herself but ask, she had a knack for wanted to know everything and managing to know everything one way or another. She enjoyed the ever so slight accent in his voice, certainly not from these parts. His olive skin, probably once a lot more tanned and bright, gave it away too. Nobody here got enough vitamin D to look that pretty.

She told him to take the next turning, filling the space his answer was about to fall into. Y/N noticed the sounds of AC/DC playing quietly, one of her all time favourite songs. Steve would buy their albums and she'd buy Madonna when they visited the mall together, then swap when they got back to his car.

"California, my dad remarried and they both wanted a new start, so we ended up here." Billy answered calmly, voice tinged with anguish. The girl gave him another direction and told him to pull up two houses down from her own.

"If my brother saw someone giving me a lift home I think he'd murder you then me, so for everyone's safety it's best not to let him in on our little secret." Y/N grinned halfheartedly up at Billy, realising Steve wouldn't have gone to sleep yet and it was her fault. He was a real dick sometimes, but she wondered if he was the only person in the world to actually give a shit about her.

"Sounds like a real buzzkill." Billy joked with an unknown lightness to his tone, turning the ignition off and settling his gaze on her devastatingly brilliant eyes again.

Y/N nodded and leant over the centre console, wrapping her arms around Billy's much larger torso, he didn't react for a moment, not entirely sure what was happening, but he eventually returned the hug.

"Thanks for stopping earlier, tonight would've been a lot more lonely if you hadn't." Y/N unclasped her seatbelt and unlocked the door, sending the boy a truly heartfelt smile before they said goodbye to one another. He watched her walk down the road and disappear into her driveway, making sure she was safe before he left.

The Harrington girl quietly entered her house, taking off her rather muddy boots and making her way up to her brother's bedroom. She knocked quietly on his door out of politeness but didn't wait for an answer before opening it.

"Steve-" her voice was remorseful, this is how it always went.

He groaned a little from his work desk, eyes failing to stay open consistently, "I know, I'm sorry." Steve sent her a weak smile, knowing how hurt his little sister was at heart.

"Yeah," she sighed, "me too."

Y/N climbed into bed that night with the scent of Billy's strong cologne still clinging to her too, and it made her feel at ease. She slept well for the first time in a very long time, mind for once not plagued by creatures from another world.

Taglist:

@ilkaeliseb @florenceivy @annas-unicorun @astro-sweetheart @4everchrista @delicatelyherdreams @mautand @me-a-hopeless-romantic @buckysjuicyplums @lucyrocks86

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[dangertomyself]

𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐓 𝐓𝐇𝐑𝐄𝐄: Flashback

There is beauty in the way that you decide to love someone. Love in itself can be chaotic, tragic even at times, yet all the while worth every second. Sometimes there is a certain love that sticks with you; bound to your heart… never allowing you to forget the magnificent feeling it held. It can be something so grand, that at the time, it is hard to notice completely. You can take it for granted, and use the love as a crutch until there is nothing left but a broken bone. Only this time, the pain you feel is something much worse, more hollow… the taste of sweet love will be gone forever, gone into the universe never to return to your touch. Desperate hands may reach; only to slip through meaningless air of hollow feelings. How did it get like this? How did a world of passion and aspiring hope turn to something so cold?

To answer that question, I would have to go back to the very beginning to where it all started. There were no bright flashing lights, or signs to tell myself this was the right moment. It was not fate, but rather a moment where everything somehow seemed to fall into place. The right time, the right people scenario that happens every so often to two unfortunate souls. The two souls casted for this fatal heartbreak were that of myself and Elle Greene. Myself, the lead singer to an infamous rock group, while she was a no name up and coming actress. From the beginning to end, we both knew our lives would never be the same. One for the better, and one for the worst. The only thing we could mutually set upon ourselves in agreement was that in the beginning, we loved one another. From that very first night, we knew it was love.

I would never be able to quite place that love again— no matter how hard I tried. In the beginning, I never knew I was a man capable of romantic intentions. Sure, there were girls who caught my eye… but they never found a place in my life more than the bed for a night or two. Each beat of my heart brought forth sexual pleasure and desire. The mind of a boy could not quite compare to that of a man. Women were objects; bodies and lust that I craved from the moment I opened my eyes, to the very end as they closed. Their unique taste brought me a new high that even the drugs and alcohol could not compare to. What was more damning than that of a naked woman lying with me in bed? I never wanted to picture myself in any other place. No heaven would ever be as sweet or secure.

The room was filled with people from places that all oozed of money. The high elegance of the air filled my nose, telling my brain that I did not belong there. My manager said it would be a good public appearance, to give the people something to talk about. A rough around the edges singer at a white tie event… what could possibly go wrong? It was a sick joke to someone— someone other than the people of the charity event that all turned to look at me with peculiar eyes from the moment I walked into the room. The whispers started, slipping from one end of the room to the other. It was clear I did not belong there— or was I quick just to set myself aside? To allow the high moments of anxiety to take over what little had to do with me at all? I could not say. The quick aid of a drink or two would do away with any doubts I had shortly.

“How much longer are we going to have to be here, babe?”

My eyes drifted away from the gowns and tuxedos to the woman by my side: Cazzie Maylynn. She was an actress— but what people would call of adult films. We were nothing serious, only using each other for a quick fuck every now and again, but to the public eye they were a high profile item. The blonde did not do much for conversation, her goals mainly being that of how to further her career into more professional aspects. It had been the only reason I wanted to bring her. I knew she was a porn star, there was no hiding that fact, but she had a dream for herself. If there was any way I could have helped her, I did not see as to why I could not try. It also gave me a reason not to be the only outcast in the room.

The faces of empty hearts and dreams circled all around me, pretending that somehow I was the strange one. A man who did not belong. What was it to walk around endlessly with no real drive in your heart? That was all I could see in their faces. Lost souls wandering, searching for the feelings they once held onto so deeply when all of their dreams started to come true. The only difference between myself and the men and suits was that I still lived my dream. Each night I could go out and fill my void and know my heart was content enough to sleep through the night. How many here could claim the same shit?

“Can you stop talking for once?”

Cazzie's eyes widened, shocked at my careless remark and the even more careless look in my eyes. Was I being an ass? Sure. I would apologize for it later and she would forgive me— the thought dawned on me as she turned herself away and stalked off in six inch heels towards the bar. Hell in heels could only be the one thing to describe her. Our time together would be as short lived as any relationship I had in the past several years. No woman ever got too close— just as I preferred it to be. Normal people could hardly handle my mood swings and unique methods of affection.

Already nursing a drink in my hand, I turned away from the bar and set my sights towards one of the nearest exits I could find. A lone bathroom would do or even an abandoned room without the watchful eyes of elite people around me. The alcohol really wasn't doing it for me tonight. In the breast pocket of my tuxedo hid the contents of a party favor a little more suitable for my liking. One line disappearing would alter my mood for the night; maybe then I could pay more attention to Cazzie and really give these people something to talk about.

I had already set my sights on a side door of the hotel which I was sure would lead to some sort of enclosed exclusion when I felt the hand of my producer reach for my shoulder.

“Oz! Not so fast! Where do you think you're going?”Danny Chadwick infamously made a name for himself at the Record Label for bringing in up and coming acts that we're sure to make money. I was a shoe in to be the next greatest thing for rock music; someone to bring in attention and green for as far as the eye could see. Little did good ole Dan and everyone else know that I was going to be a lot more trouble than they originally expected.

“I was just getting out for some fresh air, man. Hey!” Calm, cool, and collected. I wrapped an arm around my ‘friend’ in a casual embrace with a familiar smile. The energy around them held nothing but a fake aftertaste. I couldn't have given two shits about Dan or anyone else here— I knew what I was to them and how my piece in the puzzle was going to be used until no longer useful. “Who’s your friend?”

Who was I really kidding? The blonde was one of the first things my eyes noticed when Dan made his way over. I made sure to keep the calm and collected attitude, but my gaze couldn't stop itself from wandering her way. A magnetic pull that felt far too dangerous for my liking. Every few seconds her green eyes would flash upwards towards me; damning my mind for all eternity for what I knew was not mine to have... yet. Was I insane? Maybe. But when has that ever hurt anyone?

“Well, that's what I was coming over here for. Ozzy, I'd like you to meet Elle Greene.”

At the mention of her name, the blonde instantly gave me a smile that felt far too secretive. A world of mysteries hid behind those cherry red lips wrapped inside of a stunning black cut out dress. I knew why she wore it— hell, she must have wanted to be the center of attention. Right now, right here, she had about one hundred and fifty percent of mine. I couldn't even hide it, looking her over from head to toe before finally settling back on the hidden forests that were set deep within her gaze. Reaching a hand out, I offered what might have been my most polite behavior. "Elle, it's a pleasure to meet you. The names Luke."

The curl on my mouth wasn't a smile, but a complete twist of seduction. There was a mystery lying within her, and I couldn't quite uncover the truth. Her eyes could never quite meet mine yet her facade was nothing but polite. Was I somehow fooling myself— thinking she could sense the same spark I had? A spark. The thought turned my stomach over and I did my best not to roll myself. This wasn't a spark, this was full blown attraction at its finest. Human nature, two people ( or well shit, just one ) who were drawn by natural instinct.

Her mouth opened, daring to speak before Dan cut into her stolen words: "Hey, show her around would you? I've got a few more people I need to talk to right now. I know you'll make her feel right at home."

Something in the way he spoke left me knowing he didn't walk up to me with Elle for no reason. Dan was a man who constantly had wheels turning within his head. Whatever he had going, I wasn't sure if I wanted to play with. But when danger looked that good? I didn't know if I could resist. He gave both of us a final farewell before drifting off into the sea of people. My eyes turned to Cazzie, who was still at the bar now being entertained by two other monkeys in suits and I no longer before a sense of guilt about ignoring her. She'd be fine here tonight without me.

The mere seconds passed before I looked back to Elle— finally for the first time she was able to speak. "Well, it was nice meeting you Luke, but I think I better be going." She gave a shrug and dismissive smile. I knew what it meant— but I'd be damned if I let it slip away so easily.

"Hey, where are you going?" I questioned, finally allowing a smile to move her way. I didn't have to be charm all of the time, a voice in the back of my head reminded me. The role of douchebag didn't always need to be played.

Her eyes shifted to everywhere else in the room, never once looking back to up mine. "Listen, I don't mean to be rude, but I know who you are. I'm not trying to be wrapped up in..." As she now frantically talked, her hands moved with her in speech. "The whole bad boy thing. I'm sure you're really nice and all, but I don't want people to see me with you. I came here tonight to play nice with the right people. Being seen with you? I don't think..."

"What makes you think you know me so well?" I finally cut her off, feeling a bit pissed off at her words. Were they wrong? No. Did I live up to almost every terrible thing people thought about me? Probably. But hell, at least I wouldn't be that rude to a total stranger. Looking at her, I knew I caught her by surprise. Whatever anger lighted in my mind, I was quick to put out. What was it going to do anyways? I wasn't nearly drunk or high enough to go down that road.

Her expression remained in a state of neutral— unshaped by any regret of what she said or any means of taking it back. She was bold as fuck, I'd give her that. Hell, I still kind of liked it. "Fine, Lucas. Maybe I am wrong." Shit, the surprise on my face couldn't have been harder to hide. "But that doesn't mean I am going to find out tonight. It was nice meeting you."

"Would you ever want to find out?" I pressed, knowing the window of her time would be short lived. What the fuck was wrong with me? This girl had insulted me more in the last five minutes than any girl had in years. Maybe that was what I liked— she was real... honest. Not a fake shit show.

"Maybe. Maybe not." As she started to walk away, face still hardened with intent, her eyes looked back at me with only a hint of a smile as she drifted into the sea of people. I could see the flash of green in the back of my mind like a green light in the sea of darkness. What the hell was I doing? I didn't know. But for whatever reason, I knew I had to know more. She was the realest thing I had come across in years, the only heart and mind I somehow wanted to know more of. Elle Greene.

[tcnseigad]

GREEK GOD AESTHETICS :

APHRODITE. laughter-loving. sweet smiles. dressed in silk and satin. flower in their hair. sees the world as a runway. unapologetically sexual. the sea washing their ankles.in love with love. stirrer of passion. cunning concealed by painted lips. secret daggers. doves. revolution in their kiss. delighting in the waves. flirtatious winks.strolling along the beach. staring wistfully from a balcony. this is how to be a heartbreaker. wants to be adored. gets turned on by danger.

APOLLO. glitz and glamour. art galleries. turning the volume up. being made of gold.neatly organized music sheets. notebooks filled with poetry. bathing in the sunlight. the powerful urge to create. collecting vinyl records. beautiful cover of wonder wall. playing multiple instruments. tasting like sunshine. healing touch. speaking in prophecies. smile mingled with wrath. shunning lies. sporting shades. hanging out at music festivals with their friends. sleeps naked. arrow to the heart. paintbrushes. probably has a tinder account.

ARES. armed for battle. wants to raise a dog with their significant other. soft spot for children. gives piggyback rides. scarred body. blood on their hands and face. willing to fight the world for the ones they love. fights against injustice. warm hugs. well worn combat boots. boxing gloves. bandages wrapped around bruised knuckles. fist raised in protest. ignites revolutions. fear is a prison. more sensitive than what their tough shell would have you think. exhausted. damaged goods. force to be reckoned with. red roses.curses under their breath.

ATHENA. discerning gaze. unreadable face. quiet museums. owl perched on their finger. armor that intimidates. eye for architecture. plays the sims for the sole purpose of building houses. studied the blade while everyone else was busy getting laid. big fan of logic. loves brain teasers. ancient buildings. sweaters in neutrals and cool colours. hair done up. can kill you with their brain. heads to the library often to research. sharpened pencils. abs that can cut steel. stoic statues. pottery classes.

DEMETER. soil-covered hands. smile that can bloom flowers. skin loved by the sun. being the mom friend. can lift you and your friends. flowers kept in the pockets of overalls. takes pride in their beautiful garden. speaks to their plants. leaves rustling in the wind. stalks of wheat. picking fruit. greenhouses. heart as strong as a mountain. values simplicity. daisies dotted across a collarbone. curls crowned with flowers. folded pile of sweaters in warm hues. pulling out fresh-baked bread out of the oven and the smell wafting through the air.

ARTEMIS. keen sense of a hunter. freckles like constellations on their skin. piercing eyes. disheveled braid. moonlight peeking through the shadows. the calm of the forest at night. lying on the grass and staring at the stars. mother doe and her fawn. protecting their kin. the moon shimmering on a still lake. quiver full of arrows resting against the bark of a tree. running with wolves. bonding while circled around a campfire. not being much of a people person. arrow hitting a target. popping egos. patience on 3%. touches heaven and returns howling.

HEPHAESTUS. the calloused hands of someone who knows labor. sweaty brow. flame burning in their eyes. inventive mind. broad shoulders. steampunk goggles. nuts and bolts stored away in little boxes. ashes. striking a match. blueprints for future projects. fixing up a busted-up car and giving it cool upgrades. wrestles with bitterness. work boots have seen better years. wrinkled plaid shirts. iron melted in blazing fire. huge jackets. crafting masterpieces. greased stained overalls. fascination with robotics. pain is fuel. stack of weaponry. even their muscles have muscles.

HERA. resting bitch face. dressed to the nines. cows grazing on a pasture. cool rain. loving and hating fiercely. hand clutching a string of pearls. large chandelier with glittering crystals. plays the sims for the sole purpose of killing off their sims. romance to realism. pictures of the sky while flying on a plane. files that under fuck it. downs glasses of wine as they relax with a scented bubble bath and netflix. like their selfie or you’re grounded. knows 57 convenient ways to murder a man. dark eyes that penetrate your soul. marble and gold.

DIONYSUS. drunk shitposter. on their sixth glass of wine before you’ve even finished your second. seductive smirks. untamed curls. rich fabrics on dark skin. sleek furred panthers. theatre masks. stage productions. receiving a standing ovation. rose caught between their teeth. being the baby of the bunch. wild parties that last from sundown to sunup. creeping vines. inspiring loyalty. grand opera houses. masquerade balls. rolls of film. shattered chandeliers with broken glass scattered across the wine spilled floor. pouring champagne into flutes. lives for the applause.

HERMES. devil-may-care smile. always up-to-date on the latest technology. will steal your french fries. does it for the vine. shitposter. puts googly eyes on everything. meme hoarder. long drives on the highway. ma and pop diners. spontaneous road trips. folded maps. fingers dancing across the keyboard of a laptop. shooting hoops on the basketball court. chatting up strangers as you all journey to your own destinations. goes jogging in the morning. mixes redbull with coffee. menace on april fool’s. hoodies and sneakers.

HADES. walking home alone in the early morning. back alleys. drinking alone in a graveyard. crippling loneliness hidden by sarcasm and cynicism. crows picking a carcass. untended dead flowers. the black sheep of the family. black coffee. money can’t buy you happiness. murder mystery dinner parties. blood on your shirt collar.dust illuminated by sunlight. classical music. dogs are better than people. a quiet wrath. shady business deals. taking what you are owed. paint it black. seasonal affective disorder. popping the suit collar. grey rain on a cityscape.

POSEIDON. storm with skin. colorful coral reefs. waves crashing against the shore. stroking the soft fur of a cat. their heart pounding as their horse’s gentle trot speeds into a gallop. tousled locks. clothes smeared with paint. owns several sketchbooks yet always yearns to own more. leather jackets. fondness for diy projects. handwriting that flows across the page. nimble fingers playing the strings of a violin. velvety singing voice that haunts your dreams. mood as ever-changing as the sea. the roar of a motorcycle. compass with a spinning arrow.

ZEUS. thunder in their heart. running on coffee. flash of lightning. unnatural charisma. eloquence. badass in a nice suit. aficionado of history. force of nature. lennyface. nightmare-filled nights. proud arm around their lover’s waist. high - rise buildings. planes soaring through a cloudless sky. technician on the piano. maintains order. strong handshake. juggling multiple events on their busy schedule with ease. expensive watch.

tagged by: @nephriteus​ 

tagging: all new followers from this past week! @ me so I can read it! 

[nour386]

Ballad of the Past

My gift to @lyeox for the @pinesconessecrets 2019 event! I apologise for the wait. I hoe you enjoy your youtuber au.

(also on ao3!)

“It’s so beautiful.” Dipper’s fingers trembled as they neared the golden plaque. “If I were to die right now, I would have no regrets.”

“Hey! No dying yet. You still owe me dinner.” Wirt placed his hands on his hips. 

The pair stood in Dipper’s bedroom, hastily cleaned for their impromptu recording. Dipper had just received his 1 million subscriber award. The golden plaque had arrived that very morning, and every person and cryptid within a 3 mile radius was made well aware of its delivery. But in this present moment, Dipper was hoping to let his fans know how grateful he was for their help in reaching this milestone.

Dipper pressed his finger to his lips. “Hush, I’m celebrating.”

“This is what I have to deal with.” Wirt said. He turned to the camera at the foot of the bed and pointed to his boyfriend, who had started to weep over the golden plaque.

“I’d like to thank the academy,” Dipper sobbed.

“Okay, we’re going to cut recording for now. Dipper needs some time,” Wirt said. “See you guys in a few minutes. Or an hour if his uncle sees the gold plaque and tries to pawn it off.”

Wirt clicked off the recording and turned to his boyfriend. “Are you feeling okay?” “Yeah, yeah, I just need a second.” Dipper wiped his eyes.

“Oh my gosh, I thought you were just being dramatic.” Wirt withdrew a handkerchief from his pocket. He gently pressed it against Dipper’s cheek, wiping away his tears. 

“I’m fine.  No, really.” Dipper took the handkerchief and wiped his eyes. “I haven’t been able to cry properly for years.” “Yeah…that doesn’t sound anywhere near the definition of fine.” Wirt crossed his arms.

“Don’t get your antlers in a twist.” Dipper punched Wirt’s arm. 

“Rude!” Wirt gasped.

“Says the man who speaks in demonic tongues when he stubs his toe.” Dipper stuck out his tongue.

 Wirt stomped his foot. “Your cabinet is made of redwood! It hurts!”

“Well, good to know what the biggest weakness of a tree demon is.” Dipper rolled his eyes.

“I refuse to be insulted this way,” Wirt said.

“How would you prefer to be insulted then?” Dipper smirked.

“Not at all. Thank you very much.” Wirt sat down heavily on the bed, making Dipper jump.

“Guess these are sticks in the mud then.” Dipper tugged at Wirt’s antlers.

“That tears it.”

Wirt tackled Dipper onto the mattress. He mercilessly tickled the other boy, smirking wickedly as Dipper begged for mercy between giggles. Dipper tried to fight back, but Wirt was wiggly, like a palm in a hurricane.

“Uncle! Uncle!” Dipper cried between giggles.

Wirt stopped his assault, giving his boyfriend a chance to catch his breath. Dipper took  this moment to attack Wirt back. Reaching under his boyfriend's arm and tickling his sides. 

“That isn’t fair!” Wirt gasped. “You gave up.” “All’s fair in love and war,” Dipper grinned. He decided to grant Wirt some mercy and got off the bed. 

“That has to be illegal,” Wirt said after a few deep breaths.

“Under the Geneva Convention, probably, but in the Pines house hold it certainly isn’t.” Dipper stuck out his tongue.

“Ugh, my own boyfriend assaulting me in my time of need.” Wirt rolled over, turning his head away in faux disgust. “I knew I should have stayed in the forest.”

“Sour puss.” Dipper flicked Wirt’s ear before sitting back down onto the bed. 

He laid the plaque on his lap.  Inside the rectangular frame was the Youtube logo, a play button. Below were the words, warded to Cryptid Hunters Anonymous for passing 1,000,000 subscribers”. Not to mention the most important detail: it was entirely made of gold. Dipper gently ran his hand over it. The cool metal reflected his own teary eyed grin.

“So, do you have any plans for your big one mil commemorative video?” Wirt asked. He sat up and rested his chin on Dipper’s shoulder. “A special cryptid hunt? A behind the scenes tour?”

“Bleh, I’ve already shown my recording equipment. Although, I guess I could try an AMA for the multibear. He seemed to enjoy the interview last time.” Dipper furrowed his brow.

“What about unreleased hunts?” Wirt asked, wrapping his arms around Dipper’s waist.

“I already posted everything,” Dipper said. “Well...there is one. But, um...”

“Yes? What’s the problem? It can’t be the video, you’re a wonder on your laptop.” Wirt flourished his hand. “You colourised an old video that was dyed grey from those monochrome goblins.”

“It’s not that.  I did need to replace the camera after that one, though. And funnily enough, I also couldn't edit the footage whatsoever.” Dipper shrugged awkwardly. “I guess it’d be easier to show you. But you have to promise to not make fun of me.”

“Dipper, please. I would never. I’m a respectable tree monster.” Wirt nuzzled into Dipper’s neck. “Besides, I watched your earlier videos. I’ve seen you at your worst. How bad can  it be?”

Dipper brought his laptop to the bed. With a couple of clicks, he opened up the video he had hidden away from the public eye. He gave a heavy sigh as he sat back and cuddled up to Wirt.

“So, remember when we met up at that cafe on Fifth Street for the first time?” Dipper asked. “And how you said it was really lucky that I decided to sit next to you that day?”

“Yes, I remember Mabel waving to you from across the cafe and pushing us to spending the day together.” Wirt tapped his chin.

“It worked out, didn’t it?” Dipper grinned. “You even said yes to a date with me by the end of it.” 

“What could I say? You were adorable. Especially when you snuck looks at that script you wrote on a napkin,” Wirt teased. “Who even does that?”

“Someone worth dating, quite obviously.” Dipper raised his nose in pride.

“C’mon, start it up, Francis Ford Coppola.” Wirt nudged him with his elbow.

“Fine, fine.” Dipper reached forward and started up the video.

The screen was dim. A squelching noise came out of the laptop’s speakers as the image focused on the muddy ground. Leaves lay strewn all across the forest floor while Dipper detailed his goal for that day’s hunt. Mabel occasionally called out her opinions to ‘lessen the nerdiness,’ as she phrased it.

“It’s been raining really heavily for the past few days, so I decided to check out if this affect anything in the forest. I mean obviously it would, it’s not like rain was invented yesterday.”

He kept talking, leaves squelching underfoot as he walked.

“I know the gnomes are probably not too happy about this. They had an outdoor barbeque planned for today. They handed out invites and everything.” Dipper flashed a crudely drawn greeting card. It showed a crayon drawing of a short man with a pointy red hat and a white apron standing behind a smoking red barbeque. 

“But no one shows up to their barbeques!” Mabel’s distinctly cheerful could be heard behind the camera.

Dipper turned the camera to show his sister sticking out her tongue. “When the only thing on the menu is pinecone, roast pinecone, and pine cone steak, I doubt you’d have crowds flocking over.” 

“Maybe they’d have more people come if they didn’t kidnap people all the time,” Mabel teaseded. 

Dipper turned the camera around and continued his hike through the woods. He would occasionally stop to point out different tracks and markings he came across. Mabel would drop in a comment or two, often at her twin’s expense. After concluding that the venture was uneventful, the pair agreed to head back.

“Dipper, if it starts raining on me and my hair gets ruined. I will never forgive you,” Mabel said from off screen.

“Let me just check that next clearing.” 

“Fine, only because I know you need the exercise,” Mabel teased.

The camera was pointed at the clearing in question. It looked rather dark, much like the rest of the woods, thanks to the dark clouds above. As Dipper neared, a figure came into view, standing in the centre of the clearing.

“Hey, I see something over here!” Dipper cried, walking further into the clearing. 

Before him stood a wooden statue of a gnome no taller than his knee, including the hat. The statue’s face was caught half way through a scream of terror, mouth openwide, eyes half closed andarms raised defensively.

“Is it petrified?” Dipper tapped the statue with his finger. “It’s too detailed to be handmade.”

“Dipper, look out!” Mabel’s voice was distant.

Before he could realise what his sister meant, Dipper bumped into someone he hadn’t noticed. The camera fell to the ground, pointing upwards, showing a tall, shadowy figure with antlers that seemed to meld with the branches of the trees above. They stared Dipper down with shining eyes.

“Oh no, he’s hot,” Dipper muttered just before he was dragged out of shot. “Wait no the camera!”

“Camera later. Staying alive now!” Her voice faded out.

The creature looked down at the camera before the picture cut to black.

“And that was that,” Dipper said. He did jazz hands.

“That...oh, no.” Wirt rested his head in his hand. “Oh cheese and crackers. Please tell me I didn’t chase after you.”

“No, we got back to the Shack safely. The camera, on the other hand, showed up on our doorstep a week later, covered in oil with the SD card being the only thing still intact.” Dipper rubbed the back of his head. “This footage was kinda messed up, so I couldn’t really edit out that last comment at the end there. So I kinda shelved it.”

“Oh no. I can’t believe this is happening right now.” Wirt’s face was now completely buried in his hands. “Please just kill me now.” 

“Sorry, fresh out of holy water,” Dipper said. “So, um you wanna explain what was going on there?”

“Okay, so long story short, I was working off some steam and petrified a gnome in the woods.” Wirt had laid back on the bed.

“Wait, that was an actual gnome?” Dipper asked. “You just petrified someone?”

“He was a fairy dust dealer.” Wirt rolled his eyes. “It was a moral freebie.”

“Right.” Dipper didn’t sound convinced. “And why were you so peeved?” “Oh my gosh you would not believe.” Wirt sat up fingers rubbing his temples. “Alright so, the elves in the wood hold a poetry competition once every 5 years. So I enter, all wide-eyed and hopeful thinking that my poetry has a chance of making it in, right?” Dipper laid back, rolling his eyes at his boyfriend’s enthusiastic narration. A soft smile spread across his face as he leaned against Wirt.

Wirt started waving his arms as he spoke. “I walk up to the stage, my nerves making me feel sick after waiting 3 hours for my turn. I stand up with my ballad. I had spent months writing, re-writing, re-writing again and re-writing one more time for luck. Not to mention rehearsals. And then after sitting through the extravaganza of elvish poetry, which can last for days at a time, I leave the competition wish last place! The judges said my entry was ‘too short’.”

“What was an acceptable length? 2 weeks?” Dipper chuckled.

“Apparently! “ Wirt threw up his arms. “I thought for sure I would have scored higher than the one elf who just stood there and gave a failed improv routine. He didn’t even rhyme! Not even once! And he somehow left with third place.” 

Dipper leaned over and lightly pecked Wirt’s cheek. “I would have given you first place.”

“You’re my boyfriend. That would be cheating.”

“How about you read your poem to me and I’ll judge it,” Dipper said. 

“Interesting.” Wirt tapped his chin. “It would give me the opportunity to show off my prowess. Sure, why not. I’ll be back in a few.”

As he watched his boyfriend scurry out the door; Dipper smiled fondly. He grateful for that fateful day in the woods. And while he made himself comfortable in bed, he wondered if he could have poetry reading be his one million subscriber special. His fans were interested in his love life, so maybe a small preview wouldn’t hurt.