#h. p. lovecraft x reader

[tachimichishrine]

"the cat came back"

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h. p. lovecraft x fem! natsume's daughter! reader

lovecraft is canon afraid of cats! now you know >:)

warnings: uncontrollable fluff ; that was a joke idk how to fluff ; made him ooc af womp womp ; i want to eat lovecraft ; just a little nom nom is that too much to ask; tentacle hentai (reader eats his hair) ; fishing boats (derogatory) ; intended lowercase

moonlight was his favourite time of the day.

his eyes peeked out from the rippling surface of the water, hair floating and spanning out like branches of a tree. he was sleeping a short while ago, until...

"shh!! it's the middle of the night, someone's gonna yell at us for doing this!"

disinterested eyes glanced at a boat. a fishing boat. he shuddered; it appeared like two adults were sitting down on it, giggling mischievously at each other while the motor grumbled loudly, scaring away the sea life from the secluded corner along the coast.

"bah, it's not a big deal," the other person responded, sporting a confident smirk. "we're out in the middle of nowhere. who are we going to disturb, the little mermaid?"

another round of giggles. the couple bickered about something else, something he didn't care to remember, then ate each other. lovecraft watched curiously as their lips met, then sighed. he wanted to sleep.

he reached a tentacle from under the surface of the water and capsized the boat.

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another week, another goddamn boat. he just wanted to sleep: ever since the guild had fallen apart, he didn't have to do anything, and he enjoyed it very much. he'd occasionally leave the comfort of the sea for some ice cream, but the looks he'd get while out in public made him anxious, so he'd stopped doing that a long time ago.

"I heard the spooky sea beast lives around here..." a voice said lowly, holding a flashlight out to the murky waters. "some say it's the kraken, others that it's the soul of the deceased..."

he didn't like to be disturbed. lovecraft flipped them over.

the next night, it happened again.

by the end of the month, it seemed he had become a local folklore story. he wasn't particularly interested in hearing all the stories about himself, and what was worse is that he found himself at the center of attention. gross.

he would keep flipping boats until they would leave him alone.

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"[_____], come on, get in the boat! you're such a scaredy cat!"

"yeah, I am!" the woman yelling from the shore exclaimed. she was watching a few of her friends get into a wooden tub of death and paddle in the direction of a sea creature that had been terrorizing their city. it wasn't a myth, as everyone who doubted would go and find themselves thrown into the water promptly. the question was mostly as to what on earth was doing this. "you know I hate getting wet, and I don't want to get eaten by a sea beast today, thank you very much!"

the friends pouted, pleaded for her to come along, and the only agreement they came to involved the woman following them from land. she watched them as her boots squelched into the damp earth in the same direction as their path, and they spoke from a far distance.

which woke up lovecraft.

he grumbled, displeased. this was never fun, and it was getting even worse now. the top of his head peeped out from the water as he got a look at the young adults laughing and joking from their fishing boat, and he flipped them with one movement.

they all yelled out as they splashed into the water, arms desperately gripping onto the upside-down boat as they looked around fearfully, then at each other with chuckles.

"told ya it was real!"

"gahh, my shirt is soaked!"

"dude, your entire body is soaked."

it was all a game to them, he seemed to notice. they thought this little escapade and mission of disturbing him was all for fun. he didn't have time to feel annoyed about it, because it was time to sleep. on the verge or disappearing back into the abyss, he felt a pebble bounce on the back of his head.

he turned his head around, his neck contorting as he saw a young woman looking at him, eyes wide.

they stared at each other for a few moments.

she let out a yelp, and her entire body compressed down to that of a calico cat.

he saw the cat and yelled out in response, tentacles sprouting, bursting out from various parts of his body.

the cat ran away and nothing was said. the group of friends were still laughing as they had gotten back into the boat and began paddling to shore, not seeing the iceberg underneath their feet that was the body of a real sea monster.

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the next day, lovecraft was out of the water, in the middle of the day nonetheless, simply to dry up a little bit before he went back into the water. somehow, this logic added up to him.

all was fine until he saw the woman again.

she was leaning against a rock, not quite sitting but not quite standing. she looked nervous, glancing around her everywhere as if she was expecting to get attacked at any moment. her eyes darted to the water, where she saw nothing, then back to her surrounding. back to the water. back the the surroundings. her foot was tapping the soil incessantly and her lower lip was being abused by her teeth as she nibbled to distract herself.

this time, she saw him.

they looked at each other again, but it was much more tamed than the previous time. she didn't turn into a cat, and he didn't turn into a natural catastrophe.

her mouth seemed to open, but lovecraft didn't hear any words from out of her. she just creased her brows together, then sighed. "um... hi, hello. I'm... I'm [_____]. you're howard phillips lovecraft, aren't you?"

he hovered at the surface with only his dark eyes and long hair visible, maintaining blank stare.

she extended her hand out to him, then realized it was stupid to shake hands with someone who was several meters away, several meters deep into the water. laughing nervously, she rubbed the back of her neck.

"I didn't... I didn't mean to scare you the other day, you just caught me off guard. you see, I'm in the business of keeping track of the ability users in yokohoma, and you never came up on my radar. so I asked around," and here she kicked a rock with a chuckle to herself, "actually, I just asked my dad, and he told me about the guild."

still no reaction. lovecraft had fallen asleep with his eyes open.

she crouched down, grabbed a pebble, and flicked it onto his forehead. heavy eyelids raised for a moment.

"would you be willing to uh... get out of the water to speak with me, for just a moment? I can... well, I don't really know what to offer you."

she babbled on, face flushed and looking at the ground and her feet as she kept speaking, saying things that neither of them understood, and it was only when he got close that she took notice the tall, dripping wet figure looming over her. he was wearing clothes and everything, even had was appeared to have been a nice jacket in the past before... whatever tore it apart. she met his eyes.

"thank you! it just makes this... whatever... easier... ahh, forget about it. could we... walk and talk? I don't want to lure you away from your... your home?..."

"I'm hungry," he proclaims, a statement more than a request.

"sure!" she nodded, although a little confused and uncertain, leading the way as she walks through the rugged terrain of the trail before arriving at her car and opening the passenger door for him, waiting for him to hop inside.

now, he looked confused.

"is there food inside?"

this was going to be a long discussion.

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[_____]'s job was simple: she had to keep tabs on all of the ability users in yokohoma. know who they worked for, their relationships, their dreams and aspirations. when you can turn into a cuddly ball of fur, it isn't particularly hard to gain information.

she had no clue what was going on with this man, though.

rumours had sprung up about the sea monster. she knew, of course, there was no such thing, but in the spirit of the approaching holiday she indulged her friends in a trip.

seeing a man living in the water was not what she had expected, much less to surprise herself by getting flustered enough to accidentally use her ability and turn into a cat. it was just her luck that cats seemed to terrify the man.

speaking was hard too, since he didn't really seem to know much about the ways of the world. she knew he was from america, but common courtesy of not trying to eat someone's car for dinner was likely the same there as it was in japan. likely.

it was cute how ice cream was the secret to taming him.

"lovecraft," she snapped her fingers in his face as he zoned out for what could be the seventh time in the same sentence, "look, I don't mean to take your entire day. I was just hoping you could lay low on the boat flipping for the time being."

"I am laying low," he stated blankly, a smudge of chocolate cream smeared across the corner of his lip, like a child. she chuckled warmly and pointed it out to him, but he just shrugged and kept licking the frozen treat. "the boats keep coming."

"because you've become a horror attraction," she retorted. something deep within her caused her to run her thumb along the edge of his lip to clean him up, partly because she knew he wouldn't do it himself, partly because she thought she'd go mad over the messiness. "leave the boats alone and they'll leave you alone. it's as simple as that."

he wasn't paying attention again. he'd gotten tired of licking and dislocated his jaw just to swallow the entire cone in one bite. the paper wrapper and napkin around it were still not removed, too, but he didn't seem to care as he pushed his jaw back into place and kept walking by her side, as if it were nothing.

she decided it was easier to not comment.

they made their way back to the vehicle, and she dropped him back off at his corner of the water, verifying multiple times that he didn't want help looking for a place to live. a slight pause and hesitation; she wanted to give him her phone number in the event he needed something, but she quickly realized he probably doesn't even have a phone, let alone one he uses.

another ability user to add to her list. what a bunch of weirdos.

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boats kept coming.

this time, they were getting louder, more intrusive. some people brought diving gear and headlights, eager to explore the water for the sea beat. lovecraft was not pleased.

it was hard at first to take the advice of the strange woman. then, when they put on loud speakers and played blaring music during their expeditions, it became impossible to ignore them. a blizzard of tentacles and otherworldly monstrous body parts ravaged every boat on the lake.

[_____] showed up a dozen minutes later, not pleased.

no one was injured, but news reporters had gathered and were making a bug fuss out of it all. they dispersed after some time, and she was the only one left. she tossed pebbles into the water, hoping for him to resurface for them to talk.

"I specifically told you to do one thing," she grumbled, glaring into his sleepy eyes that peeked up. "now the whole town knows there's something going on here."

he briefly racked his brain for past interactions with his former partner, steinbeck, and realized this was the sort of situation where he was supposed to apologize. she looked at him with distrust when he did (quite blandly), but ultimately sighed and shook her head, saying it wasn't a problem.

"maybe you just need to get out of here," she proposed. "if you're not in the water when the tourists arrive, you won't have to endure all of it. do you have someplace else to go in the meantime?"

a shake of his head signaled he didn't, but also that he didn't seem to care. of course he wasn't picky about where he lived, he was currently residing in what amounted to a swamp.

"would you like to stay with me until this whole thing goes away?"

lovecraft shrugged, "okay," as if it weren't a big deal for either of them. she scolded herself for being baffled at his nonchalant reaction, which was to be expected.

she insisted he dry himself up this time before getting in her car, though.

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lovecraft made himself at home by eating just about everything she had in her pantry, then trying to eat the pantry.

a smack on the back of his neck with a rolled up newspaper, and he was set straight. she indicated that he could sleep on the couch for the time being, just as long as he double-checked with her that it was okay before eating anything, emphasis on thing.

"I'm not around most of the time," she told him as she put on a coat while near the entrance, eyes darting around to make sure she wasn't leaving any valuable around in the event that they magically disappear upon her return. "so, the place is yours. are you sure you don't have anyone you want to stay with? I was told you had a partner when you were in the guild, a young lad named steinbeck. I can track him and the remnants of the guild down, if you'd like."

"no."

not a trace of anger, disgust, or even any emotion from his response. he simply wanted to be left alone, she realized.

her expression softened and she put the coat back down, walking up to him.

"how about this, would you want to go get some ice cream again? I can pay, of course."

money didn't seem to cross his radar, so the final comment went through his head. she wanted to understand him, as was the task her father had delegated onto her to know all ability users, but it was proving a lot harder than she'd thought.

that's how she found herself, a disgusted look on her face as she watched lovecraft jump into a small pond near the ice cream shop, the treat still in his hand. the ball of frozen cream floated on the surface of the murky water, and he opened his mouth to eat it like a koi fish.

"there's... there's so much wrong with what you're doing right now," she frowned, watching him happily ruin the clothes she'd just bought for him by swimming around in them. again. "howard, you're going to have to take it easy on my wallet, I don't have an infinite supply of clothes to get you."

he vanished under the surface and did not come back up for an entire minute.

she couldn't handle water - she retained quite a bit of feline features even in human form, after all - and there was no way in hell she was going to jump in to save him if he were drowning. he wasn't drowning, of course, he'd just made his way along the floor and chomped down on unsuspecting sea-dwellers. since she'd said she can't pay for everything, this was free. at least, he thinks it is.

when he came back up, she sighed with a tired smile on her face, leading him back to the apartment.

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"how does your hair never get tangled?"

she was watching him curiously as he spread his lanky limbs across the sofa, bones breaking and body distorting to make it more comfortable for him. he didn't seem to hear her question until fingers raked through silky locks.

"why would it?" he raised a brow, eyelids still shut. after a few weeks, he'd gotten better at conversation, but the horror fanatics were still invading his little corner of the sea. besides, he liked it better here.

"oh right, I forgot that you don't have the problems the rest of us mortals have," she said jokingly, but realized she wasn't even sure if it was a joke. she started having doubts that he had an ability and wasn't really just a sea monster after all. fingers combed through obsidian streaks. "ahhh... it's so soft..."

she stood up in front of him, and made her entire body visible. "I'm going to turn into a cat, now."

they agreed to make it clear to the other before doing anything that scared the other, and that involved using their abilities. she liked being a cat, most of the time, as it was more pleasant to nap and lounge around in that form. however, it still caught him by surprise, and he nearly shattered the entire apartment once when he went into the kitchen for some food and caught her sleeping in a bread basket.

grey eyes watched the calico cat pounce up from the floor onto the sofa, hobble along the edge of his body until it twirled around itself and slept in the waves of hair.

he was already asleep by then, so he didn't mind when little cat teeth nibbled on the strands. they tasted like sea water, to no one's shock. paws stretched out with a yawn, then went back to snuggling themselves under the warm body of fur.

maybe this arrangement wasn't so bad.

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he was getting much better as weeks turned into months. the craze over the yokohoma sea monster died down, but he found himself attached to someone for the first time in his existence. he didn't know how to describe the feeling other than warmth and that of a full stomach.

giggles exhaled in clouds of fog as she walked on the empty streets at night with him by her side. she was cold, and so was he; the only difference is that she felt it whereas he simply didn't care.

"can we go home..." he grumbled, albeit glad for the absence of people in the vicinity. they made him uncomfortable, all except for her. he didn't know why his lips were tugging upwards as she took his hand in hers.

"you're freezing," she remarked against icy flesh. "I'm sure there's a café or something nearby, if you want to warm up before headi-"

his other arm wrapped itself around her waist and pulled her against his frame, face buried deep enough in his chest to cause her to suffocate. her feet were kicked upwards behind her, body no longer touching the ground as he carried her entire weight with his one arm.

"you're cold too. this will help."

"MFMFMFMNMNMF!!"

he took her muffled cries for confirmation that he did the right thing, and walked them home in just about the most awkward position possible. she managed to crane her neck to the side, gasping for breaths, but just laughed to herself at his peculiarities.

he was right, it did help.

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she remained curled up against him even as they got inside, slipped under blankets and were laying on the couch. not that she had a choice; he didn't seem keen on letting go anytime soon.

"my limbs don't bend like yours do. could I..." she squirmed, grateful that he seemed to get the message and loosened his hold on her. she repositioned herself then curled back up into him, rubbing her head in slow circles against his chest from feline instinct. she muttered a thanks into his slowly warming shirt.

everything felt so uncomplicated in his presence. even as a horror movie played in the background, she nearly fell asleep on him, and he had long gone into the realm of dreams. they were both snoring softly when a dramatic scream emanated from the television, jolting him awake.

her eyes were still closed, and he just took a look at her face for a few moments before having what was more of an urge than an idea.

he ate her mouth.

this sprung her wide awake as she pulled away from shock once she'd realized he was biting her lips.

"what are you doing?!" she shrieked, hands pushing on his chest to lift herself up and off of him. "you can't just... what... why would you... ?!!!"

he looked at her with a dull expression, a sliver of confusion revealing itself on his long features. "I saw... I saw people do this when they're content. I-"

"oh my god," she let out a breath of relief as she understood that his actions didn't align with his intentions, even chuckling softly as she let herself fall back onto him, body now completely on top of his. her face was hovering on top of him, and she kept a gentle smile. "people do that when they're in love, howard. it's called a kiss."

again, confusion and a grumble. "oh. what does that mean?"

she squinted, almost as if looking for the answer to his question in the backrooms of his irises. "I don't know how to explain it, but it's what people feel when they're really happy around each other."

"I feel like that," he stated blankly, watching as her face flushed in embarrassment.

"you can't just say that like it's nothing," she managed to croak out without combusting on the spot. "love is a very big thing. you have to mean it."

"why wouldn't I mean it?"

her lips parted as she tried to respond, then realized just how simple everything was with this man. lovecraft didn't care about the specifics, and maybe she shouldn't either. she exhaled through her mouth slowly, then brought her hands to his cheek.

"okay, fine. I'm going to kiss you now, alright? don't do anything like try to bite my flesh off, just... just let me kiss you. can we try that?" the words felt silly as they spilled out, but he nodded. if it didn't involve him doing anything, that was even better, he thought.

his eyes were open as lips met again. he took notice that hers were closed, but he couldn't quite understand why. it was nothing like what he'd tried earlier: she was soft and slow about it. he could feel her chest fall and rise in sync with the gentle breaths she let out. it was clear she wasn't sure about what she was doing, but after a few moments, she leaned in closer and he could taste her on his tongue. she rubbed her lips on his, and smirked once she felt him trying to reciprocate by copying her movements. fingers slid from his cheeks to his hair, and she pulled his face deeper into hers.

she let out a soft yelp as his tongue dipped further into her, now an addict of her taste. he tried to be careful, he really did, but his teeth bit down into her tongue a little harshly as he tried to get the hang of this. as soon as things got too messy, too fast, she slowly pulled away, his lower lip flicking back upwards as her own let it go. her eyes fluttered back open, and she found herself giggling as she saw that his were open the entire time. of course they were.

"that," she whispered with a smile, fingers stroking his hair and weaving through them at his scalp, "that is a kiss. how did that feel?"

his face literally melted and he became a gooey mess of tentacles and monstrous shapes as he felt his entire body explode internally.

watching his version of being flustered be to turn into his alternate form, she was tempted to giggle at how adorable his reaction was. however, she quickly found herself projected across the room as he accidentally threw her out of panic.

she chuckled, back slumped against the wall while sitting on the floor on the opposite end of the room, a hand on her head feeling for any bumps or cuts. "I take it that means you liked it."

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a hand around his hips, a hand holding a cup of hot chocolate.

a hand on her waist, a hand gripping five different ice cream cones all at once.

they sat on a bench in the dead of the night, which was really the only time she could get him out of the apartment. during the day, she would go out and work while he stayed home and slept. during the night, they would occasionally go out, then come home and sleep. it was quite the schedule.

she took a slow sip of her hot chocolate, head tilting to the side in order to rest on his shoulder. in order to not disturb her, he contorted his neck at an angle that would make anybody call on for a higher being's protection, and tossed all the cones into his mouth in one motion.

"want a sip?" she offered her drink, unfazed by anything he did anymore. "not the whole cup, just a taste."

his eyes met hers, and he shrugged yes. she smirked and kissed his lips, the chocolate flavour lingering even as she pulled away.

thankfully, as they were in public even though there was no one out at this unholy hour, he just blushed and did not morph into an enemy of the state and humanity. she liked it when he blushed; his sharp features softened and glistened under the moonlight. another kiss to the high of his cheekbones paired with fingertips sliding along his abdomen, and the red deepened.

"m'just messin' with you," murmured against his skin. "want to go home now?"

it was a stupid question: he always wanted to go home.

only, his home was no longer a place, but a person.

[wizardfrog69]

‼️‼️ this is kinda dark so if you don’t want to do it then please don’t

Can you do nikolai, sigma and lovecraft With reader who’s usually calm, cheerful and friendly, being in the same room with someone yelling at another person (like kunikida yelling at dazai maybe) and then reader goes nonverbal because they have trauma with yelling? They don’t cry about it or anything they just can’t speak, thank you!

Thanks for the request!

'•.¸♡ stop shouting! ♡¸.•'

Comfort

Masterlist

Enjoy!

Feat. Nikolai, Sigma, Lovecraft

Nikolai Gogol

You were on a train coming back home after a day out (don't trust this man to drive) when you heard two people beginning to shout at each other.

Most people looked over at the commotion to see if everything was alright and typically went back to what they were doing before. You tiredly looked over at the commotion, and your tired expression mixed with a distant one.

Nikolai, who somehow managed to be as energetic as ever while you were about to fall asleep on his shoulder, looked over to you to see if you were okay. When he saw you were in a deep trance, your unemotional stare hit the ground as it observed it with reluctance. He took your hand and held it in yours. You didn't react, still observing the floor ahead of you.

'Is everything alright?' Now Nikolai moved the arm you rested on and wrapped it around the body, letting you rest on his chest. You moved yourself closer to him and wrapped an arm around him loosely.

Sigma

Sigma was holding your hand while walking slowly in a park. Everything was going great until you heard a couple shouting at each other.

Sigma asked you a question, to which you gave no answer. He looked at you and instantly worried. 'Is everything okay dear?' He asked in a worried tone. You slightly shook your head while fixating your gaze on the payment in front of you.

You were guided to a bench by Sigma. You sat down, and Sigma sat next to you. He pulled you close to himself and rubbed your back. 'Everything is okay. You are safe.' He comforted while hugging you until you felt better.

If you want to leave, Sigma will take you back home, and at home, he will comfort you and give you a cup of tea or something to help you relax.

H. P. Lovecraft

It was a hot summer's day, and you decided to get some ice cream with Lovecraft. You walked with a pep in your step, and a crisp waffle cone filled with many flavoured, cold sugars that appeal to you greatly.

You walked hand in hand with Lovecraft back to your place to escape the unbearable sun. You were so close to your house until you heard your neighbours arguing quite loudly. Your blissful attitude turned cold. Lovecraft noticed the change in yourself immediately, your finial destination was only a couple of seconds away, so you tried to ignore them as much as you could, but it was hard.

When you got home, Lovecraft asked if everything was okay. When you didn't respond, he got a bit worried. In truth, he didn't know what to do and offered you a nap, thinking it might help you somehow. You agreed to the nap, but only so you could cuddle up to him and hopefully feel better.

༺♡༻ 𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊 𖡼.𖤣𖥧𖡼.𖤣𖥧 ⋆ 𖡼.𖤣𖥧𖡼.𖤣𖥧 𓍊𓋼𓍊𓋼𓍊 ༺♡༻

[shuaflix]

my guardian demon sucks at his job (not clickbait)

❝ look, i accidentally summoned jeonghan from my statistics textbook the day before you met him at the olive garden. ❞

PAIRING ▸ demon!yoon jeonghan x fem!reader

GENRES ▸ smut, fluff, humor, angst, supernatural, demon au

WARNINGS ▸ not so biblically accurate, profanity, slowburn, found family, inspirations from mythology and h. p. lovecraft, lots of banter, alcohol consumption, sexual tension, teasing, dirty talk, oral (fem. receiving), fingering, palming, unprotected sex (wrap before you tap), mc is painfully horny, ft. demon!shua and demon!wonwoo 

SUMMARY ▸ just when you thought your luck couldn't get any worse, you accidentally manage to summon an ancient demon prince named jeonghan out of a scrap of paper from your statistics textbook. now, you're tasked with figuring out how to return your so-called "guardian demon" back to where he came from before he can stir up more trouble.

PLAYLIST ▸ our dawn is hotter than day by seventeen • cruel summer by taylor swift

WORD COUNT ▸ 23,610 words

TAG LIST ▸ @byunfirstlady​ @90s-belladonna​ @knucklesdeepmingi​ @xlovette​ @variety-is-the-joy-of-life​ @hatesbutlovespeople7734​ @goquokka​

AUTHOR’S NOTE ▸ i had so much fun writing this so i hope you guys enjoy this one!! thank you so much for supporting my works ♡ lmk what u think!

TO BE FAIR, YOU REALLY DIDN’T EXPECT THE SPELL TO WORK.

You initially thought the scrap of paper you found in your statistics textbook was someone’s torn-up Latin homework. You borrowed the copy from the library earlier in the day, realizing that the only way you would pass your midterm would be if you actually studied. Wedged between the pages of Chapter Three - Linear Regression was the dubious piece of paper.  

You thought nothing of it at first. You turned a blind eye to how it was yellowed due to age, thinking it was just left behind by accident. It didn’t even cross your mind about how strange it was that someone left their Latin homework in a statistics textbook.

There was no real reason why you read the words aloud. You thought it could act as some sort of good luck charm—something that could manifest good grades on your exams—but you ended up with the exact opposite.

The paper started glowing, but it wasn’t bright light; a void of pitch darkness emitted from the scrap instead. Mind you, it was nearly the middle of the night. It was already dark, but your room was starting to look like you had opened up a schism in space.

You dropped the paper in the middle of the room instinctively, hissing lightly at how it nearly froze your fingers off. Your room’s temperature dropped by several degrees, and if you weren’t internally freaking out about the random black hole in the middle of your room, you would have curled up in your blankets.

This was one hell of a karmic retribution for slacking on your work for half the semester.

You could hardly see the paper, but you could see faint smoke coming from the middle of the source. It seeped along your bedroom floor, and you contemplated calling your roommate for help before realizing that you, in fact, had no roommate and lived alone.

From there, the paper seemed to crumple up and dissipate into thin air. Instead, a shadowy figure emerged from the smoke. You were not religious by any means, but you felt like this was probably the best time to start praying to whatever higher power was out there.

Light returned to the room once the darkness and smoke faded away. You could now make out the entity’s figure more clearly, noting how it towered over you with sharp horns sticking out from its tuft of hair. Once you could see well enough to make out its face, you were met with what you thought was a human, though the horns and red eyes were throwing you in for a loop.

Humans often had four different psychological responses to traumatic or stressful experiences:

Fight: facing any perceived threat head-on.

Flight: running away from the perceived threat.

Fawn: resorting to appealing to the perceived threat to avoid potential conflict.

Freeze: being unable to move or act against the perceived threat.

Being the absolute weapon of survival you were, your body chose to freeze.

The thing just stared at you until its mouth stretched into a lazy smirk. “Hey, I’m—”

In seconds, your body moved on its own. As soon as you heard the smallest sound come from the being, you grabbed your backpack that was leaning against your bed frame, and you started swinging at the entity with it.

You chose to fight.

You were no longer useless.

“Ow!” the thing winced, shrinking back with each blow. You were slightly worried about breaking your laptop inside, but you were currently prioritizing your life more. “Cut it out!”

You got a better look at this thing. He was clearly attractive with his strong jawline and dark, sleepy eyes—assuming he was even a dude in the first place. You still kept your guard up around Pretty Boy, though, considering he had just Harry Potter’d his way into your bedroom.

“Who—what are you?” you spluttered, holding your backpack up in a (hopefully) threatening way.

“Me?” Pretty Boy grinned. “I’m your demon.”

What in the Wizards of Waverly Place was this man talking about? You stared blankly at the guy before taking a careful step backward. Of course, there were far too many supernatural elements packed into the last minute for you to completely shut down the idea, but it sounded downright crazy. This was something that only happened in books and movies, and they weren’t supposed to be hot!

“A… a demon? From Hell?”

“Yes, that’s usually where demons tend to be from.”

Great, this “demon” was a smart-ass, too.

“What’s a demon?” you asked. It took you a few moments to realize that you had, in fact, asked an extremely stupid question. Of course you knew what a demon was; you didn’t have to be a religious studies major to know about all the Jesus and Satan lore.

“I’m glad you asked,” said demon started, although he didn’t seem to be glad at all. “There are demons that should be summoned, and there are demons that should not be summoned. Can you guess which one I am?”

“Uh…” You deliberated carefully. “You’re a demon that can be summoned.”

“Wrong!” Pretty Boy answered. “I’m a demon that shouldn’t be summoned, so I need you to explain how on Earth you summoned me.”

“I—I thought you said you were my demon.”

“I am,” he said, “because most demons can only be summoned by their designated human, which you did, but I, of all demons, am not meant to be summoned and trapped in this realm! How in Lucifer’s name did you summon me, human?”

You held up a hand to keep him from charging forward at you. “First of all, my name is Y/N. Shouldn’t you be familiar with your own human’s name? Second of all, what do you mean by ‘designated human’?”

Pretty Boy sighed. “I’m supposed to be your assigned demon.”

You frowned. “Supposed to be?”

“Yeah, sorry, I’ve kind of been neglecting you. Totally forgot your name and everything.” He hummed inquisitively. “Remind me of it again?”

“Y/N,” you repeated carefully, slightly offended. “What the hell is an assigned demon?”

“If I tell you,” he started in a somber tone, and you hung onto every word, worrying at your lip and fearing something dreadful would happen, “then it’s no fun.”

He had to be fucking with you.

“No fun?” you questioned. “Are you kidding?”

“I happen to be very serious,” he answered, “and I’m getting the feeling that you’re a bit of a kill-joy, human.”

“Listen,” you spat, “I have a stats midterm tomorrow, so you better start talking before I get back to studying and ignore you.”

“Fine,” he complied. “Think of it, like… a guardian demon.”

“Damn.” You looked up at him with wide eyes. “If I give you my soul, can you help me pass my midterm?”

“That’s not quite how it works, and I may be a demon, but that’s a pretty stupid request in exchange for your soul,” he deadpanned. “Okay, now tell me how you summoned me.”

Your gaze dropped to the spot on the floor where the black void opened up. You recalled the slip of paper disintegrating into thin air once the demon appeared. You were certain that was the key to this bizarre merging of two realms.

“Uh,” you said, “there was a piece of paper with some Latin written on it. You appeared after I read the words out loud.”

And after turning your room into an arctic tundra.

Pretty Boy’s face fell upon your words. You were shocked that the demon looked so crest-fallen all of a sudden, and it was making you feel a bit guilty for dragging him out of Hell.

You decided to ask, “Are you okay?”

“I am not okay, I am Yoon Jeonghan, one of the seven princes of Hell,” he started angrily, causing you to take a cautious step backward. “I am Greed, the creator of alchemy, forger of the Twin Blade, constructor of the—” The demon cut himself off when you held up a fist to your mouth to keep yourself from laughing. “W-what? What’s so funny, human?”

“I’m sorry,” you apologized quickly, accidentally letting a giggle slip from your lips, “but there’s no way some pretty face like you is a demon prince.”

“I emerged from an opening in the ground, and you still refuse to believe I’m a demon?”

“Well—”

“Human, do you know why a ‘pretty face’ like me is a demon prince?” Pretty Demon Boy a.k.a Jeonghan inquired, stepping closer until you were backed up against your desk. “The King of all demons himself was once considered the most beautiful of all angels. Why?” With three fingers, he tilted your chin up enough for you to take a good look at him—at the swirling dark red in his eyes. “Because demons represent temptation.”

“Temptation,” you echoed, embarrassed that your voice came out more strangled than intended. “Yeah, well, I’m really tempted to kick your ass back to Hell right now.”

You supposed he was onto something, in a sense. Maybe Jeonghan was telling the truth because you couldn’t focus on anything else but how his lips were nearing yours. It was as if your senses had completely clouded over.

Upon your words, however, he dropped his gaze and pulled away from you. Jeonghan looked saddened, which was a sight you had not expected from the smug-faced demon. You weren’t educated on demon lore or anything, but you were quite surprised that they were capable of feeling such human emotions.

“There are ways demons can be summoned,” he said in a somber voice. “If we are summoned by our names, then we can appear and promptly return to Hell. Incantations, though, are tricky; with negligence, there is a possibility that I’m stuck here.”

“Stuck here?” you asked, raising your voice. “What do you mean? You can’t go back?”

“Well, do you remember the words on that piece of paper?”

“No.”

“Then I don’t have a way of going back, dumbass.”

You huffed. “I didn’t know a demon prince could have the vocabulary of a middle school boy.”

“We can speak any language on this planet and adapt to modern slang,” he explained. “I can also speak dolphin. Wanna hear?”

“No, let’s circle back to getting you back to Hell,” you shut him down before he started using echolocation. “There has to be some other way, right?”

“We have a few options, actually,” he said, sitting on the edge of your bed. You cringed at the thought of the intruder making himself at home, but you supposed you were the one who got him in this mess, anyway. It wouldn’t be smart for you to boss him around, especially since he could overtake you easily. “Either you remember the incantation, or… actually, I haven’t thought that far ahead yet.”

“So, we only have one option?” you clarified. “I have the memory of a goldfish, so I think you’re fucked.” You scratched your neck in thought. “Can’t you call one of your demon buddies to bring you back?”

“Demon buddies?” He laughed coldly. “We aren’t exactly buddy-buddy down there.”

“Then why do you wanna go back so bad?”

“This materialized human form of mine will not last me very long,” he replied gravely, though you weren’t quite convinced the horns and red eyes were doing him any favors. “Normally, I could be up here for as long as I want, but my powers are weak right now. I will eventually perish like this, unless…”

“Unless?”

“Unless I kill an angel.”

After your morbid conversation with Jeonghan, you decided you would deal with the issue after your midterm. The demon insisted that he would not be able to leave your side since you summoned him, so that led to him sleeping on your floor. To your horror, he was pleasantly satisfied with this sleeping arrangement, claiming it was “better than being boiled alive in oil.”

His bedroom in Hell didn’t sound very cozy.

The next morning, you woke to an email notification that your midterm had been canceled. Something about your professor falling sick out of nowhere.

You wanted to rejoice, but you couldn’t help but feel that this was because of Jeonghan. This was probably the whole “guardian demon” thing, but he was causing chaos and disorder to get you what you wanted. It left an uneasy feeling, but, regardless, you were satisfied with not taking an exam.

Anyway, why was Jeonghan, self-proclaimed prince of demons, assigned to be your guardian? When you turned in your bed to see him sitting at your desk and staring at your textbook, you asked him the question that was bugging you.

He scoffed and replied, “I don’t know. Luck?”

You narrowed your eyes. “Is it really lucky that a demon prince was assigned to me? Sounds a little unnerving.”

“That just means you have a powerful demon on your side.” He smirked and leaned in to ask, “Were you happy to see your midterm canceled this morning?”

“So it was you!” you exclaimed. “Look, I appreciate it and everything, but you can’t just make people sick to help me out.”

“I can’t?” He looked surprisingly innocent when you reprimanded him, like a seven-year-old being told not to color on the walls. “I didn’t even murder him or anything.”

“That—that’s also pretty bad,” you stammered. “Let’s not do any of that, okay?”

“But that’s no fun.”

“This isn’t about having fun! These are people’s lives. How would you feel if I harmed one of the other demon princes for fun?”

“That’s hot. I’d probably cum in my pants.”

“Okay, maybe that was a bad example,” you grumbled. “Is there anyone you care about down there?”

“Not down there, not up here,” he replied. “I’m a demon, remember? There’s no one who cares for me, so I don’t care for anyone either.”

“Wow,” you said. “You could be the poster boy for 2012 Tumblr angst.”

“I’ll pretend I understood that, human.”

There was something bothering you, though. Jeonghan’s words last night about killing an angel were parroting in your head. You couldn’t shake off the guilt that he could potentially die on Earth because of you, but it felt immoral to kill an angel to return to his prison in Hell. On the other hand, you couldn’t bear to see him perish because of you.

“How long do you have?” you asked. “You know… to live.”

“Hm… I’d say about 718 years?”

“Oh, what the fuck? You’re chilling.”

“In Hell time.”

You frowned. “How long is that in Earth years?”

Jeonghan’s gaze flew to the ceiling as he tried to calculate the math in his head, using his fingers to count off. “That’s about half an Earth year, so, like, six months.”

“Oh no,” you replied in absolute dread, “and you’re still planning on killing an angel?”

“If that’s the only way to save me—yes.”

“Well, how do you even find one?”

“I can sense their presence,” he said before standing up. “Come on, human. You’ll have to show me around your world so that I can remember the mortal way of life.”

“I guess, but first”—you stopped him by raising your hand—“you’ll have to get rid of those horns.”

Once Jeonghan concealed his horns and changed his eyes to a more socially acceptable color, you gave him the green light to go outside. He looked good like this, but he was attracting too much attention. The demon simply had too big of an ego to tone down the attractiveness, so you were stuck walking around with a chick magnet.

“You’re a demon,” you whispered harshly. “You’re telling me you don’t have any ugly forms?”

Jeonghan sighed. “That is the unfortunate curse of a demon. We can’t help that our beauty is so blinding.”

You wanted to punch him. The boiling oil prison bed wasn’t a curse, but this was?

“Well, people are staring, and it’s making me uncomfortable. I’ve never been the center of attention—or, well, around the center of attention.”

“Then would you like me to gouge out their eyeballs with a dagger?”

“No!” you yelled. “No, there will be no gouging of eyeballs!”

You started going off on your Murder Is Normally Socially Unacceptable And Wrong tangent up until you realized that Jeonghan was no longer next to you. Fear shot up your spine right before you spotted him standing in front of an Olive Garden that you two had walked past earlier.

“Jeonghan, what are you doing?” you asked, frowning. “Let’s keep walking.”

“Human,” he said, clearly ignoring your words, “take me into this restaurant.”

“You’re hungry?” When he nodded, you sighed and complied, saying, “Alright, then, I’ll pay.”

You were worried that the demon wouldn’t behave properly, but, to your surprise, he stood to the side and let you do the talking. You found his shy smile strangely endearing, especially when he tilted his head after the waitress asked if you two were a couple.

“Yes,” he answered before you could shut it down. “We’ve come in a pair.”

You forced a laugh, glancing at the waitress to make sure she didn’t think you two were absolute nutjobs. Well, you supposed it had no effect on you if your psychotic demon was perceived as one, but you were 100% normal across the board. Thankfully, the waitress laughed it off and asked if either of you wanted anything to drink.

You smiled. “Just water, please.”

“Do you have any blood?” Jeonghan asked at the same time.

Your head shot up to see his furrowed brows as he tried to decipher the Italian dishes on the menu. At this point, you were mortified and could positively say that you were not taking Jeonghan outside after this. You’d rather be stuck in his boiling oil prison than be put through this torment.

“B-Bloody Mary?” the waitress asked.

“Oh, is this Mary providing the blood? I don’t really care to know who exactly she is, but I appreciate the—”

“Yeah, he meant a Bloody Mary,” you cut in loudly, putting on a sugary sweet smile for her. You turned to the demon with a warning look in your eyes, but you kept up the playful act as you chided, “Jeonghan! I told you to quit with the pranks here!”

“Oh, you two are so funny,” the waitress gushed. “I’ll be right back with your drinks.”

“Thank you!” you chirped. When she was out of sight, you dropped your fake smile so you could kick the living crap out of the demon’s shin. He winced and raised a brow at you. “What made you think you could ask for blood at a restaurant?”

Jeonghan scoffed. “I’m a demon.”

“Oh, really? I wouldn’t have guessed from the hundred times you’ve mentioned it.”

“I can’t eat this food.” Jeonghan put the menu down and ran his fingers down the list of options. “Well, I suppose I could stomach it for sustenance, but it won’t satisfy my hunger.”

“Then what do you need to eat?” you asked, expecting to hear something morbid.

“Well, human blood or flesh would help,” he said. Just as you thought—morbid. Then, after a moment of thought, he added, “or… I’d need to have sex.”

“S-sex?!” you exclaimed. You tried not to choke on air, which failed about five seconds later. Never in your life did you expect hellbound demons to be so lecherous. Well, it made perfect sense, but it was still odd to think about. “You’re telling me the only way you can be fed is by cannibalism or sex?”

“Cannibalism is a strong word.”

“Cannibalism is the only word for people who eat other people!”

“I’m not a person,” he defended. “I’m a demon. I believe you humans call this ‘the food cycle,’ am I right?”

You leaned back in your seat to groan into your hands. “I guess we’re just gonna have to find a way to get you back before you get too hungry. How long can you go without food?”

“Probably forever if I was in Hell,” Jeonghan said, “but I feel really hungry.”

“Is this some ulterior motive to get into my pants?”

Jeonghan barked out a laugh. “Human, do you know who the Seven Deadly Sins are?”

“Sort of? I’ve seen the anime.”

“They’re the seven human vices, and I’m Greed,” he explained. “Other than me, there’s Lust, Wrath, Envy, Sloth, Gluttony, and Pride. Many say that Pride is the worst of them all, but I am destructive at every level. Greed is what breaks a person down and then brings them to destroy the world around them.”

His voice was pitched deeper when he continued, “Greed is the sin that can never be satisifed.”

“O-okay,” you said carefully, “so why are you telling me this?”

“I’m telling you this because you’re pretty naive for someone who summoned a demon as powerful as I am,” he replied calmly. “I’m Greed, so of course that was an ulterior motive to get into your pants.”

Oh.

Awkward.

You weren’t sure if you were blushing because Jeonghan was hot or because no man had ever been so direct with you. For what it was worth, you were positive that the warm feeling in your chest wasn’t because you were flattered or anything. Being asked for sex in the middle of a restaurant wasn’t hot in the slightest bit, and especially after he proceeded to mansplain how he was a manipulative, conniving bastard.

“Don’t feel pressured,” he said.

Although those were the words that came out of his mouth, you could feel the impatience seeping from him. However, it had you thinking that this could become some sort of transaction. You would surely feel used if you let him get what he wanted so easily, but you would definitely be swayed if there was something in it for you. Plus, Jeonghan was unmistakably attractive, which was probably simply the devil’s temptation getting to you.

“If I let you satisfy your hunger… um, sexually,” you started, “then I want something in return.”

A mischievous glint flashed in his dark eyes. “Oh? You’re making things fun, human.”

You felt something hot roiling deep inside your core, making you nearly lose your breath for a moment. The effect he had on you was otherworldly. (You supposed this checked out considering he himself was otherworldly.)

Before you could lay down your guidelines, a voice called from behind, “Sorry, your previous waitress had something come up, so I’ll be taking your orders for your meal. My name’s—whoa, Y/N?”

Your eyes widened. “Seokmin! Oh my god, you work here?”

“Yeah, I do,” he said, laughing lightly at your surprise. “Is this your, uh, boyfriend?”

You met Jeonghan’s stare with an awkward smile. “N-no, we’re just friends.”

Seokmin beamed at the demon, who, to your dismay, made no effort to reciprocate. “Nice to meet you. I was in one of Y/N’s classes last semester. Where are you from?”

Jeonghan reached out to shake the hand that Seokmin held out. You knew he was blunt, but you really didn’t expect him to respond by saying, “Hell.”

You were stabbing metaphysical pitchforks into Jeonghan’s side, fighting the urge to groan into your hands. Seokmin let out a stilted laugh, pausing for a moment to give Jeonghan time to clarify. When the demon didn't, however, Seokmin probably determined that Jeonghan was messing with him.

“You’re funny,” he praised with a grin. “Anyway, can I get you two started on anything?”

Seokmin had the brightest smile you had ever seen. In fact, he seemed to glow brighter just by showing his teeth. You were almost blown away for a moment, just looking up at him and trying not to stumble over your words as he set your drinks down.

“Um,” you started after regaining your composure, “I’ll take the stuffed ziti fritta, please.”

Seokmin turned to Jeonghan, who nodded in your direction with a distracted look on his face. “Yeah, I’ll get the same.”

“Great! I’ll bring those over soon.” With that, Seokmin took both of your menus and walked off.

You smiled to yourself. “What a small world.”

“I have to kill him,” Jeonghan muttered at the same time.

“Excuse me?” you nearly cried. “Jeonghan, are you crazy? You can’t just say things like that in public!”

“Why not?”

“People are gonna think you’re a homicidal maniac! Which you are, but… at least pretend to be normal.”

“Whatever, we’re alone now.” He rolled his eyes. “Your little friend has angel blood in him.”

“What? You’re crazy.”

But then, when you took a moment to consider his words, the lines were starting to draw themselves. It was starting to make sense in your head, with Jeonghan randomly stopping in the middle of the street, as if he was drawn to the restaurant. There was also Seokmin, who almost had an aura of light radiating from him.

Of course, there was the possibility that the demon was speaking nonsense and trying to get in your head. It wouldn’t be out of the ordinary for him to deceive you, but there was no reason for him to lie. Jeonghan needed an angel to live longer, so he wouldn’t waste his time dealing with those who weren’t of use.

You asked, “How can you tell if he’s an angel or not?”

“I’m a demon. I can sense these things,” he answered, “but I’m sure you can see some of it, too. You saw how he glowed a bit? Maybe even made you feel a little happy out of nowhere?”

It was true that Seokmin’s smile made you forget all of your worries for a second. You thought his radiance was just contagious, but this sort of made sense now that you were semi-familiar with the supernatural. If angels were able to make people feel contented, though, did that mean demons had the opposite effect?

That could probably explain why Jeonghan got on your nerves so easily.

You leaned over the table a little, whispering, “Wouldn’t he know what you are, then?”

“Doubt he knows it himself. He’s a Quartarion—quarter angel. I bet he doesn’t even know he has wings.”

“So… you can’t use him, right? You need an angel, and he’s mostly human.”

“No, I could kill him, actually,” he replied. “I just need to kill an angel-blood. In fact, killing a Quartarion instead of a pure-blood would make my job a lot easier.”

You felt trapped. It wasn’t like you were in any position to argue about Jeonghan’s decisions, considering it was your fault he was in this state. However, you felt sick to your stomach over getting blood on your hands because of him. Even if you weren’t the one killing Seokmin, it was indirectly your fault.

“You are not killing him,” you said firmly.

“What?” Jeonghan almost sounded like a child. “Not even a little?”

“You can’t kill someone a little.”

“Well, maybe if I sliced his—”

“Okay! Be normal, be normal, be normal,” you chanted, trying to get him to hone in some morals. “No murder, no cannibalism, no—”

“Two stuffed ziti frittas!” Seokmin chirped, shutting you up effectively. You swallowed thickly as he set the plates down in front of you and Jeonghan. “Can I get you two anything else?”

“Yeah, actually,” Jeonghan spoke up, a sly grin spreading across his face, “are you free this week?”

Poor, poor Seokmin, you thought miserably.

Jeonghan managed to sweet-talk Seokmin into hanging out with you two later in the week. The very idea was absurd, considering you and Seokmin have only spoken about five times. You thought the demon used some sort of demon power to get Seokmin to comply, but Jeonghan later told you that he was just naturally charismatic.

You decided to deal with the Seokmin issue later, though. Now, you had another problem at hand: the proposal you initiated earlier.

Currently, Jeonghan had you pinned up against your door, his head dipping low so that he could look into your eyes despite your efforts to avert your gaze. Jesus, you knew this was a terrible idea, but every nerve in your body was telling you to just go with it.

He hummed. “What was your offer?”

“This isn’t very guardian demon of you,” you squeaked out.

“I just can’t kill you,” he said. “Sex is still on the table.”

This piqued your interest. “Wait… you’re not allowed to kill me?”

That just made you feel like he would’ve murdered you already if he had the chance.

“I could try, but I physically can’t harm you. I can harm others for you, though,” he said. “Now let’s go back to that offer you were going to make.”

“Let me clarify,” he continued, “it’s not the act of intercourse that feeds me, it’s your taste.”

He was basically saying that he needed to eat you out. You would be lying if you said you were opposed to the idea. You weren’t sure if it was the whole devil’s temptation thing or whatever, but you found yourself wanting to just let Jeonghan have his way with you.

You sucked in a sharp breath. Back at the restaurant, you weren’t ready to lay down any guidelines for the exchange. However, it was clear to you now.

“I’ll agree as long as you don’t kill Seokmin.”

The demon pulled away from you, frowning. “Why can’t I kill him?”

“He’s my… friend,” you tried.

“He appears to share a deeper connection with me, a complete stranger, than he does with you, an established acquaintance.”

Okay, ouch. That stung.

“Okay, he’s not really my friend,” you admitted, “but it’ll make me feel really guilty if you kill him. I know you need to kill an angel-blood to get back, but there has to be another way, right?”

Jeonghan’s voice was pitched lower when he said, “I don’t know about that.” Silence hung heavy in the air for a few moments before he spoke up again, “Fine. I’ll accept your offer. I won’t kill Seokmin for now, but I can’t promise that in the future if I’m left with no other choice.”

That was probably the best you were going to get out of him, so you nodded in agreement. “Deal.”

Before the demon could reply, you shimmied down your shorts, kicking them off your ankles, and then you sat back on your bed. You pressed your thighs together, waiting for him to come forward and take the lead.

Jeonghan just stared at you, jaw gone slack.

“What?” you asked with a frown. Slowly, embarrassment started to heat up your cheeks. “You don’t wanna do it anymore?”

“Human, I feel a bit strange doing this with the stuffed animals lined up on your bed.”

“I just had to convince you not to murder my classmate a minute ago, and you draw the line at this?” You sighed in exasperation. “You’re unbelievable, you know that?”

Jeonghan just moved closer until he was right in front of you. He pushed your legs apart, surprisingly gentle, and he reached his hand between your legs so that he could prod at the thin material of your underwear at the apex of your legs. You shivered instantly at his touch, grabbing his sleeve when you felt your core ache for more.

“I don’t know,” he murmured, observing how wet you were getting with his gentle touches. “You seem to enjoy bickering with me a little too much, human.”

“T-that’s ridiculous.”

“Is it?” The question sounded genuine, but the smirk on Jeonghan’s face was unmistakable. You swallowed hard as his free hand traveled up your thigh slowly, inching further and further until he tugged your underwear down past your thighs. You kicked it off your ankles while he started to position you properly on your bed. “What’s ridiculous is having these adorable playthings watching us.”

You turned your head to see your Sanrio MyMelody Squishmallow staring at you with its big, empty eyes and mocking smile. It almost felt like you were being judged by your own plushie.

Okay, you were starting to get why it was capable of freaking a demon out.

You propped yourself up on your forearm and rose up enough to grab your Squishmallow by its bow and turn it around. Now that it was facing the wall, you strangely felt more at ease.

“Okay, now you can go,” you said with a grin.

Jeonghan scoffed, amused. “Thanks.”

“You’re wel—oh,” you moaned, pressing a fist to your mouth when you felt Jeonghan’s tongue work its way between your folds. “Give me a warning next time, damn.”

He paused for a moment to look up at you, mischief twinkling in his dark eyes. “You’re already thinking about the next time, huh?”

“Just shut up and keep doing your thing.” When he raised a brow at you, you added a frantic, “Please?”

This moment may have been the first time Jeonghan had complied so quickly. He got to work right away, gripping your hips and licking a stripe along your cunt. You arched your back once you heard him groan at the taste of your arousal, and the demon had to push you back down to make sure you weren’t fidgeting too much.

You turned your head to the side, digging your chin into the mattress as Jeonghan’s tongue rolled around your clit in torturous motions. You were fighting the urge to cry out in pleasure because you knew you would never hear the end of it from him. Eventually, though, the feeling overtook your pride, and you let yourself moan for more.

Jeonghan was insatiable. That probably came with being a demon, especially when he represented the sin of greed.

But, the thing was, you didn’t expect him to be so mind-blowingly good.

Your sounds must have spurred him because Jeonghan gripped your thighs harder and ate you out with more fervor. It was a back-arching level of pleasure, but he forced you down every time you tried to squirm. When his tongue snaked past your folds, flicking against the walls of your cunt, you truly understood the sheer power of temptation.

Jeonghan didn’t neglect one inch of your core, flattening his tongue so he could cover the surface completely. He switched from plunging his tongue into your cunt to licking long stripes along your slit so quickly that your vision was starting to curl at the edges. You felt like you were going crazy when you grinded your hips against his tongue and felt his smirk.

No man had ever made you feel this good—no, you were positive that no man could ever make you feel this good. Even Jeonghan’s nose brushing against your clit made you feel like you were combusting.

He brought you to the edge so quickly, and you wondered if you had even made yourself orgasm so fast before. The sensation left your legs shaking around his neck and your head turned to the side in a desperate attempt to hold back your moans. You managed to let out strangled whimpers that left Jeonghan chuckling once he pulled away.

You didn’t know what you were expecting, but you felt a touch disappointed when you looked up at him. There was absolutely no hint of a boner tenting his pants.

“I’d ask,” Jeonghan started with a smirk, “but I can already tell you liked it by the way you were moaning for me.”

You raised yourself onto your elbows, huffing a little. “What about you? Are your powers back now?”

“It doesn’t exactly work like that.” Jeonghan patted his stomach, satisfied. “I’m full, though.”

“Interesting.” You left it there, not wanting to divulge further into his demon diet. “So, you don’t ever have sex for pleasure? Just when you’re hungry?”

“I don’t care for pleasure all that much.”

“Figured,” you mumbled. “Anyway, I’m going to sleep.”

“Already?”

“Yeah, I’m tired. Wake me up in a few hours if I’m not already up.”

“Sure. I’ll go do human things and not kill people.”

“Keep up the good work.”

When Jeonghan left your room, you pulled the covers up to your chin and let out a long sigh. The feeling was fleeting, but long enough for you to take notice. A gentle quickening of your heartbeat and a warm feeling in your chest.

You pushed it down as a brief moment of confusion.

Living with Jeonghan felt like having a guard dog that you kept off its leash.

Not only did you have to stop him from attempting murder on several occasions, but, on the flip side, you also had to warn him about being too nice to make up for his twisted imagination. Jeonghan was far too attractive to be human, and from the numerous times you went outside with him, you realized that he drew too much attention. You were left standing to the side idly while he was chatted up by the umpteenth random girl that wanted his number.

Over the past week, you ended up explaining a lot of things to the demon. Going into depth about the criminal justice system was your favorite because Jeonghan looked flabbergasted by the levels of punishment they had.

(“A six month sentence for theft?” he asked with a frown. “That’s absurd. I got eternity in Hell while being boiled alive in oil!”

“Well, what was your crime?” you asked.

“Uh…”)

Once, you even found him staring at the TV screen with a somber expression on his face. You had never seen Jeonghan so visibly upset, so you asked him what was going on, only to be even more confused when he explained that his pet died. You suspected the demon’s pet to be a hellhound or something. Never did you expect him to pull up a picture of Mount Fuji.

(“His name was Doljjong,” he explained sadly. “He was only 1,359 years old when he erupted for the last time.”

Apparently, Mount Fuji was now extinct. In Jeonghan’s crazy demon lingo, that meant it died.

“You basically had a pet rock, dude.”

“He was more than a rock in my heart.”)

You also had to adjust to living with another man in the house. Thankfully, Jeonghan wasn’t messy or as disgusting as you had expected, but you still had to adjust to some of his living habits that took you by surprise.

For one, Jeonghan preferred showering in scorching hot water. This would not bother you if you hadn’t been dragged into the shower with him on one occasion, which he didn’t seem to think was improper at all. While you were trying not to look at his (beautifully-chiseled) naked body, he was urging you to help him turn down the cold water. As soon as your skin made contact with the water, though, you couldn’t stand the scalding heat.

Strangely enough, although the thought of having a demon in your house terrified you, it was kind of fun to live with him. You liked having someone around that could keep up with your antics, someone who challenged your thirst for argument. Jeonghan was the perfect match for you, and maybe that was why he was your assigned demon.

You finally decided to give him your old phone. It was supposed to be a hand-me-down for your younger brother, but your parents ended up getting him a new one. Since Jeonghan was pretty much ancient, you figured he wouldn’t mind an old phone.

“I want an iPhone 14 Pro Max.”

“What?!” you exclaimed as he took the used iPhone 8 from you, inspecting the home button with a frown. “How do you even know what that is?”

“I wasn’t born yesterday, human.” He scoffed. “I don’t care for outdated possessions.”

Oh, right. Greed.

“Well, if you’re gonna live in my house, then you’re gonna learn to be grateful for what you’ve got.”

“Wait.” Jeonghan paused, looking between you and the phone about three times before he asked, “Can I contact Seokmin with this?”

“Uh, yeah, but—”

“Give me his number,” the demon insisted.

“Jeonghan! You said you weren’t going to kill him!”

“I never said I was going to kill him,” he said, “but I did invite him to hang out, so I should follow up on the offer. Didn’t you tell me that keeping promises is important?”

Ah, right. He was using one of the rules from Y/N’s Guide To Being Human against you. You saw this coming, though; you were no stranger to Jeonghan’s manipulation tactics by now.

“Keeping promises are important, but leading someone on is also wrong,” you chided. “Do not text him if you plan on hurting him in any way.”

He let out a petulant whine before agreeing, “Okay, okay, I won’t.” He thrusted the phone in your direction. “Give me his number, though.”

You bit your lip before you complied. “Fine.”

A few days later, when you had just gotten back from getting lunch with your best friend, Park Sooyoung, you entered your apartment to see Seokmin sitting on the couch.

“Oh!” you exclaimed. You were so startled that you couldn’t even process how furious you were with Jeonghan for inviting him without informing you. “Hey, Seokmin. What’re you doing here?”

The older boy flashed a kind smile. “Sorry to intrude. Jeonghan invited me. I think he’s in the bathroom right now.” He pointed in the direction of where Jeonghan went, and then he said, “I had no idea you two were roommates!”

You recalled last week when you asked Jeonghan if demons had to use the bathroom like humans did. For some reason, you couldn’t imagine it at all. The demon answered that he didn’t have to do such things in his own dimension, but his body was subjected to the same biological system as humans on Earth.

“Ah, yes. Roommates.” You forced a laugh, trying to not sound bitter. So that was the narrative Jeonghan cooked up. Honestly, you were just glad he said something normal. “He didn’t tell me you were coming over.”

“Ah, speak of the devil,” Seokmin said.

Meanwhile, it was just Jeonghan. Well, on second thought, he was kind of right.

“What’re you doing at home?” the demon asked, sounding more accusatory than welcoming. “I thought you were getting lunch with your friend.”

“And we finished lunch,” you answered. “What’re you and Seokmin doing?”

“We were gonna watch a movie,” he said. “The Notebook, I think?”

Your anger fizzled. Now, you felt like you were interrupting something.

“Do you wanna watch it with us, Y/N?” Seokmin asked, voice all sugary and light.

You found it way too hard to refuse him, so you sat down on the couch next to Jeonghan. Every time Seokmin spoke, you felt your nerves ease up. However, coupled with Jeonghan’s presence, you were undergoing a never-ending state of easing and tensing up again.

“By the way, why’d you guys pick The Notebook?” you inquired.

“Oh, ‘cause Jeonghan hasn’t seen it yet,” Seokmin replied, looking distracted as the film started playing.

Jeonghan hadn’t seen a lot of movies. It wasn’t like there were limited options to choose from.

Thankfully, the lights were off while the movie played, masking how bored you looked for its duration. You were convinced Jeonghan wasn’t enjoying it either considering he started up about ten different conversations unrelated to the movie. Seokmin, being the sweetheart he was, responded to him enthusiastically as he watched. You, on the other hand, were sulking on the other side of the couch and praying for this to be over because you felt like a third wheel.

You almost didn’t notice the mood shift when the kissing scene came up. Seokmin seemed to feel a bit awkward, so he laughed and made lighthearted remarks throughout the scene. You had stiffened up and lowered your gaze, remembering once again why this was an odd choice for a movie night.

Jeonghan, though, turned his gaze to you for the duration of the scene. You could feel his eyes drift to your lips, and it made you hyperconscious of every little movement of his. Your heart was pounding so loudly that you were praying no one else could hear it, and the blood rushing in your ears drowned out the audio from the movie.

The demon dipped his head to whisper in your ear, “Frankly, human, I’m enjoying your reactions more than this movie.”

You had no idea why, but you felt something unsettling in your chest. Your heart felt like it was going a hundred miles a minute, but not in a good way; the organ twisted painfully in your chest.

You had no idea why.

Seokmin came around a few more times over the next four weeks. You found yourself feeling less like a third wheel over time, and you were finally comfortable hanging around the both of them. Movie nights became more common, although The Notebook seemed to be so traumatizing that Seokmin and Jeonghan only watched horror and sci-fi movies now.

You were honestly surprised that Jeonghan hadn’t made any moves to kill Seokmin, but you were happy that he honored your agreement. The two of you had gotten closer—or, well, as close as a demon and a human could get. He still called you “human,” but you were banking on him calling you by your name at least once. Moreover, Jeonghan wasn’t completely convincing just yet, but he was starting to learn how to act like a proper human. (There were the occasional murder threats that you had to fend off, though.)

Jeonghan found himself between your legs nearly every other day. You feared that you would get too comfortable, but he still made you orgasm every single time. It was strange, to say the least. You knew demons weren’t capable of feeling anything remotely romantic, but your heart was still acting like a fool, twisting painfully whenever he pulled away.

Today, Jeonghan had followed you to the library. He met your friend, Sooyoung, who kept gushing earlier about how she was dying to meet your new “friend.” The rest of the day went smoothly, save for Sooyoung asking you and Jeonghan if you’ve ever made out. (You shut her up with a smack upside her head.)

Back at home, Jeonghan, who was sitting on the floor with his back against the couch, leaned his head back to look up at you. You found it strangely endearing, resisting the urge to run your hands through his soft hair.

“Did I do good today?” he asked.

“Yeah,” you said, “you were like a proper human—no weird demonic antics or anything.”

Jeonghan lifted his head up again, and then asked in a quiet voice, “Human, could I perhaps try something?”

The demon was asking you for permission? Strange, but you went along with it.

“Hm? What is it?”

“Let me try kissing you,” he said. His words were so clear that you couldn’t even pass them off as something you misheard. You only managed to let out a few incoherent stammers before he added, “Move your laptop. I’m getting on top of you.”

“Y-you didn’t even ask me!” you stuttered, although you were putting your stuff to the side as you spoke. “Is this about what Sooyoung asked? About if we’ve made out?”

“I’m asking you right now: yes or no?”

You frowned. It was as if all your nerves were cut wire, electrifying every limb in your body. Even though you couldn’t comprehend what came over Jeonghan and what possessed him to ask, your brain was screaming at you to just accept his offer.

“Fine, go ahead,” you murmured, feeling your face go hot when he smirked right after.

“Good,” he said. “Thank you for being my experiment.”

You couldn’t ask any further questions because Jeonghan already started moving on top of you, straddling your lap and placing his hands firmly on either side of your face. You stared up at him, wide-eyed, until he leaned down and brushed his nose against yours experimentally.

He was so close. So close that you could feel his hot breath fanning your lips. So close that you could see the gold flecks in his dark eyes.

You shuddered. There was that twist of your heart once again.

You swore you could hear his breath hitch, and you almost called it out before a crevice started opening up in the center of your living room.

“What the fuck?” you shrieked, scrambling back against the arm of the couch and holding up one of the throw pillows to defend yourself. Jeonghan had gotten off of you and stood up, eyebrows knitted into a frown. It looked like he knew what was going on, so you asked, “What is it, Jeonghan?”

It was the same void of darkness from before—the same one that Jeonghan came from. The room was freezing this time, too, and the windows had iced over. You swallowed hard, wondering if this was one of your mistakes again. You hadn’t said or done anything this time, though, so it must have been someone here for Jeonghan.

From the wisps of smoke emerged the most beautiful man you had ever seen. Or, well, second after Jeonghan.

“Mammon, you bastard.” Second-Most Beautiful Man scowled. “If this is one of your conniving plots to escape Hell, then you will face punishment worse than being boiled alive for damnation.”

You looked to your right to see Jeonghan with his arms folded across his chest. Smiling.

“Asmodeus,” your demon greeted with coldness in his tone, “you planted that scrap of paper in my human’s book, didn’t you?”

Asmodeus’ glower slowly morphed into a wicked grin. “You don’t leave any room for entertainment, do you? I came here to drag you back, anyway, so don’t be so bitter.” His red, beady eyes shifted to you. “This must be your precious human.”

Jeonghan’s voice was deeper when he warned, “Don’t you dare lay a finger on her, Asmodeus.”

“Or what?” he mocked. “What could you possibly do to me in that pathetic human body of yours? Have you gone soft already? Your powers have weakened, Mammon. Face it. You’ll die out here—no, you’re already dying.”

“What do you want?” Jeonghan snapped. “If you want me dead, then you have no need to be here.”

“I need you alive,” Asmodeus muttered, “in your true form.”

He scoffed. “I’ll just die and be reborn.”

Reborn? You straightened up at Jeonghan’s words. Why didn’t he tell you he would be reborn? Here you were, like an idiot, worrying over his possible death.

“The other five princes are requesting to see you, so—”

“Oh, why should I give a damn about the other princes?” Jeognhan fussed. “They only care about using me for their trivial schemes!”

“Jeonghan,” you spoke up loudly, and both of the demon princes turned to you with shocked looks on their faces. “If I’m interpreting this correctly… then aren’t you being offered an easy way to get back? You should take it, right?”

“Human—”

“Oh, I forgot you go by your human name here,” Asmodeus said with a chuckle. He walked toward you and reached his hand out, smiling so wide that his eyes crinkled at the corners. “Nice to meet you, Y/N. You can call me Joshua, if that’s easier. I’m the demon prince of lust.”

“How do you know my name?” you asked, cautiously shaking his hand. You looked toward Jeonghan with a scowl. “Wait, how does he know my name and you didn’t?”

“My bad.”

“You’ve truly gone soft, Mammon,” Asmodeus observed. “You’re on Earth entertaining a human girl instead of doing your job back in Hell. Aren’t you the one who told the rest of us to be happy with what we’ve got in Hell?”

“My job,” Jeonghan corrected, “is rotting in Hell. My other job is taking care of my human.”

“Your allegiance is with the princes, Mammon,” Joshua hissed. “This human is insignificant—”

“Do not speak about my human with that filthy mouth of yours, Asmodeus,” Jeonghan interrupted sharply, his eyes darkening. “Tell me what you want from me and leave this place at once.”

“Pythius wants a seat with the Seven Princes.”

Jeonghan raised a brow. “He wants to rebrand to the Eight Princes? Doesn’t have as nice of a ring to it.”

“No, you idiot.” Joshua groaned. “He wants to overthrow one of the Seven Princes, which is why you need to come back. Greed must have a seat at the throne room of sins.”

“Tell him to go ahead. He can be boiled alive in my place.”

“You’re still on that? That was eons ago.” Joshua sighed. “Don’t be a fool, Mammon. If you die on Earth—sure, you’ll be reborn in Hell again, but you will still waste your time by dying on this planet.” He continued, “Think about how disastrous the situation would be if Pythius actually takes your place. You will be stripped of your title, your powers will weaken, and greed will no longer be one of the Seven Deadly Sins.”

“Doesn’t sound too bad, honestly.”

“Mammon,” Joshua growled. “Take this seriously. You’re acting like Belphegor with that flippant attitude of yours.”

“Ah, Belphegor.” Jeonghan turned to you with a light laugh. “I think you’d like him. He goes by Wonwoo here. Seriously, such a—”

“I will slice up each limb of that mortal body of yours, Mammon,” Joshua warned. “You’re not understanding the severity of this situation.”

“I understand it well enough now,” he replied. “So, you can leave. I’ll figure out what to do on my own. Either way, Mammon will be reborn as usual. Happy? Good, now get lost.”

Joshua sighed, frustrated. “Do you even have a way to get back, you fool?”

“I’ll figure it out.”

“Then I’ll be on my way,” Joshua said before his body started to tessellate out of existence, vanishing piece-by-piece into thin air. “I really hope you know what you’re doing, Mammon.”

You were the first to break the silence once the demon of lust disappeared, asking, “You’ll be reborn? So you never even had to worry about dying?”

“Demons can be killed, but they can’t die.”

“Oh, yeah, thanks. Really cleared things up for me with that.”

“Let’s just drop it.”

You couldn’t just drop it, though. “You weren’t actually imprisoned in Hell, were you?”

“I was. Sort of.” He paused. “Haven’t been for a while, to be honest.”

“Then why didn’t you go with Joshua? It doesn’t sound like he wants you back to throw you back in the lake.”

“I don’t want to be a pawn in their silly games anymore,” Jeonghan muttered darkly. “It’s infuriating.”

“Then what are you gonna do? That was the easiest way for you to get back!”

“I have time, human.” Jeonghan didn’t seem to want to be pressed further, so you backed off. “Don’t worry about me.”

He walked into your room and slammed the door shut, so you settled back into the couch and hugged the throw pillow to your chest. How could you not worry? You couldn’t understand Jeonghan at all, and although you wanted to respect his decision not to go back with Joshua, you were at a crossroads; staying here was killing him. He had far too much pride to think rationally.

Plus, the longer he stayed with you, the more it stung when you realized time was running out. Fast.

The next day, Jeonghan appeared as if he was back to normal. It was odd, though, given how he was brooding yesterday. You made a conscious effort not to mention Joshua, but you knew the topic was still weighing heavy on his shoulders.

(He was insatiable once you were awake and sitting up in bed, prying your legs open and begging you for a taste. Although you had several questions for the demon, your carnal desire overtook whatever curiosity you had.

“Feeling better?” you asked cautiously.

“I’ll feel better soon. Anyway, good morning,” he purred. “You’re dripping already, human. I haven’t even touched you yet.”

Your chest felt hot. “Yeah, yeah, just get to it.”

“My pleasure.”)

“Hey,” you called out later during breakfast. “I’m going out with Sooyoung tonight. Are you gonna be okay being alone at home?”

“Where are you going?” he asked instead.

You paused between your spoonfuls of cereal. “Uh, just a party.”

“I love parties,” Jeonghan said. “Will there be human sacrifices?”

You grimaced. Although your guardian demon was making impressive improvements on his transition to human life, there were still some flaws in his way of thinking. On the bright side, though, he made sure to pass his morbid comments by you before he tried them out in front of others.

“No, it’s a college party,” you replied. “The most deadly thing there will be alcohol and Old Spice.”

“Boring,” he mused before getting up from his seat and heading to the living room. “Well, be safe.”

You nearly choked on your cereal, completely forgetting to respond to his words. Did Jeonghan—Mammon, manifestation of greed, one of the Seven Princes of Hell—just tell you to be safe? You had to be hearing things.

Or, your heart offered, maybe some part of him cares about you—deep, deep down.

You pushed down the thought entirely, forcing yourself to think of other alternatives. After all, there was no possible way for a demon to feel those sorts of emotions.

It was almost midnight and Sooyoung was passed out on the couch.

“You’re fucking kidding me,” you said in dismay. “We literally just got here.”

“That’s tough,” Kim Mingyu, president of Sigma Omega Nu, replied sympathetically. “At least her boyfriend’s here to take care of her. That means you need to drink more and get on her level.”

“That sounds like a terrible idea.”

“Hey, that’s what college is for.”

You whined when Mingyu handed you a new cup of jungle juice. Normally, you didn’t accept drinks from strangers; Mingyu was harmless, though, and you two were well-established friends for a few years now. However, you were on your third cup of juice by now, and, if you kept it up, you were probably going to end up like Sooyoung. Since she was the one who drove you two here, though, you had to stay sober enough to find a ride home. No matter what happened, you were determined to not fall asleep on the musty frat house couch.

(It already happened once last year. You woke up the next morning to Kwon Soonyoung yelling, “Someone take a picture of Y/N sleeping on the couch I got laid on!”)

“I can’t get drunk,” you insisted. “I have to get home.” To make sure my pet demon is behaving, you wanted to add.

Mingyu let out a snicker. “Call someone to pick you up or I can ask one of the sober monitors to drop you off.”

You pondered for a moment. Technically, you could call Jeonghan. Now that he had gotten the hang of using his phone, you saw him texting Seokmin every once in a while. You were sure he would be able to pick up a call, as well.

“Fine, whatever. Hand it over.” You took the red solo cup from him and downed its contents—just under ten seconds, counted by Mingyu himself. “I’m gonna go call my friend before this starts hitting me.”

You walked out into the backyard where the music wasn’t as loud. The cool air hitting your flushed skin made you feel like you could breathe properly again, but you still weren’t walking nearly straight enough. With careful hands, you searched up Jeonghan’s number in your contacts.

Your phone rang three times before he picked up.

“Human? Are you dead?”

You frowned. “If I was dead, how would I be calling you?”

“I was hoping I could keep your soul around as my pet in Hell,” he said.

You must have had some sort of degradation kink by this point because that comment was not supposed to make you feel butterflies in your stomach. It was time for you to consider therapy.

You cut straight to the point. “Can you come to the party?”

“What? No.”

His refusal normally would’ve stung, but you were too tipsy to back down now. “Please? Sooyoung already passed out and her boyfriend’s taking care of her. I’m getting drunk all by myself now.”

Sort of an exaggeration. You were going to use every card up your sleeve.

“Then walk home.”

“I can’t. Home’s too far to walk.”

“Then sleep over at whoever’s house you’re at.”

“It’s a house full of frat boys. Their living conditions are probably worse than yours down in Hell.”

“Then sober up.”

“Aren’t you supposed to be my guardian demon?!”

“If you want an angel to come rescue you, I would try Seokmin’s number.”

You let out a groan and crouched down, letting your head hang between your knees. This was fruitless; Jeonghan was stubborn as a mule, and you were getting nowhere with this conversation.

But this wasn’t just about getting someone to take you home. You certainly had other options, so you could hang up on Jeonghan right now and find someone else to drive you back. However, you just didn’t want to admit out loud that you wanted to see Jeonghan. You wanted him to come over and take care of you, even though that was impossible for the demon.

You were just foolish.

“Fine, Jeonghan,” you snapped. Your head started to feel fuzzy, and you were quickly losing control over your own tongue. “I’ll get home all by myself. I’ll walk home in the cold, dark night, and hell, I’ll even walk on the road if I feel like it. Maybe I’ll lay down and take a nap if I get really tired, and if I can’t even make it to the door, I’ll just sleep in Mingyu’s bed—” You didn’t realize you were pacing until you hit a solid surface. “Ow—wait, what the hell?”

Jeonghan, in the flesh, sighed heavily and hung up the call in front of you. “Human, you’re really such a pain in the ass sometimes.”

“H-how’d you get here?” you asked, your cheeks starting to feel hot. “Did you teleport or whatever again? Didn’t you say that eats up your power? Are you—”

The demon clamped a hand over your mouth. “I materialized here, and yes, it eats up the little power I have left,” he whispered harshly, “but you wouldn’t stop running your mouth, so here I am. How could you get intoxicated so easily?”

“Well… I’ve been here for about an hour,” you defended. “It doesn’t take that much for me to get drunk. I’m pretty lightweight.”

“How much did you have?”

“Like, three cups of jungle juice.”

“Jungle… juice?”

You snorted. “This one’s got vodka, rum, and fruit punch. It’s pretty good.”

“Three cups?” Jeonghan asked with a scoff. “I forget that humans have such weak tolerances for alcohol. I can drink eight bottles of wine without getting drunk.”

“Oh yeah?” you challenged. You dragged the demon inside the frat house, not giving him the chance to take in and process his surroundings. You poured him a cup of jungle juice in the kitchen and handed it to him. “Drink up, then.”

Jeonghan raised a brow at you before chugging down the liquid like water. He handed it back to you with a light smirk playing on his lips.

“Are you sure there’s even alcohol in this concoction?” he asked, barking out a laugh. “Human, you’re too cute. This is nothing for a powerful demon like…” he trailed off, looking down at his feet and letting out a soft exhale. “My chest feels hot.”

Your hand flew up to cover your mouth, stopping yourself from bursting out into laughter. This sight was absolutely priceless. You didn’t think you would ever be able to see Jeonghan so vulnerable.

“Are you drunk off one cup of jungle juice?” you asked, and, at this point, you weren’t able to stifle your laughter. “Oh my god!”

“Shut up, human,” he grumbled. He blinked a few times and held onto the edge of the counter. “I’ve never felt this way before. My body isn’t used to having a human’s biological system.”

“Whoa, this guy is fucked,” Lee Chan retorted, showing up out of nowhere. “He’s talking like something out of I, Robot.”

You rolled your eyes at his pop culture reference, but Jeonghan didn’t seem to follow at all. For all the movies he and Seokmin had been watching, you were surprised that they didn’t get around to this one.

“Robot,” Jeonghan mumbled, moving to lean against you. You grabbed his arm and tried to hold him steady, but he just wrapped his arms around you and let his head rest on your shoulder. “I feel like I’ve just been expelled into the Outerverse with Yog-Sothoth. Ah, fuck, those guys owe me…”

You had to get Jeonghan out of here fast. Before he started speaking crazy demon lingo again.

“Are you sober monitoring tonight?” you asked Chan. “You think you could drive us home?”

“Yeah, sure,” Chan agreed with a smile. Gauging that Jeonghan wasn’t responsive enough to answer any questions, the frat boy decided to ask you, “Did you bring a friend from another school, Y/N?”

“Yeah, I guess you could say that,” you mumbled. “This is Jeonghan.”

Chan ducked his head to get a good look at Jeonghan’s face. “Nice to meet you, Jeonghan.”

“Hi, Robot.”

“No, my name’s not Robot.”

Jeonghan’s biggest weakness wound up being seatbelts.

You and Chan had to fight him down to get him to sit down properly in the back seat. Since he was fussing too much, you decided to sit with Chan up front, letting Jeonghan moan and grumble incoherently in the back.

(“Unchain me, human,” the demon kept whining. “I refuse to be imprisoned in the mortal realm.”

When he was stopped at a red light, Chan threw a glance over his shoulder before telling you, “I think your friend watches too much anime.”

“He’s going through a phase,” you lied.)

While you made light conversation with the frat brother, you felt like your guardian demon was glaring daggers at the poor boy. You wanted to smack him upside the head for his rudeness despite Chan’s generous act.

You craned your neck to look back at Jeonghan, shooting him a warning look. He simply scoffed and looked the other way, although he ended up resting his head against the window once he realized his world was still spinning.

“Come on, Jeonghan,” you murmured once Chan parked the car in front of your place. “Get up.”

“Don’t wanna.”

You tugged the sleeve of his shirt impatiently. “What? Why?”

“Not going back with someone who ignores me.”

Your jaw nearly went slack. Was he jealous? Yoon Jeonghan, Prince of Greed, was jealous over frat boy Lee Chan? Over something so miniscule as you sitting in the passenger’s seat? This was definitely something you were going to hold over the demon’s head for as long as you could.

“I’m not ignoring you, okay?” you tried. “Come back home with me, and you’ll have my full attention.”

Jeonghan hesitated before he let out a begrudged grumble. “Fine.”

You and Chan hauled the drunken demon to his feet, taking one of his arms and throwing it over your shoulders so that you could help him walk. Chan assisted you by slinging Jeonghan’s other arm over his shoulder, but you still found it hard to walk properly with Jeonghan’s head lolling to the side. His face was so close that you could feel his hot breath against your neck, sending shivers down your spine.

“You smell so good, human,” he murmured. Jesus, he was saying all this while Chan was still here? You were glad that Jeonghan couldn’t tell how flustered you were, but it was probably evident to Chan. “What perfume is that?”

“This guy sure does call you ‘human’ a lot,” Chan observed with a light laugh.

“Uh, yeah, inside joke,” you explained quickly. “Let’s just get him to the couch.”

Once you and Chan let Jeonghan’s heavy body drop onto the couch, you walked the frat boy to the door. He stuffed his hands deep in his pockets, a shy smile playing on his lips. He looked at you expectantly, like he was waiting for a tip or something. You were considering handing him the crumpled-up five dollars you left in your back pocket.

“We should hang out sometime, Y/N,” he started. “I feel like I barely see you around the house anymore.”

“Oh, yeah, I haven’t been in a partying mood lately,” you explained, “but I’ll try to drop by more.”

“Alright. I’ll see you around.”

Before you could respond, a voice from behind you loudly interjected, “Bye.” With that, Jeonghan slammed the door shut with one hand.

“That was rude,” you said.

“Can I gut him like a fish?”

“That’s even more rude. Please don’t.”

“Whatever.”

You looked back at Jeonghan, who had one hand against the door that was right beside your head. “What’s your deal? He was nice enough to drive you back and help you to the couch.”

“Why do you keep ignoring me?” he asked, proceeding to ignore you at the same time.

“I-I’m not ignoring you!” you stammered. “I’m the one who helped you get back to the apartment!”

He had you backed up against the door, looking up at him with worry knitting your brows together. Jeonghan let his head drop to lay on your shoulder, leaving you frozen in place. You figured it was the alcohol rushing to his head, but you couldn’t help the fact that your heart was pounding in your chest.

“Human,” he mumbled against your collarbone, “why can’t you just stay by my side?”

“Huh? But—”

“I wanna be human, too.”

The words sounded strange coming from him. Almost like he was at his tipping point. Tender. Raw. Vulnerable. You were absolutely dumbfounded by what you had just heard. With no coherent response coming to mind, all you could do was raise your hand to gently thread through his soft strands of hair.

“Let’s get you to bed,” you replied softly, letting the demon stay in your embrace as you walked him back to your bedroom. He looked up at you quizzically when you sat him down on the edge of your bed. “It’s about time you stopped sleeping on the floor. I’ll take the couch, so—”

You cut yourself off when Jeonghan wrapped his arms around your legs and pressed his lips to your thighs. “Stay here with me.”

You stared ahead, straight at the wall, a dull ache throbbing in your chest. “What are you doing, Jeonghan?”

“What?”

“Why are you doing this to me?” you asked. “You only have months left to live. You should’ve just gone back with Joshua.”

He stiffened. “I didn’t want to.”

“Yeah, I guess you’ll just be reborn, anyway,” you muttered. “You never had anything to worry about to begin with.”

Jeonghan suddenly pulled away from you, his eyes cold as ice. Since he was always docile around you, there was never any reason for you to feel scared around the demon. However, the look he was giving you left you backing up slowly from him.

“I’d rather stay dead than be reborn,” Jeonghan said, “and I wouldn’t feel so agonized about it if I didn’t have to meet you.”

Tears pricked your eyes. You felt a lump rising in your throat, and you felt the hot, salty tears hitting your feet before you even realized you had started to cry. It took all of your willpower to keep the waterworks at bay. The demon’s cruel words were never supposed to get under your skin this bad. You held him at arm’s length for that very reason.

Maybe, all this time, you had been pulling him closer unintentionally.

“You think nothing hurts for me just because I’m a demon,” he continued, “but it stings every time you try to chase me away.”

“I’m not trying to chase you away.”

“Then why do you keep pushing me to go back to Hell?” he asked. You couldn’t exactly read his expression, but it was clear that Jeonghan felt tormented. The pain in his eyes was telling of that. “Why did you want me to go back with Asmodeus?”

You huffed. “I really don’t understand you. You don’t want to die and be reborn, but you don’t want to go to Hell either? Aren’t you going to die if you stay here?”

“You don’t get it.” He shook his head. “I don’t want to be reborn because I lose all my memories of the mortal world. I lose all my memories of you.”

“And you don’t want to go to Hell because…”

“The only reason you summoned me was because of Asmo—I mean, Joshua’s—need for pointless entertainment. Surely, with what’s been going down in Hell ever since I left, they won’t let me leave again until Pythius is quelled. That could take hundreds or thousands of years.” Jeonghan scoffed, shaking his head. “Pythius… one of the most fearsome and hideous demons. There’s no telling what he’d do for a seat with the Seven Princes.”

“I’m sure if I go back, he would try to kill me over and over again,” he continued, “because he detests me the most. That group of them—the Malebranche—they might be more sadistic than Lucifer himself.”

You frowned. “What’d you do to him?”

“Why do you assume I did something to him?” Jeonghan scowled.

“Because you’re the demon prince of greed,” you replied. “I’m sure you pissed him off somehow.”

He snorted. “Pythius rules the eighth circle where frauds are punished. He hates nothing more than the greed that consumes those humans. Of course he’d loathe the demon that represents the very sin.”

“I don’t think I’ve seen you act that greedy here, though. Are you different when you’re down there?”

The dark glint in Jeonghan’s eyes nearly went undetected. You only managed to catch it because of the way his smile dropped in tune. His normally easygoing expression was replaced with the same serious look he wore when Joshua was around.

“I haven’t been this greedy in eons, human.”

You tried to think back to when Jeonghan had acted in such a way. Sure, there were the multiple times he gave you (mind-blowing) head and the time he asked you for the newest iPhone, but those didn’t seem as drastic to you. You expected the very demon of greed to be more selfish.

“Really?” You forced out a stilted laugh. “I think you’re about as greedy as a toddler, like, in a bratty way, but that’s it.”

Jeonghan stood up.

You took notice of his broad shoulders before, but now you felt swamped under his gaze. He towered over you with ease, looking down at you with a storm brewing in his eyes. There were no words exchanged at first, but one look at the demon told you that whatever he was experiencing was far too human for him to understand fully.

“I’m so greedy that I would let the hierarchy in Hell fall to shambles because of you,” he started. “I would abandon my seat and let Pythius take control just so I can stay here with you. I would rather wither away on Earth instead of going back to Hell where I can’t see you again. I would let Alastor, the chief executioner, torture me over and over again until the ache in my heart finally goes away—the ache you caused.”

His next words were no louder than a weak whisper when he grabbed your forearms and said, “I’m so greedy that I wanna just give up everything for you, Y/N.”

With that, Jeonghan muttered something about sleeping on the couch before he walked out of your room and shut the door. That was the first time he had ever called you by your name; yet, it didn’t even make you feel happy. The first salty tear hit the floorboards, then the next, then more. You could only watch the demon leave in silence, finally letting yourself cry once he was out of sight.

Crying because you didn’t want him to leave. Crying because your feelings were already running too deep.

Crying because you knew a botched confession when you heard one.

Just as you were about to settle in bed, burrow yourself in the sheets and sob until you fell asleep, you heard Jeonghan’s footsteps coming back from the living room. You had no time to regain your composure when he flung open the door, his eyes stony and his lips pulled down in a frown.

“I can’t sleep if you’re crying like this,” he murmured, walking over to cup your face with his large hands. “That’s foul play.”

He kissed you.

The motion was swift—a gentle grab of your jaw and tilt of your chin, and Jeonghan was kissing away your disquiet with surprising tenderness.

Temptation.

Temptation was the utmost desire that demons could draw from mortals, but you weren’t quite sure this was it. Jeonghan’s kiss felt different—more intimate. His lips moved against yours with hesitance at first, and he only deepened it once you reciprocated. It felt like he wasn’t trying to pull you closer; rather, he was waiting for you to find him.

Once you two were lost in desperate kisses and heavy breaths, Jeonghan jerked away with a light gasp. You stared at him, dazed, before he grabbed your wrist and pressed your hand firmly against his chest. At first, you weren’t quite sure what he was having you do, but the realization was a slap in the face.

A heartbeat.

Ba-bump. Ba-bump. Ba-bump.

It was fast, like he had just run a marathon. You looked up at the demon quizzically, but he was already pulling away. Your hand hung in the air before dropping to your side, registering too late that he had already let go.

“You think nothing hurts me,” he mumbled. This time, he had his own hand flat against his chest. “I torture myself every day like this because I know, deep down, there’s no happy ending for us.” The demon’s eyes, normally masked with golden brown irises, glowed a dim red.

It started drizzling outside. Soft pattering of rain that drowned out the silence.

Everything would fall apart—slowly, gently, inevitably. Jeonghan, too, would eventually become nothing but a ghost of a raindrop that once streaked your window.

Post-party hangovers always called for breakfast at The Veranda. It became a tradition between you and Sooyoung to go there after a night of partying. That, or you two would skip straight to lunch and get pho. There was no telling when either of you would wake up the next morning.

Today, however, Sooyoung texted you early enough.

“We should get cocktails,” she suggested while looking down the menu.

“You already blacked out last night, you crazy bitch.”

To be frank, you had ulterior motives for this outing. For one, you wanted to get out of the house because the tension between you and Jeonghan was making you suffocate. The other reason was because you wanted to consult Sooyoung with your problems.

You started with, “So, there’s this guy,” and your best friend was already at the edge of her seat. Once you finished giving her the rundown (which only concluded after you ordered your food and were halfway done with your herb roasted chicken sandwich), Sooyoung paused to think, which stretched into about five minutes. More than enough time for you to finish your sandwich.

“I don’t get what the problem is,” Sooyoung finally said, tilting her head curiously. “If you two like each other, then just ask him out.”

If only it were that easy, you thought to yourself, but you couldn’t spare her the details of how impossible the situation was. You weren’t in the mood to hear “if he wanted to, he would” when you were dealing with a guardian demon who was literally dying in the mortal world.

You hesitated. “Let’s just say that he’s not exactly available right now.”

“He has a girlfriend?” Sooyoung asked, raising an eyebrow in suspicion. She looked ready to start telling you off for being a homewrecker, so you had to clarify immediately.

“No, no, he’s single,” you said. “He’s just not… emotionally available to date.”

“So, he’s been getting all close to you without wanting to date you.”

“Uh, not really? He’s just—”

“Cut him off, Y/N.”

“What?” you asked, eyes widening. You figured the situation sounded bad from an outsider’s perspective, but there was no way for you to break it down without explaining that Jeonghan’s your guardian demon from Hell that ended up being trapped on Earth because of your statistics midterm and demonic intervention from Joshua, the other oddball from Hell. “I can’t do that.”

“Sure you can,” Sooyoung replied. “It’ll hurt at first, but you’ll get over it eventually.”

“But he’s…” you trailed off, wondering how the fuck you were going to defend a demon prince of greed. You settled with saying, “He’s funny.”

“So are clowns, Y/N. You don’t see me asking out Ronald McDonald.”

“Okay, it’s not that simple, Sooyoung!” you cried out. “It’s more like… he doesn’t have that much time left here.”

“Oh.” She sounded lost at first, but the confused look on her face was slowly replaced with somber understanding. “I’m sorry, Y/N.”

“No, you’re good. I didn’t know how to say it.”

“Well, if that’s the case,” she said, “why don’t you just make the most of the time you have left with him?”

Sooyoung’s words hadn’t left your mind ever since breakfast. Even after she dropped you off at your apartment, you were still replaying the conversation in your head.

You thought about it in the shower.

You thought about it while doing your homework.

And you continued to think about it when Jeonghan was spreading your legs apart later that day.

“Didn’t we just fight?” you asked, your voice unnaturally high. Despite your words, you came to realize that you were sort of feral when it came to your sex life. A little fight was just a chip on your shoulder.

“That was a fight?” Jeonghan asked. “I’ve been in fights before. They’re pretty gruesome. Usually some heads roll or someone gets disemboweled.”

“A verbal fight,” you clarified.

“I’ve been in verbal fights before, too. They usually end with someone getting stabbed.”

“Okay, well, that’s not a verbal fight.” You sighed. “I mean, aren’t you upset with me? You were acting like being around me was hurting you.”

Jeonghan looked down and went completely silent.

“Hello?” you called. Did you break him?

Jeonghan looked back up. This time, his cheeks were tinged scarlet red. Your eyes went wide at the sight of the demon fully blushing over your words. You were definitely adding this bullet point to the Blackmail on Jeonghan folder you kept in your Notes app.

“I let my emotions get the best of me, okay?” he mumbled. “Let's just drop it.”

You, however, were brimming with questions. “Hey, but you let me feel your heartbeat last night,” you started. “Did you always have a heart?”

Jeonghan pulled away to look at you with distaste dawning on his face. “Did I always have a heart? Of course I’ve always had a heart, human. How would I be giving you the head of your life if I was a corpse?”

Your demon was gradually evolving to develop a filthy mouth. You weren’t sure if this was improvement or regression.

“You have a human heart and you can feel human emotions,” you said. “What makes you and I so different, then?”

Jeonghan opened his mouth, but before he could speak, there was a knock at the door. You glanced at Jeonghan suspiciously, wondering if he invited Seokmin without your knowledge, but even he looked clueless. There was no one you were expecting, so you wondered if it was just the UPS guy dropping off a package.

When you opened your door though, it was indeed Seokmin, and he was pissed.

You had never seen him like this, with his nostrils flaring and his skin flushed red. It was almost as if steam was coming out of his own ears. But there was something very glaring about Seokmin that had you gawking at him.

His wings were on full display.

Snowy white wings fanned out behind him. You could hear a low, angelic hum faintly resounding from the feathers. You were in shock for a moment, unsettled and overwhelmed by the heavenly light that Seokmin was bathing in.

It seemed to have an even worse effect on Jeonghan. You noticed how he flinched at the sight, backing up slowly.

“Get back, Y/N,” Seokmin ordered. “I know this is gonna sound crazy, but your roommate’s dangerous.”

You wondered if he had some unexplainable power over you because your actions were going against your words as you found yourself stumbling away from the two. “Seokmin, don’t do this,” you begged.

He frowned. “What?”

But Jeonghan got his words in before you could. “Looks like the both of us figured it out before you did. You just found out you’re a Quartarion, huh?”

He was jeering, like he was taunting the angel to attack him. You couldn’t understand what the demon was thinking when he was clearly overpowered right now. Even if Seokmin wasn’t a pureblood angel, Jeonghan’s powers had considerably weakened ever since he entered the mortal realm.

“How…” Seokmin was shocked for a moment, straightening up and glowering down at you. “How did you know?”

“You found out recently, didn’t you? Mommy or daddy told you they were half, which meant you’re quarter—weaker than them,” Jeonghan pressed. “They kept it from you all this time, huh? Because your angelic presence wasn’t strong enough to be a threat, but then you started glowing brighter.”

“Jeonghan, enough!” you yelled, trying to mediate whatever was happening. You had no idea what Seokmin was going to do, but it definitely didn’t seem like he was here for another movie night.

“Mammon,” Seokmin said through gritted teeth. “That’s your real name, right?” Suddenly, the angel turned on you with an accusatory stare. “And you—how did you know about all of this? Did he tell you?”

You gulped before starting slowly, “Look, I accidentally summoned Jeonghan from my statistics textbook the day before you met him at the Olive Garden.”

Seokmin tilted his head, looking utterly puzzled. None of those words were in the Bible.

“I knew he was a demon,” you continued, “and he told me you were an angel. He could sense it, or something like that.”

“Oh,” Seokmin replied rather sadly, as if he had just discovered he had been the brunt of a joke all along. “Well, I’m sorry you were caught up in this Y/N, but I have to kill your roommate before he hurts anyone else.”

“Whoa, hold on—he hasn’t hurt anyone!” you cried, holding onto Seokmin’s shoulder to keep him from charging at Jeonghan. “You’re an angel; you can’t kill him!”

“Technically, he can,” Jeonghan noted as he just barely avoided the angel grabbing him. “Some angels are specifically assigned to keep demons away from humans. I think Seokmin’s just mad, though.”

“I’m not just mad,” Seokmin spat, although he was visibly seething. “I just feel stupid that I befriended someone who was trying to kill me this whole time!”

You turned your gaze to Jeonghan, who held up his hands in surrender. “Okay, okay, I’ll admit I might have had murderous intentions at first, but come on! You would be dead by now if I really wanted to kill you.”

“You can’t kill him, Seokmin,” you repeated in a desperate attempt. “You owe him!”

Now the angel was lost. “And how exactly do I owe him?”

“Remember when your card declined, and I bought you that croissant on campus last week?” you tried. As soon as the words came out, you heard a loud groan from Jeonghan, and you were sure he was pinching the bridge of his nose and shaking his head. “You owe me, who owes Jeonghan, so you owe Jeonghan!”

Seokmin was even more lost. “What?”

“Transitive property of equality: A equals B equals C, so A equals C.”

“There’s no way you’re actually applying the transitive property of equality to this situation.”

“And what exactly do you owe me for?” Jeonghan chimed in, equally as confused.

“Yeah, I can’t believe I’m agreeing with him on this one, but he’s a demon, Y/N,” Seokmin said. “If you feel like you owe him anything, it’s likely you were manipulated by him.”

“No, I wasn’t!” you protested before the demon could object himself. “I owe him because…”

You trailed off, wondering how you were going to string your feelings into comprehensible words. They were all a mess of jumbled vowels and consonants in your head, holding no significant weight until you thought long and hard, feeling it get heavier and heavier on your tongue.

The angel raised a brow. “Because what?”

Letters unfurling in your head. Piecing themselves together. You felt like your head was going to explode until you blurted out, “Because he showed me what love feels like.”

You looked over at Jeonghan to see him staring at you like a deer caught in headlights. He looked helpless at the moment, wild with pain, like he had let down all lines of defense at your declaration. A scarlet red blush stained his cheeks, and it was perhaps the single most human expression you had ever seen from him.

Seokmin moved forward, and an agonized scream tore itself from your throat before you could even think. His sudden movement chilled your blood, and all you could think about was how you needed to protect your guardian demon before he was struck by the angel.

And so you did.

Confession time: you kicked an angel in the balls.

You were pretty sure that was a one-way ticket to Hell.

“I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry,” you kept repeating to a defeated Seokmin, who was now laying on the couch with pain drawn all over his face. “My fight response has been kicking in a lot more lately.”

“I wasn’t gonna hurt him,” he explained weakly. “My foot was just cramping up.”

“So you won’t kill Jeonghan?” you asked, brimming with hope.

“I… I don’t know,” he answered. “Jeonghan’s a demon, Y/N. Just because you have feelings for him doesn’t mean he isn’t capable of manipulating those emotions out of you.”

“He’s as good as human, Seokmin.”

“Y/N,” Jeonghan started, but you shook your head.

“I’m right!” you insisted. “Jeonghan has a heart, and it beats; I’ve felt it myself.” The two men were silent, so you continued, “He can’t handle alcohol at all; he’s more lightweight than I am. He likes building lego sets. He likes the rain, and he said it’s because that means an angel’s crying, but it’s really because he loves the way the Earth smells after rainfall. He likes coffee, but he always pours me some first before he takes any. You think he’d have the vocabulary of a Victorian man, but he knows more slang than I do. He… Jeonghan wants to be human. Isn’t that enough for you?”

Silence hung in the air. You wondered if you overstepped for a moment, aired out too much of his business, but then you could visibly see Seokmin at war with himself. You could see the internal battle in his eyes, fighting to believe in whatever the angels had instructed him to do.

He narrowed his eyes at the demon and asked in a calmer voice, “You swear you won’t kill me?”

“I swear on God.”

“You’re a demon. Swear on something else.”

“Um, okay… I swear on, uh, Y/N.”

“Please don’t swear on me,” you muttered, looking at your feet nervously as if the ground was going to swallow you whole.

Seokmin closed his eyes, exhaling loudly. “So, when did you stop wanting to kill me?”

“Y/N and I had a deal that I wouldn’t kill you in exchange for—”

You slapped a hand over the demon’s mouth immediately, successfully muffling the next words that decided to slip from his lips. It felt like your face was burning from how embarrassed you were. While Jeonghan shot you a confused look and tried to lick your palm to get it to budge, you exclaimed, “That detail isn’t important!”

“Anyway,” Jeonghan continued once you finally removed your hand, “I guess… part of me started enjoying those movie nights. Kinda hard to discuss the endings after you kill your friend, right?”

You could see Seokmin visibly soften, the fondness returning to his eyes. “You’re telling the truth.”

“Yeah, I am.”

“You can tell?” you inquired, wondering if it was some sort of angelic ability he had recently acquired.

“Yeah, I’ve always had some sort of sixth sense about these things,” Seokmin said, although you weren’t quite sure about this because you and Jeonghan had lied to him on numerous occasions. “I was only able to tap into it after I saw my wings for the first time.”

You then wondered if the longing etched bone-deep in Jeonghan’s face was also real.

It took a couple of hours for you and Jeonghan to explain everything to Seokmin, from beginning to end. You had to start from how you accidentally summoned him, which seemed to entertain the both of them, and you had to scold them both to take the situation seriously. Then, Jeonghan explained his side of the story, detailing how he didn’t have much time left because his mortal body was weak. 

“What do we do now, then?” Seokmin asked, sitting up straight now. “You’re gonna die if you stay here, right?”

“That’s why he wanted to kill an angel,” you said, “but now we don’t have a game plan.”

The three of you sat in silence for several minutes, letting the situation sink in. Your nerves were still buzzing from your earlier confession, still unanswered by Jeonghan, but you knew it wasn’t the time to dwell on that. There were more important matters at hand, but no one knew what to do.

Jeonghan sighed. “It’s fine. I’ve already accepted that I’m going to die here and be reborn in Hell.”

“You think that’s fair to Y/N? Or me?” Seokmin burst out. “You’re basically telling us to watch you die, dude.”

“You think I wanted this outcome?” he snapped. “No, I didn’t think I was going to actually enjoy living in this realm! I didn’t think I was gonna fall in love with my human! I didn’t think mortals had such excellent marketing strategies!”

Seokmin’s eyes went wide. “You…”

“Jeonghan,” was all you could say, and his name came out no louder than a whisper.

“What?!”

“You said you love me.” 

You looked toward Seokmin for confirmation, who answered with a quiet nod—an indication that not only had you heard it correctly, but Jeonghan was telling the truth.

To be honest, you were quite embarrassed that this was all coming to light in front of Lee Seokmin. He seemed very out of place in this otherwise tender moment. Yet, you were filled with inexplicable happiness and absolute dread simultaneously.

Once the grief settled, you were born again. Newfound confidence rising up your throat. You were determined to do whatever it took to mortalize Jeonghan.

“Oh, right.” The demon sounded nervous—enough to make you nervous. He simply stared at you for a moment before brushing the proclamation off with a wave. “Anyway…”

“Jeonghan!”

He shot you a withering look, glaring you down with every fiber of his being. “Seokmin is right there. Do you really wanna do this right now?” he whispered in an exasperated tone, turning his back to his friend so that he could converse with you. Although Jeonghan was lecturing, you were enjoying the way his blush rose to his cheeks. “We can talk about this after he leaves.”

“Okay, fine,” you agreed. “Why’d you have to blurt out a confession while he was here?”

“You did the same thing!”

“I can still hear you guys,” Seokmin reminded unhelpfully.

Somehow, Jeonghan took this as an opportunity to continue to chastise you. “See? This is all because you can’t keep quiet.”

“I can’t keep quiet?” You knew this was not the time nor place to bicker with your guardian demon, but he was an expert at getting on your nerves. “You’re the one who speaks in crazy demon lingo wherever we go!”

He scoffed. “I don’t speak in crazy demon lingo, human.”

“Yeah? Tell that to Chan. Poor guy had to witness your drunk ass going on about the Yog Sloth owing you or whatever.”

Jeonghan stammered and did a double take, looking at you like you had just kicked him square in the chest. “Wait… what did you just say?”

“Uh, Chan—”

“No, the other thing.”

“The Yog Sloth?”

“Yog Sloth,” he echoed, and then something clicked. “Yog-Sothoth? Wait, the Outer Gods—oh my god! They do owe me!” he all but yelled, grabbing you by the waist and pulling you into a bone-crushing hug. “Y/N, you’re a genius!”

Seokmin’s eyebrows knitted together in confusion. “What’d she even do?” he asked, and you were glad you were on the same page as him.

“Yeah, what’d I do? Who the hell are the Outer Gods?”

For the next thirty minutes, Jeonghan went on to explain how billions of years ago, the most powerful beings of all creation, that rivaled even God Himself, were ruling over the universe. Before space and time was Azathoth—chaos. Azathoth even tried to disrupt the beginning of God’s Creation by starting a war. Each blow delivered from both God and Azathoth caused a rippling effect, creating infinite multiverses that were birthed from the clashing between darkness and light.

There was a period in time when the angels and demons had to side together for once to seal away the Outer Gods. Although they were no match for these cosmic beings, God was able to lock them in the Outerverse, where they have been slumbering ever since.

The key that locked away the Outer Gods had been missing for several millennia, but it happened to end up in the hands of Mammon and Belphegor. Mammon had the clever idea of reshaping the artifact into a human hand and hiding it in a fiery lake in Hell. It was called the Right Hand of Doom, but it hadn’t been touched ever since its reform.

“You reshaped a key of cosmic importance into a hand,” you summarized in disbelief. “That key has the power to doom all of our existences, and you turned it into a human hand.”

“You know, Belphegor had the same reaction after I created it,” Jeonghan said. “Actually, let me give him a call to fetch it for me.”

“Wait!” Seokmin exclaimed. “That key could wake the Outer Gods from their slumber. What are you planning on doing with it? Are you seriously considering using the Outerverse?”

“No, Seokmin, I’m gonna use it as a back scratcher.”

“Don’t get me wrong; I do want you to stay here, but this is extremely dangerous. It’s a really selfish decision, Jeonghan.”

“I’m literally the Prince of Greed.”

“Jeonghan, no matter how much I want you to become human and stay with me, this is just… it’s just crazy,” you said. “What if it goes completely wrong? What if you’re trapped in the Outerverse and killed by the Outer Gods?”

“Listen,” Jeonghan started. “When I first created the Right Hand of Doom, I was contacted by Yog-Sothoth himself—Azathoth’s grandson.”

“How did he contact you if he’s imprisoned?” you asked.

“These gods have their ways the same way demons do,” Jeonghan explained. “It’s kept on the down-low, but there are numerous worshippers of theirs that seek out ways to release them. None of them are ever successful, though.”

He continued, “Anyway, Yog-Sothoth isn’t as cruel as the others. He’s actually quite generous when he deems someone worthy, and I guess he thought I was that person when I refashioned the Right Hand of Doom. Millions of years ago, I helped the Outer Gods out by bringing them sacrifices to empower them, so they’re in my debt.”

Seokmin's face soured. “Why’d you bring them sacrifices?”

“Dunno. I was bored.”

“Let me get this straight,” you spoke up. “So, you’re gonna risk your life over the slight chance that you could be turned human?”

Jeonghan’s dark eyes pierced yours, as if he was saying, Look at me. Look at how far I’d go for you.

“Relax.” He cracked a smile. “It’s not like I’m going to the Outerverse myself. I just need the Right Hand of Doom to communicate with Yog-Sothoth across our realms. Even if he rejects my bargain, I doubt he’d try to crush me to a pulp from his prison.”

“If that’s all there is to it,” Seokmin started, a smile creeping to his face, “then I don’t see why we shouldn’t try.”

Jeonghan left the room momentarily to contact Belphegor, Prince of Sloth. He hadn’t exactly disclosed how he was going to summon the demon, but he returned with a scowl on his face, shaking his head as he explained that Belphegor was too lazy to retrieve the Right Hand of Doom at the moment. You and Seokmin asked when he would return, but even Jeonghan didn’t have an exact answer.

“Give me a call whenever he decides to show up,” Seokmin said before he went back to his apartment. You could tell that he was still shaken up from finding out that his friend had been a demon all this time, but you were glad that they were both being civil for now.

However, there were now other issues at hand. As soon as Seokmin left your apartment, you realized that the tension between you and Jeonghan couldn’t even be cut by a blade. To your surprise, your guardian demon was the first to mention it.

“You love me,” he murmured, more to himself than to you. It was like he was trying to wrap his head around the concept, trying to make sure it was real.

“I do,” you said bravely, “and you love me, I think. Seokmin seemed to believe it was true, and he’s an angel, so…”

“I think I do.” He looked pained. “These feelings are really confusing. I feel like I can’t breathe sometimes. You have a way of making me feel like I’m at the top of the world sometimes, but sometimes I feel like I’ve hit rock bottom.”

You understood that completely. When you and Jeonghan had your good moments together, you felt like you were soaring. However, when you were reminded about how little time he had left on Earth, you wanted to shut out the rest of the world and hide.

“We can figure it out together,” you told him, reaching forward to grab his hand and squeeze it.

Jeonghan’s eyes always looked different to you, like melted amber. They held many millennia of age and experience, so it felt like Jeonghan was unfazed by most aspects of life he encountered. Nothing could make the man falter.

But now, with evident panic in his eyes, newfound confidence surged through your blood that compelled you to get on your tip-toes and press a chaste kiss to his lips. It was a seemingly tame sign of affection, so you were thrown off when Jeonghan quietly slid a finger past the hem of your jeans. With his head dipped, the demon looked at you through his long, feathery lashes.

“Are you… are you hungry?” you stammered out.

“No,” he mumbled, raising his head to meet your eyes with his expectant ones. “Two people who like each other… Normally, this would lead to dating, wouldn’t it?” When you nodded, he continued, “How about it, then?”

“How about what?”

“Let’s go out.”

Your mind went blank for a moment. With how straightforwardly he said it, you would have thought Jeonghan was messing with your head, trying to push your buttons by teasing you. But his face looked determined this time, like he actually meant it. You could see the red glow of his eyes as he waited for an answer.

You blinked. “Like, as boyfriend and girlfriend?”

“Yes, as boyfriend and girlfriend,” Jeonghan confirmed, exasperated. He gripped your hand tighter, as if he was getting his feelings across with a gentle squeeze. “Like Hallie and Noah.”

“It’s Allie.”

“Yeah, whatever.” He scoffed, surprisingly tender in the way he cupped your cheeks and pulled you closer. You were still a bundle of nerves, but something about Jeonghan made you feel secure. Quite the opposite of how you theoretically should feel around a demon. “Hey,” he tried again, his voice no louder than murmur, “I wanna kiss you.”

You smiled. “Then do it already.”

And so he did.

Jeonghan had kissed you before, but it was nothing like this. It seemed so urgent before, like you both knew you were running out of time. This time, though, he was slow, taking his time to memorize the shape of your lips as he moved his mouth against yours. You felt his long lashes tickle your cheeks, and it almost made you giggle, so you had to pull back to regain your composure. Jeonghan looked down at you, chest heaving even though the kiss was nothing but gentle.

“Again,” you pleaded.

Immediately, his current expression turned cocky. The corner of Jeonghan’s mouth lifted in amusement, and he kissed you not-so-gently this time. He pulled your body flush against his, and you reciprocated by wrapping your arms around his neck. The moment he slid his tongue past your lips, you heard a soft groan from Jeonghan that made your knees buckle under you.

Jeonghan held your waist with one hand and the back of your head with the other. Even though you were still standing on two feet, you were sure that he could hold you up, anyway. He gripped you like he never wanted to let you go.

“You taste good,” he mumbled against your lips.

“You taste like… coffee.” You made a face and let a giggle slip.  

“Well, it’s a good thing you like coffee.”

“Not when I’m tasting it secondhand.”

“You know, a minute ago, I wanted to fuck you properly,” he said. “Now, I’m just miffed. Slightly turned on, but still miffed.”

“Fuck me properly?” you asked, sort of embarrassed by how high your voice got. You inched closer, allowing Jeonghan’s finger to toy with the waistband of your underwear. In return, you placed your hand flat against his abdomen, moving it down slowly until you reached his crotch. Jeonghan hissed when you pressed against his growing bulge. “You mean…”

“With my cock, yeah,” he finished bluntly.

It was silent for a moment. You removed your hand, swallowing carefully after realizing that your guardian demon was hard.

Jeonghan wordlessly slid his hand down your pants, maintaining direct eye contact with you. His hand cupped your clothed cunt, and although you tried to resist, you couldn’t help but throb for more contact. You wondered if he just wanted to see your reactions, and you confirmed this by watching his smirk form when you whimpered.

“Oh,” you breathed out.

“Yeah, you like that?”

His voice was heavy, ragged. You felt like you could get drunk off it, so, naturally, you backed up with him until the back of your legs hit the bed. You made a sound of agreement when he hummed, prompting you to answer his question. You couldn’t even form words when all you could think about was being under him. Jeonghan’s palming grew more intense, and you were having a harder time staying upright.

Then, he was occupied with your neck. Jeonghan dragged his soft lips along the flesh, nipping and biting where he pleased. You let out a soft whine when he sucked on that one spot that turned your brain into mush.

“I’m gonna lay you down,” he said, although it felt like a question with the way he was looking at you. His eyes were careful, like he was holding onto your every word before following through. “Am I doing this right?”

You laughed, delighted as he set you down on your bed and got over you. You looped your arms around his shoulders and asked, “What do you mean?”

He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. “Am I going about this the right way? I don’t really do this sort of thing.”

You were surprised at his sudden meekness. Judging from Jeonghan’s overwhelming confidence from your past hookups with him, you expected him to carry on with the same arrogance. You never thought he would be so hesitant all of a sudden.

“You’re doing perfect,” you reassured with a chaste peck to his lips.

“Right.” He did one of his breathless laughs, easing your nerves with his grin. “Just tell me if I’m screwing up, then.”

Jeonghan dipped his head again to pepper kisses across your collarbone, working his way back up to the column of your neck. He worked on your sweet spot, biting and sucking until he had successfully left a bruise. You squirmed underneath him the entire time, tugging your hands through his hair and begging for him to fix the ache between your legs.

The demon only chuckled darkly in response. As he bit the shell of your ear, he removed your jeans and underwear swiftly, which you aided by kicking the garments off your ankles. He prodded your cunt with nimble fingers, grinning wider when he saw the desperation in your eyes.

“You’re so wet,” he commented in a silky voice. “All for me, huh?”

“Shut up,” you grumbled, “and take your clothes off already.”

Jeonghan rose up to sit back on your thighs, staring at you the entire time he pulled his shirt off and discarded it to the side. You couldn’t help but ogle at his figure; he was absolutely gorgeous—sculpted by God Himself.

“Don’t do that,” he said gruffly when you reached out to poke his stomach. You deduced that Jeonghan was most definitely ticklish and trying to hide that weakness from you.

“But your reaction was cute.”

He rolled his eyes but smiled, his hands moving to tug at the hem of your shirt. “C’mon, your turn.”

“H-huh?”

Even when Jeonghan gave you head in the past, you always kept your shirt on. He, too, had never stripped down in front of you like this. Surely, you were expecting this to happen, but the thought of being fully naked in front of Jeonghan was intimidating. It felt like you two were reaching a level of intimacy and closeness that you thought was unattainable months prior.

“Don’t worry,” he said. “I already know you’re not wearing a bra. You've gone braless for, like, almost a week now.”

You raised a suspicious brow at him. “You were staring at my tits?”

“No comment.”

Jeonghan placed his slender hands on your waist, squeezing your sides comfortingly as you pulled your shirt off over your head. He watched you with marvel in his eyes, eyes trained on the swell of your breasts. He leaned close to press soft kisses against the skin, whispering praise as he did so. You didn’t peg the demon to be so romantic, but you weren’t complaining.

You heard gentle pattering outside your window while Jeonghan kissed down your chest.

“It’s raining,” you whispered. The two of you broke apart for a brief moment while Jeonghan hastily got rid of his pants and boxers. “An angel’s crying.”

You looked to the side, and you nearly had to look away before Jeonghan could notice how flustered you looked. The demon stood in all his glory. You had seen naked men before, but Jeonghan was, of course, a creature beyond human comprehension. He was the most gorgeous being you had ever come across.

And, strangely enough, for the first time, you didn’t feel that uncontrollable tug of desire when you looked at him. You weren’t compelled to drop to your knees and submit to the demon. Your attraction felt innate, much like how the rain falls so naturally from the sky. Not that Jeonghan ever had you under a spell or anything, but it almost felt like he was becoming more human.

Whether that meant he was losing his powers or was growing accustomed to living as a human, you had no idea.

“You’re beautiful,” he admitted, looking down at you like you were the stars in the night sky.

“Thanks,” you replied shyly.

“That’s your reaction?” He beamed, amused. “Well, whatever. I’d rather you save your voice for when I make you scream, human.”

You thought it would be impossible at this point, but your cheeks grew even hotter. Yet, you couldn’t even chide the demon because he was already getting over you, promptly attacking your neck with more kisses.

You were a soaking mess already, so Jeonghan’s fingers slid into your cunt with ease. You were taken aback yourself by how effortless it was, but you figured two fingers couldn’t hold a candle to the girth of his cock.

You propped yourself up on your elbows to watch how Jeonghan fingered you. Both of you stared at the spot where his fingers disappeared in you, and the sight only turned you on even more. For once, Jeonghan was pleasuring someone else without the favor being returned, yet you had never seen him so satiated. He was thriving off of your moans and cries, like the sounds itself were feeding him.

A moan escaped your lips, fragmenting off into broken whimpers as Jeonghan’s fingers sped up. You felt your thighs start to shake—the preamble of your orgasm building up. Heat bloomed under your skin, and you dug your nails into the demon’s shoulders to warn him.

The warning only spurred him to move his fingers faster—in scissoring motions this time. His thumb found purchase on your clit, circling the ball of nerves slowly. Finally, you fell off the edge, crying out in ecstasy as boundless pleasure tore through your body. Your mind went blank, thinking about nothing but how good you felt. It was like you were bathed in heavenly light.

“I got you,” Jeonghan murmured, kissing the spot under your ear.

If you had half the mind to kick him in the shin, you would. Pretending to comfort you while torturing your swollen clit throughout your orgasm was pure evil. You expected no less from a demon.

“Will you do me a favor and fuck me already?” you asked, exasperated. For good measure, you flattened your palm against his stomach and slid your hand down his abs.

“Alright. Beg for it.”

You balked. “W-what?”

“You want me to fuck you that bad? Then beg for it,” he said with an air of haughtiness. You couldn’t tell if he was joking or not, but the man didn’t budge. “I’m waiting.”

“I am not begging you, that’s so—” You paused. Jeonghan raised a brow, prompting you to continue, so you admitted, “It’s embarrassing!”

He shrugged. “I think we’re both past the point of being embarrassed in front of each other, human.”

You sucked in a sharp breath. “Okay, fine. You want me to beg? I’ll beg.” You laid back down, looping your arms around Jeonghan’s neck once more and pulling him close. “I’ve been waiting months for you to fuck me, so please make me feel good and I’ll…”

“You’ll what?” The mischievous glint in his eyes was unmistakable.

“I’ll be good.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes!” you whined, the agitation growing in your chest. “I’ll be a good girl, okay? I’ll be really, really good.”

“Alright, I’m sold.”

Jeonghan pressed a kiss to your forehead, letting out a light laugh before his demeanor completely shifted. His easygoing smile turned into a proud smirk when he practically folded you in half, throwing one of your legs over his shoulders so that he could line himself up to your entrance. He hummed, teasing your folds with the head of his cock.

You wanted to cry out, to push at his chest and beg him to just fuck you already. All of the teasing had you at your tipping point, and you were about to complain until you felt the tip of Jeonghan’s cock enter you slowly.

Your breath hitched. He hadn’t even completely entered you, and you were already throbbing at the thought of his cock inside you. Jeonghan used one hand to hold your hips down, pushing into you slowly but surely. You could tell he didn’t want to rush or hurt you, so he kept his eyes trained on your face the entire time, gauging whether to proceed based off your reactions.

“Sorry,” he apologized, placing a kiss against your stomach as he continued pushing his way inside you until he bottomed out. Your eyes nearly rolled back once he was fully inside, and all you could do was clench around him until he growled. “Hold still.”

“Keep going,” you begged, holding onto him like he was your anchor. If you let go of him, you were sure you would fall apart.

Jeonghan simpered, looking quite delighted as he started rocking his hips slowly. It seemed as though he was waiting for you to get adjusted to his size. Despite all, you were still clenching around his cock occasionally, leaving him holding onto you tighter and groaning into the crook of your neck. Jeonghan sped up his thrusts and left a bruising grip on your hips.

“You like that?” he asked, and, lord, you nearly came for the second time just by his words.

“Jeonghan!” you cried out, nearly gasping the words. “I… I want—”

“Want what?” he cut you off smoothly, smirking down at your disheveled appearance. He punctuated his words with a sharp thrust. “What do you want, princess?”

You whimpered. “I do wanna be your girlfriend.”

He froze for a moment, stunned. Apparently, that wasn’t the route he was expecting you to take.

Then, the demon’s shock wore off and was replaced with a warm smile. “Yeah?” he asked, leaning down to meet your lips in a sweet kiss. He pulled away to look into your eyes. “I’d be honored to be your boyfriend, Y/N.”

It was like clockwork—the way your orgasm hit you at that very moment. You tightened around him uncontrollably, the sporadic motions causing Jeonghan to cum as well. He pulled out right before his climax, ropes of cum spilling onto your stomach. You watched it pool together with hazy, unfocused eyes, still dazed from your orgasm and sudden confession.

Jeonghan was your boyfriend now.

“I see why mortal men are such fools for women,” Jeonghan said once he collapsed next to you. “If sex is always this good, I would start wars, too.”

“You’re a demon prince. You’ve started wars, anyway.”

“Oh, right.”

Afterward, you taught Jeonghan a thing or two about aftercare. The concept was completely foreign to him, so you informed him that good boyfriends took care of their girlfriends after sex. When Jeonghan told you to just grab a tissue and call it a day, you had to scold him to get him to clean you up.

To your surprise, Jeonghan did a satisfactory job. You half-expected him to do the absolute bare minimum, but you could definitely see that he was trying his best.

So, you bestowed upon him the highest honor: allowing him to sleep with you in your bed.

Jeonghan got under the sheets beside you, wrapping an arm around you once you cozied up to him. It was strange how comfortable you felt with him, especially considering he was your assigned demon. In some parallel universe, you and Jeonghan might have been normal people with normal lives, and you two probably felt the same level of closeness as you did right now.

Neither of you could sleep right away. Jeonghan traced patterns along your arm and you told him countless stories about your childhood. He smiled fondly, intently listening to the life you lived before him.

Later, he kissed you, and, between bated breaths, whispered promises of forever. And eventually, the soft trickling of rain lulled you both to sleep.

You woke up freezing.

At first, you thought Jeonghan had stolen the blanket. It wasn’t anything out of the ordinary for the Prince of Greed to be, well, greedy. However, considering your limbs were entangled with his, that didn’t seem to be the case.

The feeling was awfully familiar. It was the same sub-zero temperature you experienced when Jeonghan appeared in your room the first time. However, it was brief this time, dissipating as soon as it started.

Although you couldn’t identify the strange man who materialized in the center of your room, you had a good idea of who it was.

“Oh, Belphegor,” Jeonghan greeted without a care in the world, confirming your suspicions immediately. You were amazed that the half-naked demon was completely unfazed by his demon friend coming out of nowhere. Maybe this was just a regular morning for their kind. “About time you showed up.”

Belphegor made a noncommittal sound. “Yeah, well…”

“I can’t believe it took you centuries to fetch the Hand.”

“I was going to do it,” he said, “but then I didn’t want to.”

Jeonghan groaned. “You idiot.”

You gathered up the bedsheets, making sure to cover yourself fully before turning your attention back to the two demons. Maybe if you acted like everything about this situation was normal, it would distract from the fact that you only had a blanket to cover your naked body. The stranger seemed to have no interest in you whatsoever, so you figured he wouldn’t think anything of you and Jeonghan sleeping together.

“Jeonghan!” you hissed, glowering at your startled boyfriend. “It wouldn’t kill you to wake me up?”

“Oh, Y/N,” he started, seeming pleased with himself. He gestured toward the demon next to him, who looked like he had just rolled out of bed himself. “This is Belphegor, but you can call him by his human name: Wonwoo.”

“Nice to meet you,” you said cautiously.

“Hi.”

There was clearly no room for conversation between you two.

“Anyway,” Wonwoo continued, shooting Jeonghan a curious look, “what’re you gonna do with the key? You’re not opening the Outerverse, are you?”

Jeonghan shook his head. “I’m not gonna release the Outer Gods, I’m—”

“Well, that’s good to know,” Wonwoo cut him off, clearly uninterested in the conversation. “Now that I know you’re not trying to kill us all, I’ll get going.”

“Yeah, okay, good talk.”

Later in the day, you sat on the floor of your living room with Jeonghan and Seokmin. Jeonghan was giving him a rundown of Belphegor’s visit, which didn’t take very long considering he was there for a grand total of nine moments. You almost made an offhand comment about how Jeonghan didn’t give you any time to get dressed, but that would have exposed what went down between you two last night.

Neither of you had even mentioned to Seokmin about sealing the deal.

“Alright, so,” the Quartarion started, “how does this work?”

Jeonghan pulled out a ten dollar bill, a deformed-looking Twinkie, and a tiny bottle of bath salts from the pocket of his sweater. He laid them out carefully around the Right Hand of Doom before looking up at you and Seokmin. A smug grin spread across his face, but you and the angel were flabbergasted.

“A Twinkie?” you asked.

“He likes sweets,” was the extent of Jeonghan’s explanation.

“Primordial Outer God of space-time likes Twinkies. Good to know.”

“And the ten dollars?” Seokmin asked.

“He likes money, too,” Jeonghan said. Before either of you could question the bath salts, he pointed to the bottle and added, “These are just for the vibes.”

Nice.

“Anyway,” Jeonghan continued, “these types of invocations usually require human sacrifices or something along those lines.” Seokmin and him glanced in your direction at the same time, and you shot them each an icy glare. Jeonghan coughed into his fist. “We’re obviously not sacrificing you. I’m just saying he’s more likely to answer me because I’m a demon prince.”

Seokmin looked on edge. “So… are we starting?”

“I don’t want Y/N in the room,” Jeonghan answered.

“What?” you asked, shocked at the sudden dismissal. “Why?”

“He’s so powerful—even knowing of his existence can drive some mortals insane,” Jeonghan muttered darkly. “Seokmin should be fine since he’s an angel, but there’s a chance you’d go mad if you heard his voice, so stay back until I say so.”

He didn’t have to tell you twice. You were already starting to get to your feet the second he mentioned mortals going insane.

“I’ll stand in the hallway, then,” you decided, far too curious to lock yourself in one of the rooms.

You watched as Jeonghan and Seokmin took each other’s hands quietly and exchanged a silent nod of understanding before closing their eyes. Jeonghan then started reciting some strange incantation that was far more complicated than the one you used to summon him. It seemed to drag on for close to a minute before the air around them went still. It was as if they were trapped in a time vortex, suspended in space while all you could do was wait for them to be released.

You took careful steps backward until you were against the wall, and then you sank down to the floor. As much as you tried to calm your nerves, you were riddled with anxiety. You had to physically hold your thigh down to keep it from bouncing.

Jeonghan didn’t tell you how exactly this would go. Hell, he probably didn’t know himself. Because you were so unaware, though, you weren’t sure if what was happening right now was normal or not. The two men weren’t even twitching or breathing; they were like still images.

Minutes stretched on. You weren’t sure how long it had been, but each passing second felt longer than it should have been. There was nothing you could do but wait. Stare at the motionless air around the two boys and wait.

It had probably been around half an hour when Seokmin’s eyes shot open with a loud gasp. You scrambled to your feet immediately, badgering the poor boy with questions to find out what happened while he was just trying to catch his breath. Jeonghan, on the other hand, looked the very image of tranquility when he opened his eyes.

“What is it?” you kept asking. “What happened?”

Seokmin had a strange, distant look in his eyes. He tried to speak several times, but no words came out.

“Could you get him something warm to drink, Y/N?” Jeonghan asked. “I think he’s in shock.”

“I’ll—I’ll make some tea,” you stammered, stumbling over your feet before you could start walking properly. “How about you? Are you—” You stopped yourself once you saw the hint of fear in Jeonghan’s eyes, and it chilled your blood. You couldn’t even fathom what they had just gone through. “I’ll get you a cup, too.”

It took two hours for the two men to recover—slowly but surely. You brought them tea and gave them time to process what they had just been through. It mainly consisted of you sitting to the side and keeping yourself from asking any questions. You figured they’d tell you if they wanted, but you weren’t in any position to press them.

Jeonghan seemed to feel bad for letting Seokmin tag along. He kept glancing at the angel with sad eyes, seeming remorseful. Then, he turned his attention to you. To your surprise, he walked over to where you sat on the couch to sit next to you and lay his head on your shoulder.

“Hey,” you called softly. “Are you feeling better?”

He nodded, although he didn’t look you in the eyes. “You should probably go to your room. Yog-Sothoth told us he’s thinking about my request, so he could be making up his mind any minute now.”

“You’re going back?”

“I guess. It was more like my consciousness was transported there instead of my physical body.”

He said it like it should have been no big deal, but the two were clearly unsettled by their visit. You weren’t sure how to feel about them going back. It could break Seokmin for good. Even though he was an angel-blood, he didn’t have the power that Jeonghan had.

“The fact that he listened to Jeonghan’s request means that he’s considering it,” Seokmin spoke up after a period of silence between you three. “It’s a good thing you didn’t go, Y/N. The Outerverse is the most terrifying realm I’ve ever seen, and I’ve been to Alabama.”

You smiled a little. At least he seemed to be feeling more at ease now.

“They say Yog-Sothoth exists beyond our reality, so he can possibly see other streams of reality that aren’t connected to the branches of Creation,” Jeonghan explained. “That sounds insane, right? When you’re in the Outerverse seeing those pockets of different realities… it can make you go a little crazy. I mean, I’d give Hell a five star Yelp review over the Outerverse.”

Seokmin tucked his head in his folded arms. “I never wanna go to that place again.”

“Well, I’m not exactly planning to have my next birthday party there.”

“Mammon,” a voice boomed in your ears, and the sound itself was weird.​​ There were undertones of echoes in its words, and you couldn’t even tell if the voice was in your head or not.

You didn’t have to ask who it was because the fear in Seokmin’s eyes was unmistakable. Jeonghan straightened up, panicked, but you assumed it was because you were still in the room because he swiftly placed his hands over your ears in an attempt to muffle the sound. You weren’t sure it would help, but you did feel safer that way.

“God of Time, I appreciate your presence.”

“I’ve decided to accept your offer,” Yog-Sothoth said. His voice sounded louder, even with Jeonghan’s hands over your ears. “I’ll help you.”

There was a way.

He removed his hands from the sides of your head, and you sat up straight again. You never thought those four words would light up so much hope inside you, but here you were, beaming like an idiot next to your demon boyfriend. There was a hope for a future between you and Jeonghan—hope that you two could live out the rest of your lives as humans. More importantly, there was hope that you two could live out the rest of your lives together.

For a moment, you were filled with doubt. There was so much at stake for this decision, and you couldn’t fathom someone loving you so much that they would give their world up for you.

“Jeonghan,” you murmured, “are you sure about giving up immortality?”

“I’d rather live a short life with you than spend the rest of eternity longing for what we could have had,” he declared with a fire blazing in his eyes. “I don’t want forever if it’s not with you, Y/N.”

His soft words coupled with his fierce gaze only sent butterflies to the pit of your stomach. You were hopeless when it came to Jeonghan; whatever he said left you like putty in his hands.

“Jeonghan,” Seokmin whispered, looking fearful. He was pointing at the makeshift summoning circle. “The Twinkie’s gone.”

So, the primordial Outer God of space-time was helping Jeonghan out because of a Twinkie. You decided against questioning why the all-powerful being was about to manipulate the fabric of reality over an over-glorified sponge cake.

“But,” Yog-Sothoth’s voice echoed in your ears as he spoke, “for this exchange, I require a sacrifice.”

“A sacrifice?” Jeonghan asked, frowning. “The Twinkie—”

“No, Mammon, not the Twinkie. I want you to bring me a loved one; an eye for an eye.”

You frowned. Jeonghan could split his soul into two—one residing in his demon form in Hell, and the other residing in his human body here—but he had to sacrifice someone he loved? You couldn’t understand how this was a fair exchange; he was already giving up a part of him for this ordeal.

“Sacrifice a loved one in exchange for what I want,” Jeonghan echoed, a faraway look in his eyes. “I’ve seen this before.”

“You have?” Your eyebrows narrowed. “When?”

“Avengers: Endgame.”

“You’re kidding, right?”

“Dude,” Seokmin chimed in, and you were starting to think you were the only one who understood the gravity of the situation. “This is literally Thanos sacrificing Gamora for the Soul Stone.”

“Stop embarrassing us in front of the Outer God!” you whispered harshly.

“Well,” Jeonghan started, his tone growing serious again, “I’m sure you know my choice.”

“Yes, I do.” Yog-Sothoth hummed, and something about it seemed calculative. You wanted to interject and ask Jeonghan what the hell he was talking about, but you felt like you were immobilized. “Very well, then.”

You looked at Seokmin to see if he understood what was going on, but he seemed just as confused as you were. Jeonghan just stared ahead, refusing to look either of you in the eye, and panic rose in your throat. You wanted to trust him, to confidently know that he wasn’t choosing you or Seokmin, but you really didn’t know who else it could have been.

Like Jeonghan told you before, demons didn’t care about anyone or anything. Only you and Seokmin were able to crack him open.

That was why horrifying realization was drawn across both of your faces. Jeonghan was choosing either you or Seokmin, and considering you were the reason he wanted to be mortal in the first place, you were terrified he was going to sacrifice Seokmin. And it seemed like Seokmin was terrified of that possibility, too.

You stood up and grabbed his shoulder. “Jeonghan, you—”

But before you could get any words out, you were sinking and the ground was swallowing you whole.

Everything went dark, and then silence followed.

You had gone under anesthesia once in your life. It was back when you were thirteen and the doctors had to perform an appendectomy on you. Being sedated didn’t feel like sleeping at all; it felt like closing your eyes and then waking up to a weird jumpcut in your memory. You remembered being extremely disoriented at first, not even realizing what had just happened to you.

Now, as your eyes fluttered open, you felt the same way.

You were tucked in your bed, which had to have been impossible because you were in the living room when everything turned black. You sat up to gather your bearings. Your head was a mess for a second, unable to focus on one thing at a time.

Jeonghan. Seokmin. Yog-Sothoth. Twinkies. Sacrifice.

The words etched themselves in your bones until you felt dread seep in. If you were still in your bed, completely unharmed, that meant Jeonghan had gotten rid of Seokmin. You looked down at your hands, and you realized they were shaking before you could stop yourself.

“Jeonghan!” you yelled, furious. Before he could hurry to your room, you stormed out, fighting back tears. Just as you thought, he was rushing down the hallway to see you, but you weren’t in the mood for a happy reunion. “How could you?!”

He looked confused. “Didn’t… didn’t you want this? I’m human now, Y/N.” A bright smile broke across his face. “Yog-Sothoth split my soul, so Mammon’s back in Hell where he belongs, but I’m here to stay as a human.”

You punched his shoulder. Hard.

“Okay, ow,” he complained. “Y/N, I—”

“Don’t,” you warned. Your voice was wavering and you could feel your throat closing up. “I don’t wanna hear it after what you did to Seokmin. You promised me you wouldn’t kill him!”

As if on cue, the angel-blood, who was supposed to be dead, peaked into the hallway from where he was in the living room. He had a bowl of ice cream in his hands, shaking his head at you repeatedly.

“I’m not dead,” he clarified, even though you could very clearly see that. “I’m alive.”

“Oh.” You had to take a step back because now, you were more confused than ever. “You’re alive.”

“You sound disappointed. Don’t worry, I’m not gonna steal your boyfriend.”

“I’m not! I’m… really fucking confused—wait, you found out we’re dating, too?” You turned to look up at Jeonghan. “Wait, so who’d you sacrifice, then? What happened after I blacked out? I feel like I’m so in the dark right now.”

Jeonghan looked down at his feet, suddenly glum. “I sacrificed my pet.”

“Mount Fu—I mean, Doljjong? I thought it was dead already?”

“No, my other pet.” He showed you his phone screen, which was on an article about Mount Vesuvius going extinct. “Jjongddol.”

“Oh, another rock.” You tried to sound sympathetic, but it was hard to feel bad for a volcano. “I’m so sorry for your loss.”

“He’s not even sad about it!” Seokmin argued, pointing his spoon at Jeonghan in an accusatory manner. “He gaslit the Time God!”

Jeonghan huffed. “I am sad, okay! Just because it took me a while to remember his name doesn’t mean I don’t have fond memories with Doljjong!”

“Jjongddol,” you corrected.

“Oh, right—Jjongddol!”

You smiled, taking his face into your hands. “You know what this means, though?”

Jeonghan looked at you, eyebrows lifting in pleasant surprise. “What?”

(“Oh, Christ, they’re gonna start making out,” Seokmin muttered and hurried back to the couch. “I’m gonna look for movies on the TV, Jeonghan!”)

“It means we finally have all the time in the world to ourselves, Yoon Jeonghan.” You got on your toes to press a chaste kiss to his lips, which he reciprocated almost immediately. “I’m a little sad I don’t have a guardian demon anymore, though, even if he sucked at his job.”

“Hey, I didn’t suck!” He pouted a little, which you laughed at. “Now, though, you get to show me how to be a proper human.”

“Oh, shoot. We need to find you a place to live since my lease only allows one person, and then we need to figure out getting your documents in order, and then—”

Jeonghan cut you off with a laugh. “I’m on board for all that, but I’d really like to celebrate my new life right now by watching a movie with my best friend and girlfriend.” He slung an arm around your shoulder, pulling you closer, and you couldn’t help but giggle. “And then tonight I’d like to—”

“Alright, alright!” you interjected, feeling your face go hot. “You know, the demon part of you might be gone power-wise, but I don’t know about personality-wise.”

“You love it, though.”

“Jeonghan, let’s watch Superbad!” Seokmin called from the living room.

“Okay!” Jeonghan turned to you and held out his hand. “Come on. I heated up popcorn and even put in some jalapeños for you.”

“Hey.” You stopped him, and you weren’t exactly sure why, but you felt so overwhelmed by your emotions at the moment. There were so many forces against you two, yet you still managed to fight the odds. A constant storm you both battled to stay together, and only now you felt like you could finally breathe. So, when Jeonghan looked at you, the words came out naturally. “I love you.”

He looked at you for a moment, before his face broke into one of those heartbreakingly beautiful smiles again. “I love you, too, Y/N.”

Now it was your time to smile and grab his hand. “Let’s go watch that movie.”

“Oh, is Y/N watching with us?” Seokmin asked.

“This may come as a shock, but this happens to be my apartment, Seokmin.”

And, as you three watched the movie, you and Jeonghan kept your hands interlocked, unwilling to let go. You thought it was beautiful how two hands could touch and forge a bond like no other. It must have been why you and Jeonghan had made it past every obstacle that came hurtling your way.

In some parallel universe out there, some stream of reality that didn’t branch from Creation, you and Jeonghan were probably normal people who found each other naturally. In that world, neither of you had to go through all the pain and suffering to find each other, to finally end up in each other’s arms. 

But you would choose this reality over that one every single time. You would go through all the trails and tribulations for Jeonghan however many times you needed to because, at the end of the day, the love you two had for each other couldn’t compare to any other reality out there. 

And you would never admit it out loud, but he was right; your guardian demon didn’t totally suck at his job.

[myfaveisfuckable]

Rants!

Stan/Rick: What's better than one gross old an of dubious morality? TWO gross old men of dubious morality!

Well, no... actually, to be honest, I've only seen one episode of Rick & Morty and didn't like it, so I don't really care for this ship in general. BUT there's one fanfic that made this ship into the STUPIDEST MOST HILARIOUS LOVE TRIANGLE AND I LOVE IT

The fic series:

Trying to explain the love triangle ("love triangle"): Rick Sanchez and Ford Pines were in college together. And then 10~15 years later Rick reconnects with "Ford Pines" (actually Stan b/c of the whole dimensional portal thing), they have an awkward if passionate affair for a short while before Stan breaks it off, and Rick's just never gotten over it for 30 years.

This is all fine and good until jump to the present (2012), Ford is back, and so are various other characters, including some OCs with ties to Rick Sanchez. And they all have to work together to save the world/beat Bill/etc. read the fic if you want details. But in the middle they also have to deal with fallout of STAN LYING ABOUT HIS IDENTITY FOR 30 YEARS and also RICK SOMEHOW NOT NOTICING THE DIFFERENCE. It's very dramatic and very dumb and only a love triangle in the sense that there are three people who are all very embarrassed and very mad at eachother, but as a reader I am ABSOLUTELY Michael-Jackson-eating-popcorn-meme over this.

(...and later the author retconned the latter part by bringing in the Gravity Falls memory gun, which IMO is waay less fun. But for the first half of the fic where I thought Rick Sanchez was just dating a completely different man and either didn't realize or didn't question it, THAT was hilarious)

(btw the fic in question is mostly very good! the love triangle stuff is a sideplot, it mostly centers around the adventures of Ripley, amnesiac dimension hopper who is space-gladiator married to Ford and beat him back to Gravity Falls to have adventures with the gang there, and Ripley is great.)

Hanineko: blonde goth literally allergic to the sun x ray of sunshine that will kill you

Animal themed comfort objects (belzeneff and usa-chan)

Shy x outgoing also

[lillywillow]

The Call is Coming From Inside the House

Summary: The team watches horror movie to see which is the most messed up of all time.

 Written for: @buckybarnesbingo

 Words: 1163

 Square Filled: U2- FUBAR

 Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Female Reader  

 Warnings: Mentions of horror movie violence

 A/N: If you’ve watched any of the movies I’ve mentioned, you’ll know exactly what I’m referring to

 It started off with a conversation about horror movies. Everyone had their own opinion on which was the most messed up of all.

 “I’m telling you, it’s the Re-Animator Trilogy. There’s just a level of misogyny that’s not even in the original H. P. Lovecraft story,” you protested.

 “No way. The Saw movies are way more FUBAR than those cheaply done flicks of the 80’s,” Clint argued.

 “Are you kidding, Clint? Some of the best franchises came out of the 80’s. Halloween, Nightmare on Elm Street, Aliens, Friday the 13th just to name a few. Not to mention The Thing. I mean, that was pretty messed up if you ask me,” Nat chimed in.

 “Guys, the foreign market has way more messed up movies than those. Just look at Last Train to Busan for example. Then the original Japanese copies of The Grudge and The Ring,” Tony countered.

 Steve and Bucky had no idea what anyone was on about. Back in their day, horror movies were a lot more sedated in their day. Movies with the likes of Bela Lugosi, Boris Karloff and Lon Chaney Jr. who were all masters of the craft without going over the top.

 “Well, there’s only one way we’re going to settle this… we’re going to have to watch them all,” you suggested.

…

 So began your mega movie marathon, starting with the 1982 classic The Thing. Bucky thanked all his lucky stars that in all his time fighting aliens, he never came against one so disturbing. Then again, he hadn’t visited Outpost 13 in Antarctica…

 “You know, I once saw a Pingu version of this movie,” you stated.

 “You lie,” Clint huffed.

 “It’s not a lie. Apparently it was pulled from YouTube for being too messed up and I think licencing also had something to do with it being pulled as well,” you explained.

 Before Clint could argue, Tony butted in.

 “No, she’s right,” he said, bringing up the video on the big screen. “It’s supposed to be a parody on both…”

 The video was much shorter than the movie but no less creepy, maybe even more so given that it was based on a children’s show. After that, you watched the first of the Re-Animator Trilogy. When it came to what was perhaps the most messed up scene of the movie, Bucky and Steve couldn’t stand to watch. You followed them out too as it was your least favourite scene.

 “You actually like that stuff?” Bucky asked, feeling rather queasy.

 “That scene in particular? No, I can’t say I do. It has nothing to do with the original story. When I first read there was a movie based on it, I thought it was cool but then I was totally blindsided by that scene. I read up on it and their first choice in actress had to back out because her mother didn’t want her doing it. The scene was taxing on the actor and cost him his marriage… I like certain elements of horror; the jump scares, the suspense, the complex characters and clever use of practical effects but stuff like that I feel is completely unnecessary…”

 Bucky nodded slowly. When you put it like that, it made sense. He too liked a story with a good plot and decent characters but when it came to stuff like that… Before Bucky could say any more, Sam called letting you know that the awful part was over and you could return to the living room.

…

 After watching all three movies (the others agreed the third was the weakest in the trilogy), it was getting late. You decided to squeeze in one last movie before going to bed which was the first of the Saw movies. Bucky felt sick to his stomach at the gory scenes. He had been trained in torture techniques as a part of HYDRA but this was some next level stuff. Feeling overwhelmed, Bucky walked out. You decided to follow him.

 “You can go back and watch the movie if you want,” Bucky sighed as you stood next to him.

 “I think I’d much hang out with you,” you confessed.

 Bucky smiled softly at you. Before he could say anything further, the power was cut. Instinctively, you reached for Bucky’s hand as he pulled you closer to his body. Part Avengers training, part paranoia from the movies, you were both on edge, preparing for danger. The power went back on just as suddenly as it went out.

 “Sorry, everyone. There was tripped power switch,” Tony explained.

 The pair of you sighed in relief, still holding each other as the adrenaline coursing through you started to calm down.

 “I think… I think I might just go to bed,” Bucky sighed.

 “Actually, that sounds like a good idea,” you agreed.

 “Could you… stay with tonight? After all those horror movies, I… I don’t want to be alone,” Bucky confessed.

 “I understand that,” you softly smiled. “Of course, I’ll stay…”

 Bucky smiled back and held your hand as you headed to his room.

 “Hey, you two. You know one of the top rules about horror movies. The couple who goes off together usually are one of the first to get picked off,” Sam teased.

 You flipped him off as you passed by, making everybody laugh and relieving some of the tension built up by the movie.

…

 After you both got changed, you and Bucky cuddled in his bed.

 “Are you okay, Bucky?” you asked, noticing how quiet he was.

 “Yeah… it’s just… today was a lot… I’m not used to that much violence…”

 “You’re an Avenger,” you stated, raising an eyebrow.

 “Yeah, but that’s different. That’s… action violence not… you know…”

 You cuddled close to him, making him smile.

 “I think I understand… There’s only a certain amount of that kind of thing I can watch in a day too… horror movies can be fun and all but I like them in small doses…”

 “Do you want to watch kid’s cartoons until we fall asleep?” you asked.

 “That sounds nice… Not Pingu though. Still feeling a little scarred from that last movie.”

 “Fair enough,” you laughed, putting on a light and cute cartoon.

…

 So that was how your horror movie marathon ended; with you and Bucky peacefully falling asleep to something more wholesome. The next day, the others wanted to continue but you and Bucky turned them down. You both decided to have a movie marathon of your own that was a little sweeter and more comfortable and a whole less FUBAR. If it meant cuddling with Bucky, you wouldn’t ask for it any other way.

[angies-writing-blog]

Title: Beyond the Wall of Sleep

Fandom: Doctor Strange (Comics & Movies), MCU

Pair: ( Dark! / Sinister! ) Doctor Strange / OC (Reader)

Language: English (oh my bad English skills)

Summary: [...]An everlasting shudder ran through his body. Only one time before had he been afflicted by such wretched fear. That time, he had attempted to reach that mythical nameless city, but had been chased away by the thick gusts of the Arabian desert. Just like back that day, he now felt compelled to tremblingly utter that enigmatic two-liner that the lunatic arab Abdul Al-Hazred had written:

“That is not dead which can eternal lie.

And with strange aeons even death may die.” [...]

Note: This is the result when I can not sleep at night. I have seen the new Doctor Strange movie and read Lovecraft. Very "dark" story. Please read the tags.

I feel like my translations are getting more and more terrible.

The beginning was good. Then I started to stagger.

I don't really like the last third.

Maybe it's because this story was originally an exercise in my native language, to write dialogue-free and without naming specific people, etc.

Feel free to criticize me. Oh yes, and unfortunately once again unedited (for now), because otherwise I would not have found an end.

[night-unfurls-its-splendour]

When the Longing Returns

Phantom of the Opera (2004) Fanfiction

A brief introduction

This is my first proper fanfiction in many, many years. I didn't think Phantom of the Opera would be the thing that lit a fire under my ass to write for, but my feelings regarding Christine and Erik are strong. So, fueled on a diet of H. P. Lovecraft and a really amazing Flowers in the Attic: The Origin fic that inspired me to put my daydreaming into words, this alternative scenario was percolating for several weeks until I finally got it written.

I wanna give special thanks to @l10ng1rl and @yoomiii123 for beta reading and just generally letting me pick their brains. It's thanks to their feedback that I decided to spin this out from a one-shot to a multi-chaptered affair.

Please, share your thoughts!

~~~EDIT~~~

I implied in my original published draft of this story that Christine and Raoul never kissed with tongue. I must regretfully inform my readers that this was an error on my part: upon a repeat watch of the movie, I discovered that Christine and Raoul do, briefly, make tongue contact during the rooftop kiss, so I have adapted my work to match this detail--but I somehow managed to finagle it so that the scene is even hotter! (I think) so well done me!

Chapter 1

Also read on AO3

Masterpost

Pairing: Erik (The Phantom) x Christine Daaé

Chapter Summary: Christine visits her father’s grave, and the Phantom appears; but Raoul doesn’t arrive to interrupt their reunion, and Christine makes a choice.

Word Count: 3,895

Themes: Sexual Awakening

Rating: Mature/Explicit (in future chapters)

Enjoy this chapter with my custom "Wandering Child" Soundscape

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As Christine sank to the steps of her father's burial monument, she knew she had made the correct choice in coming to the cemetery. She needed to take this time to be alone, really alone with her thoughts, without Raoul trying to comfort away the things she needed to face.

It was a hard thing to admit to herself that she had never truly let go of her father. It wasn't that she wanted to purge herself of his memory. What child could ever wish that of a father who had so loved and cared for them as Gustave Daaé had cared for his only daughter? It was only the persistent nag, the childlike need to feel like he was still there with her, only unseen, to tell her what to do, that she wanted to escape.

The Angel of Music had filled that need for her; always, she had utterly believed that it was a spirit sent by her father that had been her guardian and teacher. She had no one to look to for guidance now, except her own judgment.

The Angel of Music.

The Phantom of the Opera.

He was neither; just a man. A violent brute; a murderer in cold blood. He terrified her.

Only, he hadn't always.

There had been that beautiful dream—though the experience had been quite real, she tended to think of it as a dream now, for what else could it possibly have been, given all that had come after it?—when he had revealed himself to her at last. When he had closed her hand in his and drawn her down into that cavernous realm beneath the opera house and sung to her so sweetly of music and darkness and beauty. It was the easiest thing in the world for Christine to remember the way he had stood so closely behind her in the dank lair, chilly despite the abundance of candles, his body warm against her back. It was easy, too, to recall his hands on her waist, or lifting hers to let her touch his face, his skin so very tangible under her fingers.

She had discovered that night that her angel had been corporeal all along—very much so—and she didn't quite know how to contend with that overwhelming truth.

That was before, though.

Before the murder. The murder changed everything.

It had to, didn't it?

 

Though, there were times—when she was all alone—when the thought of him still didn't frighten the way it should. And that, perhaps, terrified her more. What kind of woman was she? What would her father, the best and kindest of men, have thought of his daughter, if he could know the kind of feelings that she kept buried deep within her breast for a man not only capable of, but guilty of such violence?

She knew they were wrong. Surely it was utterly wrong to feel those kinds of things for such a man. She couldn't even name the emotions she locked away. Affection? Tenderness? Perhaps. She thought of others, but dared not dwell on any of them.

Worse still, sometimes, as she lay in her bed—just between the clear-cut waking realm, and the shadows of sleep and dreams where everything was somehow both vivid and vague, and the ideas that she should not think had a way of making themselves known—she still imagined his voice as she slipped from the former to the latter.

     He hadn't sung to her in a long time, not since her return from the cavern, in fact. It was just her recollection, but it was as clear in her mind as if he were serenading her from within the walls, just as he had done for years.

   Only it was not the sweet, angelic melodies of those times that played in her head on these occasions, but the hauntingly passionate anthem he had poured out to her, whispered to her, just inches from her ear as he held her against him. Some part of her simply could not let go of the memory of him singing to her, pleading with her, sliding his hands with gentle, longing pressure down her waist.

 

These contemplations swirled chaotically through her head, and then Christine did hear him there with her, singing to her, unseen. She felt a thrill run through her.

And just as it was when she was in her bed, between sleeping and waking, the thrill was not wholly one of fear.

 

The song emanated from her father's mausoleum, and for a moment she was transported back to the very first time she had ever heard that unearthly voice in the chapel at the Opera.

   Though startled by the sudden presence of the aural apparition, she had not felt any terror at it, struck as she was by its gentle beauty and reassuring warmth. Her first thought had been that it was her father's spirit which sang to her . . . but that could not have been, for this voice was deep and resonant where her father's had been softer and rather higher in pitch. So it must be the promised Angel, then, she had thought: the Angel of Music. 

 

His song now was as tender as ever it had been, and as angelic as the voice that had sung her to sleep. But now, for the first time, Christine knew that the unseen singer was a man, not a spirit, and that changed everything.

   Old memories and recent knowledge collided in Christine, giving rise to a confusion of emotions. Those very sensibilities that she'd kept carefully locked away since the night she had followed him down to that lair were now bursting forth so that, in a kind of breathless mixture of desperation and exhilaration, she challenged the cantor in his own tune.

"Angel or Father?

Friend or Phantom?

Who is it there, staring?

Angel, oh speak!

What endless longings

Echo in this whisper?"

And he returned her song, his timbre soothing and mild: 

"Too long you've wandered in winter, far from my far-reaching gaze..."

She had last heard his voice when he appeared on the steps at the masque, draped in that ghastly bloodred costume and bony mask, looking the very image of hateful death.

   It had been different then—sarcastic, full of bitterness and ire as he seized Raoul's ring and pulled the chain from around Christine's neck, the links biting briefly into her skin before slithering away. She flinched to recall that the emotion in his burning eyes had not been a simple rage or hatred that would have been easy for her to fear or despise in return, but a complex and potent elixir of his anger and his pain, as loud to her as his wounded howls had been when she'd so selfishly pulled away his mask. She realized with shame, as he sang out to her now in a tone so enticingly tender, that she'd never truly apologized to him for that transgression.

Phantom or flesh, this man had been not only her teacher, but her muse. He had taught her everything about music that her father had not lived to impart to her, and more; but he had also been her inspiration. It was he who had revived her passion for song after her father's death.

   When Madame Giry had brought her to live at the Opera, she treated Christine like her own daughter. She was kind woman, but stern--not at all warm like her father had been; and Meg was a dear friend, but she was not clever and Christine could not talk to her of the deeper contemplations her father had encouraged in her. Despite the crowded, noisy bright life of the theater, she truly had felt alone and frightened of the change her life had taken. Being surrounded by music had not been a comfort to her, for it made her miss her father all the more . . . until the Angel. He had reinvigorated her. When he had spoken to her, she no longer felt that she was alone—no longer felt that empty sorrow at the thought of music.

  Even now, his voice, which had every reason to—which should—cause her nothing but fear, lifted her spirit, surrounded her, filled her, and comforted her.

Their song continued in a rapturous harmony, rising to a crescendo, and Christine began, finally, to yield to the affections for him which her upright rationality had thus far compelled her to deny.

"Wildly my mind beats against you, yet the soul obeys!"

Mind and soul now both feverish, Christine considered that, perhaps, despite his earthly presence and corrupted visage, he truly was her promised guide and protector—a strange sort of angel indeed, but her Angel of Music—after all. She stood purposefully and proceeded toward his voice, singing back to him with all the passion her body held:

"Angel of music, my protector! Come to your Strange Angel!"  

Christine stepped toward the warm glow inside the gate of the mausoleum where his voice echoed out to her just as it had in her dressing room when the mirror had opened:

"I am your Angel of Music... Come to me, Angel of Music..."

And then he stepped out to meet her, still lilting out his transcendent song. His face—what she could see of it—was guarded but intensely focused, and she could see in his eyes an almost disbelieving spark of joy at both her approach and the softness of her expression.

   He held his cloak crossed over his chest, but as she came nearer, his arms lowered and he held them out, beckoning her to his embrace.

   Without fear, she stepped into that embrace, shielding her face from the cold air by burying it in his shoulder as his arms drew the cloak close about her. It was warm—warmer than her own cape had been—as their combined heat gathered, trapped in the layers of wool and silk.

It was fragrant too. A rich scent enveloped her as completely as the warm, heavy fabric. The first time she'd encountered this perfume, in the lair as his arms had slipped around her waist, it had clouded her head with its luxurience. Now, breathing it in deeply, it was so potent she thought the first draught might make her faint again. Yes, she remembered it was the last thing she'd been aware of as she fell back against him.

As her head rested against him, she marveled again, as she once had in the cavern, at how such an otherworldly voice could belong to a presence so very. . .solid.

   She felt his hand at the back of her head, cradling it, and looked up at him. His expression was gentler than any that had ever graced his half-hidden face before, but it was also shocked, almost frightened; as if he feared that this was some illusion that could only end by shattering, and that if it did, he would shatter completely with it. That fear in his eyes pained her.

   He said nothing, sang nothing—it seemed as though both speech and song were beyond his capability at the moment. He lifted his gloved hand and touched her face. Not a seductive caress of the kind he'd used before, as he sang to her in his lair, but as if to feel her—to make sure that she was real. Even through the leather glove, his touch was warm against her frigid cheek.

If he could not say anything, she must, for she had approached him with conviction and did not like the idea that he should think himself in some cruel fantasy or hallucination that ended in further rejection. Tilting her head back further, she lifted her hand to the fair side of his face and held his cheek against her palm.

   "Will you kiss me, Angel?" she asked quietly, but clearly: he must know that she meant this.

   "What?" he asked, the sound barely escaping his lips. He gazed at her in shock, the terrified joy in his eyes nearly breaking her heart.

   "Kiss me," she repeated, the request imperative, now.

   His arms tightened experimentally around her, but he made no other motion to oblige.

   Hoping to encourage him, she said it once more, "Kiss me, my Angel..." lacing her arms under his and lifting them to press her hands against his shoulders, clutching them. "Please..." she implored in a gentle whisper.

Christine found her steadiness giving way to a rush of excitement as her lips remained welcomingly parted after speaking, her breath swirling out from between them like a spirit.

   She closed her eyes and waited for him, the fog pouring faster from her mouth as her breath quickened in anticipation. Her heart was pounding, sending warm blood flowing up into her cheeks. She felt a tingling rush in her lips as well. The sensations were not unfamiliar—she remembered them from the last time she had felt him so close to her.

   Moments more wore on, her heart rate diminishing slightly in disappointment as he remained still. She was on the point of opening her eyes, afraid of what expression of apprehension or mistrust might meet her if she looked at him... Then, finally, she felt his hot breath on her face and knew that he was close.

   His lips met hers hesitantly, but when they finally touched, and the cool surface of his mask brushed against her cheek, it was the most beautiful kind of thrill.

Christine was quite experienced with kisses now, after three months of secret engagement to Raoul.

He kissed her often.

But he had never kissed her like this.

Raoul's lips had always met hers steadily and confidently, assured of their welcome; they had never trembled.

   His kisses had always been sweet and fervent, but quick and clean; they had never lingered urgently, or been broken by ragged breaths.

   When she and Raoul kissed, they were both participants, but his lips had always led and hers had always followed; he had never paused after each breath or motion to see where she might lead him next.

   She had never been in this kind of control before, and the lips slotted against hers had never been desperate or vulnerable.

It felt as though some great flower was blossoming inside Christine's soul as she pressed against the Phantom, and he pressed back.

   Her lead encouraged him as intended. Soon she felt the pressure of his lips against hers increase; felt his hands dragging down to her waist, then just slightly further, until he crushed her abdomen to his. His fingers dug into her lower back on either side, satisfying an unfamiliar symmetrical ache there which she hadn't consciously noticed until it flared under the pressure of his hands.

Raoul had never held her like that; it had never even occurred to her that he might.

The sensation coaxed a moan from her, and as it escaped, her tongue brushed against his. This had happened with Raoul, but only once, on the rooftop; and she didn't remember it making her spine tingle as it did now, or compel her to explore further into his mouth. She was overcome with a sudden, heady rush at this instinct, and her eyes flew open.

Christine now expected to meet a burning gaze, but the Phantom's eyes were, instead, screwed shut, and tears were escaping from the corners. She held herself even closer to him, reassuringly, as he broke the kiss involuntarily with a silent sob, his zealous grip on her waist slackening. His emotion, it seemed, had overcome his passion.

   She unwound her right arm from him so she could lift her cloak to dry away the tears now streaming down his face. Those, that is, which she could reach without violating his trust again—she would not touch his mask without his grace to do so.

When he collected himself enough to speak his eyes were still glistening, but the flow of tears had ebbed. His voice was thick and tight, but controlled as he spoke, avoiding her gaze.

   "Is that to be the end?" He asked, bitterness touching his tone.

   Christine's answer was a speechless expression of confusion.

   "What of your fiancé?" He choked out harshly when she didn't respond.

   Christine was stung. Stung by the implication; by the unwelcome truth that one kiss, no matter how passionate and heartfelt, could not fully mend his faith in her. Nor could that kiss solve the problem that she now found herself in.

Did he think her fickle? Was she?

Christine had always loved Raoul. As a little girl she had imagined (a daydream beyond hope of reality, she'd thought) that one day he would marry her, and they would live happily ever after in a fine house by the sea.

   His rooftop confession and the subsequent engagement had begun to see that dream into reality, and his kiss had elated her, made her feel as though she could take flight.

   But now she remembered his careless little chuckle as he'd left her dressing room on the night of her debut; how he had insisted, without hearing her, that she join him for supper; his appeasing words when she told him about the Angel: Oh no doubt of it, no doubt, he'd said, as if she were an overly imaginative child. The memory made her feel slightly hollow.

   At the time she'd been so happy that he'd recognized her, remembered her, so caught up in their recollections of idyllic childhood, that it hadn't perturbed her the way it did now.

   Christine realized that her joy and exultation at his confession of love had heralded the fulfillment of a child's dream. It had stirred her young heart, but had not touched her grown soul.

The kiss she had just experienced reached into some deeply sleeping part of her and awakened it; something more. Something mature—frightening and awesome in its power.

   Raoul's kisses, his embraces, his love were still that of a boy for a girl, and hadn't even come close to unlocking this corner of herself, which she now felt as though she wouldn't be quite... whole without.

   A marriage with Raoul would be a sweet, a comfortable, but an incomplete and passionless thing.

This revelation did not delight Christine.

   The idea of disappointing the tender feelings of a good man—and Raoul was, truly, a good man who would make a fine and caring husband someday—was not a prospect which she relished.

   But she would not marry a man who she could not love completely—who, in marrying her, would not only bind himself to a teller of half-truths, but would also take her away from music forever. She could not be both an opera singer and the Vicomtesse de Chagny: his world did not allow such things. Nor would she reject another who loved her so ardently, and who had no one in the world for comfort or love, or even basic respect and kindness—save for her.

She reached up and took the Phantom's face in her hands.

   "No," she said firmly, warmly, turning his head to face her. "I will not leave you now."

    Christine had chosen her words quite carefully. “Will not”. “Cannot” wouldn’t do; she wanted to be clear that she had made a choice, and made it of her own volition. Not out of pity or guilt.

   "I can't feel with Raoul what I've just shared with you,” she said as his eyes met hers again. “If that makes me unfaithful or fickle then I will pray forgiveness as I do for all my sins, but I will bear it."

   Trembling, full of emotion, Christine watched as his shock, his disbelief, his pained anxiety, turned slowly to triumph in the ringing silence.

His eyes were bright, exultant, and adoring now, and his hands cupped her face, his hold firm. He bowed his head to her, his eyes searching hers thoroughly for any kind of resistance or regret. Finding none in her, he bore down upon her, crushing his lips to hers again, powerful this time, and unafraid.

   She yielded, not just willingly, but happily to the force of this kiss, her blood rising again. It was faster and firmer, but no less tender than before. He seemed to savor each moment of contact, where—and Christine did wonder if these constant comparisons were shameful—Raoul, with his surety, never really had. Her recollections of his kisses and touches perhaps left her so starkly dissatisfied because she now felt that he had taken them all for granted.

   It made the Phantom's touch that much more overwhelming to her that he took nothing of her for granted. Not one kiss, or touch, or even a look that she graced him with went under-appreciated.

   His lips parted from hers only after several of his half-hearted attempts to do so were thwarted by her reciprocal passion. But once they were apart, both breathless, he slid his hands down her neck, shoulders, arms, and finally took her hands. Pinching the fingertips of his glove between his teeth, he pulled his bare hand free.

   On his now-exposed left hand he wore a ring on his little finger, which he now removed. It was silver, with a rather broad band, holding some dark, opaque stone—an ancient looking thing, finely but simply crafted. It did not sparkle, but its dull lustre was as mesmerizing and captivating as all the little diamonds clustered in the face of the trinket Raoul had given her.

   She questioned herself again: had she worn that ring on a chain and not on her finger to hide their engagement, from the Phantom and the world, for Raoul's safety only? Or was it to hide the reminder of the solemn promise from herself as well?

   The silver ring looked small held between the Phantom's fingers. Christine held her hand perfectly still in his as he eased it onto her ring finger, where it rested snugly and comfortably. Once placed, he folded her hand in both of his and lifted it to kiss her knuckles, pressing them to his lips and closing his eyes as he was again overcome with a silent, but violent emotion that made him shake. The sight of him in that posture, the feeling of his warm lips heating the metal of the ring against her chilled fingers, made Christine quake slightly.

   Feeling her shiver, he opened his eyes and lowered her hand, but did not release it.

   "It's too cold to linger here," he observed, seemingly mistaking her tremble for a chill. He pulled Christine's cloak closer around her shoulders, his eyes lingering with a subtle longing on her décolletage before he looked away quickly, to her face again. It had been an odd choice of clothing for her to make in such frigid weather, she thought to herself, but his gaze falling on the area like that suddenly made her pulse quicken again and she found herself oddly grateful for her sartorial folly.

"Come," he urged her when her neckline was properly shielded, pulling her toward the back gate of the cemetery.

~~~~

Click here for Author's notes

[narrators-journal]

Could I request a BSD lovecraft x short(4”11) female reader

Soulmate au

Fluff to smut plz

And could lovecraft use his ability in the smut part?

It's not exactly what you asked for, but I hope it's still enjoyable! It was a fun bit of a challenge for me, I enjoyed it. Also, thanks for sending in an ask for this, I appreciate you humoring my weirdness <3

CW: Tentacles, size difference, technically teratophilia

Tagged: @ravenina14

Checking the clock, you saw that it was nearly morning, sighing heavily at that fact. Part of you wanted to say fuck it and go through until the next night, but your stomach twisted and coiled like a spring about to pop, you were far too high strung from a mixture of energy drinks and stress to sleep at the moment. So, with a sigh, you ran a (s/c) hand through your (h/l), (h/c) hair and sat back in your desk chair.

For a moment, you just sat there in your room, thinking about all of the weirdness in your life instead of all of the college work you still had to do. First, you'd lived since the age of eighteen with the name 'Howard P. Lovecraft' stamped across your lower back, a soul mate mark, meaning that was the name of your forever partner. Second, the man assigned that odd name was equally odd. So, fate had assigned you to a man that you were pretty sure wasn't quite human, or at least he had a very out there ability, to spend your life with. Finally, you'd met said man when you saw him walk out of the ocean one day as you went to the store. Not exactly your usual meet-cute.

That wasn't to say your soul mate wasn't attractive, though. He had that same sort of charm one might find from Illumi Zoldyck, with long, wavy black hair, tired, dark eyes like the darkest parts of the ocean, and pale skin, he also could look a lot like the anime character. Though Lovecraft was likely taller than him, and a little more oblivious. Either way, he was cute, in an awkward way, so you weren't upset to have him as a partner, just amused by the oddity of the situation. In fact, remembering him had brought a good idea to your head.

So with that, you pushed yourself up from your chair to stretch before heading out to the living room, where Lovecraft laid on your couch like a corpse in a casket, watching the television in a stiff mimicry of what you showed him when teaching him how to relax there when the two of you had first begun to settle into your new normal.          "Lovecraft," you said, getting a mixture of a groan and a hum from the low energy man, "I need cuddles," Without a word, he lifted his lanky arms and let you flop onto his chest before laying his limbs back as they were, barely looking up from the ocean documentary on the television. Either way, the simple affection made you sigh as your tense body soaked up the comfort. However, the cuddles and the sounds of the documentary didn't seem to quite reach that knot of tension in your soul, much to your annoyance.

After a few attempts to get comfortable in your lanky boyfriend's arms on the couch, attempting to find the best possible position for comfort, you sighed, brushing your bangs from your face and just blandly watching what was on the television in defeat,           "Are you okay, (y/n)?" Lovecraft asked, turning his dark eyes to you at last, seeming to read your body language in a single, barely-blinking look since he began rubbing small circles into your back like you'd done to him a few times when he was grumpy after working with the Guild. And while you appreciated the gesture, it did little to help you relax as much as you needed.           "I'm a bit stressed out from college, but I can't seem to unwind enough to sleep." You admitted, dropping your head onto his shoulder sadly.          "I'm sorry about that," he muttered, his deadpan voice doing nothing to convince you that he was honest, which he likely wasn't, but you'd gotten used to his aloof manner, "Maybe you could take a bath? Those are said to be relaxing." he offered, but you simply skewed your mouth to the side at the idea. It wasn't like the idea was really off-putting, you just didn't want to get up and go through all that work. Though, it did give you an idea.

Turning your (e/c) eyes up to the pale, dark-haired man you called your soulmate, moving so you straddled him and tried to project as much seductive charm as your little body could produce,          "Y'know, there's another way to destress that I could try~" as you spoke, making your best bedroom eyes at the oblivious man, you toyed with the collar of his shirt. When he didn't take the hint, you gave him a swift kiss, swiftly moving your kisses from his mouth down to his neck, which seemed to clarify your meaning to the pale man.

He put a hand on your shoulder to stop you, encouraging you to sit up,            "I thought copulation was for breeding, and you didn't want a child." Copulation. You sometimes wanted to smack your soulmate with a book. But, you refrained, simply snorting instead,            "No, Lovecraft, sex can be for fun as well." You assured, "just don't cum inside me and no children shall be created." He hummed at your words, but you took the chance to slip your hands under his shirt, trying to maybe convince him to help you out, but he once again stopped your advances,            "While I wouldn't mind having fun, I'd prefer to not lose my clothing." He hummed, earning another huffy expression from you, but you sighed again, your expression of slight annoyance softening,           "Do you just not want to do anything? You can say so," You watched Lovecraft contemplate your question, then replied in his low energy, low voice,           "No, I don't mind having...sex," he tried, making you smile at the way he seemed to learn from you, "I just do not want to strip,"

After that, you laid back against him, contemplating what to do. Sex was likely the best way to exhaust yourself and relax in a timely manner, but Lovecraft kind of needed to be at least somewhat naked for that to happen. After a moment of thinking, you came upon a compromise, a coy smile returning to your (s/c) face as you turned back to Lovecraft with the biggest, most pleading doe eyes you could manage,         "Lovecraft," he simply hummed in response, "can you do that...thing you did a while back, partially activate your power or whatever you do?" He once again looked down at you, his dark eyes seeming to almost absorb the flickering light of the television, adding a small bit of sparkle to the deep sea color of them.

While he thought, you admired his eyes, coming back to reality when he spoke again,         "That is a creative solution," he admitted, his arms still loosely draped around you while you smiled,         "So will you help me?" He gave a careful nod, turning a bit pink it seemed, though you couldn't confirm in the darkness of the living room. Either way though, you took the compromise and pulled your clothes off, enjoying the way Lovecraft's dark eyes took in every inch of your (s/c) body as you stripped, staying in his lap as much as possible while you did. Then, you laid back on him and pressed your lips to his.

The dark-haired man still needed to perfect his kisses, but you didn't mind, the feeling of his altered arm coiling around your thigh, stroking the soft skin while you wriggled your hips and held the kiss until you needed air.

After that, you just laid on your partner's chest, raising your hips slightly so one of the thick tendrils could run along your entrance, sending a small ripple of electricity through you. The feeling increased when the appendage began to explore a bit, focusing its movements on the spots that got the most mewls and shudders out of you. Lovecraft might've been a bit oblivious to humanoid activities, but he sure did learn quickly.

Thankfully though, he didn't abuse that knew knowledge. He toyed with you, caressing your thigh and stroking you only until you were properly riled up into a panting mess of soft moans. Once you were gripping his shirt like you might burn up if you let go, he took the hint and gently pushed a tentacle into you.

The feeling of being full made you moan loudly, pushing yourself back onto him to drive him deeper to hit that sweet spot within you. He let you fuck yourself on him, watching you moan and mewl whenever he managed to hit those special spots.

Already, you were getting weak, each thrust of the tentacle sending a wave of heat through your body, clouding your mind with lust. The feeling increased when you felt a second appendage slither beneath you to grope at your breasts, another slipping between your slick-covered thighs to once again toy with that sensitive bundle of nerves that made you gasp and claw into his shirt tighter.

With so much attention to your sensitive areas, your body felt like it was on fire. Pleasure burned through your veins, turning your body to jelly. All the while, a bubble built in your stomach, increasing with each fresh wave of euphoria sent through you when Lovecraft hit your g-spot. Each wave continued to make you moan and hum lost in the tide of it until that bubble in your stomach finally burst, making you bury your face in your soulmate's neck as you came.

After that, the lightning bolts of pleasure ebbed, leaving your legs as stable as spaghetti noodles that gave out almost the moment Lovecraft retracted his tendrils. Without them, you let yourself turn into a puddle on his chest, quivering and completely satisfied after so long of working. So, without any other demands, you simply let your (e/c) eyes drift shut as grey light was beginning to seep in through the windows. It was a nice change of pace to fall asleep to the sounds of ocean documentaries as dawn approached.

[kmalexander]

The 2020 Cosmic Horror Holiday Gift Guide

The phrase “Black Friday” has a more menacing tone in 2020—especially here in the United States. Hopefully, you’re following the advice of the experts, staying home, laying low, wearing masks, and washing your hands. But a pandemic shouldn’t stop gift giving! So, once again, I took some time and assembled my List of Lists for 2020. In it, you’ll find a plethora of paraphernalia for the weird-fiction fanatic, cosmic-horror connoisseur, or mythos maniac in your life. As with previous years, I’ve worked to assemble a list of exceptional items for all ages and budgets.

There’s a few changes this year. First, I’m now linking to IndieBound for all books. Please do what you can to support your local bookshops and small businesses. Odds are they can get you anything Amazon can, and it’ll help out your community. Secondly, where possible, I’m also linking to the author’s personal webpages. Check them out. Follow them. It’s a nice way to stay current with what’s happening in the world of weird fiction. Please remember, while I’ve ordered these by price, the prices and availability are subject to change. I don’t have any control over that. Happy shopping!

 QUICK LINKS 

• Books • Music • Apparel • Games • • Housewares • Miskatonic •

Books

Mother Hydra’s Mythos Rhymes by Jarred W. Wallace $9.95 + Shipping (Paperback)

This mock children’s book features twenty-one sinister nursery rhymes twisted with a Cthulhu Mythos bent and illustrated by the incredible Heather Hudson. Also included is a complete Edward Gorey-style alphabet. Every budding cultist should learn their ABCs after all.

The Worm And His Kings by Hailey Piper $13.00 + Shipping (Paperback) $6.99 (eBook)

This arrived only a few weeks ago, and I can’t wait to dive in. Set in New York City in 1990, the story follows Monique as she hunts for her missing girlfriend. But the trail goes much deeper than she realizes, sending Monique into a subterranean world of enigmatic cultists and shadowy creatures.

The Stars Were Right by K. M. Alexander $14.00 + Shipping (Paperback) $2.99 (eBook)

I’m nearly finished with Book Four’s edits. So, if you haven’t, now is the perfect time to start reading my Bell Forging Cycle. Follow Waldo Bell as he is sent careening through the multi-level megalopolis of Lovat, fighting to clear his name as a bloodthirsty killer stalks him. It’s mystery and monsters, chases and cults, and an ancient evil in a world that is similar but not quite like our own.

RADIO by J. Rushing $15.99 + Shipping (Paperback) $3.99 (eBook)

A jazz-infused, opium-soaked, historical fantasy with a transgressive edge that explodes from the opening chapter and never relents until its final pages—a welcome addition to modern fantasy literature and weird enough that it earned a place on this list.

Murder Ballads And Other Horrific Tales by John Hornor Jacobs $16.95 + Shipping (Paperback) $7.95 (eBook)

Seems like it’s becoming a tradition to see a new book from John Hornor Jacobs on this list every year, and it’s no surprise. He’s arguably one of the best mythos writers working today. This collection of recent horror and crime short stories takes you through tales involving old gods to malevolent artificial intelligences, plus it includes the sequel to his 2011 novel, Southern Gods.

The Cipher by Kathe Koja $17.95 + Shipping (Paperback) $3.99 (eBook)

Part haunted house story, part body horror, part descent-into-madness tale all told in the style of Transgressive Literature. The Cipher is one of those stories I was shocked I hadn’t read until this year. Koja writes stunningly physical characters and knotted complex relationships that feel eerily familiar to anyone who’s spent time in artist circles. Enjoy the Fun Hole. (One of my 2020 Three Great Horror Reads for Halloween.)

The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones $26.99 + Shipping (Hardcover) $9.99 (eBook)

At its heart, this is a horror novel about growing up poor and native in western Montana. But The Only Good Indians also a novel about revenge, mistakes, and their extended consequences. I blew through it. I grew up not too far from where this novel is set, and I have yet to find a recent author that captures the behavior and actions of the people in that area quite as well as Jones. You’ll never look at elk the same way again. (One of my 2020 Three Great Horror Reads for Halloween.)

The City We Became by N. K. Jemisin $28.00 + Shipping (Hardcover) $14.99 (eBook)

The first of the Great Cities series focuses on a roiling, ancient evil that stirs beneath the streets of New York City and threatens to destroy the city. New York must go on, and it will take five protectors scattered across the boroughs coming together to stop it. An allegorical response to Lovecraft’s work and a love letter to the city.

The Dark Brotherhood and Other Pieces by H.P. Lovecraft $650.00 + Shipping (One Copy Available—Sold via AbeBooks)

This rare late-60s first edition copy from Arkham House is in fine condition with a fine dustwrapper. It also comes with an inscription by the publisher and editor of this work: “for Herb Arnold from the compiler – August Derleth.” An extremely unique find and a unique piece of weird fiction history.

No book catches your interest? Check out the books featured in one of the previous guides. • 2014 Books • 2015 Books • 2016 Books • 2017 Books • 2018 Books • 2019 Books •

Music & Audio

Tribute To H.P. Lovecraft by Epsilon Eridani Free (Digital Download)

This atmospheric and somber dark ambient album is the third project from Mexican electronic artist Juan Pablo Valle. Blending instrumental tracks, spoken words performances, and recitations of parts of Lovecraft’s stories, this tribute serves as an excellent horror soundtrack.

The Yellow Sign $6.99 (Digital Download)

While Lovecraftian music often skews towards dark ambient or metal performances, The Yellow Sign goes takes a more orchestral approach. Composer Graham Plowman has created a fantastic classical soundtrack putting this album on par with any feature film—brooding, menacing, and wonderfully enjoyable.

Beyond Madness by Aklo $9.00 (Digital Download)

Erich Zann would be jealous. Aklo, like its madness-inducing namesake, is hard to pin down. But this album captures “the beyond” in ways not often heard in modern music. Part noise, part experimental, Beyond Madness is an excellent addition to any Lovecraft fan’s collection.

Live from Stockholm by Ogham Waite $12.00 (Digital Download)

Ogham Waite, one of Innsmouth’s Deep One inhabitants, and the Amphibian Jazz Band are the mythos’ answer to the lounge stylings of early Tom Waits. Bluesy and moody, this seductively smokey album drips with saltwater. Waite’s performance and delivery are melodious as they are melodic, a great addition to mythos music.

Ambrose Bierce’s The Boarded Window $20.00 + Shipping (Vinyl)

This limited vinyl pressing of Bierce’s unsettling perspective-shifting tale is read by Anthony D. P. Mann and scored by Chris Bozzone. Cadabra Records always goes the extra mile with their products, and it’s clear from the hand-poured red and white splattered vinyl to the incredible art by Jeremy Hush.

Deities by Tortuga €22.50 ($26.68) + Shipping (Vinyl) €5.00 ($5.93) (Digital Download)

This one showed up randomly on a playlist, and I found myself intrigued. Once I listened to it, I became a fan. Tortuga is a Polish doom metal band whose work is loaded down with intricate and heavy driving riffs inspired by Lovecraft’s writings. It’s good stuff.

Not finding any music or audio that interests you? Check out one of the previous guides. • 2014 Music • 2015 Music • 2016 Music • 2017 Music • 2018 Music • 2019 Music •

Apparel

Tiki Cthulhu Embroidered Patch $9.00 + Shipping

I see many patches as I search for new cosmic horror gear throughout the year, and occasionally I find one that rises to the top. This sew-on tiki-styled Ctuhulu is 3″ x 2.5″ and was created for the 2018 H. P. Lovecraft Film Festival. If you want a mythos inspired adornment for your bag or jacket that’s a bit outside the norm, look no further.

Cthulhu Socks $18.00 + Shipping

It’s winter in the northern hemisphere, that means you need to keep your appendages warm. Also, socks-for-Christmas is a right of passage. Why not consider getting these Cthulhu Socks from PutYourSocksOn featuring tentacles up the side and an illustration of the dead and dreaming Cthulhu on the ankle.

Sourpuss Tropicthulhu Rosie Dress $29.00 + Shipping

When you are associated with the ocean, you generally get associated with the tropics regardless of where your sunken city dwells. This 40’s style Rosie Dress allows you to show your appreciation of R’lyeh’s favorite son in a subtle but delightful manner.

Amulet of Azathoth £23.95 ($34.42) + Shipping

It’s the grandpappy of the mythos deities in amulet form! Well, kinda. A representation of the nuclear chaos beyond angled space himself. This antique amulet is a little over an inch and a half long and is cold cast in a mixture of resin and brass—a stunning little pendant.

Mother & Father Statuary Set $85.00 + Free Shipping

These handmade and hand-painted resin figures of Dagon and Hydra would work perfectly as bookends or garden statues. Aged in a way to evoke feelings of lost treasure salvaged from the seafloor or perhaps a dank and forgotten chamber somewhere beneath Innsmouth. Kinda cute to boot.

Cara Mater Silvae Shub-Niggurath Woodcut Print $187.50 + Free Shipping (Limited Edition)

Liv Rainey-Smith’s fantastic woodcut work has long been a fixture in the weird lit community. This limited-edition print is done in the style of a sacred icon and features a great rendition of Shub-Niggurath, The Black Goat of the Woods with a Thousand Young, or as my readers will know her, “Cybill.”

Keeper of the Nightmare Mask $331.53 + Free Shipping (Made to Order)

Plague doctors always cut a fearsome figure in humanity’s historical memory, but what lies beneath that leather mask and shielded eyes? This custom made-to-order mask twists tentacles to form that familiar (and terrifying) plague-doctor shape adding an extra level of menace to an already menacing form.

Not finding apparel you like? Check out the apparel on one of the previous guides. • 2014 Apparel • 2015 Apparel • 2016 Apparel • 2017 Apparel • 2018 Apparel • 2019 Apparel •

Games

No Players Online Name Your Own Price (Windows/Linux)

What starts as a simple old demo of a capture-the-flag 3D shooter found on a discarded tape eventually twists and turns becoming something else entirely. I’m a sucker for the 80s glitch aesthetic, and it’s used here in masterfully unsettling ways—multiple endings, interesting game world, very much worth your time.

Kadath $5.99 (Digital Download, Early Access)

This first chapter of a first-person cosmic-horror adventure has you following the case of a World War II Nazi train that vanished only to reappear in a cave in the Himalayas 75 years later. Dripping with atmosphere and filled with brilliant puzzles, this first chapter left me excited for Kadath and wanting more.

Fate of Cthulhu $20.00 (Downloadable PDF) $35.00 + Shipping (Book + PDF)

In this tabletop roleplaying game from Fred Hicks and Evil Hat Productions, you and your friends will find yourself sent into the past on a mission to prevent the future. It’s a race against time as you try to stop the stars from being right and prevent Cthulhu’s foretold return, all before you and yours are transformed into something monstrous.

Elder Sign Dice – Blue Aether $24.99 + Shipping

Infinite Black has been making some wonderful cosmic-horror-themed gaming products for a few years. They’ve finally gotten easy enough to nab for holiday gifts. These Blue Aether Elder Sign Dice stood out to me, but they have a robust catalog making it easy to find the right gift for the dicing Lovecraft fan in your life. (Or yourself.)

Fate of the Elder Gods $63.99 + Shipping

Cults battle cults in this race to summon your ancient order’s elder god of choice! But it’s not just the other conniving worshippers and cult leaders you need to worry about, crafty investigators are on the prowl, and they’re working to subvert everyone’s goals as well. Hasten the earth’s doom in this competitive area-control game for two to four players.

Hastur $274.99 + Shipping (Two Shipments)

I’m a big fan of the Mysterious Package Company, the quality of their products always impresses. This latest journey into the realm of Hastur is no exception. Taking place over several mailings, Hastur invites the recipient into the world of the King in Yellow, the play with the same name, and the utter madness that dwells within those words.

Not finding a game you’d enjoy? Check out the games on one of the previous guides. • 2014 Games • 2015 Games • 2016 Games • 2017 Games • 2018 Games • 2019 Games •

Housewares & Collectables

Cedric’s Eatery 11oz. Mug $16.00 + Shipping

It’s cold out, and you need a new mug. Why not pick one up from Lovat’s own Cedric’s Eatery located in the entresol between Levels Three and Four. An in-between place for in-between folks. Waldo Bell’s latest hangout. Fill your mug with 11 oz. of bad coffee, your favorite tea, or something stronger. [From the pages of the Bell Forging Cycle.]

Cthulhu Clay Idol & Letter $29.80 + Free Shipping

Alternative takes on the Cthulhu idol are rare. More often than not, we see the same shape repeated over and over. Because of that, this rawer, more original piece stood out to me. It feels more realistic in many ways, reminding me of the sort of thing one would find on an archeological dig. Plus, with the attached letter, you get a little mini-experience here.

Sea Monster Shower Curtain $32.00 + Shipping

There be dragons. And there. And there. And… well, all over the place! If you love weird old sea monsters and old maps, then this curtain will be perfect for you. Decorate your shower with this fantastic curtain featuring beasts that look lifted from early Renaissance maps. 70″ x 72″. Liner recommended.

Cthulhu Lovecraft Blanket $59.99 + Shipping

As cooler air moves into the northern hemisphere, we can all celebrate the arrival of the cozy season. To stay warm, why not cuddle up beneath this cotton and acrylic Jacquard Knit blanket featuring the squatting visage of The Great Dreamer himself? He might be cold but you don’t have to be.

Anxious Blob Original Sculpture $325.00 + Shipping (Supplies are limited.)

This weird little one-off sculpture of a nervous little entity is made with polymer clay and hand-painted. The eye sits beneath a glass dome giving this piece a unique character. Who among us hasn’t wanted an anxious blob with hundreds of teeth and a single staring eye decorating our walls?

Not finding a houseware item you like? Check out the housewares from one of the previous guides. • 2016 Housewares • 2017 Housewares • 2018 Housewares • 2019 Housewares •

Miskatonic University

Miskatonic University Pennant $15.99 + Shipping

I love seeing all the different takes for Miskatonic University collegiate gear. Here you can show your support for “Ole Misk” with a felt pennant from H.P. Lovecraft Historical Society and cheer on the “mighty Miskatonic Myrmidons” to another victory. Wave that banner proudly!

Miskatonic University Real Leather Notebook $41.40 + Shipping

Journaler? Artist? Writer? Mathematician? Norwegian sea captain? Random idea generator? If you’re one of these, odds are you need a notebook. This 8″x6″ Miskatonic-themed journal features 100 sheets of thick handmade Khadda paper and is durable enough for the dig site while still being elegant enough for the classroom.

Miskatonic University Wax Seal $48.07 + Shipping

Secure your correspondence with old friends from bygones eras who seek answers using this classic and exquisite seal. It might not stop prying eyes, but at least your old colleagues will know if someone’s been tampering with their mail. (Wax sold separately.)

Miskatonic University Hockey Sweater $109.00 + Shipping (Supplies are limited.)

Every sports fan needs a jersey. Miskatonic students are no different. It’s why when I came across this Hockey Sweater from Geeky Jerseys I knew it’d be perfect for the cosmic horror student in your life. (While this one is great, I’m hoping the superior Miskatonic 2.0 sweater becomes available once again.)

Not finding any Miskatonic University gear you like? Check out the Miskatonic University items from one of the previous guides. • 2014 Miskatonic • 2015 Miskatonic • 2016 Miskatonic • 2017 Miskatonic • • 2018 Miskatonic • 2019 Miskatonic •

  Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays!

So that wraps up the seventh annual List of Lists. Let’s all keep wearing our masks, socially distancing, and washing our hands so we can all do this again next year. Big thank you to everyone who has suggested items in the past to help me pad out this list. Y’all rule. If I didn’t get to your submission, fret not. There are many more holidays ahead. I appreciate the help.

Do you have a book, game, album, or other weird fiction-related items I should feature in 2021’s Cosmic Horror Holiday Gift Guide? Leave a comment below with links to your favorite goodies for others to see, or send me an email as a potential submission for next year!

Want to stay in touch with me? Sign up for Dead Drop, my rare and elusive newsletter. Subscribers get news, previews, and notices on my books before anyone else delivered directly to their inbox. I work hard to make sure it’s not spammy and full of interesting and relevant information. Sign Up Today→

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[azul-alvarez]

17 for 17 tag!

Tagged by @sarchelyur Thanks a lot, mate! <3

Answering 17 questions and tagging 17 people

1. Nickname: Dan

2. Zodiac: Aries

3. Height: 1,52 m 

4. Hogwarts House: Slytherin

5. Last thing I googled: Javier Bardem’s wiki page

6. Song stuck in my head: Hostage by Billie Eilish

7. Number of followers: 290

8. Amount of sleep: 5 - 6 hours 

9. Lucky number: 7? I think?

10. Dream job: Freelance artist

11. Wearing: Over sized black t-shirt and jeans

12. Fav song: I CAN’T PICK JUST ONE, have my top 5 instead

-STUPID - Ashnikko

-Hostage - Billie Eilish

-La Cigarra - Natalia Jimenez ft Lila Downs

-Nails, Hair, Hips, Heels - Todrick Hall

-We Appreciate Power - Grimes

13. Fav aesthetic: Dark, 80′s, cyberpunk, victorian, medieval. If you can combine this, you got me

14: Fav author: Tolkien, E. A. Poe, H. P. Lovecraft, Junji Ito, Neil Gaiman

15. Fav instrument: Piano and violin

16. Fav animal noise: Literally every noise felines does

17. Random: I always come late to the fandoms and pick fave characters that have like 2 x reader posts

I'll tag @memepipboy @rosirinoa and anyone else who'd like to do this. Feel free to tag me!

[ao3feed-mythology]

All Together™

read it on the AO3 at http://bit.ly/2YSndqV

by mellloyelllo

die

Words: 10, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Fandoms: Orange is the New Black, Steven Universe (Cartoon), A Series of Unfortunate Events - Lemony Snicket, A Series of Unfortunate Events (TV), Shark Tale (2004), Sharknado (Movies), Jaws (Movies), XXXTentacion (Musician) RPF, OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes, Undertale (Video Game), Deltarune (Video Game), Roblox (Video Game), Family Guy (Cartoon), Sonic the Hedgehog - All Media Types, The Cleveland Show, Garfield - All Media Types, Voltron: Legendary Defender, Marvel Cinematic Universe, DC Universe Online, Victorious (TV), iCarly, Minecraft (Video Game), But I'm a Cheerleader (1999), Russian Doll (TV 2019), My Singing Monsters, Revolver - The Beatles, Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Hetalia: Axis Powers, Fairy Tail, SpongeBob SquarePants (Cartoon), M&M's Commercials, Homestuck, Super Mario & Related Fandoms, Donkey Kong (Video Games), Santa Claus Conquers the Martians (1964), Santa Clarita Diet (TV), Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, 私がモテないのはどう考えてもお前らが悪い! | Watamote - No Matter How I Look At It It's You Guys' Fault I'm Unpopular!, Free!, American Horror Story, Ирония судьбы | The Irony of Fate (Movies), John Wick (Movies), Fortnite (Video Game), Overwatch (Video Game), Salad Fingers, Wonder Woman (2017), अलीबाबा और चलीस चोर | Alibaba Aur 40 Chor | Adventures of Ali-Baba and the Forty Thieves (1979), Alice In Wonderland - Lewis Carroll, Chronicles of Narnia - C. S. Lewis, Political RPF - US 21st c., Maroon 5, Twenty One Pilots, Romeo And Juliet - Shakespeare, Everyman HYBRID, Everybody Else (Band), Everything I Never Told You - Celeste Ng, Arctic Monkeys, Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, The Lord of the Rings - All Media Types, Game of Thrones (TV), Teen Titans - All Media Types, Teen Titans Go!, Regular Show, Clarence (Cartoon), Flaming Carrot Comics, Le fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain | Amélie (2001), Jane Eyre - Charlotte Brontë, Jane the Virgin (TV), H2O: Just Add Water, Shrek (Movies), Fish Hooks (TV), Shark Tank (TV 2009), Of Mice & Men (Band), Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck, Slamacow Minecraft Animations (Web Series), The Stanley Parable, Hitler: The Rise of Evil (TV 2003), Fran Bow (Video Game), Hamilton - Miranda, Johnny Test (Cartoon), A Separate Peace - John Knowles, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Office (US), Five Nights at Freddy's, Phineas and Ferb, Moshi Monsters (Video Game), Neopets, K-pop, Poptropica (Video Game), Baby-Sitters Little Sister - Ann M. Martin, Super Planet Dolan (Web Series), Slazo, Star Wars Original Trilogy, Parks and Recreation, Brooklyn Nine-Nine (TV), We Bare Bears (TV), Adventure Time, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, Mighty Magiswords (Cartoon), Hey Arnold!, Rugrats & All Grown Up! (Cartoons), CatDog (Cartoon), Harvey Beaks (Cartoon), Hunger Games Series - All Media Types, Hunter X Hunter, Camp Camp (Web Series), Fairly OddParents, Camila Cabello (Musician), Anne with an E (TV), G.I. Joe - All Media Types, 5 Seconds of Summer (Band), Eminem (Musician), Club Penguin, Ouran High School Host Club - All Media Types, LOVECRAFT H. P. - Works, Captain America (Movies), American Dad!, Country Music RPF, Tiger Cruise (2004), Karate Kid (Movies), Lilo & Stitch (2002), Beauty and the Beast (1991), Aladdin (1992), Pirates of the Caribbean: The Price of Freedom - A. C. Crispin, The Princess and the Frog (2009), The Aristocats (1970), The Muppet Show, The Muppets - All Media Types, Sesame Street (TV), Diary of a Wimpy Kid Series - Jeff Kinney, Dork Diaries Series - Rachel Renee Russell, Looney Tunes | Merrie Melodies, Apple "Get a Mac" Commercials, McDonalds "NHL Mini-Sticks" Commercials, Talking Tom and Friends (Cartoon), Nintendogs, Melanie Martinez (Musician), Little Witch Academia, 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia, Cowboy Bebop (Anime), Gravity Falls, Halloween Movies - All Media Types, The Nun (2018), How to Train Your Dragon (Movies), How to Get Away with Murder, School of Rock (2003), The Cheetah Girls (Movies), Good Luck Charlie, Ant-Man (Movies), A.N.T. Farm, Codename: Kids Next Door, Powerpuff Girls, Mr. Pickles (Cartoon), Peanuts, Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Fallout (Video Games), Weather Girl (2009), Heathers (1988), Heathers: The Musical - Murphy & O'Keefe, Burger King "The Burger King" Commercials, My Babysitter's A Vampire, The Amazing World of Gumball, The Amazing Spider-Man (Movies - Webb), Foster's Home For Imaginary Friends, Minions (2015), Despicable Me (Movies), Because of Winn-Dixie - All Media Types, South Park, Sanjay and Craig (Cartoon), Breadwinners (Cartoon), Robot and Monster, Fanboy & Chum Chum (Cartoon), Monsters vs Aliens (2009), Original Work, Mary Poppins - P. L. Travers, Godspell - Schwartz, Het Achterhuis | The Diary of Anne Frank - Anne Frank, Ed Edd n Eddy, Eddsworld - All Media Types, Ed Sheeran (Musician), Sweet Home Alabama (2002), Furry (Fandom), Lego Ninjago, The LEGO Movie (2014), Lego - All Media Types, My Life as a Teenage Robot, Danny Phantom, True Jackson: VP, Pinky and the Brain, Sherlock (TV), Sherlock Holmes & Related Fandoms, Multi-Fandom, Dance Moms RPF, Life Is Strange (Video Game), Mother 1 | EarthBound Zero | EarthBound Beginnings, Mother 2: Gyiyg no Gyakushuu | EarthBound, Mother 3, Portal (Video Game), Portal 2: The (Unauthorized) Musical - geekenders, Ariana Grande (Musician), Justin Bieber (Musician), Bebe Rexha (Musician), Taylor Swift (Musician), ジョジョの奇妙な冒険 | JoJo no Kimyou na Bouken | JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, Liv and Maddie, Crash Bandicoot (Video Games), Shake It Up! (US TV), G-Force: Guardians of Space, G-Force (2009), Ancient History RPF, Ancient Egyptian Religion, Little House on the Prairie (TV), The Prince of Egypt (1998), Mulan (1998), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - All Media Types, The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996), Adventures of Huckleberry Finn - Mark Twain, Number the Stars - Lois Lowry, The Giver Series - Lois Lowry, Flowers for Algernon - Daniel Keyes, SuperLuv - Shane Dawson (Song), Kirby - All Media Types, Chick-fil-A "Eat Mor Chikin" Commercials, Cow and Chicken (TV), Block B, Beauty and the Beast - All Media Types, Groundhog Day (1993), Christian Bible, Islamic Lore, Jewish Scripture & Legend, The Epic of Gilgamesh, תורה | Torah, Hindu Religions & Lore, Orphan Black (TV), Black Panther (2018), Mad Men, Goosebumps - All Media Types, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Pretty Little Liars, To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before (2018), Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon | Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, Yu-Gi-Oh the Abridged Series, Scooby Doo - All Media Types, Les Schtroumpfs | The Smurfs, Pillsbury Company "Pillsbury Doughboy" Commercials, Nickelback (Band), Rocko's Modern Life, All That (TV 1994), The Color Purple - Alice Walker

Rating: Not Rated

Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings

Categories: F/F, F/M, Gen, M/M, Multi, Other

Characters: Oscar (Shark Tale), Brook Soso, Alex Vause, Piper Chapman, Megan Bloomfield, Graham Eaton, Lenny the Chocolate Moose, George Milton, Lennie Small, Nicky Nichols, Lorna Morello, Lemony Snicket, Alexandrite (Steven Universe), Dominga "Daddy" Duarte, Artesian McCullough, Rose Quartz (Steven Universe), Blue Diamond (Steven Universe), Blue Diamond's Pearl (Steven Universe), Yellow Diamond (Steven Universe), Yellow Diamond's Pearl (Steven Universe), Yellow Zircon (Steven Universe), Jade West, Joel Luschek, Noelle Holiday, Slim (Of Mice and Men), Slime (Minecraft), Creeper (Minecraft), Enderman (Minecraft), Sans (Undertale), Papyrus (Undertale), Violet Baudelaire, Klaus Baudelaire, Sunny Baudelaire, Count Olaf (A Series of Unfortunate Events), Janae Watson, Sister Jane Ingalls, Sophia Burset, Baz (Sharknado), Robin Hood (Once Upon a Time), Starfire, Cyborg (Character), The Beast (Over the Garden Wall), Stanley (Disney: Beauty and the Beast), John Bennett (Orange is the New Black), John Doe (Roblox), John Wick, Ruby (Steven Universe), Jane Doe, Justin Hammer, Carrie "Big Boo" Black, Peridot (Steven Universe), The Narrator (The Stanley Parable), Shrek (Shrek), Annoying Dog (Undertale), Ben Shapiro, Desert Glass (Steven Universe), GLaDOS, Winnie (Free!), Bird That Carries You Over A Disproportionately Small Gap, Watanabe You, Franny Morello, Thanos (Marvel), Spider (Minecraft), May Parker (Spider-Man), Courage (Courage the Cowardly Dog), Peter Parker, Lois Griffin, Michael Scott, Freddy Fazbear, Nevel Papperman

Relationships: Piper Chapman/Alex Vause, Nicky Nichols/Alex Vause, Parker (Leverage)/Alex Vause, Megan Bloomfield/Graham Eaton, Barry Benson/Oscar (Shark Tale), Pearl/Rose Quartz (Steven Universe), Lapis Lazuli/Peridot (Steven Universe), Amethyst (Steven Universe)/Sans (Undertale), Sans (Undertale) & Peridot (Steven Universe), Olivia Caliban/Jacquelyn Scieszka, Blue Diamond/Greg Universe, Sans (Undertale)/Shrek (Shrek), Papyrus (Undertale) & Sonic the Hedgehog, Noelle Holiday/Susie (Deltarune), George Milton & Lennie Small, Artesian McCullough/Maritza Ramos, Alex Vause/Reader, W. D. Gaster/Sans/Reader, Ned (Pushing Daisies)/Harry Potter, Amethyst (Steven Universe)/Harry Potter, Sans (Undertale)/Reader, Garnet/Jasper (Steven Universe), Alice (Alice in Wonderland)/Christopher Robin (Winnie-the-Pooh), Frank Castle/John Wick, Joel Luschek/Nicky Nichols, Alexandrite/Malachite (Steven Universe), Freddie Benson/Carly Shay, Star Butterfly & Steven Universe, Count Olaf/Esmé Squalor, Galina "Red" Reznikov/Gloria Mendoza, Enid (OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes)/Pearl (Steven Universe), Enid/Red Action (OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes), Carol Denning/Reader, Sans/Sans (Undertale), Chara/Frisk (Undertale), Tony Stark/Thanos, Peter Griffin/Johnny Test, Courage/Katz, Jane Eyre/Edward Rochester, Blue Diamond (Steven Universe)/Eugene Krabs, Gene Forrester/Phineas "Finny", Creeper (Minecraft)/Sans (Undertale), Creeper/Steve (Minecraft), Creeper (Minecraft)/Reader, Gene/Jailbreak/Hi-5 (The Emoji Movie), Jailbreak/Smiler, Lord Boxman/Eugene "Gar" Garcia, George Washington/Martha Washington, Alexander Hamilton/Sonic the Hedgehog, Jim Halpert/Michael Scott, Eievui | Eevee/Pikachu, Kasumi | Misty/Satoshi | Ash Ketchum, Satoshi | Ash Ketchum/Serena, Chica (Five Nights at Freddy's)/Harry Potter, Bonnie/Foxy (Five Nights at Freddy's), Freddy Fazbear/Reader, Freddie Benson/Nevel Papperman, Gibby Gibson/Nevel Papperman, Lorna Morello/Nicky Nichols, Lorna Morello/Vince Muccio, Liane Cartman/Quahog Residents (Family Guy), Lois Griffin/Glenn Quagmire, Glenn Quagmire/Joe Swanson, Benny (In the Heights)/Alexander Hamilton

Additional Tags: Futanari, Mouth Sewn Shut, Everyone Is Gay, Kissing, Necrophilia, Murder, BDSM, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Must Read, Plot What Plot/Porn Without Plot, Porn, Discussion of Abortion, Abortion, Glasses, Alternate Universe, Crossover, Fuckin' Fluffy Mondays, Everybody Dies, Holocaust, I did this instead of studying for my finals, harambe trump, Cereal, Vore, Cock & Ball Torture, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Furry, Irony, Epic, Bromance, Blue Eyes, Green Eyes, Brownies, Mind Control, Dogs

read it on the AO3 at http://bit.ly/2YSndqV

[madmen-ao3feed]

All Together™

read it on the AO3 at http://bit.ly/2YSndqV

by mellloyelllo

die

Words: 10, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Fandoms: Orange is the New Black, Steven Universe (Cartoon), A Series of Unfortunate Events - Lemony Snicket, A Series of Unfortunate Events (TV), Shark Tale (2004), Sharknado (Movies), Jaws (Movies), XXXTentacion (Musician) RPF, OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes, Undertale (Video Game), Deltarune (Video Game), Roblox (Video Game), Family Guy (Cartoon), Sonic the Hedgehog - All Media Types, The Cleveland Show, Garfield - All Media Types, Voltron: Legendary Defender, Marvel Cinematic Universe, DC Universe Online, Victorious (TV), iCarly, Minecraft (Video Game), But I'm a Cheerleader (1999), Russian Doll (TV 2019), My Singing Monsters, Revolver - The Beatles, Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Hetalia: Axis Powers, Fairy Tail, SpongeBob SquarePants (Cartoon), M&M's Commercials, Homestuck, Super Mario & Related Fandoms, Donkey Kong (Video Games), Santa Claus Conquers the Martians (1964), Santa Clarita Diet (TV), Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, 私がモテないのはどう考えてもお前らが悪い! | Watamote - No Matter How I Look At It It's You Guys' Fault I'm Unpopular!, Free!, American Horror Story, Ирония судьбы | The Irony of Fate (Movies), John Wick (Movies), Fortnite (Video Game), Overwatch (Video Game), Salad Fingers, Wonder Woman (2017), अलीबाबा और चलीस चोर | Alibaba Aur 40 Chor | Adventures of Ali-Baba and the Forty Thieves (1979), Alice In Wonderland - Lewis Carroll, Chronicles of Narnia - C. S. Lewis, Political RPF - US 21st c., Maroon 5, Twenty One Pilots, Romeo And Juliet - Shakespeare, Everyman HYBRID, Everybody Else (Band), Everything I Never Told You - Celeste Ng, Arctic Monkeys, Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, The Lord of the Rings - All Media Types, Game of Thrones (TV), Teen Titans - All Media Types, Teen Titans Go!, Regular Show, Clarence (Cartoon), Flaming Carrot Comics, Le fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain | Amélie (2001), Jane Eyre - Charlotte Brontë, Jane the Virgin (TV), H2O: Just Add Water, Shrek (Movies), Fish Hooks (TV), Shark Tank (TV 2009), Of Mice & Men (Band), Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck, Slamacow Minecraft Animations (Web Series), The Stanley Parable, Hitler: The Rise of Evil (TV 2003), Fran Bow (Video Game), Hamilton - Miranda, Johnny Test (Cartoon), A Separate Peace - John Knowles, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Office (US), Five Nights at Freddy's, Phineas and Ferb, Moshi Monsters (Video Game), Neopets, K-pop, Poptropica (Video Game), Baby-Sitters Little Sister - Ann M. Martin, Super Planet Dolan (Web Series), Slazo, Star Wars Original Trilogy, Parks and Recreation, Brooklyn Nine-Nine (TV), We Bare Bears (TV), Adventure Time, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, Mighty Magiswords (Cartoon), Hey Arnold!, Rugrats & All Grown Up! (Cartoons), CatDog (Cartoon), Harvey Beaks (Cartoon), Hunger Games Series - All Media Types, Hunter X Hunter, Camp Camp (Web Series), Fairly OddParents, Camila Cabello (Musician), Anne with an E (TV), G.I. Joe - All Media Types, 5 Seconds of Summer (Band), Eminem (Musician), Club Penguin, Ouran High School Host Club - All Media Types, LOVECRAFT H. P. - Works, Captain America (Movies), American Dad!, Country Music RPF, Tiger Cruise (2004), Karate Kid (Movies), Lilo & Stitch (2002), Beauty and the Beast (1991), Aladdin (1992), Pirates of the Caribbean: The Price of Freedom - A. C. Crispin, The Princess and the Frog (2009), The Aristocats (1970), The Muppet Show, The Muppets - All Media Types, Sesame Street (TV), Diary of a Wimpy Kid Series - Jeff Kinney, Dork Diaries Series - Rachel Renee Russell, Looney Tunes | Merrie Melodies, Apple "Get a Mac" Commercials, McDonalds "NHL Mini-Sticks" Commercials, Talking Tom and Friends (Cartoon), Nintendogs, Melanie Martinez (Musician), Little Witch Academia, 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia, Cowboy Bebop (Anime), Gravity Falls, Halloween Movies - All Media Types, The Nun (2018), How to Train Your Dragon (Movies), How to Get Away with Murder, School of Rock (2003), The Cheetah Girls (Movies), Good Luck Charlie, Ant-Man (Movies), A.N.T. Farm, Codename: Kids Next Door, Powerpuff Girls, Mr. Pickles (Cartoon), Peanuts, Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Fallout (Video Games), Weather Girl (2009), Heathers (1988), Heathers: The Musical - Murphy & O'Keefe, Burger King "The Burger King" Commercials, My Babysitter's A Vampire, The Amazing World of Gumball, The Amazing Spider-Man (Movies - Webb), Foster's Home For Imaginary Friends, Minions (2015), Despicable Me (Movies), Because of Winn-Dixie - All Media Types, South Park, Sanjay and Craig (Cartoon), Breadwinners (Cartoon), Robot and Monster, Fanboy & Chum Chum (Cartoon), Monsters vs Aliens (2009), Original Work, Mary Poppins - P. L. Travers, Godspell - Schwartz, Het Achterhuis | The Diary of Anne Frank - Anne Frank, Ed Edd n Eddy, Eddsworld - All Media Types, Ed Sheeran (Musician), Sweet Home Alabama (2002), Furry (Fandom), Lego Ninjago, The LEGO Movie (2014), Lego - All Media Types, My Life as a Teenage Robot, Danny Phantom, True Jackson: VP, Pinky and the Brain, Sherlock (TV), Sherlock Holmes & Related Fandoms, Multi-Fandom, Dance Moms RPF, Life Is Strange (Video Game), Mother 1 | EarthBound Zero | EarthBound Beginnings, Mother 2: Gyiyg no Gyakushuu | EarthBound, Mother 3, Portal (Video Game), Portal 2: The (Unauthorized) Musical - geekenders, Ariana Grande (Musician), Justin Bieber (Musician), Bebe Rexha (Musician), Taylor Swift (Musician), ジョジョの奇妙な冒険 | JoJo no Kimyou na Bouken | JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, Liv and Maddie, Crash Bandicoot (Video Games), Shake It Up! (US TV), G-Force: Guardians of Space, G-Force (2009), Ancient History RPF, Ancient Egyptian Religion, Little House on the Prairie (TV), The Prince of Egypt (1998), Mulan (1998), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - All Media Types, The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996), Adventures of Huckleberry Finn - Mark Twain, Number the Stars - Lois Lowry, The Giver Series - Lois Lowry, Flowers for Algernon - Daniel Keyes, SuperLuv - Shane Dawson (Song), Kirby - All Media Types, Chick-fil-A "Eat Mor Chikin" Commercials, Cow and Chicken (TV), Block B, Beauty and the Beast - All Media Types, Groundhog Day (1993), Christian Bible, Islamic Lore, Jewish Scripture & Legend, The Epic of Gilgamesh, תורה | Torah, Hindu Religions & Lore, Orphan Black (TV), Black Panther (2018), Mad Men, Goosebumps - All Media Types, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Pretty Little Liars, To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before (2018), Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon | Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, Yu-Gi-Oh the Abridged Series, Scooby Doo - All Media Types, Les Schtroumpfs | The Smurfs, Pillsbury Company "Pillsbury Doughboy" Commercials, Nickelback (Band), Rocko's Modern Life, All That (TV 1994), The Color Purple - Alice Walker, Doraemon (Manga), Go Diego Go!, MS Paint Adventures, Homestar Runner, Inanimate Insanity (Web Series), Battle For Dream Island (Web Series), Digimon - All Media Types, Caillou (Cartoon), Berenstain Bears Series - Stan & Jan & Mike Berenstain

Rating: Not Rated

Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings

Categories: F/F, F/M, Gen, M/M, Multi, Other

Characters: Oscar (Shark Tale), Brook Soso, Alex Vause, Piper Chapman, Megan Bloomfield, Graham Eaton, Lenny the Chocolate Moose, George Milton, Lennie Small, Nicky Nichols, Lorna Morello, Lemony Snicket, Alexandrite (Steven Universe), Dominga "Daddy" Duarte, Artesian McCullough, Rose Quartz (Steven Universe), Blue Diamond (Steven Universe), Blue Diamond's Pearl (Steven Universe), Yellow Diamond (Steven Universe), Yellow Diamond's Pearl (Steven Universe), Yellow Zircon (Steven Universe), Jade West, Joel Luschek, Noelle Holiday, Slim (Of Mice and Men), Slime (Minecraft), Creeper (Minecraft), Enderman (Minecraft), Sans (Undertale), Papyrus (Undertale), Violet Baudelaire, Klaus Baudelaire, Sunny Baudelaire, Count Olaf (A Series of Unfortunate Events), Janae Watson, Sister Jane Ingalls, Sophia Burset, Baz (Sharknado), Robin Hood (Once Upon a Time), Starfire, Cyborg (Character), The Beast (Over the Garden Wall), Stanley (Disney: Beauty and the Beast), John Bennett (Orange is the New Black), John Doe (Roblox), John Wick, Ruby (Steven Universe), Jane Doe, Justin Hammer, Carrie "Big Boo" Black, Peridot (Steven Universe), The Narrator (The Stanley Parable), Shrek (Shrek), Annoying Dog (Undertale), Ben Shapiro, Desert Glass (Steven Universe), GLaDOS, Winnie (Free!), Bird That Carries You Over A Disproportionately Small Gap, Watanabe You, Franny Morello, Thanos (Marvel), Spider (Minecraft), May Parker (Spider-Man), Courage (Courage the Cowardly Dog), Peter Parker, Lois Griffin, Michael Scott, Freddy Fazbear, Nevel Papperman

Relationships: Piper Chapman/Alex Vause, Nicky Nichols/Alex Vause, Parker (Leverage)/Alex Vause, Megan Bloomfield/Graham Eaton, Barry Benson/Oscar (Shark Tale), Pearl/Rose Quartz (Steven Universe), Lapis Lazuli/Peridot (Steven Universe), Amethyst (Steven Universe)/Sans (Undertale), Sans (Undertale) & Peridot (Steven Universe), Olivia Caliban/Jacquelyn Scieszka, Blue Diamond/Greg Universe, Sans (Undertale)/Shrek (Shrek), Papyrus (Undertale) & Sonic the Hedgehog, Noelle Holiday/Susie (Deltarune), George Milton & Lennie Small, Artesian McCullough/Maritza Ramos, Alex Vause/Reader, W. D. Gaster/Sans/Reader, Ned (Pushing Daisies)/Harry Potter, Amethyst (Steven Universe)/Harry Potter, Sans (Undertale)/Reader, Garnet/Jasper (Steven Universe), Alice (Alice in Wonderland)/Christopher Robin (Winnie-the-Pooh), Frank Castle/John Wick, Joel Luschek/Nicky Nichols, Alexandrite/Malachite (Steven Universe), Freddie Benson/Carly Shay, Star Butterfly & Steven Universe, Count Olaf/Esmé Squalor, Galina "Red" Reznikov/Gloria Mendoza, Enid (OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes)/Pearl (Steven Universe), Enid/Red Action (OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes), Carol Denning/Reader, Sans/Sans (Undertale), Chara/Frisk (Undertale), Tony Stark/Thanos, Peter Griffin/Johnny Test, Courage/Katz, Jane Eyre/Edward Rochester, Blue Diamond (Steven Universe)/Eugene Krabs, Gene Forrester/Phineas "Finny", Creeper (Minecraft)/Sans (Undertale), Creeper/Steve (Minecraft), Creeper (Minecraft)/Reader, Gene/Jailbreak/Hi-5 (The Emoji Movie), Jailbreak/Smiler, Lord Boxman/Eugene "Gar" Garcia, George Washington/Martha Washington, Alexander Hamilton/Sonic the Hedgehog, Jim Halpert/Michael Scott, Eievui | Eevee/Pikachu, Kasumi | Misty/Satoshi | Ash Ketchum, Satoshi | Ash Ketchum/Serena, Chica (Five Nights at Freddy's)/Harry Potter, Bonnie/Foxy (Five Nights at Freddy's), Freddy Fazbear/Reader, Freddie Benson/Nevel Papperman, Gibby Gibson/Nevel Papperman, Lorna Morello/Nicky Nichols, Lorna Morello/Vince Muccio, Liane Cartman/Quahog Residents (Family Guy), Lois Griffin/Glenn Quagmire, Glenn Quagmire/Joe Swanson, Benny (In the Heights)/Alexander Hamilton

Additional Tags: Futanari, Mouth Sewn Shut, Everyone Is Gay, Kissing, Necrophilia, Murder, BDSM, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Must Read, Plot What Plot/Porn Without Plot, Porn, Discussion of Abortion, Abortion, Glasses, Alternate Universe, Crossover, Fuckin' Fluffy Mondays, Everybody Dies, Holocaust, I did this instead of studying for my finals, harambe trump, Cereal, Vore, Cock & Ball Torture, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Furry, Irony, Epic, Bromance, Blue Eyes, Green Eyes, Brownies, Mind Control, Dogs

read it on the AO3 at http://bit.ly/2YSndqV

[ao3feed-orphanblack]

All Together™

read it on the AO3 at http://bit.ly/2YSndqV

by mellloyelllo

die

Words: 10, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Fandoms: Orange is the New Black, Steven Universe (Cartoon), A Series of Unfortunate Events - Lemony Snicket, A Series of Unfortunate Events (TV), Shark Tale (2004), Sharknado (Movies), Jaws (Movies), XXXTentacion (Musician) RPF, OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes, Undertale (Video Game), Deltarune (Video Game), Roblox (Video Game), Family Guy (Cartoon), Sonic the Hedgehog - All Media Types, The Cleveland Show, Garfield - All Media Types, Voltron: Legendary Defender, Marvel Cinematic Universe, DC Universe Online, Victorious (TV), iCarly, Minecraft (Video Game), But I'm a Cheerleader (1999), Russian Doll (TV 2019), My Singing Monsters, Revolver - The Beatles, Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Hetalia: Axis Powers, Fairy Tail, SpongeBob SquarePants (Cartoon), M&M's Commercials, Homestuck, Super Mario & Related Fandoms, Donkey Kong (Video Games), Santa Claus Conquers the Martians (1964), Santa Clarita Diet (TV), Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, 私がモテないのはどう考えてもお前らが悪い! | Watamote - No Matter How I Look At It It's You Guys' Fault I'm Unpopular!, Free!, American Horror Story, Ирония судьбы | The Irony of Fate (Movies), John Wick (Movies), Fortnite (Video Game), Overwatch (Video Game), Salad Fingers, Wonder Woman (2017), अलीबाबा और चलीस चोर | Alibaba Aur 40 Chor | Adventures of Ali-Baba and the Forty Thieves (1979), Alice In Wonderland - Lewis Carroll, Chronicles of Narnia - C. S. Lewis, Political RPF - US 21st c., Maroon 5, Twenty One Pilots, Romeo And Juliet - Shakespeare, Everyman HYBRID, Everybody Else (Band), Everything I Never Told You - Celeste Ng, Arctic Monkeys, Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, The Lord of the Rings - All Media Types, Game of Thrones (TV), Teen Titans - All Media Types, Teen Titans Go!, Regular Show, Clarence (Cartoon), Flaming Carrot Comics, Le fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain | Amélie (2001), Jane Eyre - Charlotte Brontë, Jane the Virgin (TV), H2O: Just Add Water, Shrek (Movies), Fish Hooks (TV), Shark Tank (TV 2009), Of Mice & Men (Band), Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck, Slamacow Minecraft Animations (Web Series), The Stanley Parable, Hitler: The Rise of Evil (TV 2003), Fran Bow (Video Game), Hamilton - Miranda, Johnny Test (Cartoon), A Separate Peace - John Knowles, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Office (US), Five Nights at Freddy's, Phineas and Ferb, Moshi Monsters (Video Game), Neopets, K-pop, Poptropica (Video Game), Baby-Sitters Little Sister - Ann M. Martin, Super Planet Dolan (Web Series), Slazo, Star Wars Original Trilogy, Parks and Recreation, Brooklyn Nine-Nine (TV), We Bare Bears (TV), Adventure Time, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, Mighty Magiswords (Cartoon), Hey Arnold!, Rugrats & All Grown Up! (Cartoons), CatDog (Cartoon), Harvey Beaks (Cartoon), Hunger Games Series - All Media Types, Hunter X Hunter, Camp Camp (Web Series), Fairly OddParents, Camila Cabello (Musician), Anne with an E (TV), G.I. Joe - All Media Types, 5 Seconds of Summer (Band), Eminem (Musician), Club Penguin, Ouran High School Host Club - All Media Types, LOVECRAFT H. P. - Works, Captain America (Movies), American Dad!, Country Music RPF, Tiger Cruise (2004), Karate Kid (Movies), Lilo & Stitch (2002), Beauty and the Beast (1991), Aladdin (1992), Pirates of the Caribbean: The Price of Freedom - A. C. Crispin, The Princess and the Frog (2009), The Aristocats (1970), The Muppet Show, The Muppets - All Media Types, Sesame Street (TV), Diary of a Wimpy Kid Series - Jeff Kinney, Dork Diaries Series - Rachel Renee Russell, Looney Tunes | Merrie Melodies, Apple "Get a Mac" Commercials, McDonalds "NHL Mini-Sticks" Commercials, Talking Tom and Friends (Cartoon), Nintendogs, Melanie Martinez (Musician), Little Witch Academia, 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia, Cowboy Bebop (Anime), Gravity Falls, Halloween Movies - All Media Types, The Nun (2018), How to Train Your Dragon (Movies), How to Get Away with Murder, School of Rock (2003), The Cheetah Girls (Movies), Good Luck Charlie, Ant-Man (Movies), A.N.T. Farm, Codename: Kids Next Door, Powerpuff Girls, Mr. Pickles (Cartoon), Peanuts, Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Fallout (Video Games), Weather Girl (2009), Heathers (1988), Heathers: The Musical - Murphy & O'Keefe, Burger King "The Burger King" Commercials, My Babysitter's A Vampire, The Amazing World of Gumball, The Amazing Spider-Man (Movies - Webb), Foster's Home For Imaginary Friends, Minions (2015), Despicable Me (Movies), Because of Winn-Dixie - All Media Types, South Park, Sanjay and Craig (Cartoon), Breadwinners (Cartoon), Robot and Monster, Fanboy & Chum Chum (Cartoon), Monsters vs Aliens (2009), Original Work, Mary Poppins - P. L. Travers, Godspell - Schwartz, Het Achterhuis | The Diary of Anne Frank - Anne Frank, Ed Edd n Eddy, Eddsworld - All Media Types, Ed Sheeran (Musician), Sweet Home Alabama (2002), Furry (Fandom), Lego Ninjago, The LEGO Movie (2014), Lego - All Media Types, My Life as a Teenage Robot, Danny Phantom, True Jackson: VP, Pinky and the Brain, Sherlock (TV), Sherlock Holmes & Related Fandoms, Multi-Fandom, Dance Moms RPF, Life Is Strange (Video Game), Mother 1 | EarthBound Zero | EarthBound Beginnings, Mother 2: Gyiyg no Gyakushuu | EarthBound, Mother 3, Portal (Video Game), Portal 2: The (Unauthorized) Musical - geekenders, Ariana Grande (Musician), Justin Bieber (Musician), Bebe Rexha (Musician), Taylor Swift (Musician), ジョジョの奇妙な冒険 | JoJo no Kimyou na Bouken | JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, Liv and Maddie, Crash Bandicoot (Video Games), Shake It Up! (US TV), G-Force: Guardians of Space, G-Force (2009), Ancient History RPF, Ancient Egyptian Religion, Little House on the Prairie (TV), The Prince of Egypt (1998), Mulan (1998), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - All Media Types, The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996), Adventures of Huckleberry Finn - Mark Twain, Number the Stars - Lois Lowry, The Giver Series - Lois Lowry, Flowers for Algernon - Daniel Keyes, SuperLuv - Shane Dawson (Song), Kirby - All Media Types, Chick-fil-A "Eat Mor Chikin" Commercials, Cow and Chicken (TV), Block B, Beauty and the Beast - All Media Types, Groundhog Day (1993), Christian Bible, Islamic Lore, Jewish Scripture & Legend, The Epic of Gilgamesh, תורה | Torah, Hindu Religions & Lore, Orphan Black (TV), Black Panther (2018), Mad Men, Goosebumps - All Media Types, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Pretty Little Liars, To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before (2018), Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon | Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, Yu-Gi-Oh the Abridged Series, Scooby Doo - All Media Types, Les Schtroumpfs | The Smurfs, Pillsbury Company "Pillsbury Doughboy" Commercials, Nickelback (Band), Rocko's Modern Life, All That (TV 1994), The Color Purple - Alice Walker, Doraemon (Manga), Go Diego Go!, MS Paint Adventures, Homestar Runner, Inanimate Insanity (Web Series), Battle For Dream Island (Web Series), Digimon - All Media Types, Caillou (Cartoon), Berenstain Bears Series - Stan & Jan & Mike Berenstain

Rating: Not Rated

Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings

Categories: F/F, F/M, Gen, M/M, Multi, Other

Characters: Oscar (Shark Tale), Brook Soso, Alex Vause, Piper Chapman, Megan Bloomfield, Graham Eaton, Lenny the Chocolate Moose, George Milton, Lennie Small, Nicky Nichols, Lorna Morello, Lemony Snicket, Alexandrite (Steven Universe), Dominga "Daddy" Duarte, Artesian McCullough, Rose Quartz (Steven Universe), Blue Diamond (Steven Universe), Blue Diamond's Pearl (Steven Universe), Yellow Diamond (Steven Universe), Yellow Diamond's Pearl (Steven Universe), Yellow Zircon (Steven Universe), Jade West, Joel Luschek, Noelle Holiday, Slim (Of Mice and Men), Slime (Minecraft), Creeper (Minecraft), Enderman (Minecraft), Sans (Undertale), Papyrus (Undertale), Violet Baudelaire, Klaus Baudelaire, Sunny Baudelaire, Count Olaf (A Series of Unfortunate Events), Janae Watson, Sister Jane Ingalls, Sophia Burset, Baz (Sharknado), Robin Hood (Once Upon a Time), Starfire, Cyborg (Character), The Beast (Over the Garden Wall), Stanley (Disney: Beauty and the Beast), John Bennett (Orange is the New Black), John Doe (Roblox), John Wick, Ruby (Steven Universe), Jane Doe, Justin Hammer, Carrie "Big Boo" Black, Peridot (Steven Universe), The Narrator (The Stanley Parable), Shrek (Shrek), Annoying Dog (Undertale), Ben Shapiro, Desert Glass (Steven Universe), GLaDOS, Winnie (Free!), Bird That Carries You Over A Disproportionately Small Gap, Watanabe You, Franny Morello, Thanos (Marvel), Spider (Minecraft), May Parker (Spider-Man), Courage (Courage the Cowardly Dog), Peter Parker, Lois Griffin, Michael Scott, Freddy Fazbear, Nevel Papperman

Relationships: Piper Chapman/Alex Vause, Nicky Nichols/Alex Vause, Parker (Leverage)/Alex Vause, Megan Bloomfield/Graham Eaton, Barry Benson/Oscar (Shark Tale), Pearl/Rose Quartz (Steven Universe), Lapis Lazuli/Peridot (Steven Universe), Amethyst (Steven Universe)/Sans (Undertale), Sans (Undertale) & Peridot (Steven Universe), Olivia Caliban/Jacquelyn Scieszka, Blue Diamond/Greg Universe, Sans (Undertale)/Shrek (Shrek), Papyrus (Undertale) & Sonic the Hedgehog, Noelle Holiday/Susie (Deltarune), George Milton & Lennie Small, Artesian McCullough/Maritza Ramos, Alex Vause/Reader, W. D. Gaster/Sans/Reader, Ned (Pushing Daisies)/Harry Potter, Amethyst (Steven Universe)/Harry Potter, Sans (Undertale)/Reader, Garnet/Jasper (Steven Universe), Alice (Alice in Wonderland)/Christopher Robin (Winnie-the-Pooh), Frank Castle/John Wick, Joel Luschek/Nicky Nichols, Alexandrite/Malachite (Steven Universe), Freddie Benson/Carly Shay, Star Butterfly & Steven Universe, Count Olaf/Esmé Squalor, Galina "Red" Reznikov/Gloria Mendoza, Enid (OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes)/Pearl (Steven Universe), Enid/Red Action (OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes), Carol Denning/Reader, Sans/Sans (Undertale), Chara/Frisk (Undertale), Tony Stark/Thanos, Peter Griffin/Johnny Test, Courage/Katz, Jane Eyre/Edward Rochester, Blue Diamond (Steven Universe)/Eugene Krabs, Gene Forrester/Phineas "Finny", Creeper (Minecraft)/Sans (Undertale), Creeper/Steve (Minecraft), Creeper (Minecraft)/Reader, Gene/Jailbreak/Hi-5 (The Emoji Movie), Jailbreak/Smiler, Lord Boxman/Eugene "Gar" Garcia, George Washington/Martha Washington, Alexander Hamilton/Sonic the Hedgehog, Jim Halpert/Michael Scott, Eievui | Eevee/Pikachu, Kasumi | Misty/Satoshi | Ash Ketchum, Satoshi | Ash Ketchum/Serena, Chica (Five Nights at Freddy's)/Harry Potter, Bonnie/Foxy (Five Nights at Freddy's), Freddy Fazbear/Reader, Freddie Benson/Nevel Papperman, Gibby Gibson/Nevel Papperman, Lorna Morello/Nicky Nichols, Lorna Morello/Vince Muccio, Liane Cartman/Quahog Residents (Family Guy), Lois Griffin/Glenn Quagmire, Glenn Quagmire/Joe Swanson, Benny (In the Heights)/Alexander Hamilton

Additional Tags: Futanari, Mouth Sewn Shut, Everyone Is Gay, Kissing, Necrophilia, Murder, BDSM, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Must Read, Plot What Plot/Porn Without Plot, Porn, Discussion of Abortion, Abortion, Glasses, Alternate Universe, Crossover, Fuckin' Fluffy Mondays, Everybody Dies, Holocaust, I did this instead of studying for my finals, harambe trump, Cereal, Vore, Cock & Ball Torture, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Furry, Irony, Epic, Bromance, Blue Eyes, Green Eyes, Brownies, Mind Control, Dogs

read it on the AO3 at http://bit.ly/2YSndqV

[ao3feed-babysittersclub]

All Together™

read it on the AO3 at http://bit.ly/2YSndqV

by Zxrcon

die

Words: 10, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Fandoms: Orange is the New Black, Steven Universe (Cartoon), A Series of Unfortunate Events - Lemony Snicket, A Series of Unfortunate Events (TV), Shark Tale (2004), Sharknado (Movies), Jaws (Movies), XXXTentacion (Musician) RPF, OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes, Undertale (Video Game), Deltarune (Video Game), Roblox (Video Game), Family Guy (Cartoon), Sonic the Hedgehog - All Media Types, The Cleveland Show, Garfield - All Media Types, Voltron: Legendary Defender, Marvel Cinematic Universe, DC Universe Online, Victorious (TV), iCarly, Minecraft (Video Game), But I'm a Cheerleader (1999), Russian Doll (TV 2019), My Singing Monsters, Revolver - The Beatles, Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Hetalia: Axis Powers, Fairy Tail, SpongeBob SquarePants (Cartoon), M&M's Commercials, Homestuck, Super Mario & Related Fandoms, Donkey Kong (Video Games), Santa Claus Conquers the Martians (1964), Santa Clarita Diet (TV), Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, 私がモテないのはどう考えてもお前らが悪い! | Watamote - No Matter How I Look At It It's You Guys' Fault I'm Unpopular!, Free!, American Horror Story, Ирония судьбы | The Irony of Fate (Movies), John Wick (Movies), Fortnite (Video Game), Overwatch (Video Game), Salad Fingers, Wonder Woman (2017), अलीबाबा और चलीस चोर | Alibaba Aur 40 Chor | Adventures of Ali-Baba and the Forty Thieves (1979), Alice In Wonderland - Lewis Carroll, Chronicles of Narnia - C. S. Lewis, Political RPF - US 21st c., Maroon 5, Twenty One Pilots, Romeo And Juliet - Shakespeare, Everyman HYBRID, Everybody Else (Band), Everything I Never Told You - Celeste Ng, Arctic Monkeys, Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, The Lord of the Rings - All Media Types, Game of Thrones (TV), Teen Titans - All Media Types, Teen Titans Go!, Regular Show, Clarence (Cartoon), Flaming Carrot Comics, Le fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain | Amélie (2001), Jane Eyre - Charlotte Brontë, Jane the Virgin (TV), H2O: Just Add Water, Shrek (Movies), Fish Hooks (TV), Shark Tank (TV 2009), Of Mice & Men (Band), Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck, Slamacow Minecraft Animations (Web Series), The Stanley Parable, Hitler: The Rise of Evil (TV 2003), Fran Bow (Video Game), Hamilton - Miranda, Johnny Test (Cartoon), A Separate Peace - John Knowles, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Office (US), Five Nights at Freddy's, Phineas and Ferb, Moshi Monsters (Video Game), Neopets, K-pop, Poptropica (Video Game), Baby-Sitters Little Sister - Ann M. Martin, Super Planet Dolan (Web Series), Slazo, Star Wars Original Trilogy, Parks and Recreation, Brooklyn Nine-Nine (TV), We Bare Bears (TV), Adventure Time, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, Mighty Magiswords (Cartoon), Hey Arnold!, Rugrats & All Grown Up! (Cartoons), CatDog (Cartoon), Harvey Beaks (Cartoon), Hunger Games Series - All Media Types, Hunter X Hunter, Camp Camp (Web Series), Fairly OddParents, Camila Cabello (Musician), Anne with an E (TV), G.I. Joe - All Media Types, 5 Seconds of Summer (Band), Eminem (Musician), Club Penguin, Ouran High School Host Club - All Media Types, LOVECRAFT H. P. - Works, Captain America (Movies), American Dad!, Country Music RPF, Tiger Cruise (2004), Karate Kid (Movies), Lilo & Stitch (2002), Beauty and the Beast (1991), Aladdin (1992), Pirates of the Caribbean: The Price of Freedom - A. C. Crispin, The Princess and the Frog (2009), The Aristocats (1970), The Muppet Show, The Muppets - All Media Types, Sesame Street (TV), Diary of a Wimpy Kid Series - Jeff Kinney, Dork Diaries Series - Rachel Renee Russell, Looney Tunes | Merrie Melodies, Apple "Get a Mac" Commercials, McDonalds "NHL Mini-Sticks" Commercials, Talking Tom and Friends (Cartoon), Nintendogs, Melanie Martinez (Musician), Little Witch Academia, 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia, Cowboy Bebop (Anime), Gravity Falls, Halloween Movies - All Media Types, The Nun (2018)

Rating: Explicit

Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, No Archive Warnings Apply, Rape/Non-Con, Underage

Categories: F/F, F/M, Gen, M/M, Multi, Other

Characters: Oscar (Shark Tale), Brook Soso, Alex Vause, Piper Chapman, Megan Bloomfield, Graham Eaton, Lenny the Chocolate Moose, George Milton, Lennie Small, Nicky Nichols, Lorna Morello, Lemony Snicket, Alexandrite (Steven Universe), Dominga "Daddy" Duarte, Artesian McCullough, Rose Quartz (Steven Universe), Blue Diamond (Steven Universe), Blue Diamond's Pearl (Steven Universe), Yellow Diamond (Steven Universe), Yellow Diamond's Pearl (Steven Universe), Yellow Zircon (Steven Universe), Jade West, Joel Luschek, Noelle Holiday, Slim (Of Mice and Men), Slime (Minecraft), Creeper (Minecraft), Enderman (Minecraft), Sans (Undertale), Papyrus (Undertale), Violet Baudelaire, Klaus Baudelaire, Sunny Baudelaire, Count Olaf (A Series of Unfortunate Events), Janae Watson, Sister Jane Ingalls, Sophia Burset, Baz (Sharknado), Robin Hood (Once Upon a Time), Starfire, Cyborg (Character), The Beast (Over the Garden Wall), Stanley (Disney: Beauty and the Beast), John Bennett (Orange is the New Black), John Doe (Roblox), John Wick, Ruby (Steven Universe), Jane Doe, Justin Hammer, Carrie "Big Boo" Black, Peridot (Steven Universe), The Narrator (The Stanley Parable), Shrek (Shrek), Annoying Dog (Undertale), Ben Shapiro, Desert Glass (Steven Universe), GLaDOS, Winnie (Free!), Bird That Carries You Over A Disproportionately Small Gap, Watanabe You, Franny Morello, Thanos (Marvel), Spider (Minecraft), May Parker (Spider-Man), Courage (Courage the Cowardly Dog), Peter Parker, Lois Griffin, Michael Scott, Freddy Fazbear, Nevel Papperman

Relationships: Piper Chapman/Alex Vause, Nicky Nichols/Alex Vause, Parker (Leverage)/Alex Vause, Megan Bloomfield/Graham Eaton, Barry Benson/Oscar (Shark Tale), Pearl/Rose Quartz (Steven Universe), Lapis Lazuli/Peridot (Steven Universe), Amethyst (Steven Universe)/Sans (Undertale), Sans (Undertale) & Peridot (Steven Universe), Olivia Caliban/Jacquelyn Scieszka, Blue Diamond/Greg Universe, Sans (Undertale)/Shrek (Shrek), Papyrus (Undertale) & Sonic the Hedgehog, Noelle Holiday/Susie (Deltarune), George Milton & Lennie Small, Artesian McCullough/Maritza Ramos, Alex Vause/Reader, W. D. Gaster/Sans/Reader, Ned (Pushing Daisies)/Harry Potter, Amethyst (Steven Universe)/Harry Potter, Sans (Undertale)/Reader, Garnet/Jasper (Steven Universe), Alice (Alice in Wonderland)/Christopher Robin (Winnie-the-Pooh), Frank Castle/John Wick, Joel Luschek/Nicky Nichols, Alexandrite/Malachite (Steven Universe), Freddie Benson/Carly Shay, Star Butterfly & Steven Universe, Count Olaf/Esmé Squalor, Galina "Red" Reznikov/Gloria Mendoza, Enid (OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes)/Pearl (Steven Universe), Enid/Red Action (OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes), Carol Denning/Reader, Sans/Sans (Undertale), Chara/Frisk (Undertale), Tony Stark/Thanos, Peter Griffin/Johnny Test, Courage/Katz, Jane Eyre/Edward Rochester, Blue Diamond (Steven Universe)/Eugene Krabs, Gene Forrester/Phineas "Finny", Creeper (Minecraft)/Sans (Undertale), Creeper/Steve (Minecraft), Creeper (Minecraft)/Reader, Gene/Jailbreak/Hi-5 (The Emoji Movie), Jailbreak/Smiler, Lord Boxman/Eugene "Gar" Garcia, George Washington/Martha Washington, Alexander Hamilton/Sonic the Hedgehog, Jim Halpert/Michael Scott, Eievui | Eevee/Pikachu, Kasumi | Misty/Satoshi | Ash Ketchum, Satoshi | Ash Ketchum/Serena, Chica (Five Nights at Freddy's)/Harry Potter, Bonnie/Foxy (Five Nights at Freddy's), Freddy Fazbear/Reader, Freddie Benson/Nevel Papperman, Gibby Gibson/Nevel Papperman, Lorna Morello/Nicky Nichols, Lorna Morello/Vince Muccio, Liane Cartman/Quahog Residents (Family Guy), Lois Griffin/Glenn Quagmire, Glenn Quagmire/Joe Swanson, Benny (In the Heights)/Alexander Hamilton

Additional Tags: Futanari, Orgy, Mouth Sewn Shut, Gay Sex, Everyone Is Gay, Lesbian Character, Lesbian Sex, Kissing, Oral Sex, Anal Sex, Necrophilia, Murder, BDSM, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Must Read, Plot What Plot/Porn Without Plot, Porn, Discussion of Abortion, Abortion, Glasses, Alternate Universe, Crossover, Fuckin' Fluffy Mondays, Everybody Dies, Holocaust, I did this instead of studying for my finals, harambe trump, Cereal

read it on the AO3 at http://bit.ly/2YSndqV

[smashpages]

Nominees for the 2018 Eisner Awards announced

Comic-Con International has announced the nominees for the 2018 Eisner Awards, presented annually in San Diego at the convention.

Monstress by Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda and My Favorite Thing Is Monsters by Emil Ferris each received five nominations across various categories; other comics with multiple nominations included Mister Miracle, Black Hammer, The Flintstones, Grass Kings, Eartha and Hawkeye.

Check out the complete list of nominees below.

Best Short Story

“Ethel Byrne,” by Cecil Castelluci and Scott Chantler, in Mine: A Celebration of Liberty and Freedom for All Benefiting Planned Parenthood (ComicMix) “Forgotten Princess,” by Phillip Kennedy Johnson and Antonio Sandoval, in Adventure Time Comics #13 (kaboom!) ”A Life in Comics: The Graphic Adventures of Karen Green,” by Nick Sousanis, in Columbia Magazine (Summer 2017), https://ift.tt/2I41VPy “Small Mistakes Make Big Problems,” by Sophia Foster-Dimino, in Comics for Choice (Hazel Newlevant) “Trans Plant,” by Megan Rose Gedris, in Enough Space for Everyone Else (Bedside Press)

Best Single Issue/One-Shot

Barbara, by Nicole Miles (ShortBox) Hellboy: Krampusnacht, by Mike Mignola and Adam Hughes (Dark Horse) Pope Hats #5, by Ethan Rilly (AdHouse Books) The Spotted Stone, by Rick Veitch (Sun Comics) What Is Left, by Rosemary Valero-O’Connell (ShortBox)

Best Continuing Series

Black Hammer, by Jeff Lemire, Dean Ormston, and David Rubín (Dark Horse) Giant Days, by John Allison, Max Sarin, and Liz Fleming (BOOM! Box) Hawkeye, by Kelly Thompson, Leonardo Romero, and Mike Walsh (Marvel) Monstress, by Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda (Image) The Wicked + The Divine, by Kieron Gillen & Jamie McKelvie (Image)

Best Limited Series

Black Panther: World of Wakanda, by Roxane Gay, Ta-Nehisi Coates, and Alitha E. Martinez (Marvel) Extremity, by Daniel Warren Johnson (Image/Skybound) The Flintstones, by Mark Russell, Steve Pugh, Rick Leonardi, and Scott Hanna (DC) Mister Miracle, by Tom King and Mitch Gerads (DC) X-Men: Grand Design, by Ed Piskor (Marvel)

Best New Series

Black Bolt, by Saladin Ahmed and Christian Ward (Marvel) Grass Kings, by Matt Kindt and Tyler Jenkins (BOOM! Studios) Maestros, by Steve Skroce (Image) Redlands, by Jordie Belaire and Vanesa Del Rey (Image) Royal City, by Jeff Lemire (Image)

Best Publication for Early Readers (up to age 8)

Adele in Sand Land, by Claude Ponti, translated by Skeeter Grant and Françoise Mouly (Toon Books) Arthur and the Golden Rope, by Joe Todd-Stanton (Flying Eye/Nobrow) Egg, by Kevin Henkes (Greenwillow Books) Good Night, Planet, by Liniers (Toon Books) Little Tails in the Savannah, by Frederic Brrémaud and Federico Bertolucci, translated by Mike Kennedy (Lion Forge/Magnetic)

Best Publication for Kids (ages 9–12)

Bolivar, by Sean Rubin (Archaia) Home Time (Book One): Under the River, by Campbell Whyte (Top Shelf) Nightlights, by Lorena Alvarez (Nobrow) The Tea Dragon Society, by Katie O’Neill (Oni) Wallace the Brave, by Will Henry (Andrews McMeel) Best Publication for Teens (ages 13-17)

The Dam Keeper, by Robert Kondo and Dice Tsutsumi (First Second/Tonko House) Jane, by Aline Brosh McKenna and Ramón K. Pérez (Archaia) Louis Undercover, by Fanny Britt and Isabelle Arsenault, translated by Christelle Morelli and Susan Ouriou (Groundwood Books/House of Anansi) Monstress, by Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda (Image) Spinning, by Tillie Walden (First Second)

Best Humor Publication

Baking with Kafka, by Tom Gauld (Drawn & Quarterly) Batman/Elmer Fudd Special #1, by Tom King, Lee Weeks, and Byron Vaughn (DC) The Flintstones, by Mark Russell, Steve Pugh, Rick Leonardi, and Scott Hanna (DC) Rock Candy Mountain, by Kyle Starks (Image) Wallace the Brave, by Will Henry (Andrews McMeel)

Best Anthology

A Bunch of Jews (and Other Stuff): A Minyen Yidn, by Max B. Perlson, Trina Robbins et al. (Bedside Press) A Castle in England, by Jamie Rhodes et al. (Nobrow) Elements: Fire, A Comic Anthology by Creators of Color, edited by Taneka Stotts (Beyond Press) Now #1, edited by Eric Reynolds (Fantagraphics) The Spirit Anthology, edited by Sean Phillips (Lakes International Comic Art Festival)

Best Reality-Based Work

Audubon: On the Wings of the World, by Fabien Grolleau and Jerémie Royer, translated by Etienne Gilfillan (Nobrow) The Best We Could Do, by Thi Bui (Abrams ComicArts) Calamity Jane: The Calamitous Life of Martha Jane Cannary, 1852–1903, by Christian Perrissin and Matthieu Blanchin, translated by Diana Schutz and Brandon Kander (IDW) Lennon: The New York Years, by David Foenkinos, Corbeyran, and Horne, translated by Ivanka Hahnenberger (IDW) Spinning, by Tillie Walden (First Second)

Best Graphic Album—New

Crawl Space, by Jesse Jacobs (Koyama Press) Eartha, by Cathy Malkasian (Fantagraphics) My Favorite Thing Is Monsters, by Emil Ferris (Fantagraphics) Stages of Rot, by Linnea Sterte (Peow) The Story of Jezebel, by Elijah Brubaker (Uncivilized Books)

Best Graphic Album—Reprint

Boundless, by Jillian Tamaki (Drawn & Quarterly) Fantagraphics Studio Edition: Black Hole by Charles Burns, edited by Eric Reynolds (Fantagraphics) Small Favors: The Definitive Girly Porno Collection, by Colleen Coover (Oni/Limerence) Sticks Angelica, Folk Hero, by Michael DeForge (Drawn & Quarterly) Unreal City, by D. J. Bryant (Fantagraphics)

Best Adaptation from Another Medium

Beowulf, adapted by Santiago García and David Rubín (Image) H. P. Lovecraft’s The Hound and Other Stories, adapted by Gou Tanabe, translated by Zack Davisson (Dark Horse) Herman Melville’s Moby Dick, adapted by Christophe Chabouté, translated by Laure Dupont (Dark Horse) Kindred, by Octavia Butler, adapted by Damian Duffy and John Jennings (Abrams ComicArts)

Best U.S. Edition of International Material

Audubon: On the Wings of the World, by Fabien Grolleau and Jerémie Royer, translated by Etienne Gilfillan (Nobrow) Flight of the Raven, by Jean-Pierre Gibrat, translated by Diana Schutz and Brandon Kander (EuroComics/IDW) FUN, by Paolo Bacilieri, translated by Jamie Richards (SelfMadeHero) Ghost of Gaudi, by El Torres and Jesús Alonso Iglesias, translated by Esther Villardón Grande (Lion Forge/Magnetic) The Ladies-in-Waiting, by Santiago García and Javier Olivares, translated by Erica Mena (Fantagraphics) Run for It: Stories of Slaves Who Fought for the Freedom, by Marcelo D’Salete, translated by Andrea Rosenberg (Fantagraphics)

Best U.S. Edition of International Material��Asia

Furari, by Jiro Taniguchi, translated by Kumar Sivasubramanian (Fanfare/Ponent Mon) Golden Kamuy, by Satoru Noda, translated by Eiji Yasuda (VIZ Media) My Brother’s Husband, vol. 1, by Gengoroh Tagame, translated by Anne Ishii (Pantheon) Otherworld Barbara, vol. 2, by Moto Hagio, translated by Matt Thorn (Fantagraphics) Shiver: Junji Ito Selected Stories, by Junji Ito translated by Jocelyne Allen (VIZ Media)

Best Archival Collection/Project—Strips

Celebrating Snoopy, by Charles M. Shulz, edited by Alexis E. Fajardo and Dorothy O’Brien (Andrews McMeel) Crazy Quilt: Scraps and Panels on the Way to Gasoline Alley, by Frank King, edited by Peter Maresca (Sunday Press) Foolish Questions and Other Odd Observations, by Rube Goldberg, edited by Peter Maresca and Paul C. Tumey (Sunday Press Books) Sky Masters of the Space Force: The Complete Dailies, by Jack Kirby, Wally Wood et al., edited by Daniel Herman (Hermes Press) Star Wars: The Classic Newspaper Strips, vol. 1, by Russ Manning et al., edited by Dean Mullaney (LOAC/IDW)

Best Archival Collection/Project—Comic Books

Akira 35th Anniversary Edition, by Katsuhiro Otomo, edited by Haruko Hashimoto, Ajani Oloye, and Lauren Scanlan (Kodansha) Behaving MADly, edited by Craig Yoe (Yoe Books/IDW) The Collected Neil the Horse, by Arn Saba/Katherine Collins, edited by Andy Brown (Conundrum) Fantagraphics Studio Edition: Jaime Hernandez, edited by Gary Groth (Fantagraphics) Will Eisner: The Centennial Celebration, 1917-2017, by Paul Gravett, Denis Kitchen, and John Lind (Kitchen Sink/Dark Horse)

Best Writer

Tom King, Batman, Batman Annual #2, Batman/Elmer Fudd Special #1, Mister Miracle (DC) Matt Kindt, Grass Kings (BOOM! Studios); Ether (Dark Horse); Eternity, X-O Manowar (Valiant) Jeff Lemire, Black Hammer (Dark Horse); Descender (Image) Marjorie Liu, Monstress (Image) Mark Russell, The Flintstones (DC)

Best Writer/Artist

Lorena Alvarez, Night Lights (Nobrow) Chabouté, Moby Dick (Dark Horse); Alone, Park Bench (Gallery 13/Simon & Schuster) Emil Ferris, My Favorite Thing Is Monsters (Fantagraphics) Cathy Malkasian, Eartha (Fantagraphics) Jiro Taniguchi, Furari, Louis Vuitton Travel Guide: Venice (Fanfare/Ponent Mon)

Best Penciller/Inker or Penciller/Inker Team

Isabelle Arsenault, Louis Undercover (Groundwood Books/House of Anansi) Mitch Gerads, Mister Miracle (DC) Gary Gianni, Hellboy: Into the Silent Sea (Dark Horse) Ramón K. Perez, Jane (Archaia) David Rubín, Black Hammer #9 & #12, Ether, Sherlock Frankenstein #1–3 (Dark Horse); Beowulf (Image)

Best Painter/Multimedia Artist (interior art)

Federico Bertolucci, Love: The Dinosaur, Little Tails (Lion Forge/Magnetic) EFA, Monet: Itinerant of Light (NBM) Jean-Pierre Gibrat, Flight of the Raven (EuroComics/IDW) Cyril Pedrosa, Portugal (NBM) Sana Takeda, Monstress (Image)

Best Cover Artist

Jorge Corona, No. 1 with a Bullet (Image) Nick Derington, Mister Miracle (DC); Doom Patrol (DC Young Animal) Brian Stelfreeze, Black Panther (Marvel) Sana Takeda, Monstress (Image) Julian Totino Tedesco, Hawkeye (Marvel)

Best Coloring

Emil Ferris, My Favorite Thing Is Monsters (Fantagraphics) Mitch Gerads, Mister Miracle (DC) Ed Piskor, X-Men: Grand Design (Marvel) David Rubín, Ether, Black Hammer, Sherlock Frankenstein (Dark Horse); Beowulf (Image) Dave Stewart, Black Hammer, BPRD: Devil You Know, Hellboy: Into the Silent Sea, Sherlock Frankenstein, Shaolin Cowboy (Dark Horse); Maestros (Image) Rosemary Valero-O’Connell, What Is Left (ShortBox)

Best Lettering

Isabelle Arsenault, Louis Undercover (Groundwood Books/House of Anansi) Clayton Cowles, Bitch Planet: Triple Feature, Redlands, The Wicked + The Divine (Image); Black Bolt, Spider-Gwen, Astonishing X-Men, Star Wars (Marvel) Emil Ferris, My Favorite Thing Is Monsters (Fantagraphics) Stan Sakai, Usagi Yojimbo, Groo: Slay of the Gods (Dark Horse) John Workman, Mother Panic (DC Young Animal); Ragnorok (IDW)

Best Comics-Related Periodical/Journalism

Alter Ego, edited by Roy Thomas (TwoMorrows) The Comics Journal, edited by Dan Nadel, Timothy Hodler, and Tucker Stone, tcj.com (Fantagraphics) Hogan’s Alley, edited by Tom Heintjes Jack Kirby Collector, edited by John Morrow (TwoMorrows) PanelXPanel magazine, edited by Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou, panelxpanel.com

Best Comics-Related Book

Deconstructing the Incal by Alejandro Jodorowsky and Moebius, by Jean Annestay and Christophe Quillien (Humanoids) How Comics Work, by Dave Gibbons and Tim Pilcher (Wellfleet Press/Quarto Group) How to Read Nancy: The Elements of Comics in Three Easy Panels, by Paul Karasik and Mark Newgarden (Fantagraphics) Line of Beauty: The Art of Wendy Pini, by Richard Pini (Flesk) Monograph, by Chris Ware (Rizzoli) To Laugh That We May Not Weep: The Life and Times of Art Young, by Glenn Bray and Frank M. Young (Fantagraphics)

Best Academic/Scholarly Work

The Comics of Charles Schulz: The Good Grief of Modern Life, edited by Jared Gardner and Ian Gordon (University Press of Mississippi) Ethics in the Gutter: Empathy and Historical Fiction in Comics, by Kate Polak (Ohio State University Press) Latinx Superheroes in Mainstream Comics, by Frederick Luis Aldama (University of Arizona Press) Neon Visions: The Comics of Howard Chaykin, by Brannon Costello (LSU Press) Picturing Childhood: Youth in Transnational Comics, edited by Mark Heimermann and Brittany Tullis (University of Texas Press)

Best Publication Design

Akira 35th Anniversary Edition, designed by Phil Balsman, Akira Saito (Veia), NORMA Editorial, and MASH•ROOM (Kodansha) Celebrating Snoopy, designed by Spencer Williams and Julie Phillips (Andrews McMeel) Monograph, designed by Chris Ware (Rizzoli) My Favorite Thing Is Monsters, designed by Jacob Covey (Fantagraphics) Will Eisner: The Centennial Celebration, 1917-2017, designed by John Lind (Kitchen Sink/Dark Horse)

Best Digital Comic

Bandette, by Paul Tobin and Colleen Coover (Monkeybrain/comiXology) Barrier, by Brian K. Vaughan and Marcos Martin (Panel Syndicate) The Carpet Merchant of Konstaniniyya, by Reimena Yee (reimenayee.com/the-carpet-merchant) Contact High, by James F. Wright and Josh Eckert (gumroad.com/l/YnxSm) Harvey Kurtzman’s Marley’s Ghost, by Harvey Kurtzman, Josh O’Neill, Shannon Wheeler, and Gideon Kendall (comiXology Originals/Kitchen, Lind & Associates) Quince, by Sebastian Kadlecik, Kit Steinkellner, and Emma Steinkellner, translated by Valeria Tranier (Fanbase Press/comiXology)

Best Webcomic

Awaiting a Wave, by Dale Carpenter and Nate Powell, features.weather.com/us-climate-change/arkansas (The Weather Channel Digital) Brothers Bond, by Kevin Grevioux and Ryan Benjamin, www.webtoons.com/en/action/brothers-bond/list?title_no=1191 (LINE Webtoon) Dispatch from a Sanctuary City, by Mike Dawson, https://thenib.com/dispatch-from-a-sanctuary-city (The Nib) The Tea Dragon Society, by Katie O’Neill, teadragonsociety.com (Oni Press) Welcome to the New World, by Jake Halpern and Michael Sloan, www.michaelsloan.net/welcome-to-the-new-world/ (New York Times Sunday Review)

[starwarsnewsit]

Eisner Awards 2018: poco "Star Wars" tra le nomination

New Post has been published on http://www.starwarsnews.it/2018/04/27/eisner-awards-2018-star-wars/

Eisner Awards 2018: poco "Star Wars" tra le nomination

Eisner Awards 2018. Verrà assegnato a breve uno dei premi più importanti del panorama fumettistico. Quest’anno tra le varie nomination c’è anche qualcosa legata a Star Wars, ma veramente poco…

Eisner Awards 2018 – Tutte le nomination

Best Short Story

“Ethel Byrne,” by Cecil Castelluci and Scott Chantler, in Mine: A Celebration of Liberty and Freedom for All Benefiting Planned Parenthood (ComicMix)

“Forgotten Princess,” by Phillip Kennedy Johnson and Antonio Sandoval, in Adventure Time Comics #13 (kaboom!)

”A Life in Comics: The Graphic Adventures of Karen Green,” by Nick Sousanis, in Columbia Magazine (Summer 2017), http://magazine.columbia.edu/features/summer-2017/life-comics?page=0,0

“Small Mistakes Make Big Problems,” by Sophia Foster-Dimino, in Comics for Choice (Hazel Newlevant)

“Trans Plant,” by Megan Rose Gedris, in Enough Space for Everyone Else (Bedside Press)

Best Single Issue/One-Shot

Barbara, by Nicole Miles (ShortBox)

Hellboy: Krampusnacht, by Mike Mignola and Adam Hughes (Dark Horse)

Pope Hats #5, by Ethan Rilly (AdHouse Books)

The Spotted Stone, by Rick Veitch (Sun Comics)

What Is Left, by Rosemary Valero-O’Connell (ShortBox)

Best Continuing Series

Black Hammer, by Jeff Lemire, Dean Ormston, and David Rubín (Dark Horse)

Giant Days, by John Allison, Max Sarin, and Liz Fleming (BOOM! Box)

Hawkeye, by Kelly Thompson, Leonardo Romero, and Mike Walsh (Marvel)

Monstress, by Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda (Image)

The Wicked + The Divine, by Kieron Gillen & Jamie McKelvie (Image)

Best Limited Series

Black Panther: World of Wakanda, by Roxane Gay, Ta-Nehisi Coates, and Alitha E. Martinez (Marvel)

Extremity, by Daniel Warren Johnson (Image/Skybound)

The Flintstones, by Mark Russell, Steve Pugh, Rick Leonardi, and Scott Hanna (DC)

Mister Miracle, by Tom King and Mitch Gerads (DC)

X-Men: Grand Design, by Ed Piskor (Marvel)

Best New Series

Black Bolt, by Saladin Ahmed and Christian Ward (Marvel)

Grass Kings, by Matt Kindt and Tyler Jenkins (BOOM! Studios)

Maestros, by Steve Skroce (Image)

Redlands, by Jordie Belaire and Vanesa Del Rey (Image)

Royal City, by Jeff Lemire (Image)

Best Publication for Early Readers (up to age 8)

Adele in Sand Land, by Claude Ponti, translated by Skeeter Grant and Françoise Mouly (Toon Books)

Arthur and the Golden Rope, by Joe Todd-Stanton (Flying Eye/Nobrow)

Egg, by Kevin Henkes (Greenwillow Books)

Good Night, Planet, by Liniers (Toon Books)

Little Tails in the Savannah, by Frederic Brrémaud and Federico Bertolucci, translated by Mike Kennedy (Lion Forge/Magnetic)

Best Publication for Kids (ages 9–12)

Bolivar, by Sean Rubin (Archaia)

Home Time (Book One): Under the River, by Campbell Whyte (Top Shelf)

Nightlights, by Lorena Alvarez (Nobrow)

The Tea Dragon Society, by Katie O’Neill (Oni)

Wallace the Brave, by Will Henry (Andrews McMeel)

Best Publication for Teens (ages 13-17)

The Dam Keeper, by Robert Kondo and Dice Tsutsumi (First Second/Tonko House)

Jane, by Aline Brosh McKenna and Ramón K. Pérez (Archaia)

Louis Undercover, by Fanny Britt and Isabelle Arsenault, translated by Christelle Morelli and Susan Ouriou (Groundwood Books/House of Anansi)

Monstress, by Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda (Image)

Spinning, by Tillie Walden (First Second)

Best Humor Publication

Baking with Kafka, by Tom Gauld (Drawn & Quarterly)

Batman/Elmer Fudd Special #1, by Tom King, Lee Weeks, and Byron Vaughn (DC)

The Flintstones, by Mark Russell, Steve Pugh, Rick Leonardi, and Scott Hanna (DC)

Rock Candy Mountain, by Kyle Starks (Image)

Wallace the Brave, by Will Henry (Andrews McMeel)

Best Anthology

A Bunch of Jews (and Other Stuff): A Minyen Yidn, by Max B. Perlson, Trina Robbins et al. (Bedside Press)

A Castle in England, by Jamie Rhodes et al. (Nobrow)

Elements: Fire, A Comic Anthology by Creators of Color, edited by Taneka Stotts (Beyond Press)

Now #1, edited by Eric Reynolds (Fantagraphics)

The Spirit Anthology, edited by Sean Phillips (Lakes International Comic Art Festival)

Best Reality-Based Work

Audubon: On the Wings of the World, by Fabien Grolleau and Jerémie Royer, translated by Etienne Gilfillan (Nobrow)

The Best We Could Do, by Thi Bui (Abrams ComicArts)

Calamity Jane: The Calamitous Life of Martha Jane Cannary, 1852–1903, by Christian Perrissin and Matthieu Blanchin, translated by Diana Schutz and Brandon Kander (IDW)

Lennon: The New York Years, by David Foenkinos, Corbeyran, and Horne, translated by Ivanka Hahnenberger (IDW)

Spinning, by Tillie Walden (First Second)

Best Graphic Album—New

Crawl Space, by Jesse Jacobs (Koyama Press)

Eartha, by Cathy Malkasian (Fantagraphics)

My Favorite Thing Is Monsters, by Emil Ferris (Fantagraphics)

Stages of Rot, by Linnea Sterte (Peow)

The Story of Jezebel, by Elijah Brubaker (Uncivilized Books)

Best Graphic Album—Reprint

Boundless, by Jillian Tamaki (Drawn & Quarterly)

Fantagraphics Studio Edition: Black Hole by Charles Burns, edited by Eric Reynolds (Fantagraphics)

Small Favors: The Definitive Girly Porno Collection, by Colleen Coover (Oni/Limerence)

Sticks Angelica, Folk Hero, by Michael DeForge (Drawn & Quarterly)

Unreal City, by D. J. Bryant (Fantagraphics)

Best Adaptation from Another Medium

Beowulf, adapted by Santiago García and David Rubín (Image)

H. P. Lovecraft’s The Hound and Other Stories, adapted by Gou Tanabe, translated by Zack Davisson (Dark Horse)

Herman Melville’s Moby Dick, adapted by Christophe Chabouté, translated by Laure Dupont (Dark Horse)

Kindred, by Octavia Butler, adapted by Damian Duffy and John Jennings (Abrams ComicArts)

Best U.S. Edition of International Material

Audubon: On the Wings of the World, by Fabien Grolleau and Jerémie Royer, translated by Etienne Gilfillan (Nobrow)

Flight of the Raven, by Jean-Pierre Gibrat, translated by Diana Schutz and Brandon Kander (EuroComics/IDW)

FUN, by Paolo Bacilieri, translated by Jamie Richards (SelfMadeHero)

Ghost of Gaudi, by El Torres and Jesús Alonso Iglesias, translated by Esther Villardón Grande (Lion Forge/Magnetic)

The Ladies-in-Waiting, by Santiago García and Javier Olivares, translated by Erica Mena (Fantagraphics)

Run for It: Stories of Slaves Who Fought for the Freedom, by Marcelo D’Salete, translated by Andrea Rosenberg (Fantagraphics)

Best U.S. Edition of International Material—Asia

Furari, by Jiro Taniguchi, translated by Kumar Sivasubramanian (Fanfare/Ponent Mon)

Golden Kamuy, by Satoru Noda, translated by Eiji Yasuda (VIZ Media)

My Brother’s Husband, vol. 1, by Gengoroh Tagame, translated by Anne Ishii (Pantheon)

Otherworld Barbara, vol. 2, by Moto Hagio, translated by Matt Thorn (Fantagraphics)

Shiver: Junji Ito Selected Stories, by Junji Itotranslated by Jocelyne Allen (VIZ Media)

Best Archival Collection/Project—Strips

Celebrating Snoopy, by Charles M. Shulz, edited by Alexis E. Fajardo and Dorothy O’Brien (Andrews McMeel)

Crazy Quilt: Scraps and Panels on the Way to Gasoline Alley, by Frank King, edited by Peter Maresca (Sunday Press)

Foolish Questions and Other Odd Observations, by Rube Goldberg, edited by Peter Maresca and Paul C. Tumey (Sunday Press Books)

Sky Masters of the Space Force: The Complete Dailies, by Jack Kirby, Wally Wood et al., edited by Daniel Herman (Hermes Press)

Star Wars: The Classic Newspaper Strips, vol. 1, by Russ Manning et al., edited by Dean Mullaney (LOAC/IDW)

Best Archival Collection/Project—Comic Books

Akira 35th Anniversary Edition, by Katsuhiro Otomo, edited by Haruko Hashimoto, Ajani Oloye, and Lauren Scanlan (Kodansha)

Behaving MADly, edited by Craig Yoe (Yoe Books/IDW)

The Collected Neil the Horse, by Arn Saba/Katherine Collins, edited by Andy Brown (Conundrum)

Fantagraphics Studio Edition: Jaime Hernandez, edited by Gary Groth (Fantagraphics)

Will Eisner: The Centennial Celebration, 1917-2017, by Paul Gravett, Denis Kitchen, and John Lind (Kitchen Sink/Dark Horse)

Best Writer

Tom King, Batman, Batman Annual #2, Batman/Elmer Fudd Special #1, Mister Miracle (DC)

Matt Kindt, Grass Kings (BOOM! Studios); Ether (Dark Horse); Eternity, X-O Manowar (Valiant)

Jeff Lemire, Black Hammer (Dark Horse); Descender (Image)

Marjorie Liu, Monstress (Image)

Mark Russell, The Flintstones (DC)

Best Writer/Artist

Lorena Alvarez, Night Lights (Nobrow)

Chabouté, Moby Dick (Dark Horse); Alone, The Park Bench (Gallery 13/Simon & Schuster)

Emil Ferris, My Favorite Thing Is Monsters (Fantagraphics)

Cathy Malkasian, Eartha (Fantagraphics)

Jiro Taniguchi, Furari, Louis Vuitton Travel Guide: Venice (Fanfare/Ponent Mon)

Best Penciller/Inker or Penciller/Inker Team

Isabelle Arsenault, Louis Undercover (Groundwood Books/House of Anansi)

Mitch Gerads, Mister Miracle (DC)

Gary Gianni, Hellboy: Into the Silent Sea (Dark Horse)

Ramón K. Perez, Jane (Archaia)

David Rubín, Black Hammer #9 & #12, Ether, Sherlock Frankenstein #1–3 (Dark Horse); Beowulf (Image)

Best Painter/Multimedia Artist (interior art)

Federico Bertolucci, Love: The Dinosaur, Little Tails (Lion Forge/Magnetic)

EFA, Monet: Itinerant of Light (NBM)

Jean-Pierre Gibrat, Flight of the Raven (EuroComics/IDW)

Cyril Pedrosa, Portugal (NBM)

Sana Takeda, Monstress (Image)

Best Cover Artist

Jorge Corona, No. 1 with a Bullet (Image)

Nick Derington, Mister Miracle (DC); Doom Patrol (DC Young Animal)

Brian Stelfreeze, Black Panther (Marvel)

Sana Takeda, Monstress (Image)

Julian Totino Tedesco, Hawkeye (Marvel)

Best Coloring

Emil Ferris, My Favorite Thing Is Monsters (Fantagraphics)

Mitch Gerads, Mister Miracle (DC)

Ed Piskor, X-Men: Grand Design (Marvel)

David Rubín, Ether, Black Hammer, Sherlock Frankenstein (Dark Horse); Beowulf (Image)

Dave Stewart, Black Hammer, BPRD: Devil You Know, Hellboy: Into the Silent Sea, Sherlock Frankenstein, Shaolin Cowboy (Dark Horse); Maestros (Image)

Rosemary Valero-O’Connell, What Is Left (ShortBox)

Best Lettering

Isabelle Arsenault, Louis Undercover (Groundwood Books/House of Anansi)

Clayton Cowles, Bitch Planet: Triple Feature, Redlands, The Wicked + The Divine (Image); Black Bolt, Spider-Gwen, Astonishing X-Men, Star Wars (Marvel)

Emil Ferris, My Favorite Thing Is Monsters (Fantagraphics)

Stan Sakai, Usagi Yojimbo, Groo: Slay of the Gods (Dark Horse)

John Workman, Mother Panic (DC Young Animal); Ragnorak (IDW)

Best Comics-Related Periodical/Journalism

Alter Ego, edited by Roy Thomas (TwoMorrows)

The Comics Journal, edited by Dan Nadel, Timothy Hodler, and Tucker Stone, tcj.com (Fantagraphics)

Hogan’s Alley, edited by Tom Heintjes

Jack Kirby Collector, edited by John Morrow (TwoMorrows)

PanelXPanel magazine, edited by Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou, panelxpanel.com

Best Comics-Related Book

Deconstructing the Incal by Alejandro Jodorowsky and Moebius, by Jean Annestay and Christophe Quillien (Humanoids)

How Comics Work, by Dave Gibbons and Tim Pilcher (Wellfleet Press/Quarto Group)

How to Read Nancy: The Elements of Comics in Three Easy Panels, by Paul Karasik and Mark Newgarden (Fantagraphics)

Line of Beauty: The Art of Wendy Pini, by Richard Pini (Flesk)

Monograph, by Chris Ware (Rizzoli)

To Laugh That We May Not Weep: The Life and Times of Art Young, by Glenn Bray and Frank M. Young (Fantagraphics)

Best Academic/Scholarly Work

The Comics of Charles Schulz: The Good Grief of Modern Life, edited by Jared Gardner and Ian Gordon (University Press of Mississippi)

Ethics in the Gutter: Empathy and Historical Fiction in Comics, by Kate Polak (Ohio State University Press)

Latinx Superheroes in Mainstream Comics, by Frederick Luis Aldama (University of Arizona Press)

Neon Visions: The Comics of Howard Chaykin, by Brannon Costello (LSU Press)

Picturing Childhood: Youth in Transnational Comics, edited by Mark Heimermann and Brittany Tullis (University of Texas Press)

Best Publication Design

Akira 35th Anniversary Edition, designed by Phil Balsman, Akira Saito (Veia), NORMA Editorial, and MASH•ROOM (Kodansha)

Celebrating Snoopy, designed by Spencer Williams and Julie Phillips (Andrews McMeel)

Monograph, designed by Chris Ware (Rizzoli)

My Favorite Thing Is Monsters, designed by Jacob Covey (Fantagraphics)

Will Eisner: The Centennial Celebration, 1917-2017, designed by John Lind (Kitchen Sink/Dark Horse)

Best Digital Comic

Bandette, by Paul Tobin and Colleen Coover (Monkeybrain/comiXology)

Barrier, by Brian K. Vaughan and Marcos Martin (Panel Syndicate)

The Carpet Merchant of Konstaniniyya, by Reimena Yee (reimenayee.com/the-carpet-merchant)

Contact High, by James F. Wright and Josh Eckert (gumroad.com/l/YnxSm)

Harvey Kurtzman’s Marley’s Ghost, by Harvey Kurtzman, Josh O’Neill, Shannon Wheeler, and Gideo Kendall (comiXology Originals/Kitchen, Lind & Associates)

Quince, by Sebastian Kadlecik, Kit Steinkellner, and Emma Steinkellner, translated by Valeria Tranier (Fanbase Press/comiXology)

Best Webcomic

Awaiting a Wave, by Dale Carpenter and Nate Powell, features.weather.com/us-climate-change/arkansas (The Weather Channel Digital)

Brothers Bond, by Kevin Grevioux and Ryan Benjamin, www.webtoons.com/en/action/brothers-bond/list?title_no=1191 (LINE Webtoon)

Dispatch from a Sanctuary City, by Mike Dawson, https://thenib.com/dispatch-from-a-sanctuary-city (The Nib)

The Tea Dragon Society, by Katie O’Neill, teadragonsociety.com

Welcome to the New World, by Jake Halpern and Michael Sloan, www.michaelsloan.net/welcome-to-the-new-world/ (New York Times Sunday Review)