#his whimsy has vanished

[archimedesleftwing]

emesis blue art (i'm 6 minutes in)

[bcolfanfic]

still don't know if this will actually turn into anything but. just some more corner store au musings for fun and whimsy.

lil' 19 year old gale took off to new york city because he told his dad he was gonna enlist- and decided he didn't want to do that. but was too scared to go back home and admit it so he just bolted. not like he's supposed to be calling home when he's allegedly at basic training anyways. he has a 8 week window to vanish in, it's fine.

is very *very* out of his depth having never left wyoming before. poor thing. talked to someone on facebook he didn't know that said he could sleep on their couch and it's. something but it's a real seedy situation and they guy scares him so he tries to stay out of there as much as possible. sometimes gets so freaked out he can't sleep there at all and just sleeps outside

but is a little obsessive about how people perceive him and tries to have his shit together the best he can. doesn't want help. he'll figure it out. he's always figured it out.

corner store john is fascinated by the new regular that seems to be around his age and barley speaks.

john figures out he *definitely* isn't from the city when the most he says to him to begin with is super seriously informing him of the cat wandering around. all awkward and shy kinda rambling about how she might be lost.

and is so *preciously* confused when john is like haha yeah she lives here it's alright (: we look out for her (:

immediately clams back up when john tries to start a conversation about how he's obviously not from here but. it's a baby step towards something.

[metalomagnetic]

Hi metalo! How are you? Hope your injury is getting better.

I wanted to ask if you had any scenes for Cannis Major, where V sees Sirius making an effort to support or show care to V. Like when Sirius tried to make tea for him when he was pissed off. Or took him to Black Manor and shared his childhood with him and maybe any other time where Sirius is obviously in love and showing it (whether V realises it or not)

Unfortunately, my injury got worse, but now it's slowly getting better again. I don't know what beef life has with me, but I hope it gives me some relief, eventually.

Let me look in my folder of all the deleted Canis Major scenes! I'm pretty sure I wrote something about the tea scene! Please don't mind if it's rough, I struggle to edit properly today.

There it is! Hope you enjoy it, even if it is a bit whimsy.

***

When he enters the house, he hears loud banging from the kitchen; he just managed to get his anger under control, but it's awakening again when he goes to investigate and see the mess- no, the destruction- Sirius managed, and in such a short time, too.

Pots, pans, plates, thrown around everywhere. Even the cutlery drawer is open and ravaged.

It puts Voldemort on edge, that part of his brain that cannot stand disorder.

"What are you doing?"

Sirius kicks a cabinet with his foot, trying to close it. It won't, because he shoved too many things inside it.

"I'm making you tea," he barks. "But your furniture refuses to cooperate."

Voldemort's dark mood vanishes, on the spot. Suddenly, the mess doesn't make him want to strangle Sirius, but amuses him, instead.

He's most amused that Sirius thought a cup of tea would calm Voldemort's anger, as if he's a moody old grandmother only appeased by tea and jam.

Bellatrix is the same; when she notices he is tired, or displeased, she offers him tea. But even she has the good sense not to think of it when Voldemort is in a rage.

Yet the fact that Sirius attempted it, nevertheless, that he wanted to lighten Voldemort's mood...

And it's not because he fears Voldemort's anger, no. This isn't motivated by fear.

"Go on, then. Make tea."

He tries. It only makes Voldemort smile wider. He doesn't know why this makes him smile, this level of incompetence was never something to amuse him, but Sirius- well, everything looks good on Sirius, even failing to boil water.

Sirius is a talented portioneer, but somehow it doesn't translate to the kitchen, even if these skills usually overlap. Perhaps this is the first time he is actually using a stove, because it seems to confuse him greatly.

"Spoiled, rich brat," Voldemort mutters, but it's with fondness, instead of his usual disdain for purebloods raised in luxury, with house elves to serve their every need.

He takes pity on Sirius- and on his kitchen- so he takes over, removing Sirius from the stove before he burns down the house.

When he serves the tea, and he's done cleaning up, Sirius frowns at his cup.

"I don't understand how you make it so good."

He remembers Sirius claiming he isn't a fan of tea, unless it's spiked with alcohol. But that was long ago, when they only just met.

These days, Sirius never refuses when Voldemort offers, even if he only adds a splash of milk to it, and not an ounce of vodka.

"It's made with love," Voldemort drawls, and Sirius rolls his eyes.

He watches Sirius enjoy the beverage. Voldemort doesn't quite taste his own. Hasn't, in a long time, but he still enjoys it because at least it's hot, and it warms him, even if there's only a hint of flavour, like it's the case with everything he eats or drinks.

He finds himself wondering, in case Sirius would have managed brewing it, if Voldemort would have tasted something, then. If he'd have found it better, if some Sirius-like essence would have transferred to the tea, and made Voldemort actually taste it.

[hollowed-theory-hall]

Any HC's on what's going on with Luna?

Hi, so I really like Luna as a character, and I've seen various theories about her being a seer, which at least used to be popular in fic, but I never got that impression from her. Personally, I don't think there's anything magical going on with Luna. I think she's just a girl with imagination, a sense of whimsy, and some trauma of her own who chose to handle it through her internal little world rather than anger and other more externalized ways to cope.

So, this kinda ended up being a bit of a character study on Luna...

Pandora Lovegood & Luna's Trauma

One of the major moments in Luna's life that really changed her worldview and approach to people and the world was her mother's death:

“Have you . . .” he began. “I mean, who . . . has anyone you’ve known ever died?” “Yes,” said Luna simply, “my mother. She was a quite extraordinary witch, you know, but she did like to experiment and one of her spells went rather badly wrong one day. I was nine.” “I’m sorry,” Harry mumbled. “Yes, it was rather horrible,” said Luna conversationally. “I still feel very sad about it sometimes. But I’ve still got Dad. And anyway, it’s not as though I’ll never see Mum again, is it?” “Er — isn’t it?” said Harry uncertainly. She shook her head in disbelief. “Oh, come on. You heard them, just behind the veil, didn’t you?” “You mean . . .” “In that room with the archway. They were just lurking out of sight, that’s all. You heard them.”

(OotP, 863)

I want to talk about her mother, her death, and Luna's general outlook on death and tragedy which explains a lot of her characters.

So Pandora Lovegood experimented with spells and one went badly enough to kill her in front of her 9-year-old daughter. This is why Luna can see Thestrals and hear voices from beyond the veil like Harry and Neville. But Luna, at her soul is an optimist and a very brave one at that. This is something that she doesn't share with her father, which I'd get to, so I think her outlook on life and death is actually something she learned from her mother.

Luna prefers to look at the half-full part of the glass. She is choosing not to get too sad over things or bothered over her bullying (which I'll get to). The main point is that Luna's way of dealing with the hardship and trauma of watching her mother die is to feel the sadness of it, but not let herself wallow in it. She keeps pushing herself forward.

I headcanon Luna took her mother's death to embrace her mother's outlook on life. That things will always be fine, that they'd always work out. I don't think Luna knows for certain everything will be fine, but she chooses to believe it will be and you see it with her later in the books as well.

“I was saying, what are those horse things?” Harry said, as he, Ron, and Luna made for the carriage in which Hermione and Ginny were already sitting. [...] “It’s all right,” said a dreamy voice from beside Harry as Ron vanished into the coach’s dark interior. “You’re not going mad or anything. I can see them too.” “Can you?” said Harry desperately, turning to Luna. He could see the bat-winged horses reflected in her wide, silvery eyes. “Oh yes,” said Luna, “I’ve been able to see them ever since my first day here. They’ve always pulled the carriages. Don’t worry. You’re just as sane as I am.” Smiling faintly, she climbed into the musty interior of the carriage after Ron. Not altogether reassured, Harry followed her.

(OotP, 198-199)

Again, this shows her way of dealing with death and loss that ended up helping Harry. She sees the Thestrals and instead of being discomforted by them and the loss they remind her of (like Neville and Theodore Nott), she tries to smile, to take comfort in the reminder of her mother. "It's sad that she's dead, but it's okay, things will be okay", it's not a direct quote, but I feel it summarises Luna's outlook on loss and negative life experiences in general.

Xenophilius and the Quibbler

As I mentioned above, Xenophilius is much less brave and optimistic than Luna, hence why I think she learned her positive outlook from Pandora and not him:

Xenophilius gulped. He seemed to be steeling himself. Finally, he said in a shaky voice difficult to hear over the noise of the printing press, “Luna is down at the stream, fishing for Freshwater Plimpies. She . . . she will like to see you. I’ll go and call her and then—very well. I shall try to help you.” He disappeared down the spiral staircase and they heard the front door open and close. They looked at each other. “Cowardly old wart,” said Ron. “Luna’s got ten times his guts.”

(DH, 347)

I understand him, I really do. He lost his wife, and his daughter is all he has, of course, he's scared of helping Harry. He doesn't want to lose Luna too. But, I headcanon Pandora was like Luna in that regard. She wouldn't have let fear stop her. I mean, she had to be brave to experiment with the kind of dangerous spells that'll kill her.

The other thing I want to note about Xenophilius and Luna is how close they seem to be whenever we see them:

Bidding the wizards farewell, he turned to his daughter, who held up her finger and said, “Daddy, look—one of the gnomes actually bit me!” “How wonderful! Gnome saliva is enormously beneficial!” said Mr. Lovegood, seizing Luna’s outstretched finger and examining the bleeding puncture marks. “Luna, my love, if you should feel any burgeoning talent today—perhaps an unexpected urge to sing opera or to declaim in Mermish—do not repress it! You may have been gifted by the Gernumblies!”

(DH, 124)

They seem very affectionate and close, both with words and I'm sure also physical affection. Luna even mentions she still has her dad when she explains how she handles her mother's loss. I think both of them grew closer and more dependent on each other after Pandora's death. And I think that's what really pulled them both through it. Each other.

I write about it more later in this post, but Luna tends to comfort a lot of characters. Hermione, Ollivanders, Harry, and I think the first person she practiced this with was her father. She is a very empathetic person and she watched loss affect her father first-hand. I think, that after they lost Pandora, Luna did more of the heavy lifting in terms of emotional comfort rather than Xenophilius, who was probably a bit of a wreck.

Now, the third major thing I think Luna learned from her father is his various odd beliefs. To name a few Quibbler article titles from the beginning of OotP:

How Far Will Fudge Go to Gain Gringotts?

CORRUPTION IN THE QUIDDITCH LEAGUE: How the Tornados Are Taking Control

SIRIUS - Black As He’s Painted? Notorious Mass Murderer OR Innocent Singing Sensation?

We all know they have some odd ideas, and are both very convinced of them. Luna never strays in her belief in the things her father writes about:

Yes, he’s got an army of heliopaths,” said Luna solemnly. “No, he hasn’t,” snapped Hermione. “Yes, he has,” said Luna. “What are heliopaths?” asked Neville, looking blank. “They’re spirits of fire,” said Luna, her protuberant eyes widening so that she looked madder than ever. “Great tall flaming creatures that gallop across the ground burning everything in front of —” “They don’t exist, Neville,” said Hermione tartly. “Oh yes they do!” said Luna angrily. “I’m sorry, but where’s the proof of that?” snapped Hermione. “There are plenty of eyewitness accounts, just because you’re so narrow-minded you need to have everything shoved under your nose before you —”

(OotP, 345)

She actually shows a dislike and anger toward Hermione at first because of how Hermione treats the things she believes in. Luna doesn't get angry often, but when her beliefs are ridiculed in the way Hermione does so, is one of these few times. She doesn't mind being called "Loony", but she cares about her, and her father's beliefs are aggressively questioned. She wouldn't have minded it if Hermione just didn't believe her (like Ron and Ginny) what bothers her is that Hermione doesn't even entertain the possibility of these creatures being real. What angers her is Hermione's closed-mindedness, not that she doesn't agree with her. Luna doesn't mind being alone in her beliefs, she minds closed-minded people who think they know everything, that's what gets her annoyed with Hermione, I think.

Now, I kind of want to discuss why Luna and Xenehpilius believe what they believe. Well, more Xenephilius than Luna, because he taught her most of it and gave her all the evidence she is basing her understanding of all these creatures and conspiracies come from.

Because that's what a lot of these are — conspiracies — and mostly about the Ministry of Magic. These article titles are somewhat like farfetched conspiracy theories like: "NASA hiding a second sun at the center of the Earth" or "Did you know the Earth is actually flat but the government doesn't want you to know" or anything to do with Area 51 and aliens. The articles from the Quibbler sound awfully a lot like that. And it seemed the main reason Xenophilius and Luna believed Harry was because the ministry didn't.

Xenophilius and Luna also believe in miracle cures like gnome venom (as quoted earlier), Gurdyroots and Plumpies:

“May I offer you all an infusion of Gurdyroots?” said Xenophilius. “We make it ourselves.” As he started to pour out the drink, which was a deep purple as beetroot juice, he added, “Luna is down beyond Bottom Bridge, she is most excited that you are here. She ought not be too long, she has caught nearly enough Plumpies to make soup for all of us. Do sit down and help yourselves to sugar.

(DS, 348)

They are essentially wizard conspiracy theorist hippies.

Basically, Xenophilius and Luna distrust the ministry (rightfully so, as the ministry sucks) but they took their distrust to the extreme. Essentially believing any information from the ministry, or ministry-sanctioned textbooks and newspapers to be false (some of it definitely is false, but not all). If it comes from the ministry it's false in their eyes and therefore everything the ministry doesn't live in is true, even if it doesn't make sense. So what I think is going on with the Lovegoods, and what they are supposed to be, is just conspiracy theorists, who rightfully distrust their government, but took this distrust too far beyond common sense. It doesn't mean all they belive is false, they are actually correct often enough, but not always.

Now, I think, as I said, they have a good reason to distrust the ministry, they just took it a bit far. I actually have a bit of a headcanon about how Xenophilius came to the conclusion that they can't trust ministry.

My headcanon is that it has to do with Pandora's death. We don't really have any indication that Xenophilius believed in everything he did before her death. Neither do we know how exactly the spell killed Pandora. I think the ministry either hid information about Pandora's condition, used some spells she created in their books without giving her credit, or the ministry never sanctioned her spells (we know the ministry does approve spells, Hermione mentions as much in HBP). I'm not sure what exactly went with the ministry, but I headcanon Xenophilius has a personal reason related to Pandora to distrust them.

Loony Luna

We know Luna gets bullied. Her belongings get stolen, other students call her "Loony". And it isn't surprising she gets bullied. children are mean to anyone who is weird and different and Hogwarts has no anti-bullying measures. Literally none, the faculty doesn't care.

What is more interesting is Luna's outlook on her own bullying. It's the same optimistic acceptance of how she treats death.

“How come you’re not at the feast?” Harry asked. “Well, I’ve lost most of my possessions,” said Luna serenely. “People take them and hide them, you know. But as it’s the last night, I really do need them back, so I’ve been putting up signs.” She gestured toward the notice board, upon which, sure enough, she had pinned a list of all her missing books and clothes, with a plea for their return. An odd feeling rose in Harry — an emotion quite different from the anger and grief that had filled him since Sirius’s death. It was a few moments before he realized that he was feeling sorry for Luna. “How come people hide your stuff?” he asked her, frowning. “Oh . . . well . . .” She shrugged. “I think they think I’m a bit odd, you know. Some people call me ‘Loony’ Lovegood, actually.” Harry looked at her and the new feeling of pity intensified rather painfully. “That’s no reason for them to take your things,” he said flatly. “D’you want help finding them?” “Oh no,” she said, smiling at him. “They’ll come back, they always do in the end. It was just that I wanted to pack tonight. Anyway . . . why aren’t you at the feast?”

(OotP, 862-863)

Other Ravenclaws steal her things and hide them, they call her "Loony" and at no point is Luna angry or scared. She is calm and serene and she declines Harry's help because she believes it will all work out. It's the same outlook on death and sadness: "Everything will be fine, just keep your chin up and believe things will be good" That just really seems to be Luna's life philosophy. She faces every problem with optimism and serenity.

Instead of being concerned over her own situation, she actually goes a step further and ask how Harry is doing. Luna goes out of her way to brighten up other people's lives and help them see the good in situations like she can. She is really sweet.

“I enjoyed the meetings too,” said Luna serenely. “It was like having friends.” This was one of those uncomfortable things Luna often said and which made Harry feel a squirming mixture of pity and embarrassment.

(HBP, 138)

“Oh, it’s been all right,” said Luna. “A bit lonely without the D.A. Ginny’s been nice, though. She stopped two boys in our Transfiguration class calling me ‘Loony’ the other day —”

(HBP, 311)

These are two more examples of Luna's being bullied. She is lonely and didn't really have friends before the D.A. But just like with her missing things, while it makes her sad, she doesn't wallow in it. She looks at the good parts. The happy memories, the fact that Ginny defends her now. Honestly, it's a healthier coping mechanism than what we see with other characters, I'll give her that.

The other interesting note is how honest she is with all of it. She always says things exactly how she believes they are. She doesn't lie or hide information from people, even for their own comfort. I think this has to do with the distrust in the ministry her father and her share.

Essentially, she was raised being told how awful the ministry is for lying to everyone and how it's horrible they hide information from the wizarding world. I think this is part of why she is so honest and straightforward. She really sees hiding information and lying as awful things to do. And, I mean, she's a Ravenclaw for a reason, she likely believes information should be accessible to know and learn, not hidden in the bawls of the ministry. It's all part of her honesty.

Luna's Empathy

Luna is one of the more empathetic characters in the books. I mentioned before how she goes out of her way to encourage and comfort others, and here are some examples I picked up:

“Are you sure you don’t want me to help you look for your stuff?” he said. “Oh no,” said Luna. “No, I think I’ll just go down and have some pudding and wait for it all to turn up. . . . It always does in the end. . . . Well, have a nice holiday, Harry.” “Yeah . . . yeah, you too.” She walked away from him, and as he watched her go, he found that the terrible weight in his stomach seemed to have lessened slightly.

(OotP, 864)

Luna is the first person to make Harry feel better after Sirius' death, to tell him life goes on and actually convince him of it. She can empathize with people really weel and tell them what they need to hear.

He finally tracked her [Hermione] down as she emerged from a girls’ bathroom on the floor below. She was accompanied by Luna Lovegood, who was patting her vaguely on the back. “Oh, hello, Harry,” said Luna. “Did you know one of your eyebrows is bright yellow?” “Hi, Luna. Hermione, you left your stuff. . . .” He held out her books. “Oh yes,” said Hermione in a choked voice, taking her things and turning away quickly to hide the fact that she was wiping her eyes on her pencil case. “Thank you, Harry. Well, I’d better get going. . . .” And she hurried off, without giving Harry any time to offer words of comfort, though admittedly he could not think of any. “She’s a bit upset,” said Luna. “I thought at first it was Moaning Myrtle in there, but it turned out to be Hermione. She said something about that Ron Weasley. . . .”

(HBP, 310)

Even with Hermione, whom Luna tends to argue with most due to Hermione appearing closed-minded to Luna, when Luna hears crying her first instinct is to go help. And she actually seemed to have made Hermione feel better, she found the right things to say.

Her mention of Moaning Myrtle makes it sound like Luna knows the ghost well. My headcanon is that in Luna's first years, when she was lonely and had no friends, she sat and chatted with Myrtle, and they had a cute little lonely friendship.

“That’s right,” said Luna encouragingly, as if they were back in the Room of Requirement and this was simply spell practice for the D.A., “That’s right, Harry. . . come on think of something happy. . . .” “Something happy?” he said, his voice cracked. “We’re all still here,” she whispered, “we’re still fighting. Come on, now. . . .”

(DS, 548)

Encouraging Harry to cast a Patronus when they need one.

“I’m going to miss you, Mr. Ollivander,” said Luna, approaching the old man. “And I you, my dear,” said Ollivander, patting her on the shoulder. “You were an inexpressible comfort to me in that terrible place.”

(DH, 437)

And even comforting Ollivanders.

Luna just brings comfort to everyone she meets. Knowing what to say to make them feel better.

About her supposed seer-like abilities

As I said, I don't think Luna is a seer or anything like that. I think she's intelligent, open-minded, incredibly empathetic, has some extreme distrust in the ministry, and has an overall life philosophy of looking at the full half of the cup.

When I searched for scenes that had "extra-magical" potential I found only two:

The girl beside the window looked up. She had straggly, waist-length, dirty-blond hair, very pale eyebrows, and protuberant eyes that gave her a permanently surprised look. Harry knew at once why Neville had chosen to pass this compartment by. The girl gave off an aura of distinct dottiness. Perhaps it was the fact that she had stuck her wand behind her left ear for safekeeping, or that she had chosen to wear a necklace of butterbeer caps, or that she was reading a magazine upside down. Her eyes ranged over Neville and came to rest on Harry. She nodded. [...] The girl called Luna watched them over her upside-down magazine, which was called The Quibbler. She did not seem to need to blink as much as normal humans. She stared and stared at Harry, who had taken the seat opposite her and now wished he had not.

(OotP, 185)

I think this is more Luna being awkward because she never had friends more than anything. I think she is just honestly shocked and confused that Harry and Co. want to sit with her; of like, their free will, and not just to say mean things.

As much as Luna holds her head high, she is hurt by her bullies and loneliness, she just chooses to not internalize any of it and never stop to be herself. Honestly I really appreciate this aspect of Luna, I adore her ability to stay afloat.

The second scene:

He led a party of warlocks into the marquee as Luna rushed up. “Hello, Harry!” she said. “Er—my name’s Barny,” said Harry, flummoxed. “Oh, have you changed that too?” she asked brightly. “How did you know—?” “Oh, just your expression,” she said.

(DH, 123)

I don't think this is being a "seer" or anything like that. I believe this is an extension of Luna's intense empathy. She says she recognises Harry's expression. Also, she's smart and he acts around Ron the way he always does, Luna would be able to recognize it...

So, yeah, these are my thoughts about Luna.

[spectral-snippets-and-drabbles]

Schrodinger's Human: The Star Child

Halfa's aren't natural by any stretch of the imagination and they certainly were never supposed to come into existence. Yes, you could come come back as a zombie or a revenant, maybe even return as good as new or the complete opposite, but never truly return so... cleanly split.

Despite being the balance of both the living and the dead, Danny Phantom was never truly supposed to come to pass and was a happy accident, a one in an extremely rare umpteenth chance, rather than Danny Fenton dying in the unfortunate lab accident like in all the other timelines and multiverse.

Despite the truly miraculous odds of his survival, the young Halfling realized something was wrong somehow, when he awoke in the hospital. At first he thought it was because of the lab accident causing the scarring on his body and face that made people look away, but that wasn't it. It has been months and yet nobody looks his way.

Not once since the accident has his parents, sister, or his friends (or anyone, really) have looked him in the eyes. He just suspected that they must've felt guilty for getting him hurt...but then even his rouges seem to have always averted their gaze when they fight, so what gives!? Was the damage that severe? He likes to think he healed up pretty nicely with just a few prominent scars.

As Phantom, they weren't even visible! Then one day, he snapped after a particularly rough fight and demanded an answer, pinning the ghost and demanding, screaming, that they look him in his watery eyes.

"We can't! We physically can't look at you without adverting our gaze. Even the humans you call friends and family are unable to so much as look at you. We don't know why!"

It made Danny stop and think. Did...did he get a meta gene awoken from the lab accident? For his sanity, he deduces that it was some form of attention repellant power, that had to be it...right? After confronting his friends and family, they told them the same thing. At least the explanation was there. It made the pain bearable when he was around them.

Then the fight with Pariah Dark happened and everything went down hill from there (he just didn't know it yet).

It made Danny glad that the Ghost King couldn't see him properly (he stuck to the side with the eye patch) and continued his assault on the blind spots with gusto. It took a while but he eventually felled Dark and took the title of King of the Infinite Realms, much to his shock.

With the Ring of Rage and Crown in his possession, he returned to Amity Park exhausted, muttering to himself a desire before he let sleep take over.

"̸̙͐M̷̫̕a̶̯͗ỳ̸̲b̶̙͆e̵̳͋ ̸̹͆n̴̗̏ó̴͙w̸̖͂ ̵̢̀a̶̳͛ş̷̈́ ̴̡̒Ķ̵̊î̷̝n̸̻͌ĝ̷͕,̴̤̈́ ̵͓͗I̴͇͌ ̵̙͑c̸̣̀á̴̮n̷͕͝ ̴̫͐ơ̸̱r̷̮̆d̵̜͗e̷̲̊r̶̞͐ ̸̘̉g̵̖̈́h̵̝͊o̶̦̓s̷͎͂ț̷̂s̶̢̐ ̶̰̚t̵̠̐ỏ̵̺ ̷̘͋g̸̩̕o̷͉͝ ̵̣͋b̶̮͋ā̵̩c̸̨͆ǩ̵͍ ̴͙͘t̴͈͛ǫ̶͊ ̷͇̓ṱ̸̚h̴̞̀e̸̱͋ ̸͖͋R̸̲̀ë̸̪́ả̷̺l̸̙͝m̷̡͘s̶̢͒.̴̮̓.̵̤́.̸͖̈́ȁ̵̡t̸̖͂ ̵̺͐l̵̙͐e̴̢͘a̴͙͆s̶̔��t̶̢̔ ̷̭̑ú̸͇n̸��̗ť̷͖ǐ̷͜l̸͇̄ ̸̛̬I̶̺̾ ̶͔͂c̷̫̿a̸̟͊n̶̺̓ ̴̻͝f̶̦̒i̴̥͗ň̶̡i̸̡̊s̷̗̄h̶͖͐ ̵̝̒a̵̧̓ĺ̷̮l̷͍͐ ̶̤͠m̵̲̆y̷͎̐ ̸͙͌s̷̘͛c̵̯͋ḣ̵̖o̴͔͂o̶̫͝l̶͕͛ī̴̼n̴̝͋g̵͝ͅ ̷̨̿f̵̤͆ì̸͈r̸̥̆s̸̠̎ť̶̞,̶̧̑ ̸͈̅i̵̠͌n̴̻̉c̵̩̈́l̷̳͌ǘ̷̲d̵̟͂ĩ̸̳n̴͓͌g̴̪̈́ ̸̲̈c̸̗̿o̶̪͆l̴̤͋l̵̹͋ë̶͍́ä̸̼́g̷̼̑ủ̶̝e̷̩̿.̶͕̂.̸͈̾.̵͖͂I̴̞̽ ̵̣͘w̴̙͝i̵̯̚s̸̼̈h̸̦̉ ̸̟̓t̶̡͒h̵̨͊á̷̖t̵̛͕ ̷̨̿ĩ̴̡t̵̳̐.̷̫̄.̷͙̔.̶͎̃w̶̲͊a̶̳͝s̶̨̋ ̷̫̓t̴̜́h̵̢͌a̵̗͌ṯ̷̾.̵̠̕.̶̤́.̷͓̍ḛ̷̈́a̵̙͘s̷̭̔y̴͈͂.̵͉͂"̴̼̍

(Maybe now as King, I can order ghosts to go back to the Realms...at least until I can finish all my schooling first, including colleague...Yeah right...I wish that it...was that...easy.)

And like a true wish upon a star, it overidded all logic in the universe to the Boy King's whimsy. The ghosts left over night and all natural portals sealed themselves shut with no means to open themselves back up anytime soon.

And across the planet it vanished as well, stray pools of fermented ectoplasm, medicines that used it and even machinery powered by the stuff went missing, with the exception of the Fenton Ghost Zone Portal, that sealed it self with no means for anything to enter or exit.

The young Boy King's actions were far from subtle.

Many are now without their precious magic, Gods have llst their powers, the Speed Force had been stripped away, and Lanterns across all the emotional spectrum found themselves on their homeworlds with rings that failed to respond, their lights snuffed out. Two birds are now sound asleep, unable to open their eyes.

But before Nabu had been pulled out of his Helmet, he told his wearer one cruical message.

"The Source has been sealed away by a being powerful enough to possess all Sapient life in Multiverse, The Anti Life Equation has been unleashed."

[covenofwives]

Interrogations

Dream knew DreamXD would come for him eventually after his stunt in the End. He didn't expect that XD would be so serious about demanding answers. Or expect for far XD would go to get them.

WOOOOOOO!!! Next part of the AU baby lets go! And perfect timing for this :D since people are making theories. Sadly this fic won't answer any but it has a lot of ticklings. And it takes place right after Dandelion Kisses.

Warnings for this fic: Intense tickling. Like it's called interrogations, it is very heavily a tickle torture fic. Dream is fine and safe but be careful when reading. Also warning for feet nibbles in this fic. It's not a lot or in great detail but feet nibbles do happen and I know that can make people uncomfortable. Again pls be careful when reading, don't push yourself to read something if it makes you uncomfortable.

Thank you and pls enjoy!

---

Dream was still pulling dandelions and grass out of his hair by the time he and George had finished lunch. He’d left them in, as some sort of whimsy reminder of the day, but a few too many started tickling at his ears and he was pulling them out now.

George had left to meet with Sapnap. He didn’t know when he’d be back, but he promised not to mention anything about Dream. It wasn’t the right time and while George didn’t agree, Dream knew he wouldn’t break his trust.

Now all that was left was to figure out what to do for the rest of the day. Dream taunted with the idea of going out. He could cover himself up and walk around the SMP, not interact with anyone even though his whole being burned to. He wanted to know what was happening, to catch up with everyone. He had to visit Techno sometime and see where the piglin stood exactly. He had to get to the next part in his plans with Punz.

Punz…huh.

Dream hadn’t thought of Punz since their last meeting. Everything had been crazy and it felt like he never got time to think and sort everything out. Now Dream thought of Punz and a million questions popped in his head.

Where was the blonde bounty hunter now? They had a meeting plan in the snow and then that was it. It was supposed to be planned out from there but then Punz had vanished. He handed Dream those weird Ender Pearls and then he’d left. Dream was too excited with the new plan to really think properly. He should have sought Punz out, or at least planned a better way to contact him.

Maybe that could be the next plan. And George could help. A small list formed in Dream’s head while he walked from the kitchen to the main room then a sudden familiar pop sound filled the air, and Dream stood looking at DreamXD.

The God looked better than the last Dream had seen him. The torn up bloodied imagine of his brother was replaced with this. His cloak was completely fixed and the blood was gone. Dream glanced down at XD’s arms, only seeing the top set hang over his cloak. He couldn’t see the damaged one, and worried if it was still torn, bloody and limp. But he forced himself to look up, get his thoughts away from it.

If XD was here, there’s only one conclusion Dream’s mind leapt to.

He’s going to put me back in the prison!

Adrenaline coursed through Dream’s veins for survival. His legs screamed at him to run and he nearly did when XD rose up his arm. He thought it was coming to grab at him, but XD held up his palm like he was trying to sooth a wild animal and he spoke.

“I’m not taking you back to the prison. I’m not here for that.” XD’s voice rumbled behind the mask. That mask was once comforting to look at and now it filled Dream with anxiety. When the mask was on it wasn’t his brother speaking to him. It was the God of the server.

XD lowered his hand slowly and spoke again. “You are not going back there. But I need to talk to you.”

Dream’s heart thumped uncomfortably in his chest. He had practiced what he’d say to XD over and over again in his head but now given the chance his memory failed him. He opened his mouth and was cut off.

“How did you get to the End?”

Any hope Dream let himself had fell. So it wasn’t to talk, it was to get answers. Not a conversation Dream wanted but it was something.

“W-We…” Dream cleared his throat when he realised how hoarse his voice sounded. “I found a stronghold where the portal frames weren’t destroyed.”

“How?” XD asked suddenly.

A bead of sweat rolled down Dream’s neck. He wished he had his mask on to hide. It seemed unfair XD got to hide while he was forced to face this head on. “I just...searched for it. Went to stronghold after stronghold until I found it.”

“You? Not you and George?”

“No!” Dream quickly shook his head. “No. It was me. All me.”

“You…” XD repeated the word slowly. “So you went out and searched for the stronghold yourself, found it and then went back and got George?”

Dream realised his fuck up before XD finished his sentence. That wouldn’t make any sense time wise considering Dream and George travelled for a month.

“No I… I knew the area where to search. I got George and brought him with me while we went to the stronghold.”

XD hummed and Dream realised he didn’t make a whole lot of sense. His mind cursed himself. How could he be so calm and cool speaking to everyone else, but as soon as he had to talk to his brother it felt like his mind was mush and his mouth was full of cotton.

XD was silent for a long while before he spoke again. “How did you open the portal?”

A thousand lies ran through Dream’s head but before he could say anything XD cut in. “Do not lie to me about this Dream.”

Dream wanted to act in offence, but it wasn’t like XD was wrong. “I… I used those ender pearls. The ones in the portal frames.”

XD nodded slowly. “And where did you get them?”

Dream controlled his breathing. “I… I found them.”

“No you didn’t.” XD voice was harsher. “Where did you get them?”

“I made them.” It was partly a panicked response, but XD’s head tilted and Dream couldn’t tell if it was in consideration or not.

“Really?” The voice was dripping in sarcasm. He did not believe it. “How do you make them?”

Dream pursed his lips. Caught.

“Right. So. How did you get them?”

“I… I just found them. I swear-”

“Did someone give them to you?”

Dream thought he controlled his face enough to not let it slip away, but without his mask he didn’t have that assurance. Seems like his expression wasn’t controlled enough as XD quickly asked. “Who gave them to you?”

There was no point lying again, but if Dream told then Punz was in trouble. Probably worse than trouble. Punz would  be dead. “N-No-one! I found them. I knew you needed something for the portals and they fit.”

“Did this person also tell you where the stronghold was?”

His face clearly made a tell again because XD nodded. “Okay. So they’re the same person. Who is it?”

“I… It - N-No-one. It was all me.”

XD sighed. A sigh that was holding back frustration. “Dream, this is serious.” His voice was almost growling. “Whoever gave you those Eyes is dangerous. You could have been killed, or someone else might have followed you through. Or Dragon could have gotten out to the Overworld. So you need to tell me right now who gave them to you.”

Dream’s neck felt wet with sweat and his heart raced. He couldn’t sell out Punz no matter what. If XD was that mad at his own brother he couldn’t imagine the rage he’d have for someone unrelated to him. “No-one did…”

Dream’s voice wasn’t very believable, but he already knew XD didn’t believe him. He just had to outlast the God and show that he wasn’t budging.

Of course it was easier thinking that than actually doing it. Despite them being brothers, XD was terrifying and while Dream was sure XD would never hurt him, the aura from the God was…unsettling.

XD moved suddenly and if Dream wasn’t so used to XD’s tells he would have been caught instantly. The God leapt from his position, arms out stretched to grab hold but Dream quickly ducked under them. He pushed himself off the floor and ran for the door but he didn’t even make it half way before he was caught.

XD’s upper arms caught around Dream’s waist. The blonde didn’t even have a chance to struggle before his wrists were captured and Dream was pulled up off the ground, his arms held up high above his head. He kicked out his legs, but even as his foot hit into XD’s shins, the God was unmoved.

Undetered by Dream’s actions, XD brought forward his lower set of arms. His hands poised on either side of Dream’s ribs before digging in. His claws scribbling through the tunic over the ticklish bones.

“Pffftt! W-Wait! Wahahahait!” Dream laughed instantly with no chance to steel himself from the tickling. Honestly this wasn’t what he was expecting at all.

The tickling hands crawled up to Dream’s armpits, drilling into the hollows before skittering their way down and kneading at Dream’s hips. The trapped mortal threw his head back in a boisterous laugh that caught him off guard. XD usually teased his tickly victims into a frenzy but there was none of that softness. XD went straight in for the kill. His fingers crawled around to Dream’s stomach and vibrated over the quivering belly, drawing the laugh up to near hysterics.

XD lessened his tickling only slightly to whisper into Dream’s ear. “This doesn’t stop until you tell me who gave them to you.”

Dream gasped between his helpless laughter. He’s going to tickle torture me to find out!

The realisation kicked Dream’s body into survival. He tried to wiggle, kick and worm his way out of XD’s hands but it was no use. XD didn’t budge and hands tickling didn’t falter in their attack. They moved down, switching between scribbling over Dream’s tummy and kneading over his hips. He never stayed in each spot for a set time, moving rapidly between them or sometimes he’d give one more attention than the other. It kept Dream’s nerves constantly on edge and crying out for mercy when he thought it should be over.

Tears prickled in the corner of Dream’s eyes when XD finally stopped. Their hands pulled back but the hands around Dream’s wrists still didn’t move while Dream took in gulp after gulp of air.

“Pl…Plehease… Stop…” Dream gasped.

“Who gave you the Eyes, Dream?” XD voice was cold as they asked.

“No-No-one! Please XD just listen to me-!”

Dream was moved. From being hoisted in the air he was then laying on the floor of the cottage. By the time he realised it he was still trapped. XD sat over his legs, facing away from Dream and down to his feet. Dream immediately knew what was coming. He tried to jump up and make a grab for the back of XD’s cloak but his hands were tied. Literally. He looked up above his head to see his wrists bound together with rope that grew from the floor. Like tan snakes they weaved around Dream’s wrists and tied into a tight knot.

He tried his hardest to pull on the ropes, but it was worthless. His attention was drawn back to XD as the God began to slowly pull off his brother’s socks.

“XD! Wait wait wait! WAHAIT! Plehease!”

His brother paid no attention, throwing off the socks without hesitation. Dream curled his toes and tired to cover one foot with the other, but XD simply grabbed his toes. His foot was stretched out and his sole attacked. XD’s terrible tickly claws scratched up and down his foot, not focusing on one spot but just making sure the whole area was tickled.

Dream threw his head back into a laugh, which became a scream when his other foot was grabbed in the same way. Stretched out and tickled beyond reason.

“PLEHEHEHEASE! PLEHEHEHEASE! MERCY! MERCIHIHIHIY!”

It was only a matter of time before those claws would hone in on his worst spot. His laugh came out in high pitched squeaks whenever those claws brushed along his arch. It was like they were sending warning shocks through his body, alighting his nerves while taunting him: this is what’s coming. This is what you’ll be dealing with.

“Tell me who gave you the Eyes. And this stops.” XD slowed his fingers, softly scratching over the balls of Dream’s feet and just under his toes. It still tickled madly, but his laughter was soft enough to hear XD’s words and speak.

“EHEHEX DEHEHEHE! Ple-ehehe-eHEAHAHASE! PLEASE! I-I cahahan’t breheheheathe!”

“You can speak just fine. Talk.” XD replied coldly, and his fingers went down, just ever so slightly, closer to Dream arch.

“NOHOHO! PLEHEHEHASE!” Dream screeched. He tried to arch his back as much as he could but couldn’t do much with XD on his legs. “I CAHAHAN’T! EheheHEHEehehex Deheheheheh! Plehehehease!”

“That’s not an answer.”

With that XD’s nails went down, directly over the arches of Dream’s sensitive feet and scribbled.

Dream’s laughs came out in mix of silent screams and sudden bouts of hysterics. He wiggled, turned and kicked out any part of his body he could move. He couldn’t speak or form words, or at least not consciously anyway. His mind was overtaken by the shocks of ticklish energy. Numbing his thoughts and overriding every sense in his body to just feel the tickling.

He barely even noticed when two more arms sprouted from XD’s back. They pushed aside XD’s cloak, flexed their fingers before suddenly launching down and tickling into Dream’s tummy.

Dream didn’t think he could physically be tickled anymore than he already was, but it seems his nerves still had a ways to go. He could feel his mind slipping to the depths of insanity, forever feeling this endless tickling. It seeped into every thought of his mind, electrifying all of his nerves with no sign of rest.

The tickling must have stopped for a while but Dream was still laughing. Eventually his laughter died down to giggles and he noticed XD had moved off his legs. Not that it helped him in any way. His whole body felt like jelly, unmoving except for the few twitches he made. He could feel the tear streaks down his cheeks only because XD wiped them away. He was by Dream’s side now, wiping away the fallen tears with the back of his hand. The extra arms he sprouted were gone, but his mask remained on and his voice still cold when he spoke.

“Tell me who gave you the Eyes Dream and it’s over.”

Dream whined. “Pl…please XD…. I… I can’t….”

“Did they threaten you, Dream? Did they say something would happen to you if you told me? Or threaten George?”

It was the first time XD’s voice had gone soft through their whole conversation and Dream hated how much he leaned into it. He hated how his heart fluttered and yearned for that voice again, to hear XD be his brother.

“N-No…” Dream hesitated to say, and felt a cold sting when all softness from XD’s voice was gone.

“Then tell me who.”

Dream shut his eyes and shook his head. It was becoming unbearable to see that cold mask looking down at him. He heard XD sigh and then he moved. Dream’s nerves tingled with unknowing until he felt his tunic being pulled up over his tummy.

“N-NO!” Dream yelped, eyes shot open and he tried to curl up again.

XD was having none of it, easily stretching Dream out again and sitting on his legs. Now facing his stomach.

“PLEASE! XD!”

“I’m not playing games with you Dream. When you’re ready to tell me, this stops.”

He came down upon Dream’s stomach, who tensed up expecting raspberries blown across his skin. But it was not XD’s lips that touched his skin, it was XD’s fangs. The End God immediately began nibbling along the soft sensitive flesh and Dream lost it.

He screamed louder than he ever had. If he had any sense left to think he’d be thankful George’s cottage was in the middle of a forest. It must have sounded like he was being murdered.

Dream vision was overtaken with flashing colours, blinding white lights and spouts of darkness. His nerves felt alight with fire and electricity at the same time.

It felt like hours the tickling lasted for, but it was truly only a few seconds. Dream took in air like he had been drowning. His cheeks were wet with tears again and his hair clung to his sweat slicked skin.

The starry mask of XD was pushed up, revealing his lips set in a straight emotionless expression. Dream tried to plead again, but it came out in whimpers and XD spoke over him. “You cannot handle my fangs on your stomach. And that’s not even your worst spot.”

Dream cocked his eyebrow up in question. Or he tried to but he honestly wasn’t sure if it moved. His whole body felt like it wasn’t in his control.

“How are you going to last with those fangs on your worst spot?”

It look longer for Dream to connect the dots, and even then it didn’t fully click until XD moved himself off Dream’s legs and grabbed one of his ankles.

Dream wanted to jump away and fight with his full strength, but he was weak and his voice hoarse from all the laughing. He barely got his other leg up to kick before XD’s hand snapped on and held it down. His shouts for XD to stop came out more in a whimper.

“Plehehease! Plehehease plehehease dohohon’t! E-Ehehex Dehehe!”

“You know how to make it stop.” Was all XD said before the foot was raised up, and he opened his mouth for his terrifying fangs to grow long and sharper. They grazed across Dream’s arches, nibbling so softly and Dream screamed for as much as his lungs would allow.

His laughter came out in a mix of silence and screams. When his lungs could laugh no more his face was still an expression of hysterical laughter but no sound came out. When he got the smallest puff of air it wailed out his throat in pleading laugh-filled words.

“GREHEHEHEHEHEN! GREHEHEHEHEHEHEN!!! FUHUHUHUCKING STOHOHOHOP!”

The tickling did stop, but foot was held up to XD’s fangs. The God hesitated, having a silent debate with themselves and even if the tickling had stopped, Dream still felt no safer when he could feel the God’s breath over his foot.

He’s not going to stop!

Dream felt his chest tightening when XD slowly lowered his foot, calming him for a moment.

“You get a break, then this continues.”

Words had never felt so cold and terrifying. “Nohoho! Plehehease! You-You cahan’t!”

“I can, and I will. Until you’ve told me who gave you the Eyes, this doesn’t stop.”

“I-I can’t…” Dream blinked away tears in his eyes, unsure if they were from his tickling, or frustration. “I can’t tell you.”

“You have to, Dream.”

“You’ll… You’ll hurt them if I do…”

It was easier to read XD’s emotions with their lips shown. They pulled back, lips slightly parted in a silent gasp as they paused over the words. “I… I wouldn’t.” XD spoke after a moment to collect his thoughts.

“You will! You…” Dream rapidly blinked the tears from his eyes and looked up to XD. It probably wasn’t as impressive or serious as he wanted it to look. “You nearly threw me back in the prison, and I’m your own brother! You’d kill a stranger if they did the same thing!”

XD’s mouth fell open as though in shock, and Dream could only imagine it was a look of pain on their face. “I-I…” XD started then silently mouthed something. They looked down for a moment before bringing their face back up. “I would have… I would have never put you back in that prison. I… I misspoke.”

“You misspoke?! You said you’d have thrown me in the prison if you had the chance!”

“I wouldn’t have! I was…I was angry! I was terrified! Terrified I’d lost you. That I’d lose you!”

Despite how much his heart wanted to hold onto the pain and spitefulness, he could hear truth in his brother’s words. They had spent years together, learning one another's tells and XD wasn’t lying.

“That’s why I need you to tell me who gave them to you. If they know how to make them, or have some way to get them, they’re dangerous Dream. They nearly killed you.”

Dream’s head fell back in defeat. Of course, of course it wasn’t for Dream’s concern. It was to keep those stupid Eyes safe and out of everyone else’s hands. It was all to protect the End. Dream’s care was a second thought.

“I won’t hurt them, Dream. If it was one of your friends who gave them to you. I just want to speak with them.”

Part of Dream didn’t want to believe it, but he knew XD too well. The God wasn’t lying but doubt still prickled along Dream’s skin. It was hard to trust what he knew right now. His mind was still foggy from the tickles, and it was hard to think of XD showing mercy to anyone when it came to the End.

“You…you won’t hurt them?”

XD shook his head. “No.”

“Promise?”

“I promise you. I just want to talk to them.”

It was hard to believe, but the tickling of XD’s fangs along his feet were still coursing through him, lightly strumming his nerves with the memory. And he had a feeling XD wouldn’t show him mercy for his safeword again.

“P… Punz… It was Punz.”

XD’s reaction was a lot…less reactionary than Dream thought. The God seemed paused, like he hadn’t heard Dream and then he tilted his head. “Punz?”

“Y-Yes…?”

XD’s head tilted again, this time the other way. “Punz? Mercenary Punz? White hoodie wearing Punz?”

“Yes! How many Punz are there? That Punz, yes!”

XD leaned back ever so slightly, tilting his head up to the ceiling. He was still for a moment before looking back down to Dream. “You’re sure it was Punz who gave them to you?”

“Yes!” Dream huffed, frustrated.

“He didn’t give them to you from someone else? Did he make them?”

“He…well…” Dream pushed through the fog in his mind to think and remember. Punz had given him the Eyes but he hadn’t elaborated on how. When Dream went to ask, Punz had vanished. “I don’t know…” He admitted. “He gave them to me but I don’t know how he got them.”

XD paused again to think but after a moment his shoulders relaxed and his words came out softer, carried on a sigh. “Alright…”

Worry, dread and guilt pooled in Dream’s stomach. He’s sold out his friend over threats of tickling. “You won’t hurt him, right? You’re just talking.”

“I won’t hurt him, I promised.”

The ropes uncoiled from Dream’s wrists and disappeared. Dream hissed from the burn. His wrists were red and the skin was sensitive. He pulled his arms down, wincing slightly at the pain in his shoulder. XD must have let go of his ankles because he found his body curled up and then he was suddenly lifted into XD’s arms.

He didn’t fight the move, no matter how much Dream wanted to. This thoughts and feelings were still swirling around and confusing him. In his mind he wanted to still be angry at XD and scream at him for not listening, but his body just wanted to be coddled and wrapped up in XD’s cloak like he was a child again.

XD moved into George’s room and carefully placed his brother over the bed. Dream winced, when his wrists touched onto the sheets, but as he went to held them up they were gathered in XD’s hands. A tingling, ticklish feeling washed over Dream’s skin, and then the injury was healed and XD drew his hands away.

“You should sleep.” XD spoke. “Maybe get some water…”

Dream was tired, and his throat did feel scratchy from all the screaming. His body still felt weird, like the ghostly tickles were lingering on the edge, waiting to pounce him. Ghostly anticipation.

“Are you going to see Punz now?” Dream had to ask.

“Yes but…not to speak to him. Not yet. I’m going to try and find him and then decide what to do from there.”

Dream gave a silent sorry to Punz, wherever they were. XD promised not to harm them but he couldn’t help but feel he’d just gotten Punz locked into a future tickle torture session with his brother.

“Sleep.” XD said again and when Dream looked up he saw the God placing down a glass of water by the bedside table.

His throat cried out for water, but Dream ignored it and instead looked up to XD. “Will you be going then?”

“Soon…” XD nodded.

“Will you come back, or will you keep avoiding me?”

XD was taken aback by the question and even Dream was himself. He knew it was frustration but he couldn’t care less. He deserved to act a little petty.

“I’m not avoiding you…” XD sounded genuinely hurt which almost wavered Dream’s heart.

Almost.

“You haven’t spoken to me for a week, and the first time you do it’s to torture me to give up my friend.”

“This is serious Dream. If there are more Eyes out there or someone who can make them, it’s dangerous!”

“Then why didn’t you talk to me about it? Why didn’t you come sooner? Why did you make me wait and worry that each day would be the day you’d come back and drag me back to that prison?”

“I-I didn’t…” XD’s voice sounded hurt. “I needed to figure out what to say to you. I needed a plan for how to deal with everything.”

“Why do you need a plan for me?! Why can’t you just talk with me first?!  You’re my brother! We’re siblings, but you look for every excuse, every other way apart from just speaking to me! I’m your last resort to come to when you should have just spoken to me first!”

Tears flowed down Dream’s cheeks again and this time he didn’t have the tickling to blame. He never sobbed or cried though it welled up in his throat wanting to. Dream wouldn’t give XD that. He swallowed back his cries and shut his eyes.

He couldn’t hear XD move, but Dream just willed himself to believe the God had left. He kept telling himself that until he felt the hand run through his hair. It stopped at the base of his skull and scratched softly at his scalp. Dream couldn’t hold back the whine or gentle sigh that left him. He hated how easily he could relax in XD’s arms.

“I’m sorry, Dream.” XD’s voice sounded hoarse as well, like holding back a cry of their own. “I truly am. I don’t… I still don’t know what to do sometimes. I fear if I do one thing it’s not what you want, but then I end up doing the other and it hurts you still.”

Dream wanted to speak, but the scratching on his scalp made him too tired to think properly or form any words. He just felt the comfort of the mattress underneath him, the pillows under his head, and the warm blanket that suddenly covered him. Dream didn’t have to open his eyes to know it was green.

“I want to speak with you. Properly. I’ll speak with you soon. I promise. Sometime in the coming days…”

The words faded as did the rest of the world. The comforts and warmth all rolled into Dream as one, cradling him down into a soft gentle sleep.

His waking was not so soft. It was hand on his shoulder, rousing Dream from his slumber suddenly and George’s voice ringing in his ears. “Wake up! Dream!”

It took him a while to shake the sleep from his mind and blink himself awake. He felt groggy and unbearably thirsty. It was now night time. Candles were lit in the cottage to give it light and George was sat on the edge of their bed.

“Was XD here?” George asked frantically. “There’s a note left on the table from him. Was he here?”

Dream drank the water as George carried on. He was holding a note which he handed over when Dream asked for it. It was written in XD’s hand, though rather messily.

Dream. I meant what I said about speaking with you. I need to prepare things but in a couple of days I’d like to meet with you and we can discuss talking on fairer terms. If you ever need me before then, you can always find a way to the Glade and I’ll come to you.

Don’t worry about the prison. I’m taking care of that.

The last line cause Dream off guard. What did that mean? How was he taking care of the prison? XD never showed interest to the building, even when it had been Dream planning and organising it. He had waved it off as keeping neutrality then and even when it was Dream in it he sill refused to act.

What has changed his mind? Dream wondered. And what does he plan to do? What counts as ‘taking care of it’ to him.

“Dream!” George snapped, pulling Dream from his thoughts and reminded him he wasn’t alone. “What happened?”

It wasn’t an easily answered question, but it reminded Dream that George wasn’t here because of his meeting with Sapnap, and sparked a question.

“George! Did you go to the meeting? Was Punz there?”

“Punz?” George pulled and and raised one eyebrow. “Why you asking about him?”

“Was he?”

“No…well… That’s funny you should mention that, because Punz was supposed to be there but he never showed up. Sapnap seemed worried. Apparently Punz was helping with defences for the Kingdom a few days ago but he was acting off.”

Acting off? Dream thought. He wondered what would be considered acting off for Punz. The mercenary was a master manipulator, so it’s not like they’d be acting suspicious. But then Dream hadn’t given any plans out for dealing with Kinoko. He taunted about it to Sapnap of course but he had no plans at the moment for it. Especially not when George was so closely tied to it.

“Why are you asking about him?” George asked.

 “I… Well XD was here.”

“I knew it!” George climbed onto the bed. “It was so obvious! What did they say? They’re not…thinking of taking you to prison right?”

“No. I don’t… I don’t think so. But something did happen.”

“What?”

A blush flushed over Dream’s cheeks, but he cleared his throat and readied himself to explain. If Dream was going to go through with his plans, then he wanted George there by his side. And that meant telling him everything.

Dream sat up on the bed, faced George and began to explain.

[slashmagpie]

Blood & Snow

Pt. II

Directory: {Pt. I} {Pt. III} {Pt. IV} {Pt. V} {Pt. VI} {Pt. VII} {AO3}

Day two for @hermithorrorweek! TWs for this chapter include: minor gore, body horror*, temporary character death

II. ENVIRONMENT

Scar and Tango make an odd pair.

Catching them together is a study in contrasts: Scar’s light against Tango’s dark, Scar’s loud against Tango’s quiet, Scar’s whimsy against Tango’s sarcasm. The theme park owner brightly welcoming you to the happiest place on Hermitcraft, and the dungeon master presiding over a subterranean labyrinth of fear and pain. Scar’s hunger for diamonds, and Tango’s dismissal of them. Scar’s tendency to distraction, and Tango’s unwavering focus that had led him to spend the better part of thirteen months in a cave, despite all of Scar’s attempts to drag him out of it.

And Scar had tried! He’d even succeeded, a few times. More often, he would just hang around and bother Tango while he worked, rambling about Star Wars or Disney or trains or updates or whatever while Tango coated his frosty fingers with redstone and made the occasional comment. And whilst to an outside observer, Scar would come across as an annoyance as he gushed about flowers and Tango rolled his eyes and pulled faces, he knows that they were both enjoying themselves. As different as Scar and Tango seem, they’re still friends.

And as different as they both are, they still have one thing in common: their love for atmosphere.

Because it’s one thing to make a build: it’s another to make an environment. It’s all about movement, and sound, and all the little additions that make a static picture of blocks come alive. And Tango has truly and utterly knocked it out of the park this season—Decked Out is the most alive build Scar has ever seen.

…It’s, uh. Not usually quite as alive as this though.

That’s the only way Scar can think to describe it, as he pushes himself back against the wall, heart pounding in his chest louder and faster than the dungeon’s heartbeat echoes around the walls. Just out of sight, a ravager grumbles, having lost its snack, and Scar heaves as he attempts to catch his breath. His fingers are sticky with berry juice as he presses another to his mouth, grimacing at the sweet taste as it mingles with the blood in his mouth. 

Behind him, the stone wall seems to quiver as he presses himself into it, not quite as solid as it should be. I’m imagining things, he tells himself, reaching back with a red-stained hand to feel the rough ridges of deepslate beneath his fingers. He lets out a shaky breath and draws himself up. Right. Back to work. His artefact should be just around this corner.

He glances back towards where he’d left the ravager, ahead to where his compass is pointing, and takes off running towards it.

His lungs burn, and his legs ache, and his head spins as he dives forwards, but he manages to, by some miracle, avoid the ire of the ravager and make it to the alcove where his compass begins to spin wildly around. “Compass skills, perfect compass skills,” he mutters to himself, dropping the compass and hearing the click of a dispenser as it vanishes and an artefact appears in its place. Hypnotic Bandanna. “Oh, come on,” he cries as he picks it up. “Don’t you think I deserve more than that? Did you see my ravager skills? I could have died! And I didn’t! Tango!”

And then the dungeon does something it’s never done before: it laughs.

The sound startles Scar out of his skin, and he clutches the bandanna to his chest in panic as around him the walls shake, stone grating against stone and lava popping and bubbling and water splashing and the ravagers all groaning in time to create a cacophony that some way, somehow, sounds just like Tango’s laugh. 

Scar stands frozen until the sound dies down, staring with wide eyes. His mouth is dry. He swipes his tongue around his lips, clears his throat.

“Uh, Tango…?” he calls. “I think there’s something wrong with your dungeon.”

The dungeon sighs.

Its breath tickles the back of Scar’s neck, makes all his hairs stand on end. Nope! No thank you. Scar needs to get out of here. He needs to—

He takes off running, back the way he came, ducking past the ravager and surviving the resulting blow by the skin of his teeth and half a heart. He gasps for breath, shoving more berries into his mouth as he leaps over moving chains and makes a beeline for the stairs back up to level one. He makes it and takes a moment to stop and breathe, the soft light of the skulk twinkling around him.

“It’s fine,” he tells himself as he finishes the last of the berries. “You’re fine! It’s just—the dungeon. Same as normal. It’s just a normal—normal run, you’re gonna get out, it’ll be fine…”

The stairwell is, for a moment, eerily silent. Scar feels more acutely than usual that he is being watched. He draws in a breath—

“STUMBLE,” the dungeon announces.

—and lets out a squeak.

Okay. Probably a sign that he should get going. He can do this!

He presses the button at the top of the stairs and creeps out into the throne room of level one. Luckily, there are no ravagers here. Unluckily, the hazard door is closed. Okay, the long way it is.

His legs are cramping something awful as he races down the stairs. He takes a left out of the crypt and stops for a moment in the tunnel, breath rattling in his throat, reaching down to rub at the aching muscles. Normally, the fun of Decked Out outweighs the pain he knows it will cause him, but right now his fear is outweighing the fun and the pain is something awful. He needs to get out. Once he’s out, his wheelchair is waiting for him upstairs, and he won’t have to get up for the rest of the day—

He’s so focused on the pain that he doesn’t notice the ravager until it’s too late.

He falls, face-first, into powdered snow, letting out a strangled cry. It’s instinct more than anything else that pushes him up, that digs his fingers into the snow as he tries to escape—

As he blinks snow from his eyes he sees, where his hands have cleared the snow, revealing the ground beneath them, something pink and red. It shudders and pulses beneath his fingers, cold like ice, yet undeniably alive. Scar, without thinking, digs his fingers into the flesh.

The dungeon screams.

The stone and ice around him shakes, snow falls from the ceiling above him, and behind him the ravager lets out an agonised wail before stomping a heavy hoof down onto his back.

Scar screams too as his spine shatters and he sits straight up in bed, several hundred blocks above his own head.

[haveamagicalday]

My top ten reads of 2022

10. Into the Heartless Wood by Joanna Ruth Meyer

This is a unique retelling of The Little Mermaid. Here the mermaids are switched out with deadly forest sirens who harvest the soul’s of those they lure into the witch’s wood. Owen lives at the edge of the wood and one day he is shockingly saved by one of the sirens instead of killed by her. Owen and the siren grow close as an enchanted war threatens to boil over. I really enjoyed this dark fairy tale and loved the forest sirens lore.

9. Such Sharp Teeth by Rachel Harrison

After surviving an attack by a strange creature, Rory finds herself transforming in a frightening way and what follows is a journey of self discovery. This comedically dark love story is full of fun werewolf goodness!

8. House of Hunger by Alexis Henderson

Marion lives in a world where the wealthy consume human blood. In order to do so, they employ bloodmaids, esteemed servants who are treated with respect and given a hefty sum after their service ends. Marion jumps at the chance to become a bloodmaid for the House of Hunger and finds herself entranced with her employer, the beautiful countess Lisavet. But something sinister is happening within the house and Marion may be in danger. Creepy and gothic, this book was a perfect halloween read. I also thought it was interesting that Henderson didn’t go down the vampire route but created a strange world with another motive for drinking blood.

7. The House Across the Lake by Riley Sager

Sager has quickly become one of my favorite thriller authors. This book starts off with a tired trope; a widowed woman copes by drinking and secluding herself in her family’s lake house. Casey spends her days spying on her neighbors through binoculars. The couple across the lake seems perfect until Casey sees something she thinks she shouldn’t and shortly after, the wife vanishes. We’ve seen this before but Sager flips things upside down and takes it in a direction that hasn’t been seen before. It almost seems like he was trying to parody the trope in a way but it is not goofy or anything. This book was thrilling and fun with plenty of twists.

6. A Flicker in the Dark by Stacy Willingham

When Chloe was 12, girls started disappearing in her town and her father was arrested for it. Now an adult, Chloe works as a therapist and engaged to a wonderful man. Finally Chloe feels as if she has moved on from her past but then girls around her start to disappear again. This was a solid debut novel with a pretty surprising twist at the end.

5. Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing by Matthew Perry

Friends is my favorite show and Chandler my favorite character so I was stoked when this book was announced. Of course, Friends is not the focus of this book, Matthew’s history of addiction is. I’ve always admired his honesty when talking about his addiction in the past but wow was I not prepared for how much he went, and continues, to go through. Matthew is still in recovery for his addiction. He almost died in 2021 and started writing shortly after. This is not a look back on addiction and his triumphant recovery. This book IS his recovery. You can feel it through his words. This book was painful and bleak but also hopeful with a dry sense of humor sprinkled throughout. 

4. When We Lost Our Heads by Heather O’Neill 

This book is not for everybody but it was for me! This book follows the life of two friends, spoiled Marie and devilish Sadie, during the late 1800s. While Marie grows to inherit her father’s sugar empire, Sadie disappears into the gritty underworld of Montreal and within the working class a revolution is brewing. This is written with a strange whimsy that makes some of the darker aspects in it feel dreamlike. TW: Rape 

3. I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jeanette McCurdy

I’m the same age as Jeanette and was in high school when icarly first aired. I never considered myself a fan but looking back, I watched a lot of it and it was a genuinely funny show. McCurdy’s memoir is a honest, funny but also heartbreaking look into the world of a child actor that never wanted to be one. What she went through was horrible and her ability to write this book with such wit and grace is incredible. She’s a very talented writer and I’m glad she finally got to tell her story and pursue what I think is her real passion: writing,

2. Juniper and Thorn by Ava Reid

This was marketed as a Juniper Tree retelling but it really has nothing to do with the fairy tale. Marlinchen and her two older sisters live with their wizard father in a world where magic is a thing of the past as industry booms. As witches, the three sisters are used as a tourist trap to earn money. They are rarely allowed to leave their home and one night they sneak out to the ballet and Marlinchen falls in love with the talented leading hero. Marlinchen continues to disobey her father as dead bodies around town suddenly start to turn up. This book was eerie and wholly original. It was dark but in some of the best ways. TW: Gore and Sexual Assault

1. Nocturne by Alyssa Wees

This book as being marketed as a Beauty and the Beast retelling, I think it needs to be looked at as its own story. I'd say it's more of a Beauty and the Beast inspired story than a true retelling. The writing style is gorgeous. The imagery it conjures is both dreamlike and haunting. Our main character Grace has lived a tragic but fascinating life. The flashbacks of a childhood during the Great Depression mixed into a strange fairytale setting was one of my favorite aspects of the book. The combination of fantasy and historical is always a genre I like and I thought this was very well done. As for the plot, I don't want to give too much away but one thing that really resonating with me was the theme of death throughout. It comes up in many different and unsuspecting ways. I can't say too much but the outlook on death was a refreshing one that we don't see to often in media and it really made me think about life and morality. This book is for readers who enjoy dark fantasies and enchanting prose. And for any ballerinas out there as well!

[cilil]

Bollywood Challenge

𝐂ⱺ𝗂𐓣𝖼𝗂ᑯ𝖾𐓣𝖼𝖾𝗌 ⱺ𝖿 𝐅α𝗍𝖾

𖹭 Pairings: Eönwë x Mairon, Eönwë x Gothmog 𖹭 Synopsis: Sometimes Eönwë wonders if his life is just like Manwë's romance novels. Sometimes he even thinks the One may be laughing at him from above. 𖹭 4 1/3 drabbles | SWG archive

Eönwë remembers no other mission as vividly as this one, scouting the northern wastes for signs of Melkor and his creatures, when he was unexpectedly caught in a snowstorm and eventually fell, crashing into an icy mountain. 

He remembers cold, pain and then sudden warmth as his mind remained unconscious and his fána was held by something big and strong. 

He remembers being carried, his head resting comfortably against something broad and muscular, the faint presence of another, warm breath on his skin.

And at the end of it all he remembers waking up, not knowing who his rescuer was. 

~

Eönwë often recalls the first time he met Mairon, that talented, beautiful and utterly frightening Maia, working with the same precision and persistence as a bird of prey when it was hunting. He still knows how many times he found excuses to visit him in the forge and remembers his clumsy attempts at striking up conversations. 

Nevertheless, Mairon had seemed to enjoy his presence, to be amenable to any possible advances, to like him. 

Until the day he no longer did. 

Though at least Eönwë found out soon after what, or rather who, had forever stolen Mairon's favour from him. 

~

Eönwë remembers the time he chanced upon a servant of Melkor. 

Part of him hoped it was Mairon, part of him dreaded the possibility, but it wasn't him. 

It was another spirit of fire, one he had never seen on Almaren, one that had taken a giant, monstrous form of flame and shadow. 

Even so, something about this one suddenly felt familiar. 

Gothmog he was called, and he was the Lord of Balrogs, as his kin had come to be known.

Eönwë fled, yet somehow he's regretted it ever since, wondering what Gothmog might have had to say to him. 

~

Eönwë has been seeing Mairon in his dreams ever since that day when he finally found him again. After everything was over, after his dark master had lost. 

In the end Mairon was the one who came to him, and Eönwë foolishly hoped it meant something. That he was truly sorry. That he would come back with him. That things would be alright and they could continue where they had left off all those years ago. 

But Mairon had merely wanted protection and absolution and vanished when Eönwë couldn't give it. 

Maybe that was truly all he ever wanted then. 

~

Eönwë remembers hearing the story of how Gothmog finally fell in Gondolin. To this day, he knows not why the Lord of Balrogs sought him out once, or what he meant to say. 

 ˚ ੈ✧̣̇·˖ 　˚ .　　　✶ ˚　　✦　. 　 ˚　.　　 . ★⋆. ࿐࿔　.  ˚　

Thanks for reading! ♡

taglist: @a-world-of-whimsy-5 @blauerregen @bluezenzennie @destinyeternity1 @edensrose

@elanna-elrondiel @eunoiaastralwings @i-did-not-mean-to @just-little-human @melkors-big-tits

@sauron-kraut @singleteapot @stormchaser819 @urwendii @wandererindreams

[astrxlfinale]

HC; Nature of his Intimacy.

Sweet and simple? Caelus by his nature is someone who wants to make the most of his experiences.

Being involved with someone is no different.

I've touched on it before, but relationship build up with him is high sporadic. It is heavily ship dependent, whether it's shared history, the nature of their encounters or just the way they find their brand of unity. As someone who truly needs to find the fire (as nebulous as that is) within someone, this is what truly encourages him to step beyond that divide, if something can truly be felt. Realizing the state of 'love' doesn't need to be the tipping point, rather, if there's just an essence of strong and adoring feelings that spin into the moment, that's more than enough.

Even within his actions can this same truth be found. He has a penchant of always ensuring someone is involved, that even if someone is shy, they can find a feeling of freedom as pre-conceived notions aptly get tossed out the window. A component of his intimacy lies in the intensity that flares in so many different ways. If there's one undeniable fact, from either his hands holding firm, or the pressure of his lips, the person in question will find themselves undeniably holding a sensation of being wanted.

Being lost within the whimsy they offer, grip so prominent you'd believe he's afraid they can vanish without a trace. Not to mention his penchant for savoring the instant of riling them up, letting daring plays (and this has it's own range) be a decisive note of the direction they take it.

He can personally incorporate being sexually active into his life with little issue. Caelus enjoys that measure of closeness, he has his interests, and in truth there's just something about leaving his partner blissfully breathless or just awakening that 'side' to them that leaves him feeling equally cherished. The frequency however plays upon whether someone is adventuring with him or not. He's one of the Nameless, scouring the stars, long voyages, a lot of them can come into the difficulty of nudging onto his and his partner's respective needs.

For some ships, there's the return, there's the abundance of energy that's coalesced over time as thoughts about them served as strength or spiked up his loneliness. Nights where he's come to think about them often, either in shared warmth or secretive fantasies if they never stepped upon such a plateau.

As for others where they can often travel with him? Shamelessness has a different way of blooming if the opportunities are just there. Caelus is someone forthright by nature, and I'm sure a lot of antics showed the veritable window on it's own. It's a whole different and excitable circumstance when there's an active relationship with him.

[ruvviks]

caleb 1 & 2, christian 4 & 5, glory 7 & 8, jackie 14 & 15 aaaand rex 17 & 18. <3

team alpha asks!

1) What’s their closet like? Do they have a lot of clothes or just a few staples?

caleb is a little business boy and his closet would be super organized but also it is literally just various shades of black and gray. all his suits are neatly lined up and there's a few piles of plain shirts, the most color he has at his disposal would be a dark red or blue or green. even his socks are boring :/ but at least he has the personality and the autistic whimsy to make up for it

2) Do they carry a water bottle? Does it have stickers on it?

caleb does carry a water bottle around but it's also a plain and boring one, one of those silver bottles that can also keep something warm in it if necessary. he has only one sticker on it and that's a little name tag so people know it's his bottle because he forgets it EVERYWHERE. people know that he's back from a field mission because his water bottle just keeps mysteriously popping up in seemingly random locations

4) Who do they main in mario kart?

christian has always and will always main yoshi. it's kind of a tradition at this point and if others don't let her pick yoshi she will become even more annoying in-game than she already is

5) What is the most used app in their phone?

christian would honestly rarely use their phone! they mostly use a computer at work or their own laptop because they prefer to look at a bigger screen :] when they Are using their phone it's usually to chat with friends, so whichever chat app would be most common in this universe (i say, as if it's not MY universe) would be the most used one :]

7) Would they enjoy being famous?

glory would NOT enjoy being famous at all. she joined CALAMITY to vanish entirely if anything, and she's living her best life like this. has never liked being in the spotlight and would hate to be put back into it after all the trouble she went through to basically disappear

8) What is their favorite piece of clothing they own?

glory has a very cool dark green mechanic jumpsuit with a bunch of patches on it and she loves it to bits! doesn't wear it in the hangar anymore since it's one of her favorite pieces nowadays and she doesn't wanna risk tearing it or getting it too dirty, but she will often wear it when not on duty :]

14) What is something ridiculous they’d impulse buy?

jackie would impulse buy anything if he's in the right mood for it honestly. it doesn't take much to convince him to buy something because he loves gathering random items to fill his room with :] he does have a lot of random "useful" kitchen supplies that he's never really used because turns out he doesn't actually know how to use them or they're just useless plastic things that don't really do anything LMAO

15) What does their desk space look like? Is it messy or organized?

oh it's a mess. jackie has entirely too many things and he leaves everything anywhere because it's an organized mess and moving anything out of sight will cause it to vanish from existence in his brain. and also nobody else is allowed to touch anything

17) Do they talk to themselves when they’re alone? When they’re with others?

rex doesn't say a lot unprompted to begin with, so he wouldn't talk to himself a lot. he Will however sometimes say something randomly out loud out of nowhere which always startles those around him which ALSO startles him in return because he wasn't expecting anyone to hear him

18) What do they want more than anything in the world?

honestly? rex really just wants to kiss caleb even if it's just once. he loves that man so fucking much and would die and kill and live for him all at once but like. well. they're both difficult and it will take a very long time for either of them to even admit their feelings to themselves so it's gonna take a while before he gets his kiss :(

[sailtomarina]

My friends think we’re dating

For the past few months, Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy had traipsed all over muggle London taking in its food scene from familiar Parisian cuisine to the pungent spices of takeout Indian, and even to American pizza that Draco simultaneously loved and hated for its greasiness. Theirs was the tentative start of a friendship between former enemies now coworkers. When the Malfoy heir expressed curiosity at her lunch one day, a plate of Pad Kee Mao, she discovered his appallingly limited palate, one accustomed to the whimsy of house elves and professional chefs. He laughed in disbelief at the idea of street food, and at first didn’t believe her that entire night markets existed for the pleasure of eating. So Hermione took it upon herself to introduce him a couple of times a week to something new—for his own personal growth, of course. The change in her schedule didn’t go unnoticed. “My friends think we’re dating.” Draco’s hand froze momentarily before resuming its movement towards the box of doughnuts between them. He carefully plucked a powdery white one from the side and considered the dark red ooze at its tip before taking a small bite of the confection. How he could gracefully eat a powdered jelly doughnut without a single spot or smear afterward, Hermione could not for the life of her figure out. “Is that a problem?” Cool grey eyes probed into hers after he finished his last, impeccable bite. “Isn’t it for you? Putting aside the fact that we’re just friends and you don’t even like me like that.” Her words trailed off near the end, and she picked up her coffee mug to nervously sip at the now lukewarm beverage. She grimaced at the bitterness of the over-extracted beans. Draco smirked at her reaction and placed a few packets of creamer in front of her. “This is why I suggested we get our coffee elsewhere, Granger. Everyone knows the coffee at doughnut shops is absolute shite.” He tilted his head as he watched her tear open and pour a couple into her mug before continuing. “And what if I do like you like that?” Thunk. Creamy brown liquid sloshed over the rim and she cursed as she fluttered around for napkins to clean up the spill. “Don’t tease me like that, Malfoy!” “I promise you, I’ve never been more serious. I do. Like you like that.” With a wordless wave of his hand, the mess on the table vanished. He then reached across and threaded his fingers with hers. Hermione stared at their hands before taking a deep breath to somehow steady the pulse threatening to beat right out of her chest. A chuckle coupled with his thumb rubbing a warm trail across her knuckles left her breathless in anticipation. He let go of her and before she could protest, he picked up her sad excuse of a coffee and drained it all. “I thought these meet-ups were purely educational? Just a step towards your muggle knowledge? Also, why did you drink my coffee?” She waved her hands first at the pastel pink box and coffee mug, voice far more shrill than she’d like to admit. “Yes, I do appreciate these forays into the muggle food scene, but there is and has always been an ulterior motive, Hermione.” The switch to her given name had her gaping in the most adorable manner, and he couldn’t resist his follow-up question, one he’d been waiting to ask but now felt appropriate given her friends’ meddling. “Would you date me? And hopefully not long after, allow me to court you?” “I—I suppose that would be—yes, I’d like to—” without even waiting for her to finish, he swept her up with him as he stood, shrunk the rest of the doughnuts in their box to place in his pocket, and made for the exit. “Excellent. There’s a lovely little coffee shop we can go to wash out this swill.” His hand grasped hers tightly, but his pace measured a gait to match her smaller one. “What, so now you’re educating me on muggle coffee?” She had recovered her composure enough to tease him with a light nudge to his elbow, and he cast an appreciate grin down at her before wrapping an arm tightly around her at the apparition point. “Yes, and on so much more.” ---

Note: I absolutely suck at brevity. I know Drabbles are supposed to be short, but I find it nearly impossible to keep my scenes sub-500, much less 100. Practice makes perfect?

[wren-kitchens]

@whimsy-biome HFMDH YAY dredge has to be one of my favourite games ever it’s so <333

anyway i’m kind of obsessed with the timeline of this KHFKDHJ mostly because i’ve managed to squish two of my favourite things together: dredge and empires s1 LNFLDN

this does have like. hints? of dredge spoilers, just in case you don’t wanna spoil anything at all. nothing is a 1:1 ratio though, I mostly took half the dredge plot and warped it a little HLFDN (under the cut ooo)

everything basically starts at the rapture in what used to be mazelea. joel has just watched his whole life’s work crumble to the ground, and now his wife and best friend have both vanished, and the oceans are almost gone completely. he’s.. a little desperate, in all honesty, and is willing to do anything to get his old life back.

so, he makes the trek to crystal cliffs and manages to find gem before she leaves for somewhere better than the hellscape that their kingdoms have become. joel begs for her to help him, to do anything that might bring back jimmy and lizzie, and she reluctantly agrees to make him a spell that would bring them back.

gem comes to him, frantic, with the spell written in an old grimoire of hers, and tells him that joel can bring jimmy and lizzie back with it. she tells him though, that to bring two deities back into the world would have an enormous cost. something like the rapture, but amplified by thousands. the world would become uninhabitable.

they both agree that there is no way the spell could ever be used, and they cast it out to sea in the hopes that it’d be lost forever

and it was! for a time

the thing about minecraft worlds is that, once the landscape has changed enough and all old builds are reduced to ruin, they get reused. after all, it’s a lot more efficient to reuse worlds than to create a new one every single time someone wants, when there are thousands of worlds that haven’t been touched in centuries!

not to mention, whilst players’ memories and bodies may change from world to world, their code stays exactly the same. now generally this is fine, but when your code has been corrupted by something—let’s say a rapture—the word does not take kindly to that. I mean, why did you think s8 ended so forcefully? gem and pearl, of course.

after the hermits realised what their code had done to the world, they removed the aspect of the rapture from their codes. unfortunately, this also removed some of their memories from after the rapture. which also includes gem’s memories of the spell and the book. i’m sure this will have zero negative consequences at all!

so, whether it be coincidence or incredible misfortune, the world for season ten of hermitcraft just so happens to be the same world that season one of empires smp inhabited. which means the book is still there

and the book would very much like to be used.

[sweetmorningdew]

I feel like talking about brownies!

These pint-sized house fairies have woven their way into the fabric of Celtic mythology, leaving behind a trail of delightful stories and enchanting traditions.

The origins of brownies can be traced back to ancient Scotland, where they were believed to be helpful spirits dwelling in homes and farms. The name "brownie" is thought to have derived from the Old English word "brounie," meaning "small or dusky brown creature." In appearance, brownies are often depicted as small, humanoid beings with wrinkled faces, adorned in earth-toned clothing.

Legend has it that brownies possess a mysterious and beguiling power - the ability to complete household chores under the cloak of darkness. While humans slumbered, these mischievous creatures would tidy up, mend clothing, and even assist with baking. However, there was a catch: brownies despised being watched or rewarded for their work. If caught, they would vanish forever, leaving behind only a faint whisper of their magical presence.

One beloved tale recounts the story of a weary farmer who found himself struggling to keep up with his never-ending tasks. Late one night, he decided to place a small bowl of cream and a handful of oats by the hearth, hoping to entice the fabled brownies of the land. To his astonishment, the next morning, his chores were completed, and a faint voice echoed through the air, saying, "Wee folk are pleased, so reward we shall not take."

Brownies were not just known for their helpful nature; they were also protectors of households and guardians of children. Stories are told of brownies who would watch over sleeping babes, ensuring they were safe from harm. Mothers would leave out gifts of milk or honey as tokens of gratitude, entrusting their little ones to the care of these mystical creatures.

Interestingly, the concept of house fairies similar to brownies can be found in various cultures across the world. The Scottish brownie shares similarities with the English hobgoblin, the German kobold, and the Scandinavian tomte. It seems that the importance of these tiny, benevolent spirits transcends borders and connects humanity through a shared fascination with the magical and the unseen.

While today, the belief in brownies may have become less prominent, their presence lingers in our hearts and minds. They remind us to appreciate the small joys in life, to find the beauty in ordinary things, and to cherish the magic that can be found within our own homes.

So, the next time you find a mysteriously folded shirt or a sparklingly clean kitchen counter, remember to thank the invisible helpers who might just be the delightful brownies, dancing through the night and bringing a touch of whimsy to your cozy abode.

Sources: - Briggs, Katharine. "An Encyclopedia of Fairies". Pantheon Books, 1976. - Campbell, John Gregorson. "Superstitions of the Highlands and Islands of Scotland". James MacLehose and Sons, 1900. - McNeill, F. Marian. "The Silver Bough - Volume 4: A Calendar of Scottish National Festivals, Halloween to Yule". Stuart Titles Limited, 1995.

[battyaboutbooksreviews]

🦇 Divine Rivals Book Review 🦇

Find my review below.

❝ I think we all wear armor. I think those who don’t are fools, risking the pain of being wounded by the sharp edges of the world, over and over again. But if I’ve learned anything from those fools, it’s that to be vulnerable is a strength most of us fear. It takes courage to let down your armor, to welcome people to see you as you are. ❞

❓ #QOTD Have you ever had a pen pal OR what book do you want to read before the end of the year? ❓

❝ Perhaps it begins with one person. Someone you trust. You remove a piece of armor for them; you let the light stream in, even if it makes you wince. Perhaps that is how you learn to be soft yet strong, even in fear and uncertainty. One person, one piece of steel. ❞ 🦇 For centuries the gods have slept, only to drag mortals into their feud upon waking. After her brother leaves to fight, 18-year-old Iris Winnow strives to support herself and her mother. She'll need to win the columnist position at the Oath Gazette to do so. Only one problem: her rival, Roman Kitt, who seems to have everything handed to him. In her brother's absence, Iris drafts letters to him on her nan's old typewriter. After slipping them under her wardrobe door, they vanish―unknowingly, into the hands of Kitt. As they write back and forth to one another, they forge a connection stronger than any war. Can the kindled hope between them survive this world?

💜 The mingled scents of black tea and smeared ink, the clatter of an old typewriter, and the vulnerable longing left by loss. Add a dash of magic, wailing sirens, the echoes of bombs exploding...it all seems like a recipe for disaster, not an enemies-to-lovers romantasy novel, and yet, these key ingredients set Divine Rivals apart as one of the must-read novels of the year. Rebecca Ross has crafted a clever, enthralling love story that perfectly balances whimsy, fear, longing, and mystery with this deeply emotional, spellcasting first installment. The shared heartache for those they miss and lost unites Iris and Roman in ways they don't even realize from the start. The magic of their typewriters and the vague mythology behind the war mix well with the historical setting. It's the almost-lyrical, poetic prose of their love letters that is perhaps most striking. With each letter, they both shed a bit of the armor they hide behind, revealing scars and vulnerabilities underneath. What starts as an enemies-to-lovers romance full of sass, wit, and charm becomes so much more. By the last few chapters, this story will take grasp of your heart, seep into your bones, and trigger intense feelings of longing until the second novel is in your hands.

💜 Iris is a heroine you can stand behind and root for from the first page, but it's Roman who holds the cards in the first half of the novel. Watching him fall first (initially through the love letters), while struggling with guilt, grief, and his familial debt was a beautifully painful experience. I've experienced part of Iris' journey, falling for someone through pen and page; Ross captures that enamorment perfectly. For the most part, the story is more historical fiction than fantasy. The magic seeps into the roots of the story, adding bewitching elements without stealing from the star of the show: the growing feelings between Iris and Roman. They find love in the dark, a spark of happiness in moments of fear and despair. Iris experiences so much loss, only to gain a found family (also, sapphic ship alert!). I rarely, rarely say this, but this is the type of story I'd love to see on screen.

🦇 Since this is a slow-burn romance, the pacing does drag at times, especially in the first half. While Ross' choice to sprinkle hints of the mythology and magic throughout the story leaves readers to focus on the character development and romance, it does keep us entirely in the dark. Though the rivalry between the gods started centuries ago, it seems strange that there's little known about its origins. Even the snippets Roman finds (which paint Darce and Enva like Hades and Persephone) feel incomplete. The world-building holds us at arm's length from the fantasy side of the novel until the very end, causing the final chapter to feel nearly out of place. It seems the mythology was restricted only for the shock value of that final chapter.

🦇 Recommended to fans of VE Schwab, Sarah J Maas, Jennifer L Armentrout, Lore, and Fourth Wing.

✨ The Vibes ✨ 🖋️ Rivals to Lovers/Dual POV 💌 Found Family 🖋️ Love Letters/Witty Banter 💌 Historical Fiction/Fantasy/Romantasy 🖋️ War Setting 💌 Magic, Myths, and Gods 🖋️ He Falls First 💌 Slow Burn

[original-character-championship]

Bracket E Round 1

Poll 13

Archus “Archie” Dandelion (@one-bit-oat) vs. Alexander Woress & Axe (@azure-za-raid)

281. Archus “Archie” Dandelion (@one-bit-oat)

he/they             

An escapist science experiment turned anarchist against the government, this whimsy little demiboy chooses love over brooding because of *ahem* backstory. Also on a quest to reunite with his long-lost brother after 10 years, who was stolen away. Archie’s a bit stuck in the past, and for the worse when they meet again only to find said brother in possession of a troupe of friends and talented combat skills. Envy results, fueled by the creatures that hijack his darkest emotions to feed on them. But, he chooses love. To believe. To believe in himself, even when he inadvertently caused so much heartbreak for others. To believe he would be accepted back, even with his less-than-human qualities. He has the brightest smile to show for this,, warmer than the aching sands on a hot summer’s day.

More info can be found at:

Long, black hair just over the shoulders. Slender, androgyne build. Amber eyes, brimming with kindness and life. Frilly, sensual clothes.

282. Alexander Woress & Axe (@azure-za-raid)

He / Him for both

Alex and Axe are two characters that I’ve worked with for a good chunk of my life. It’s been a goal of mine to share them with people and get to see their stories unfold. Ever since getting into the world of writing, art, comic making, animation, and video game creation, I’ve always wanted to have my own character with their own unique adventure and story to tell.

To give some detail on who they are:

Alex is an amalgam hybrid from my series in the works, Hybrid Complex. After he begins a journey to find his brother, Anthony, who one day vanished he becomes involved in a long running mystery surrounding the disappearance of hybrids across the world.

Axe, on the other hand, is  a person with strong ties to Alex who is being pursued by a masked man for reasons he has yet to unveil.

The inspiration for both came from my deep interest in clone and alternate characters (think Sora and Roxas from Kingdom Hearts or the concept of Echo Fighters from Smash Bros.)

I would love for people to be able to get to know these two more

For Alex:

Alex is a tall and stocky teen being the largest person of his age group. He has short, messy, lilac hair that covers the top of his head and black hair on the bottom that is more prominent on the left side. He has a full beard that is lilac and tusk that protrude from his mouth. His left eyebrow is black while the right is lilac and his eyes have gold sclera and dark irises that contain white pupils. His horns swoop backward, point forwards and away from each other.  He has a long black tail that has an electrical, indigo energy pulsing from it. Alex has markings that can appear on his body when using magic that fluctuate from a dark blue to a bright indigo and take an appearance akin to lightning. Alex wears a two tone pink and black zip up hoodie that has a stripe that starts at his shoulder and ends about half his bicep. There is white stripe that intersects the first and it has pink compression cuffs. Underneath, he wears a t-shirt with a dark collar with matching cuffs and hem. He also wears dark sweatpants and gray boots with a dark heel counter with matching vamp, laces, and rim of the top and top of the tongue.

In his human form, Alex is an entire foot shorter and much lighter. His hair becomes much shorter on the sides and his eyes are normal with gold irises. Alex wears a blue short sleeve hoodie with a black and gray two tone long sleeve shirt underneath, dark sweatpants and sock, and shoes that match his hoodie.

Occasionally, Alex wears a brown tone messenger bag with a sketchbook connected to the side.

For Axe:

Axe has an uncannily similar appearance to Alex, even mistaken for Alex at some point (and vise versa). He bears the exact same size and height as Alex. Axe, however, has entirely black hair that appears reddish pink in certain lightings, he has a full beard with a longer goatee, and short tusks that protrude from his mouth. His eyes have black sclera with orange irises that contain white pupils. A notable feature on his face is that the helix of his ears, forehead, nose, and nose bridge have a darker coloration than the rest of his skin. He has horns that sweep backward and point forwards away from each other. He has a long, black tail that has an electrical, magenta energy that occasionally pulses to red. Axe has markings that can appear on his body when using magic that fluctuate from a dark red to a bright magenta and take an appearance akin to lightning.

Axe wears a red and black two tone collared hoodie with matching cargo sweatpants and grey and black boots that have a red lining.