#i *was* gonna do the background properly but i ran out of time and i just want it done at this point tbh

[last-flight-of-fancy]

Chapter two of Eviction Notice is up~

[seneon]

hello :3 for the "kiss me until my lips fall off" fanfic, can i request that you make a whole oneshot on the zipping dress part? no. 4 of the post. make it fluff and suggestive hehe. take your time and ty in advance!!

SILKY RIBBONS ──── touya todoroki × fem! reader.

about. he's the man you will always find to zip and tie every of your dresses. quirkless! au. very romantic. wc of 700+

notes. for @rueclfer ♡ this is liek one of my fav requests to write ever. apart of kiss me until my lips fall off.

no matter how formal or informal the occasion, you always wear dresses without fail. especially the silken backless ones with hundreds of strings and ribbons to tie.

with those endless loops that needed to be tied behind you, of course your fingers alone aren't enough for the knots. so you will always find one man and one man alone to lend a helping hand.

today was no different than the other times. there's a party hosted by your friends that you must attend. you're all dolled up beautifully, and as usual, you couldn't do everything by yourself.

you came into the living room where your boyfriend touya is sunken in the soft couch, endlessly scrolling through his phone. his eyes left the screen upon hearing your door knob twist and you walked out.

touya could feel the corner of his lips turning into a tiny smirk at the sight of you in your new black dress that serves as a gift for you from touya himself. he knew you fancied dresses of these kind, and he simply felt the need to get you more and more of them just to see them embrace you.

the instagram reel he was watching kept playing softly in the background as he admired you from head to toe. touya is lying if he tells you his gaze wasn't exactly just the gaze of admiration. it had a hint of leering in them. his turquoise eyes just couldn't leave you in that pretty dress he has gotten for you.

“need help with the ribbons, baby?” the man finally turned his phone off, lightly tossing it aside before he properly sits on the couch as you hummed in response and turned your back to him.

“this dress is so pretty,” you said as you felt his hands resting on your hips, pulling you closer so you now stand between his legs.

“i knew you'd love it. i have immaculate taste, it seems,” his fingers moved to take hold of the ribbons on each side.

touya already knows how all these ribbons, strings and zips work from the amount of times he has to help you with your finishing touches for each different night.

“touya, you know i love every dress you buy for me, right?”

“mhm.”

“why are they all expensive and backless?”

your question elicited a chuckle from your boyfriend before he tightens the first ribbon of your dress. his fingers wrapped around the second ribbon, playing with it a little bit to feel the luxury that drips along the black silk.

“can’t ever go wrong with spoiling my pretty girl, can i?” he ceases the ribbon grazes before lining them out neatly. his fingers are full of perfected skills as usual— working so swiftly to tie the straps that ran across your back into perfect ribbons.

“besides… you look absolutely gorgeous in backless dresses. it's a shame you don't wear them only for me.”

as he uttered those words out, you felt touya pressing his lips on your bare back just below the second ribbon which he already finished tying. his palms held your hip in place before he continued to pepper kisses onto your lower back where the last round of straps hang loose, ready to be tied.

“touya, you're gonna make me late,” you whispered softly, delving in the way his lips were so gentle yet they mean so much more than he portrays.

your words put a pause to his kissing as he pulled away with a sigh, his breath fanned over the skin of your back.

“just wanna appreciate you in this…” touya murmured under his breath and finally decided to tie the last ribbon before his hands spun you around to face him.

“all done baby,” his arms moved to wrap your hips, his eyes gazing right into your own. “you’re so fucking pretty..”

a smile surfaced across your lips as you looked down at him who held onto you like a child. your fingers moved to cup touya's cheeks, thumb immediately moving to caress them in cloud-like touch.

“thank you, my love.”

in response to that, the man simply kissed your stomach, standing up to capture your lips in a kiss. however, he knew you already did your makeup, so he did not indulge in the kiss as much as he wanted to, for touya knew he wouldn't stop the moment he started.

“i’ll pick you up once you're done partying, yeah? have fun there. and.. i’ll be the one who undresses you tonight since i’m the one who got you this dress.”

every ribbons has to come undone, including your own ribbon that touya just simply knows how to untie.

© SENEON 2024 ♱ do not repost, alter, or translate.

[sailor-lunala]

yin nezha for ashes and rust (tpw pokemon au)

(i spent embarrassingly long on this but he looks SO fine so it was worth it. also i am veryyy sorry to both my ancestors and my chinese teacher for how terribly i wrote my characters, i really did try my best but stroke order and i do not get along - but it's nezha's name and all of his team members w/ their chinese names! pokemon names in chinese are kinda goofy tbh.)

anyways this fic is my child and you all should read it thank u <33 (it's basically just a rinezha pokemon au!)

...does anybody wanna hear about all of the details of the sinegard uniform for this au. no? maybe? perhaps under the cut? 👀

they have a casual uniform and a formal one, both are very much pictured in my head and in the fic's pinterest board but i doubt i'm gonna get a chance to draw them both properly

the casual one is more athletic-esque? think collared shirt, sweatpant-looking things, cute colorblock type sporty jacket. i can def picture it and i like it a lot. bc pokemon battling is a sport so it kinda makes sense to be sporty?

this is the formal uniform, obviously. suit jacket and tie with school colors and all that.

he has red chinese style buttons (like the silk buttons on a qipao?) on the collar for pledging combat (shoutout to the person who told me the combat armband was red when i asked because i forgot, this is why i needed to know)

the tassel w/ the dragon is a yin thing (they're pretentious af, what's new)

this was supposed to be nezha during the final battle of chapter 1 but i ran out of time (patience) to draw his gyarados and a background and all of that full scene stuff so... you can imagine ig?? but he (and everyone else) wears the formal uniform for the final graduation tournament

fun easter egg: he ranked 3rd in his graduating class

because kitay was 1st and rin was 2nd (obviously), kitay has the best grades and rin beat him in the final tournament so. oops. sorry nezha!

i really wanna (and should) draw rin like this but... idk i don't think it's gonna happen bc this one took SO long and i should probably prioritize actually writing chapter 5 and finishing the fic itself. oops. but maybe one day!! i really do want to!!

[gallus-rising]

mp100 horror fic recs 👻🎃

For a while now I've been thinking about mp100's amazing horror potential and how it really doesn't get enough attention. SO! For the spooky season why don't you settle down with a nice scary story ;D

All of these fics are complete and have no shipping. I've only linked 1 fic per author so this list doesn't get bloated, but all of these wonderful authors have other fics just waiting for you to read them ❤ Some definitely freaked me out more than others, but I'm not gonna give any particular ratings since "scary" is so subjective. All fics are properly tagged and you know your own limits better than I do.

Also feel free to add on your own recs!! My general reading preferences and parameters when making this list is only a small sampling, so please share any and all of your favs ❤ Hope you enjoy!

If you see an "N/A" instead of a Tumblr UN that means there wasn't one linked in either the fics' notes or author's bio. If you know the author or are the author yourself feel free to let me know so I can edit the post :] And now in no particular order I present:

The Immeasurable Dark: @tinkertoysdamn Immediately breaking my own "no ships" rule just this once because I can't resist a good House of Leaves inspired story! If you've read HoL is you know what's up. If not expect a fucked-up house and impossibly large spaces, funky text formatting and footnotes, maybe a minotaur. Ship featured is background established serirei.

a pilgrimage: @tooomuchtofu Divine Tree arc bad ending. Told from the PoV of an unnamed worshiper on their first visit to "the capital" aka an overgrown Seasoning City. Uses second person pov wonderfully to build the dread.

And Who Is Killing Me?: @sammisafetypin Koyama beats the shit outta Mob a little harder than in canon, hospitalizing him and delaying the 7th Division rescue arc by [TIME NOT FOUND]. The Awakening Lab kids are so minor I tend to forget they even exist, but oh my god does this author make you care about them! This fic is written with great suddenly swapping PoVs that keep you feeling off kilter without making you lose track of the story. It's the longest fic on this list by far but 100% worth every second of it. A real gut punch.

Adoration: (N/A) The Divine Tree takes a particular interest in Reigen. I don't think I've ever seen anyone properly touch on how creepy the Psycho Helm constructs themselves are like this fic has. God, those things freak me out so much. Features "shipping" in the sense of a sentient broccoli becoming fixated on a guy. Keep in mind that the Psycho Helms look like Mob if you think that'll squick you out, but for me personally it added to the horror.

Similarities: (N/A) Reigen receives a fucked up email. Ends on the sillier side, but BOY is that email fucked up!

The Water Ran Clean: @bandtrees A Mogami-mentors-Mob AU and a damn fine one at that. Love the sort of fragmented style it's written in, and the exploration of Mogami's fucked up moral code is great. There's some Choice viscerally described imagery here 👌👌 Features a drawing of Mob covered in blood just in case that freaks you out; but worry, it's not his :]

An Outlier Among a Sea of Common Denominators: @hebezunet A rewrite of the early Divine Tree arc that asks the question we've all been too scared to consider: What if the brainwashing was like cordyceps? In particular I want to highlight the opening scene where after eating the broccoli powder cookies Teru has to physically rip florets out of his body to resist being brainwashed. Very gnarly stuff.

Prison Surveillance: (N/A) Touichirou was a very bad boss so Hatori pulls a The Ring to torment him in Psychic Supermax Prison. Was written pre-season 3 so Hatori doesn't work for the government.

Stairs: (N/A) Reigen and Mob have a job in the woods. There are some stairs. Inspired by an r/nosleep story which the author links to if you'd like to check that out as well.

Fight, Flight, or Fraud: @cowardlybean So everyone's got a really specific supernatural fear, right? Something that could absolutely never happen in real life but when you see it in media it freaks you the fuck out? Mine is someone I know being killed and replaced by an evil doppelganger and I'm the only one who knows. I've not seen anything since The Magnus Archives that's properly captured that fear like this fic, which is some of the highest praise I can bestow.

In Quicksand: @ghoststrawberries Reigen catches a nasty cold and by that I mean he gets possessed. Very fun the way Reigen's train of thought and feeling shifts around as the evil spirit tries to influence him while he's unconsciously resisting it. The scene where the gang realizes Reigen's been possessed is a real "OOOOOH, SHIT!!!" moment, but I won't spoil ;D

Playing Human: (N/A) Espers and psychic powers might not be real but spirits are. Poor baby Mob is a ghost possessing his own dead body. Features Dimple as the bad guy.

Mithridatism: If I may be so self-indulgent to list one of my own fics here :3 Absorbing evil spirits while still alive was actively killing Mogami and I wanted to dig into that! Features my Signature™ (lol) "HEY, DON'T EAT THAT!!" style of body horror.

[w0nderhoyman]

ABSOLUTELY LONG AND PROBABLY STUPID THEORY ON THE MIZU5 ALERT!!!!!!!!

I AM NOT UPDATED ON THE STORIES SO FEEL FREE TO TELL ME!!!!!!! I WILL ADJUST AND FIX TO MATCH UP TO MY ABSOLUTE BEST!!!!!!!!!!!!!

LET ME THEORIZE ABOUT THE EVENT AND WHAT MIGHT HAPPEN

OKAY SO in the event title thing the niigo logo is breaking apart. people have been thinking that nightcord will kick mizuki out, disband, or whatever. BUT THEY HAVENT ACHIEVED THEIR GOAL OF HELPING MAFUYU GET BACK HER ABILITY TO FEEL PROPERLY. so i DONT think niigo will disband from her secret, BUT it might be more of "what Mizuki thinks will happen/is happening" after she tells their secret.

STILL TALKING ABOUT THE EVENT TITLE, the text starts to like fade and break down. i think mizuki is going to have a full on mental breakdown, considering her face in the card. also considering one of the letters makes a road of thorns, it's gonna be ROUGH for them.

STILL STILL TALKING ABOUT THE EVENT TITLE, there is a rooftop in the background. we see a rooftop in the bg of mizu's card. it's alllll gonna happen on the rooftop. AND. AND AND AND. You can see a pink butterfly (representing Mizuki) flying down, going down that road of thorns previously mentioned with a brown butterfly (representing Ena) going after her. i think this is gonna be ena somewhat to absolutely accepting mizuki for their secret, BUT mizuki was so scared of telling and overthought the whole thing that she ran away in fear. BECAUSE THAT IS NOT A FACE YOU MAKE WHEN SOMEONE DISAGREES WITH YOUR DECISIONS. THAT IS A THOUSAND YARD STARE. but with FEAR.

NOW GOING TO THE CARDS. The fact that Ena's 4* is named (something like) "In The Pained Twilight," i actually DO NOT KNOW WHAT THIS COULD MEAN. It could be that Ena is like "why didnt you tell me this before...?" but in SUCH A PAINED MANNER. I forgot what mizu's card is named but WHY IS KAITO HERE?? HE'S THE BLUNT ONE. HE HELPED MAFUYU AND SPAWNED IN FROM KANADE'S RESORTMENT TOWARDS MRS ASAHINA. SO WHY IS HE HERE.

anyways I FORGOT TO TALK ABOUT THE VA'S AND NAKISO'S WARNINGS. im gonna focus more on ENA'S VA because it has an IMPORTANT MESSAGE.

suzuki says "I hope this will be an opportunity to think about what it means to know and face another person." MIZUKI FANS WE NEED TO HOLD HANDS BECAUSE THIS DEFINITELY MEANS THERES GONNA BE A LOT OF EMOTION AND STUFF LET OUT. Ena is the one Mizuki is telling their secret to. Ena will LIKELY be faced by Mizuki, as in a kind of manner of Mizuki being so panicked and anxious that it feels like a stand-off of overwhelming fear of being unaccepted against the reality of Ena being accepting.

AND THEN AS WE KEEP READING DOWN SUZUKI'S TWEET SHE SAYS "We live in a world where we clash more than necessary in an attempt to make things black and white, but depending on the time and position a person has been in, even if they say or do the same thing, their feelings are different underneath. I want to remember this, both as a person and as an actor." OH THIS IS DEFINITELY TRANS. "In an attempt to make things black and white," as in "born boy, always a boy and born girl, always a girl" (probably) "... but depending on the time and position a person has been in..." Since Mizuki wanted to present feminine and her sister helped her out, she is now grateful because her sister helped her greatly, "even if they say or do the same thing," conforming to society, "say or do the same thing" as in follow what the crowd says (even though mizuki literally stands out at their school), "their feelings are different underneath." AS IN MIZUKI JUST WANTS TO BE A GIRL. PLEASE SUZUKI DONT DO THIS TO ME

and the fact that Mizu's VA cried after production and her voice acting definitely means Mizuki herself broke down in the story.

NAKISO. LETS TALK ABOUT NAKISO. TODAYS TOPIC. NAKISO. Their tweet was warning us about realities or whatever BUT THIS COULD MEAN A LOT OF THINGS:

- Ena facing Mizuki's reality of their secret, knowing what it is and how painful it was to even gather up the courage to spill it, after being motivated by seeing Mafuyu move forward

- Mizuki facing Ena's reality of either accepting or not accepting Mizuki's secret.

- Everyone (as in all of us) facing the reality of the dynamic between Mizuki and Ena and how that secret might change everything to our POV

OH MY HODHVAKADNANA

[kokushibosbestie]

I need to rant guys.

TW: self harm, SA, hatred, cursing, abuse, overall genuinely harsh words are being used

Im just gonna go right in because I don't feel like being vauge or fake rn. (I'm on my period and I feel like shit)

!!!Background information!!! So, when I was 4, my mom started dating this guy. I'll call him Frank. My mom had previously ran away from my dad with me (when I was 2) bc my biological dad was verbally abusive towards her. We'll call my bio dad Austin. I only have one picture of my bio dad and I never knew what he looked like before seeing that picture. I never got to talk to my dad, and if I did, I don't remember a single word. I was too little to understand. I loved his family though. I vividly remember playing with my grandma and aunt, and baking banana bread with my grandpa (on my bio dads side) but I didn't remember a single moment with him. So I feel like I have a missing part of me bc of that.

Anyway, my mom as very depressed after that and did her best to tale care of me properly. But I never got attention or love from her. She was always stuck to her phone. I began to hate even being in the same room as her and I was only 3. When I turned 4, I began going to pre-k. And that's when my mom started dating Frank. Frank was a really kind guy and always seemed calm. But I had a bad feeling about him. I didn't tell my mom because I felt uncomfortable about it, though. Over the next 2-3 years, Frank and I became closer and I enjoyed his presence because I had no one else to lean on. My mom got a job when I was in 1st grade and we moved into an apartment. (We had been living with my aunt on my moms side before).

!!!SA!!! That's when the sa started. He began to assault me when my mother was gone but told me it was normal. He said, quote "This is our little secret. Don't tell anyone or daddy's gonna get in trouble." (I viewed him as a father figure and he used that to his advantage) Nonetheless, what was I, a 5-6 year old girl going to do to a 26 year old man? So I stayed quiet. As I got older, I realized that this wasn't normal at all and it was bad. Of course, I was about 7 when I had this realization. He noticed that and started threatening me that if I told someone, he'd hurt my mom or the rest of my family. (I love my family with my whole heart and he knew that I'd do anything for them, even at such a young age, so he used that) I told him he could do anything he wanted to me as long as he didn't do anything to my mom or the rest of my (small) family.

The summer before 5th grade is when things went really downhill. He TOLD my mom he cheated on her, was contuously gaslighting the both of us, always said he was such a "good guy and people pleaser," but was probably the most toxic person you'd meet. The sweet act was completely gone. I hated him with ever atom and molecule that made me a living thing, but my mom STILL didn't know about what he'd done to me. He got physically violent (throwing things, yelling, screaming, almost hitting my mom, etc) and my mom called the cops. (Mind you, my mom works from home, customer service for a health company).

By the time 5th grade had ended, we had a restraining order against him and he moved out completely. (They broke up but I still hadn't told my mom anything)

I cried almost every night and went into deep depression because of this. Not because I missed him, but because I had still trusted him even after everything. I did love him and view him as a father figure at one point bc I never had one. So having that ripped away from me, as well as my grandpa who moved, my grandma who was having mental issues, my aunts who lived far away and no one else to turn to, I felt empty. My guilt built up until I ended up having a mental breakdown in FRONT of my mom (I always went somewhere private so I could have a mental breakdown and always hid them from my mom). I snapped and accendentally told her about what he'd done to me during all those year. (He sa'd me constantly, whenever he had the chance to). A court case began, blah blah blah same old stuff that ever child abuse court case would go through.

But, I started to self-harm (mostly my legs and hips). I kinda went into my emo faze and had no friends, and was constantly bullied bc of my emotionless facade. (Ex: like giyu, who has been my comfort character since day one bc of that). Really, I'm a loving and kind person who loves making others laugh. I like hanging out with friends. I smile a lot too.

Nonetheless, things started to slowly get better. But my mom is toxic now. She doesn't gaslight like frank did, but she still has a toxicity to her. I know this all has been just as hard on her as it has for me, but I sometimes wish shed just take into consideration how I feel or think.

I have ADHD, OCD, and depression. All of my classes are accelerated classes instead of normal and I get things done faster than other students. (I have an online schooling system now). My brain sometimes can't comprehend some things but will understand easily with others. Ive had a hard time talking or expressing things because of this. I was never a quiet little girl, and I'm still not one as a teenager. But it sucks to have to act like someone I'm not just to fit in. I have constant mood swings and I hate it.

Anyway, this isn't about me. So, my mom has a way of victimizing herself without really pulling the victim card? It's hard to explain with words. But she always leaves whoever she's talking to feeling guilty. She doesn't apologize for anything, she doesn't listen to me when I'm ranting (which I'm not picky about, but sometimes I need someone to talk to that isn't a toxic friend of mine), nor does she ever listen to me when I tell her what I want sometimes. I know that sounds bratty, but I swear it's not. I'll give you and example: she asked me if I wanted a new bedframe and entirely ignored me when I told her. Or when she asks me what I want for dinner and I respond, shell get something else even though she literally came into my room and ASKED me. Its the simple small things that piss me off. She's stubborn and has a hard time putting herself in others' shoes. And me, who's always been told that I'm just a doll with a pretty face and thick thighs that's supposed to be a silent housewife (I am NOT married, that's just something someone has actually said to me) or seggs toy for people to use and throw away as they please, I always try my best to consider how others might feel. Yeah, sometimes I do get a little unreasonable and say some bad things, but I always end up apologizing out of instinct. I apologize for the smallest things for no reason, yet my mom can't even say an "I'm sorry" for telling me I'm not understanding. All I've ever wanted was to make my mom and my family proud. I want them to be able to live their lives happily without worry. So It fucking hurts to hear that I'm not doing good in my moms eyes.

My mom always talks about changing and being a better person but never fucking does it. She always says her job is more important. Am I just genuinely not important to her anymore? Because I remember when I was in my darkest and lowest moments, it was my teachers who helped me. My mom didn't even bat an eye. But when she was at her lowest, struggling, I was always there for her, listening to her problems, helping her with everything, genuinely caring about her. And this is what I get back? I fucking hate my life because I can't even leave my room without hearing her complaints about "adult life." Well I don't give a fuck anymore. I tried too hard to be a good daughter and I never got anything back. I didn't even get a fucking thank you. And now I only have online friends on here and Pinterest. I relied on Character.ai to help with my mental health and that's ai!!

Im sorry if this was too much for any of you and I love each and every one of you. If you read through this whole thing, thank you so much and I really really love all my friends on here. I always look forward to getting on here and talking to you guys about my interests without being judged or bullied. Thank you thank you thank you soooo much my loves.

💖💖💖

[freckleslikestars]

coda

‘In all the years you’ve known me, when have I ever left your side?’ She gives a half-hearted scoff, cracks an eyelid, ‘you mean, aside from all the times you ditched me to jump on trains or investigate your own personal theories?’ ‘Yeah, aside from all those times.’

944 words, read here on AO3

He gets the call at 3:24 in the morning, a blocked number that he would ignore if it were daylight hours, but despite being out of the FBI for over a decade, it’s still ingrained within him to pick up the phone on the second ring. He’d not really been sleeping anyway, merely dozing with the TV on in the background. As soon as he hears her name and the hospital she’s been taken to, he’s out the door, feet stuffed into the sneakers that have worn bare. 

She’s sleeping when he arrives, and besides the bandage on her forehead she looks fine, but the sight of her in a hospital bed will always hit him like a blow to the chest. Her doctor gives him a sceptical glance out the corner of his eye as he lists her injuries, the fractured tibia and the cracked rib, and he can’t help but wonder how pathetic he must seem; unkempt hair and two months of beard growth, the ratty sweats he’d been wearing for three days. 

The seat by her bed is uncomfortable, tacky vinyl that creaks when he slumps down into it, and he settles in for a vigil that’s become so routine to him over the decades. Her hair’s longer than when she left, and her cheeks look slightly hollower, but overall she looks healthy; a far cry from many of the times he’s sat by her bedside. 

It’s an hour before she stirs, and at her first groan, he’s up and scanning her face for the first flicker of recognition, the smile that always brightens her eyes when she wakes to him by her side. She grunts, her eyes peeling open, and as soon as they catch on him she huffs a sigh and shakes her head, slipping her eyes shut again. ‘Scully?’

‘You look like shit, Mulder,’ she mutters, her voice gravelly and raw. It’s not what he’d expected, and he realises he’d hoped she’d take one look at him and declare just how much she’s missed him, just how much she regrets leaving. ‘What’re you doing here?’

‘The hospital called. You hit a patch of ice; totalled your car. Apparently, you were very lucky - it could have been much worse. I’m still down as your emergency contact.’ His energy has been sapped suddenly, the disgruntled look she’s giving him weighing heavy on his chest. 

‘I haven’t gotten around to changing it yet. I was gonna put Mom down, but she was moving and I wanted to wait until she had her new address, and then I must have forgotten.’ He gives a curt nod, drops back down into his chair. ‘You don’t have to stay. I’m fine.’

‘In all the years you’ve known me, when have I ever left your side?’

She gives a half-hearted scoff, cracks an eyelid, ‘you mean, aside from all the times you ditched me to jump on trains or investigate your own personal theories?’ 

‘Yeah, aside from all those times.’

Her eyes close again, and she twists her head to face away from him. ‘Last year. You left me last year.’

‘What? Scully, you left me. You ran away, you gave up. I never went anywhere.’

‘Not physically,’ she sighs, ‘but you left first. I was drowning, and you didn’t even notice. Something you never learned, Mulder, was that sometimes the only person you can save is yourself.’

‘I didn’t… you didn’t say anything.’

She clears her throat, trying to keep the tremor from her voice, ‘I shouldn’t have had to.’ 

They lapse into silence, the ambient beeps of the hospital filling the space between them, and he thinks perhaps that she’s fallen back to sleep, readying himself to settle in for the night, when she turns back to look at him, ‘you really do look terrible. When was the last time you slept properly?’

He could tell the truth, tell her he hasn’t slept properly since before she left, but he can hear the guilt in her voice, and as much as he thinks she possibly deserves it, he loves her too much to not absolve her of it, ‘couple of days. S’okay, really. I’m used to it.’

‘I thought it got better for a time.’

‘It did, for a time,’ when she was by his side, at least. But he couldn’t put that on her, couldn’t make her regret saving herself. 

He’d once said they had communication, unspoken, and maybe that had lapsed, maybe they had never been all that good at it in the first place, but she seemed to hear him now. ‘You know, there’s room up here for two, if you’re careful.’

‘Scu-’

‘One-time offer, and it’s only on the table for the next thirty seconds,’ she grunts as she shuffles to give him room, quirking an eyebrow when he hesitates with one shoe off. He climbs up next to her, settling himself next to her, not quite touching, until she sighs into him, resting her head on his shoulder. 

‘I am trying to get better,’ he whispers, his voice choked with emotion, ‘I just don’t know how.’

‘I know. And I’ll always be proud of whatever progress you make.’

‘I may have been a shitty husband, but I never stopped loving you.’

‘I know,’ she murmurs into the darkness, ‘I never stopped loving you either. But we’re not good for each other.’ He wants to argue, wants to fight her tooth and nail on that point, but her head is getting heavier on his shoulder, her breathing getting deeper, and he doesn’t want to upset her. ‘Mulder?’

‘Hmm?’

‘You’re not the only one who sleeps better with company.’

Tagging @today-in-fic

[bltzgore]

I doth drabble...

Background info:

Whumpee is being held at the base of a group of whumpers (maybe for interrogation, or ransom, or maybe just entertainm). There is this sort of arena where some of the whumpers like to take turns beating whumpee in the cement floor. This scene comes on the tail end of one of those beatings.

Tw: broken bones (specifically ribs), collapses lungs, blood in the lungs, bruising, strong language, mentions of sci-fi augments, pain relief drugs

Laying on their stomach was brutal. Whumpee wasn't sure they still had a fully intact rib left in their torso. But they were exhausted. This round had only gone three hours, not the shortest, but hardly the longest they'd suffered through.

This didn't change how horrendously the position they were laying in made their entire chest burn, and their lungs practically spasm with the strain.

They needed to move. They needed to breath properly.

So, Whumpee began to arrange their hands against the ground, well, one of their hands. Their left shoulder had stopped working right since the particularly vicious handling whumpee had received about an hour and a half into this session.

Still, they worked against the shaking of their right arm and pressed up. Slowly, they shifted the weight off their abused chest cavity and were rewarded with a fuller breath.

Whumpee was figuring out which way to let themselves back down when there was a sudden pressure on their back that dissuped the careful architecture of their current position.

Whumpee crashed back onto their stomach. The second they made contact with the floor, their world went black. Their mouth gaped in a scream, but their lungs were on fire. Nothing left their mouth but a strained wheeze like sob.

The world pieced itself back together in patches, their vision crept back at a snails pace, as they tried to handle the shock and the lack of oxygen.

The pressure, which had now been identified as Whumpers foot, pressed down harder, making whumpee gasp and immediately regret it, siezing up with rabid heavy tears. The less oxygen their body got the more it struggled, forcing whumpee to squirm and aggravate almost all their existing injuries in the process.

Whumper grinned, "That's right, you fuckin' worm." They dug the toe of their boot into whumpee's back.

Whumpee's spine arched, and their face contorted. They felt their ribs scraping together and displacing, stabing new holes into their lungs, crushing into everything they were supposed to protect.

"Can't even scream." Whumper laughed, deep and satisfied, "how pathetic can you get?"

Whumpee's vision was fraying at the edges, pain lighting up every corner of their body as they writhed under the pressure. Whumper was right, they were a worm.

Whumper removed their boot and let whumpee breathe, unconscious creatures were no fun.

Whumpee tried to breathe in. They tried so hard, but they couldn't breathe deep enough to get their vision to clear. They could at least stay awake though. That was something, right?

Tears ran down whumpee's face without permission, whumper sneered, and pulled whumpee's head up by their hair. "Damn, you look awful. With that many broken bones, maybe it'd be more humane to put you down." They laughed at their own joke, "You want that little worm? Want me to make it all stop?"

Whumpee blinked heavily as their view of whumper cycled through degrees of blur. They weren't sure they wanted to hear themselves answer that question.

Whumper had opened their mouth to continue when from across the room-

"Hey! The hell are you doing? The boss said 'e needs 'em alive, dumbass."

Whumper dropped their grip on whumpee's hair and stood, turning to go address the source of the voice. "I wasn't actually gonna do it, caretaker."

"The hell you weren't." They muttered, then more directly, "You're time is up anyway, get the fuck out you freak."

Whumper sighed, "Yeah yeah." And started off. "Patch 'em up better this time, maybe then they won't break so easy." Heading out through the door.

Caretaker growled something more obscene than usual and climbed up onto the arena floor. They knelt next to whumpee, who was trying to move again, lacking the lung capacity to cry properly.

Caretaker set the makeshift medical kit down and gently drew whumpee off the floor, taking the weight mercifully off their torso. They shifted how they were sitting just enough to lean whumpee's back against their chest to keep the weight pressing against bones that weren't as damaged.

They could feel all of the small movements whumpee's muscles were making in their failing attempts to protect themselves. All of the light twitching of muscle that had been pushed to their brink. They could feel whumpee trying to breathe. Stuttering, wheezing, shaking.

With the gentle treatment, whumpee's body had a free moment to remember the fluid building up in their lungs. Whumpee tried to cough, and it was hell. A spray of red on the cement floor and their world went white. Their sobbing picked up enough to just be heard over the wheezing. But their body didn't take the hint, it just wanted to expel the collecting blood.

"I know, kid, I know." Caretaker soothed, holding them up with one arm and rooting through their medical supplies with the free hand. It stopped on the cool glass of the syringe and brought it out. Caretaker closed their teeth on the cap and tugged it off. "This'll help, just hold on for me." They forced the needle into whumpee's arm and pressed down the plunger, sending the clear liquid in, to work its magic.

As it took effect caretaker layed them back on the floor for assessment.

A gentle warmth slowly traveled through whumpee, pooling in places where the pain was heaviest, and making it hard to think. That was ok with whumpee though, they didn't want to think anymore. Not about the agony, not about the hopelessness, not about how they had almost said yes to whumper.

Whumpee felt a hand on their cheek, thumb carefully brushing away a new tear. They leaned into it, and whimpered. The only soft touch in weeks. "Evrything h-hurts." They whispered.

Caretaker felt their heart clench, but they kept it out of their voice, "I know, kid. I'm gonna fix it."

Caretaker started by investigating what was clearly going to be the biggest problem. The ribs. So they carefully drew up whumpee's shirt. Holy shit. What had whumper been thinking?!

Whumpee's skin was a galaxy of black and blue, with sick undertones of yellow and un-oxygenated red. When their chest rose it rose wrong, there were inconsistencies... dents, in the usual contours of the ribcage, and places that reshuffled themselves as they moved.

For a moment, Caretaker was paralyzed. This was such a mess. They weren't even sure how many ribs could be saved. They were going to have to open up and replace, and they barely even knew how to- caretaker shut down the spiral. They needed to think clearly... as clearly as they could.

First, the things they knew they could do. Drain the blood from the lungs and the air from the chest cavity. Then, they could worry about reconstruction. Because that's what this was going to require, if whumpee was going to live, much less live through another one of the doubtlessly impending beatings whumper or whumper 2 was going to give them the moment caretaker stepped away they needed to open-

Caretaker caught the spiral again, focusing back on their breathing, slowing it.

"It's bad-" They stopped for a few half breaths, blinking slowly, and looking up through half lidded eyes, "isn't it?"

Caretaker looked down at whumpee. They hadn't realized it had shown. They hadn't meant to let it slip. But they wouldn't lie, "Yeah, whumpee. It's bad."

"Am I- g-gonna?" They couldn't say it.

"No." Caretaker was sure this time, "Not if I can help it."

"I-its gonna h-urt though, i-isn't it?"

"Yes."

[ppeasants]

I have been dealing with some major writer's block recently while trying to write the latest chapter for my Time Hollow AU.

I've managed to write out almost the entirety of the chap by now, somehow, but now I have to edit basically the whole thing. Fun.

In the meantime, here's a WIP of a scene from the chapter! It's a flashback to about a week into their time in the Mindscape - not a lot of time at all in the grand scheme of things, so the two aren't super close yet.

Lemme know what y'all think of this! Lemme know if I captured Luz and Hunter well, their characters and their dynamics!

(scene under the cut)

“Hunter? Can we – can we please slow down?”

“No! Not yet! We can’t stop yet?”

“But we’ve been running for – for hours now! Surely we – haah – we’ve gotten far enough away by now!”

“Look, human. If you want to stop, so you can be captured by Unc-Belos, then be my guest!”

“Ay, dios mío…” Luz continues to grumble under breath as Hunter drags her along, weaving between the trees of Belos’ Mindscape, holding her arm tightly as they run, obviously never actually going to act on his threat of leaving her behind. 

They’d been running for a few hours now, jumping between memories and forests, trying to escape from Belos.

It’s been about a week since Luz was teleported here alongside Hunter. About a week since they’ve been running, never taking a break for longer than necessary until they ran again. About a week since the two of them were trapped, forced to live through the torture that Belos had put The Isles – put Hunter – through. About a week since they learned that Hunter’s entire life was a lie. 

About a week since Luz learned just who Emperor Belos really was. About a week since she learned what Phillip Wittebane was planning to do with the Day of Unity. About a week since she learned that she helped him. That she was complicit in genocide – it’s already been a week they need to get out of here to stop it she needs to fix hermistake itsherfaultherfault –

Luz is pulled out of her thoughts by Hunter, who jerks her arm forward again as she begins to flag, forcing her to keep pace with him. She tries to tell him to slow down once again, but is unable to actually get the words out, her own heavy breaths cutting her off, her legs like jelly as she stumbles through the forest.

She doesn’t know how much longer they’re forced to run – minutes and hours blending together – until she suddenly stops, nearly crashing into the back of Hunter, the former guard standing still as he takes a look around at the clearing, his eyes freezing between various picture frames.

“You could – you could warn me if you’re – ” Luz has to take a moment to catch her breath, unable to finish the sentences through her exhaustion – how is Hunter barely even panting? “If you’re gonna stop in the – middle of nowhere!” 

“It’s not my fault you weren’t trained properly.” Hunter scoffs, tearing his eyes away from one of his memories to look down at Luz’s hunched over form, returning the glare she sends his way – the way Hunter is still holding her arm, holding her up as she recovers, clearly having stopped so she can get breath back betraying his seemingly uncaring words.

It takes a few minutes, but Luz is eventually able to bring herself out of her exhaustion, her breaths getting steady as she takes in one last deep breath before straightening out, bringing her hands off her knees to take a look around at the clearing they’ve stopped in. 

Luz has been getting used to clearings like this, gray trees surrounding gray grass - darkness enveloping them becoming an unfortunately common sight for her. Wooden frames hang from various trees scattered around them – so many terrible memories built up from centuries of stolen life. 

These memories seem more recent, images of the dull halls of the castle filling the background of most of the images surrounding them. Various figures stand in them – images filled with Coven Heads getting crowned their positions, with prisoners standing trial before their petrification, with Hunter kneeling before his next mission, his next scolding, his next beating, his next –

Luz forces herself to tear her eyes away from the memories, the thought of anybody being abused like that almost too much to bear, the images replaying in her head as she turns to look at Hunter, his gaze frozen once again at one of the memories of him begging for forgiveness – and only getting more wounds in return.

She wants to reach out, wants to pull his head away from whatever torture he’s putting himself through, but her hand freezes just above his arm, not knowing how best to help him, not wanting a repeat of the last time she touched him without warning – the bruise on her ribcage still healing. Instead she just looks around again, wanting to find anything else to distract him, to distract both of them, when her eyes catch onto a memory, and she squeaks in delight.

���Hunter, look! It’s a party! Or a banquet! Or ball or – or something! Whatever, just – come on!”

“Wh – hey!” 

Hunter’s yelp is cut off as Luz grabs him by the arm and drags him – how does he like it? – towards the image hanging behind them, jumping into it, nearly falling flat on her face as she stumbles into the hall, the artificial light of the room nearly blinding her as she stands up again.

The banquet hall of the castle is absolutely enormous, with golden walls stretching out farther than her field of vision, never able to see both ends of the room. Ceilings just as golden raise high – higher than even the roof of the castle looks from outside it. Tall, thin windows are spaced out evenly along the walls, reaching out to the ceiling above them, the darkness outside the only reprieve from the blinding chandeliers hanging above them.

The room, as big as it is, is somehow filled with guests, as if everybody living on The Boiling Isles is gathered in this one place. Coven members and heads, teachers and students, families and soldiers – squished together as if they couldn’t be anywhere else but here. Knowing Belos, maybe that was true. Luz looks in awe anyways, taking in the sights and sounds as if this party was meant for her.

“This place is huge!”

“It is a big castle. I doubt you’ve seen every part of it.” Hunter stands up beside her, dusting himself off as he stands up next to her, trying his best to look aloof at being dragged around and falling flat on his face, but his annoyed pout betrays him. Luz just smiles back, glad her distraction worked, but her attention is taken once again by the sounds of the other guests around her.

“I wonder what this party is for?” Luz questions as she takes another look around the room, picking up various conversations around her, mutterings of parties and invitations, witches and prisoners, food and drink – when’s the last time she was able to eat something? – floating into her ears, not quite telling her what this gathering is about. “I mean, it seems pretty big, but I don’t know what it could be about. What do you think?”

“It was a celebration of a successful raid.” Hunter answers, his own eyes scanning the room, looking around for any exits should they need to escape. “Coven heads Eberwolf and Darius found and arrested one of the biggest holdings of wild witches in years. Belos wanted to hold a banquet in their honour, a day before their petrifications.” He says it so casually, like he’s reading off a report, and not speaking about the murder of dozens of innocents.

“Oh.” Luz’s voice is quiet, processing the thought of so many people coming together to celebrate the death of others. She can see the way Hunter’s face falls again, his own mind rewiring itself once again, changing what he once believed was just, mourning these witches as if he was the one who captured them, who damned them to this – before another thought crosses her mind.

“Wait, you know what this party was about? Were you here?”

“Yeah. I was.” His voice is still low, but he tilts his head to one of the room’s edges. “Stationed at the west exit.” Luz looks to where Hunter is pointing, seeing a youngest Golden Guard standing watch. 

A yellow mask covers his face, the cowl over his head blocking everybody from seeing under it. The cape behind him drags along the ground, his fourteen-year-old body still too short for him to year. He stands stock still – one could almost mistake him for a statue if it wasn't for the steady rotation of his body as he scans the hall over and over again, artificial staff in one hand, a sparkling glass of something in the other.

“Looks boring.”

“It’s my job, Human. Was. My job.” Hunter exhales before he continues. “Doesn’t matter if it was boring, it’s what I had to do.” He pauses before he tilts his head to her, a teasing glint in his eyes. “Not everything can be all sunshine and painbows like your Azila books.”

“¡AY! Azura is a renowned series, and deserves to be treated as such!” Luz indignantly sputters, trying to shove him, but stumbles as he dodges out of the way, both of their smirks growing wider – wasn’t Luz supposed to be comforting him?

“Besides, there’s nothing wrong with wanting a party to be grand!” She continues, looking back up at him. “The second volume had a party, after Azura had saved the dragon from a tyrannical prince. She saw Hecate there, and they shared a dance! It was beautiful! Magical! And it! Was! Not! Boring!” 

“Hey, don’t you have any good stories about parties?" Luz interrupts herself before Hunter has the chance to insult Azura again "Before you were just ‘doing your job’?” She puts that last part in quotations, and Hunter looks off to the side, seemingly lost in thought.

“There was one party I can remember going to – before I was the Golden Guard.” He responds, a slight smile on his face. “When Belos still wanted his nephew to make some public appearances. I remember meeting the Blight twins for the first time then. I thought they were so annoying.” Despite the harsh words, Luz can see the light in his eyes – Hunter never being able to hide emotions when he isn’t wearing his the mask.

“The two dragged me away from Unc – Belos’ side, asking me all sorts of questions about what it was like in the castle, what it was like being a prince – they never shut up. The only way I could get them to stop was by answering their incessant questioning.” Hunter turns to his side – the side of the room where his past self isn’t – presumably tot he spot where the twins brought him all those years ago.

“Eventually, they seemed to get bored and pulled me over to the punch bowl and put in a few drops of something.” Hunter’s expression turns mischievous as he continues. “I tried to get them to stop, but honestly the way Darius screeched as he dropped his cup and stained his shoes made me glad I didn’t.” nLuz can;t help the laugh that escapes her throat.

“Sooo you do know how to have fun.” Luz wiggles her eyebrows as Hunter sputters, shaking his head vehemently at the very insinuation that a prank could ever be fun. She giggles again, her face softening before she continues, poking his skull. “You know, I’m glad there are at least some happy memories in there.” Hunter scowls, before letting a smile appear on his own face.

“Yeah. I had fun.”

-----

Lemme know what y'all thought! Hopefully the chap will come out soon - depending on how much I can push through this block <3

[chibishortdeath]

I did a little bit of background practice yesterday. I usually forget that I could be drawing scenery and stuff so I’m kinda rough at it. It took like three tries to get the results of that first picture (second picture was one of those tries, and I’m not even showing the other one it was really bad 💀💀💀)

Also just throwing in some other doodles cause yeah :3. Simon. Some of these are from the same page and some of these are ones I think I forgot to post a bit ago so if there’s repeats then eh whatever lol. Explanations under a cut :)

This is pretty much just a study of a photo of a graveyard I ran into on Pinterest. Liminal spaces are very nice for finding background references because you can be sure no one is gonna be in them and they have the weird vibe that The Guy™️ should be in. But holy HELL trees are HARD. Like obviously I know what a tree looks like but the second I have to draw branches trees suddenly do not make sense anymore 💀

Another liminal space, this one was a path with the sky completely blacked out. I tried putting Simon into it but he kinda ended up a little muddled and too small augh. I’m also not very great at combining people and backgrounds so uh yeah. This one was also a much faster doodle just trying to warm up for the first one. But eh it’s cool idk. I need to put him in more liminal spaces or like try to draw the Simon’s Quest areas in 3D eventually.

Small practice comic! There’s no words, Simon just kinda walks a bit and passes out. I was gonna have more things happen but I didn’t have the room for it and decided to just leave it as a little practical piece. He’s probably gonna get up in a little bit and freak out about how much time he wasted.

Just a Simon head :3. His hair is fun to draw! I usually end up simplifying things as like a little uh polygonal… I think that’s the word… When drawing skulls, I usually go for octagons instead of circles because that’s much easier, but that ends up bleeding into how I draw hair making it kinda spikey and pointy in some spots on the top. I feel like I draw pretty inconsistently, but he’s very pretty and fun to draw regardless of how he ends up :3

This is some weird ass fan art of two things that aren’t related at all lmao. Sometimes you gotta crossover things that don’t make sense for the fun of it. This is Simon drawn based on a scene from the Fear Garden music video! Fear Garden is a banger, shout out to Chaa fr, it’s a vocaloid song about a girl who has a weird obsession with hands (Kira joke lol) and kills people to plant their hands in her secret garden where she treats them like flowers. Yeah, again it makes no sense, but the pose with the two mirrored characters was really cool and idk the vibes were there—

Simon sitting in between two graves, both say “BELMONT” in big letters, but one is for Christopher and Cyncia and the other is for Soleil and whoever his significant other was, we don’t have a name so it’s cut off. This has me thinking about the time in between all these characters hmm. Doing the math, Soliel would’ve been in his 90s when Simon was born, so there’s actually a good chance he wasn’t Simon’s grandfather, rather his great grandfather :O. Which means that there’s two generations we know nothing about between these two. And also that Simon would’ve never met either Soleil or Christopher or Cyncia :(. Then that has me thinking about fan comic stuff and how I’m gonna depict Simon hmmmmmmm. I imagine Simon spent a lot of time in the family graveyard tbh.

Simon is totally me when I dramatically collapse on a large marble monument of some sort in the graveyard— There’s also a couple attempts at drawing his paldrons at different angles but aaaa I can’t visualize these things properly. They’re just like kinda flared half ovals, why are they so hard to draw at any angle but like head on and top view 💀💀💀??? I’m trying to get out of the habit of drawing them bent in angles that don’t make sense but argggggg it’s hard lol.

Yeah, recent doodles tho yippie d(^^ )!

[lixxen]

can you tell us more about Grayer and their relationship with JD?

Of course!! I love talking about my boys :)

I'm gonna do this in bullet points so I can easily edit it as I go lol. These details pertain to both my Feral Branch AU, mentions of my my troll reproduction PowerPoint world building, and it's just his character in general :)

My playlist for them

Rest of the post is UTC to save everyone from chunky TL

To start off, some background about Grayer: he is alt rock/pop rock. His father is a rock troll and his mother is a pop troll who is one of many to escape the troll tree about ten years before the beginning of Trolls 1 (I can do a whole thing on them). The two fell in love, got married, and ran off to the Never Glade Trail to have Grayer. His dad carried him, so he's more like his dad (Granite and Flora are their names)

Grayer is the same age as Bruce, so a few years younger than JD. He grew up on the trail and takes care of the family's garden (which is basically a mini farm). He and his parents are big survivalists, so he knows how to survive pretty much on his own with just a backpack on his back full of a few items. He's rather quiet with patience, but with a quick ignition to fight at things he's passionate about; being raised by a very passive rock troll who is peace and love then pretty much the most metal head pop troll you'll ever meet. His mom's a spitfire with the heat of a thousand suns. But she's very sweet <3

Back then, he actually dressed in alt style; wearing a ton of baggy ripped black cargo pants, t-shirts of rock groups his dad gave him, some crop tops with fistnet tops underneath, the whole works. Eyeliner. Black stuffed bracelets and a choker. Troll's version of Docs (but the older, better quality ones y'know?). Now days, he's just plain Jane because he's older and doesn't have as much energy to keep up with it

Within John Dory's first few years, he struggled a lot. He traveled through Trolltopia and met a ton of people. They weren't the kindest, but understood the situation with Pop. So they would help and send him on his way towards Never Glade.

When he finally got there, he basically fell face first down. He lost half of his equipment and got horribly lost. He was optimistic and trying to act brave about being lost with not as many supplies. He realized he was way in over his head; he was some boy band dude who had a dream without much training. Dude is doomed by the narrative

Grayer, while out, found John Dory. He saw JD's fire in the distance and went to investigate it. He saw JD, who was different than the other trolls who would stop by his family's home. Normally he saw various Rock, Country, or random sub genre trolls come through either for the underground cross genre clubs or for hiking.

He actually watched JD for a bit. He was nervous to approach him at first. But after watching JD fail miserably to do a ton of very basic survival things, he decided to step in. He faked them running into each other and was like "you don't look too good! Let me help you :)"

JD automatically accepted it. This dude was doing BAD. The dude was debating on finding his way back to the Troll Tree. It was that bad. He'd rather be eaten by a Bergen than die out there where nobody would know what happened to him.

He also was amazed by some random troll about his age living out here.

So Grayer taught JD how to survive out there. JD learned how to properly get drinking water, patch wounds, make basic things, garden and gather food. The works! Literally he gave him survival classes-

JD was welcomed into the home by the parents. Grayer's mom was shocked to see another pop troll and she let him stay. She couldn't let the poor kid die out there or go back. She knew what that meant

Grayer and JD slowly grew close; bonding over music. JD would perform BroZone songs for him, to which Grayer would watch with the biggest dopey grin on his face

During this time, Grayer got into a nasty fight with one of the spider things. His hair got caught and he had to cut it off. He spends nights crying about his hair, but then styles it down. That's why it's short and looks like that. He keeps it short due to him living like that for so long.

Eventually, Grayer started to bring JD to the underground clubs that existed on the Trail. They were ran by outcasts and trolls who basically got ran out of their respected kingdoms for different reasons. Some where rebellious trolls looking for fun; or they just liked the scene. The two became prominent on the scene as "the love birds". Everyone knew them and some recognized JD from BroZone

Grayer's parents actually helped establish these clubs and underground community. They make clubs out of old hollow dead trees and then undergrown tunnel systems. They helped make the first few, since Grayer's dad was in construction. He doesn't run any of them. He just did the manual labor and helped perform multiple times. Grayer's family is just respected in the scene. There's about five families they're in kahoots with (I can expand on this if anyone wants).

Plus, they help trolls in need on the trail so people tend to know about the random trolls who help save people from death in the wild

Eventually, they ran into Floyd. Floyd was running with the alt/emo/grunge trolls. Some metalheads also. He was also running with a young Riff, who was only two years younger than Floyd. Floyd also has an underground career by now and has a mini indie grunge rock band suprisingly. (Riff's parents run one of the clubs and Riff lives with his grandad and little sister in the Rock Kingdom. Riff is Floyd's drummer and companion. They met in a grunge club in the Rock Kingdom. Floyd was gray for a while and passed as Rock). Floyd is excited to see his brother and he bonds with Grayer automatically

Floyd and Grayer have a heart to heart; talking about how Grayer is in love with JD. Floyd said that if Spruce and Grandma was there, they'd give their blessing. But since they're not and he is, he gave him his blessing.

Floyd 🤝 Grayer: being in love with their companion (past Riff/Floyd moment. They're just besties now y'know??)

JD and Grayer party a LOT during these years

Queue up JD punching some jerk for trying to come onto Grayer and then getting into a brawl outside of a club with the dude. Riff pulls strings to get them not banned from every club on the trail. Part of it is Grayer's parents being staples for making a safe underground scene on the Trail, but Grayer gives Riff the credit.

Around the eight year mark, Grayer finds baby Rhonda. She was abandoned by her mom so Grayer took her in. He gave her to JD as a birthday gift! That's how they know Rhonda so well. She's basically their baby :)

Grayer, at the ten year mark, confesses his love to JD. JD looks flabbergasted before saying he wanted to ask Grayer that. He was waiting for the right moment to ask Grayer if they could commit to one another. They were practically dating

So, they get married :)

JD braids Grayer's hair into the back of his hair, just in case one day he goes back to BroZone; so from the front you can't see it but the back you can. Grayer braids JD's hair more visibly in the front and wears it with pride.

The two are a grumpy old couple. They're very sarcastic but loving to each other, especially after marriage.

Did I mention that earlier? The two are a sarcastic and sassy power couple. They don't take shit and behind the scenes are very loving.

As the years go on, they don't have any eggs surprisingly. Everyone is shocked, but the two are perfectly fine with it. It happens sometimes; not every troll produces the viable eggs.

Grayer's parents die by the fifteen year mark, and they leave everything to Grayer and JD. They are pretty much set for life. So they're pretty much domestic besides when JD wants to go on adventures.

Speaking of which; JD goes on adventures sometimes, which leaves Grayer alone for a few weeks at most. The two are fine with it as long as JD tells Grayer about it. Normally it'll be in the form of the little bat dudes, like Queen Barb's bat Debbie. They have a flock of them that live around them. They feed them, so three or four will follow John Dory sometimes when he goes on adventures. They will basically bring communication back and forth

So, to the Trolls 3 plot

Riff comes back after World Tour to tell them about Branch!! He's alive and saved everyone!! Plus the pop trolls are free :)

JD sends a letter out to Floyd, who doesn't respond. He gets worried and decides to go try the Troll Tree, thinking that's where Floyd went. He tells Grayer he'll be back in a week and Grayer kisses him bye

That week turns into a month.

Grayer is worried sick and he can tell a ton of things are happening (because of the marriage stuff. If you don't read the PowerPoint then ignore this detail). JD doesn't respond to any of his messages, as they never get to him

Like, he's convinced JD is either dying or something bad has happened. He's hoping that JD isn't abandoning him.

He goes from being worried sick to being pissed because what the fuck his husband up and left and is clearly okay and alive!!! HE CAN TELL! JD CAN FEEL HIS DISTRESS!!

Grayer gets pissed, especially when Riff comes back to tell him about BroZone. He was happy for JD, but SEND YOUR HUSBAND A LETTER TO TELL HIM YOURE ALIVE!!!

So what does he do?

He throws JD's clothing out of the window in a fit of rage. Like. The dude is PISSED. He is what, in his 30's and his husband disappeared and could have been dead! He's having a moment. Let him be angry for the first time towards his husband

JD comes home during this.

JD stares in horror at the sight of his clothing being tossed out the window and he starts to scramble to grab them and get into the pod

Grayer sobs his little heart out to JD, who holds him and apologizes. JD explains everything. Grayer feels kinda dumb but vocalizes his feelings. The two come to an understanding

And eventually, he would meet BroZone and they'd enjoy him :)

[slamminslamminmcgill]

@narc69 submitted

hi ok first of all 1) i am so sorry if this is badly written, i started writing and then came to 3 hours later and this was on my page.

2) trigger warnings! intoxication, dubious consent (just to be safe im gonna mark this down as cnc), implied somno, dacryphilia, probably also degradation? just- please take care of yourself and i genuinely sincerely apologize if this is out of line at all. add any other triggers you feel necessary. you can absolutely respond to this privately if you feel more comfortable

3) i don’t speak spanish, google translate is my bitch. mea culpa if the spanish isn’t properly written

—

HI HI HI THANKS SO FUCKING MUCH FOR THIS I LOVE YOU THIS IS AMAZING IVE BEEN ROTATING THIS IN MY MIND OVER AND OVER AGAIN I WILL KILL AND DIE FOR YOU AT YOUR COMMAND 🥺🖤🥺🖤

you didn’t wanna sound like some 50s suburban white guy, but jesus christ, that was a long fucking day.

your body ached, and all you really wanted to do was get high and go to bed, and you didn’t waste any time getting those things done. 

you changed out of your work clothes and grabbed the joint you’d been keeping in your desk drawer. 

there were also pills you’d been saving in the bathroom cabinet and you decided this was a good a time as any to take them. 

anything so long as it didn’t mean having to think. 

-

it was cathartic how the anxiety and tension in your shoulders melted away. the smoke from the joint smelled like citrus and pine and you held it in your lungs before breathing out eloquently. 

it was quiet; only a few cars drove by your apartment complex. crickets chirped somewhere in the background but your head had already began buzzing and you didn’t pay much attention to it. it was nice, the quiet. so much more manageable that being around people all day, the noises of corporate work echoing in your head, like some sort of fucked up lullaby that refused to be quelled. 

a patio door shoved open.

glancing up, you saw lalo salamanca looking down at you from his third floor balcony. you knew him well enough. well enough to know that he was renting his apartment temporarily after finding himself in albuquerque on a “business trip”, anyways. he was nice too. he let you into the building once when you were too drunk to find your keys, and made good conversation when you ran into him in the halls. 

“hey chico, are you smoking?” he called down. you glanced up, scrunching your nose.

“yeah. what’s it to you?”

“you’re smoking and you don’t invite me?" 

"ok well- no one’s stopping you.” you called back up to him. he stared at you for a second, completely silent, then:

“don’t go anywhere." 

a minute later, the front door of the building opened and lalo came walking out. you were visibly already on another planet and lalo couldn’t help but laugh. 

”oh, cosita ingenua.(oh, you naive little thing.)“ he said. 

"what?” you asked him, not understanding a lick of spanish. 

“don’t worry about it. hey- gimme that,” lalo said, taking to joint from your fingers and taking a long drag. you watched him through a haze of brain fog and fatigue. 

“i didn’t know you smoked,” he said. you took the joint back and took your own turn. 

“right back atcha,” you mumbled. lalo watched you, his eyes flickering across your face and hands. for a very brief second, you wondered what he was thinking, but it was almost immediately overshadowed by the buzz still going strong in your head. you zoned out, staring at the ground, head completely empty. 

the joint fell from your hand and landed unceremoniously on the ground.

“awe man…” you pouted, picking it up. it had gone out and you fumbled with your lighter, struggling to light it again. 

lalo hadn’t moved this entire time, and was still watching you failing to light the joint. 

“jesus christ, chico, come here,” he said, taking the joint from you and lighting it himself. “mouth. open. now.” he told you once it was lit properly again. lalo took a lung-full breath of smoke and before you had any say in the matter, he was cupping your face and shotgunning the smoke into your mouth. 

he was so close you could smell him, and he smelled painfully good. like palo santo, and cooking spices, and teakwood. you were almost upset when he pulled back again. 

“woah.” was all that came out of you as a reply.

“you liked that, didn’t you?” he asked, and all you could do was nod. he stepped closer, almost staring you down. “you want me to do it again?" 

without thinking, you nodded.

just like the first time, he took a long drag and blew the smoke into your mouth. only this time, he didn’t cup your face. he laced it through your hair and pulled just gently enough for you to let out the most innocent little whine. 

lalo laughed, having elicited the exact response he was hoping for. he pulled you in for a hug, enveloping you in darkness. his hand was on the back of your head, and it was cold. his fingers trailed along your neck, rubbing up and down and made you feel funny. 

"i think you’ve had enough,” he whispered into your ear, apparently making all the decisions for you now. lalo carefully put out the joint and put it back in the plastic bag you’d been keeping it in, and he slipped it back into your pocket. “how about i walk you back to your apartment.”

-

there was a confused frown etched into your brow and you subconsciously had one hand on the side of the wall to steady yourself. thoughts were blending into one another, and the world had become an incoherent haze. but you felt good. this is what you’d been hoping for- what the whole week had been building up to. 

“maldito, chiquito, how low is your tolerance?” he snickered, walking beside you towards the elevator. 

“not super low. took some pills too.” you told him, pushing the button that summoned the elevator. there wasn’t a braincell coherent enough in your mind to figure out why that was so funny to lalo. lalo was too busy laughing at how easy this was going for him.

“and you didn’t think to share those either?" 

"i didn’t know you were as fucked up as me." 

the elevator doors closed and lalo turned to you. he laced his fingers through your hair and tugged again, a little harder this time, but still receiving the same little whine as last time. he didn’t let go, keeping his hands where they were. 

"you really like that, don’t you?” he asked, staring at you again. his eyes had a sort of weird glint in them, and it made you nervous, but curious at the same time. you wanted more and no part of your brain was awake enough to think about it rationally for more than half a second. 

“yeah.” you whimpered. 

you stopped on the third floor. 

“hey, i live on the-”

“-fifth floor, i know, chico, we’re gonna stop at my place for a second.” lalo said. you sighed, tiredly, your mind already a million miles past the hair pulling. still, physically you felt different. not more awake, god no, but…warm? was that right? warmer? 

you blinked and looked up when you felt someone take your hand off the wall and hold it in his own. lalo was still next to you, holding you close. 

“i’m gonna take good care of you tonight.”

-

his apartment wasn’t nearly as dressed up as yours was. simple furniture, a rug, a tv, but nothing hanging off the walls, no books, nothing special. 

“sorry it’s so dull chiquito, you should see my house down in Mexico, it’s way nicer than this shitty place.”

“you live in mexico?” you asked, high out of your mind.

“si. correcto, coñejito. so smart.” he said, tapping your cheek. somewhere in the depths of your consciousness you knew he was being condescending, but it translated to something very different when it finally rung through your brain. laughter bubbled up from your chest and you pressed your head into lalo’s chest again. 

lalo didn’t waste any time and took his chance when it stared him right in the face. his hands held your head so he could control which direction he wanted your face to point. gripping your hair he moved your head so that your jaw was pointing out to him and he kissed down your neck like a fictional vampire going in for the kill. giggling, you wrapped your arms around his back. 

“vamos a llevarte a la cama, huh? let’s get you to bed baby boy.” he whispered into your ears, guiding you to the bedroom. 

his bed was the most comfortable thing you’d ever lain on, certainly more than your own.

“i thought you didn’t sleep?” you mumbled. he’d said that one. you remembered. he did. you swore…

“yeah but…” lalo replied, shutting the door behind him, “you can use a bed for more than just sleeping." 

finally- finally something clicked in your brain.

"let’s get these off. you don’t wanna sleep in jeans now, do you?” he said, climbing on top of you, virtually pinning you down, undoing your belt buckle. 

he felt heavy on top of you, but it felt good. you made a noise- something else incoherent, and let yourself sink into the mattress. 

“that’s it, just relax. just relax, coñejito. i’ll take care of you.” lalo said, his fingers slipping under the band of your underwear. his thumb brushed along your pelvic bone and you whined. 

clumsily, you reached out to grab lalo’s wrist.

“wait…” you mumbled, the embers of some sort of fear sparked in your chest. your boxers were already halfway down. “wait, seriously-”

“yes, chiquito?” he asked, still inching your underwear off. 

“ ’m trans- i- bro i don’t have a dick.” you told him, the most coherent thing to come out of your mouth in the last hour.

lalo slid your boxers off and threw them on the ground. he spread your legs, looming over you. he laughed at your statement, and you still couldn’t figure out why it was so funny to him. 

you felt something cold part your lips and his thumb, barely touching you, teasing you, rubbed circles into you. you groaned, pushing your head back into the pillows.

“this looks like a dick to me.” he said, pressing harder onto it. you couldn’t help but moan louder, reveling in how good it felt. his fingers found their way into your hole and you gasped, instinctively closing your knees. lalo shoved them open and you felt a harsh slap across your face.

“hey! you keep your legs open for me. understand?” he asked, his voice suddenly serious. 

“okay.” you whimpered.

“next time i won’t just hit you across the face, chiquito. you listen to me.” lalo said, working his fingers back into you. “i see you’re already nice and soaked for me. i guess you’re capable of doing that at least." 

he kept touching and feeling you, pushing his fingers inside of you until you couldn’t hold on anymore. you came all over his hand and liquid dripped off his wrist and…lalo looked furious. 

"im sorry.” you whined, shaking, “i’m sorry i just…" 

"keep your legs open.” lalo said, his voice dangerously soft. you obeyed,  and yelped when he did exactly as he warned early. a wet smack landed hard against your dick. it was swollen and hard and so, so sensitive and you cried out again, and again as he slapped you until he’d decided you’d learned your lesson. 

“you’re mine, and you do as i say. you cum when i tell you to. not before, not after, understand?” he repeated, 

“yes- yes lalo.” you nodded. 

“good.” he smiled, undoing his own belt buckle. “you can be as loud as you want- let the neighbours know how much of a whore you are, just as long as you do as i say." 

his pants dropped to the ground, and wrapping one hand around your throat, he remained punctual and wasted no time pressing himself into you. your back arched and your hands rushed to grab his shoulders once more. you gasped and moaned, not a thought in your head.

"bet that weed’s really getting to you now, isn’t it, baby boy? or those pills you kept talking about? i bet they’re really making their rounds now. get yourself all loosened up, let some random guy two floors down from you blow smoke into your mouth, let him lead you into his apartment, and you call me fucked up? hm? is that how it is?” he asked, fucking himself into you with no hesitation or plans to slow down. 

“lalo…” you groaned, gripping the sheets. you couldn’t even process what he was saying, just that whatever he was doing felt good and you didn’t want it to stop. your high only amplified everything. 

“yeah baby boy? what is it cariño. does it feel good to be fucked by a guy you barely know?" 

"yes, god yes.” you moaned. your dick pulsed between your legs and lalo took his free hand to it, rubbing his thumb up and down it, using your own cum as lube. “get comfortable baby, we’re gonna be here for a while.”

-

you lost track of time far too easily. everything swirled in your head like one big cloudy haze. you fell asleep at one point, and woke up a little while later covered in spit and cum, with lalo sucking you off, swirling his tongue around your cock. 

you think it’s somewhere around three in the morning when lalo finally gives you permission to cum again. everything felt heightened and hot, and your pulsing hole was sore and wet and still full of lalo’s dick. 

“you can let go for me, cariño, i know you have to, you can let go.” he said, and fresh tears came into your eyes at hearing him tell you to cum. 

“please- it’s- lalo-” you slurred. you’d essentially become his fuck puppy for the night. brain completely empty, lalo tearing orgasm after orgasm out of you, until you were nothing but a shaking wet puddle. you didn’t even remember your shirt coming off, but there you were, abdomen covered in lalo’s cum. 

“oh perrito, is it too much? are you gonna start to cry again? are you gonna cry like the whore you are?” he asked with mock sympathy. he slapped you across the face again and kept thrusting into you, or rather- gripping you by your hips and moving you up and down on his cock like some fuck toy you’d buy at a sex store. “i said cum, so you’d better fucking cum.”

his hand was on your dick once more, rapidly rubbing it back and forth. all you could do was scream. 

“there you go, slut, be loud. be as loud as you fucking can.” lalo growled, unrelenting.

“please, please, please,” you moaned, sobbing, though the words meant nothing. “oh fuck- fuck." 

"there you, come for me. come for me now.”

your body obeyed and you clenched the sheets so hard your knuckles turned white. your moan was the prettiest sound that had ever echoed through lalo salamanca’s bedroom. 

“good boy! bien hecho. oh my sweet baby- fuck-” lalo praised, unable to hold it in himself any longer either. he pulled out, shooting onto your face and into your open mouth. “dios mio, nene. that was the best fuck i’ve had in a while.” he groaned, letting the last little bit dribble onto your lips, and like the good little boy you were you reached your head up and sucked off his tip. 

he got off the bed and left the room, leaving you in your own mess. there was a small, wet puddle by your hole, where all the cum had leaked out. you twitched through the last of the aftershocks, and sobbed, feeling so exhausted- so tired. 

lalo came back a few minutes later with a damp cloth in one hand and a glass of water in the other. carefully, he picked you up and held you close.

“shhh-shhh. it’s okay. it’s over now. you did so good baby boy. let me look at you?” he asked, his voice gentle again. you looked over like he asked and found him caressing your cheek, wiping your tears with the pad of his thumb.

“oh baby, you’re still high, aren’t you? are you okay?” he asked, grinning and laughing a little. you smiled through your tears and nodded. 

“come here, let’s clean this mess off you.” lalo said, gently washing your face with the cloth, laying you down on the bed one more time, cleaning up your chest and your thighs. 

“such a good boy.” he hummed, picking you back up. “lets get you some clean underwear, and we’ll worry about the rest tomorrow. ok cariño?”

“okay.” you mumbled quietly, your throat sore from screaming all night. lalo pressed a kiss to your temple. 

“my good boy." 

[mangoposts]

i’m not built for work life i got back from my shift at 4, went to go and look at a house, and then fell asleep at 6.30 i just woke up it’s nearly 11 😭

anyway u were in my dream again 😝

basically we went for a drive, and it was me, you, ur blonde friend, and then this brunette girl, and me and the brunette girl were sat in the back talking about everything, and we were talking about how she went to ucla. and then u were like “ucla isn’t even all that” as a joke, and then the brunette girl starting being like “bitch ur only saying that cos u got rejected and now u spend ur days selling tit pics to old men”

and then i laughed bc i thought she was joking, and ur blonde friend started COMING for my neck again, and this bitch was like “i was fine when u came along with us last time and just sat silently in the back, but laughing at mina’s expense is where i draw the line” and started listing all my pros and cons, but she could only think of the fact im english and that i have tumblr 😭

and then u FINALLY spoke up and u were like “mf its not even that deep like who cares if she’s british, we’re not at war with them anymore” (??) and then she was getting so fucking heated and was saying how she didn’t deserve this treatment bc she was ur only true friend

anyway u then dropped me and the brunette off at her house, and me and her started scrolling through her instagram and i saw a picture of you, and i was like “omg i know her that’s mina!! we play 8 ball together!!” and the girl was like “wtf how do u know her??” as if i wasn’t just with u

and then u showed up without yk who and we all sat on the floor and i was rolling a j on a hello kitty tray and it was strawberry rolling paper and then u facetimed S and she was like “i can fucking smell strawberry, i stg if you’re hanging out with that brit bitch im gonna kill u”

and then i got up and RAN out of the house bc i was petrified she was gonna kill us, but i was dream running so i couldn’t even run properly i was literally going 2mph, so i took off all my clothes and started running in my underwear, and then all of a sudden i was watching an edit of myself running and it had skinny in the background, and all the comments were just saying how sad my lore is because i would go running everyday so i could finally be happy when i was finally skinny

IM CRUINGGGGGGGGGGGLMAOAOAOOAOOOOOO AHATTTTTTTTTTT not S being here like heyyy girl (Ahes actually sweet asf forget dream version)

[aik-membrane]

OOC: Heart-Aik: Aik Membrane's Prequel

Chapter Thirteen /tw: children in distress/pain, blood

Ft mentions of @ambassador-d1b

<July 16th, 2005 continued>

The sound of hot water was running in the background, Aik was watching himself in the mirror. It had taken him a few minutes to figure out how to turn the shower on, it was different from the one he used in the lab.

And while he waited, he ended up staring at himself in the mirror.

All the yellow on his shirt, drowned out in red and black… he liked it. He liked it a lot actually. Those were two good colors getting rid of one bad one.

He slipped off the shirt with some difficulty, being careful of his missing arm, and got a quick shower using the soap and towels already there.

There were some clothes, a little big for him, waiting when he got out. He had to sit a moment before getting dressed due to dizziness.

A knock came from the door, quickly followed by Percy's voice. "You alright in there? Got quiet, you haven't died, right?"

Aik, still recovering from the dizzy spell, nearly jumped to his feet, but slowed himself in the nick of time. "Yeah, uhm. Fine."

"Alright kid, I left some clothes in there for ya."

"I noticed," Aik said, already getting dressed. He again tucked his yellow envelope into the belt of the new clothes. "Uh. Thanks."

"Yep, just come on out and we can do something about your hair," Percy replied.

"My hair?" Aik gave the door a confused look.

"Anyone is gonna recognize you with that hair tuft of yours, plus you lost a bit to fire it seems. So a nice trim would do you some good," Percy explained.

Aik ran his fingers through his wet hair. Percy had a point. "Alright, fine, whatever." He grabbed a towel and ruffled his hair as dry as he could while opening the bathroom door and walking out.

"Nice, I'll grab my hair shears." Percy stepped into another room.

Aik grabbed his shank and held it carefully, hiding it in his shirt. Then he sat on the closest chair, waiting for Percy to come back. He didn't trust the man at all, especially not with shears. But he didn't want to be recognized by more people he couldn't trust.

Soon, Percy came back and after putting a towel around Aik's shoulders and neck, he began to cut Aik's hair until there was about an inch left all around.

Aik stayed still, ready to fight with the shank if he needed to, but not wanting to struggle if he didn't have to.

Percy stayed silent as he worked, aside from occasionally humming a line or two from songs Aik never heard before.

Once he was done, he flipped the towel off Aik with dramatic flair, blowing a bit of hair back into Aik's face by mistake. Aik sneezed on it.

"Whoops, sorry kiddo," Percy chuckled.

Aik just rubbed his eyes and sneezed a second time. "Yeah don't do that again."

All the hair properly removed from his nose, he sniffed and stood to approach the closest mirror. The cut was even, and he certainly didn't look like he had any ties to Membrane anymore. No hair scythe, no yellow shirt, only the black one with jeans that Percy left out for him. He still had that tattoo though… He was pretty sure tattoos could be removed.

He was about to ask Percy about it, but Percy spoke up first.

"Well kid, it's getting close to lunch but we still got some time to establish a few rules," Percy said cheerily.

"Okay." Aik turned to face Percy, standing up straight.

"Rule number one, you work for me now. I'm gonna go easy on you of course, but I'm still the boss," Percy said.

Ail grimaced. He didn't like the sound of that. "Okay, what else?"

"Rule number two, who you are stays a secret. What else can we call you besides Aik?" Percy asked. "Do you have any other names?"

"Nil," Aik muttered.

"Nil? Your middle name? Nah, no good, Membrane knows it," Percy said, clicking his tongue.

"I don't have any other names," Aik said with a small shrug.

"Okay we'll give you a nickname then. What about… Yellow?" Percy suggested.

"Absolutely NOT," Aik replied adamantly.

"Okay, fair…" Percy sighed. "Do you have any suggestions?"

Aik shook his head. "I don't know what wouldn't be suspicious."

"How about Lefty?"

"... Lefty?"

"Because you're missing your left arm," Percy explained.

Aik grimaced again. "That makes no sense…"

Percy sighed. "I'll just call you Shank until we figure something else out."

"Fine," Aik huffed.

"Alright then, Shank. Rule three, quiet time is from 9PM to 9AM, you are to be calm and speak in whispers during then," Percy continued.

"Easy," Aik said.

"Rule four, you earn your keep. If you need something, tell me and I'll tell you how to earn it. I'll make sure you get basic necessities as long as you don't cause too much trouble for me." Percy gave Aik a head pat.

Aik raised an eyebrow. "You know I'm insane, right? I cause a lot of trouble."

"Insane, are you?" Percy leaned down to look Aik in the eye. "Well Shank, let's see how insane you really are. Would you kill someone?"

Membrane came to mind. "Absolutely," Aik replied without hesitation.

"Steal? Lie? Cheat?" Percy continued.

"Yes."

"Ohh, very interesting. Can you fight?" Percy asked.

"Uhm. Kinda?" Aik said.

"I can fix that," Percy said with a mischievous grin.

"What about Dib though? How is this going to help me get my brother back?" Aik asked.

"Do you remember how I said that you can earn things? Work for me, I'll help you get Dib as soon as your shoulder is healed and your training is complete. Got it?" Percy said.

"How long before training is done?" Aik asked.

"Depends on you," Percy answered. "Could be as little as two months, as long as two years."

Aik muttered angrily. "That's too much time."

"Kid, I can't just waltz into Membrane Labs and kidnap your brother for you. This is a two person job and we both need each other at a hundred percent if we're gonna succeed. You want a faster way? Go with someone else," Percy suggested.

Aik sighed. He took a few minutes to think over his options.

He didn't know anyone outside the lab, he didn't even know Percy. But the man already had a chance to turn him in or kill him, so Aik at least had evidence that Percy wouldn't do either of those things. Which was more than he had for anyone else.

He didn't trust that Percy still wouldn't try to sell himself or Dib. But if Percy was going to train him, Aik could at least fight back. And if he sold Dib and himself together, then that would be almost fine. Because then escape would be easier.

And he didn't have anyone else offering him any options of getting Dib back.

"Well?" Percy asked after a few minutes of silence.

"Alright," Aik relented.

"Good kid. I think you and I are gonna get along great, Shank," Percy said with a wide grin.

"Yeaaaah sure," Aik sighed. He already hated the nickname.

[astrunaria]

LUCULIA LOREDUMPPP (Bc I don't think I've done this properly for her)

Ngl I was gonna save this post for when I FINALLY redesigned Lu but w the state of my laptop rn and my abundance of projects I've gotten impatient and I love her and keep talking about her lately sooo

Backstory

Iris Meier was born into the beginnings of a less than ideal situation; a poor family in the more lower class area of Amerton. By the time her younger brother Aster was one, her father had already left the house, forcing her older brother Sage to have to step up and be the man of the house while their mother, Cecilia, neglected them. She never really learnt to care for her mother’s coldness, however; Sage more than made up for that with how much he tried. That didn’t really stop it from completely affecting her, however.

Her mother was like extra baggage. Even if she was in the background of her life for the most part, she still caused extra problems for the family, her drinking habits taking a toll on the money Sage earned to support his siblings. Over time… She really did start to see how messed up her home situation was.

And it kinda hurt.

Still, they had to live with it. It was difficult for Sage to move out and be able to have custody over his siblings, so they had no choice but to stay. At least their mother was usually out during the day a lot, typically wasting away at a local tavern.

But one day, while Iris was home alone, Cecilia came back earlier than expected.

She was drunk. And angry. Spotting Iris, she stormed over to her, and started verbally berating her, taking out all her frustration with her “failed” life on her. She’d never seen her mother like this. It scared her. Unsure what to do and panicking, she ran off - but Cecilia went after her, wildly knocking things over along the way. She reached the fourteen year old with ease, and tackled her towards the ground. Iris wasn’t sure what to do - was she… going to kill her? It was uncertain… but could her mother be capable of such a thing? And then, in a moment of weakness, she grabbed one of the shattered objects off of the ground… and slit her mother’s throat.

Blood spilled everywhere.

As Iris got up, she froze, watching her mother choke on the ground. It was like she stopped working as she struggled to process what was happening. Soon enough, however, Cecilia gave out her last breath - leaving a disgusted Iris alone with her thoughts. What would Sage say? How would he even react? What’s going to happen now?

Did she really deserve that?

Her legs carried her out of the house and into the woods as the world spun around her. She doesn’t know exactly how long she hid. Days? A week? She was too panicked to really think about it, hiding in bushes and madly trying to clean blood off of herself with filthy water from puddles during all that time. It was one evening however, after a good few days, when two particular individuals finally found her. Remus Ramobus and Julianne Bougainvillea.

They’d apparently gone out for Jules to do a reading of the stars that evening, when they came across the young girl, Jules picking up on the smell of blood. Sympathising with her, due to their shared background of being orphans and assuming she could be one (perhaps traumatised from a troublesome incident), they brought her back to stay at Remus’s extra apartment, where Jules had apparently been hiding out due to her curse. She’d end up staying after she warmed up to them; which was no easy feat. They’d been calling her “the kid” the entire time because she seemed so shaken up to talk.

When she finally gave them a name, she gave them the answer of Luculia.

Misc Fun Facts

Most likely has undiagnosed ADHD

She keeps a lot of flowers (fem urge to tie this in with her guilt like maybe she thinks if she can nurture she can't hurt)

Steals 1 cig from Remus everytime he buys a new pack, hiding them in a tin and smoking when she's away from Remus and Jules

Honestly a lil stuck in finding herself since the incident

Dancerr she used to love the atmosphere of Amerton's disco as a child

She is my oldest OC, used to be a Genshin OC (like a few others) who was basically a personality ripoff of Dazai from BSD with NO backstory until I realised her character writing was a joke and decided to do her justice at the time of writing I think Lu's like 4 years old??

Speaking of Genshin influence her magic type is wind! She was born on third quarter moons so pretty alright magic level

Weapon of choice is dual guns (Remus influence)

Wants to be a witch (?? honestly still pondering on this like she ORIGINALLY wanted to be an astrologer but considering Arphene lore it's risky af and I honestly just love witches)

And now, because I don't have a consistent design for her I'm just gonna spam Luculia pics

Honestlyy pics 1 - 2 are her most canon design for me I just don't like the entire outfit + body type isn't accurate

[the-whispers-of-death]

there's always a non-zero chance that Līva is in London at the same time as Sylvester is for work.

imagining them running into each-other. maybe it doesnt result in a glaring contest and a screaming match on the main street.

maybe Līva is the one who initiates the conversation. just a simple "can we talk? please?" and i feel like he agrees. theres still cafe's open. maybe they go to one and just get a coffee each

sylvester texts mārīte: "tell your father im gonna be home late. ran into someone i know" <- why must you be so vague

Līva is telling me she's furious at herself for what she did and wants to mend things. shes also very embarrassed and ashamed for showing up on the ranch while intoxicated and how she doesnt even remember what she did or said properly

dont get me wrong, she's never coming near mārīte unsupervised. poor girlie got permanently disfigured because of her and then got abandoned by her

sylvester's telling me he doesnt forgive her, and he won't forget what she did, but he's also not fully against trying to let her back in his life after he finds out she's gone sober

... he doesnt protest when she gives him her new number. but he himself doesnt know why he did that.

he comes home and is quiet. not "tired quiet", but "processing the situation quiet"

when stone asks who he was with, he doesnt lie, and just says it was, in fact, his ex and how she seemed desperate to work things out a decade too late

~ rusty

Stone is obviously wary, but this is ultimately Sylvester and Mārīte's choice so he'll support them. He's suspicious about her suddenly coming to her senses though.

Definitely gets Kali or Ladder to do a deep background check on her. Just in case of any surprises.