#i guess there's like three or four in there

[siriuslylantsov]

be my valentine

pairing: spencer reid x reader

description: in which, spencer asks you out after a hearty but incomplete info dump on the history of valentines day.

tags: fluff! idiots inlove, gn!reader, reader is briefly described as shorter than spencer, teasing!spencer, grumpy!reader, penelope is an angel and i love her so much, reader shitting on valentines day and raising some very valid points.

a/n: based on this request, second fic for the event!! i know its still four days till valentines day but! if i didnt get this done now it would've been late. i rewrote this THREE times... but i rlly like how this version came out! happy reading :)

wc: 2.1k

it's your lunch break and you’re glaring at yet another sappy couple that walks by you. grumbling, you take another bite of your blueberry muffin. spencer laughs from his seat in front of you, amused by how your lip curls into an irritated pout. the two of you had walked to a cafe, a brief reprieve away from the frenzied police department you were stationed at for this week's case. 

“motherfuckers,” you seethe, still chewing your food. “i hate valentine's day.”

he laughs again, his tone sarcastic, “really, i never would’ve guessed.”

your glare shifts to him as you cross your arms. his grin is still there, annoyingly persistent, you hate that it doesn't affect him as much as it should. if you told him this, he would’ve told you that it didn't pack much of a punch. 

you roll your eyes and continue with a heavy scoff, “it's just another fake holiday, you know. like mother's day. created by greeting card companies trying to commercialise a day that shouldn't even exist honestly. every day should be dedicated to showing your loved ones how much you care, not just 24 hours in the middle of february.”

he accepts your cynicism with a smirk, completely accustomed to it. he knows you don’t mean it, not entirely, you just like to rant. “you know valentines day actually goes back about 2000 years. i’m sure greeting card companies weren't around back then,” he corrects, biting his lip in suppression.

your eyes narrow into slits, feeling the faint shift in the air of an incoming info dump. you ignore the way you want to hear what he has to say and take a sip of your coffee instead. you stall to torture him a bit, it's funny how he squirms.

“really,” you drag out, stroking your chin in exaggerated contemplation. you stare at him knowingly, he wants to continue but he's waiting for you to give him the green light. you laugh quietly, mood already improved, “go on.”

spencer visibly brightens, sitting up straighter and hands springing into action. “well, valentine's day has a really fascinating and somewhat convoluted history,” he starts, almost giddily. “the earliest accepted theory can be traced back to the roman festival of lupercalia, which was celebrated from february 13th to 15th. it was a fertility festival dedicated to faunus, the roman god of agriculture, and it included a ritual where men would sacrifice a goat and a dog, then use strips of the goat’s hide to whip women-”

“wait, they used goat skin to whip women?” you interject, eyes widening incredulously.

“yes! they willingly lined up for it too, believing it would make them more fertile,” he explains, far too animated considering the context, but it's okay. you like his enthusiasm. 

you grimace, “weird.”

“right. however, the day of love that we now recognise was brought by st. valentine, though which valentine is unclear—there were at least three martyred saints by that name. the most famous story involves a priest in third-century rome who defied emperor claudius ii's orders by secretly performing marriages for young soldiers,” he pauses to take a breath. you use it to bring your coffee back up to your lips, hiding your smile.

“claudius believed single men made better warriors, so he banned them from marrying,” he clarifies to which you nod. “when valentine was caught, he was executed on february 14th, which is why he’s the namesake of the holiday. some versions of the story even say that he sent a letter to his jailer's daughter signed ‘from your valentine’ which could be the origin of the modern tradition.”

“huh,” you pick your lip in thought, spencer hides the way his eyes dart down to them as you do it. “but that’s still an execution, how did it-”

the shrill tone of your ringtone interrupts you. “mhm, okay,” you respond when you pick up the phone. “we’ll be right there.” 

spencer stares at you expectantly, reaching over to grab your bag. he secures it over his shoulder and stands up. 

“it was jj,” you explain, stuffing the last bits of muffin into your mouth. “wi’ness ‘howed up.”

the food-muffled words make him chuckle and hold out a hand for you to get up. you let him pull you up with a dramatic huff, still holding his hand as you dust crumbs from your lap. you realise it a little too late and let go with a start, frown returning when you realise he isn’t going to let you carry your bag.

the walk back only took about five minutes before but this time's slower pace makes it a longer ordeal. comfortable silence brackets the two of you until it doesn’t when spencer speaks up.

“so, there's actually a lot more to the history of valentine's day. for instance, how the day became one of romance instead of, as you said, one that marked a martyrdom. we could, i don't know, discuss this properly over dinner. or drinks? or ice cream, i know that you like ice cream-”

filler words... he’s nervous. amid his rambling, he doesn't realise that you’ve stopped in your tracks. 

“-we can do whatever you want, i don't mind.” when he looks beside him and doesn't find you, he turns around. he can scarcely read the expression on your face, he usually can. this causes a little bout of concern to bubble up, “what is it?”

“are you asking me out?” your question is immediate, blunt, as a confused crease forms between your eyebrows.

well shit, he was. his lips part as he processes what he just said, he looks a little like a deer in headlights the way he stares back at you. was that too much? are you mad? did you want him to ask you out? what if you say no? he should say something. what if he messes everything up? he can’t-

“spencer,” his name rings out softly, pulling him from his spiral. 

his eyes snap to yours, searching, desperate to read between the lines, to piece together what you’re thinking like he always does—except this time, he can’t. he squeezes his eyes shut before opening them again, “yes.”

he swallows hard and adds, “on a date.”

“i got that,” you murmur, stepping closer to him, and closing the distance that he unintentionally left.

his head dips, voice small. “i didn't mean to make you uncomfortable.”

your head tilts slightly, studying him. “you didn’t.”

the reassurance eases him a little but not enough as the anxiety claws at him while he waits for your answer. your phone sounds again from your pocket, this time a text from morgan. you quickly type out a response–got lost, be there in 2. it's a pathetic excuse, if you focused, the station was in your direct eye line. but you needed to say something. 

“okay.”

he can't help the sign of relief that slips out of him, you giggle at the sound. when he looks at you again, he's unmeasurably happy to see your poorly concealed smile, breaking out in his own matching one. 

“yeah?” he asks sheepishly.

you nod, chewing your bottom lip, “yeah.”

your eyes squint at the corners, a side effect of the same grin that those sappy couples had been sporting, the same one that you’d been complaining about a little while ago. it makes you want to kick yourself, so you do the next best thing. you take hold of spencer's hand and drag yourself back to the pd. spencer shuffles somewhat behind you, trying to keep up with your stride. it doesn't take him long with those long legs of his.

his thumb strokes your knuckles gently–deliberately, you feel–but he pretends it's an unconscious action with the way his eyes are trained ahead. it makes you roll your eyes. when you near, you reluctantly let go of each other, the moment being the last time the two of you are alone for the rest of the day.

-

the team ends up solving the case a few hours later, taking the jet home where a valentines day baking spread is set up in the briefing room. all set up by the resident tech savvy. penelope tells you later that it took a whole week of convincing on her part, insisting that it would be quick and she’d clean up, and that everyone would get home to their own valentine's day plans in no time. 

there are a few heart-shaped helium balloons floating in the corners, and pink streamers in easy to reach places. the room is drastically more inviting, maybe the tones of fuschia and bubblegum have something to do with that. a cake and a bowl of suspiciously dyed punch reside on the table, along with pink plates and cups.

“penelope,” you gasp when you see them.

perfectly curated baskets of chocolate and cookies and associated items for everyone. you pick up the one with your name on it and inside you find: a candle, your favourite candy tied together with a little bow and a letter signed ‘happy valentines day, sweetheart. love, penny xx’. 

oh my god, you could kiss her. 

“it's like christmas,” emily muses from the other end of the table. you hear jj mutter something in agreement. you peek over at spencer, it's probably the hundredth time that you've snuck a glance his way. his eyes were already on you every other time, only now they were accompanied by a pair of red heart-shaped glasses, the clear plastic lenses offering a perfect view of his hazel orbs. the picture makes you laugh to yourself, you can barely hear it echoing from his end. 

-

about 30 minutes later, only the stragglers are left. in better words, the single people. the individuals with partners having rushed off to their own respective plans. you're making small talk with another girl who worked around the office when you feel a light hand on your shoulder, spencer nodding his head toward the elevator to signal your leave. you politely wish her goodbye and walk out with him. 

“cute glasses,” you tease, bumping his shoulder with yours, though the height difference makes it so you're nudging his upper arm. 

“yeah? i might get the lenses medicated, switch them out for my regular ones,” he jokes, his elbow nudging yours gently as he pushes the bridge of the glasses up the slope of his nose instinctively. 

“good idea,” you nod.

“you think?”

“mhm.” 

once again, he beats you to your bag, swiping it from your chair and carrying it along with his own. you meekly toy with the hem of your shirt as the two of you walk to the elevator. 

“so, bummer that neither of us have plans today. it’s so early,” you say, being blatantly obvious with what you're suggesting.

spencer only offers you an indifferent “yeah, bummer” in response, walking in when the doors slide open. when you look at him though, he's anything but indifferent, the corner of his lip pulling up in a crooked smile, irritatingly smug. you don't know where he gets off on being so at ease but the expression on his face makes you scowl as you follow him in. 

he is silent the whole ride down. you become increasingly annoyed, only faltering slightly when his hand reaches down to hold yours. his fingers thread between yours and you not-so subtly curl yours over his, ignoring the way he looks down at you. 

you try not to smile at the domestic picture of the two of you walking out hand in hand. thankfully the basement is empty. he pauses between your cars and mutters a quick “see you monday” before loosening his fingers and turning to walk away.

“spencer,” you groan, almost a whine as you squeeze his hand before he can let go.

he responds immediately, without missing a beat, “yes, angel.”

fuck.

you want to melt but you don’t want to give him the satisfaction. “would you like to do something tonight?” you grit out begrudgingly.

“i would love to,” he agrees, pulling you closer with your hand. your gaze darts to the two bag straps on his shoulder and you realise he had no intention of letting you go just like that. so you shove him, a little hard that he stumbles a bit. he huffs a laugh and you shake your head dismissively. 

he slowly, tentatively, dips down to press a soft kiss to your cheek. your eyes flutter shut at the contact. 

“how does thai food sound?” he asks, that same bashfulness creeping into his voice that you love so dearly. 

“sounds perfect.”

you share another sweet smile that would probably make you gag from an outside perspective but now it just makes you feel dizzy. he leads you back to his car, muttering something about how he’ll pick yours up tomorrow morning. you want to argue with him but that same dizzy feeling stops you.

you can't help the dreamy sigh that slips out when he connects your hands again over the centre console. thank god for st. valentine, you think.

reblogs and replies are appreciated :) | m.list

divider from @saradika-graphics

[bogleech]

my breaking point with the bugs polls is that I don’t think worms are bugs. Idk what they are but those aren’t bugs. And then it seems like if you exclude that you can’t have ocean bugs (crustaceans)

Soft is not bugs except spiders and centipedes I guess are still bugs. This is hard

Technically, all insects are crustaceans, but arachnids are not crustaceans :) "Worm" on the other hand isn't a scientific grouping at all, but a name we gave to a body shape. It used to apply to snakes, too, and even lizards I think, like I mean in old OLD english, but now we only use "worm" if the long noodly animal is boneless.

Major groups that consist almost entirely of "worms" are as follows!

ANNELIDA: earthworms, leeches and polychaetes! These have complex organ systems including multiple brains and hearts, and some species can have eyes, jaws and tentacles!

NEMATODA: their own thing, the nematodes, though there's evidence they may share a lot of ancestry with arthropods??? They aren't technically in segments, with their outer cuticle being one piece (though it can be ribbed and "look" segmented). Also includes famous parasites like pinworms and the guinea worm but most of them are tiny little things living everywhere in the world, even in desert sand, perpetual snow, boiling springs and the deep sea abyss.

NEMATOMORPHA: the horsehair worms, almost all parasites of arthropods for whatever reason, which used to be mistaken for long nematodes but turned out to be their own phylum. The adults, which don't feed, have to reproduce in water, so they either live in aquatic hosts, or they live in land insects and force them to drown :)

PLATYHELMINTHES: planarians and other flatworms, including the parasitic flukes and tapeworms. This animal group has no organs or blood! They are just sheets of living tissue that's almost all the same, except for some external adaptations like suckers or feelers or different color patterns, feeding through a simple digestive channel some species can also evert like a tube. If you cut them up, all the pieces are flatworms and just grow back!

HEMICHORDATA: "acorn worms," but the "chordata" in their name might clue you in that these are actually more related to us vertebrates than they are to other animal phyla, retaining a nerve cord like the one that became our backbones millions of years ago.

NEMERTEA: ribbon worms, also sometimes called proboscis worms because a lot of them have a proboscis. A little more complex than flatworms but not by much! Otherwise not related.

XENOCOELOMORPHA: we thought these were just part of the flatworms until 2011, and we only knew of one species until 2016, when we discovered another three or four. This photo is one of the new ones, which we named Xenoturbella churro.

These are all distinct phylums of life, no more or less related to arthropods than arthropods are to them or to us and vice versa, and there's also worm-type animals in the mollusks and cnidaria! So if any kind of "worm" is a bug, they would all have to be, and then "bug" really would just mean MOST animals that exist of just whatever groups! Which, personally I agree is completely allowed if you feel like using it that way!

[eclipseberrycake]

Poly! MoonBerryCake x Reader PT. 12

Obligatory AN: Guess who's back, back, back, back again. I've been swinging hard into a FNAF: Security breech hyperfix and have been reading nothing but sun/moon fanfic. So y'all drop your recs /hj

Part One -> Part Two -> Part Three -> Part Four -> Part Five -> Part Six -> Part Six 1/2 -> Part Seven -> Part Eight -> Part Nine -> Part Nine 1/2 -> Part Ten -> Part 11

Warnings: Switching of roles (IYKYK), talks of abuse/mistreatment of the toons, mentions of nausea/vomit, talks of needles/ injection of Ichor (I've decided Delilah is not a good person)

☁ Your vacant blink does not give him much reassurance. You seem to register the question, fold your hands together in a nervous fidget only to use them to wring your tail. You bite your lip, eyes darting every way but their way.

☁ "...Why do you ask?" You manage to get out, shuffling just a bit. Blu pops up from where she was lounging on top of Coal, ears flickering at the sound of your voice. She murps then jumps onto the bed, moving to crawl into your lap. You occupy yourself with playing with her instead, letting her nip at your fingers and swat at your palms.

☁ "She came up in one of the files we were reading through." Astro pipes in, watching you carefully. He clocks immediately the way you curl slightly, as if to shield yourself for something you've probably suspected beforehand anyway. You're avoiding saying more than necessary, garnering how much they know and building your answer around that. Astro suspects it's a fear response, perhaps leftover from when you were with Ciara.

☁ You take this information for what it is, nodding softly before heaving a heavy sigh. Cosmo's right there beside you, rubbing your back and laying on your shoulder, feeling you shake beneath his cheek. It's a small tremble, but one nonetheless.

☁ "Ciara is-..." You immediately stop, choking on the words as they try to escape. You pause, tongue dry and too thick for your mouth suddenly before pushing past it, fighting the acid that builds in the back of your throat. "Was. Ciara was not quite my handler." You admit, retracting your hands from Blu to curl your hands into fists. As if to stop an ulterior action. "I wasn't allowed a handler."

☁ You still refuse to look at them, but they allow you the small mercy. Sprout gently places a hand on your knee, rubbing small circles into the flesh as he watches you carefully. As much as he wants answers, he doesn't want them at the expense of your own happiness.

☁ "When...When the commons started to out number the mains, Delilah and Arthur-" You groan, pressing the butt of your palm to your temple. "I-...I don't know how or why. I don't remember, but I know there was a...a trial of sorts. If they could turn a common into a main." You pause and nearly upchuck then and there, but swallow it down. It burns, speaking of it, you know you shouldn't. Who knows where Ciara is. If she knew, she'd-....She'd....She'd do nothing. She is little more than a rotten name spotting memories you can barely grasp. Like candle light in a dream you can't quite place.

☁ "Ciara was assigned to me, to get me ready to be a main. She trained me." You know they want you to elaborate, but you don't. You can't. You won't. You refuse to go back to that time. To the appointments where Delilah held you down, injecting Ichor into your flesh and documenting the effects. The changes to your arm, fur, words, thoughts, even your soul. It was like you were some great version of a patchwork project. "She wasn't good. She wasn't like Austin or Sam. She worked mostly with Delilah."

☁ There's silence for a moment before Astro is opening his mouth, "Starlight, if-"

☁ "No, I-...I just, I don't remember what you're probably asking about." You wilt and curl completely, trapping Blu between your chest and legs. She mews, but doesn't move. "I don't know if they were successful. I don't know anything beyond what Ciara wanted."

☁ "And what did she want?" Sprout asks before he can stop himself. he immediately kicks himself for it, especially as you wilt further.

☁ "To be like them. Like Austin and Sam and- and- and-" Your breath catches as you shake your head, eyes immediately shutting. Cosmo sits up enough to pull you to his chest, hushing you softly as you shake your head to fight off tears.

☁ He pets down your fur and gently murmurs against your temple, reassuring you you've done nothing wrong before. It's an act that's foreign to Sprout and Astro, watching Cosmo work, but one the cake roll is all too familiar with.

☁ Cosmo knows you. Has known you for a long time. He likes to think he's been in love with you far longer than he himself even remembers. He has memories of all kinds with you before the outbreak. He even remembers meeting you for the first time. When he was a freshly made toon, Delilah made it a point to familiarize him with the others quickly without letting him settle from his creation first. He was much too overwhelmed and the sounds were much too loud, even the feel of the sweater gifted to him made his entire body curl and cry out. You were there. You barked at the others to back off before walking up to him, laying on your belly so he could look at you without having to look up at the lights past your head.

☁ He swears that was when he fell in love with you, hopelessly pining, especially when you gently hummed a soft tune to him that he still clung to to this day. He can't explain the feeling that erupted in him the first instance of Ciara's cruelty. She was an individual driven by monetary value and chased it at the expense of anyone else; especially if it was you who paid the price. He hated it then, and he hates it now.

☁ The two of you had created a sort of routine when Ciara had gotten to the pinnacle of her nastiness. You'd knock on the frame of his bed and he'd wordlessly let you crawl in with him. You'd sleep against the wall and he'd sleep with his back to the door, hiding you under the blanket as your fingers curled around his sweated, burrowing between his neck and hood to muffle to sounds of your cries.

☁ It shattered his heart into pure dust to hear those noises, and he admittedly hoped they were long since left in the past. And then you were turned again. And the recovery began. And with that came your frustrations as to not healing fast enough for your preferences. Then this.

☁ It's the only thing he can think to do when he sees you flounder is to turn back to those old habits. He lets you hide, acts as the protector for even just a second. With the amount of times you've done it for them, he'll take every opportunity to return the favor.

☁ Sprout and Astro both send him pleading glances, begging wordlessly for directions on how to help. They've never seen this side of you and are grasping at straws on how to aid in any sort of way. Cosmo shakes his head a bit, pulling you so you're straddling him, letting you hide your face in his neck once more as he rubs up and own your back. Blu takes the opportunity to run off then, perching herself back on top of Coal.

☁ "It's a sensitive topic." Cosmo starts, feeling you practically claw at him to hold on tighter. "But you didn't know, that's not your fault." He's quick to cut in as he watches a flurry of emotions cut across their faces. "As far as we know, they weren't a main. I don't know what kind of tests they do to determine this, but they didn't pass them. If I had to guess, if they are a main now, it's evolved after being a twisted." He explains, hearing you hiccup. "That won't change anything about how we feel though, pudding."

☁ "No, oh god no." Sprout shakes his head. "Never would it ever change anything bud. We just...were curious. But should've gone about it better. I'm sorry."

☁ "I'm sorry as well." Astro wilts a bit himself, toying with his cloak. "But please trust that I absolutely agree with both Sprout and Cosmo."

☁ You sniffle once before pulling back just a big, dusting Cosmo's shoulder even if he doesn't care about what you've perceived to be a mess. "You went about it in what was pretty much the best way possible." You lips spread in a shaky grin. "Sorry I kind of freaked out."

☁ "You have nothing to apologize for, pudding." Cosmo gently nuzzles against your snout, making it scrunch. "It's just a sore spot."

☁ Sprout and Astro nod and a solemn silence falls for a second. It's thick and tangible, sweltering as it practically chokes them.

☁ Cosmo hates it.

☁ "C'mon, let's go on a run. I think it would be fun." He's already sliding off the bed, taking you with him with his hands under your thighs. You yip at the sudden action before peeling into laughter, holding on tighter. Astro and Sprout let out their own calls, quickly scrambling after Cosmo. He laughs in time with you, his heart soaring at the sound. He knows Sprout at least has the ability to catch up, but to his surprise, it's four hands to catch him and you rather than two. Astro is chuckling as he pulls back, sandwiching Cosmo between his chest and you.

☁ Sprout with all the gracefulness of a bull in a china shop runs right into the three of you and you all go toppling into a pile of giggles. It fits and it feels right, so Cosmo endures Sprout's weight, on top of Astro's and your owns, a moment longer before pushing you all off.

☁ He stands to dust himself off, pretending not to notice the soft moment you share with Astro and Sprout, both giving their own apologies once more before your waving them off and pressing soft pecks to their lips.

☁ By the time you make it to the elevator, the four of you are laughing like you normally do, with inside jokes and petty little squabbles mixed in with sneaky little pecks. However, because of that, others have clued in that a run is going on and wave you off. Glisten and Goob are the first to spot you both, seperating much further than they probably should be if what they were previously doing wasn't anything scandalous. You say as much, turning on your heel to run the second Goob's arms stretch for you. You don't make it far before he's pulling you back and your stuck, Goob's knuckles digging into your head as you squirm before breaking free.

☁ It's a normal run, with the barest idea of possibly getting Rudie Research, but still full of all sorts of jokes and laughter. Floor by floor, each machine is done well and quickly as you distract, and you're shocked by Sprout's prodding to learn how to distract as well.

☁ He's fast enough and had grabbed Toodle's trinket on the way out rather than Vee's remote, so you obliged, sitting on a nearby table with an airhorn ready whenever it was a single twisted floor. He kept up easily, maintaining a good distance between himself and his test twisteds. You watched carefully though, attention only diverting whenever Cosmo or Astro came up to check on the two of you.

☁ You were honestly proud of Sprout, telling him as much as you both jogged into the elevator, taking great pride in his pink cheeks as his leafy tail gave away his elation. You leaned in further to make your paint, poking his cheek even as he swatted at you, Cosmo and Astro even joining in as well.

☁ Then Dandy showed up. His eye was twitching, as it does, once more focused on you with a strained smile on his features. You give him a much lighter one, lips upturning to showcase your newly sharpened teeth from your time as a twisted. It makes Dandy lean back, just a smidge, meeting your gaze with a simmering one of his own.

☁ "You are quite the pain." He sneers, smile never faltering. You feel Sprout hover behind you, one of his hands gently laying on your lower back as Astro and Cosmo watch with baited breath. Dandy's twisted form wasn't scary anymore. Not to you. He was too slow and too sluggish to be a real threat after you realized this, the biggest concern being when he decides to try and strike. He's predictable in that sense though and you can tell it's coming from a mile away.

☁ "I've been told." You practically purr, giving a devious little smirk. "Gonna throw another fit about not getting tapes?" You push further and Sprout's hand on your back becomes more insistent.

☁ "Bud, c'mon now, remember what happened last time." He urges, thinking back to how Blu came into your lives. He's unsure of the power Dandy has and isn't willing to test it. To your credit, you do back off a bit before Dandy's snarl turns sharp and full of teeth.

☁ "That's right, listen to the main, Common."

☁ You whirl around before Sprout can catch you, hurling threats at the flower as his elevator descends and your left spitting out all sorts of venom.

☁ "I hate him, I hate him, I hate him!" You cry out, stomping your feet angrily as your hands curl, as if strangling him. Your boys are too busy watching you, Cosmo and Astro admittedly hiding behind Sprout before your taking in a deep breath. "I need to calm down first." You shake your head and take one more deep breath. "This is fine."

☁ "You...sure? We can call it? This was already further than we planned." Sprout tentatively offers, and you nod. "No, I'm having fun, he just...pisses me off." You fully settle at last giving them a smile. "Unless you all are admitting you're finally tired of me."

☁ Astro scoffs at this. "Tire? Of you? Please. Don't insult me." He turns with a flourish, the cape of his cloak following him with a trail of stars as you snicker. Cosmo's already rolling his eyes at the dramatics, but Sprout gives the other a soft smile.

☁ "Oh, of course, of course, how dare I." You tease, and the elevator opens once more. You go to take off before stopping, eyes immediately darting to the object in front of you. It looks like a smoke bomb, and you probably would've encouraged Cosmo or Astro to take it, it not for the glaring green color staring up at you. The other three come up behind you, peering over your shoulders at the new object. You blink. They blink. The thing doesn't move.

☁ "There's a unanimous decision to not touch it, right?" You question, getting a trio of agreements right away. You learned your lesson the first time and carefully try to maneuver around it. However the sound of a snap makes you perk up, immediately tackling Sprout, who was spotted by a twisted Scraps. Cosmo and Astro scramble back a few steps as you land on Sprout, but the attachment on her tail continues and crashes into the new object. Green smoke erupts around the four of you and you immediately wave your hand in front of your face, helping up Sprout who scrunches his nose at the smell. It doesn't really smell, but it's thick. It's like smog, choking you and you hate it.

☁ What you hate more is the sudden tug at your body. Nothing is grabbing you, but you feel something yank at your chest, pulling and pulling until something sharp snaps and it's gone. It almost feels like something else is snapped into it's place, but it's chunky and doesn't fit right. It's like if you swallowed a piece of chip too big, but it shifted halfway down and is now awkwardly lodged in your throat as it makes it's way to your stomach.

☁ The green smoke clears, but Scraps is still right there, so you have no room to wait, immediately taking off despite it all feeling wrong and off. She snaps at you and you're stunned for a second as it digs into your arm. You should've been much further then you were, but a glance back shows that you weren't. You put much more effort into running a second time rather than the usual jog you do, hiding behind a box as you take a breather. You check your trinkets, but they're just fine. Working as they should.

☁ Looking over the box, you're able to spot the other three, similarly freaking out behind a box. You glance back at Scraps, seeing her wander off with a frustrated shake of her head.

☁ You quickly dart to where they're hiding, Cosmo immediately shaking your shoulders. "What was that?!" He hissed, checking the injury pearling Ichor on your shoulder. It's not that bad, but it's still worrying.

☁ "I-I don't know. I wasn't-...." You pause, glancing back to the dust now laying on the ground as remnants of the object. Your eyes widen at this, looking to Astro, Cosmo and Sprout, they don't look any different, but something feels off. The normal warm aura that seems to come from Sprout at any given time has been disturbed, no longer there in a settled hum, but rather missing entirely. From the other end, Cosmo seems like he's practically vibrating with new energy, ready to peel off in the same way you normally do. Astro seems out of sorts as well, looking at his hands like he's missing something. He turns them over, then flips them again, then once more before shakily setting them on the ground. The normal lights glimmer out, but rather than feeling a burst of adrenaline, your wound closes up, sealing itself into little more than dried ichor staining your fur.

☁ There's silence before all four of you scream. Astro is freaking out, looking at his hands while Sprout is flipping them every which way. Cosmo is pulling your arm closer, inspecting it like it was some sick trick. You have one hand pulling at your head, fingers threading into your fur as you cry out. "What is going on?!"

☁ You don't get the answer as the yells have drawn Scraps attention back, and with her comes Toodles, already darting for you. You scramble, pushing at the boys to all move it. You would normally try and distract, but you have no confidence in your own abilities currently so you stick with them for a worst case scenario. You only gape as Cosmo's much faster then he's used to, tripping over himself and into Sprout, who yelps, taking Astro with him.

☁ You rush to pull them each up, Astro and Cosmo going first as Sprout slaps a hand on the ground to push himself up, only for it to feel like a shot of adrenaline was pushed straight into your nervous system. You gape at this once more before pinning it, pulling them into a room out of the way and hiding behind a desk. The four of you take a moment to pant, slowly settling from the entire ordeal.

☁ You drag your hands down your face, taking a breath and mentally counting in your head before exhaling. "Okay. So. Somethings wrong."

☁ "Something's wrong? Something's wrong?!" Astro grabs at his hair, pulling it slightly with two of his hands while the other two shake in front of him. "I HEALED?!"

☁ "Yeah, I got that, i was there." You gently unthread his fingers from his hair, soothing the stands slightly as you hold two of the hands in your own. "I think...we switched." You spit out, ears perked for signs of any twisteds.

☁ "Switched?! How is that even possible?!" Cosmo cries out. "So-so-so-so what?! Sprout is now our Astro equivalent? And Astro is Sprout?"

☁ "It didn't take any tapes, so it's more likely you and Astro switched." Sprout explains, running a hand through his leaves. "Okay, okay. Let's work this out. Cosmo, don't think we didn't see you. You and Y/N probably switched. So there's that. i switched with Astro, and Astro switched with either myself or Cosmo. How do you feel?" He turns to the celestial who swallows.

☁ "...Like I got hit." He answers slowly and Sprout nods. "Okay, so Cosmo got faster, I got weird stamina powers, Astro can heal like Cosmo does which leaves-" He turns to you. "You. You have my power."

☁ You swallow at this, clenching Astro's hand tightly. Looking into your inventory pouch, you quickly count your tapes, nodding at the surplus in there. "I don't know how to heal."

☁ "You didn't know how to make Blu appear and still did that." Sprout jokes, even if it sounds flat. It makes you snicker anyway before Sprout continues. "Just...try to imagine the energy of the tapes moving into Astro. It should-...should do the rest itself."

☁ You slowly nod at this, and do it, envisioning a small strand connecting to Astro from the tapes. Something settles then pulls taut before snapping. The bigger portion slithers towards Astro before lifting and your bag feels lighter. "This is insane."

☁ "I don't know how to distract, I don't wanna distract!" Cosmo cries out.

☁ You shake your head. "No, no, you don't have too. I should still-" You pause. "Actually, I don't know. I don't know how to distract without my speed." You wilt, and this time Astro squeezes your hands.

☁ "Then we'll have to be sneaky, won't we?" Astro prods just a bit, nudging you until you smile. "C'mon. If anyone can handle this, it's us. We got this. Just...do as we normally do. But behind more walls." He nods, standing and taking you with him even as you yelp.

☁ Sprout and Cosmo stand up as well, shooting each other a grin. It should be fine, It would be fine.

☁ It was not.

☁ You would later say that floor was by far. The Worst. Floor. You've ever done. Cosmo kept tripping over himself, not used to anything more than his usual saunter, slamming against the floor and calling the attention of the twisteds. Luckily, you stuck nearby, switching trinkets with him as he begrudgingly kept the twisteds on his tail.

☁ You would take over every time you could, switching with Cosmo intermittently as you found yourself at odds as well, nearly getting your ankles snapped on by Toodles since you weren't used to being conscious of your speed.

☁ Astro has his own difficulties as well, trying to stick between hovering to ensure neither you or Cosmo would get too hurt and having to catch himself from trying to give you both stamina, frustrating him at every turn.

☁ Sprout, on the other hand, seemed to be having a blast, despite the three of you glaring at him every time he popped by, letting Astro's own power roam like it was his before taking off. He found himself enjoying the lack of stress that came with healing, and admittedly found himself chuckling at the sound of the three of you scrambling every time one of you tripped or stumbled. He knew you'd be fine, they weren't overly awful twisteds and with all three of you there, it would be stressful, but scraps wouldn't snap without a clear target. Which she wouldn't have with all three of you running like chickens with heads cut off.

☁ he finished the last machine with a click of the vee-mote he took from Astro, hearing the elevator open and the three of you take off. He met up with you guys right away, letting a final thrum of Astro's power hum. Cosmo has one last tumblr which sends both him and Astro tumbling into the elevator with you following and Sprout being the final one.

☁ It shuts and you waste no time sending them back up. There's silence before you giggle, then you cackle then you're giving full on belly laughs as you clutch your stomach. "That was awful." You cry out, head tilting back as the hormonic sound echoes.

☁ Cosmo is quick to follow, still on top of Astro, which makes the celestial laugh, and before any of them can stop it you're all laughing at the absurdity of it all.

☁ In the very least, at least there wasn't another Blu.

[abyssalwavezz]

ok since caleb is back i NEEDDDD to see him and zayne interact and they have like a rivalry since they’re all childhood friends in case infold doesn’t give it to me idk how it would work tho but i trust you

Fire and Ice

Author's note: I really almost went a very dark romance direction with this, but it would've needed to be multiple parts and Caleb would've been like a villain, so I did my best to condense it into a single chapter uwu plus, this is my first LADS fic, so I am really getting a feel for the characterization and what kind of storylines I want to write after so long of not writing fics.

Contains: College AU! Zayne x MC/YN x Caleb love triangle (except MC doesn't really like Caleb back) where Zayne ultimately wins over MC teehee, shameless cameos of the other boys because I can, and several time skips because yeah <3

Warnings: cursing I guess? and Caleb being kind of a creep lol but we all know he is one canonically anyway, and also this wasn't proofread because who has time for that

Word Count: 3,743

Class started at 9:00 today just like it did every other day. Today though, you were late. And of course, it was an exam day.

You jumped out of bed as soon as you realized it was 8:41. Could you get ready and make it across campus in 20 minutes?

Only one way to find out.

Had you looked at your phone, you would've realized that a certain someone had been trying to message you. But he was unable to since your phone was on DND. You were too busy throwing on clothes and making yourself look presentable to think about anything else, anyway.

Once you had an outfit on and had somewhat cleaned yourself up, you glanced at the clock on the wall.

8:53...shit.

On a good day, it took about 10 minutes to walk to this class. Today, you would have to run there in 7. If only you hadn't skipped running the mile for gym...

You grabbed your bag, keys, and phone (that you still hadn't looked at) before running out the door.

However, something very sturdy and tall stopped you halfway down the hallway.

"Oof," you grunted as you came into contact with this tall, sturdy thing.

Turns out, it was a person. The person who had been trying to text you all morning.

"Caleb! What the hell?"

You looked up at him in frustration.

"I'm trying to get to class! The one you should be in too? We have an exam!"

Caleb, who still hadn't actually spoken, only laughed as he pulled his phone out of his pocket. He clicked a few things on the screen before turning it towards you.

It showed an email from your professor to your class, letting you all know that he was sick and that both class and the exam was cancelled.

It took you a few seconds to decide if you were happy or upset about the situation. Ultimately, you decided you were happy.

"If your phone hadn't been on 'Ignore Caleb Mode,' this could've been avoided," he chuckled out, putting his own phone back in his pocket.

You finally got yours out and noticed that you had, in fact, missed three texts and four calls from Caleb.

The most recent one though, wasn't from Caleb. It was from Zayne. Just reading his name on your phone made your heart skip a beat.

"You wanna go get breakfast or something?" Caleb asked, snapping you away from your Zayne-themed thoughts.

Your eyes met his excited ones, but it only took him a second to realize what your answer would be.

"Come onnnn," he groaned, tilting his head back dramatically. "Your next class isn't until 12 and mine is at 12:30. You got some big plans or something?"

You hesitated. You weren't sure how much you should tell Caleb. He could be a bit funny about things sometimes.

"I...I told Zayne I would meet him for coffee after our class. Which has now been cancelled, so he texted me asking if I wanted to meet him earlier instead."

Caleb grew silent, whatever was left of his initial hopeful expression now nonexistent.

"Oh...I see. Forgot he was in our class too."

"Caleb, come on. How about I have dinner with you to make up for it? Whatever happened with you two anyway? We all used to be great friends."

He scoffed, shoving his hands in his pockets and kicking at the floor halfheartedly.

"Don't worry about it. Go have fun, I won't get in the way."

With that, Caleb walked away.

~

You sighed as you swirled the last bit of your now cold coffee around the bottom of the mug.

"And so then he just walked away," you said quietly, still not sure what you did to deserve that from Caleb.

You looked up at the dark-haired man in front of you.

Zayne hadn't said much yet, he was just listening to you go on and on. But this really wasn't out of the ordinary for you two.

"Never mind that! Tell me about your day so far Zayne. I have really been yapping since we sat down."

Zayne lifted the corner of his mouth in a small smile, breathing slightly through his nose before raising his mug to his lips for a drink, and then setting it back down.

"I wouldn't call it yapping. I enjoy listening to you speak, and it sounds like you had an eventful day right from the start."

Your face burned slightly from Zayne's words, and you prayed he didn't notice.

"But my day before now really only consisted of some early morning studying, if you really wanted to know."

You chuckled a bit and raised your eyebrow playfully at Zayne.

"Future Dr. Zayne needs to study? We should all feel a little better about ourselves then!"

Zayne shook his head at your comment, in the way he always does when he thinks something is funny but doesn't want to show it and give you the satisfaction.

"Everyone would benefit from studying. Some of us...more than others," he said so only you could hear, glancing at the farthest corner of the cafe.

You followed his gaze and saw what he was looking at.

At the table in the corner was the well-known quiet kid, Xavier. His head was down on the top of the table in its usual position, and even from where you were sitting you could hear his signature snores.

What was really funny though, was not Xavier, but something else.

There were three people sitting across from him at another table with their phones out, taking pictures of him sleeping. Their stifled laughs and giggles were infectious, and you realized it was the class clown group of Sylus and his two sidekicks, Luke and Kieran. They truly were always getting into trouble or causing it.

You snorted and quickly covered your mouth and nose with both hands, hoping no one heard it. But of course Zayne did, and even he had to laugh quietly.

After the moment passed and it got quiet again, you decided to ask Zayne the real question that had been on your mind. The same one you asked Caleb a couple of hours ago.

"So... what did happen between you two? There must have been something."

Zayne stared into his dry coffee mug, pushing his glasses up slightly with the tip of his index finger.

"I'm not sure what you're referring to, (Y/N)."

"You know what I'm talking about. Caleb? The three of us used to have so much fun together as kids. Then when we started college together, everything got so tense a few weeks into the first semester."

"There are some things that you don't know, and it would be better if it remained that way. At least...for now."

You knew not to push Zayne. And you did trust him, so you decided to leave it alone for the moment.

Hopefully you would get to the bottom of it, sooner or later.

~

The two of you had stayed at the cafe much longer than you meant to. So you decided to go through the to-go lunch line before Zayne walked you to your next class.

You wondered if Zayne knew how you felt at times like these. Of course he was smart, but was he able to tell how you truly felt about him? What would he think? What would he say, if he knew? There's no way he would feel the same, so would he at least still want to be your friend?

Stupid.

Once Zayne had gotten his food as well, he turned towards you but stopped before he moved any closer.

"(Y/N), don't move."

You clicked your tongue in fake annoyance and put your hands on your hips, putting all your weight onto one side as you glared at Zayne.

"Why? Is there a big spider on me or something?"

"Yes."

"What?"

You immediately froze, your bag of food falling to the ground with a slight plop noise. Then you screamed and flailed your hands around, trying to brush off whatever spawn of Satan was on you.

In the commotion, you lost your balance, and fell backwards, colliding with another person. Whoever it was broke your fall, at least.

"Ouch, my hand!" the person whined underneath you.

As quickly as you could, you got up onto your feet and saw a big brown spider on the floor, scurrying away from the scene.

Huh, so Zayne really was telling the truth.

Snapping back to reality, you bent down with your hand outstretched to help the purple haired boy up.

"I am so sorry. It's Rafayel, right? Is your hand okay?"

Rafayel groaned and rubbed his right hand with his left before making eye contact with you.

"No thanks to you. I need my hands for painting, you know."

Rafayel bent over to pick up his bookbag that had fallen down, and then shot you another look.

"But I suppose that spider was a fearsome creature. You're forgiven."

Before you could apologize again, he turned on his heel and marched away.

Blinking rapidly, you stood up straight and scanned the cafeteria. As you made eye contact with people, they looked away away in a hurry. All except Zayne, who stood holding your forgotten bag of food.

"Shut up, Zayne."

"But I didn't say anything."

~

Classes were now over for the day, and you thought it was strange that you hadn't seen Caleb anymore. Usually, he was waiting outside your classrooms whenever he could, almost like he had your schedule memorized and watched you from a distance somehow. To be honest, you wouldn't put it past him. He had always been super protective of you, which you appreciated. But sometimes, it could be a bit much. Especially as you have gotten older, and are starting to feel differently and do more things on your own.

Did Caleb...like you? Is that why he has been like that? Or was he just being the best friend he could be for you?

Nah, no way he liked you. You guys were just really good friends, and had been for years. That was enough for you.

Zayne, on the other hand, often had your emotions and thoughts in a knot. You couldn't put your finger on when exactly, but you had fallen for him as more than just a friend, and you thought about him often.

Would his lips be as cold as his hands usually were?

You shook your head, trying to shake the thought itself from your brain. No sense in getting too deep. Zayne was here for school and to become a doctor. And he could have anyone he wanted, so why on Earth would that person be you?

You decided to take a walk before it got too dark. After all, it would be nice to be by yourself for a bit since the day had been so chaotic so far.

Glancing out the window of your room, you tried to plan the route you would walk. But when you did, you noticed someone duck behind the bushes nearby.

What the hell?

Now curious about who was watching you in your own room, you decided to go around the back of your dorm building to try and catch whoever it was.

Once you were outside, you crouched a bit and tried to come around the corner of the building as quietly as possible. You took each step with a sense of purpose, willing the person to still be there. The bushes were now only a few steps away.

In a flash, you lunged, separating the bushes with your hands to find out who the creep was. But there was no one there.

Defeated, you plopped down onto the grass, trying to decide if you even wanted to go for a walk anymore.

"Whatcha doing down there on the ground?" a familiar voice behind you asked.

"Caleb!"

You stood up excitedly and clasped your hands together.

Caleb bent down to your eye-level and smiled, his usual sparkle back in his gaze.

"Were you lookin' for something?"

You shook your head, looking back over at the disheveled bush.

"No, it was really weird. I thought someone was watching me from the bushes right there. It's right underneath my window. I was gonna punch them in the mouth!"

Caleb coughed.

"Yeah, that is really weird. Anyway, wanna grab dinner soon? You offered, after all."

"Oh, sure! It's gonna get dark soon anyway, so no time for a walk after all."

You walked with Caleb to the cafeteria in silence. Usually the two of you would be talking about random things, whether that be you trying to decide on a major or Caleb's newest model airplane he built. But today, it was nothing. And you didn't really like that.

"Caleb, do you care about me?"

Your sudden question startled him, the silence around you quickly dissipating. But he didn't miss a beat.

"Well, of course I do. It's about time you noticed! But why are you asking?"

"Because I feel like you're hiding something from me. And so is Zayne, and it really bothers me. Today was especially bothersome."

Caleb sighed, opening the door to the cafeteria for you.

"You really wanna know?"

"Yes! I miss the two of you getting along. We had some great times."

Caleb grabbed two empty lunch trays and handed you one. You mumbled a quick thanks as you watched his conflicted facial expression manifest.

"We just had a fight, okay? That's all. Sometimes that happens and people aren't friends anymore."

You weren't satisfied. You knew there was more to it after the way he reacted earlier when you told him you were meeting Zayne for coffee.

"You're still leaving something out."

"What, you wanna know what we fought about?"

"Yes! Maybe I can help."

Caleb shook his head, reaching for a serving spoon to get some rice.

"Hmm, I don't think so, (Y/N). Not this time. This isn't like when we argued over the last Popsicle in Grandma's freezer."

"Oh, come on. I'm not a little girl anymore. You don't have to hide things from me."

He gripped the next serving spoon tightly, causing the food on it to wobble slightly.

"I know you aren't a little girl anymore, and that's part of the problem. You don't need me as much anymore."

"Caleb," you groaned, "You know I still want you around, no matter what. I love you, you know?"

Caleb's head seemed to be on a swivel, as fast as he turned towards you.

"You do?"

"Well yeah! You're my best friend."

Caleb's face fell slowly, starting with his eyebrows and ending with his lips.

"Yeah, best friends love each other, I guess..."

You followed him out of line to the closest table where he flopped onto one of the seats.

"I don't understand, Caleb. You don't want me to love you?"

"He does, but not in the way you are referring to, (Y/N)," a male voice said from behind where you were sitting. A voice you knew very well.

"Zayne?" you gasped. "How did you know I was here?"

You turned away from Caleb to look at him fully. He wasn't wearing his glasses, and the expression on his face was completely unreadable.

"This is usually the time you eat dinner, and I was hoping I would find you here. I did some thinking after our conversation earlier and wanted to talk to you."

A sudden loud noise caused you to jump. Looking towards the sound, you saw Caleb's tight fist against the table, surrounded by stray grains of rice.

"You've got a lot of nerve comin' up to our table right now, Zayne."

"I suppose I have just as much nerve as someone who enjoys stalking women due to their own insecurities."

Caleb stood up from the table, attracting the eyes of other students sitting down for dinner.

"Um, guys. Maybe we should all go talk outside?"

You felt something cold against your hand, and then another on your cheek.

They were snowflakes from Zayne's Evol, melting against the heat of your flushed skin.

You quickly glanced at Zayne, who was completely focused on Caleb. He hadn't even realized that he was causing them to appear in his emotional state.

A few of them stuck to your eyelashes, but you quickly blinked them away, risking a look at Caleb.

He was just as focused on Zayne, his jaw set in place and his hands now gripping the edge of the table with white knuckles.

"I think that's a great idea," Caleb spat, still not breaking eye contact with Zayne.

Without another word, he stomped towards the door, bumping Zayne's shoulder on the way by.

Though you hadn't moved, you felt out of breath as you finally met Zayne's eyes.

He was stoic, the anger he felt inside radiating off of him like a heatwave.

"Sorry about the snow," he said quietly.

You shook your head.

"What is going on? This is the first time the two of you have interacted in a long time, and it's already going to shit."

"He wants you all to himself, (Y/N). And that is just something I cannot abide."

"He what? Zayne, what-."

Before you could finish, he left to walk outside as well, taking the remaining snowflakes with him.

You ignored the onlookers and the mess left on your table before following after them.

Once you had them in your sights, you realized Caleb was getting in Zayne's face, challenging him to make a move.

Your walk turned into a run so you could catch up to them in the clearing that they were in behind the cafeteria. It seemed that they were in the middle of a new argument.

"...doesn't know what she wants. How would you know, nerd?"

"You aren't right for her, and you act strangely when it comes to her. What would any sane person think?"

Caleb was getting loud, but Zayne was speaking in his usual measured tone.

"What is going on?"

The boys froze, seeing that you had followed them outside. Caleb started to back away, and Zayne cleared his throat, moving to push up his glasses before realizing they weren't there.

"Explain yourselves. Now."

They didn't start talking right away. Instead, they took a step farther away from each other and stood silently.

"I mean it. You two are acting so damn weird. I don't deserve this."

Zayne sighed.

"She's right, Caleb."

Caleb crossed his arms.

"Yeah, I know."

Zayne started speaking first.

"When we first came here, Caleb and I had a conversation. About you."

You didn't say anything, in fear of causing them to change their minds about telling you.

"(Y/N), I was going to let you know that...that I felt a different way about you now than you might've expected. And I told Zayne about it, thinking he would support me."

"Except I found out about the...peculiar ways he chooses to look out for you and protect you. And I let him know that I strongly disapprove of his intentions."

Caleb glared at Zayne once more, and you shushed him when you saw that he was opening his mouth to fuss at Zayne.

"You follow me around to classes and stuff right? I figured. And I'm now guessing that was you in the bushes earlier?"

Zayne raised an eyebrow.

"I don't need you to watch over me like a hawk, Caleb. I am a grown up, a grown woman. And I can take care of myself."

His head lowered slightly, a hand meeting his neck to rub it awkwardly.

"I know it comes from an honest place in your heart, but I need you to stop. And..."

You hesitantly reached out to touch his arm.

"I'm sorry, but you're like my brother. I love you...in that way. Do you still want to be around me?"

Caleb sighed, laying a hand over top of yours.

"You can't get rid of me that easily. I will always be around. In whatever way you want, pipsqueak." Caleb flashed you a sad smile.

You let out a nervous chuckle, glad to see that he took it at least somewhat well. Never in your life would you have expected Caleb to have a crush on you. But you knew you didn't want to lose him, no matter what.

"Zayne..." Caleb said, turning away from you and letting his hand fall away, "I'm sorry, man."

"It's alright. I look forward to moving past this with you."

Caleb nodded without speaking, and then he walked away. You decided you wouldn't call out for him since he seemed like he needed some time alone.

That just left you with Zayne and the awkward space between you.

"Zayne..." you began.

"Yes?"

"Can I ask you something now?"

A glimmer of hope could be felt, deep within the pit of your stomach. You couldn't stop thinking about something Zayne had said a few moments ago, and though this might not be the best time, you figured it was as good a time as any. If Caleb could do it, so could you.

"Anything. And for what it's worth, I am sorry too. Our behavior was inexcusable."

"What exactly did you mean earlier? When you said he wanted me all to himself? I thought you were upset with him because he chose to look out for me in unique ways."

The edges of Zayne's ears turned red, and he placed a hand against his chin, refusing to look directly at you.

"Were you...jealous, too?"

Zayne remained still and quiet, not sure what to say next.

"Because I really like you. I have for a long time. And no, I know what you're thinking...I am not just saying that because of what happened tonight. Actually it kind of inspired me to tell you."

Something suddenly caused your eye to water. You rubbed it hurriedly, then pulled your hand away to see a trail of moisture run down your thumb. But not long passed before you figured out what it was, a white speck falling in front of your field of vision giving it away as it landed on your outstretched hand.

"I wouldn't call it jealousy but..."

You shivered slightly as the snowflakes turned into a small flurry.

"I knew he wasn't right for you. And...one can have hopes."

~

[muffinsin]

Heyo so I had what I felt was an interesting idea for a gender neutral reader x Daniela, where reader is one of Donna’s experiments that she was done with, where she bound a human soul to a suit of plate armour.

And so basically Lady D takes it/them off Donna’s hand as a gift for Daniela because of her love for stories, and fairy tale romance

And I was curious what ur take on Daniela getting her Knight in Shining Armour Fairy tale romance, but with the slight twist of it being Knight that is Shining Armour instead of “In” shining armour

Awhh, this one’s hella adorable, hon! And I feel, it’s just what this romance bug needs!🙌

Let’s get into it :)

Masterlists

With Donna, things were quiet

You weren’t used to much, mostly stood about and helped her when you could. There wasn’t much to do, and not a lot of people to talk to

And even the dolls did not always make for good beings to have a conversation with

And still, when she said you’d be given away, sent to the castle, you had felt anxious

Here, at the castle, it’s much different

It’s louder, far more crowded than the Beneviento manor

You’re presented like a gift by the dollmaker, standing still and glancing at the four women in front of you

One, tall, twice as tall as Donna, easily

The other three shorter, but still capable of towering above the average person

One, a blonde, who looks quite bored if you had to guess. An unusual reaction, certainly, given your nature. Still, even as you don’t technically have eyes, you feel almost embarrassed looking at her and visibly turn your head

The next, a brunette

You notice her fingers are twitching, her sickle glistening in the chandelier’s light

You turn to Donna momentarily, unsure how to act and what to expect

Still, you get the feeling you’d be nothing but a fancy training dummy, if she was in charge of you

Thankfully, she is not

Then the third one, a little younger and gentler looking, with a small pout at her lips and her gloved hand clutching a sickle of her own

She’s looking at you almost dreamily, her eyes wide and curious, her hips swaying gently as she stands, just barely noticeable, as if she was lost in her own world

She seems almost lost at the sight of you, only jumping to attention when the tall woman’s hand- Alcina, the mother, Donna informed you beforehand- sets on her shoulder gently

Then, the almost comfortable silence and slow feel of the room is interrupted

You stumble slightly when the redhead moves, turning to a swarm of flies that buzzes around you excitedly

Then, of of the swarm, comes first a hand that grasps the iron glove that makes your hand

The rest of her follow, her lips curving to a wide smile as she wraps her arms around you

You think you hear her thanking her mother, though it’s hard to tell, as both other women- her sisters- begin complaining almost immediately

You tilt your head, a large, iron helmet, down and can’t help but notice…she’s beautiful

Her eyes, a striking gold, are wide and betray the happiness and excitement she feels

Her lips are painted a deep black, and are spread into a wide, happy smile that would have your heart ache, if you had one

When she rubs her cheek against your chest plate and shoulder piece, you think; you should cringe, should feel bothered about the blood smearing against your otherwise pristine armor

Not this time

This time, you only watch her

For the first time in your life, you wish you had a face, a mouth, lips

All just to smile at her

For her to see your smile, hopeful that it might inspire her to just keep smiling, too

In the time to come, you get a little more adjusted to living at the castle

You’re with Daniela, every day, nearly at all times

And while you hear whispers, some of the staff members pitying you, you see no reason for such a thing at all

You love being in her company

You…have come to love Daniela

You awaken next to her every day, yearning for lips to curl into a smile when she stirs and rubs her face against you sleepily

Whenever you can- whenever she isn’t directly on top of you- you’ve taken to sitting by the fireplace in her room

While you can’t feel the heat, you know the armor making up your body heats up a little

And how adorable it is when she curls on top of you, cooing and basking in the warmth, her swarm buzzing so loud it almost sounds like she’s purring contentedly

You spend hours holding her in the morning, the gloved and armored fingertips making up your fingers gently combing through her hair

You wish, you could feel her

You wish, you could let her feel you

But, both of your love makes up for it

She’s head over heels for you and has been from the beginning. You are, quite literally, her knight in shining armor

And oh my, you know just how to make her feel like a princess

You love to pamper her, and she loves being pampered. And how could you ever deny her a thing, when she looks up at you so pleadingly? When her cute, golden eyes widen and she holds onto your chest-and shoulder plates

When her flies buzz so adorably…

You also notice- Daniela can be very clingy. Thankfully, you don’t mind

She likes holding onto you in some way at all times when she’s with you

At times, too eager to be close to you, her flies quite literally dart between the gaps in your armor, as though she wants to be within you, as though even holding you isn’t close enough for her

You love feeling her love

Daniela’s love is so…raw

So passionate and unfiltered

She shows you what you mean to her and is not shy to show you off at all. Though, you notice she is very possessive and can get quite jealous

As such, any doe eyed, curious maid looking at you is disposed of quickly

And still, you know how to calm her again, when you scoop her up off the floor and into your arms, when you hear her giggle and watch her caress your armor lovingly

Of course, all this does not mean you can’t get jealous, too

Especially when, unfortunately, far too many believe that you’re nothing but a mere construct to her and that she is for the taking

And while you have no blood running through you, you almost feel it boil from the anger you experience whenever a foolish staff member believes they can just come up to your girlfriend

Luckily, she only ever coos and giggles when you draw your sword and the person jumps away

Her knight in shining armor, indeed

She loves your protective side

Especially in winter you prefer accompanying her, well aware she’s a little more vulnerable then

Daniela is fast. You’re invincible. When you hear as much as a threatening noise, you step in front of her, your armor illuminated by the blue essence that is you and wills it to move, your sword drawn

And, of course, you’re always quick to step in when you hear the staff spreading rumors or scary stories about her, tales painting her as a monster. Even if she is one, you don’t care. She’s yours, your love, your passion, your princess

And you won’t let anybody badmouth her

And while it’s usually unnecessary, she would never stop you

If anything, she swoons, her cheeks pink, smiling wide

You do so love it when she smiles

Her favorite thing to do is to curl up on top of your lap after you’ve been sitting by the fire

She’ll often read to you, usually from one of the fairytales she loves so much

She’ll trace your armor as she reads, her voice gentle and smooth, her lips occasionally grazing your helmet before she rests against you again

Like this, the two of you can spend hours together and still feel like it has barely been a few minutes

[gogandmagog]

Anne of the Island, by L.M. Montgomery

Anne of the Island, Chapter Three!

Here comes Redmond! It would be on a Monday, too.

Two things I really, really love: that Di and Anne wanted to drive to the station together, and Anne’s sense of foreboding/little “presentiment” that she was actually leaving Green Gables forever. Of course, we readers know this to be true, but we thankfully have the advantage of knowing yet another truth... that yes, Anne can be happy somewhere else. I also wonder how much of Anne’s foresight is linked, in terms of the bends-in-the-road, to the appeal and/or dread of the ferry itself (as last time she was a passenger, it brought her from the asylum to Green Gables), because it seems to be the very vehicle of Anne’s shifting futures.

“Dora […] was one of those fortunate creatures who are seldom disturbed by anything.” Funny. I can’t tell if this is supposed to be her natural-born disposition or if it’s a defense mechanism learned by way of necessity, on account of having Davy for a brother.

Something else (of virtual inconsequence) that I like to note about the boat interlude, is that Anne’s internal monologue demonstrates clear annoyance towards Charlie, supposing that he’d be only pretending to be sentimental about watching PEI disappear from their sight... when only one or two lines later, it’s Gilbert that’s actually openly unsentimentally commenting, “Well, we’re off!” But Anne is somehow rather fine with that, lmao. I suppose it’s just the pretense that bugs her. Or maybe it’s the pretense of Charlie being able to relate to her feelings that bugs her? Meanwhile, there’s zero pretense in Anne’s ability to comfortably share her truest feelings with Gilbert. Cute!

That Gilbert’s not-so-very-sentimental over leaving Avonlea is not particularly strange, either. He is 21, and he has been largely out of his parents home, experiencing self-reliance, for over a year now, while boarding and teaching at White Sands. The age gap between Anne and Gilbert is nearly always negligible, but here in this one book I do think it’s occasionally a little glaring. Anne’s just a wee and nervous fledgling, dipping a pinky toe into the pool of independence, where as Gilbert’s wings are strong, and already maturely developed. 

Anne of the Island, Chapter Four!

Anne of the Island, by L.M. Montgomery

Every time I read this chapter, I’m reminded of the main difference between Anne of Windy Poplars and Anne of Windy Willows… which is that the Canadian publisher, for Windy Poplars, was mighty concerned about Maud’s fixation on graves and cemeteries and gruesome deaths throughout the text, and asked for quite a lot of it to be cut out. The English (Windy Willows, that is), however, really said doooon’t care. 🤓

Much respect and credit due to the Montgomery scholars, who have over the years hunted up and presented the following photos of Old St. Paul’s Burying Ground in Halifax, as close as possible to how it would’ve looked, for Anne and Pris and Phil.

Pris feeling like an ‘elephant’ at registration because of her considerable height, besides just making me sad for her, is always a source of curiosity for me. Anne is tall too... but she is proud of this, and when people speak of Anne being tall, it’s always in a tone of admiration. So, I wager we can guess that Pris must dwarf Anne’s tall? In the 1880s, historical data generalises that the average Canadian woman was 160 cm or 5’3[ish]. Anne, being ‘tall’, was probably 165 cm or 5’5, soooo Pris, markedly feeling enormous, maybe 172 cm? 5’8? This would be boyishly tall, since the average man of this time-period was the same 172 cm or 5'8.

Phil! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Btw who’s gonna take one for the team and dream up an “Anne of Mount Holly” fic, an (obvious) AU where Anne’s mum Bertha and Phil’s mum were pals (since they’re from the same city, after all), and it ends up it’s actually the Gordon’s that take Anne in, when her parents pass. An Anne from luxury, instead of an asylum.

“Thanks,” laughed Anne, “but Priscilla and I are so firmly convinced of our own good looks that we don’t need any assurance about them, so you needn’t trouble.” How far Anne has come. I think of that Louisa May Alcott quote, “love is a great beautifier.” Maud also leans heavily into love as transformative/beautifier for so many of her girls, and imo this is a pretty great message and overall universal truth, security and kindness giving way to confidence.

Okay, but between the two, as described, am I on crack or is the obvious choice not Alec? Or maybe I’m prejudiced against the name Alonzo, as well.

Anne going cold on Phil the second she mentions finding Gilbert ‘really handsome’ is soooy charmingly Anneish. Bonus points to Pris here, because evidentially she knew to begin preparing to leave in that moment too. Girlish solidarity.

The connection between Phil and Ruby is yet another point of interest to me. They share nearly the very same lines, sometimes, here specifically when we march steadily backwards to Anne of Green Gables when of Ruby the narrative asserts for her, "Frank Stockley had lots more dash and go, but then he wasn’t half as good-looking as Gilbert and she really couldn’t decide which she liked best!" Compared of course to Phil’s, “I like them both so much that I really don’t know which I like the better.”

Anne of the Island, Chapter Five!

Anne of the Island, by L.M. Montgomery

Gilbert Blythe is good at everything he puts the tiniest amount of effort into. 😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌😌 He’s class president, he’s football captain, and he’s singled out among the other members of the freshman class, to join a frat. Niiiiice. I know I’ve totally yapped about it before, but I think it’s wildly intriguing that Maud put Gilbert into Lamba Theta, when irl there were only three frats existing across all of Canada. Even when she attended Dalhousie, almost two decades after Anne and Gilbert attend Redmond. Small potatoes Dalhousie wouldn’t have a proper frat until 1923. So, I’m dying to know where from she gathered her frat info, especially as she’s obviously familiar with hazing/initiation processes. Elsewhere, the good news is: a Victorian-era frat was a legitimate intellectual and debate society, not a collection of dudebros in Sperrys, having beer pong championships at 9 am on a Tuesday.

“Gilbert Blythe won’t take any notice of me, except to look at me as if I were a nice little kitten he’d like to pat. Too well I know the reason. I owe you a grudge, Queen Anne.” Gilbert Blythe also has tunnel vision. You can line up every single one of the above ^ accolades, but none of them hold as strong or are even half so appealing as this; Gilbert’s capacity for fidelity. Phil’s the best-looking girl in her class, and besides which is also enormously clever and funny and affluent, and yet her attempts (“won’t take any notice of me” implies that Phil did try, and did seek said attention) fall flat. His heart has been spoken for since he was 13, you see.

Officially entering ‘Queen Anne’ 👑 into the registry of Anneisms.

"Even the grumpy old professor of Mathematics, who detested coeds, and had bitterly opposed their admission to Redmond, couldn’t floor her [Phil]." This was reputedly a real fellow iirc. In a magazine article from I think, 1912, A. Wylie Mahon published a review of Anne of the Island, in which he stated emphatically that “Redmond College is Dalhousie University” (true) and that the 'grumpy old professor of Mathematics, who detested coeds,' “was known to the students of his day as ‘Charlie'...” (possibly true).

“I don’t believe any but fools enter the ministry nowadays,” she wrote bitterly. PFFFT 😭😭😭 I laugh every time I read this letter. I wish I could correspond with Mrs Rachel.

I do wish I could forget about the ugly ‘big black man’ story that Davy shares, but is anyone familiar with “the old Harry” he refers to? 🧐 I’ve never been able to tell if this is a Mi’kmaq Gugwe reference or if it’s just supposed to mean literally like… some guy… named Harry. Orr?

[veravertigo]

possibilites for pangili return

so I wanted to put into words what I think might happen when Pili returns I could be so wrong but whtvr. Add on any other guesses u guys have btw!! • option one: (me being optimistic((desperate))) Pili comes back as the same character and apologizes to Pangi and my pangili heart is healed and everything is right in the world again and they go on a murder spree and triple threat rules the world!!!!!! • option two: Pili comes back as the same character with a memory wipe and doesn’t remember his past life at all

• option three: Pili comes back as the same character completely intact but pretends to be new/have amnesia

• option four: Pili comes back as a completely new character (I think I’d cry ngl)

• option five: Pili comes back the same but Pangi’s mad about not getting a book and Pili won’t apologize or smth similar so they break up (feels semi unlikely because Pangi misses Pili so much and is probably just gonna be glad he’s back and vise versa w Pili)

• option six: Pangi gets corrupted/killed/changed drastically before Pili comes back and we go from there (possibly bc he’s messing with the crystals but idk how likely this one is)

there’s definitely more possibilities and idk which I’m actually expecting I just wanted to make some guess >_< lmk if you guys have guesses as well I just wanted to discuss what we all think is next lol

[highly-important]

More Severance Thoughts/ Theories

I really enjoy this theory that Dieter was a story Kier made up in order to separate himself from his own actions that he felt ashamed of. That the innies are just the outies punching bags that take consequences and bear punishments.

But what I think about confusing about the Kier and Dieter story is, which is the Innie and which is the Outie?

We know that Helena sees the Innies as inhuman slaves, which would lend to the idea that Kier is the Outie. The Innies are basically the whipping boys of the Outies. Mark gets drunk and his Innie gets the hangover.

But we also see that the Innies are much "better" people than their Outies, (with the possible exception of Irving, who'se Outie we don't really know). The Innies are really the ones given a clean slate.

Isn't this more like Kier leaving his brother to become a part of nature, while Kier returns to the mills and factories?

So, although I've seen a lot of insane theories about Severance, I think it's probably really simple at it's core- severance is just a way of "purifying" a person. They detach themselves from the real world, and become more innocent "childlike" versions of themselves, tame their four tempers, and become something new.

I've said before about how the Alchemical process is a spiritual process of breaking away from worldly attachments and developing a higher consciousness.

In Alchemy, you take the four elements- earth, air, water, fire, and put them in a crucible with the fifth element- Aether, or luminiferous aether. (Lumon, get it?) The four elements correspond with the four tempers- woe, malice, dread, frolic.

In Alchemy, you "burn away" the old self, separate out the good and the bad, go through a process of death and rebirth, and distill the self into its most pure essence.

The Alchemical process has three main stages- the black stage, the white stage, and the red stage. In Alchemy, red would be associated with gold, and symbolizes alchemical success. (Think about how white, black, and red are major colors on this show, especially in the opening credits, and how red is used to symbolize knowledge.)

I think Severance also relates to protestant work eithic. The Innies basically exist just to work, and are meant to achieve some kind of spiritual growth through work.

To be clear, I think there are other things the tech can do, and different ways the Eagan family is using it.

I also think we are possibly seeing conflicts in Lumon between the pseudo-religious side, and the business side. Helena is on the business side, and thinks the religious side is a joke. Cobel is on the religious side. The business side is mostly interested in how this tech can make compliant workers.

Helena's dad doesn't like her and sees her as a failure. He may have made her get severed with the intent of actually "fixing" her in the process. That’s just a guess tho, I’m bad at predicting things

[wombywoo]

Okay okay okay okay.

One) love your art it's freaking gorgeous and amazing and so damn pretty

Two) I honestly started following cause I thought Quinn and Vincent wore Soap and Gaz (took a bit longer then I'd like to realize they weren't)

Three) absolutely adore your boys and still follow cause your OCS are so pretty and I need to know moar 😭

Four) I dunno if you've done a piece on it or som'n but how did they meet. I might not be looking good enough (not gonna lie I didn't really look I don't even know where to start for that sorry 😭)

Five) gives 🍊

Six) gives equivalent to dog 🍊, I live for Lady Fig

haha thank you for all the kind bulletpoints 🤭🧡 I accept all the 🍊!

To answer your main question, I haven't really gotten into how Quinn and Vincent met beyond the fact that they were both recruited to the same task force and will have met at some point after the whole gang gets together.

I *am* planning on getting into all of that once I start work on the ~hypothetical~ novel! (In fact, their meeting should be in the second chapter ☝️) So....stay tuned I guess 😅

Let's see if I can motivate myself a lil bit and start soon..fingers crossed 🤞

[sofreddie]

Sins of the Past - Part 1

Summary: Locked in a strange facility, Sam and Dean discover their soulmates, the four of them captive victims to an unknown assailant. Can they make it out alive from the mysterious individual hellbent on their suffering?

Characters: Y/N, OFC Imogene "Gene" Sutton, Dean Winchester, Sam Winchester, The Voice

Warnings: SAW/Soulmate AU, Angst, Violence, Blood, Torture, Traps, Graphic Descriptions

WC: 2,711

A/N: I'm so excited to share this new 8-part series. It's currently complete, so I'll be posting each part regularly. Please heed the warnings listed above. I hope you enjoy! Feedback is appreciated. : )

Series Masterlist

My Masterlist

The sound of a steady drip in the distance stirred Y/N to consciousness. Her eyes fluttered open, and her pupils dilated as she adjusted to the low lighting in the concrete hallway. A sharp pain alerted her to a wound on the back of her head, reminding her of the random assault that had caused the blackout.

She forced herself to stand and leaned heavily against the wall for support, wincing from the pain that shot through her temple to the back of her skull. She lighted a hand, gingerly caressing the sore spot, finding some tacky blood smeared on her hand from the wound. The last thing she could recall was heading to work, and there was a sudden thud to her head as she left her apartment.

She tried to evaluate her surroundings, but she was more than confused. Everything from floor to ceiling was solid concrete as she stood at a fork in the hallway, dimly lit by cheap flickering wall lamps. It appeared to be some sort of underground utility tunnel, though she couldn't know for sure. Not that she knew anything about underground facilities or tunnels outside of seeing them in film on occasion.

The not-too-distant sound of another person calling for help echoed down the hallway. She strained to hear the sound, which seemed to come from the left fork in the tunnel, the voice distinctly feminine. The tone sounded as scared and confused as she felt herself.

Something inside her told her to investigate and help if she could. She headed toward the source of the voice and stopped in front of a large iron door. The woman on the other side's whimpers and pleading seemed desperate. With a deep breath, she pushed on the door, having to plant her feet for leverage against its significant weight. 

Behind the door was a small room with the same concrete and shoddy lighting as the hallway. In the center of the room, a thin metal table was propped upright at an angle. A woman was tied to the table with three leather straps across her body, and tears streamed down her face as their eyes locked.

"Please, help me," the woman whimpered.

Y/N scurried forward and fumbled with the bindings as she worked to release the woman from the table, "It'll be okay," she tried to reassure herself, and the woman as she struggled with the clasps and her hands shook from fear and adrenaline. "Don't suppose you know where we are, do you?"

"I woke up here like this," the woman stuttered. "I'm not sure what happened."

Once the straps were released, the woman slumped forward from the table and struggled to get her footing, "How did you get here?"

"I woke up in the corridor outside. I think I was attacked when I left my apartment," Y/N responded as she gingerly rubbed at the sore, sticky spot on the back of her head.

The large iron door to the room suddenly swung shut with a thud and a click that reverberated against the concrete walls. The women dashed for the door, but their attempts to pry it open were fruitless. They turned to survey the room when a similar door on the opposite end swung open.

"I guess we go that way."

The woman from the table seemed more confident and took the lead. A thick and tense silence fell between them as they cautiously approached the open doorway and the ominous darkness beyond.

Huddled close, the two women shuffled through the door into the darkness. The door slammed shut behind them, and they both jumped. Dim lights sprung to life, illuminating the small concrete room in an eerie yellow glow. It appeared the same as the previous room and the corridor. Again, the thought occurred that it was an underground facility of some sort.

As eyes readjusted, they could see two men in the middle of the room. They were strapped into chairs next to each other, facing different directions. They were bloodied, and their heads hung loosely on their shoulders.

While Y/N was frozen with fear and uncertainty, Table-Woman rushed forward to check on the men, her hands searching for any pulse on their arms or necks.

"They're alive," she announced before falling back on her ass in surprise when the longer-haired one groaned and began to move. "Help the other one," she ordered as she unfastened the bindings holding Long-Hair to the chair.

As his bindings became loose, Long-Hair raised his head and met Table-Woman's eyes, letting out a groan once he was released and could move. He stood from the chair and took a moment to get his footing, and both women's mouths hung open as he towered above them. As he moved toward the other man, the two women regrouped and backed away from the pair.

"Dean," Long-Hair said as he shook the unconscious man and slapped his cheek a few times. The man - Dean, he had called him - shook awake.

"Sammy?" His voice was deep and rough as he looked at the other man. "What happened?" he groaned. Finally free of the bindings, he stood from the chair with the help of the taller man.

"Dunno," He sighed. "Must've got the jump on us."

Dean's eyes glanced around the room, taking in the surroundings before landing on Table-Woman. "Hey, aren't you the missing hunter, uh…" Dean snapped his fingers as he tried to recall. "Imogene Sutton, right?"

"Just Gene," she responded with an eye-roll. "Sam and Dean? You must be the Winchesters? Just when I thought being trapped in a mysterious concrete Bunker couldn't get any worse. This was my first case. It wasn't supposed to go like this."

“You weren’t supposed to go off alone,” Dean remarked. “Garth called us because your family said you ran off on a solo hunt.”

“Ugh!” She groaned in exasperation. “I’m twenty-six. I’ve been hunting my whole life with them. So I wanted to do one hunt on my own!”

“And how’s that going for you?” Dean smirked.

“Considering you’re here, not so great.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“My family and every hunter I’ve ever met has told stories about you two. And I’ve been warned many times to stay away because you two get people killed!”

"That stings," Dean responded, a hand over his heart. 

Sam couldn’t understand why the two of them were having a hunting argument in the middle of a dire situation. He was determined to break it up and try to calm them down. For some reason, Sam also felt protective of Gene and didn’t want his brother to attack her.

"We were working a case—demons and witches collaborating,” Sam said, stepping forward and removing Gene’s attention from his brother.  “You've been missing for three days," he explained, his tone gentle.

"Three…?" she mumbled, looking back up at Sam. "No, I went to follow a lead, and…I…" she shook her head, and her shoulders slumped. "I don't suppose you know how to get out of here?" Gene asked.

"No," Dean sighed. "But we'll get you out of here. Just stick with us, okay?" 

Dean moved around the room, trying to find anything to help. He tugged as he reached the door the women had entered through, seeing it was securely in place. His eyes shifted, seeing another door at the room's far end. With a determined march, he approached the other door. It swung open on its own before he could reach it.

"That doesn't bode well," Sam muttered under his breath.

"It happened in the last room, too," Gene said. "That's where I was found by -" She turned to look at the other woman and smirked sheepishly. "Sorry, I don't know your name."

"Y/N," she offered with a weak smile.

"Well," Dean said, looking over Y/N and Gene before landing on Sam. "Are we doing this?" 

Sam nodded, ushering the women forward, "Stay behind, Dean. I'll take up the rear," he said as they approached the open door.

Dean walked through first. Another dimly lit concrete room, as all the others greeted them. In the middle of the room were four mid-sized glass jars on a long table, equally spaced from one another. Each jar contained different items. Dean's eyes swept the room before gesturing for the others to follow.

As Sam crossed the threshold, the door slammed shut again. Dean examined the door at the room's far end, but it wouldn't budge. With a sigh, he turned back to the table as the four suspiciously eyed the jars on its surface.

Dean and Sam carefully examined the table and jars, finding them all very secure. Speakers crackled in the room, and a distorted voice came through.

"We're going to play a game," the voice said. "A key to the next door is in one of the jars. You have two minutes to find it before the doors seal permanently."

At those words, a timer appeared above the far door, a countdown in red numbers starting at two minutes and gradually decreasing.

"See, we've got ourselves a Saw fanatic," Dean scoffed. His eyes frequently flit back to the timer before landing on his brother, "Do you think there's a way out of this?"

"If there is, it'll no doubt take longer than two minutes to find it," Sam grimaced, approaching the jars and looking at them closely. "One jar each," he sighed.

As they examined the jars, they quickly realized there was no easy option. One jar was filled with razor blades, one with broken colored glass, one with rusty and jagged nails, and one with what appeared to be needles and pins.

Dean glanced back at the clock, seeing that the timer had been reduced to one and a half minutes, "Alright." 

He sighed and rolled up his sleeve as he stood before the needle jar. Sam moved to the razor blades, and Y/N moved to the glass, leaving Gene with the nails. 

"Find the key," Dean sighed, diving his hand into the jar and trying to maneuver to find the key carefully, but still managing to slice up his hand quickly and painfully in the process.

As Dean grunted and cursed under his breath while he searched, Sam quickly followed, gritting his teeth as every movement caused a new cut from the razorblades. Spikes of red became visible through the jar's glass.

Gene's heart thudded as she stared down at the rusty nails that were undoubtedly about to make her life miserable. There was no time for hesitation, though, as the timer ticked unforgivingly. Squeezing her eyes tight, she slowly sunk her hand into the jar's depths, whimpering as she felt her skin quickly become repeatedly punctured.

"Got it," Y/N announced quickly, holding up the blood-covered key as she passed it to Dean, pieces of glass stuck to her trembling hand.

Dean let out a long sigh as they all rushed for the door. The timer now showed thirty seconds, and he hurriedly turned the key. The door popped open, and Dean rushed them through. By the time they had all passed into the next room, the timer could be heard buzzing as it finalized. The door slammed shut and locked behind them.

The group glanced around the new, featureless, and bare room. They could only see yet another door on the opposite side of the room. Sam removed his flannel overshirt and ripped it into several pieces, handing the shreds to the others before he wrapped his sore and bleeding hands. The others followed as best they could, securing the shredded pieces around their wounds to stem the bleeding and protect them from further damage, if possible.

"Okay," Dean announced, stepping into the center of the room as he projected his voice. "There, we played your little game. Why not come deal with us face to face instead of hiding away like a damn coward?"

"The great and fearless Winchesters," the distorted voice sounded once more. "Well, hunters...hunt."

The timer appeared again, showing five minutes as the numbers began counting. Before they could question it, a part of the concrete wall slid barely open and closed again as another man was thrust into the room. He raised his head, locking eyes on the brothers before his eyes glowed gold. Fangs and claws appeared as he snarled.

"Fucking werewolf?!" Dean growled, backing up and holding out his arms protectively, herding Sam and the others behind him. "Sam?!"

"Werewolf!?" Gene shrieked, staring at the horrific man before her. "What the -"

"Sam, how the fuck do we take it down with no weapon!?"

"Improvise, I don't know!" Sam shrugged.

"Improvise," Dean grumbled before forcing himself towards the creature. "This is gonna suck," he muttered, taking a defensive stance as the wolf rushed towards him. 

Dean quickly moved, causing the lunging creature to roll past him. He turned back on the thing, Sam on its opposite side as they circled the beast.

"I don't suppose anyone has any silver?" Sam shouted as he grappled with the stronger werewolf, struggling to hold him with his injured hands.

"Here," Y/N shouted and tossed them the thick silver chain necklace she always wore for work as it was her only piece of fine jewelry.

The werewolf pushed Sam hard, sending him to tumble to the floor before focusing on the other male. Before Dean could catch the necklace, the werewolf tackled him, causing Dean to clip the jewelry and send it flying across the room. Dean’s back hit the ground with a thud, and the air was knocked out of him as the werewolf landed on top of him.

Y/N screamed, and the wolf turned its attention toward her with glowing eyes and a snarl dripping with saliva. It moved quicker than she expected, and Y/N felt frozen, unsure how to fight something she previously thought was make-believe. Before it could reach her, Gene jumped in the way, tackling the beast from the side.

They grappled briefly before the werewolf ended on top, raising its claw to strike down at Gene beneath him. Before it could strike, Sam grabbed the beast and threw him off of Gene and a few feet away. Dean focused on finding the necklace while the others were occupied. Once he did, he rushed to Sam, who was still fighting.

Pulling the chain between his hands, he threw his arms over the wolf's head, secured the necklace across its neck, and pulled back harshly. The wolf began to choke, trying desperately to fight back as the chain across his throat sizzled. The force of Dean choking him caused a bloody line to appear across his throat as it cut into his flesh. 

After what seemed like too long, the chain had cut through the creature's neck, the head and body falling separately to the floor. Dean huffed, staring down at the thing before walking back toward Y/N.

"Uh...here," he said sheepishly as he handed her back the necklace, now covered in blood and gore. 

She accepted it with shaking, injured hands, stunned and speechless. She struggled with the concept that werewolves were real and that she’d just watched these three people fight and kill it, which terrified her. Why the hell was she here with them? She looked up to meet his gaze, only for something to catch her eye over his shoulder.

"The door!" she exclaimed. 

Dean turned toward the door, seeing it shrink and disappear altogether, leaving nothing but smooth concrete where it had been. The timer above the door also disappeared. As Dean turned around again, the door they had come through was also gone, leaving them trapped within the concrete walls.

"I underestimated you," the voice returned. "Clearly, I've made it too easy."  

Suddenly, a yellowish smoke began to billow from vents in the ceiling, raining down on them. Immediately, they started choking and sputtering from the smoke, falling to their knees as they struggled for breath and fought against the effects that were pulling them to unconsciousness. The last thing Dean saw before passing out was the other three, unconscious and possibly dead, on the floor around him. 

"Sam," Dean grunted before he blacked out.

PART 2

FOREVERS:

@lyarr24

@hobby27

@kazsrm67

@maliburenee

@440mxs-wife

@writercole

@spnbaby-67

@all-alone-he-turns-to-stone

@leigh70

@laycblack

@kr804573

DEAN WINCHESTER:

@slamminmine

@deandreamernp

@awkward-and-indecisive

@akshi8278

@mimaria420

SAM WINCHESTER:

@b3autyfuldisast3r

[randomsporefacts]

more on early part arrangements, this time from the 2005 gdc demonstration

edit several hours too late i fixed a wrong word

-

curiously the early cell parts are grouped by the mouth, movement and weapon parts. theres no eyes here at all, even though the cell itself has eyes. not sure where the eyes would be

also a cell can just. not have a mouth. i guess

-

the willosaur's fins are called bp_foot_claws_web in swimmingtripod.obj found in GonzagoGL. so i guess theyre, more broadly, also movement parts (in final all of the feet parts are called movement parts internally, and also include some fin* parts. this sounds like the reverse?)

here are some parts finally. at this moment there are only four graspers, which includes one on the willosaur's tail. the other ones include a fairly generic four-fingered hand (i sure wish this was in final), a mantis claw looking thing, and a crab claw looking thing (which is mostly in final). will wright describes the willosaur grasper as "having a little bit of a weapon ability"

much like in 2006, the legs dont have any feet or graspers attached to them by default. and curiously theres a limb with one joint, one with two joints and one with three joints. no limbs come in final with only one joint, though theyre easily achievable by holding ctrl; i get them removing it as a default selectable limb just because limbs with one joint tend to animate strangely

heres the feet. the top left one is actually pretty similar to a final foot Scarmaker, and so is the hoof on the bottom (conceptually moreso than visually as its still pretty different from Cloppity), but the rest are fairly generic. i dont see the foot claws web here for some reason. will wright picks the middle left one, which just has claws but definitely no webs

also will wright does refer to foot claws web as fins here

also on a semi related note it feels like the parts rather easily go asymmetric, but this could also be early editor build jank

the centered foot also had a rotation ring, though it does that in final too

the final part category is actually just brains, which were originally used for the progresion through creature stage. you unlock more and better brains here, as opposed to the final just showing the brain in cutscenes throughout creature stage

unfortunately will wright doesnt show how you even select the brain (though the smallest one appeaers to be highlighted), or whether you drag it onto the creature or not. he just instantly skips from the editor to tribal stage. ah the beauty of this all actually being a semi playable mockup......

-

on the topic of other parts, the other creatures shown off have more feet than actually available, like this guy here with these two-toed feet that look similar to one in final too (specifically twopaw with morph handles). also a bunch of spikes that wer basically carried over too. im not sure whats going on with its mouth

this one has a lot of parts that really resemble final parts, being scarmaker and toucant and featherbluster. its hard to tell with the eyes. the beaks and feathers look rather different from final still

side note this one is basically just Tweety in the final game

this one also looks like it has twopaw with morph handles, also some nose and ear parts. i dont know what the mouth is

this one has the mantis claws graspers, and the scarmakers again

this one also seems to have willosaur eyes, which are called bp_eye_tripod even

the care bear here doesnt seem to have anything recognizeable from the final game, though the graspers and the blobby-looking feet look pretty similar to some creepy & cute parts. its possible that the c&c parts took inspiration from these ones, much like how one of the eyes looks a lot like the willosaur eyes too

i feel like the head is just one entire part added for a joke? it looks like one mesh and doesnt blink

[anartisticalniche]

Glass Barrier-Lockdown Protocol AU

This fic is based on this art right here: https://www.tumblr.com/anartisticalniche/775015960570675200/there-was-always-a-thin-glass-separating-us?source=share

Enjoy this sad thing lol

“Inmate G-5683, you have visitors.”

The bearded man barely moved his head from his side as he sighed and got up from his bed.

He was sick and tired of relying informations to SMG1 and 2.

It's time they got their shit together and caught his ex-boss.

He's got nothing else to say to them anyways.

He might have been an elite guard but that didn't mean he got to see him up close; not even his superior Wren did.

The guard bots used their laser chains to hold onto his cuffs and neck restraint, guiding him like a dog.

His eye bags were deep and visible, no light in his eyes aside from the luminescent one from the chain.

The swift sound from the door sounded off as his gaze remained on the floor.

He was led to his usual spot, seated in front of the protective glass dividing him from anything that basically was freedom on the outside.

He sighed, preparing for the questions.

“Three…?”

His red eyes took a second but eventually widened when he glanced up and saw the softest gaze on the most beautiful face he had ever seen in his life.

“Hey… how are you holding up?”

Tears threatened to escape from blue eyes across him.

The imprisoned man opened his mouth like a fish.

Eventually words left him: “What… what are you doing here?”

Four smiled as he tipped his head to the side: “Can’t I come visit you?”

“You legally can't yeah-” he said he looked at him with wide eyes; “you have to stay a hundred miles away from me according to the court-”

He huffed and rolled his eyes: “I guess time doesn't matter much to you when you're in your cell. Three years have already passed. That thing they said doesn't apply anymore”.

The scientist said it so casually but to the prisoner it felt like another nail dipping into his skin. Just to let him know that he's staying there forever… to the point time doesn't matter anymore.

Four immediately realized his mistake when he saw his face: “Ah shoot wait I didn't mean it like that- I'm just- I said it because now I can come see you! Isn't that great?”

He was trying to lighten up the mood, but there was no way it could work.

“Yeah… great.”

The raven's eyes clouded with sadness, but he was still hopeful.

“I've missed you…”

Three glanced back up: god how the hell was he still allowed to make puppy eyes like that- it will always make his stomach flip and heart race…

“Yeah? You've missed the one person that was sent to kill you?”

He said it so bitterly and he didn't know why he even said it why the hell did open his mouth-

But the response he got was as calm as ever.

“Yeah… maybe I'm wrong to feel this way, but I've forgiven you Three. You know that.”

Four’s eyes were watering and god was it contagious to see him like that.

Three inhaled…

“I’ve… I’ve missed you too.”

They shared bittersweet smiles, until Four snapped out of it and said: “Okay, I wanna tell you what we've been up to! Me, Mario and Meggy found a job with the intergalactic police! We are helping 1 and 2 find that bitch that wanted us dead! Isn't that great?!”

Three’s brain short circuited.

He growled in anger.

“Why the fuck are you doing that?! You're gonna get yourself killed!”

Four smiled confidently: “Nuh-huh! I'm a smart guy, remember? My wits are what is keeping me alive eheh!”

He groaned at his dumbassery.

For a scientist, this man was anything but realistic-

But that was what made him fall in love with him, wasn't it.

His never ending need to dream, to be positive if not a little reckless.

He wanted to hold him.

To strangle him and hug him at the same time.

He was so FRUSTRATING-

“You PROMISE ME. Nothing is going to happen to you. Okay?”

“Aw you care about me…” he said, his eyes having that flirtatious glint he had back in the ship.

Goddamnit.

Three let his head fall on the tiny desk.

“Just promise you moron-”

“But of course! Me and the squad make the best trio ever in the police department! With my wits and the siblings' destructive methods, we are bound to catch him!”

Three found that super hard to believe.

It was a miracle Mario didn't blow up the ship back before Wren could.

“After all, gotta make it before you come out of here, no?”

He glanced back up to him, his sure gaze still staring at him.

He was still convinced he was gonna be let out.

Despite KNOWING his crimes.

Despite… despite being sent to kill him…

He was not naive. Sure he was dumb sometimes, but he knew… he knew how the system worked.

Yet he still chose to dream.

He could cry for real right now.

“Yeah… when I get out.”

The scientist smiled softly, his gloved hand coming up the glass.

“And when you do… I wanna feel your hand against mine, okay? Nothing separating us anymore, not even layers of fabric.”

Red eyes glistened.

The cuffed hand itching upwards too, spreading against his own on the other side.

“I can't wait…”

“Time’s up.”

The robotic voice shattered the atmosphere as harsh reality settled in.

Three got yanked back, both bots on each side of him dragging him upwards.

The scientist’s smile strained but he tried to keep it on his face as he called back to him.

“THREE! REMEMBER, I LOVE YOU! NEVER FORGET THAT!”

He saw a glimpse of his messy bearded face glancing back at him before the door closed up, leaving him alone in the room as another security bot gently handled him to be escorted outside of the meeting room.

The walk back to his small reconnaissance ship was a breeze, and automatically he seated in his pilot post and started it up, exiting the prison’s hangar.

Once a few miles away, in the dark cosmos, a drop of water followed by many others descended on his control column and jacket.

Four didn’t even know when he started crying, but he couldn't stop, and despite telling himself to take back control of his emotions so that he wouldn't risk crashing somewhere because he couldn't see, he couldn't stop the hiccuping and tears.

And so he kept letting himself go, not knowing that back in the prison, the one he came to see was doing the same thing, leaning crouched on his side against the wall near his bed, letting out wails of despair and ache without stopping.

[inseparabiles]

#have i mentioned that theyre also extremely pretty in that scene?

Oh my god and how. Dear heaven. Holy shit.

But yeah no, I'm with you. I've also been pondering the implications of it - particularly Caracalla's statement, because honestly Geta's just mostly being a paranoid dork. Like there's a lot going on in there but it's less... I guess heavy implications than can be drawn from Caracalla. Yes, he was absolutely high off his ass and that'll impact his memory. But is it there in the narrative for that, or to be the first indicator of what's going on with his mental state? Because the way that Geta looks at him after is the same way he looks at him at the party itself - it's that same death stare of fucking hell I can't believe we're related you are the worst disappointment I ever loved, and then he goes on to be completely useless himself, but it's just that, when you combine it with what he says much later; "every day it gets worse."

It has, in fact, gotten worse every day. It's, what, four days? Three? From this scene to their last scene together. There's a lot to unpack in that when it comes to Caracalla specifically.

Meanwhile, yeah. The throwback also to the fact that Geta doesn't know the epics, and what that means for them along with the fact that they also don't know the first thing about... anything else? Were these two raised in a sparkling barrel? They're the imperial heirs of a general and they don't even know how to hold a sword?? I can't make sense of what their upbringing was supposed to be. Literally keep coming back to the phrase raised by wolves and that seems very in your face as far as symbolism goes, along with the choice to make them twins to begin with.

As an off thing, but Caracalla's doing the same tongue thing in this scene as he's doing in the OTHER scene where Geta's giving him the scalding look of disapproval:

I know this because I have both of the pictures printed on my wall and I'm looking at them right now. I'm going to try really hard not to go on a tangent about memory/recollection and how certain things like sensations or scents or sounds can trigger it, and instead leave you with this vague reference that - oh, for fuck's sake. He's probably doing this in both scenes because he's thinking back to the party when Geta asks him, and despite putting himself in that same body/mental space as far as he can he fails to recall it anyway, at which point he just states that he doesn't give a shit and leaves.

It's really ambiguous if that's really just him deciding it doesn't matter or if it's deeper. I hate that it probably is deeper, because this scene is hilarious.

Idk what the feeling is or how to describe it - but I have just like, this feeling in my chest everytime that I watch the scene where Lucius is in the arena for the first time and Geta's like "it's the poet isn't it?" And Caracalla's like "I can't remember, it's all a blur," and then Geta goes on to try and recite poetry only to have forgotten parts of it.

Like I can't currently put my finger on it - or what part of the scene gives me what specific emotion, but I do know that it stirs something in me.

[sideartblog999]

End of year artdump 2, all of the posing practice I did that I used as an excuse to draw my Jojo OCs (and also the times I just drew my Jojo OCs)

[leroibobo]

pictures from the old city of jerusalem's "african quarter", which comprises of ribat al-mansuri and ribat al-basiri. mamluks built the compounds in the late 13th century to house muslim pilgrims and the poor. ottomans used them as prisons, and the british closed the prisons when they occupied jerusalem in 1917. the ribats then came under the ownership of the islamic waqf, and were leased to the local afro-palestinian community.

afro-palestinians have an array of origins. like some other diaspora communities in palestine, some came through pilgrimage - al-aqsa was on their hajj path, and while many would visit to pray there, some decided to settle in jerusalem. there are also some who came to palestine enslaved or conscripted, most recently to ottomans. some came during the time of the british mandate, many as conscripted laborers to the british. afro-palestinians who can trace their ancestry do so to nigeria, chad, senegal, or sudan.

jerusalemite afro-palestinians were employed to guard al-aqsa throughout the ottoman period. during the 1948 palestine war, some joined the arab liberation army and fought with fellow palestinians to defend al-aqsa and their presence in jerusalem. the position of guards has been taken by occupation soldiers since the 1967 war, after which a quarter of the afro-palestinian population became refugees in surrounding countries.

jerusalem's afro-palestinian community still live in the compounds today, which also house the local african community society. (the door in the last picture is theirs.) afro-palestinians as a whole face the same legal, social, and economic restrictions and maltreatment as other palestinians, compounded with the same anti-black racism from israeli government and police which ethiopian jews and eritrean asylum seekers face, which result in a form of "passport racism" unique to them.

[cerealmonster15]

my favorite flavor of jamiazu + azurido is when everyone involved is so fucking pissed about it except for azul