#i have some hope ? but it's a cautious sort of hope for the future

[menlove]

wait curious about your thoughts on this. i genuinely dont believe the paul john reconciliation thing that paul pushes in every interview (abt the bread phone call etc) like im sure they had that conversation and maybe that was a nice memory but theres a paul late november 1980 interview (good morning america i think?) where the interviewer is like “john said you died creatively etc” and then paul gets very awkward and said he just keeps quiet publicly or else john will get resentful and that he doesnt know why john does that. its literally like two weeks before john died idk im like a mclennon ended on bad terms truther and i genuinely believe pauls batshit behavior the last 40 years is the result of him feeling bad about everything

I think I'm at a bit of a middle road with it! because there's certainly that (although what john actually said in that interview was meant differently and seemingly misconstrued to paul to try and start drama, although it sadly says a lot that paul sort of just expected that sort of thing by that point) & I do think that their relationship by 1980 was a lot more complicated than paul has wanted to talk about (for good reason). I wanna say there's a few interviews where he even says that, like it was difficult to come to terms with his feelings on everything with john bc suddenly he was Dead you know?

but I do think them reconciling and being friends again wouldn't necessarily negate that. there was a lot of baggage between them at that point & it would be very easy for the two of them to be Wary of each other even if they WERE on good terms and calling more often. which would just make paul's reaction to "john said you died creatively" even more of a blow for him like "what the hell, we're on good terms now, why is he STILL saying this shit?" and given that it was misconstrued and I wanna say not even a PUBLISHED interview yet, he really had nothing to go on except being ambushed by that question

plus there's the fact that they apparently had a recording studio booked for '81 and john was set to come back to england to record with him. and ofc (just like) starting over in general, though that depends on how much you believe that was for paul

honestly I think john died while they were on confusing terms. not really a Great place but also not on bad terms either. sort of a "yeah okay, we've made up, we're trying, maybe we'll get together and record, now what?" sort of place. especially given a lot anecdotes that yoko was fielding calls from paul & requests to come see john. I think they both Wanted to make up, but life was in the way. so they got phone calls about bread. but paul was obviously still wary and hurt/confused by john's back and forth behavior. I think there's some other quote somewhere from paul about how he never knew what he'd be picking the phone up to. on john's end, he probably WAS hopeful and fully intent on recording with him in the next year and, ya know, starting over. for paul, he probably didn't know if he could hold him to that or even hold him to being nice the next time they talked.

but ya know, 40+ years down the line, it's probably a bit easier to cling onto the good moments and not the confusion around where they stood at the end. lots of time for reflection on how john must have been feeling & coming to the conclusion that they WERE on track to being okay again. I think at the Time paul was probably just rightfully very cautious & that had to be a weird feeling to deal with after any future plans were killed with john

[bluebipples]

i saw a tiktok recently (from one of my fav creators on there lol) where he basically responding to the discourse about movie theatre/concert etiquette and how 'people forgot' how to act after the pandemic in those situations, and he was basically like, 'yeah, no shit, a lot of us just basically came to terms w the fact that at any moment, we can die, and life is very finite,' etc.

like damn yea he's got a point. most of the kids who went to school during the pandemic had to go through a chunk of the high school/middle school/elementary school cycle years in a semi-controversial, totally new way for both students and teachers. (at least that's how it was in philly where I live, and most of the east coast that i know of lol)

they spent those formative years hearing adults argue that some humans do not deserve equal rights, some doctors are liars, etc. some of them couldn't visit actual dying relatives in their final days, some of them came close to death themselves, and the entire time they had to listen to people argue over what kind of medical science was accurate and what news is fake. so much ridiculous bs i genuinely can't blame them - or anybody - for no longer giving a shit about going on their phone during a fuckin concert. because quite literally, at this point, everything we as humans do, to some weird portion of the population, is a luxury we do not deserve simply because they think we are born to suffer and work.

like, i know we've been saying 'im sick of living thru huge events' but you gotta admit, over the past, what, 2 years we've all just kind of collectively accepted that not only will it get worse, but the possibility of it being entirely life-ending is very real. i mean, we all kinda lowkey knew that we might live through some intense, near-apocalyptic shit, but now we're not exactly resigned to it. we're just kind of collectively pissed off enough that it's like we're holding our breaths, waiting for something bigger than ourselves to happen, and in the meantime we've just kinda stopped caring what everybody else thinks.

so anyway, fuck it, go on ur phones during concerts, check ur messages during that 5 minute quiet scene in a movie (as long as ur brightness is low and ur sound is off), dress like ur in a victorian movie, buy that cool thing (as long as u can at least feed urself/pay most of ur bills after), do the fun stuff. life is too short to not be sick of the bullshit

(but fr, if u really need to go on ur phone during a movie, just get those screen protectors that dim your screen unless you're looking directly at it. i get the need to fidget or do something w ur hands, sometimes u need to look away during some scenes, that's totally fine and there are lots of ways u can do this without having a literal square beam of sunlight to burn everyone's retinas. those sceen protector thingies are like $9 on amazon but at like 5 below they're abt $5 i think)

[1eaf-me-alone]

𝕿𝖍𝖊 (𝖚𝖓)𝖘𝖔𝖑𝖛𝖊𝖉 𝖇𝖎𝖗𝖙𝖍𝖉𝖆𝖞 𝖒𝖞𝖘𝖙𝖊𝖗𝖞

Summary: In which you've planned a birthday party for Heizou but disguised it as a murder case to solve.

Genre: Murder mystery

Warnings: None. 

length: 5.5k words

Other: gn!reader, reader and Heizou are in an established relationship, this was just meant to be a silly little fic for Heizou’s birthday but turned out a lot longer than expected

A/n: Was meant to be posted on Heizou’s birthday, so I apologise for the lateness of this fic.

Reblogs and comments appreciated

— — — — — — — — — — — — — —

It was Heizou’s birthday today, but it wouldn’t have looked like it at first glance.

He sat at his desk, a familiar sight, engrossed in jotting down meticulous notes for an ongoing case. Now and then, he would pause to take a thoughtful sip from the well-worn mug resting nearby or shuffle around to gather additional paperwork and documentation. It was a notably grey and overcast day, burdened with the weight of administrative tasks that demanded attention. Amidst the flurry of activities, recent cases had surfaced, requiring careful sorting, prioritisation, and processing. At this moment, Heizou was attempting to crack down on a case which had puzzled him for a while now. He sighed, resting his hand on his forehead, and glanced at the watch on his wrist.

5:00 pm.

Half an hour to go until his shift was over. Although he never really stopped working. Shaking his head, he focused back on the case at hand. He was currently investigating a particularly puzzling case regarding the whereabouts of a lost pet. Indeed, clues were sparse, and he had made little progress thus far. It was frustrating, really. He stared at the typed letters on the document, hoping to squeeze something out of it- a clue, a location, an idea- something he could have missed. As he shifted in his seat and picked up the documents to inspect them more closely, a clear knock on the door disturbed him.

“Come in.” He turned his head towards the door as it opened. The person hesitated, but then stepped into the room.

It was Aoki, one of the Tenryou Commission officers, who often guarded the outskirts of Chinju Forest, and other such areas, whilst occasionally passing on information or physical documentation for cases. As it happened, tonight he was holding a note in his hand.

“Detective Heizou, this is for you.”

He bowed curtly and placed the note on the desk.

The note was folded. Heizou glanced at it and then opened the drawer in his desk, where he took out some disposable gloves from the compartment and proceeded to open the note.

He glanced back at Aoki. “You’ve got to be careful to not smudge the paper or add any new fingerprints - it’s important for the sake of maintaining future evidence.”

The note had two folds. Cautious to not add any creases, Heizou gently opened it. He frowned. Only a couple of sentences written down. It read: 

I saw a murder in Chinju Forest. The perpetrator dragged the body away before I could identify them. I am not sure where they took the body.

- anonymous

He furrowed his eyebrows and looked up towards Aoki.

“When did you receive this note?”

“A little after 4:00 pm today. Another Tenryou Commission guard passed it on from close to the Kamisato Estate.” He seemed nervous when he answered this.

“That’s not possible, given the state of the writing. The writing has an area that is smudged - possibly because it was closed hastily before the ink had time to dry properly.

He lifted the note towards the light of his lamp, lifting the monocle he always had in hand to his eye.

The crinkled parts of the paper, thicker areas of the handwriting, and the carefully considered appearance of some lines suggest that someone had applied significant pressure to this page. The handwriting also appears shaky in certain areas, suggesting that it was either written by someone of old age or written very slowly, with an awareness of who the reader to this note might be. He stroked his chin whilst thinking this.

“Look.” He pointed towards the page. “There seems to be a pressure change in the handwriting.”

Aoki shuffled closer towards Heizou, peering towards the note. “I’m sure it doesn’t mean much.”

Heizou shook his head. “You can’t cross anything out in a case. Any evidence is good evidence.” He paused, then spoke again, “I wonder why the writer tried to change their handwriting.” 

He tapped the letter gently, pointing towards the signature. “It’s signed anonymously, so why did they take the extra step to conceal their identity?” 

Unless, of course, I know them personally and they feared I could recognise their handwriting. 

Heizou squinted at the note in his hand, then turned the page over, once, twice. 

“I recognise this paper. They’re sold in stacks in the Yae Publishing House, not too far away from here.”

He tapped his hands on the desk. 

If the anonymous person who wrote the note came from Mt. Yougou, then why was the paper purchased here? They could have bought it at an earlier date, but Yae Publishing House recently changed their formula of paper. There are plenty of stationery shops all over Inazuma, specifically near Mt. Yougou. Despite this, it was most definitely sourced from the Yae Publishing House. 

Heizou furrowed his eyebrows again, spotting yet another confusing part of the note.

“This note is quite peculiar, I mean, even the message itself is phrased strangely–”

Before he could utter another word, he heard a knock from the door. This time, the knock was light and airy.

“Come in.” 

Your head peeked in from around the side of the door in Heizou’s office (and upon seeing you, a small smile appeared on his face) You sauntered in, your eyes immediately honing in on the note. You glanced at the lettering and frowned.

“I see you’re working on another murder case.” (Although it was evident that was what he was doing, you proclaimed it anyway.) “If you want, I can help you solve it.”

 How did they know it was specifically a murder case? I haven’t even shown them the note.

Heizou furrowed his eyebrows, a little taken aback by your sudden enthusiasm and change in normal tonality. It was almost as if you were hiding something from him. It had been a while since you had solved a case with him. Occasionally, you provided commentary or advice on particular cases or helped to organise Heizou’s thoughts, but this sudden enthusiasm on your part was particularly curious.

Heizou shook his head. “It’s okay. I’m about to end this shift soon, and besides, it’s quite a strange case.”

You frowned, a look of disappointment emerging from your eyes.

“You know, I would really like to solve a murder case with you since we haven’t solved one together in a while... Maybe we could start on it now?”

Your gaze was shifting between him and the door and you shuffled your feet, as if there was a hurry to leave.

He stared, puzzled at the abnormality of your actions, glancing back at the note, and then at you, who stood adamantly in front of the door. The pieces of the puzzle slid together, and then it clicked.

A small smile tugged at the edges of Heizou’s lips.

They’re throwing a surprise birthday party for me, and masking it as a murder mystery, aren’t they?

Heizou shook his head and huffed a silent laugh.

“You’re right. We haven’t solved a murder together, and perhaps your intellect could help me with this mystery–I am confused by this note.”

You attempted your best to hide your smile and nodded enthusiastically, pushing Heizou towards the door and flinging it open to find a group of familiar people standing there.

Yoimiya, Itto, Shinobu, Sara, and Kokomi, along with a couple of other Tenryou Commission officers and colleagues of Heizou, all stood outside, almost as if they were waiting for him. 

“What are you all doing here?”

They all spoke at once, in a manner which made it impossible to understand what was being said. Eventually, everyone fell silent, and Shinobu stepped forward.

“We heard about the note from the murder case while Aoki came to deliver it to you. Could we help you solve the murder?”

How did she know it was a murder?

The rest of the group nodded, Yoimiya grinned, and Itto added, “Wouldn’t it be nice to solve something together as friends?” While saying this, he patted Shinobu’s back, perhaps a little too strongly, as she stumbled forward.

The smile which had been tugging on Heizou’s face before re-emerged.

“Well, I suppose you’re all here now. We can start with Chinju Forest since that’s where the victim sighted the murder.”

Having uttered these words, everyone marched towards the forest. Itto, Kokomi and Shinobu took the lead, whilst Yoimiya and Sara walked beside you, next to the Tenryou Commission officers who roamed in groups.

________

You walked a little behind Heizou, ambling through the cobbled stone road of Inazuma City. Glancing ahead towards him, a bemused grin crept upon your face. It seems as brilliant a detective as he was. For now, you appeared to have fooled him. You had spent all last night attempting to change the style of your writing, but worrying Heizou would recognise it, had begged Sara to take part in your plan to deceive him and aid in the surprise birthday. Not only had you taken the time to ask someone else to write the letter, but had asked her to change the style of her writing and way of speaking in said letter. You had thought yourself quite clever in coming up with this and upon looking at Heizou now; it seems he was clueless about your doing.

He has absolutely no idea.

————

After a little walking, all of you eventually arrived at Chinju Forest and started wondering about, looking for any clues to this peculiar murder case.

You looked around to see if Heizou was watching you, and noticing that he was currently a lot further away than you, you took the chance to grab Yoimiya and pull her behind one tree in the forest.

Checking once more that Heizou was not looking in your direction, you leaned in, attempting to be as quiet as possible when you spoke.

“Have all the preparations been made for Heizou?” 

She nodded enthusiastically.

“Good. Is the cake ready?”

Again, Yoimiya nodded. “Yes, it’s behind the shrine on a table. You’ll find it if you walk straight and turn behind the cherry blossoms.”

You flashed a smile. “Perfect.”

You paused a second, and then frowned. “I hope Sayu is in position. I told her to meet us here at around 5:30 pm, but I haven’t seen her anywhere yet… hopefully she hasn’t fallen asleep again.”

Yoimiya comforted your worries, and feeling more reassured than a few minutes ago and having finished the conversation with her, you walked out of the bushes as if nothing ever happened, continuing to investigate for clues.

———

On the other side of the path, Kokomi and Sara wandered about the bright red shrines in the forest. The two of them sat under the steps, chatting and fervently whispering about the details of Heizou’s party. Insistent in wanting to aid you with further preparations, Kokomi had done most of the work regarding the cake decorations, since you were already busy with the general decorations, venue choice, cake flavours and food. Sara had been busy at work the last few months, and unable to play a huge role in the birthday preparations,  was still glad she could cherish a night with a friend of hers.

Meanwhile, Itto and Shinobu had split ways and begun looking towards the cobbled pavement of the forest, making a show of inspecting the rocks. Itto paused, turning towards Shinobu. “aren’t you excited for the surprise-” Shinobu shot him a stern look, shushing him before he could say another word. “Be quiet. We don’t want anyone to hear you.” He nodded, immediately understanding her caution, but proceed to talk (albeit, a little quieter) “Oh, but I do want to see the look on his face when he realises it’s—” again, Shinobu shushed him, repeating that he had to lower his voice or their efforts would be for nothing. She patted his back lightly, whispering, “The best thing to do is to not talk about it, or else the surprise might be ruined.” He nodded again, but this time listened to what she said, focusing on his part in conveying a convincing murder. Itto lifted a couple rocks off of the ground, turning them and placing them back down. He repeated this task, occasionally commenting, “Can’t find nothing here,” a little obnoxiously.

The Tenryou Commission officers had also parted ways with each other and mingled around in the forest. Some of them walked up and down the pathways, whilst others gathered next to the brushes and trees, crouching to inspect the surrounding area. Ishizaki and Motosuke were chatting a little behind the others. Although they rarely had a chance to help Heizou with his cases, and mostly sent in reports on the daily, they still respected him greatly, and were happy to see him taking a break from his work (although, really at the moment he was doing what he usually does at his job.) Most of the officers didn’t have an active hand in aiding with the birthday decorations, but aided in keeping everyone together and maintaining the surprise. It wasn’t often that everyone had the chance to hang out like this, and most of the officers were just having fun enjoying the element of surprise and mystery (for most of them, although aware it was a surprise, were unaware of exactly what the ‘murder’ entailed, nor what you had planned.)

Heizou trudged towards the brushes in the forest, inspecting the leaves for any sign of disturbance. He concluded after a brief inspection that the leaves were perfectly normal.

_______

“All of you, come over here!” Heizou heard Itto exclaim from a dozen metres away.

You hastily made your way towards him, and he pointed towards the ground. On the floor, there were splatters of crimson which had stained the pavement and were currently dripping into the cracks of the ground.

Heizou crouched down to inspect it. The liquid was slithering quickly down the cracks through the path.

He looked about, drawing closer towards the criminal evidence, and leaning on the floor next to it. Heizou shook his head, glancing at the supposed red liquid that was meant to be blood.

This blood is fake. It hasn’t got the same viscosity or density as actual blood, nor is the colour correct unless the victim suffered a blood type disorder. 

He watched the ‘blood’ seep down into the grass, staining anything in its way. He stood up from his crouching position, dusting off the dirt from his legs.

(Besides Heizou, you admired how realistic you had made the blood look.)

He glanced back at you, seeing the anticipation in your face. He didn’t want to ruin the surprise.

“The blood is fresh. Its colouration tells me that.”

Heizou looked around the forest.

“It’s interesting how there is only a splatter of blood here. The bushes seem a little dishevelled–there are twigs on the floor; perhaps a fight occurred. I suggest we keep moving forward to look for more clues.”

Everyone nodded, confirming his theory. Heizou trudged along forward in the forest. And then he stopped.

From behind him, Heizou heard the rustling of bushes, the snapping of a twig, and an incessant snore. The wind whistled as something moved from behind the trees.

The bushes swayed, and a familiar figure rolled out of them. She yawned and stretched her arms, looking tiredly around towards you and the others.

Everyone else followed behind him, peering closer to look down at the figure.

“Sayu! There you are,” you exclaimed.

There you are? Was Sayu’s encounter also planned?

She yawned again, lazily blinking her eyes.

“What are all of you doing here?” She sat up from the previous position she was in.

Sara was the one to speak this time. “We’ve all become aware of a murder case Heizou was trying to solve–”

She didn’t finish the sentence before Itto jumped in. “Would you like to help us investigate this mystery?”

Sayu paused a second, blinking her eyes slowly, and stretched her arms before she stood up from the ground. “I’ve been told walking helps for growth, so I will help you, as long as I’m able to take a few breaks to nap along the way.”

Yoimiya added, “It is quite a puzzling mystery, but I’m glad to have you aboard.”

Sayu walked up toward Kokomi and looked up at her. Without hesitation, she picked her up and placed her to sit on her shoulders. Sayu squealed in temporary fear but stabilised herself and held Kokomi tightly. She kicked her legs gently back and forth, and despite looking as if she hadn’t slept in days (although you were sure she had just taken a 4-hour nap) excitement glinted in her eyes.

A small frown appeared on Heizou’s face. It’s strange, I’m sure the two of them have never met before-

You interrupted his thoughts with your voice as you pointed towards the outskirts of the forest. 

“I think I see some blood over there. We should check it out.”

The others nodded.

“In that case, let’s get on with investigating this murder.”

______

Many clues later, (which involved a wild bake-danuki chase, a spiritual cleansing ritual, an interrogation with a confused-looking shrine maiden, a riddle-off with an abyss mage, and plenty of other small shenanigans) you all eventually arrived at Narukami Shrine.

The sky gleamed with countless twinkling stars. The tranquil evening air enveloped the city like a soft, comforting blanket, and from the shrine, one could see the panoramic view of Inazuma City. 

As you wandered along the shrine, you couldn’t help but be enchanted by its exquisite beauty. The sakura trees had blossomed, adorning the surroundings with their delicate hues of pink. A gentle breeze played with the fallen leaves, causing them to dance through the air before softly alighting on the ground. 

You found yourself captivated not by the surrounding scenery, but by the man standing before you. As you held his hand, you couldn’t help but admire every small detail of his face - the gentle curve of his nose, the little moles beneath his eyes, and the tousled charm of his hair. A deep redness flushed your cheeks.

Heizou glanced back at you, noticing how your eyes focused on him. After months together, he still felt the warmness flushing his cheeks.

“It’s such a beautiful night,” you remarked, and he nodded. 

You clasped his hand in yours, walking on the stone pavement. The two of you had distanced yourselves a little from the crowd, and for that, you were happy, since there wasn’t much of a chance to talk during the evening.

Heizou hummed, “I don’t particularly go to Narukami Shrine often, save for the rare cases which occur here.” He quickly added, “... such as the one brought upon me tonight, which really still puzzles me now.”

You gently squeezed his hand and reassured him, “I’m confident that you’ll be able to solve it. After all, you’re one of the cleverest people in Inazuma.” He raised an eyebrow in surprise and questioned, “One of the cleverest?” A mischievous smile formed on your lips as you playfully replied, “Well, you still haven’t managed to surpass my intelligence.” His laughter filled the air as he responded, “Oh, really? As clever as you may be, I have yet to witness your intelligence being put to good use.” Before you could retort, a loud noise interrupted your conversation, capturing both of your attention from ahead.

You both heard someone falling on the ground, followed by a scream. 

“It’s the body! The body!”

Upon hearing Sayu scream, Heizou ran to where the commotion had occurred. Everyone gathered around the body on the floor. The darkness made it hard to see who or what it was. 

“Does anyone have a light?”

Heizou searched his pockets, looking for a light or anything that could help. It was to no avail, since all he possessed was a magnifying glass, a pen, and a couple of scribbled notes from previous cases. 

The others whispered in an agitated manner, scrambling around and causing a grand commotion around the body.

“I’ve got an idea,” Yoimiya exclaimed, and breaking Heizou’s line of thought, she pointed her bow towards the sky and shot some arrows. They grew and exploded into bright fireworks. Everyone crouched down towards the body. 

Yae Miko lay on the ground, her body drenched in crimson. Her eyes were closed, and she was contorted in an unnatural position. Itto gasped and collapsed, while Sayu screamed once again. Yoimiya sobbed, and Kokomi found solace in Sara’s arms. The officers of the Tenryou Commission gathered around Yae Miko, whispering in confusion. Heizou, however, couldn’t help but stifle a laugh. He commended your efforts in involving Yae Miko herself, as it was no small accomplishment. With a dramatic crouch, he inspected the body, which was covered in the same red liquid as in Chinju Forest. Yae Miko’s head was tilted to the side, with one arm shielding her face. Dust and rocks clung to her clothing, particularly in the visible areas. Upon closer examination, it appeared as if the rocks were sprinkled on top almost as an afterthought, mixing with the supposed blood. Interestingly, the blood only stained Miko’s legs and face, avoiding any damage to her attire.

The injuries and positioning of the blood are inconsistent. Yae Miko is clearly breathing on the ground, visible by the slight rise and fall of her chest, and the colouration of her skin can’t be that of a body which has been lying in the elements for hours…

But he had to go along with it.

The screaming and sobbing continued in the background, with Itto wailing, “No, no, it can’t be!”

Heizou stood up shakily, looking around until everyone had their attention on him. “The murder is fresh. There seem to be injuries on the front and sides, which indicates an expected assault. It appears that Miko attempted to fight back, as seen by the evident signs of a struggle on her face. She died quickly, within minutes or seconds, even. The wounds show it was a purposeful stab for the aorta- a crucial part of the heart. It would have killed her almost instantly.”

He crouched down again, this time making it appear as if he was inspecting the body. A couple of beats of silence passed.

“She’s really…dead.”

He whispered. Clasping his mouth, tears silently fell down his cheek. His breathing shook, and he trembled. 

It was a little overdramatic, but he had to continue this act.

He stood up from the crouching position he was previously in and paused. Wiping the tears and making a show of shock and upset.

He murmured, “The murderer is among us.”

(Everyone gasped loudly, Itto protested, Sayu continued to cry and both Sara and Shinobu stood in awe.)

He appeared to ignore everyone’s reactions and began to talk.

“It’s simple, really. You all made a show of trying to aid the murder mystery when it was one of you all along.”

Heizou walked away from the body and towards the people, circling everyone and eventually stopping to point at Itto.

“You could have murdered Yae Miko. You lost the last Kitsune Ramen eating contest.” Heizou stated. Itto gasped. ‘Yes, I know about that. Your losing the contest has led you to a large unpaid sum, thus being in debt. And, of course, you don’t have the money for it. So you decided to, well, end her.”

There was complete silence. A mix of shock and disbelief crossed onto people’s faces.

But then he shook his head. “No, my intuition tells me it wasn’t you. Carrying out such an intricate plan requires delicacy and thought.”

He turned his attention towards Sara. “You hold great respect towards Yae Miko unless she disobeys the Shogun. If she disobeys the Shogun, you would lose all your respect for her, and perhaps that would be enough for you to want to kill her.

He hummed in discontent, “But I can tell that the murderer was not you.”

He strolled towards Kokomi. “Isn’t it a little strange that you were in Inazuma City today? Usually, you’re occupied with your duties on Watatsumi Island..but today, you happened to be near the area of the murder.”

But again, he shook his head. “The crime was brutal and bloody. I don’t think you would have done it.”

The others quivered in fear as Heizou continued to walk up to different individuals, breaking down as to why they could have been the murderer, explaining their motives and potential acts.

He turned towards you, enjoying the fact he was making absolutely everything up, and adding nonsensical clues whilst blaming random people. It was quite fun, really. Until he realised you were no longer there. 

He frowned. Calling your name, but receiving no answer. 

“Where is–”

The others chattered over each other in panicked whispers of ‘Where did they go?’ and ‘Has the murderer struck again?’

Heizou feigned panic on his face, walking up and down in an agitated manner. 

The others scrambled to help him find you, an equal look of alarm on their faces.

Sayu, who had fallen asleep, jolted right up and began to catch up quickly with the others.

Itto shouted your name, his voice booming in the previously quiet air.

A couple of officers began frantically searching around the area.

“I see them over there!” Itto’s voice exclaimed amidst the crowd of people. 

Heizou followed his line of sight, squinting in the darkness.

And then he saw you.

You locked eyes with him, holding something in your hand, and as you drew closer, it became apparent that the ‘object’ was a cake.

(Heizou smiled to himself. It seems his intuition was correct.)

Quickly masking the smile on his face, confusion appeared, and he walked towards you. 

‘What’s happening? Why are you bringing me a cake?- we’re in the midst of a murder here.’

A smile spread across your face. “This was all a scheme to get you here and celebrate your birthday, disguising it as a murder case!”

Heizou gasped loudly, his face an expression of complete and utter surprise. He suppressed a smile, attempting to maintain his mask of surprise. “So, is Yae not dead?”

You nodded. “She was part of our plan.” (Upon saying this, Yae Miko stood from the ground and brushed the ‘blood’ off of herself.) 

As he turned his attention back to you, he noticed the cake in your hands, which was exquisitely decorated with swirled accents of red icing and covered in a velvety white buttercream. Delicate question marks and magnifying glasses had been meticulously hand-decorated using piped icing. Multiple candles flickered on top of the cake, their flames swaying back and forth in a captivating dance. You beamed and walked towards Heizou, nudging his shoulder.

You came to a stop before Heizou, as he had a chance to yet again marvel at the stunning sight before him. 

And before he had an opportunity to say or think anything more about the case, he got whisked into the ambience of a party.

“I bet you didn’t see this surprise coming.”

(You heard the scraping of a table as Itto and Shinobu pushed one into the area.)

On the table, colourful balloons were tied to it and gently bobbed up and down as if they had a life of their own. They swayed back and forth, occasionally revealing the vibrant banners that adorned the walls of the shrine. A beautifully decorated table was laid out with gleaming cutlery, crisp tablecloths, and the cake, which had become the table’s centrepiece. 

And then, the night filled with music. It was quiet at first. But immediately recognisable. Multiple lights lit up on the cake, the flames dancing mesmerisingly in the dark, captivating the attention of everyone.

“Happy birthday to you~”

You held his hand and kissed his cheek. “Happy birthday to you~”

He reciprocated your kiss, this time prolonging it. He could feel the hotness of your cheeks against his.

“Happy birthday, dear Heizou~”

The others joined in, and as the number of voices increased, so did the hope of being in tune. You finished the song and all the others began to clap and cheer, with Itto coming over to prompt Heizou to blow out the candles. He did so successfully in one breath.

As Shinobu passed a cake knife to Heizou, he effortlessly sliced the cake, serving himself a piece before moving on to cut equal portions for everyone else. Grabbing a fork from the table, he eagerly took a bite, causing his mouth to water and leaving him in awe. 

“It’s delicious.”

Quickly, he took another bite from the cake, gulping it all down within a few seconds. 

You smiled and said, “I’m glad you like it, but please eat slowly. I don’t want you to choke and have an actual murder case on our hands today.” He chuckled, “It’s not my fault. I can’t help myself.”

After having eaten a couple of other slices of cake, he finally had the chance to enquire about your plans. “So, how did you come up with all this?”

Upon hearing his question, your eyes lit up. “It seems, as clever as you are, you could not see past my plan. I know you don’t tend to celebrate your birthday much due to always prioritizing work, so I suppose I used that priority against you, having your surprise birthday under the guise of a murder. I contacted all your friends to come and help me with the celebration and think up a reasonable murder case.”

From your pockets, you took out a vial of red liquid and pointed at it. “I used this as the blood. It’s red ink mixed with a little corn syrup to thicken it.” Heizou had to applaud your efforts, but nonetheless, the liquid you were holding in your hands could unmistakably not be confused as blood. You continued to speak, “Knowing you might enjoy something intellectually stimulating, me, Sara, and Kazuha (although he was unable to make it tonight) all helped plan the ‘case,’ creating fake clues, buying materials to make the murder look realistic.”

Heizou stared back at Yae Miko. “Well, you sure did a good job at that. I would have believed her to be dead.” A grin spread across your cheeks. “I even researched some aspects relating to dead bodies to make it look even more credible. I knew I had to be careful with everything I did and worried you would see right through my plan. And that I did.” Heizou almost felt a little sorry for being able to see right through your scheme almost immediately.

You proceeded to take out a crumpled letter from your coat and sighed. “Originally, I had written the victim’s letter, but fearing you might recognize my handwriting, I asked Sara to write it for me.” You pointed towards Itto and Shinobu. “They helped put up the birthday decorations with me.” You paused for a second, looking around for the others, and finally finding them, you pointed towards them. “Kokomi and Sayu helped mainly with the coordination. Sayu, especially with Chinju Forest, and when she wasn’t sleeping, her Ninja skills were particularly useful in successfully putting this plan into action.” So that’s how they know each other.

Kokomi’s eyes twinkled. Itto beamed, and Sara and Shinobu both gazed contentedly towards Heizou.

“We barely had enough time to set everything up, since the plans and preparation were so last minute, but my goal of fooling you has succeeded, and therefore I consider that good enough.”

Heizou looked back at you.

The truth is everything. But sometimes, supplying it will only upset the other.

“You certainly put a lot of effort into this, and I thank you.”

Your face glowed with pride, revelling in the thought that you had indeed tricked the cleverest man in Inazuma.

______

As the celebrations came to a close, the moon had ascended high into the sky, casting its gentle glow over the surroundings. The once warm evening air had given way to a cooler, more refreshing temperature. Sayu had fallen asleep, having transformed into a Fuufuu windwheel by the shrine’s tree. The others had also begun to tire. Kokomi was resting her head on Sara’s shoulders. Itto was on his way to start snoring next to Shinobu and the Tenryou Commission officers had retreated a while back. 

A couple of Sakura petals drifted slowly down the trees, landing in your hair. You walked up to Heizou, sitting down on the steps of the shrine and kissed him on the cheek.

“So... did I trick you?”

Heizou grinned, his face growing a little red. He reciprocated your kiss and held your hand in his.

“I would have never guessed.”

[clown-friend-gt]

Up, Up, and Away Chapter 20

Sorry for the late update this week. It will happen again.

Edit because I forgot to add that this is part of the updated version of Mentorship Blues

Link to Masterpost

************************************************************************

Evaluation

3.3k words

From the periphery of his vision, Sam Douglas counted at least a dozen gazes fixed on him. Some of awe, some even of admiration, and quite a few of hostility. But like always, he simply kept his head level, and his eyes set straight ahead. It was a strategy for keeping himself humble he’d learned early on in his career, and it hadn’t failed him yet.

This sort of thing was bound to happen whenever he went out dressed as his hero persona, Ajax. But it was for a good cause. He hoped. He’d been invited to this prison by some people close to him to participate in a mentorship program.

Not a prison, he reminded himself. Youth detention center.

As he got closer to his destination, he found himself surrounded by fewer and fewer people. Once he was practically alone, he took a deep breath to steady himself, allowing his mask of confidence to drop temporarily.

Was he really the right person for this? From what he’d been told, his judgement of the kid he was meeting today would be a deciding factor as to whether or not he qualified for the Future Heroes Training Program. It was practically a parole hearing, and he was to be the judge.

Maybe he would be a qualified mentor for the kid, since they had similar enough powers. But did that qualify him to make calls about his future? Sam really wasn’t sure.

He shook himself a little to regain his focus. He couldn’t spend all his time worrying about that, or he’d never get this over with. He let the self-assured mask of “Ajax” slip back over his features.

A few more turns through the wide and winding hallways and he was at his destination. A set of double doors was all that stood between him and his arena of choice for the day. Really though, it was just the facility’s cafeteria. Technicalities.

He centered himself with a deep breath and gave both doors a gentle push. Despite the lack of effort on his part, the doors flung open. It had been decades since he developed his powers of super strength, but sometimes the world around him still felt far too flimsy.

At least he rarely broke things nowadays.

“Have no fear,” he declared in a booming voice. “Ajax is here!”

He grinned widely at the room as the doors swung shut behind him, hands placed heroically on his hips. He got no response, save for a few vacant stares from around the room. The silence that followed felt like it lasted way too long.

Slowly, people got back to what they were doing. Guards worked to clear space, pushing all of the tables and chairs to the sides of the room. A few floated around one man in the center of the room, waiting for further direction from him. This man’s stare had felt the hardest when Sam entered the room.

Unbothered, Sam made his way over to him. He stuck out his hand to shake the warden’s. The warden gave it a brief glance before taking it. His grip felt firm, but cautious.

“Nice to see you again, Al,” Sam greeted his brother.

The warden, Albert Douglas, let go of his hand. His lips pressed into a thin line.

“Hello, Ajax,” he responded, his tone much less familiar. “I see you haven’t lost your—”

Al paused, giving him a disapproving look.

“—dramatic flair,” he finished dryly.

Sam kept his face neutral, trying not to show his discomfort at his older brother’s cold demeanor. He’d thought they’d grown beyond the contentious relationship they’d had as kids. But sometimes, Al still kept him at arm’s length.

He supposed he couldn’t really blame him, though. They were not meeting here today as brothers, but as two high level members of the Lively Institute. Even though they represented two different sides of the Enforcement division, they still had to maintain appearances.

That’s probably what Al was thinking, at least. Sam didn’t really give a damn if some random prison guard thought he was being “unprofessional.”

Al turned back to the guards hovering around him. “What are you still waiting around for? If you’ve finished up here, go back to your posts.”

A small chorus of yes sir resounded from the remaining guards as they filtered off and out of the room. Sam was quickly left alone with his brother.

Albert’s features were incredibly similar to his own, though there were some superficial differences between them. There were more lines on his tanned face, but that likely had more to do with the stress of his job than the two years he had on Sam. They shared the same icy blue eyes, but Albert’s gaze was colder than his own. His cropped gray hair held few traces of the dark black color it’d once had. Sam wondered if his own hair would look the same, once the stray white hairs that kept cropping up on his head took over completely.

If you were to stand Sam and his brother side by side, you wouldn’t be able to tell from his height that he was the younger of the two. Though they were both fairly tall, he had a few inches on his brother. His broad, muscular frame only exacerbated the difference between him and Al.

Al cleared his throat, pulling Sam from his thoughts. “How much have you been briefed about Castillo?”

Sam shrugged. “Just the basics. Name: Trevor Castillo. Age: 14. Height: freakishly tall. Normal stuff, really.”

“You need to take this seriously, Sam” Al scolded him, dropping his voice to a whisper. “You’re dealing with a violent criminal, here.”

Sam smirked. “Same old, then.”

“I’m trying to warn you, Castillo is unstable,” his brother asserted, his voice low. “He injured another inmate within his first week of arrival. His victim’s wrist was completely shattered.”

“Why are you telling me this?” Sam whispered back. “Shouldn’t I try to be unbiased about this?”

“I’m only trying to look out for you,” Al insisted. “You need to be careful here.”

Sam puffed out his chest a little. “When am I not?”

Al gave him a dry look. “Do you want me to answer that honestly?”

Sam had to laugh at that. “Alright, fine. I’ll keep it in mind.”

The sound of the cafeteria door opening again put a halt to their conversation. Both Sam and his brother turned to see the new arrival. When he saw who it was, he greeted her with a warm smile.

Miranda Todd was a close family friend to both of them. But to Sam, she was more than that, almost like a cousin, or even a sister, albeit a much, much younger one. She was nearly a decade his junior.

She returned his smile politely as she approached the two of them, but Sam could sense the nervousness behind it. She had a lot riding on the outcome of this meeting. Which meant, of course, she had a lot riding on his evaluation of her client.

He knew Miranda was deeply passionate about her work, and this case was no exception. He’d seen the fire in her eyes when she’d first discussed her new client with him when they met up for drinks. She felt the system had wronged him, but if she could get him into the Heroes Program, she could make things right.

Sam wasn’t sure how much he bought into that. But when it came to people’s character, Miranda’s judgement was rarely wrong. If she had faith in this kid, then he at least had to give him a chance to prove himself.

Before Sam could say anything to her, she spoke up, only addressing the warden.

“Are we almost ready to begin?”

Sam frowned a little. She was almost ignoring him. After a moment, though, he remembered that he was in uniform. He was not her friend Sam right now, but the famous superhero, Ajax.

And she and Ajax have nothing to do with each other, he reminded himself, just a tad bitter about the whole idea.

That was the problem with this whole hero business. Everyone wanted to put him on some kind of pedestal (everyone who didn’t want him dead, that is). He could ignore it when strangers did it, but his own friends and family? He’d never found a good way to deal with it.

“Just about,” Al responded to Miranda’s question. Then he clapped his hands twice, bringing everyone’s attention to him.

“Beckham, O’Brian, you’re with me,” he said, gesturing to two of the guards as he spoke. Then to everyone else, “The rest of you, get back to work.”

He clapped his hands together again, and the sound echoed throughout the room. “Move out!” he ordered.

Quickly and efficiently, his guards filed out of the room. Looking out of place amongst them all, Miranda followed soon after. She spared him one last anxious look before she left. The warden lingered behind just a minute longer.

“We’ll be watching from Security. If anything happens, I’ll send reinforcements your way,” his brother assured him.

Sam wanted so badly to roll his eyes, but he resisted the urge. He was probably the most capable person in the world to handle this situation, and still Albert treated him like he was a kid in need of protection.

“I’ll be sure to keep that in mind,” he replied, not bothering to hide the agitation in his voice.

Al ignored his brother’s insolent tone, giving him a curt nod. Then he walked out of the room, leaving Sam all alone until his new student arrived.

************************************************************************

Trevor could hardly remember the last time he’d been this nervous. When was the last time he’d had to do anything this important? As far as he knew, his whole future rested on how he presented himself to his would-be mentor, Ajax.

Ajax. He couldn’t even begin to wrap his head around how insane all of this was. Not only was he meeting the most famous—and probably most important—man in San Solaris, but he had to impress him somehow. His life practically depended on it.

His heart hammered in his chest and his back ached in protest as he shuffled his way towards the cafeteria. He had to bend over to fit in the hallways now. When he first arrived, he’d actually been relieved to find out that the ceilings were high enough for him to stand at his full height. He should’ve known that it wouldn’t last.

Finally, he rounded the last corner, and the double doors to the cafeteria stood at the end of the hall. But when he got about halfway there, he couldn’t bring himself to get any closer. His legs refused to budge.

Pull it together, Castillo, he berated himself. He’d been working for months to make this happen. This was the last hurdle he had to clear before he could join the FHTP. He couldn’t turn back now just because he was feeling a little intimidated. He did his best to shove all of his feelings of anxiety deep down inside.

He took a reluctant step forward. Then another. He trudged, painfully slow, to the doors. He did his best to wipe the sweat from his palms, then gingerly pushed the doors open. He focused all of his attention on making his way through the doors, so he didn’t have to think about who was waiting for him behind them.

Once he’d crawled through, he stood up straight and stretched out, trying to relieve his sore back. He silently thanked whoever’d designed the cafeteria with such high ceilings. Then he remembered what he’d come here for and immediately snapped back to attention.

Ajax stood in the middle of the room. He wore the same iconic suit that Trevor had seen countless times on TV and the internet. The base was a short-sleeved black bodysuit with blue stripes running up either side. On his elbows, knuckles, and knees, he wore dark blue armor-like pads. On his hands he wore fingerless gloves. A black domino mask covered his face and completed the look.

For a moment, Ajax also seemed too stunned to speak. His eyes were wide as they travelled the length of his body up to his face. His rigid posture mirrored Trevor’s own. They both stood frozen for just a few seconds.

Ajax recovered before he did. He shook his head and relaxed his shoulders. The surprised look on his face didn’t quite disappear, though.

“Man,” he chuckled. “You are tall.”

“Uh…?” Trevor responded, bewildered.

“I mean, they told me you were twenty feet tall, but I don’t think I got the full picture until just now.”

Ajax smiled at him and gestured for him to come closer. “Come on in, I promise I won’t bite.”

Hesitantly, Trevor walked closer. Once he was close enough, Ajax extended his hand up for him to shake and grinned wider. It didn’t quite reach his eyes.

“The name’s Ajax,” he declared.

For a moment, Trevor only stared at his hand. Ajax barely stood above his knee; how was he expecting this to work? He looked back to Ajax’s face, questioning him silently. He only cleared his throat and glanced pointedly at his extended hand.

Sighing internally, Trevor crouched down so he could reach it. He clasped Ajax’s hand, and it disappeared entirely within his own. He became painfully aware of how sweaty his palms were as he delicately shook Ajax’s hand.

“Trevor,” he introduced himself, before quickly letting it go.

Ajax nodded, his lips pressed into a thin smile. “Good to meet you.”

Trevor stood back up and took a few steps back. He thought he saw Ajax try to discreetly wipe his hand on his leg as he did so. But then Ajax clasped his hands behind his back and began circling around him. He looked him up and down, like he was examining him in detail.

Again Trevor froze under Ajax’s scrutiny. Unconsciously, he went rigid and straightened himself out as best he could. From this angle, he couldn’t read the look on his face.

“What to do, what to do,” he heard Ajax mutter. Then he stopped, apparently in thought.

“Could work,” he said under his breath, before looking to the door to the cafeteria.

“Wait here,” he told Trevor.

Ajax walked over to one of the long tables that lay against the wall. He picked it up easily, though it was longer than he was tall. He carried it over to the set of doors and placed it in front of them.

“What are you doing that for?” Trevor asked uneasily.

“Just a precaution,” Ajax answered him, though he didn’t clarify what that meant.

“Okay, let’s get started,” Ajax announced. He waved Trevor over to the middle of the room. There he stood and opened his arms wide.

“Let’s see what you can do,” he said.

“Huh?”

“I want you to hit me as hard as you can,” Ajax instructed him.

Trevor tensed. He should’ve expected something like this to happen, but he still hated the thought of it.

“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” he asked.

Ajax grinned at him. This time, it felt more genuine. “Come on. I can take it.”

“There’s got to be something else we can do,” he pleaded.

“Nope. This is the only way,” Ajax replied with a shake of his head.

“If you say so…” Trevor replied wearily.

He lowered himself down closer to Ajax’s level and reluctantly balled his hands into fists. As he drew his hand back to strike, he gave him one last uncertain look, silently begging him to reconsider. Ajax stubbornly stayed put.

Squeezing his eyes shut, Trevor swung his fist with all his might. He felt it connect only briefly. Then he heard a loud SMACK from the other end of the room.

Opening his eyes again, the first thing he saw was a crack in the concrete wall that hadn’t been there a moment ago. Then his eyes travelled down and landed on Ajax. He was lying facedown on the ground, motionless.

Sam had taken a few beatings in his time. Still, he struggled to remember the last time he had been walloped like that. That one punch had sent him flying across the room. Maybe Al had been right to warn him about this kid. Or maybe he was just getting old.

He propped himself up with a groan. He was still regaining his bearings after the blow. Slowly, he got to his knees and prepared to stand. Before he could though, he felt the ground rattling beneath him, and he had to fight to keep from falling on his face again.

“Holy shit, are you okay?” he heard Trevor cry out.

When the shaking stopped, he looked up to see Trevor kneeling over him. Sam almost laughed out loud at the panicked look on his face. Once again, Miranda had made the correct call; this kid was a total softy.

“Man, kid, you really pack a punch!” he said with a weak laugh.

“I’m sorry,” Trevor murmured sheepishly, extending a hand to help him up.

Sam took it gratefully. “Don’t be. You did good.”

He got to his feet and brushed himself off. As usual, with a bit of time to recover, it was like he’d never been hit at all. He spread his arms out to show Trevor he was unharmed.

“See? Told you I’d be fine,” he said beaming up at him.

Suddenly there was a commotion from the other side of the cafeteria doors. They clattered loudly as someone on the other side attempted to force their way in. That would be his brother bringing the cavalry. He rolled his eyes.

“Looks like our time is up,” he said sarcastically. Realistically, they should have had plenty of time left, but the warden’s arrival would cut that short.

He saw Trevor’s brow crease in worry as he stared at the doors.

“Hey, it was nice meeting you,” he said, bringing Trevor’s attention back to him. “I’ll put in a good word for you with the higher ups.”

Trevor’s mouth opened in shock. “Wha—seriously?”

He nodded.

“Just like that?” Trevor asked in disbelief.

“Just like that,” he confirmed.

Trevor shook his head, at a loss for words.

“Thank you so much,” he said sincerely.

“Don’t mention it,” Ajax assured him.

There was shouting from the other side of the doors, but Trevor couldn’t make out what anyone was saying. It sounded bad.

Just as casually as he had before, Ajax strolled over to the doors and moved his barricade out of the way. He took a few steps back, allowing the warden and his guards to burst in. Warden Douglas glared hatefully at Trevor, sending a shiver down his spine.

“You,” he spat venomously.

He started to advance towards him, but to Trevor’s surprise, Ajax stopped him in place.

“Calm down Al,” he told the warden. “I had everything under control.”

Douglas tore his eyes away from Trevor and looked at Ajax. They seemed to be having some kind of silent argument. The guards the warden had brought shuffled behind him, armed with a mix of batons and pepper spray. They seemed anxious to act, but unsure of what to do without orders.

Eventually, the Warden sighed loudly. “Everyone, stand down and go back to work.”

The guards exchanged looks among themselves, seemingly hesitant. One by one, though, they holstered their weapons and left the room.

With all of his guards gone, Warden Douglas scowled at Ajax. “Will you let me go?!”

“Of course,” Ajax answered coolly, releasing him.

The warden stumbled forward slightly. Then he stood up straight again and straightened out the suit he was wearing. He shot disapproving looks at both of them.

“Are we done here?” Ajax asked innocently.

“For now,” Douglas said coldly. “We’ll have more to talk about later.”

Trevor had to wonder what that meant. Ajax had called the warden by his first name. Did they know each other somehow?

Seemingly unbothered by the warden’s posturing, Ajax shrugged and headed for the doors. Just as he was about to leave, he sent Trevor a wink over his shoulder.

“See you soon, kid.”

And then he was gone.

First/Previous/Next

[harley-sunday]

Feels Like Home [02]

Summary: When an unexpected three-week break between Monza and Singapore finds Daniel back on his farm in Perth he’s desperate to use this time to clear his mind, figure out his future in Formula One, and find his way back. He didn’t expect a new neighbour, a sassy two-year old, and three alpacas would make him realise that sometimes, what you’re looking for is right in front of you.

Pairing: Daniel Ricciardo x reader (unnamed OFC)

Warnings: Language

Word count: 4.3k

AN: So... The idea was to post a new chapter every week but fuck it. It’s race week, bb’s and all the Daniel content is making me feels all sorts of things so here we are. Hope you like it ♥

Masterlist

It’s after his meeting with Blake and Michael, where they decided to decline the offers Alpine and Haas have made and Blake said he'd try to see if they can schedule another meeting with Red Bull in Singapore, that Daniel finds himself wandering around the house a little restless. He’s supposed to look at race data, promised his engineer he would before their online meeting tonight, the time difference between here and the UK meaning the meetings are always either shit early in the morning or late at night, but he doesn’t think he’ll be able to concentrate enough to take notes. Plus, he’s finished outside of the points the last four races so is there really anything else to say except that they need to improve and up their game?

He decides he’ll look at the data later and instead grabs his car keys from the kitchen island, hoping that maybe a visit to Oscar will help clear his mind. There’s something about the way his elderly neighbour always seems to know exactly what to say, always ready with some solid advice or helping him to put things into perspective, that he’s come to appreciate greatly over the years. 

The drive over doesn’t take more than fifteen minutes and when he parks his truck in front of the house he catches himself looking around, looking for her. She doesn’t seem to be outside and so he makes his way to the front porch instead, where Oscar’s dog Homer greets him with an enthusiastic bark. Daniel pets his head carefully, because even though Oscar has told him time and time again Homer is all bark and no bite he’s still cautious around him. When the dog settles down again, Daniel knocks on the door, three short knocks like he always does, before he opens the door and lets himself in, “Oscar?”

“Hi Danny,” Oscar greets him from somewhere inside the house. “I’m in the living room.” 

“Of course you are,” Daniel teases, toeing his sneakers off before he walks to where he can hear an old rerun of ‘The Price is Right’ playing in the background. Oscar’s sitting in his favourite chair, his right wrist sporting a cast and a nasty looking cut above his eyebrow and to hide his shock at the sight of the old man Daniel plasters a smile on his face and greets him with an enthusiastic, “Jeepers! What have you gotten yourself into, mate?”

“Took a bit of a tumble,” Oscar shoots back with a grin, holding up his wrist. “Doctor said it was one of the finer looking breaks he’s seen in his career.”

“I bet he did,” Daniel says as he sits down on the couch, leaning back and crossing his legs at the ankles. “How you holding up?”

“Good, yeah. I mean, the doctor said I have to wait until the cast comes off before I can start physical therapy and even then it can take a few months before I have full use of my hand again. And don't get me started on the hip replacement-”

Daniel chuckles, knowing exactly what it is Oscar is getting at, “Going batshit crazy already, huh?”

“Like you have no idea,” his neighbour agrees with a grin. “I mean, it’s great to have the girls here, you know, to help out and keep the farm going but if I have to watch Larry Emdur-” Oscar nods towards the TV, “-stumble over his words every day for the next six weeks, I might throw myself off a cliff.”

“There must be something else you can watch?”

“It’s this or Neighbours, Danny, and you know how I feel about Karl Kennedy.” Oscar lets out a dramatic sigh, “Nah, I’ll just have to take it, mate. It’s what you get when you’re an old cunt like me.” 

“Oi,” Daniel sits up and throws Oscar a warning look, “you’re not that old.”

“I’m seventy-eight,” Oscar counters with a grin, “and I ain’t getting any younger. I just hope it won’t be too hard for-”

A cry from upstairs interrupts him and Oscar immediately reaches for his phone, smiling at Daniel apologetically. When the person on the other end picks up his message is short, “I think Ellie’s awake, sweetheart.” He stays silent for a second before he nods, “Yep. Ok. Will do.” When he ends the call he shrugs, “Doctor says I can’t walk up the stairs for a while yet, so-”

“No, yeah, sure,” Daniel says, even though he has no idea what’s going on right now. 

***

You’re in the chicken coop when Granddad calls and so it doesn’t take long to get back to the house, where you kick your boots off at the back door and hurry past the kitchen and living room to the stairs, realising too late that he must have a visitor because you can hear him talking to someone. You’ll see who it is later, you figure, your priorities elsewhere for the moment.

When you walk into what is now your bedroom but used to be your grandmother's painting room you are met with two bright eyes looking up at you from over the edge of the cot you’ve set up in the corner and you can’t help but smile at the way your daughter's hair is sticking up in every direction, “Hey bub.” 

She drops her stuffed Koala and stretches her arms up at you. When you lift her up from her bed she lets out a content sigh, “Momma.”

Carrying her to the changing table on one arm you pat her hair down with your free hand, “Looks like you had a good nap, huh bub?”

Ellie nods and claps her hands together when you lay her down so you can change her nappy, whispering a quiet, “Pop-Pop.”

“Yeah, we’ll go see Pop-Pop in a second, sweetheart,” you tell her as your fingers make quick work of her diaper. “Let’s get you dressed first though.” 

With a clean diaper, her favourite pink sweater and a pair of dungarees that your Granddad gifted Ellie for her second birthday, together with her very own pair of Blundstones, you carry Ellie downstairs and to the living room where- “Daniel. Hi.”

Something passes over his face for just a second or so before he flashes you a big smile, “Hi. It’s good to see you again.”

You want to tell him likewise, really you do, but you think you know the look he so carefully tried to hide because it’s the look every man gives you when they find out you have a daughter, and so you’re cautiously polite, “Nice of you to come visit Granddad.”

"I always keep good on my promises," Daniel says, a sincerity to his voice that makes you relax a little. He nods to Ellie, who's eyeing him suspiciously, no doubt having picked up on your mood, "And who's this lovely lady?"

"This is my great granddaughter, Elisabeth," your granddad offers with a kind smile. "We call her Ellie."

Daniel waits until you've put Ellie in your granddad's lap, whispering a quiet, "Gentle," when you let go of her to remind her Pop-Pop is still injured, before he holds out his hand to your daughter, "Hi Ellie, I'm Daniel."

Ellie studies his face, her little eyebrows knitted together as she tries to decide whether or not she likes him, before she pats his wrist, "Danny."

Daniel lets out a quiet laugh and if you didn't know any better you'd think he sounds relieved to get her approval and maybe, just maybe, you've been too rash in your judgement of him. He scoots forward then and tugs on the pant leg of Ellie's dungarees, "I like your pants, Miss Ellie. Very stylish."

You see Ellie spot the rose tattoo on his hand, her eyes widening in awe as she reaches out and traces her finger over the lines, whispering a quiet, "Flower."

"That's right," Daniel agrees with a nod and a proud grin. "It's a rose." 

"Rose," Ellie repeats back to him, looking extremely pleased with herself and you can't help but smile. 

"I'm going to make Ellie her bottle," you say then, knowing your girl will get grumpy real quick if you don't get on with it. "Granddad, a cup of tea for you?" Your granddad nods and so you look at Daniel, "Daniel? Tea? Coffee?" Then, with a cheeky smile, "A beer?"

He laughs and shakes his head, "Coffee's fine, thank you."

"Coming right up," you tell them as you turn around and head to the kitchen. You catch a glimpse of yourself in the kitchen window as you're filling up the kettle and curse quietly when you see how bewildered you look and is that a leaf stuck in your hair? Great. It takes a few tries but then you finally get it out, letting your fingers run through your hair then in a futile attempt to make yourself look somewhat presentable.

Once the kettle is on and the coffee maker is running, you warm up some milk for Ellie and rummage around the fridge to see if there's any Lamingtons left over from the batch you made earlier this week. You come up empty on your first try and so you open the door of the fridge even wider and stick your head in, sure that the container must be in there somewhere.

A chuckle and a, "Are you trying to get to Narnia, or-" scare the shit out of you and you hit your head on the top shelf as you try to stand up, cursing quietly as you pull out, "Ow. Fuck."

"Oh shit," Daniel holds out his hands to you, eyes wide, "are you ok?"

You pull a face as you rub the top of your head, a little taken aback by how worried and guilty he looks, "I'm fine. I just didn't hear you come in."

"Yeah, shit, sorry," he says and runs a hand through his hair, letting it rest at the base of his neck. "I just wanted to see if you needed any help?"

"Unlike everything else around here, I think I've got this." You're not sure why you said that, don't even realise you did until you see his eyebrows knit together, but it's too late to take it back and so you give him an apologetic smile, "Sorry. That came out- I didn't-" You wave your hand around, hoping he won't push anything, "It's fine."

He doesn't say anything but instead pulls out a kitchen chair and points at it, waiting until you've sat down before he gives you a kind smile, "You just sit there, I got this."

You watch him as he walks around the kitchen with confidence, pulling three mugs from the cabinet and finding everything else he needs with ease and it's then you realise he must have been coming over more than you thought. The microwave beeps then but he seems unsure what to do with the now warm milk and looks at you with his eyebrows raised, and so you point towards the cabinet over the sink, "The bottles are in there. Once you've filled the bottle,you should test-"

"Test it on the inside of my wrist to see if it's not too warm." Daniel laughs at the surprised look you must give him and explains, "My sister has two kids."

"Gotcha," you reply with a smile. "Must be fun to have an uncle who's a world famous racecar driver."

“I hope so,” Daniel says with a sad smile. “I’m gone most of the year so I’ve missed quite a lot already but they seem to enjoy coming to the races every now and then-”

“We do what we can,” you offer with a shrug. “Right?”

He nods but then throws you a look that you’re not sure how to read, “We sure do.” 

***

After about an hour or so Oscar lets out a loud yawn and Daniel takes it as his cue to leave, knowing his neighbour doesn’t let anything or anyone come between him and his afternoon naps. Daniel says goodbye to Ellie by teaching her how to fistbump and then tells Oscar he’ll come around again tomorrow, just for a chat and to save him from having to watch ‘The Price is Right’ all afternoon. When he turns towards her he finds her smiling at him with a kind smile and so he returns it, “See you tomorrow, neighbour.” 

She nods in reply and then tells Ellie they’re going outside for a bit so Granddad can take his nap and they can finish feeding the chickens and clean out the shed.

He’s not sure why he hasn’t noticed it before, maybe it’s the way the light falls on her face, but she looks absolutely exhausted. He doesn’t want to hoover, doesn’t want to make her feel bad about noticing it and so he doesn’t say anything but by the time he gets into his car he thinks he knows a way he might be able to help.

The first person he calls is Michael, “Hi mate.” 

“Mikey, hey,” Daniel greets his best friend as he drives onto the main road. “Listen, you know my neighbour Oscar, right?” He waits until Michael hums in reply before he continues, “Well, he fell down a couple of days ago, broke his hip and wrist, and so he needs some help. I figured maybe you could hook him up with some prepped meals? Make sure at least he’s eating right, you know?”

“Of course,” Michael agrees easily enough. “Anything he doesn’t like?”

“I don’t think so but- Could you have them make two-person portions?” Daniel isn’t sure why he says what he says next, isn’t sure why he doesn’t just tell Michael about her. Maybe it’s because he wants to keep her to himself a little longer even though she definitely isn't his to keep. Still, he adds, “Oscar’s a big eater.” 

Michael chuckles, “Will do, mate. Do you want me to ask if they can deliver it to-”

“Nah, I can pick it up. Just let me know when it’s ready, ok?”

“Yep.”

“Alright, I’ll see you tomorrow.” Daniel means it when he says, “Thanks, mate.”

“No worries.”

The next call he makes is to Blake, who sounds a little rushed when he answers on the third ring, “Dan, can I call you back in like five minutes? I’m in the checkout at Woolies.”

“Yep, no worries.” 

He gets the call right as he turns onto his driveway and as always, Blake cuts right to the chase, “Alright, what’s going on, mate? What do you need?”

Daniel laughs, “Can’t I just call you to hear how my best mate’s doing?”

Blake doesn’t say anything and Daniel’s sure he can feel Blake’s eye roll from all the way on the other end of the line.

“Ok, fine,” Daniel says with a grin. “Is there any way we can clear my schedule from like six to nine until we leave for Singapore?”

“I don’t think-” Blake starts but then seems to change his mind. “Why?”

“I-” Daniel hesitates, not sure why he just doesn’t tell Blake about her. In the end he tells him what he told Michael, “You know Oscar from next door?”

“Yeah-”

“Well, he fell down a few days ago, broke his hip and his wrist, so- He needs some help around the house, so I got Michael organising some prepped meals for him and I figured I might as well be there to help out a bit, you know?”

It stays quiet for a second too long and Daniel knows Blake doesn’t quite believe him and is about ready to tell him the entire story but then he hears Blake sigh and can just imagine the way he pushes his glasses up and pinches the bridge of his nose, “Fine. Just for the record, I know you’re not telling me everything here, Dan but- I trust you. So please, don’t fuck it up. I don’t want to have to explain to Zak why you’ve broken a leg dirt biking or something.” 

“I won’t.” 

“Ok. Give me an hour and I’ll send you your new schedule, ok?” Blake clears his throat, “We’re still keeping the morning sessions with Michael, right?”

His morning workouts run from nine until twelve so as far as Daniel’s concerned that’s fine as is, “Yep.”

“Alright, I’ll come up with something to tell the team and I’ll let you know, ok?”

“Thanks, mate.” Then, because it’s true, “I owe you one.” 

Blake chuckles, “Add it to the list, mate.” 

***

Ever since you got here there’s been a certain monotony to your days, where you do chores around the house in the morning, so you can keep an eye on Ellie at the same time, and then move outside after lunch, once you’ve put Ellie down for her nap. Granddad calls you whenever she wakes up, which usually is right in time for afternoon tea, and you’ve come to take her outside with you so she can play for a bit and you can do some smaller chores. After you’ve made dinner Ellie goes to bed, which frees you up to go check on the Alpacas before you’re back in the house for the dishes and whatever else needs to be done. 

Saturdays are no exception and so here you are, ready to head outside with Ellie.

“Out,” Ellie says, clapping her hands in excitement. “Out, out, out.” 

“Yep, let me just-” you say as you try to wriggle her foot into her rainboot, “-get these on, bub. And then we’re ready to go.” Once both feet are in you hold out your hand for her to take and lead her outside, Homer following you without question. The dog’s been retired from his working duties when your granddad sold the fifty or so cows he still had a few years ago, but he still accompanies whoever’s working on the farm whenever he feels like it. 

A quick glance at the sky tells you there’s rain clouds building in the distance but you hope it will stay dry until after dinner, or at least until you’ve finished your work in the vegetable garden.

You give Ellie her own tiny spade and tell her to have at it while you set out to dig some holes for the potato plants you’ve picked up at the agrishop earlier this week. 

You’re almost finished when you hear a car pulling up to the house and when you look up from where you were hunched over, trying to keep Ellie from eating yet another handful of dirt, stretching your back as you stand up straight, you’re a little surprised to see it’s Daniel. When he told you yesterday he’d come by again today you didn’t actually expect him to do so but-

“Danny!” Ellie exclaims when she spots him, pushing herself up from the ground and wobbling over to the fence.

You see Daniel’s smile grow wider when he sees her and he quickly makes his way over, holding out his fist to her once he reaches the fence, laughing then when she bumps hers against his. “Hello Miss Ellie. How are you today?”

“Tatoes!” Ellie says, pointing at the ground with a proud smile.

“We’ve planted potatoes,” you explain, using the back of your wrist to wipe the hair from your face, your hands still covered in dirt. “Well, I did,” you add and laugh when you nod at Ellie, “this little troublemaker was more interested in eating dirt.”

Daniel chuckles and winks at Ellie, “Ain’t nothing wrong with that.” 

Ellie holds out her arms to him then and Daniel looks at you, only picking her up after you’ve nodded to let him know it’s ok.

“Granddad should be done with his nap,” you tell Daniel as you pick up the spade again. “So if you want to head inside-”

“Oh no, that’s ok,” Daniel says and opens the gate that leads into the garden, Ellie resting on his hip. “We can hang out here for a while, huh? Wait until momma’s finished?” 

Ellie pats his cheek with one of her dirty hands, leaving a trace of mud just above his beard, whispering a quiet, “Danny.” 

“Aw,” Daniel coos, a warm smile spreading across his face. He looks at you then, “So I uh- I wanted to run something by you.”

“Ok,” you draw out, not sure what he’s getting at.

“I’ve known Oscar for a long time, right? And well, he’s always helped me out whenever I needed help over at the farm so I wanted to return the favour.” He waits until you’ve stand up before he continues, “I talked to Michael, he’s my personal trainer and he does all my meal prep and-” he waves his free hand around, “Anyway, he knows someone in Perth who can help out with that and I went there today and picked up some prepped meals for you guys. They’ll last you until next Sunday and I can still pick up the next batch because I don’t leave for Singapore until next Tuesday a week from now anyway, but this way you won’t have to worry about dinner so much. You just pop them in the microwave and you have a healthy, balanced meal for you and old Oscar.” 

Your first instinct is to tell him that it’s fine, that it isn’t really necessary, but honestly, not having to worry about dinner would save you so much time and so you tell him, “Thank you.”

“And-” he puts Ellie down then and runs a hand through his hair, almost as if he’s a bit unsure of himself, “-I’ve cleared my schedule in the evenings so if you want I could help you out for a bit after dinner. I know you have the alpacas to take care of and-”

You’re at a loss for words for a moment, a warm feeling spreading somewhere deep inside of you at the kindness he’s showing. If you’re honest, really honest, it’s all been a bit much and while you didn’t necessarily want to ask anyone for help, not even sure who you could ask, Daniel offering to help out for a few hours every day would make all the difference. 

He must take your silence for something else because he quickly adds, “I’ll do whatever you want me to do, if it’s the dishes, or just sitting with Oscar for a bit, or-”

“Daniel,” you say, putting your hand on his arm to let him know it’s ok. “Thank you. That’s really kind of you.”

He shrugs, “It’s the least I can do.” 

“It’s more than you have to,” you reply with a smile. “I really appreciate it.” 

***

“Ok, so this is Barbra,” she says as she pets one of the lighter-coloured alpacas, “but we call her ‘Babs’.”

They’re out in Eagle’s Nest, the paddock bordering his dirt bike track, and she’s taken it upon herself to introduce him to the three alpacas that are huddled together near the feeder. She nods, encouraging him to pet the animal but he’s- Hesitant. Babs looks very innocent, all long eyelashes and fluffy hair but he’s sure a well-aimed kick could take him out in seconds and so he prefers to keep his distance.

She laughs and grabs his wrist, “Come on, you drive fast cars for a living, Ricciardo. Don’t tell me you’re scared of an Alpaca.”

“I’m not scared but there ain’t nothing wrong with being cautious,” he shoots back but his voice is a little too high-pitched to make it sound convincing. He flinches when she guides his hand closer to Babs but when she makes him touch her fur and he feels how soft the wool is he relaxes a little. 

She laughs and lets go of his wrist, “See? That isn’t so bad, is it?”

“Hmm,” he agrees half-heartedly, not wanting to spook the animal. “It’s ok.” 

“It’s Betsy you gotta look out for anyway,” she says with a nod towards a dark-brown alpaca, a mischievous smile tugging on her lips. “She tends to bite when you get too close.”

“Good to know,” he says, still keeping his voice low, still stroking Babs’ back. “And who’s that?”

She holds her hand out to a white alpaca, the animal immediately going in for a head scratch, “This is Blanche. She wouldn’t hurt a fly.” She turns to him then and whispers, “She ain’t the brightest of the bunch, most of the time the light’s on but there’s nobody home, if you know what I mean, but we love her just the same.”

He laughs, “Gotcha.” 

“Ok, so,” she opens the gate and allows him to step inside before she closes it again, telling Homer, who has come along in the back of her ute, to stay. “We’ve got their feeder here but I keep a bucket of grains in the back of my ute to keep the mice out and once every two days or so I bring them a fresh bail of hay.” She motions towards the shed a little bit further down, “They can seek shelter there at night and tend to huddle up whenever it rains, so I make sure to clean it out every day so it’s a nice place for them to be.”

He nods, trying to pay attention but he’s too distracted by the way she keeps touching his arm whenever she shows him something and finds himself wishing she wouldn’t let go. When she’s done with her tour of the alpaca paddock she looks at him expectantly and he can’t help but smile back at her. 

She wiggles her eyebrows at him, “You sure you still want to help out?” 

Daniel has never been more certain of anything in his life, “Yes ma’am.”

[zzencat]

Tarot Mini Reading Request

My initials: SR, Sabrina Rocha

17.06.2004

Sun-Moon-Mercury-Venus-Lilith Gemini ♊️

His Initials: RP, Rico P.

29.11.1991

Coworker at gastro, leader/shift supervisor 2nd in-command. Charismatic, hard to get to know personally. Problem-solver, strategic and professional. Great at teamwork. Gym rat. No hobbies. No faith in love or trust, but seems to be devoted to God (wears cross), always has his doppio espresso. Speaks Spanish and likes Shisha bars.

Green eyes, tall and very fit, beautiful smile. Blueish-greenish grey aura/vibes.

Sort of became a little more softie towards me. Caring when I don’t make him book food for my dinner (one of his tasks for the team), sometimes double-asking. Defending me from a disrespectful coworker on some occasions. Seemingly being closer to me at times. Or like that time he stared almost intensely at my eyes….and I tried to hold the stare until I looked down and away…shy as hell.

Last time we worked together, I gifted him a letter. Sort of love letter confessing that I like him more than just a coworker and inviting him to a coffee date. Also reassuring him I respect him a lot as a person and hope nothing will change after this if he feels uncomfortable or can’t reciprocate the feelings back. At the end telling a little more about me via a self-made quote and songs. A few drawings and scents (coffee, vanilla and lemongrass) on the letter and envelope.

What will the answer be or rely to be most likely? Positive, negative. Any other cards telling more, as it’s a short reading?

I’d be willing to expand on that through paying a little extra amount for more card pulls and energy-reading.

Thank you so much already!

sabrina sorry but does his surname happen to be…puerto?? nah nah im kidding 😂😂😂 my own lil jokes haha im playin

rico’s energy?

ok so…he kinda has a weird energy to him? it’s kinda strange. it’s like he’s putting on some sort of act or something or maybe he has to but yeah you’re right about him being hard to open up. he’s getting there yes, also correct.. but there’s something that’s going to be revealed and it will change everything. it was probably your little confession, but he’s taking everything into account. it’s also strange that i got deception like 3 times in the reading already. not in a bad way but like…hiding his true feelings? ik this is a little late so idk if he’s answered you yet, but in his mind he’ll try to keep things as peaceful and harmonious, at least at work. i will say that whatever the outcome is, you’ll try to keep yourself balanced and logical. it’s gonna be hard at work but you’ll try really, realllllly hard. you might hold back feelings or suppress some emotions. also i pulled some advice for you. again, whatever the outcome, make sure you don’t change yourself. love will come to you naturally. ALSO!!!! be very careful materially. don’t be sharing finances out so easily, NO MATTER WHO THEY ARE!!!!!!! very important. be careful of theft as well. be careful who you let in easily. if you’re already guarded and are an alert person, that’s going to do you some good for now. i think you’re a fair person or at least you want to act fairly. you might have some moments where you feel like you have to overcompensate or prove yourself and your worth, especially at this job. be careful that you don’t become greedy materially. AND if people know you’re a hardworker and they happen to know how much you make, even if it’s more than them maybe, be careful with that as well. i want you to be super cautious money wise. you’ll feel down at times and to deal with it, you could put that energy into work or other things, so make sure you rest yourself and give yourself time to sit down and process emotions sometimes ok? i don’t think you give up easily either so good on you! you’re just getting started hahah. and you are worthy alright? don’t ever doubt it.

i think there’s possibility for there to be a love connection (in the future)! it just probably won’t happen super soon bc of financial reasons. he could feel pretty stuck and unsure how to really move on from now. whatever the outcome, he doesn’t want there to be drama between you two or work. he’d like to keep everything civil. if he’s a little avoidant, it’s probably bc you’re taking steps to pursue him. not that he thinks it’s bad! he’s just kind of in that…uncertain period, esp emotionally. it’s not you tho! not your fault or anything. the good thing is that he’ll try to be nice about everything. maybe it won’t happen so soon, but there is definitely a chance for you in the future with this guy. it could also be an age thing, so maybe he’s waiting for you to be more financially stable or just ready in general. he could also be in that energy where if he pursues this relationship, he’s thinking about *everything* that could change in his life.

that’s all i have for you sabrina!! thank you for joining the game :)

[stuffed-x-arts]

SLAY THE PRINCESS Voice + Narrator Designs

sorry they arent all 'complete' sort of. I was struggling and it was starting to feel like i would never finish at all and that the slay the princess interest may slip from my grasp altogether and i wanted to finish these before doing other slay the princess drawings and !! anyways yeah these are mostly to get an Idea of how the guys look, there may be potential changes in future but for the most part these are the guys !! design notes under the read more teehee.

beaks are so hard to draw but im trying smh

SLAY THE PRINCESS DESIGN NOTES:

ok first of all. maybe sometimes i will feel like drawing wings instead of hands, okay? teehee. all in good fun. these are all how its Supposed to be, generally, but i can bend the rules or edit them as i wish lol !! pupils are also a if-i-feel-like-it thing !!

The Cold

- light blues, icy, cold colours.

- thin, bony, pointy. his 'ears' / tufts stand up straight. sharper beak. etc. mid-length feathers on arms, short on legs.

- thin, long tail with a few feathers at the end

The Contrarian

- warm colours for the most part, potentially some blues or something for contrast. all rather saturated

- puffy feathers.

- simple no-sleeved vest that fits well.

- thin tail with rough, messy feathers that ends with two arrow-shaped ends

The Smitten

- more pinkish, purplish, red sort of colours. potentially rather vibrant and saturated also?

- lots of roundness in his design, including a more curved beak and relatively heart shaped ears. short puffy tail.

- feathers dont reach far on arms or legs

- little dots under eyes

- fluffy chest.

- more solid body

- two toes

The Opportunist

- blues and purples, perhaps a little orange

- looser shirt, long + big sleeves. deck of cards. plays with the cheated. Often cheats.

The Hunted

- greens, perhaps, greens and browns more neutral, natural colours for camouflage

- big ears. to listen

- stronger legs, ready to run and dodge,

The Paranoid

- orange, yellow.

- overpreens and stuff. lots of bent or broken feathers, occasionally some rather patchy spots. feathers dont have a clean end along his limbs. the others have some bent or broken feathers too of course but he's got it the worst

The Cheated

- weird feathers at his neck. fun <3

- deck of cards

- also has a like. mark/scar at the neck

- edit teehee: so neck feathers can be like. jagged. same for the ends of the feathers on his arms. jagged and all kinda like the whole razor princess route, you know?

The Skeptic

- orange, cautious

- long tail with feathers at the end that resemble a question mark

- maybe a choker or something?

The Stubborn

- more desaturated in tone. red.

- shorter tail

- lots of scars

The Hero

- Bandanna sort of thing around the neck

The Broken

- dark blues

- marks beneath the eyes

The Long Quiet / Player / Body

- during the loops its more simple. two sets of wings, one at the shoulder blades, one by the hips. rather small, unable to be used for flying. all the voices take after them in looks.

- is something... more though, in his natural state. similar to how the Shifting Mound is different than the ordinary princess you see. bigger wings, a more monstrous form.

- entirely greyscale

The Narrator

- toothed beak, sharp teeth.

- has a mane. whether thats made of feathers or fur or hair or what? who knows. All that matters is that its soft.

- regular bird tail, regular bird feet.

- paws. sorta similar to a lions?

- might mess with his colours a bit tbh but generally it sticks to dark grey or blueish

also have some drawings of working on the narrators design

OKAAAAY thats all teehee hope u enjoy !!!!

[timeforafuckingcrusade4]

Lucifer x reader

Cigarette Break

Warnings: cigarettes? Nah honestly there's nothing else besides that I suppose

Also this is my first Fic? One-shot? I've posted so I hope you all enjoy it and let me know if you do I appreciate any support!

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

Usually the hustle and bustle of the brothers fighting didn't bother you, but today it was getting on your last nerve. You were trying to concentrate on your magic history homework that was provided at RAD and the shouting and squabbling was becoming hard to block out. You persevered and popped your headphones in turning the volume to max and finding a playlist to drown out the noise outside your door, you wished that you had been given the attic room from time to time so then you'd maybe have a bit more peace and quiet or more than you had now, but given Belphies imprisonment up there it was very unlikely, it was hard being on the first floor where the brothers usually had no choice but to be together in similar rooms and clash as they did but it was probably always going to be like this regardless of where you were stationed in the house; you were probably cashing in all your good karma to have the room to yourself as it was because the brothers were usually joined at your hip like needy infants.

Eventually you ended your assignment and let out a tired sigh. It was about time. You sunk into your chair and let the relief wash over you and after a minute or so you took one of your headphones out to see if the commotion had died down... it hadn't and you placed the device back into your ear when a notification disrupted your music. Hesitantly you checked it hoping it wasn't one of the brothers pestering you to intervene in whatever petty argument they had gotten themselves into, but to your surprise it was the future demon king himself. Shortly another notification popped up indicating some form of urgency.

Ah MC I hope I'm not bothering you but I'm worried about Lucifer. He offered to share my work load as it is due to be submitted tomorrow and I fear he's taken too much on in a short amount of time. I need to know how he's doing.

I have messaged him directly myself but he isn't responding so could I possibly ask you to check in on him for me

Lucifer not answer Diavolo? That was like. Unheard of. Maybe he had fallen asleep or something? Either way you were slightly concerned and replied to Diavolo with a simple "of course" before raising yourself from your seated position. You removed your head phones and set them on the table before having a little stretch and leaving your room, making a mental note to make yourself scarce around the brothers to avoid being dragged into their shenanigans, but by now the climax of whatever dispute they were having was pretty much finished but you were cautious nonetheless.

If you were Lucifer you'd probably be in your private study right now as it was the best place to be left to your devices in peace so you decided to check there first. To get there you had to pass through the library and to no surprise Satan was lounging on one of the sofas reading some sort of book something related to curses or cats you figured.

"Uh Satan have you seen Lucifer about?" You spoke quietly to not completely take his attention away from what he was reading because god forbid if you made him lose where he was. You dreaded to think.

"Not personally no. He's probably in his study" he didn't pry his eyes away from his book for one second so that suggested to you that he didn't know or care where Lucifer was. He probably wasn't the best person to ask about Lucifer related things in the first place.

"Right thanks"

You made your way into the study taking slow steps so you could observe your surroundings. The towering bookcases and dark atmosphere didn't ease the tension in the air. You made your way over to the banister to look see if Lucifer was at his desk and unfortunately for you he wasn't which meant he clearly wasn't here and you had to go look for him. It made sense to you to check the room to find any indication to where he might have gone so you weren't wandering like a wyvern stray.

You desended the study stairs and made your way over to Lucifers desk passing the small coffee table and chairs near the fireplace taking note of the whiskey bottle placed haphazardly on the mantlepiece. Well he'd been drinking because the lid was resting beside the bottle itself and you made your way to the desk taking note of the pile of papers which were in some form of organised mess. A glass of half drunken whiskey was placed to the side along with Lucifers D.D.D which was flashing with many missed notifications, presumably from Diavolo, so he definitely wasn't here that was obvious so you began to flip through the paperwork to see how much of it was completed and as far as you could tell it was all done. You began to neatly stack the papers in front of you to save Lucifer a job later and something caught your eye, the desk drawer was ajar so to soothe the curiosity bubbling inside you you peered into it. There wasn't anything remotely exciting other than a few files and loose pieces of paper.

After you had indirectly snooped into Lucifers very private desk and cleaned his workspace you decided to go looking for him again. You checked your own D.D.D to see more messages from Diavolo asking for updates and you decided to ignore them for the time being and put your effort into focusing on finding Lucifer. You left the library with Satan still busy reading he didn't even acknowledge you passing by which made you wonder if he would've even noticed anyone leave at all. You wanted to pop your head into the kitchen to see if Lucifer was there, after all it wasn't uncommon for him to get a cup of coffee so he could carry on with his work late into the night with minimal fatigue. Once you arrived you tentatively peered into the room and saw three figures stood around chatting, you paid close attention to them and realised it was Beel, Belphie and Asmo talking about something or other and you decided to leave them to it to avoid further distractions. As you made your way to the stairs to make your way to Lucifers room you could hear two distant voices and instantly recognised them as Mammon and Levi and connected the dots that it was those two who were arguing earlier.

Once you were at Lucifers room you composed yourself and decided not to knock just incase Lucifer was asleep and taking a much needed break. As you slowly turned the doorknob you partly stepped into the room looking for the demon somewhere in the room darting your eyes from the bed, where you noticed his coat was splayed and then to the window. There he stood. He had his back to you but you could still see his sleeves rolled up from the angle you were at and his gloves were off. You fully stepped into the room closing the door behind you and the scent of Lucifers room fully hit you it was familiar and comforting the smell of his usual cologne filling the air but then another scent hit you...cigarette smoke? Surely not.

You began to gingerly approach Lucifer stopping just behind him as the scent of cigarette smoke was now undeniably coming from him.

"Are you smoking? That's new" You spoke clearly and sternly which caused a splutter- almost a choke- to erupt from Lucifer who turned to look at you with shock immediately.

"MC- Do you not know how to knock." He regained composure as the smoke he was choking on dispersed into the air and it gave you chance to fully look at him. His hands were on show which was unusual but his red nails were always heartwarming to see (you remembered Asmo telling you he paints all his brothers nails and even though he usually conceals his hands it was always a nice reminder to see that his nails are indeed painted too meaning he indulges in Asmodeus' activities) and you gained the confidence to look up his arms to see the sleeves of his shirt gathered nicely around his elbows, exposing his forearms in the process. His shirt was slightly unbuttoned and his usual tie was nowhere to be seen but you assumed it was underneath the coat that was thrown on the bed, his waistcoat was still fully buttoned though but you had to admit it was a good look on him. After fully examining him you could feel the warmth rise in your stomach and you couldn't tell if it was due to embarrassment from leaving the conversation linger or from being attracted to him in general and being in his general area.

"I didn't knock in case you were busy or getting some rest...I didn't want to disturb what little peace you have" you tried your best to conceal the lump in your throat and tried to calculate the right speech to staring ratio as you didn't want to make it obvious that you were gawking at him.

"Well you've interrupted me regardless so you didn't do an amazing job of that but I'll allow it...why are you here in the first place?" you could feel him staring you up and down and it made you shift in place where you stood.

"Oh well- uh- Diavolo messaged me saying he's worried about you because you haven't answered his texts and you had a shit load of work and he wanted me to check in on you and you weren't in your study"

"Language. And yes I suppose I have been neglecting his messages...good grief between this paperwork and my brothers is a minutes peace too much to ask for" His expression dropped from stern to forlorn and he took the final drag of the still lit cigarette and proceeded to put it out and blow the smoke out of his propped open window and discard of the cigarette tab. You couldn't help feel bad for him, but you couldn't also help feel like it was slightly self inflicted as his prideful nature almost made it impossible for him to ask for help, but what can you expect from the Avatar of Pride himself.

"So that's why you're having a cig break? Understandable I can't say I blame you, but you could've asked for my help sure I had some homework but I got that done in no time and I'd of been happy to lend a hand" You could feel his eyes on you for what seemed like an eternity and he soon darted them out of the window running his hand through his hair and sighing which didn't help the warmth you were feeling.

"I appreciate the sentiment, but as you said you had your own assignments you don't need to bother yourself with mine as well...ugh I guess I better get back to it and reply to Diavolo before he sends a search party to find me" You let out a small breathy laugh at the search party comment.

"You know I'd help you if you asked me right? Like maybe if you allowed me to you wouldn't be as stressed as you are now...I already do my bit with your brothers what's a bit more work on top of that" He had his back turned to you as he closed his window and he let out another large sigh before turning to face you once more.

"You never take no for an answer do you?"

"I learn from the best"

"Regardless I admire your persistence and I find it equally irritating as well as endearing...you definitely are unusual"

"Well I've been with you lot for too long you start to learn as you go and well you're a stubborn cunt"

"Language. Again."

He rested against the window frame and began to shake his head at you closing his eyes whilst doing so, but you could swear you saw a ghost of a smile on his lips.

"Thankyou for checking up on me MC I'll return to what I was doing now"

He stood up and you could see him readying himself to leave however he got closer to you.

"But there's one more thing"

He closed the gap between you looming over you and cupping your face with one of his now ungloved hands and you could feel the heat radiating between the two of you. He placed his thumb on your now parted lips placing it firmly on your bottom lip and he slowly moved his face closer to yours his red eyes piercing your own like he was medusa and you were turning to stone and the scent of whiskey and cigarette smoke filled your lungs.

"If you tell anyone- my brothers and Diavolo included that you caught me indulging in a cigarette you're going to be in big trouble do I make myself understood?"

You could only muster a weak nod as you didn't want to tear your eyes away from the demon in front of you and you could feel the shudders from his touch coursing through you and it made you squirm.

"Good."

Lucifer stood up to his full height and removed his hand from your face like it was nothing and made his way towards the door. You should've been used to him doing this to you, but it shocked you everytime he pulled a stunt like this despite knowing it was his nature to be assertive. The demon then stopped at the door with his hand on the handle and held it there as he turned to look in your direction.

"I love it whenever I leave you breathless and shuddering if you wait here I won't be long and we can pick straight back up from where we've just left off? Be back shortly"

[cerise-on-top]

White Hank and Skittles with a Tsundere Reader

I think I remember this not being a request either, just something I wrote when I had time! I just really love the tsundere trope, It's so much fun to me! What it says in the title! Again, these are over a year old so the formatting is different!

White Hank

She won't be particularly surprised by your behaviour at first: She’s a deadly mercenary, renowned for killing people, so naturally, you’d react negatively to her. However, that sort of heartbreak won’t last very long as she’ll find out soon enough regarding why you’re being rather harsh towards her. Once she hears from someone that you may or may not have a huge crush on her, she’ll have the time of her life.

While she won’t take it too far, get ready for some friendly teasing on her behalf. Her hand brushing against yours, maybe she’ll even take your face into her hands. Of course, her favourite move would be to find out whether or not a fever might be the cause of your reddened face by placing her forehead against yours, all the while smirking. She’s merciless, and she really wants to see you stutter and fail to make coherent sentences. And, just maybe, get you to blurt out a confession.

Once you’re together and you’re being especially “mean” towards her again, she’ll simply give you a soft and gentle kiss on the lips, which is usually enough to make your mind shut down. Afterwards, she’ll give you a chuckle as she watches you try to comprehend what happened. And if you’re the sort to hide behind your hands, she will make a comment about how adorable you are.

For as much as she likes to fluster you, it’s those soft moments where you don’t deny her that she treasures. The ones, where she simply holds you and you rest against her chest. No silly and empty insults, just peace and quiet. If you fall asleep against her, she will stroke your back and give you the softest of smiles, all the while imagining your future together.

Skittles

Skittles knows that Nevada is a harsh place to live in that breeds cautious and violent people, but that won’t stop him in the slightest from showing you kindness and giving you a big ol smile. No matter how grumpy you may be, this ball of sunshine will try to cheer you up and make you happy, regardless of what it’s going to take. Therefore, expect him to spend a lot of time around you. He’s lived the majority of his life around grumpy and mean people, so he doesn’t shy away from them in the slightest.

His love language is just about anything wholesome in existence, so be prepared for gifts, compliments, hugs and so on and so forth. The meaner you get, the more worried he’ll become if he did something wrong, even if it couldn’t be further from the truth. But once he sees you deny his affection for you with the biggest blush and smile known to gruntkind he’ll slowly piece everything together. He’ll fluster you, yes, but it won’t be on purpose, he’s just a very affectionate guy by nature.

Eventually, you’ll think you’ll have gotten used to his ways, but no, he will always find new ways to surprise you. His favourite is to bring you a flower and place it in the folds of your clothes so that you look like a clown. As plant life has become sparse in Nevada, it means he’ll likely have gone through hell and back just to find one for you. If he could, he would make you a little flower crown, but alas. Still, he has hope that one day he will. But until then, he will shower you in hugs and do everything he can to show how much he loves you.

When you finally do give in and give him his much needed affection, he will literally beam brighter than the sun in our world. He knows that it means a lot to you to open up to him and be sincere like that, that’s why you might just see him vibrate in joy ever so slightly.

[i-still-mask-because]

hi! i'd just like to first say thank you for this blog! it's been a very valuable resource and i appreciate what you do and the information you make available!! this ask is sort of a vent/just my thoughts and general feelings i feel like i need to share somewhere. i don't have any resources to get a better mask at this moment, and the masks i do wear give me sensory issues and are generally not ideal. i can't really do anything else about this except wait until i get financial independence, which is relatively far off. it's been...becoming a bit more difficult to look forward to the future. i don't acknowledge this often because it feels like so many people already have but i have some difficulty accepting that things will never truly be the same again (until capitalism and colonialism are abolished and the world can focus on fixing pressing issues and actually improving people's lives but that's a different conversation!) and that not only does it feel that i'm missing out on a majority of my teen years but also that i may not even get to enjoy my twenties, thirties, and so on because of circumstances generally not in my control. i know that joy remains present in my life and things will improve if i just hang on a little longer but it's still difficult when i spend day after day watching my masks irritate my skin while i'm not even safe from covid because so few people mask. i firmly believe some protection is better than none but i suppose that can tie into why i am glad other people mask, as uncommon as it has become. i still mask because i want to do what i can to care about the safety of others and to combat toxic individualism.

Hey! Thank you so much for sharing this 💛 I appreciate the vulnerability. And thank you for your patience; I wanted to be sure I was in a clearer headspace before answering this. I hope you can see this, and I hope you're doing alright!

If you want, let me know in another ask what masks you've already tried. I'm happy to compile some recommendations for more comfortable ones.

I genuinely recommend finding online spaces with other covid cautious people you can connect with, find support & validation, and find access to tools & resources (be it through Facebook groups, Discord servers, IG communities, Tumblr communities, etc.)

Take a look at these links [Link 1: Worldwide Mask Bloc Directory] and [Link 2: Covid Action Map] to see if there's any mask blocs and/or covid action groups wherever you live that can provide free masks for you (I know some give away free rapid tests & other tools too). They may even be able to give better suggestions for the first two things I mentioned! See if you could find their social media accounts too to keep up with their updates.

I absolutely feel for the younger generations right now. Knowing how hard going to school was as a minor in and of itself, I cannot imagine how difficult it is to go through Pre/K-12 being one of the only, if not the only, one masking to protect themself from a virus that the majority of the population doesn't even think is a big deal anymore. I'm so sorry the systems in place have let you down. I 100% understand how bleak the future feels right now; trust me, I'm right there with you. Navigating life in a covid-denying world is extremely difficult, to say the absolute least. I personally did not expect the first half of my 20s to go like this 😅. I try to remember that there are communities out there that aim to support us, validate us, and get us the resources we need. Being in community with other covid cautious folks online has been tremendously helpful because it makes going through this feel a lot less lonely.

Things will take a turn at some point; it's inevitable. Just keep protecting yourself and taking precautions. You're doing the right thing 💛😷

If anyone has additional supportive things they want to say and even suggestions of their own, please feel free to share!

[asaka-lucy-dr-rc]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ASAKA🎉🎉🎉

I don’t know if I’m too late or not but I wanted to say Happy Birthday!!!

I don’t really have much and I didn’t have too much time, so here are some small drawings I did for brainstorming ideas for an English assignment alongside a photo I took of Hajime and Nagito in tomadachi life?

I also have a Small Ramble about Hajime Hinata for you!

Hajime is my one of favorite characters because he's the perfect balance for a protagonist. The story uses the fact he's "basic," and gives it life. His story is of someone who is so insecure, depressed, and feels so inferior about being talentless that he gives up his own life just to be something he can be proud of. Just so he can be something worth remembering. He finds his own strength, not only that but he decides he won't live in the past but rather the future and present. That he'll decide his own future, no matter what happens. In contrast to class 78th they're basically the school dropouts after all, they don't know how life will go, but they'll figure it out. They'll make their own future, together! Out of all of the protagonists and messages the Danganronpa franchise has, Danganronpa 2 resonates with me most. Hajime has a wonderful story, a fun personality, a cute appearance, and is a beautifully compelling and charming character. He’s honestly adorable, he’s such an introverted realist a lot of the time haha!

Hope my Ask is enough to make you smile for your birthday, Sorry if I’m late!!!

sorry I don’t have that much to say about Makoto… I LIKE HIM TOO THOUGH!!!

Ohhhh my gosh your drawings are SO CUTE!!😍😍 Thanks for showing me this, Zen! I knew you had good drawing skills (I must have seen your drawing of Nagito in your YouTube video) but I didn't know you drew such lovely and funny things, so this is a pleasant surprise! 😆💕 hehe, it seems like Hajime is yelling something at Nagito every 5 seconds or so. I’m happy to see these silly boys!

I also didn’t know you have been playing Tomodachi Life! I have never played this game myself, but I love looking at the screenshots of this game. Did they become good friends with each other in that world? It's so nice to see them together on the beach under the stars! (ㅅ´ ˘ `)✧.｡.:*

And thank you for telling me the reason why you like Hajime!💖 I totally agree with you that he has a wonderful story! I didn't notice it the first time I played the game, but when I replayed it and followed the story from the beginning, I found that his sense of inferiority is described well before he knows he's a reserve course student. I haven't checked how it's expressed in the English translation yet, but he tends to use the phrase "俺なんか" a lot more than other protagonists. “なんか” is an ambiguous word, similar to "some" in English, but it is an expression of self-deprecation to use it after the first person (俺). He has a subconscious tendency to be self-deprecating even though he has lost his memory, but I think that is why he easily falls for people who are kind to him. In fact, he was very shocked when he realized that Nagito might be the culprit in the first class trial, saying, "You were so kind”. It's very cute how he felt that way about Nagito even though they only met for the first time two days ago. ( *´艸`)💖 (He is rather cautious and suspicious of things, but I feel that in relationships he easily falls for others!)

As you say, the process of how he, who originally felt inferior and introverted, becomes determined to make his own future is very touching, and his personality itself is what makes him so cute and appealing. Honestly, when I first saw Hajime, I wasn't attracted to his looks at all, but now I think he's the cutest guy ever. I feel happy whenever I see his cute smile!😊💓

Thank you so much for this wonderful gift and taking the time out of your busy schedule! Your message definitely made me smile! I was actually in the process of preparing a post that would sort of summarize the birthday gifts I received, but your message came just in time for me to post it. So my birthday has passed, but in that sense you made it! 🥳

I'm happy and grateful every time I get a message from you. Hope you have a great day! 🫶✨ And I hope to hear more about your thoughts on Makoto sometime! 😆

[lasi-nariyoyoreads]

Hello, it's me... A Twice stan hahaha

I wanted to ask for a reading for Sana's personality. If this is okay~~

I hope you're doing well. Wishing you well :)

Sana's personality according to tarots

Hi! I'm okay, how are you? Are you enjoying the comeback?

Disclaimer:

My readings are made for fun and you should read them for fun too. So don't take them seriously.

Core aspect of her personality:

strength

This card in the tarots is usually represented as a woman who pets a lion, so it doesn’t refer to brutal power, but to courage, determination, patience.

Sana might be a “strong” person, someone who is always positive even while facing hardships.

She might be someone that fights for what she wants, but also someone able to bring a positive influence to others, encourage them, even guide them.

She is good at relating with people, who look up to her and respect her a lot.

What does she think about herself?

rev magician , rev the world, 8 of swords

She might think she’s greedy or someone able to manipulate others. We know it’s easy for her to befriend others, so she might consider this as some sort of tool she can use when necessary?

She feels lacking. 

If it’s from a professional point of view, there might be a lot of things she wants to try or she isn’t satisfied with her current level of success/skills, so she wants “more”.

If it’s from a private point of view, she might feel something lacks in her relationships, either a real important union, or simply she feels she doesn’t have enough time to take care properly of her loved ones.

She might feel trapped in her current position, she would like to try new things maybe or she would like to express herself more freely.

Linking all these cards together, it feels as if she believes she should be happy and satisfied, but she isn’t and she considers this dissatisfaction as something negative, as “greed”.

What do they think about her?

ace of cups, rev ace of swords, rev lovers

Ace of cups is a very romantic card, so it can imply people might actually have romantic feelings for her or they generally have a soft spot for her or they might see her as a source of love and affection.

However, others consider her as someone who lacks ideas and originality, like “she’s always doing the same thing”, as if there’s no evolution or no clear plans about her future.

Others might think there’s an imbalance in her life, like her emotions might be a bit all over the place or they consider her as someone who lacks organization.

Positive traits:

rev 2 of swords, 8 of swords, 10 of swords

She’s cautious, even in the most stressful situations, you can trust her to not lose her mind.

She is someone who keeps looking for answers, solutions etc. She doesn’t give up.

You could say she’s a positive person, not just in a “yay I’m happy!” way, but above all in a “I believe it can go well”, an attitude that might be a good influence for the people around her.

Resilience is the right word to describe it. No matter what people say or think, no matter how bad the situation is, she has the type of mindset that doesn’t give up.

I think she also makes for a good friend that gives good advice. If a friend sees no ways out, she might probably be able to either find a solution or to give them hope.

Negative traits:

rev king of swords, rev page of pentacles, rev the sun

She might have a hard time to follow a routine and keep a regular schedule.

She might be the type who loses her sh1t when she’s angry, she might get very emotional.

She can be immature and childish, lazy, she might lack a real goal or miss opportunities.

She might have mood swings like feeling very enthusiastic about something or very negative about something else, or in general she might have very strong opinions and it's hard to make her change her mind. If you gave her a negative impression, it's hard for her to see you in a different light.

In general, I’d say she has a certain chaotic energy because she’s an emotional person.

[with-love-from-hell]

Heyy Storm 👉👈

I hope you're doing better again and that you can get some free time to rest too. I've been thinking about writing comfort headcanons for myself for a Mc with hypermobility but I feel like it'd be even nicer if someone else were to write it for me and I thought of you! Of course, there's no pressure and I won't be upset if you say you don't want to or can't for some reason /gen

My idea was writing smth about how they would try to help/take care of Mc when they get hurt because of their hypermobility, especially Beel and Barbatos for obvious reasons hehe. I do feel like it'd be really soft with Lucifer as well tho, and Simeon!

In case you're not sure about hypermobility, it means (in my case anyway) that I can bend/move my joints more than the average person and my cartilages are softer than usual too. Thus, they are more vulnerable and my joints can get dislocated easier, (I should only use 3/4ths of my strength) and sometimes even just a simple movement turns out wrong somehow and it hurts and click clacks. Especially my knees are a big problem because I struggle walking when they're hurt and they get hurt the most with me, which I do have support bandages(?) for but you'd still see me limping down the street tryna not cry :')

I am in another Lupus flair up, which is why my writing has been scarce, but I'm not flu-ish anymore! I can absolutely take this on, Oji! I'll try my best! (I hope you like it 🥺)

Mc with Hypermobility

Genre: Headcanons, Comfort Characters featured: Barbatos, Beelzebub, Simeon, and Lucifer Wc: ~ 1.9k Written for a Gn!Mc (you/yours) CW: mentions of disability and injury, some mentions of the boys helping you bathe/clean yourself, a little bit of over-protectiveness

Barbatos

First of all, don't expect anything less than utmost one-on-one attention, no matter the circumstances.

Obviously he has to serve Diavolo, but after your relationship solidifies, you are on par with his diligence to serving the future king (if not more important to him)

If he doesn't already know what hypermobility is after you disclose your condition to him, he will research the hell out of it to ensure he knows everything there possibly is to know about your condition and your needs, and will ask pointed questions about how your condition affects you as he feels the need to, to fill gaps in his research.

He knows how fragile humans already are, and he is already very careful and cautious about things that will cause you harm, but he can't predict everything (though sometimes it really seems like he can) and accidents happen.

When you do eventually get hurt for whatever reason, he will drop whatever he's doing to tend to you. It doesn't matter what or when or why or how, but he will make you his #1 priority.

Be prepared to be doted on for a very long time. You wont have to cook, clean, or do really anything on your own unless you are very insistent about it. He will even help you bathe unless you draw a firm line with him about it.

He will do what he can to mitigate any pain, and probably try to talk Solomon into finding a cure for your ailment using magic if he can. Obviously, you wanting said cure after it's discovered is up to you and he won't force it on you, but he doesn't want you to have to live in pain.

He will be more than willing to massage you or give you any sort of help with moving, doing his best to ensure he's well educated on the things he's doing to help. If you insist that it isn't his duty, he will at the very least help you get access to whatever care would be helpful in the human world- no matter the cost. (Also expect him to come with to every damn appointment and critique the PT or OT on what they're doing and how it could be better. lmao)

Beelzebub

Beel is a very active and motivated demon, so sometimes he forgets that his routines for exercising and other interests, as well as just his sheer strength and size, may take a lot out of a human- especially one who has hypermobility.

Despite the occasional air-headedness though, he always checks in to make sure you're okay with what you're doing when your with him, whether it be walking to a restaurant, helping him with his workout, or even just watching a movie and cuddling.

You are one of two most important people in the world to him, so he tries to be careful when he's doing anything with you, but he's not perfect, and neither are you, so sometimes you'll end up overextending or hurting yourself around him.

No matter how many times it happens or how often you reassure him that it's not his fault, Beel will still feel guilty whenever you get hurt- even if it wasn't involving him at all.

Because of the guilt he feels, Beel will often try to make up for it by essentially making it so you dont have to do anything. Like, ever.

I'm talking carrying you anywhere and everywhere, getting anything you need so you don't have to get up, or even feeding you.

Generally, after you're injured, Beel is extra cautious with you and ensures he treats you especially gently. He will also get very protective, and may even growl at one of his brothers if they are being too rowdy near you.

Expect lots of check ins- especially surrounding food. Are you thirsty? Do you want a snack? Are you sure you don't want a second helping at dinner? Oh, did you want this very specific condiment? He'll grab it, don't worry.

Simeon

Simeon is already so gentile by nature, but once he learns of your hypermobility, he somehow becomes even -more- gently with you.

Expect him to constantly hover where you are. Not suffocatingly so, but he's always within earshot, so if you call him he'll be at your side in a second.

He knows how dangerous the Devildom can be for any human, but it can be 10x worse for a human with a condition that makes them vulnerable. He has an inherent need to protect you, so he'll try his best to ensure you are safe from harm.

Unfortunately, he can't prevent -everything-, so there will be times where you do over-extend or get hurt. You've had the condition long enough to where you probably know how to handle it, but Simeon will be a difficult person to convince of this.

At first, before learning more about your condition and your needs, he will bombard you with questions of how he can help you. Once he learns though, the actions become second nature to him (You may have to remind him though that consent is important before he tries to pick you up and carry you somewhere lol)

Generally, he will try to be around you more when you're injured. It may take a lot of convincing for the brothers to let him spend the night, or allow him to bring you to Purgatory hall for a few days, but he probably wont take no for an answer and cart you off anyways, as long as you're willing. The brothers can be rowdy, so he wants to make sure you have a respite wherever you are.

He will dot on you lots, and get you anything you could possibly need- and then some. Often he will convince Luke to bake some extra sweets if you injure yourself, and you will always find him trying to do things to make you smile during times where the pain is really bad- like writing you a poem or doing something to make you laugh

Lucifer

Lucifer was already sort-of protective and helicopter-y over you before he would learn of your condition, but after you talk with him about your hypermobility, its going to be near impossible to get rid of him lol.

He tends to mother you quite a bit, and sometimes it can come off as nagging, but he generally does it because of how anxious he is. It might not be lectures, but just small reminders so you don't injure yourself. Ask when you need something in a difficult to reach place. Stretch frequently when you sit in odd positions. Make sure you don't push yourself too hard.

Lucifer constantly has an eye on you if he can. He will insist on doing any homework, projects, or cleaning in his company, though he cant watch you -all- the time, of course.

When you ultimately do get hurt or over-extend yourself, Lucifer's first instinct is to find out exactly where you're hurting, and do his best to tend to the area. His second instinct, though, will probably be to lecture you- especially if something that caused the injury was preventable with one of his many...many... reminders.

Despite the bit of callousness he may display when lecturing you, he will immediately take on a nurturing role afterwards.

Don't expect to really have to do anything. Often times you'll find he's already done the things that needed to be done. Any homework or projects will magically be finished, any chores or cleaning will be done with no mention of it, and there will always be plenty of your favorite snacks, desserts, and drinks within reach, even before you know you want them.

He will also neglect his own work to spend time with you when you're recovering or in any pain. He will distract you by playing a round of chess, or playing some music for you- either on one of his records or live in the music room. He will either constantly be in your room, or constantly have you in his. He wants to make sure you're as comfortable as possible.

He will also do any personal grooming for you if you allow him. Whether it be bathing, getting dressed, brushing/combing/styling your hair- any of it. He is more than happy to tend to pretty much any of your needs.

He may be a bit dictator-y about your time and activities while and just after you've been injured though. He will scold his brothers when they are too rowdy around you, and try to prevent you from getting involved in any of their activities out of fear that you may get hurt again.

His over-powering attitude toward your care can sometimes be annoying, but it definitely comes from a place of worry for your wellbeing. He hates seeing you hurt or in pain, and wants to prevent it as much as possible.

[m1xieup]

spoliers for Nevermore episode 80!!!!!! (Read at your own risk)

Ok so first of all…. So much happened. I for one am filled with immeasurable joy due to this episode (though I am still awaiting Duke to come back from the wall). We got some character development, Lenore standing up for herself/her friends and refusing to be a pawn in this game, we got some actual Will content outside of Montresor, and possibly some new characters! All of this is incredibly exciting to me! Now I must warn you that I am a Will enjoyer and this post is mainly about my thoughts/theories about him, though I will say the development for everyone was great and I’m so excited to see how they evolve. I will tell you that even though I predicted they may go to Will, I still didn’t think it would happen-he is a side character after all, no matter how much I enjoy him. It was so nice to see him just being his silly self outside of Montrashsor. He seems like a sweet kid caught up in the wrong crowd. However my main reason for posting this is to discuss where he may go in the future.

this conflict is going to change the dynamic of both groups immensely. Lenore’s group may be more cautious and reserved, but I think Annabel’s may fracture. Prospero is loyal to her, but Ada her other devotee is now dating Monty, and may be more loyal to him. Morella won’t want to stay with Annabels group when she learns what they did to Duke, so she’ll probably leave. Monty may start shit with Annabel and may make a power play especially if he passes this off as her plan, and claims he could do better (this is assuming Duke is rescued which I sincerely hope he is). Ada would most likely support him, so Annabel needs to be really careful with how she does things going forward.

Ok so what about Will? He doesn’t really have a choice as far as he’s concerned Lenore could and would murder him so he has to help her. This puts him in a difficult place, as he technically would have betrayed his team by helping to free Duke. So I have a couple ideas about how his arc (which I think he’ll get one! Which makes me very happy ) could go

He stays with Annabel’s group and possibly faces punishment or harm for betraying them (you can’t tell me Monty would not be incredibly pissed at him, and he is not above hurting people that care for him)

he joins Lenore’s group (this is a little unlikely as Idk if they would accept him in after what he did to Duke even if Eulalie and Berenice seem to have some sympathy for him, however it would be very fun and in my opinion Will deserves better friends so it would make me happy)

he goes on his own (idk if he could make it on his own but it’s a possibility)

he dies/gets killed/is eliminated (this sort of goes with the previous but I also wouldn’t put Monty above murdering him if he felt Will betrayed him) [this would make me sad and I hope it doesn’t happen, near death is fine though I can handle angst]

He could join up with another group all together (this is somewhat based on my theory that the 3 guys we saw in the background are going to be somewhat important going forward) basically my theory is that he could join up with three guys we see as a 3rd party or in conjunction with one of the others. ((I also just think it’d be both hilarious and in character for Will to find someone else to latch onto and lackey for))

all in all a fantastic update! I’m so excited to learn more about/get a Will character arc, and I’m excited to see how he grows (change for the better, I believe in you!) I’m sooooo interested to see how these new faces interact with the others and to learn more about them as well. I am eating up Lenore’s arc, and I am so excited to see how this shift in dynamic with Annabel changes things! These are my general thoughts and opinions/theories! I’d love to hear yours fellow fast-passers (or those that read this when it come out fully)! Thank you for sticking with my insane ramblings (I’m so normal about Nevermore I swear) and have a wonderful day/night!

[kelpan]

Hello again!

It's been busy past couple of weeks! But thankfully, mostly for positive reasons. Worked a big 'ol theater summer camp all of July, made some good progress in figuring out what's going on with my body, and signed up to go back to school! Gonna try my hand at Medical Coding.

May have taken me two months to get this chapter out, but I feel pretty good about how it turned out! Hopefully you'll feel the same 🙂

Slight trigger warning for a bit of verbal abuse towards the end. I'm a big believer in respecting trigger warnings, so should you wish to skip but still want to know what happened, feel free to message me and I'll give you a generalized, abridged version.

Credit for the Chrysanthemum OC headshot goes to wwispie on Etsy/Instagram!

Ao3: Petals on a Stream of Stars

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Act 1, Chapter 14: Careful What You Wish For

Wednesday

9:00 pm

Chrysanthemum

“Goodness, that’s quite the uh… escapade. Are you sure you’re alright?”

Chrys waved off her concern, her arm covered in an assortment of colorful bandages, an apologetic smile across her face. 

“Oh no, this is nothing, really. I’m more concerned for her. Are you sure you don’t want to take her to a doctor?”

Marigold’s mother smiled back, tired, but accepting, with an assuring nod.  

“Yes, at least for tonight. Our family doctor has likely already retired for the evening, old man that he is, and she’s been through enough for one evening, I think. We’ll check in with him first thing in the morning.” She glanced away before meeting Chrys’s eyes once more, a cautious vulnerability seen within. “You know… I knew that she hadn’t been herself lately, quieter, prone to getting lost in her own little world, but I… I just thought it was her way of mourning, of dealing with her grandfather passing. Kids are always so difficult to judge with this kind of stuff, especially at her age. I guess with all the chaos going on, I missed just how badly she was truly hurting… ” She sighed, defeated. “Maybe I’m both a bad wife and a bad mom.”

Chrys’s initial instinct was to assure, to dismiss the statement, but something in her held back. Her gaze instead pivoted to Marigold, the frail and pale thing clutched once more to her mother’s side, with one hand latched firm to her own lips, her regressive thumb sucking the only sign of any thought behind her glazed, heavy-lidded eyes. Her entire body exuded pure exhaustion. 

Unsurprising, given the circumstances. Fainting would be draining to even the hardiest of adults, let alone a young child.

 She could still see the moment clear in her mind; How heavy the child’s tiny body felt as she fell limp in Chrys’s arms, her ear-splitting scream taking up the last of what strength the poor thing had left. In hindsight, Chrys recognized she’d been wholly unprepared to handle this sort of emergency. Without a bit of outside help, she was loathe to think of how much worse everything could have progressed from there. 

Marigold’s mother continued. “Oh, but listen to me, postulating like some college intern. Pay me no mind, I should have known better. Daring to hope she might still have a normal birthday party despite everything going on right now was just wishful thinking on my part.”

“I mean, I wouldn’t exactly say that.” Chrys said, finding a touch of strength in her voice. “Yeah, it ended badly, but there were some good moments. Though, maybe in the future a small family gathering might be better, rather than some grandiose party. All these kids to play with, and all she really wanted was her brother, you know?” 

Marigold’s mother grew quiet and pensive, listening intently. “You… may have a point there.”

Chrys’s attention shifted to the rest of the quickly dwindling crowd of kids, each still smiling as their guardians came and picked them up one by one, blissfully unbothered by everything that had transpired once they’d returned from dinner. Nothing but joy and laughter on their minds, with new crafted masterpieces to show off at home. 

Shame washed over her, knowing that Marigold wasn’t one of those smiling faces. This was her day, her chance to be pampered and celebrated. And she was leaving worse off than when she arrived. 

So much for wanting to give her the best birthday party ever.

“Well, thank you again, for everything. I’m going to get us home now, get her in bed. You have a good rest of your evening, dear.”

Marigold’s mother afforded her one last, polite smile, before turning and walking away, guiding along the ghost of a daughter who trailed behind her. 

 Chrys managed a weak smile as they left, for their sake, but couldn’t maintain it long. As soon as the two disappeared from sight, her facade crumbled, revealing the miserable expression waiting underneath. 

What a week. And it’s only Wednesday…

An out-of-place giggle pulled her from her thoughts, coming from the other side of the entrance, where the last child waited to be dismissed. He sat on the floor, legs outstretched while Moon, back towards her, helped him to tie his shoes.

“Oh my, you have snakes on your sneakers. Whatever shall we do? Here, let's tie them together in one big bow so that they can’t slither off on your way home.” 

He spoke with a softer inflection compared to Sun, far more gravely and nearly an octave lower. The boy cackled louder this time, amused as Moon added little “hissing” sounds as he looped each shoelace. The scene brought a soft smile to her face. 

“Hunter!” A voice shouted from out in the hall, manifesting in what must have been the boy’s mother storming through the gate, her distress evident. “Hunter Daniels, stop messing around this instant! It’s time to go!”

Heels slamming the ground with each step, she grasped the boy beneath his arms and hoisted him to his feet, with enough force to cause him to stumble before finding his footing, a single shoe still left untied. 

“Mom, stop! I’m not ready!”

“You’re ready enough! If I’d known this birthday party would take place in here I never would have let you come, even if the Chanceller’s are footing the bill. Now let’s go!”

“Okay, okay!”

His meek protests faded as they rushed from the daycare, a chaotic blur as the boy struggled to keep up with his mother’s furious pace. The gate doors closed behind them with an out-of-place and heavy “thud”.

“Yikes,” Chrys said, hesitant to make a sound in the wake of their departure. “What’s got her in such a tizzy?” 

Moon remained still, crouched in the same position on the floor, as if he’d been frozen from the very same moment the woman arrived.

“Moon?” Chrys asked, hesitant. “You alright?” She inched a step closer, enough so as to nearly place a hand on his shoulder. Just before she could, he snapped back to life and rose to his feet, shoulders tense, hands balled, and addressed her without so much as a tilt of his head in her direction. 

“I’m fine. The party is over now. You can go home.”

His words were curt, devoid of any of the warmth or affection he’d just shown the boy in helping him get ready. The sudden and unexpected shift in his attitude caught her off-guard. He’d hardly spoken since he’d found her and Marigold in Kids Cove, but that could be easily justified given the situation at the time. Now, his introversion felt cold, prickly almost, as if a web of thorns had woven throughout his personal space, threatening injury to any who dared to get too close. 

Had she said something wrong?

Capitalizing on her momentary hesitation, he strode into the heart of the room without another word, and began the hefty task of taking down all the various pieces of decoration still attached to the playplaces, leaving her to stand alone.

It was then she realized, while watching him from afar, that this was the first time she’d had the chance to see him out in the open, uninhibited. No impenetrable darkness, no near death experiences, no frightened child in need, nothing. Though she knew she was staring, she couldn’t seem to look away. 

 All the bits and pieces of him she’d seen so far still rang true. His base was a carbon copy of Sun’s, but with a different overall theme, obvious in the details. 

Even his clothes are black-light reactive, just like the stars on the ceiling. How clever.

Remaining quiet, she made her way to where he was, keeping just enough distance to not infringe on his personal space, yet close enough to still make her presence known. His body language communicated that he wished to be left alone, but she chose not to comply. 

It was about time they had a chance to chat one-on-one.

“So… is now a good time to thank you?”

He paused, a confused expression emerging, hands lost in a mess of different strings and streamers. 

“What?” He said. “You don’t need to thank me. Recovering a missing child is literally my job.”

Irritation colored his voice, his words landing with a bite before he scowled and returned to his work. He did everything in his power to avoid participating in the conversation. 

“I mean, that’s not true.” She replied. “I don’t know what I would have done with Marigold if you hadn’t shown up when you did. But, even so, that’s not really what I was talking about.” She tested the waters, stepping closer. “I meant the storeroom, and the paint shelf. Remember? I never really got to thank you for coming to my rescue.” She leaned on the playplace within his line of sight, making herself unavoidable. “That… was you, wasn’t it?”

With how reluctant he was to speak, she knew she walked a fine line, attempting to get him to confess his participation without pushing too far. She’d already gotten all the confirmation she needed; There was no mistaking his voice, not now that she was so close. The only question that remained was whether or not he would deny it. 

His eyes drifted to the floor, and he sighed, finally abandoning the knot he’d been attempting to untangle. He whispered, just soft enough that she was unsure if he meant for her to hear it or not. 

“And if it was? Would you still want to thank me then?”

His statement carried with it the weight of sorrow, dissonant to the standoffish demeanor he wore now. Nothing she had thought to say felt appropriate given this unexpected vulnerability, leaving her at a loss for words.

As if taking her silence for judgment, he grumbled, and turned back to his previous task, brusquely brushing her off. 

“Nevermind. Like I said, you should go home. Forget about all this. I’ll get it cleaned up.”

Mentally, she berated herself. She’d overstepped, and now the wall was back up. His body language, his voice, all worked to push her away, reject her attempts at outreach. But why? To what end? Nothing about his behavior made sense to her. What did he gain by forcing distance between them? Without a clear goal in mind, the wisest thing to do now would be to leave, follow his advice and go home. Respect his unspoken wish to be left alone, and wait until next time to try and make friends again.

Only who knows how long that would be.

With a slight pout of her lips, she stepped back, and moved to the opposing playplace, setting to work on untangling another mess of strings which held a large banner in place. 

“What are you doing?” He stopped, following her every move with an incredulous look. “I just said I’d take care of it.”

“I know.” She stated, looking anywhere but at him. “And I opted to disregard it.”

She heard him make a throaty click, and had to stop the smirk that threatened to break through. 

“I had no intention of letting Sun clean up all of this by himself. I’m not sure what makes you think you are any different.”

Maintaining a veneer of disinterest, Chrys continued to work, doing her best to ignore the prickle that rose to the back of her neck as she sensed rather than saw Moon approach her from behind. Only once his shadow blocked the light from reaching her did she deign to turn around. 

“Yes? Can I help you?” She quipped. 

The permanent smile on his face quivered, the corners tightening with annoyance. He leaned over, closing the gap, with his arms crossed in what she thought was a half-hearted attempt at being intimidating. 

“Go. Home.”

“No.”

His eye joined the rest of his face in twitching, and he closed them for a moment as he let out an exasperated sigh.

“Maybe I should have let you go rushing to your own death. Would have been fitting, seeing as how stubborn you are.”

“Yeah, you could have.” Chrys said, refusing to look away from his strained smile and tired eyes. “But you didn’t. So whether you like it or not, it’s my turn to return the favor. I owe you. Now, mind telling me where this goes?”

She held up the banner she’d been working on, now free from its constraints. His eyes widened, bouncing between her and the impossible knot he’d yet to figure out himself. Throwing his hands up, he rolled his eyes. 

“Fine! You win. Just, I don’t know, be careful? And don’t get in my way.” He pinched the center curve of his crescent nose as she grinned, pleased. “You can put all the decorations in the tubs behind the security desk.”

For the next half hour, the two kept to their own, working separate yet cooperatively from the other to remove all the birthday decor from the Daycare. Trip after trip was made, until the last spool of streamers was placed in their proper place.  

“There!” Chrys said, placing the lid on the final tub. “Finished.” She mimed clapping the dust from her hands. “Aren’t you glad I stuck around?”

Moon came up beside her, picking up the tub and hauled it over to the entrance, placing it among the rest of the packed up decorations.

“You were not… not helpful, I suppose.”

Chrys chuckled. As they had worked, the wall he’d erected to keep her at bay had been chipped away at, their interactions growing more relaxed and less curt. Speaking occurred without as much difficulty, though he still remained a man of few words. Another interesting contrast between the two brother’s, she presumed. 

Following behind, Chrys waited until he was finished before approaching, having learned in their brief time together that he seemed to dislike someone coming up to him from behind when he wasn’t looking. Having already grabbed her bag from her locker, the clock chimed the time, signaling that even if she wished to stay, her shift was nearing its end. All that was left to do was to check-in and say goodbye. 

“Well, I guess that’s everything. Anything else you need me to do before I go?”

He crossed his arms and cocked a hip, cracking a raised eyebrow to her. “Don’t tell me you’re actually going to listen to me now? And here I thought you were trying to avoid leaving at all.”

She laughed. “Oh, I’ll be right back here bright and early tomorrow, trust me. I don’t want to hear Vanessa berate me for being late again.”

For the first time, she heard him laugh. Lightly, softly, but there. The sound made her smile. 

“No, I can't imagine you do. She has a rather impressive way of making you feel like utter garbage the moment she says your name.”

“Hey,” Chrys said. “Least she doesn’t butcher it. You wouldn’t believe the ways people have managed to mess up “Chrysanthemum” before. Someone even once called me “Chlorophyll”. Chlorophyll! Like, how did they possibly come to that conclusion? It’s not even spelled remotely the same!” She held out her hand, her expression and tone both mockingly cheerful. “Hello! Pleasure to meet you, my name’s Chlorophyll! Don’t mind me, I’m just a plant!”

Moon chuckled, amused, surprising her by taking her outstretched hand and giving it a firm shake. “Pleased to meet you, little Ms. Walking Houseplant. Let’s hope you’re not poisonous, shall we?”

The two shared another chuckle, lightening the air around them further.  Though the camaraderie was still new and unfamiliar, it came with a natural, inviting flow Chrys found refreshing…until a tiny, clacking sound caught her attention.

Following the sound, it wasn’t hard to determine what had caused it. There, dangling from his wrist, a yellow and gold gemstone bead bracelet rattled against itself, the colors contrary to the cool blue of his arm. Her mirth faded as she recognized what she was looking at. 

“Uh, Moon…why are you wearing Sun’s bracelet?”

A knot caught in her throat, her “gift” staring at her in the face. She tried to keep her expression neutral, but her mind raced with the implications of what she saw, of what it meant. To have transferred to his wrist in the short time between when she last saw Sun, given all the chaos that occurred…it wasn’t realistic to think it had gotten there by any mundane means. Now that she thought about it, Sun still hadn’t returned since rushing off after Marigold’s disappearance…were her earlier suspicions actually right? 

“Actually,” She spoke with as steady a voice as she could manage. “Where is Sun right now? I-Is he coming back soon? I want to say goodbye to him before I head h-home—”

“Don’t play dumb.”

His hand tightened around hers with a crushing force, and his cold glare made her stomach drop. For the first time, the sheer magnitude of his unnaturally tall stature left her feeling vulnerable and exposed. Reflexively, she buckled towards him, clutching at their hands.

“Moon, s-stop, you’re hurting me!”

“Why?” He spat, his expression steeled. “You late on sending in your report? Let me guess, it’s all about how you’ve been keeping tabs on us, trying to see if we mess up? The “poor, damaged robots” not keeping up appearances well enough for management’s liking? Oh no no no, can’t have that now, can we?” He made a clicking, “tsk” sound before yanking, hard, on her arm, drawing her in dangerously close. “Is Vanessa getting worried we’ll cause another controversy? Is that really why she hired you?” 

She tried to pull away, to put the safety of distance back between them, but his hold was unyielding. He waited, eyes demanding an answer, yet she could think of nothing. None of the accusations he slung at her made any sense, and as the fire in her hand grew, she couldn’t even find the strength to speak up in her own defense. Bitter, confused tears burned hot trails down her cheeks, and she dug at Moon’s hand on hers with an ever-increasing panic.

With a growl of frustration, he threw her away, sending her sprawling backwards, her back falling into the wall with a heavy, solid “thud”. Her legs barely found the strength to keep her standing in time, having to prop up the majority of her weight on one hand as she found her footing.

“I bet you thought you were so clever, didn’t you?” He stalked towards her, eyes sharp and fierce, a cruel smile in place. “I’ll admit, you had me going there for a while. What a talented, pretty little actress you are, giving such a stellar performance.” He slammed his hands to the wall on either side of her head, causing her to cry out. “You may have Sunny fooled, but not me. Your little “nice girl” act has failed. But I can promise you something, starlight,” He spat the last word. “I won’t let anyone hurt my brother again. Not you, not Vanessa, not even the owner of Fazbear Entertainment himself. If you want us scrapped that badly, well…I guess you’ll just have to try a little bit harder.”

Rage rolled off him in waves, assaulting her senses. She wilted under his biting words, each as confusing and damaging as the last. Her breath hitched as he drew close, hovering his face just a few inches from her ear.

 “…still grateful I saved you?” 

His voice dripped with venomous sarcasm, and she trembled against her will. She could hardly breathe, hardly think, her overly-stressed mind an incoherent mess. This wasn’t what she’d expected, wasn’t what she’d thought might come about from making those damn bracelets, but she regretted it all the same. 

He pulled back with a snarl, his sharp teeth bared.

“’Cause it won’t happen again.”

Despite how her gut screamed at her not to, she dared to meet his gaze head-on, silently asking for mercy, respite, anything to make this stop. His red eyes, once a sight that brought her relief, now gleamed a hellish ruby, not an ounce of compassion to be found within.

She swallowed, her mouth dry. “…P-Please…Sun will—”

“Sun’s not here.”

His curt response left no room for retort, and she pressed herself as far as she could into the wall, the desire to be as small as possible almost unignorable.  

“Though…you bring up an excellent point” he said, tilting his head. “It would do him some good, I think, to see you without his usual “sunny-colored lenses”. Let’s fetch him, shall we?” 

With a gravelly roar, he pulled back his arm, and slammed it down again with enough force to shake the wall. Chrys cried out, flinching away from the sound, her hands flying to protect her face. She shuddered, waiting for the pain to arrive, but it never did. Cracking her eyes open, the brightness that greeted her left her momentarily blind until her eyes adjusted. Glancing beside her, she gasped to see the light-switch smashed, cracks breaking through. Turning to Moon, she was surprised to find him watching her, as if he’d been waiting for her to. Using the same hand he smashed the light-switch with, he reached down and took her chin in his fingers, forcing her to face him completely.

“Don’t look away.” 

Without the softness of shadows to cloak his features in an air of fantasy, his countenance appeared duller, weathered, the colors washed out by the intense lighting, leaving him with an almost exposed, unnatural appearance, like a nocturnal animal caught out in daylight. Time stilled around them, each second strained and drawn out. She trembled under his gaze, unsure of what to do and too terrified to find out. 

Though she wouldn't have long to wait. 

In a snap, everything changed. Moon, clutching at his chest, let out a deep, guttural wail, as if his very heart had stopped. He dug and clawed at the edges of his faceplate, stumbling backwards with a lurch. With each second that passed his cries grew more and more anguished, and with horror settling in her gut, Chrys realized she’d heard these tortured sounds once before, in the sudden darkness of the storeroom. 

From his outermost extremities in, his body metamorphosed. As his limbs shook and jerked at odd angles, the colors of his pants changed, leeching up his body like a poison in stripes of red and gold. Not limited to just his clothing, the color infected his arms, his chest, rising up his body until finally, his head. 

Moon’s screams warped, the sound shifting to reflect more of another’s voice than his own, tears flowing uninhibited down her face as she recognized whose. The tension in the air grew and grew until all at once he went limp, his arms falling from his face to dangle lifelessly at his sides. His head spun on its axis, with his hat sliding in-between the separating plates, revealing a tangled mess of bare wiring and circuitry before being replaced by golden pointed rays and a soft, yellow complexion.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Btw, for anyone interested, if you haven't yet checked out the FNAF Fangame "After Hours" by snowyrey, I highly recommend you do! The new voice acting added for Sun and Moon is phenomenal!

[kermiethefroog]

Lessons from a Global Ecological Restoration Conference

I know this is not the usual thing I post on here, but I wanted to gather my thoughts in a place I know that I'll check in the future. I hope that this is somehow useful for others and provides insight to work in this field.

1. Ecologists do have hope for the environment!

If there's one main takeaway I've had so far, it's that people working to restore and protect our natural habitats is that they have passion and a deep hope that their efforts will make a difference.

This field is full of so many challenges when it comes to funding and politics, so it was inspiring to see that despite present barriers people from all over the world are trying their hardest to make things change for the better.

2. This conference has set a precedent towards integrating and including the input from Indigenous and First Nations peoples internationally

The entire theme of the conference was to center and uplift voices of Indigenous people from around the globe who are working in habitat and ecocultural restoration.

This is exciting! Many countries do not have formal systems in place to allow Indigenous voices to be major informants and decision makers on projects that occur on their land. It has been and will always be important to include those who are traditional stewards of the land when considering any sort of restoration or land management decisions.

I cannot be sure what the results of this initiative will be. It is a small step in the right direction though and I hope that this conference created opportunities for connections, lessons, and more conversations in the future.

We all have a part to play in recognizing the First Nations Peoples who inhabit or inhabited our land in the past (this goes without saying that this applies internationally) and working toward a future that creates proper access to funding, land, recognition, reparations, and true reciprocity for Indigenous and First Nations Peoples.

If you have not yet invested time in learning, now is a better time than ever. Research your area, connect with community, and raise your voice to make a difference.

3. Collaboration is Key

Most talks I went to and projects I read about lived and died by their ability to collaborate with a diverse group of people who have stakes in each restoration project.

It works best when implemented early, if all groups are equally represented at all levels of decision making, and if factors like environmental outcomes and the human/social dimensions of planning are considered first before the financial.

The most successful projects in ecosystem restoration were only possible due to connections that spanned industries, cultures, generations, and modes of work.

If we want our planet to thrive we need to be willing to have everyone in the room so as many people as possible can have a hand in creating a better future.

4. Things are still an uphill battle

While many of the presentations I witnessed were hopeful and fulfilling, perhaps just as many lacked a positive or negative conclusion that could wrap everything in a neat bow. Navigating government systems, changing climates, barriers to accessible and affordable resources for restoration etc. are all things that impacted various projects discussed this week.

It's also without saying that governments themselves, the policies they hold, and the rates they pass legislation will always create a delay in working towards restoration of our environment in order to prevent further harm and degradation. This of course goes for most policy making (though I suppose it depends on the country).

Climate change still presents unprecedented challenges and will impact all aspects of our livelihoods. That being said, no one atteding suggested any of the efforts being made were futile. I know it can be challenging to see any bright future with the way climate change is discussed in the media so I want to approach this subject with some cautious optimism.

Beyond policies and politics specifically, it is clear that so many people care about and for the planet that we live on. So much so that I think that it can be taken for granted at times or looked over. Yes the science is bleak, yes the outcomes are scary, yes things are going to change no matter what. We still have time to determine the trajectory of that change.

Scientists, government workers, NGO workers, nonprofits, citizen scientists, and many more groups of people at this conference had a staggering sense of hope that was unexpected and so refreshing. As one of the presenters I watched said, "It's better that we at least try. If the outcome isn't ideal we can at least say we gave it a shot." and I think that's a beautiful way to approach any uncertainty. In this field or otherwise.

I would be happy to discuss my experiences more or elaborate on any points made. I put this together hastily at the end of the conference to make sure I didn't forget anything important.