#i think its wild that they just killed venom off but like it is the last dance i guess so go off

[venom-ass-daily]

From Venom: The Last Dance (2024)

[trancylovecraft]

So, I just met you today with the Cherry Blossom Kokushibo fic and, you know, I just fell in love with your writing

I've had this idea in my mind for a while and when I read your fanfic I just knew you were the perfect person to put it into words

May I request an Oneshot with Muzan Kibutsuji/Fem reader? So, I've imagined for a while a fanfic where Muzan encounters a female reader who suffers from albinism, having very pale skin, white hair and natural red eyes. Because she was born like that, people rumored her to be a demon (sensibility to sunlight and red eyes aggravated that), and that caused her to be isolated from all and unable to wed. She is from a noble family and that is why she's still alive, but that doesn't soothe the wound since her family treats her like an outcast.

Bitter with resentment, under the moonlight of the bedroom, she curses all of those who waste their health living mundane lives while she suffers in loneliness. Her nihilism, indifference and hate makes her unafraid of Muzan as, if she thinks he will devour her, she asks for him to at least kill her family too. Little does she know that Kibutsuji already knows her, and he is infatuated with her. (If he wants to wed her and turn her into a demon she ain't complaining, especially if their engagement is celebrated with a bit of family massacre)

This idea was inspired by spider lillies, moonlight and the fact that I'd like to imagine Muzan with someone who resembles him when he was a human (Narcisistic King would only date those who remind him of himself)

I apologise if this request is too long for your liking, I am not very good with words and simplifying something I am excited about!

- the banana split jane doe

(KNY) YANDERE MUZAN x ALBINO READER: The Light Side of the Moon

(DW, I gotchu girlie. Hope you enjoy this one!)

The sun's rays shone down onto the overgrown field.

The rays seemed to reflect off of every grass strand and every drop of dew fell from the rain the night before.

It was a beautiful day despite the heavy rain last night, So much so that in the early hours of the morning the village kids had left early to run around in the grass and play dirty. Of course they would, It was getting into the colder months as indicated by the chilling breeze running through the valley. The children had to make use of every wake of sunlight before the snow came in.

So out in the field there was a good group of kids in the dozens play fighting and playing tag, Not giving mind to the dirtying of their kimono's and haori's. Their laughter rang out and bounced around like they were in a cave.

"Stupid.." [F/N] muttered, A bitter resentment lacing her voice like venom as she looked out at all the kids running wild in the valley.

She sat perched under the big zelkova tree overlooking the entire valley. It's branches were large and it's leaves were enough in number to filter out any sunlight passing through it, A perfect condition for the girl.

[F/N] sat right up against the tree for support as she brushed her hair with her fingers. Her locks were pure white, So was her skin. It wasn't like the kids who had pale skin nor was her hair light like the occasional person with a story, But instead something much more extreme.

When [F/N] was born she was diagnosed with albinism. According to the doctor who delivered her, Her mother had screamed in disgust at the sight of her while her father had demanded to know who she cheated on him with.

Her father wanted to kill her, He couldn't stand to look at such a horrid child. He wanted to throw her out into the river and hope nature took its course, However, He was fortunately stopped by the mere fact that they were noble blood and had already told the village-people the birth was successful. Killing her now would only severely damage reputation. Therefore letting her live.

From that day forward she was considered bad luck.

The local folklore was that albinism was a curse from an ancestor to atone for wrongdoings done in their time. It was an omen of death, Also known as: Something to avoid.

And the locals took it to heart. Every time [F/N] would walk down the street, Every time she'd go out to the market she'd get stares, Heckled and harassed her when she walked. Suddenly the prices at the market would go up, Just for her.

It didn't help that the consequences that came with the defect definetly made it seem like a curse. Due to the complete lack of melanin anywhere the sun scorched her skin like fire, Leaving her needing to take special precaution when leaving the house. Her eyesight wasn't the best either, Though it was much better than the normal person with albinism she still did have trouble seeing at times.

The past two months didn't help her case either, With the recent mutilations of the-

A rock slammed into the side of [F/N]'s head, Making her double over onto the grass. The sound of a couple children cheering rang out from down the hill. She hissed in pain.

"Take that, Demon!" One of the boys said, Having been the one who threw the rock. [F/N] clutched the side of her head where the impact hit. She could feel the early gathering of blood start to stain her pristine kept hair.

"The fuck is wrong with you?!" [F/N] screamed.

Pushing her body back up to look at the group of kids with an absolutely furious expression. The kids stood strong however, Only taking a few meek steps towards her.

"Leave our families alone!" Another one shouted, A girl this time. Her face was angry too, Only as much as a young child's could look. The other kids who weren't involved in the group stopped playing to watch the scene.

The mutilations, Of course. They started around two months ago with the Furukawa family. It was awful, One of their elderly neighbours had picked up a rotten smell and had asked her son to go check on them. Of course they came across both the mother and the father's pieces spread across the Livingroom.

[F/N] was familiar with the two, They had often been one of the more outspoken village people about their dislike of her and a few days before had shoved her aside while she was walking around.

She knew she should of shown some kind of emotion at the news of their slaughter, But to be honest, [F/N] didn't care. If anything, She felt a small tinge of relief.

They weren't there to harass her anymore, Or make off-hand remarks. For that she was glad.

"I never touched your stupid families!" [F/N] yelled back at her. Her deep vermillion eyes were filled with disgust like she was staring down an insect she could crush under the sole of her sandals.

"Liar!" Another one of the kids stepped out from behind the small group. He wasn't one of the bigger ones, He was in fact rather scrawny with unkempt hair. But [F/N] recognised him as the Furukawa's youngest kid.

"M-My parents died because of you.." He muttered, Looking down at his shoes unable to meet [F/N]'s eyes. His hands clenched into a determined fist, His body shook with vigour.

"They were great people! You had no right to take them away from me. Just because the other adults don't see you as the demon you are doesn't mean we don't!" He yelled back at her. The other kids joined in with supportive remarks following his speech.

"One day, When I get older I'll get revenge for them. I'll get re-" A rock slammed straight into his open jaw.

The kid screamed and fell to the floor with a loud thud!

The other kids yelped and backed away from the boy, Who was coughing up teeth and blood. He writhed around on the ground groaning in pain.

[F/N] was standing up now. She had picked up the rock that was thrown at her and flung it right back at the kid. She stood there seething in a fighting stance.

"Demon? I'll show you demon!" [F/N] yelled. She swiftly grabbed another rock and hurled it straight at the girl who chose to speak out, Hitting her straight on the forehead with a sick crunch.

The previously silent kids amplified into an uproar.

Screaming echoed around in the valley as all the kids tried to get away from the ensuing fight. [F/N] kept picking up rocks from the small hill and hurling them at the group. The kids who started the fight tried to haul away the two kids who got the worst of it, Picking them up by the arms trying to drag them away from the attacks.

"DON'T YOU EVER COME NEAR ME AGAIN OR IT'LL BE YOU NEXT! I SWEAR TO THE GODS IT'LL BE YOU!" [F/N] screamed, Her voice hitting high's that could be heard from the village.

The kids had gotten a good distance away from her now but that didn't stop [F/N] from throwing more stones.

"YOU HEAR ME?! DO YOU FUCKING HEAR ME?!" She yelled after them, Raising another rock to throw.

But by the time she had finished they had all scampered away back home.

She was left standing on top of the hill, Under the shade of the big zelkova tree, Looking out over the now empty and desolate field which had such a lively energy before but now was cold and lost.

She was panting, Letting out heavy breaths of air that turned into mist in the cold climate. The rock in her hand she was about to throw lowered, Dropping it to the ground. She exhaled for a final time, Letting all the anger and rage dissolve into mild annoyance she finally relaxed.

"Dumb kids.." She huffed. Shaking her head she leaned down to pick up the thick birch handle of her parasol.

Grabbing it she extended the blue patterned canopy, Making sure it covered her form she dusted herself off. Settling the parasol handle on her shoulder she set off out into the valley, Dreading her walk back home.

☆♡☆

"That was a horrible thing you did"

[F/N]'s mother stood a few feet away from her, Circling around her like a predator yet keeping a good enough distance to test the acidic waters. [F/N] felt her teeth grind against each other and her palms get sweaty.

Of course, The kids from earlier had ran back to her house to snitch on her to her mother. Well, Not the kids but the parents of the girl and the eldest brother of the Furukawa family being rightfully angry.

[F/N] was made aware of this when she came home at the first sign of the sun setting. Her mother was perched on the large porch of their family home waiting for [F/N]'s arrival, From the first time [F/N] spotted her mother she could of mistaken smoke from coming out of her ears.

It was frustrating, While she figured her mother would find out eventually it didn't take anything away from the experience. Though, She supposed she was lucky.

Her father being a noble and very highly profiled swordsman meant he was disciplined, And it also meant he expected that from all his children. Luckily enough though he was out on a very long business trip. If he was here, [F/N] knew that she'd get more than a serious lecture.

"So what? They attacked me first, It's only karma what they got" [F/N] responded, Her voice trying to stay levelled and calm yet shook at the seams. Her mother scoffed at that.

"They're just kids, [F/N]! They don't know any better and you should have taken that into account" Her mother exclaimed incredulously, Taking a few prompted steps up towards her daughter with purpose.

"Well maybe they'd know better if they're parents were still around to teach them better, Not that its my fault like they think though, Right?" [F/N] spat, Her voice venomous and the sheer disregard for the weight of her words went through her mother like a static shock.

"How fucking dare you.." Her mother whispered, Her voice full of disbelief at her daughters words leaving her jaw agape and eyes wide.

"Well I mean, The parents were already shitty people to begin with so I suppose that whoever ripped them apart did the kids a favour-"

SLAP!

[F/N]'s monologue was cut short by the hand connecting hard to the side of her cheek. [F/N] yelped out and stumbled back trying to catch her balance.

The hit had landed roughly at the side leaving only a single burst of a painful red on her monochromatic get-up.

"Your ideology is absolutely disgusting, How bloody dare you speak about the dead like that? You don't have any right to say that about anyone, Young lady!" Her mother yelled at her, Only about a foot away from her face.

[F/N] blinked away the tears from the pain and instantly snapped back.

"I'm saying what nobody else has the guts to! Just because you're all cowards and ignorant bastards doesn't mean you get to take it out on me!" [F/N] screamed back at her mother, Getting up into her face.

"You kee-"

While speaking, Her mothers hand shot out to grab [F/N]'s shoulder but her wrist was snatched by the younger girl, Who held it with an iron grip cutting off the older woman's speech.

"Don't you dare lay another hand on me.." [F/N] hissed. Her face seemed to be etched with a wild kind of rage like a feral dog, The single action of her mother making the anger so clear to anyone who could see.

Her mother, Being a much older woman than her daughter had much more brittle bones. The grip on her wrist being sore and painful on her old skin as she tried to pull away from her daughters grasp.

Realising what she was doing [F/N] let go of her mother, Who staggered a good few feet back from her assailant.

[F/N] mumbled a small yet sour apology and marched off towards the door out of the main Livingroom.

As she opened the sliding door and stepped out she heard her mother call out back to her.

"Y-You go up to your room and stay there, Young lady. Only come down once your ready to apologise!" She heard her mothers weak voice call out to her as she shut the door.

"I know!" [F/N] replied without looking back at her.

The door finally closed to leave her in the dim hallway, The only light shone from behind the Livingroom door leaving the entire hallway almost impossible to see in. [F/N] stood still behind the door, Making no move to head to her room. She looked down at her feet to contemplate her situation.

"Really? Hitting our mother? You've reached a new kind of low, Haven't you [F/N]?" A voice called out a little way down the hall.

[F/N] jerked her head up to the source of the voice and groaned.

Her younger brother, Juro, Stood at the end of the hall seemingly just came down the stairs. His head was held high and the usual smug grin lay planted on his face as always, He had his arms folded across his chest and his entire figure radiated false superiority.

[F/N] was the oldest of the five children her parents had conceived. Juro was the second oldest by only about five years apart in birth. [F/N] supposed that the reason they had such a big gap in age was due to the looming fear of their parents producing another demon child.

Though when they did give birth to Juro and found out he was a regular child compared to their monster of an eldest, [F/N] knew how much he'd be absolutely spoiled rotten, Which matched his personality like a pair of gloves.

It gave him a rather annoying superiority complex, With all the spoiling and being the one destined to become the head of their families clan and wealth you could probably see how it got to his head.

However it didn't stop [F/N] from being distasteful in behaviour towards him, The nasty expression on her face evident of that.

"Oh get off my case, Like you really give a damn." [F/N] scoffed, Straightening out her back to reach her full height.

"Of course I 'give a damn'. It's our mother and one of the figure heads of this clan, You really should be more respectful to your elders. Why mother keeps you around elludes me" Juro replied, Making sure to drawl out every condesending syllable to its full potential.

[F/N] knew exactly why her mother and father kept her around: They couldn't get rid of her. Their original plan was to marry her off, It didn't matter if it was to a nobleman or a commoner to them. The only thing that did was getting her to leave.

Though it imploded on itself when they realised no one would take her, Both her attitude and her looks were a big enough deterrent. Great for her but bad for her parents.

"Ah, Right. Because she shows such an amazing amount of respect towards me, I honestly feel so awful about it" [F/N] gasped, Sarcasm dripped from every word and fell like acid making Juro's eyebrow twitch.

He moved forward a few steps, Sizing her up as he went.

"Well the difference is that mother has a reason to not respect you, I mean come on, It's obvious. Maybe if you do treat her with the right attitude then maybe she might start seeing you in a different way" Juro said the last part as if he was trying to contain laughter, Like he had just heard the most offensive joke in the world he just couldn't laugh at.

[F/N] felt her fists clench and tighten to bare her knuckles.

"But with such sour attitude I do suppose it would be impossible for you, Wouldn't it? Dear sister?" Juro whispered as he got up into her face. Only a couple inches away from her now he carefully eyed her down, Waiting for one single move.

[F/N]'s teeth grinded, Her tightened palms grew sweaty and itched for the offensive attack. She wanted to punch him, She wanted to attack him and wipe that disgusting, Grimy smirk off of his arrogant little face.

However, [F/N] just sighed and let her fist drop loose into straightened palms. She knew what he was doing, She wasn't going to give into his taunt. She's had enough for tonight.

"Back off, Juro." [F/N] simply warned. Turning away from his expression now filled with annoyed disappointment she headed off towards the stairwell at the end off the hallway.

As she got up the steps she heard his smug voice call after her.

"Such a lovely chat with you as always!"

☆♡☆

The sound of childlike laughter resonated throughout the house, Despite the muffled sound of it [F/N] could hear the weight of it even from behind the thick walls of her room.

The pale moonlight of the night had illuminated the unlit room and flooded the area with a subtle glow, The silk blinds danced along with the soft breeze lifting into the room.

Her bedroom was situated at the very top of the large family home, The third floor. The massive house was large and sat at the edge of the village they lived in, Overlooking the entire town yet having enough distance to be considered a private property separate from the other houses.

The house was home to three floors in total. The first was the main area home to the kitchen, Livingroom and general activities such as a drawing room, Dining hall and her fathers very own training room.

The second was housing all of the bedrooms. All of her siblings, Parents and even the guest sleeping quarters were located there. It also even held a small room for their families servants.

And finally, The third was by far the loneliest of the trio.

It was much smaller compared to the other floors and was the newest built. It only housed a single hallway and [F/N]'s own separate bedroom which made up the majority of the floor.

Usually the prospect of having an entire floor to themselves would entice and excite anyone. The privacy and spacious area would seem like a blessing.

And yes, [F/N] agreed. It was a blessing alright. She was granted privacy from the struggle that was her family, It gave her time on her own to be herself.

But she also had to admit: It had it's downsides. Another laugh sounded out from downstairs on the first floor. The movements of the hairbrush on [F/N]'s light locks halted, Just for a moment as she listened to the joyous voice of her youngest sister.

They were having dinner, It seemed. [F/N] didn't apologise and had no intention to, So she was forced to reside in her room.

She continued to comb through her hair, Feeling the tug of the movements as she listened to the laughter down below cease.

[F/N] scoffed at it and tried to take her mind away and focus on the strokes of the brush. Though she couldn't help but trail off to the infuriating scenario happening downstairs.

Since her father was away her mother was probably the one to cook the food tonight, She always did instead of the family servants, Her own personal recipe of a Sukiyaki stew pot that she made to comfort her kids while their dad was away.

Her kids.

A mother is suppose to "love" her kids unconditionally, And in that aspect she certainly did, All except when it came to her. [F/N] knew her mother had tried at least, But it came off in the way you'd treat an unwelcomed guest. Trying to give due respect yet wanting them out of your house as soon as possible.

[F/N] had figured a long time ago that it was better to be treated with ire than pity and had given up all sense of courtesy towards her mother, Continuing to this day.

A faint tug pulled in her chest as another roar of laughter came up from downstairs, They seemed to be having a good time.

[F/N] finally set down her brush onto the vanity. The small sound of the wood hitting the desk seemed so much louder in the large area of her room.

[F/N] supposed she did need to give her mother some credit, She was the one to let her have the single room at the very top of the house (Even if it was to keep her away from the rest of her family)

But the room seemed so.. Empty.

[F/N] stared into the vanity mirror, The light surface of the glass reflecting her own pale visage back at her.

She trailed a hand across her features to examine for any blemishes, Pushing back any stray strands of hair from her face and pulling them behind her ear. Staring deep into the clear colour of her cardinal rose eyes she assessed their problems, And she found none.

When times like these came about [F/N] often pondered about why people didn't like her more. She was beautiful, Stunning, Exotic even to the disgusting drunk men that passed her by on the moonlit walks.

So why even if some drunkards could see her beauty why couldn't the locals and her own family see that too instead of the cursed child from a close-to-god family?

It couldn't be her attitude, That was just a by-product of their own treatment toward her. So why? She was born this way, She couldn't change how she looked, She should of been adored.

Yet all the locals, All of her beloved family, All of the suitors that her parents had tried to ship her off to had only a single look at her before rejecting her whole.

One day, She promised herself. One day she'd get back at them, She didn't know how or when or even if she could but she knew that one day, They would regret treating her like a bug under their foot.

As her mind wandered she started to realise that maybe it wasn't the room that was empty.

A sudden knock echoed out, Crashing [F/N]'s train of thought.

[F/N] jerked her head over to the main door of her room. Getting up from the small pillow she sat on she moved quietly to the entrance. Turning the knob and opening the door she was met face to face with one of her families servants.

"Your mother has requested me to bring you your dinner" The servant said, Robotic and monotone in voice as he presented her a bowl of udon. [F/N] paused at the sight of it.

"..It's not Sukiyaki stew pot.." She mumbled.

"Correct, Ma'am" He replied in short.

[F/N] was silent as she carefully took the small bowl from his hands, She barely noticed the small bow and the closing of the door before it was entirely shut.

[F/N] examined the soggy noodles and small tempura bits in the bowl, A barely generous helping.

She 'tched at the sight but figured she was lucky enough to even get dinner in the first place.

Turning around she walked over to the other set of double doors at the end of the room, Food in one hand she pushed the door open to reveal the small balcony outside. Stepping out into the night's cool air she took a deep breath in.

The laughter was no longer audible once she shut the door, Only replaced by the sound of cicada hums and the clacking of tiles when she clambered up onto the slanted roof of the house.

[F/N] sat down on the tiles and looked out onto the sea of village houses down below, The faint lantern light from the village was warm and inviting in contrast to the inhabitants, Of whom were out doing their nightly patrol's in watch for another mutilation.

However the scene didn't interest her in the slightest, Instead it was the moon which seemed to hang over her entire world.

It glowed brighter than any lantern the village people could spark, Yet the light was never overwhelming or stung her eyes in the slightest. Instead the soft rays of moonlight had only provided comfort.

[F/N] didn't know why it brought such solace, Maybe its because it never burnt her skin like the sun did. The moon replaced it in that way, The night time became her daytime, When she felt most lively: Herself.

She often came up onto the roof to feel that way, Every time without missing a single night she'd climb up onto the roof and speak to the moon for hours like it was an old friend. Or maybe just to stare and admire the pale light of its beauty.

But to be fair, [F/N] never felt much at all.

When she did it was always a constant state of annoyance, Anger or resentment. The feeling the moon brought her was still very unfamiliar to her, But very much welcome. She barely understood anything other than the undying resentment, Maybe it was a sad existence but to be fair she barely understood sadness either.

She realised the udon in her hands was growing cold. Reaching behind her for the pair of chopsticks she noticed something else a little further ahead from them, Lying on the roof.

She raised an eyebrow and squinted her eyes to examine it closer, But they instantly shot out once she realised what it was.

It was a single bouquet of flowers, Red, Beautiful roses sprung from the carefully arranged bunch.

[F/N]'s breath hitched in her throat, Her whole body seemed to clench up at even a small sight of it. A bouquet of roses? Who could of left those here? They couldn't be for her, Could they?

She set down her bowl of udon carefully beside her, Eyeing the bouquet like it was bound to attack her yet it didn't stop her quick crawl over to its side.

Nor did it stop the almost desperate grab she made for the neck of the bunch, Pulling it close to her chest she finally noticed the small tag sticking out from the flowers reading: To [F/N] Shiratori.

She felt the concentrated joy explode inside her like bottle rockets, The absolute euphoria flooded her senses as she felt hot blood rise to her cheeks, Giving colour to them yet said no pain.

The roses were absolutely beautiful, Carefully handpicked as the petals seemed soft and fresh. She grinned wildly, They must of took great thought while preparing it.

She couldn't help but shove her face into the roses to inhale their scent, The sweet yet rich aroma circled in her mind. They truly were the best of the bunch.

But when she pulled away she noticed she had neglected a small envelope from where the bouquet was sitting before, Hiding the envelope below it.

Her lips quirked. First the roses, Now a letter? She giggled slightly, Imagining whoever it was is a real romantic.

Extracting the envelope and gently opening it's folds she pulled the paper from its cover and unfolded it to view the contents.

Dear, [F/N]. My one and only.

Ever since I saw you on this rooftop, I knew you were the most beautiful girl I have ever seen. I hope one day we will get to meet, One day in the near future.

Love, Your admirer.

It was such a simple letter, Only two simple sentences of sweet but common flatter words yet once she had finished the final word the fireworks of a foreign emotion burst inside her.

She knew it was something akin to euphoria, An exhilaration that made her blood rush to her cheeks and heat up her entire system in the cold nights air, Yet no matter how hard she tried she couldn't identify the rhapsody of song inside her.

Though she couldn't deny, It felt good. Better than she's ever felt in a very long time.

[F/N] embraced the letter with her whole body, Curling up around it to try and squeeze out more of the intoxicating feel, An addictive high.

The letter and bouquet, Whoever may have left it there, Wherever they may be, They must really really like her.

☆♡☆

The yelling of her family woke [F/N] from her peaceful slumber.

Her heavy eyelids were wrenched open as she writhed around atop the roof tiles, Bothered by the loud intrusion.

Once she finally let the light hit her pupils she realised her mistake. She was in the light, The sunlight was touching her skin.

[F/N] yelled out and instantly scuffled down off the roof, Swinging open the door she almost lunged into the safety of her house shade as she fell onto the floorboards.

Her skin burned and tinged lightly. Examining her skin she found the beginnings of a mild sunburn on her arms, The red welts fizzling up into her hands all the way to her forearms. Her light kimono doing nothing to shield her from the UV rays.

She had fallen asleep on the roof and had neglected the danger of doing so, In her panic [F/N] chided herself for her stupid mistake.

Yet outside it seemed like it was just the break of dawn, The orange to yellow hues painting the sky signalled the early hours of the morning. She was lucky that the noise woke her up in time, Otherwise her problem would be much worse.

Scrambling over to her vanity mirror to examine the full entirety of her body she gasped on sight as soon as she saw her reflection in the polished glass. Her face.

At least a good third of face was covered in red hot boils and welts, The sore burn crept up from her left cheek over to her chin, Reaching as far as her right side too.

"No.. No, No, No.. Please, No!" She yelled, [F/N]'s eyes almost popped out of her sockets with tears starting to form at the corners. She trailed her equally burnt hands across the scorch marks in disbelief at what she was seeing.

A sudden rapid pounding at her door knocked her out of her stupor.

"[F/N]! Open the door, Now!" It was her mother's voice. The alarm in her voice seemed to resonate in [F/N] to give her a grasp of their unknown situation.

"Jeez.. Hold on!" [F/N] called out towards her door, Yet she saw the handle start to turn. A spike in her adrenaline shot up.

"I'm getting dressed, Damn it!" [F/N] screamed, Her voice as hoarse as a fourty-year chain-smoker. The turning of the knob stopped as soon as she let the words leave her mouth.

"Fine, But make it quick! And make sure to put on something nice." Her mother yelled back at her, A small tint of exasperation lacing her tone yet her footsteps leaving down the hallway sounded determined in their path.

[F/N] cursed. Bullets of sweat rolled down her face and stung the burns where they lay. She had no idea what she was going to do. Rapidly sliding out drawers in her vanity to find anything of use, To no avail.

Next she went to her closet. Swinging the old wooden doors open she shifted through her different coloured kimonos. Pulling through the silk and cotton she found nothing of use except for a thickly woven navy kimono that was oversized and could cover her body nice and neatly.

Despite that there was still the issue of her face, The burn marks were so noticeable you could see them from miles away. There was nothing that could hide her scorches from the sun-

Her hand bumped up against something.

[F/N]'s temple furrowed. Reaching into the back of dark, Spacious cupboard she gripped onto the object she felt was made of straw.

With a tug and a pull she managed to haul out the hefty object, Revealing it to be her old uchikatsugi.

It was a gift from the town's doctor before he passed away from old age a few years ago, [F/N] remembered him fondly even though he was never really around.

He still did greet her with a smile and a handshake every time they met, It wouldn't be wrong to describe him as a father figure either.

Though as always, Good things didn't last. They never did.

[F/N] had no time to dwell on that last thought, Her relief was a much more appealing distraction.

The uchikatsugi, A large straw hat for noblewomen with a large silky veil to cover her face. Back when she got it, It was way too big for her to use with her small body so she stored it in her closet for a later use, [F/N] supposed she just forgot about it.

She sat the large hat down on her head, And with a little shimmying to get it properly down it fit her head like a glove to a hand.

Once she finished changing into her dark cerulean kimono, She was ready to go downstairs and see whatever it was her family was making such a ruckus about.

As she took careful strides down the creaky steps of the stairs she saw her mother impatiently tapping her foot at the bottom. [F/N], Before making herself known, Fixed up her appearance to make sure nothing was showing free.

Once she was pleased, [F/N] cleared her throat to which her mother jerked her head around to her 'daughters' direction.

"Ah, Finally. I was wondering what took you so long." Her mother remarked, Letting her folded arms drop to her sides. [F/N] huffed at the passive aggressive tone yet felt alleviation, Her clothes worked, Her mother couldn't see a thing.

"Had to find a good enough outfit for such an important event, At least from the sounds of it. Why am I up this early anyways?" [F/N] yawned, Still not quite tuned in despite her earlier shock.

"There was another one." Her mother responded quickly, Turning away.

"Another what?" [F/N] queried, Tad annoyed at her mothers elusive behaviour.

"Another mutilation, [F/N]." Her mother exasperated, Swiftly turning back to look at her with an expression that just oozed the word obviously.

[F/N] stopped, Mulling over the information.

"Alright, Okay that's bad but why does this concern me?" She asked after a moment.

Her mother shook her head to her daughters persistence.

"This is a village matter, [F/N]. Something we are apart of" Her mother explained, Treating [F/N] like a curious toddler repeatedly asking why.

"Unfortunately.." [F/N] muttered.

"Just get a move on downstairs now, Swiftly now.." Her mother said, Quickly pulling [F/N]'s shoulder and hushing her down the second set of stairs. [F/N] shrugged of her mothers firm hand, Telling her she'll go down herself.

Settling her hat comfortably onto her head she headed downstairs, Dreading future events.

☆♡☆

The early morning air was cold and fresh as it weaved through the tall houses of the village.

Usually in the mornings with the first break of dawn you could hear the chirping of the crows harking in the early crowds off to work. You could see the townsfolk head to the markets and children run about in the streets, Laughing and roughhousing with each other like siblings together.

But today was different.

The echo of crows on the village walls were silent now. The children who use to run about in the streets buck wild were now pulled close to their parents, A worried smile replacing their usual carefree faces.

[F/N] stood away back from the large crowd gathered in the centre of the village, Everyone from the village was here. The elders, The working class to the babies were summoned together in the village, All quietly chattering amongst themselves.

She observed the crowd in distain, What mundane people leading such plain lives. They They wasted their lives in the sun, Taking the warmth for granted working nine to fives and coming home to their stupid little families, Accomplishing nothing big in their lives yet they boasted of grandeur while she stood standing away from them, Suffering from the pain of her sunburn.

She huffed at the thought.

[F/N] didn't stand with her family, She only watched them as they made their way to the front of the front of the crowd of which immediately quieted down at the sight of them

[F/N]'s father was considered the head of the village and therefore took care of all the important matters.

However since he was absent it was up to her mother to take care of her husbands duties while he was away

"Hello everybody, It's good to see you all out here today." Her mother called out her opening statement. She was backed by the other four of her siblings, Juro standing especially besides her.

Despite her hello's, Nobody answered her.

"I suppose you all know why you were called here, Regarding the death of the Hagihara family." Her mother continued.

Hagihara, That rang a bell in [F/N]'s mind.

Her eyes widened in recognition, The neurons connecting in her mind as the face of the little girl she had hit with a rock entered into her head.

"If you're not already aware of what happened, Early in the morning screams were heard from their family home. On investigation they were found.. Killed inside their Livingroom.. No survivors" Her mother announced.

A few shocked gasps ran from the crowd, The chatter from before sparked up like a lighter on the fuel of information. However their talking was calmed by her mother rather loudly clearing her throat.

"Yes, Yes. I understand this is horrible information, And I know a good lot of you were close with the family and I do offer my sincerest apologies." Her mother said. Her voice filled with a genuine sympathy, Showing it by giving a few select nods towards some of the crowd.

[F/N] didn't listen to her mother however, The information was still fresh in her mind.

This information should have left a lack of feeling in [F/N]'s chest, And regarding the deaths it did.

But the coincidence of it felt like a static shock to a dead heart. First it was the Furukawa's, They were particularly nasty to [F/N]. When they fell victims to the night veiled attacks she had felt glad despite how morbid it was, They weren't there to harass her anymore.

However now it was the Hagihara's, Only yesterday did they get negatively involved with her after the rock incident and now they were dead.

No. No, It was just a coincidence.

Even though they did hold hatred against her so did all of the other villagers. If the mutilations were connected to her then the mutilations would be targeted towards more outspoken villagers, Even if it was because of the rock incident other villagers would of been targeted before her. Her family would be targeted before them.

Even so, She needed to make sure.

[F/N] was barely listening when she quickly took off away from the crowd down an alleyway. Slipping away from the group with ease as their attention was still heavily focused onto her mother, Who was still continuing on with her speech. She couldn't bare to be surrounded by such waste of flesh anymore.

She picked up pace once she realised she was far enough away, Managing to navigated the rock base of the village with proficiency and quickly coming to a stop once she stood in front of the targeted house. Luckily it was located on the other side of the village, She could make as much noise as she needed.

Once she finally stopped she could notice the broken down door almost instantly. The village houses were regularly built together so this was striking to her. The shoji door was splintered into pieces of wood and sheet, Tiny pieces.

[F/N] swallowed a lump in her throat, Realising the weight of what she was doing. But it didn't stop her from taking strides forward, Past the destroyed bits of door and into the house where she saw the real carnage.

The Livingroom was absolutely destroyed.

Walls were shook and large scratch marks decorated them like paintings. Furniture was flung about and lay toppled across the entire main room like a wild beast was let loose, A bear, A rhino. Something of that size could of done this, Yet she could tell it was entirely human design.

The room was completely in the dark, No sunlight shown through which let [F/N] take her uchikatsugi off to get a better look.

Despite all of the wreckage its the fact that the room was coloured head to toe in red, That is what sent a feeling of dread crawl up [F/N]'s back.

The blood was stained on table cloths, Floors, Wooden walls. Anything that could be stained was drenched in the now-dry ichor of red. Thankfully the bodies weren't here anymore, Most likely hauled off to get cremated.

The singe of the scent of blood itched at the tip of [F/N]'s nose as she took a few more cautious steps inside, Carefully avoiding the debris as she finally made her way into the centre of the Livingroom.

The whole place just radiated fear and destruction, So much so that it felt like a cold hand was resting on her shoulder when she looked out at the scene.

Her eyes shot up.

She jerked her whole body around and stumbled back like a shock to her system, She lost her balance and fell backwards.

"Careful there." The smooth voice belonged to a man, Who caught her once she fell backwards.

His strength was commendable as he only laid a single hand on her back to keep her supported.

[F/N] was breathing heavily, Loud gasps of air from the sheer fright the man gave her. He gently lifted her up to her feet, Making sure to steady her.

"I apologise if I gave you a fright there, I do have a habit of being a quiet walker" He explained with a courteous smile.

"Yeah.. You do.." That was all [F/N] could say, Her breath still taken away but not from the fall as she laid her eyes on the mans face.

The man was pale, Deathly pale. While [F/N] was as white as a sheet from her condition it looked like he was sickly and withering, Yet the look seemed to compliment his bone structure. His dark wavy locks shaped his face and came down to his sharp jawline, Perfectly brushed and trimmed.

However it was his eyes that struck [F/N] the most, The same ruby irises that she had harboured stared right back at her. Even through the darkness of the room she could see the vividness of the red through the suffocating black.

"..Are you alright?" He asked. [F/N] didn't even realise she was staring before he snapped her out of it.

"Yes, Yes. I'm fine, Thank you." She said, A hint of practiced resentment laced her voice. A built-up tactic to protect herself. But the suspicion was warrented however, The clean cut black suit vest with golden coloured lacing was clue enough to tell her he wasn't from here.

"What are you doing here?" She asked, Resting her hands onto her hips. Her eyes were locked onto his own, Searching for any sign of deception.

The man simply let out a breath of air.

"I'm here to this village on business reasons, I was just passing through when I saw the door broken down. I'm just here to make sure everything is alright." He explained, A light carefree tone in his voice.

"My name is Tsukihiko, I travelled here from Tokyo" Tsukihiko added after a moment.

[F/N] carefully examined his body language for any sign of him lying, Any twitch of the hand or quirk of the lips but she came up empty handed. She had no reason not to believe him.

"Okay then, Tsukihiko.." She drawled, Still cautious of him "Well since you obviously don't know, There's been a string of murders going on in this village for a long while now. You really shouldn't be in here" She said.

"May I ask why you are here then? No offense, But you don't look like an investigator or any kind of authority, Miss." Tsukihiko said yet his tone sounded near playful if it wasn't for his dignified self.

[F/N] felt her tensed shoulders deflate, He got her there.

"..None of your business" She retorted, But her previous aversion had dissolved into a weak huff. "What's an investigator suppose to look like anyways?" [F/N] mused.

"Usually not like a beautiful noblewoman such as yourself, The one's I've seen tend to be a bit more.. Lacking in that department" Tsukihiko replied, As if what he said held absolutely no weight at all.

But that wasn't true to [F/N], The words held so much weight that it squeezed down at her heart. That same, Unfamiliar euphoric feeling she felt holding the flowers kept rushing out of the compressed heart and filling her system once again.

Did he really see her beauty? Or was it a way to strengthen out a deal with a noble family's daughter? If so then the joke would be on him. But he wasn't that far off from her, They were both pale and shared the same wine-stained eyes. Maybe he did understand her beauty. The mere thought of it seemed to clench her heart tighter.

However, It was stopped by a single missed heartbeat.

The sunburn, She still had the sunburn on her skin. Her uchikatsugi still lain slack in her left hand. [F/N] felt her hands suddenly grow clammy and her lungs take in a sharp breath, A quick spike in adrenaline made her entire body freeze up.

Tsukihiko seemed to notice her realisation, Somehow understanding her sudden panic he gently rested a hand onto the girls cheek.

"I mean my words, I'm not quite fond of the sun either." Tsukihiko said, That deep voice ringing soft in the girls ear.

The hand on her cheek should of been warm, But instead of the expected body heat coming from him there was a cold chill that ran down her from his touch.

It felt nice on her sunburn, It seemed to cool down the itchy feel of heat simmering in her skin and instead made it feel like a early summer breeze. [F/N] in response seemed to soften down and lean into the cold, Only a little bit.

"Seriously? People here seem to enjoy the sun a lot, You disliking it would be a first" [F/N] mumbled absentmindedly, Her gaze trailing off to some unknown point of the room. "How'd you know I didn't like the sun anyways?"

"A good guess, I suppose. You have albinism, Correct? It's only natural to have a resentment towards the sun when it sears your skin, I have a particularly terrible condition myself so I suppose I can empathise" Tsukihiko explained.

His words brought [F/N]'s eyes back to his own, Their shared eyes meeting together. Ones searching for any kind of lie while the others looked back with only the sincerest of truth's, At least from what [F/N] could tell anyways.

She felt a sudden sense of an unrecognisable feeling.

Not like the one she had before when it felt like fireworks, But instead one that felt like a rope was tied between the two. Like a single string had suddenly appeared just from his words, A sudden connection.

Connection? That sounded right, At least she thought so.

"..I see. You don't seem to have albinism, So what's your condition anyways?" [F/N] queried. While the man was pale and had the same red eyes she had, It couldn't of been albinism. His hair was a natural noir and his skin still held a very tiny bit of melanin.

[F/N] saw his lips quirk, It wasn't noticeable, Only a quick twitch before they were back to their usual smile. It almost raised an eyebrow.

"..It's not a specific illness that has been diagnosed however the symptoms do include a rather harsh weakness to sunlight." He said.

Thats strange, [F/N] thought. Tsukihiko was only wearing a suit vest, Black dress slacks and a clean white blouse. He had no form of sun protection like [F/N]'s kimono or uchikatsugi. It was weird, And [F/N] wasn't going to let it go for a second.

"Really? Then how did you get here without something like a parasol, Or any kind of protection?" She asked, Her guard raised up once again in light of the new information.

Tsukihiko's guard followed with [F/N]'s. His shoulders stiffened up and the smile on his face seemed just a tad bit more strained than it did before.

"Well luckily due to-"

"[F/N]!" A sudden scream cut through the start of his words. [F/N] gasped, She recognised the voice of which belonged to her mother.

She cursed under her breath and rushed past the man, Her attention fully diverted from him as she set the uchikatsugi onto her head and went out of the house and into the sun.

[F/N] finally stumbled out onto the rocky street road, Only to see her mother at the end of the road angrily making her way towards her. [F/N] sucked air through her teeth, She was in trouble.

She saw Juro stand behind her, Watching their mother make their way towards [F/N] with the omnipresent smugness drenching his face.

"Told you she was here!" He called out to his mother, But she didn't look back, She was way too focused on her eldest who stood there frozen like a frightened opossum.

The heavy sounds of her mothers sandals against rock and the single strum of a biwa echoed out into the wide walls of the village. Luckily no one else was around, Probably still making their way here from being dispersed only earlier from the town meeting.

"What the hell do you think your doing, Young woman?!" Her mother yelled. Finally closing the distance between the two her mothers hand lunged for her daughters wrist, Yanking her close to her [F/N] let out a curse under her breath.

"What? Can't I check out the crime scene?" [F/N] remarked with a practiced incredulous tone. Ignorant curiosity, It wasn't the reason she came here for but her mother didn't need to know that.

Her mother looked back at her, Incredulous, Just like [F/N]'s voice. However it was mixed with contorted expression of how one might look at spoiled food, Maggots and rodents already festering and all.

"..Do you even listen to what comes out of your mouth? At any point in your life do you even think about what you're about to do?" Her mother said, Only a single pitch away from a whisper.

"Either way it wasn't why I was here, I was talking to that man over there." [F/N] said, Lazily motioning her head under the hat towards the entrance of the house. Her mother quickly strode away from her daughter, But made the move to grab her wrist and drag her along as she went towards the entrance of the house.

"Hey! Hands off me-" [F/N] yelled. Despite her mothers old bones it seemed the sheer anger made her completely apathetic to her age.

"What man? There's no one there." Her mother hissed. Pushing her daughter in front of her to get a better look at the house.

It was true. Apart from the dried carnage and the destroyed insides of the Livingroom there was no sign of life inside. No noise nor presence to be found.

[F/N] felt her heart stop inside her chest, Her breath stifled. That was impossible, The only entrance inside the house was the main door. If he had left through the main door then there would of been no doubt that he would of been spotted.

"Good gods, [F/N].." Her mother groaned, Massaging her temple to soothe her irritation.

"He was here! I swear, I don't know wher-"

"Oh just be quiet, [F/N]!" Her mother exclaimed.

Turning to face her daughter she jumped back in surprise, The look on her mothers worn face was tired and so very angry.

"I'm so done with just letting you run about and do as you please, Someone needs to give you discipline to show you how things work around here" Her mother said lowly.

Yanking [F/N] forward they took off away from the scene. [F/N] couldn't keep up with her fast pace and stumbled around as she was pulled along in her mothers grip.

They passed Juro who didn't even turn his head towards her families squabble, Only side-eyeing [F/N] as they passed.

Juro, That bastard, An Ironic insult but it was the best she could mouth at him as she was dragged by. He was the one who had alerted his mother to her absence, He had to be. Mother wouldn't care if she had wandered off, Juro on the other hand would pick out any opportunity he could to ruin her day.

As she was dragged back to their family home she cursed him out under her breath. [F/N] would've wondered why he was like this to her, But she knew that there was never a reason apart from stigma with a streak of sadism and superiority.

She'd get back at him one day. That, She swore.

☆♡☆

Loud footsteps slammed against the wooden floorboards of the house making louds creaks in their wake.

Opening and slamming the door it shook the frame of her room with the sheer force at which it hit.

As soon as it shut [F/N] pushed herself up against the door and let out a loud cry. The tears she was holding back with a fierce determination now flooded down her face without a hint of resistance.

She slowly slid down the door until it was only her, Sitting on the cold floorboards pressed up against the door, Sobbing her eyes out.

[F/N] didn't know why she was crying, Maybe it was just the broken dam of a slowly rising tide. The house of cards that finally toppled once the slightest of disruptions knocked over its foundation, Causing the entire building to fall down.

What she did know however, Is the words of which her mother had told her.

"Punishment!" "Deserve!" "Finally!"

The words her mother had used when she confiscated her parasols and uchikatsugi swarmed her like a hive of insects. The one thing that protected her from the sun, That let her feel like a normal person even if only for a single minute was taken away by her mother.

She had called it a deserving punishment, Finally giving her daughter the discipline she needed.

What would she even achieve from taking them away? To teach her a lesson, Perhaps. Maybe she had thought it would exorcise the demon that was disguised as her daughter. Even if she did think that before, After seeing the sunburn ingrained onto her skin gave her a good reminder alright.

[F/N]'s breath came out in hitches. Rapid gasps for breaths as she desperately tried to wipe away the unforgiving tears coming out of her eyes. Everyone kept asking what was wrong with her when the only thing she could ask was what was wrong with them.

She didn't choose to be like this. She didn't choose the red bloodshot eyes nor did she choose the bright white of her hair and skin, It didn't mean she was a demon. What was wrong with this world? What did she do to deserve this?

[F/N] lifted her head to wipe away the build up of fluid on her face when she caught the vivid red in the corner of her eye.

It made her breath hitch once more, But not from the pain in her lungs or the sting in her eyes.

[F/N] didn't even bother getting up, Instead favouring to hastily crawl over to her bed. Once she lifted her upper body to see what it was her eyes widened.

It was another bouquet, Just as beautiful as the last. The red petals of rose were fresh and smelt as such, Purifying the air around her and drawing her in with the sweet scent. The colour of the roses seemed to give a hot kick compared to the coldness of her abode.

It was that feeling again. Fireworks. The feeling that brought the warmth back to her, The one she could never describe.

[F/N] took the bouquet into her arms, The softness of both the petals and the trimmed stems caressed her bare skin.

Her lips twitched. The corners of her mouth turning themselves into a new smile, Feeling foreign on her face. There was no letter this time, However that didn't matter.

The bouquet said everything it needed to. She pulled it close as the last of her tears dried, Turning only into small sniffles now and then.

Maybe things weren't so awful after all.

☆♡☆

In the following months, Slowly, A routine started to form.

[F/N] wasn't allowed to go outside of her house, So she had to make do with what she had inside her room.

In the mornings she'd wake up, Make her bed and get ready for the day. Afterwards she would go downstairs to collect her breakfast and make her way back to her room.

Then in the afternoons she'd make herself busy by playing solo games of old sets in her room: Shogi, Menko or Origami, Anything to keep her occupied and keep the boredom at bay.

[F/N] knew if she just apologised and promised to her mother she'd be good she could definetly worm her way out of punishment, However she decided against it. Her pride and dignity was worth baring a stupid little punishment from her mother.

At night she would get her dinner from the kitchens and make her way up to the rooftops again, Speaking to the moon as her only social output as long as you don't count the snide comments from Juro or the single syllable answers from her mother.

For hours she'd just spout out about whatever came to mind. Her day, Frustrations and desires would all be entrusted to the celestial body, A silent promise not to tell between the two.

[F/N] thought it was funny, She'd started to believe the moon could really hear her. It felt like that too sometimes, That someone was really there to listen to her.

And finally, Careful not to make her mistake again she'd close the blinds and make her way to bed. Only to start the cycle all over again the next day.

Though sometimes the cycle would break, Sometimes she would find another bouquet. Lying on the roof or sat tidy on her bed.

Sometimes the person in question would leave a letter too. The sweet words seeming sacred as the flow of the writing went through her, Touching the very core of her heart.

She'd soak up every letter, Every little word she'd mull over for hours at a time letting that feeling coarse through her blood stream. These letters appeared about once a week, Quickly becoming the only thing she had to look forward to.

It was good, It was very good. It hit her one day, Lying in bed while rereading the latest letter for the fifth time.

Was this love?

Maybe. Before the letter had started she had dismissed the concept of it entirely, Love was just a façade. A husband and wife was suppose to love each other yet her mother and father barely spoke when they were around.

A sibling was suppose to love their other siblings unconditionally, But instead hers had shunned her and at best gave backhanded remarks. Sure, Her mother might of loved her kids but even then it was just maternal instinct.

Love was just a construct, That was her belief. It was a way to explain how things worked in a mysterious world, It didn't actually exist. No, It couldn't. At least not for her.

But when she held the soft paper in her hands and finished the last letter of the note it finally clicked, This was love. It had to be.

The undying passion written in the letters proved it, The vowing to love her always said it. It made her blush like an alcoholic intoxicated onto the feeling it gave her.

It was so addicting that she never really took care into asking herself how they got into her room or onto her roof, How they knew exactly what she liked or how she wanted it. That wasn't important.

What was important was who it was. Was it a girl or a boy? How old are they? What do they look like? What's their name? She pondered over this often and to be honest, She couldn't care less about who it was. They loved her, That's all that mattered. It was the spark of light in a dark hopeless void.

Even the rocks thrown through her balcony window, Scribbled in ink with the word "demon" couldn't take her out of her high. Nor the continuing mutilations building up a body count in town could catch her now.

Nowadays the entire family was counting down for the arrival of her father. His business trip had came to an end and now he was making his way home, Due to arrive in a week.

In a weeks time her father would be home, She dreaded the thought. So that's why she had carefully wrote a letter of her own and left it on the rooftop, A common spot for the person in question to leave their letters.

She wrote every letter with passion and folded the envelope with care, Waiting for the response she had went back to bed, Waiting for her admirer to take her away.

"When can I see you? I want to know who you are."

☆♡☆

Her letter had been answered.

The letter she had left on the roof was replaced with a letter of their own. The next day she had found it lying in the same spot, Bouquet of roses and all.

She read the words several times over, Just to make sure she was reading things right.

Midnight, Meet me outside on the pathway to the village. I'll be waiting.

Love, Your admirer.

They wanted to meet her, Her admirer wanted to meet her tonight. As soon as she read the last word she squealed like a little girl on her birthday and spun herself around the room with exhilarant joy.

She stopped dead in her tracks. She needed to get ready. Looking down at her morning kimono she realised she needed to wear her best, She couldn't go out looking like this.

The feeling of wanting to look your best while in front of someone was another new sensation, She'd been having a lot of new sensations lately. All because of her admirer. It was only right to look as good as she could.

She thought back to her experience a few months ago, That man, Tsukihiko. Maybe he was her admirer. The way he looked at her with those matching red eyes just spoke to her, It had to be him. Who else could it be?

Sifting through her closet she finally picked out a rather expensive kimono with a matching yukata. The design's laced onto the fabric were beautiful and made with care, When [F/N] looked at it she knew she had found the perfect one.

But looking in the mirror she knew her hair needed some touching up, Her makeup too.. And her nails and maybe she could find a cute hairpin? Maybe her hair needs touching up again..

By the time she was done it the sun had long set, Replacing the clear blue with a star filled winter night.

[F/N] knew she wasn't allowed out of the house, She knew when she carefully maneuvered her way down the rooftop. It never left her mind even soon as she felt her best sandals hit the ground, But nor did it ever matter to her. She was going to meet her admirer, That was much more important than her mother.

[F/N] moved hastily down the pathway from her house to the village, The letter never specified where about on the pathway they were to meet so she had just decided to walk until something happened.

She slowed down in her tracks to only a leisurely walk. The cold air hit the back of her neck and ran through her hair as she went. [F/N] felt her heart beating like a drum, The rhythm thumping at her ribcage felt like it was going to explode from her chest.

Her leisured stroll came to a stop, By now she could see the village lights and the rest of the stone-lined path. Her eyes followed it all the way back to where she was standing, No one was there. Not Tsukihiko, Not anyone.

[F/N]'s face scrunched up in confusion, She had went the entire pathway and no one was to be found. Could she be late? Looking up at the sky to see the moon dead-centre in the sky that ruled out the possibility entirely.

Then suddenly, She felt a rock hit her back.

The force pushed her over, Collapsing to the ground on her knee's.

The shock struck her like an ice-pick to the back, Causing a cold chill to wash over her. As soon as it hit her thoughts had came to a standstill, Trying to compute what just happened.

A few pairs of footsteps came running out from behind her.

[F/N] looked behind her, Eyes bloodshot and open to their limits as she finally spied the group.

"There! Told you she'd come." Juro laughed to the group of kids behind him, His friends, All carrying pouches of unknown fillings. They all looked down at [F/N], Their expressions all smiling wide and giggling along quietly to Juro.

Another feeling washed over, Anger only an aftertaste to the pain writhing around in her chest. Her arms shook as she tried to gather her Barings, However another quick jolt of pain went to her stomach. One of his friends who she recognised as the Furukawa boy had kicked her, Making her fall down again.

"Demon scum!" He exclaimed as he stepped back towards the group. [F/N] groaned in pain as she wiped away the red specks coming from her mouth.

"What.. What the fuck. The hell.. Are you doing here, Juro" [F/N] hissed, The truth of the situation going straight over her head.

"What? You don't remember? Meet me here at midnight on the pathway to the village!" He teased, The mocking tone in his voice made his group laugh. Juro looked at her straight in the eyes, The sadism shining through the dull overlay.

[F/N] stopped, Going completely still.

No, It couldn't be. Please, For the love of whatever god is up there. It can't be.

"You.. It was you?" She breathed lowly, Disbelieving eyes piercing into his. Pleading with him silently, Subconciously. Juro seemed to toss his head to the side and took a few lazy steps towards her, He had no care in the world as he stood only a foot away from his defeated sister.

"Of course it was me. I knew all about your little rooftop talks, I was the one to leave the bouquets in the first place." He announced it as if it was obvious all along, As if it was nothing but a throwaway joke in a play.

[F/N] felt her heart break.

She felt the culmination of that feeling built up over months, The growing flutter of her heart. The feeling she had even dared to consider love was shattered into a million pieces, Reduced to nothing but ashes.

This wasn't true, How could it be? It couldn't.. [F/N] felt her vision start to go blurry. She opened her dry mouth, She only had one question to ask.

"So.. For months.. You left me flowers.. Letters. All so you could bring me out here..?" She whispered. The blurryness in her eyes gathered and dripped down her face, Cold against her burning face.

"Well I mean, Not at first. In the beginning it was just a way to mess with you, It was funny for me but then.." Juro motioned over to his friends "When I told my friends about it we thought it was an opportunity we couldn't lose, Especially when you left a letter of your own." He finished.

The words devastated [F/N]. The entire world around her seemed so desolate, Like she drowning under the weight of the entire ocean unable to breathe or speak.

She didn't even flinch when Juro and his group raised their hands, The pouches full of unknown contents brought high. And when they threw it, She was glad that her tears blurred their faces.

She curled up into a ball and wished for this nightmare to be over.

☆♡☆

The dragging of slow footsteps echoed lowly in the dark hallway. The passage was dark and near lifeless as most of the house was asleep at this point, Only a few servants lay awake finishing their nightly duties.

[F/N]'s feet barely left the ground as she clutched the hot cup of tea in her hands. In the days that passed it was the only thing she subsided on except from the small bites of food she would eat during the day.

Her eyes seemed low and sunken, Like they were struggling to stay open. Along with her matted hair and chapped lips she appeared dishevelled similar to how an insomniac running on coffee would be, Though at this point that was basically what she became.

Gently pulling open the door to her bedroom [F/N] took a few short steps inside. Once she closed the door she was greeted once again by the emptiness of her room.

She let out a defeated sigh. Trotting over to her bed she set her tea down on the side table, Right before collapsing right onto the bed.

She sunk down into the mattress, Letting the temporary warmth and shelter of the blankets envelop her.

[F/N] was tired, Very tired. Right then and there she wanted to close her eyes and not wake up, Not for a long time. But she knew that no matter how hard she tried she wouldn't be able to sleep, Not as long as her mind was as conflicted as hers.

She turned over onto her back so she could stare up at the ceiling. Before all of this had happened she felt angry or annoyed, Always, There was no in-between. Maybe a splash of surprise here and there but apart from that there was no flux.

After she read the letters her palette had expanded, It felt like she was tasting a new wild variety of flavours for the first time after only eating bread for her entire life. She felt euphoric, She felt love and infatuation. It was good, It was so good.

But now after being hazed with flour and hit with rocks, Humiliated and embarrassed by Juro and his gang she just felt.. Nothing.

She wasn't angry nor was she annoyed, She's tried to feel those things, She tried to feel some sort of rage towards him but after everything she just couldn't.

Juro had even left an extra bouquet for when she got back that night, This one not of roses but instead spider lilies.

The only thing she could do was toss them out from the balcony, The flowers taking all of her anger with it.

[F/N] turned her head over to her balcony. The blinds were shut over the doors yet there was a small opening, A little crack that let moonlight filter through into the room. She could see the moon facing her through the opening, Gathering up what she had left she opened her mouth.

"Is this it..? Is this all there will ever be to my life..?" She whispered, Looking at the moon as her only friend.

She waited. She waited a good few minutes, Waiting for any kind of response from her oldest companion.

Yet nothing came. The moon just looked down on her, Just like they did, Just like they all did.

[F/N] huffed lightly, Turning away from the moon. It was stupid. She grew up to believe that the moon was always there for her, That it would always listen to her. It was her friend.

She knew how stupid that was now. The moon wasn't her friend, It couldn't listen to her. All this time she spoke to an unfeeling object, Something that couldn't understand her or provide any comfort.

"Is this all there will ever be to my life"

Her words rang out in her head. At every turn she was dejected back down into the dirt. While the healthy ran outside to live their life she was stuck at home, Unable to get a job or a husband due to her looks.

She hated them, If she had anything else left to feel it was hatred. They lived their lives free to do anything they wanted yet they wasted it on mundane jobs, Mundane lives while she was left here to fester.

[F/N] closed her eyes. Listening to the servant outside brush the hallways, She tried to use it as white noise. Something to fa-

THUMP!

[F/N] opened her eyes slowly.

The wall to her room that was shared with the hallway suddenly let out a large thump. Coincidentally the sounds of sweeping came to an abrupt stop right before the noise.

Everything was silent now, There was no noise coming from outside nor from [F/N]. Instead she just watched the door, Waiting for the next sign of life.

Another set of footsteps came, Not belonging to the servant before. These ones were heavier, Filled with purpose and stride.

She listened as they reached her door, Coming to a sudden stop in front of it. [F/N] listened half-heartedly along, Waiting for the next sound.

It came. The slow but loud creaking of the door echoed from the walls in her room. She didn't dare to look up into the dark void of the doorway, She knew what was happening. She knew what was going to happen. This was the demon who caused the villages mutilations, There was only one outcome.

The footsteps entered the room. From [F/N]'s limited vision she could only see what looked to be a mans body dressed in a suit jacket and blouse, The left arm stained with a fresh crimson. Her eyes moved up, She couldn't see his face however, The moonlight didn't reveal it.

[F/N] sighed, Maybe out of exhaustion or maybe out of relief.

"So it's you, You're the one whose been doing the mutilations I suppose.. I'm guessing you got to the servant outside right?" She drawled, Letting the syllables play out on her tongue.

The man didn't answer, He only stopped in his tracks. [F/N] could feel his eyes on her, Running over her body, Like a wolf checking to see if the fox could fit in its maws.

[F/N] didn't expect an answer, But she continued anyways.

"You're going to kill me now, Probably even before I've finished my sentence but just.. Just let me make one final request.." A sudden jolt came from inside her like the final remains of lighter fluid sparking out into the raging blizzard.

It felt like vengeance, If she was going down then she knew who was coming with her.

"I don't care if you kill me.. But when you do I want you to take my family too. I don't care how you do it but I want you to make it bloody, I want you to make sure that my father comes home to a slaughter house, I want you to make sure people remember this." She said, The liquid in the lighter drying with her words.

She closed her eyes, Waiting on her bound demise.

This was it. Her body relaxed to take in her final moments. The warmth of the blanket, The coldness of her room, The beating of her heart.

"Who said I would kill you.."

And the feeling of a hand over hers, Gripping it tight.

Her eyes opened wide at the voice, Her irises searched and landed on the mans face now illuminated by the moonlight, It was one she recognised.

"It's you.." [F/N] breathed, She looked over the mans features, Just to make sure.

"Tsukihiko" She whispered. It was him, She saw it now. It was the same suit-jacket, The same styled hair and red eyes. A gentle smile graced his face as he moved even closer than he was currently.

"Even though I may have told you so, Tsukihiko isn't my real name." He corrected. That same deep tone of voice he used all those months ago laced his voice, Resonating deep inside her.

"My name is Muzan Kibutsuji, I am the progenitor of all demons." He declared softly. The hand he had entwined with hers squeezed tighter. His hand wasn't warm, It was in fact cold to the touch but it didn't feel uncomfortable, It was instead akin to shaved ice during a heatwave.

The progenitor of all demons, This was the demon king. It raised more questions than answers but [F/N] could only ask a single one.

"Then, why won't you kill me? Why are you telling me all of this?" She whispered, Looking deep into his eyes for the answer.

He only looked back with the most sincere emotion a being like him could have.

"Because, It seems I've become infatuated with you."

The words left his lips with a finality, As if he was just as bewildered as she was looking into his eyes.

The words pierced her like a spear. [F/N] felt eyes expand and her jaw opening only a little. It was that feeling again, That same feeling, The fireworks.

"..How can I trust your words? How do I know you're not lying to me?" She asked, A small treble in her voice. How could she trust anything he said, Not when she could never trust anything anyone said to her.

"You can't trust me." Muzan finalised, Agreeing with her words. She felt disappointment start to bubble up in her before her spoke one more.

"But when I say that I have became smitten over you from the day I saw you on that roof top, When I say that I became enraptured by your beauty and charm I want you to believe that, My love." He spoke.

[F/N] was speechless, She couldn't believe what she was hearing but by the gods did she want to. Heat rose to her cheeks and she stumbled to get out a single vowel before she was pulled to her feet by Muzan.

"Everything I've been doing these past few months I've done for you, Everything. You are more than a mere human, You're someone I can call my equal" He whispered. And from his suit pocket he pulled out something that gleamed in the moonlight.

It was a ring of silver, A wedding ring. It was beautiful. A sapphire center piece for the gemstone, Crowned by the silver and another dozen gems surrounding it.

[F/N]'s breath hitched at the sight of it.

"You want me… To marry you?" She asked, The words foreign on her tongue. [F/N] still stood in disbelief, Shock, A flurry of new emotions invading her senses that made her need to conceal an excited grin.

"Yes. I see no one else worthy of being called my wife, Only you." He replied. Gentle smile still painted on his face.

The fireworks went off. In that moment, [F/N] knew the answer, One that she couldn't put into words but instead an action.

As soon as the fireworks exploded she took a step forward, Putting her lips on his and bringing Muzan into a deep kiss. Trying her best to make it as passionate as possible with her inexperience.

Muzan didn't resist, But instead seemed to expect it. He put an arm around her waist and took lead, Guiding her along.

As it happened she felt their bodies collide, His arms were wrapped around her body tightly while hers rested on his shoulders in the heat of the moment.

[F/N] barely noticed the ring slip onto her finger, A perfect fit. She could only focus on their lips mingling with each other, His fangs clashing against her bottom lip while she tried to figure out what to do with her tongue.

Muzan's hand slipped down to her neck. A single claw cutting open both his finger and a small part of [F/N]'s neck, Letting his blood mix with hers.

The motion made [F/N] pull away from Muzan, The feeling of her stomach turning interrupting her.

"What the.." She mumbled. [F/N]'s body started to shake, She felt weird. Stumbling back a few feet she was caught by Muzan, Smiling at her with that same gentle look.

He set her down onto her bed, Caressing her cheek with care.

"Rest now, Your transformation should only take a few minutes." Muzan said, Sitting beside her on the bed.

[F/N] nodded, She knew what he meant and she simply didn't care. Only smiling lazily as she let her heart circulate his blood round her system. She felt him close her eyes. And let his blood take her over completely.

☆♡☆

[F/N] followed Muzan down the hallway. Her movements were slow yet jerky at the same time, Like her entire body was numb and barely woken up.

Her mind was hazy, Like a sudden mist started to fall over her mind as soon as she woke up. Her stomach turning had turned into a sudden emptiness, A sudden hunger. She had a craving for something, She didn't know what. However all she knew is that she had to follow Muzan as he helped her down the stairs.

As soon as she reached the bottom of the stairs onto the second floor, Suddenly she caught something sweet in the air, Enticing her on.

Muzan noticed this, An almost amused smile appeared on his face.

"Go on then, I won't stop you." He said, And that was all she needed.

[F/N] took off following the scent almost feverishly, Making her way down the hallways going around turns she finally came across a door.

Her mouth watered. The scent was stronger now, Even more so as she bust open the door.

Juro woke up with a start, The noise of his door slamming open almost off the hinges made him flinch. He got up so he was now sitting on his bed. Maybe another mutilation happened, It was probably his mother informing him so.

But as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes to see his elder sister leaning against the doorway, He knew that wasn't the case.

"What the hell do you want..? You still mad about last week?" He chuckled lightly, The sleep still permeating his voice.

[F/N] stood in the doorway, Not answering. However her breathing was laboured and she stumbled about, Swaying side to side. Her head was lowered to the ground, Eyeing only the floorboards.

"What's wrong with you?" Juro raised an eyebrow at his sisters movements, It was getting annoying. Waking him up in the middle of the night and she wouldn't even tell him why.

But he suddenly froze once she lifted her head.

Her laboured breathing showed off her teeth, Sharper than normal creating new fangs protruding from her mouth. Her pupils had slimmed and turned into something similar to a cat's, And they were eyeing him like a piece of raw meat.

His sweat dropped, This wasn't normal. Slowly getting out of his bed he made sure to never take his eyes off of her, To make sure she didn't pounce.

"Listen.. [F/N]." He started, His voice shaky and carefully planned.

"I-I'm sorry for what I did.. Okay? I-I shouldn't of treated you like that.. It was wrong, I.. I'm so sorry okay?" He started. His entire form shook, His knees threatening to buckle under the weight of the situation.

She took a step forward, Making him flinch.

"I-I'm sorry! Please don-"

[F/N] lunged forward, Her body knocking into his as they fell to the floor with a thump!

Juro screamed, Loud and high pitched to make sure the rest of the house woke up as he felt [F/N]'s teeth lodge into his neck.

With a tug she pulled her mouth back. A chunk of flesh and muscle tore out from his neck, Making a spray of blood coat the room and [F/N] entirely painting her red.

Juro sobbed. His mental state reducing into that of a child's as he felt his sisters teeth tear at his flesh, Only to greedily shove the meat down her gullet, Pleased at the sweet taste she licked her lips to Juro's horror.

She tore into him, Again and again. Juro felt his limbs be pulled from their sockets and the blood burst from his arteries, Popping like candy and spraying all over the room.

He was barely conscious when the cold sweat of death wash over him.

The last thing he saw was the looming figure of his sister. His severed arm in her mouth and covered in red. Smiling at him, Wide and proud.

And the oncoming figures of the rest of his family in the doorway.

☆♡☆

Downstairs Muzan stood idly in the main room.

He waited for her, Listening intently to the noise thrashing around upstairs. He decided it was best to let [F/N] take care of it herself, She was hungry after all and as a new demon she needed her strength.

However, Muzan's attention was drawn to the main door, Which was flung open letting the cold nights air flood inside.

In the doorway was an older man. A katana around his waist and a yukata over his slayer uniform. Muzan felt the grin tug at his lips, This must of been [F/N]'s father, A slayer at that.

"..Who the hell are you and what are you doing in my house?!" He exclaimed, Yet his tone contained exhaustion, Obviously tired from a long travel.

"Who am I? I assumed you slayers would know a king when they saw one." Muzan remarked.

The mans eyes widened. The tiredness in his eyes before was now long gone and by now his sword was drawn, Pointing straight at Muzan.

"You.. Muzan Kibutsuji" He said. Despite his brave front, Muzan could see through it. He was terrified.

"There it is.." Muzan drawled, Now turning his full body over towards him. Her father made no move to attack him, Only keeping his sword at head level waiting for Muzan's next move.

"What.. What have you done with my wife, My children." Her father asked, The thought tearing through his mind, Scared of the possibilities.

Muzan entertained him, The fact that he had the guts to speak out in the first place spoke volumes.

But before he could answer, The sound of creaking steps and dragging thumps sounded out behind them, Interrupting their conversation.

The mans attention flipped over behind him. Alternating between Muzan and the unknown threat they both watched intently as the presence reached the bottom of the steps.

The mans eyes widened.

At the bottom of the stairs stood [F/N], Drenched head to toe in blood smelling of brass and iron.

But what she held in both hands, That's what made her father fall to his knees.

In both of her hands she dragged the mangled corpses of his wife and kids, [F/N]'s new strength granting her the capability to do so.

In her right held his wife, The corpse had several parts missing. Limbs, Flesh and organs all in various states of degradation.

In her left was the corpse of his second eldest. He wasn't even recognisable, Only the yukata being of any hint to his identity.

He fell to his knees, The sight seeming to defeat him entirely.

His nichirin katana fell out of his grasp, Slipping out with ease once he laid his hands on the corpses. [F/N] watched on at the scene, Gazing down at the broken mess of a man.

"What the.. No.. No this couldn't.." He choked out, Tears starting to form in his eyes and flow down his face. His wife and kids dead, He wasn't here to protect them, To do his duties as a demon slayer.

He moved his eyes up to the face of the culprit, Recognising her as his eldest disappointment of a daughter.

"You.. You monster.." He whispered, Piercing gaze going right through her like an icepick to the heart.

But [F/N] felt nothing as she looked at him, The haze from her mind lifted long ago at the first taste of her meal. This man for her entire life had been a overhanging figure, A threat to what would happen to her if she stepped out of line. His words were nothing new to her ears.

"..Do you have nothing else to call me, Or are you done?" [F/N] asked. She felt the rush of superiority come over her, She was the one in charge now. Not him.

Her father swallowed the lump in his throat. He had nothing else to say, Only choked sobs came out of his mouth.

[F/N] dropped the cadavers in her arms in favour of walking up to her father. Slowly stopping in front of him, Looking down at his weakened form.

Muzan stood only a few feet away from him, Watching over the events unfolding. He was amused at it, Watching [F/N]'s every move.

She raised her hand high, Her new claws spiking out of her fingernails ready to strike.

All these years of torment, Dejection and disgust funnelled towards her. The harassment and hate. Everything she had been through came down to this.

"Go on, My love." Muzan's voice called out, [F/N] glanced over to him "Finish this."

Muzan Kibutsuji, Her fiancée, Her stalker. He called out to her with that eternally caring voice, That same gentle smile edging her on to finish the deed.

She looked back at him and smiled.

And with a quick slash it was finished, Her father was no more.

His severed head dropped onto the tatami mat, She watched as it bounced a few times before rolling away.

Muzan appeared behind her, Wrapping his arms around her waist.

"You did such a good job, My love." He stated, Kissing the back of her head as he pulled her closer. [F/N] sunk into his hold, The coldness a comfort to her.

"T-Thanks.." She grinned, Fireworks continuing to go off. More so once he move a hand to her legs, Manoeuvring her so she was now being carried bridal style by her now fiancée, Not caring how much blood stained his blouse.

Muzan leaned down and left a small kiss on her lips, To which she returned.

"Are you ready to go now, My love?" Muzan asked.

"Always." [F/N] responded, Stars in her eyes.

Muzan smiled, Pulling her close. He looked up and with the single strum of a biwa, He disappeared into the night, Taking [F/N] with him.

Never to be seen again.

[honey-crypt]

NEED ELLIOTT SUCKING FARMER COCK N OWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW

a/n: the winner of my 69 followers contest sjfhdsjf - i expended on it cuz it was openended but i hope you enjoy cuz i sure did LMAO.... MINORS DNI PLEASEEEEEE

word count: 2.7k

summary: elliott thinks you're a rude ass who must've been raised by wolves with your swearing and lack of manners while you think he's a pretenious, self-absorbed piece of shit who's the reincarnation of narcissus himself. yet, after a fight ensues at the luau, you find yourself trapped between a rock and a hard place, both of which being your accidental boner.

warnings: hatefucking, enemies to friends with benefits maybe??, degradation, dom/sub dynamics. top!farmer, bottom!elliott, dacryphilia, farmer is amab but no gendered langauge, mild cum eating, semi-public sex (fucking in elliott's cabin during the luau), too many instances of bee writing the word cock in this fic, use of slut/pretty boy/dumb bitch/fucktoy, hair pulling, mild pain kink, mild dumbification???, facefucking

★ shut your mouth - elliott x farmer ★

You found Elliott to be somewhat pretentious. He annoyed you with his eloquent and over the top words, as if he was transported to the present from Victorian England. You hated how he held himself, always so high and might like everyone around him was less than. Oh, and his hair! His fucking hair! It was stupidly shiny and perfect, you just found it utterly repulsive. No one needed to be that obsessed with their appearance.

At least, the feeling of resentment was mutual. Elliott despised your crude language and sailor-like tendency to swear every other sentence. He hated the way how impatient you were, such as the time he witnessed your never-ending foot tapping while you both were stuck in line at Pierre's. And your smile? Ugh, it was too bright and big, almost like a wolf's grin before its next kill

Nonetheless, the two of you made an effort to avoid one another in public, only exchanging pleasantries in front of other townies or the unfortunate physical run-ins that would result in a sneer from you and a scoff from him. Yet, there were days that neither of you could avoid the other and today happened to be one of those days.

The Luau wasn't one of your favorite festivals, the communal soup was usually a hit or miss but Linus always cooked a delicious brisket. On the day of the festival, you entered the beach around noon after feeding your farm animals and made a beeline to the slow-roasting brisket, "Linus!" you greeted Pelican Town's local wild man, "Good to see you with the rest of town!"

"Ah, (Y/N)," he greeted you with a soft smile while rotating the brisket, "It's nice to see you, as well. The brisket will be done in just a minute, you can have first taste."

"Did you know that you're my favorite person in whole wide world?" you laughed, earning a chuckle from Linus. His timing was extremely accurate, as a minute or so passed before Linus extinguished the fire below the brisket, "All ready for eatin', enjoy."

You give him a side hug and held out your plate, "Thanks again, Linus! You're the best," you thanked the nature lover and pulled a large chunk of brisket off the roasted chicken. You passed by the assembly of condiments and poured enough BBQ sauce to drown your brisket in a sea of tangy brown liquid. With a relieved sigh, you dug into your brisket like you've been starved for years, So fucking good... you thought to yourself, BBQ sauce splattering on your face and clothes.

"Were you truly raised by wolves, Farmer?"

Not good anymore. Elliott stood before you with his arms crossed and brow furrowed. You set your brisket back on your plate and took a fistful of napkins, haphazardly wiping the sauce of your face and clothes. The uptight writer let out a huff, "That seems to answer my question," to which you glared daggers with him, "Are we really gonna do this? At the Luau, pretty boy?" the nickname rolled off your tongue with venom.

"Are you going to continue to insult everyone with your lack of manners and dining etiquette?" retorted Elliott with a sneer. You leapt to your feet, hands slamming against the table. Some festival attendees turned their heads towards you at the sound, but shortly dismissed it and returned to their prior activities.

"You know, you're a real asshole," you growled quietly, not wanting to cause a scene in front of the whole town. Elliott let out a laugh, a cocky but classy laugh, "And you lack the fundamentals of being a decent individual with your cursing and attitude."

Your blood turned icy at his words and before you could stop yourself, you slapped Elliott across the face. The echo of the slap vibrated across the beach and alerted the other residents of Pelican Town. Mayor Lewis excused himself from the governor and approached the two of you, "Oh, what a careless mistake!" he exclaimed to the town, "You must be more careful with your hands, (Y/N), haha!" the rest of town relaxed and resumed their festival enjoying. Mayor Lewis eyed you and Elliott with exasperation, "If you're going to throw hands, do it somewhere else."

"Gladly," you grumbled, picking up your brisket and a soda before exiting the beach. From the beach, you only made it to the small bridge that connected it to the town when you felt someone grab your wrist, "Hey!" you yacked your wrist free, "What the fuck?"

"Do you not have any control over your emotions?" the wrist grabber, Elliott, questioned. You huffed once more and placed your meal down on the bridge, "You wanna be slapped again?" you wringed out your hands, "How about I punch your face? Won't be pretty anymore, which would be a shame because it's the only thing you got going for you."

Elliott opened his mouth to fire back, but promptly shut it. You cackled, "Aw, did I leave Mr. Ernest Hemingway speechless?" It's a relief to hear you silent for once.

"You truly think I'm pretty?" What the actual fuck? You blinked, it was your turn to be speechless. However, that speechlessness only lasted for a moment when you answered, "Everyone in this Yoba damn town thinks so. Are you trying to fish for something?"

"No, no, I just-" the writer ran his hands through his hair and tugged on its locks, "Yoba, you're insufferable, (Y/N)," a snort escaped your nose, "Do you get pleasure from driving me insane?" he asked.

"The only pleasure I get from you is when you zip your lips," you hummed, "You talk and talk and talk but do you ever listen? Do you ever make an effort to listen to when others speak? Or are you truly the high and might piece of shit you present yourself as?"

A frown graced Elliott's lips, a deviance from his usual scowl towards you, "Do you really believe that? Do you really think I'm a bad person, (Y/N)?" he almost looked... heartbroken.

"I mean," you lowered your fighter stance, "I mean, the times I've seen you call Gus 'bartender' instead of his name?"

"It's a small joke between me and him," explained the writer, "I did it the first time I visited the saloon and he found it funny so on occassion, we exchange 'bartender' and 'sir' with one another."

"Okay," you sighed, "How about the fact that you only seem to talk about yourself? You're self-absorbed!" you spat out self-absorbed like a sword to his heart. Tears pricked the corners of his eyes, "Oh... I'm sorry..." he sniffled. Your eyes widened at the sight of his tears and oddly enough, so did your cock.

"Don't fucking cry," you shook your head. Yet, that didn't stop the tears, as they rolled down his sharp cheeks and jaw. Fuck, you winced at the sensation of your dick against your boxers and jeans, "I said," you grabbed him by the cheeks and yacked him towards your face, your body pressed against his "Don't fucking cry."

More tears flowed down from Elliott's watery emerald eyes. Fuck, fuck, fuck! you unintentionally fucked yourself over, as your boner made contact with his pelvis. Elliott's face morphed to a shade of tomato red, "D- Do- Did you just get a b- boner?" he stammered.

"Motherfucker," you freed his face from your falcon-like grasp and instead grabbed him by the hand. You scouted the festival zone for any onlookers and swiftly dragged Elliott to his cabin, "Open it," you commanded him. Without word, he inserted his key and unlocked the door, he then followed you into the cabin.

"Ugh, what a mess," you scoffed, as you examined the cabin's musty and cobweb infested state. Elliott wiped away his tears and asked you, "Why are we in my cabin?"

"Because," you pointed to your boner, "You're gonna fix the mess you made," which earned a dumbstruck look from the writer. Fuck, not him looking like the idiot he is! you felt your cock twitch at the sight, "So you gonna take care of it? Or am I gonna tell how much of a stupid crybaby you are?"

"I-" Elliott blinked back any remaining tears, "You're into people crying... what's stopping me from telling everyone that?" you rolled your eyes, "Won't you be a creep for telling everyone my kink, huh? For such a fancy schmancy writer like you claim to be, you sure are one hell of a dumbass."

More tears ensued, but you noticed something surprising; Elliott had a boner, too. You twisted your lips into a taunting smile, "You're into degradation, huh?"

Elliott quickly concealed his boner, "Wh- What, no, no, no I-" you cut him off with a finger against his lips, "I bet you jerked off every time we ran into one another, hm?"

"No," he answered, clamping down on his bottom lip.

"I know I'm an asshole and a freak, but you, Elliott?" in one swift motion, you had him pinned against the wall and your lips near his ear, "You're a dirty slut."

Elliott let out a groan and you felt his cock poke against yours, "Good boy," you chuckled and released your hold on him, "Now, either we leave now and risk public humiliation or we take care of our issues."

Elliott remained silent and gestured to his bed. You plopped down on it and sat still. The writer approached you and placed a surprisingly gentle hand on your cheek, "If we're going to do this," his forehead almost touched yours with how close he was, "Can you at least pretend to like me?"

"That can be arranged," you replied, replacing your smirk with a small smile, "I'll even throw in some kisses for you, how does that sound?"

Elliott nodded, "That's fine," he lowered his eyes to your lips, timid.

"Oh my Yoba, do I have to do everything?" you groaned and smushed your lips against Elliott's, kissing him feverishly. His moaning was muffled by the kissing, as you practically shoved your tongue down his throat. You kissed him like fire and ice, the cold indifference combined with the hot passion of the act itself.

"I gotta give it to you," you broke the kiss, much to Elliott's disappointment, "You taste good," the writer's cheeks flushed a deeper red, "I do?"

"Don't make me repeat myself," you spat. Elliott nodded dumbly, hands hovering above your thighs. You rose from the bed and pointed to your pants, "Take them off for me, pretty boy. I'm sure a dumb bitch like you is at least capable of that."

Elliott gulped and shifted towards your pelvis, knees on the ground and hands shaking while he unbelted and pulled down your pants. He stared at your cock, confined by your striped boxers. Annoyed by his delay, you snatched a fist full of Elliott's hair and tugged on it hard, "You know that I'm impatient."

Elliott's tears resumed at the sensation of his precious hair being pulled on so roughly, but he had to admit that the pain was a bit of a turn on. He pulled down your boxers, not wanting to make you more upset, and your cock sprung free from its prison, whacking Elliott in the face. Elliott recentered his focus and gawked at the sight of your exposed dick, his mouth watering.

"Yoba, are you really that desperate for my cock?" you teased, giving Elliott's hair another tug, "You're practically drooling for it like a bitch in heat," you playfully smacked your dick against Elliott's lips, "Open up, slut."

He opened his mouth, tongue out and eyes glossed over like the obedient man he was, "Good boy," you blew him a kiss and stuffed your cock inside, making him gag. A moan rattled through your vocal chords, "Shit, you got a great mouth," you cooed, "And Yoba, it's just a fucking blessing to see you- the next Ernest Hemingway, Pelican Town's beloved writer- in your right place, on your knees with a mouth full of filthy cock."

Elliott moaned shamelessly against your cock, your eyes rolling into the back of your skull from the vibrations. Soon, he began to suck it, his head slowly bobbing back and forth, as Elliott allowed more tears to escape his eyes. He felt your dick harden in his mouth when he started crying and resumed sucking.

Despite your hatred towards him, Elliott didn't really hate you back. In all honesty, he had a bit of crush on you. Sure, your cursing and impatience was a turn off, but the way you did the smallest acts of kindness like get Jas's jump rope out of a tree and relocating a spider to the outside from the saloon? Yoba, your soft side melted his heart.

Yet, here he was, mouth packed to the brim with his crush's cock and his own yearning for a release of its own. As Elliott slurped and gagged, he unzipped his pants and pulled his bottoms down enough to access his dick. He wrapped his hand around it and started stroking it, desperate for satisfaction.

"I bet you didn't think this would happen, huh?" you chuckled between moans, "I bet you're the kinda guy who only fucks after a nice candlelight dinner and sprinkles rose petals on your bed," Elliott tried to speak up, but his mind was too intoxicated from the lust and sensation of sloppy dick to say anything, "No need for that with me, though. I just want you as my personal fucktoy."

Elliott abruptly moaned, cum squirting from his cock and spraying the floor in white. A bit of cum got on your shoes and you removed Elliott's mouth from your cock, "You got cum on my fucking shoes!" you hissed to Elliott, "Clean it up."

Elliott reached to wipe it off with his shirt when you stopped him and held up your shoe to him, "With your mouth," his cock twitched at the command. With quivering lips, the writer stuck out his tongue and lapped the cum off your shoe, "I- I'm sorry," he apologized, "I didn't mean to..."

"Oh, I know," you gave him a reassuring pat on the cheek, "But I can't get enough of how good of a listener you really are, you should do this more often.

Elliott pouted and you grinned, "We're not done yet, finish what you started," the writer nodded and continued giving you a blowjob. As he sucked, almost deepthroating you at this point, Elliott looked up at you with almost doe-like, innocent eyes. You covered your eyes with one hand and placed the other on the wall behind you to stabilize yourself, Don't be cute, stupid.

Your dick twitched in Elliott's mouth and your mind went blank, only the need to climax present. You grabbed the back of Elliott's head and thrusted into his mouth. Drool spilled from the writer's lips, as you fucked his face without care, his mind overwhelmed with thoughts, feelings, and sensations of you.

"Fuck!" you tried your best to remain quiet, as you shot your load down Elliott's throat. The writer let out a choked moan and swallowed your cum. Now flaccid, you removed your cock from his mouth and let out a satisfied sigh. Elliott collapsed on the ground and laid there, his face stained with tears and cum.

You dressed yourself and joined him on the floor, "That was actually fun," you stated, much to Elliott's surprise. You kissed him lightly on the lips, "You better clean yourself before you go back outside but," you wiped off some cum and tears from his face, "Maybe we can do this again."

Elliott raised his eyebrows and despite being fucked out of his mind, he couldn't help but ask you, "Again?" his heart fluttered at the possibility of a second... outing.

"Yeah," you paused, "Maybe you're not as bad as I thought you were," you left Elliott with those final words before exiting the cabin, leaving a semi-nude Elliott drooling alone.

[weaselle]

i've seen this before but i just now heard some people talking about it so i'm going to weigh in.

(I don't sit around day dreaming about fighting animals or anything, but i live under a hill with coyotes and a mountain lion and i've done a fair amount of wandering around where the wild things are, so this kind of thing does cross my mind)

First of all, we're talking a fight not an altercation. I think there's a chance i could drive off just about any of these animals, by bluffing them or acting weird enough or getting them to give a little ground which often turns into giving more ground and going away. I've navigated interactions with wild animals before, and you can usually make yourself seem like not enough of a threat and yet also too much trouble, and end things before they really begin.

What we're talking about is after these tactics fail and you are already in a physical fight.

And for the purposes of this i'm going to say this includes fighting for your life against a predatory attack -- there's a big difference between driving off a large predator that is just roughing you up because it's mad you're in its territory, and one that has already decided its for sure going to kill you, and we're going to say "what if the worst should happen". So:

rat

house cat

goose

medium sized dog

eagle

large dog are all a yes from me. Large dog and eagle are trouble but doable -- i'm very experienced with large dogs and i grew up around geese and the eagle is going to be the same as the goose but you'll walk away with more significant injuries. Like, an eagle weighs the same as a jack russell terrier and has hollow bones, if i can get a hold of it i can end it, but i'm probably gonna need, like, so many stitches. Same with the large dog, i'll likely need to visit the hospital after (and i'd be real sad) but i could get it done if i had to.

now. The unknowns. These are all animals that there's some chance, however small, i might survive.

wolf

king cobra

crocodile

kangaroo

Wolf. So. I work with dogs professionally, I have had to break up several dog fights, i'm comfortable physically interacting with very large dogs, and that's why i think i could definitely win a fight against a dog if i had to. I've also come face to face with a wild wolf in the woods (which was pretty damn scary) and i think there's a chance i could win against a single wolf basically the same way i would win against a large dog, but also, wolves are not dogs, they literally kill other animals all the time, they're like, professionals at it, so. Maybe.

King cobra, yeah, i can for sure kill this poor snake with my bare hands, but whether or not i can do it without getting a lethal dose of venom stuck into me is a big coin flip. Is it winning if you kill the snake but you also die? not to me

Crocodile just depends on so much. I mean probably not. Like, a large adult Saltwater or Nile croc? absolutely not, nope, no way, i'm for sure deadzo. But crocs come in a lot of sizes and shapes. And many of them sort of keep growing their whole life, so, a 5 and a half foot croc might be an adult or i could be facing an adult crocodile of the same species that weighs more than 2,000 pounds.

Gharial crocs can also get way bigger than i can do anything with, but they have a really thin snout designed to catch fish. Other species of crocs also have smaller, thinner mouths and specialize in fish, like the central african slender-snouted croc, which do not get as large as their nile cousins. And various smaller species of crocodile exist that might be adults at only three or four feet long.

Most crocodiles enter tonic immobility like sharks, so if i can get it on its back for a couple breaths it will go sort of unconscious, and if it's not too big i might be able to make that happen. Of course, even if it only weighs like 40 pounds, if we're in water that's deeper than i am tall it can just latch on and keep my head under the surface... so a lot depends on what kind of croc, what size, and what specific ground/water environment we're in. The answer is, probably not. But it depends.

Kangaroo. So that leaves this guy. Basically, this is like fighting a soccer player who has a short-bladed knife in each hand and a spike on each foot. The kicks are hard, and i'm getting cut up real good, but there's some chance i could win. Or not. It kind of depends on the individual. Some adult kangaroos are smaller than me and some are bigger than me and i do know how to fight but then again i definitely fight less often than the kangaroo does and it has weapons and i don't, so. Likely not. But maybe. Depends. Also depends on what you mean by "win". It definitely doesn't want to eat me and they don't usually fight to the death -- I've seen a person punch a large kangaroo hard enough to make it change its mind about wanting to fight. i kinda think i might be able to achieve a similar outcome.

Okay, now the rest of these are just crazy! Chimps are a big no, they can do everything i can do but stronger, better, and with fangs.

A gorilla? If they do decide you have to be ended, gorillas are an even worse opponent, there's just no way. A male gorilla has jaw muscles the same size as my biceps. They have a bite force twice as strong as a lion's. They can weigh more than 400 pounds. There's absolutely no way.

And there's literally nothing an unarmed human could do against a determined lion, brown bear, or elephant. Less than zero chance if one of those things decides you have to die.

look, the smallest of those last three would be a lioness. Here's three big strong men testing their strength against a single lioness

dude. She's not even trying very hard. A wild lioness that decided an unarmed person was food? There's basically nothing you can do once she takes action, all your options depend on doing something to make her change her mind before she gets a hold of you. It's the same for a brown bear, and lmao, an elephant could literally throw a car at you. An elephant can weigh six thousand pounds and lowkey has to move carefully around a person to not kill them accidentally.

idk who these 6-17% think they are, but some of these "yes" answers up on that poll are insane.

[ash-and-books]

Rating: 2/5

Book Blurb:

A group of friends fight to choose their own fates in this trope-savvy, self-referential young adult thriller from the acclaimed author of Their Vicious Games, about a demonic force that acts according to horror movie rules in the spirit of the Scream movies.

Devon is always being left behind by her genius twin sister, Drew. At this point, it’s a fact of life. But Devon has one last plan before Drew leaves for college a whole year early—The Best Summer Ever. After committing to the bit a little too much, the twins and their chaotic circle of friends learn why you don’t ever mess with a Ouija board if you want to actually survive the Best Summer Ever, and soon find themselves being hunted down by…a demon?

But while there’s no mistaking the creeping, venomous figure is not from around here, their method doesn’t feel very demonic at all. In fact, it’s downright human—going after them in typical slasher movie kill order. And that means Devon, the blonde, is up first and her decade-long crush, Yaya, is the Final Girl who must kill or be killed to end the cycle.

Devon has never liked playing by anyone else’s rules though, not even a demon’s, and the longer this goes on, the more she feels Drew and Yaya slipping away from her even as she tries to help them all survive. Can they use their horror movie knowledge to flip the script and become the hunters instead of the hunted? Or will their best summer ever be their last?

Review:

Talk to Me-esque teen horror featuring complicated sisters, a summer that was meant to be perfect, and a demon hunting down a friend group. Devon and Drew are twin sisters, yet they couldn't be more different, from the way they have different styles to their opposing personalities... and the fact that Devon is the artsy wild child and Drew is the academic genius. Devon is determined to have one last great summer with Drew before Drew goes off to college.. but the more Devon tries to force it the less Drew wants to be a part of it.... yet everything goes wrong when Drew invites Devon and their friend group to meet Drew's friends at a party that ends with them using a ouija board and summoning a demon... that just happens to start hunting them down. Now Devon has to find a way to get rid of the demon chasing her, save her friends, save her relationship with her sister, and finally confess her feelings to the girl she's in love with. The story follows a complicated sister relationship and has a touch of Talk to Me, when a group of friends unknowingly summon a demon at a party and must find way to banish it before it gets them. This one was a bit of a miss for me unfortunately, I really wish I did like it more as its a sapphic horror story but I found myself not at all that interested in the story and I didn't really like Devon that much as a protagonist. When it comes to horror final girls its always hit or miss and this one unfortunately was a miss for me. I do think however that if you liked Talk to Me then you will like this one.

Release Date: July 30,2024

Publication/Blog: Ash and Books (ash-and-books.tumblr.com)

*Thanks Netgalley and Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing | Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

[elysiumarchieve]

Sincr requests are open,I decided to request something angsty cuz why not :D!!

Maybe Scaramouche coping with loss after Reader,his s/o,passed away somehow? However you wanna write,be it long or short or angsty or comfort,it's up to you. I just really really love the way u write our lil blue mushroom man so GO WILD!!

AGH NAURR YOU'RE CRUEL

AND BLUE MUSHROOM MAN I ACTUALLY BURST OUT LAUGHING i'm a future lil blue mushroom man main

AND SORRY FOR TAKING TOO LONG THE WIFI AT THE SEMINAR WAS HORRIBLE

scaramouche coping with the loss of his gn! s/o

warnings: major character death (i mean, you're dead💀), minor character death, scaramouche being scaramouche, mentions of his past

✧ oh dear me

✧ scaramouche,, is not exactly the best at dealing with emotions that he's been trying his best to suppress for years

✧ of course he knew of the risks of allowing his closed off heart to let you into it - but he actually never imagined that the world would be this cruel and take you away far sooner than you two believed

✧ maybe you were sick, maybe you were killed in action, maybe you decided to disappear on your own - but that doesn't matter to scaramouche, at all

✧ his first reaction would always be the horrible ache in his chest, telling him that you were no different than all the others who abandoned him. all the empty promises you made, all the things you ever told him, and in the end you did the same thing like everyone else, leave him behind and leave him far more broken than before

✧ he doesn't even speak of you, almost as if he's purposely trying to avoid the fact you ever existed (but everyone can tell from his horrible mood swings that you are on his mind, even if it's just for a fleeting moment)

✧ next, there is something at the back of his mind, a thought he desperately tries to shut out and distance himself from - why didn't he look after you more? was he still not strong enough to protect at least someone? is he still that worthless?

✧ he hates thinking this way and even more does he hate the fact that you caused these repressed feelings to resurface in his mind - he blames you for making him feel all those disgusting emotions he has left behind years ago, and he blames you for your sheer existence

✧ a lot of his 'coping' is the constant denial of your existence. to him, you never existed. you're gone, so ehy bother thinking about it? all it showed him is that humans never change, including you. he has lost the capacity to care about the things that used to make his chest feel warm (though he still clings onto the way your hand felt in his own when you told him how much you liked him)

✧ at night, when nobody checks on him, he'd burn everything that ever belonged to you. 'good riddance', he'd think to himself as he watched everything that made you you disappear in flames and smoke, leaving only behind a pile of ashes that was blown away by the wind not too long after he was done getting rid of everything - except for a little memento that his hands keep hidden in his balled fists, his mind still debating about whether or not he should just throw it away or leave it be

✧ while he has gotten rid of your existence in his life (mostly), he still somewhat reacts to you being brought up in any situation

✧ whenever he hears your name, his face doesn't even change a bit. it's almost as if he had managed to completely shut you out and forget about you. in fact, if anyone ever mentions you towards him, all he'd call you would be a mistake - though some can tell that his voice lacks its usual venom

✧ there is a certain feeling in his chest that whenever people talk about you, he feels like he needs to shut them up. nobody knew you as good as he did, none of them even deserve to speak of you, regardless of whether or not this person happened to be 'family' or 'friend'

✧ if you were killed, he is sure to make them regret, through one way or another (though it's usually always violence) - he laughed at those cowards begging for their lives as he ended them the same was they had done to you. he might try and hate you all he wants, but he couldn't just allow scumbags like that to not fave any punishment for taking you away from him like this (though he'd claim it was just a test of strength)

✧ the interesting part however is that, if anyone had the guts to ever badmouth you, even long after your passing, that this person usually,, vanished

✧ of course, there are rumors about scaramouche himself shutting them up, but nobody could ever confirm it was him. if anyone dared to asks whether or not it was him, hr would just huff - people should mind their own business, what does it even matter if they died?

✧ scaramouche is complicated. he wants and can shut you out from his life, but the traces you left on him are evident (even if he hates admitting to this)

✧ he's definitely not the type to deal with his emotions well - he lashes out, he's in an even worse mood than he usually is according to his subordinates and there is looming feeling of threat above everyone

✧ while he doesn't speak of you, he thinks of you - a fact he hates more than anything else. while he is able to burn everything you once possessed, he is unable to get rid of the terrible ache when he thinks of you. he might get rid of all the physical things you owned, but he'd never get rid of the marks you left on him

✧ the tiny memento he kept is stored away and probably dusty, but he also doesn't bring himself to throw it away. he'd say that it might be useful for something in the future, though nobody knows what he might be talking about

✧ and despite him trying to get rid of you, get rid of any memory, possessions,,, he still thinks of you at night when he lies awake in bed, thinking that the ache in his chest would be a lot more bearable if you were around

✧ he really wants to hate you for cursing him in such a cruel manner

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[honeybeewhereartthee]

Madness Mansion of Helter Spider

꒷꒦˚︶︶꒦Previous꒷︶꒷꒦˚Prologue꒷꒦˚︶︶꒦Next꒷︶꒷꒦˚

" look at this MC... What a pretty spider." Your friend point out a black widow that is very close to bite it's venomous fangs into her poking finger.

" If it bite you, I will handle the coffee and bread for your funeral." You smile and smack her away from spider. The spider skelter away back to its nest.

"Awwy... ಥ_ಥ" (friend)

"Unless this is spider verse and you wish to be spiderman wanna be, then go ahead and touch poisonous spider... "

" GASP! BUT IT'S TOO PRETTY! " (Friend)

"... In the law of wild. Having catchy appearance means it's either poisonous, pretending to be the poisonous or to catch preys... There's more reason. But I'm not casual geographic nor a paid professor to tell you stuff. "

" MC you watch too many YouTube videos... " Your friend point out. " Don't your guardian told you off about that. "

" I'm just being updated about stuff. But of course it don't include gossip of showbiz and entertainment industry. "You mumble, maybe you did also updated on those stuff too since it went to your recommendation.

" Well based on self knowledge learn in YouTube and internet, I can say if we ever kicked out to the wild when we fail our academics, you and I won't die from poisonous spiders and pretty tiny octopus. Because certain someone would be "omg look so pretty" and poke the damn thing. " You proudly says while petting your friend head, such an idiot.

" ARE YOU INTERNALLY CALLING ME AN IDIOT?!" She dramatically gasp and smack your hand away. Crying crocodile tears of how cruel the world is to have a friend like you.

" you know me too well." You smile.

"You aren't even denying it!? " Even more dramatic gasp. "WE ARENT BEST FRIENDS ANYMORE ;((" she point at me.

"We're not bestie anymore...?!" You too dramatically fall in the ground before you pulled your bag and take out the limited edition cakes from the new shop down town.

"I guess I will only eat this alone... me bestieless rude and cruel person..." You weep while opening the container, noticing how she eyeing the cakes when she saw her favorite flavor. "Nom nom... " You happily eat it in front of her eyes.

"... BESTIE, CAN I HAVE SOME?!" not able to handle the temptations of the cakes she give up on her tantrum and hugs you from behind and reach out to get the whole container from your hand.

"... I don't even say yes yet..." You mumble as you watch her, Kirby the fucking thing. "I realize if we ever stuck in the wild, your gonna get ya self killed if someone dude offer ya food and stuff." You point out.

"If the person is good looking and offering me an apple, I will gladly eat it and stare at the person while I do." She added and nodded to your words.

"... Gott. Why are you the honor student from the two of us again??* You rub your head from thinking your friend would surely be kidnap.

"Being academic smart is different being wise in wild life. ( ⚈̥̥̥̥̥́⌢⚈̥̥̥̥̥̀)" she point out. " Beside your there to handle the wild life knowledge

.♡(ӦｖӦ｡)" She smiled.

"... Gott. So your going to openly says I'm your nanny then. " You face palm but Chuckle, not a bit offended by it.

" It's okii. Beside, letting you copy my homework when you forget about it from watching too much non related academic stuff. "

It was your turn to gasp at her audacity to call you out.

":V WELL STATISTICS WONT SAVE YOU FROM BEING EATEN BY LIONS! "

" Is that why you forget about the assignment from one week ago and have to ask and cram it in the last 5 minutes before class??... What about the quiz in (hated subject #1) ? Did you watch some bees way of life or something... " The look of disappointment she's giving you gives you slap each words she says.

" F-for your information I don't watch bees ( I already finish all clips about that one year ago!) and watch missing people documentary! " You take out your phone and show over forty missing people over the spawn of few years.

They call it [ Lost in Wonderland ] as there reported cases that those people before they disappear, they were seeing a wild rabbit running around, or Thay they are reading that curse Alice in wonderland in 3am or something like that.

"That's sound like a stupid name for a missing people case." She point out. "People adding the coincidence and says it related to a children book. What a full of crap."

"HEY! THOSE PEOPLE ARE MISSING AND YOUR SASSING OUT THE CASE FILE NAME?"

"ITS INSULTING TO MY FAVORITE STORYBOOK, OK?!" she then proceed to take out a book, similar to the one said in the news. " THATS WHY ILL DEBUNK IT!"

"... Can I have your cat if you suddenly went MIA."

" DONT YOU DARE TOUCH MR MARSHMALLOW! I WILL MAKE YOU FAIL TOMMOROW QUIZ AND WONT LET YOU COPY MINE!" The cat lady have become mad.

" Ó╭╮Ò YOU NEVER LET ME TOUCH MR. MARSHMALLOW, YOU CRANKY CAT LADY!"

" YOU SAID HIS SO FAT, HE COULD MAKE THREE BATCHES OF SIOPAO AND DUMPLINGS!"

The two of you bicker, jokes and laugh around even how other in the public park is looking at you two like two weirdos yet you two don't care since you two are just having fun and don't give shit what they think.

...

"... I don't know if I should cry, laugh or mock you." You mumble as you look at the missing poster of your friend. Who did what she said about debunking the so called lost in wonderland case being related to her favorite book. She was the one debunked to Netherworld.

Meow. Meow meow

"Mr. Marshmallow turn out to be a girl and was fat cause of her babies... Smh. (• ▽ •;)" You don't know what to say as you held the poster and seating on the sidewalk thinking what to do with the litter of kittens and the huge cat since her mother throw the cat out of their house blaming it for bad luck. Mr. Marshmallow is a black cat after all. Big fluffy cat.

"...huhu....*hic." As the moment have passed by, tears fall from your eyes. As reality drown to you, that your friend is gone (probably cause of stupidity) and the police have shitty policy about not looking for the missing person if it's not 48h. Like they are so dumb what if the person is tortured and in need of help?

"I... Probably should leave it to authorize." You mumble as you tearfully went home with Mr. Marshmallow and her kittens.

"I will leave it to the authority." You pulled out a bag and put bunch of things in it. Takes out toy gun and bunch of bullets and put it to the bag, container of food and a lighter.

"Like hell I will. ಠ_ಠ. Those people won't do shit till 48h." You feed the kittens when you went passe them.

You went to change cloths and slept after putting an alarm. When the clock strict 3am. You pick up the curse book and look at Mr. Marshmallow who meow looking at you as you put the book over the fire. "I'm gonna burn this thing." You thought that if you burn it, no one would be a victim anymore. IF that relation of the case is indeed correct.

"Alice in fucking Wonderland by (redacted)." You read the book title while having a backpack on your back, In case something abnormal happened.

You did vandalized it and wrote some stuff on the cover and edited some part from a random page. Now it's { Alice In the twisted wonderland }

As you burn the book, you notice the ink pouring out but alas, you pour holy water in it but it release an odd odor that cause you to cover your nose how bad it is.

"I don't know, some satan probably gonna say I'm dumb or something." You mumble. Mr. Marshmallow meow and walk toward you, purring while she rubs her head on your leg.

"If things goes bad. I left a note. And it also mean I will miss the exam tomorrow..." You probably really dumb and over think this. But if it's the truth, your burning the thing that dragged people to wonderland.

{ Don't you know, that destroying other property is a bad thing ~? }

You heard a voice spoke behind you, Mr. Marshmallow on your hands went defense mood when a person appear before you, you pulled you toy gun. "DEMON! >:( YOU KIDNAP MY FRIEND."

{ Oh~? But how could you blame me~? What if your imagining everything~?}

"...well I don't have reputation with how crazy I act in public. So I don't think I have anything worth to save for." You point out. " Give me back my friend!"

{ My, how mad you are... Blaming someone " innocent" }

" You sound untrustworthy when you said " innocent" part." You rolled your eyes.

{ I don't usually deal with madman, as I made mad man out of all Alice. }

You look at the stranger

"... My friend is already mad. I guess, I did blame you😃" you now felt bad as you realize your the one at wrong.

{ Too late! I decided you have to deal with the consequences of burning one of my books! Off you go to where you belong~ }

The demon snap his hand, suddenly there's a bunch of crawling poisonous eight legged creatures appear in each corner of the room.

{ Your not the only madman who tried demand such thing from me, of course I give what they demanded now they all become mad~ but one should know. I am but a guide not a fairy that grant wishes~ I am Grim~ now don't get eaten~ }

"I DONT WISH FOR THIS?? HOLY IS THAT BANANA SPIDER? OH GOTT THATS ANOTHER POISONOUS ONE!"

your screams wasn't able to be heard anymore as you where surrounded by spiders and soon the mass of spider become a pool of ink, disappear to the book that written to it's original form.

{ Naughty kitty ~ face your punishment~ welcome to the madness mansion! Hopefully your able to survive~}

The demon called grim voices echoes to the darkness before you felt falling and hitting someone.

.

┌──❀*̥˚───❀*̥˚─┐

Because of Request.

Free to choice who's the unfortunate

Crazy:b who you LITERALLY fallen into.

└───❀*̥˚───❀*̥˚┘

»»————-　note　————-««

Hey! This is a interactive story! (●´u`●) the story would enter a scene where you choice an action or character in certain occasion! Btw the story would only move to the next scenario when one responded~ first answers priority but action and simping on the response will be added to the flow of the next scenario! Through if you commented and the next scenario already happened. It won't do change to the story!

Based on the settings and lore of the world and the situation, the ending is up to you~ through it be mc gaining a role, surviving, have a love interest, able to leave the place or even becoming a past tense (ded) is based on response ~

BTW, YOU SHOULD KNOW, YOU ENTER THE WORLD ILLEGALLY. (• ▽ •;) 3 OUT 4 WOULD MOST LIKELY KILL YOU IN THE SPOT. (・_・;) but of course guess correctly who will be your lucky charm for victory (◕દ◕)but then if you beg, you can survive each one of the dangerous spiders.

(if want to be tagged pls comment or Send mail) Tag List : @crispm-75 @yinenovica

[zenkor123]

Journal of Peeta Mellark-Taming of the mutt

October 3rd 75 ADD

who is the mutt? Is it totally foreign to me? I engage I deep conversations and see that the mutt isn't hate but searing pain itbwants to kill katniss so the pain will go away. It is wild, Tracker jacker blue, has horns, and a multitude of wounds, like an undead, it is leaking Jacker venom from its finger nails. I try to reach it and it says it did everything it did to keep me safe and roars. I hug it and it merges into me. As it melts into me many memories emerge and I realize that the capital beat me to the ruins of Peeta, it gutted them leaving only fear, determination, it's a shell. I am desperate for any part of Peeta so I need it with me. After the shiny memories pass unshiny memories emerge that of talking back to my mother, memories of my mother emerge and a hatred and desire to kill her hidden in me feels old. I also beat the crap out of a bully in elementary school. He went to the hospital, could not go to school for 2 months. His name was Phineas something. It was when I was 12? I once almost killed Myrna when she was about to burn me with metal tongs. I am afraid of spiders. I burned myself on the stove and my mom told me I was an Idiot. I am afraid of enclosed spaces. It has a fea memories associated with fear, and pain. The hijacking targeted fear and so my fear, became the mutt. It is more aniimalistic The most painful memories were accesed It emerges that this side of me had been denied all my life and had been abused by the capital. It is my inner demon. It also shows determination to survive but feels a more abstract injury that my spirit was taken from me, this pain existed long before I was hijacked. It felt forced to conform to survive to wear many masks. I have had to beg for food, lie convincingly, Myrna even made me bash myself for food. I want people to like me, I have sacrificed too much for that end. I felt Katniss said something about being a peice in games and I sort of remember a very shiny and gutted memory. I decide to fulfill it rather then have it be manipulated by anyone else, what if I didn't play by the rules for once? But I must face the facts I choked Katniss and I alone. The modification was specific it was the face of my transformation but it was not the actor, the venom had clear physical effects on my body, the impact on my memory was not natural. However in my mind It appears not like it appeared before everything but with loads of Tracker jacker stings, and slightly purple from the venom, it was twisted and it too lost large amounts of memories turned into but a machine mutated by the capital. But I wasn't as nice a person as everyone says I was. Though I saw my nice side die, it was real but it wasn't all that was there. By making peace with my monster I now remember more of my mother then I do my father. I also felt guilt for this monsters presence when I was Peeta but fusing with the monster removes something off my chest even with my memories fragmented. When I was mutated it erased as much of even my monster but forgiving it made the material that the mutts was made out of betray the capital it no longer had any of Peeta to sustain it, but it is still a mutation it is just my mutation, a tormented feral mutation, I am a mutation and what features it has became my own. My nightmares are now more frequent they are no longer of “only losing her” but it is worth it. its the only side of Peeta willing to give itself to me . A weird effect is I got a paper cut and felt nothing. I am desensitized to pain. As Myrna Mellark the witch said, “Mellarks never give up." I clearly am stubborn, capable of taking great pain, I trust nobody, deep down I am a rebel. I am ashamed at my timid nature and having to debase myself for those with power over me. I can work with this.

Katniss has many thoughts on what she just read and ponders

Katniss thinks about how Peeta once viewed her as a source of safety and hope and feels self hatred for not being able to protect Peeta, she hears Morphling Peeta in her head say as he did to Haymitch “only I can protect me”. She tries to remember who Phineus is. Phineus Chance was the tribute for the 70th hunger games he was reaped right after he left the hospital. He was known to be the neighborhood bully and he was from the seam a descendent of rebels from the Dark days. He got 7th place in the games before being killed by the game makers fireball. Katniss remembered playing with Phineus as children. It was never revealed how he got those injuries but Katniss never imagined that it was Peeta that caused those injuries. Katniss also remembers what the doctors told her about the parts of Peeta’s amygdala swelling from the effects of Jacker venom after being suffocated. Katniss also remembers Peeta killing a spider in school when he was 13, she remembers Peeta freaking out about Spiders when Peeta rested with Katniss after she was injured by the fence. Katniss always hated the witch and thinks that Myrna is an appropriate name for her. With The description of Peeta’s demon as blue Katniss wonders if Peeta really did appear blue during his hijacking. After Peeta killed the tracker jacker nests in 13 he returned with a blueish tinge that lasted for 2 days. Katniss also recalls that after she killed Glimmer her warts sometimes appeared a light faint blue. Finally she rages at Delly, it was Delly who convinced Peeta that it was over, that he would never be Peeta, again, to give up, even if Katniss believed Peeta lost, that before Peeta made an effort not to scavenge his ruins for useful material but to rebuild as himself, had given her comfort at the time even if she didn’t realize it. Because of Delly leaving Peeta, Peeta began talking about himself in the 3rd person, told Gale that “the rescue came too late for Peeta.” Boggs that “Peeta got what he deserved.” Peeta had no self to build off of, only scavenge for useful materials. She would never forgive Delly for this, Katniss imagined what it would be like after her memories destroyed, thinking her past belonged to a person who died, with the present belonging to a shell left with the scraps.

[dhampiravidi]

❰❰ WALL ❱❱ sender pushes the receiver against a wall (For Oraia 👀)

The State of New York (and a bunch of other local governments around the world) had issued an order telling everyone to stay indoors because some creepy domineering beings were trying to conquer the planet...as usual. Just about every hero was doing their part to fight off the invading threat and keep structures that housed civilians from collapsing.

Anna Marie aka Rogue was one of these heroes. But while she was in the air, engaged in battle, a creature caught her off-guard and tackled her into the Atlantic Ocean. They slammed through part of the seafloor, and the creature sank its venomous fangs into the heroine's shoulder. Somehow, Oraia had killed the thing, given her lover "nectar supplied by Dionysos himself", and then hurried off. Anna Marie quietly thanked her, then rocketed up into the air to take care of more invaders.

Within twenty minutes or so, the alien creatures had retreated. According to S.W.O.R.D, there was no sign of them near the Milky Way, which was good. But Anna couldn't stop thinking about Oraia as she used her strength to help clean up. When everyone seemed busy, she snuck off and looked around. People were leaving the area that Oraia had rushed to guard, so Anna Marie went there.

The goddess was clutching at a damaged wall, cursing under her breath. Her blazer had been slashed and stabbed in several places, her knee-length skirt was more of a sarong hanging on by a thread, and her pointed heels were missing.

"Oraia? You okay?"

"I'm fine." Anna Marie stopped, shocked at the edge in the typically-playful woman's voice. Against her better judgement, she continued to approach until she'd touched Oraia's shoulder. Oraia stiffened. "When I was younger...my lust, my rage...I let it control me. I can kill so easily, Anna. My father's side--look at the myths. They just do it because they can."

"Ya saved me today. Me n' who knows how many else."

"I know. Just--fuck." Oraia slipped the glove off of her hand and stuck it under her own skirt, pressing Anna's fingers against the damp spot in her panties. "Now do you understand?" It was only the second time that Anna had really looked at the woman with such shock and awe. And yet, she could relate to her.

"Ain't the only one who's dangerous." Anna Marie guided Oraia's face to hers using her free hand, and kissed the woman, tongue finding its way past her lips. The X-Woman swore she heard a growl before her lover pinned her against the brick wall, searing hungry, wild kisses into every area of skin that wasn't on display. "Shit--" She managed to get her knee between Oraia's legs, and the goddess merely rutted against it. The brunette's hands went straight to Anna's breasts, groping and squeezing enough to make her moan. "Goddamn you!"

Oraia didn't expect the mortal woman to overpower her, flipping them so their positions were reversed. Anna leaned in, pressing her knee hard against Oraia's hot, wet cunt, making her lover whimper. Both of them had superhuman strength, but Anna was stronger. She was able to hold Oraia's wrists above her head without any trouble.

"Don't tease--" The goddess looked feral. She trembled, trying to get some friction against her crotch even while her eyes were locked on Anna Marie's generous, sweet-tipped breasts. Oraia's tongue flicked out to lick her lips, like it usually did when she was horny. Anna's resolve nearly crumbled right there, but she held strong.

"Ah can tease ya all Ah fuckin' want, sugah--" Her eyes softened, pitying the older woman. After all, she'd been on the other end, the needy end, of things plenty of times. "Won't, though." Her ungloved hand moved into Oraia's panties and slowly began to rub in soft, gentle circles--

"Faster!!" she screamed, not caring how her voice echoed around the devastated block.

"Ya sure?"

"I can take it," Oraia hissed. Anna Marie paused, then furiously worked her fingers against Oraia's clit. If someone had been able to see everything, they would've thought Anna's hand was vibrating, despite the woman pushing her hips forward to meet it. "Oh, oh, mmh, ohmy--AHH!" She came hard, and yet she kept rutting against Anna's hand, trying to get the thing where she needed it. Thankfully, her lovely domina was kind enough to shove three strong, deft fingers in Oraia's slick cunt. When simply curling them wasn't enough, she fucked her at a speed that probably would've permanently wrecked anyone else she knew. Anna was getting wet herself, just imagining getting railed like that. Oraia panted and took what she was given, until she gave a little whimper and came hard again, clenching around Anna's fingers as a tear ran down her cheek.

When all was said and done, the goddess kissed Anna Marie, soft and sweet. "Hey...you gonna be okay?" Oraia smiled.

"Assuming no one heard me and got it all on camera...yes. But I guess I could always buy it off them and send it to you as a thank you. Speaking of...do you want to soak in some water, or would you like me to fuck you like you did me? After you're done here, I mean." She was still Artemisia Stavros to the public, the pretty, charitable human who happened to be pro-Homo sapien superior. If her identity was revealed, it'd be harder for her to interact with the world the way she preferred.

"Ya gonna have that Barolo Ornato?" Anna asked, grinning as she remembered the red wine Oraia had introduced her to in Morrocco.

"I already bought two bottles. You act like I wasn't planning on seeing you again..."

"Fine. See ya in...two hours?"

"Sounds good. Fix your shirt." Oraia was through a portal before Anna Marie looked down and saw the hints of her excitement. She groaned--two damn hours before Ah'm gettin' off. At least she was alive, and the world hadn't ended yet.

[flockofcrowsinatornadoofcreation]

Birdcage, Chapter 16

Glory Days

Lloyd closes his bedroom door with a sigh, deflating a bit. Flopping onto his bed, he feels himself relax for the first time since this morning.

He won't admit it to his family, but Morro's trial was particularly difficult to get through. The opposing side kept trying to win him over to their side, dredging up old transgressions best left forgiven.

Aaand now he's stressed again. Wonderful.

Perhaps some meditation would be best, Lloyd ponders. Struggling into a sitting position on his bed, he closes his eyes-

And Morro all but kicks the door down.

"You gotta hide me."

Lloyd opens a single eye to glance at him.

"What did you do?" he sighs, closing his eyes again.

"What did- I didn't do anything!"

Lloyd hums skeptically, still hopelessly pursuing meditation. Morro mutters something under his breath and curses.

"It's that nindroid! He's doing this to me!"

That gets Lloyd's attention. His eyes snap open, and he stares incredilously at Morro.

"What? Which nindroid?"

Morro rolls his eyes like he can't believe he's having to explain.

"Echo, obviously."

Oh.

Oh.

"And... what is he doing to you?" Lloyd asks, already knowing the answer. Morro scowls.

"He's making me feel weird. Whenever he looks at me or touches me, my heart gets all jumpy. He tries to understand me, and I can't help but want to know why. He's stupidly kind, with an annoying smile and those damn eyes -- Stop laughing at me!"

Lloyd cackles, laughing harder at Morro's infuriated expression.

"What's so funny," Morro growls. Lloyd takes a moment to calm his laughter, wiping tears from his eyes.

"Morro," he chuckles, "Do you know why he makes you feel this way?"

Morro's eyes narrow.

"You know something."

"Just think about it, Whirlwind."

After a moment of pacing and grumbling to himself, Morro stops short.

"Oh."

He's turned away from Lloyd, so his face isn't visible, but Lloyd can see his posture tighten.

"Morro?"

"First Master, strike me down. This is bad."

"What's wrong?"

"I can't- I- I just-"

Morro turns around. His eyes are huge, and anyone else would write off his red face as a sign of anger.

But Lloyd isn't anyone else, and Morro is definitely blushing.

"Lloyd, kill me," Morro says gravely.

"Wha- No!"

Morro seems to curl in on himself as he returns to his pacing, muttering under his breath.

"Shit. This can't be happening. Shit. Shit."

His chest heaving, Morro turns to Lloyd with a wild look in his eyes.

"I have to get out of here."

Lloyd feels a pang of fear in his chest, catching on his lungs.

"No!"

He scrambles over to Morro, latching onto his arm and looking up at him with wide eyes. Lloyd knows it's an unfair move on his part, but the thought of Morro leaving scares him. He has to keep him from leaving.

Even if it means resorting to his kicked puppy look that Kai swears works every time.

"Kid, you look like I said I'm dying," Morro grumbles, trying to escape. "I can't stay here anymore. It was a mistake to wait this long."

"Morro, you're staying," Lloyd says stubbornly. "You're in love. It's not the end of the world."

"Like you would know," Morro scoffs.

Lloyd falters, and Morro finally pulls his arm free. He's still talking, but Lloyd can't hear him anymore.

A girl with long white hair smirks at him, her smile sharp as a knife. Her eyes glitter coldly, deep blue contrasting against the red paint.

"Lloyd," she says in sing-song. "Don't you want to see your father again?"

Grief runs through his veins, a million voices screaming out in pain. Grief for his father. Grief for his brothers and uncle, dead on the wrecked Bounty. Grief for the girl he thought she was.

But anger rises in its place, burning like venom under his skin.

"Eat shit and die," he spits.

"Hey!"

Lloyd snaps back to the present, where Morro has grabbed his shoulder.

"Come on, Lloyd. Talk to me. What did I do wrong this time?"

Lloyd tries to talk, but the words come out as a gasp. Morro frowns and stands -- when did they sit down? -- to leave.

"I'm getting Kai."

Lloyd wheezes, trying to stop Morro from going, he has to stay, Lloyd will be alone, he has to stay-

"Okay, okay, I'm staying!" Morro yelps, sitting next to Lloyd. "You need to calm down. Your breathing's all wonky."

Lloyd finally finds his voice, coughing a bit as the air catches in his throat.

"Not your fault," he gasps. "Mine."

Morro stares at him, something clicking in his eyes. Lloyd feels the arm around his shoulders tighten.

"What happened after Day of the Departed?"

"What?" Lloyd wheezes.

"Everyone was happy when I last left. I come back, and everyone's walking on eggshells around you. Wu looks younger and sadder, and Cole's practically glued to his side. I've seen the murals in the courtyard. What happened."

Trying to find an excuse and getting none, Lloyd gives up and tells him.

After a explanation of the attack from the Time Twins, a teary rundown of the events after, and a brief moment where Lloyd thought Morro would storm from the room to hunt down Garmadon, Morro is caught up to speed.

Morro drags a hand over his face and sighs. After a moment of silent contemplation, he speaks his mind.

"When Wu found me..." he sighs wearily. "Only a few Elemental Masters knew about the Oni. Wu, your father, the Masters of Fire and Water, and myself. No one else knew. It was a closely guarded secret."

He chuckles dully, shaking his head.

"Imagine my confusion when Pixal spoke so casually of them."

Lloyd hums thoughtfully, absently picking at a loose thread on his hoody sleeve. He should really get it fixed, he'd rather not have his jacket disintegrate. Then he'd have to get a new one.

Oh! That reminds me! The surprise!

"By the way, your new clothes came out of the wash," Lloyd says casually, trying to hide his excitement. "Come on, I'll show you where they are."

Morro looks suspicious, but follows Lloyd from the room and down the hall.

Lloyd stops at the door to one of the unused bedrooms and grins sharkishly at Morro before opening the door.

"Go on in."

Morro hesitantly walks past him into the dark room. Lloyd flicks on the lights, and Morro stops short.

▪︎<◇>▪︎

It's his room.

It's his room. Almost exactly as he left it. Everything is in its place, every detail just the way he likes it. The only difference is the subtly darker color scheme and the addition of a ceiling light.

"What?" he whispers in shock. Lloyd laughs.

"You're going to be staying with us for a while. Did you really think we'd let you sleep in the medbay forever?"

Morro doesn't reply, but approaches his desk, where his folded clothes sit in the chair. He stares down at the pile before picking something up from the top.

"Is this... eye shadow?"

"Yeah," Lloyd huffs a laugh. "You seemed really sad when I told you your eye markings are gone, so I got that for you."

"Oh," Morro whispers, cradling the tiny container like a precious relic. "Thanks."

Lloyd shrugs.

"You're my cousin. It's no big deal."

Morro's world screeches to a halt.

"What?"

"Wu said you called him Dad, back at Stixx. I'm his nephew, which makes you my cousin," Lloyd calmly explains, seeming unaware of Morro's clashing emotions.

"You have to let me go!"

"No."

"She'll pull us both in if you don't!"

"No, I'm not letting you go-"

"Dad, please!"

"No," Morro snaps. "No, I didn't call him that. He must be lying."

Lloyd raises an eyebrow, but doesn't push the topic.

"Alright then. Training starts in the morning. Get some sleep, tomorrow will be early."

[anonymousfoz]

Crimson Eclipse #13

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It took a large and combined effort by the two girls however, all the wood and mattress had been moved to Crimson’s den. The two didn’t talk once they got back, as Sunny had felt so guilty about what had transpired. Luna had wanted to tell her that what had happened was not her fault, but decided it was best to leave Sunny alone for a short amount of time.

“What are you guys going to do with these materials?” The tall wolf looked over as he began preparing sandwiches. “Going to build a medieval fort replica?”

“I’m going to construct a little shack for myself, but a medieval fort sounds amazing. Maybe one day.” Crimson’s tail began to wag, which made Sunny smile. “Which fort were you thinking about?” Crimson began talking about the numerous and diverse forts he had encountered throughout his life, going on about the smallest details and even sketching blueprints in the dirt. While Crimson couldn’t remember a ton of his past, he had always wanted to be an architect. Sunny began constructing the shack while Crimson gave the lecture, but halfway through, she decided she would follow up on Crimson’s idea. The two started building the shack into a fort, with Crimson cutting the wood with his claws when needed. Luna took over cooking while the older pair had fun with the fort. It made Luna happy. Today had been hell, but it was worth it to see her favorite person enjoying the time of his life.

“I dub thee, the Queen of Fort Sol.”

“Fort Sun?”

“I’m not great at naming. Just give me a minute.” Crimson paused for a minute before looking outside. “Midnight Sun! And we can paint it to look like the night sky.”

“And you said you weren’t creative?” The two of them went over to Luna, who had prepared plates with their steak. “You guys want to go fishing tomorrow?”

“I can teach you. Just depends which way we fish, with a rod or the Crimson way.”

“Crimson way is always more fun.” The three enjoyed their lunch and spent the rest of the day hunting in the woods. Life in the forest was much calmer than in the city. While everything was trying to kill each other, there was a sense of order and balance. A feeling the town had lacked. Luna and Crimson remained on the forest floor while Sunny had gone ahead, swinging through the forest. She felt so free swinging around. Every launch into the air making her feel as if she could touch clouds and beginning to go higher… until she crashed down as she couldn’t find her footing. Sunny was fine, but she knew she was far away from Crimson and Luna. She climbed down the tree and laid down on what appeared to be a boulder, yet it was warm and fuzzy. Sunny quickly realized what she had done as she got off the fluffy boulder. Her face turned to horror as she realized it was a sleeping creature. The wild animal had awoken and quickly became hostile. It appeared to be some type of feline but the size of a bear. Sunny bolted, beginning to swing from tree to tree. The feline. was close behind, attempting to swipe the teenager out of the sky. Sunny had to think fast, as the feline would eventually catch up and she was running out of options. She swung to the tallest tree and climbed to the top. The feline attempted to knock down the tree, yet could not succeed. Sunny webbed the paws of the feline, keeping it in place. The feline began chewing the webs off before gagging out the webs. Sunny’s webs weren’t venomous, yet weren’t edible. The webs kept the feline at bay, yet curiosity got the best of Sunny as the feline began to lick the webs. Sunny slowly got closer before petting the feline. “Good kitty.” The feline let out a hiss, but Sunny quickly fired another web at its paw. It licked the new webs while Sunny continued to pet the creature. Sunny looked up to see the sun began setting, and the feline was still at the bottom of the tree. Sunny decided to risk it all and hop on the back of the feline, trying to use it like a horse. The feline refused until Sunny promised to give it more webs, but it didn’t understand at first until Sunny had fired a web at a tree in the distance. The feline began to rush off into the distance, stopping to lick every web. Eventually, the two returned to familiar territory. Sunny got off the feline and led it back towards the cave. The feline slowly followed with a little encouragement. Crimson quickly came out of the cave, smelling a scent that wasn’t normal in this area. “I can explain.” “What do you need to explain?” Crimson fed some meat to the feline who quickly caught it and began chewing it. Crimson picked up the feline and took it inside the cave. Sunny took a sigh of relief before heading in as the sun had set.

[horseshoecrabman]

7/26/24

hey all! time for another bee update!!

bee update 6:

content warning: picture of a bee sting on my hand (isnt bloody, but is slightly bruised/swollen)

this one might be short, since not much new stuff happens in the bee world. dad got around to buying some pesticides to get rid of the hive beetles! in short, we have to place it in such a way that only the beetles can access it, and then they eat it and die.

i'm a bit worried that the hive beetles ate so much of their honey that they won't be have enough to eat for the winter, but if worst comes to worst we can always give them sugar water!

speaking of bad stuff, a moment i've been dreading finally happened:

i got stung by a bee!!!!

what happened was that i was going to replace their water, so i removed the feeder as i normally do. it occurred to me that they seemed to not like the presence of my hand, as five or so bees came to fly around and get me to leave. i didn't think anything of it really. but when i came back to put the feeder back in, i felt a pain in my pinky finger and welp, i got stung.

i kind of freaked out to be honest, but i remembered to remove the stinger (as i had watched a youtube video a few months prior instructing me to do so in case of a bee sting) and then i left them alone after that!

it did hurt but it wasn't super bad! and while i'm on that topic i want to talk about what to do in case of you getting stung by a bee!

1. remove yourself from the area as calmly as possible! if near a hive in the wild it is best to leave, as to tell the bees that there is no more danger and wont illicit a defensive reaction!

2. remove the stinger as quickly as possible! if left in, the stinger will continue to pump venom into your body, and while not enough to kill or cause major damage (unless you have an allergic reaction, which i will get to in a bit), the stinger is easy to remove and will cause less pain if removed! you just have to pinch with your fingers and remove! using tweezers is not advised.

3. when that is done, wash the wound with soap and water and apply an ice pack! after that you can bandage it :)

4. if you do have an allergic reaction, i would recommend going to the hospital and looking into medications for these things! im not an expert on medical stuff like that, so forgive me if im wrong or dont provide enough info, but if this is a concern for you i recommend doing your own research! ^_^

another fact about bee stings is that the stinger of a bee is connected to their vital organs, so typically once the stinger is inside the flesh, the organs will get removed with it, unfortunately killing the bee. i say "typically" because there are cases of the bee being able to remove the stinger by itself and then flying off, but its very uncommon. however, i don't think anyone should feel overly guilty if a bee dies because they sting you, like any bug, bees die out quickly for a myriad of reasons. and by nature they are designed to produce lots of bees to make up for the ones that do die.

it was certainly a learning experience to get stung. all in all, i dont blame the bee for stinging me, nor do i feel mad about it, i should have recognized that they felt on edge to be honest. there were a whole bunch of birds flying around their hive so maybe thats why they were on the defensive? who knows to be honest!

anyways, the main reason why i make posts like this is because i want people to stop being scared of bugs, especially bees! bees are very crucial pollinators, and its sad that theyre becoming endangered because of human effects like the use of pesticides and the like.

bees aren't the only pollinators either! other examples are: wasps, ants, many families of flies, butterflies and moths, beetles, bats and birds (most notably the hummingbird), and even animals like monkeys, lemurs, possums and rodents!!

no one has to love bugs, but its always good to remember that bugs are a very important part of the earth!!!

anyways, bee update over!!! have a great day or night my friends!!!

[gayrobos]

blessings upon the 2 people who liked my tfoc posts. have some torture and gore and betrayal.

for reference here’s diabolica’s alt mode. which she is not using in this. I just think it’s neat.

[ID: black and yellow robot mantis covered in circular saws and chainsaws and scythes and shit. end ID]

She gets taken to an unpleasant room that smells like congealed energon, mech fluid, and despair. And there in the doorway is a terribly familiar silhouette, so familiar that for a moment she wonders when this is. Mantix died six thousand years ago, before the operation, she couldn't possibly be seeing her. No, this is now. And that's not Mantix. Lots of people could have the same alt mode and color scheme. Anyway, Mantix would recognize her, even though she's changed her alt. But she really, really looks like her.

"Are you the bodyguard?" asks not-Mantix. She speaks in Mantix's flat, disinterested voice, like a fucked up parody of Hyla's millennia-dead best friend. It's not an affect Hyla ever thought of as frightening; it was just Mantix. Now it's extremely frightening. Hyla wonders whether she's finally starting to unravel.

"I literally don't know anything, I only know where we were going to transmit, and I'll tell you that for free. It's not important intel."

"Of course you don't know anything," says not-Mantix. "I wouldn't use torture if you did. It's a terrible interrogation tactic."

Hyla is really starting to freak out now. "Then what do you WANT?"

"From you? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. My bosses are interested in how you do what you do, but I'm not. I'm just here to hurt you."

Hyla considers bravado, but it wouldn't do any good, and it wouldn't make her feel any better. But there is one glimmer of hope---not-Mantix takes off the stasis cuffs after she's strapped down. She puts venom production into overdrive.

"---nent." Dull burning pain inside her chest, where she can't see, like something's come loose, sensors going wild, aware that this mech doesn't intend to kill her but also very aware that that doesn't mean she'll necessarily ever be fine again. Not-Mantix raises one of her alt legs and its disclike joint, which is---no, no---a circular saw. It dips toward her open chest and she deactivates her optics, not wanting to know when it's coming. The moment it does jerks a scream out of her, quickly muffled.

And then the pain is gone. Fans whirring loudly, she turns her optics on and forces her energon lines open again; she's not bleeding. The interrogator is still several feet away, watching her. Oh, this is bad. If the Decepticons find out what she really is, she's going to get her fucking brain dissected. She whimpers, playing up her fear, though it's only a matter of time before not-Mantix figures it out anyway. Her only hope is to make sure the interrogator doesn't leave here alive.

Not-Mantix steps closer, and Hyla tries not to flinch, because she'll get the timing wrong. But it's hard not to as her chestplate's opened up, when she already knows what's going to happen. "Don't worry. This will only be semi-perman---"

Hot energon drips over her internals, and the pain returns. She fucking wishes it wouldn't skip around, but it always does that more when she's upset, like her mind is trying to escape. Hyla's fans stutter and gasp, and the interrogator tilts her head. "It was as if you didn't feel anything at all," she murmurs. "What kind of monster did they make?"

Hyla steels herself. Says through gritted teeth, "I couldn't tell you even if I wanted to." She'll stay in the present, not that she really knows how to control that, but if she wills it it's got to happen.

Twelve minutes and another even longer absence later (she can now place this moment from a couple years ago), she's reaching the end of her tolerance. She hasn't been able to scratch the interrogator yet. If there's any chance it can throw her off... why not try? "I have to..." she says faintly. "Mantix... please..."

"What?" asks the interrogator sharply. As Hyla hoped, she leans in.

"I know you're not her," says Hyla even more quietly. "But you look so much like Mantix."

She doesn't think about the way the interrogator goes still, because her hand is leaned next to Hyla's hood. Quick as a flash Hyla turns her head and sinks her teeth into the mech's hand, pumping in venom.

She cries out and hits Hyla in the face, trying to pull her hand away and finally succeeding, although she totally mangles it in the process. "How do you know that name?" she asks, as if Hyla didn't just bite through her hand until teeth met.

"Just an old friend," says Hyla. "Just a distraction."

But the mech's eyes are burning into hers. "You got reframed." Doesn't the venom fucking hurt? It was meant to. "I didn't recognize you. I thought you were dead, Hyla."

A shudder goes through Hyla. "You're not her."

"It seems the war has changed you more than me."

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Hyla snarls. The interrogator is standing close enough for Hyla to sink envenomed claws into her leg; she just fucking takes it. "If that shy awkward mech from geosciences saw what you've turned her into she'd go stick her head in a jet engine." She's /heard/ of this mech before, the torturer, the one who lets prisoners go when she's done with them just so the next Autobot she gets under her knife will be even more terrified. They call her Diabolica.

"They call you a monster," says Diabolica. "A machine for killing and nothing else. They say when you're hunting you let your prey run only because you know they can't escape."

The rest of the story everyone knows is that it's slow venom that makes sure no-one escapes. The Decepticon medics have enough corpses to put that together. Maybe Diabolica thinks this will be a slow venom too, but Hyla's injected too much of it. Diabolica slumps over her, trembling with the effort of holding herself up. "Guess you had it wrong who was the hunter," says Hyla.

"I'm sorry," says Diabolica. "Your intel mech is already dead. You should have at least an hour before anyone comes looking for me. Medical supplies are in the cupboard on the left. I can't tell you much... ab-bout the guard rotations... but, but you don't need me to." She spasms, obviously muting her vocalizer on a cry of pain, and falls off the slab onto the ground. Then she drags herself back up to enter a code into the slab, unlocking the cuffs. And Diabolica falls again.

Hyla rips through the open cuffs with her claws, as much to vent her sudden fury as to make it look like she escaped on her own. Can she trust Diabolica's word that Magnetron is dead? What does she even...

First order of business is to get back in fighting condition. She grimaces down as she steps over the collapsed mech, who set her free when she might have instead called the guards. If Diabolica had wanted to fuck her over, she could very well be dead by now. Instead it's Diabolica who has about two hours to live.

Hyla crouches down and turns Diabolica over to get a better angle. Sinks her teeth into Diabolica's neck to inject antivenom, just enough that her body won't entirely shut down; just enough to buy her another day or so.

Then she locates a medkit and gets to work.

[rosiethedragongeek]

Out of curiosity which rider do you think has the least common sense? Cause all of them have a pretty good case let’s be real, cause we’re not saying intelligence or smarts we’re talkin common sense

This is literally the hardest question I've ever been asked. Like ever. How do I even begin to quantify this???

Okay, let's look at them one by one.

Hiccup -

Despite the fact that he has a dragon, he attempts to make a flight suit and throws himself off of a cliff several times

When his suit fails or breaks several times, he just builds a new one

Has a price on his head and more enemies than any other teenager like,,,, ever who are more than willing to bring him in and tells nobody

Tries to block the arrows being shot at the skrill with his body

To prove that lightning is attracted to metal (especially at high altitudes) he climbs the mast of a boat with a metal spear in his hand

Saw a Night Fury and decided to let it go and befriend it

DECIDED TO RIDE SAID NIGHT FURY AFTER IT DRAGGED HIM INTO THE AIR AND THEY FLAILED AROUND UNTIL IT KNOCKED HIM OFF

Knows to be wary of blue oleander but did NO RESEARCH on any other kind of oleander??? So Viggo was able to trick him????

The entire scene in ‘Family on the Edge’ where he tries to get Heather’s opinion on Dagur/get Heather to leave

Astrid -

Blocks an arrow headed for Stormfly with HER LEG

And then she tries to lie about it

Forces them to take Garf everywhere bc she likes him

Punches a Slitherwing to get it's venom DESPITE being shown to have the stealth skills to get the venom without needing to PUNCH A DRAGON THAT KILLS YOU INSTANTLY

Gets scratched by one of the living corpses on an abandoned ship and doesn't think it's relevant to mention

Intentionally puts herself in the direct path of a hostile triple stryke while blind

Snotlout -

Transforms Fishlegs back into Thor Bonecrusher just because he has a crush

Anti heroic

Sells all of his non-essential clothes and spends all of the money he has on chicken feed for a chicken that isn't even his

Uses all of the Nightmare gel they have to defend the Edge (in a time where it very much needs defending) to make a big explosion just bc he can

Loses the super important Jorgenson family axe because he’s playing around with it

Grabs an entire speedstinger to lure away a pack of speedstingers

Fishlegs -

Sleeps with a pack of wild (hostile) dragons

Closes himself in the dome with a wounded singetail

Every scene (I think there are two) where a quaken is rolling at him full speed and he just stands there trying to train it

Goes off looking for an island of dangerous dragons alone (dramillions)

Announces himself in front of a huge gathering of bloodthirsty dragon hunters as someone who is going to try and free the dragons they are going to hunt

Despite Hiccup telling him that Thor Bonecrusher was dangerous last time and it’s better to find a better work around to their problem (and that the other side of the argument is SNOTLOUT) he still lets SNOTLOUT turn him back into Thor Bonecrusher

Ruffnut -

Uses all of the Nightmare gel they have to defend the Edge (in a time where it very much needs defending) to make a big explosion just bc she can

Paints Tuff onto a WILD changewing (presumably the one that ATE HIM) and spends all her time with it (again, wild, dangerous dragon who may or may not have EATEN HER BROTHER)

Instead of putting the dangerous speed stinger in a cage before they fly around with it, she ties it up with ropes like??? ALSO DOESN’T SECURE ITS TAIL IN ANY WAY

Takes Snotlout around letting him get bit by wild, giant dragons and poisonous animals to try and prove a point and figure out what bit Tuff (she basically would’ve killed him if someone hadn’t stepped in

Tuffnut -

Instead of flying the extra distance to Berk to safely fix Macey, he flies to the dangerous Northern Markets to do it a little faster

Fakes his death to allow Ruffnut to pursue a romantic relationship when they could easily just have a conversation

Convinces himself that he is turning into a dangerous dragon after getting BIT BY A WOLF (seriously how did he not see it when it bit him like)

Clings onto the bottom of Toothless when Hiccup takes off and hangs on upside down for a significant amount of time

When threatened by a feral night fury, his response is to throw less than an ounce of salt at him

Uses all of the Nightmare gel they have to defend the Edge (in a time where it very much needs defending) to make a big explosion just bc he can

I’m sure there’s stuff that I’m missing for each of them, and while some of the gang may have more/less bullets than each other, not all of them are equally bad lol. I think that overall, given this list, Ruffnut generally has the most common sense so long as Tuff isn’t in danger/dead.

I’d say it’s between Hiccup, Snotlout and maybe Fishlegs for biggest fucking idiot though lol (the amount that Hiccup had surprised me)

(This took literally forever to answer, I’m sorry. I actually started answering this pretty much right when I received it and then I saved it as a draft and forgot about it lol)

[bestworstcase]

(other post in question was this one, for anyone curious)

rubs hands. about the tyrian-qrow rivalry – i do actually agree that as things stand now there isn’t one, except insofar as qrow’s enmity is still very personal. but! i will argue that tyrian legit had a score he wanted to settle in v7.

mainly this is predicated on tyrian’s reaction when qrow cold-clocks him during the v4 fight, which, zoomed in:

he’s seriously rattled. to me this reads less like anger that qrow managed to land a hit than it does fear,because tyrian is—as you point out—arrogant to the point of, i think, feeling invincible. 

after all, tyrian is outrageously strong (he stops that powered-up hammer blow from nora cold with his tail), extremely fast and agile, perceptive and clever enough to sniff out and exploit psychological weaknesses, his cackling maniacal lunatic act is so disturbing that it throws even trained combatants off their game, he can just rip through aura, and his fifth limb is a deadly weapon in its own right that can kill with a touch. 

he’s also a mass killer who seems to have been arrested because he went on a killing spree through a crowd in broad daylight—which, combined with his MO in v7, suggests that his preferred victims are civilians with no aura who can’t fight back period. in a real fight, tyrian is bombastic and wild because he feels untouchable. powerful. he revels in that. 

& of course beneath that surface is someone who will cringe and grovel before anyone who can take that feeling of invincible power away from him—as you say, we see this with salem whenever she scares him or rejects him. 

(i would add “are you questioning our divine savior?!” to the appeasements pile; he’s the one who sets the expectation that salem is going to punish someone, when HEM return empty-handed, and look at his face at the top of the next scene:

even watts is carefully not looking at salem here, but tyrian is fully wall-eyed with terror—i think once salem flips the table and goes into her little spiel, watts clocks the performance and relaxes into his normal mode of casual irreverence but tyrian does not, and freaks out when he hears watts talking to her that way. it’s knee-jerk appeasement to separate himself from the one back-talking her. punish HIM, not ME.) 

anyway, the point being that when qrow reacts to tyrian disarming him by just. decking tyrian and drop-kicking him across the square, he shatters that feeling of invincibility. suddenly this isn’t Fun Playing With Prey time anymore—qrow hurt him. qrow caught him off guard. qrow might actually beat him. for tyrian i think that’s really scary!

& i mean, look at him:

this is the exact same sort of cowering terror we’ve seen tyrian display when salem gets angry, and if you watch closely:

the reason qrow’s able to kick this guy not just off his feet but send him flying across the square isn’t just that qrow puts a lot of force into the kick; tyrian also looks up, sees qrow coming at him again, and recoils so hard he’s already just starting to topple over when qrow plants a foot on his chest. and then:

there’s that fawning response. he holds this posture and doesn’t move until qrow walks past him, at which point tyrian looks up over his shoulder to track qrow’s movement with, again that wall-eyed fearful expression. it’s only once he hears qrow scoff that the fear transmutes into anger, and then he hears qrow start to dislodge harbinger from the wall and that’s when the Homicidal Maniac mask snaps back into place right as tyrian lunges at qrow’s exposed back.

we see tyrian do this same thing in 4.11, terrified cowering then working himself up through distress to enraged violence toward (in that case, a proxy for) what scared/hurt him until he tips back into feeling invincible again and then the cackling sadistic edge resurfaces.

now in the moment, he’s able to retaliate by stinging qrow with what he believes will be a fatal dose of his venom, and that soothes all the bad vulnerable scared feelings for the instant before ruby cuts off his tail—which is so bad that he can’t lash back and so just runs away. (remember how tyrian goaded cinder in 4.1, the “if it were me… well, she took your eye, didn’t she?”/“eye for an eye…” stuff? i think it’s telling that tyrian, after this point in the story where ruby cuts off his tail, does not breathe a single word about her—which might be coming from a place of slavish devotion to salem but i think it’s at least in part because he didn’t/couldn’t retaliate in the moment and he can’t emotionally handle fear/pain without that violent release so he just. represses it.)

BUT THEN. ok. 4.11 tyrian tells salem that qrow branwen is dead, that tyrian killed him. salem isn’t pleased necessarily but tyrian believes this to be true so she has no reason to doubt the information, until a few days later in 5.2 when watts tells her that qrow just arrived in mistral with a) ruby rose and b) the spring maiden’s whereabouts, meaning that tyrian. not only failed to kill qrow, but had he succeeded he would have actually sabotaged salem’s plans by ganking the guy who had the information tyrian was originally assigned to track down. and then when she sends cinder out to leave for haven salem’s parting words are “inform tyrian that i wish to have a word with him.”

she is at this point very tangibly Not Happy with tyrian and given how emotionally dependent he is on her approval, the simplest and cruelest thing salem can do to him is tell him how severely he disappointed her and how very fortunate it is for him that he couldn’t even kill qrow branwen, who has proven himself to be of far greater use to her than tyrian has managed of late,

so i think this reawakened everything tyrian felt in this moment:

and mashed THAT feeling together with the agonizing distress salem would inflict on him by explaining to him in cutting detail how he Fucked Up by trying to kill qrow.

the key piece here, imo, is what watts says when he and cinder are negotiating with raven: qrow branwen is someone salem would “very much like dead,” because he is ozpin’s spy and because he’s proven to be quite dangerous (severing the connection before cinder could claim the fall maiden in entirety, cutting off tyrian’s tail). so tyrian had good cause to believe “qrow branwen is dead” would really mollify salem.

one presumes that the essential reasons why salem might want qrow dead are unchanged in v7-8: if anything, given qrow was instrumental in foiling her capture of the lamp at haven, she’d surely consider him a greater threat to her plans than before. tyrian also has his own reason to want qrow dead, because in a one-on-one fight qrow poses a real threat to him and he knows it and i think, deep down, this probably still freaks him out especially with qrow having survived what tyrian meant to be a fatal sting.

…but on the other hand, the last time he tried to kill qrow, salem a) didn’t care and b) later raked him over the coals because qrow had information she needed.

so i think, when tyrian comes face-to-face with qrow again in atlas, he has this cauldron of contradictory impulses brewing under the surface:

qrow is dangerous, so tyrian is a little afraid of him, and tyrian deals with fear by killing

qrow is a threat to salem’s plans who must be eliminated

the last time tyrian tried to kill qrow, salem was very displeased and tyrian NEEDS HER TO FORGIVE HIM HE NEEDS TO PLEASE HER

he therefore cannot under any circumstances kill qrow, until/unless salem gives him explicit instruction to do so

and i think—because tyrian is so brittle, emotionally—this conflicting need to both kill and not kill qrow would incite a lot of squirmy uncomfortable feelings that put him on edge. his own mind backed him into an impossible corner. i honestly don’t think that tyrian would have crashed the transport on purpose if qrow weren’t aboard—he’d have started stinging indiscriminately as soon as he wriggled free. but qrow is at the center of salem’s displeasure with tyrian because of what happened in v4-5, and then tyrian heard clover say there’s a warrant for qrow’s arrest and that was like

THE ANSWER.

to every problem tyrian had right then. to wit:

escape ✅

purge bad scary feelings by killing ✅

punish qrow for hurting him ✅

take qrow off the board for salem ✅

without killing him ✅

tyrian is, as noted, very perceptive and very clever. i think this plan crystallized in his mind right away, as soon as qrow/robin and clover started bristling at each other, and then as you say after the crash he’s singularly focused on manipulating the situation to achieve this outcome. and then he pulls it off and zips away feeling exultant and invincible again.

case in point, note how relaxed tyrian is by the time cinder reaches salem, compared to how he was in 4.11 (panicky groveling), early v7 (anxious about being discovered/failing), or the last couple episodes of v7 (enraged/freaked out by setbacks, out of control maniac behavior in the 3v1). in 8.1 he’s utterly confident that he’s in salem’s good graces again (even though watts had to be “sacrificed” so an incomplete success), and i think that’s because tyrian used that fight with qrow and murdering clover to purge all of the distress / fear / anxiety he’d kept bottled up ever since his failure in v4 and the (offscreen) scolding he got from salem in v5.

…all that being the long way around to saying: i don’t think tyrian feels any particular enmity towards qrow in v4-7, per se, beyond wariness for an opponent he can’t easily overpower, BUT during this part of the story qrow becomes sort of a proxy, in tyrian’s mind, for salem’s displeasure—if he can redeem himself from his defeat at oniyuri by defeating qrow, not just beating him in a fight but literally sort of re-enacting that same battle (stinging qrow while ruby looks on in horror -> killing clover with qrow’s sword while qrow looks on in helpless horror), then all of his Bad Feelings will go away and salem will forgive him and EVERYTHING WILL BE OKAY AGAIN!!

in this way he’s a direct inverse of cinder: she carries her grudges and vengeful impulses on her sleeve while hiding and stridently denying her desire for salem’s approval, vs tyrian eagerly and desperately pleads for salem’s approval while burying his need to retaliate until it decays into being just another facet of his need for her approval. (which is why the narrative plays them against each other in relation to salem constantly)

that being said

while qrow is no longer of any personal concern to tyrian except in the sense that qrow is one of salem’s enemies, and qrow’s optimistic new outlook is likely to temper his reflex to actively seek vengeance, so i wouldn’t say they’re ‘rivals’ in the diegetic sense necessarily

i do think they are still narratively linked together. now i am not in the camp that qrow is going to kill tyrian or even that there will be a big showdown between them, but i do think that tyrian is set up to pose some sort of emotional challenge to qrow in vacuo to facilitate the culmination of qrow’s character arc because there is, narratively, still a ‘score’ to settle. specifically:

qrow “i’ll kill you” -> tyrian “you mean like you killed clover?”

clover “someone had to take the fall” -> qrow “james will take the fall”

qrow using clover’s pin as a focal token to wish misfortune on the bomb -> harriet “i’ve killed us all.” -> vine sacrificing himself

there’s this pretty overt theme of blame and sacrifice circling around clover’s death: who is at fault versus who takes the fall, and that begins with tyrian killing clover with qrow’s weapon so qrow is presumed to be the murderer and decides that really it’s ironwood who deserves to be punished which is, in the end, qrow pushing his own feelings of guilt outward onto an easier target. robyn sees this happening and talks qrow through it so he can start to process the guilt in a more constructive way and then this idea is repeated in a more heightened way with the harriet/nuke/vine situation.

what i think the narrative is setting up here is for qrow to face tyrian again after having worked through his own guilt and the vengeful anger it engendered. tyrian is the one who killed clover, so if anyone is to be punished for this death it would be tyrian, but at the same time qrow’s impulse to punish someone a) was an externalization of his own feelings of guilt that b) swung toward someone qrow was already mad at and felt betrayed by, not the actual murderer.

taps what i said earlier about qrow just being a proxy tyrian used to Deal With his shame / fear / distress with regard to salem. just as tyrian is a twisted ideal form of mercury’s nihilism, he is also a pure embodiment of qrow’s kneejerk impulse to hurl his own bad feelings at an easier external target instead of dealing with them. i think the culmination of this emotional arc will involve overcoming what tyrian represents—this vengeful impulse to find someone to take the fall—and that’s likely to take the form of some kind of confrontation.

i think you’re probably in the right neighborhood as far as tyrian trying to bait qrow into a vengeful trap and failing because qrow has overcome that. BUT because qrow (in tyrian’s mind) is connected to salem’s approval i also think that if tyrian tries to do something like this and fails because he no longer has any emotional power over qrow, that’s liable to rip all of the Bad Feelings right back to the surface in the form of, as we saw in v7, deep anxiety about Failing and emotional volatility because tyrian cannot handle fear at all—except this time he won’t have watts to temper his impulses.

so the interesting potential that i see in this, for lack of a better term, “rivalry” where tyrian is a proxy for qrow’s inner demon and qrow a proxy for salem’s approval is that if qrow beats tyrian in any way—even if it’s just by not walking into a trap, or brushing off an emotional provocation—i think tyrian might start to just. unravel. not because he’s especially fixated on qrow per se, but because qrow overpowering him is linked to salem’s displeasure in his mind, and he has no one in vacuo to keep him on the rails.

like imagine… mid-v10, around the same point in the narrative when the election stuff comes to a head in v7, there’s some sort of crisis and qrow runs into tyrian while on his way to help. tyrian thinks this is an opportunity to rob the coalition of a powerful defender by drawing qrow into an extended duel and tries to hit the same emotional buttons he used to fuck with qrow’s head in atlas, but this time qrow (who has gotten a lot more in tune with his semblance and also dealt with all that stuff) doesn’t even break stride, just glances over and more or less swats tyrian out of the way. and then the coalition overcomes whatever the bigger crisis is.

tyrian is now back to “the grimm were supposed to destroy our enemies, not make them friends!!!” levels of anxious rage, exacerbated by round two of one of the enemy’s strongest fighters having just brushed him off (he’s supposed to be terrorizing them to set the stage for salem and they don’t even think he’s a serious threat anymore)… with no watts to calm him down or provide strategic focus for that fury. what does tyrian do when he’s overcome with rage and has no guardrails to channel his violent impulses? murderous rampages, if his past is any indication.

or whatever. i think a relatively low-stakes ‘confrontation’ between tyrian and qrow toward the end of the first act of v10 is pretty likely to 1. complete the arc of emotional growth from clover’s death and 2. light the fuse on the powder keg that is tyrian when he doesn’t feel assured of salem’s favor, raising the stakes for the rest of the volume.

Tyrian Callows - The Master of Murder, Mayhem & Multitasking!

So, I recently saw a post discussing Tyrian Callows and I wanted to go into why I find him quite interesting despite his overall demeanor seeming to be that of a nihilistic serial killer.

Off the cuff, when I first saw Tyrian I hated him, "Oh good, another cackling serial killer, I hope e only exists to die & be replaced".

Then he ambushes RNJR & suddenly, oh suddenly I'm having fun!

Because he's not just cackling & killing, he's bombastic, spewing purple prose and strutting around like he's on a stage, then flinging himself through walls for dramatic poses. He waits after receiving major surprise attacks to reveal they didn't hurt him.

He is in essence, a theater kid who happens to also be a cultist and serial killer and I think that is incredibly entertaining if nothing else.

Beyond that I find his fawning behavior on Salem intriguing. Like, even beyond his failure, when Salem is growing in fury & others like Watts & Hazel know to get the fuck out. He starts irrationally offering her acts of service in a bid to make her happy before fleeing as well.

Like, whatever is going on there is interesting if nothing else, I think.

Then there's the fact he is far more insightful than characters like him are usually written as but, its not at the expense of is manic disposition as it often ends up being with say, Joker, bleh.

What I mean is, Tyrian is very good at analyzing people, what they want, what they feel, what will hurt them the most, what above all drives them & can articulate it very easily. Ala his confrontation with Mercury only knowing violence & being too afraid to leave it.

Yet at the same time when out under pressure by Clover, Qrow & Robyn he very quickly starts losing his cool, his mannerism and behaviors become more unhinged & wild, he is legitimately not all there. & it is isn't until he's had time to cool off in the airship that he's back on his game.

Finally there is his 'rivalry' qith Qrow.

To me the fun thing is that there is zero rivalry on Tyrian's end.

Qrow is just someone who he met in V4 and knew to be a capable fighter & important enemy agent. He was excited to fight & kill him & was briefly knocked off his game when disarming Qrow did nothing to slow him down.

Most Hunters based their fighting styles on their weapons so disarming them tends to be a winning move unless they are Hazel, Tyrian or Yang style combatants.

But he was back on his game in short order and still having a great time and even managed to essentially score the win... Right until Ruby dismembered him & he did not take it gracefully.

To say the least, Tyrian is definitely arrogant, I think that much is self evident.

It makes sense, it took a cooperative operation of Mitral Hunters & Atlesian Specialists to take him down. The Queen of Grimm came to collect him herself. His Semblance lets him take Aura out of a fight. & by all accounts he definitely seems to be among the most dangerous combatants on Remnant even without said Semblance.

So yeah, not surprised that he was both knocked off his game & angry about the injuries but after that he doesn't seem to dwell on them much the way Cinder spent several volumes seething over the damage Ruby did to her.

His little foreshadowing moment to Ruby before the election massacre & enjoying Qrow's suffering during Volume 7 very much seem like things he'd have done regardless cos he's just like that.

Tyrian will however exploit the idea of a rivalry to his advantage.

What I mean is, Qrow makes it clear when ambushing him with Clover & Robyn that he holds a grudge over their last fight. Tyrian doesn't utilize that in the three on one beatdown he gets, he's barely keeping his head above water most of that fight.

But once he is back in the game he's cheerfully egging on the break down in the Atlas and Mantle alliance. He's completely ignoring Qrow until the man jumps on him & even then doesn't offer him any unique attention.

Its only once he's established that things with Qrow and Clover have degraded as far as they have that he jumps in. He avoids starting off too violently to see how things go & is well pleased by Clover's dogged commitment to his orders.

Also likely dismissing Tyrian as just a violent lunatic.

It is then and only then that he leans on the idea that he actually wants a rematch with Qrow. But even then he still patiently waits for Qrow to float the idea first. He is playing into Qrow's grudge & Qrow's belief in a Shounen style rivalry & with it the belief that Tyrian will ignore Clover themoment he is not interrupting the fight and duke it out with Qrow.

But Tyrian only plays along with that and instead uses Clover's defeat to end his fucking life and frame Qrow for it.

He certainly has fun twisting the knife but again, this is stuff he does with everyone when he gets the chance. & it serves to make things more complex for Atlas and the now rebellious heroes than it would if Clover & Qrow had died together. Especially as enemy reinforcements are coming.

After this, again, neither Qrow or Ruby warrant a mention from him.

This is his job, they were parts of his assignments and Tyrian just happens to love what he's doing. Which humorously aligns very well with the life advice he gave Emerald and Mercury. Even if that was just because he thinks it'd be fun to be given the chance to kill them.

Anyway those are my takes on Tyrian Callows, evil as fuck, but smarter & more interesting than the usual portrayals of his archetype!

Thanks for reading!

[criticalrolo]

I would love to hear more about TUA Daemon AU, if you are willing to share. :)

Absolutely!! Here's what I'm thinking as a general overview for the kid's daemon forms

Luther: Great Dane

Great Danes are outgoing and happiest when they're with people. They're very loyal, close-bonding dogs and don't do great with solitude. They are obedient and dutiful, and the "dog" desire to please people definitely seems to fall in line with his desire to please Reginald and have everyone Be A Part Of The Team. The "gentle giant" stereotype seems to fit Luther, especially in the later seasons once he gets out from underneath Reginald's influence. I do think that his Great Dane form would reflect his desire to please his dad, but I also think it would make sense if she had a unique coat pattern that's not officially recognized, showing that Luther does have a unique personality and sense of self independent of what Reginald wants, even if it takes a while for that part to show. Maybe a black one with white spotting on the chest?

Diego: Peregrine Falcon

Peregrine Falcons are really adaptable birds, found on every continent except Antarctica, which tracks for Diego's thrill seeking side. However, they've also got strong homing instincts, with nesting sites that have lasted for hundreds of generations. Diego values being able to do his own thing, but is also incredibly loyal to his designated "people." Peregrines are defensive birds, capable of driving off larger raptors like golden eagles to protect their nests, which reflects Diego's competitive nature for sure. They're also obviously known for their record breaking speed and accuracy, and I think Diego would take a lot of pride in his daemon having "powers" similar to his own out in the wild :)

Allison: White-Lipped Island Pit Viper

The thing that drew me to pit vipers for Allison was their thermal imaging senses: they are able to sense the body heat coming off small animals using the "pits" in their nose and use a thermal map over their vision. Essentially, they can literally take the temperature of a room and act accordingly. Allison is an expert at knowing when and how to strike at different people to accomplish her goals, and her intuitive senses when something is "off" with someone, like with Leonard in season 1 and Harlan in season 3, are very accurate. Pit vipers are venomous snakes, but unlike other venomous snakes that will strike and then back away, pit vipers will latch onto their prey and not let go, which Allison reflects in her tenacious and driven temperament. Snakes in general also have a reputation for being ambitious and cunning in many cultures, as well as being alluring. I chose the island pit viper specifically for its unique blue coloring. It's genuinely beautiful, and I think it reflects a lot of Allison's intelligence and social skills.

Klaus: North American River Otter

River Otters are non-territorial and have lots of different kinds of social groups, and are very socially flexible compared to other animals. Their territories overlap considerably without issue, and there's rarely much in-fighting in their groups. Klaus is not nearly as ruthlessly competitive as his siblings, and his go-to coping strategy has always fallen more along the lines of checking out and trying (key word: trying) to have a good time. Otters are known for being playful and vocal, and Klaus is definitely a very expressive person. They are also close bonding animals, and stay loyal to their groups for life. Otters also have a tendency to take over other animal's dens instead of building their own. They tend to be 'procrastinators' and I can see someone with an "otter" temperament being the kind of person to avoid stress whenever possible. However, it should definitely be noted that North American River Otters in particular are apex predators, and have been observed killing alligators in the wild. When backed into a corner, Klaus can be just as ruthless as the rest of his siblings, despite his more laid back general nature.

Ben: Tree Pangolin

Pangolins are solitary creatures for the most part, mainly living on their own although occasionally. some mated pairs have been observed staying together. They are most well known for their defensive measures: when confronted by a predator, they will curl into an armored ball to protect their vulnerable underbellies. Ben is a guarded person in both timelines: he reacts to feeling vulnerable by either retreating into himself or lashing out to keep people away. Pangolins will hiss and lash at predators with their sharp scaled tails to chase them off. They are also relatively specialized creatures, with a diet limited to only a few species of ants and termites. They will hunt for hours at a time, and are able to close their nostrils and ears to protect them from insect bites while they are eating. This tracks with Ben's very specialized powers (not a lot of Varied Applications of Violent Stomach Tentacles other than tearing people apart) and how he can get very dedicated to a single goal at a time, shutting out anything that tries to deter him.

Viktor: Death's Head Hawkmoth

Moths are nocturnal creatures, with well developed patterns and behavior for camouflage. They don't stand out against flashier insects like butterflies at first glance. Death's Head moths especially are known for being solitary creatures, and they are much more likely to avoid conflict with predators than to confront them actively. Viktor retreats into himself when he feels threatened, and found himself stuck as a wallflower for most of his life, even after he left the Umbrella Academy. Death's Head moths are specialist hunters: they are the only moth species to selectivity raid and feed on the honey of only the Western honey bee. Viktor is a specialist and intensely focused as well, devoting himself one Big Task or Calling at a time. Symbolically speaking, moths are strongly associated with night and the moon (ha) and settlings as the Death's Head moth is sort of a reference to Viktor's hidden power and capability for wrath and destruction when he gets pushed over the edge. While moths can be delicate and sensitive, their full transformation from caterpillar to beautiful winged creature represents Viktor coming into his own over the course of the show.

Five: Unsettled

Five, throughout the show, exists as a very literal visual metaphor for the long term effects of childhood trauma: he is, literally, a man child. It's a deliberate inversion of the idea that many traumatized adults feel like children who never got to grow up trapped in the bodies of adults. In the show, Five may have physically aged while stuck in the apocalypse, but it's made pretty clear that his mental state sort of gets stuck at age 13. He has one goal starting from then and lasting his entire life: go back to his childhood and Fix Things for his family. As he says in season 1, he has "a lot of growing up to do" once he thinks he's prevented the apocalypse. That's why, in this AU, I think his daemon just... never settles, no matter how old he physically gets. I also think that once he time travels into the apocalypse, his daemon stops speaking to him. Five locks away pretty much all thoughts except survive, survive, survive, and I think that's a very deliberate choice on his part. He can't acknowledge the reality of his situation or else he'd never be anywhere close to functional enough to achieve his goals. So, he pretty ruthlessly cuts out anything that isn't directly related to "save his family." If he acknowledged how badly the apocalypse was truly ruining his life, he'd never be able to get back home.

So, he stays unsettled.