#i was actually crying the whole time drawing this lol

[elysiarte]

..gone

[sysig]

They’re both so cute, what’s up with that (Patreon)

[dawnthefluffyduck]

I think i doubt my ability to work faster under stress too much

[ichthyorelationships]

ideas: i didn't really think of him being underwater but they deserve to have drama by crying there too so i just think you could say something about the composition being denser than water or w/e. proteins

i'm always like good thing he didn't try to exit asap via swimming in ciao alberto But What If He Did lol. just swim Somewhere else along the coast, maybe panic about [money??] & whether somehow this ruins school for luca, whether he can get in touch w/o it being On Sight b/w him & all marcovaldos, consider just kind of trying out other places, traveling after all...fascinating considering the other povs on the issue like: now there's the paguros to sympathize w/a kid vanishing, luca however in a somewhat more novel position there, giulia's throwback to alberto being a bit perplexing lmao, kind of thinking the best massimo could do is have a prewritten letter for luca to give to alberto If Possible, conveying something like i know you didn't set my livelihood on fire on purpose but even if you did i'd want you to stay. and luca in a position to do all of "maybe give the island fun facts so someone can check if he's there" & "wait & hope alberto can/does get in touch" & "have a lot of feelings"....not even the context of what this drawing is about necessarily, just tacking it on here anyways. ahead of time i went "heh now i Know they're gonna have it get little Real here b/c it's really about alberto wanting the security of feeling he can 'earn' a sustained relationship" then the short cleared & i was lying completely dead on the pavement

[fruchtchen]

just some guys

[birbfeeder2artisticboogaloo]

I MISSED HAPPY MU QING DAY ;A;

but better late than never RIIIIGHT??? so mu qing with cats. bc he deserves. ALLL OF THE CATS ;A;

[pepperpixel]

*my eyes burst open w a flash of light*

SEVIKA

Yadda yadda yadda jinx is generally seen as a loose canon, does whatever she wants type of character, totally unpredictable. When in actuality, up until the last few episodes all of her choices and actions r motivated by wanting to please someone else. Hell. Even in the last couple episodes, the very Last thing we see her doing is ENTIRELY MOTIVATED by devotion and love and grief for silco, she’s taking out her frustration at herself and the world, and also honoring his wishes and dreams. By shooting a fucking bomb at piltover, she’s ensuring his life wasn’t in vain, she’s honoring him. In that moment

Her entire, self!!! is centered around love and loyalty. Is centered around other people, She’s motivated by an insatiable urge to prove herself, to be useful to those she loves, to show that she can help them and be there for them and be WORTHY of there love. That they haven’t made a mistake in loving her. To prove that she can be as pivotal to them as they r for her. She goes to the ends of the fucking earth to do this. And it ends. Terribly.

She puts the people she loves on pedestals and supplicates at there feet, she has no motivations most of the show outside of making the people she loves happy… she yearns for connection and love and safety. For a home that will never leave her behind, or crumble under her feet, (an indestructible home, That she can’t destroy just by being her…)

Which is why.. it’s so. Interesting and intriguing. How now, she has no one on that pedestal to worship, no one to drag sacrifices and offerings to the feet of, no one to spiral around and build herself off of. She is a person so *affected* by her relationships w others, but there is no relationship now, no one is stepping up to the plate to love her. She’s too much. For anyone. The one person who seemed to have unlimited patience for her is dead, because of her. and maybe vi could still love her.. but. She’s already soured that relationship. Already broken that one too. Broken all her favorite toys that made her so happy. That were there for her. And scared all the rest away. (There is a limit to what vi can support and forgive to reconnect w her sister. And I believe terrorism is crossing that limit ghgh)

And maybe, jinx is cutting that part of herself out on purpose. To be stronger, she’s realized she just. Isn’t made for love. That she ruins it all in the end. That it just makes everything worse. Messier. More complicated. She’s better off on her own, but for what PURPOSE! Who will she be now! What choices will she make!?! Almost all of her actions in the show were for others, what is driving her now, now that she has this gaping void at the center of her being. Where love used to be… what kind of person will she become, Without a guide to follow… a sun to orbit around. it’s sad honestly ghghg-!!! like yeah it’s not healthy that she is this way but there’s no THERAPY IN ARCANE. THIS IS THE WAY SHE IS! And now. She’s alone… it’s rough. But also intriguing…!! And I honestly have no clue how she’s gonna act in season 2,,, or what sorta shit she’s gonna get up to. but I’m excited.

[nerice]

good evening i am. angry but also don't have the wrist stamina to get into it

[solxamber]

Hi! I love your writing, I'm constantly rereading it, it's so good!! I would like to request a scenario where reader is a very sweet and nice person, always helping others and willing to listen to their problems, but they reach their limit and snap one day at a group of nrc boys who have been harassing them for a long time (up to you if it was malicious teasing or a 'pulling on pigtails' reason for the teasing!). Full on calling them out for their shitty behavior and verbally tearing them down, and drawing a crowd who didn't think this would happen because of reader's usual personality. They have to get pulled away by (separate scenarios) Vil, Leona, and Crewel who helps them calm down and comforts them when they start angry crying. Pre-relationship for Vil and Leona please, maybe they have to deal with the fact they thought reader was super attractive when they were all angry and going off on the NPCs lol. Thanks if you write this one! 🫶

Sweet reader who goes off with Leona, Vil, Crewel

i loved this ask, it was fun to write <3

Leona Kingscholar

Leona had been watching the whole thing from the sidelines, lounging under the shade of a tree. He knew the moment those idiots opened their mouths, things were about to go sideways. What he didn’t expect was for you to completely lose it.

You, the sweet and patient person who always helped others with a smile, were now ripping into the Savanaclaw students like a lion who’d just had its tail stepped on.

“Wow, real original, ‘stealing magicless human’s lunch,’” you sneered, hands on your hips. “What’s next? Pulling my hair? Tripping me in the hallway? You all got your moves straight from a kindergarten bully manual, didn’t you?”

The group of Savanaclaw students blinked in confusion, clearly not expecting the sudden barrage. “W-Well, we’re just... teasing!” one of them stammered.

“Teasing? Is that what you call it?” You leaned in, your voice dropping to a deadly calm. “How about you explain to me why ‘teasing’ always involves targeting the same person over and over again, huh? Or do I have to spell it out for you? You’ve been after me for weeks. If you’ve got a problem, say it.”

Leona stifled a yawn, his ear twitching as he overheard one of the idiots mutter, “Sheesh, we’re just messin’ around ‘cause she’s cute...”

You blinked, clearly having heard that, and turned on your heel. “Excuse me?”

The guy looked like a deer caught in headlights. “Uh, nothing?”

“Oh no, no, no. You said I’m cute, didn’t you?” Your voice was sweet, but the look in your eyes could melt steel. “You mean to tell me you’ve been pulling my pigtails like some lovesick middle schooler?”

Leona almost choked on his laughter. The guys shifted on their feet, visibly uncomfortable. One of them scratched the back of his neck and muttered, “Well, uh, kinda...”

Your jaw dropped. “Oh my god. You’re literally harassing me because you like me?”

The poor guy looked like he wanted the ground to swallow him whole. “I mean, I wouldn’t say harass—”

“SHUT UP!” you snapped, throwing your hands in the air. “Are you guys twelve?! Did I get transported into some kind of second-grade drama fest? This isn’t how you flirt! You could’ve just asked me to lunch like a normal person!”

Leona was biting the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing out loud. This was too good. His underlings were idiots, but this was a new low.

“And by the way, just so we’re clear,” you continued, “I wouldn’t have said yes! Why? Because I actually have standards. Like, oh I don’t know, not going after people who torment me for weeks on end!”

That finally shut them up. The group shuffled awkwardly, clearly regretting all their life decisions, when Leona finally decided to make his move. He casually strolled over, tail swaying lazily behind him.

“Oi,” he drawled, hands in his pockets. “You done terrorizing my pack yet?”

You turned, eyes still blazing with fury, and Leona had to admit—he’d never seen you look hotter. All riled up, standing there like you were about to take on the entire world. He leaned against a nearby tree, smirking. “You’ve got more bark than most of them combined.”

You pointed at the group with a glare. “Your pack? These idiots have been making my life miserable because they don’t know how to talk to someone they like!”

Leona’s smirk widened, clearly amused. “Is that so?” He cast a glance at the culprits, who were now looking anywhere but at you or him. “Sounds like they could use a lesson in charm.”

One of the guys mumbled, “But we didn’t mean—”

Leona’s eyes narrowed, silencing him immediately. “Run along, or I’ll make you regret it.” His tone was lazy, but the underlying threat was enough to send them scrambling.

As they bolted, you crossed your arms, still fuming. “Unbelievable. They were harassing me because they like me. That’s like pulling pigtails on the playground!”

Leona chuckled, pushing off the tree. “Can’t blame ‘em for trying. You’ve got some fire in you.”

You shot him a look, annoyed. “Are you seriously taking their side?”

“Nah.” Leona tilted his head, studying you. “I’m just sayin’... maybe they’ve got a point.”

You blinked, caught off guard. “What?”

He stepped closer, a lazy grin spreading across his face. “They’re idiots, sure. But they’re right about one thing—you’re worth the trouble.”

Your face flushed, and before you could fire back, you felt your anger quickly unraveling into something much messier. You tried to blink it away, but your eyes were already starting to sting, and before you knew it, hot tears were spilling over.

“Great,” you muttered, voice shaking. “Now I’m crying. Just perfect.”

Leona’s smirk dropped when he saw your shoulders tremble. He sighed, scratching the back of his neck awkwardly. “Oi, don’t—”

“Don’t tell me not to cry!” you snapped, angry sobs spilling out now. “I’m allowed to cry! I’ve been dealing with this crap for weeks, and it’s not fair! I didn’t do anything to them! I’m just trying to live my life!”

Leona’s eyes softened, clearly caught off guard by your outburst. He hesitated for a second, then stepped closer, carefully placing a hand on your shoulder. “...Alright, alright. I get it.”

You sniffled, wiping furiously at your tears. “They’re so stupid. And mean. And I—I’m so tired of it.”

Leona grunted, his tone a little softer than usual. “They’re idiots, but they won’t bother you again. Trust me.”

You hiccuped, nodding weakly. “I just… I don’t get why they—why would anyone do that?”

Leona scratched the back of his head, suddenly feeling awkward. He wasn’t good at comforting people, but damn it, seeing you cry because of those morons made his chest tighten.

With a resigned sigh, he pulled you close, resting his chin on top of your head. “It’s alright, herbivore. You were overdue for that. And anyway, you can use those sharp words on me whenever you want.” His voice dropped, teasing. “I don’t mind.”

You sniffled, half-laughing, half-crying into his chest. “You’re impossible.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Leona smirked. “But you like me anyway.”

Vil Schoenheit

It was common knowledge that Vil paid special attention to you. Whether it was because of your potential or because you had a natural grace, the others were never sure, but it was obvious that the attention he gave you drove some students crazy. Specifically, a group of Pomefiore boys who had made it their life’s mission to be jealous, petty, and downright irritating. And today, you were done pretending you didn’t hear their snide remarks.

“Can’t believe Vil wastes his time with them,” one sneered. “It’s not fair. We actually try, and they just get it handed to them?”

You stopped in your tracks, eyes twitching as their words piled on.

“They’re probably not even trying to look good. Vil’s just playing favorites—”

That’s when you lost it. You whirled around, glaring at them with a ferocity they clearly hadn’t anticipated. “Favorites? Favorites?! Oh, PLEASE. First of all, the only thing Vil is handing out is a reality check, which all of you clearly missed! You think it’s easy working with him? That he just showers me with praise while you’re left to fend for yourselves? NEWSFLASH—Vil’s standards are through the roof, and I’m busting my ass just like everyone else!”

They stammered, taken aback by your outburst, but you weren’t done.

“You all spend so much time being bitter that Vil doesn’t notice you, but guess what? Maybe—just maybe—it’s because you’re too busy whining and not busy enough doing the damn work! You think complaining is gonna magically make you the fairest one of all? Spoiler alert: You’ve got about as much chance as a muddy potato in a beauty pageant!”

The entire courtyard was staring now. You? The sweet, helpful student who always wore a kind smile? Absolutely demolishing a group of boys who deserved every single word you were hurling at them.

“And another thing! The next time you want to insinuate that I’m getting ‘special treatment,’ take a look in the mirror and ask yourself if you are the one who’s too lazy to earn it!”

Vil, who had been silently watching from a distance, felt something stir inside him as he listened to you tear into them. That fire. That passion. That confidence. You were utterly captivating when you were angry. How had he not noticed how striking you were in this moment?

He stepped forward, placing a hand on your shoulder, his calm presence easing the tension just a little. “Enough, darling. You’ve made your point.”

You blinked, realizing who it was, and the adrenaline started to wear off as your shoulders slumped. “Vil, I…”

“You did well.” His voice was smooth, soothing. “But let’s not waste more energy on them, hm?”

Tears prickled at your eyes as your emotions bubbled over. “It’s just… it’s not fair. I’m trying so hard.”

Vil turned you to face him fully, his eyes soft despite the usual sharpness. “I know you are. And I see it, every day. That’s why I pay attention to you.”

Your breath hitched, caught off guard by the tenderness in his voice. His hand reached up to wipe a stray tear from your cheek, and for a moment, you forgot how angry you had been. All you could focus on was how close he was, how his presence seemed to anchor you.

“You’re more beautiful when you’re not holding back,” Vil murmured, almost too quiet for you to hear. But oh, you heard it. Loud and clear.

Divus Crewel

It was the same old song and dance with these students. They couldn’t handle the fact that you were getting along so well with the dorm leaders and staff, so naturally, they decided to take it out on you. You didn’t have magic, you didn’t belong at NRC, blah blah blah—it was all the same garbage, and today, you’d had enough.

“Oh look, the magicless pet is here,” one sneered. “What’d you do to get on their good side? Bribe ‘em? Kiss up to Crewel so he gives you extra points in class?”

You slammed your hands on the nearest table, the sound echoing through the classroom. “Oh, for the love of everything, can you SHUT UP for once in your miserable lives?!”

They blinked at you, shocked. You? Sweet, friendly, always-helpful you? Snapping?

“Bribe the staff?! Really? You’re dumber than I thought, and that’s saying something considering you’ve spent more time scraping by in Crewel’s class than actually passing it! You think I’m getting special treatment? I WORK TWICE AS HARD AS ANY OF YOU, BECAUSE I HAVE TO!”

You were on a roll now, and the more they stared, the angrier you got.

“Newsflash, genius! Being nice to people isn’t ‘kissing up,’ it’s called not being an insufferable little gremlin! Maybe if you spent less time whining and more time actually trying, you wouldn’t be such a failure in every sense of the word! And don’t even get me started on the fact that I—without magic—am somehow doing better than all of you!”

The group was completely stunned into silence, but before you could land another blow, a familiar voice cut through the air.

“Puppy.” Professor Crewel’s tone was firm but gentle. “That’s enough.”

You froze, spinning around to see him standing there, arms crossed, but there was something soft in his eyes. Before you could protest, the adrenaline started to wear off, and all the frustration you had bottled up came spilling out in the form of tears.

Your hands shook as the adrenaline crash hit you hard, and suddenly, the tears started to fall. “I—I’m sorry, I just… I couldn’t take it anymore…”

Crewel stepped forward, his usual sternness softening into something almost paternal. He placed a hand on your shoulder, squeezing gently. “No need to apologize, pup. Those troublemakers had it coming.”

You sniffled, wiping at your eyes with the back of your hand. “But I—I’m supposed to be better than that. I shouldn’t have yelled…”

“Sometimes,” Crewel said, tilting your chin up so you’d look him in the eye, “people need to be put in their place. And you did that perfectly.”

His calm assurance made you break down even more, and before you knew it, you were full-on ugly crying in front of him. He sighed, but not out of exasperation—more like a father who knew his kid had finally reached their limit.

With surprising gentleness, Crewel pulled you into a loose hug. “Let it out. You’ve been holding this in for too long.”

You sobbed into his shoulder, not caring that you were crying all over the crisp white fur of his coat. “I just—They’ve been—”

“I know.” He patted your back, his voice steady. “And they’ll be dealt with. But you need to take care of yourself first.”

You hiccupped, nodding into his coat. “Thanks, Professor.”

Crewel gave you one last reassuring pat before pulling back, his sharp eyes focusing on the group of students still frozen in place, unsure if they should stay or flee. “Now, as for you lot… if I hear even a whisper of disrespect toward my pup again, you’ll wish you were expelled. Do I make myself clear?”

The group scrambled to nod and mutter apologies before scurrying off, tails between their legs.

Once they were gone, Crewel sighed and gently turned you toward the door. “Let’s go get you some tea, pup. You’ll feel better after.”

You sniffled, managing a small smile. “Yeah. That sounds nice.”

Masterlist

[nebulawebb]

MY MOUTHWASHING HEADCANONS

—

Hello everyone, so I'm writing a little kind of story of a "Reader/Yn" in the world of mouthwashing, so I have headcanons for my story that yall might like! I'm not going to separate them by character so they'll all be mixed up lol

𔓕 Daisuke loves drawing and is really good at it, but he never paid much attention to it because he doesn't think he has enough talent.

𔓕 Anya had a stuffed animal on her nightstand facing the door, when Jimmy's SA thing happened she turned it around and now her stuffed animal faces the wall.

𔓕 There used to be drawings that Daisuke made of Anya, But Jimmy looked at them "weird" and Anya removed them.

𔓕 Swansea definitely only has daughters, so Daisuke was like the son he always wanted.

𔓕 Jimmy definitely knows how to make those knockout cocktails and has used them before.

𔓕 Curly assigned the room to each one, but Jimmy argued that he wanted Curly's room and Curly ended up changing rooms with him so as not have problems.

𔓕 Daisuke was definitely a basketball player.

𔓕 One time Jimmy tried to copy Curly's curls with a curling iron, and he burned his whole hand.

𔓕 Swansea doesn't see Curly (after the accident) because he can't stand the smell (Burned skin or just old blood...)

𔓕 Anya tries not to sleep for fear of what might happen while she sleeps.

𔓕 Daisuke was in his room when the crash happened, despite everything being in tatters he took a risk and took out his gameboy and more stuff without hurting himself due to his good luck. — "You took out your stupid little game and not clothes or something useful, kid?"—

𔓕 Swansea is a dog person.

𔓕 Curly actually used treatments to maintain his hair pretty...

𔓕 Jimmy is a narcissist.

𔓕 Daisuke tried to draw Curly (after the crash) since no one wanted to be drawn. It didn't turn out well.

𔓕 Jimmy is a bad drinker. Every time he drinks he gets aggressive.

𔓕 Even after the accident, Curly continued to suffer from insomnia, so not being able to rest in that condition was even worse.

𔓕 Jimmy has thought about giving Curly some mouthwash to see what happens.

𔓕 Swansea was the one who amputated Curly.

𔓕 Daisuke tried to play the board game with Anya again, but with the stress of the crash and Jimmy, she started crying when she lost. Daisuke never asked to play again.

𔓕 Jimmy has a Polle stuffed animal............

𔓕 Anya wanted to take mouthwash to see if that could help her get an 4bortion, but she was afraid that she would faint and that Jimmy could find her.

𔓕 Daisuke had a hamster that died because he didn't know they hibernated. He didn't know until Swansea told him...

THAT'S IT. It's almost two in the morning, I took off my glasses and I only see dots...Tell me if you liked it so I can make more or post that little Reader x mouthwashing story! Sorry if you don't like my hc or are cringe, I really try!

[txmxkis]

i'm only really me when i'm here with you

pairing. boothill x gn!reader

genre. hurt/comfort

wc. 1.5k+

summary. you're determined to help boothill heal from his trauma by... doing his hair?

warnings. i took liberties with this, who knows what specific parts he actually has left or whether he can blush or not (in my heart he can lol), mention of boothill picking u up but i mean. he’s literally so strong he could handle anything, i made him soooo sad and it’s possibly wildly out of character, selfship coded as usual rip

a/n. continuing the tradition of using lyrics from songs on selfship playlists for fic titles lol. based on my tags on this post

they say that trauma is stored in the body, and while boothill didn't necessarily have a complete body anymore, this was still something that you thought about frequently when it came to his physical form.

regardless of just how much of his original self remained, there was still enough of him left that you were sure it had to be true in some capacity. after all, he retained his head and his heart—at least you were fairly certain—two of the most vital components of human anatomy.

it was so hard to read him. the real him. he tried so hard to always act confident and cool. actually, he didn't even really have to try or act. it seemed as if it came to him naturally and endlessly. there was a perpetual air of optimism surrounding him that was difficult to dim even on his most wearisome days.

even after experiencing whatever horrors he had to face from mission to mission, when he came home, the door to whatever room you were currently in would fling open—sometimes scaring you half to death—and he would greet you so happily that it felt as if there were no terrible things in the universe whatsoever.

you cherished his mannerisms, especially because you could be a pessimistic sort of person. rather frequently, in fact. you loved having him near you, able to draw laughter from you, however unwillingly it might be on your part at times. he was oddly skilled at making you feel assured and comfortable, in a way that nothing and no one had ever done before. you couldn’t seem to remember how you ever lived without his encouragement, and you didn’t think you could ever feel truly whole without it again.

there really was no accounting for his relentlessly positive attitude. given what he'd seen and endured, you thought it was damn near impossible to be as carefree as he seemed to be. at any rate, he did manage it. however, there were times, moments he rarely ever allowed you to witness, in which his façade would falter slightly and betray just how heavily the past weighed on him.

occasionally, you would catch him staring at his reflection, a downcast expression painting his beautiful features. every time you spoke of your family, you could detect glimpses of sadness in his eyes, albeit hidden behind a smile. once you even caught him crying as silently as he could—you assumed so as not to alert you—his shoulders sagging under an unforeseen weight, a look on his face that you could only describe as heartbroken. your own heart broke with his in that moment.

you always tried to be particularly attentive following those moments, but it was so difficult to get him to open up to you. he just wanted you to be happy. to not bother worrying about him. you had your own problems, after all, and there was no need for him to add to your burden. no need for him to ask for your pity.

he knew you cared for him deeply enough that it would cause you pain, and even if it was only a fragment of the grief that he lived with every day, he was sure that he would feel terribly and incessantly guilty about it. if he could remove every single aspect of your life that caused you suffering, he would do it in a heartbeat, and he could say that because it was one of the few original parts he had left. how could he add to that suffering by forcing you to imagine all the horrors from his own life?

it took so much time and effort on your part to convince him to open the door to himself, if even just a tiny crack. he was still extremely careful with his words and the details that he disclosed to you—he didn't want to overwhelm you, and he certainly didn't want to hurt you. in reality, these conversations, painful as they were for you to hear, actually helped you to feel as though you could comfort him more effectively.

yes, it hurt immensely to know even a small fraction of how much anguish he had experienced. yes, you despised the people who had done this to him and wanted to fight them yourself, in fact. yes, your chest felt tight with ache and sadness on his behalf. still, you could help him more by knowing than by not knowing.

eventually, you were able to make it this far, brushing through his hair as gently as your hands could manage. he had confessed to you in one of his more vulnerable moments that the white shock of hair on his head often served as a stark reminder of worse times, of the trauma and stress inflicted on his body. the admission gave you an idea, one that made boothill feel more than just a little bit exposed. he wasn’t accustomed to being looked after like this, with so much affection and love.

you began to make a routine out of it. every day you would do something with his hair—whether it was braiding it and tying it up intricately to make him feel pretty or simply combing through the strands and allowing them to cascade around his shoulders and down his back.

sometimes you would sit him in front of a mirror while you worked so that he could see exactly what you were doing in the moment. he didn’t quite understand how it all came together, but he found it fascinating to see how you twisted and weaved. at times, you were so focused on the hair in your hands that your brows would furrow, tongue poking out slightly between your lips. in the reflection, you genuinely looked like you were enjoying yourself.

even more noticeable to him was the expression you wore when you looked at him through the mirror. your gaze was so full of tenderness that his chest ached. he could swear that his heart actually skipped a beat. whenever that happened, you could see a flaring blush creep up his cheeks and into his ears, and you couldn’t help but laugh just a little bit at how endearing it was.

other times, you would settle on the couch, with him seated on the floor between your legs, adorning his hair with the cutest accessories, the two of you laughing and joking the whole time. you would delicately twist the locks back, securing them with pretty, multicolored clips that shone in the light.

when you were done, you would lead him slowly to a mirror, hands over his eyes, nearly stumbling over his legs as you walked behind him. you would pull your hands quickly from his face, revealing your handiwork, beaming with pride and grinning at how adorable he looked. he loved every minute of it—and every bit of you, he would think to himself as he turned to pick you up and spin you around, laughing in that deep voice of his. then he’d set you down gently, thanking you for your hard work with kisses sprinkled across your face.

days that were particularly trying for him would simply be spent in comfortable silence. when he didn’t feel like talking from the pain of it all, he would wordlessly lay his head on your chest as you ran your fingers through his long locks. feeling your touch—the slight pull on his scalp, the tickle of shifting hair—it all made him feel so relaxed that he could melt right into your skin until you absorbed him fully into you. often, the combination of this and the gentle, steady beat of your heart would lull him to sleep, and seeing his expression ease and soften in these moments was all the reward you ever needed.

in the beginning, it was unclear whether this dedicated time spent caring for his hair was helping or not. over time, however, you noticed a glimmer in his eyes—something that told you he would be alright, despite everything.

pain still remained; it always would, but instead of constantly gazing at his reflection with grief, every once in a while you would catch a hint of a smile pulling at his lips. it was as if he was remembering how you hummed while placing those clips, or how he had teasingly whipped you with his hair on a more playful occasion, or any number of positive memories that you had put so much effort into lovingly crafting with him.

you were determined to do your best, slowly but surely, to lighten his burden—or at least help carry it. there was no reason for him to feel alone when he had you by his side. and if creating these happy memories was what you had to do in order to help him, well, you would gladly continue forever.

reblogs & interactions are appreciated! thank you for reading! <3 — txmxkis

[cookie-crumblr]

Spectral Tiger

GN!Reader × Invisible M!Yan OC

Part 2~

Intro here!

Previous Part <<< >>> Next Part

His info: 🩹💎✨

MINORS DNI

CW: G/N Reader, reader is a sub, reader referred to as they/them, teasing, sexual themes, public nudity, nipple play on reader, public lewdity, names for reader(love, ), public lewd teasing and such, over the pants hand job, orgasm denial(in a soft way tho) long span edging, lol how do you tag pp flicking ? XD that’s in here, long smut, tease, not proofread

There aren’t many people here, as per usual on rehearsal nights, so you have at least five seats of empty space on either side of Zharu and yourself. It’s also considerably dark enough with the stage lights being the only lights other than the red little exit signs.

Your legs widen slightly, subtly trying to welcome his touch.

His hair tickles your neck as you feel his face lean in, all but touching your heated ear, “Really, Love? You want me to continue? But… nobody can see me, I could do whatever I want to you. Doesn’t that scare you?” His low whisper has you shaking in your seat.

He squeezes tighter before running his hand further up, still an annoyingly respectable distance from where your body is boiling.

Your leg twitches under his touch.

You swallow, and take a shallow breath before responding. “You’re just trying to scare me. You still can’t do anything too crazy…” You don’t sound as sure of yourself as you meant to.

“Cant I?” his cockiness is annoying. “What about doing something like…~”

You feel his hand trace up your leg, then over your hip, pressing harder there as he passes by, drawing out a small gasp from you.

Looking down is almost useless, all you see is the indent of a hand in your black silk dress shirt, that is following the contour of your body and tracing you up to your chest.

Almost useless… It’s kinda hot watching your own stomach suck in so far shaking and shuddering under the ghost hand.

He stops over your chest on the side opposite to him, and runs his hand over you, gripping firmly for only a second before rolling his palm back over you.

Your breath hitches.

This time he pauses when his fingers are right on top of your hardening bud, he lightly traces it over your shirt, your mouth falls open slightly, and your brows are starting to peak already.

“Love,” he whispers breathily in your ear.

He pinches. Ever so slightly. And then again, a tiny bit harder, and then he’s tracing it softly, maddeningly, and then rubbing his whole hand over you.

You grip the armrests for dear life, and bite back whimpers and shuddery moans alike. Your body shakes from every little touch.

“They probably won’t be able to tell…” His voice rumbles quietly about something in your ear. Then he asks, “You have a jacket right?”

“What? Yeah…” It almost takes you out of it until his head dives down from your shoulder to the front of your chest. Anything under your shirt he’s pulled down to free you up while remaining still under cloth. His mouth latches onto the fabric right over your other nipple and you have to bite back a cry.

You end up making a noise that someone a few seats to the side of you, looks at you, brow furrowed. You try and pretend you were stifling a yawn, co-explaining the weird “stretch” you we’re doing at the same time.

She scoffs.

You don’t care, because your core is in roiling flames as he sucks on your sensitive skin through your expensive shirt.

You feel his tongue lapping over and doing circles around you in such a mind buzzing manner! You actually feel static in your head.

“P-please” You let out quietly in a puff of air. Have mercy, really, but you couldn’t get any more words out! You’re still shaking like a leaf.

“hmmmm~” He purrs up at you.

You rub your thighs together, not fully able to trust yourself to speak at a quiet volume.

Your shirt feels like ice against your chest now!

“oh ho ho, such a greedy little thing you are~” His hand finds your upper thigh and slowly dips down the inseam. Then following your pant stitch from your inner knee, all the way back up, before stopping, just before he gets to where you desperately want.

You almost huff in annoyance until you feel just the tip of his finger make contact with you, sending a jolt of instant burning pleasure coursing through you.

From one touch?

He flicks you softly, eliciting a sweet gasp and causing you to bolt upright in your seat.

His blazing hand covers the sting next and you almost whimper into him!

Those fingers and his palm deftly work you as you bite your lip to the point of drawing blood to keep yourself silent.

You’ve completely lost track of where you even are right now.

You’re in a zone that’s all about your burning pleasure.

Feathery touches through your slacks that are maddening, but somehow just what you needed bring you straight to your peak and past in such a gentle ascent you could cry.

Something in you pops and a soothing coolness washes over you sweeetly

“ahh~” a small gust from your bruised lips slips and feels like cool velvet caressing so lightly over them it hurts.

His fingers trace your lips, you practically chase them until he dips them into your wetness. “Suck~” with his command, you take them in and eagerly do just that.

“mmmf” You savor the taste of his skin, gods you look so lewd right now, mouth slightly agape and tongue swirling around nothing, while you hold yourself down with every muscle in your body, yet still is visibly shaking from the thunderous pleasure electrifying your core.

“Think you can hold out until later~?”

You shake your head and practically bite his fingers, no! no you can’t!

“So impatient, I’ll have to teach you better~”

“mmm!” You whimper and rut against his hand that’s slowed down drastically against you.

He tsks, “My my, you really want to make a mess here?”

You didn’t really think of that, and slowly your mind fog pulls away from you.

You chase it, but he gently nudges you back to the present. Calming your body with firm but soft gropes to your thighs, and warm hand presses over your stomach. They’re less sexual now, but no less charged.

Your breathing slows, the winding heat is reduced to a bearable simmer, where it sits until you look back up to the stage.

You only missed a few minutes, but it felt like an eternity.

~

Exhaustedly, you fall onto your couch, throwing more shopping bags with clothes and cloth masks, and a darker tan coloured foundation that Zharu picked out.

You had an idea earlier, right after he edged you.

Maybe with makeup you can make him visible!

as long as he wears a hood. and a mask. and sunglasses.

He’ll certainly fit the high profile excuse after this… If it works.

It’ll be more work, but it saves him from wearing a hot mask all the time once the weather warms up that would be a nightmare.

Not…

Not that he’s staying that long.

You didn’t think of it yet, but does he want to go back?

Would you want to go back?

Well, you don’t even know what his life was like before.

“Hey, what was your life like over there?” You bluntly ask. It’s not a really serious question, so why not.

���Ooooh~ You’re curious about me~” The floor creaks before he plops onto the couch next to you.

He’s in grey sweatpants (and you cant seem to forget that his crotch is right below you line of sight if you just keep your eyes trained on where his head might be, or on his arms… oh gods don’t look at his arms either) and spirals of gauze cover his upper torso and up his neck, and down his arms to his fingers, so that you can know where his body is.

His body that is impeccable.

Huffing in annoyance, you pull out the foundation from the bag. “come here.” You pull yourself closer to him using his leg as your anchor.

“Aye aye captain!” He happily scoots closer, crossing his legs up on the couch between you so that he’s as close as possible.

“What do you want to know about? It’s kinda a broad question…” You watch the floating gauze travel up to about where his head would be. He idly plays with hair that even he can’t see, trying to distract from the fact that he isn’t totally sure what to tell you.

Realizing you’ve been sat staring wide eyed like a doe in headlights, you clean your throat and hope he didn’t notice.

“What was your family like?” You ask, still a broad question, but this way you’ll possibly learn if he’s a cheater or not without outright asking if he’s got a partner.

You open the packages for the makeup products.

“Didn’t really make time for anyone other than a couple friends, my work kept me too busy for everyone else.”

“What kind of work?” You follow up. “May I?” You hold up the sponge with the drops of white and tan.

“mhm,” He confirms, you can tell he nodded first because of the little breeze you felt on your face before he audibly did too.

Applying some of the moisturizer, and then a layer of foundation is the easy part… You just have to spread it around evenly, and lightly padding around the contours of his face.

“My time was devoted to the arcane. I was not expecting sudden inter dimensional travel and loss of visibility to be a hazard of that particular experiment, but here we are, really should have though…” he says honestly.

“What do you plan on doing now?” You find your other hand has joined in the application process, feeling around for his eyes and nose without much thought, until you find his soft lips and suddenly realize you’re way too close. “Sorry!”

“You gotta do what you gotta do right?” He chuckles.

“Right!” You try to laugh off that weird hot feeling but it clings to your insides like molasses.

“To be honest i don’t really know… I’m…” He cuts himself off. “I don’t know,” He lets out an empty laugh. “Anyway, is this working? can you see me?”

Your face has been getting warmer and warmer… The more you apply a skin color to this enigma the more he becomes a real person…

A real person that you’ve let touch you… A real person that you don’t know.

“Earth to Y/N?”wait.. It is still earth we’re on right?”

“Sorry… Y-Yeah! it um… It actually is, from this close it’s kinda creepy, but i think with everything else you’ll fit right in here!” You psych yourself back up, trying to refocus on the present and helping him.

“Can I see?”

“Oh! Of course! You bend over the side of the couch to find a hand mirror, until instead you feel his hands on your body instantly reinvigorating that fire in your belly. It hadn’t left. not entirely.

But now, it’s back.

He presses his wrapped hands into your flesh above your hip bones and traces them inward. traveling with the heels of his palms down to your navel.

When he goes down far enough to even feel the first inclining of pressure where you need it your damn almost hurts right there. You’ve been in so much discomfort, running around the way he left you!

“I think I’ll let you cum now~”

“Oh wow thank you all mighty one” You say sarcastically and roll your eyes, “the fuck?” Your torso snaps back into place and you cross your arms. That fire that lasted all day, getting snuffed out in a second.

“you’ll be thanking me soon enough~,”

[slowlysoluminary]

Still working on that chapter. Don't worry, it's coming along! Yesterday i was trapped at a party for 10 hours and, being the introvert i am, decided to take a break from drawing for an animatic by trying to draw for this au instead. don't know why i didn't just do artfight lol

FULL KING REFERENCE PACK + SIFFRIN DUO POSTGAME REFERENCES

Notes and details under the cut

sooooo howsabout postgame content?

the original post talking about postgame can be found here but it doesn't go into too much detail

So post-game resetfrin and gloop. they go with the party, kinda like a lot of twohats aus? resetfrin goes with the party because they know mirabelle and kinda know isabeau from when he would get apprenticed by the king (long story), but also because resetfrin acted so much like the old siffrin they used to know that it felt odd to leave him behind.

gloop, however, WAS the old siffrin! the party knows this, they found it out in the last loop, and they've formed such a bond with them that it's as natural as it is in the original game. the only issue is: gloop has changed SO much. physically, mentally, even a pronoun change - the party wants to help her out, but they want to explore who this New Siffrin is, too. Isn't it ironic that the new addition is the one you know far more of than the old addition?

resetfrin stays siffrin because... uh. because he's always been siffrin? there's no conflict there. gloop, after getting their memory back, ALSO goes back to siffrin, because that's who they really are and they acknowledge that loop is their own person. they don't want to be reminded of their time as gloop, either.

so... they're both Siffrin. And they're both technically the same person. do you see the issue?? the two of them didn't. the party did.

there's a comic I'm thinking about making to explore the processes and conversation that happened to initiate the name changes. the long and short of it is they can't BOTH be siffrin, but neither of them want to be siffrin if the other one can't also be siffrin, so they go on separate journeys to find a new name. they come back together with the party afterwords and they both ended up picking the same name so it's back to square one.

they talk to the party the second time and after a lot of brainstorming land on Orion for resetfrin and Lux for gloop. it helps the party distinguish between them and helps me establish the difference between postgame content and in-game content

(plug moment but these names were suggested by @the-bitter-ocean who gave me like. a whole list of things i could choose from. oh the life saver. i didn't even think about what names they would've picked until xe helped. and ohhh theyre so good. he also has some amazing aus including a miraloops au that you should go check out. pretty please)

the hair thing is SUPER IMPORTANT i originally only did it because they needed a way to separate themselves from eachother, but i realized they would also have done it to separate themselves from the old people they used to be. very poetic. 10/10 thank you brain for the excuse

the colors for orion's alt outfits are just a limited color pallete, they're not actually the colors afaik. (<- says the creator) but Lux's colors are 100% the colors, yes. their star body is different from loop's, where loop's body is solid black and lux's seems to glow on it's own. do you see where the name lux came from.

it's really dysphoric. imagine being turned into a ghost against your will and losing your memories, and them after gaining your memories back you turn into a completely different body AGAIN and it's STILL not the original body you had. i would cry.

gloop/lux's eye is still blind. even as a ghost they lacked depth perception. L. since resetfrin wasn't with the party to lose his eye they don't have any vision impairment

actually, about that. funny little thing. if siffrin wasn't there to protect bonnie, who did? haha hehe. hey why does odile have her arm in a cast...

KING TIME

okay i got a lot of questions about it so i double-checked on the original post and. yeah it DOES say the king's name. both in the text and on the image. but you'd be forgiven for missing it because it's pretty small on the image and there's a lot of text to read through

anyway pre-madness king's name is Lazare!! he originally looks like the lithe dude on the left. he's scholar-ish, came to vaugarde on vacation before losing his memory, yadda yadda... a lot of his information is on the original post so I won't repeat anything that's already been said

he picked Lazare a few days after losing his memory. he never told his name to anyone in the town he was staying so all he got was "travelling one" and he really genuinely thought that was his name for a hot second until he realized that Vaugarde really likes adding -one to titles

i made his hair curlier! after drawing the king for the chapter cg i realized i did NOT makw his hair curly enough when drawing Lazare. his hair type is almost exactly mine, though mine has more define curls, so drawing it is a BLAST!!

Defender arc Lazare! He bulked himself up to come off more physically and mentally strong. is this a trans allegory? is the King trans or was the body craft just to match his perception of himself? not sure. At this point in time he's already travelled with siffrin for a bit so i like to think he's a teensy bit protective. somewhere between friend snd father figure. cool guy

you know who's not cool? this guy vvv

this is where the King becomes the King :3 his hair is OBNOXIOUSLY long, almost rapunzel-like but nowhere near as bad. it always covers one eye but it doesn't really matter which one.

the crown happens like... VERY shortly before he makes the wish and starts freezing people in time. hes lonely and isolated and its something like coping with his delusions about everyone being out to get him

that's not the way he thought in the original loop, but after the reset his descent is much faster and harder than the last. when Siffrin starts climbing the tower, yearning becomes animosity as he thinks Siffrin finally betrayed him like he "always knew they would." or something.

hey 16yo sif jumpscare!!! wasn't he on the original post too?

.

anyway!!! that's it! that's all! i swear it's all. inevitably I'll have to make gloop and resetfrin full references but I'm happy with the ones i drew in the original post which I'll probably end up pointing people to if they want to draw either of them. the king was the one i worried about most because he's so different from canon, and same goes for the postgame designs. even coming up with new names was worrying because they're practically not even the same person from canon anymore

but that's the fun thing with aus, isn't it? lol

cya

[vixendoesstuff]

God, it's been a while since I've done digital art. If only I have a tablet, I might have an easier time drawing there instead of a tiny phone, but no use crying over spilt milk. Here's the reference sheet for Techno Branch!

Man do I love a quality drop.

I don't know how to make my drawings aesthetically pleasing like I've seen other artist do, so this is all you get lol. But anyway here's the boi!! (Ignore my handwriting, it's usually better than it is here, I just have difficty writing on a phone).

I was actually gonna make his Grey version and True Colours version, but I was an idiot and hadn't copied his lineart before I combined it with the colours. So, I might have to redo his entire lineart from scratch. Art is so fun :)

More info below the cut!

So Branch here is more dull and glow less brightly (or not at all) compared to his brethren. Probably a side effect of going Grey for so long. I doubt the Techno Trolls of today would know how to help him fully because, while they probably have a better way of helping traumatized Trolls than the Pop Trolls, they wouldn't exactly know how to bring Branch's True Colours back, as he doesn't know Techno culture and they don't know him well, and that grey Techno Trolls were a rarity in it of itself.

Back when he was Grey, at some point in time the heart on his chest was split in two due to relentless trauma. Ater regaining his True Colours did it combine again, but after being Grey for so long I doubt it'll ever be truly whole again (trauma, amirite?).

Combined with that he probably doesn't like looking at his arm lights, as it reminds him that he's different than the rest of the Pop Trolls, adding more hurt to his already painful life (yikes). So he covers it with arm warmers, and by the time he regained his happiness it became a habit to wear them.

I like to think that Branch likes being on the ground more than swimming, so he's constantly walking and climbing around. Hence, the crease marks on his fins. 'Cause I like to think that Techno Trolls are not built for long periods of standing up straight. And Branch has done the exact opposite of that. Building a bunker by himself is hard, imaging doing that with a pair of swimming flippers. My feet would cry in pain lol.

Anyway, that's all I have for now, if you have questions feel free to ask and I'll do my best to answer. With this out of the way, I can finally finish up my notes on what happens in World Tour. Hope you don't mind long paragraphs 'cause WHOO BOY lol.

[avonne-writes]

omg can you tell us your headcanons about hs au gale attending bucky's soccer practices/games and bucky attending gale's meets. (i imagine gale becoming friends w the other significant other's on the bleachers and bucky making corny posters for gale LOL)

Aw, cute ask, I love it 💕 Bucky would definitely make corny signs for Gale!

Gale usually does his homework while waiting for Bucky's soccer practice to be over. When they came out in the beginning of Year 10, he started waiting around for him more often and sat on the bleachers to watch. Coach Red banned him after a few weeks because Bucky was trying to show off more than training and playing like he should have. But Gale gave it another chance next year, and Bucky handled it much better, so Red grudgingly let the issue go.

Bucky doesn’t watch Gale's swimming practices - he tried once and fell asleep. It was very calming, but waking up on hard bleachers with all sorts of muscle pains is not pleasant. Gale doesn’t want him to be there anyway, he doesn’t pay attention to anything outside the pool while he’s training.

When Bucky has a game, Gale is always there. He doesn’t like hanging out with the other SOs actually, because they’re all girls and he doesn’t want to be labelled as one of them. It’s supremely annoying to him when people refer to him as one of the girlfriends or if someone insinuates that he must be "the bottom".

But what he loves is watching the games with Georgia. It makes him feel like he’s part of the family. It feels like a stronger connection than just a high school fling, and it draws less attention to him than sitting with the other boys' girlfriends would. After games, they always have a nice lunch/dinner together, either at home or - if Bucky's begging succeeds - at a fast food place. Gale loves that too. He really enjoys listening to Bucky recount the entire game, even though he saw the whole thing himself.

Swim meets are very long, several hours, and Gale doesn’t swim in all the races, of course, so there's a lot of waiting involved on often uncomfortable, stuffy, crowded bleachers. Unsurprisingly, Gale’s parents haven’t attended any competitions since he was old enough to go alone. Gale tells himself that he doesn’t care.

But when Bucky goes to one not long after coming out, sits through the whole thing, cheers for Gale and whistles for him when he wins a medal, Gale is so happy that he could cry. Once he and Bucky are alone again, he gives Bucky a very passionate kiss. So heated, in fact, that Bucky gets hard, and it's the first time that it happens in a way that they can’t really ignore. I think Gale’s ready to do something about it too, but they don’t have the time/privacy. This is an incident that Bucky referers to in Hands-on Biology.

Another thing worth mentioning is that Bucky plays soccer until the end of his bachelor's degree. Gale continues going to most, if not all of the games, but in college, he develops enough confidence and feels so much better about himself, that he has no problem sitting with the girlfriends. They all love him and they cheer every time when Bucky celebrates scoring by running to the bleachers and kissing Gale. Gale also has a jersey with Bucky's name and number on it, but he only wears it at home and to Bucky's last college soccer game.

[kayesfanfics]

The Vampires Handmaiden

Pairing: Hector x Fem! Reader

A/N: The ending is a bit rushed, but I wasn’t about to write out a whole episode lol. But Hector is absolutely my fav character and there isn’t nearly enough fanfic about him. Also AU where Hector DIDNT FALL IN LOVE WITH HIS ABUSER AND FELL FOR SOMEONE WHO ACTUALLY LOVED HIM.

Warnings: Abuse, blood, swearing/vulgar language, some Stockholm syndrome, Carmilla being mommy except in a toxic abusive way

You shivered in the freezing cold, following your mistresses down to greet your other mistress, Carmilla. You stood behind Striga and Lenore, keeping your head down and eyes on the ground, hoping not to draw any attention towards yourself. You listened as the sisters greeted each other and Carmilla complained and complained about the long journey she had, her soldiers marching past her into the castle. You noticed at the very end, a man with silver hair was being dragged along by a chain on his neck, his hands tied in front of him and his boots missing. He looked extremely battered and exhausted, and your stomach churned, knowing the feeling all too well. He made eye contact with you as he passed, until he was tugged harshly to continue following the soldiers down to the dungeons.

“Y/N, go warm some water for my bath. And make it a good one.” Carmilla ordered you. “It better be ready after I have a drink with my sisters.”

“Yes, mistress.” You bowed, before heading to collect frozen water to heat up for her bath. You carried the frozen buckets of water to the fireplace to warm them up, dripping Carmilla’s specific combination of essential oils into her bath. You lit candles as normal, and kept the water warm until she arrived, immediately stripping naked and getting in the tub. You kneeled down and began to scrub her aching feet, as she sighed contently in the warm water.

“Your Kind is so despicable, Y/N. I don’t know HOW you survived all those years without me.” Carmilla grumbled, still agitated from her long march in the freezing tundras.

“Me neither, mistress. Thank you for saving me.” You said without a thought, used to thanking her for kidnapping you and beating you into submission until you complied with her and her sisters’ every order. She often spoke about how lucky you were that she found you, and how you’d be dead in a ditch without her.

“Oh, get out. I need time alone. You’re dismissed for the night.” She waved her hand in your face, before sinking into the water. You bowed to her, before quickly leaving her to relax for the night. Sunrise would thankfully be soon, your time to roam as you wished and do as you pleased.

You thought about the poor man they had dragged in, how pathetic he looked, bags under his pretty blue eyes and cuts scattered across his face and hands. His feet were probably frozen numb, and you knew the guards probably stripped him of his clothing, along with his humanity. You found yourself wandering to the kitchen, grabbing bread and a fresh apple and stuffing them into your pockets. You walked down to the dungeons, giving the guard a few coins for his silence before looking around for the man. You finally spotted him in a cell, huddled in the corner and embracing himself. He was shivering, and you couldn’t tell if he was crying or not, but you wouldn’t blame him if he was. You approached his cell, kneeling down and taking out the food from your pockets.

“I brought you some food.” You spoke, and he slowly looked up at you. His face was strong, but his eyes were soft and filled with fear. He was trying to mask it and remain tough, but you could see right through that facade.

“Why would you do that? Don’t you work for them?” He asked, spatting the word ‘them’.

“I do. But only for fun.” You joked, holding the food out to him, reaching into his cell. He looked at the guard in worry, but eventually crawled towards you, taking the food and immediately digging in. “I’m sorry I couldn’t bring you clothing or a blanket. They would notice. My name is Y/N, what is yours?”

“Hector.” He said simply between bites, scarfing down the food like he hadn’t eaten in days, which, he probably hasn’t.

“Well, Hector, I also brought you this.” You duh into your pocket and grabbed a small bottle. “It’s an ointment, for your wounds. There is much disease in these cells.”

He carefully took the bottle from you, finishing his food quickly and leaning against the wall, pulling his knees up to his chest to hide his nude body from you.

“Why are you helping me?” He asked, looking down at the ground.

“Because I know what it’s like to be treated like this by them. I know how cruel and careless they are.” You admitted, sitting down fully.

“You do?” He looked up at you, gazing into your eyes.

“Yes. I’m a human, like you. They took me a couple of years ago, maybe longer. I’m now their lady-in-waiting.”

“How come they haven’t turned you, then? I thought they hated humans.”

“They do, which is why they don’t turn me. They want me to know I’m below them. Weaker than them.” You explained, fidgeting with the skirt of your dress. “They treated me like they do you. They broke me down years ago. Kept me around for their amusement, and so I could serve them and they don’t lift a finger. Why did they take you, Hector?”

“I’m a forgemaster. Carmilla wants me to make night creatures for her.” He sighed. “I should’ve run away when I had the chance. I can’t believe I trusted her.”

“Don’t blame yourself. They’re expert manipulators.”

“Y/N! WHERE ARE YOU, GIRL?” You jumped when you heard the booming voice of Striga, calling for you.

“I must leave. I will try to bring you more food tomorrow. Rotten meat with maggots isn’t exactly sustaining.”

“I quite like the maggots, actually. They add a nice crunch.” He smiled playfully, despite his situation. It made you smile back, at least until you heard your name being shouted again, and you bolted off so you wouldn’t get in trouble for speaking to the prisoner.

You continued to visit Hector while the vampiresses were asleep, providing him with fresh food and what comfort you brought him. You asked about his occupation as a forgemaster, curious as to why Carmilla needed one so bad. He often had fresh injuries when you visited, and you would reach through the bars of the cell to rub ointment into the ones he couldn’t reach on his back. One day, he wasn’t in his cell, and when you asked the guard (and gave him some coins), he told you he had been moved into the “luxurious cells”. You scoffed at that. A cage was still a cage, no matter how nice it looked. But you made your way to the other cells, ducking behind the wall when you saw Lenore standing at Hector’s cell. You peeked around it, watching her tug on a leash attached to Hector’s neck, forcing him forward, taking it off of him. You felt a pang of both jealousy and disgust when she called him a ‘good boy’, possession and venom dripping from her words. You hid again as she turned to leave, and once she was gone, you rushed over to his cell.

“Are you alright?” You asked, heart sinking when you saw a blush on his cheeks.

“I’m fine.”

“Hector, she’s tricking you. She doesn’t care about you.” You grabbed his cell bars, trying to make him listen. “Lenore is a-“

“Is a what?”

Your blood went cold when you heard her voice, right behind you. You shivered in fear, eyes wide and body frozen in terror as you felt her cold hand harshly grab your shoulder, her claws digging in and drawing blood.

“Lenore, don’t harm her.” Hector warned her.

“Or what? What exactly will you do?” She asked, before throwing you across the room with her superhuman strength, hitting the wall and falling to the floor.

“Lenore! She was helping me! Leave her be!” Hector grabbed the bars this time, now trying to make her listen to him.

“Helping you?” She laughed bitterly as she walked over to you, grabbing your hair to make you look up at her. “Well, Carmilla is not going to be pleased that her pet was playing with mine now, will she?”

“Mistress, please don’t-“

“I am not the one to beg mercy from, Y/N. You should know this by now.”

Hector yelled at Lenore and for you as Lenore dragged you away, up to Carmilla’s grand study, throwing you onto her table.

“Can I help you?” Carmilla asked Lenore, glaring down at you with disgust.

“It appears our pets have been getting friendly with each other. She’s been helping Hector this whole time.”

“Oh really?” Carmilla glowered down at you, grabbing your hair harshly and holding you up by it, lifting you off her table.

“M-Mistress, I’m sorry! Please, mercy!” You begged, clenching your jaw at the pain of being held off the floor by your hair. “I-I just wanted to help!”

“Well, my dear sweet Y/N, you helped the wrong person.” Carmilla bared her teeth. “I gave you free roam of the castle, I saved your life, and this is how you repay me?”

“I’m sorry! I’m sorry, please!” You cried, feeling your scalp starting to bleed.

“I’ll leave you to it. I should probably discipline Hector as well.” Lenore said smugly, grinning at you before exiting her sisters study, leaving you alone with the merciless vampire.

Hours later, you stood beside Carmilla in the sister’s meeting room. She held a leash attached to your neck, the collar on too tight and dried blood coating your face and shoulders from the beating you endured from her. Your hands were folded politely in front of you, eyes fixed on the ground below as you didn’t dare move an inch from your mistress. They talked and bickered about their plan, various maps set out on the table with their wine glasses filled with blood. Carmilla had already drank from your neck, pure virgins blood remained her favorite to drain out of you until you went pale, but not enough to kill you. You didn’t move when you heard the door open behind you, but knew Hector was there when Carmilla complained about a man being in their quarters. You looked at him out of the corner of his eye, seeing he was confused and hurt by Lenore in some way you didn’t know yet. He looked at the collar tightened around your neck, guilt flashing in his eyes when he saw all the blood and bruises littering your face.

You listened in horror as Lenore boasted to her sisters about what she did to Hector, binding him to her through deceit and manipulation. You felt sick when she asked for a large bed in his room so she could “train him”, and silenced Hector when he tried to say something.

“Hm. Do you think you could make one for Y/N? She’s been disobedient, so I tethered her to myself to make sure she can’t do things behind my back anymore. But this ring would be so much easier, then I don’t have to keep her around me all the time.” Carmilla asked her sister, ignoring your look of horror you gave her at the idea.

“I’m already a step ahead of you, sister.” Lenore smiled, tossing her two rings for the both of you.

You fell to your knees, hands gripping Carmilla’s thighs, tears streaming down your face.

“Mistress, please! I’ll be good, I promise! Please don’t do this! I beg of you!” You pleaded, glossy eyes looking up at her with desperation.

“Oh, I love it when you do that, Y/N.” She smiled, one hand holding your chin. “But if you hadn’t betrayed me, I wouldn’t have to do this. Now would I? This is your fault, I’m only doing this because I have to, dear.”

You whimpered as she grabbed your wrist, shoving the ring onto your finger.

“Now, be a good girl and pledge your loyalty to me.” She said, running a hand through your hair, scrapping your sore and bloody scalp.

“I-I…I p-pledge my loyalty to y-you.” You cried out in pain as soon as those words left your mouth, feeling the magic piercing your skin and binding you to Carmilla. She pet your hair and shushed you, letting you cry into her lap as your body trembled pathetically.

“Good girl.” She smiled, before turning to Lenore. “You really are a genius, sister.”

“I know.” Lenore said cockily, before jumping off the table and grabbing Hectors arm, dragging him with her. His gaze lingered onto you, feeling as if it was his fault for this to be done to you as well. But you knew it was inevitable, Carmilla would’ve done this even if you hadn’t helped him, she liked the power over you too much.

“Now, darling, you are not to speak to Hector again. Do you understand me?” Carmilla asked you as you calmed down, sobs slowly dissolving into silent tears.

“Yes, mistress.” You said numbly, but sighed in relief when she took the collar that choked you off.

“Good. Now, off you go. Go clean yourself up, you look dreadful.”

You staggered out of the room, clutching your dress in your hands as you willed yourself to stop crying. Any freedom and humanity you had left was just stripped away, taken from you without a second thought or care in the world. You now felt empty and numb, the hopelessness overtaking your mind as you made your way to gather water for your own bath. You sank into the warm water, letting it comfort you like an embrace would, gently washing the blood out of your hair and off of your body. You wished you could wash the spell away, but no matter how hard you scrubbed, it wouldn’t leave you. You headed to bed soon after, curling into yourself and crying yourself to sleep.

The next few days went about as normal, Carmilla ordering you to do random chores and bring her glasses of blood, sometimes making you drain your own blood for her. You did as you were asked, it wasn’t like you had much of a choice. You were still allowed to roam as you wished in the daytime, but if you went too close to Hector, your ring burned like fire and it felt as if swords were piercing your body. You felt incredibly lonely like you had before he arrived, but even more afraid than before. You constantly worried about what Lenore was doing to Hector behind closed doors, and unbeknownst to you, he too was worried about what Carmilla was doing to you. Lenore treated you more harshly than she ever had, making it known to you that she was not pleased with you befriending Hector. After she saw you watch as Hector walked past the room you were in, she approached you, grabbing your neck and hoisting you up to be level with her face.

“I know exactly what you are thinking. I suggest you cease those impure thoughts about what is mine.” She warned, smile still soft but eyes filled with hatred.

“I-I don’t know what you mean, mistress-“ you stammered, yelping when she slapped you across the face.

“Lie to me again, I dare you.” She hissed. “Hector is mine, do you understand? He will never love you, he doesn’t even look you in the eye anymore. So quit wasting your time filling your pretty little head with such delusions. Do I make myself clear?”

“Yes, ma’am.” You nodded as best you could, coughing when she finally let you go. She turned to leave, looking back at you with a devious grin.

“I understand your desire for him, of course. I know you saw that cock of his. It feels better than it looks.” She cackled at you, before finally leaving you alone. You choked back tears, not wanting to give her the satisfaction of knowing she got to you. You rushed to your room to cry in peace, instead seeing a letter resting on your pillow. You picked it up and opened it, reading the name at the bottom and seeing it was from Hector.

‘Y/N. I know you’re being forced to keep away from me, I am not angry with you, I’ve been avoiding you too so that I don’t get you into anymore trouble because of me. I’m sorry I didn’t listen to you about Lenore, I thought she truly cared about me. How wrong I was. But I’ve been alone with my thoughts for awhile now, and I’ve come to conclusion that I want to help you. I care for you as you cared for me when I arrived, and I don’t want you to suffer on my behalf anymore. You don’t deserve this treatment, and neither do I. I have a plan for escape for us both, I will help you gain your complete freedom back. Wait for another letter from me, but in the meantime, avoid me at all costs. They can’t know we’re speaking again.

Burn this so that they don’t know I’ve reached out. -Hector’

You held the letter to your chest, tears dripping onto your bedding. Nobody had ever wanted to help you before, and if they did it was out of their own self interest. It had been so long since someone showed you any compassion or kindness, and him wanting to help you escape this life gave you a new sense of hope. You did as instructed and burned the letter, and checked your bed often for the next letter. You didn’t see much of Hector for the next week, only catching glimpses of him in the library , and you didn’t dare wander near his work place upstairs. You received a letter with the details of his plan later in the week, with detail of what you needed to do to stay out of danger. He told you about how he would trap Lenore, and allow her to be killed by the sunlight in the morning. Due to her manipulation and his messy feelings towards her, he didn’t have the heart to kill her himself. But Hector wasn’t a killer in the first place, he gave beings life and showed them kindness and empathy, something those vampires lacked.

The plan would be carried out that night, before the sun would rise. You did your chores as usual, not showing any unusual behavior or giving them any reason to be suspicious. You served Carmilla her chalice of blood for her study session, before bowing and leaving her to her work. Striga and Morana were away, all you had to worry about now was Lenore, arguably the worst. You wandered the castle with caution, trying to pinpoint where she was, and when you couldn’t find her, you came to the conclusion she was up at Hector’s workshop. You were supposed to meet him up there, but you didn’t want to risk Lenore hurting either one of you.

A shiver ran up your spine when you heard the screech of night creatures, and in your panic, you feet took you straight to safety; to Hector. It took you a few tries to find his workshop, stumbling up stairs as the castle shook from the attacks of the night creatures. When you finally saw him, a blue magic cage was blocking the doorway, holding Lenore inside of it.

“Hector!” You shouted, his eyes immediately finding yours.

“Y/N! You’re okay!” He smiled getting close to the cage as he could. You ignored the pain from the ring, face contouring in pain, but your smile remained.

“What is this?! Hector!” Lenore raged, glaring daggers at you. “How have you two been conspiring? The rings wouldn’t allow you two to speak!”

“We haven’t said a word to each other in weeks.” Hector said, facial expression stiffening into anger. “We didn’t see each other at all. But I have other ways of communication that you missed, along with the devices I’ve put about the castle. There’s a lot you didn’t see.”

You turned around when you heard the screeching and growls of night creatures, coming up the stairs towards you. You backed up against the cage as much as you could as the creatures approached you, and dark man in capes leading them. You looked at them with fear, knowing night creatures to eat and tear apart anything they wished.

“I do not mean you harm.” The man told you, stepping up to you. “But if you would mind moving, that would be appreciated.”

You stepped aside and he opened the cage with his enchanted sword, allowing you through as well. Lenore had half a mind to tackle you right then and there, but with the man between you she didn’t, instead just glaring. Hector stepped back as you entered the room, not wanting to cause you any pain from the ring. You wanted so desperately to touch him and be near him, but he didn’t want to hurt you any more, keeping his distance as he spoke with his colleague. You watched as he suddenly asked for his friends knife, and you tilted your head in confusion until you saw him bring it to his finger, cutting the ring off of him. His severed finger and ring clattered to the floor, blood dripping and sweat beading on his forehead as he allowed his friend to cauterize the wound with the same knife. Hector took the knife back, giving you a look that asked for your permission. You nodded, hissing in pain as he stepped closer, and crying when he took your hand in his, quickly slicing your own finger off. As soon as the ring fell off, it was like taking a breath of fresh air. You didn’t feel that weight on your shoulders or the fear in the back of your mind anymore, and the physical pain melted away immediately.

“Thank you, Isaac.” Hector said as he handed the knife back to him.

“Of course. Now, I’m off to slay Carmilla. See you on the other side, my friend.” Isaac said, taking the amulet Hector made for him and leaving the room. Hector turned back to you, a soft smile adorning his pretty face.

“Let’s wrap that up, sit.” He gestured to a chair, going to his supplies and finding bandages for the both of you. He wrapped your hand up first worrying about his own only after he asked if your bandage was too tight.

“May I hug you?” You asked suddenly. The adrenaline had made your walls come down, too full of a new hope for life that you didn’t even think to be embarrassed. Hector smiled at you, opening his arms for you to embrace him. Your arms immediately wrapped around him, the first time you’d ever been able to truly touch him since you had met all those weeks ago. You savored the feeling of his own arms wrapped around your body, his chin resting on your shoulder and your face buried in his chest.

“This is nice.” Hector grinned, pulling away slightly to look at you. “Thank you, Y/N. For everything you did for me. You were the first person to show me genuine kindness.” He smiled, before looking at Lenore, who simply glared at the both of you.

“I knew I needed to help you as soon as I laid my eyes upon your face.” You said, leaning in slightly towards his face. “You too were the first person to show me kindness in a very long time, Hector. I…I love you.”

His eyes widened slightly at that, a blush creeping up to his cheeks.

“Oh, please!” Lenore shouted from her cage. “The two of you barely know each other! This is ridiculous!”

“Yes, because you know me so well.” Hector rolled his eyes at her. “Let me put her on the balcony so we can have a real conversation, okay?”

You nodded and let go of him, letting him argue with Lenore and move her somewhere else so she didn’t bother you. You gasped when a force exploded somewhere in the castle, shaking the whole structure with such force. But you felt something else as well…freedom. That man Isaac really did it and killed Carmilla, you could feel it. It immediately brought tears to your eyes, and you began weeping. It had been so long being under Carmilla’s hold, the feeling of her hands being pried off your shoulders was overwhelming. You hadn’t felt like this in years, it almost scared you. You never thought you had a future away from this castle, away from your mistresses. You’d assumed you’d be serving them until the day you died, and probably by their own hands. The relief washed over you, overwhelming you.

“Y/N? What’s wrong?” Hector asked as he reentered the room, kneeling down in front of you.

“Nothing…nothing at all.” You smiled at him through tears, continuing to sob from the feeling. “I just…I really do love you, Hector.”

“I love you too, Y/N.” He wiped your face with his thumbs as he cupped your face, before leaning in and gently pressing his lips to yours in a perfectly sweet, loving kiss.