#i will probably be going alone rip but it'll be my first time going to a theater alone!

[altruistic-meme]

hi abram

just popping in to say i hope you're doing alright and that life is being kind to you right now and that anything giving you stress is only temporary.

sending positive vibes (if you want to pass those vibes on to others please do)

-💜✨

hi miels 😭💕

Thank you dearest!!! life has been kinda stressful bc of stuff happening at work but it's been okay so things considered :]

I've decided to see the new puss in boots movie this weekend bc it's the last week it'll be in theater ahah I may end up going to another state for it since the theaters in my state are gonna stop showing during the week and I can't go bc of work lmao but I'm looking forward to it!!!

I send you back some good vibes as well, in gonna share some later too <33

[midsummer-semantics]

if the world was ending

Okay, I told myself I wasn't going to write anything for @steddieangstyaugust but apparently I lied (I'm sorry)

Here's for day 1: Second Chance

CW: Slight agoraphobia

[not posted to AO3 but you can find other things there.]

When the earthquake hits, he’d like to say he thinks about his parents first. That he wonders where they are and if they're safe or if they’d hear about it from wherever they are in the world. If they’d call to check on him, even though they never did before.

He'd like to say he thinks about Robin, who's two states away studying for a graduate degree in International relations and communication, and likely doesn't feel the ground moving beneath her feet like he does.

Hell, he'd like to say he thinks about the kids, but most of them are scattered themselves, starting college programs (Will, Mike, Dustin) or sports training camps (Lucas) or exploring the West Coast (Max and El).

No, Steve is alone in his big, empty house when it hits, and the only thing on his mind is that they were wrong. Indiana doesn't get earthquakes, so something else has to be afoot. Six years since they defeated Vecna, since everyone tried to move on with their lives while Steve stayed because that's what he does, he stays.

A touchstone Dustin had called him once. Something to do with foundation and a connecting center. Steve still thinks it might have just been him and the rest of the group trying to make him feel better about still being stuck in the same house, in the same town, doing nothing and going nowhere.

He's alone and he thinks 'This is it. What I've been waiting for.'

He has a 6-year-old emergency pack stored that should have more dust on it if it wasn't for the way he chronically checks it. His trusty bat and a duplicate he made just in case, plus the ax he used the last time, are all near enough to the door. He's not sure what the protocol is for earthquakes, having grown up in the Midwest, but he's pretty sure he's not supposed to be indoors, right?

It doesn't last very long, but it doesn't matter. A few seconds of the ground shaking and rolling beneath his feet are enough to jumpstart him into action.

He's gathering supplies, cursing himself for taking too long, when the phone in the kitchen rings.

He should ignore it, knows that whatever or whoever it is can wait until he's secured the area and alerted the cavalry that something is happening. It'll take days for people to get here and Steve thinks he might he able to hold off whatever's coming out of whatever rift has sprung up until then, but he doesn't have time to think about it too hard.

The phone rings off the hook as Steve takes too damn long to double-check that nothing is in the house before he even attempts to go outside, and Steve knows he can't just leave it. Not in case it's someone who's still in town who knows he's here: Mrs. Wheeler, Claudia, Jim or Joyce.

He nearly rips the cord out of the wall when he answers.

"Stevie?!" comes the frantic voice of the person he least expects to be on the other side.

"Eddie?"

"Steve, oh my god." He can hear Eddie panting. "Are you okay?"

It's the first time Steve's heard Eddie's voice in five years. Since Eddie made good on his promise to run like hell out of here, something he'd repeated to anyone who would listen until he finally did. Five years since Steve had realized he was halfway in love with him after saving the world and never got to say anything because he was a coward and Eddie was leaving anyway so what was the point?

He'd gotten one phone call when Eddie arrived in Denver and it's been radio silence since then. Truthfully, he couldn't blame the guy, but Steve had had... thoughts... feelings... probably brought on by end-of-the-world shit but nonetheless. And then Eddie just—

Vanished.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Are you?" he asks.

"We're good," Eddie replies, and only then does he hear the rough grumble of Eddie's uncle in the background, asking why Eddie's on the phone at nearly 3 in the morning.

"Earthquake, old man," Eddie shouts, still too close to the receiver for Steve's already damaged hearing.

Oh.

So, Eddie's in town. Cool. Steve had no idea. Doesn't know when Eddie got in or if he ever intended to tell Steve he was here at all. That's fine.

"Sorry, Stevie. Woke Wayne up. Shit— did I wake you up too?"

Steve swallows harshly, shaking his head even though Eddie can't see it. "No, I was already awake."

"Me too," Eddie replies. "Jet lag. Just got in a few hours ago. What a welcome home, huh?"

"Sure," Steve says, wondering what the point of this call is. "Look, I'm glad to hear from you, but I really need to—"

"Wait!" Steve shuts his mouth, his teeth clacking harshly. "It's fine. Everything is fine."

"Dude, there was an earthquake just now—"

"And it wasn't You-Know-What related," Eddie states, a bit of his franticness back in his voice. "They're leveling part of the plant for safety issues. Wanted to do it at night so no one would freak out." Steve cringes. Hawkins wasn't exactly magnanimous about the rebuilding efforts last time, but he doesn't go to city council meetings to hear about what the efforts might have been since then. "That's part of why I'm home. Wayne's got an extended leave until they sort out what else to do."

Steve sighs, dropping the emergency pack on the floor and leaning the ax he'd managed to grab against the wall. "Oh. Great. Wish they'd have told everyone else just in case."

"I know, sweetheart. But everything is okay."

Sweetheart.

Steve's actual heart skips a beat hearing that again.

"I'll be back, sweetheart. I promise."

"So... you're here then? In Hawkins?"

There's a beat of silence, some shuffling on the other end. "Well, yeah. I told you I'd come back."

"For your uncle."

"He's part of it."

Steve hesitates, hating himself for even considering getting his hopes up.

"And the other part?"

"My guy is here."

When the earthquake hit, he’d like to say he thought about his parents first.

No, he'd thought it was the end of the world. And above that, all he could think about was Eddie.

[selfindulgentpixies]

Learn to play the game for me

Aventurine x GN!reader Hunger games!AU

Wrote this for @decaydaddy's event! The idea of Aventurine being a previous victor and mentor for the hunger games hit me like a truck. It just fits him really well I feel like. I can't say i'll write more for this just because I can't say i'm fully back on the writing horse yet. I was just really taken by this idea because i really enjoyed the hunger games back when i read it. Even if i only read the first two books. It'll be clear that certain scenes really stuck in my head.

header is official promo art and divider credit goes to @kaeyaphile

A sharp rip echo’s through the room before a string of curses fall from your lips. “Fuckin mother fucki’- the hell did you you warn me first?! Why do I need this done exactly?!”

“Ah ah, language, if you’re going to get sponsors we need to play up that pretty and polite image, no one’s going to want to sponsor you if you don’t.” Your mentor chides as the stylist disposes of the first paper and wax strip now coated in hair, hair that you really didn’t think there was a point in getting rid of.

You glare at your mentor, pretty as a picture as he always is. He’d even been pretty when you were young children, even if he’d lacked the flamboyantcy and refinement he now carries himself with back then. You try to ignore it as more warm wax is painted onto your leg and keep your focus on Aventurine. “And you think a few sponsors will be enough for me to survive this thing? I’ll probably end up dead, and then i’ll just leave behind a ‘pretty’ and hairless corpse.” 

Something shifts in Aventurine's eyes and he leans close to you. “You can survive this, you just need to learn how to play their game. Just like I did. Are you really ready to just give up and let yourself be chewed up and spit out?” 

Something stutters in your chest both at the intensity of his gaze and at his close proximity. Rrrriiiip- the wax strip being pulled from your skin cuts off anything you could have said, though to your credit you don’t swear this time and just let out a surprised choked sound. 

Aventurine steps back from you, the expensive heels of his shoes clicking on the hard floor as he turns away. “I’ll leave you to get finished being cleaned up.” He gives a little wave of his hand and walks away. 

___

You stand before the full length mirror, staring at yourself draped in expensive fabric you would never have  been able to imagine yourself in before. Soon you’d be sitting on a stage, selling yourself, selling the idea of you, to the sponsors who could tip the balance for you once the games begin. No. The games have already begun. Aventurine stressed that point to you, that the game began the second you were chosen as a tribute. Everything you did leading up to the fighting was just as important if not more so. You swallow thickly, your thoughts race, you weren’t cut out for this but who was? Maybe those brats in the more well to do districts. Not you though. You squeeze your eyes shut, trying to keep your breathing in check.

Suddenly there are hands on your arms, squeezing lightly. Your eyes snap open, only to be met with your mentor’s in the mirror. Finally alone with him you can see concern there. “That’s right, come back to me, just breathe.” 

His words make your heart stutter but you do as he says, he breathes deeply and you mimic the action. Time stretches on forever with you mimicking his breathing until he seems satisfied. “There you are,” there’s a hint of a smile on his lips now. His hands smooth over the fabric he’d wrinkled while gripping your arms. “I know none of this is fair, but I’ll do everything I can to give you every advantage I can in order to even the odds.” His voice is serious, quiet, you might not even be able to hear him if not for how his lips are pressed to your ear.

“Aven…” before you can fully say his name he continues. 

“All I ask is that you fight like hell. Both on stage and in the arena. Don’t throw the game because you’re scared.” His eyes are intense, so much so that you try to glance away from his reflection in the mirror only for him to turn you toward him. 

He holds your gaze until you give him a firm nod. “Good.” He rests his forehead against yours for a moment and you feel your cheeks heat, your heart racing for an entirely new reason by the time he pulls away and steps back from you. Suddenly your hands shoot out to grab at his arms startling you both. 

“I-i..” A deep breath. “How… Did you manage it? You were a lot younger than I am now when you won.” Despite being your mentor Aventurine has actually spoken very little about his own games. He’s dodged most direct questions both by you and the other tribute.

“I got lucky.” He lets out a dry chuckle when your face contorts. 

“That’s a terrible answer and doesn’t help me.” 

“Ah ah but is it not in line with what they say about these games? ‘May the odds be ever in your favor.’?”  there’s a hint of something pained in his voice. 

“Aventurine, please, is that really all you’re going to tell me…?” 

He removes your hands from his arms before reaching up to cup your face. You feel the warmth of his hands seep through his gloves to your skin contrasted harshly against the cool metal of his rings. “Tell you what, you win and then i’ll tell you everything.”

“But-”

“That doesn’t help you win? Consider it a little extra motivation.” 

Before you can protest he steps away from you and turns to head toward the door with a little wave. “It’s almost time for your interview~” With his back to you can’t see that sadness in his expression. He’s not ready to talk about her with you yet, his older sister who’d given her all and made it possible for him to be standing here now. He can’t share that pain with someone who could be dead tomorrow. 

—

Very few could ever claim to know what’s going on in Aventurine’s head, and you certainly don’t count yourself among them. So when your interview concludes and you’re just barely off stage and he takes your hand, mouthing the words ‘trust me’ then without a moment for you to process he pulls you to him, his lips crashing with yours. Your sound of surprise is swallowed up by him as he deepens the kiss, your hands flying up to grip the fabric of his expensive jacket. You almost don’t register the gasps and murmurs of the crowd. You may not see it but this moment with your mentor is broadcasted on the large screens as he walks you back a step further into view. The way he kisses you and his tender embrace plain for everyone to see. 

Everything feels like whirlwind from there, granted everything since being chosen as tribute has felt that way, but this? The news of you apparently having a love affair with your mentor is everywhere. Headlines of how a pair of lovers are being forced apart and how one must watch the person he loves endure the same trials he once had to survive are abuzz. “Was that seriously necessary?!” Your face is heated and you can’t decide if you feel more embarrassed or angry as you stare at Aventurine perched on the love seat in your temporary accommodations. Shameless with legs spread and a knowing smirk on his lips. 

“It makes for a good story. Everyone loves a tragic love story.” He gives a small shrug. 

“Why didn’t you ask me first!?”

He raises one elegant brow. “Would you have agreed?”

“No!?” 

“And that’s why i didn’t ask. This is another way i can help you and make you more appealing to the audience. Besides… You didn’t seem to mind while I was kissing you.”

“That’s-!” Your stomach twists and you feel your face heat further if possible. 

He puts his hands on his knees before standing and walking toward you, when he’s about to pass you he speaks again, looking at you from the corner of his eye. “If it helps, I meant it. The kiss, I mean.” 

Your world slows. “You- you don’t get to just say things like that and walk away!” You follow hot on his heels as he begins to head for the door. You grab at his expensive jacket once again, the poor fabric seemingly doomed to your abuse, and turn Aventurine to face you. His expression surprises you, all traces of smugness gone. You swallow thickly. “You can’t play games with my feelings at a time like this…” Your fire seems to fizzle out further with each moment you look at him. 

“I’m not… I wouldn’t be putting so much work into giving you the best chance possible if I was.” 

“But… why now? After all this time.. After you were in the games when we were little I never heard from you again and suddenly now that you’re my mentor you’re telling me what? That you lo-” a deep breath. 

“And if I am?” 

“I don’t know… But i have missed you.” 

“That’s why you wanted me as your mentor isn’t it? I know you asked for me specifically.” 

“Is it why you accepted?” 

You meet eachother eyes and suddenly share a small moment of quiet laughter. 

“You’re impossible, you know that right? And don’t think I’m not still mad at you.”

“Win the games and I’ll make it up to you.” And he sounds so sure when he says it that a small part of you believes you could win, if not for yourself perhaps for him. Perhaps for the two of you.

The next day, standing on the platform waiting for it to rise to the arena you feel your resolve solidify. He stands in front of you and rests his forehead against yours. “May the odds be ever in your favor.” spoken for you only before he steps back, allowing the platform to rise to take you to the surface, away from him and he hopes it’s not for the last time. By the resolve in your eyes as you get further and further from him he can believe you have a chance, and that’s all you need to win a game like this.

I hope you guys liked it! Aventurine has taken over my brain lately. I've actually written a couple other things but I just haven't polished them. This idea forced me to sit down and write it.

Tag list: @scarabrat-archived @pastelle-rabbit @fushigurro @zorosdimples @bad-as-the-boys @likelilacwine @kweenkatsuki-fics

[reverse-runaways-au]

humbly requesting some Reverend and Will first meeting content 🪽🤞🏻

This was both fun and a challenge to write!! No warnings here, other than what you probably already know about the characters and the Reverse Falls au.

Standing alone in the room, staring at the candles on the wooden floor, he braced himself. Again, the warning rang in Stanford’s mind.

Do not summon at all costs.

It was not a phrase to be taken lightly. Not an action to take without long, careful thought. Long sleepless hours of research and study, restless nights alone, turning it over and over in his mind. Preparing himself for what he wanted to do. A reckless man would have summoned the strange spirit, this dream demon, as soon as he could. He didn't like to think of himself that way. He liked to consider himself better than that.

Nothing else he'd come across had a warning like this. Nothing else had the potential like this. Nothing else begged for his attention like this. Begged for his control like this.

Too good to resist. Too good to hold back.

Yes. Whatever this truly was, demon or lesser spirit, or something else unimaginable, he was ready for it.

The candles flickered. Stanford Gleeful held his breath. A wind wrapped around him, tossing his hair as the world distorted into grayscale. Behind his arms he watched with wide eyes as a hole ripped itself open in reality. A triangle through which he could see the whole cosmos watching back.

He blinked.

The eye within the hole blinked back.

Reality turned solid again. The triangle seemed to smile, looking around the room.

“I'm back,” he said.

Stanford lowered his arms, and stared. He was a strange thing, dark arms and legs with a top hat and tie. All blue, an almost photo negative shade, with a single eye that looked at him with cheerful curiosity. Intelligence burned within it. So did power.

He couldn't look away.

“So!” The little thing floated closer. “You're Stanford Gleeful!” He circled around, as if examining Stanford. “Yknow, I didn't think you'd actually do it. Summon me. I'm glad you did though! It's nice to talk to a human again.”

“How-” Stanford swallowed. “How do you know my name?”

The triangle laughed. “What don't I know!” He said. “I'm practically a god of knowledge!” He rubbed his face with his little hand. “But uh. I've actually been hoping someone would summon me for a long time. The last guys didn't like me. They thought I was annoying. I saw you find that old stuff-” He gestured to the desk across the room. “- and I thought, maybe this time it'll happen! And go better, too! I shouldn't hope, it's gotten me in trouble before. But for once, it worked out!”

He reached out and brushed a few strands of hair out of Stanford's face, before flicking him on the nose.

“Name's Will Cipher! Great to finally meet you. Hope I don't let you down!”

Stanford felt something odd wrapping around inside him. Like… intrigue. Interest. Attraction? He couldn't say. This whole situation caught him off guard. He'd expected a demon like his grandfather spoke of so often in his sermons, in personality, if nothing else.

But Will, he seemed… Nice. Innocent, even.

“So!” Will crossed his legs and looked at Stanford with clear eagerness. “What would you like to do first?”

Right. He'd wanted to test the demon with questions. See how powerful, how dangerous, he truly was. But he couldn't remember them anymore. Damn it.

“Hold on,” Stanford said, raising his hand. “What was it you just said about being a god?”

“Compared to humans, yeah!” Will said. “I'll show you! You want to see something fun?”

“... Yes?” Stanford said.

Will took off his hat and tossed it in the air. He spun around in a blur of blue and black, moving so quickly Stanford could not see him anymore. The hat shot up, almost hitting the ceiling, and drifted back down.

The hand that caught the hat was human, in black fingerless gloves. The head that the hand put the hat back onto, covered in blonde hair, was also human. Dark blue eyes winked at him, human eyes, a human face. A human body dressed in a blue vest over a black sleeveless turtleneck and dark pants, lean and youthful and grinning wide. Will adjusted his tie.

“What do you think?” Will said.

Something about Stanford's face must've caught Will’s attention. He wilted.

“... I didn't make you uncomfortable did I?” He said. “I can change back if you-”

“No!”

Stanford lowered his hand. He exhaled. Forced himself to smile through his disbelief.

“I… I like it.”

But Will must have known that. How, he would need to figure out. Stanford never told a soul about his true desire in a partner. He would never let anyone know he was gay. But this form that this bright-eyed demon took…

He must have known. How else could he have chosen a body that captured everything he'd ever fantasized about?

“Thanks!” Will said.

Or maybe he didn't. Maybe it was an accident. Maybe it was fate.

Maybe they were meant for each other.

Stanford grinned. This was the best decision he ever made in his life.

[nahoyasboyfriend]

Run from me

Warning: very vague gore at the end tried to keep that as short as possible. If you don't want to read about being chased this is not for you

Word count: 1k

Tagging: @slvt4jamesmarch

A/N: This is my first time writing anything like this so I hope it's good. Sorry if there are any errors. I tried to fix most of them, but I may have missed a few. To whoever requested this I love you so much!!!

You awake to the sound of someone knocking on the door. It's probably someone who got their room mixed up. sluggishly, you drag yourself out of bed, carefully ambling to the door. You yawn, blinking the last bit of sleep from your eyes. You don't bother to grab your phone. You plan to go back to bed anyway. It's still dark outside, and your alarm hasn't gone off.

You open the door and there's a man standing before you. He dressed like he was ripped fresh out of the 1920s. His hair slicked down, and he had a thin mustache. Your eyes scan over his outfit, a pin striped suit with an ascot around his neck, and a bowler hat to top it all off. He donned a charming smile, and you brush off the unease that settles in your stomach.

"I think you have the wrong room," you state plainly. All you wanted to do was go back to bed, and sleep the weirdness of this encounter away.

"No, I don't believe I do. if I recall correctly, this is room 74." he says, his inky black eyes never leaving your own.

Sighing, you lightly shake your head, taking a step closer to him, "this is the room they gave me, so there must be a mix up. I can even show you the key they gave me. It has the room number."

You turn around, and you're yanked into the firmness of his chest. Before you can even think of screaming, his big hand clamps over your mouth. "when I let go, I want you to run," he purred, voice molasses-smooth, and you shudder from the feeling of his breath against your ear. You don't make a noise, afraid it'll make everything more real. "And if you make it to the lobby, you get to live."

You think, for a brief moment, if you pray hard enough you'll wake up in your bed, and this will just be a horrible nightmare, but it isn't. It's very much real, and when his bruising grip is finally released you realize the only thing you can do is run like he requested.

And that's exactly what you do, you dart off, hoping that if you're fast enough you'll be able to make it out of here alive. You glance behind you, expecting him to be right on your tail chasing behind you. Strangely, he isn't. You see him back where you left him, taking his time. His gait is steady and slow. He's playing with you and that thought alone makes you sick.

The idea sends a wave of determination through you. You can't let it end here in an old shitty hotel. You duck a corner, and you're met with more rooms with no end in sight. Tears prick at the corners of your eyes, blurring your vision. You scream out, and your lungs ache from the exertion. You feel aimless in a way, unsure of where you are going. You don't know where any of the exits were located, or if there even are any. You wonder if this is pointless; if all roads lead to your inevitable doom.

Though the assumption of what he'll do to you if he catches you pushes you on. Being tortured didn't sound like the way you wanted to go, but not dying at all would be the preferred option. You could hear him humming behind you, a faint sound. Something you wouldn't have noticed if you didn't focus. Adrenaline is pumping through your veins, and you're sure if it wasn't you would have collapsed by now.

The halls of the hotel slowly start bleeding together the more corners you turn. Every hall looks identical to another, so much so you start to wonder if you're going in circles. You slowly begin to believe that this wasn't a hotel at all, and more like a labyrinth. A place designed to swallow helpless people like yourself whole. Losing hope, you scream louder, begging for anyone to save you. You weren't the most religious, but you found yourself wishing that somehow god would save you.

The man lets out a deafening laugh, muttering something you couldn't catch. He sounded closer than before. More tears rolled down your face, your eyes flitting around searching for another person. Goddamnit, does anyone work here?

The sound of his footsteps got quicker and louder. The sound was maddening. You couldn't tell if he was right behind you, and you were too frightened to check. The exhaustion was slowly starting to catch up with you. Your feet felt like rocks, every step taking more effort than the last. Your skin is covered in goosebumps from the chill of the hotel. The flimsy nightgown you have on doing nothing to shield you from the bite of the air conditioner.

You can barely force enough air into your lungs, each sharp breath sending a rush of pain through you. You could see another corner coming up. You could only pray that you'd finally reached an exit. That maybe your key to freedom was right in front of you. You quickly discovered It wasn't. When you reach the corner, a flood of dread is washed over you. A dead end. You let out a broken sob, stumbling down the hall. The sound of his mellow hum, creeping closer and closer.

As you staggered down the hall the only thing that ran through your head was: why? Why was he doing this to you? Why couldn't it be someone else? Why is life so cruel?

When you reach the end of the hallway, you just stand there for a moment, silently listening to him walk to you. When he's within your reach you whip around, wildly swinging your arms to hit him. He catches one of your hands, but the other lands a clean strike on his jaw. You freeze for a moment, uncertain of what to do next. He regains composure almost immediately, squeezing your wrists in a tight fist.

"you did good, dear. very good," he croons and thrusts your body against the wall and you groan out in pain. You feel a searing pain in your stomach, and you hesitantly look down to see his knife buried to hilt in your stomach. You try to scream but only a wet gurgle comes out. He twists the knife for extra measure before pulling the blade out of you. You slump forward, your consciousness slipping through your fingers like sand. Right before you lose your last bit of consciousness you hear him add, "unfortunately not good enough."

[kuni-is-daddy]

imagine scaramouche being ghostface, him killing each and one of your friends and family untill it's just the two of you alone. After you found out that he's been the one killing your friends and family, you could never forgive him or love him again. Until one night after he was done killing someone he comes through your window, covered in blood and everything, you being scared that he's gonna kill you next but he doesn't instead he's like "I did all this for you my love." And it goes to smut, your body and clothes being covered in blood from whenever he would touch you with his bloody hands. (I got the idea from what I'm writing of ghostface scaramouche but I haven't really been writing it much😭 and sorry if it doesn't make sense)

NO KAMI, THE PRODIGAL: "LACRIMOSA"

Yandere/Killer Scaramouche X GN READER

TW: k!lling

SCARA'S KILLIN BUDDY IS CHILDE/TARTAGLIA.

PURE ANGST. 1.2k WORDS

Scara masterlist!

--MINORS DNI---

Yandere scaramouche who gives you a necklace before he leaves for sumeru that you should NEVER take off, that was made by his friend sandrone. Whenever you'd open the pendant, it was a picture of the two of you on your first date and would play a little tune of the song he made for you. "Na..zou...Na....Gah...Sah....lehh...Vall...Esss."

Yandere scaramouche who gave that To SPY on you through the mini recorder inside of it that would work as long as the necklace was tied around your neck, Once untied it would have to be re-tied to activate and connect to his phone during missions in sumeru. The necklace was waterproof- fireproof. Just so many 'proofs' that hearing him babble on about it made you sick You reassured him you'd never take it off.

Yandere scaramouche who would Listen in on his phone as your friends tried to convince you to dump him "No offense y/n but this "scaramooke" you corrected them "scaramouche." "yeah. He sounds like a bozo. Your too pretty to be waiting for like what now? a year for some man that never came back for you." The others joined in "yeah look at his goofy ass hair and how short he is. Like a midget. Bet his dick Small af" "Honestly if he really loved you, he would've kept his word and stayed with you, here in inazuma." How about when he comes back. We say something happened to you, that everyone he loved died to make him regret it all." "He's probably more concerned with his mom being on his ass 24/7 instead of staying for you.

Yandere scaramouche who's heart breaks realizing their is no connection to the necklace, symbolizing you took it off. Hesitantly you did and gave it to your best friend, but you felt worried. You made a promise to never take it off, but its been so long. surely he wouldn't mind if you did once? You handed it to your friend with a sigh of relief. "See y/n you need to live a little. Relax... Say, how about we have a party at your house next monday! It'll relax your nerves from this scaradook guy, I know your parents are always worried but they wont mind!" This time, you laughed at the nickname they gave him.

Yandere scaramouche who would spend his time killing hundreds in the abyss with tartaglia as further motivation to kill your friends. Picturing, Envisioning and fetishizing their lifeless bodys. "Next monday, next monday" He repeated over and over in his head

Since he put on a show for tartaglia, Tartaglia willingly offered to pair up for missions in exchange for him to go to inazuma in time for the party.

"Hey scara.." "What do you want?" "Are you going to hurt y/n?" 'Why the fuck would you even assume that? Actually, why is it even your buisness?" "Because ive seen you kill scara. I know how you are even if you dont admit it. You do stupid things when your in the moment, I know that more then anybody in battle. Watch yourself."

Yandere scaramouche who spys on you from a distance, watching you decorate your house for the party. Missing how you'd undress yourself infront of him. How he could rip those clothes off when he was desperate to fuck you after 'his work'

Yandere scaramouche hesitating for the right time to make the move, realizing your not in the house. When suddenly the app he used to stalk you was working 'was y/n wearing the necklace again?' he checked. "AwW buT guYS. I loVeEe ScAwAmouChe. He'LL coME bacCW soON. I dont nEeD A neW boyFriEND" Your best friend said while wearing the necklace. "FUCK you sCARA YOU SUCK. How about wE FIND HER A BOYFRIEND THEN SEND YOU A PIC OF HER GIVING HIM A KISS. HE'S MUCH BETTER THAN Y-

Yandere scaramouche who busts open and closes the door. Going on a rampage killing all your friends. Bashing heads against the wall. Stabbing and punching. Your best friend reaches for their phone to call 9/11 but gets stabbed in the leg and trembles to the ground.

Yandere scaramouche who is in a high from the mass killing he just did. watching the blood drip all over his body. He hears the doorbell ring and the lock on the door starting to turn. He rushes to the door and stabs the first people he see's...which ends up being your parents. He didnt even mean to kill your parents but he's too far gone now and stacks up the bodys in your bathroom. He picks up your best friends body, Looks at the necklace then repeats what they said. "if he really loved you, he would've kept his word and stayed with you." "I am here now..For my love."

Yandere scaramouche who'd hide behind the door waiting for you to come, Pushing you down to the floor after you shut the door to see your EX-S/o Covered in blood and your best friend dead on the ground, crying and kicking at scaramouche to let you go and that its over while muttering nonsense. "Over? Y/n I did this for you my love. Did you hear how they talked about us?" "B-BUT IT WAS TRUE SCARA. Y-YOU DIDNT EVEN OFFER TO COME BACK FOR ME." "Y/n.." He sighed "I tried telling you. It was complicated. You said you loved me forever baby. what was 1 little year away from you going to change? I still love you as you can see." "Scara your delusional..Let me go.." "You have alot of nerve talking to me like this y/n. After all ive done for you. But look at you baby, Like a fine painting covered in your best friends blood. Give me a kiss."

Yandere scaramouche who pulls you into a kiss but you elbow him in his face then kick him off of you, Stumbling over blood and clothes on the floor while running out of the door. You tried to run but he was ultimately faster than you. "Y/N, LOVE, PLEASE DONT DO THIS, I DONT WANT TO HAVE TO HURT YOU BABY. COME FUCKING BACK TO ME. Y/N!! I swear..YOU FUCKING HUMANS ARE ALL THE SAME. Y/N!!!!!" it was terrifying. You kept running until you bumped into a tall ginger haired man, thinking he was an inazuman local you ranted off. "P-PLEASE YOU HAVE TO HELP ME. MY S/O- I-I MEAN SCARAMOUCHE YOU KNOW HIM RIGHT? SHORT MAN, HE- HE KILLED MY FRIENDS AND-" Little did you know it was childe you bumped into.

Who's last words you heard we're "sorry" before everything turned black.

[velvetwyrme]

transformers one is out now!!! have yuo watched it yet?? how was it?? c:

HI ANON i hope you dont mind that i kept this in my askbox for a couple days because I hadn't watched it yet (wanted to make sure I was No Longer Sick, because being sick in the cinema is Not Great) and also technically it hasn't released here yet,,,? BUT apparently they've got advance preview weekends for like. the same price so Obviously I went.

ANYWAY I HAVE WATCHED IT NOW AND IT WAS FANTASTIC!!!! THANK YOU FOR ASKING.

AHHHHHHHHHH hold on I've been talking nonstop about it for like the last. 4 hours. fucking help me. or dont. I love to chatter and will continue to do so under the cut shjfkgnwmbfks so if you count this, it'll end up nearing 6. I'm... probably going to talk about this as if you know the general premise of the movie, but if not. Google it. Or just go watch it!! (Can recommend) I talk too much to summarise it fhfjfbskdnfkf

Vague spoiler warning because I don't know what I'll talk about rhdjfbekntkr,,,,

Edit: If you've been following me for any amount of time, you know that when I say this got long, you really do have to believe me on that.

My mom liked it as well???? She came with me because I didn't want to subject any of my irl friends to my tf rambling and she didn't want me to go alone fbfkfbkd I thought she wouldn't, but SHE LIKED IT.

Okay so first off: going into the theatre, I was so so afraid that I was going to have the same thought I had after watching Puss and Boots: The First Wish, which was- "I REALLY liked that, and it would have been one of my favorite movies if I was still a child." (Still a really good movie!!)

BUT I DIDN'T HAVE THAT. I JUST REALLY LOVE THE MOVIE FULL STOP.

Anyway, onto my wild rambling.

The visuals were superb!! Gorgeous. No notes. Freaking amazing animation and character design and world design !!!!! I'LL COME BACK TO THAT I COULD YELL FOREVER ABT WORLDBUILDING. The characterisation is so so good, so tasty.

Also because I'm a huge honkin nerd...

The movie is largely focused on the dynamic between Orion Pax/Optimus Prime and D-16/Megatron, but the other characters also shine through really well, and they show off a lot personality even with the ones with very few scenes. Elita-One is a fucking delight I wanna kiss her!!!!!!! She's so cool and pragmatic and it SHOWS in what she does and how she acts. She IS better than you, and she knows it. Even Starscreams confident yet cowardly nature is shown with him lounging on a throne and slinking off after his fight with D-16, and he's barely there!!! RAHAGGHHH I love what you can do with characterisation!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Also my god this movie was funny. Even when the pacing is fast it's a GOOD fast. Comedic moments are used really well in this, and it flips smoothly between that and the more serious and heartfelt bits.

AND HRHFJFJDK okay so maybe its just my sense of humor, but I found Bee to be really really really funny. He's just like me for real!!! Talks too much, excited as HELL about everything!!!!!!!!! HE'S JUST LIKE ME. I also told my mom this and she was like. "Yes! He is jist like you!! He talks a lot. You would do the knife-hands thing. Also, you're wearing yellow." And. I was. I am. hrhfjfjfkkghdk 💛💛 Shockwave in this movie is ALSO very funny. He gets punched <3 Many other characters also get punched, but he complains about it. He reminds me somewhat of TF Animated Shockwave but less intimidating sgdjfbdjfbdmfbmd

Speaking of characters... Airachnid was so pretty. I love her design so much!!!! She's alien and COOL and I love her!!!!! She has so many eyes... (I'd ALSO love to know more about what her deal is. But... her lack of a motive/story is made up infinitely by strong screen presence and personality) Sentinel was ALSO very pretty and I loved seeing him on screen but I (spoilers) loved seeing him get ripped in half more. Those were LOVELY shots.

I brought my mini Soundwave along with me!! I liked Soundwave in the movie even if he didn't play a big part <33 The "there sure are a lot of waves" joke was VERY funny because I had the exact same thought moments before.

There are a LOT of cameos in the film and I kept going "AHHHHH [CHARACTER]". I get why they didn't add more as main characters- there were a loooooot of characters running around already, and only 2 hours!! Even so, I still wish we saw more of the other characters that cameoed (JAZZ!!!!!! MY BOYYYY!! I WAS SO SCARED THEY'D KILL HIM OFF) or had minor appearances because I just. I want to know what they'd do with the characterisation........ but that's what fanfic for for ig ehfjfhdk,,

And on the topic of lovely shots, theres a series of scenes near the end of the movie with no dialogue, only music and sound and. It's SO good. It's so impactful and beautiful and ausuaiaiurhrgh...

The whole movie is inherently sort of a tragedy since it's a prequel. We all know how it ends; what these characters become. But the build up to that is so SO good. I loved the character progression- D-16'S PROGRESSION TO BECOMING MEGATRON IS!!! AHHHHH!! I loved seeing him shift from one perspective to another and they made it believable.

His anger and betrayal giving way to violence- there's this one bit shortly after they are given the ability to transform where you See that violence in D-16 fir the first time, and it's shot so starkly in comparison to the other characters (who also fight to get away) and it's just like. Oh. There's the potential for something dangerous there.

It is so so interesting to me to see how that violence is framed in comparison to the others- all three of the other protags have their moments of violence- Elita-One is very very intimidating and used violence/threats to get her way, and Bee has this lightheartedness/innocence to his violence... Orion Pax is just. he's doing what needs to be done, he takes no joy from the destruction- he's fighting back, but I think most importantly all of them know when to stop.

There are the fights and punches that get thrown around, and then there is D-16 wailing on Starscream. Megatron RIPPING SENTINEL IN HALF. God that scene was good.

Anyway, sometimes in media a character goes through a Big Event that changes or breaks them, but here? There is no breaking point for D-16/Megatron. It's a slow spiralling descent and you see him taking one step after another, deciding to continue down this path. This is shown in a more literal way with his eyes slowly changing colour through the movie (fucking SICK SHOTS!!!!!!!) but there are a dozen more moments where you can see him decide who he is becoming.

IT WAS REALLY GOOD, I LOVE SHIT LIKE THAT.

And as audience!! Though we know this change is inevitable!! (This is an event in the past- the end of this is already written!!!) It's still tragic!! I feel for him!! I want him to keep getting back up in the face of Sentinel's cruelty!!!!!!!!!!

Orion watching his friend change, seeing them grow further apart... and he still hangs onto that hope right up until the end (and even after that!!!!!! He banishes him, because he will not kill him!!)

imo, they did Orion Pax/Optimus Prime really well in this one- he gets into a lot of trouble and it somehow works out. I think they do really well in making him feel down to earth in this- he's punchy and dynamic and has this unwavering respect for the people around him, but he's also good at being tricky and manipulative to get interesting outcomes that nobody else could have considered- he knows how people tick on an individual level and he knows how to use that. He thinks differently, and it's fantastic. Most importantly, Orion can see something nobody else can: a world where things are better.

Orion becoming Optimus... ough. aough. It's so!!!!!! AHHH. I loved all of the sequences that follow after. When his signature axe made an appearance I was so excited it was REALLY COOL. ALL OF IT WAS SO COOL.

The fight choreography is FANTASTIC and while it was a little messy at times (so much... going on........) it was fluid and dynamic and mwah mwah mwah I love it.

ALSO I SAID I'D YELL ABOUT WORLDBUILDING but this is really really long already so like. I'll keep it short as I can

The glimpses of the society that exists is FASCINATING to me. We don't get to see much of it, because our main characters are purely of the lower classes, so what's available to us is quite limited, but the class structure is INTERESTING to me. Unlike IDW, where form dictates function, this universe is driven (ha. ha.) on the idea that some Cybertronians can't transform (and thus work in the lower classes, as miners and waste management etc.) but as it turns out, (spoilers) they actually get their transformation cogs removed before they come online. And like... I can't help but wonder how they pick who gets that treatment?? Luck???? I'm dying to know.

ALSO I really like the Quintessons (sad they're not the the horrible five faced creature things. I wanna see the Weirdos!!!!) but I still think these fuck hard. They're really buggy and organic and cool (I adore their ship designs holy shiiiiiiiiit- just yesterday I was admiring all the bugs and monsters and crabby things in Guild Wars 2, and now THIS?? BLESSED.) And the CYBERTRONIAN DEER ARE COOL!!!!!!!!!! I like them. That's all. I wished we got to see more of the bio-mechanical parts of the planet...

AND AND THE PLANET ITSELF HOLY SHIT AHHHHHH!!!!! The city is gorgeous- the spires going up and down is mwah amazing. The roads and rails appearing/disappearing as they are used? PEAK. The MINES and the surface of Cybertron. They're shifting, moving, alive. I legit was staring slackjawed when they were in the mines- it's just SO COOL to watch!!!

OKAY. IM DONE NOW.

...

AUGH I want to watch it again. I probably WILL watch it again.

If you got all the way down here, thank you for reading (?!) and please tell me what YOU thought of it if you've seen it 🥺👀 Or if you're going to. I definitely recommend it.

[dee-in-the-box]

so. thought a little too hard about my headcanons for Dsaf 3. and now i'm a bit sad. so now y'all get some!

Jack listening to Henry's tapes and getting about...five more reasons to want to tear that man to shreds. at lest three of them involved Dave. the other two involve Dee and himself.

Dee first coming out of her box in The Flipside looking like the Puppet, but then shifting into looking like herself again when she sees Jack. and then shifting into the Puppet again when the fight starts. just. my Dee shapeshifting headcanon <3 (basically, after she died, Dee could shift her ghostly appearance into being either the Puppet or a ghostly version of herself)

Jack looking at Blackjack and just seeing a younger version of himself, frozen in time. this young man in his early twenties, his whole life ahead of him, who had all of that ripped away from him cruelly. his sister. his brother. himself. all by the same man. reduced to a snarling ball of rage, who wants nothing more than to rip Henry to shreds where he stands. the only reason he hasn't done so is because he's been convinced that doing so won't truly set him free. when Fredbear told Jack that, despite the souls desiring vengeance, killing their killer would not set them free, Blackjack took that to mean that it wouldn't set him free either. he's been stewing in his rage and grief for decades, neither feeling ever subsiding in that time. if anything, his rage has only increased. he lost everything because of Henry. why wouldn't he be angry? and so, if everyone else must move on, and leave him there to guard Henry and make sure he doesn't cause any problems, alone, then he will.

Jack finally helping to set him free, looking his younger self in the eyes and saying maybe that means that killing Henry is the one thing that will set him free. and even if it isn't...well, he needs to be dealt with, anyway. what if he gets out and causes problems again? just...Jack looking at Blackjack and feeling both like he's looking at a window into the past, yet also like he's looking at a different person entirely. because he and Blackjack are separate people, technically. but it's also him looking at himself.

Jack holding Dave's hand as they confront Henry, and squeezing it a little bit reassuringly. Dave tightening his grip as he gets more stressed.

Peter's death in the Henry fight being the thing that makes Jack say that their anger pushes them harder, and Dee's death leading to the line "We're gonna fuckin' FLAY you alive, Henry!" from Jack...like. just imagine how enraged he probably sounded, seeing Dee go down again. do you think it reminded him of the day she died? the day he went back to the diner to find her and bring her home, only for him to keep calling out for her and looking for her as the horror dawned on him that he couldn't find her? do you think that's what was running through his mind?

Jack and Dave reaching the end, and jack admitting that he can't go with them. Blackjack interjecting that...there is something they can try. no guarantee that it'll work, but it's worth a shot. Blackjack can try to fuse back together with him; not necessarily the same thing as shoving someone's soul back into their body, which is a big no no, apparently, but maybe a piece of him will break off, and it'll become Jack's soul. maybe them fusing will trick the universe into thinking Jack has a soul. who knows, but hopefully it'll work. and it does. Jack, by some miracle, gets his own soul out of this in a way that'll allow Blackjack to still exist. he also gets Free Afterlife Top Surgery™, because at this point he deserves it. he's been through so much shit.

at the end of the fire, Jack just looks at Dave and Blackjack and says "Come on, guys. Let's go home."

i just. aaaaaaAAAAAAAAA-

also, some Afterlife headcanons for y'all:

Peter: "Jackie, with all due respect, you have the weirdest taste in men." Jack just hanging out with Dave in the corner: "Peter, wtf-"

Steven just immediately laid down on the floor of the Afterlife and slept for a while. he was. So Fucking Tired.

Jack: "Okay, therapy circle time-" Dave: "Absolutely not, we don't have time to unpack all that." Jack: "Dave, we have nothing BUT time to unpack all of that-"

Peter and Caroline reunion <3

[psi0nics]

Spider-Gwen is Very Likely Trans in Across the Spider-Verse, says One More Person

But this shit matters.

I've rewatched Across the Spider-Verse for probably the eighth time recently, and it continues to be blaringly obvious to me that Gwen is most likely a trans girl. I'm most certainly not the only one to have pointed this out, and I don't really think I'm adding anything new. But we need as many voices to speak up, I feel, and I might as well share what I think of it. Now, this little essay is going to focus mainly from the movie's material alone since I'm not much of a comic reader, and it'll be limited to my own experience as a Filipino trans girl who really wants to express some thoughts.

Spoilers ahead!

Across the Spider-Verse explores the journey of Miles Morales after the first film, Into the Spider-Verse, where he rises up to the mantle of Spider-Man. Now, we follow him as he fights to be recognized as Spider-Man by the rest of Spider-Society, who reject him for factors out of his control—and yet he made the best of them, took pride in them, and rose up to become Spider-Man in all the ways that matter. Unfortunately, the exact circumstances, Spider-Society doesn't like—represented by Miguel O'Hara. From all that I've heard and read, a lot of Miles's story strongly being a very Black story, drawing from Miles being Afro-Latino, and though the story itself never shows racism nor do the different universes explicitly show systemic discrimination and whatnot, his story still clearly draws from that. Miguel O'Hara isn't some racist white dude excluding Miles because he's Afro-Latino, Miguel is an Irish-Mexican man and the entire theme of the Spider-Society is that it is extremely diverse and open. But that doesn't mean that the institution that it represents in the context of literally everything Rio Morales, Miles's Mother, tells him. To remember where he's from, to not let those big institutions tell Miles that he doesn't belong there, and all these things that are brimming with subtext.

The subtext is there, and it's all intentional.

Then there's Gwen Stacy. Who, for her entire arc of the film, hinges on a relationship setup from the beginning—her father, George Stacy. Now, for a lot of trans people, including me, we found it striking that that arc felt pretty queer-coded. Now, by itself, there's nothing much to be gleaned, just Gwen struggling with the fact that she's forced to reveal her superhero identity to her dad in a tense moment, ripping them apart, and later reconciling. Now, I'm quite young for a queer person, but I'm aware of the history of all these subtle things or narratives about identity being all that queer people had in the mainstream for a very, very long time.

But these days, we celebrate every win, for every explicitly queer character, for every confirmation from creators where they couldn't explicitly show anything in the material (except for Rowling bullshit, fuck that fake shit), and every hold that we're constantly fighting for. I know I'm speaking for a lot of people when I say we are so happy to see so many gay and bi characters see the mainstream's spotlights, be left unquestioned, that I, someone on the other side of the world, am left in positive awe whenever I see some middle-aged white dudes casually say, "My daughter's girlfriend." But of course, it's always a fight. We can't be complacent, because for every win, people will always try to tear it down, and I know I just happen to be in pretty inclusive online communities to see what I see in the west. There, people queer sexualities still fight. Here, people still fight. Queer identities will never stop fighting.

All this to say, what of Gwen? Well, one of the moments that made me think about her this way was when I was putting the little hints together. Because her arc does not stand in isolation. Her arc is literally colored by transness. From the big trans flag above her door, the trans colors that literally paint her and her world, the reflections that show her other identity, her reconciliation with her father hitting us with "They can only know half of who I am," the acceptance, and even the tiniest bit of Mary Jane's voice over talking about raising a child that's different than everyone else and learning to learn as a parent, and all these details. Hell, she even hangs out with Hobie Brown, whose entire thing is anarchism, the rejection of what society has considered the norm for bullshit reasons, to hang out with a radical leftist—and as one of those, there's not any other group (or at least from my experience) quite as intersectional with solidarity with marginalized groups as radlefts. To those who say, "Maybe she's just an ally," I challenge you: why would the film stop there?

Why does the film that goes out of its way to casually show more people of color as normal, to show people with disabilities playing basketball, to show an entire arc about Miles striving to fight the institutions that want to keep him down, to drive with progress, to drive the narrative that anyone can be behind the mask, why would it stop at making Gwen Stacy a trans girl?

And very similar to Miles, of course there's no one explicitly transphobic nor are any groups shown to be that. It's a more personal story, and is more subtle about it. And it's crazy how much this reminds of when I grew up watching The Legend of Korra, when Korra and Asami's relationship was only some endgame thing and hinted at with a "vacation." Gay people didn't have that much there. Not much in other places in the mainstream either. They started making their own, of course. Through fan-fiction, through art, making their own stories. But fortunately (I say with as much dripping sarcasm as I can) capitalism now sees it as a big enough market for billionaires to profit off of. (Which is, in a very dystopian way, a win.) And now, it's eerily familiar to see trans people get the same treatment now, stuck in a limbo of infrequent and rare representation in the mainstream if we aren't clawing for every inch.

So, while Miguel O'Hara isn't a racist authoritarian, George Stacy isn't a transphobe—not when he goes out of his way to wear trans flags (and no, it's not a trick of the light; nothing is a trick of the light, it's all intentional in animation). But the conflicts they represent aren't any less meaningful in the subtext. And that means a lot for people who are fighting tooth and nail to be recognized.

And all of this, too, is representative of one of the first and second film's main themes. It's not that it doesn't matter who's behind the mask, it's that it can be anyone behind the mask, carrying with them all the richness of their experiences, bringing forth a Spider-Person unlike any other. And in the second film, to defy the patterns and labels set by the institutions that govern our lives, doing things like using fear and preserving an order for some grand picture.

So, I'm pretty sure Gwen Stacy is trans. What does it add to the story? Nothing. Being cis never added much to the story.

But for someone like me, it's doing a lot. It gives me hope.

[dualityvn]

may i please get some keith angst because i have fallen in love with this man and he has taken over my life 😂 maybe something with him feeling like the mc would like him better if he changed his personality, and the mc walks in on him having a bit of a breakdown and reassures him? i hope that’s not too much to ask, i really love your game and characters, they feel so real and complex and i love it!

Lies (GN!MC x Keith)

Took me a bit to figure out how I wanted to write this. Sorry for the wait.

× × ×

"Can you please stop doing that?" you say in a firm tone, overcome by frustration.

Keith rips his gaze from the ducks on the lake to look at you, startled and confused. "Stop doing... what?"

"You're picking your words and mannerisms again to please me. I told you to stop it." Your tone softens a bit, but the exasperation can still be heard clearly.

"I wasn't-"

"I'm not stupid, Keith. I can tell when you do it. You can't just lock away whatever part of yourself I haven't praised."

He falls silent. His hand tightens around the bag of birdseeds as returns his gaze to the water a few feet away from him.

You sigh. "Look, I know you want me to be happy with you. But I can't have a relationship with someone I don't even know at this point. I need you to stop lying and putting on masks. I'm your partner, you should be comfortable to be yourself around me. Have I really been so unaccepting?"

He looks scared all of a sudden and turns to you with wide eyes. "N-no! I... I'm sorry... I'll do better!"

You've heard that before. Keith must notice that you don't seem convinced, because the frightened look on his face doesn't leave. Neither of you knows what to say anymore, so you return to feeding the ducks in silence.

The walk back home is silent as well.

You want to say something to not leave the situation as it is, but you feel like you need to think it through first. There's few things you haven't already said to him that you'd thought would help.

Since it's been a long day and since it'll also help you collect your thoughts, you decide to take a shower.

You aren't sure how much time you spend in there. 30 minutes? Maybe an hour? When you walk out, you can't find Keith anywhere in the apartment. Eventually, you grab your phone to call him, but find a message from him instead.

"I'll be gone for a few hours. I probably won't answer the phone. But I'm okay and I'm not far. You can go to bed without me. Sorry."

You start to feel a bit guilty. Were you too harsh with him? Normally, he'll cling to you like glue unless you ask to be alone. At most, he'd let Tenebris take over. Is he really okay?

There's no way you can sleep before he comes back. You're beginning to worry now. But he didn't say where he'd gone, only that he wasn't far.

Some time passes. Two hours and he hasn't returned. The sun set a good while ago too. You can't seem to settle down either, pacing around the apartment, fidgeting whenever you try to sit in one place.

Where would he go at this time? The forest? You aren't sure if you want to go searching through it in the middle of the night. But what other place is close by that he'd go to at this hour?

Ah. Of course.

The door to the roof creaks a little as you close it behind you. It doesn't allert the figure standing by the edge. As you approach, you're relieved to find it is indeed him. He doesn't notice you until you reach his side, which startles him.

There are tears streaming down his face, his eyes are red and swollen. For how long has he been crying?

"Hey. I was worried," you say gently.

He wiped away the tears in a rush. "I'm sorry. I know you said you want me to be honest, but... I didn't want you to see me like this."

"It's okay. I understand..."

He shakes his head and grips his hair with both hands. "No, no, it's not. I keep disappointing you or making you feel bad. I keep messing up. And I could fix it if I'd just do what you tell me and be honest, but... but I'm so scared. I'm just a coward."

"Keith, really, it's alright. Maybe I've been too pushy. I-"

"No! No, no, don't say that." He tugs at his hair. More tears stream down his cheeks.

You stop speaking, not knowing what to say that won't hurt him further.

"It's all my fault. You deserve someone better. I want to be that someone. But that means I need to risk losing you. What if there's a part of me you can't stand? Or maybe I've just been showing you that part all this time and soon enough you'll get fed up and leave!"

"Keith, calm down. Breathe. I'm here, I'm not going anywhere." You gently reach for his hands to pull them away from his hair.

He looks at you, shaking and sobbing. You move your hands to his arms, wanting to hug him, but he gets ahead of you, lunging into you instead. He presses against you and grips you tight, a type of embrance you'd normally expect from Tenebris.

"Please don't leave. I'm trying to be better, I swear."

"I'm not leaving, I promise."

You hold him. Minutes go by like that, with him crying and gripping you like his life depends on it. Until his sobbing stops and his grip loosens into a more gentle embrance. When he pulls away, he doesn't meet your gaze.

"Keith. Look at me," you say. And he does, so you continue. "It's okay if you can't do it yet. I understand. I won't go. I ask you to be honest because I love you and I imagine living to please me isn't easy. I just want you to be happy and to feel at ease. I want you to trust me."

"I... I am happy! But..." He sighs. "I'm sorry. I'll try..."

"Let's go back inside, okay? And... next time I overwhelm you, please tell me. I know it's hard for you, but I don't want to hurt you."

He nods and follows you.

[maryannecrimsworth]

Fly Away

Masterlist

Pairing: Wednesday Addams x Winged! Female! Reader

Summary(Request): Wednesday rejecting Reader's love confession because of being too busy with her investigation, but after Crackstone, her 2nd year in Nevermore was boring until she finds out about reader's secret wings, which captivates her, so she starts noticing her more and more until she ends up falling for her, but R now has a boyfriend.

Warnings: Angst, of course; rejection; that's pretty much it

X

When she first arrived at Nevermore, Wednesday was like a hurricane: no one could dare to approach her, no one could help but watch her. Xavier Thorpe was obsessed, Bianca Barclay was envious, and the rest of school loved to see the tension and troubles that followed the Addams.

Perhaps Enid and you were the only exceptions, you two tried to help her to fit in.

Enid was blissful when Wednesday finally accepted to participate in the Poe Cup. You couldn't dare to be part of it — you valued your life too much to be opponents with Enid — but you cheered and shouted for their team like you're a member yourself.

And they won — Enid spent the last days celebrating the win and focusing on getting Ajax attention. You let her be, it would be useless to follow her around right now.

You had other goals. The main one: be true to yourself, finally. That means going after Wednesday and telling her the truth that's been haunting you.

You felt something about her — no matter how creepy and rude she was when you first met.

She was confident and weird, determined and smart.

You couldn't help but have a crush on her. And you had the impression that, if you were able to know her better, something great could come up between the two of you. Maybe even...A date.

You smiled to yourself as you walked through the corridor. You could hear Wednesday talking to Thing from inside her room. Your wings trembled with excitement.

The vest started scratching your back, but you went on and knocked on her door.

You were shaking, and so were the limbs that made you fly, but you controlled yourself – you smiled even brighter and waited for Wednesday to open the door.

For your discontent, it was Thing who opened it.

— Hi. — you walked past him, trying to reach the Addams girl. She was looking at a very creepy board. There were photos of limbs, victims and locations on it. She was investigating. — Can we talk? It'll be very quick.

— Enid isn't here. Go gossip somewhere else.

— I came to talk to you, actually.

— What do you want? — Her eyes didn't move from the board, but you kept stepping closer.

— I want to ask you out. — Wednesday didn't react. You tried again. — I like you, and I think we'd have a great time if we went out on a date.

– No. – she didn't even look at you. – I don't have time for this.

— It's okay, we can do it next week.

— No. — she finally turned to you. Her voice was sharper and colder than usual. — Let me alone.

You widened at her. You heard Thing tipping behind you, probably telling Wednesday off.

– I won't change my mind. — you weren't sure if she was talking to Thing or you. — Go away.

Okay, you had to admit: you were ready for the worst. Only God Himself knew how Wednesday Addams was going to react to an ask like that but....it was worse than anything you could've ever imagined.

It was totally cold and firm — like you weren't even worth a shot or a proper look from her.

— Wow. — you spoke to yourself, nearly laughing from the situation you've got yourself in. — Ok. Bye.

You stormed out the room, your back now was trembling as if you were in pain, your wings were out of control.

Running from Ophelia Hall was not enough.

You ripped your vest out and flew away from Nevermore.

You flew until you could swallow the pain you felt for being treated like that.

X

A part of Wednesday still hated Nevermore. Even though she had a great impression with all the lies, murderers and dangers, it was still a high school. It was still filled with boring, stupid teenagers that, somehow, make themselves even more ridiculous than normies.

Only a Fur would use their power to be famous on Tik Tok — and many others meaningless, superficial hobbies all the students seemed to have.

Sometimes, Wednesday thought about herself as the only being worth attention and conversation in that place.

She stayed with Eugene as much as she could but sometimes even the boy wanted to gossip.

It was gross. The whole quad and the whole cliques of that school were gross and ridiculous.

She was deadly bored. She was considering attacking someone just to see something happening.

That's when she decided to visit Jericho's cemetery.

She was either going to scary or attack the grave digger, she wasn't quite sure yet.

Wednesday knew that, right now, her last resort for some distraction was the local graveyard.

The Addams girl was walking through the dark, hiding in the shadows like if she belonged to them, heading towards the middle of the yard. From there, she could have a great view and find someone to scary.

She was nearly there when she heard a scream — and it was not because of her.

Her body boiled with anger, her mind spinned with curiosity.

She ran after the noise only to see a group of teenagers crying, praying, and running for their lives.

She smiled at the view, and, seconds later, a glorious laughter destroyed the silence of the cemetery.

Wednesday's eyes followed the sound and they met with a statue — a Silhouette of a angel, with moving wings and a sword.

Now, however, the sword was laying on the floor and the wings were stretching alongside the laughter.

Wednesday stepped closer and finally saw: it was you, grinning and enjoying yourself under the moonlight. In a cemetery.

She couldn't dare to interrupt your contagious joy, watching you was enough to give her a pleasure she hasn't felt in months.

And, from that day on, she started to follow you.

X

You were problematic, and you were funny. You knew how to gossip and you knew how to behave properly.

You were straightforward, sometimes even blunt, and you were honest, always.

Most of all, you were loyal.

No wonder why Enid and so many others were friends with you — you were the perfect partner for anything.

Instantly, Wednesday remembered how you were willing to take her as your companion, how you deliberately asked to be with her, nearly a year ago.

And she denied.

She denied any intimacy she now could have with the only being who did not aggravate her violent urges.

You were the chaos she now needed in a sea of boredom.

And Wednesday decided she would accept — even after a year — your request.

She would go out with you.

She had to — after watching you for several months, the only choice she now had was to talk to you. She wanted to know if you were as clever and fun at conversation as you were at scaring people in the cemetery.

Wednesday was looking for you in the quad when a tall boy approached you. Approached you too much.

And he kisses you.

Her stomach churned up violently, her blood boiled as she observed the most grotesque scene she has ever seen.

How could you be with...him?

How?

Suddenly, all your behavior seemed unpredictable and confusing. Dating him was something the Addams would never expect — not after studying you so keenly.

She did not have an answer for this.

So she decided to ask you yourself.

You were stretching your wings at the balcony of your room when a click came from the window. You didn't mind turning around.

If you felt you were in danger, you could simply fly away.

But you sensed something was off when no other sound came closer.

— You need something? 

— Yes, I do. — Her cold voice made you flinch. For a second, you thought you had just heard the voice of a ghost, but it was only her. She did seem as pale as an fantasmagorical being, yet her shining, gorgeous eyes proved she was pretty alive. 

This has already given you shivers – her gaze – now, however, you felt nothing for her. 

You haven’t spoken for a year, and you haven’t thought about her for months.

You moved on. 

— Hi, Wednesday. — You tried to collect yourself from the scare. — Long time no see. 

— I need to tell you something. — Wednesday said.

She was serious. As serious and focused as she was when she turned you down without second thought. 

— Go on. 

— I believe a mistake has been made — she started. — you are associating with the wrong people.

You couldn’t hold your urge to laugh. With a debauched grin, you asked: 

— Is that so? 

— Yes. — she hissed. — You deserve to be with odd people. As odd as you. Not with stereotyped simpletons. 

— Excuse me?

— Be with me. — she stepped ahead, getting closer to you. — We can be extraordinary together. 

— What are you even talking about? — your voice grew louder, and your wings spread wide, flapping around your body. — There is no “we”, there never was. 

— And this is a mistake. — she moved closer again, now only inches away from you. — Leave him. You deserve better. 

You laughed at her again. 

— Let me guess — you leaned over her — I deserve someone like you?

— Yes. — Her voice broke as your eyes fell to her lips. — Precisely.

— “Precisely.” — you burst into laughter. There were tears running down your blushed face when you finally were able to regain your breath and speak again. — Oh, beautiful, when will you realize? 

Wednesday could feel your hot breath touching her face, but your voice was completely cold.

— Only monsters deserve someone as narcissistic as you.

The Addams widened at your words, and she felt her heart skip a beat as you stepped away. 

Salty, icy tears fell from her eyes when you left her on the balcony, flying away without looking back. 

She doesn’t deserve you.

[onceuponastory]

Him or him to steal you away for a summer getaway?

Can I not say both? Hahahaha. But. I'll say Mickey. He may be a bit of a mess, but he's fun. And thank you for the inspo, love! @holacia3 <3

Take Your Mind Off

Plot: When an argument between your friends looks like it'll spoil your holiday fun, Mickey is a welcome relief. Pairing: Mickey Henry x Female!Reader Warnings: Mentions of alcohol and being drunk. If I miss any triggers, please let me know!

Perching on the beach bar stool, Y/N takes a sip of the fruity cocktail in front of her. As soon as the alcohol hits her senses, she sighs happily. After the eventful morning she's had, this is a welcome relief.

Things didn't start out so badly. Quite the opposite, actually. She and two of her friends are on holiday together, taking some time off from their busy working lives to relax on the beach and get away from it all for a while. And for the most part, they've had a great time together. Despite being drunk for most of it.

Unfortunately, it seems the heat and late nights have got to both of her friends, resulting in a huge argument between them both this morning. Honestly, Y/N doesn't even know what started it, probably some stupid, inconsequential thing. But now, neither of them are speaking to each another, and it's ruining the rest of the day. Y/N attempted to keep the peace without choosing a side, but the snide comments and hostile glares had become too much. There's only so much you can take before you want to rip your hair out.

And Y/N crossed that line a long time ago.

So, she told them both to stop being so childish, and that she was going to enjoy herself alone until they've calmed down... whenever the hell that is.

And now, here she is. Sitting alone, nursing a cocktail at a beach bar. It may be lonely, but at least she's not being pulled into any more arguments, and she doesn't feel like she's walking on eggshells anymore. Hopefully, she can start enjoying herself again now.

"Mind if I sit?" a voice asks, pulling her out of her daydream. When she turns, she meets the blue eyes of the DJ she and her friends saw last night. Completely unaware of the storm that was coming the next morning, the trio had a lot of fun and danced the night away. She wasn't expecting the same DJ to be standing beside her now. The first time she saw him, she thought he was insanely cute. Although she was pretty drunk by that point.

He looks even cuter now, up close, when she's more sober.

"Oh, yeah, sure!" Giving him a polite smile, she scoots over, letting him sit on the stool beside her. As he does, she notices the other seats surrounding the bar are empty. For a moment, her brow furrows. "There's so many places for him to sit... and yet, he chooses beside me?"

But she's not complaining.

"Something wrong?" He asks.

"Not at all." The man doesn't look like he believes her words, but thankfully doesn't press her.

"A beer for me, thanks, and another drink for the lady." He slides some money over to the bartender, before leaning back in his seat with a grin.

"Thanks for that." She roots around in her bag for some cash to pay him back, but he shakes his head.

"Don't worry about it. Can't let a pretty lady like you pay for her drink now, can I?" The heat on Y/N's cheeks deepens, and she stammers a thank you. Somehow, his presence is already starting to make her feel better.

"My friends and I saw your set last night." She tells him. "You were amazing." She holds herself back, trying not to sound too much like a crazy fangirl and scare him away before she gets to know him better. But the man simply chuckles.

"Thank you very much." He grins. "I'm glad to be of service." He holds out a hand. "I'm Mickey."

"Y/N." She smiles, shaking his hand.

He looks around, raising a brow. "So, if you don't mind me asking... where are your friends? Did they leave you on your own?"

"No. They wouldn't stop arguing, and I was getting fed up with it. So I gave them some space to cool down." Mickey nods. "We planned a day trip today, but obviously that's not happening." She sighs.

"Hey! Don't say that!" he insists. "Your day doesn't have to be ruined just because they want to spoil the fun. How about...." He grins, trailing off. "You come spend the day with me?"

His question stuns her into surprised silence for a moment, before she breaks into laughter. There's no way he can be serious. Surely he has better things to do than cheer her up.

But... would spending time with the cute DJ really be so bad? It's a lot better than the alternative, anyway.

"What?! I'm not joking! I live here, so I know the best places to go. And you deserve some fun today."

"Really? You wanna spend time with me? Surely there's more fun people than me you can hang out with."

"Doubt it. Besides, I enjoy spending time with you Y/N." She's not fully convinced, especially since they only met a few minutes ago, but her stomach still flutters all the same. And like she said, it's a lot better than hanging out here alone, waiting for her friends to make up.

"Okay." She nods. "Let's do it."

~*~*~*~*~*~

Please follow my library blog @onceuponastory-library and turn on notifications to be notified when I next post!

[poke-me-with-a-stick]

Chapter 25 of 'Artificial Wingman'!

For the full Story on AO3, click Here!

Enjoy!

---

The living room wasn't much better than the rest of the building that Danny had seen, exposed beams and patchy drywall making up the walls, the only window shattered and replaced by a cloudy plastic sheet. The only furniture in the room was a moth-bitten couch, a ripped up blue arm chair, and a beat up looking coffee table. All in all though, it wasn't the worst place Danny had ever been.

Danny sat his tool kit down on the table before plopping himself down on the couch. "So," The teen looked up as Red Hood, now only donning his domino, walked into the room from a hall he hadn't seen when he walked in. "You got everything you need?"

Danny looked over the scraps and parts he had gathered, the glass tubes of ectoplasm tucked safely away in the pocket of his hoodie. Once again, he was kinda glad that most of the damage done was wires and cosmetic. If the trigger or the circuit boards had been injured, he wasn't completely sure that he would have been able to fix it as easily. "Yeah, this should be it. Its pretty amazing luck that more wasn't damaged." He chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck as he fiddled with one of the old, broken blasters, pulling it's wiring out.

"About how long do you think it'll take?" He asked, leaning over the back of the couch to look at the array of broken weaponry and spare parts. He reached over and picked up one of the pistol-looking blasters, making a vague noise of interest.

"Ah, I'm not quite sure..." Finally pulling the wires loose, the teen discarded the metallic shell of the blaster on the cushion beside him. "If I were to guess, though... I'd say anywhere between a few hours and two days?" Letting the wire drop into his lap, Danny turned to look at Jason. "It really depends on if I missed anything in my first look-over." He reached up and pulled the gun from him, smacking his hand lightly as he did. The man grumbled, but held his hands up in surrender as he straightened up, walking around the couch to perch on the edge of the arm chair.

"Hmm." Jason looked around, noticing for the first time that they were alone in the room. "Where did Jazz and the brat go?" He asked, turning around to eye the hall, like they would suddenly walk in when mentioned.

"Oh! They went back down to the Speeder to grab a few more things. I don't think I'll need anything else, but Jazz insisted." A small smile tipped the Halfa's lips upward. "I think Jazz just wanted an excuse to talk to him alone," he stage whispered, making Jason snort at his antics.

"Ah, so she's giving him the shovel talk?" Danny laughed outright at the mental image, sort of going off what he did when he tried to shovel talk Johnny. The image of Jazz glaring at a teen shorter than her, holding the Fenton Creep Stick(tm). When his laughter faded to giggles, Jason made a contemplative noise, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "Y'know, this would probably be the perfect time to give you the shovel talk, wouldn't it?" Danny's giggles abruptly cut off as he choked on air, replaced by surprised coughing. "I mean, I am the only older brother present at the moment. It's technically my duty, isn't it?"

"I-it isn't like that!" Danny stuttered, struggling to get his breath back. "He's under a love potion!" Despite the teen's words, his face turned bright red. He ignored the way his core buzzed sadly at his own words.

Jason eyed him for a long moment. "...And how do you feel about that?" He asked carefully. "From what I've seen and heard so far, your always so quick to say that. To excuse D- Robin, but you never say anything about how you feel on the matter." Danny didn't know what to say to that, so he stayed quiet. They both let the silence between them stretch for a few minutes, but eventually Jason broke it. "Hey, I'm not usually the person who prompts 'emotional descusion', our family is held together by the fact that no one ever talks things out until they blowup in our face."

He stood and moved to sit down on the couch beside the teen, pushing the mess of mechanical parts to the side. Resting a hand on the teen's shoulder, Danny couldn't help but to look up at him. "You don't have to answer me, but think about yourself a bit. This family has enough miscommunication issues. I don't want you, or him, to get hurt because you don't know how you feel about this." They intense look faded, replaced by something vaguely amused. "But don't take my word for it. I'm just a guy that likes tasteful romance novels." With that, he stood up again. "Think about it, yeah? I'm gonna go find those two. Hopefully before The demon brat pulls a sword out of his ass or something." And he was gone, leaving Danny alone in the room again.

The Halfa chuckled at that, knowing it was meant to relieve the tension that had formed in the room, but he couldn't help the rock that had formed in his gut. 'How I feel about it...? How do I feel about this?' He had a lot to think about. And, with his project in hand and no one else around for the moment, he had plenty of time to dwell on it, too.

---

"You seem rather infatuated with my brother." Jazz was trying to be casual as she said this, leaning against the side of the Speeder as Robin rummaged around, looking for anything Danny might find useful.

The teen poked his head out of the back seat, giving her what was probably a scathing look, but she couldn't really tell with the domino mask covering half his face. "...I would not call it an infatuation. I believe that I am genuinely 'in love' with him. Despite how much he objects that I am." He shook his head, ducking back in after a moment.

Jazz blinked. 'Okay. Danny really knows how to pick 'em, doesn't he?' Sighing, she runs a hand through her hair, wincing as she catches on a knot. Pulling her hand free from the auburn strands, she moves to sit on the door frame. "So, you don't think it's just the potion effects, then?" She asks, watching the teen pause where he was digging through one of the boxes. He shot her a look over his shoulder before he went back to digging.

He scoffed. "I am quite certain that my affections are my own. I know what it feels like for my emotions to be tampered with, and this truly isn't the same." He sat up and twisted to face her, scowl firmly in place.

"Okay," Jazz blinked, part of her slightly concerned about that fact. "So, you think the potion will have no effect on you, when you take it?" She noted the way he froze, just for a second, before he continued on like nothing had happened. She also noted that he didn't answer her at all. "You do have doubts, don't you?" She asked, not unkindly.

Air hissed through the teen's teeth in a "Tt" sound, his shoulders tensing as he roughly pushed the meticulously organized box away, grabbing another and jerking it towards him. "...Of course I have doubts." He said finally, his voice so low she wouldn't have heard it, if she wasn't liminal. "But they are just that, doubts. Errant thoughts of 'what if' that do nothing for me in the end." He sighed, the tension dropping from his shoulders slightly, and turned to face her. Crossing his legs, he met her gaze with a steady look.

"I admit that there may be a chance the potion will work the way it is intended, and that my adoration for your brother will disappear, as if it never existed." He took a deep breath, and Jazz could see him struggle with the thought. "At the same time, there is a very likely chance that nothing will change, and that my feelings will remain. I have given it a lot of thought, and at this time, I know which outcome I want to happen. So yes, of course I have doubts, but at the same time. What are doubts without hope? Without conviction?" Despite posing it as a question, he didn't give her a chance to respond before continuing. "I believe that nothing will change when I take that antidote, and I will continue to believe that until something does change."

The way he said his piece, with such certainty, had Jazz smiling at him. When she asked him to come down here and help her search for more spare parts, she had been expecting him to be stuck in a love-struck haze. She had been worried that he wouldn't be able to think about the logistics, to see it from a different standpoint. Or at worse, that he would be ignorant to everything but the love he felt towards her brother. But now, sitting here with him staring at her like he was awaiting her final judgment, she knew her fears were unfounded.

"Your a good kid." She told him, her smile growing wider as his stony indifference morphed into a half indignant, half proud expression. When he noticed her amusement, his scowl came back. Grumbling something about "Not being a child," he turned back to the boxes, going through them more gently, now that the tension was gone. Sighing, she let her smile drop as the second thing that had been on her mind popped up. "For your sake and Danny's, that your feelings don't change. It might be had to notice, 'cause he's a huge dork and he's always the last to realize that he had feelings for someone, but he really, really cares for you." A bittersweet feeling filled her, and she couldn't help the wistful smile. "I love my brother, and I don't want him to have to go through that heartbreak." She stood, heading for the stairwell.

"Oh, and by the way," She called over her shoulder, "I don't think there's anything else in there that Danny'll need!" She giggled as she heard his cry of outrage, hurrying up the stairs. Giggling, she was completely surprised when she ran into something solid halfway up the staircase. Gasping, she flung her arms out in an attempt to catch herself. At the same time, something wrapped around her waist, pulling her back up against the solid thing. Her arms wrapped around the mass, clutching tightly.

It took her a minute to realize that she wasn't falling. Cautiously, she opened her eyes. Then blinked in confusion. Her vision was taken up by a mixture of black and red, the solid thing warm where she was pressed up against it. The redhead let her eyes drift upwards, trailing from the red, to black, to tan, and eventually to the narrowed eyes of a domino mask. She couldn't help but to stare, dumbfounded, up at Jason.

He looked as startled as she was for a minute. Then he laughed, the action shaking her as his chest vibrated with the sound. "Hey there." He greeted her, "I didn't expect you to fall for me so soon." It took a second for both of them to register what he had said. Jazz let out a small giggle of her own at the cheesy line, her head still light from her near fall down the stairs. On the other hand, Jason was now blushing a bright red, the color so close to matching the red on his bat insignia.

"That w-was te-terrible." Jazz managed between her giggles. Still blushing, Jason joined her in laughing again.

"Yeah, it was. Not exactly my best line." He agreed, helping her stand up-right again. When their laughter had finally calmed down, he sighed. Leaning against the grime-covered wall of the stairwell, he cocked his head to the side. "So, what did you and the Brat talk about?" He asked.

Jazz sighed as well, brushing imaginary dust off her blouse. "We came to an understanding." She replied simply.

"An understanding, huh?"

"Yes." She nodded. "I wasn't sure that he was viewing the whole picture, but I was wrong." She smiled softly. "He has a much better grip on the situation than I thought he did." Sighing, she looked back to the man. "And you?"

"And me, what?" He asked, standing up again as she started to ascend the stairs once more.

"What did you and Danny talk about?" She couldn't help but giggle again, when she looked at him over her shoulder. The fact that he didn't think she would know... "It was a bit obvious that you wanted to talk to him. I figured you'd take the opportunity while both me and Robin were out of the room." She smirked at his shocked look. "Hey, don't forget that I'm an older sibling too." The redhead couldn't help but tease him a bit.

Jason was quiet for a moment. "Fair enough," he chuckled, nodding to her when she glanced back again. "I did talk to Danny," the man admitted. "I had my own concerns. Decided to pull his head outta his ass, and gave him something to think about." Before she could ask what he meant by that, the door at the bottom of the stairwell was flung open, hitting the wall with a loud thud. Jazz shrieked, dashing up the remaining stairs as Robin chased after her, giggling the whole way. Behind her, Jason laughed, the sound echoing loudly through the stairwell. "Better run!" He called after them, making the redhead laugh harder as she reached the door.

Skittering into the living room, Jazz practically flung herself behind the couch. Danny made a noise of surprise and confusion as Robin bounded after her. "What's going on?" Her sweet baby brother asked, his head whipping between her and the other teen. She giggled again, popping up from her hiding spot to rest her hands on his shoulders.

"Nothing's going on. Right, Robin?" She asked pointedly, grinning at the vigilante as he stood up straight. He glared at her, but didn't try to approach.

"...Right. There is nothing happening." Sending her one last scathing look, he took a seat in the arm chair. Danny didn't look convinced in the least, but he let it drop. Going back to his project, the two watched as he began soldering a wire into the gun's circuit.

"So," the teen started, not looking up as he reached for another wire, "did you find something we missed in the speeder?"

Jazz choked on a laugh, trying her best not to acknowledge the 'if looks could kill' glare that the teen vigilante was giving her. "It was as I had assumed," Robin answered, apparently opting to ignore Jazz for the time being. "We gathered everything you could possibly need, and left the rest. Now your sister is as assured of that fact as we are." Okay, maybe not ignoring her existence.

Jazz fought to keep a smile off her face. 'Danny really did know how to pick 'em.'

---

(I know that there are probably some grammar and/or spelling mistakes, but it's okay because I tried my best!)

For the amazing person who made the prompt for this story, as well as the amazing people who follow along!;

@halfblackwolfdemon @manapeer @xxwintrynightzxx @im-totally-not-an-alien-2 @blu-lilac @academicpurposes @secretdestinywerewolf @passivedecept @naluforever3 @postit-nope @spiteismymiddlename @2t-productions @plague-daisy @feet-achy @bubblecookies16 @thesapphiredragon13 @justwannabecat @magicalcollecter @adeniumdream @amuseofminds @lupagrim @readerkayden @dr-syko-pharm-4 @ladythugs @angelheartgamer @markthespot68 @kyrianclawraith @michikoy-yuki @servasvictoria02 @your-emo-nightmare @vala-dreams @scarlett-green-rose @t1dwarrior-of-earth @charlie-the-frogie @akikoyuii @mysticalcomputerdetective @roseuniverse999 @im-totally-not-an-alien @thefearfullone @weird-droplet-309 @jaytriesstuff @raventao @jacquelynwinchester @dragongoblet @tlise21 @longlivethefallen @the-archer-goddess @temple-of-jalebi @adepresseddwightsblogofjunk @plainly-colorful @the-legalHe-shipper @49saltpeppershakers @igotafewbadideas @tumbling-darkling @sparklygardenbouquet @sarcastic-yami @blueneko9314 @starscreamlover @liedboutmurder @do3y @roze-realm @some-mildly-happy-human @yinari-uchiha @azuera @chaoticmistake @altairsarts @kawaiikenna @heartsong18 @thetoyboxs @tricksovertreats @mnemovoid @lim4b3ans @horribly-lost-and-gay @keimiwolf @dryeraseslime @joey394

[artistic-moth-man]

So I've been wondering if I should make this update post and I decided I'm gonna

Basically it's just to let you guys all know what exactly is going on in my unmedicated ADHD Brain by explaining every single project of mine that's currently in the works. pretty much nothing in this list is released yet so don't go looking for them

Starting off with stuff I'm collaborating with others on

Danny and the Light - an original graphic novel on webtoon that got cancelled and is getting rebooted (don't get excited though we're taking our time with it) with @stormcloudquill

Chrysalis Chronicles - An original illustrated novel or graphic novel (i haven't decided) that's ripping off/fixing all the things wrong about harry potter; with @thekrazykitsune

Mincraft Diaries - Yep! Aphmau's Minecraft Diaries, rekindled and made into fanfiction and/or a graphic novel (probably both) and this one will actually have an ending; also with @thekrazykitsune

Avatar: Lion Turtle Heart - a fanfic graphic novel about a firebending avatar after korra named Akira working to unravel the mysteries of her past self, Avatar Kazu, and his death that even she can't comprehend, as well as the strange appearance of a baby lion turtle that Akira now has to care for. Doing this with @mayday396

now for fanfic works I'm doing alone

Legend of Emily Windsnap - Rebooting Emily Windsnap's story in fanfiction form. this fic is actually going to be released some time this or next year (hopefully this year but shit's hitting the fan on my life currently) and book 1 is actually near finished!

Digidestined Diaries - a reboot of seasons 1-4 of Digimon in either fic or graphic novel form. may or may not do this with stormcloud, but I'm not sure. the thing that makes this so special is that tamers and frontier take place in the same universe as adventure. yes, takato meets Tai, and no it does not go well for the others involved

Wizard101, The Legacy of Atlas - telling a story heavily based off the first arc of Wizard101 quests with a balance wizard as a main character, featuring the friends they make and the enemies they face as the chosen one to defeat Mallistaire. this will absolutely be in fic form, most likely with illustrations

Bloom's Magic, Beta writing - a written fanfic reboot of Winx Club as a beta version of the story I planned with Storm. the comic version of BM is currently on the backburner and is gonna have some differences to the written version, but it'll be something I promise

Finally, some original works that I plan on publishing!

Chronos and Kalayah - a Time Traveler named Chronos rushes around time looking for their best friend, an immortal named Kalayah. the two of them constantly avoid the temporal police while simultaneously helping Kalayah survive being a black lesbian in American history. likely only going to consist of one book and have a novel and graphic novel form

Call My Soul - a Magic Girl series featuring Blake Janes, an ordinary boy who stumbles upon an alien named Alexandrite. Alex is tasked with keeping safe the artifacts of the ancient magical shogunate, whose spirits end up choosing Blake and his gal pals to protect themselves from the evil prince Tsukuyomi, who wants nothing more than the artifacts. this graphic novel gets really gay really fast so strap in when it comes out

Roll For Adventure - a young boy named Matt who loves playing DnD is isekai'd into a land straight out of Lord Of The Rings, and he is absolutely stoked. while he is looking for a portal back home, his elf friend Sequoia and Orc friend Yevelda help him fight his way through the coming war between the eight races. Fun Fact; I use my dice to help the characters make decisions. even major story beats are going to be up to my D20!

Lucifer the Good - this story is precious to me, and hard to describe. it involves four kids being isekai'd into a world filled with magical monsters and elemental creatures, being guided by a young voice to find secret angels, all while villainous demons under King Devil work to stop the kids from ever leaving this new world. even worse, the human kids are the only ones who can undo the vile curse on the land of magic.

that's all the stories that I'm actively working on, but I do have at least 10 more that I'm leaving on the backburner to focus on these ones! Call My Soul is also getting very little attention, but I am actively working on it! I'm seriously hoping at least one of my original works will be released to the public by 2025, but again, life is crazy. anyway, my next few posts are gonna involve Digidestined Diaries while I work on finishing up Emily Windsnap Book 2 and finalize book 1. there's only one change I wanna make, then I'll get to releasing it to AO3 and Wattpad! I promise, at least one of these will be worth the wait :3

[bitch-spectrum]

PART 2/3

Part 1 ,, Part 3

Ed

Personality Headcanons: He hates tobacco. He hates it when people smoke around him. He's the kind of guy to put out your cigarette for you and you look up at him, thinking you're gonna fight some punk but quickly change your mind. His dad used to make him cut and light his cigars and he hated doing it so much he swore he'd never smoke. The hole that he sleeps in is deliberately cut, sanded, and reboarded. He nests in there. Probably Autistic and doesn't speak much around strangers. Will gladly infodump to his friends. He's in his mid-late 30s ~35-38. In addition to being part of TF4 he also works part time as a steam locomotive driver. After being tied to the train tracks, he kind of got curious about it. He can play an instrument, I'm just not sure which one. Probably a fiddle idk. Physical Headcanons: The tooth sticking out is a broken tusk. he desperately wants to grow facial hair, has tried, and cannot. He's very jealous of people who do have facial hair. ~6'05" Gender: Cis male Pronouns: He/Him Orientation: Straight He's a hardcore ally and loves going to pride events to support his friends. He thinks they're a lot of fun. Post Game: His life carried on fairly regularly afterwards, like Ace. I personally feel like he had more of a connection with Clover than the others though so, he was a little more impacted by their death. Sometimes he'll sit into the early morning with Starlo at the Saloon. Opinions: I'm bias. I heart large men so, points. I would have also liked to have seen more of him. One thing though is that on appearance alone I could so clearly hear his voice when he spoke. His design carries. 3.5/5.

Flowey

Personality Headcanons: Flowey is my favorite character in the Undertale franchise so I'm going to TRY to keep this short. As it stands, he's currently stuck at the maturity level he died at, so around 11-13. Since he doesn't have a physical body (other than a flower) he doesn't really age. I don't think he's a lost cause or even completely irredeemable. He's a terrified, traumatized, kid who's own parents don't recognize him anymore. He's had to try to navigate the world in a body that isn't his, completely alone. Sometimes when he goes through episodes he lies close to the ground to bite his petals and rip them off hoping that somehow it'll make room for his horns to grow back. He both despises his family for splitting up and ignoring him but wants nothing more than to be a family again. He has really conflicting feelings on a lot of things. I feel like if he went through extensive therapy his maturity would probably eventually catch up to what would be his chronological age if he wasn't a flower. He's touch starved but hates being touched. Probably has one or multiple personality disorders. Physical Headcanons: We get a side profile of his nose in his boss fight in neutral. I think that's a genetic trait from Asgore. Has freckles. Not much to headcanon since he's a Flower until the true ending of the OG UT when he ascends. Gender: He stopped giving fucks a long time ago. Pronouns: He/They (DESPISES being called an it) Orientation: Aroace. He's not necessarily repulsed but if asked if he has a crush on anyone he'd say "I'd rather watch someone be crushed to death than think ever think about dating." Post Game: N/A Opinions: I'm a die hard Flowey Apologist. He's such a deep, complex, and tragic character. I love him. I want to hug him. In this specific game too, wow, I love Flowey lore. Love Flowey angst. 5/5.

Martlet Personality Headcanons: Probably AuDHD. Definitely has racing thoughts / scatterbrain. Her first job was babysitting when she was a teen. She only barely got into The Royal Guard because they were desperate after losing a lot of good members in the war. She eventually proved herself to be a good member. Probably in her early 20s so ~21-23. Physical Headcanons: She's pretty buffed because of her job. ~5'10". I don't have too many. Gender: Trans Woman Pronouns: She/They Orientation: Multisexual of some sort with a preference for women. Also ambiamorous. Post Game: She quit her job at The Royal Guard, unable to really take the burden of having to kill a human child for the king. Chujin's words haunt her, what he said about her not being cut out for it. Instead she got a job as a classroom assistant. She bounces around the limited schooling system the underground has. So often times she gets a good reputation with the kids and will get to watch them grow up. Sometimes her job makes her think about how she could have done her best to hide Clover and watch them grow up too. She's a very emotional person by nature so, she would probably take the longest to really have it be in the past for her. But, she got right to *appearing* like she was moving on. By day it was like nothing had happened at all, she puts on a smile for the kids she helps out with, plays games with them. She's good at seeming okay but just shatters every night for a long time. Eventually (RAREPAIR), spending so much time with Dalv became beneficial for the both of them and they helped pull each other out of the rut. Opinions: I wish she had more screen time because she seems like a character the creators cared a lot about. She's very OC shaped and that's a good thing. I love when I can see the care that goes into a character. 4/5.

[collidescopeeyes]

Time is Roulette Whee: Swain WIP Pt3

“I'm not allowed to make deals with you anymore,” you tell the raven sternly on your next outing. “Also, that was very rude. It's not like dying is new to me, but some warning would have been nice. Not that I think you can talk, per se. I mean, you have those creepy whispers, but I don't know the demonic language. I can probably guess what you're trying to get at, though, and no. I'm not letting you rip my head open for juicy tidbits, and also, I'm not making any bargains to free you from Swain's control. Anything you know he knows anyway, and he's less likely to fuck me over than a literal demon. Especially one that very rudely let's me get my throat shrapneled from the inside.”

The raven caws from your shoulder. “Yeah, that's what I thought,” you grouch.

—

You don't do much over the next month, honestly. Once every few days or so, a raven arrives with an envelope clutched it's beak, and inside is a time you're to arrive at Swain's office, wrangle Raum under control, and chat. He seems to like talking to you, or at least you assume that's why he keeps doing it. You do occasionally feel like you're on the business end of a reconnaissance mission, but you can't imagine knowing your opinion on yordles somehow gives Noxus an edge on their many conquests. No, at this point you figure that Swain just has an intense demeanor that makes him seem like he's always doing something important, even when he's just asking you how your days been, or how you're settling in, or your thoughts on the book you were reading. That last one might be a reminder that you're under constant surveillance, actually, but it's not like you particularly care. Spending years in a nightmarish hellscape completely isolated save for the inhuman monsters trying to kill you kind of maxed out your lifetime requirement for alone time. Besides, you're pretty sure the birds can't open doors or unbar windows, and if you really wanted privacy you could always rewind yourself to Piltover or something. Still, you leave your window open for the birds most days.

—

The bird on your windowsill caws to get your attention. You wave it over without looking, focused on your book and your breakfast. Noxus probably would've been higher on your list of leads if you knew their food was so good, honestly. Who knew artisanal bread and cheese could elevate a grilled cheese sandwich so much?

The bird lands on your table, Swain's fancy envelope in beak. You wedge your bookmark in place and take it with your clean hand, breaking the crimson red seal and fishing the card out one handed. “Three pm,” you read aloud, tossing the card back on the table. “Standard Raum wrangling duty, it seems.”

The bird croaks at you. You shrug. “I don't make the rules.” You rip off a piece of crust to feed to it, then frown. “Come to think of it, how do you work, anyway? Does Swain see everything you see, or do you just report the important stuff to him?” You frown. “That would be awkward. He is technically my boss. That being said, respect for authority was never my strong suit.” You consider the bird a moment, then turn back to your meal. “Ah, whatever. He has like a hundred of you running around. I'm sure he's not paying attention to me telling you about embarrassing things I did in primary school. Hell, maybe it'll convince him to stop having you follow me around.”

—

“I can hear everything you say, and no, the inanity of your conversation is not going to convince me to leave a mage of your caliber unchecked,” he says by way of introduction that afternoon.

You blink, shutting the door behind you. “I’m not a mage.”

He raises a brow. “Oh? How does one traverse the Void without magic, then?”

You shrug as you seat yourself across from him. He changed the chair out shortly after your first visit–it’s nicer now, with actual padding. You wonder if that's for your benefit, or if someone got the other one broken over their head. “It's a secret. Hand,” you wiggle your fingers at where his left arm lies hidden inside his imposing military coat.

“Would you tell me in exchange for a recommendation to a cake shop?” He asks, placing his red-lit palm in yours. His tone is dry, but there's an edge of sincerety there that makes you think he's not entirely joking. “They make a lovely lemon meringue.”

You click your tongue. “Sorry, no dice. Besides, I'm sure you can figure it out from the tidbit your birdie already got out of me.”

“I understand it was a Voidspawn that took you from your world, and I take it your powers are a result of harnessing whatever you found there,” he says offhandedly. “What I don't understand is how you came to be here.”

You glance up at him. He has that look again, the one that makes you feel vaguely like a butterfly pinned to a board, like he wants to peel you open and see what's inside. “If I knew that, I probably wouldn't still be here.”

“Hm. I hope you know I won't be opening any Void Rifts on your behalf,” he says casually. “Far too much cleanup.”

“If you can find me a trajectory through a hellish nightmare void that defies time, space and euclidean geometry, I will personally slaughter every Voidspawn from here to the nearest Shuriman Rift,” you say cheerfully.

He raises a brow. “Not overselling yourself, I hope?”

You shrug. “I don't die. Don't strictly need to eat or sleep because of that, either. And believe me, I know how to kill Voidspawn.”

“You also take several hours to revive,” he points out. “Hardly time efficient.”

You shake your head. “Reality is…rigid, here. Inflexible. Not the Void. Those things bring a little bit of nothingness with them. Makes it easy to change things, change me.” You frown at his hand, trying to find your way around your curse. “First time I died after coming here, it was morning by the time I woke up, and I was not happy about it.”

“Hm. How fast would you say, with exposure to Void energy? Minutes?” He peers intently at your expression. His brow hitches. “Seconds?”

“I can neither confirm nor deny,” you say breezily. “And if you don't mind, I'd rather change the subject, before I say something I shouldn't and end up spitting blood in your face.”

He grimaces. “Very well. What would you like to speak about, then?”

You blink. “Yknow, you're different from what I was expecting.”

He raises a brow. “Oh? And what did you know of me, before you met me?”

You open your mouth, except you have no idea how to answer that question. “I don't think I can fully answer that,” you say slowly.

“Partially, then,” he says.

You frown at him. “Hey, you were following me for weeks before we met, and you don't see me interrogating you about what you know about me, other than that I like lemon meringues.”

He blinks. “I did not know you liked lemon meringues, just sweets. And putting aside what you have willingly divulged to my birds, I know that you're stubborn, intelligent, pragmatic, and more ruthless than you like to pretend you are. You go out of your way to help others, but pain doesn't seem to phase you anymore and without that nothing in this world seems to pose any real threat to you, so the life-threatening risks you take aren't particularly high-stakes for you. You subject yourself to the mundanities of human life your powers could erase the need for–food, water, rest, walking to places you've been or practicing a knife when you could unmake a city. You don't shy away from your powers, so you must not think they pose any threat, but you don't use them as a crutch either–that leads me to believe you mistrust them, perhaps that they'd desert you once you return to your world. Please, correct me if I'm wrong on any of those counts,” he says, spreading his free hand invitingly. You don't. “There. I've told you all I know about you.”

You raise a brow at him. “I know you didn't tell me all that just to hear about yourself,” you say dryly, and release his hand. “But if you really must…I know you get kick out of getting under people's skin.”

He smirks. Whatever answer he was looking for, that was apparently good enough. He's handsome when he smiles–well, he's handsome all the time, but in the same way a classical statue is, a cold and untouchable sort of beauty. When he smiles, that wicked little twist on his lips, it makes him look human. Not quite approachable, but at least like someone that lives on the same plane of existence as you. “I can neither confirm nor deny. You may restore the walls of Bitharix tomorrow at your convenience. That will be all.”

“Yes, sir,” you say with a mock salute, rising from your seat as he returns to his work.

“The shop is called Halcyon, and it's near the war memorials,” he says as you turn to leave. You look back to him, taken aback.

“Are you just telling me that because I wasn't expecting you to, and you like throwing me off?” You ask skeptically, though there's mirth in your voice.

“I decided I should reward you for your rare approximation of respect,” he drawls.

“If I'd known I got a reward for being a good girl I'd have done it sooner, sir,” You say teasingly, because spending years in the Void talking to yourself just to stay sane has really done nothing good for your already tenuous brain-mouth connection. Swain looks up at you, brow raised, and the satisfaction you derive from his taken aback expression is almost enough to cancel out the fact that you just hit on your boss.

…Your boss, Jericho Swain, Grand General of Noxus, who you have to look in the eye in a scant few days. Who, judging by the smirk curling on the edge of his lips, has no doubt cottoned on from your deer in headlights that you weren't just fucking with him, and you've completely lost why opportunity to play that off as a joke.

Welp. He might think you don't use your powers as a crutch, but you've never left somewhere so quickly in your life. You make your escape before he has the chance to say anything.

—

He doesn't call on you for a few days after, and you almost, almost put the incident out of your mind. You've had more embarrassing fuck-ups, you're sure, and honestly everything you've been through kind of puts social blunders into perspective on an odd way. You decide not to worry about it.

—

“What is that?” Swain asks, squinting at the paper bag you've deposited on his desk.

“A lemon meringue?” You say, plopping into your seat and wiggling your fingers at him.

“Why is it here?” He says. He doesn't even look at you when he puts his hand in yours, busy opening the packet to peer inside, as if you've somehow put a bomb in a clearly labeled baked goods bag.

You blink at him. “It's for you?” He gives you a blank look. “I figured you liked them, since you didn't know I did and you brought them up anyway. If you don't want it I'll take it. You were right, though, they're amazing.”

“Hm. No, I'll take it. My thanks,” he says. There's a strange look in his eye when he regards you. “Is there something you want?”

You consider him. “People don't often just do nice things for you without wanting something in return, do they?”

“Implying you don't want something from me?” He asks.

You pointedly do not think about your last encounter. “Well, sure, but you know what I want.”

“Do I?” He says, his voice low and considering. His palm is warm in yours. You're so fucking made.

You resist the urge to squirm. You've spent years in the Void, whatever this is can't be worse. “Look, if this is about what I said last time–”

“It's not,” he says easily, completely derailing what was about to be a very awkward apology about your lack of professionalism. Not that you'd ever had much of that. Before you can ask what the fuck that means, he hands you a sheet of paper. “In any case, your services are required in Ionia. We will be departing tomorrow morning. The details are there.”

You scan the piece of paper, which is part mission detail and part itinerary. “We?” You ask, flipping the page over. “Wait, you got the Leviathan back? Didn't Gangplank steal that?”

He grimaces. “Yes. Captain Fortune returned it after she deposed her predecessor, as a gesture of peace towards Noxus.”

You glance up at him. “Did it work?”

A smirk pulls at his lips. “For now. Bilgewater is more useful to me as it is now. Besides, bringing that mis-managed shantytown to heel would be far more effort than it's worth.”

“Would be useful to have serpent callers on staff, though,” you point out idly. “If there's one thing I'm not going to miss about this world, it's the sea monsters.”

“A fair point,” he says thoughtfully. “Though I must say that relying on the favor of a god sits ill with me.”

You shrug. “Can't say I know much about Nagakaborous, but gods can be brought to heel like anything else. Look at Aurelion Sol.”

He gives you a sharp look. “The celestial dragon? What about it?”

You blink. “Oh. I suppose that would predate your demon. The Aspects enslaved it using a magic crown and bent it to the will of the Ancient Shuriman’s, creating the god warriors which ultimately led to the civilizations downfall. As far as I know he's still floating around Targon doing their bidding. When I tracked him down, he refused to help without the crown being removed, and putting aside how long I'd be comatose for if I tried to undo however many thousands of years, I'm pretty sure he intends to blow up the planet if he gets free.”

There's a predatory gleam in his eye. “I see. What else do you know, about the Aspects?”

You raise a brow. “If you're expecting me to sit here and lay out the secret history of Runeterra, you're at least buying me dinner.” Shit. Wait. You've done it again.

He laughs, rich and dark. He turns his hand in yours, his clawed fingertips brushing over the inside of your wrist, where your pulse is currently thundering through your veins. “I can give you so much more than that, dear girl. Tell me, what is it you're craving today?”

…You're so fucked, and what's worse, he knows it.

—

Once you scraped your brain into your head, the first thing that came to mind to request for dinner that didn't involve clothes coming off was steak. You spend an hour comparing your understandings of the Aspects, Mount Targons general political landscape and possible resources, and you go into a impassioned aside about how the cosmic dragon that created the stars in your sky was a pretentious prick. He does, in fact, get you dinner–which is to say, the tower has its own kitchen staff, and he invites you to dine with him. He's actually very cordial–for all that talking to him sort of feels like you're somehow being played, he also holds open the door and pulls out your chair. You notice he only uses his demonic arm in front of you–in the hall, he keeps it tucked away in his coat when you're walking, but as soon as the serving staff have filed out of the room he's back to normal.

“How many people know about Raum?” You ask, cutting into your food. It is, of course, excellent.

“Only the Trifarix, Katarina Du Couteau, and you,” he says. “More convenient to have our enemies underestimate me as a cripple, and those who witness my powers firsthand don't tend to survive the experience.”

You glance at him. “Is it really that bad, that you lost an arm?” He raises a brow at you, and you wave a hand. “Not as in–look, I've been dismembered before and it fucking sucks, but what I mean is…I don't think having two arms is what makes you dangerous.”

For a moment a bittersweet smile pulls at his lip. “Things were different under Darkwill. Martial strength was all that Noxus valued, and that is one of the many reasons it was rotting from the inside. It's a mentality some still share, inside Noxus and out.”

You snort. “Like it matters how good someone is in a fistfight when they have a fortress and an army?”

“Some would describe that as cowardice,” he points out mildly.

“I'd call it pragmatism,” you retort. “Do you frequently say the opposite of what you mean just to see if people will agree with you?”

He smirks. “No. But I don't particularly care for most people's opinions.” Implying he cares about yours? “Wine?” He offers.

(The wine is, of course, as excellent as the food.)

—

“When you said morning, you did not say pre-sunrise,” you grouch, huddling under your new coat. The wind is bitingly cold in the harbor; Swain seemed unbothered by it, though it sends his coat flaring dramatically around him. The upper deck has a balcony that leads directly to his quarters, and he cuts an imperious figure overseeing the Leviathan's launch.

“Not a morning person, I take it?” He drawls, as if he doesn't know damn well from his birds.

“There are three things that wake me up in a good mood–sex, food, and coffee, in that order,” you say archly. “And I don't imagine you have an eggs benedict and a vanilla latte under that coat.”

He raises a brow. “Unfortunately, no.”

Hm. That's a surprisingly lukewarm response. You pause, finally taking a good look at him. “You look tired,” you say, noting the shadows under his eyes. Exhausted would probably be the better term.

“Yes,” he agrees. “There was much to do before we left, and I hadn't planned on our talk being quite so engaging.”

You hold out your hand and wiggle your fingers at him. He glances at you curiously, but places his gloved hand in yours. You rewind him back to rested, and his brows hitch. “Convenient,” he notes.

“I'm not doing that on the regular, and I don't care how efficient you'd be if you didn't need to sleep,” you tell him bluntly, releasing his hand. “Even without the physiological side effects, there are deep-seated psychological ramifications to not sleeping you really do not want to mess with.”

“I'll take your word for it,” he says. “I appreciate the assistance, but the reason I called you here is because there's been a slight change of plans. You'll be serving as my primary bodyguard for the duration of this trip, not just part of my entourage.”

You raise an eyebrow at him. “Do you need a bodyguard?”

“No, but the Ionians’ don't know that, and I'd prefer it to stay that way,” he allows. “That does however mean that I expect you to stay by my side, unless I explicitly order otherwise.”

You nod. Internally, your head is in your hands. You're sure that being next to him all day will have only positive effects on whatever bizarre game of cat and mouse you're in with the man. Which, now that you think of it, you're not entirely sure if he's trying to seduce you, use you for the good of Noxus, or just enjoys fucking with you. Probably all of them, to some extent or another.

He turns to look at you, considering. Then he looks back over the still-grey horizon. “Your quarters are there. I suppose I won't take issue if you chose to return to bed. We are still in Noxian waters, after all.”

And little acts of kindness like that are doing nothing to help you make up your mind.